Niklas Kreuzer was thrown into the air by his teammates and the fans celebrated him with a large poster reading "Welcome back, Niklas Kreuzer". The Hallescher FC defender, who came on as a substitute for the first time in 166 days after his testicular cancer became known, was in tears. His team's 3:2 win at MSV Duisburg was the icing on the cake of a highly emotional evening for Kreuzer.
Coach Sreto Ristic had already asked in the past few days what the veteran was capable of. When a breath of fresh air was needed with the score at 1-2 after 69 minutes, Ristic sent Kreuzer onto the pitch. "I had the feeling that I had to bring some emotion into the game. It had to be something more than soccer. He's a very important player for us, his presence is very good," said the coach on MagentaSport.
For Kreuzer himself, it was still unreal after the game. "It's a dream come true. It's exactly what I imagined," said the 30-year-old. He had returned to team training 20 days ago after chemotherapy. "The plan was actually that I would and could take more time. But I felt really good, but I also realize that there's still a lot missing," said Kreuzer.
