Everton lets fan take penalty kick against Dynamo Kyiv in pre-season friendly; Watch

The football world witnessed a wholesome moment on Friday during Premier League side Everton’s pre-season friendly match against Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv at Goodison Park in Liverpool, United Kingdom. In the final moments of the friendly game, Everton brought out a fan into the field and let him take a penalty corner. The fan was revealed as a 44-year-old man named Paul Stratton, who made headlines for his efforts to help the Ukrainian refugees who were affected by the Russia-Ukraine war.

As Stratton made his way out to the field, the entire crowd at Goodison Park cheered him up and were much elated to see him score a goal. Stratton didn’t disappoint his fellow Everton fans as he converted the penalty kick into a goal and helped the English side earn a 4-0 win against the Ukrainian club. After scoring the goal, Stratton was quickly surrounded by the Everton players who congratulated him for the incredible feat.

Stratton was then spotted kissing the Everton badge on his shirt, before exchanging a few words with coach Frank Lampard. After the match, Everton took to their official Twitter handle and shared the video of Stratton hitting the penalty kick. “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,” Everton tweeted.

Watch the goal by Everton fan Paul Stratton against Dynamo Kyiv:

Here’s how Paul Stratton helped the Ukrainian refugees-

It should be mentioned that, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Stratton traveled all the way to the Ukrainian border in Poland, 1300 miles away from his home. Having previously worked as a police officer, Stratton helped the refugees who fled the country to save their lives.

He was there for a total of four days and assisted the refugees, accompanied by a Polish phrasebook and a network of former police and army colleagues. While Dominic Calvert-Lewin opened the scoresheet for Everton with a goal in the first half and Dwight McNeil bagged a brace, Stratton became the most talked about point of the match. 

UEFA reacts to the wholesome gesture by Everton

The video quickly went on viral on social media as football fans reacted to it with interesting tweets. Meanwhile, the official Twitter handle of UEFA also reacted to the video and said, “Brilliant stuff, well done @Everton and Paul. Congratulations on a fine finish!”. At the same time, one of the fans said, “This is what football should be about making dreams come true and celebrating and highlighting the good things in community”.

Football fans react to the viral video-