Looking for Soccer News?

A day after claiming his life was in danger and resigning at AFC Leopards, Tomas Trucha has now been unveiled as the new coach for Penang FC.

The 49-year-old Czech Republic tactician only resigned from the Den on Thursday after handling the FKF Premier League side for one match, which saw the team beat Tusker 2-1.

But a day after his move, Penang have taken to their social media pages to confirm they have acquired the services of the coach.

“Welcome Tomas Trucha!,” Penang announced his arrival on their social media pages. “Penang Football Club [PFC] officially announced 49-year-old Czech Republic coach Tomas Trucha as Chief Coach of Super League competition season 2021.

“Starting a career as a coach as early as 25 years old, Trucha had a wide experience working in Europe before gaining a new experience with some troops in Africa.

“Although it was initially reported to be with a club in Kenya, Penang became Trucha's destination as a new challenge. He will be assisted by Manzoor Azwira Abd Wahid who will continue with the team as Assistant Chief Coach.

“The club believes the combination and experience both will give the team positive and competition next season.”

On Thursday, AFC Leopards confirmed the exit of the coach after Goal had reported the Czech had left after threats were directed on his agent and he was leaving with a 100% record at Ingwe having guided them to the opening win against Tusker.

“Today, we accepted Trucha’s resignation as head coach, effective immediately,” Ingwe said in a statement.

“This has been occasioned by the coach feeling that his safety is not guaranteed since his manager, Mr. Prince Channis, has been threatened by people purporting to be Ingwe supporters. This is disturbing and unacceptable for anyone who claims to be a supporter of this esteemed club.

“True, AFC Leopards’ supporters hold themselves to the highest standard and put the club’s and public before all else. At this time, the remaining technical bench shall take charge as we consider a replacement.

“On behalf of the management, we thank Trucha for his contributions to the club and wish him well in his future endeavours.”

Earlier, AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda praised the former Township Rollers coach, saying he is at the same level as top European coaches, and admitted the threats were doing the club a great disservice.

Cape Town City defender Taariq Fielies has highlighted the importance of his team keeping their discipline against Orlando Pirates on Saturday afternoon.

The two clubs clash in a league encounter which will take place at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch, with kick-off set for 15:30.

Matches between these north-south rivals have resulted in some thrilling games since City's formation in 2016.

In 10 fixtures, the Citizens have won three and Pirates two. There have been five draws - the very first game between the sides ended 0-0, but since then, there have been three 2-2 thrillers, and one 3-3.

The two most recent meetings between the clubs ended in a 1-0 home win for Bucs in the MTN8 competition (this season) and a 1-0 home win for City in the league last season.

On both of these occasions, the Cape side played large portions of the match a man short after having a player sent off in the first half (Mpho Makola and Fagrie Lakay, respectively).

Fielies, who will be playing his 100th game for the Citizens since signing from Milano United, understands that his team-mates will need to keep cool heads on Saturday to make the job easier for themselves.

"It is a new game and we can't look at the past but playing Pirates is always a big game," he was quoted saying by IOL.

"The past two games we have got two reds card so that has made it even tougher.

“Sometimes it goes for you and sometimes it goes against you. Obviously you have to run the extra miles and that's not a problem, but sometimes you also looking for that extra player to create a space. But hopefully, we can finish with all our players on the field this week.”

The Soweto side are currently lying third on the standings, with nine points from five games. City are in sixth spot, with eight points from their five league outings this season.

FKF Premier League side AFC Leopards have closed their merchandise shop after failing to secure new stock of replica jerseys.

Goal can exclusively reveal the shop which was opened on June 23, and was supposed to serve fans with the club’s merchandise, has not been operating for the last month.

A source privy to the happening has confirmed to Goal the shop was closed because the first stock of replica jerseys had been sold, and the office was yet to secure or ship in new stock.

“It is true the shop has not been operating for the last one month,” the source, who did not want to be named, told Goal. “The office is saying they don’t have money to bring in new merchandise and as such the shop will remain closed.”

The 13-time league champions have been trying to set up structures to enable them to get a sustainable financial income and in June, they became the second club in the country to open a fully-fledged merchandise shop.

On opening the shop, Ingwe chairman Dan Shikanda told Goal: “We have done most of the things regarding the merchandise shop, and by the end of this month, we believe it will be up and running.

“It will be located at the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) where it will be easier for our fans to locate. We will have club replica jerseys, caps, t-shirts, bands, watches...everything with Ingwe brand.

“The fans will have a way of directly contributing to the club's growth by purchasing the Ingwe merchandise from the shop. We will also have our match-day tickets sold at the shop at any given time.”

The former striker did not hesitate to comment on the quality of the goods to be stocked on opening the shop.

“We will have quality jerseys for our fans which will be durable as compared to the counterfeit ones which do not last. Cheap is expensive, so for those who want to go for low-quality merchandise by other vendors, we cannot stop them. But buying in our shop will help us grow," he added.

“Our plan is to expand and have branches all over the country.”

Wazito are the only other club in the top tier with an official merchandise shop.

Kenya midfielder Tobias Otieno is among 14 players who have been retained by Union Omaha ahead of the new campaign in 2021.

The U23 national team member sealed a move to the USL League One side from Kenyan Premier League (KPL) giants Gor Mahia in January this year, but the coronavirus pandemic situation in the country delayed matters.

However, the 21-year-old finally managed to link up with his new teammates on October 10, was handed jersey number five, and grabbed an assist on his debut when the USL League One side faced and defeated Richmond Kickers.

The club have now confirmed in a statement Otieno is among the 14 players they intend to retain on their roster for next year.

“Evan Conway [six goals] and Ethan Vanacore-Decker [six assists] are expected to be back with the club in 2021,” the club announced on their official website. “As is goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu, who was a finalist for USL League One’s top keeper award this past season.

“Also set to return next year: forward Elma Nfor; midfielders Devin Boyce, Christian Molina, Tobias Otieno, Austin Panchot and JP Scearce; and defenders Jake Crull, Daltyn Knutson, Illal Osumanu, Panzani Ferrety Sousa and Damia Viader.

“Midfielder Tyler David, who started nine games, was one of eight players the club announced will not rejoin the team. Nathan Aune, Sebastián Contreras, Xavier Gomez, Luke Hauswirth, Sam Howard, Elvir Ibišević and Juan Ignacio Mare are also out.”

Omaha managed to finish second in the league during their first campaign in the competition, which was cut short owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Owls were slated to play in a winner-takes-all title game but multiple Covid-19 positive tests forced a cancellation of the championship match and awarded the first-place crown to Greenville Triumph SC.

Coach Jay Mims was impressed with the team’s output for the season, saying he was happy to have worked with the players.

“This team was a special group with every single player contributing on and off the field, which made for a one-of-a-kind incredible locker room,” Mims said in a statement.

“I will forever be grateful for this historic group that laid down a great foundation and something the community can be proud of.”

Otieno had also turned out for Sony Sugar in the Kenyan top-flight.

Ghanaian winger Osman Bukari believes he was let down by complacency during his time with Belgian giants Anderlecht in 2018.

In his first stint abroad, the attacker, now with Gent following a summer move, joined Anderlecht on loan from local side Accra Lions.

After six months with the Purple and White, the 21-year-old headed for Slovakian outfit Trencin after failing to land a permanent deal with the former.

"I had a hard time there [at Anderlecht] in the beginning," Bukari admits, Ghanaweb reports.

"I thought I could achieve anything with my talent. But I was a bit lazy. There I learned that I also had to work hard.

“I played nine matches with the reserves, in which I scored six times. When I heard at the end of those six months that I did not get a contract, I was disappointed, because I really wanted to play football in Europe.

"But then my manager came up with Trencin. The first year I still had a hard time. I had to adapt to the playing style. Sometimes I was so fast that I had to wait at the front for a counterattack until my fellow players could join.

“But I told myself that I was only with Trencin to get better and move to bigger competition. Last season I scored 10 goals in 25 games. Not bad for a winger."

After two years away, Bukari returned to Belgium in October this year, signing a three-year deal with Gent after catching the eye with a series of fine performances for Trencin.

He was reportedly on the radar of Portuguese giants FC Porto and Sporting Lisbon as well as the Turkish trio of Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas before opting for the Buffalos.

Bukari made a combined 32 league appearances for Trencin. He had arguably his best time in Europe since leaving Ghana last season as he made 26 elite division outings, starting all the games, scoring 10 times and assisting nine other goals.

Yet to be called by Ghana at senior level, the attacker helped his nation qualify for the 2019 Africa U23 Cup of Nations in Egypt, but was unable to join the team for the final tournament due to club commitments.

Despite persistent uncertainties in Malaysia's ability to participate in international football action in the coming year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Harimau Malaya have been preparing for the near future nevertheless.

On Friday, the Malaysian FA (FAM) and sportswear producer Nike revealed the home and away Malaysia jerseys for 2020 through 2022.

The home kit is a minimalistic yellow top with its collar and arm portions in black, with a black strip running down on each side from the armpit down. According to the press release, it is the first home Malaysia kit to sport a collar, since Nike first became the Malaysia national teams' kitmaker back in 2007.

The away jersey meanwhile adopted the brave design choice of ditching the colours blue, white, yellow and red, the colours of the Malaysian flag, of previous Malaysia away kits, in order to retain the black and yellow of the traditional Malaysia home kit colours.

The away jersey sports diagonal stripes that alternate between black and yellow. Its round neck collar and arm end rings are in yellow.

However, there are fans who are seemingly unhappy with the design choices adopted for the two kits, with many criticising its extreme minimalism and humourous similarity to school sports attires.

Their retail price of RM299 (USD74) has also made them rather unaffordable, when compared to most Malaysian teams' original jerseys.

However, regardless of everyone's opinion on the new kits, surely they agree on one matter; that they want the national team to be able to return to action and put on the jerseys next year, having had their brilliant form in the World Cup Asian qualifiers in 2019 interrupted by the pandemic. 

Wilfred Ndidi finally made his much-awaited return for Leicester City in their 1-0 defeat against Zorya in Thursday’s Europa League game.

The 23-year-old midfielder has been out of action since September when he suffered a groin injury against Burnley.

The Nigeria international was handed a starting role in the encounter and took his position in front of the back-four along with Hamza Choudhury.

The midfielder gave a good account of himself on his return but his effort was not enough to save the King Power Stadium outfit from defeat.

The game started with both sides aiming to nick an early goal but that was not to be seen with the solid defensive formation they put in place.

The first-half, thus, ended with both sides failing to find the back of the net but recorded three yellow cards.

Ndidi’s compatriot Kelechi Iheanacho picked one of the cautions along with his teammate Ricardo Pereira and Zorya‘s Andrejs Ciganiks.

The second half, however, saw more goal-mouth action and the Ukrainian Premier League club got the opener in the 84th minute.

Allahyar Sayyadmanesh scored the goal, which made the difference in the encounter, hitting his effort beyond the reach of Danny Ward after he was set up by Denis Favorov.

Ndidi featured for 56 minutes before he was replaced by Nampalys Mendy while Iheanacho lasted for the entire duration of the game.

Despite the loss, Leicester City still lead Group G with 10 points from five games and will hope to seal their place in the knockout stages of the competition when they face AEK Athens on December 10.

Ndidi will be expected to get more game time under his belt when Leicester take on Sheffield United in their next Premier League game on Sunday as he gradually returns to full action.

The midfielder has now made three appearances in the 2020-21 season for the Foxes across all competitions.

The Premier League and English Football League (EFL) have agreed a £250 million ($337 million) rescue package to help clubs overcome the financial challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

Championship clubs will have access to a £200m ($269m) pool of interest-free loan funds, while a £50m ($67m) grant will be made available for those in League One and Two.

Loans to second-tier clubs will be capped at £8.33m ($11.2m) and would have to be repaid by June 2024.

Richard Masters, Premier League Chief Executive, said: "The Premier League is a huge supporter of the football pyramid and is well aware of the important role clubs play in their communities. Our commitment is that no EFL club need go out of business due to COVID-19.

"All football clubs continue to suffer significant financial losses as a result of the pandemic, but Premier League Shareholders today unanimously agreed to provide additional funding and support for EFL clubs in real financial distress.

"We are very pleased to have reached this agreement and we stand together with the EFL in our commitment to protect all clubs in these unprecedented times."

EFL chairman Rick Parry also welcomed the resolution after lengthy discussions.

"Our over-arching aim throughout this process has been to ensure that all EFL clubs survive the financial impact of the pandemic," he said. 

"I am pleased that we have now reached a resolution on behalf of our clubs and as we have maintained throughout this will provide much needed support and clarity following months of uncertainty.

"I would like to thank Richard Masters and Gary Hoffman for their efforts on behalf of the Premier League, and of course their shareholders, for making this welcome, tangible commitment to the professional game at a time when it has needed it most."

Fans returned to some Football League grounds this week after England's national lockdown was replaced by a tier system.

However, with attendances limited by social-distancing measures, clubs are unlikely to profit from staging matches under such circumstances.

It is hoped that the deal agreed on Thursday will prevent the worst-case scenario of clubs going out of business.

Zinedine Zidane's myriad of achievements has more than earned him the chance to turn things around at Real Madrid, says Iker Casillas, who hailed the the manager as a "magnificent coach."

The Frenchman, who is in his second spell at the helm of Los Blancos, has seen his future called into question after just one win in his last five games across all competitions.

Madrid have won just half of their 10 matches in La Liga to date this term, while their hopes for knockout Champions League football - traditionally a foregone conclusion at Santiago Bernabeu - hang in the balance.

A shock 2-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk has left Madrid third in Group B with one game to go, meaning they must beat Borussia Monchengladbach to progress to the last-16.

Zidane guided Madrid to three successive Champions League titles in his first stint in charge and won a second league title last term.

Amid growing rumours the 48-year-old is close to being sacked by president Florentino Perez, Casillas believes his former team-mate has done enough to warrant more trust.

"Zizou is a magnificent coach, a good friend and will do everything possible to have Madrid as high up as possible," he told AS .

"You cannot live in the past, but he has earned the right for trust."

Sergio Ramos is another who faces an uncertain period in the Spanish capital, with the long-serving defender's contract due to expire at the end of the season.

Paris Saint-Germain are reported to have offered Ramos a big-money contract, but Casillas is hopeful Madrid's captain will stay put.

"Sergio is an emblem of Real Madrid and it is best if he is in Madrid," he said.

Goalkeeping great Casillas announced his retirement in August, having not played a game since suffering a heart attack in training with Porto on May 1 last year.

He has previously talked up the prospect of returning to Madrid, the club he made 725 appearances for after emerging through their youth ranks, in an advisory role.

Speaking upon picking up an award for his sporting achievements, Casillas reiterated he considers Madrid to be his "home".

"This is an award for my whole career, for many years," he said. "Along that path I have to thank many people that I had with me, not forgetting my coaches, all my team-mates, the sacrifice of my parents and the clubs I have had.

"Real Madrid, which is my home and the club that gave me another opportunity to discover another way of life, and also Porto and the national team."

Frank Lampard has the makings of a future England manager, according to former Chelsea teammate Branislav Ivanovic, following the former's sterling start to his coaching career.

The former Blues midfielder took the reins of his old club following a debut stint at Derby County last year, succeeding Maurizio Sarri in the hot seat at Stamford Bridge.

In his first season at the helm, Lampard took his side to a top-four finish and an FA Cup final appearance, helping to reaffirm Chelsea's status as a perennial contender on the top domestic stages.

The 42-year-old has continued to bolster his credentials this term, with an impressive unbeaten run in the Champions League group stages just the icing of a campaign so far that has seen his team challenge at the top of the Premier League once more.

Such form has seen the former England mainstay emerge as one of the brightest managerial talents in the English game and Ivanovic - who has returned to the top flight from a spell in Russia with West Brom this season - believes that he could be a credible successor to Gareth Southgate for the Three Lions job when the time comes.

"When Frank decided to become a manager, everyone who knows him knew he was going to be a success," the 36-year-old was quoted by the Daily Mail. 

"He is the right person in the right place, not just for Chelsea. I hope he will stay at Chelsea for life, but for sure he could give to his country and be manager of the England national team.

"He knows football and has great ideas. I watch his interviews and you can see he understands the game, the things he needs to do and how to give belief to the group. 

"It's a massive job to understand football and to make the team play and work like you want. He has a good group of people around him to help him. He will be a success.

"He fully deserved to be Chelsea manager, not just because of his name. Of course I wish him all the best and for me he will always have a huge part [to play]."

Jean-Pierre Nsame maintained his excellent goalscoring form but couldn’t prevent Young Boys Bern from falling to a 3-1 Europa League defeat by AS Roma on Thursday.

The Cameroon striker opened the scoring in the 34th minute as the Swiss side took a shock lead, but their advantage only lasted 10 minutes before Borja Mayoral levelled the contest.

Riccardo Calafiori then netted for Roma just before the hour mark as they moved ahead of the visitors, before Edin Dzeko scored in the 81st minute to round off a victory for the home side.

Guinea’s Mohamed Ali Camara was dismissed a minute later as the contest went from bad to worse for the visiting Young Boys.

Despite their defeat, Gerardo Seoane’s side still remain in the hunt for qualification to the knockout stages, and will advance to the next round if they avoid defeat by CFR Cluj at home in matchday six.

Before Thursday’s defeat, Young Boys had gone three games without defeat in the Europa League, and while they were previously held by Cluj in Romania, they are favourites to advance to the next round alongside Roma.

Nsame, who was linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the year, has been in superb form so far this season.

His opener against Roma was his third in five Europa League group-stage appearances so far this term, having previously found the net against CSKA Sofia and against Roma in the first match between the pair.

He also scored in the Champions League playoffs, and has four in eight Swiss Super League appearances so far this term, including against FC Lausanne-Sport at the weekend.

Last season, he netted 32 goals in 32 top flight games to become the all-time top scorer in a single Swiss top flight season, surpassing the record previously held by Ivory Coast international Seydou Doumbia.

The Elephants international, who’s currently back in Switzerland with FC Sion, had scored 30 goals in 32 league outings for Young Boys during the 2009-10 campaign.

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta believes Alexandre Lacazette has found his new position after his standout role in the 4-1 win against Rapid Vienna on Thursday.

Lacazette was utilised as a number 10 for the Europa League clash and opened the scoring 10 minutes. He also struck the woodwork later in the game. 

Pablo Mari doubled his side's lead shortly afterwards and Eddie Nketiah made it 3-0 just before half-time. Emile Smith-Rowe rounded off the scoring in the second half after Koya Kitagawa pulled one back for the visitors.

Arteta was impressed by the way the France international played behind main striker Nketiah, telling reporters: "He's played a good game in that position. It suits him. He's really good at linking play, he worked hard and scored a beautiful goal."

Lacazette, meanwhile, says the Gunners were boosted by the return of supporters for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic forced matches to be played behind closed doors.

A total of 2,000 spectators were allowed into the Emirates Stadium to see the Gunners maintain their perfect record in the Europa League.

The 29-year-old says having team's fans back in the stands had a positive effect on their performance.

"It was amazing - we were so happy to see the fans today it really helped us during the game," he told BT Sport. 

"Even in bad moments they pushed us to play good obviously we played well it was good football.

"We had two players [Pablo Mari and Calum Chambers] come back from injury, so we're really happy for them so it was a good night."

Lacazette had not scored for the north London side since the 3-1 loss to Liverpool in September, but he was delighted to end his drought in front of the supporters.

"It was really good, really nice when fans are behind us. Was not easy for me this last couple of weeks but to see the fans behind me and the team - I really enjoyed tonight so thanks to them," he said.

"Tonight we wanted to enjoy it and to get our fifth win in a row which we did and now we have time to focus again for the derby on the weekend. we just need to rest and see what happens at the weekend [against Tottenham]."

Senegal wonderkid Abdallah Dipo Sima netted twice on Thursday night as Slavia Prague thumped Hapoel Be’er Sheva 3-0 in the Europa League.

The forward was outstanding during a superb display by the Czech giants, opening the scoring in the 31st minute and then adding a third for the hosts five minutes from time after Nicolae Stanciu had doubled their lead late in the first half.

The first, in particular, demonstrated the towering attacker’s athletic prowess, as he leapt between two defenders to meet a looping cross from Jan Kuchta and headed home from close range.

His second came via an assist from Nigeria’s Peter Olayinka, and the Senegalese attacker could have had another four minutes later, only for his left-footed effort to be saved.

The interplay between left-sider Olayinka and Sima was excellent throughout, and the former carved out opportunities for the latter in both halves during a vibrant display.

The win takes Slavia, whose place in the knockout stages is already secure, up to 12 points after five matches following an excellent group campaign.

After being defeated away in Israel in their opening Group C fixture, they’ve embarked on a four-game winning streak, including home and away triumphs against OGC Nice and a home victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

Sima has impressed during the campaign, finding the net in both matches against Nice, before bagging the double at home against Hapoel on Thursday.

It’s a remarkable start to life in European competition for the 19-year-old, who originally moved to Slavia’s B Team earlier this year after time spent with the youth team of MAS Taborsko, also based in the Czech Republic.

So far, he has scored twice in four Czech league games, and is currently on a sensational scoring run, having netted five in his last six matches both domestically and in Europe.

Perth Glory have ended their Asian Champions League campaign with a narrow 1-0 loss to FC Toyko. 

An eighth-minute goal from Brazilian striker Adailton proved decisive as Tokyo secured their spot in the knockout stages with a vital three points. 

On the back of a 3-3 draw with Shanghai Shenhua, Glory struggled to make the most of their superior possession on Thursday night and mustered just one shot on target across the 90 minutes. 

Perth attacker Carlo Armiento was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty late in the game after drawing contact in the box with the 21-year-old one of many youngsters that can leave Qatar with their heads held high. 

While Glory's younger prospects showed promise, manager Richard Garcia might be concerned by the sluggish performances of star duo Bruno Fornaroli and Diego Castro. Both lacked some sharpness over the past fortnight and will need to provide more spark when the new A-League season kicks off later this month. 

Perth have ended their Asian Champions League campaign with one point from six games and though a disappointing return, the experience will have been priceless for a relatively young squad looking to take the next step in their careers. 

Glory do have work to do at both ends before the domestic season begins with the club scoring just five goals across their five games in Qatar, while conceding double that number.

Alexandre Lacazette ended his goalscoring drought as Arsenal eased to a 4-1 victory over Rapid Vienna to secure top spot in Europa League Group B.

Lacazette had gone eight matches without a goal before he put the Gunners ahead in the 10th minute on Thursday with a stunning long-range strike.

Pablo Mari headed in the second from a corner before Eddie Nketiah finished off a stylish team goal a minute before half-time.

Arsenal, who had already qualified for the competition's last 32, conceded when Koya Kitagawa fired home early in the second half but Emile Smith Rowe added a fourth to stifle any hopes of a comeback.

Mikel Arteta made 11 changes from the side that lost 2-1 at home to Wolves in the Premier League last weekend and those involved made a high-tempo start.

Rapid carelessly lost possession from a throw-in and the ball bounced kindly for Lacazette, who struck a spectacular swerving effort beyond goalkeeper Richard Strebinger.

The Gunners gave the 2,000 fans permitted inside Emirates Stadium another goal to cheer after Reiss Nelson's corner was glanced into the net by the head of Mari.

Nelson cut the ball back for Lacazette, who was operating in a slightly deeper role, just before the half hour but this time he sent his effort against the post.

Arsenal left the Austrian side with a mountain to climb just before the interval when a slick passing move saw Nketiah nod the ball home after Strebinger parried his initial shot.

Rapid pulled a goal back two minutes after the break when the ball pinged around the area before it dropped to Kitagawa and he found home through a crowded box.

But Arsenal regained their composure and Maitland-Niles capitalised on another Rapid mistake to tee up substitute Smith Rowe to seal the win.

What does it mean? Gunners flawless in Europe

Arsenal made it five wins from as many Group B matches as Arteta got some respite from their inconsistent displays in the Premier League.

It was only the second time the Gunners have achieved the feat in Europe, having done so during the 2005-06 Champions League in which they reached the final.

That bodes well for the Arsenal manager in continental competition, but Arteta will desperately hope they can transfer it to the Premier League.

Nice guy Eddie cool in the box

All 16 of Nketiah's goals in his senior club career have been scored from inside the box (11 for Arsenal and five for Leeds United) as he underlined his penalty area prowess by being in the right place at the right time against Rapid.

With Arsenal having scored just one goal from their past 64 shots from open play in the Premier League, this was a timely reminder to Arteta of his predatory instincts.

Rusty Elneny unable to make an impact

It was a subdued display by midfielder Mohamed Elneny on his first start since the beginning of November for the Gunners and he was substituted in the 63rd minute.

The Egyptian drifted through the game as his lack of sharpness following a recent period out with coronavirus showed.

Key Opta Facts

- Lacazette scored his first goal for Arsenal in 488 minutes in all competitions.
- Rapid have lost four of their five away games against English sides in Europe (W1), shipping a total of 13 goals in those fixtures.
- Arsenal have scored at least three goals in four consecutive European games for the first time since March 2000, on their way to the UEFA Cup final that season.
- Lacazette is just the eighth player to hit 20 goals in the Europa League, with his opener only his third in the competition to come from outside the box.

What's next?

Arsenal are back in Premier League action on Sunday when they head to rivals Tottenham for the north London derby, while Rapid host Hartberg in the Austrian Bundesliga on the same day.