Borussia Dortmund began their 2026/27 UEFA Champions League campaign with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Villarreal at the Westfalenstadion on Tuesday.
Serhou Guirassy was the standout performer, scoring twice as Dortmund held off a late Villarreal fightback to secure all three points in their opening league-phase fixture.
The German side started brightly, creating an early opening when Joey Veerman’s pass released Marcel Sabitzer behind the Villarreal defence.
However, Sabitzer failed to make clean contact and goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi was able to make the save.
Villarreal gradually settled into the contest and threatened at the other end, with Georges Mikautadze coming close to breaking the deadlock.
Dortmund suffered an early setback before the interval when Konstantinos Karetsas was forced off with an injury shortly before the half-hour mark.
Ethan Nwaneri was introduced as his replacement.
Niko Kovac’s side returned from the break with greater urgency, and Nwaneri twice went close before Dortmund finally found the breakthrough.
Maximilian Beier opened the scoring after beating his marker on the byline before sending a low ball across the six-yard box.
The delivery struck Renato Veiga and deflected into the net.
Villarreal responded strongly and put Dortmund under pressure, but Gregor Kobel and the home defence managed to keep the visitors at bay.
Their resistance was eventually broken when Santiago Mouriño headed home from a corner with around 15 minutes remaining, bringing Villarreal level.
Dortmund quickly regained their advantage, however, with Guirassy marking his 100th appearance for the club in style.
The striker reacted quickest at the far post to turn in Fabio Silva’s precise cross.
Silva continued to cause problems after coming on and forced another save from Gulacsi.
Dortmund were then awarded a penalty after Guirassy was brought down following the resulting corner.
Guirassy calmly converted from the spot to restore Dortmund’s two-goal cushion and complete his brace.
Villarreal were handed a lifeline deep into stoppage time when Guirassy inadvertently got in the way of Kobel’s attempted clearance, with the ball ending up in Dortmund’s net.
The visitors pushed forward in search of a dramatic equaliser during the closing seconds, but Dortmund held firm to claim a 3-2 victory.
The result gives Kovac’s team a winning start to their Champions League campaign and extends their perfect start to the season to four consecutive victories.
Guirassy earned an 8/10 rating for his two-goal display, while substitute Fabio Silva was named player of the match after making a significant impact from the bench and providing the assist for Dortmund’s second goal.
