England held by defiant Ukraine in Euro Qualifiers

England were held to a 1-1 draw by Ukraine in the Euro 2024 qualifiers at the Tarczynski Arena on Saturday evening.

A win for Gareth Southgate’s side would have almost secured qualification in next year’s showcase event in Germany.

Ukraine came into the game second in Group C and they are in direct competition with Italy for the automatic qualification spot. 

In a nervous opening to the game which saw England dominate possession, it was Ukraine who took the lead. The goal came in the 26th minute following a swift move.

Oleksandr Zinchenko calmly finished his effort past the onrushing Jordan Pickford in the England goal following a cutback from Yukhym Konoplya.

The Ukrainians had a clear game plan. They were happy to sit back and then looked to hit on the counter. Despite Southgate’s side seeing a lot of the ball, they hardly got any space in the final third.

England were finally level in the 41st minute. Kyle Walker controlled a brilliant crossfield ball from Harry Kane that split open the Ukrainian defense and the Manchester City right-back slotted home from close range after a deft first touch.

England couldn’t make pressure count against Ukraine defense

England did raise the tempo after the restart and almost had the lead at the hour mark. Bukayo Saka let a brilliant shot fly across goal but his effort struck the post. An England penalty appeal was also waved away by VAR as both sides looked to grab the winning goal in the closing stages.

Ukraine looked like they would snatch an unlikely victory following a late flurry. However, they lacked the precision up front to find a goal-scoring opportunity.

The result meant it was England’s first dropped points in the group. Ukraine, meanwhile are unbeaten in their four games under new coach Serhiy Rebrov.

Photo credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto