Dortmund’s full house party spoiled as team problems return

By CIARÁN FAHEY
AP Sports Writer

BERLIN (AP) — More than 81,000 supporters packed Westfalenstadion to capacity on Saturday for Borussia Dortmund’s match against Leipzig. It was the first time since Feb. 29, 2020, that Dortmund played in a full stadium at home. Even the ultras returned as the hygiene measures were canceled. Supporters lit flares before kickoff and sent plumes of yellow smoke around the very noisy ground. They were excited by the prospect of helping the players finally click into gear and mount a serious challenge to Bayern Munich. But Leipzig snatched a 4-1 victory to leave Dortmund nine points behind Bayern with six games left to play. Dortmund’s problems are older than the pandemic.