Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer didn’t hold back after his team’s elimination in the Club World Cup quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain. Beyond the 2–0 loss, the German keeper expressed his frustration over the challenge that left Jamal Musiala with a serious injury to his left fibula, following a collision with Gianluigi Donnarumma, the French club's goalkeeper.

"It was an unnecessarily risky play. I don’t think it was absolutely necessary to go in like that. There’s a certain level of risk in football, but not to the extent of putting another player’s health in jeopardy,” Neuer said in the post-match mixed zone.

Neuer to Donnarumma: “You should have gone over to him”

The Bayern captain also revealed that he confronted Donnarumma right after the incident:

“I told him, ‘Aren’t you going to go over? The first half just ended, and Jamal is lying on the ground, likely heading to the hospital. The least you can do is show respect, wish him well, and apologize.’ Eventually, he did go over,” Neuer added.

The sight of Musiala leaving the pitch with a devastating injury shocked not just Bayern but the wider football world. The 22-year-old German midfielder is expected to undergo surgery in Munich and could be out of action for four to six months.

Courtois defends Donnarumma: “You can’t blame him like that”

In response to the backlash, Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid goalkeeper and PSG's next opponent in the semifinals, came to Donnarumma’s defense. “Blaming Donnarumma seems excessive to me. Goalkeepers go for the ball, just as strikers do without thinking whether they might hit us in the face,” said the Belgian after his team's win over Borussia Dortmund.

Courtois expressed sympathy for the situation but insisted it was an unfortunate accident:

“It’s painful to see an injury like that, but the play wasn’t avoidable. He went for the ball, and it was just very unlucky how Musiala landed. I’m sure Donnarumma feels terrible too.”

The debate is on: was it recklessness or just a tragic part of the game? What’s certain is that football will be missing one of its brightest young talents for quite some time.