Dortmund's Yellow army behind their comeback win
The South Stand of the club's unique arena is a sight to behold on match day
REPORTING FROM DORTMUND
BORUSSIA DORTMUND 3
(Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 53, Shinji Kagawa 78, Adrian Ramos 82)
WERDER BREMEN 2
(Alejandro Galvez 69, Zlatko Junuzovic 75)
With just six games left, second-placed Borussia Dortmund kept up the pressure on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich with a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind win over Wolfsburg at their Signal Iduna Park home yesterday morning (Singapore time).
Die Schwarzgelben (German for The Black and Yellows) were trailing their lowly visitors until the final 12 minutes, but rallied with late goals by substitutes Shinji Kagawa and Adrian Ramos.
Much of the credit has gone to Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel, whose inspired tactical switches turned the game around.
But a few plaudits should also go to "Das Gelbe Wand", the club's famous "Yellow Wall", for roaring the home team to victory.
Against Werder, it lived up to its almost mythical reputation.
All three of Dortmund's goals bulged the net at the stadium's South Stand.
With 25,000 of the 81,000 at the Signal Iduna Park packed into that end of the arena, it is the largest football terrace in Europe.
Having visited the stadium a day before the match, I can say it truly is fascinating to see how grey concrete and steel barriers turn into a sea of yellow and black overnight.
Not once during the 90 minutes did any of the fans in the Yellow Wall sit down.
And, while they stood in stunned silence for a few seconds after Bremen took the lead in the 75th minute via Zlatko Junuzovic, the home faithful produced arguably the loudest roar of the night soon after.
Not even Kagawa's equaliser three minutes later, or Ramos' winner eight minutes before the end, got as strong a reaction.
It is clear the fans understand that the players need them the most when they are down.
Said 24-year-old Dortmund fan Justin Schrempf: "Our support for the team is stronger than anything I've known.
"Through thick and thin, the players know they always have the fans' backing.
"It is not just in the Yellow Wall.
"Every BVB supporter has a very strong emotional connection with the team.
"And that is what makes this relationship special."
MUTUAL SALUTE
To underline the point, the players stand in a line facing the Yellow Wall after every match, holding hands and joining their supporters in a customary mutual salute for each other's efforts over the 90 minutes.
Football is experienced on an almost spiritual level around these parts.
A lot of it has to do with Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, who helmed the German club from 2008 to 2015.
During that time, Klopp hauled the club from the brink of bankruptcy to two Bundesliga titles and an appearance in the Champions League final.
Their dressing room remains humble and spartan under Klopp's orders, to remind the players that "what only matters is on the pitch".
The colourful and eccentric German also rejected opportunities to widen the tunnel the players walk through to get from the dressing room to the pitch.
He believed walking the dark, narrow passage out onto the brightly-lit pitch was similar to birth, and was convinced it helped his men.
He also made sure loud rock music - inspired by the main riff of Led Zeppelin's 1975 classic Kashmir - pumped his charges up.
Two weeks ago, during Dortmund's 2-0 win over Mainz, a 79-year-old home fan died after suffering a heart attack in the south-west corner of the stadium.
The Yellow Wall saw the tragedy unfurl, as paramedics rushed to try and save the supporter.
An eerie silence engulfed the Signal Iduna Park for almost the entire second half, before the fans spontaneously launched into a soul-stirring rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" moments before the final whistle.
They are bigger clubs around the world, with a worldwide fan base, but such moments are unique only to Borussia Dortmund.
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