Karetsas Collapse Shocks BVB as Injury Crisis Deepens

The noise inside Signal Iduna Park dropped in an instant. After 23 minutes of Borussia Dortmund’s clash with Villarreal, new signing Karetsas suddenly sat down on the turf, alone, untouched, and raised his arm for help.

No collision. No awkward landing. Just a chilling stillness.

Moments earlier, the Greek winger had been gliding forward with the ball, driving at defenders, then slipping a routine pass. Now he was motionless, surrounded by worried teammates and medical staff. Paramedics sprinted onto the pitch. A few minutes later, the 18-year-old was carried off on a stretcher, in tears, to loud, anxious applause from the stands.

From the commentary gantry, Mats Hummels could barely hide his concern.

"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. We wouldn’t wish something like that on anyone. They were really horrible images that we had to see there," the Dortmund club icon said on Prime Video.

Dortmund win, but fear lingers

BVB went on to win 3-2 against the Spaniards, but the result felt secondary. The main question hung in the air: how is Karetsas?

Sporting managing director Lars Ricken tried to provide some clarity after the final whistle, without downplaying the shock inside the club.

The Greek youngster was taken straight to hospital, Ricken explained, where he will undergo a full series of tests "to rule everything out in the end. We have to wait and see what the next few days bring," he said.

Ricken admitted he had been "of course somewhat shocked," and outlined what the club currently knows. "They were circulatory problems out of nowhere. There had been no indication of anything."

Sporting director Ole Book echoed that sense of alarm and helplessness.

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

He stressed again that there had been no warning signs in the build-up. "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."

Inside the dressing room, uncertainty mixed with a small measure of relief. At the start of the second half, BVB announced that the teenager was "doing well under the circumstances". Head coach Niko Kovac passed that update straight to his players at the break.

"I told my players that everything is fine. They are worried as well," Kovac said.

A squad stretched to the limit

Even without the scare around Karetsas, Dortmund’s injury list already looked brutal.

A longer spell on the sidelines for the winger would hit BVB hard, especially in light of what has already happened this season. New arrival Giannis Konstantelias had torn his cruciate ligament on his very first Bundesliga appearance against HSV on the opening matchday. He will be missing for a long time.

The club reacted before the transfer window closed, moving quickly to bring in Ethan Nwaneri on loan from Arsenal as a replacement. On Tuesday night, it was Nwaneri who came on for Karetsas after the incident.

At the back, the situation is no better. For the meeting with Villarreal, Kovac had to do without Nico Schlotterbeck, Emre Can and Filippo Mane. All three were ruled out, forcing yet another reshuffle in a defence already under strain.

Ramy Bensebaini remains sidelined with a rib contusion, and even if he had been fit, he would not have been allowed to feature because of the second yellow-red card he picked up in February’s 1-4 defeat at Atalanta Bergamo.

So Dortmund leave the night with a win, a growing injury crisis, and one overriding hope: that the images of Karetsas on the turf, eyes closed and chest monitored, do not become the defining snapshot of their season.