Kane trophy curse continues for ‘bitter’ Kompany as Bayern teammate issues ‘apology’ for breaking record

Vincent Kompany was ‘bitter’ after Bayern Munich made history in being knocked out of the German Cup to extend the trophy curse of the injured Harry Kane.

Bayern were beaten 1-0 at home to holders Bayer Leverkusen through a Nathan Tella goal following an early red card to Manuel Neuer – the first of his illustrious career.

The hosts were arguably the better side even still thereafter but their resistance was broken after more than 50 minutes of playing with ten me, with Leverkusen holding out for a win to reach the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals in February.

Kompany, appointed manager in the summer in a phenomenal case of failing upwards after his Premier League relegation with Burnley, took encouragement from the display.

“Of course it’s so bitter that we were eliminated,” he said.

“The red card influenced the game, but the boys did very well and showed character. I played in so many games with a man down and know how tough it is.

“We created chances with a man down but unfortunately couldn’t score. The fans gave us an extra push and were the extra man.

“We have to differentiate between the fact we’re out and the fact the boys did very well. I can’t blame anyone.

“The crowd support visibly helped the team. There was life in our performance. The boys gave it everything they had. Nevertheless, you can’t sugarcoat defeats, particularly not when they mean you’re out of the cup.”

Neuer accepted fault for his part in the defeat and praised the reaction of his teammates.

“The red card decided the game. It hurt us and for that I’m sorry. I’ve already apologised to the team,” he said.

“I was still hoping for a hint of an offside in that situation, but I can’t change it now. It was a mistake and I have to accept that. I don’t have a choice.

“Obviously, it wasn’t easy to keep playing afterwards but we did a very good job as a team. We invested a great deal and tried everything. You really can’t blame us as a team.”

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Bayern president Herbert Hainer was not particularly critical, adding: “The team played excellently and we could’ve scored a goal before half-time. We have a lot of attacking options and we played very flexibly.

“It was a matter of milliseconds for Manu so you can’t blame him – these things happen.

“I’ve spoken to Vincent, he’s very calm, analysing and looking ahead. He’ll pick the team up and we expect to win on Saturday.”

Kane is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the year with a hamstring injury he sustained in the recent draw with Borussia Dortmund.

Kompany has said “there’s a chance he’ll play again” in December but there may be a reluctance to risk a player with something of a history of muscle injuries, especially at this stage of a season.

Bayern, top of the Bundesliga by four points with Kane the division’s top scorer, have four games to play before Germany enter their winter break.

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