Ukraine 1-1 England: What Were The Main Talking Points As England’s 100% Qualifying Record Comes To An End In Poland?

While England might have inched a step closer to booking their European Championship ticket on Saturday evening, the Three Lions were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Ukraine at the Wroclaw Stadium in Poland.

Although Gareth Southgate’s side might have been looking to lay down another Group C marker this weekend, they failed to find any kind of fluidity and were left stunned as Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko opened the scoring midway through the first-half.

While England might have eventually salvaged a point on foreign soil as Manchester City defender Kyle Walker notched his first international goal four minutes before the interval, the European heavyweights will know that they missed out on a real chance.

However, although Ukraine might have been frustrated after eventually failing to spring a major qualifying upset at the Wroclaw Stadium, the Yellows certainly enjoyed what was an emotional evening and will know just how crucial this point could be down the line.

On an evening when the Three Lions dropped their first qualifying points, we have taken a glance at the Key Talking points from Saturday’s showdown in Poland.

England at their uninspiring worst

While England might still find themselves cruising towards an automatic ticket for next year’s European Championships, the Three Lions certainly failed to lay down any serious marker here.

Eventually watching their 100% qualifying record come to an abrupt end on Saturday evening, Southgate’s squad failed to find any real stability on foreign soil and were largely at their uninspiring worst.

Although the European heavyweights might have managed to scramble a point this weekend, they will certainly see this flat performance as an opportunity missed.

With skipper and new Bayern Munich superstar Harry Kane forced to feed off of scraps as England struggled to produce any fluidity in the final third, fans from across the country are still crying out for a more attacking philosophy.

With speculation over the past week that next year’s European Championships will be Southgate’s final hurrah, Saturday’s performance wouldn’t have left many fans feeling that he still remains the key man to guide England’s ‘golden generation’.

Questions will be asked of Southgate’s squad

Although England’s uninspiring display might have left many fans back home frustrated, it will certainly be Southgate’s eyebrow-raising squad selection that will steal plenty of headlines this weekend.

While the one-time Aston Villa defender might have opened his tenure in charge by stating that he will only select players that are both fit and playing regular first-team football, Southgate’s latest selections have certainly proven that he has forgotten about his original promise.

Despite ex-Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson making the shock move to Saudi Arabia this summer and only playing in front of an average attendance of 6,000 spectators each week, he was handed a full start here and also featured for the whole 90 minutes.

Likewise, with many feeling that the red-hot James Ward-Prowse was extremely unfortunate to be snubbed once again, it is hard to see how either Harry Maguire or Manchester City misfit Kalvin Phillips were handed yet another chance by Southgate.

A point that could be crucial for Ukraine

Suffering major World Cup qualifying heartbreak as they missed out on the chance to book their Middle Eastern ticket last year, many were wondering if Ukraine would show any signs of a hangover this time around.

However, although the Group C contenders might have been frustrated after failing to collect a major qualifying upset here, Serhiy Rebrov’s men will take away a string of positives from Saturday’s showdown in Poland.

Signing off June’s international break with a rugged 1-0 victory against Malta, Ukraine are now in the midst of a three-match unbeaten run and the mood in their camp should be at a real high.

Looking to hold off Italy in their bid to claim a top-two spot in Group C, Rebrov’s side will know how important Saturday’s point could prove to be down the line.

Next seen when they travel out to the reigning European champions for a crucial battle in midweek, Ukraine will be desperate to use Saturday’s performance as a platform to build on.

Match Report

Ukraine: Bushchan, Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Matvienko, Mykolenko, Tsygankov, Zinchenko, Sudakov, Stepanenko, Mudryk, Yaremchuk

Subs: Buyalski, Nazaryna, Dovbyk, Kryvstov, Sydorchuk

England: Pickford, Walker, Maguire, Guehi, Chilwell, Henderson, Rice, Bellingham, Saka, Kane, Maddison

Subs: Foden, Rashford, Gallagher

Goals: Ukraine: Zinchenko (26′) – England: Walker (47′)

Yellow Cards: Ukraine: Stepanenko, Yaremchuk – England: Maguire, Maddison

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Erwin Zeinstra