Thursday5 November 2026English edition
Talas & Talasim
Report · Champions League

Karetsas gives Dortmund the answer after Guirassy's injury

Borussia Dortmund recovered from losing Serhou Guirassy to injury to beat Real Betis 2-1, with Konstantinos Karetsas coming off the bench to settle a contest that had briefly slipped away from the hosts. Fábio Silva opened the scoring before Aitor Ruibal equalised, but Karetsas restored Dortmund's advantage four minutes later.

Exterior view of the Borusseum and stadium featuring a bold 2-1 score overlay for the Borussia Dortmund and Real Betis match cover.
Konstantinos Karetsas stepped off the bench to score the winner as Borussia Dortmund overcame Serhou Guirassy's injury to defeat Real Betis 2-1. Collage: Talas & Talasim; ground photo: Tbachner

Borussia Dortmund recovered from losing Serhou Guirassy to injury to beat Real Betis 2-1, with Konstantinos Karetsas coming off the bench to settle a contest that had briefly slipped away from the hosts. Fábio Silva opened the scoring before Aitor Ruibal equalised, but Karetsas restored Dortmund's advantage four minutes later.

Half timeFull time
Borussia Dortmund · 3-4-2-1Real Betis · 4-2-3-1Gregor KobelKobelWaldemar AntonAntonNico SchlotterbeckSchlotterbeckRamy BensebainiBensebainiJulian RyersonRyersonJoey VeermanVeermanFelix NmechaNmechaDaniel SvenssonSvenssonSerhou GuirassyGuirassyFábio SilvaSilvaJobe BellinghamBellinghamÁlvaro VallesVallesÁngel OrtizOrtizDiego LlorenteLlorenteNatanNatanValentín GómezGómezFacundo BernalBernalDani CeballosCeballosAntonyAntonyNelson DeossaDeossaAbde EzzalzouliEzzalzouliTroy ParrottParrott
· Confirmed 21:05 EET · Line-ups: espn.com

Guirassy's departure in the 34th minute changed the shape of Dortmund's evening. The striker had already threatened early on, but thigh discomfort forced him off before half-time. Karetsas replaced him, leaving Niko Kovač to reorganise his attacking options while the sides went into the break without a goal.

Dortmund found the breakthrough four minutes after the restart. Julian Ryerson delivered from the right and Jobe Bellingham's effort was stopped by Álvaro Vallés, but Silva followed the rebound to score from close range. The hosts had earned their lead through sustained pressure, although Betis were far from finished.

The visitors found their way back through Ruibal in the 67th minute. A costly Waldemar Anton mistake surrendered possession in the build-up, allowing Abdessamad Ezzalzouli to find the substitute at the back post. Ruibal converted and briefly threatened to undo Dortmund's work. The response was immediate: Karetsas restored the lead with a low finish in the 72nd minute.

Dortmund had to withstand a late push from Betis, with Isco helping the visitors find more purpose after coming on. The Spanish side threatened from set-pieces, but Kovač's team protected their advantage. The victory gives Dortmund nine points from four Champions League matches and keeps them within reach of the automatic last-16 places. Karetsas had entered the night as Guirassy's replacement; his goal ultimately settled the contest.