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Sébastien Haller scored his first goal since returning from cancer treatment as Borussia Dortmund beat VfL Bochum 3-0 in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
The 28-year-old Ivory Coast international had been diagnosed with testicular cancer in April and had to undergo surgery. He returned to training in June and made his first appearance for Dortmund in a friendly against Dynamo Dresden last week.
Haller made a scoring return to competitive action on Saturday, firing home in the 65th minute to seal Dortmund’s victory. The win moved Dortmund up to second in the Bundesliga table, two points behind leaders Bayern Munich.
“It was a very special day for me,” Haller said after the match. “I’m very happy to have scored my first goal back. It was a great team performance and we deserved the win.”
Dortmund’s other goals came from Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland. Bellingham opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a fine strike from outside the box, before Haaland doubled Dortmund’s lead just before half-time.
Haaland’s goal was his 19th of the season in all competitions, and he is now just one goal behind Robert Lewandowski in the race for the Bundesliga Golden Boot.
Dortmund’s win was their third in a row in the Bundesliga, and they will be hoping to continue their good form when they travel to face Hoffenheim next weekend.
Lionel Messi guides PSG to win
Lionel Messi scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain beat Clermont Foot 6-1 in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
The Argentine superstar opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a brilliant free-kick, before adding his second goal in the 61st minute. Messi also set up two goals for Neymar, who scored in the 23rd minute and the 88th minute.
PSG’s other goal came from Kylian Mbappé in the 78th minute. The win moved PSG up to first in the Ligue 1 table, one point ahead of second-placed Marseille.
Messi’s performance was his best since joining PSG from Barcelona in the summer of 2021. The 35-year-old has struggled to find his form in Ligue 1 this season, but he showed on Saturday that he is still capable of producing world-class performances.
PSG will be hoping that Messi can continue his good form in the Champions League, where they face Real Madrid in the round of 16 next month.
Other results
In other results from Saturday, Bayern Munich beat Augsburg 3-1, Bayer Leverkusen beat Arminia Bielefeld 4-0, and Eintracht Frankfurt beat Hertha Berlin 2-1.
Upcoming fixtures
The Bundesliga resumes next weekend with the following fixtures:
Borussia Dortmund vs. Hoffenheim
Bayern Munich vs. VfL Wolfsburg
Bayer Leverkusen vs. VfB Stuttgart
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Union Berlin
Conclusion
It was a good weekend for Dortmund and PSG, as both teams won their respective matches. Messi’s performance for PSG was particularly impressive, and he will be hoping to continue his good form in the Champions League.
The Bundesliga is now entering its most exciting phase, with the title race still very much up for grabs. Bayern Munich are the current leaders, but Dortmund and Leverkusen are just two points behind. It promises to be a thrilling finish to the season.
