Ole Book fears a cruciate ligament tear: Borussia Dortmund worry over Konstantelias | Goal.com
The 23-year-old picked up the injury shortly after the restart with the score at 2-0, twisting his knee in a challenge. Konstantelias went to ground, stayed down at first and put his hands over his face. Dortmund's physios then carried out the so-called drawer test on the pitch to check the stability of the joint.
After that, Konstantelias could not continue. He limped off in the 54th minute to warm applause, with Marcel Sabitzer replacing him. TV replays appeared to point to a more serious injury. Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac (54) went straight over to Konstantelias on the touchline and tried to lift his new right winger, but without much success.
Speaking to Sky after the match, Dortmund sporting director Ole Book said: "We should be careful about what we communicate today. But we are certainly concerned about a serious injury." Asked whether that concern was leaning towards a cruciate ligament tear, he said: "That concern is certainly there." He added that further examinations would now follow. Kovac was also pessimistic: "What the doctor told me definitely did not sound good." He did not go into any more detail.
Before he went off, Konstantelias had produced a flawless Bundesliga debut in the black and yellow shirt. Alongside his Greek compatriot Konstantinos Karetsas, he was involved in practically all of the runners-up's dangerous attacks.
His strong display brought the goal for 2-0 (45+1). He latched on to a fine pass from Maximilian Beier from the left shortly before the break. Cutting inside, Konstantelias finished through the legs of HSV defender Sebastiaan Bornauw (27). The defender got a slight touch, leaving goalkeeper Daniel Heuer-Fernandes (33) with no chance.
Only a few days ago, Konstantelias arrived from PAOK Saloniki for 26 million euros after the move for Said El Mala (20, 1. FC Cologne) collapsed. He is set to replace Karim Adeyemi (24), who moved to Barca, and already made a good impression in the Super Cup against Bayern Munich (1-2) a week ago.
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