Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer of Munich lies on the pitch during a German Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Bayern Munich in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday. (AP photo)

Defending champion Bayern Munich returned to action Sunday with a 2-0 win at Union Berlin as the weekend restart of German soccer continued in empty stadiums.

Players’ shouts echoed off the rows of concrete terracing around Union’s stadium as Bayern moved closer to an eighth straight league title.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was cautiously optimistic after the league avoided major incidents on its reopening weekend.

“It’s important that we are satisfied with it but that we don’t ease up now,” Rummenigge told broadcaster Sky, adding that soccer should stay “disciplined” to keep German politicians on its side.

As at all games in the Bundesliga this weekend, players wore masks when not on the field and substitutes sat apart from one another in the stands. Police were stationed outside stadiums to deter any gatherings.

In eight games Saturday and Sunday, only one ended with a win for the home team, Borussia Dortmund, which beat Schalke 4-0.