England’s players greet the fans after their win in the UEFA EURO 2020 quarter-final football match between Ukraine and England at the Olympic Stadium in Rome on July 3, 2021. (Photo by ALBERTO LINGRIA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO LINGRIA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
An irresistible England with a statement game against Ukraine
England got over the hump when they beat Germany to reach the quarterfinals of Euro 2020. Following so many disappointments against the Germans, they now found themselves on the winning side of things.
Still, there were pockets of that game where Germany overwhelmed England. Despite the win, people were waiting for the Three Lions to put in a complete performance. English supporters got that against Ukraine.
The much-maligned Harry Kane opened the score in the fourth minute off a pass from Raheem Sterling where Kane did well with his movement to get away from a Ukraine defender. After needing four games of the tournament to score, Kane now has two goals in as many games.
Harry Maguire, another player who had come under some criticism in the past, doubled England’s lead just a minute into the second half.
Even in games where England were having trouble scoring, they were always dangerous from set piece and were finally rewarded for their efforts.
“We wanted to be better at attacking set-plays, we hadn’t scored from one at this tournament and we’ve got two tonight from myself and Jordan [Henderson],” Maguire said. “It’s a great ball in from Luke Shaw and I got good contact on it, and when I got that contract from that range, I knew it was a goal. It’s nice to chip in with a goal, but the most important thing is that we won.”
Source: UEFA
England, and Kane, weren’t done scoring as only four minutes later, Kane scored a brace and their third. Jordan Henderson put a bow on the proceedings scoring England’s fourth and final goal in the 63rd minute.
Up until Maguire scored, only Kane and Sterling had scored for England. They had only scored four goals in four games. Against Ukraine, they scored as many goals as they had in their other matches.
The performance was the best England have looked in Euro 2020. What’s more, they kept another clean sheet. They’ve yet to give up a goal so far, which goes back to manager Gareth Southgate and how he’s set up his team despite the criticism.
“To come here, prepare differently, play in a historic stadium on a night that was beautiful for football with the weather inspired the players,” Southgate said. “They gave a fantastic performance, not only the players who started but the players who came into the game. They kept the momentum going, we were able to get the players off who were on a yellow card and a couple who were carrying knocks.”
Source: UEFA
England are set to return to Wembley for their semifinal clash against Denmark. Reaching the final is the only thing on their mind. They came close to reaching the final of the 2018 World Cup before falling to Croatia. They remember that disappointment and will do their best to avoid a repeat performance.
“There are a few of us in this team who played in that [World Cup] semi-final [against Croatia] and we know how much that hurt not to get to the final and to go all the way, Kane said. It has been a great tournament so far.
“We’ve ticked off the boxes as we’ve gone along but the bottom line is we have a vision of where we want to be and that’s winning major tournaments.”
