Defender Kyle Walker scored for the first time, helping England draw 1-1 with Ukraine in round five of Group C in Euro 2024 qualifying.

*Scorer: Zinchenko 26′ – Walker 41′.

Debuting for the team in March 2011, Walker had to wait until his 77th international match to score. In the 41st minute, Harry Kane grabbed the ball in the middle of the field and flicked it into the penalty area for Walker to rush down to face goalkeeper Heorhiy Bushchan, before shooting to the near corner to equalize 1-1.

The 33-year-old defender jumped up and cheered and hugged his teammates, and they were not in a hurry to return the ball to the middle of the field.

Kyle Walker (right) scores for England in the match against Ukraine on neutral ground in Wrocław, Poland on September 9, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Walker not only scored, but also played well on defense when blocking the $75 million player Mykhailo Mudryk. The England defender was given 7.6 points by Sofascore statistics , the highest in the match.

However, England could not score more goals, accepting a break in their four-match winning streak in the Euro 2024 qualifiers. They played on the field for most of the time, but conceded first from a close-range cushion by midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko. After scoring, Zinchenko cupped his hands in a heart shape towards the camera and waved.

For political reasons, Ukraine must play at the neutral stadium Wrocław in Poland, with a capacity of about 45,000 spectators. The city of Wroclaw has more than 670,000 people, including up to 250,000 Ukrainians, so the audience almost filled the stadium and most of them cheered the team considered the host. This seems to give Ukraine more motivation to earn an important point.