The Der Klassiker might have slipped out of the hands, but it did not take Borussia Dortmund enough time to bounce back and exhibit their ruthless best against Paderborn. The first half was somewhat dull, but in the second, Jadon Sancho celebrated his return by smashing a hat-trick. Paderborn were simply steamrolled by 6-1.

Sancho was restored to the line-up for the first time since the coronavirus-enforced break after a disappointing midweek defeat to Bayern Munich, which cast a shadow of speculation over the immediate future of Lucien Favre. But Sancho helped his second-placed side get back on track as they look to secure Champions League qualification.

Thorgan Hazard broke the deadlock in the 54th minute and the floodgates opened – it was swiftly followed by a second from Sancho, who would later net again after Uwe Hunemeier brought Paderborn back into the contest, with Achraf Hakimi and Marcel Schmelzer adding gloss to the scoreline.

Sancho completed his hat-trick in the 92nd minute by capping a rapid Dortmund counter-attack.

But, on Sunday, at the Bundesliga, it was not all about the scintillating display of teams, rather, the way players celebrated after scoring goals.

After scoring his second goal, Sancho made a statement of his own by removing the shirt, where the undershirt revealed – Justice for George Floyd. His Dortmund team-mate, Achraf Hakimi, echoed Sancho’s message following a goal of his own in the 84th minute, lifting his shirt to reveal the same message.

Then, after scoring a goal against Union Berlin in a 4-1 win, Marcus Thuram made a statement of his own by taking a knee. The son of former French star Lilian Thuram scored the second of his side’s four goals in the 41st minute before adding another strike in the 59th minute.

NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick attempted to bring attention to the issues of racism and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem, with the former San Francisco 49ers star now out of the sport as a result.

American midfielder Weston McKennie also made a statement during Saturday’s round of matches, with the Schalke star writing “Justice for George” on his captain’s armband.

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, an African-American man, died in Powderhorn, a neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. While Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on a city street during an arrest, Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, kept his knee on the right side of Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds; according to the criminal complaint against Chauvin, 2 minutes and 53 seconds of that time occurred after Floyd became unresponsive.

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Officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas K. Lane participated in Floyd’s arrest, with Kueng holding Floyd’s back, Lane holding his legs, and Thao looking on as he stood nearby. Preliminary results from the official autopsy found no indication that Floyd died of strangulation or traumatic asphyxia, but that the combined effects of being restrained, underlying health conditions, including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease, and potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death. Attorneys for Floyd’s family announced that they have requested an independent autopsy.

The incident was recorded on the smartphones of several bystanders and later circulated on social media, which sparked a mass protest throughout the United States of America.

The manner of death not only touched the fellow citizens of the USA but the whole world as well.

The world of football conveyed a strong message through their goal celebration – they demanded justice of Floyd’s murder and yet again, football said no to RACISM!

The World needs to be a better place and free from hatred.

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A lot depends on the public figures to nurture love in this world and the footballers play a vital role in doing such.

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