Pitch collapse and medical response

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Konstantinos Karetsas collapsed during his Champions League debut against Spanish club Villarreal CF on Tuesday evening. In the 23rd minute of the opening European fixture at Signal Iduna Park, with the scoreline 0-0, the 18-year-old Greek international completed a pass in the opposition half before signaling his distress to the referee. Karetsas sat down on the turf and covered his face with his hands, bringing play to an immediate halt as silence fell across the stadium. Team doctor Dr. Markus Braun and paramedics attended to the midfielder on the pitch for four minutes, focusing their examination on his upper body rather than his legs. Braun called out for a stretcher on the touchline, and medical staff carried Karetsas off the pitch to applause from the home crowd.

Hospitalization and dehydration diagnosis

Karetsas had experienced fatigue in the days leading up to the fixture and missed Dortmund's final training session on Monday. Following initial medical care in the stadium catacombs overseen by sporting director Ole Book, paramedics transferred the player into an ambulance beneath the east stand at 21:50 during half-time. His mother, who had traveled to Dortmund to attend his Champions League debut, accompanied him in the vehicle to the hospital for further testing. Subsequent examinations indicated that dehydration contributed to the incident, causing circulatory problems, dizziness, and an elevated heart rate.

“Konstantinos Karetsas had to leave the field due to circulatory problems. Kosta is doing well under the circumstances and is on his way to the hospital for further tests.”

Club management reaction

Club officials expressed deep concern while the medical team attended to the teenager. Managing director for sport Lars Ricken followed the scenes from the main grandstand and contacted Book on the substitutes bench before speaking to journalists in the stadium driveway after the final whistle at 23:30.

“That was very strange. At first I assumed that he had some muscular problems. But he did not touch his thigh. Of course, you are somewhat shocked.”

Match result and squad impact

Dortmund went on to win the fixture 3-2, recording their fourth consecutive competitive victory under head coach Niko Kovac. Forward Serhou Guirassy scored for Dortmund before later conceding an own goal that reduced their lead to 3-2 in the second half. Villarreal midfielder Renato Veiga had an opportunity to equalize at 3-3, but Dortmund defender Joane Gadou deflected the shot to secure the victory for goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. The medical scare adds to Dortmund's early-season fitness concerns among their summer recruits, following an anterior cruciate ligament injury last month that sidelined Greece teammate Giannis Konstantelias, who joined the club alongside Karetsas from Genk.

“Right now it works, everyone runs for each other. When we do that, we are really difficult to play against.”