Borussia Dortmund have rung in the 2018/19 season with their fans, nine days before their first competitive match. The club held their traditional Season Opener in and around Signal Iduna Park with a range of entertainment activities enjoyed by 40,000 visitors across the day.

Among the highlights was the first-ever appearance of the BVB Legends team, who pitted themselves against a selection of former Liverpool stars. Players of yesteryear such as Márcio Amoroso, Jan Koller, Dede and Karl-Heinz Riedle played for the Black & Yellows, while the likes of Patrik Berger, Vladimir Smicer, Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler featured for the Reds.

Amoroso nets winner against Liverpool

The 30,000 spectators in attendance saw Borussia Dortmund's all-stars dominate from the off, creating three chances for Riedle, Petric and Ewerthon in the opening five minutes. The first goal eventually came on the seven-minute mark, when Chapuisat was brought down in the box and stepped up to take the spot-kick himself. After Ricken had hit the upright with a header, Meijer took advantage of one of Liverpool's few forays forward to make it 1-1 in the 19th minute. Five minutes later, Petric rounded off a nicely worked move down the left flank with a low shot to put the Black & Yellows into a deserved 2-1 lead, and there were no further goals in the opening half.

A more balanced second half saw Owomoyela clear the ball off the line before Zidan had a shot rebound off the bar − the second time the woodwork had denied the hosts. After Odonkor missed a chance to add a third for BVB, Garcia got the better of Gentenaar and made it 2-2 (41). Amoroso scored again in the closing stages to seal the 3-2 win.

"Now it's time for the weeks where things get serious"

The appearance by the stars of the past was followed by one from the stars of the present, with a presentation to introduce the current squad of the eight-time German champions to the fans. For the first time, Marco Reus entered the field as BVB captain. "Now it's time for the weeks where things get serious and I'm confident that we're well prepared," declared the armband-wearer. Alongside the new coach Lucien Favre, the new signings Achraf Hakimi, Abdou Diallo, Eric Oelschlägel, Thomas Delaney, Marius Wolf, Marwin Hitz and Axel Witsel made their first appearance in their new home in Black & Yellow, and were greeted by vociferous applause. "It's a great feeling to be here. I hope the atmosphere is this good for the games," said Marius Wolf.

Earlier that afternoon, there had already been presentations of the youth teams and the other BVB departments in the stadium, with competitions such as the crossbar challenge taking place. And that was preceded by a big family festival involving numerous attractions. Visitors of all ages and sizes could stock up on autograph cards, test their skills at football tennis and showcase their abilities at table football. 40,000 visitors came to the Strobelallee over the course of the day.
Christina Reinke

The complete match of the Legends Team on BVB-TV