West Ham's Andriy Yarmolenko, Ukrainian national team star, breaks down in tears after scoring vs. Aston Villa

The beautiful game is just that for many reasons. One of those reasons is that soccer can provide uplifting moments that bubble with emotion. That's just what happened on Saturday as West Ham beat Aston Villa, 2-1.

Hammers forward Andriy Yarmolenko, born in Ukraine, scored his team's opening goal in the win. With Russia's invasion on Ukraine continuing, there is no doubt that his heart is heavy and hurting. Sunday marked Yarmolenko's first time in West Ham's squad since Russia began attacking Ukraine, and he entered the game in the second half to spell Michail Antonio.

Yarmolenko's goal was a huge moment for the player, bringing him first to his knees and second to tears as this teammates and the club's supporters comforted him.

A superb goal, and a superb moment for Yarmolenko, whose 44 goals for the Ukrainian national team are second most in the country's history.

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