A Black soccer player stared down the opposition as he took the knee after a racist abuse scandal - then bagged 2 goals
- Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette made a powerful anti-racist gesture on Thursday.
- He stared down his opponents Slavia Prague while taking the knee before a Europa League tie.
- One of Slavia Prague's squad was recently banned for 10 games after racially abusing an opponent.
Arsenal striker and captain Alexandre Lacazette made a powerful anti-racist statement on Thursday before going on to bag two goals in a thumping victory for his side.
Prior to Arsenal's Europa League game against Slavia Prague, Lacazette and his teammates took the knee - as has become customary for English soccer teams in recent months.
Lacazette, who is Black, distanced himself from the rest of his team, and knelt in the center circle, directly in front of the Slavia Prague team. The Czech side had elected to stand arm-in-arm.
Lacazette's gesture came about in response to a recent racist incident involving a Slavia Prague player during a match against Scottish side Rangers during the previous round of the Europa League.
Kudela was seen during the game to whisper something in Kamara's ear, to which Kamara reacted angrily. He alleged that Kudela had racially abused him, an account backed up by his Rangers teammate Bongani Zungu.
Slavia Prague and its supporters have consistently denied that Kudela racially abused Kamara, and claim that the outrage around the incident and the subsequent ban is a witch hunt.
On Thursday, a senior official in the Czech government said that Kudela's ban was only to satisfy the "perverted expectations of a small group of activists."
After the match, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta praised Lacazette, saying it was a "good gesture."
"They had the right reasons for it, so the club was very supportive. I was supportive and thankfully the referee, and UEFA, they've been supportive. So I think it was a good gesture," he said, per The Independent.
Lacazette went on to have a brilliant game, scoring twice for his team as they beat Slavia 4-0 on the night in Prague, winning 5-1 on aggregate. Victory progressed Arsenal to the semi finals of Europe's second most prestigious club competition.
Ivorian winger Nicolas Pepe opened the scoring for Arsenal on the night after 17 minutes. Just three minutes later Lacazette scored the first of his two goals with a penalty, before Bukayo Saka scored a third another three minutes later.
The score stayed 3-0 for around 50 minutes. On 76 minutes, however, Lacazette buried his second with a powerful right footed finish from inside the box.
The tie was done. Arsenal will now play Spanish side Villarreal in the semi final, facing off against a side managed by ex-Arsenal boss Unai Emery.
Should Arsenal win, it will reach a second Europa League final in three seasons. During the 2018-2019 season, the Gunners lost 4-1 to London rivals Chelsea in a final played in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Manchester United also made the semi finals of the tournament on Thursday, knocking out Spanish side Granada 4-0 on aggregate after two 2-0 victories. They will play Italy's Roma in the semi.