DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Gio Reyna scored the game-winner in his first game since the World Cup as Borussia Dortmund beat Augsburg 4-3 in the Bundesliga on Sunday, a match that also returned teammate Reyna’s team, Sébastien Haller, after treatment for testicular cancer. .
American midfielder Reyna came on in the 70th minute in his first official match since the World Cup, where he was limited to a couple of substitute appearances.
Lack of playing time led Reyna’s parents, former US players Claudio Reyna and Danielle Egan, to contact the US Soccer Federation about a 1991 domestic violence incident involving coach Gregg Berhalter. The USSF has appointed an interim coach while a law firm investigates Berhalter.
Eight minutes after coming on, Reyna found himself in space to the right of the penalty area that allowed him to control the ball before flicking it past goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz. He could have scored again five minutes later, but missed in a daring attempt to get around Gikiewicz, which would have left him an empty net.
Fragile in defense throughout the season, Dortmund were rescued by their substitutes. First-half goals from Jude Bellingham and Nico Schlotterbeck were answered by Augsburg’s Arne Maier and Ermedin Demirović to make the game 2–2 at half-time. Young Englishman Jamie Bynoe-Gittens hit a shot from distance to restore Dortmund’s lead in the 75th, but David Colina leveled the score again for Augsburg, only for Reyna to score his team’s fourth.
Greeted by a roar from the famous “yellow wall” of fans, Haller returned after cancer treatment. as a substitute in the 62nd minute after two operations and chemotherapy.
Six months ago, Haller received a diagnosis during preseason training that changed his life and cast doubt on his playing career. The long-delayed debut (Haller was diagnosed less than a month after signing from Ajax) brought a standing ovation from the crowd of more than 81,000.
Haller failed to mark his debut with a goal, let alone the hat-trick he netted in a friendly last week, but he didn’t seem entirely out of place as a replacement for 18-year-old rising star Youssoufa Moukoko, who signed a new contract on Saturday.
FOLLOW THE GOALS IN THE DERBY
After 36 goals in the previous eight round games, they continued to flow as Bayer Leverkusen held on to beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-2 in their derby.
Swiss goalkeeper Jonas Omlin conceded three goals in his first foray into German soccer. Omlin joined Gladbach last week from French team Montpellier to replace his compatriot Yann Sommer, who was signed by Bayern Munich as Manuel Neuer’s replacement after the German captain’s skiing accident. last month. Neuer is out for the rest of the season with a broken leg.
Gladbach started well, but Leverkusen scored twice in the first half through Mitchel Bakker and Amine Adli on counterattacks. Adli set up substitute Nadiem Amiri for the third on 67 minutes before Gladbach substitute Lars Stindl scored two late consolation goals.
Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz came on for the final 15 minutes in his first appearance since tearing the ACL in his left knee last March.
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