Kahn hits the comeback trail

By Manfred Christoph

Within seconds of the end of FC Bayern München's UEFA Champions League first knockout round tie against Real Madrid CF last week, all that could be seen of goalkeeper Oliver Kahn was his gloves.

Abandoned gloves
The 34-year-old German international had unceremoniously dumped them on the halfway line as he left the pitch, still fuming at how he had managed to let Roberto Carlos's innocuous free-kick squirm under his body to give the Spanish giants a 1-1 draw which their performance had scarcely deserved.

Horrendous error
It was the kind of moment which can afflict even the greatest of goalkeepers. Expecting one of the Brazilian wing-back's trademark drives as he lined up his defensive wall, Kahn instead got a trickling shot which he could not believe he fumbled. "Even without two arms and legs I should have got it," he said.

Recent mistakes
However, it was not the first time in recent weeks that the usually reliable Kahn had dropped a clanger. His mistake contributed to Bayern's humiliating German Cup defeat by SC Alemannia Aachen in February, and he misjudged a cross to give Croatia an equaliser against Germany in a recent friendly.

Sterner stuff
In a trade like goalkeeping, where confidence and nerve count for so much, Kahn might have been expected to crumble under the pressure, but the blond custodian who joined Bayern from Karlsruher SC in 1994 is made of sterner stuff. He will be approaching the second leg in Madrid next Wednesday in determined mood.

Good sleep
Having all but disappeared after last week's game, Kahn re-emerged to give a brief interview. "I usually sleep well at nights, no matter what happens," Kahn explained. "And that was how it was last night." However, this was no indication that Kahn did not care about his blunder - far from it.

Sole responsibility
Indeed, the error has only strengthened his resolve. "Now I have to win this match on my own," said Kahn, who was in Germany's squad in the victorious EURO '96™ campaign, and won the 2001 Champions League and European/South American Cup and the 1996 UEFA Cup with Bayern, as well as three German Cups and five Bundesliga crowns.

'Still the best'
Last weekend, Kahn was back to his best as Bayern won 2-0 against VfL Wolfsburg. "Today he proved he is still the best keeper in the world," said his coach Ottmar Hitzfeld. "He played sensationally. The pressure was enormous and following all those headlines Olli gave the right answer."

Young backer
Kahn's post-match response was a little more succinct. "Well, I can still do it," he said. And perhaps it helped that one eleven-year-old Bayern fan had sent his own personal message to the goalkeeper, holding up a banner bearing the words 'Olli - Real is forgotten' on the terraces.

Moving moment
"At half-time I saw the boy with his banner," said Kahn. "It was one of those moments in a sportsman's life that really move you. I imagined him carefully making the banner with his marker pens. It made me think about when I was younger and always going through my own emotional ups and downs as a fan every time my heroes like [goalkeeper] Toni Schumacher and [tennis star] Boris Becker won or lost."

Hero's gift
This time, Kahn knew what to do with his gloves. At the end of the game, he got one of the Olympiastadion stewards to deliver them to the boy with the banner sitting above the entrance to the dressing rooms. The bad times are forgotten - now it is time for Kahn to be a hero again.