Everton fan Paul Stratton was given the chance to score a penalty.
An Everton super-fan was recognised for his work in helping people in Ukraine by coming onto the pitch to score a penalty in their friendly against Dynamo Kyiv on Friday.
Paul Stratton was brought on as a substitute by Frank Lampard and converted his penalty in front of the home faithful at Goodison Park. He was greeted to a standing ovation from the fans, and was also embraced by the Everton players.
The Liverpool Echo revealed that Stratton had travelled to Poland in March to help Ukrainians who were fleeing from the war in their homeland.
After scoring his penalty, Stratton ran behind the goal at the Gwladys Street End before falling to his knees and kissing the badge.
His goal rounded off a 3-0 win for Everton after new signing Dwight McNeil scored a brace in his first game for the club on an emotional night in Merseyside.
Last night was in aid of the people of Ukraine. 🇺🇦
At the end of the game, Paul Stratton, a 44-year-old Evertonian was surprised by @McInTweet's Big Show due to his brave efforts to help Ukrainians this year. 💙💛
The full story will be revealed when it airs on @BBCOne. pic.twitter.com/DLAVixuUwH
— Everton (@Everton) July 30, 2022
Ukrainian international captains Everton on an emotional night
Vitaliy Mykolenko, who is a Ukrainian international, was captain on the night and the defender revealed before the game that many of his family are still living in Ukraine.
He said: “My family is still in Ukraine, everyone – my uncle, my dad, my mother. They are OK.
“[My father] is military but he is in Kyiv. He is working in a military unit, but he is not going to the east of Ukraine. I am proud of him. I love them, my father, my mother.”
Everton begin their Premier League campaign with a home game against Chelsea on August 6 before travelling to Aston Villa for their first away fixture the week after.
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