PSV's Zahavi scored goal for his family victimized in armed robbery

PSV footballer Eran Zahavi, whose wife and kids were victims of an armed robbery on Monday, said his wife made the choice for him to take on the pitch in Thursday’s game against PEC Zwolle. The 33-year-old Israeli midfielder scored a goal in his team’s 4-2 victory, knowing full well the difficult time his family had in recovering from a robbery in which his wife and children were tied up and threatened.

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"When the ball was still on its way to me, I was already thinking about them. I give my everything for them. My family had a very difficult time because we are far away from home. We have good friends here, but no family to support us," said Zahavi to Nu.nl.

"When you get that much support, you want to give something back. I am also grateful that my family was allowed to enter the stadium. That way they could forget about the problems for a while" he added.

Zahavi acknowledged his wife, Shay Zahavi, wanted to immediately leave the country following the traumatic experience. During the robbery, she was threatened with a firearm by one of the two robbers, a man who was dressed as a postal worker. Aside from being tied up and threatened, the wife and four children also had their mouths wrapped with tape during the ordeal.

"My wife immediately said: I want to go home to my family. But I have enough experience not to make such a decision hastily. After a while, I proved to her that what had happened was not her fault. How she handled it makes her a heroine in my eyes,” he said.

Zahavi said he received plenty of support from his friends and neighbors, which he was grateful for. "Even neighbors came to bring flowers to support me. Especially for my wife and children, it is a drama. I was happy to score for them. It was a special moment," he admitted.

Zahavi’s PSV is set to close the Eredivisie season on Sunday with an away game against FC Utrecht.