Benfica’s Ukrainian striker Roman Yaremchuk is moved to tears at standing ovation

This is the incredible moment Benfica’s Ukrainian striker Roman Yaremchuk is moved to tears after receiving a standing ovation from the entire stadium on Sunday night.

Yaremchuk was initially a substitute for the Portuguese giants in their game against Vitoria, before being brought on to rapturous applause on 62 minutes.

Despite his home country being invaded by Russia, with over 350 civilians said to have already been killed, the striker opted to make himself available for the game.

And not only did he receive a warm welcome from the crowd, he was also handed the captain’s armband for the final half an hour of the match.

The heart-warming moment initially did not seem to faze him, before his emotions then got the better of him when the applause failed to cease.

Yaremchuk appears obviously moved and begins to cry as play resumes with him on the field. 

Ukrainian Roman Yaremchuk received a standing ovation when he came on for Benfica

Yaremchuk was clearly moved by the gesture from fans, who held Ukraine flags aloft

Around the stadium, Ukraine flags were held aloft, as well as a sign reading ‘Stop War’.

This comes just days after Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to cross the border into Ukraine, with violent scenes taking place across the country and hundreds of innocent civilians losing their lives. 

Overnight, blasts were heard in several of Ukraine’s cities including the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv, the country’s second biggest city and Chernihiv, north of the capital. 

Yaremchuk was given the captain’s armband by Jan Vertonghen when he entered the pitch

In the Europa League last week, he scored against Ajax and revealed an undershirt with the Ukrainian coat of arms to show solidarity with his home country

It comes at the start of a crucial 24 hours for the country with tensions at their highest following a threat by Russian President Putin to put his nuclear deterrent forces on ‘alert’.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Kyiv and Moscow will hold peace talks at the northern border with Belarus on Monday, but he has said frankly that he held little hope that the conflict would be resolved. Zelensky will not be part of the delegation in person.

Ukraine’s health ministry said on Sunday that 352 civilians, including 14 children, had been killed since Russia’s invasion of the country last week. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a ‘special operation’.