ECQ: England held by Ukraine
Ukraine 1 - 1 England
England's winning run in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign came to a halt as they were held to a draw by Ukraine in Wroclaw.
Ukraine were backed by 40,000 fans in the Tarczynski Arena, giving the game the fervent feel of a home fixture despite the hosts being unable to play in their own country.
In the 26th minute, Arsenal's Oleksandr Zinchenko turned in a cross from Yukhym Konoplya to give Ukraine the lead.
There was plenty of possession for England, but there was a lack of creativity. Harry Kane had to show his brilliance four minutes before half-time to equalise. In his 77th appearance, he sent Kyle Walker in with a magnificent raking pass for his first international goal.
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The English had the better of the second half, with Bukayo Saka's shot being deflected by the slightest touch from Ukraine keeper Georgiy Bushchan.
England are still firmly on course to qualify for next summer's Euros in Germany, but this was a poor and almost lacklustre performance.
Kane shines again
As England's record goalscorer, Harry Kane is an important player for the team, but his development into a complete player cannot be overlooked.
The brilliant demonstration of Kane's vision and range of passing to set up Walker, who finished with composure, helped rescue a point from a dreary team display.
Gerry, an England fan, agreed with the praise for Harry Kane: "He was our best player yet again. I think his time in Germany playing for Bayern will only help us."
The man himself tweeted: "Not at our best tonight but still another point towards qualifying!"
Not at our best tonight but still another point towards qualifying! Congratulations @kylewalker2 on your first England goal, about time! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/8D9QoiFZFT
— Harry Kane (@HKane) September 9, 2023
More reaction
Peter, an England fan, added his thoughts: "I'm definitely disappointed. Despite controlling the game, we lacked a bit in the final third. It wasn't quite as fast as we had hoped. It is a sign of a good team when you are not at your best and still get a point. "
Lauren, an England fan, gave her opinion of the match: "We've got a fantastic squad with healthy competition for every position. This last game was a bit of a dip in our usual performance, which hasn't happened in quite some time. But you know, that's football for you, right? I hope the players are fired up and eager to get back on track and raise their game."
Jamie, another England fan, told us: "We've got eight games to secure our qualification, and let me tell you, our qualifying group is no walk in the park. So far, we've managed to grab four points from those challenging away matches."
