The top-of-the-table clash with Borussia Mönchengladbach was preceded by a minute's silence to mark the closure of the last coal mine in the Ruhr region. The 81,365 fans in attendance applauded vociferously as they acknowledged the end of an era.

"This Friday marks the end of an era in the Ruhr region as coal was extracted from the Bottrop for the final time. Now that's it in the pit," said stadium announcer Norbert Dickel. "It's the end of an industry that made Germany great. In the 1950s, almost 500,000 miners earned a living in the Ruhr. Mining has fundamentally shaped our region – as has football. Every major tradition-steeped club in the Ruhr was born from coal and steel. Us too. And we're proud of that. We take our hats off to all the miners, we thank them for their outstanding service in the region. To them we say: 'Thanks mate!'"

The Borussia Dortmund players wore a special shirt to mark the occasion. The name of our main sponsor Evonik made way to be replaced by the caption "Thanks mate". Evonik Industries AG emerged 11 years ago from the so-called "white area" of RAG Aktiengesellschaft, which was founded as Ruhrkohle AG in 1969.

The original shirts worn by the BVB players will be auctioned off at the beginning of January 2019 via our auction platform, in a bid to raise money for a charitable cause (Christian Association of Youth Villages). Information on this matter will follow in due course. (br)