WROCLAW, Poland - England fought back to salvage a 1-1 draw in their Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine on Saturday to stay six points clear atop Group C after Kyle Walker scored from a sublime pass by Harry Kane for his first international goal.
England dominated possession but Ukraine opened the scoring against the run of play in the 26th minute through Oleksandr Zinchenko after Yukhym Konoplia cut back a pass from the right for the midfielder to sidefoot past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Ukraine have not played at home since Russia launched an invasion of the country in February 2022 -- which Moscow calls a "special military operation" -- and the crowd noise inside Tarczynski Arena in Poland was deafening at times.
The visitors levelled close to the break after skipper Kane gathered the ball in midfield and superbly picked out Walker who neatly controlled the ball and slotted home with a composed finish for his first England goal.
Gareth Southgate's visitors played more directly after the restart and started creating more chances, including a Bukayo Saka shot that bounced off the the bar.
England, who conceded just their second goal in qualifying, are top with 13 points from five games followed by Ukraine on seven from four. The draw against Ukraine marked the first time England have dropped points in the qualifying campaign. REUTERS