Andriy Yarmolenko could barely contain his feelings after scoring the opening goal in West Ham’s 2-1 victory over Aston Villa. The Ukrainian striker came on as a substitute for Michail Antonio in the 52nd minute at the London Stadium and gave the home side the lead 18 minutes later. He had tears in his eyes after putting the ball in the net.
“It was so emotional for me because of the situation in my country,” he said. “It is so difficult for me right now thinking about football because every day the Russian army is killing Ukrainian people.”
The 32-year-old was given a rousing ovation when he entered the game and his 70th minute strike changed a match that looked to be petering out into a tame draw. “To be honest, I don’t know what to say,” he said. “I just want to say thank you to my team-mates, who support me all the time, every day. To West Ham fans, they also support me and Ukrainian people and also [thanks] to all British people, because we feel you support us. Thank you, really.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had an impact on the forward’s performance but he was buoyed by his reception from the London Stadium crowd. “I felt the support from the fans and I tried to give everything on the pitch because I know how important the game was for us today. I'm not 100 per cent because in the last two weeks. I trained maybe three or four times.
“Since 26 February [when the invasion started], I had to rest for four days because it was impossible to train. I was just thinking about my family and my people. I just tried to give everything on the pitch.”
David Moyes, the West Ham manager, praised the striker. “It was a special moment when Yarmolenko scored,” he said. “It was good he was involved. He has not trained much and has lost a little bit of weight, which is understandable. It was a terrific goal and everyone who knows him knows he is technically a really good player. We are pleased for him and his family.
Yarmolenko’s team-mates were thrilled for the goalscorer. “The whole dressing room applauded him,” Moyes said. “It was a big moment, it really was. It shows how everybody is thinking about [the war] because football has a huge appeal all around the world and I hope in some way it will do something to help stop this and maybe give the Ukrainians something to shout about when they see we are talking about it in this country all the time.”
Moyes said that the support of his team-mates went beyond football. “[Lukasz] Fabianski has been a really big help to him regarding getting [people] into Poland,” he said. “So there has been a real team-spirit effort, a real team effort behind the scenes.
“Karren Brady has been on the phone offering help and trying to make sure we can do the right things for him. He is grateful and appreciates the support.”
The 58-year-old also addressed the wider political landscape. “Everyone in our country is together and against what is happening,” he said. “We have helped Yarmolenko but we are not the only ones doing something special. We are all against it and trying to help him.”
