Und then the ball suddenly fidgeted in the net. It was the 65th minute of the second semi-final game of the 34th Africa Cup when a smile crossed Sebastién Haller's face, at least for a small moment. His team, the Ivory Coast, had been in control from the start of the game against the Democratic Republic of Congo. But despite the superiority, not much was achieved at the front. Haller himself had missed a brilliant header opportunity shortly before half-time – he shook his head in annoyance and his already rarely positive expression darkened further.
It seemed a bit magical. But then Max Gradel's right-wing cross sailed into the penalty area. The Congolese defenders misjudged themselves and Haller volleyed the ball from behind. This shot also actually failed; Haller somehow hit half of the bullet with his shin.
This gave the ball such a spin that it landed over Lionel Mpasi-Nzau, the Congo keeper, and flew into the net. 1-0 for Ivory Coast. It should be enough. The opponent no longer had enough energy to strike back in the remaining minutes.
Haller gives the “elephants” security
So the tournament for the host team actually turns out to be the festival they had hoped for, after a strange course of events for them. The Ivorians were all but eliminated after a disastrous preliminary round, had already fired their coach and were mentally devastated. But then suddenly the turning point: Due to favorable results from the competition, they made it to the round of 16 under substitute coach Emerse Faé. And now they are in the final against Nigeria on Sunday (9 p.m. CET, live on DAZN).
One of the biggest hopes: the goalscorer from the semi-finals. Sebastién Haller was by no means brilliant against Congo. His movements seemed sluggish, not lively or even explosive. The BVB striker clearly still lacks the necessary fitness to get back to the level that made him so interesting for Dortmund Borussia in the summer of 2022.
But just the presence of the 1.90 meter tall striker seems to give the “Elephants”, as the team is called, security and somehow self-confidence these days. The attacker suffered from an ankle injury at the start of the tournament and was only included in the squad for the knockout round.
Abidjan dances and celebrates
And with him came the successes. Haller came on as a substitute in the games against Senegal (win on penalties) and Mali (2:1 nV). The 29-year-old stood right from the start on the completely dry and rumpled pitch of the brand new stadium against the players of the Democratic Republic of Congo, who had protested against the rebel war in the east of their own country during the national anthem.
And it brought a feeling of happiness to the 30 million inhabitants of Cote d'Ivoire, who all feel addicted to football these days. There was partying and dancing all night long on the streets of Abidjan. “We are proud that we made all these people happy,” he said after the game.
This turnaround will also be observed with particular interest in Dortmund. Over the past few weeks and months, the Ivorian had fallen into a veritable slump in form from which he seemed unable to find a way out. At the latest after the signing of Niclas Füllkrug, Haller, who is said to have cost over 30 million euros in 2022, fell back into second place with the black and yellow. At least Haller was seen smiling again at the Africa Cup. Even if it was only for a very short time.
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