Gary Lineker drools over West Ham forward Andriy Yarmolenko
Gary Lineker has showered heaps of praise on Andriy Yarmolenko after West Ham won against Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Ukraine striker scored in the second half after coming off the bench, and played a huge role as the Hammers won 2-1 against an in-form Villa side at the London Stadium.
Pablo Fornals scored the other goal for the home side. Jacob Ramsey pulled one back for the visitors.
As we all know, a war has been going on in Ukraine, and it’s hard to fathom what Yarmolenko must have gone through.
Lineker has hailed his mental fortitude and has praised him as “incredible”. He wrote on Twitter: “A win for West Ham and a goal for Andriy Yarmolenko. How he manages to focus and play, let alone come on and score is beyond me. Ukrainians are incredible.”
Spot on
Yarmolenko scored a spectacular goal in the second half after Said Benrahma found him in the box.
He hit the volley instantly with his left foot leaving Emi Martinez no chance of stopping that. The Ukrainian showed a great presence of mind in the box, and he helped break the deadlock.
After he scored the goal, he simply broke down. It was an emotional moment for him, and players hugged and congratulated him. The fans have made their feelings clear that their thoughts are with Ukraine.
Lineker is absolutely spot on here. To play a game under such circumstances itself deserves huge credit, and no one knows what Yarmolenko must have gone through with horrible news coming up every now and then.
The victory will give the Hammers immense confidence ahead of their crucial second leg Europa League tie.
The Hammers could be missing a host of key players for that game, but the victory today will give them extra confidence ahead of the game.
In other West Ham news, this 29-year-old from the EFL is another central defender that Moyes is reportedly interested in signing ahead of next season.
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