Former Gunner scores brace & sheds tears in farewell game | OneFootball

Alexandre Lacazette played his final game for Olympique Lyonnais on Saturday, scoring a brace to secure them European football at the last moment.

Photo by OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE/AFP via Getty Images

Earlier this week, Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca confirmed that Saturday’s match against Angers would be former Gunner Alexandre Lacazette’s final game for the club, with his contract expiring this summer.

The fans responded with a fitting farewell, with a couple of huge banners in the stands paying tribute to the French striker. He could be seen getting visibly emotional before the game when he spotted the gesture.

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But there was still a game to play, with Lyon’s hopes of European football hanging by a thread.

Credit: OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE/AFP via Getty Images

Sitting seventh in the Ligue 1 table ahead of the final game, Lyon knew that they needed to win and hope sixth-place Strasbourg lost to secure themselves a spot in the Europa Conference League play-off round.

Perhaps inspired by the support of the fans, Lacazette spurred his team on, scoring twice in a 2-0 win. The first goal was a typically composed penalty, the second a close-range finish after finding space at the far post.

Lacazette was subsequently voted Man of the Match, though he was the only player in contention for Lyon’s fan vote.

Photo via Lyon on Twitter

Lyon still needed help from elsewhere, with Strasbourg level at 2-2 going into second-half injury time. But their opponents, Le Havre, needed all three points to guarantee avoiding relegation.

In the 99th minute, Abdoulaye Toure scored a penalty for the away side, confirming both Le Havre’s safety and Lyon’s sixth-place finish.

Lacazette leaves Lyon after almost 400 appearances for the French side, the only team he’s represented other than Arsenal. With a return to north London unlikely, the 33-year-old appears set to join the third club of his career this summer.