Europe's news in English

COPY LINK

BUNDESLIGA

Wolfsburg beat Schalke to ease up behind Hertha in Budesliga

Brazilian striker Grafite scored a hat-trick to help VfL Wolfsburg beat Schalke 04 4-3 on Friday to lift his side into second in the Bundesliga behind leaders Hertha Berlin.

Published: 14 March 2009 09:56 CET

Wolfsburg beat Schalke to ease up behind Hertha in Budesliga

Photo: DPA

With Hertha hosting Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, Wolfsburg did not waste their chance to move up the table and close the gap to just a single point while Grafite has now scored 17 goals in 15 league games.

But Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath was unimpressed about his team’s credentials in the title race after they conceded three goals.

“You could see we are not title candidates,” said the former Bayern Munich boss, whose side has lost just five of their 24 games this season.

“If you lead 3-1 and 4-2, you need to close the game down. Schalke exposed some of our weaknesses.”

Wolfsburg are unbeaten at home in the league this season, but the record was in danger early on as Schalke’s Germany defender Heiko Westermann’s pin-point accurate shot gave Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio no chance.

His goal after only nine minutes was cancelled out when Grafite was brought down in the penalty area, only to gather himself to convert the spot kick on 26 minutes.

The home side took a 2-1 lead into the break when Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko kept up his remarkable scoring record with his eighth goal in six games to bring his tally to 13 goals in 22 games.

Schalke left Dzeko unmarked on 44 minutes and he slotted his shot past goalkeeper Mathias Schober.

After the break, Grafite knocked in his second when midfielder Zvjezdan Misimovic slipped him a pass and the Brazilian found the target again after 74 minutes.

Germany midfielder Jermaine Jones scored just two minutes later to keep Schalke in the game, but Grafite completed his hat-trick when substitute Ashkan Dejagah picked up a loose ball and forced a two-on-three situation.

Although the Schalke defence scrambled back, the Germany Under-21 star tried a shot and Grafite was on hand to make sure the ball crossed the line on 84 minutes to claim his third of the night.

With time running out, former Germany striker Kevin Kuranyi hit a final consolation goal deep in injury time.

EXPLAINED: The Covid rules for attending German football matches

Crowds cheer at a match between FC Kaiserslautern and Borussia Mönchengladbach, on August 9th, 2021. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Uwe Anspach

All eyes will be on Mönchengladbach this evening as the Bundesliga season kicks off with a match against reigning champions Bayern Munich – and this time, a crowd will be present in the stadium.

READ ALSO: German football fans get green light to return to stadiums next season

With several states liberalising their rules for public gatherings in recent months, many football fans are looking forward to enjoying a lively atmosphere at football matches once more.

There’s just one problem: there are different rules for different stadiums. Here’s what you need to know about the Covid rules before you book your ticket for any of the upcoming fixtures.

How many fans are allowed in the stadiums?

According to a recent decision by the federal and state governments, football stadiums around the country are allowed to fill half of their seats and sell up to 25,000 tickets to fans.

Of course, how much this limit affects the overall atmosphere – and the football clubs’ bottoms lines – depends on the capacity of the stadium. In Borussia Dortmund this weekend, the full 25,000 tickets have been sold – but that only equates to 30 percent of the stadium’s full capacity.

READ ALSO: German football: Which Bundesliga club should I support?

Meanwhile, in the stadium owned by Berlin’s FC Union, selling just 11,000 tickets is enough to fill half of the available seats.

What do I need to show to get in?

That really depends on the stadium in question, although in general anyone over the age of six will need to show a negative test or proof of vaccination or recovery – the so-called ‘3G’ rule – to enter the grounds. But other clubs, such as FC Cologne, have decided to only permit people who are vaccinated or recovered to attend matches from August 28th onwards – with exceptions for people who can’t get vaccinated, like children and pregnant woman.

At Mönchengladbach’s Borussia Park stadium, however, unvaccinated fans can enter with a negative test, though visitors who’ve stayed in a high-risk or virus variant area over the past two weeks will be unable to enter – along with people who’ve had recent contact with someone who has Covid.

If you want to see action like this at FC Cologne’s stadium, you’ll need to get your Covid jabs sorted first. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Robert Michael

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund has taken a middle ground. While the 3G rule applies in principle, only 1,000 of the available 25,000 tickets will be sold to people who are providing a negative test. The remaining 24,000 seats will only be available for those who are vaccinated against – or recently recovered from – Covid.

If you’re not vaccinated and are keen to see a match, it’s worth checking on your local club’s website beforehand or sending them an email to double-check whether you will be allowed in.

What else do I need to know about?

You’ll need to bring a FPP2 mask with you to matches to wear in your seat and while heading to the bathroom or bar, and also observe social distancing rules – meaning staying 1.5 metres apart from your fellow fans.

In most states, you’ll also need to provide your contact details, which will be saved by the club and potentially passed on to local health authorities in order to monitor a potential Covid outbreak.

Will these rules continue throughout the season?

That’s still an open question. If infection rates in Germany continue to rise or high-profile superspreading events occur at future matches, the government could potentially crack down further on sports events in autumn.

This could involve limiting the seat numbers even further, or (more controversially), introducing a ‘vaccinated-only’ rule for entering stadiums.

READ ALSO: Should Germany bring in Covid restrictions for unvaccinated people only?

A recent outbreak of Covid in the Mainz football team has also dampened celebrations slightly in the run-up to the start of the Bundesliga – leaving club owners urgently calling for both fans and footballers to get vaccinated.

Speaking to WDR ahead of the season’s start, FC Cologne’s managing director Alexander Wehrle said widespread vaccination was the best route back to normality – a message reiterated by Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann.

Url copied to clipboard!