Borussia Dortmund beat Arsenal 3-2 in the Emirates Cup on Sunday for their penultimate friendly match of the preseason campaign. Here are some key talking points from the clash:
3) Guirassy running on fumes
While the young guns were firing at all the cylinders, Borussia Dortmund's star striker Serhou Guirassy has been running on fumes. He hasn't scored a goal after netting against RW Oberhausen in their first friendly of the summer on 18 July and looked uninspired here too. In fact, the BVB appeared toothless with him leading the line than Fabio Silva, who oozed flair and panache in attack and caused Arsenal a whole of issues, especially during the opening stages of the game.
Guirassy's lackluster displays has become a cause for concern for the Bundesliga outfit, which begins their 2026-27 season in just 12 days against arch-rivals Bayern Munich in the German Supercup. The Guinean has been their main man upfront since joining in 2024 with 60 goals from 96 games, even coming up with match-winning strikes fairly often. If Dortmund were to seriously challenge for trophies on all fronts this season, it's imperative for Guirassy to find his shooting boots soon.
2) Dortmund's youth brigade is seriously impressive
All three goals for Borussia Dortmund on the day came from players aged 19 or below as Samuele Inacio, Konstantinos Karetsas and Joane Gadou racked up the numbers and continued the BVB youth brigade's blistering scoring streak. Earlier on in their campaign, teenagers like Justin Lerma, Takato Yamamoto and Mathis Albert were also on target.
Dortmund's managing director Lars Ricken had only recently spoken of the club's youth-first approach; of how the side is building for the future by roping in young talents instead of experienced personnel. Going by the impression they've created so far, the future certainly looks promising and although it's only preseason, their talent is undeniable.
1) Boy wonder Karetsas set for big things ahead
Yes, we've already spoken of Dortmund's youth contingent. But in spite of that, Konstantinos Karetsas deserves a special mention here. The Greek international made a resounding debut on Sunday, curling a wonderful strike to score on his club debut and announce his arrival to the BVB faithful.
Blessed with a pace that's reminiscent of The Flash and a ball-control that even Lionel Messi would be proud of, Karetsas demonstrated a range of talents that gives a glimpse into what one can expect from him in the season proper. Watch out for this boy; he could take Europe by storm.
Add us as a preferred source on Google