Bundesliga football returned over the weekend, albeit as we have never seen it before. From empty stands to goals being celebrated while adhering to social distancing rules, here are some of the strangest images you may have missed!
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The biggest game of the weekend took place at Signal Iduna Park, where hosts Borussia Dortmund thrashed rivals Schalke 04 4-0 in an empty stadium, which usually fills its 81 365 seats.
It was BVB striker Erling Haaland who scored the first Bundesliga goal in over two months, and his celebration will likely be remembered for a long time as he raced to the corner flag before facing his teammates and doing a dance of sorts, with his colleagues applauding him from a safe distance.
This is because the Deutsche Fussball Liga (the body in charge of the German football leagues) has prohibited celebrating goals with hugs and in groups, making players get creative in other ways.
Another talking point was the post-match interviews, which were conducted with the help of a long microphone pole directed at the interviewee. Ball sanitation, social distancing of substitutes and teams arriving in two buses all made for some strange sights, and you can see some of them in the gallery above!
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Overall, though, it has been a successful restart of the beautiful game. However, it was only a first step and it showcased the abnormal new normal, while the Bundesliga remains under high scrutiny from fans and government officials in Germany and all around the world.
Click through the gallery above to see some of the strangest images from the Bundesliga's weekend action, and let us know, in the comments section below, if you enjoyed football's return!
