Fans And Toys Fill Stadium As Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk Begin Global Tour For Peace

Shakhtar Donetsk began their Global Tour for Peace on Saturday by playing in their first match since Russia's invasion of Ukraine halted Ukrainian soccer.

Shakhtar Donetsk played on Saturday in their first match since Russia's invasion of Ukraine halted soccer in the Ukrainian Premier League in February.

The 13-time champions of Ukraine began their Shakhtar Global Tour for Peace with a friendly against Olympiakos in Athens.

Shakhtar say that all proceeds from the tour will be "allocated for humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine".

A crowd of 5,000 people watched the game at the 32,000-capacity Karaiskakis Stadium, where many of the empty seats were filled by toys, including teddy bears, which will be donated to refugee children.

Both teams wore the words "STOP WAR" in place of the logo of their sponsors.

Tiquinho scored the only goal as Olympiakos 1-0.

Olympiakos 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk Highlights

⚽️ #FootballStandsTogether 🙌 Every highlight of the charity match between Shakhtar and Olympiacos.

All proceeds from the Shakhtar Global Tour for Peace will be allocated for humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine. #StandWithUkraine #Україна #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/FX8lBIQdyM

— FC SHAKHTAR ENGLISH (@FCShakhtar_eng) April 10, 2022

Toys fill seats during a Global Tour For Peace friendly between Shakhtar Donetsk and Olympiakos :: IMAGO/ANE Edition

Players from Shakhtar Donetsk and Olympiakos wear the words "NO WAR" on their shirts :: IMAGO/ANE Edition

Olympiakos sporting director Christian Karembeu said after the match, as quoted by GOAL: "We are proud to host this event to raise awareness of the war. We use football as a tool for peace."

Shakhtar director Sergei Palkin added: "We want to talk about war and peace in Ukraine in these matches.

"The need to end this madness and return to normal life and to rebuild the country."

The Shakhtar Global Tour for Peace will continue on Thursday with a trip to Lechia Gdansk in Poland, before later games against Fenerbahce and Hajduk Split.

Shakhtar Global Tour For Peace Fixtures

Opposition	Date
Olympiakos	Sat, April 9
Lechia Gdansk	Thu, April 14
Fenerbahce	Tue, April 19
Hajduk Split	Sun, May 1