Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich Suffers Injury After Expensive Celebration

Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer is facing a period of absence after sustaining a calf muscle tear while celebrating during Wednesday's 3-0 Champions League victory against Bayer Leverkusen. Neuer was visibly struggling and had to be substituted in the second half of the last 16 first leg match shortly after Jamal Musiala doubled Bayern's lead. Debutant Jonas Urbig replaced Neuer after the injury. The club released a statement on Thursday confirming the 38-year-old goalkeeper's injury, stating that Neuer will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

"It happened while celebrating," Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said after the match, adding "that's a shame for us".

The veteran goalkeeper, who recently extended his deal at Bayern until 2025, missed almost a full year with a broken leg from a skiing accident from December 2022 until October 2023.

Urbig, 21, arrived from Cologne in the winter. Despite making his debut on the big stage on Wednesday, Urbig was largely untested as Bayern dominated the first leg against the defending German champions.

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Bayern, who sit eight points clear in the league with 10 games remaining, travel to Leverkusen for the return Champions League leg next week in a dominant position.

(This story has not been edited by staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)