Ukrainian Benfica player Roman Yaremchuk received a loud ovation at the Estadio da Luz this Sunday when he entered the field of play in his team’s match against Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal’s Liga NOS.
Yaremchuk stepped onto the field of play to replace the Uruguayan jewel Darwin Núñez and when he stepped onto the pitch the public present gave him a warm welcome with applause and shouts that made him shed tears as he was moved by the gesture.
What’s more , the Belgian Jan Vertonghen decided to give him the captain’s armband also in a gesture of respect and appreciation for the Ukrainian.
The striker thanked the public for the gift, applauding and greeting those present.
As if that were not enough, Benfica finished lighting up the party by beating Guimaraes 3-0, although Yaremchuk did not show up on the scoreboard.
After the match, the Portuguese team published a video on social networks where they compiled the most outstanding moments of support for Ukraine by the fans, as well as images of the previous match with Yaremchuk as protagonist.
This is not the first gesture that is appreciated in European football towards Ukrainian footballers. A couple of days ago Everton and Manchester City faced each other and the defenders Mykolenko and Zinchenko merged in a hug that also shed tears in the fans and in the players themselves who lament the armed conflict in the face of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, which to date it has left more than 198 people dead, according to official figures.