Goalkeepers are the closest thing football has to sitting ducks, and that often translates into plenty of abuse from opposing fans.

But fans of Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles have turned preconceptions on their head by singing You’ll Never Walk Alone in solidarity with their rivals’ keeper, whose mother had just died.

Dutch keeper Jelle ten Rouwelaar had taken to the pitch despite his mother having died aged 61 a few days earlier. And a miserable week seemed to be getting no better, as his side NAC Breda were trailing 2-0 to the Eagles.

But in the 61st minute, Eagles fans came together and began to serenade him in honour of his mother’s memory. As thousands sang You’ll Never Walk Alone, the emotional moment proved just too much for ten Rouwelaar, and he struggled to keep his composure as he wiped away the tears.

Watch the moving example of sporting fair play in the video above.