England's place in South Africa is assured next summer, what seems less assured is their defending - it could have been a 2-0 defeat had ex-Chelsea player Andriy Shevchenko converted a first-half penalty.
You could now fill a football team with the number of players who have been sent off while on England duty.
At least Robert Green, sent off for a professional foul when conceding the penalty, is in good company. He will join the likes of Trevor Cherry, Alan Ball, Ray Wilkins and Wayne Rooney in being sent off while wearing the Three Lions on their chest.
Ukraine started the match with some neat short passing moves but it was a 40 yard clearance, resembling a rugby up-and-under, which brought them the breakthrough in the 13th minute.
Rio Ferdinand could not react quick enough to the high bouncing ball near the edge of the England penalty area and failed to dispossess the quick-witted Artem Milevskiy as he bore down on goal.
The last line of defence, goalkeeper Robert Green showed greater decisiveness, but could only bring down the Ukrainian striker in a one-on-one inside the penalty area.
Green was shown the red after the referee pointed to the penalty spot and there was not a murmur of dissent from him or his colleagues as he made the lonely walk back to the England bench.
Capello reshuffled the England pack, bringing on substitute goalie David James for the unlucky winger Aaron Lennon.
Luckily, Andriy Shevchenko showed his Chelsea, rather than his AC Milan, form when taking the spot kick. He sent James the wrong way but the penalty clipped the post and England remained on level terms.
The miss was greeted with a flare thrown rather nearer to David James than the penalty had landed. But on the pitch there were few fireworks from the England team as they made heavy weather of getting out of their own half when faced with a team playing a pressing game high up the pitch.
Ukraine had the purpose of a side who knew they had to win to have a chance of grabbing a play-off spot. They were helped by Ashley Cole conceding possession within shooting distance in the 29th minute.
The bald-headed Nazarenko was in no mood to let Cole get away with it, collecting the ball outside the penalty area and hitting a sweet left-footed shot which was made all the sweeter for deflecting off Cole.
The England left-back inadvertently headed the ball with a power the great Nat Lofthouse would have been proud of. One nil to Ukraine.
It did not look like staying 1-0 for long. First, Wayne Rooney, looking to his left, released Frank Lampard on the right. Lampard's smart shot-on-the turn only just went wide with the keeper beaten.
Then, a fierce Milevskiy long-range volley seemed good enough to merit another Ukraine goal until the crossbar saved James.
Right-back Johnson, without the substituted Lennon to help him on the right flank, performed manfully and twice got behind the Ukranian defence to send in crosses. His forays offered welcome respite for defenders like Ashley Cole, worryingly out-muscled by his former Chelsea team mate Shevchenko in dangerous territory just before the half-time break.
One can only hope Capello's half time talk was more passionate than Sven Goran Ericsson's limp internet TV analysis - it needed to be.
James Milner of Aston Villa came on for the injured Steven Gerrard yet within ten minutes of the restart the debutant Rakytskiy was given the time and space to cue up a swerving shot which James did well to paw away.
England did at least seem more confident in possession. Just before the hour mark Rooney and Lampard teamed up once more to create a half chance.
At the other end of the pitch, Milner, Johnson and James showed an alarming reluctance to take responsibility for a dangerous cross as the home side won a corner after 71 minutes.
Shevchenko was perhaps unlucky to be called offside shortly afterwards as he got on the end of some slick passing to almost nutmeg James.
When England did attack it only seemed to invite dangerous Ukraine breaks, as was the case ten minutes from time when the England defence was carved open - David James needing his legs to stop Andriy Yarmolenko's goal-bound shot.
England remained determined to get the last word. Substitute Carlton Cole's pass found England's best player Rooney whose shot went just wide as Ukraine threw bodies behind the ball to cope with the break.
It was the last chance of the evening. The victory hannded Ukraine a World Cup lifeline and posed more than a few questions about England's South African ambitions.
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