England bounced back from their Wembley defeat to Greece with a dominant 3-0 victory in Athens, moving to the top of their Nations League group.
Also Read: UNL Match Report! Greece vs England Match Updates, News and Scores (14th November, 2024)
Interim manager Lee Carsley made a bold decision to drop Harry Kane and start Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, a decision that paid off handsomely.
Watkins opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a tap-in from Noni Madueke’s cross, setting the tone for the rest of the match.
Greece were kept at bay by Jordan Pickford, who produced a series of key saves, denying Konstantinos Tsimikas and Ioannis Ioannidis.
England doubled their lead when Jude Bellingham, who had been integral in the build-up to Watkins’ goal, saw his shot strike the post and ricochet in off the unfortunate Greek goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.
The victory was sealed in style by Curtis Jones, who marked his debut with a cheeky backheel to make it 3-0. The win sent England above Greece in League B, Group Two, and put them in pole position to secure promotion with a win over Ireland on Sunday.
England Player Ratings:
Jordan Pickford (9/10):
Inspirational performance. Pickford made crucial saves from Tsimikas and Ioannidis, also showing excellent command with his kicking and punching.
Kyle Walker (5/10):
Vulnerable in the first half, especially when beaten by Tsimikas. However, Walker showed resilience when shifted to centre-back in the second half.
Ezri Konsa (6/10):
Looked composed with the ball but was forced off with an injury at half-time and didn’t return.
Marc Guehi (7/10):
Another solid outing for England’s most dependable defender.
Rico Lewis (6/10):
Showed promise with a fine pass to Watkins but was forced to dig deep defensively after switching to right-back.
Conor Gallagher (6/10):
A hardworking performance, though he played with fire after being booked for a couple of reckless tackles.
Curtis Jones (8/10):
A dream debut for Jones. His composed passing controlled the game, and he capped it off with a cheeky backheel finish.
Jude Bellingham (8/10):
Back to his best. Bellingham created the opening goal with a brilliant reverse pass and added to the scoreline by forcing an own goal. He was also booked for arguing with the referee.
Noni Madueke (8/10):
A standout performer, Madueke dazzled with his pace and dribbling, setting up Watkins’ goal and linking up well with Bellingham.
Ollie Watkins (6/10):
Watkins justified his selection by scoring early, though a sloppy touch prevented him from creating another chance just before the break.
Anthony Gordon (5/10):
Struggled to make an impact, often unable to create danger despite his work rate.
Lewis Hall (6/10):
A decent debut, demonstrating his pace but not overly involved in the attack.
Harry Kane (5/10):
Looked isolated after replacing Watkins and struggled to make an impact.
Morgan Rogers (6/10):
Showed promise in his debut appearance off the bench.
Jarrod Bowen (6/10):
Contributed to the build-up of England’s late goals.
Morgan Gibbs-White (7/10):
Played a key role in setting up Curtis Jones’ beautiful backheel goal.
Lee Carsley (7/10):
Made a courageous call with the starting XI, and his decisions were vindicated by the 3-0 victory.
