Berlin (AFP)

Obviously not disturbed by the closed door and the heavy health protocol of the Bundesliga, Dortmund found the ground on Saturday with the same appetite as in March, winning 4-0 the "Ruhr derby" against Schalke, with a double of Raphaël Guerreiro.

On the evening of this day of resumption of the German Championship, Bayern Munich remains in the lead with 55 points, and can resume its lead in case of victory Sunday in Berlin against the Union. Dortmund is second (54 pts) and Mönchengladbach (52 pts) took third place thanks to a 3-1 victory in Frankfurt, with two goals from their French Alassane Pléa and Marcus Thuram.

The bad operation of the day is for Leipzig (4th with 51 pts), held in check at home by Friborg (1-1) and now in bad shape in the title race.

"I’m not giving up on the title, commented ambitious RB coach Julian Nagelsmann, but when you draw 1-1 at home against Freiburg after losing there in the first leg (2-1), it's not enough to become champion of Germany ".

This 26th day, which continues Sunday and Monday, marks the restart of the German Championship after two months of interruption linked to the coronavirus pandemic.

- "There is no noise" -

Dortmund, in its gigantic completely empty Signal Iduna Park, swept away its rival Schalke thanks to remarkably constructed goals from Erling Haaland (29th), Guerreiro (45th, 63rd) and Thorgan Hazard (49th). The forced break apparently did not cut the momentum of Borussia: since January and transfers from midfielder Emre Can and scorer Erling Haaland, the team has won eight of its nine league games, with 32 goals scored (3, 5 goals per game).

Helped by the arrival in the staff of a mental coach, the team adapted to the very specific conditions.

The derby, which usually unleashes passions in the Ruhr area and much beyond, has yet sounded very hollow this year, in the agonizing echo of an enclosure of 82,000 empty seats. And even the hymn "You'll Never Walk Alone" played before the match seemed out of place: Dortmund did play alone, for the first time in its history at home.

As for the city, usually vibrant with the passion of the supporters of both camps on derby days, it was calm almost like a normal Saturday. The supporters had promised to respect the instructions and not to gather, so as not to risk creating centers of infection with coronavirus: they kept their word.

"We really miss our audience," said coach Lucien Favre at the end of the match: "There is no noise, you shoot at goal, you make a great pass, you score, and nothing happens, it's is very very weird. "

- Pléa and Thuram put the Eintracht KO -

At the final whistle, in a gesture mixing humor and disarray, the Borussia players went to make an ola in front of the South bend, the mythical "Yellow Wall", which responded with the mineral silence of its cold stands. The same ones where usually 24,000 fans scream, in the largest standing stand in Europe.

During this match, Schalke became the first team in a professional championship to change five players during the game, as authorized by a recently approved provisional regulation to avoid injury during this recovery period after a long period of inactivity.

In the other matches of the day, Mönchengladbach also surfed his form from the start of the year. The pair of French attackers knocked out the Eintracht in seven minutes! Alassane Pléa (1st) and Marcus Thuram (7th) scored twice, and Frankfurt never came back.

Ramy Bensebaini kicked off in the 73rd minute by converting a penalty (3-0) following a foul on Swiss striker Breel Embolo. Andre Silva saved the honor for the locals (3-1, 81st).

© 2020 AFP