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Karim Adeyemi scored a remarkable, counter-attacking goal to stun Chelsea and give Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 advantage in their Champions League round of 16 tie.
The 21-year-old German star went coast to coast in the second half after Dortmund dealt with a Chelsea corner, scorching past Argentina’s World Cup hero Enzo Fernandez in the process.
Chelsea paid a British record transfer fee of $187 million to sign Fernandez from Benfica on deadline day last month.
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Chelsea stunned by brilliant counter
But the midfielder was no match for the audacious Adeyemi on this occasion.
US football pundit Max Bretos said Adeyemi turned Fernandez “into a traffic cone” while the official Champions League Twitter account lauded the winger’s “speed and composure.”
“Out of this world from Karim Adeyemi.”
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Adeyemi celebrated with a backflip.
Chelsea did have their own chances in Dortmund, but were thwarted by Emre Can’s 78th minute goal line clearance, and Fernandez was denied by Gregor Kobel’s brilliant save in the final minute of stoppage time.
The teams will meet again in London on March 8.
In Thursday’s other first leg match, Joao Mario scored from the penalty spot and substitute David Neres added a second goal with two minutes left as Benfica took a step toward the quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory over Club Brugge.
Despite losing Fernandez following his high profile move to Chelsea, Benfica showed it remains a dangerous attacking team.
Benfica’s superior technical skills were on display throughout the evening and they made the most of nearly every possession to create danger.
They could have left the Flanders city with even more room to breathe, but a bit of clumsiness up front cost them extra goals.
Joao put the visitors in the lead after 51 minutes and Neres made the most of a defensive error to make it 2-0 with a clinical finish.
Benfica is now unbeaten in its last eight games in the Champions League, with five wins and three draws.
The victory over the Belgian champions marked the first time since the 2005-06 season that the Lisbon club has won three games in a row in the European competition.
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