Haller nets hat-trick as Borussia Dortmund stroll to friendly victory

Sebastien Haller marked his second game back from a long layoff with a ten-minute hat-trick for Borussia Dortmund as they thrashed FC Basel 6-0 in their friendly clash. The Ivorian striker was making his second friendly appearance, having also come off the bench against Fortuna Dusseldorf earlier in the week.

Haller was diagnosed with testicular cancer shortly after joining Borussia Dortmund from Ajax in the summer, forcing him to miss six months of action. The striker was only given a clear bill of health during this mid-season window.

Haller entered into the fray as a substitute with his side three goals ahead thanks to strikes from Marco Reus, Donyell Malen and a Jude Bellingham penalty.

Haller opened his account from the penalty spot in the 81st minute, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way with a firmly-struck penalty.

The striker scored his second in the 86th minute after impressive work from Karim Adeyemi, who found Julian Brandt. The German midfielder then played a low cross for Haller to tap home at the far post.

Haller completed his hat-trick two minutes later as he flicked on a corner into the far corner of the net to round off the scoring in the friendly encounter.

Borussia Dortmund will welcome his return to action as they look to mount a sustained challenge in the second half of the Bundesliga season. They also have their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie against Chelsea in the horizon.