Picture Credit: Twitter
Everton recently brought out a special surprise for a super fan during their friendly against Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv at home on Friday. The fixture was labelled as “Match for Peace,” and the Merseyside club decided to honour a fan during the game who had done some incredible humanitarian work in war-affected Ukraine.
Paul Stratton, an Everton fan, has been aiding Ukrainian refugees throughout the ongoing Russian invasion of the country. The Toffees brought on Stratton as he checked in during the game to take a penalty kick. Stratton drilled the penalty home through the unmoving Dynamo Kyiv goalkeeper. He then celebrated this moment with emotion as he was embraced by the Everton players.
Watch the video here:
The home also ended the game with a convincing 3-0 win over Dynamo in the club's final pre-season fixture. Everton star Dominic Calvert - Lewin opened the scoring before halftime and then the club’s newest signing Dwight McNeil scored twice in the second half as they registered a clinical win.
McNeil joined the Merseyside team from Burnley on a five-year deal. He was ecstatic with his performance and hopes to have a successful run at Goodison Park. "It's nice to be around it with the lads," he told the club's website.
"I've obviously only been here a day or so, but playing and scoring helps to settle in and everyone had got behind me. It was a good win and now we're looking forward to the season ahead. It wasn't a difficult decision to come here. It came around so fast and it was a no-brainer for me - I'm really happy to be here.”