Konstantinos Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias star as Dortmund impress on opening day
Greek duo Giannis Konstantelias and Konstantinos Karetsas played starring roles in Borussia Dortmund's opening weekend victory over Hamburg, but there was cause for concern later in the encounter.
History was already made before kick-off as Borussia Dortmund named two Greek players in their starting XI for the first time in the Bundesliga - Sokratis had previously been the only player from the country to feature for the Black-Yellows. Ultimately, it didn't take long for the two new boys to show why there is so much excitement around them at Signal Iduna Park.
Karetsas, in particular, impressed from the start. The 18-year-old attacking midfielder constantly demanded the ball, showed off his dribbling ability and was a central part of everything Dortmund tried offensively. In fact, he had his first league assist for his club inside nine minutes, playing a lovely one-two with Serhou Guirassy before the latter buried into the bottom corner. Karetsas remained dangerous after, too, testing Hamburg goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes from distance before firing over after being played in by compatriot Konstantelias.
Despite his contribution, Karetsas was not totally pleased with his personal display, but praised the atmosphere inside the stadium and the home crowd's support. "I felt the supporters' love during every attack, it was incredible," he said. "In the first half, we should have scored four or five goals. I should have scored at least one myself, so I'm not happy about that. However, it's positive that we created chances."
Much like his international teammate, Konstantelias was also a major influence on Dortmund's performance. He was composed in possession, while his movement between the lines regularly disrupted the Hamburg defence. Around half an hour in, he won the ball back in midfield to start a dangerous Dortmund foray forward, and he took advantage of his own big moment on the brink of half-time. After being fed in the penalty area by Maximilian Beier, Konstantelias cut inside and double his side's lead via a deflection. A two-goal advantage at the break was the least Dortmund deserved after dominating proceedings.
Schockmoment beim BVB
However, shortly after the restart, Dortmund suffered a setback when Konstantelias was forced off with what appeared to be a knee injury, and the club's hierarchy were subsequently worried about the severity of the issue. "We should be careful with what we say, but we fear it could be a serious injury," said Ole Book, Dortmund's sporting director, to Sky Germany. "We will first carry out a diagnosis, and we hope for the best, but it doesn't look good."
Karetsas, meanwhile, stayed on the field until the 74th minute, when he was withdrawn by Niko Kovač. By that point, he had already shown himself to be an integral part of Dortmund's attack, rightfully earning himself the Man of the Match award with 36 percent of the vote.
In the end, Dortmund were good value for the 2-0 victory, and fans will no doubt be eager to see whether their new Greek duo can live up to their obvious potential in the long run. Konstantelias' injury, though, was a sour note on an otherwise fantastic start to the 2026/2027 campaign.
