Soon, the warmups for both sides began to wind down.

Players drifted back toward the tunnel in ones and twos, and despite the interval, the stadium didn’t rest.

The announcer’s voice came across the public address system, trying to rile up the fans in anticipation of the match that was threatening to begin.

"Meine Damen und Herren, willkommen im Signal Iduna Park. Heute Abend empfangen wir Wigan Athletic, zu Gast bei unserem BVB."

[Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Signal Iduna Park. Tonight we welcome Wigan Athletic, guests of our BVB.]

The ground responded fully, with the noise barreling down from the upper stands to the lower tiers near the pitch.

As the noise reached a crescendo, the two sides emerged from the tunnel and walked out into it.

The Dortmund players came out again to the familiar tone of the crowd greeting them.

Behind the goal, the Yellow Wall was in full voice, sounding like a continuous orchestra.

It moved through the ground and sat on the chest of anyone standing in it.

Wigan walked out beside them, and they met nothing that was meant for them.

The two sides lined up facing the stands, and the broadcast from the gantry opened.

"Good evening and welcome to the Signal Iduna Park here in Dortmund, Germany, where the pre-season is already upon us.

It feels like barely any time has passed since the curtain came down on last season, and yet here we are, two sides ready to open their preparations for what promises to be a fascinating campaign ahead.

I’m joined as always by my co-commentator, and the first thing I have to say is that the atmosphere inside this ground tonight is something else entirely for a pre-season fixture."

"It really is," the co-commentator said.

"And I think that speaks to what Borussia Dortmund means to this city and to their supporters. But the story coming into tonight’s game isn’t just about the hosts.

What we have on the other side of this is Wigan Athletic, a club that finished last season by winning promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since 2013.

A club that, in the space of just a year under Shaun Dawson, has completely transformed its trajectory. They come here tonight not as tourists but as a side with something to prove before a ball is kicked in anger."

"Absolutely," the main commentator affirmed.

"And pre-season games like this one serve a purpose beyond the result. For Wigan especially, facing Dortmund’s intensity and their style of pressing will tell Dawson a great deal about where his side is, and what still needs work before the Premier League begins."

"Now let’s have a look at how Wigan have lined up tonight." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Ben Amos starts in goal and ahead of him is a back four of Darikwa at right back, O’Shea and Whatmough in the centre, and Joe Bennett on the left."

"In midfield," the commentator continued, " Tiehi sits at the base, with Max Power alongside him in a central role, while newly added Matheus Reyes makes his debut at the ten.

Homegrown Wigan talent, Ezra, sets himself on the right wing, while veteran James McClean stays on the left, and leading the line is Wigan veteran Will Keane."

"And in that lineup is the notable omission of Leo Calderon. A name a lot of people watching at home will be looking for."

"He’s named among the substitutes, and I think Dawson will introduce him at some point, but for now, the eight shirt is on the bench."

In the pub near the DW, one of the three men at the bar leaned toward the screen with his pint halfway to his mouth.

"He’s not starting?"

"It’s just pre-season," the man beside him said without particular concern, still looking at the screen.

"Dawson’s always rotating, even in serious games, so Leo being on the bench isn’t out of the norm."

"I know it’s perfectly normal, I just wanted to see him and Reyes in the same lineup from the off, especially after what we saw in the open session."

"You’ll see it eventually," the third man said.

Back inside the Signal Iduna, the announcer had worked through the Dortmund lineup, with each name drawing a wave of applause across the stadium.

Soon, the match official moved to the centre circle with the ball, and the players from both sides dispersed to their positions.

On the Wigan bench, Leo sat with Jake to his left and Fletcher to his right, and the two of them had been in a useless conversation for the past four minutes that had started as a bet about the first throw-in and had somehow expanded from there.

"Three minutes," Jake said. "Wigan win the first throw-in inside three minutes."

"Sure, buddy", Fletcher said with a nonchalant look, making Jake continue to press further.

Stuck in between them, Leo listened to their squabble even if he didn’t want to.

Finally, a bellowing chant resounded from the announcer, drawing the attention of all in the stadium, while on the pitch, the referee’s shrill whistle invaded the pitch to kick off the game.

"Here we go," the commentator said.

"Wigan get us underway, playing in their away strip, and they move the ball calmly from the back in the opening exchanges.

No rush here from the promoted side, they’re not going to be panicked into anything early, and Dawson will be pleased with that composure."

"Early doors," the co-commentator added.

"Both sides feeling each other out. Dortmund will look to press high when the moment is right, and the question for Wigan in these opening minutes is whether they can manage the ball under that pressure when it comes."

Being the ones in the thick of it, Wigan passed it across the back line and into midfield, slowly working their way through Dortmund’s early press.

Then, in the third minute, Max Power shifted the ball wide and sent it long to the right flank, where Ezra received it and began to run with it, but he immediately came up against Thomas Meunier, Dortmund’s right wing back.

The veteran, who was being made to play out of position, set himself diagonally, showing Ezra the outside route.

The latter accepted the invitation, dropped his shoulder and knocked the ball around him, and for a moment, it looked like he had found the yard he needed.

That was until Thomas kept up with him and stuck his leg out.

His boot caught the ball as it rolled past, deflecting it off the back of Ezra’s heel as the ball skipped out of play.

"Change of possession there," the commentator said. "Thomas Meunier does well to recover. He was beaten for a moment, but he’s shown good instincts to get a touch on it. Dortmund throw-in."

On the bench, Jake turned to Fletcher, wanting to gloat, but as soon as he realised the throw wasn’t for Wigan, he shut up, which Leo became thankful for as the game went on.