Sebastien Haller took another step today in his return to the pitch by being called up by Edin Terzic, Borussia Dortmund coach, for Sunday’s Bundesliga match against Augsburg after overcoming a testicular tumor detected last July. The German championship resumes today with Leipzig-Bayern Munich after a two-month break.
It will not be known until shortly before the match whether Terzic will put Haller as the starter or reserve him on the bench to give him a start in the match.
“He’s in great shape after a long downtime for him,” Terzic said. “We are proud of him, how he fought and we are happy that he is finally available. Let’s see if he plays from the beginning”
The fateful July 18
Haller was diagnosed with a testicular tumor on July 18, just two months after signing for Borussia Dortmund from Ajax, during the preseason after feeling discomfort in training.
Since then Haller has had two surgeries and undergone chemotherapy treatment. The 28-year-old striker from the Ivory Coast returned to training with his teammates on January 7 and finally reappeared three days later in the final minutes of a friendly that Dortmund won against Fortuna Düsseldorf at the stage of Marbella (5-1).
‘Hat trick’ in the last friendly
After this first contact, Haller played the last half hour of Dortmund’s friendly against Basel (6-0) on January 13, but he had enough time to score a hat trick and show that he did not lose the Gol in his nose.
Dortmund are sixth in the Bundesliga, 9 points behind leaders Bayern Munich, and on Sunday, six months after his signing, they can celebrate Haller’s debut in their ranks. His last official match dates from May 15, when he faced Ajax against Vitesse on the last day of the Eredivisie.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
