The Ivory Coast’s dreams of defending their CAF Africa Cup of Nations title have taken a significant blow with the news that striker Sebastien Haller will miss the upcoming 2025 tournament in Morocco due to injury. The Ivorian Football Federation announced on Friday that the talented forward suffered a hamstring injury while playing for FC Utrecht in the Dutch league on December 14.
At 31 years old, Haller had become a pivotal figure for the Elephants, famously scoring the winning goal against Nigeria in last year’s AFCON final, helping his team secure the championship. With his absence now confirmed, the federation expressed their regret and support for Haller in their statement, wishing him a speedy recovery.
Despite missing the start of the previous AFCON due to an ankle injury, Haller made a remarkable comeback, scoring crucial goals in both the semi-final and the final. His knack for being in the right place at the right time has made him an invaluable part of the squad.
In light of Haller’s injury, manager Emerse Fae has called up Aston Villa’s Evann Guessand from the reserve list to shore up their attacking lineup ahead of the tournament. Haller’s injury occurred shortly after he was subbed into a match against NAC Breda, but unfortunately, he had to leave the field less than 15 minutes later.
As Ivory Coast prepares to kick off their AFCON campaign against Mozambique in Marrakech this Wednesday, they find themselves in a challenging group, which also includes Cameroon and Gabon. While losing Haller is undoubtedly a setback, the team is hoping that Guessand and others can rise to the occasion as they strive to navigate the group stage in the absence of their star striker.
Leave a Reply