Borussia Dortmund’s night in Europe began with a scare that cut straight through the noise of a Champions League evening. Before the football had time to settle into any rhythm, all eyes were fixed not on the ball, but on 18-year-old Konstantinos Karetsas lying on the turf.
The teenager had just released a pass when he raised his arm towards the bench, signalling trouble, then sank to the ground. Medical staff rushed on, working over him for several minutes, their attention centred on his upper body. The stadium fell into that uneasy quiet players and supporters know too well.
He left on a stretcher, straight down the tunnel and on to hospital for further examinations. Dortmund later confirmed the substitution was “due to circulation problems” and said Karetsas “is doing as well as can be expected given the circumstances.” Cold wording for a worrying moment, but at least a hint of reassurance on a tense night.
Ethan Nwaneri came on in the 27th minute to replace him, another teenager suddenly thrust into the spotlight. His presence is already part of a wider story at Dortmund. The Bundesliga club moved for the Arsenal loanee after Giannis Konstantelias, who arrived this summer from Genk alongside Karetsas, suffered an ACL tear in late August. One highly rated youngster sidelined, another called in, a third now facing tests in hospital. For a club built on youth, the strain is real.
Karetsas had not taken part in full training with the rest of the squad on the eve of the game, instead working in the gym. Manager Niko Kovač played that down in his pre-match press conference, describing it as a normal variation in preparation. On this evidence, every detail around the midfielder will now be revisited with sharper focus.
On the pitch, Dortmund had to regroup quickly. The shock of seeing a team-mate stretchered off can drain a side, but as the game wore on, their response hardened. The contest opened up, chances came and went, and the tie tilted back and forth against a lively Villarreal side.
Second Half
Then Serhou Guirassy took over.
The forward struck twice after the interval, his second-half double driving Dortmund to a 3-2 win and turning a fraught evening into a valuable Champions League victory. It was the kind of ruthless contribution that wins group games and buys a team breathing space while the medical staff and coaches deal with everything else.
Dortmund leave with three points and a comeback to savour, but also with a lingering question: how long will they be without another of their young centrepieces in Karetsas, just weeks after losing Konstantelias?
