Roberto De Zerbi returned to the Shakhtar Donetsk bench this evening for a fund-raising friendly against Olympiacos, with 176 toys in the stands representing children killed in Ukraine.
This team played Inter and Real Madrid in the Champions League group phase between September and October 2021.
Their season was cut short on February 24 when Russia invaded Ukraine, seeing many foreign players and their Italian coaching staff trapped in Kyiv for weeks.
When they were able to evacuate, Shakhtar Donetsk decided to get the squad back together for a training camp in Turkey, including De Zerbi.
They’ll play a series of friendlies to raise funds for the refugees and those who remain in Ukraine.
That tour of Europe began this evening against Olympiacos at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium and there was a beautiful, yet heart-breaking touch from the local club.
They placed 176 toys in the stands, each representing one of the children killed in Ukraine during the war.
The game ended 1-0 for Olympiacos with a goal from Tiquinho Soares.
🙏💔 In memory of the 176 children who were killed in Ukraine as a result of the war unleashed by Russia.
🏟 176 toys were placed in a special section at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium during the #Shakhtar v Olympiacos charity match.#StandWithUkraine #Україна #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/I2tSwBdkXL
— FC SHAKHTAR ENGLISH (@FCShakhtar_eng) April 9, 2022