12-year-old Ukrainian refugee from Mariupol scores goal in Shakhtar Donetsk charity match

By Ben Morse, CNN

Updated 1227 GMT (2027 HKT) April 15, 2022

12-year-old Dmytro Keda — a Ukrainian refugee from Mariupol — came on as a substitute and scored the game-winning goal for Shakhtar Donetsk in a charity match.

(CNN)For 12-year-old Dmytro Keda, after the worst few weeks imaginable, Thursday evening was a dream come true.

Keda, who fled his hometown of Mariupol in Ukraine after spending three weeks holed up as Russian forces bombarded the city, came on as a last-minute substitute in Shakhtar Donetsk's charity friendly match against Poland's Lechia Gdańsk. And in a touching scene, Keda — having exchanged a few passes with his Shakhtar teammates after coming on — was put through on goal, slotting home before being mobbed in celebration by players from both teams. Keda was lifted aloft in celebration, with his goal marking the difference in a 3-2 victory for the Ukrainian side. Keda scores for Shakhtar after coming on as a substitute.Shakhtar's head coach Roberto De Zerbi explained after the match that the decision to let Keda come on and score was «spontaneous.» Read MoreThe Ukrainian club's game against Lechia Gdańsk comes as part of the club's 'Global Tour for Peace' which involves playing a number of teams — including Olympiacos, Fenerbahçe and Hajduk Split — in a series of charity games.As of April 7, over 1.4 billion Ukrainian hryvnia ($47.2 million) had been donated by the foundation set up by Shakhtar owner Rinat Akhmetov and the team to «help Ukraine and Ukrainians during the 40 days of the war.» «This amount includes humanitarian aid to civilians, as well as assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Territorial Defence force in dozens of cities and towns,» a statement on the club website read. Before