Midfielder Jude Bellingham scored his first goal of the new season, but England lost 1-2 to Greece at Wembley in Nations League Group B2.
In the 87th minute, substitute Ollie Watkins crossed into the box, but three teammates could not finish. The ball drifted out and Bellingham ran up from the second line to finish with a one-touch cross, equalizing the score at 1-1.
This is Bellingham’s first goal of the 2024-2025 season, both at club and international level. For Real Madrid, the English midfielder has only had two assists in eight matches in all competitions.
Bellingham scores early in the match as England lost 1-2 to Greece at home at Wembley in the third round of Group B2 of the Nations League at Wembley on October 10. Photo: Reuters
This form is in contrast to last season, when Bellingham contributed 23 goals, 13 assists in 42 matches in all competitions, helping Real win three titles La Liga, Spanish Super Cup and Champions League. The 21-year-old midfielder was voted La Liga Player of the Year 2023-2024 and is a strong candidate for the Ballon d’Or award.
But Bellingham could not help England escape defeat at home. In the 49th minute, receiving a pass from Konstantinos Koulierakis, striker Vangelis Pavlidis turned around in front of five home players in the penalty area and then crossed the ball past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, opening the score.
In the fourth minute of injury time, from a chaotic situation in the penalty area, Pavlidis quickly finished diagonally to seal the score 2-1, helping Greece win three points right at Wembley. This was the first time Greece had defeated England in history, after seven losses and two draws in all competitions.
Greece players pose for a photo with Baldock’s No. 2 shirt after the match, in memory of the former international who died at the age of 31 this week. Photo: Guardian
Pavlidis – the Greek hero – grew up in Bochum, then moved to the Netherlands to play for Willem II Tilburg and AZ Alkmaar. He currently plays for Benfica, and has scored eight goals in 41 games for Greece.
It was an emotional evening for Greece as they held a minute’s silence before kick-off for former international George Baldock – who died aged 31 this week. “The day and the match are very special for us,” Pavlidis said. “We are all thinking about Baldock, but we are professionals and we have to play. We play our best for Baldock. Today is not a day to talk about football.”
Greece could have won by even more, with three goals ruled out for offside. According to EPSN , many fans left Wembley before Bellingham equalized in the 87th minute. This lackluster performance dealt a heavy blow to Lee Carsley’s hopes of being appointed permanent England manager. He suffered his first defeat since taking over from Gareth Southgate. Last month, in his first match in charge, Carsley and the “Three Lions” beat Ireland and Finland with the same score of 2-0.
England players were disappointed after losing 1-2 to Greece at home at Wembley Stadium in the third round of Group B2 of the Nations League at Wembley Stadium on October 10. Photo: Guardian
On October 13, England will visit Finland, while Greece will return home to host Ireland.
Line-up:
Anh: Pickford, Arnold, Stones, Colwill, Lewis, Saka (Madueke 52), Palmer, Rice, Gordon (Watkins 60), Foden (Solanke 72), Bellingham
Greece : Vlachodimos, Giannoulis, Koulierakis, Mavropanos, Rota, Siopis (Zafeiris 66), Kourbelis (Mantalos 74), Tzolis (Konstantelias 86), Bakasetas (Vagiannidis 86), Masouras (Pelkas 66), Pavlidis