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Champions League Returns: Dortmund 3-2 Villarreal Borussia Dortmund opened their 2026/27 Champions League campaign with a 3-2 win over Villarreal at the Signal Iduna Park. After a 3-2 comeback win against Hoffenheim on Saturday, BVB went into their first European game of the season looking to continue their strong start. What followed was a game of two very different halves, with Dortmund having to fight until the final whistle to secure all three points. Dortmund struggled to find their rhythm in the opening stages, with Villarreal starting the game strongly. The Spanish side looked dangerous early on and had more attacking intent than I had expected. Despite Dortmund having more possession, Villarreal looked more dangerous in the opening stages of the match. One player who stood out for Villarreal was Saliba. The Canadian international, who signed for the club this summer, looked comfortable for much of the first half and was important in helping the Spanish side deal with Dortmund’s attempts to move forward. His performance was particularly noticeable early on as Villarreal continued to put Dortmund under pressure. Nmecha also seemed to find it difficult to settle into the game early on. Villarreal were putting him under constant pressure and there was often very little space around him when Dortmund tried to build through midfield. However, Nmecha did begin to grow into the game towards the end of the half, with Dortmund looking more comfortable going forward. The game was interrupted 27 minutes into the game when Kos Karetsas was stretchered off following an injury, which saw Ethan Nwaneri subbed on. Despite the stoppage, Villarreal continued to look dangerous when they were able to move the ball forward. Dortmund also looked slow when trying to counter-attack, in comparison to Villarreal. They had opportunities to move forward however; they did not always seem to make the most of them. Towards the end of the half, things looked on the up for BVB with Guirassy starting to look more dangerous and the German side creating more attacks as they approached the break. The second half was a different story for Dortmund, with an own goal from Villarreal in the 53rd minute putting BVB ahead. Nwaneri continued to impress after coming on in the first half and was one of the standout players for me. He came close to scoring when his shot hit the post, but his energy helped Dortmund look more dangerous going forward. Villarreal did manage to get back into the game and scored through Mouriño in the 66th minute. Dortmund looked frantic again after conceding, with some rushed passing making it difficult for them to regain control. The introduction of Fabio Silva changed the attack massively for the German side. His combination with Jobe Bellingham brought a different pace to Dortmund and helped them put more pressure on Villarreal. Dortmund started pressing higher and definitely looked much more threatening. Guirassy then got the reward for the pressure, putting Dortmund back in front before scoring from the penalty spot just five minutes later. Those two goals in five minutes completely changed the game for BVB. Dortmund did make things difficult for themselves late on, with a 93rd -minute own goal from Guirassy giving Villarreal hope, but Dortmund managed to hold on for a 3-2 win. I was impressed with the second- half performance of BVB tonight. They definitely looked stronger following the introductions of Fabio Silva and Jobe Bellingham, with Guirassy unleashing the animal in him. BVB’s attack was definitely the positive of tonight, and again Ethan Nwaneri was the standout player for me. Having only made his BVB debut on Saturday, he stood out as a key player tonight, settling into the team well.