Erling Haaland captured the moment beautifully.
The Borussia Dortmund star performed a social-distancing-themed goal celebration Saturday in his team’s 4-0 Bundesliga (German league) win over Schalke. After opening the scoring in the 29th minute, Haaland raced to the corner and did a little dance … on his own.
ERLING. HAALAND.@BlackYellow are up and running in the #Revierderby! pic.twitter.com/Qw45hW1DVw
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) May 16, 2020
Haaland’s teammates would have mobbed him in normal times, but Dortmund was keen to set a good example for the global audience and celebrate their goals together in spirit but separate from each other physically.
The Bundesliga resumed its 2019-20 season Saturday following a two-plus-months’ hiatus due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Bundesliga teams agreed to follow strict hygiene protocols and play games in empty stadiums as conditions for their return to action.
As the Dortmund-Schalke game was among the earliest kickoffs, and Haaland, one of world soccer’s most-exciting young strikers, netted the first post-restart goal, the honor of marking the occasion fell to him. Boy, did he deliver.
