England 2-0 Ukraine: Bukayo Saka scores stunner and Harry Kane strikes again in Three Lions win

Bukayo Saka's sensational long-range goal helped England maintain their winning start to European Championship qualifying with a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in Group C at Wembley.

Saka's stunning effort, curled into the top corner from 25 yards out in the first half, came shortly after he had set up Harry Kane for a close-range opener to follow up his record-breaking 54th international goal in Thursday's 2-1 win against Italy in Naples.

The game featured a powerful show of solidarity before kick-off, with the two sets of players posing behind a Ukrainian flag emblazoned with the word "peace" in response to Russia's invasion of the country, but on the pitch it was a one-sided affair.

England were unable to extend their lead in the second half but they controlled the game comfortably, with Gareth Southgate, who had already handed a first England start to Leicester's James Maddison, giving Brentford striker Ivan Toney a debut from the bench.

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Conor Gallagher and Jack Grealish, also substitutes, missed England's best chances in the closing stages, shooting too close to Anatoliy Trubin, but the two-goal cushion proved sufficient to keep the Three Lions top of Group C with six points from six.

How England cruised to victory

Kane was presented with a Golden Boot ahead of kick-off to commemorate his record-breaking goal against Italy and he looked determined to add to his tally from the start at Wembley.

The Tottenham striker saw an early penalty appeal waved away by referee Serdar Gozubuyuk after being brought down by Oleksandr Svatok and, not long after that, he directed a header straight at Ukraine goalkeeper Trubin from a Ben Chilwell cross.

England continued to probe, with full debutant Maddison seeing plenty of the ball when drifting off the left flank and Saka hovering menacingly on the right, but Kane spurned another chance when he failed to connect with Jordan Henderson's right-wing delivery.

It was an uncharacteristic miss from Kane, who was still lying prone on the turf when Jude Bellingham attempted to cut the loose ball back to him, but his fortunes quickly changed.

His goal, bundled home from close range, came from a sensational inswinging cross by Saka, and the Arsenal man was clearly emboldened by his role in it, spinning away from Mykola Matviyenko and picking out the top corner just four minutes later, his stunning strike putting England in complete control.

Ukraine mustered little in response in the first half, with Mykhailo Mudryk closely marshalled by Kyle Walker, and, unlike in Naples on Thursday, Southgate's side continued to dominate after the break, albeit without adding to their two-goal lead.

Maddison remained at the heart of things, turning smartly and firing over shortly after the break, while Saka continued to threaten too, at one point firing over a wicked low cross which Bellingham was unable to convert inside the Ukraine box.

Maddison received a warm ovation from the England fans inside Wembley when he made his way off in the second half, while Toney was loudly applauded too when he replaced Kane.

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The Brentford striker showed his physical prowess, winning headers and combining well with the players around him, but the best chances fell to his fellow substitutes.

First, Gallagher shot tamely from close-range, allowing Trubin to save following good work by Chilwell, who was preferred to Kieran Trippier at left-back in the absence of the suspended Luke Shaw.

Then, Grealish's curling effort forced a sprawling save from the Ukraine goalkeeper as Trubin once again frustrated the home side.

It mattered little in the end, though, with England fans, and those of Ukraine, applauding their sides' efforts after the final whistle.

Maddison: 'It felt like a second debut'

James Maddison told Channel 4: "It almost felt like a second debut. I've had to wait a long time.

"It was lovely to be out there. I tried to treat it as another game of football and bring my strengths to the team and to cap it off with a win makes the night even more special.

"Gareth's brilliant, he's a very good coach and his team are really good and very tactical. They know my strengths aren't hugging the touchline, like Bukayo on the other side, who is very good in the one v ones and very direct.

"I'm a player who comes inside and I think I complemented Ben Chilwell, who is a full-back who likes to go on the outside so they know what they're doing.

"The World Cup was really frustrating, I just couldn't shake off a little knee injury. I'm very happy to change that number one on the caps to two."

Gareth Southgate added of Maddison's performance: "He and Ben Chilwell know each other well as they played with each other at Leicester so that was helpful. Starting him on the left was only a reference, nothing else, as he likes to drift in and he found those spaces very well.

"I thought he had a super game and it didn't surprise me because he's got the personality to play that way."

Soutgate hails Saka's 'mentality shift'

England boss Gareth Southgate said of Bukayo Saka: "I just think when he's in front of goal now, he plays with real belief.

"That's evident with his club and in his games with us. You're expecting him to score now when he goes through and that's been a mentality shift as much as it's anything technical, because he has always had the technique.

"I think he knows that to be a really top wide player you need the numbers for goals and assists and without a doubt he has delivered that all season."

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He added: "His hunger, his humility is what has got him on a good path. He has all the attributes to continue to improve and learn because that's how he's wired.

"I don't see that changing with how he is and his family are. He's got great support around him and all of those things are important for a young player."

Asked whether he sees anyone better than Saka in his position in world football, Southgate said: "I'm not going to get drawn into where he fits in world football because that puts me in danger of doing all the things we shouldn't be doing with him.

"But he is progressing brilliantly, he is a joy to work with and we should leave it at that."

Rotan salutes 'incredible' Wembley support

Ukraine boss Ruslan Rotan said: "I want to thank the Ukrainian supporters for their incredible support for the team and the incredible wave of support the team felt throughout the game.

"I'm grateful to the England fans for their support as well. It was an atmosphere like no other in a game I've experienced. Clearly, this unique atmosphere will give a big boost to the players who experienced it first-hand."

Of the game itself, he added: "When you concede goals just before half-time, in fact two in the space of a few minutes, it makes your task incredibly hard.

"We knew who we were playing against. We knew the quality and the strength of the England team, but our boys deserve better. It's a good team and it will progress better further down the road.

"The team is getting younger. We've got future stars in our squad. I'm sure in the future we will get good results against anyone. We just need time. It was a game against an incredibly strong opponent. But judging by what we've shown tonight, we've got a fantastic future."

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Saka and Kane shine - Opta stats

• Bukayo Saka, who both scored and assisted versus Ukraine, has had a hand in 10 goals in his last 16 games for England in all competitions (7 goals, 3 assists).
• Aged 21 years and 202 days, Bukayo Saka has scored eight goals for England; only Dixie Dean (16), Jimmy Greaves (16), Wayne Rooney (12) and Michael Owen (10) have scored more goals for the Three Lions as of Saka's current age.
• Only Bobby Charlton (23) has scored more goals for the England men's team at Wembley than Harry Kane (22 in 31 apps), with the Spurs striker netting six times in his last five such appearances.
• Harry Kane has been directly involved in 25 goals in his last 25 appearances in all competitions for England, scoring 21 and assisting four more. Indeed, Kane has scored in four consecutive England appearances for the first time since November 2019 (6).
• England have won each of their last 11 home European Championship qualifiers by an aggregate score of 40-4.

Where and when is Euro 2024?

Germany are hosting the tournament, which is scheduled to take place from June 14 to July 14 2024.

The format will be the same as Euro 2020, where the top two in each of the six final tournament groups will proceed to the round of 16, along with the four best third-placed finishers.

What's next?

England's next game is a Euro 2024 Qualifier in Malta on Friday June 16, kick-off 7.45pm. Gareth Southgate's side then face North Macedonia at Old Trafford on Monday June 19, kick-off 7.45pm.

Ukraine are back in action in North Macedonia for a Euro 2024 Qualifier on Friday June 16 - kick-off 7.45pm - before a home game against Malta on Monday June 19, kick-off 7.45pm.

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