Borussia Dortmund's 2:1 Champions League win at Sabah FK has been extended indefinitely, with the entire squad ordered to remain on the pitch in Baku and replay every minute of the match at walking pace until the coaching staff are satisfied the result has been properly absorbed.
The club's new «result consolidation protocol» requires the players to walk through the goals, the throw-ins and the substitutions in real time, with the stadium lights kept on and the away section asked to stay in their seats. A Dortmund official said the squad would not be allowed to board the plane home until the full ninety minutes had been re-enacted twice, «because a win in Azerbaijan is not something you simply pack up and take with you».
By Tuesday evening the pitch had been marked out with cones for the second run-through, local stewards had been hired for the night shift, and the Sabah FK groundskeeper was reportedly being paid overtime to keep the grass at match length. Dortmund's players were seen jogging the same passing patterns at half speed while a club cook served pasta from a table behind the goal.
In Stuttgart, the 1:1 draw with Atletico Madrid has now run past its first full day, with both teams still on the field and the scoreboard unchanged. VfB officials said the match would continue until someone scored a second goal, and that the club had ordered extra floodlight bulbs, a second set of corner flags and a rota for the ball boys.
Atletico's bench has reportedly requested a formal pause for lunch, which the referee has refused on the grounds that the game is still in its first half of extra patience.