Unlucky finalist of Euro 2024 (2-1 defeat against Spain), England had started the new League of Nations season perfectly, with victories against Finland and Ireland, on its way to a rise in division A. Except that the Three Lions, still led by interim Lee Carsley, fell against Greece (1-2) on Thursday at Wembley, after a very bad match on their part.
Unable to worry Odysseas Vlachodimos, the goalkeeper of the Hellenes and Nottingham Forest, these Englishmen deprived of Harry Kane took a first goal after returning from the locker room by Vangelis Pavlidis (49th). John Stones was notably unimperial. Jude Bellingham thought he had saved his selection by equalizing with a well-placed strike five minutes from the end (87th), but the Greeks snatched victory thanks again to Pavlidis, Benfica’s scorer, on a pathetic defensive sequence from of the English in added time (94th). Rico Lewis and Levi Colwill completely failed in Jordan Pickford’s area.
A huge blow from the Greeks, who scored a third victory to sit alone at the top of the group. Ivan Jovanovic’s players were able to pay tribute to their former teammate George Baldock, found dead in his swimming pool on the eve of the match. This English defender, captain of Sheffield in the Championship and the Premier League, has been a Greek international since 2022, thanks to a Greek grandmother.
In League B, the winners of the four groups are promoted to League A, while the runners-up in each group face a third from the top division of the UEFA competition.
