Karetsas Collapse Shocks Dortmund – Dehydration Suspected

Signal Iduna Park fell silent in an instant.

After 23 minutes of Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League opener against the LaLiga visitors, young attacker Paris Brunner Karetsas suddenly went down off the ball. No tackle, no collision. Moments earlier he had glided past a defender on a routine dribble, slipped a pass, then raised his arm and called for help.

Seconds later, paramedics were sprinting across the turf. The 18-year-old was carried off to warm applause, tears in his eyes, the jubilation of a 3-2 win fading into the background.

According to Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, doctors suspect the Greek attacker may have collapsed because he had not taken on enough water immediately before the match. Initial examinations at the hospital pointed towards dehydration as the likely cause.

By Wednesday lunchtime, Dortmund had still not released any detailed findings. The club confirmed no completed diagnostics, and caution ruled the messaging. A spokesman, asked by SID, limited himself to a short update: Karetsas was “doing well under the circumstances”.

Sporting managing director Lars Ricken had already described the incident as sudden “circulatory problems”. On the touchline and in the stands, it looked far more alarming.

“It Came Very Suddenly”

The mood inside the stadium told its own story. The game resumed, but the tension had shifted.

“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 immediately after the final whistle. “It came very suddenly. Of course, that really puts a significant damper on the mood.”

Dortmund had just opened their Champions League campaign with a 3-2 victory. Yet the main talking point was the teenager who had to be rushed off the pitch before half-time.

BVB’s Injury List Grows Again

For BVB, the timing could hardly be worse.

Losing Karetsas for any stretch of the season would hit a squad already patched together. New signing Giannis Konstantelias had torn his cruciate ligament on his very first Bundesliga appearance against Hamburger SV on the opening matchday and faces a long spell out.

That injury forced Dortmund back into the market late in the transfer window. They moved quickly to bring in Ethan Nwaneri on loan from Arsenal as cover. On Tuesday night, it was Nwaneri who replaced Karetsas after the collapse, thrown straight into the intensity of a Champions League night.

The problems do not end in attack. In the turbulent clash with Villarreal, coach Niko Kovac had to withdraw Nico Schlotterbeck, Emre Can and Filippo Mane, adding fresh defensive worries to an already stretched group.

Ramy Bensebaini is still dealing with a bruised ribcage. He would not have been an option in Europe anyway, suspended after his second yellow-red card in the 1-4 defeat at Atalanta Bergamo back in February.

So Dortmund are juggling absences across the pitch, from back line to front. Now they wait on the results of Karetsas’ tests, hoping that this scare remains just that – and not the next long-term setback in a season that has barely begun.