We knew we had the support at home, says Dortmund's Haaland

The 19-year-old’s team-mates stayed away, mindful of the strict hygiene measures amid the coronavirus pandemic, as Germany’s soccer season resumed in unprecedented conditions on Saturday.

Dortmund: Erling Haaland scored the Bundesliga's first goal in more than two months and then celebrated alone, as Borussia Dortmund beat Schalke 4-0 in the first Ruhr derby to be played in an empty stadium.

The 19-year-old’s team-mates stayed away, mindful of the strict hygiene measures amid the coronavirus pandemic, as Germany’s soccer season resumed in unprecedented conditions on Saturday.

Speaking after the game, Haaland said: ''Normally there's 80,000, but we knew we had the support at home from the fans so we were never afraid of anything. We knew that we were going to win."

Raphael Guerreiro scored twice and Thorgan Hazard added a fourth - Hazard celebrating alone in front of the Westfalenstadion' south terrace, where normally the club's 'Yellow Wall' of almost 25,000 fervent fans would be standing.

The result means Dortmund cut the gap to leaders Bayern Munich - who will play at Union Berlin on Sunday - to a point.

Schalke became the first team to make five substitutions in a Bundesliga game in accordance with a new temporary measure allowed in the Bundesliga, but the fresh legs couldn't change the outcome.