Kompany heaps praise on 'special' Neuer display

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany singled out goalkeeper Manuel Neuer for praise after his team secured a 2-1 Champions League quarterfinal first-leg win at Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Goals from Luis Diaz and Harry Kane gave the Bundesliga leader a strong advantage on the back of a dominant display, but Kylian Mbappe pulled one back for Los Blancos, with Neuer making a string of impressive saves to keep the record 15-time winner at bay.

The veteran stopper thwarted the competition's top scorer Mbappe on several occasions and was named man of the match.

"If he was the best player, then I'm also happy with that, it's not a problem," Kompany told reporters.

"I think you always need special performances at this level, in these type of games.

"I think, today, we also had some chances to score more goals, so let's hope we continue this form next week, and let's hope that our strikers are the best players next week."

Kompany hailed two-time Champions League and 12-time Bundesliga winner Neuer's longevity.

"Manu is one of the very few — he's not just able to do it for a very long time, but for a very, very long time," said the Belgian coach.

"To still perform like he does now, I think that is something that not many goalkeepers, even the top ones, are able to do."

Kompany said that, despite Mbappe's goal in the 74th minute, he was happy with his team's win ahead of the second leg next Wednesday.

"We're happy with the result. It's a win, and any win at the Bernabeu in Madrid is an important result."

"It's something that we can build on. And we play at home the next game, so I think, of course, we have respect for the quality of Real Madrid.

"It's normal that they create some moments as well, they were incredibly dangerous at times. But, most importantly, we stayed really dangerous as well, so the idea is, when we go and play the next game at home, to try and go and win the game."

Bayern's match winner Kane scored his 49th goal of a superb season and was pleased with the win, but warned his teammates to stay on their toes in the second leg.

"I thought we played some really good stuff today," Kane told Amazon Prime.

"We're in a good position, but as always, it's a one-goal lead and that can change quickly. We'll try to perform as we did today."