- Kyle Walker Scores Crucial Goal for England
- Ukraine’s Enthusiastic Support and Tensions
- England’s Struggles and Kane’s Decisive Contribution
Kyle Walker has been patient. Twelve years on from his England debut and on the occasion of his 77th cap, the Manchester City right-back eventually scored for his country. It was a crucial goal, as well, as his composed finish before halftime canceled out Oleksandr Zinchenko’s opening goal for Ukraine and ensured that England took something from a collective 6/10 performance.
Walker was the best player on the pitch, his defensive cover pace reassuring to Gareth Southgate because he was up against Mykhailo Mudryk. After giving his opponent a head start in footraces, he continually shut the door in his opponent’s face.
Walker’s goal was assisted by Harry Kane’s pinpoint pass, and it momentarily hushed the blue, yellow, and Ukrainian-spirited near-capacity crowd.
England are virtually qualified for the European Championship finals in Germany next summer, having won four of their first four qualification matches, and this draw was not catastrophic. Despite possessing the initiative, they were unable to secure the victory. The lack of guile in the final third would result in an outpouring of Ukrainian delight at the final whistle. Southgate and his players will face Scotland in a friendly on Tuesday in Glasgow.
It is difficult to determine the exact number of Ukrainians residing in the Polish city of Wroclaw, whose population is approximately 640,000, but the acknowledged figure is approximately 250,000. In other terms, they are a fundamental component of society. As they milled about the picturesque old town after lunch, it was impossible to ignore their enthusiasm as they observed the traveling England fans pinning their flags and settling in.
Although there were reminders of Ukraine’s suffering, the ambiance under the scorching sun was relaxed.
One mural depicted Vladimir Putin as Adolf Hitler, complete with a swastika and cuffed wrists. The word “Killer” was spray-painted beneath, and “Nuremberg For Putin” was written to the side. Before and during the game, the audience chanted in support of their army, and the performance of the national anthem, during which blue and yellow flags were held aloft, was emotional.
England desired control, and they initially dominated possession. The new Ukraine manager, Serhiy Rebrov, utilized a 4-4-2 formation when his team was out of possession, but he did not want to attack or over-commit. The counterattack was intended to be his path to triumph.
The burden fell on England. What were their options with the ball? For much of the first half, the response was “not much.” Early on, Jude Bellingham made a few nifty movements, while Bukayo Saka had a shot blocked, but the meal was thin.
Under Rebrov, who took over in June, the Ukraine squad is more confident than it was at Wembley in March when England won with relative ease. Rebrov began well with victories over North Macedonia and Malta, and the stadium was electric when Zinchenko scored the game-winning goal.
England was stretched when Viktor Tsyhankov released the overlapping right-back Yukhym Konoplya after deft footwork by the impressive Heorhiy Sudakov.
The home audience went wild whenever a yellow player achieved even the slightest success. Now, the decibel level increased dramatically. Konoplya retreated, leaving Zinchenko, who arrived late, to guide the ship home. A crimson flare illuminated the scene of celebration behind the goal.
James Maddison replaced Marcus Rashford on the left wing after the 7-0 thrashing of North Macedonia at Old Trafford in June. Southgate made no other alterations.
England was indebted to Kane because they were struggling until he descended deep to create the equalizer for Walker with a magnificent diagonal pass over the top and inside Vitaliy Mykolenko.
Jordan Henderson attempted to find James Maddison immediately after Zinchenko’s goal when he could have fired, and Maddison’s yellow card for a challenge on Illya Zabarnyi summed up England’s mounting frustrations.
Maddison took a poor touch when a better one from a Bellingham pass would have put him through on goal, but Kane’s pass ignited the equalizer, Walker’s first touch being so accurate that he had time to let the ball bounce once, then twice, before finishing.
Maddison took an unusual approach to left wing, where Southgate had several alternatives, moving inside for space.
The plan was for Ben Chilwell to overlap or perhaps for Bellingham to strike on. Neither occurred. Madison’s performance was a mixed bag, with some excellent passes and some sloppy touches.
After Maddison found Kane, Saka was denied by the crossbar as England attacked early in the second half. Saka cut inside, and his technique was flawless; the shot ricocheted off the post. It appeared to the unaided eye that custodian Heorhiy Bushchan had touched the ball.
Southgate substituted Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford for Bellingham and Maddison; Bellingham’s performance had waned after a promising start. There was the central midfield position that Foden desired. The substitution did not aid England in producing a late attack, however.
