Borussia Dortmund are 1-0 to the good over Chelsea in their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie thanks to Karim Adeyemi’s spectacular second-half solo strike.
Borussia Dortmund beat Chelsea 1-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie courtesy of a spectacular second-half counterattacking goal from Karim Adeyemi.
Though Dortmund had more than 60% of first-half possession, Sébastien Haller’s effort into the side-net was as close as they came. Chelsea found the host’s lock somewhat easier to unpick, but João Félix twice failed to apply the finishing touch. First, he bent the ball over after Hakim Ziyech had scurried down the right; then, latching onto fine hold-up play from Kai Havertz, he accelerated into space and dinked over Gregor Kobel only to be denied by the crossbar.
It took 55 minutes for the first shot on target but Kobel and Kepa Arrizabalaga were both called upon in quick succession to deny Reece James (twice) and Julian Brandt respectively.
Adeyemi then provided the game’s standout moment, whizzing past Enzo Fernández in a lightning-fast Dortmund counterattack before rounding Kepa to make it 1-0.
In what was referred to as a test of Dortmund’s maturity, Edin Terzić’s young side had to dig deep to fashion themselves an advantage to take to England. Adeyemi’s goal was a stunning solo effort, but Emre Can and Kobel also put in outstanding individual displays to ensure BVB stretch their 2023 winning streak to seven games.
Karim Adeyemi, Player of the Match: “The win tonight was crucial and it was unbelievable to play in front of these fans. We wanted to give Chelsea a tough game from start to finish and we’ve won.”
Edin Terzić, Dortmund coach: “It’s great to come out on the winning side. There was a little bit of luck involved and we had an exceptional goalkeeper. But there’s no need to apologise after winning at home against Chelsea in the last 16.”
Graham Potter, Chelsea coach: “We created a lot of chances and efforts on goal but I am disappointed with the goal we conceded. I thought we were the dominant team in the second half. It is half-time in the tie and we have to regroup.”
The second leg takes place at Stamford Bridge in London on 7 March (21:00 CET).
