Shock in Dortmund as Karetsas Collapses During Champions League Opener

The sight silenced Signal Iduna Park in an instant.

After 23 minutes of Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League opener against the LaLiga side, young attacker Paris Brunner Karetsas suddenly went down, no opponent near him. Moments earlier he had glided past a defender on a routine dribble and slipped a simple pass. Then came the raised arm, the urgent call for help, and the sprint of the paramedics.

According to Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, early indications suggest the Greek attacking player may have collapsed because he had not taken on enough water immediately before kick-off. Doctors at the hospital initially suspected dehydration during the first examinations.

By Wednesday lunchtime, Dortmund had still not released any details of final test results. Officially, the club remained cautious. A spokesman told SID only that Karetsas was “doing well under the circumstances”. Sporting managing director Lars Ricken had earlier described the incident as sudden “circulatory problems” suffered by the 18-year-old.

He left the pitch in tears, carried away as the crowd rose to applaud, the jubilation of a Champions League night replaced by a deep, uneasy hush.

“It Came Very Suddenly”

The mood in Dortmund’s camp after the 3–2 win was anything but celebratory.

“I went out with him, but at that moment he was not directly able to speak. We naturally hope that things get better very, very quickly and that it is nothing serious,” said sporting director Ole Book straight after the final whistle. “It came very suddenly. Of course, that really puts a significant damper on the mood.”

The game resumed, the goals kept coming, but the image of Karetsas being rushed off lingered over the stadium.

Another Blow for a Stricken Squad

For BVB, the concern is not just emotional. It is sporting, and it is serious.

Losing Karetsas for any length of time would hit a squad already stretched to breaking point in attack. New signing Giannis Konstantelias had only just arrived with big expectations, then tore his cruciate ligament on his Bundesliga debut against Hamburger SV on the opening matchday. He is out for the long term.

Dortmund scrambled late in the transfer window and secured Ethan Nwaneri on loan from Arsenal as a replacement. On Tuesday night, Nwaneri was thrown straight into the fire, coming on for Karetsas after the collapse.

The problems do not stop up front. They are spreading across the pitch.

Defence Under Strain

Coach Niko Kovac’s back line is now creaking. Against Villarreal, he had to withdraw Nico Schlotterbeck, Emre Can and Filippo Mane, adding fresh defensive worries to an already complex puzzle.

Ramy Bensebaini is still dealing with a bruised ribcage. Even if he had been fully fit, he would not have been allowed to play, suspended after his second yellow-red card in the Europa League clash at Atalanta Bergamo (1–4) back in February.

So Dortmund emerge from a dramatic 3–2 Champions League win with three points, but also with a growing list of absentees and a pressing question: how long can a team with this many key players missing keep absorbing blows like this and still chase its ambitions on all fronts?