England draw 1-1 with Ukraine in Euro 2024 qualifier

WARSAW - Kyle Walker cancelled Oleksandr Zinchenko's opener to give England one point against Ukraine in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier in Wroclaw, Poland on Saturday.

The visitors, guided by Gareth Southgate, were dominant in the first half with 69 per cent of possession, but it was Serhiy Rebrov's side which opened the scoring first.

In the 26th minute, Yukhym Konoplya's cut-back pass in the penalty area allowed Zinchenko to fire in with left foot. Jordan Pickford had no chance to save his team from conceding a goal.

The visitors responded four minutes before the break. Walker received a terrific pass from Harry Kane and beat Vitalyi Mykolenko from close range, scoring his first goal in his 77th appearance for England.

After the break, the "Three Lions" kept the pace, but they couldn't find a decisive goal as Ukraine defended well. Bukayo Saka could have led his team to victory but hit crossbar, and Ukraine drew with England 1-1, said Xinhua.

"It's a very tough place to come, you could feel the atmosphere as a unique occasion. We controlled the game, with over 70 per cent of the ball. We pacified a lot of that atmosphere by controlling the game," Southgate claimed at the post-match press conference.

"What was important was not to lose the game, and in the process of qualification that's very important," Southgate added. - BERNAMA