News24
24 May 2020, 02:42 GMT+10
Bayern Munich cruised to victory once more as Borussia Dortmund kept within touching ahead of next week's top-two showdown but there were still plenty of unusual sights and sounds in the Bundesliga this weekend.
AFP Sport looks at some of the most notable moments from the second round of matches since football's restart in Germany:
Moment of reflection for victims
A minute's silence is being observed ahead of all games in Germany's top two tiers this week and next in memory of Covid-19 victims worldwide. Over 8 200 people have died from coronavirus-related causes in Germany, which has reported more than 175 000 cases. Players are also wearing black armbands in tribute.
"The spread of the coronavirus has already taken many lives throughout the world. German professional football would like to express its condolences," German league chief executive Christian Seifert said this week.
Cut it out!
Borussia Moenchengladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer was pictured seated next to his partner, Alina, among the home fans as 13 000 cardboard cut-outs 'watched' the team in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen. An initiative launched by a Gladbach supporters' group has attracted plenty of interest, with fans jumping on the chance to have life-sized images of themselves in the stands. Thousands of people have taken up the offer, where they pay €19 to have their cut-out placed inside Borussia Park. Season ticket holders can even have their lookalike allocated to their regular spot.
"It looks great, doesn't make any noise, but creates a certain atmosphere," said Gladbach defender Stefan Lainer. "It's definitely a great idea and I'm glad that so many took part."
Elbow room at the top
Bayern Munich maintained their four-point cushion at the top ahead of Tuesday's trip to second-placed Borussia Dortmund with a 5-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt. With strict health protocols in place to limit contact between players to a minimum, the elbow-tap celebration was dusted off several times at the Allianz Arena as in-form Bayern recorded their 12th league win in 13 outings.
Protest banners out in force again
A number of dissenting banners criticising the league's resumption without fans were again visible across stadiums in Germany. Millions tuned in last weekend to watch some live football, but a significant portion remained unhappy at the idea of games going ahead without the noisy backdrop provided by German supporters.
"Silent faces, cardboard reminders: Football without fans is nothing! For Borussia, against games behind closed doors!" read a series of banners at Gladbach's Borussia Park. Another in Paderborn, where the hosts drew 1-1 with Hoffenheim, said: "Basic law number one: the Bundesliga is above everything."
All ears for Dortmund coach
Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre said one of the rare benefits to playing behind closed was the ability to instruct his players with relative ease. "I think it's positive that the players can now hear me better in the stadium," said Favre, able to grab the attention of his players far more easily than usual. "Normally only my wide players can understand me."
The absence of fans has negated home advantage since the league's return - with just three wins in 15 matches through Saturday for the home side.
Rare Beckenbauer outing
German football great Franz Beckenbauer was in attendance for Bayern's behind-closed-doors game at home to Eintracht, after he was invited by chairperson Karl-Heinz Rummenigge as part of an eight-person delegation that included former club president Uli Hoeness. "I'm leaving my house for the first time in a long time," 74-year-old Beckenbauer told German daily .
Beckenbauer, whose health has deteriorated in recent years, had to wear a face mask and sit several seats away from others in the delegation. His trial on corruption charges linked to the 2006 World Cup ended without a verdict late last month.
Get a daily dose of Canada Standard news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Canada Standard.
More InformationEVERGLADES, Florida: Over the weekend, a diverse coalition of environmental activists, Native American leaders, and residents gathered...
BEIJING, China: China's national soccer team may struggle to stir excitement, but its humanoid robots are drawing cheers — and not...
]LONDON, U.K.: A World Health Organization (WHO) expert group investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic released its final...
DOVER, Delaware: California Governor Gavin Newsom has taken legal aim at Fox News, accusing the network of deliberately distorting...
FRANKFURT, Germany: Germany has become the latest country to challenge Chinese AI firm DeepSeek over its data practices, as pressure...
TORONTO, Canada: Harvard University and the University of Toronto have created a backup plan to ensure Harvard graduate students continue...
(250702) -- MIAMI, July 2, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Gonzalo Garcia (R) of Real Madrid vies with Francisco Conceicao of Juventus during the...
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 2 (ANI): A two-person bench of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) observed Royal Challengers...
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 1 (ANI): After the Bengaluru stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives and left...
Bulawayo [Zimbabwe], July 1 (ANI): Following his side's win over Zimbabwe in the first Test, South African skipper Keshav Maharaj hailed...
New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI): The last two spots for the quarterfinals of the FIFA Club World Cup will be sealed by either Spanish...
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 1 (ANI): The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Tuesday stated that it was the Royal Challengers...