Return of Bundesliga invokes joy among football fans

The Bundesliga is the first top European League to resume games, under heavy precautions and closed stadiums.

The resumption of Bundesliga following the break imposed due to the spread of a pandemic, was marked by a total of 16 goals across six games. Over six million people across the world tuned in to watch the first football match that was telecast after two months. This was the first time European football was paused in the last 25 years.

In the main fixture between rivals FC Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund, it was the latter's striker Erling Braut Haaland who broke the tie at the Signal Iduna Park. His finish set the ball rolling for Dortmund to gain momentum and thrash their rivals 4-0 to stay in the title race with Bayern Munich. 

The lack of howls from 80,000 fans and the Yellow Wall, however, was eerily odd. Schalke became the first team to make five substitutions in a Bundesliga game in a new temporary measure allowed in the league, but they couldn't change the outcome.

While Dortmund secured a comfortable victory, third placed RB Leipzig suffered a setback to their title dreams as they were held to a 1-1 draw by SC Freiburg. Freiburg took the lead 12-minutes to half time. Despite a total of nine shots on target, Leipzig managed to convert only one of them in the 77th minute as Yussuf Poulsen fired in a header. 

FC Augsburg, who hosted VfL Wolfsburg, had their hearts broken as the away team snatched victory from the jaws of a draw thanks to a finish by Daniel Ginczek in stoppage time. This reignited Wolfsburg's Europa League chances for next season as they move to sixth place with 39 points. 

Borussia Monchengladbach moved third, three points behind Bayern Munich, with a 3-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt in the late game.

Hertha Berlin, led by their new coach Bruno Labbadia, enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 victory at Hoffenheim, ensuring they escaped relegation and moved up to 11th place on the Bundesliga table.

Featured image credits: www.bundesliga.com