Borussia Dortmund were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Union Berlin at home in the Bundesliga. The match was marred by an injury to teenage summer signing Konstantinos Karetsas, who was forced off shortly after coming on as a substitute.
The game sparked into controversy after just 17 seconds when referee Daniel Schlager initially showed Union's Ethan Nwaneri a red card for a foul on Tom Rothe, only to downgrade it to a yellow after a VAR review. Further early cautions followed for Waldemar Anton and Serhou Guirassy. Despite the disrupted start, Dortmund's attack failed to find a way through a resolute Union Berlin defence. While Dortmund enjoyed more possession and created several chances, the visitors remained solid and also threatened on the counter-attack.
Karetsas suffers fresh setback
The major concern of the night, however, was Konstantinos Karetsas. The €30 million signing from Genk was introduced in the second half but injured his right foot while trying to turn away from Rani Khedira. He left the pitch with assistance less than 20 minutes after coming on. It is the second health scare for the 18-year-old Greek in quick succession, after he collapsed with circulatory problems during a Champions League match against Villarreal in September. Manager Niko Kovac had referenced the prior incident before the match, saying, "I think we can all remember the situation when he collapsed in the Champions League game." After the match, Kovac expressed concern: "It doesn't look good. We have to wait for the exact examinations tomorrow."
Points shared in title race
The draw means Borussia Dortmund remain second in the Bundesliga standings with 13 points from five games, level on points with Bayern Munich. Their recent form across the last five competitive matches shows two wins, two draws and one defeat (DLDWW). Following a 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen and a 1-0 loss to Bodø/Glimt in the Europa League, this was the third consecutive match without a victory. Union Berlin collected a valuable away point, moving up to tenth place for now.
Next up for Kovac's side is a home fixture against eighth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt on October 24. A look at the upcoming fixtures shows a return to winning ways is urgently needed to keep pace in a tight title race. Captain Emre Can said after the match: "We are all frustrated. We have to stick together now and react against Frankfurt."
Read the full report at Der Standard Sport
