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England suffered their first defeat under Lee Carsley in a thrilling and frustrating encounter with Greece at Wembley. Having named an attacking and experimental line-up Carsley watched on in shock as his team were outclassed on the turf whilst struggling to utilise the talents of Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka in a coherent way.
The Greeks should have led at half-time. They had a goal disallowed after Jordan Pickford made some quickfire errors in an uncharacteristically nervous performance. They did lead just after the break with Vangelis Pavlidis weaving through three defenders to slot a low effort past the goalkeeper.
Two more disallowed goals for Greece tells the story of a shaky English defence that lacked substance. The progression nature of the full backs too often allowing space on the counter and leaving John Stones and Levi Colwill with too much to do. In the dying stages Jude Bellingham smoked in a rocket strike that almost nicked England a point.
The deciding moment though came to Pavlidis. England scrambled in the box once again and knocked the ball to the striker who took his chance and secured a first ever win against the Three Lions for Greece.
Relive the Nations League action with our live blog below:
No threat from England
Jude Bellingham’s 87th minute equaliser was England’s first shot on target since the third minute (also from Bellingham).
A long wait for Solanke
Dominic Solanke made his second appearance for England, six years and 331 days after winning his first cap for the Three Lions. It’s the fourth longest gap between a player winning their first two caps for the men’s side.
England boss Lee Carsley on ITV:
“We were second best for a lot of tonight, it is disappointing. You are going to get set backs and it’s important we respond.
“We tried something different and tried to overload the midfield. We tried it for 20 minutes yesterday, we experimented, and disappointed it didn’t come off. It’s unrealistic to expect too much and we will have to try again. All the goals were from mistakes, which is disappointing.
“It is definitely an option going forward. When you have someone of Kane’s quality though it rules it out when he is available. But in the future you have to have the courage and ability to try things.
“We tried something different. It doesn’t change anything. My remit is to do the three camps.”
Greece goal hero dedicates win over England to George Baldock following former teammate’s death
Greece beat England 2-1 at Wembley on Thursday night, with the match-winner Vangelis Pavlidis dedicating the performance as well as the victory to former teammate George Baldock, who passed away earlier in the week.
Baldock, who qualified to represent Greece through a grandparent, won a dozen caps for the national team and had been in the squad earlier this year. But Greek football was rocked when the national association confirmed on Wednesday that he had been found dead at age 31 in a swimming pool at home, just days after featuring for his club Panathinaikos.
The defender played for Sheffield United for seven years in England, among other teams, before a summer switch to the Greek Super League.
Greece goal hero dedicates win over England to Baldock after death
Vangelis Pavlidis scored twice on an emotional occasion for his national team
Pavlidis speaking to ITV about George Baldock:
“It was a really special day for us because of George. We are people and it’s a special night because of him.
“[We have thought about him] a lot since we heard it yesterday. A difficult moment for us because George was part of the team. Special guy. We have to play for him and it doesn’t matter the score today. We gave everything for him.”
Stones offers condolences for Baldock’s family
England captain John Stones on the death of Greece defender George Baldock: “For everyone in the dressing room and The FA, condolences to his family.
“A few of the boys were close to him. We knew it wasn’t an easy day for them. Hendo [Dean Henderson] was close to him, it wasn’t easy for him with that news.”
A night to forget for England
Greece are the lowest ranked (48th) side to beat England in a competitive match since Northern Ireland (116th) in September 2005, and the lowest ever on record to do so on English soil.
A historic night for Greece
Greece have beaten England for the first time ever (drawn two, lost seven). Their goals tonight were their first ever scored at Wembley Stadium.
Greece’s matchwinner: Vangelis Pavlidis
Paul Robinson speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live
The former England goalkeeper said: “Very, very emotional evening for Greece.
“Wembley is empty apart from the blue shirts over in that corner. They’ve made an occasion for what is a very sad day. They’re still on the pitch now.”
