Manuel Neuer ‘annoyed’ that Bayern Munich took six years to return to the DFB-Pokal final

Leverkusen, Germany - April 22: goalkeeper Manuel Neuer of FC Bayern Muenchen controls the ball during the DFB Cup semifinal match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern München at BayArena on April 22, 2026 in Leverkusen, Germany. (Photo by Oliver Kaelke/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images) | DeFodi Images via Getty Images Bayern Munich’s streak of imperfect DFB-Pokal performances continued in the 2-0 semifinal win over Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern got off to a hot start behind Harry Kane’s goal in the 22nd minute but failed to convert six other big chances. In stoppage time of the second half, Luis Díaz scored a relatively uncontested breakaway goal but it was tough sledding for most of the match. Bayern forced Mark Flekken into making eight saves while Manuel Neuer was only tested once on a shot from Nathan Tella. Per usual, Neuer was up to the task. After the match, Neuer blew off some built up frustration regarding Bayern’s recent failures in the DFB-Pokal knockout rounds. “I missed Berlin,” said Neuer (via @iMiaSanMia). “It’s annoying to not get to the final for so long, because we know what a special game it is. It’s special for the fans, the players and the club. We took our chance today. We could’ve scored more goals but Flekken was amazing. We stayed focused and managed to get a deserved win.” Next month, Bayern will play either Freiburg or defending champion Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final. After clinching the Bundesliga title over the weekend, Bayern is in a fantastic position to win the treble. *If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…*