Dortmund beat slumping Chelsea 1-0 in Champions League

DORTMUND: Lots of talent, but not the results to match. It’s becoming a familiar story for Chelsea.

Despite spending record sums on new signings, Chelsea fell short once again in a 1-0 loss at Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday and will need to improve in the second leg to avoid elimination in the Champions League round of 16.

Karim Adeyemi sprinted the length of the field to score the only goal on a lightning counterattack after Chelsea created — and missed — many of the best chances.

After Chelsea’s Joao Felix missed a headed chance on a corner, the German team launched into the counter as Adeyemi surged down the field, beating Enzo Fernandez before rounding goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and scoring into the empty net.

Starting from the edge of his own penalty area, Adeyemi picked up the ball from a clearance and needed fewer than nine seconds to score at the other end. He celebrated with a backflip.

Kalidou Koulibaly was at the heart of the Chelsea defense but nearly rescued a draw for his team at the other end. Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel couldn’t hold Koulibaly’s low shot in the 78th minute and the ball rolled onto the goal line before Emre Can hooked it away to keep Dortmund ahead.

Fernandez — Chelsea’s expensive signing last month — nearly scored a last-gasp equalizer in stoppage time but the World Cup winner from Argentina saw his curling shot saved by Kobel.

“There was a bit of luck in there for us and a good performance from our goalkeeper,” Dortmund coach Edin Terzic told DAZN.

It was Dortmund’s seventh win in a row, while Chelsea has one victory from nine games overall in 2023 as manager Graham Potter tries to integrate new faces.

“It was a very strong performance from us, especially in the second