MY ACCOUNT
Jude Bellingham believes “not many players can stop” in-form Borussia Dortmund team-mate Karim Adeyemi following his wonderful individual goal against Chelsea.
Dortmund edged their noses ahead on aggregate with a narrow 1-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, in which Adeyemi’s 63rd-minute strike proved decisive.
From a devastating counter-attack following a Chelsea corner, the Germany forward latched onto Raphael Guerreiro’s pass and raced past Enzo Fernandez, before rounding Kepa Arrizabalaga to score.
And Bellingham – Dortmund’s captain for the day – saluted Adeyemi, who has now scored in each of his last three appearances – one more goal than he managed in his first 20 games for the club since arriving from Salzburg last year.
“We are really confident when he gets the ball one on one. Not many players can stop him,” the England midfielder told BT Sport. “He had a tough time coming here at the start – finding his feet – and now he’s flying.
“We dominated the first half. They had chances, but we were in control for the majority of the first half.
“In the second half, we took the foot off the gas, and they had more control. We showed how well we can defend and see out games.”
Dortmund registered their first European victory over an English side in 11 attempts, while they have now won all seven of their matches in 2023.
“It’s a case of new year, new luck. For me, it’s that simple,” Adeyemi told DAZN. “As a team, we talked a lot during the break, and it brought us closer together.
“The only thing I was thinking [against Fernandez] was that I just need to get the ball past him. You just try to win your duels, the goalkeeper came out and there may have been a bit of luck, but I’m delighted with the goal.
“It was a tough start to the game for us, but then you could see that everyone was fighting for each other, and we knew something was possible here tonight. We’re delighted to have won.”
