Key occasions
83 min Toney wins his first header and finds Saka. He fires a pointy go into Maddison, 10 yards out, however he can’t management it. It was an ungainly ball to take.
81 min: England substitution: Ivan Toney for Harry Kane A beautiful second for Ivan Toney, and for one specific bus cease in Hounslow. Toney joins the lengthy record of England gamers below Gareth Southgate, Kane included, who did the bitter metres within the decrease leagues earlier than making it large. He’s additionally the primary Brentford participant to look for England since 1939.
79 min Ivan Toney is on the brink of make his England debut.
78 min England’s try at a 74-pass objective ends when Walker’s pushed go is headed up within the air.
77 min After a protracted spell of England possession inside their very own half, Maddison spreads the play with an excellent go to Saka. He runs 40 yards earlier than England gradual issues down once more. They’ve had the ball for at the very least 60 seconds now.
74 min: Ukraine substitution Artem Dovbyk replaces Roman Yaremchuk.
73 min England attraction for a penalty when Saka’s clip not far away hits a Ukraine defender. The referee factors to his chest, not the spot. Moments later, after a pleasant go from Maddison, Bellingham’s cross is crucially cleared contained in the six-yard field.
71 min Maddison touches the free-kick off to Saka, who curls excessive and vast this time. Oh, Bukayo.
69 min Saka wriggles away from Malinovskyi on the appropriate and is fouled simply exterior the world. Malinovskyi is booked.
69 min The second half has been a little bit of a non-event.
66 min Maddison dances thrillingly by midfield, however then he overhits an admittedly awkward by ball to Saka.
64 min England are managing this sport properly, a lot in order that Jordan Pickford nonetheless hasn’t had a save to make.
62 min: Ukraine substitutions Vitaliy Buyalskiy, Viktor Tsykankov and Eduard Sobol exchange Oleksandr Karavaev, Vitaliy Mykolenko and Mykhailo Mudryk.
60 min Zinchenko clips a wonderful go into Mudryk on the sting of the world. He turns onto his proper foot however is instantly crowded out.
59 min “Regarding Venables and his subs during Euro 96, it always amazed me that he didn’t make any during the semifinal against Germany,” says Michal Pac Pomarnacki. “Any suggestions why? He had plenty options of the bench namely Fowler and Ferdinand…”
Well the primary interval was so breathlessly dramatic, one of many nice intervals of extra-time, that I doubt there was any time to assume. I may need introduced Fowler on for Sheringham within the second interval, which was comparatively quiet, as Fowler was at his absolute peak. That mentioned, the substitutes (Fowler, Stone and one different, Barmby?) didn’t do a lot in opposition to Spain from reminiscence, so I’ve at all times considered it as an affordable choice quite than a mistake.
58 min Walker performs within the overlapping Saka, who hammers a low right-footed cross into the center. It’s too fast for Bellingham, who can’t modify his ft and screws the ball additional throughout the world. Actually, replays present there was a slight from a Ukraine participant close by, so I did Bellingham a disservice.
56 min A good spell for Ukraine, with some good possession in England’s half. England look snug sufficient although.
52 min “Harry Kane’s goal,” says Dave Manby. “Does anyone else think it was an own goal?”
I believed Karavaev poked it in opposition to Kane earlier than it ricocheted into the online, which might make it Kane’s objective. But my eyesight isn’t what it was, and I’ve been carrying glasses for the reason that age of 4.
51 min Maddison loses Yaremchuk with a beautiful flip 22 yards from objective, however then he will get a bit carried away – comprehensible within the circumstances – and smashes a rising shot vast of the close to publish.
50 min England’s subsequent qualifiers are in June: Malta away and North Macedonia at house. If it stays like this they are going to already be in an excellent place to qualify for the Euros.
47 min Bellingham beats two gamers fairly brilliantly in a really tight space, the primary by taking part in a wall-pass with himself, the second with a nutmeg. His energy is so eye-catching that it’s simple to overlook how deft he’s as properly. Somebody goes to get extraordinarily fortunate this summer time, even when it prices £150m.
47 min “I always think of Netherlands’ numbering, which goes across the back four with 2, 3, 4, 5 from right to left,” says Daniel Harris. “The midfield then has a 6, 8 and a 10, with 7, 9, 11 in attack. I think that’s where our positional references come from.”
46 min Peep peep! The second half is below means.
What makes Bukayo Saka so good? The apparent reply is ‘everything’. But for a participant who’s so trendy and watchable, his biggest high quality could be a quietly devastating effectivity. Even his objective and help at present – each extraordinarily laborious issues to do – had been made to look nearly routine.
For a younger attacking participant, the ultimate frontier is to develop from fantasy footballer to Fantasy Footballer, one who offers within the laborious forex of objectives and assists quite than YouTube reels. Few 21-year-olds do it in addition to Saka.
Never thoughts Bukayo Saka, let’s get again to shirt numbers
“The conventional numbering systems come from the gradual change from 2-3-5 to 4-4-2,” writes Thom Scott-Phillips. “Numbers first appeared on shirts when 2-3-5 was common, so the two fullbacks were 2 and 3, three halfbacks were 4, 5 and 6, and the front five were 7-11, numbering from one wing to the other.
“Then the change. The middle of halfbacks, the 5, was moved back, along with one of the other two: either the 4 or the 6. The other stays in midfield. Meanwhile one of the inside forwards, either the 8 or the 10, moves back into the midfield, while the other sits just off the centre forward, who is 9.
“Now you have your classic 4-4-2 numbering: 2 and 3 as fullbacks; 5 and either 4 or 6 at centre back; a midfield pairing one of 4 and 6 with one of 8 or 10; 7 and 11 as wide players; 9 as centre forward with either 8 or 10 sitting off them.
“For the era, that Liverpool side were very unconventional with their numbering.”
Half time: England 2-0 Ukraine
England are in management thanks to 2 moments of brilliance from Bukayo Saka. His unplayable cross led to Harry Kane’s opening objective, and three minutes later he flashed a 20-yard roller into the highest nook as if it was the best and most evident factor on the planet.
45 min Three minutes of added time.
44 min As my someday colleague Steve Bradfield factors out, there was a Messiesque inevitability to that Saka objective – he mainly handed the ball into the highest nook, at tempo, from 20 yards.
43 min Mudryk pings properly vast from distance. England have saved Ukraine’s attackers very quiet.
42 min Suddenly England are rampant. Bellingham stretches to intercept a go, 30 yards from objective, and instantly shovels it by to Kane within the inside-right channel. He smashes a low shot from 15 yards that’s properly saved by the falling Trubin.
What a incredible objective! Henderson rolled a easy go in the direction of Saka, who was 20 yards out, again to objective and with Matviyenko tight in opposition to him. Too tight, in truth: Saka rolled him with ease, moved infield and flashed a curling shot into the far high nook. Brilliant.
GOAL! England 2-0 Ukraine (Saka 40)
Bukayo Saka goes to be a celebrity!
39 min That was a barely odd objective. At first it regarded like a routine end from Kane, however I’m nearly sure Karavaev knocked the ball in opposition to him. Either means, it was a devilish cross from the more and more unplayable Bukayo Saka.
Harry Kane extends his England document, although he didn’t know that a lot about it. He began the transfer himself by booming a crossfield go out to Saka on the appropriate. Saka moved to the sting of the world, teased Mudryk and curled a depraved inswinging cross in the direction of the far publish.
Kane fought for the ball with Karavaev, who obtained there first and tried to poke it behind for a nook. Instead the ball hit the leg of Kane, who was within the act of taking pictures himself, and flew previous Trubin.
GOAL! England 1-0 Ukraine (Kane 37)
54+1 = 55.
36 min Maddison leads a promising 4 on 4 break. The ball will get barely caught below his ft – this pitch isn’t nice – earlier than he finally provides it to Saka. His cross is half cleared, then Maddison had a shot blocked, then so does Henderson. The final block was the perfect one.
35 min Maddison has been… okay up to now, no roughly. In that regard, he’s completely in tune together with his teammates.
34 min Maddison heads Henderson’s cross straight at Trubin from eight yards, however once more it wouldn’t have counted as he was offside.
34 min Derrick Cameron writes in to remind us about Ivan Zamorano carrying No18 at Inter: 1+8 = 9, which had been claimed by some no-mark.
33 min Mudryk reveals scary tempo within the inside-left channel earlier than his cutback is properly learn on the close to publish by Maguire. No matter: Yaremchuk was offside earlier within the transfer.
31 min “Zerouali was a ray of sunshine during a particularly bleak period of Scottish football outside the Old Firm,” says Matt Thomas. “ Was worth the entrance fee. Which admittedly with student discount wasn’t much. Rest in peace Hicham.”
Bloody hell I had no thought he died so younger,
30 min Another probability for Kane, who pokes a bouncing ball over the bar after a fast free-kick from Maddison. This time he was undoubtedly offside, although, so it wouldn’t have counted.
28 min Kane may need been fractionally offside when he missed that probability.
27 min England are beginning to pin Ukraine again. They haven’t created many clear probabilities, thoughts, and will use a bit extra wit within the centre of the sector.
25 min: Chance for Kane! Henderson, in a typical inside-right place, flips a first-time cross in the direction of the far publish. Kane, bizarrely unmarked, misses an tried flying volley together with his left foot. The ball runs past the far publish to Bellingham, whose fierce low cross ricochets off a few gamers – one in all them Kane, by now on all fours – earlier than being cleared.
23 min “For some reason,” writes Joe Pearson. “Fox Sports thinks American viewers want to watch Liechtenstein vs Iceland. What!? And I’m not going to pay for their premium streamer, so please keep the updates coming thick and fast. TIA!”
He’s not within the squad this time.
22 min Malinovskyi’s shot from the sting of the world is blocked by his teammate Mudryk. He caught that fairly sweetly.
20 min Chilwell, nonetheless over on the appropriate following a nook, swings a really deep cross that’s headed straight at Trubin by Kane. He needed to scramble over a defender so it was a quarter-chance at finest.
Tell you what, the normalisation of xG has executed a proper quantity on that almost all helpful liveblog cliche, the half-chance.
20 min “Given we’re talking shirt numbers,” says Andy Flintoff, “maybe the best of all time would be Hicham Zerouali’s 0 for Aberdeen, for which he had to get special permission from the SPL.”
So that’s who the Yeah Yeah Yeahs had been singing about.
19 min England are dominating possession, although their attacking play up to now has been barely pedestrian.
18 min Trubin is ok.
16 min Saka’s overhit cross is spilled inexplicably by Trubin, who then reacts properly to smother Maddison’s follow-up. Maddison follows by into Trubin, who stays down after carrying just a few of Maddison’s studs. It was a bouncing ball, nothing vicious from Maddison.
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