Jude Bellingham was quick to highlight the importance of Emre Can to Borussia Dortmund after Karim Adeyemi stole the headlines in the narrow win over Chelsea.
Dortmund will take a 1-0 lead into the second leg of the last-16 Champions League tie after Adeyemi ran the length of the pitch to punish Chelsea on the counter-attack. The 21-year-old forward raced away from the Blues' defence and rounded goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to score the only goal of the match.
Chelsea had plenty of chances but their poor run in front of goal continued as Gregor Kobel excelled between the sticks for the hosts. Joao Felix, Reece James and Enzo Fernandez had good opportunities, but it was Kalidou Koulibaly who came closest to finding the net.
The defender’s strike looked like it would trickle over the line after Kobel tried to push it away, only for Can to retreat and clear off the line. His Dortmund team-mates all rushed to congratulate him with slaps and chest-bumps – and Bellingham paid tribute to his all-round performance after the game.
“I think he’ll be sore tomorrow! But when you make plays like that you deserve all of the credit,” he told BT Sport of the former Liverpool midfielder. “He plays in a position where maybe sometimes he gets overlooked, but we know how important he is to the team. It was another game-winning block and I told him that. I hope he knows he had a brilliant game."
Can was fantastic at the base of Dortmund’s midfield, winning back possession with regularity and plugging the gaps in the defence. The 29-year-old has struck a purple patch of form following a frustrating, injury-hit start to the campaign.
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"It wasn't easy," he told German outlet Kicker in January. "I came back from holiday with an injury, and then I felt like I was behind all the time and didn't play as much as I had hoped.
“In the last few years, I almost always played when I was fit. That's why the season hasn't been satisfying for me at all so far. I want to impose myself in training, prove myself in the games – and then hopefully it will get better.
"It hasn't been good, I have to be honest with myself. I can do much more, I know that. Many people in the club know that too. My goal is to show that again and to step on the gas. But maybe my problem is that I sometimes want too much, so I have to calm down."
Can has made 106 appearances for Dortmund since joining the club from Juventus in January 2020. He previously spent four years with Liverpool, where he made 167 appearances but failed to win a trophy, finishing runner-up in the Champions League, Europa League and League Cup.
