Borussia Dortmund players carried out their traditional post-match celebration after beating rivals Schalke – despite the stands being empty due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lucien Favre’s men hammered their local rivals 4-0 in the Revierderby as the Bundesliga made its return following the outbreak of the pandemic, Dailymail reports.
The club is known for the incredible atmosphere their fans generate with the Yellow Wall at Signal Iduna Park one of the most famous sections of supporters in the world.
And the noise at the Westfalenstadion often comes to a crescendo when players, usually holding hands, go over to the Yellow Wall and lap up the applause from the crowd after a win.
But with just a maximum of 300 people allowed inside grounds around the country this weekend as part of the ongoing coronavirus measures, the players were forced to use their imagination during their full-time celebrations.
The likes of teenage star Erling Haaland and defender Achraf Hakimi were captured applauding an empty stand following their victory.
The duo were then joined by many of their other team-mates as they did their traditional celebratory run up and jump as they continued to observe social distancing rules.
When asked after the match why the players completed their traditional post-match celebrations despite the absence of fans, Haaland told Bein Sports: ‘Why not? Yes [it is a message I want to send out] to my fans.
When asked if the fans are everything for him and the club he replied: ‘It is.’
However, the lack of fans in the stadium didn’t appear to affect Favre’s men with their performance as they dismantled former Huddersfield boss David Wagner’s side.
A Raphael Guerreiro double as well as strikes from Erling Haaland and Thorgan Hazard ensured not only a comfortable afternoon for Dortmund but also saw them leapfrog RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga table after their shock home draw against Freiburg.
The result also saw Dortmund close the gap to leaders Bayern Munich – who play against Union Berlin on Sunday- to one point.
