Guirassy the hero as Borussia Dortmund edge Villarreal in Champions League opener

Pau Navarro was involved at both ends early on, as the centre-back glanced a header past the far post then saw Peter Gulacsi awkwardly tip the ball behind following his challenge on Marcel Sabitzer.

There were promising signs for Villarreal during the opening quarter-hour, and they started to create opportunities, although Georges Mikautadze lacked conviction when he met Tajon Buchanan’s cross and Pape Gueye struck over.

Despite the game remaining goalless, there was a blow for an already depleted Dortmund side with summer signing Konstantinos Karetsas going off injured in the 27th minute.

Guirassy then hit a free-kick that went behind off the wall during a slight lull.

The occasion soon livened up as half-time approached, though, with three yellow cards in four minutes while Gregor Kobel had to readjust to keep out Buchanan’s venomous strike from outside the box.

The hosts then applied pressure before the whistle was blown, as Ethan Nwaneri cut inside but saw his shot blocked and Guirassy was denied.

Nwaneri fronted Dortmund’s pursuit of an opener after the restart, as the loanee curled one attempt wide and saw another deflected onto the post.

The deadlock breaker eventually came with a massive slice of fortune in the 53rd minute, with Maximilian Beier’s cutback taking a touch off Gulacsi that resulted in the ball going in off Renato Veiga.

Tani Oluwaseyi had a glorious chance to respond before the hour mark thanks to brilliant work from his compatriot Buchanan, but the striker’s final touch of the match was a header that he sent over the crossbar.

Santiago Mourino made no such mistake and headed home Mikautadze’s corner to equalise with his first goal since March.

Kobel had to deny Buchanan moments after the leveller before Guirassy headed agonisingly wide with both teams aiming for a winner.

Undeterred, Guirassy turned home Fabio Silva’s cutback in the 80th minute to put the hosts ahead.

The striker was then taken down by Mourino to win a penalty that he emphatically took, sending Gulacsi the wrong way.

Guirassy then scored an own goal when Kobel palmed Nicolas Pepe’s free-kick onto his face, but Veiga couldn't convert in the final moments as Dortmund still recorded their fourth consecutive win across all competitions and got off to the perfect start in the UCL.

In contrast, Villarreal are still winless this term and have lost all of their last three games.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund)

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