Dortmund Dominate as Guirassy Shines
Borussia Dortmund emphatically ended a three-match winless streak with a commanding 4-0 victory over a ten-man Villarreal side in the Champions League. The German club's resurgence was spearheaded by striker Serhou Guirassy, who delivered a decisive performance with two crucial goals.
Match Turning Point Before Half-Time
The deadlock was broken in first-half stoppage time when Guirassy rose highest to power a header into the net from a corner. The Guinean international then doubled his tally and Dortmund's lead early in the second half, capitalising on a dramatic sequence of events.
Villarreal's hopes of a comeback were severely damaged when defender Juan Foyth was shown a straight red card for deliberately handling a goal-bound strike from Karim Adeyemi. The offence conceded a penalty, and although Guirassy's initial spot-kick was saved by goalkeeper Luiz Júnior, the alert striker was quickest to react, slotting home the rebound to make it 2-0.
Comfortable Victory Sealed Late On
Just three minutes later, Dortmund extended their lead further as Karim Adeyemi found the net with a composed finish from inside the penalty area. The comprehensive win was capped off in the final moments of the match when Daniel Svensson connected with a header to complete the 4-0 scoreline.
This vital result propels Borussia Dortmund to fourth in the group standings with 10 points from their five matches, placing them level with European heavyweights Chelsea and Manchester City. For Villarreal, the defeat leaves them languishing near the bottom of the table with just a single point.
Elsewhere in the Champions League
In other Champions League action, Juventus finally claimed their first victory of the campaign in dramatic fashion. The Italian giants needed a stoppage-time winner from substitute Jonathan David to secure a 3-2 win against Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt.
The match seemed destined for a draw after Sondre Brunstad Fet converted an 87th-minute penalty for the hosts, cancelling out earlier goals from Juve's Loïs Openda and Weston McKennie, which had overturned Ole Didrik Blomberg's first-half opener. The late drama unfolded when Nikita Haikin spilled a shot from half-time substitute Kenan Yildiz, allowing David to fire home the winner.
Napoli also celebrated a victory, marking the fifth anniversary of Diego Maradona's death with a 2-0 win over Qarabag. Scott McTominay was the hero for the Italian side, heading home a 65th-minute opener before later forcing an own goal from Marko Jankovic. The win came despite Manchester United loanee Rasmus Højlund having a penalty saved.
In Amsterdam, Benfica secured their first win of the tournament with a 2-0 success against a pointless Ajax, who remain bottom of the table. Goals from Samuel Dahl and Leandro Barreiro sealed the victory for the Portuguese club.
Other results saw Belgian outfit Union Saint-Gilloise win 1-0 away at Galatasaray thanks to a second-half finish from Promise David, while the encounter between Slavia Prague and Athletic Bilbao ended in a goalless draw.
