Mykhailo Mudryk could be returning to west London with an injury following a duel with Kyle Walker that did not go the way of the Chelsea man. In a 2024 European championship qualifier, Ukrɑine were playing host to England in Poland with Mudryk starting on the left and thus meaning Man City’s Walker was faced with the task of stopping him.
Oleksandr Zinchenko of Arsenal gave Ukrɑine the lead after a tight first 20 minutes by sneaking up behind his new teammate Declan Rice and brushing the ball past Jordan Pickford. Walker, a surprise scorer for England, pounced onto a beautiful through ball over the Ukrɑine defense and managed to push past Georgiy Bushchan as England responded. This was Kyle Walker’s first goal after 12 years of playing for England
The second 45 minutes was filled with close moments, including Bukayo Saka hitting the crossbar and Ukrɑine continuing to push forward. However, Mudryk, despite his best efforts, rarely troubled Jordan Pickford’s goal with Walker certainly winning the individual battle.
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That fact was highlighted twice in the late stages as Walker first eased Mudryk’s lightening run out of play before he dispossessed the 22-year-old after his failed Cruyff turn which saw him fall to the deck holding his calf. Earlier in the half he received treatment after being on the end of a firm Marcus Rashford challenge but managed to continue, however this time he requested to be replaced.
The Man City defender was given 7.6 points by Sofascore statistics, the highest in the match.
