Here’s Tom Garry on England’s strong start to World Cup qualifying. Thanks for tuning in.
“With the crosses from far out we just weren’t able to score so we tried to get more at the edge, in the half-spaces, be patient and have shots from the edge of the box,” says Sarina Wiegman. “It helped that we swapped our wingers from one side to the other, we came inside a little bit more, that made it a bit easier for the team.
“Every moment we lost the ball we were so on it, that shows the mentality of the team.”
Georgia Stanway speaks to ITV about a change in approach during the second half: “Instead of us trying to get closer and closer to the box, maybe we can come further out to make sure there’s some space for Alessia. And that’s exactly where the first goal came from. She had space to take it, turn and get the finish.”
England weren’t poor at all in the first half; it was just about getting that first one on the board to ease the tension. Russo provided the breakthrough, while Hemp and Park – switching wings – opened up the game by cutting in. Stanway ran things in the middle, scoring two and creating another. Ukraine had a brief moment of joy through Kalinina, but England were too professional to let it become something more.
FULL-TIME: Ukraine 1-6 England
Seven – seven – goals in the second half. It ends up being a very comfortable night out for the European champions.
90+2 min: We’ll have just two minutes of added time.
The Manchester United forward cuts in from the left and gives the ball a full wallop from inside the area – the dipping effort is too much for Samson.
GOAL! Ukraine 1-6 England (Park 89)
Park has a double, too.
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88 min: Petryk is late on Stanway after the England midfielder pokes the ball around the corner – she goes in the book.
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Georgia Stanway’s two goals for England tonight take her up to outright ninth position in England’s Women’s all-time goalscorer standings, with 31 goals, as she climbs above the great Marieanne Spacey-Cale (30 goals). Russo’s double sees her on 29, now in 11th spot.
86 min: England play a corner short and Pattinson gets caught between shooting and crossing – the end result is a dink out of bounds.
83 min: Wubben-Moy pings a delicious ball out to James on the right, who crosses for Beever-Jones at the front post … she can’t quite hook it around enough to test the keeper. That would’ve been the classiest goal of the night.
80 min: Ukraine hope for a penalty after Hiryn drives down the left and in to the area before going down … there was a light tug of the shirt by Wubben-Moy but the referee doesn’t buy it.
England work it down the right, Stanway nutmegging with her ball across goal. Park times her run perfectly for the simple tap-in.
GOAL! Ukraine 1-5 England (Park 78)
It’s Park’s turn, Stanway – the standout – creating it.
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77 min: It’s a decent ball in but no damage to England.
76 min: Ukraine win a free-kick from a similar area to where they scored from … Basanska stands over it.
73 min: Russo won’t get the match ball. She departs, as does Hemp. On come the Chelsea duo of Lauren James and Aggie Beever-Jones.
Stanway takes the ball on the edge of the area, in the left channel, and puts the laces right through it to find the top left corner.
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GOAL! Ukraine 1-4 England (Stanway 70)
She’s been brilliant all evening.
69 min: Hemp twists and turns on the edge of the area as England get some rhythmic passing going.
66 min: Again, it was Hemp cutting into the middle from the right that created that goal. That slight tactical tweak – the swap with Park – has changed the game.
GOAL! Ukraine 1-3 England (Stanway pen 64)
It won’t be Russo for the treble. Stanway has the responsibility and calmly slots into the bottom left corner, Samson diving the other way.
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Penalty to England!
63 min: Hemp collects the ball with her back to goal, turns and goes down under the challenge by Korsun. The ref points to the spot immediately.
61 min: Just when you thought Ukraine were about to fall apart, legs heavy from that first-half resistance, they find themselves back in it. The subs are getting ready to give them another burst.
Ukraine have their first chance to properly get forward in this match, winning a free-kick on the right. Andrukhiv whips in a good-looking ball, it drops nicely for Kalinina inside the area and she latches on to it, somehow finding the gap, placing the ball to Hampton’s right. Ukraine are beyond jubilant.
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GOAL! Ukraine 1-2 England (Kalinina 58)
Where’s that come from?
56 min: Hemp cutting in from the right has caused Ukraine a lot of bother this half. Park fires in a dangerous low ball from the left as England queue up for more.
55 min: Russo is pushing for a hat-trick, getting her head on it inside the area for the umpteenth time – she can’t get enough power with a looping effort.
53 min: England have turned things up this half; they work a corner short, Park, jinking away, finds Stanway on the edge of the six-yard box … her shot is blocked out for another corner.
A change of wings has worked for England. Hemp, out on the right this half, cuts back and plays to Russo, who nips in at the front post for a sneaky tap-in.
GOAL! Ukraine 0-2 England (Russo 51)
And … another one.
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51 min: That’ll bring some calm to England after a weird first half.
A couple of quick passes outside the D, the ball then finding Russo inside the area, on the left. She twists, cleverly, to leave the defender on the floor before finding the bottom right corner. Fast, fluid work by the visitors.
GOAL! Ukraine 0-1 England (Russo 47)
There it is.
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Time for a couple of changes: Poppy Pattinson makes her England debut, replacing Hinds. Esme Morgan is on for Williamson.
England have been wasteful in front of goal, which will frustrate Sarina Wiegman, but surely it’s only a matter of time before they find the breakthrough.
HALF-TIME: Ukraine 0-0 England
England have dominated possession, moved it at pace, given Samson a test, had a shot cleared off the line … and it’s nil-nil. Ukraine, somehow, remain in this game.
45+3 min: Russo, for the first time in a while, finds room in the middle for a header but can’t get the power or direction.
45+2 min: England are stuck outside the Ukraine area, wheeling it from wing to wing, unable to play the defence-splitting pass.
45 min: We’ve got three minutes added on.
44 min: Hemp is taking control, looking to dribble past anyone put up in front of her. Park’s cross from the right can’t find a connection.
40 min: Hemp decides to go past everyone, slipping past yellow shirts to dance into the area … but she can’t keep her balance, her low effort travelling wide. England’s patience is getting tested now.
39 min: Williamson has had enough of building from the back; she lets fly from outside the area, but it’s straight at Samson.
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38 min: Wubben-Moy gives the ball away cheaply but Ukraine can’t make it count when they take possession.
36 min: Hinds is on corner duties from the left as another one comes and goes, failing to cause Ukraine any serious bother.
35 min: Park volleys in the area … but doesn’t middle it.
33 min: The goal-saving clearance was by Shaynyuk. Ukraine are hanging in there, not letting England cut through, but they’re not providing much at all with the ball.
32 min: Somehow, it’s still nil-nil. Another England corner comes in, the ball lands inside the mixer for Wubben-Moy, with her back to goal; she backheels with power but is met with a clearance off the line.
29 min: Andrukhiv is down for Ukraine, prompting a break in play.
28 min: Hemp jinks down the wing, crosses for Russo … and it’s another corner for England.
26 min: England are freely mixing up their positions, moving the ball at decent pace; there’s not much dithering around.
23 min: Le Tissier dinks the ball in to the area … there’s a game of pinball, a shout for handball, and Russo has a header blocked. England are all over their opponents.
22 min: Stanway, running the show at the moment, is bundled down by Shaynyuk. England have a free-kick out on the left …
19 min: Blindkilde Brown, inside the area, has two goes to shoot … the ball hits the underside of the crossbar and, somehow, doesn’t cross the line.
19 min: Replays shows Samson celebrating her save against Stanway; she’s pumped up. Plenty more of that required here.
18 min: Park is eating up plenty of ground for England, drifting into the middle to open up space for Le Tissier on the right. Stanway pulls off a nutmeg in midfield before launching from outside the area … Samson makes a strong save moving to her right.
14 min: Le Tissier finds space on the right but her cross into the middle meets a group of yellow shirts.
13 min: … England play it short, but can’t pull off the training-ground routine.
12 min: Park wins England a corner with a deflected strike …
11 min: The game is being exclusively played inside the Ukraine half.
9 min: Nearly an opener for England: Stanway’s ball in from the left finds the leaping Russo … her header, searching for the top left corner, travels over the bar. The Arsenal forward is on the hunt.
8 min: This is really sad; a stretcher is on to take Kozlova off. She’s replaced by Lidiia Zaborovets.
7 min: Oh dear, Kozlova is down on the pitch in serious pain. She didn’t make contact with anyone, just twisting awkwardly before falling to the ground.
6 min: Stanway shows quick feet in midfield before Russo, inside the area, is quick to turn and shoot from the left-hand side, forcing Samson to get low and make her first save of the night.
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4 min: Ukraine, it’s worth saying, have never reached the World Cup; Euro 2009 is their only major tournament appearance.
3 min: Hemp finds room out on the left, her low ball in cleared inside the area.
2 min: England set up camp inside the Ukraine half, the nominal hosts dropping very deep.
1 min: England take hold of possession, wheeling it around at the back, Williamson getting a good look at the ball.
Peeeeep!
And we’re away. Ukraine kick things off, Kozlova taking the first touch.
The Ukraine players are draped in their national flag as they sing the national anthem.
England are wearing black armbands in a tribute to Lynda Hale, who played in their first formal international. Her name is spelled out by supporters in the crowd.
Ukraine’s Nicole Kozlova, who plays for Glasgow City, explains to Sky Sports just how arduous the journey is for her teammates to get to Turkey.
People need to realise – first, the girls need to get to Kyiv depending on where they live. Then it’s a 15-hour train ride with a five-hour standstill at the border, sometimes more.
They then have to take a flight all the way to Turkey, usually a midnight flight. So it takes at least 24 hours and every trip is like that. They’re kind of used to it now, but I know it never gets easier.
Alex Greenwood is missing for England with a “minor muscle injury”. Leah Williamson returns for her first international appearance since the Euros. England make six changes from their last fixture, a friendly victory over Ghana in December.
The teams
Ukraine: Samson, Shaynyuk, Kotyk, Petryk, Korsun, Basanska, Andrukhiv, Kalinina, Ovidychuk, Kozlova, Kravchuk
Subs: Boklach, Keliushyk, Podolska, Kotiash, Hiryn, Ivkova, Zaborovets, Shmatko, Kohut, Hlushchenko, Olkhova
England: Hampton, Le Tissier, Williamson, Wubben-Moy, Hinds, Blindkilde Brown, Walsh, Stanway, Park, Russo, Hemp
Subs: Moorhouse, Roebuck, Bronze, Pattinson, Morgan, Fisk, Kelly, Kendall, Beever-Jones, James, Carter, Godfrey
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Preamble
How do we go about even thinking of a World Cup at present? This fixture says plenty on its own: Ukraine are the home side but are playing in Turkey because of the war with Russia. Sarina Wiegman, the England manager, says her side are in close contact with the UK government regarding their safety amid the conflict that rages nearby. A 32-team festival of joy and global co-operation feels hallucinogenic right now.
But here we are, the start of the European qualifiers for next year’s World Cup in Brazil. England find themselves in a group with Ukraine, Iceland and Spain. The team that finishes top qualifies directly; the others will have to enter the playoffs. The main show, undoubtedly, will be the battle between the world champions and Euro winners, but we’ll get to that in April. First up, Antalya, kick-off at 5pm GMT.
