GERMAN football resumed with the most manic of starts with a goal and a red card in the first FOUR MINUTES of action.
The opener was in Bundesliga 2, with Erzgebirge Aue hosting Sandhausen with sport resuming following the coronavirus outbreak.
Dennis Diekmeier made some unwanted headlines as German footie returnedCredit: Getty – Pool
The full-back got his angles all wrong and a penalty was awardedCredit: Getty – Pool
Dennis Diekmeier was shown a straight red card for a professional foul in the area for the visitors.
From the resulting penalty, Dimitrij Nazarov fired home to give Erzgebirge Aue a 1-0 lead.
The man advantage proved crucial as the home side eventually ran out 3-1 winners.
Kruger and Cacutulua scored another couple for Erzgebirge before Biada netted what turned out to be a consolation.
Chancellor Angela Merkel gave the green light for the Bundesliga – which last played on March 8 – to restart.
In the top flight, it will be Dortmund and Schalke kicking things off in the Revierderby at 2.30pm.
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Nazarov made no mistake from the spot to fire the hosts aheadCredit: Getty – Pool
Champions Bayern Munich, who lead the division by four points, will also be in action on the re-opening weekend as they travel to Union Berlin.
The DFL (German Football Association) has said that there will be strict protocols adhered to.
The clubs have been training since mid-April in groups.
But SunSport reported earlier today that a top German politician has claimed the restart could be quickly stopped in its tracks with more serious breaches of coronavirus protocol.
Bavaria President Markus Soder told Germany’s biggest national newspaper, Bild, that there had been several issues with players and clubs.
He said: “If health experts have made those suggestions, if the league with great expense and smart ideas has worked on concepts, you have to stick those rules.
“And if you do not stick to those rules, you might get the red card. It’s like that in football as well as in real life.”
The managers seemed a bit unsure of how to interact at the startCredit: Getty – Pool
But then FC Erzgebirge Aue coach Dirk Schuster (second from right) and SV Sandhausen coach Uwe Koschinat greeted each other with an elbowCredit: Getty – Pool
Players came out for the pre-match warm-up wearing face coveringsCredit: Getty – Pool
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
