Dynamo Kyiv played in the first competitive match of a Ukrainian football team since the beginning of the war in the UEFA Youth League and are eliminated.

In the Romanian capital Bucharest, Dynamos U19 lost to the Portuguese from Sporting Lisbon in the round of 16 with 1:2 (0:2).

The encounter was originally scheduled to take place in Kyiv on March 2, but the Russian attack a week earlier prevented it from being held.

Before kick-off, the Dynamo players took to the pitch wrapped in Ukraine flags, followed by a minute's silence for the victims of the war.

The 2,000 or so spectators at the Giulesti Stadium included several players from the first Dynamo team.

League football in Ukraine is currently on hold.

The Ukrainian football record champion now wants to support his home country with several benefit games against top European clubs.

First up is a game against Polish champions Legia Warsaw on April 12th.

The Ukrainians then want to play against Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona, ​​AC Milan, Ajax Amsterdam and FC Basel by June.

A game against Borussia Dortmund is also planned.

Games for Peace!

The team of Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu is preparing in Bucharest for the games, which will be held under the motto “Play for Peace!

Stop the war!” and will be broadcast by Ukrainian and European broadcasters.

"The purpose of these games is to inform the international community about the terrible war in Ukraine and to raise funds to support Ukrainians who have suffered from the war with the Russian aggressor," Dynamo's website said .

Coach Lucescu swore his team into the games with martial words, as the Ukrainian agency Unian reported on Wednesday.

"When Ukrainian soldiers fight heroically on the battlefield, you must do it on the football field.

For the good of Ukraine and its people," the club quoted the coach as saying.

Opponents would make no concessions.

"They will fight you like it's an official Champions League match," said Lucescu.

Dynamo Kiev's U19s had won both youth league games against Bayern Munich's juniors (4-0/2-1) in the group stage.

However, from the second minute the team was trailing behind against the Portuguese.

Sporting now meets city rivals Benfica Lisbon in the quarter-finals.