From most cancers therapy to the brink of a German league title. Sébastien Haller is having a rare season.
Haller was recognized with testicular most cancers in July, weeks after signing with Borussia Dortmund. Not solely did he return to enjoying, he has scored essential targets to depart Dortmund one recreation away from ending Bayern Munich’s decade-long streak of Bundesliga titles.
“If someone had told me six months ago that I’d be in this position, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Haller informed broadcaster DAZN after scoring twice in Sunday’s 3-0 win over Augsburg that put the group atop the standings.
“I think it’s a great opportunity, not only for me, but for the team. I think we invested a lot in this and now we have a huge chance to achieve something big. So let’s see.”
Six months in the past in November, Haller was present process the second of two operations as a part of his most cancers therapy. The care additionally included 4 cycles of chemotherapy, every that means 5 days in a hospital mattress.
When Haller returned to coaching January 3, there was discuss of a prolonged, gradual course of earlier than he’d return to the group. Ten days later, he scored a hat trick in seven minutes in a pleasant in opposition to Swiss membership Basel. Nine days after that, he made a belated Bundesliga debut for Dortmund.
“With my return, I hope that it can give a boost,” he stated.
It actually has.
Since Haller’s return, Dortmund has reworked from an also-ran to the title favorite. Dortmund was in sixth place and 9 factors off Bayern on the winter break. Since then, in 18 Bundesliga video games with Haller on the sector, Dortmund has gained 14, drawn three and misplaced one.
The Ivory Coast striker has 9 targets, together with 5 within the final three video games, and has performed a key function creating house and possibilities for different forwards like Donyell Malen and Karim Adeyemi.
Against Augsburg on Saturday, Dortmund went into halftime at 0-0 regardless of having had a string of scoring possibilities and Augsburg having a participant despatched off.
A fan favorite: Dortmund followers present a banner to help Sebastien Haller to get wholesome in the course of the season opening of Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images
Dortmund had repeatedly dropped factors this season in attracts with lower-ranked groups like Schalke and Bochum. Doing so once more would price it the possibility to go forward of Bayern, which had surprisingly misplaced to Leipzig the day earlier than.
“Everyone knew that this was a great chance,” Haller stated. ”We knew additionally that we wasted a number of possibilities prior to now, so we tried to stay collectively, to talk lots with one another, to make certain that we caught to our rules, to remain constructive, to remain affected person. And I feel at the moment is the perfect instance that, yeah, it labored.”
Haller’s two targets in opposition to Augsburg confirmed his striker’s intuition. For the primary, he snapped up a free ball and scored after defender Maximilian Bauer failed to manage an intercepted cross.
For the second, he made certain he was in the suitable place on the proper time to knock within the rebound when teammate Marco Reus’ shot was saved.
Now Dortmund wants yet one more win in opposition to Mainz on Saturday to safe its first German title since 2012, when Jurgen Klopp was the coach. That would imply Haller reaching one thing that his predecessor as Dortmund striker, Erling Haaland, by no means managed.
“We just need to stick to the principle, stick together, with the same work rate that we we’ve shown in the past and today,” Haller stated. “And it will come, you know, there’s no magic. It’s just investment, a lot of work and positivity.”
