Ivory Coast international Sebastien Haller was left ecstatic after scoring his first competitive goal for Borussia Dortmund in their 5-1 thrashing of 10-man Freiburg.
The 28-year-old joined the Black and Yellow from Ajax in July 2022, but was diagnosed with malignant testicular cancer just days later. Since then, he has undergone two surgeries and four chemotherapy sessions.
Haller scored Dortmund’s third goal with a glancing header in the 51st minute off a sublime cross from Portugal’s Raphael Guerreiro. The big Ivorian sent the Signal Iduna Park into loud jubilation as he celebrated in front of the ‘Yellow Wall’.
SÉBASTIEN HALLER IS BACK pic.twitter.com/SmHR2YgWhB
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) February 4, 2023
After the game, he expressed his excitement at scoring his first goal for the club, while also hoping more would come.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment since day one. When I scored the goal, it felt like the whole stadium was on fire,” Haller told the Bundesliga.
“I am happy, but the way is still long, so we will keep walking and hope for more goals.”
“To score today was also a great message to everyone who is fighting today or who will fight later. It gives some hope, some courage. That’s it you know. The days after will always be better,” he added.
Haller also thanked the fans for their support and revealed that it was what kept him going.
“Since day one, I’ve had this in my mind to score in front of the Yellow Wall. To experience this atmosphere, this power. All the push they can give us, this boost. We need to use this as a boost for the team, for everyone. It was the best day possible,” he said.
“It’s also my task to give everything for them. They were here when I needed it. The only way to get points, to reach our goals is to stick together, to be as a team, to keep going like that for the rest of the season.”
BVB head coach Edin Terzic also expressed his happiness for Haller after he scored his first goal.
He told Sky Sports: “We were looking for this moment when we signed him in the summer. We hoped he would score in his first game in the summer. But after all what happened, after all he’s been through it’s a very special moment for him.”
“And a very important goal for us, you can feel it. Hopefully he can continue like this.”
Haller made his Dortmund debut on January 22 when he replaced youngster Youssoufa Moukoko in a 4-3 home league win over Augsburg. He made his first start against Bayer Leverkusen a week later.
Nico Schlotterbeck, Karim Adeyemi, Julian Brandt and Gio Reyna all got on the scoresheet for Dortmund as well, as they cruised to victory to move past RB Leipzig to third on the tabel, two points behind leaders Union Berlin.
A good weekend ahead 😁 pic.twitter.com/Aq0PLzxI3V
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) February 4, 2023
