Borussia Dortmund’s 4-1 win over Galatasaray in the Champions League was overshadowed by the Turkish side’s fans throwing flares onto the pitch and into the home supporter’s stand.
Dortmund took the lead in the 39th-minute through a Marco Reus goal before defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos doubled the German side’s margin in the 56th. Hakan Balta got Galatassary on the scoresheet in the 70th minute before Ciro Immobile scored four minutes later and an own-goal by Semih Kaya five minutes from time sealed the 4-1 scoreline.
But, true to form, the Galatasaray fans made their presence felt throughout the match, setting off firecrackers, smoke bombs and flares prompting the referee to twice stop the match. Teams took refuge in the dugout as flares plunked down on the pitch and smoke billowed. Even worse, the away supporters launched fireworks and flares at the Dortmund supporters, making for scary scenes in the home stands.
Similar to the scenes at Arsenal a few weeks back, the Galatasaray players went over to the away supporters and pleaded with them to stop the nonsense. The scenes at the Emirates resulted in seven fans getting arrested - two before the game for attempting to enter the ground with flares before another five afterwards. Expect more of the same tonight in Germany.
