England’s UEFA Nations League campaign suffered a significant setback as Greece stunned the hosts with a 2-1 victory at Wembley Stadium, exposing the flaws in interim manager Lee Carsley’s ambitious tactical approach.
The visitors’ resilience was rewarded four minutes into the second half when Vangelis Pavlidis broke the deadlock with a composed finish. England’s Jude Bellingham appeared to have salvaged a point with an 87th-minute equalizer, only for Pavlidis to strike again deep into stoppage time, securing a historic win for Greece.
Carsley, in the absence of injured captain Harry Kane, opted for an unconventional lineup. Bellingham was deployed as a false nine, surrounded by attacking midfielders Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon, Bukayo Saka, and Cole Palmer. The strategy, however, resulted in a disjointed performance that lacked coherence and left England vulnerable defensively.
England’s troubles were compounded when Bukayo Saka was forced off with an injury in the 51st minute, just moments after Greece had taken the lead. This unexpected substitution disrupted Carsley’s tactical setup further and deprived the team of one of its most dynamic attacking threats at a crucial juncture in the match.
Greece, well-organized and disciplined, threatened throughout the game. They had three goals disallowed for offside and nearly took an early lead when only Levi Colwill’s goalline clearance prevented Tasos Bakasetas from capitalizing on Jordan Pickford’s positional error.
In an emotional tribute, the Greek players interrupted their goal celebrations to display a shirt bearing the name of George Baldock, their former international teammate who passed away earlier in the week at the age of 31.
Recognizing his tactical miscalculation, Carsley introduced strikers Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke in the second half. Solanke’s appearance marked only his second cap, coming seven years after his debut. Despite these changes and Bellingham’s late equalizer, England couldn’t prevent Greece from claiming their first-ever goal and victory at Wembley.
The match highlighted the imbalance in England’s setup, with attacking areas overcrowded and defensive zones undermanned. Declan Rice found himself overwhelmed in midfield, struggling to cover the gaps left by his teammates. Pickford, usually a reliable presence for England, endured an uncharacteristically erratic performance, contributing to the overall sense of unease.
This defeat marks Carsley’s first setback after initial wins against the Republic of Ireland and Finland. England’s next fixture is against Finland in Helsinki on Sunday, where they will aim to bounce back from this unexpected loss.
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