BVB's Victory Overshadowed by Karetsas' Collapse Against Villarreal

For a few chilling minutes at Signal Iduna Park, the 3-2 win over Villarreal didn’t matter at all.

After 23 minutes, new signing Karetsas suddenly dropped to the turf. No tackle, no collision, no obvious reason. Moments earlier, the Greek winger had been gliding past defenders, slipped a pass, then raised his arm and immediately called for help.

The stadium fell quiet. Paramedics sprinted on. Karetsas was treated on the pitch, then carried off on a stretcher in tears, the crowd rising to applaud him as he disappeared down the tunnel.

"When the doctors didn’t look at his legs at all and were only focused on his upper body, it sent a shiver down my spine," said Dortmund legend Mats Hummels, working as a pundit for Prime Video. "We wouldn’t wish something like that on anyone. They were really horrible images that we had to see there."

Shock and uncertainty at Dortmund

The scenes clearly rattled the club hierarchy. Sporting managing director Lars Ricken spoke of a night that had suddenly taken on a very different tone.

Now Karetsas will undergo extensive checks in hospital "to rule everything out in the end," Ricken confirmed after the final whistle. "We have to wait and see what the next few days bring," he added, admitting he had "of course been somewhat shocked. They were circulatory problems out of nowhere. There had been no indication of anything."

Sporting director Ole Book was with the 18-year-old as he left the pitch.

"I went out with him, but at that moment he was not directly able to speak," Book revealed. "We obviously hope that it gets better very, very quickly and that it is nothing serious."

Book stressed that there had been no warning signs in the build-up. "It came very suddenly. He sat down and was then taken to hospital for further examinations, where he still is now. That obviously dampens the mood considerably."

At the start of the second half, BVB tried to ease some of the anxiety. The club announced that the teenager was "doing well under the circumstances". Head coach Niko Kovac relayed that update straight into the dressing room.

"I told my players that everything is fine. They are worried as well," Kovac said.

Injury curse deepens at BVB

The relief that Karetsas was at least stable was mixed with a hard footballing reality: a longer lay-off would hit an already battered squad.

A major absence for the Greek winger would be another heavy blow in a position that has already brought Dortmund grim news. Fellow new signing Giannis Konstantelias tore his cruciate ligament on his very first Bundesliga appearance against HSV on the opening matchday and faces a long spell out.

Dortmund reacted quickly before the transfer window closed, bringing in Ethan Nwaneri on loan from Arsenal as a replacement. On Tuesday night, it was Nwaneri who came on for Karetsas after the incident.

The problems do not stop in attack. Injuries are piling up at the back as well. For the clash with Villarreal, Kovac had to do without Nico Schlotterbeck, Emre Can and Filippo Mane, all unavailable.

Ramy Bensebaini remains sidelined with a rib contusion. Even if he had been fit, he would have missed the game anyway due to the second yellow-red card he received in February’s 1-4 defeat at Atalanta Bergamo.

BVB left with a win, a wobbling squad, and one overriding question: how heavy a price will they pay if another new cornerstone is forced out for the long term?