Everton fan who helped Ukrainian refugees awarded penalty kick in Dynamo Kyiv friendly

An Everton supporter who travelled to the Ukrainian border to help fleeing refugees following Russia's invasion of the country was invited to the pitch to kick a penalty during a pre-season match against Dynamo Kyiv on Friday.

The team and the Goodison Park crowd gave a warm welcome to Paul Stratton, who added an unofficial fourth goal to the hosts' 3-0 win over the Ukrainian side by converting the penalty.

Stratton, who used his time off from working for Liverpool Council to travel to Poland and hand out supplies to people fleeing the war, came on towards the end of the 'match for peace'. In March, Stratton travelled to the Polish city of Przemysl - close to the Ukrainian border - with his brother to help refugees.

He was given instructions on the touchline by manager Frank Lampard before striding on to the pitch in full Toffees kit to take the penalty.

Stratton tucked away his spot-kick in front of the Gwladys Street End and celebrated in front of the fans before being congratulated by Everton's players.

Everton led 3-0 at the time, with Dwight McNeil scoring twice on his first Toffees appearance after Dominic Calvert-Lewin opened the scoring inside four minutes.

Everton host Chelsea on August 6 in their first league match of the 2022-2023 campaign after avoiding relegation last season with a 16th-place finish.