Karetsas Scare Overshadows BVB Victory at Signal Iduna Park

For 23 minutes, it felt like any other high-tempo European night at Signal Iduna Park. Then everything stopped.

Giannis Karetsas, Borussia Dortmund’s young Greek winger, suddenly sat down on the turf. No challenge. No collision. Moments earlier he had been gliding past defenders, slipped off a simple pass, then raised his arm and called for help.

Within seconds, paramedics were sprinting across the pitch. The stadium noise dropped to a murmur. Karetsas was treated on the ground, then carried off on a stretcher, in tears, to warm applause from the stands.

From the touchline and the TV gantry, the scene felt chilling.

"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."

“Circulatory problems out of nowhere”

The incident cast a long shadow over Dortmund’s 3–2 win against Villarreal. Sporting managing director Lars Ricken spoke of shock and uncertainty after the final whistle.

The 18-year-old will undergo tests in hospital "to rule everything out in the end," Ricken confirmed. "We have to wait and see what the next few days bring."

Ricken did not hide how deeply the moment had affected him. He talked of "circulatory problems out of nowhere" and stressed there had been "no indication of anything" beforehand.

Sporting director Ole Book echoed that sense of alarm.

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

Book underlined how abruptly the episode unfolded. "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."

A fragile sense of relief

As the second half began, there was at least a sliver of reassurance. BVB announced that their new signing was "doing well under the circumstances". Coach Niko Kovac immediately relayed that to a dressing room still shaken by what they had seen.

"I told my players that everything is fine. They are worried as well," Kovac said. The message didn’t erase the images, but it eased the worst fears.

On the pitch, Ethan Nwaneri, on loan from Arsenal, came on to replace Karetsas. It was exactly the kind of emergency scenario Dortmund had feared when they dipped back into the market late in the window.

Injury crisis deepens

Because for BVB, the Karetsas scare arrives on top of a mounting injury list.

Giannis Konstantelias, another Greek newcomer, had already suffered a brutal setback. He tore his cruciate ligament on his very first Bundesliga appearance against HSV on the opening matchday and faces a long spell on the sidelines. His absence forced Dortmund to move quickly for Nwaneri as cover.

The problems don’t stop in attack. In defence, Kovac went into the Villarreal clash without Nico Schlotterbeck, Emre Can and Filippo Mane, all ruled out. The reshuffled back line is already being stretched at the start of a long season.

Ramy Bensebaini, meanwhile, is still nursing a rib contusion. Even if fit, he would not have been available after his second yellow-red card in the 1–4 defeat at Atalanta Bergamo in February left him suspended.

So Dortmund leave the night with three points and a performance full of attacking verve, yet the overriding image is of a teenager lying on the turf, medics huddled around him, teammates looking on anxiously.

If Karetsas escapes with nothing serious, the club will count themselves lucky. If not, an already thin squad could be staring at a test of depth and resilience far earlier in the season than anyone at Signal Iduna Park had planned.