James McAtee’s double helped England beat Ukraine 2-1 in a European Under-21 Championship qualifier at the Vitality Stadium.
The visitors took the lead in the 70th minute with a corner from Taras Mikavko, before Makati’s free kick and the winning goal in stoppage time gave Ben Futcher’s side a point.
As a result, 2nd place England narrowed the gap to their opponents to 2 points and took first place in Group F.
England missed a great chance in the 20th minute when Ipswich’s Liam Delap made a mistake by chasing down Ukrainian keeper Ruslan Neshcheret, and McAtee found the loose ball and had his powerful shot blocked.
The Young Lions struggled throughout the first half, frustrated by Ukraine’s pressure to play from the back.
Lewis Hall took a deft shot from the left, but despite Omari Hutchinson’s evasive moves, his first shot went over the crossbar.
Delap looked set to continue their good form in the Premier League after McAtee’s appearance, but the striker’s shot hit the crossbar.
England improved after the break but were unable to break the stalemate as Jayden Philodzine fired straight at Neshcheret.
The hosts were punished for poor decision-making in the 70th minute when Ukraine took the lead. As Mikavko jumped highest and nodded in for the opener, his whipping corner to the back post was misjudged by goalkeeper James Trafford.
McAtee’s tenacity paid off, as his free kick from the edge of the area hit the bar and went into the goal, where he smashed in the loose ball and snatched the winning point.
