{"id":288152,"date":"2023-09-09T18:05:33","date_gmt":"2023-09-09T18:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/?p=288152"},"modified":"2023-09-09T18:05:33","modified_gmt":"2023-09-09T18:05:33","slug":"kyle-walker-finally-bags-first-england-goal-in-77th-game-12-years-after-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/soccer\/kyle-walker-finally-bags-first-england-goal-in-77th-game-12-years-after-debut\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyle Walker finally bags first England goal in 77th game \u2013 12 years after debut"},"content":{"rendered":"
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    Kyle Walker was the unlikely scorer as England levelled against Ukraine just before half-time in their Euro 2024 qualifier.<\/p>\n

    The Manchester City defender has been an outstanding servant for club and country, but he isn\u2019t known for his goals, as none in his previous 76 England games demonstrates.<\/p>\n

    But cap 77 – the longest an England player has ever had to wait for his maiden goal – provided his big moment as he got on the end of a defence-splitting pass from Harry Kane. <\/p>\n

    Walker\u2019s first touch was perfect before the 33-year-old produced the coolest of finishes, which even Kane himself would have been happy with. In scoring, he became the 450th different scorer for England. <\/p>\n

    READ MORE: Harry Maguire 'hugs' team-mate as England concede \u2013 leaving fans furious<\/b><\/p>\n

    Captain Oleksandr Zinchenko had earlier given Ukraine the lead in Wroclaw, Poland, with the first half ending 1-1. <\/p>\n

    Former England striker Gary Lineker was quick to praise both Kane and Walker following the goal. "Get in! Brilliant from @HKane and a first @England goal for the always excellent @kylewalker2," posted the Match of the Day host on X (formerly Twitter).<\/p>\n

    What did you think of Walker's goal? Tell us in the comments section below<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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    Plenty of fans praised Kane for his brilliant assist, although some were wondering why England's record goalscorer was so deep.<\/p>\n

    "Wow, Harry Kane. What a pass, but how are you even that deep? Madness," said one. Another added: "Kane having to take control again. Drops back and says 'ill do it myself'. Plays the perfect pass. What a player."<\/p>\n

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    A third lauded: "Kane is the most elite striker currently in the game, that\u2019s an outrageous pass." Another argued: "We are good enough that Kane doesn\u2019t need to drop that deep to be creative. Just slow boring build-up brought about by this boring manager."<\/p>\n

    A fifth said: "The vision from Kane to make that pass is outstanding."<\/p>\n