England made up for their poor defeat at Wembley in October when they defeated Greece 3-0 in Athens on Thursday night.
Their success saw them top their UEFA Nations League group and outsmart a previously unbeaten Greek side. Lee Carsley headed into November’s international break looking to impress in his final month and will have been pleased with the start in Athens.
Three magnificent goals made the difference in the Greek capital.
How the game developed
Fans may have been surprised to see this England Captain Harry Kane was relegated to the substitutes’ bench as the Three Lions lined up to face Greece, but his worries will have been quickly put to rest as Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins fired his side in the first 10 minutes.
An excellent run by Jude Bellingham ended with a well-timed pass to Noni Madueke, who found Watkins in the box. The goalscorer made light work of ending his side’s efforts, hitting his shot into the back of the net to give his side the lead.
Greece didn’t back down after seeing their rivals get on the scoreboard, throwing their players around the pitch to try and generate some attacking play. They came close to grabbing a stunning equalizer on the half-hour mark when Liverpool’s Konstantinos Tsimikas forced Jordan Pickford into a clumsy save, but they couldn’t offer enough of a threat to level the scores.
The game continued to progress like a chess match, but Greece could not claw their way back into the game before the half-time whistle.
When play resumed, England did not seem to settle for the lead. Bellingham almost got his name on the scoresheet when he curled a miraculous header into the Greece box. His effort bounced off the post but acted as a warning sign for the home side.
Just after the hour mark, Lee Carsley made a number of substitutions, coming on KaneAnthony Gordon and Jarrod Bowen to inject new life into England’s attack.
After a few close calls from Greece, Bellingham he finally got what he had been looking for all night when he came down the field and fired home an effort from the left. His shot bounced off the post and bounced past goalkeeper Odisseas Vlachodimos.
The Greek goalkeeper doubled the visitors’ lead with just 10 minutes to go.
But moments later, Curtis Jones made it 3-0 for England, lashing an outrageous back-heel into the back of the net after a stunning assist from Morgan Gibbs-White.
It was enough to give England a win and secure a standing ovation on his debut.
GK: Jordan Pickford – 8/10 – He made a series of excellent saves to deny Greece a chance to get back into the game. Pickford was calm and commanding between the sticks.
RB: Kyle Walker – 5/10 – He moved into a central role in the second half of the game but struggled to offer much from there, or his usual position. Walker often looked out of place on the pitch, unable to cope with the headaches Greece’s forwards provided.
CB: Marc Guehi – 6/10 – An average performance from the Crystal Palace defender, who looked more composed than the rest of his teammates in the backline. Guehi didn’t make any glaring mistakes to hurt his side, but he didn’t offer spectacular moments either.
CB: Ezri Konsa – 6/10 – Konsa was taken out of the game at half-time due to a tactical change, but enjoyed a strong performance in the first 45 minutes. He made a number of excellent passes and worked hard at the back.
LB: Rico Lewis – 7/10 – Lewis enjoyed a successful night in Athens, putting himself in every possible space to catapult his team to victory. The youngster was extremely versatile, contributing both in attack and defence.
DM: Conor Gallagher – 7/10 – He never stopped working while on the pitch and proved to be a handful for Greece. Clever passing, well-timed tackles and a solid all-round performance – Gallagher proved vital for England.
DM: Curtis Jones – 7/10 – Jones’ latest heel strike capped an impressive debut for the Liverpool star. The midfielder was simply superb, displaying his outrageous skills and oozing confidence. fantastic
RW: Noni Madueke – 8/10 – Chelsea star Madueke had a lot to be proud of, showing his ability to create chances and beat defenders. The way he danced around the pitch was remarkable, proving to be one of England’s most valuable players.
AM: Jude Bellingham – 7/10 – Bellingham ran wild Thursday night, and its opening drive for Watkins rewrote the game before it even had a chance to begin. He was a key player in England’s success.
LW: Anthony Gordon – 6/10 – Gordon was the quietest attacker on the pitch and couldn’t offer much going forward. Made some good passes when needed.
ST: Ollie Watkins – 7/10 – He scored England’s first goal and continued to put himself in the best positions to strengthen his team’s lead. He led the line as Kane was banished to the bench.
Substitutes
SUB: Lewis Hall (45′ for Konsa) – 5/10 – He worked hard on the pitch but failed to deliver any moments of greatness.
SUB: Harry Kane (66′ for Watkins) – 6/10 – He was benched to start but injected new life later in the game.
SUB: Morgan Rogers (66′ for Gordon) – 7/10 – He made some excellent runs and continued to test Greece’s midfield.
SUB: Jarrod Bowen (67′ for Madueke) – 6/10 – He came in with Kane and provided a new presence up front.
SUB: Morgan Gibbs-White (79′ for Gallagher) – 6/10 – A fantastic assist to double England’s lead.
Subs not used: Dean Henderson (GK), James Trafford (GK), Jarell Quansah, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Valentino Livramento, Angel Gomes, Dominic Solanke
manager
Lee Carsley – 7/10 – He made a number of smart substitutions and ensured England head into the November international break with a win.
