England avenged their previous home defeat to Greece with a commanding 3-0 victory in Athens, reclaiming control of automatic promotion hopes from Group B2 in the Nations League. The emphatic win was highlighted by a stylish back-heeled finish from Curtis Jones, marking a strong response to last month’s setback at Wembley.
Interim manager Lee Carsley, who will conclude his spell with England’s match against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday, now has his team on the brink of promotion. A win against Ireland would allow new head coach Thomas Tuchel to begin his tenure with the fresh focus of World Cup qualifiers next March, avoiding the pressure of Nations League play-offs.
The Three Lions made a statement early, with Ollie Watkins rewarding Carsley’s decision to start him by netting a close-range finish just seven minutes in. The goal was set up by clever link-up play between Noni Madueke and Jude Bellingham down the right flank. England’s quick lead put them in control against a Greek side who, despite having lost all four previous home games against England, only needed a draw to seal their promotion. Greece’s Fotis Ioannidis came closest for the hosts, but England’s Jordan Pickford kept them at bay, tipping Ioannidis’ shot around the post.
Despite being affected by nine squad withdrawals since Carsley named his roster, England managed to withstand a spell of Greek pressure. They then regained momentum when Bellingham’s driving run and shot hit the post, only to bounce over the line after deflecting off Greek goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.
England’s second goal, coupled with their head-to-head advantage over Greece, put them in the top spot in Group B2. But they capped off the performance in style as substitute Morgan Gibbs-White sent a precise cross into the box, where Jones executed an audacious back-heel flick to seal the victory.
Now, England needs only to match or outperform Greece’s result in the final round of fixtures to secure promotion to League A, placing them on a promising path toward next year’s international competitions.
