Sports
Yaremchuk scores a goal and celebrates by wearing the Ukrainian crest
The Ukrainian national team striker scored a 2-2 draw against Ajax in the Champions League. To Celebrate, he kissed the Ukrainian shield and thanked the defense against Russia's attacks: "It's time to unite.”
February 24, 2022 8:53am
Updated: February 24, 2022 12:36pm
Roman Yaremchuk saved a Champions League draw for Benfica 2-2 against Ajax Amsterdam. The striker celebrated with a gesture of support for his country amid a Russian military's invasion of several Ukrainian cities. The soccer player of the Ukrainian national team and Portuguese club Benfica took off his shirt after scoring the goal to show the Ukrainian shield.
Yaremchuk showed support for his country's army by kissing the shield after scoring against Ajax in the first leg of the Champions League round out of 16. The gesture earned him a yellow card. However, he was not sanctioned by UEFA, which does not allow political messages in its competitions.
The soccer player also posted on Instagram a message of support for his country. "I am Ukrainian, and I am proud of it. Thousands of kilometers away from my native country, I want to support all those who are now in tension, now is the time to unite. This is our country, our history, our culture, our people and our borders. I would like to thank our army for their bravery. Glory to Ukraine."
Los futbolistas ucranianos se vuelcan con su país en redes sociales. Algunos ejemplos de jugadores que alzan la voz contra Rusia: Oleksandr Zinchenko (ManCity), Roman Yaremchuk (Benrica), Andriy Yarmolenko (West Ham) o Viktor Tsygankov (Dinamo Kiev) entre muchos otros. pic.twitter.com/xuecgTXWZu
— Xane Silveira (@XaneSilveira) February 24, 2022
Sport has taken the passenger seat in Ukraine. Junior Moraes, a player for Shakhtar Donetsk, a club that has been taking refuge in Kiev since the beginning of the conflict in the Donbas, has asked for help to leave the country.
The Brazilian, naturalized Ukrainian player asked for help in his social networks to leave Kiev. "All friends and family are waiting for a solution to leave. We are inside a hotel. Pray for us,” he wrote.
Andriy Shevchenko also posted a message upon learning of the first fatalities from the Russian attacks: "Ukraine is my homeland. I have always been proud of my people and my country. We have gone through many difficult times and in the last 30 years we have formed ourselves as a nation.”
The Ukrainian soccer legend and former national coach has pointed out that Ukraine is "a nation of sincere, hard-working and freedom-loving citizens."
