Dortmund Await Updates After Karetsas Collapse in Champions League
Borussia Dortmund are holding their breath over young forward Paris Brunner Karetsas after the teenager collapsed during the Champions League opener against Villarreal at Signal Iduna Park.
According to Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, initial suspicion among doctors is that the Greek attacking player may have gone down because he had not taken on enough water immediately before kick-off. Dehydration was reportedly the first diagnosis discussed during his initial examination in hospital.
By Wednesday lunchtime, Dortmund had still not released any information on final test results or a confirmed diagnosis. Asked by SID, a club spokesman limited his update to a short sentence: Karetsas was "doing well under the circumstances".
Sporting managing director Lars Ricken had earlier spoken of sudden "circulatory problems" in the 18-year-old, who only joined the club in the summer.
Shocking scenes after normal dribble
The incident stunned the stadium. In the 23rd minute, with Dortmund leading in their Champions League opener against the LaLiga side, Karetsas went on a routine dribble and released a simple pass. Nothing in the move hinted at what would follow.
He then raised his arm, clearly in distress, and called for medical help. Seconds later he collapsed without any contact from an opponent.
Paramedics sprinted onto the pitch. The new signing was treated and then carried off as the crowd rose to applaud, many visibly shaken. Karetsas left the field with tears in his eyes.
"I went out with him, but at that moment he was not directly able to speak," Dortmund sporting director Ole Book said immediately after the 3-2 win. "We naturally hope that things get better very, very quickly and that it is nothing serious. It came very suddenly. Of course, that really puts a significant damper on the mood."
Another blow for a stretched squad
The timing could hardly be worse for BVB. Losing Karetsas for any length of time would hit a squad already patched together in key areas.
New arrival Giannis Konstantelias had already torn his cruciate ligament on his very first Bundesliga appearance against Hamburger SV on the opening matchday. He faces a long spell on the sidelines and had been pencilled in as a central piece of Dortmund’s attacking rebuild.
Forced to react late in the window, Dortmund moved quickly and secured Ethan Nwaneri from Arsenal on loan as cover. On Tuesday night, it was Nwaneri who came on to replace the stricken Karetsas.
The problems do not stop in attack. At the back, coach Niko Kovac is juggling bodies as well as tactics. In the same clash with Villarreal, he had to withdraw Nico Schlotterbeck, Emre Can and Filippo Mane, adding fresh concern to an already complicated defensive situation.
Ramy Bensebaini is still battling a bruised ribcage and remains unavailable. Even if fit, he would have been sidelined for Europe anyway, suspended after his second yellow-red card in the 1-4 defeat at Atalanta Bergamo in February.
Dortmund escaped with three points and a roar of relief on the opening Champions League night. The bigger question now hangs over the treatment room: how many more hits can this squad absorb before the season’s ambitions start to buckle?
