Borussia Dortmund firing on all cylinders with comfortable defeat of Schalke in Revierderby

Dubbed a derby like no other, the most recent Revierderby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke provided a match like no other as elite football returned for the first time amid the coronavirus pandemic.

For the players of the two teams, this fixture was like no fixture that they will have ever participated in – an experience they will become used to as the ‘new normal’ for the foreseeable future.

On show was the sport that we have become accustomed to knowing so well, yet it came with a completely different feel. Restrictions remained in force as the substitutes and coaching staff were instructed to wear face masks, seats in the dug-outs were spaced apart from each other and a maximum of 300 attendees allowed within the ground – it was, by no means, the sport that we are used to.

With such a vast difference in comparison to their narrow 2-1 victory at Borussia Monchengladbach 61 days ago; it would have been easy to empathise with the teams for any displays of unfamiliarity.

Yet Erling Haaland’s performance alone suggested there had been no pause at all.

The Norwegian took just 29 minutes to prove why he has become such a wanted talent over the last few months as his explosive pace on an arcing run allowed him to reach a position to excellently finish beyond Schalke ‘keeper Markus Schubert from close range.

Football may have been on pause for a number of months, but Haaland had no intention to have a slow re-start.

Aside from Raphael Guerreiro’s driven finish just before the break, the Norwegian ran the show. His opening strike showed great positioning to reach the danger zone.

Later, in the second half, he absorbed a heavy challenge but still managed to slide the ball into Julian Brandt to allow Thorgan Hazard to convert for Dortmund’s third of the afternoon and played a quick one-two with Guerreiro to carve open their fourth goal.

For both teams, this was a crucial fixture for marginally different reasons. For Dortmund, three points would pile more pressure on Bayern Munich ahead of their visit to Union Berlin on Sunday; whereas, for Schalke, a victory would be an added bonus in their prolonged hunt for a Europa League spot.

It was, however, the hosts who took control of the fixture, easing to victory by four goals with a display packed full of excellence, class, clinical finishing and panache.

The win naturally comes as a huge boost for Dortmund in their hopes of denying Bayern Munich an eighth consecutive Bundesliga title.

It pushes Lucien Favre’s to within a point of Munich – who head to Union Berlin on Sunday – and, with RB Leipzig dropping points against SC Freiburg, raises the importance of Bayern’s visit to the Signal Iduna Park in ten days’ time.