Southgate persisted with Jordan Henderson in midfield despite the 33-year-oldAnd even though the manager's starting line-up contained creative midfielders in the shape of Jude Bellingham and James Maddison there was little of that commodity on offer.
England dominated possession but did so little with it that by the time the final whistle sounded they had no compelling case to claim they deserved victory.Outcome plays second fiddle to emotional occasion They were whipped into a noisy frenzy in the hour before kick-off by the enthusiastic cheerleading of the pitch announcer, with banners inside the stadium bearing slogans of support reading "Wars Aren't Stopped. Wars Are Won" and "Army Of Heroes".
England responded with that Walker equaliser, Kane confirming his status as the complete player by dropping back to near the halfway line before showing outstanding vision and range of passing to pick out the marauding full-back behind Ukraine's defence. Walker showed a clear head in an unfamiliar situation to finish tidily.
Ukraine's players draped themselves in their country's flag as they took to the field to sing their national anthemIn contrast, England provided only one special moment and certainly not enough to banish the old accusations that manager and players are gripped by conservatism on far too many occasions than is good for them.
England were sterile and disappointing, seemingly playing with the handbrake on, although Southgate will have every right to state that while this is a bump in the road they are still firmly fixed on a route to take them to Germany next summer.
Entertainment Entertainment Latest News, Entertainment Entertainment Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: SkyNews - 🏆 35. / 67 Read more »