Karim-David Adeyemi, who was born in Munich, Germany, to a Nigerian father and a Romanian mother, has revealed the secret to his superhuman speed, which resulted in the game-winning goal against Chelsea.
Last Wednesday night at Signal Iduna Park, Borussia Dortmund had played 36 European matches against English opposition, but this was the first time they faced the club from Stamford Bridge.
Before kickoff at Signal Iduna Park, Chelsea had the best statistics in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. The Black and Yellows had reached the last 16 for the eighth time since the 2011-12 season, while Chelsea had done so for the eighth consecutive year.
The German-Croatian tactician, Edin Terzić set up a 4-1-4-1 formation at home against English manager Graham Potter’s 4-2-3-1 formation in their first meeting at the knock-out stage of the competition after the Bundesliga side had nine points from six group-stage matches, the lowest tally among all 16 teams in the knock-out stages.
Even though Dortmund had more than 60% of first-half possession, the first half ended in a goalless draw, with the best moment coming for the away team when João Félix’s effort was denied by the crossbar in the 38th minute.
The Spanish referee, Jesús Gil Manzano, commenced the second half, and the away team was eager to record a goal in the early minutes. In the 55th minute, Kobel, the goalkeeper for Borussia Dortmund, was called upon in quick succession to deny Reece James on two occasions.
Adeyemi, a member of the Germany U-21 team that won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2021, scored after a quick counter in the 63rd minute.
The game’s most memorable moment was then provided by Adeyemi, who beat Enzo Fernández in a lightning-quick Dortmund counterattack before beating Kepa to make it 1-0.
Adeyemi’s speed at Signal Iduna Park was not surprising given that he is the fastest player in the German Bundesliga. The goal and overall performance did not go unnoticed, as the 21-year-old was named man-of-the-match in Dortmund’s victory over Chelsea.
In a post-match interview, Adeyemi gave the reason behind his speed in Bundesliga games and the speed he displayed against Chelsea last night in the Champions League.
Adeyemi told UEFA.com, “The win tonight was crucial, and it was unbelievable to play in front of these fans. We wanted to give Chelsea a tough game from start to finish, and we’ve won.”
And when quizzed about his speed, Adeyemi attributed his speed prowess to a combination of good genes and African delicacies, especially a famous Nigerian Fufu.
Adeyemi stated, “I eat a lot of African food, but I have good genetics from my dad, so I think it will be a little difficult for you to become fast.”
When asked what type of African food fuels his blistering pace, he replied, “It’s a Nigerian food called Fufu.”
