Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Chelsea: Karim Adeyemi scored the only goal of the game as Chelsea squandered numerous chances
Enzo Fernandez was not acquired by Chelsea for £106 million because of his skill as a one-man defense. However, the sight of Borussia Dortmund’s winning goal had a somberly symbolic quality for the team that has overspent and is producing too little.
It was the priciest acquisition ever made by an English team. And there, speeding by him, was Karim Adeyemi, who may be the latest illustration of the astute hiring that Dortmund has been indelibly identified with for years. Chelsea, the Champions League champions from two years ago, were billed as the seasoned European competitors, but they showed a certain amount of naivete by leaving Fernandez by himself on the halfway line when they had a corner. In their quest for glory in 2021, Thomas Tuchel’s battle-tested champions found it difficult to believe that they would gift a goal under such conditions. But the erratic team of Graham Potter managed to fall short.
Adeyemi was explosive, and when he broke, he only had Fernandez to beat before he could go around Kepa Arrizabalaga and put the ball into the open goal. The Ruhr Valley was already boisterous, but it got louder. Borussia Dortmund created more commotion in the transfer window than Chelsea but in their enormous backyard. In the Champions League quarterfinals thanks to their seventh straight victory. Even if it might have been argued that a draw would still have been among Chelsea’s greatest outcomes of the season, it is often believed that their £600 million expenditure cannot buy them a victory.
But they couldn’t even get that. Now after 14 games, they have two victories. Talk of long-termism should not hide how miserable their present is, since it would be a pitiful return for a side with considerably lesser outlays. However, he was far from the issue, and, with a curling shot, he threatened an injury-time equalizer. Fernandez appeared to be the fall guy, caught in the wrong place when he should have had support.
But he joined a team where the bar has been lowered. One may argue that Chelsea put on one of their better performances in the previous four months, yet they still lost. Prior to Adeyemi’s goal, they had over an hour to deny Dortmund a shot on goal and looked to be in control of the match. They may regret the tiniest of margins, as Kalidou Koulibaly’s shot was blocked by Gregor Kobel and Joao Felix’s shot hit the crossbar. Emre Can also perform superb goal-line clearing.
Chelsea has already scored four goals in their previous nine games, though. Their season will be doomed to failure without at least one, most likely two, and ideally three at Stamford Bridge in three weeks. If Chelsea is unable to score, there will be no consolation in the Champions League.
The common theme has been an inability to add the finishing touches. Up until Reece James’ free kick was parried after 55 minutes, they did not put Kobel to the test. But despite that, it wasn’t boring. Prior to it, Chelsea had the ball in the net. James had earlier given a free kick, which Thiago Silva tapped in, but he quickly put his palm up in remorse. The handball resulted in a booking.
Dortmund possessed a sense of urgency and impudence, with Julian Brandt’s impudence allowing him to display his tricks, Jude Bellingham’s elusiveness ensuring that he was always available, and Edin Terzic’s desire being clear in his use of strategy. Dortmund persevered. In the side netting, Sebastien Haller’s attempt was blocked. Adeyemi skied one. Marius Wolf’s attempt was slightly unsuccessful.
Prior the halftime, Chelsea got closer. Mykhailo Mudryk and Felix, who both lost in the group stages before switching teams, could be called upon by them, and they combined. Nico Schlotterbeck was compelled to make a fantastic last-ditch effort when Felix released the electrifying Mudryk.
The Portuguese No. 10 direct dribbled to his responsibilities as a No. 10, while the Ukrainian delivered raw pace to the left wing. He blazed over following a one-two with Hakim Ziyech then grabbed Kai Havertz’s pass to smash a shot against the crossbar, but all he lacked was the finesse of finishing. He appeared to be the best player on the field at one point.
But he didn’t make the final decision. The kind of acquisition Chelsea is looking to make as they look to discover the stars of the future is Adeyemi, who was purchased from RB Salzburg at the age of 20. However, they can also become current superstars at Dortmund. The 19-year-old Bellingham’s team, which he captains, is one shutout away from the Champions League quarterfinals. A team that has blown through more than $500,000,000 in the transfer market is one loss or tie away from failing this season on all fronts.