Bayern Munich's players had to change in temporary containers before their Bundesliga away match at newly promoted SV Elversberg, after ongoing building work at the smaller club's stadium left the usual dressing rooms unusable.
Bayern needed a fight to beat Elversberg 2-1, against a side that continues to write its own remarkable story this season and to prove it can compete with the biggest names in German football.
The unusual scene unfolded during Bayern's visit to Elversberg's ground, in a match that combined competitive drama with several unusual off-field moments.
Containers instead of changing rooms
What caught most attention was not what happened on the pitch but the conditions around it. Because of upgrade work in progress at Elversberg's stadium, Bayern's players had to use containers as their dressing rooms.
Even more unusual was how the two teams reached the pitch. The normal tunnel linking dressing rooms to the field was missing, so players from both sides had to walk down a narrow path behind one corner of the stadium instead.
Television cameras captured both squads lining up in that spot just before kick-off, waiting to walk out onto the pitch, a scene far removed from the comforts Bayern usually enjoy on away days, but one that gave the match an unusual charm.
Elversberg's construction site of a stadium
Bayern's own Arabic-language social media account shared a photograph of the team's changing room at the venue, drawing wide attention to the unusual setup. Brazilian journalist Luiz Carlos Largo also posted footage showing the players' route from the dressing rooms curving around a corner of the stadium to reach the containers positioned behind the stands, saying Elversberg's ground remains under construction and is not fully ready to host top-flight football.
According to a widely shared social media post about the match, Elversberg are playing in the Bundesliga for the first time in their history this season, and their stadium, currently a building site, can hold only around 10,000 spectators in its present configuration.
