Top-flight football makes a muted comeback

Some aspects were welcomed, the banning of hugging spitting and over the top goal celebrations among them. However, most agreed that the lack of a crowd made for an odd atmosphere as crucial goals went in virtually unheralded. Bayern Munich’s 4-0 “away” victory over newly-promoted Union Berlin probably highlighted their stance as likely champions in a performance that included Robert Lewandowski’s 40^th goal of the disrupted season. Closest challengers Dortmund also won 4-0, meaning the trophy is not quite in the bag yet. Other major European leagues, including the Premiership who have a key meeting today, will be carefully analysing the weekend’s action to see if there is anything they can change before their own projected restarts before the summer. Meanwhile, South Korean top-flight club FC Seoul managed to spark even more controversy by replacing “fans” with lifelike sex dolls. The firm who placed them insisted they were “premium mannequins” but admitted that they did manufacture life size sex dolls and that some were even carrying advertising for their specialist products. The South Korean K-League, which restarted on 8 May, admits they won’t be repeating the experiment. CAPTION: Bayern’s Lewandowski celebrates another goal for his club, his 40^th this season.