England gamble backfires as Vangelis Pavlidis fires emotional Greece to victory
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Greece's striker Vangelis Pavlidis (right) shoots to score their second goal during the Nations League match against England.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – The obvious reaction to England’s shock 2-1 Nations League defeat by Greece on Oct 10 would be to blame the radical selection of interim coach Lee Carsley, but the key moments came not in the crowded midfield but when the Three Lions had numbers galore at the back.
Vangelis Pavlidis scored both Greece goals at Wembley, the second in stoppage time, despite being surrounded by defenders on both occasions.
Tentative or non-existent tackling together with disorganisation that left players colliding and in a heap on the pitch opened the way, as Pavlidis showed neat control to secure Greece’s first-ever win over England.
The result means the Greeks top Group B2 on nine points, three ahead of England.
The scoreline could have been worse, with the video assistant referee (VAR) ruling out two more Greek goals for offside as England were repeatedly exposed at the back, despite Jude Bellingham’s 87th-minute equaliser briefly looking to have earned a flattering point for the Euro 2024 finalists.
In the absence of the injured Harry Kane, Carsley opted to play without a striker and crammed in England’s wealth of midfield talent in the shape of Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon and Phil Foden.
It did not work as they struggled to turn possession into chances in the first half, as Declan Rice was fighting fire as the only midfielder with any defensive responsibilities.
Carsley changed tack in the second half, bringing on forwards Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke, and England looked better balanced in attack.
After Bellingham’s long-range strike, they pushed forward seeking the win but were instead caught out, with centre-back Levi Colwill having a nightmare as he failed with three opportunities to clear before Pavlidis drove home the winner.
Carsley, who oversaw wins over Ireland and Finland after stepping in as caretaker when Gareth Southgate stood down, accepted that England were second best.
“We tried something different with the formation and tried to overload the midfield,” he said.
“We tried it for 20 minutes yesterday, we experimented and are disappointed it didn’t come off. But we never really gave ourselves the chance to see if it was the right or wrong decision.
“All the goals were from mistakes, which is disappointing. Even at 1-1 we were quite fortunate.”
Asked if he would stick with the new approach in the game in Finland on Oct 13, he said: “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.”
It was a doubly disappointing night for John Stones, who was captaining his country for the first time, but found himself struggling to keep Greece’s confident attackers at bay while being unable to carry out his usual role of strolling freely and building attacks.
“On a personal note, I’m absolutely gutted to have a result like that with the armband for the first time,” he said.
“We prepared like we normally do and it didn’t come off. From the start, they put us right under pressure. They were very compact. We know the system as players and when we are out there as players, we have to deliver. The onus is on us to deliver – and we didn’t.”
Pavlidis, meanwhile, paid an emotional tribute to the late George Baldock after his side’s victory.
British-born Greek international Baldock, who joined Panathinaikos from Sheffield United in May, died this week aged 31 after being found in a swimming pool at his Glyfada home.
The Wembley crowd observed a minute of silence before kick-off and Greece’s players looked flat at the final whistle, despite their win.
“It was a very special day and match for us. Our thoughts are with George,” said Pavlidis.
“We are professionals and had to play the match. We gave our soul for him tonight. Today is not a day to talk about football. He was part of our team. We will miss him very much.
“We won tonight but don’t want to celebrate. There are just no words.” REUTERS, AFP
