England thrash Ukraine 4-0 in the quarter-final to reach final four

England breezed past Ukraine in the quarter-final of the European Championships with a comprehensive 4-0 victory in Rome that seals their spot in the final four. Goals from Harry Maguire, Jordan Henderson and a brace from Harry Kane helped the Three Lions register their biggest knockout victory at major tournaments.

After a tight encounter against Germany in the last 16, Gareth Southgate reverted to his preferred 4-2-3-1 for this clash and handed Jadon Sancho his first England start at a major tournament following his big-money move to Manchester United.

Unlike previous games where England began games with caution, Gareth Southgate’s side started the quarter-final on the front foot and opened the scoring inside four minutes through Harry Kane. Raheem Sterling wriggled past two defenders before playing a wonderful through ball for Harry Kane who fired home at the near post to give England the lead.

The opening strike settled the nerves for England but Ukraine grew into the contest and troubled the Three Lions after switching to a 4-4-2 midway through the first half. 

However, those troubles didn’t last long as Harry Maguire doubled England’s lead within a minute of the second half from a set-piece. Four minutes later, Harry Kane sealed the victory and eased the tensions with a perfectly placed header after Luke Shaw ran to the byline and delivered his 3rd assist in only two games. 

Jordan Henderson put the cherry on the cake 10 minutes later, heading home from a corner to break his duck and score the first international goal of his career.

With England running riot at 4-0, Southgate reverted to cruise control and rested his key players – Declan Rice, Raheem Sterling, Luke Shaw and Kalvin Phillips – in preparation for their upcoming semi-final.

This was a statement victory for Gareth Southgate’s side as they look to create history at the European Championships. England flexed their attacking muscle in the second half for the first time this summer and more crucially continued to stay solid defensively, keeping their 5th consecutive clean-sheet at the tournament.

It was a truly breath-taking performance from this young England side that takes them back to Wembley for the semi-final where they will take on a spirited Denmark side in front of 60,000 fans at the proverbial ‘home of football’.

With favourites such as France, Germany, Portugal and Belgium already eliminated, this young group of footballers led by the exemplary Gareth Southgate are on the brink of history and have been presented with a golden chance to undo the horrors of 1996 and bring football back home this summer.