Follow minute-by-minute commentary of the World Cup Group H qualifying match between Ukraine and England at the Olympic Stadium, Kiev, on Tuesday Sep 10, 2013, kick-off 19.45 (BST).
Best foot forward: England's players prepare to face Ukraine with a final training session in the Olympic Stadium Photo: REUTERS
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Full time: Ukraine 0-0 England That's it. A deserved result
for England after a good defensive performance, with Ashley Cole outstanding.
Their attacking was diabolical, but so it sometimes goes. England stay top of
the group with 16 points from eight games. Ukraine and Montenegro have 15 from
eight. England know that if they win their last two games, at home to Montenegro
and Poland, they will win the group. But if they the first of those games,
against Montenegro, they probably won't even make the play-offs. It'll be a bit
of a cup final at Wembley on October 11. Thanks for your company; goodnight.
90+2 min Frank Lampard almost steals a win on his 100th cap!
Walker's long throw from the right bounced all the way across the area. Everyone
gawped at it except Lampard, who stretched forward and headed just wide of the
far post from six yards. He couldn't quite get enough on the ball as he lunged
forward.
90 min Seleznyov replaces the willing but ineffective
Zozulya. There will be three minutes of added tedium time.
89 min Walker does well to repel yet another surge from
Konoplyanka, the man of the match by some distance. Walker will have learned
plenty tonight.
86 min Bezus has made a big difference since coming on to
play off the front man. In other news, Tom Cleverley has just come on to replace
the limping Theo Walcott. It wasn't a great night for Walcott, who demonstrated
his Achilles heel of poor decision-making and got a boot on his achilles as
well.
85 min Yarmolenko, who has got nothing out of Cole, mistakes
himself for Rivelino and smashes a left-footed shot miles over the bar from a
ludicrous angle.
84 min Cahill makes a good block from Bezus's 20-yard shot.
To misquote Kevin Keegan: only one team can win this now - Ukraine.
82 min Walker's cross is helped on instinctively by Walcott,
in front of the near post, and it drifts teasingly across goal, a few yards wide
of the far post. Pyatov had it covered.
80 min Rickie Lambert, meet reality. Reality, meet Rickie
Lambert. (In Lambert's defence, the service has been terrible, and he did create
England's best/only chance.)
78 min After a vaguely competent move from England's, Cole's
cross is deflected behind for a corner, which comes to nothing. England's
attacking play has been pretty miserable tonight. Andy Townsend describes it as
"average" which, given that he spent international career chasing violent punts
from Mick McCarthy, tells you everything you need to know.
76 min A neat one-two between Konoplyanka and Bezus ends
with a dangerous cross that is headed behind by Jagielka. It's whipped right
under the crossbar and Hart punches away superbly despite being clattered by
Edmar.
74 min Ukraine have Maurice Mentum on their side - and they
should have scored there! Konoplyanka's corner came straight to Fedetskiy, on
the six-yard line, but his downward header was tame and bounced straight into
the hands of Joe Hart. The only thing you would say in his defence is that he
might have seen it late because it came over Milner's head just in front of him.
He should still have scored though.
Angus Fraser: "My 81-year-old mother just called me to say that
if England lose, it's probably because of Balcombe. It's the first time she
called me since July."
73 min England break three on three. Walcott picks the wrong
option. The end.
72 min ... and it's deflected just wide! It was a low
sidefoot which hit the knee of Jagielka, on the end of the wall, and drifted
past the far post. Hart may have it covered, I'm not sure.
70 min Walker is booked for a foul on Zozulya this
far outside the box. It was a clumsy tackle - he ran into Zozulya, basically -
and it was dangerously close to a penalty. The free-kick is to the left of
centre and will be taken by Konoplyanka...
69 min Ashley Young hits the ground crawling with a poor
pass that allows Ukraine to break. Stepanenko's overhit pass ends that
particular endeavour.
Bob Coles: "I am stuck at work and cannot see or listen to the
game. It sounds like that is a good thing."
I can formally confirm that is indeed a good thing.
68 min A substitution on both sides. England bring on Ashley
Young for Jack Wilshere, which is a surprise, while Ukraine introduce Roman
Bezus for Oleh Gusev. Presumably Milner will move into the centre of midfield
now.
66 min Walcott is back on the field.
65 min Ashley Young now has his bib back on while England
wait to see if Theo Walcott will be able to continue.
63 min Ashley Young is ready to come on. I suspect it would
have been for James Milner, but Walcott may need to be replaced. Kucher put his
studs down the back of Walcott's achilles.
62 min Kucher is booked for a deliberate and slightly nasty
foul on Walcott.
61 min England look like they all had temazepam at
half-time.
Sheeraz Ahmed: "I never meant we should replace Gerrard with
Carrick. I just meant that Carrick should be playing. Lampard obviously should
be the one to make way. And please stop calling Carrick 'average'. He has 5 PL
medals running United's midfield. He has something that none of these English
midfielders have - assurance on the ball, a very important recipe for success at
international level."
58 min A lovely move from Ukraine. Konoplyanka whizzes down
the left and drags a cross to Yarmolenko on the edge of the area. He winds up to
shoot and instead plays a neat disguised pass to Gusev in the area; he
instinctively tries to flick it back to Yarmolenko, and the covering Gerrard
belts it away from six yards. Gusev might have had more time there.
52 min Lambert leaves a high-ish foot on Fedetskiy, and the
two men going head-to-head in the modern style. It was no more than a free-kick,
and the referee agreed.
51 min England still haven't beaten a proper team in Group
H: all four victories came were the formalities against Moldova and San Marino.
They need a win here for purposes of credibility as well as qualification.
50 min Konoplyanka's wicked inswinging corner dips right
across the face of goal. Fedetskiy, beyond the far post, can't control the ball
as it kicks up nastily off the pitch.
49 min Ukraine win consecutive corners down the right. The
second is half-cleared, whipped back in dangerously and headed behind superbly
by the covering Ashley Cole.
48 min Gary Cahill will never quite be in the close of Rio
Ferdinand, John Terry and the weirdly forgotten and frequently magnificent Sol
Campbell, but he has added a lot of authority to his game in the last 12 months
and has probably been England's best player tonight. And, of course, he will
improve considerably under Jose Mourinho.
Larry Moran: "Carrick better than Gerrard? What colour is the
sky in your world? Take Lampard off if you want, move Gerrard forward and stick
Mr. Average Carrick in front of the back four. Gerrard is wasted if he can't get
forward."
I think he was suggesting Carrick is better in the defensive-midfield role,
given he has played there all his life and Gerrard has generally played as an
attacking midfielder. But what the hell, let's have a tear-up.
47 min Gusev breaks promisingly down the right and then
inadvertently stabs the ball out of play with his standing foot.
46 min Ukraine begin the second half. They are playing from
left to right. It's true.
Damian Durrant: "Rob you raise a good point we can't be Spain,
but then what are we to be? The hard-charging Bayern counter-attack solution to
tiki taka? We need to decide what our core national style is and stick with it
for about 20 years so we can teach it. But what we are looking at here, is nervy
nothing in particular."
The best English clubs sides have, with very few exceptions, been power
teams, so you have to keen an element of that. But clearly you don't want
thud-and-blunder. There is a strange notion that tempo and class are mutually
exclusive. Manchester United's Treble team suggested otherwise. To my admittedly
biased eyes they are the ultimate example of how a British team should endeavour
to play.