Dortmund Wins but Faces Concern as Karetsas Stretchered Off
Borussia Dortmund left with the result they wanted. The mood, though, was far from celebratory when one of their brightest prospects disappeared down the tunnel on a stretcher.
Konstantinos Karetsas, the highly regarded 18-year-old who only arrived this summer, saw his Champions League evening cut short in worrying fashion during Dortmund’s 3-2 win over Villarreal.
It happened early, and it happened fast. Karetsas played a routine pass, then immediately raised his arm toward the bench, signalling trouble before sinking to the turf. Medical staff rushed on. The stadium fell quiet.
Trainers worked on him for several minutes, concentrating on his upper body as teammates watched on uneasily. The decision came quickly: stretcher required. He was carried off and taken straight to the dressing room, his night over before the half-hour mark.
Ethan Nwaneri replaced him in the 27th minute, an early call into action for the loanee from Arsenal.
Dortmund later moved to calm the worst fears. The club announced that the substitution came “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,” a line that offered reassurance but also underlined the seriousness of the incident.
This was not an entirely out-of-the-blue scare. Karetsas had not taken part in full training with the rest of the squad the day before the match. Manager Niko Kovač, speaking in his pre-match press conference, framed that as routine, explaining that it is normal for one or two players to work in the gym rather than join the full session. On this evidence, Dortmund will now look closely at every detail of his preparation.
His arrival from Genk in the summer had been part of a clear recruitment line, with Dortmund also bringing in his countryman Giannis Konstantelias. That plan has already taken a hit: Konstantelias suffered an ACL tear in late August, a major setback that forced the Bundesliga side back into the market. Nwaneri’s loan from Arsenal followed, intended to help plug the creative gap.
On this night, that chain of events felt painfully relevant. One young signing already out long term, another leaving the pitch on a stretcher, and the emergency reinforcement pressed into service before half an hour had been played.
The match itself swung on a different story. After the interval, Serhou Guirassy seized control, his second-half double driving Dortmund to a 3-2 victory over the La Liga side. It was the kind of ruthless finishing that wins European ties and, on most nights, would dominate the headlines.
Instead, the lingering image came from the first half: Karetsas lying on the turf, arm raised, then disappearing from view as the stretcher carried him away.
Dortmund have their win. Now they wait for the only result that really matters to them this week: the hospital report on a teenager they see as a key part of their future.
