Borussia Dortmund narrowed the gap between themselves and Bayern to 5 points when they beat Mainz 2-0 in the Bundesliga yesterday.
However the excitement proved too much for one fan who suffered a fatal heart attack during the game.
When the news was flashed on the big screens the entire crowd of around 81000 people became absolutely silent- the din and racket of cheering being replaced abruptly by an extraordinary silence.
You could hear a pin drop… Desperately sad. #BVBM05 pic.twitter.com/6BCWXTY0xI
— Alex Chaffer (@AlexChaffer) March 13, 2016
And then in an epic moment of united inspiration the entire crowd sang “You’ll never walk alone ” to mourn the passing of the person who had died ….
Die #BVB-Spieler nach dem Spiel vor der #Südtribüne. #BVBM05 pic.twitter.com/b9lpjlaoRj
— Ruhr Nachrichten BVB (@RNBVB) March 13, 2016
Speaking after the game, Dortmund president Reinhard Rauball said:
“In the name of Borussia Dortmund I wish to express my heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the families of those affected. Our thoughts are with them.We were informed pretty quickly in the stands of what had happened. From that moment on the game fell right into the background.I could no longer concentrate on it. The fans’ reaction was spontaneous. I’ve never experienced anything like it.
I can only pay a huge compliment to all of the fans for the way in which they expressed their sorrow and respect in this way, in a unified manner.
I take my hat off to the Mainz fans who, without exception, joined us in mourning and stopped supporting their team.
The scarves held in the air when You’ll Never Walk Alone was sung has my utmost respect.
It shows how deeply rooted honour and respect of each other exists and can be expressed in such a short period of time, and I can only take my hat off to that.”
Highlights ..