Jakub Jankut's goal celebration, in which he let out a roar of joy before being mopped up by his team-mates, was the talk of the weekend.
The Czech winger has been unhappy for much of Cagliari's season so far, with the Sardinian club struggling in Serie A.
He has been publicly criticized by coach Claudio Ranieri in recent weeks. In his pre-match press conference before Sunday's game against Empoli, Ranieri urged Jankt to raise his level.
He ultimately uplifted everyone involved in the Rossoblu and also made history as the first active gay player to score in one of Europe's “big five” leagues.
It was last February that Junkt posted a short coming out video on social media, explaining that he wanted to live “freely and without fear.”
At the time, he was on loan to Sparta Prague. Initially, he kept his place in the team, but off-field conflicts got to him and he was removed from club and country.
When he reunited with Ranieri, who coached him for two seasons at Sampdoria, it was a chance to get back on track. However, things did not go well for newly promoted Cagliari, who won only 4 of 26 games before going to Empoli.
There, they continued to defend against a side that had not lost in their previous six games, and midway through the second half, Jankt calmly slotted a goal into the box after Nahitan Nandez's shot was parried by goalkeeper Elia Caprile.
After the match, a 1-0 win over the visiting team, Jankt told Cagliari's website: “I am doing everything for the team and the fans.'' “I'm more happy for them than I am. They came today, close to 700 people. They sacrifice so much to follow us. I want to thank them for this. Thank you for that. They are fundamental.”
Manager Ranieri was full of praise for the 28-year-old after the important victory. “He is a good runner and is always alert tactically. Today. He found the goal and I am happy for him.”
The enthusiasm is not limited to Cagliari. “Ranieri has rediscovered the original Yankto'' ran the headline of Corriere dello Sport. Journalist Vittorio Sanna, who has been covering the club for many years, wrote, “After chasing this goal and suffering, Jankt finally roared.'' “No one knows whether a new championship will begin for the Czechs.”
There are 11 league games left. On Saturday, Cagliari face another big game in their fight to move down the table, a home game against bottom club Salernitana.
If he performs well under pressure, Jankt may still have a chance to return to the Czech national team at this summer's European Championships in Germany. Ivan Hašek has been appointed as the new national team head coach, and we already know that the Czechs will face Turkey, Portugal and the play-off winners of their group.
In an interview with ESPN in December, Jankt emphasized that he was in a good place mentally after a tumultuous year. “People say I'm a strange footballer, but this is who I am. I'm happy with who I am and I don't need to change,” he told Sid Lowe.
His exact goal at Empoli may have been just a solitary goal, but it has a meaning beyond the result. Judging by Jankt's reaction, the goal took some of the weight off his shoulders.