BUNDESLIGA RETURNS, DORTMUND THRASH TRADITIONAL RIVALS SCHALKE 4-0
DORTMUND: Borussia Dortmund thrashed traditional rivals Schalke 4-0 to close the gap on champions and leaders Bayern Munich to one point as the Bundesliga restarted on Saturday after a two-month break caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The outcome of the match left second-placed Dortmund on 54 points from 26 games, behind Bayern who visit Union Berlin on Sunday. Dortmund, who had won seven of their last eight games before the league was halted in mid-March, picked up where they left off as Portugal midfielder Raphael Guerreiro scored twice while Erling Haaland and Thorgan Hazard added a goal each. The hosts celebrated a first league win over Schalke since November 2015 while the visitors stretched their winless league run to eight games, having scored only twice in the process.
The Ruhr derby kicked off in an empty stadium as all games began amid strict hygiene measures. Calls and shouts from coaching staff and players, and the thud of the ball being kicked, reverberated around the mainly deserted stands.
Team staff, and players who didn’t start, wore masks. Substitutes took their positions in the stands, rather than beside the fields as customary, while balls and seats were disinfected.