Karim Adeyemi didn’t seem too dejected. The pride over his three goals in Dortmund’s 7:1 (5:1) win over Celtic helped a little over the frustration of injury. When asked about the reasons for his acclaimed gala at the highest Champions League success in the black and yellow club’s history, he responded with a mischievous smile. “I don’t know, my wife made broccoli yesterday,” joked the attacker, who is in a relationship with the rapper Loredana and was named “Player of the Match”.

His brilliant performance in the first half, in which he scored three goals (11th/29th/41st minute) in a game for Borussia for the first time and also won a penalty, ended abruptly. As soon as the break was over, the 22-year-old grabbed his thigh after a short sprint, sank to the ground and had to be substituted while limping.

Is there a risk of a longer forced break?

Memories of the 2022/23 season with two torn muscle fibers and a forced break of ten games came back. Nevertheless, Adeyemi was confident that he would get off lightly this time: “It didn’t feel as bad as usual. Hopefully I’ll be back soon. I make the most of it and take the good energy with me.”

A long-term absence of the lightning-fast dribbling artist would hit Dortmund hard. After all, his form curve has been pointing upwards for weeks. In eight competitive games he scored five goals and five assists. This is already a better result than in the entire previous season.

Great overall package

Adeyemi seems to be well on the way to shedding his reputation as an airhead. “He is taking the next step, has improved significantly in many areas and appears more confident. With his skills and his weapons, he can give this team an incredible amount,” enthused sports director Sebastian Kehl, “We have often praised him, I hope he sticks with it.” Coach Nuri Sahin expressed himself similarly: “His overall package is extremely strong. But we have to make sure we bring it to the pitch every three days and in every training session.”

The speculation that arose in the summer that several wealthy clubs were vying for Adeyemi is becoming louder again due to such appearances. Just one day after the gala against the overwhelmed Scots, “Bild” linked him with Liverpool FC, who are said to be looking for a replacement for superstar Mohamed Salah and are said to be willing to pay 50 million euros for the BVB jewel. Referring to the transfer window, which has been closed since August 30, Adeyemi reacted with surprise: “It’s October. I can’t change there. I feel great here in Dortmund and have been a big fan since I was a little boy.”

With a tailwind to Madrid

With the 7-1 win against Celtic, the fifth-place team in the Bundesliga improved on their opening win in Bruges (3-0) and gained courage for the new edition of the Champions League final at Real Madrid in just under three weeks. “That is the benchmark so far this season, how we have pressed. We have to be measured by that,” said soccer teacher Sahin, full of hope that his team will be able to achieve a similar performance in everyday Bundesliga action at Union Berlin on Saturday (3:30 p.m.).

Adeyemi’s hat-trick was less well received by Peter Schmeichel than by his coach. The former world-class goalkeeper and father of Celtic keeper Kasper Schmeichel jokingly vented his frustration as an expert on the TV channel CBS in an interview with the Dortmund match winner: “I will never forgive you for what you did to my son today.”