Borussia Dortmund answered Real Betis’ equaliser within five minutes to secure a 2-1 UEFA Champions League league-phase victory at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday, November 4.
After a goalless first half, Fábio Silva broke the deadlock in the 49th minute. Aitor Ruibal brought Betis level in the 67th minute, but Konstantinos Karetsas restored Dortmund’s advantage in the 72nd minute with what proved the decisive goal.
Goalless opening gives way to second-half drama
Neither side found a breakthrough before the interval. Dortmund’s Julian Ryerson went into the book in the 38th minute, Betis defender Natan followed in the 44th, and Ramy Bensebaini received a yellow card in first-half stoppage time.
The fixture changed complexion shortly after the restart. Silva’s 49th-minute opener gave Dortmund the lead and left Betis needing a response away from home.
That response arrived through substitute Ruibal in the 67th minute. His equaliser put a draw firmly back on the table, but parity lasted only five minutes: fellow substitute Karetsas struck in the 72nd minute to put Dortmund ahead for the second time.
Dortmund make their attacking edge count
The hosts finished with a modest advantage in possession, holding 52.6% of the ball, and produced 15 shots to Betis’ 11. Dortmund also led six to four in efforts on target, underlining the narrow but meaningful attacking edge behind the result.
Betis remained competitive, winning five corners to Dortmund’s two, but could not find another equaliser. Late bookings for Joey Veerman and Jobe Bellingham took Dortmund’s yellow-card total to four, while Ángel Ortiz and Isco joined Natan and Valentín Gómez in the visitors’ book.
Dortmund saw out the closing stages to claim all three points. For Betis, the frustration was in how quickly their route back into the contest disappeared; for the hosts, the defining moment was their immediate answer to being pegged back.
