What do we learn from an evening such as this one? That football is so much more than the 90 minutes on the pitch. Once again, Borussia Dortmund's fans demonstrated their keen understanding of the situation at hand – and were matched in this by AS Monaco's.

UEFA's "Respect" campaign was quite literally lived out before, during and after the Champions League quarter-final between Borussia Dortmund and AS Monaco. After the attack on the team bus, that which makes football unique was plain to see: its ability to unify. Under the hashtag #bedforawayfans, an initiative was set up to help find beds for Monaco fans as well as BVB fans who had travelled in for the game – resulting in new friendships.

A fan from Monaco paid tribute to Marc Bartra, who had been injured in the attack, in a special way: he had Bartra's name and the number 5 printed onto his kit.

In the stadium, preeminent political figures, including the Federal Minister of the Interior, Thomas de Maizière, and NRW President Hannelore Kraft expressed their support, as did DFB President Reinhard Grindel, who attended the Champions League match in Dortmund instead of going to Munich. "We want such games to take place, we don't want to give in to terror", said de Maizière.

The team made clear their solidarity with injured teammate Marc Bartra. All the outfield players warmed up prior to the match wearing T-Shirts emblazoned with "Mucha Fuerza", which means something like "much strength". Roman Bürki had snatched his friend's kit before pulling it on without further ado. 

Things in the stadium were subsequently quite different than they normally are. As Norbert Dickel took to the microphone just before the game to announce: "And here is the line-up for Borussia Dortmund...", the response from the stands was restrained, but all the louder as Dickel proclaimed: "Greetings to our number 5 in hospital: Marc..." – "BARTRA!!!"

The choreography in the South Stand was once again hugely impressive, and was visible across the entire 90 minutes. "That is incredible. I am proud of these fans", emphasised Hans-Joachim Watzke.

The accompaniment from the stands during the first half was subdued. Vocal encouragement for Sven Bender could be heard after his own goal, and there was much applause at half time despite being 0-2 down. It then became a football match in the second half, both on the pitch and in the stands. The team became stronger – as did the support emanating from the fans. That the first leg of the tie was lost was really just a footnote. The fans from Monaco, dressed in their red and white colours, also applauded the BVB players. "That was not easy for anyone, either for you in the stands, or for the team on the pitch", observed stadium announcer Norbert Dickel. 
Boris Rupert

P.S. Get well soon Marc!