Real Betis came to Germany with a perfect Champions League record. They left with their first defeat. Borussia Dortmund won 2-1 at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday night.
Fábio Silva opened the scoring, and Konstantinos Karetsas, who came on in the first half, got the winner.
A goalless first half
Dortmund lost Serhou Guirassy before the break. The striker felt a problem in his thigh and could not carry on, so Karetsas took his place.
Betis thought they had scored first. Antony put the ball in the net early on, but the goal was ruled out because Troy Parrott, who set him up, was offside.
Silva, then Karetsas
The first goal came four minutes after half-time. Betis goalkeeper Álvaro Valles saved a shot from Jobe Bellingham, and Silva was there to put the rebound away from close range.
Betis hit back midway through the second half. Waldemar Anton made a mistake at the back. Abde Ezzalzouli picked out Aitor Ruibal, who beat Gregor Kobel to make it 1-1.
Dortmund needed only five minutes to go back in front. Karetsas scored in the 72nd minute, and the home side held on from there.
What Kovac said about Guirassy
“He felt something in his thigh. Now we have to see what it is,” Niko Kovac told reporters after the game. The club now has to wait for tests before it knows how long he will be out.
Where it leaves both teams
Dortmund now have nine points from four games and are 12th in the league phase. Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis had won all three of their earlier games and also stay on nine points.
Silva is in good form. On Saturday he came off the bench to score the late equaliser in the 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich. Dortmund’s next Champions League game is away to Arsenal.
Our take
This was a good night for Kovac’s bench. Losing Guirassy early could have hurt Dortmund badly. Instead his replacement decided the game. Silva has now scored in two big matches in the same week.
Betis should not be too worried. Three wins and one narrow away defeat is still a strong start, and Valles kept them in the game for long spells.
Who has impressed you more this season, Dortmund or Betis? Tell us in the comments.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Fábio Silva by Bex Walton (CC BY 2.0); Jobe Bellingham by Greensquare67 (CC0); Manuel Pellegrini by Junta de Andalucía (CC BY-SA 4.0); Signal Iduna Park by Dirk Vorderstraße (CC BY 2.0).
