Borussia Dortmund dominated Schalke 04 in Saturday’s Revierderby behind the closed doors of the Westfalenstadion, beating their foes 4-0. Julian Brandt was one of the standout players and directly involved in two goals.
The midfielder did not have any adjustment issues amid the unusual situation. “I would prefer the circumstances to be normal. But in the end, we all have to deal with it. In the end, football is football and you have to try to enjoy it,” Brandt told tv broadcaster Sky, adding that legs only got tired toward the end of the second half when the game was long decided. “You could feel the last seven, eight, nine weeks.”
The 24-year-old believed that having had the experience of having played a game behind closed doors in the UEFA Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain before the Coronavirus forced a two-month break was a small advantage over their arch-rivals for the Black and Yellows. “We were already used to the silence in the stadium and all that comes with it. The rules and procedures with social distancing are a bit different, for example, that you’re not allowed to celebrate together. But we already had that experience and that helped us today,” Brandt said.
Indeed, the Dortmund players adhered to the rules of social distancing during the goal celebration. Players of Hertha Berlin did not quite do the same in their win against Hoffenheim. “We try to adhere to the rules as good as we can,” the former Leverkusen player said, adding: “But had it been a scoreless tie and had we scored the winner in the 93. minute, then the emotions probably would have been a bit different.”
The team celebrated their victory in front of an empty yellow wall, which was a spontaneous move Brandt revealed.
