- Entrou
- Out 5, 2021
- Mensagens
- 61,029
- Gostos Recebidos
- 1,791
Benfica hero goalie Anatoliy Trubin fled Ukraine homes in 'killer' Putin's 'barbaric' war
Benfica's Champions League hero goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin was twice forced from his Ukraine home by war and dedicated his dramatic winner to his homeland after once branding Vladimir Putin a "killer"
Anatoliy Trubin scored one of the most incredible Champions League goals of all-time to secure Benfica a last-gasp place in the play-offs.
The Lisbon giants under legendary manager Jose Mourinho beat nine-man Real Madrid 4-2 in the Estadio da Luz, with Ukrainian goalkeeper Trubin heading home the fourth goal from a free-kick in the dying moments to seal Benfica’s qualification to the knockout stages with the last touch of the game.
The Portuguese side needed one more goal to qualify for the play-offs on goal difference, and they got it with the final roll of the dice when Trubin went up in the Madrid penalty area to head past his opposite number Thibaut Courtois.
The heroics were a moment of defiance as Trubin and Benfica fought until the end, something the 24-year-old tragically knows about all too well from his life in Ukraine.
Trubin joined Benfica from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023, but he was forced to abandon his home in 2014 to move to Kyiv after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. Following the 2022 invasion, he was again forced to flee with his mother and sister to Lutsk in the west.
The 26-time Ukraine international told Goal back in 2022: “I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t like Donetsk to stay part of Ukraine. Donetsk is Ukraine, and it can only flourish as a Ukrainian city. It was a magnificent, prosperous town, the city of roses.
“I just want this war to be over as soon as possible, so that things can be as they were. How could anyone support this aggression, when peaceful people are dying?
“Such a situation helped me to grow mentally faster. Maybe that is the reason why my progress was quite fast.”
Trubin became an IDP (Internally Displaced Person) in his own country again in 2022 when he was forced to escape to Lutsk with his mother and sister following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine that sparked their ongoing war.
The proud Ukrainian was left absolutely heartbroken and his career was majorly hit while still playing with Shakhtar.
Trubin added: “We didn’t think it could really happen. Nobody expected Russia to be so barbaric and cruel. This really is a nightmare. I don’t understand how they are capable of it.
“They ruined so many beautiful towns and killed so many civilians. That is a catastrophe.
“Up until 2014, we just considered Russia to be a neighbour. There were no bad feelings between people in the two countries. It was unthinkable that war could start, first in Donetsk and then in all of Ukraine.
“But now, Russia doesn’t exist for me as a country anymore. I think it would take a very long time for the wounds to heal.”
The goalkeeper has also labelled Vladimir Putin a "killer" and previously refused to shake hands with Russian midfielder Aleksandr Golovin during a Champions League match against Monaco.
Trubin dedicated his goal to his homeland as he wrote after the game: "For Ukraine. For those who know how to fight till the end."
Benfica’s victory pushed Marseille out of the final play-off spot and will set up a play-off tie against either Real Madrid or Inter Milan – two of Mourinho’s former clubs.
Daily Star Sunday
Benfica's Champions League hero goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin was twice forced from his Ukraine home by war and dedicated his dramatic winner to his homeland after once branding Vladimir Putin a "killer"
Anatoliy Trubin scored one of the most incredible Champions League goals of all-time to secure Benfica a last-gasp place in the play-offs.
The Lisbon giants under legendary manager Jose Mourinho beat nine-man Real Madrid 4-2 in the Estadio da Luz, with Ukrainian goalkeeper Trubin heading home the fourth goal from a free-kick in the dying moments to seal Benfica’s qualification to the knockout stages with the last touch of the game.
The Portuguese side needed one more goal to qualify for the play-offs on goal difference, and they got it with the final roll of the dice when Trubin went up in the Madrid penalty area to head past his opposite number Thibaut Courtois.
The heroics were a moment of defiance as Trubin and Benfica fought until the end, something the 24-year-old tragically knows about all too well from his life in Ukraine.
Trubin joined Benfica from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023, but he was forced to abandon his home in 2014 to move to Kyiv after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. Following the 2022 invasion, he was again forced to flee with his mother and sister to Lutsk in the west.
The 26-time Ukraine international told Goal back in 2022: “I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t like Donetsk to stay part of Ukraine. Donetsk is Ukraine, and it can only flourish as a Ukrainian city. It was a magnificent, prosperous town, the city of roses.
“I just want this war to be over as soon as possible, so that things can be as they were. How could anyone support this aggression, when peaceful people are dying?
“Such a situation helped me to grow mentally faster. Maybe that is the reason why my progress was quite fast.”
Trubin became an IDP (Internally Displaced Person) in his own country again in 2022 when he was forced to escape to Lutsk with his mother and sister following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine that sparked their ongoing war.
The proud Ukrainian was left absolutely heartbroken and his career was majorly hit while still playing with Shakhtar.
Trubin added: “We didn’t think it could really happen. Nobody expected Russia to be so barbaric and cruel. This really is a nightmare. I don’t understand how they are capable of it.
“They ruined so many beautiful towns and killed so many civilians. That is a catastrophe.
“Up until 2014, we just considered Russia to be a neighbour. There were no bad feelings between people in the two countries. It was unthinkable that war could start, first in Donetsk and then in all of Ukraine.
“But now, Russia doesn’t exist for me as a country anymore. I think it would take a very long time for the wounds to heal.”
The goalkeeper has also labelled Vladimir Putin a "killer" and previously refused to shake hands with Russian midfielder Aleksandr Golovin during a Champions League match against Monaco.
Trubin dedicated his goal to his homeland as he wrote after the game: "For Ukraine. For those who know how to fight till the end."
Benfica’s victory pushed Marseille out of the final play-off spot and will set up a play-off tie against either Real Madrid or Inter Milan – two of Mourinho’s former clubs.
Daily Star Sunday