Football
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Dortmund's Tuchel turns 'blind eye' to Aubameyang's Batman celebration

Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel turned a blind eye to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's goal celebration in the 3-2 Revierderby win over Schalke because he knows how much it meant for the Gabon forward to score.

Aubameyang earned a yellow card when he took his shirt off to reveal a Batman symbol and the words 'do you remember?' in reference to the goal he scored against Schalke in February, when he and Marco Reus both donned Batman masks to celebrate.

Tuchel would normally not tolerate a player earning a yellow card, and thus moving closer to a suspension, for contravening rules in such a way. However, he was willing to overlook the incident -- and even said Aubameyang will be allowed to get away with similar in the return fixture at the Veltins-Arena if it means his side win there as well.

"When you are right in the thick of all the emotions, then I'd tend to say I don't care about it, but I wouldn't like to think that he could get suspended for celebrating a goal in such a way,'' Tuchel said. "I had read in the build-up to the game that he had something in mind, so I just turned a blind eye.

"In the return game, I would perhaps turn a blind eye again, but only in these two games.''

Tuchel acknowledged such extravagance was part of the player's personality.

"There is a lot of hard work that goes into it too, and this is another part of his personality,'' he said.

Aubameyang, who gave Dortmund a 3-1 lead in a 3-2 triumph over their local rivals, dedicated the goal and celebration to Reus, who missed the game due to injury, and admitted he had not dared to tell Tuchel in advance what he was going to do.

His 14th goal of the season ensured that few would begrudge him picking up such a cheap booking, however.

"I didn't speak to [Tuchel] before because I knew he would have forbidden me from doing it, because of the yellow card,'' Aubameyang said. "But I dedicate it to [Reus]. We had actually prepared the T-shirt together.

"It was a good performance and, in the end, a deserved win. I'm delighted to have scored, and the goal did us all good.''

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