Dortmund 1-0 Chelsea: Karim Adeyemi scores stunning winner in Champions League round of 16 first leg

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.

Match in brief: Chelsea frustrated once more

João Félix twice went close to breaking the deadlock in the first halfDeFodi Images via Getty Images

Though Dortmund had more than 60% of first-half possession, Sébastien Haller's effort into the side-netting was as close as they came. Chelsea found the hosts' 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.

Chelsea must have known their luck was out when Emre Can cleared off the line and Kobel kept out Fernández's goal-bound effort late on; Graham Potter's side have it all to do back in west London.

PlayStation® Player of the Match: Karim Adeyemi (Dortmund)

"For the goal he showed his pace and composure with his run. Especially in moments of transition to attack, Dortmund used his pace very well. Great team performance by Dortmund but he was important with his goal."
UEFA Technical Observer panel

James Thorogood, Dortmund reporter

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.

Joe Terry, Chelsea reporter

This game neatly summed up the problems Chelsea have been experiencing since the FIFA World Cup. There is plenty of good on show, lots of tidy football and encouraging moves up until the penalty area, but that's where it falls down. The Blues desperately need a goalscorer or to collectively find a way of getting the ball into the net. A 1-0 loss is not impossible to overturn, but without an edge in front of goal it will be.

Reaction 

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."

Key stats

• Dortmund have now won all seven of their fixtures in 2023; Chelsea, by contrast, have just one victory from nine (D4 L4).
• This was Dortmund's first win against Premier League opposition in their last 11 attempts (D2 L8).
• These two teams had never met before in a competitive match.
• Prior to this win, Dortmund had lost the first leg in six of their last eight UEFA Champions League knockout stage games.
• This was only the second time in their last 15 UEFA Champions League matches that Chelsea failed to find the net.

Fantasy star performers

Karim Adeyemi - 9 points
Gregor Kobel - 8 points
Nico Schlotterbeck - 8 points

Line-ups

Dortmund: Kobel; Wolf (Ryerson 73), Süle, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro; Salih Özcan, Emre Can; Adeyemi (Bynoe-Gittens 79), Bellingham, Brandt; Haller (Modeste 68)

Chelsea: Arrizabalaga; James, Thiago Silva, Koulibaly, Chilwell (Mount 71); Fernández, Loftus-Cheek; Ziyech, João Félix, Mudryk (Cucurella 71); Havertz