A tremendous showing of solidarity was witnessed ahead of Shakhtar Donetsk’s match against Real Madrid on Tuesday, which was held in the Polish capital of Warsaw due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian side praised the “incredible view” before the match as the Ukrainian and Polish flags were displayed by fans holding up colored cardboard as the team’s lined up ahead of kick-off.
As the players entered the pitch, the tribunes presented a spectacular and unique binding — one half of the ground displayed the Ukrainian flag, and the other, the flag of Poland.
The bonding of the two flags in Legia Warszawa stadium in Warsaw was a symbol of gratitude for help that Poles provide for Ukraine during the time of the Russian invasion. The war in Ukraine is the reason why Shakhtar cannot play its home matches on Ukrainian territory currently.
The Ukrainian club published a photo of the display after the match with Real Madrid, commenting on the match that resulted in a 1-1 draw.
“Incredible view before the match between Shakhtar and Real Madrid,” wrote the club’s official Twitter account. “Thank you, Poland! We will not forget Your support in the difficult time for our country,” it added.
Shakhtar took the lead at the beginning of the second half before Antonio Ruediger evened the score in the 95th minute.
After the match, Shakhtar coach Igor Jovicevic praised his players’ resolve, telling the post-match press conference: “I’m proud that my team showed personality, what they are made of.
“In these difficult times, which we’ve been going through in the last 10 days especially, to go out on the pitch today and show that level of football… something to take your hat off to.”
“We fought for the Ukrainian people, so that they could feel identified and proud of us, and I’m sure they are,” he added.
For Shakhtar, it was the second match of the Champions League group stage to be held in Warsaw. In the last match of the group phase, Donetsk will play against German outfit RB Leipzig.
