Norwegian sensation Erling Braut Haaland on Saturday stole the limelight as the Bundesliga became the first major European soccer league to return since the COVID-19 lockdown, with teams playing in empty stadiums.
The 19-year-old striker claimed the first goal in Germany’s top flight in more than two months to set Borussia Dortmund on the way to a 4-0 win over local rivals Schalke 04.
“There was no noise. You shoot at the goal, make a top pass, score a goal and nothing happens,” Dortmund coach Lucien Favre said. “That’s very, very strange. We really missed our fans. It’s hard to judge how good the game was, but the players were very focused.”
Photo:Reuters
Winger Raphael Guerreiro added two goals for Dortmund either side of a Thorgan Hazard strike.
Dortmund, in second place, moved to within a point of leaders Bayern Munich, who are chasing an eighth straight title.
Haaland steered a low Hazard cross into the far corner on 29 minutes to claim his 10th goal in just nine Bundesliga matches.
It was his 41st goal this season in all competitions and his 13th for Dortmund in just 12 games since joining in January from Red Bull Salzburg.
Haaland celebrated by dancing alone — making no contact with teammates, who clapped him on — to comply with the strict hygiene guidelines that allowed the league to return.
All matches are being played behind closed doors, with no more than 300 spectators permitted.
Normally, Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park would be packed with more than 80,000 fans for the Ruhr derby, one of the biggest fixtures in German soccer.
After Haaland’s opener, an error by Schalke goalkeeper Markus Schubert led to Guerreiro making it 2-0 before halftime.
Haaland then played a role in the build-up to the third goal before Julian Brandt set up Hazard to fire home on 48 minutes.
Guerreiro grabbed his second in style after a one-two with Haaland in the 63rd minute.
Borussia Moenchengladbach climbed to third with a 3-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt after scoring goals through Alassane Plea and Marcus Thuram in the opening seven minutes.
Algeria defender Ramy Bensebaini converted a second-half penalty for Gladbach before midfielder Andre Silva grabbed Frankfurt’s late consolation goal.
Gladbach are three points behind leaders Bayern.
RB Leipzig dropped to fourth after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to SC Freiburg.
Defender Manuel Gulde gave visitors Freiburg a shock lead and celebrated by elbow-bumping teammates, before Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen grabbed a late equalizer.
Freiburg were then denied a stoppage-time winner when a video assistant referee check spotted an offside.
Bruno Labbadia, who was named as Jurgen Klinsmann’s replacement during the lockdown, made a winning start as Hertha Berlin coach with a 3-0 success at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
The goals came in quick succession with a Kevin Akpoguma own-goal being followed by Hertha captain Vedad Ibisevic grabbing a second.
Brazilian Matheus Cunha then made it 3-0.
In contrast with elsewhere, Hertha players celebrated their goals by hugging each other, flouting the league’s hygiene guidelines, but Labbadia defended his team.
“The fact is that this is part of football,” he said. “We’ve been tested so many times that we can allow it. If you can’t celebrate anymore, the whole thing breaks down. I’m just glad that the team had reason to cheer today.”
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