Vangelis Pavlidis scored twice to give Greece an emotional win at Wembley tonight as Lee Carsley suffered his first defeat as interim England boss.
Jude Bellingham looked to have handed England a scarcely deserved point by cancelling out Pavlidis’ opener with four minutes to go but the visitors secured a win that acted as a fitting tribute to George Baldock when Pavlidis scored again deep into stoppage time.
Former Sheffield United full-back Baldock, who won 12 caps for Greece after making his debut two years ago, was found dead in his swimming pool in Athens yesterday.
Greece requested the game be postponed but, having been told by UEFA it must go ahead, their players said they would “try to reach the strength of his [Baldock’s] soul” by putting on a show against the Three Lions. And they did exactly that with a performance full of passion and commitment.
They were undoubtedly aided by a display that can only be described as shambolic from England. Carsley’s experimental formation, which saw Bellingham operate initially as a false nine ahead of a plethora of attacking midfielders, failed to gel while the Three Lions were disorganised at the back and lacking defensive nous in midfield.
🇬🇷🇬🇷 GREECE HAVE DONE IT! 🇬🇷🇬🇷
… And you can’t say they don’t deserve it! #ITVFootball | #NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/pGgwrpmocQ
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 10, 2024
The early signs were promising, however, with Bellingham’s powerful 20-yard shot drawing a fine save from Odisseas Vlachodimos in the Greece goal after two minutes.
Five minutes later, Cole Palmer curled a free-kick inches over the bar.
But England then began to lose their way, with a lack of cover causing panic in defensive areas. Jordan Pickford had to come out of his area to deal with a through ball but then dallied far too long, enabling Anastasios Bakasetas to pinch it and fire towards the empty net. It would have resulted in a goal had it not been for an incredible clearance from the back-pedalling Levi Colwill.
Pickford had another nervous moment from the resulting corner as he was beaten to the ball by Konstantinos Mavropanos, whose header was ruled out for offside.
Greece were showing plenty of enterprise and Bakasetas came close again after 20 minutes with a shot that hit the heel of stand-in captain John Stones before going wide.
England were playing on the counter but it almost resulted in a goal for the Premier League’s in-form player midway through the first half. Bellingham made a run in behind and, having cut inside his marker, laid the ball on a plate for Palmer eight yards out but the Chelsea man blazed his shot wastefully over the bar.
Anthony Gordon then headed over when he ought to have hit the target after being picked out by a trademark Trent Alexander-Arnold pass.
England had ridden their luck in the first half but it eventually ran out within four minutes of the restart.
Konstantinos Koulierakis started the move with a barnstorming run forward and when the ball fell for Pavlidis inside the area, he calmly stepped inside the weak challenges of Alexander-Arnold and Stones and fired past the helpless Pickford.
The Greece players celebrated by holding up a shirt with Baldock’s name written on the back.
🇬🇷 GREECE HAVE THEIR FIRST-EVER GOAL AT WEMBLEY! 🇬🇷
Vangelis Pavlidis points to his arm to pay tribute to George Baldock ❤️#ITVFootball | #NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/dRiGKY1h0U
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 10, 2024
It was Greece’s first ever goal at Wembley and they could have had a second four minutes later but Koulierakis opted to head back across the six-yard box rather than going for goal and Bellingham was able to smuggle it behind for a corner.
Giorgios Masouras had a goal ruled out for a clear offside after 59 minutes with Greece’s superiority finally prompting Carsley to make a change, bringing on Ollie Watkins for the ineffective Gordon.
Within a minute, the Aston Villa striker almost found an equaliser but blazed his shot inches over the bar.
The change to play with a recognised striker, and then a second as Dominic Solanke also came on, did little to solidify England’s midfield, however, with Greece repeatedly catching the hosts on the break but then taking the wrong option when they had a numerical advantage.
When they did get it right, they were denied by the offside flag for a third time, Pavlidis having another effort disallowed after getting on the end of Christos Tzolis’s low cross.
It looked like they would pay for their profligacy when Watkins cut the ball back for Bellingham to fire home from the edge of the box.
WHEN YOU NEED A LATE GOAL – WHO ARE YOU GONNA CALL?! 🤙🏴
Jude Bellingham fires England level! #ITVFootball | #NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/fSWOqewp9t
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 10, 2024
But the visitors bravely came again. And when Rico Lewis dawdled on the ball after more woeful defending, it broke for Pavlidis and he rifled past Pickford.
