Sport Dortmund vs Paris
The remarkable appearance of Karim Adeyemi
As of: 02:39 a.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
Out with applause: Karim Adeyemi (center) was taken off the pitch after a strong run
Source: AFP/INA FASSBENDER
Karim Adeyemi is known for his speed and sprints. Against Paris, the 22-year-old discovered the joy of working against the ball. The Dortmund crowd thanks the left winger for it. Even his teammates feel compelled to applaud during the game.
This success had many fathers. “It was a classic team performance,” said defender Mats Hummels after the fast-paced duel that resulted in the 1-0 win in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain. However, coach Edin Terzic struggled to single out individual players from his team’s very good performance.
A few people offered. Goalscorer Niclas Füllkrug, of course. Or Hummels, who was voted man of the game thanks to 88 percent of duels won and some perfectly timed passes from the outside of the foot.
Jadon Sancho was on the ball 99 times during the 90 minutes of the game and won 71 percent of his 17 dribbles. For comparison: Superstar Kylian Mbappé only dribbled seven times and only got through twice. And yet it was another player who caused the greatest surprise on this ecstatic European Cup evening.
Schlotterbeck applauds Adeyemi
In the 83rd minute, most of the spectators in the Westfalenstadion stood up. Club legend Marco Reus was available to substitute, but the ovation was directed at the BVB player who left the pitch.
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Karim Adeyemi had put in an impressive performance and, thanks to his usual speed, but also a previously unknown desire to work against the ball, took the wind out of the Paris wingers’ sails. Adeyemi sprinted as always – but this time in both directions.
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The left winger defended cleverly right up to his own baseline, mostly blocking PSG winger Achraf Hakimi. The 22-year-old felt like he had shown more decisive defensive actions in the first 20 minutes than he had in the entire season. The fact that goalkeeper Gregor Kobel didn’t have to fend off a shot on goal in the first half was also due to him.
The audience thanked him with applause, and even his colleagues finally felt compelled to pay their respects to the whirlwind who was otherwise all too often careless when going backwards.
In any case, Nico Schlotterbeck was amazed and clapped appreciatively when Adeyemi ran the ball past Ousmane Dembélé in a full sprint at the end of the first half.
The Dortmund players ran a total of 120 kilometers – ten kilometers more than their opponents. Adeyemi did his part. “That was also necessary against this team, and the work on the ball was also good. But things will continue in just six days,” said Terzic. A general praise. Also for Adeyemi. At least a small one.