England 1 – 2 Greece

Lee Carsley’s honeymoon period as England interim manager came to a crashing halt as a Vangelis Pavlidis double gave Greece a deserved 2-1 Nations League win at Wembley.

Carsley had appeared a shoo-in for the job ahead of kick-off, but his experimental England line-up and the disjointed performance which followed will raise more questions than answers as they fell to FIFA’s 48th-ranked side.

Pavlidis slotted Greece ahead five minutes into the second half after dancing past a number of England players, but the visitors almost led much earlier when it needed an acrobatic goal-line clearance from Levi Colwill to deny Tasos Bakasetas.

The visitors saw three more goals denied by narrow offside calls, indicative of England’s open and often porous defence, while a late scramble leading to Pavlidis’ 94th-minute winner was typical of their evening – and nothing less than Greece deserved.

Image:
Greece players hold aloft a shirt in memory of George Baldock after Pavlidis’ opener

Cole Palmer had blasted over England’s best chance of the night before that with Anthony Gordon also culpable when miscuing a header from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross, as the hosts managed just a single shot on target before Jude Bellingham struck an 87th-minute equaliser.

The 21-year-old carried the weight of a nation on his shoulders yet again as he popped up with another late leveller, when his long-range effort was parried into the top corner in the 87th minute.

That briefly looked like rescuing a valuable point in England’s hopes of winning their Nations League group – but with those aspirations now cast into serious doubt, Carsley’s fate may face similar scrutiny after his tactical gamble backfired so spectacularly.

How England’s bad night could have been even worse…

  • 11th minute: GOAL DISALLOWED! “Mavropanos heads the ball into the back of the net after the England ‘keeper failed to punch it clear – but it’s ruled out for offside!”
  • 60th minute: ANOTHER DISALLOWED GOAL! “Pavlidis gets forward again and squares it to Masouras, who lashes his effort into the back of the net. However, his celebrations are stopped in their tracks by the offside flag…”
  • 85th minute: AND A THIRD! “Pavlidis grabs his second! Giannoulis pounces on a loose pass and dishes the ball to Tzolis, who squares the ball to his striker. It could be offside actually… VAR are checking the pass to Tzolis in the build-up. Disallowed!”

What’s next?

England’s Nations League campaign continues this week when they visit Finland on Sunday, October 13; kick off 5pm.

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

Football gossip: Alexander-Arnold, Mbeumo, Kudus, Leao, Vinicius Jr, Neymar

Trent Alexander-Arnold is on Real Madrid’s right-back radar, Newcastle want Bryan Mbeumo, Arsenal line up Mohammed Kudus move, plus more. Liverpool’s England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, 26, is Real Madrid’s favourite to reinforce their right-back position. (AS – in Spanish), external Newcastle United have placed Cameroon winger Bryan Mbeumo on their wanted list, with Brentford having

Transfer rumors, news: Arsenal linked with £90m move for Kudus

Arsenal are lining up a move for West Ham United star Mohammed Kudus, while Rafael Leão is considering an exit from AC Milan amid interest from Barcelona. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumours, and gossip from the world of soccer. Transfers homepage | Done deals | Men’s grades | Women’s grades TOP STORIES

Hong Kong Blind Union brings audio description to sports events

Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3) A pilot audio description service in Hong Kong is helping visually impaired people enjoy sporting events. Offered by the Hong Kong Blind Union, the service promotes equality for people with disabilities. The union said it had offered the service at 105 sports events over the past 4½ years. Events included the

Cup fightback needs to be ‘reference game’ for Rangers – Clement

If Rangers manager Philippe Clement did not understand the pressure he was under going into the League Cup semi-final against Motherwell, he did at half-time. The boos from the Rangers fans at Hampden were deafening as they went into the break a goal behind following a first-half display that started with promise but fizzled out

Has the Premier League title race taken an early twist?

The Premier League season is only three months old, but this weekend may have gone some way to shaping how it will look come May. Manchester City? They’re no longer top after getting beaten by AFC Bournemouth. Arsenal? Not even in the top four following their loss at Newcastle United. That’s all put into perspective

Chelsea say Martinez tackle on Palmer clear red card

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca said Manchester United’s Lisandro Martínez should have been sent off for going “for the legs” of Cole Palmer with a reckless challenge which resulted in a yellow card for the defender during Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Old Trafford. Argentina international Martinez was booked by referee Robert Jones in

Mohamed Salah posts cryptic note on Liverpool future after goal

Mohamed Salah has posted a cryptic message about his Liverpool future a day after scoring his team’s winning goal against Brighton. Arne Slot extended his impressive start to his tenure with the 2-1 comeback victory, with the Egypt international scoring what the coach called a “Mo Salah special” to complete the turnaround. Editor’s Picks 2

Goalkeeper’s stunning point-blank save while tangled in net

Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerNov 3, 2024, 02:30 PM Goalkeeper Frankie Leonard has ambitions of turning pro and he showed exactly what he can do with an amazingly unorthodox save in a non-league game. Twitter @FisherFilmCrew While defeats for Manchester City and Arsenal allowed Liverpool to move two points clear at the top of the Premier

WSL: Man United earn draw with Arsenal to stay unbeaten

Alessia Russo scored her first goal of the 2024-25 season for Arsenal against Manchester United. Photo by Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images Manchester United substitute Melvine Malard snatched an 83rd-minute equaliser to earn her side a 1-1 draw with Arsenal, with former United striker Alessia Russo getting the Gunners’ goal in an intriguing Women’s Super

Brazilian GP 2024: Lando Norris on pole, Max Verstappen starts 17th

McLaren’s Lando Norris took pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in a chaotic, crash-strewn qualifying session in which Max Verstappen was 12th. The Red Bull driver has a five-place grid penalty for the grand prix later on Sunday so will start 17th, although he may vault up if some of the damaged cars

Ronnie O’Sullivan beats women’s world number one Mink Nutcharut after safety delays

Ronnie O’Sullivan eventually overcame women’s world number one Mink Nutcharut 6-3 after their match was delayed several times because of safety concerns. The 48-year-old hit two centuries – including a final frame break of 132 – to see off Thailand’s Nutcharut in the first round of the International Championship in Nanjing, China. But the start

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x