Dortmund run riot as Bundesliga returns but concerns raised in EPL

Germany’s Bundesliga restarted its season in empty stadiums as European soccer took its first step back into the spotlight.

Schalke goalkeeper Markus Schubert is beaten for a fourth time in Borussia Dortmund’s comfortable 4-0 win in their return to action in the Bundesliga. Picture: Getty Images

Amid the face masks, empty stadiums and endless rules to enable playing during the coronavirus crisis, there remains the small matter of the German Bundesliga title to decide – and Saturday’s return to action showed three contenders in very different form.

Borussia Dortmund brilliantly dismantled Ruhr derby rivals Schalke 4-0 at the 81,000-capacity Signal Iduna Park to stay second and move within a point of leaders Bayern Munich.

Borussia Moenchengladbach beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 to go third and stay two points behind Dortmund, while RB Leipzig in contrast laboured against Freiburg to draw 1-1 at home.

“What could be better than starting the season again with such a win?” asked Dortmund’s Julian Brandt, who set up his team’s second goal for Raphael Guerreiro – who scored a brace – and third for Thorgan Hazard.

“It’s hard (playing in a closed stadium) … but that’s the way it is now. We try to stick to the rules,” added Brandt.

19-year-old Norwegian hitman Erling Haarland opened the scoring to continue his superb run of goals – his 10th in nine Bundesliga games since joining from Red Bull Salzburg.

“We played a really good game,” said Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc. “We didn’t know where we would be after this long break.”

Players had been warned to keep their emotions in check, and to desist from spitting, handshakes and hugging with the games keenly watched by the rest of the soccer world hoping to restart their own leagues.

Team staff, and players who didn’t start, wore masks. Substitutes took their positions in the stands, rather than beside the field, while footballs and seats were disinfected.

Visitors Schalke became the first team to make five substitutions in a Bundesliga game in a new temporary measure allowed in the league, but they couldn’t change the outcome. Dortmund’s players celebrated in front of the empty south terrace afterwards.

“This was no different from the game we used to play when we were children. Without spectators, just having fun. You could see that was the case for the team,” an ecstatic Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki said.

Meanwhile in England, Watford manager Nigel Pearson has raised the possibility of a coronavirus-related death should the Premier League season resume amid the pandemic.

English top-flight teams could return to some type of training next week following a Premier League meeting on Monday, when medical protocols will be voted on, and there are plans to get matches going again by mid-June.

Pearson, however, has doubts about ‘Project Restart’ with much of Britain still in lockdown due to COVID-19.

“God forbid we have a fatality,” he told The Times. “People are closing their eyes to the threat.

“Yes, we would like to restart it but it’s got to be safe. We should be cautious. To ignore possibilities is foolhardy. It’s about safeguarding people’s health.

“The death toll in the UK is anything between 33,000 and 38,000. That’s filling our stadium and then filling it half again. It’s a sobering thought.”

Meanwhile Norwich City captain Grant Hanley has become the latest Premier League player to express concerns about a resumption of the season, with Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling, Tottenham’s Danny Rose, on-loan at Newcastle this season, and Brighton’s Glenn Murray having already voiced their worries.

“I think the overall feeling is that players have got concerns,” Hanley told Sky Sports.

“Looking at the protocols for going back to training, I think that’s probably fair enough. But it’s just the next step after that, like where do we go from there? In terms of going back into contact training and games.

“My missus is pregnant and she’s due at the start of July, so there’s obviously worries there for myself.

“There’s nothing (in terms of the) sort of information being given to us on, for example, how do we travel to games? Where do we stay? What are the hotels? How can we guarantee hotels are going to be safe for us to be in?

“Ultimately it’s putting your family at risk that is the main concern and that’s the worry I think all the teams will have at this minute in time.”

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