Guirassy double helps Borussia Dortmund edge Villarreal in five-goal Champions League thriller

Borussia Dortmund began their UEFA Champions League campaign with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Villarreal at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday, with Serhou Guirassy scoring twice to settle a match that featured two own goals.

Dortmund had to wait until the closing stages to secure all three points against a determined Villarreal side, having initially struggled to turn early pressure into clear chances.

The hosts made the brighter start, but Marcel Sabitzer and Guirassy were unable to seriously test the Villarreal goalkeeper during the opening 20 minutes.

Play was interrupted in the 24th minute when Dortmund defender Konstantinos Karetsas went down and received treatment from the medical team. He was subsequently replaced after reportedly experiencing “light-headedness as a result of circulatory issues”.

The match took time to regain momentum following the stoppage. Dortmund then increased the pressure before half-time, with Ethan Nwaneri and Guirassy both going close as the German side searched for an opening goal.

They finally moved ahead eight minutes after the interval. A cross from Maximilian Beier caused uncertainty in the Villarreal defence and Renato Veiga miskicked his attempted clearance, sending the ball into his own goal.

Villarreal head coach Inigo Perez reacted by making two substitutions soon after the goal, and the changes quickly paid off. Six minutes after falling behind, the visitors levelled when Santiago Mourino rose to head home from a corner.

Dortmund manager Niko Kovac responded with a triple substitution in the 75th minute as he sought to regain control of the match and find a winning goal.

The breakthrough arrived five minutes later. Fabio Silva produced an excellent assist for Guirassy, who finished the move to restore Dortmund’s advantage.

Guirassy then added his second in the 83rd minute after Mourino brought down the Guinea international inside the penalty area. The forward remained composed from the spot and sent the resulting penalty into the net.

Villarreal continued to push for a second equaliser and were rewarded deep into stoppage time, although their goal came in unfortunate circumstances for Dortmund. Kobel deflected a free-kick on to Guirassy’s face, with the ball ending up in the net to give the visitors their second own goal of the game.

Despite the late scare, Dortmund held on for victory and a valuable start to the league phase.

“I’m very happy with the result. It was a crazy game and once again a very special atmosphere,” Guirassy told Prime after the match.

“Of course, I’m very grateful to Fabio [Silva] for his great assist. We shouldn’t have conceded those goals. We still need to work on that. But in the end, we’re glad we won. That gives us confidence for the rest of the season.”

Dortmund’s next league-phase fixture will be away to Bodø/Glimt. Villarreal will host Napoli in their next Champions League match, with both games scheduled for next month after the FIFA international break.