BERLIN: Bundesliga second division footballer Dimitrij Nazarov said he ignored coronavirus health protocols to embrace his team manager, who he said "saved our lives" following a road accident en route to their game at the weekend.

The 30-year-old Azerbaijan midfielder, who plays for Erzgebirge Aue, hugged Thomas Romeyke, who also doubles as the team's bus driver, after scoring the winner in Friday's 1-0 victory at Nuremberg.