Centurion Guirssay sinks Villarreal again with late brace

Centurion Guirssay scored a late brace to secure a victory for Borussia Dortmund over Villarreal in their Champions League opener. The 30-year-old striker also managed to score past his own goalkeeper in injury time, but it was too late for the Spanish side. Villarreal had a couple of early chances, with Pau Navarro and Tani Oluwaseyi heading the ball, but Borussia Dortmund's Marcel Sabitzer and Guirssay failed to create any significant openings in the first ten minutes.

Konstantinos Karetsas was substituted due to a circulation issue, while Ethan Nwaneri replaced him. In the first half, Guirssay had a couple of decent opportunities after Tajon Buchanan tested Gregor Kobel, including a goal he scored just before halftime. Dortmund's momentum carried on after the restart with Nwaneri's effort that hit the post in the 50th minute.

Maximilian Beier's quick feet led to an own goal from Renato Viega for Dortmund. The visitors had two more good chances through Oluwaseyi and Nicolas Pépé before Kobel made his first save of the game from Georges Mikautadze. Villarreal scored from a corner-kick with Santiago Mourino's header, and they continued their pressure as Kobel made another crucial stop to deny Buchanan.

Fábio Silva's introduction boosted Dortmund's attack, allowing Guirssay to come close again, scoring a late brace in his 100th appearance for the club. The former Stuttgart striker secured the win for Dortmund with a penalty he won after Mourino's rough play. Gulácsi made another excellent save to thwart Fábio Silva's last-minute attempt in the 90th minute, leaving the score relatively respectable.

Guirssay's two goals in this match marked a repeat of his 2023/24 feat, sinking Villarreal at the Westfalenstadion once more.