British journalists paid a lot of attention not only to the game and Walker's first goal at national team level, but also to the fans at the Polish stadium, who managed to create a great atmosphere, and perhaps become one of the important levers for the Ukrainian national team to show their spirit and unity in a tough match against the clear favourite.
Photo: fotospor.comBBC
The BBC journalist notes the great and crazy support of the Ukrainian national team in Poland, as well as the unity of the team with the fans. It was also noted the lack of "surge" from the main star of England Harry Kane and the lack of balance in the midfield of the British.
Separately, it is worth noting that the leader of the Ukrainian team playing in the APL, Oleksandr Zinchenko (7.22) was rated higher by the BBC than any other England player. Of the Brits, only Walker has a higher rating than most of the Ukraine players.
"Ukraine were supported by 40,000 fans in the stadium, giving the game a passionate home match feeling despite the hosts being unable to play in their own country because of the war with Russia.
The great noise in Poland turned into a deafening roar when Arsenal's Oleksandr Zinchenko put Ukraine ahead in the 26th minute, converting Efim Konoply's feed.
England had plenty of possession but lacked creativity and needed a moment of brilliance from captain Harry Kane to equalise four minutes before the break as he headed almost to midfield before delivering a wonderful cut-back pass to the onrushing Kyle Walker. his first international goal in his 77th appearance.
Gareth Southgate's side dominated the second half, coming close to scoring when Bukayo Saka's shot was deflected onto the bar by a light touch from Ukraine goalkeeper Georgiy Buschan.
Questions will again be raised about what appeared to be a conservative approach by coach Southgate. England's midfield contained the natural talent and variety of Jude Bellingham and James Maddison, but there was a sense of lack of balance and urgency in the face of a Ukrainian team determined to repay their fans for their special support.
It took something truly outstanding for England to fail in qualifying, but there was very little other positive news to bring from Wroclaw when Southgate's players travel to Glasgow for Tuesday's friendly against Scotland.
It was a truly special occasion in Wroclaw as thousands of Ukrainians far from their war-torn homeland put on a wonderful show of support and unity for their football team.
The stadium was packed with Ukrainian fans living in Poland, and they were all set to a loud frenzy before kick-off thanks to the enthusiasm and encouraging cheers of the announcer over the loudspeaker.
And the noise when Zinchenko gave them the initiative was unbearable, as it was whenever Ukraine won an interception of the ball, a header or came close to the England goal.
Phone lanterns lit up the stadium as Ukraine earned a point at the end of the match, and the unity between players and fans at the final whistle was emotional and impressive."
The Guardian
"Walker 'cancels' Zinchenko's goal to gift England a draw against Ukraine," was the headline on The Guardian. It is the actions of the defender that the author emphasises, as well as the importance of Kane, who failed to demonstrate his tasks to the maximum. From the Ukrainian team is noted the character and tactical ideas of Rebrov, who managed to improve the atmosphere in the team. The brightly coloured fans were not ignored either.
"Kyle Walker has certainly waited for his time. Twelve years after his debut for England and on the occasion of his 77th match for the national team, the Manchester City right-back finally scored for his country. It was an important goal. His cool-blooded finish before half-time cancelled out Oleksandr Zinchenko's opener and secured England's victory with a collective rating of 6/10.
Walker was outstanding on the pitch, his speed in defence reassuring Gareth Southgate, especially when up against the speedy Michael Mudryk, who ran on jet heels. He repeatedly shut the door in his opponent's face even after the latter had given him a head start in the running game.
Walker's goal was the result of a precise pass from Harry Kane and momentarily quieted a near full house crowd painted in blue and yellow colours and Ukrainian passions.
England simply didn't do enough to win despite playing well from the opening minutes. They lacked guile in the final third of the match and the Ukrainians should be rejoicing as soon as the final whistle blew.
It's hard to say how many Ukrainians live in Poland's Wroclaw, which has a population of around 640,000, but the generally accepted figure is around 250,000. In other words, they are a fundamental part of the city's social structure. It was impossible to ignore their excitement from lunchtime onwards as they wandered around the picturesque old town, watching the travelling England fans pin up their flags and settle in.
The atmosphere under the hot sun was relaxed, although there was a reminder of Ukraine's suffering. One of the murals depicted Vladimir Putin as Adolf Hitler, with a swastika between his eyes and his hands in handcuffs. The word "Killer" was written at the bottom and "Nuremberg for Putin" was written on the side. Before and during the game, the crowd chanted in support of their army, and the singing of the national anthem with blue and yellow flags raised high was emotional.
England looked to control the game and dominated possession from the start. Ukraine's new coach Serhiy Rebrov used a 4-4-2 scheme extensively but was reluctant to press and over commit. Counterattacking was his intended path to glory.
Under Rebrov, who took charge of the national team in June, the atmosphere in Ukraine is better than it was at Wembley in March, when England won with a certain level of comfort. Rebrov started well with wins over North Macedonia and Malta, and the stadium was bouncing when Zinchenko made the breakthrough.
There were neat strikes from the striking Georgiy Sudakov and when Viktor Tsygankov launched right-back Efim Konoplya, England were stretched. The home crowd went berserk whenever anyone in a yellow uniform made the slightest positive movement. Now, however, the decibel level had risen dramatically. Konoplya gave the ball to the centre of the penalty area and Zinchenko, who arrived a little late, sent the ball into the net. A red flare lit up the celebratory scene behind the goal."
Sky Sports
The Sky Sports journalist, as well as other media, highlighted Southgate's failure with the tactical overhaul and Walker's performance. And he praised Ukraine for their dedication and heroism on the pitch, which gave Rebrov's team the points. Mudryk, to whom there was again plenty of criticism, also received special attention.
"At Tarczynski Arena, where world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usik defeated Daniel Dubois a fortnight ago, this time there were no knockout punches from the Ukrainian against the English opponent - but there were some truly heroic efforts.
Without a doubt, this was James Maddison's real international debut. His senior league debut in March against Ukraine and his second start in June against Malta (4-0) was a kind of "soft start" when he was still a Leicester player. Three games out of four matches now, Southgate has picked Maddison, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane as his front three - but it has been a different story.
Maddison was Tottenham's main acquisition in the summer, and his early season form left Gareth Southgate with no choice but to field him in Poland in the starting line-up. As with his previous two outings, he temporarily played on the left flank in a slightly higher position than the one used by the Spurs coach.
It was only when he dropped deeper and Jude Bellingham was asked to move up front that his influence grew. As Southgate acknowledged, England tried to attack but Maddison was busy and showed the bravery to hunt for the ball even after a few strong touches and free passes. Always aiming for the ball, and once even too hard, leading to a 66th minute penalty, Maddison looks comfortable at this level in this team. It remains to be seen if he becomes Southgate's man from the very start of next summer.
Southgate has shown that England will play a flexible system and the Three Lions chief has kept his word. Maddison and Bellingham paired up; Mark Guay and Maguire took turns to get forward and it showed when they levelled the scores.
Kane, who lacked any productive action for 41 minutes, dropped deep and used Jordan Henderson's run as a decoy to pick out the marauding Walker and score his first international goal in his 77th game for England.
It was a touch and a finishing touch from the veteran, but a timely boost for England when Ukraine were leading at the end of the half.
Was Walker's debut goal inevitable? The Manchester City defender, having barely signed a new contract at the Etihad, scored a stunning goal in training just a few days ago that left his team-mates speechless.
The 33-year-old dribbled the ball down the right before firing into the top corner past Aaron Ramsdale, showing it off on his Instagram page. Walker clearly came to Poland with an appetite to score. He took the burden off himself and was England's best player.
Mykhailo Mudryk has played just 67 minutes for Chelsea this season under new coach Mauricio Pochettino, but when it comes to the national team, he is irreplaceable and carries Ukraine's hopes.
The September international break gave him the opportunity to regain his form in front of his adoring fans on familiar territory.
Last season, Mudryk played Champions League matches against Shakhtar Donetsk in Warsaw, at the Legia Stadium, and it was during those matches that the 22-year-old emphasised his immense potential, which ultimately led to his £88.5million move to Chelsea in January.
Playing on the left wing against Walker, there was always a sense of anticipation when he got the ball. But he struggled to make an impact and was really second best to the England right-back in the competition.
On one occasion, just before he was substituted, Ukraine had a great opportunity to counter-attack. But Mudryk appeared to panic when he realised Walker was closing in on him and subsequently fell on the ball, seemingly injuring himself in the process. He timidly walked off the field. It was further evidence of a promising youngster struggling with the pull of expectation."
The Telegraph
"England stumble but get a point after Kyle Walker equalises against Ukraine". The Telegraph journalist singled out the author of England's only goal, Kyle Walker, and his duel with Mudryk.
"England endured a disappointing evening in Wroclaw as their spotless record in Group C qualification came to an end after a 1-1 draw with Ukraine. Gareth Southgate's side will take solace in the fact that they were able to get back into the game after Oleksandr Zinchenko put Ukraine ahead in complete contrast to the way the game was going, but will not be able to take solace in the fact that they were unable to create clear-cut chances despite having more than 70 per cent possession.
Although England pressed in the second half, they failed to create any decent scoring chances, intercepting the ball without much purpose while Ukraine defended stoutly. The displaced hosts looked threatening on the break at times, especially when they utilised Mykhailo Mudryk's speed in one-on-one raids. But Walker, who was the match's best player, went step for step with him every time and showed his remarkable speed and recovery skills to get the point that allowed England to maintain a six-point lead at the top of the group with three matches to go before the end of next month."
The Independent
The Independent journalist pointed out England's problems, which it was the bright and wonderful Ukrainian team that managed to "discover". "It was hard not to imagine what it would be like when this team finally played in Kiev again. The noise of the stands was great," - separately notes the author of fans after the goal.
"Qualification may be a formality for England, but the 1-1 draw against Ukraine showed that Gareth Southgate's team selection is not. The coach needs to address a few issues if he is to meet this vast challenge and become a trophy winner next summer. This match must still be framed by the enthusiasm of the nominal hosts, as a wonderful Ukrainian team turned the fervour of the tens of thousands of spectators who came to the stadium in Wroclaw, Poland, into a remarkable spectacle.
It lifted the whole event far beyond a European Championship qualifying match and turned it into something far more special, witnessing it often felt like a privilege. The moment of Zinchenko's first goal was elevated.
So England could perhaps be forgiven a slight chill in a game they would have seen as another step towards inevitable qualification. For Ukraine, it was somewhat different. It was a national event. If Gareth Southgate wants to turn Euro 2024 into England's national event, as he said during the build-up to the game, then he has problems that this game highlighted. The formation didn't work with these players. James Maddison played on the wing for nothing and he needs a different role to really maximise Jude Bellingham. The defence was not airtight, but again this could be due to Ukraine's rare 'momentum'.
Fuelled by the crowd's enthusiasm and an emotional rendition of the national anthem, Serhiy Rebrov's team went straight at England. There were long periods when it seemed Southgate's players were unable to match the Ukrainian intensity. England struggled to keep the ball, with both Bellingham and Maddison players linking up. The uneven pitch didn't help.
Ukraine's first goal did come with delight, though, with clear lines and quickness. Efim Konoplya burst down the flank, firing down England's left flank. The ball was clipped and as bodies scattered in opposite directions, Zinchenko appeared to head the ball past Jordan Pickford. It was hard not to imagine what it would be like when this team played in Kiev again. The noise was magnificent.
Just before halftime, Kane picked up the ball and passed to Kyle Walker. You wouldn't have guessed from what the wing-back did next that it was his first international goal. Walker received the ball, controlled it and then shot past Georgi Buschan.
If one might have expected this to be a platform for England to assert their advantage, it didn't work out as expected. They had more possession of the ball, but Ukraine's reliability ensured that it didn't lead to many chances. England's tactics didn't work too well with this selection of players in an attacking sense. No wonder Southgate finally took Maddison and Bellingham off, even if the latter is the future of the team. He was another player who didn't excel in a slightly different role.
This may be one of Southgate's England problems outside of any criticism of conservatism. It's more a certain rigidity in the way the game is constructed. Of course, England will still be anchored in first position in the group. That shouldn't be a problem. But the goal is much bigger now. This game, however, was about something much more important for Ukraine."
