Mainz goalkeeper Robin Zentner has attributed his recent injury to a collision with Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane during Wednesday’s DFB-Pokal match in a fiery interview. The incident occurred during Bayern’s 4-0 DFB-Pokal victory, where Kane collided with Zentner while trying to retrieve a loose ball from a Serge Gnabry cross.
Zentner sustained a cut above his right eyebrow and required significant medical attention. Although he continued playing after the encounter, Zentner condemned his perpetrator after the match, criticising Kane’s unnecessarily aggressive approach, suggesting the England captain knew he had little chance of winning the ball but went in forcefully regardless.
“Yes, I think you can blame him,” Zentner told the media, as per The Athletic. He continued:
“He saw relatively early that he wasn’t going to get to the ball. He might as well have just stayed away.”
Nevertheless, the goalkeeper’s disapproval did not stop there, as he then explained his disbelief that Bayern’s second goal was not ruled out for Musiala standing in an offside position: “You don’t need a VAR for that. We have a linesman for that. It’s relatively clear, a situation that’s easy to judge. The fact that he didn’t see it… That’s not even close. We didn’t have any luck with the referee either. That’s reserved for Bayern.”
Luckily for Vincent Kompany’s side, the challenge didn’t result in any bookings, nor has the controversy continued to simmer, as neither the club nor Kane have commented on the backlash he has faced. Instead, it appears to have been just a mere chink on an otherwise spotless evening for the early Bundesliga chalk horses.
Bayern took the lead inside two minutes through Jamal Musiala and would score all their goals before half-time, with Musiala completing his hat-trick and Leroy Sane adding another, to book a place in the third round. “We were very focused on our performance and started well,” head coach Vincent Kompany said in his press conference afterward. “It was a perfect game. 4-0 away in the cup and we’re through another round — that’s great! The team is hungry and we’re excited about every game.”