It was a sombre evening at the Westfalenstadion only 23 hours after the dreadful attack on the Dortmund team bus.  Prior to the game the usual energy and buzz in the stadium precinct was missing as fans were still in the process of trying to comprehend the events of the previous evening.  The mood was anything but celebratory.

I made my way into the stadium to a seat in the SW corner overlooking the Südtribüne, the Yellow Wall.  Giselherr and Darius from Thüler Borussen 09 were there in our much reduced contingent.  The fans of the Südtribüne had prepared a fitting tribute to the team.  Dortmund was a city in shock but never more unified.

I will let the images speak for themselves.

That we saw a great game of football is relatively insignificant.  The Dortmund players, having being coerced by UEFA and Club management to play so soon were somewhat distracted in the first half.  To their credit they played with extraordinary passion in the second half to all but salvage a draw with a pacey and skilful Monaco team.  It was very entertaining but nonetheless overshadowed by the events of the day before.  For the record AS Monaco won 3-2, in the process becoming the first opponent to win at the Westfalenstadion in 2 years.

We were left in no doubt that football is a ruthless business like many others and that the players are the commodity that this business trades.  The show must go on even if it means that a group of young boys must do their job less than a day after a serious attempt on their lives by an as yet unknown perpetrator.  EUFA’s decision to play the match at 6.45 pm was as transparent as it was cynical.  It dealt out the local fans, many of whom could not make it to the stadium so early in the evening due to work commitments.  But it did suit the TV schedule, ensuring that there was no time clash with the other two matches scheduled for the same evening.

Perhaps there was an element of therapy in allowing the game to proceed and for the team to bond anew with their fans.  But my guess is that a quiet evening in with their families and friends would have been much more appropriate and healing. 

Final score: EUFA (-1) – Dortmund boys (11).