MUNICH — After struggling with seizures on the field, Jamal Musiala celebrated his first goal of the season by pointing to his head.
Musiala scored the opening goal for Bayern Munich against Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League on Thursday, reacting fast to pounce on a deflected pass from Harry Kane and fire the ball into the net in the 47th minute.
As he wheeled away to celebrate with teammate Aleksandar Pavlovic, Musiala appeared to look to the stands while repeatedly pointing at the side of his head.
Bayern’s star attacking midfielder was making the most of his first start since he collapsed on the field in two preseason games in a row. That was the first public sign of a neurological condition which he and the club had known about since at least last season.
Musiala posted on social media that he had been diagnosed with “absence seizures caused by a neurological dysfunction” but that the condition wasn’t a risk to his health and he intended to keep playing as before.
Still, he was out of Bayern’s team for three games as he adapted to what coach Vincent Kompany called an increase in his medication, and the shock of having his condition revealed so publicly. Musiala returned to the field when he came off the bench in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Schalke in the Bundesliga.
PHOTOS: Jamal Musiala scores in Champions League for Bayern Munich weeks after seizures
Musiala’s goal against Bodø/Glimt was his first in any competitive game since scoring in Germany’s 7-1 win over Curacao at the World Cup in June.
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