Dortmund defeat Arsenal in five-goal thriller as Karestas bags debut goal

First-half goals from Samuele Inácio and Konstantinos Karestas put Dortmund in control at the break. Niko Kovač’s side then survived two Arsenal fightbacks, with Joane Gadou restoring their two-goal advantage shortly after the restart, to come away with a satisfying 3-2 victory against strong opposition.

1st half Borussia Dortmund starting XI (3-4-2-1): Meyer; Gadou, Mane, Bensebaini; Svensson, Nmecha, Bellingham, Beier; Karestas, Inácio; Silva

Dortmund got off to a flying start just seven minutes in, taking the lead through Samuele Inácio. Fabio Silva started the move by laying the ball off to Felix Nmecha on the edge of the area. The Germany international then slipped a lovely pass into the box for the onrushing Inácio, who found the corner of the net from around seven yards out.

A sustained spell of Arsenal pressure produced their first real chance of the half around the 26-minute mark. Max Dowman skipped past Ramy Bensebaini with ease on the right before cutting the ball back into the centre for Viktor Gyökeres. The striker worked a yard of space before unleashing a powerful effort that rattled Alexander Meyer’s crossbar but stayed out.

Just three minutes later, Dortmund doubled their lead through new signing Konstantinos Karestas on his first appearance for the club. The youngster picked up the ball and drove forward unopposed before reaching the edge of the Arsenal area. He then shifted the ball onto his stronger side and calmly side-footed it into the net to introduce himself in style and make it 2-0 to Dortmund, which remained the score at half-time.

2nd half Borussia Dortmund starting XI (3-4-2-1): Meyer; Gadou, Mane, Bensebaini; Svensson, Nmecha, Bellingham, Beier; Chukwuemeka, Inácio; Silva

Arsenal pulled a goal back nine minutes into the second half through Ethan Nwaneri. Christos Tzolis found the youngster unmarked in the centre of the box, allowing Nwaneri to fire into an empty net with ease. From a Dortmund perspective, it was a goal that came far too easily.

Just three minutes later, Dortmund restored their two-goal advantage through Joane Gadou. A corner from the right was only half-cleared by Arsenal, with the ball falling to Fabio Silva on the right byline. His effort was saved but pushed into the path of Gadou at the back post, with the defender making no mistake from close range to make it 3-1.

Arsenal reduced the deficit to one goal once again 21 minutes from time after being awarded a penalty. Substitute Kaua Prates felled Tzolis inside the area, allowing Gyökeres to step up and send Meyer the wrong way to make it 3-2.

Dortmund continued to defend well as Arsenal upped the intensity with the clock ticking down, limiting the hosts to very little going forward. Deep into added time, Arsenal thought they had found a late equaliser through Gabriel Martinelli after a cleverly worked short corner, only for the offside flag to go straight up and ensure Dortmund secured an impressive victory over the English champions.