Karetsas Scare on Champions League Debut as Guirassy Shines
For a few chilling seconds in Villarreal, the result stopped mattering.
On his Champions League debut, 18-year-old Dortmund midfielder Konstantinos Karetsas played what should have been a routine pass, then suddenly slowed, grimaced and raised his arm towards the referee. He didn’t go down in a heap. He simply sat on the turf, clearly in trouble, while teammates and opponents waved urgently for medical help.
The stadium noise dropped. Concern spread instantly across both sets of players.
Dortmund later moved quickly to calm the worst fears. In an official statement, the club confirmed the issue was related to the youngster’s circulatory system. “Konstantinos Karetsas had to leave the field due to circulatory problems,” the Bundesliga side announced. “Kosta is doing well under the circumstances and is on his way to the hospital for further tests.”
The wording brought some relief, but the images of such a highly rated teenager in distress on his first big European night left a mark.
After the final whistle, goalkeeper Gregor Kobel gave voice to the mood inside the dressing room. “I hope and I think that everything is OK and I hope that he's back and fit with us soon,” he told broadcaster Amazon Prime, a line that underlined both the anxiety and the belief that Karetsas will return.
A marquee signing in trouble
Karetsas arrived at Signal Iduna Park in the summer as one of the centrepieces of Dortmund’s latest youth-focused rebuild. Signed from Genk for around €30 million (£25.7m/$34.9m), the former Belgium youth international was brought in alongside fellow Greece international Giannis Konstantelias, who joined from PAOK for €26m (£22.3m/$30.2m).
The plan was clear: two elite young talents, both expected to shape Dortmund’s European campaign for years, thrown straight into the club’s new era.
Instead, the project has been hit by a brutal streak of misfortune.
Konstantelias’ season was likely ended last month when he suffered a serious ACL injury on his Bundesliga debut. Now Karetsas, the other headline arrival, has been rushed to hospital after a medical scare on his Champions League bow. For Niko Kovac, the tactical headache grows as the fixtures pile up in both domestic and continental competitions.
This was supposed to be the season Dortmund’s bold investment in youth took centre stage in Europe. Instead, the manager is already having to redraw his plans.
Guirassy steps up on milestone night
On the pitch, the game stood at 0-0 when Karetsas departed, the tension in the air suddenly of a very different kind. Once play resumed and the shock began to ease, the match finally opened up.
Dortmund, carrying the weight of concern for their teammate, found a way to respond.
In his 100th appearance for the club, Serhou Guirassy delivered when it mattered most. The forward struck a late brace in Spain to turn a tight contest into a 3-2 away win, ensuring all three points headed back to Germany and taking him past Robert Lewandowski’s tally for the club in the process.
It was the sort of statement performance that usually dominates the headlines. Not this time.
The result keeps Dortmund’s Champions League ambitions on track and offers Kovac some breathing space in a demanding group. Yet as the team flew home from Spain, the primary question around the club was not about tactics, or goals, or group permutations.
Everything now hinges on the next medical update on Konstantinos Karetsas – and whether one of Europe’s brightest young midfielders can quickly resume the career that had just reached its biggest stage.
