Africa Cup title beckons for Ivory Coast’s Sébastien Haller after successful cancer treatment

By CIARÁN FAHEY
AP Sports Writer

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Sébastien Haller could lead Ivory Coast to the Africa Cup of Nations title one year after returning from cancer treatment. Haller fired the host nation into Sunday’s final against three-time champion Nigeria with the only goal in a 1-0 win over Congo in the semifinals. Haller missed six months of soccer from mid-2022 after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. He returned to training in January last year. He says, “I think I will take a few months or a few years to really realize what’s happened in the last years.”