Ukraine 0-4 England: 5 talking points as Three Lions storm into semi-finals with thumping win | UEFA Euro 2020
A Harry Kane brace was added to by goals from Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson as England cruised to a 4-0 win over Ukraine in their UEFA Euro 2020 quarter-final tie in Rome on Saturday.
The win sees the Three Lions secure a spot in the last four for the second major tournament in a row.
Up until this stage of the tournament, England had made a habit of starting their games brightly without finding the net. However, the trend changed in the fourth minute, as Kane latched on to Raheem Sterling’s through ball to give his side the lead.
Ukraine took some time to settle into the game and began to ask some questions of the England defence towards the end of the half. But Gareth Southgate’s men held firm and went into the half-time interval with a deserved lead.
It did not take long for England to extend their lead in the second half. Maguire headed home his side’s second barely a minute after the restart, and Kane added a third four minutes later to put daylight between the two teams.
Jordan Henderson then came on as a second-half substitute and registered his first goal for his country, heading home a corner in the 63rd minute to put England four goals to the good.
With the win effectively in the bag, Southgate was able to rest a few key players as his team saw out the game in Rome and secured yet another clean sheet in the process. England's reward for the win is a semi-final tie against Denmark at the Wembley on Wednesday.
On that note, here are the five major talking points from the game.
#5 Rome provides a neutral setting for a key quarter-final tie
Both teams have had contrasting journeys to the quarter-finals in terms of distance travelled. While England have enjoyed a run of home games at Wembley, Ukraine came into this tie having featured in games in Amsterdam, Bucharest and Glasgow. As such, the Stadio Olimpico served as a neutral venue and added an intriguing level of complexity to this quarter-final tie.
Having become accustomed to playing in front of a crowd dominated by their own fans, England needed to adjust to the loss of their home advantage. Similarly, Ukraine might have gotten used to moving around, but the miles already travelled started to take a toll on their fitness levels as the game wore on.
#4 England showcase their squad depth with notable changes in their starting lineup
From playing Kieran Trippier at left-back in their opening fixture to playing a three-at-the-back formation against Germany, Gareth Southgate has not shied away from making bold calls in his team selection throughout Euro 2020.
As such, it was not entirely unexpected to see Southgate revert to a flat four at the back for this game after opting to go with a three-man defence in the previous one. More interesting, however, were the personnel changes in England's starting lineup.
Jadon Sancho was handed his first start of the tournament as he came in for Bukayo Saka, while the aforementioned Trippier gave way to Mason Mount. The Chelsea midfielder was returning to the fold after spending ten days in mandatory isolation away from the squad.
In the other camp, Ukraine responded with a notable tactical shift of their own. Midfielder Taras Stepanenko dropped to the bench and was replaced by left-back Vitalii Mykolenko, with Oleksandr Zinchenko moving into midfield.