12-year-old boy from Mariupol scores winner for Shakhtar Donetsk in friendly

Callum Boyle

A really wholesome moment

There was an emotional moment during Shakhtar Donetsk’s friendly against Polish side Lechia on Thursday as a 12-year-old boy from Mariupol scored the winner.

The Ukrainian side are currently on the Shakhtar Global Tour for Peace where they will face the likes of Olympiacos, Lechia, Fenerbahce and Hadjuk Split as the club look to raise money for the people of Ukraine following the Russian invasion.

In the second game of their tour Shakhtar were level with Polish side Lechia, with the game evenly poised at 2-2, before they opted to bring on their final substitute.

🇺🇦 A dream of the boy from Mariupol has come true. 12-year-old Dmytro Keda’s debut for Shakhtar 🧡

The guy came on as a substitute and scored a goal at the end of the charity match vs @LechiaGdanskSA in Gdansk.#Shakhtar #Україна #Ukraine #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/2HyIuwNQxW

— FC SHAKHTAR ENGLISH (@FCShakhtar_eng) April 14, 2022

A 12-year-old boy from Mariupol scored the winner

Dmytro Keda, a 12-year-old boy from war-torn Mariupol, came onto the pitch for the final moments of the game. After taking the kick off and being involved in the build-up, Shakhtar were then through on goal.

Dmytro was then played through on goal and promptly went on to slot home the winner which sparked pandemonium from his teammates as they celebrated the winner in an emotional moment.

Their game in Gdansk followed after Shakhtar’s first game of the tour where they faced Olympiacos in Athens in their first match as a team since Russia’s invasion.

🧡🇺🇦 A 12-year-old boy from Mariupol has played for Shakhtar and netted a goal ⚒

Dmytro Keda came on as a substitute at the end of the charity match vs Lechia.#Shakhtar #Україна #Ukraine #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/tKtWlt6I7a

— FC SHAKHTAR ENGLISH (@FCShakhtar_eng) April 14, 2022

Sporting director Darijo Srna praised the squad for handling their emotions

Following the first game of the tour the club’s sporting director, Darijo Srna, praised how well the squad had coped with their emotions since the invasion.

“I’m always proud of the team,” he said.

“The last training session they did was January 19. When I asked if they were ready to play on Saturday, they said: ‘Darijo, we are Ukrainians, we are ready for everything!’

“They had just one training session together yesterday, and they were playing together for the first time in their life – we took seven or eight players on loan from Mariupol.

“[Dmytro] Myshnyov, the captain of Mariupol, doesn’t have his house, his car, his apartment anymore – we brought him here to play for us, and today he is a symbol of Mariupol. We are really proud of that.”