Konstantinos Karetsas Injury During Dortmund's UEFA Champions League Win
Konstantinos Karetsas was carried off on a stretcher during Borussia Dortmund’s UEFA Champions League clash with Villarreal, casting a shadow over a dramatic 3-2 win in Germany.
The 18-year-old, one of Dortmund’s most intriguing summer arrivals, went down in the first half in worrying fashion. After playing a routine pass, he immediately signalled to the bench, raised his hand, and then sank to the turf.
Medical staff rushed on. Treatment lasted several minutes, with particular attention paid to his upper body as teammates and opponents looked on. The stadium fell quiet. Eventually, Karetsas was lifted onto a stretcher and taken straight down the tunnel to the locker room.
Dortmund made the change in the 27th minute, with Ethan Nwaneri coming on to replace him.
Later, the club moved to clarify the situation. In a statement, Dortmund said the substitution was “due to circulation problems” and confirmed Karetsas had been taken to hospital for further examinations. The update added that he “is doing as well as can be expected given the circumstances.”
The issue did not come completely out of nowhere. Karetsas had not taken part in full training with the rest of the squad on the eve of the match, instead working separately. Head coach Niko Kovač had played down any concern in his pre-match press conference, describing it as normal for one or two players to complete a gym session rather than join the full team workout.
Karetsas only arrived at Dortmund this summer from Genk, part of a double move that also brought in his countryman Giannis Konstantelias. The Bundesliga side’s plans in attack have already been hit once: Konstantelias suffered an ACL tear in late August, forcing Dortmund into the market again. They turned to Arsenal, securing Nwaneri on loan to help cover the loss.
On the night, Nwaneri’s introduction came far earlier than anyone had planned. The game itself turned into a thriller. After the break, Serhou Guirassy took over, striking twice in the second half to haul Dortmund to a 3-2 victory over the La Liga visitors.
Dortmund left with three goals, three points, and one big question: how quickly can one of their brightest prospects return from a scare that briefly silenced an entire stadium?
