England’s Lionesses reached the interval locked in a goalless stalemate with Ukraine, a scoreline that tells nothing of the imbalance in the contest but everything about the hosts’ growing frustration.

Sarina Wiegman’s side have controlled almost every meaningful metric. England have enjoyed close to total possession, circulating the ball with patience and precision, and racking up a hefty expected-goals tally. Yet the one statistic that matters most stubbornly refuses to move.

Ukraine have set out their stall deep and narrow, defending with remarkable discipline. Banks of yellow shirts have clogged central areas, forcing England wide and challenging them to find the perfect cross or a rare gap between defenders. Time and again, promising moves have broken on a blue-and-yellow wall.

Alessia Russo has been a constant presence in the penalty area, wrestling with centre-backs and attacking every delivery. Her best sight of goal came late in the half, a glancing header that spun agonisingly wide, emblematic of England’s evening so far: close, but not quite.

From deeper, Leah Williamson has tried to unpick the lock with clipped passes into the box, one such ball sparking muted penalty appeals as Georgia Stanway tumbled under pressure. The referee, well placed, waved play on, and Ukraine survived again.

Out wide, Lauren Hemp has been England’s most dangerous outlet. One electrifying run saw her slalom past a cluster of defenders, bursting into the area before dragging her shot inches past the far post. It was the kind of individual brilliance that looked capable of deciding a match starved of clear openings, and it drew audible gasps from the crowd.

Set pieces have offered another route, with a succession of corners whipped into the Ukrainian box. Yet each has been repelled with determination, defenders attacking the ball as if their lives depended on it, clearing danger before Mary Earps has even had time to contemplate involvement at the other end.

As the players left the pitch, the sense was not of an even contest, but of a siege without a breakthrough. England remain firmly on top, but unless dominance is converted into goals, control risks curdling into anxiety. The second half promises either the inevitable reward for relentless pressure or a night that will test the Lionesses’ patience to its limits.