Dortmund beats Chelsea 1-0 in Champions League 1st leg




Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Champions League, round of 16, first leg soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea FC in Dortmund, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
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DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Karim Adeyemi sprinted the length of the field to score the only goal as Borussia Dortmund beat Chelsea 1-0 on Wednesday to leave its big-spending British opponent’s Champions League campaign in jeopardy after the first leg of their last-16 meeting.

Chelsea created — and missed — many of the best chances before a lightning counterattack broke the deadlock for Dortmund.

After Chelsea’s João Félix missed a headed chance on a corner, the German team launched into the counter as Adeyemi surged down the field, beating Enzo Fernández before rounding goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and scoring into the empty net. Adeyemi celebrated with a backflip.

Kalidou Koulibaly was at the heart of the Chelsea defense but nearly rescued a draw for his team at the other end. Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel couldn’t hold Koulibaly’s low shot in the 78th minute and the ball rolled onto the goal line before Emre Can hooked it away to keep Dortmund ahead.

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