Ukrainian national team forward Andriy Yarmolenko broke down in tears on Saturday after scoring a goal for West Ham United in its game against Aston Villa in England’s Premier League, CNN reported.
Yarmolenko checked in as a substitute during the second half of Saturday’s contest and was greeted with applause from fans of both teams. Some fans displayed the Ukrainian flag in solidarity with the country amid Russia’s invasion.
Yarmolenko scored West Ham’s first goal in the contest, drilling a shot into the bottom corner of the goal stand.
The 32-year-old winger then sank to his knees and used his hands to bury his face, according to CNN.
In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, Yermolenko, who hasn’t been featured on the team for more than a month, said that he tried to give it his all on the pitch while thinking about his family and friends back in Ukraine.
West Ham went on to defeat its English Premier League rival in a 2-1 victory, CNN reported.
“It was so emotional for me because of the situation in my country,” Yarmolenko told Sky Sports. “It’s so difficult for me right now in this moment thinking about football because, every day, the Russian army is killing Ukrainian people.”
“I just want to say thank you to my teammates, who support me all the time, every day. To West Ham fans, they also support me and Ukrainian people, and also to all British people because we feel you support us,” Yarmolenko added. “Thank you, really.”
FIFA, the world’s governing soccer body, imposed an indefinite ban on Russia’s national team from participating in all competitions, including the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Several Ukrainian soccer stars have recently shared anti-war messages since Russia invaded their native country.
Ukrainian midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi, who plays professionally for the Italian club Atalanta, unveiled an undershirt that had a simple message — “No War In Ukraine” — during his team’s 3-0 victory against Olympiako in a UEFA Europa League match last month.