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October 10, 2024

Player ratings for England 1-2 Greece as Lee Carsley’s Three Lions suffer a historic loss

In Thursday night’s UEFA Nations League match, England lost in stoppage time after Jude Bellingham appeared to have saved a draw. They were defeated by Greece for the first time ever.

Greece had not scored in their three prior trips to the (old) Wembley Stadium (1971, 1983, and 1994), but Vangelis Pavlidis ended that run early in the second half.

Lee Carsley suffered his first loss since taking over as interim manager, and England lost their first competitive match at Wembley in four years. Bellingham tied the score with 87 minutes remaining, but Pavlidis, England’s main tormentor throughout the evening, had the last say for the visitors.

How the Game Unfolded

England started brightly, with Jude Bellingham testing Newcastle United goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos from the edge of the box and Cole Palmer, making his competitive international debut, striking the top of the net with a well-placed free-kick. However, Greece posed a threat, launching a dangerous counter-attack that striker Pavlidis could not convert.

A significant blunder from Jordan Pickford, who attempted to dribble into midfield after rushing off his line, nearly gifted Greece the lead. Anastasios Bakasetas seized the opportunity to shoot at the open net, but Levi Colwill made a heroic intervention, hooking the ball off the line just in time. Pickford’s confidence was further tested moments later when he misjudged a high ball and was beaten to it by West Ham United’s Kostas Mavropanos, although the subsequent goal was ruled out for offside.

Despite England’s initial dominance, Greece came close again midway through the first half when John Stones deflected a shot from Bakasetas away from danger, just in front of Pickford. Immediately afterward, Palmer squandered a golden opportunity, blazing over the bar after receiving a cutback from Bellingham. Anthony Gordon failed to capitalize on a chance, heading wide after sneaking into the box.

As the first half drew to a close, the quality and intensity of the match began to decline, with Greece increasingly packed in their penalty area and England struggling to break through.

The tide turned when the game resumed, as England were caught off guard, allowing Pavlidis to weave through a crowded penalty area and fire a low shot past Pickford. He dedicated the goal to George Baldock, the England-born Greek international who had tragically passed away earlier that week.

With their spirits lifted and playing in memory of their late teammate—both teams wore black armbands in tribute—Greece continued to apply pressure. Pickford had to deal with a Bakasetas shot unconventionally, and England was fortunate not to fall two goals behind when Giorgos Masouras found the net from a Pavlidis cross, only for the goal to be disallowed due to offside in the build-up.

Although substitute Noni Madueke brought some energy to the pitch, England appeared labored and lacked a coherent strategy as the match progressed. Greece remained dangerous, and they struck the net for a fourth time when Pavlidis finished from Christos Tzolis’ pass. England had carelessly lost possession following a throw from Pickford, but VAR intervened, ruling the goal offside.

As time passed, it seemed Jude Bellingham had salvaged a point for England. He found the back of the net after Dominic Solanke’s low cross evaded everyone in the box, allowing Bellingham to run onto it at the edge of the area. Vlachodimos got a hand to the shot, but the strike was too powerful to stop.

However, parity was short-lived. In stoppage time, Pavlidis managed to turn the ball into the net amid a crowded box. Poor defending from England—failing to clear their lines—allowed Greece to strike for a fifth time, ultimately earning them a well-deserved victory.

England player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Jordan Pickford – 4/10 – Didn’t start well at all, almost gifting Greece a pair of goals, but bailed out once by a teammate and then by an offside flag. A misplaced throw later saw the visitors score a would-be second, which VAR ruled out for offside.

RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6/10 – Culpable defensively for the Greece breakthrough. He got forward plenty but lacked options for him without an attacking focal point for the first hour.

CB: John Stones (c) – 4/10 – Handed the captain’s armband for the first time. Too weak in his attempted challenge on Pavlidis as Greece took the lead. He was not the leader he should have been.

CB: Levi Colwill – 6/10 – Cleared the ball just in the nick of time after Pickford went walkabout early.

LB: Rico Lewis – 5/10 – Wasn’t afraid to look for the ball and come into midfield. Poor for the second Greece goal that won the game.

RM: Bukayo Saka – 5/10 – Struggled to get into the game and succumbed to injury only a few minutes into the second half.

CM: Cole Palmer – 6/10 – Fans expected the net to bulge when Bellingham laid a first-half chance on a plate for him. Wound up, moving to the right flank when the tactics were switched up and faded.

CM: Declan Rice – 5/10 – Passed the ball accurately, but mostly backward and sideways. He didn’t seem to have control of the midfield and lost more duels than he won.

LM: Anthony Gordon – 4/10 – Missed a header from a promising position but saw less of the ball overall than Saka on the opposite flank. He didn’t play to his strengths, which is running at defenders.

ST: Phil Foden – 4/10 – Couldn’t find his role in the system England started with. There were sporadic link-up moments with Bellingham, but Greece closed the spaces quickly.

ST: Jude Bellingham – 6/10 – Nearly proved England’s savior again with the late equalizer to make it 1-1. It hadn’t been a brilliant performance up to then, and he even looked entirely disinterested in the move from which he scored until the ball suddenly started rolling towards him.

Substitutes

SUB: Noni Madueke (52′ for Saka) – 7/10

They brought energy and directness, driving at the Greek defense more than any other England player and injecting some much-needed urgency.

SUB: Ollie Watkins (60′ for Gordon) – 6/10

Given 30 minutes to make an impact in Kane’s absence but struggled to find a rhythm. He showed flashes but couldn’t fully capitalize on his opportunity.

SUB: Dominic Solanke (72′ for Foden) – 6/10

Set up Bellingham’s late goal, though it seemed more by chance than design. It provided a brief attacking option but didn’t significantly influence the outcome.

Manager

Lee Carsley – 5/10

They opted to start without a recognized striker despite Watkins being available, a strategy that didn’t pay off. Adjusted in the second half, but England relied on offside calls to keep the score respectable. They managed to avoid a heavy defeat yet tried to unlock Greece’s defense convincingly.

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