Greek victory over England: Greece beat England for the first time on Thursday at Wembley, taking control of Nations League Division B2 thanks to a well-earned 2-1 victory thanks of a double from attacker Vangelis Pavlidis.
Greece defeated England for the first occasion on Thursday at Wembley Stadium taking control of Nation League Group B2 thanks to a well-earned 2-1 victory courtesy of a double by striker Vangelis Pavlidis.
While the Greek spectators celebrated wildly after Pavlidis’s the win in the fourth minute of the final period, England was left in astonishment after stand-in manager Lee Carsley received an honest check.
Carsley’s status as a potential full-time replacement had increased after two wins following Gareth Southgate’s resignation, but following this lopsided loss, his prospects may have diminished.
In the second half, Pavlidis scored a clinical goal to give his team the lead. Greece had three goals disallowed against an England team who had begun the game with an offensive formation that looked experimental but mishandled terribly.
With England’s second effort on goal in the 87th minute, Jude Bellingham appeared to have saved his team, but there was still a twist: the brilliant Pavlidis took advantage of some awful defense to strike past Jordan Pickford at close range.
Greek victory over England in the Nations League:
Greece leads the standings with a maximum nine points, while England is in second place with six following their first loss under Carsley.
Carsley, starting without a designated striker in a five-man attack although acknowledging it had failed, stood by his choice despite the absence of injured captain Harry Kane.
He told reporters, “I think we have to be courageous with our systems and be creative with the players we have.” “I accept responsibility for the concept, which was mine. Although it didn’t work out, we shouldn’t rule out attempting something else.
PREGNANT EVENING:
Greece had a moving evening as they observed a minute of silence before kickoff in honor of their former international, George Baldock, who passed away last week at the age of 31.
For us, today is a very special day and match. We are thinking of you, George (Baldock). However, we had to play the match because we are professionals, stated Pavlidis. “Tonight, we sacrificed our souls for him. It is not appropriate to discuss football today.
Following Southgate’s frequently cautious approach to England’s football, there was excitement building at Wembley when Carsley, the man in charge of the Nations League matches, selected the highly effective Cole Palmer.
Starting just behind force nine Bellingham and Phil Foden, the Chelsea player scored England’s equalizer in the Euro 2024 final defeat against Spain as a replacement.
With a fierce dipping drive, Bellingham pricked Greek goalkeeper Vlachodimos Odysseas’ fingers, and Palmer wasted a good chance to blast over the crossbar.
Despite England’s great attacking potential, Greece had the better first-half chances.
Before Pickford, the home goalkeeper, lost possession of the ball on the edge of his area and Levi Colwill made a fantastic goal-line clearance to save his blushes, Pavlidis fired one attempt wide.
Next, Pickford mishandled a high ball, causing Konstantinos Mavropanos to head into the net, only to have it disallowed for offside.
Despite being penned in by England defenders, Pavlidis displayed excellent movement to send a low effort past Pickford in the 49th minute to give Greece the lead. England started the second half languidly.
By the time Bellingham’s effort beat Odyyseas Vlachodimos, many England supporters had already left the stadium after Giorgos Masouras and Pavlidis’ goals were disallowed by VAR.
Despite this, Greece remained unfazed, and Pavlidis ensured victory over England on the tenth try.