Borussia Dortmund beat Chelsea thanks to a stellar goal by Karim Adeyemi in their Champions League round of 16 first leg at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday night.
Chelsea, who had a new-look XI for the Champions League after a busy January transfer window and the return of some injured players, looked strong in the first half and saw Joao Felix miss a pair of chances to put his side in front during a scoreless opening 45 minutes.
Germany international Adeyemi put Dortmund in front midway through the second half with a brilliant individual effort, picking up the ball at midfield, outrunning his marker, round Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Chelsea goal and slotting home for the lead.
The teams will meet again on March 7 at Stamford Bridge for the decisive second leg.
Big-spending Chelsea’s efficiency in front of goal has been an issue for the Premier League club this season with only one win in 2023, and it was evident again.
They missed a number of good chances over the course of the game with Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel denying Enzo Fernandez in stoppage time to see out the result.
