Giannis Konstantelias: ACL tear and months-long absence after his first goal for Dortmund
Giannis Konstantelias suffered an ACL tear on his Bundesliga debut, having just scored his first goal for Borussia Dortmund.
Giannis Konstantelias
will be sidelined for several months after examinations confirmed that he suffered
a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee
during Borussia Dortmund’s match against Hamburg
. What began as an ideal Bundesliga debut, with his first goal in Germany and an important victory for his new team, ended in the worst possible way for the 23-year-old Greece international.
ACL tear and several months out for Konstantelias
Borussia Dortmund
confirmed a short while ago the severity of
Giannis Konstantelias’
injury. The Greek attacking midfielder suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will be sidelined for several months, with the German club yet to specify the exact timeframe for his recovery.The injury occurred in the
52nd minute
of the match against Hamburg. While challenging Bakery Jatta
for the ball, Konstantelias fell to the ground in severe pain, clutching his left knee. Although he managed to leave the pitch without a stretcher, he was visibly disappointed and was replaced two minutes later by Marcel Sabitzer
.Concern at Dortmund was serious from the very first moments.
Niko Kovač
revealed after the match that Konstantelias had felt something in his knee at the moment of the injury, while the initial assessment by the medical staff had raised well-founded suspicions of an ACL tear, which were subsequently confirmed by an MRI scan.
Konstantelias’ first goal for Dortmund
Until that point, everything had gone almost perfectly. Dortmund made a strong start against Hamburg and opened the scoring as early as the
9th minute
, when Konstantinos Karetsas
combined with Guirassy
and the home side’s striker finished the move to make it 1-0
. The two Greece internationals were impressive and played a key role in the team’s attacking play during the first half.Konstantelias’ strong performance was rewarded in first-half stoppage time.
Maximilian Beier
advanced down the left and found him inside the penalty area, with the 23-year-old creating space for his shot and sending the ball into the net with the help of a deflection off Bornauw
to make it 2-0
.It was his first goal in a Dortmund shirt and further confirmed his positive start in Germany. Just a few minutes after the two teams returned to the pitch, however, excitement was replaced by shock. In the
52nd minute
, the injury to his left knee brought a premature end not only to his excellent performance, but also to the opening months of a new chapter that had only just begun.
The injury that overshadowed Dortmund’s victory
Dortmund
may have started the
Bundesliga
with a 2-0
victory, but by the final whistle the focus had already shifted from the result to Konstantelias’ condition. Niko Kovač
admitted that his team had paid a very high price for the win and highlighted how important the Greek attacking midfielder had already become in such a short period of time.Konstantelias’ family had travelled to Germany specifically to watch his first Bundesliga match, on a night in which he managed to score in front of his new team’s supporters before being forced off injured. Kovač stood by him after the match, stressing that Dortmund would support him throughout his recovery.
Dortmund sporting director
Lars Ricken
expressed the same sentiment. He underlined that Konstantelias had already shown in a very short period of time why the club has so much faith in his ability and made it clear that his recovery is now the priority. With everyone’s best wishes behind him, the Greece international must now temporarily put aside his impressive start and focus on the long process of returning to action.
