After the worst few weeks conceivable, Thursday evening was a dream come true for 12-year-old Dmytro Keda.

Keda, who spent three weeks holed up in his birthplace of Mariupol, Ukraine, as Russian soldiers pounded the city, came on as a late substitute in Shakhtar Donetsk’s charity friendly against Poland’s Lechia Gdask.

After exchanging a few passes with his Shakhtar colleagues after coming on, Keda was let through on goal, slotting in before being swarmed by players from both clubs in celebration.

Keda was carried into the air in joy after scoring the game-winning goal in a 3-2 victory for Ukraine.

After the game, Shakhtar’s head coach Roberto De Zerbi said that the choice to allow Keda come on and score was “spontaneous.”

The game against Lechia Gdask is part of the Ukrainian club’s ‘Global Tour for Peace,’ which features a series of charity games against a variety of clubs, including Olympiacos, Fenerbahçe, and Hajduk Split.

The foundation established by Shakhtar owner Rinat Akhmetov and the squad to “assist Ukraine and Ukrainians throughout the 40 days of the war” had received approximately 1.4 billion Ukrainian Hryvnia ($47.2 million) as of April 7.

“This figure comprises humanitarian relief to citizens, as well as assistance to Ukraine’s Armed Forces and Territorial Defense Force in dozens of cities and towns,” the club said in a statement on its website.

The Ukrainian national song was played before Thursday’s game at the Polsat Plus Arena, followed by a minute of silence for war casualties.

Both teams wore shirts with the words “Stop the War” on the front, with Shakhtar’s shirts containing the names of Ukrainian cities devastated by the conflict.

“Football is obviously not crucial for us,” De Zerbi stated after the friendly match victory.

“We are currently travelling over Europe as guests and are grateful to everyone who allows us to play in different towns,” stated the Italian manager.

“We are currently in Poland, which is closer to Ukraine. As a result, it was naturally more emotional.”

“We may argue that the two groups of people are extremely similar, which explains why the audience was more emotional”, he added.