Borussia Dortmund and Dynamo Kyiv raise €400,000 in support of Ukraine
Borussia Dortmund and Dynamo Kyiv helped to raise €400,000 in support of victims of the war in Ukraine when the teams met for a friendly match at the Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian club are currently going around Europe playing games in their 'Match for Peace' tour. Their visit to Dortmund was the fourth such game, the visitors having registered 3-1 wins at both Legia Warsaw and Galatasaray, plus a goalless draw at Cluj in Romania last week.
In front of a crowd of 35,000 fans on Tuesday, Dynamo defeated Dortmund 3-2 in a pulsating friendly that was high on skill and goalmouth action. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens put the hosts in front after connecting with an Erling Haaland assist after just four minutes. Dynamo struck back soon afterwards thanks to a Vitaliy Buyalskyi equaliser.
A Vladyslav Vanat double before the break gave Mircea Lucescu's men a healthy 3-1 lead, before 17-year-old substitute Tom Rothe reduced the arrears for the hosts in the 65th minute.
Dynamo will play Dinamo Zagreb and Basel in the week after Tuesday's visit to Germany’s largest stadium, while there are further fixtures planned against the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and AC Milan.
“Football is the most beautiful pastime in the world. But there are things that are so much more important,” said Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke ahead of the game in Germany. “Peace, health, home, education. In the middle of Europe, all this can no longer be taken for granted. And that hurts a lot. We stand by the people of Ukraine. Together with the BVB family, we have already brought many tons of relief supplies to the country and now we also want to collect money.”
“The charity match [took] place three days after our away game in Munich. But even if it was to have taken place three days before that match, we would definitely have been on the pitch,” added head coach Marco Rose. “Nothing is more important at the moment than standing up together for peace and helping the Ukrainians in times of this humanitarian catastrophe. We are happy about every single football fan, no matter what colours they wear, and about every single person who buys a ticket to help the Ukrainians who have been hit so hard by the war.”
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For those still wishing to contribute, you can buy blue and yellow wristbands and make further donations through the BVB Shop.
As Dynamo say in a statement on their club website, their charity matches are to inform the international community about the terrible war in Ukraine and to raise funds to support Ukrainians who have suffered from Russian military aggression.
Recap the game in our blog below
2 - 3
(0 - 0)
Dortmund
FINAL
Kyiv
Friendly Charity match Charity match Signal Iduna Park
90'
FULL TIME !
A crowd of 35,000 stand and applaud following a wonderful friendly game that helped to raise €400,000 in support of Ukraine. Dynamo triumph 3-2 in the end but everyone associated with this game are deserving of the applause.
88'
VISITORS FINISHING STRONGLY
Garmash tries with an angled header that drops narrowly wide of the post as Dynamo finish this friendly in the ascendency.
83'
KULACH HAS A GO
The ball is crossed in for Kulach who would have had the goal at his mercy but for a crucial intervention from Unbehaun between the Dortmund posts.
Unbehaun twice saves from Buyalskyi, with the Dynamo forward finding time and space o the right. Great goalkeeping !
68'
BUSHCHAN THE MAN
Rothe's header is clawed away by Dynamo goalkeeper Bushchan, who is having an amazing second half here.
66'
MOUKOKO AGAIN !
The BVB attacker is having plenty of sights at goal this half, with BVB's No. 18 going close again with a shot that is palmed wide by Bushchan.
64'
ROTHE ON TARGET
He netted his first on his senior Dortmund bow against Wolfsburg recently, and now Tom Rothe gets on the target in this, friendly the 17-year-old sweeping home from close range.
Dynamo get us back underway at the SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. Can the hosts find a way back into this enthralling friendly or will Dynamo hold out foe the win?
HALF-TIME APPLAUSE
A thoroughly entertaining 45 minutes of football ends with Dynamo in command on the scoresheet. Well done to both sets of teams, and to the crowd inside the SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, who have all played their part thus far in this special friendly.
Marco Reus goes on a tremendous run and gets into the Dynamo area, eyeing the top corner with a shot that ultimately hits Zabarnyi before flying out for a corner, which comes to nothing.
40'
PHERAI AGAIN
Another blast from distance by the BVB man, this one is along the floor, and also fails to trouble Bushchan unduly.
38'
PHERAI HAS A GO
Pherai smashes one at the target as BVB race forward but the effort is not good enough to beat Bushchan in the Dynamo goal.
35'
DYNAMO INCREASE LEAD
Not long after Dovbyk hit a post, Vanat is played in and calmly sends a shot past Hitz for his second goal of the day.
Dynamo take a breather, falling back into their 4-4-2 formation as the hosts probe for openings.
20'
ANTYUKH FIRES OVER
Antyukh plays a one-two with Karavaev before unleashing a shot that flies over the crossbar. Solid performance here from Dynamo, who are regularly getting forward in numbers.
17'
HITZ SAVES
Shaparenko goes for spot-kick power and Hitz gets right behind it to beat the ball out.
17'
PENALTY DYNAMO !
A chance for the visitors to go further ahead.
14'
PONGRACIC CLOSE
Dortmund's No. 34 shanks one goalwards and Bushchan gets a fingertip on the ball to direct it onto the crossbar.
11'
GOALS GALORE !
Dynamo lead ! Vanat chases a long ball over the top, nudges Semic out of his way and applies the finish past Hitz.
What a goal this is ! Buyalskiy nudges into the Dortmund area on the left, has a look up and curls an unstoppable shot into the top corner. No chance for Hitz! The crowd are on their feet, and understandably so.
A quick response from the visitors with Vanat letting fly from distance. Hitz fields that one with relative ease.
4'
DORTMUND TAKE THE LEAD
BVB get us off the mark with the game's opening goal. Erling Haaland is away down the left and squares for the unmarked Bynoe-Gittens, who slides one along the floor and in for 1-0.
A quick note on today's match officials: Ukraine's Denys Shurman will officiate the first half while Bundesliga ref, Patrick Ittrich, will act as the 4th official. The two will switch roles after the break.
KICK OFF !
Dortmund, in their usual home kit of Black-and-Yellow get us underway against Dynamo, in white.
HERE COME THE TEAMS !
Both sides take to the SIGNAL IDUNA PARK pitch on this very special occasion. You'll never walk alone plays out on the speakers. We're all set for kick off.
"I WANT TO HELP MY COUNTRY," - AUSSI
Defender Alan Aussi, a former Dynamo youth player who is now with Dortmund's U23s, said of today's occasion: "With the game we help Ukraine. We collect donations that help my fellow human beings. I want to help my country in this way. It's difficult to concentrate on football. But I'm a professional and I'll go out and do my best."
ROSE: BVB HAPPY TO SET EXAMPLE
Dortmund's Marco Rose, has offered some words ahead of today's friendly game, the coach commenting, "We all sympathise and are deeply shocked. We have little understanding of what war means and what is happening in Ukraine right now. It's a humanitarian catastrophe. We want to set an example together with the people, and are very happy to do that."
Welcome along to coverage of Borussia Dortmund's charity match against Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv, who are currently touring Europe to raise awareness and funds to help their war-stricken homeland.
