Sebastien Haller hits eight-minute hat-trick as Borussia Dortmund beat Basel in friendly
Sebastien Haller scored an eight-minute hat-trick as he continued his comeback following his battle with cancer, helping Borussia Dortmund to a 6-0 friendly victory over Basel on Friday.
Haller began on the bench for Edin Terzic's side in Marbella as they rounded off their winter training camp against the Swiss top-flight side, but captain Marco Reus was in the starting line-up after recovering from an ankle complaint that forced him to miss the World Cup last year. The match, played in four 30-minute quarters, was a close affair initially, even if BVB were the better team. Niklas Süle had the first chance of the opening half hour when he curled wide of the post, before Zeki Amdouni fired wide at the other end of the pitch with just Gregor Kobel to beat. Dortmund were able to make their superiority count in the second quarter though, with Thorgan Hazard deflecting in Reus' shot for the opener, with Donyell Malen and a Jude Bellingham penalty giving them a comfortable lead.
Both teams made wholesale changes ahead of the third quarter, with Haller taking to the field for just the second time since July last year. He didn't need long to make an impact, converting from the penalty spot after Gio Reyna had been fouled. The 28-year-old's next goal was even easier, a close-range tap-in following good work down the right from Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt, with his hat-trick completed by a lovely back-heeled flick from a corner. Teenager Jamie Bynoe-Gittens also made his return to action after sustaining a serious shoulder injury in September in what was an all-round successful friendly for Dortmund.
Watch:Haller: "The best feeling ever"
Match stats
Bellingham has won more challenges than any other player in this season's Bundesliga (245).
After Bellingham (seven), Youssoufa Moukoko is Dortmund's next best scorer in 2022/23 with six goals (all in the Bundesliga).
BVB have won 12 of 23 competitive games so far this season (D4, L7).
Marco Reus scored the opening goal as Jürgen Klopp's Dortmund beat Basel 3-1 in a summer 2013 friendly.
Hitz made 181 Bundesliga appearances for Augsburg and Dortmund, before moving to Basel in summer 2022.
Haller scored 24 Bundesliga goals in 60 appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt between 2017 and 2019.
Reyna grimaces in pain and stays on the ground for a little while after taking a knock to his right ankle. It looks like he'll be ok to continue though.
Man of the hour
Haller celebrates with teammates after completing his hat-trick.
A brief but highly impactful run-out for Haller. His workload will of course be carefully managed over the coming weeks and months, so Modeste comes on up front for the last 30 minutes.
We'll have another brief interlude now ahead of the final 30 minutes of play.
88'
Haller hat-trick!
Haller hits a seven-minute treble! A corner from the left is whipped towards the near post, where Haller flicks it with his heel into the far corner. What a story!
Lovely work from Adeyemi to release Brandt into space down the right. He gets to the byline and slides the ball into the middle, setting Haller up for a simple tap-in!
Well that just caps it all off! Haller, on his first appearance since being diagnosed with cancer last summer, strokes home the penalty for his first goal in a Dortmund shirt!
Reyna is tripped as he jinks past a defender in the box. Spot-kick for BVB!
75'
Bellingham must get his second!
A cross from the left finds Bellingham completely unmarked in front of goal, inside the six-yard box. It's a tricky one to take on the volley and the ball bounces off his foot, into the ground and then over the bar!
73'
Basel go close
Basel burst forward down the left - Adeyemi can't quite keep up with his man - and the cross into the middle is a dangerous one, but Dortmund breathe a sigh of relief that nobody is able to prod it in.
Glorious sight
Seeing Haller back out on the pitch again after such a long time out battling cancer is already the best image of the day!
Haller is involved early on, holding off a defender before laying the ball off to Wolf on his right. His attempted cross into the box is cut out though.
61'
Here we go again!
It's been all change on both sides, with plenty of new players taking to the pitch. Sebastien Haller, making his comeback following a cancer diagnosis, gets the ball rolling.
60'
Break time
We're now at the halfway point of the game, with Dortmund three goals to the good. There'll be a 15-minute break and then two more 30-minute periods of play.
Dortmund cruising
Marco Reus celebrates with his teammates after hitting the opener against Basel.
Bellingham dusts himself off to take the spot-kick himself. He sends his former teammate Hitz the wrong way, coolly stroking the ball into the goalkeeper's bottom-right corner.
The teenager is not giving the Basel defenders a moment's rest, is constantly putting them under pressure and trying to make something happen.
40'
Reus with the breakthrough!
Reus gets the opening goal! Jinking inside the box on the left, his low drive takes a deflection off a defender's foot and leaves Hitz with no chance in the Basel goal!
The Dortmund captain is looking lean and keen here as he feels his way back from the ankle injury that forced him out of the World Cup. He's all over the pitch as he tries to make something happen for his side.
In the thick of it
Jude Bellingham has been as busy as ever in midfield for BVB.
A reminder that this match will consist of four 30-minute quarters, the first of which has now come to an end.
29'
BIG chance!
Amdouni with the clearest opening of the game as he is sent through, clear of the Dortmund defence. He bears down on goal and only has Kobel to beat, but seems to lose his nerve and fluffs his shot wide of the post. He should have done much better there.
19'
A little scrappy
Basel are offering more resistance now than they were in the opening stages, meaning there are more tackles flying in. Neither side are able to string any significant moves together.
16'
First glimpse!
A first real sign of danger from Basel as they get to the byline down the left. The ball is cut back into the middle at pace for Fink, but the attacker can only direct his effort wide of the far post.
13'
All Dortmund
BVB are still the superior side right now, pressing high up the pitch and pinning Basel back. The Swiss outfit can't find any room or time to settle at the moment.
10'
Süle!
First effort of note as Süle chops back onto his left foot from the right corner of the box, but can't quite fizz it on target as the ball flashes wide of the far post.
8'
BVB with the ball
Bar a few free-kicks and corners for Basel, it's been Dortmund on the ball in the early stages. Most of it has been going through Bellingham, who's been typically everywhere between the penalty areas.
2'
Bright sunshine
It's the warm weather Dortmund wanted when they picked Andalusia for their camp. It's so sunny that Gregor Kobel has to shield his eyes waiting for a free-kick to be delivered into his box. It comes to nothing in any case due to an offside.
Kick-off!
Teams emerging
The two sides are making their way out in Marbella. We're just a bit outside Puerto Banus, for those who know the area.
Bit different from usual
It's nothing new to see some unconventional formats and plenty of substitutions in these friendlies as coaches look to give as many minutes as possible to their squad. But remember that this game today will consist of four 30-minute periods. Expect to see two XIs getting an hour each.
5:51
Watch: Highlights from Tuesday
This is Dortmund's second friendly game of their training camp in Marbella. They kicked things off on Tuesday with a 5-1 win over Bundesliga 2 side Fortuna Düsseldorf, including that Haller return.
Familiar faces
Familiar faces
This Basel squad contains a number of names Bundesliga fans will be familiar with. Goalkeeper Marwin Hitz spent 14 years in Germany with Augsburg and Dortmund, while striker Bradley Fink spent three years in the BVB academy. Hugo Novoa is also on loan from Leipzig. There are more players on the books not in the XI who have a Bundesliga past, plus coach Alexander Frei, who is a derby hero for Dortmund after a brace in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Schalke back in 2008.
No player enjoys all the training sessions that come with pre-season. It’s no surprise, then, to hear Jude Bellingham chomping at the bit to get back to club action, even after impressive exploits with England at the World Cup. He’s recharged his batteries and is raring to go, especially after he was named yesterday on the 14-man shortlist for the Best FIFA Men's Player award. You can read more about what the midfielder had to say on the Bundesliga’s resumption and BVB’s campaign so far on the homepage or in the app.
One of those returning to the fold in Marbella is Sebastien Haller. We’re yet to see the summer signing in competitive action for BVB after a routine check-up in the summer saw him diagnosed with testicular cancer. After two surgeries and chemotherapy, the Ivory Coast international is back in the action and made his debut in black and yellow as a late sub in Tuesday’s friendly against Fortuna Düsseldorf. It was an emotional moment for Haller and everyone around him.
Who will we see today?
Dortmund were looking a bit thin because of injuries at the back end of 2022, but they’re approaching full strength again after the break. The likes of Mo Dahoud and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens are both involved in their training camp in Marbella, Spain, as Edin Terzic’s side look to climb above the sixth place they currently occupy. And given the format of today’s game, we can expect to see a bit of everyone.
Pre-season friendly!
Welcome along to coverage of Borussia Dortmund's winter friendly against Basel. The game is being played in Marbella, Spain, where BVB are holding their training camp. The match will consist of four 30-minute periods.
