Greece record historic win over England to hand Lee Carsley a reality check

Maybe this is what happens when you play all the fun guys. Lee Carsley loaded his starting England XI with Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer in central areas, Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon on the wings; the dial turned furiously to attack.

It was a team to excite, the kind that so many England fans have craved. And for very long spells, it was a mess. England lacked control in midfield and they were porous at the back, Greece tearing through them with increasing regularity.

Nobody could say that Vangelis Pavlidis’s goal on 49 minutes had not been signposted and as the second half wore on, it was Greece who looked the likelier scorers of the next goal. They were denied when Pavlidis touched home following yet another slick team move, the VAR spotted he was offside and it was not the only time that Greece had a goal disallowed.

The upside of having so many game-breakers on the pitch is that there is always a chance, even when everything looks lost – specifically the team, in this instance. Carsley had thrown on Ollie Watkins and when he cut back from the byline, Bellingham ran on to the ball and guided home a fierce curler from the edge of the box.

Greece, however, would not be denied an historic first win over England. Pavlidis was the hero at the very last, slamming home after the England defence had got themselves into a terrible tangle – and it was a long way from being the first time.

Carsley had said on Wednesday that he often spends five or six minutes at the beginning of matches these days trying to work out the formations of the teams he is watching. Onlookers did the same here with his lineup, one that was marked by boldness and extreme levels of fluidity.

The pre-match hype had taken in the possibility that Carsley would play Bellingham as a false nine, which he did. What was clear at the outset was that he had also asked Foden to operate in a central striking role. Behind them, Declan Rice held in midfield while Palmer had the license to push up. Call it a 4-2-4, with asterisks.

Trent Alexander-Arnold stepped up and across into midfield from right-back – sometimes into an inside forward position – while Rico Lewis was attack-minded from left-back. It was all a bit of a blur, cohesion elusive for much of the first half. Worse, England were open at the back, vulnerable to Greece’s counters, of which there were many. Carsley’s team were fortunate not to concede by the midway point of the first period and the thought occurred that better opponents might have punished them.

Greece had major regrets in the tenth minute. Jordan Pickford left his area to try to spark a move but he could not see a pass and the longer he dallied, the greater the trouble he invited. When he was robbed, Tasos Bakasetas lobbed towards the empty net and only a spectacular goal-line clearance by the retreating Levi Colwill saved England.

Carsley’s team enjoyed some rewards when they brought a high press, panicking Greece into errors. Further up the pitch, though, the visitors were comfortable in possession, playing neat triangles and they had other chances during that initial period.

Pavlidis curled wide after Bellingham had gone to ground too easily and Greece moved the length of the field. Konstantinos Mavropanos had the ball in the net after a Pickford flap following a corner only to be pulled back for offside; Pickford was a lucky boy. And Bakasetas would work the goalkeeper when well placed.

England had their own chances before the interval, the big one coming in the 23rd minute when Bellingham ran in behind before producing a stunning drag-back to throw his defender before teeing up the unmarked Palmer. It was the moment the Chelsea player would have dreamed about. Implausibly, he lifted high.

Palmer had air-kicked early on and there was also the moment when he bent a free-kick off target. Bellingham could point to a curler from the edge of the area that forced Odysseas Vlachodimos to tip over while Anthony Gordon headed high from an Alexander-Arnold cross.

The overriding impression from the first half was that Carsley needed to find clarity.

The travelling fans believed that a goal would come, one to honour George Baldock, the England-born Greece international who drowned in a swimming pool at his home in Athens on Wednesday. The tragedy has devastated everybody connected to the Greece squad and the celebrations were for Baldock when Pavlidis scored.

Lazaros Rota had seen a shot blocked by John Stones, having cut inside into yards of space. Now Pavlidis accepted the ball inside the area, plenty of England shirts around him but nobody able to make the challenge. Stones was the closest but Pavlidis was too cute for him, plotting an unerring course to the finish.

England looked scrambled. Rice was booked for a late tackle on Manolis Siopis, having got away with one on Dimitrios Kourbelis in the first-half and there was further alarm when Konstantinos Koulierakis got around the back to head a corner square. Bellingham cleared. What was going on?

Carsley lost Saka to an injury, Noni Madueke coming on and he took drastic action on the hour, introducing Watkins for Gordon and changing to 4-2-3-1, Palmer moved to the right.

Watkins almost scored with his first touch, shooting high from a Palmer pass but it was almost all Greece thereafter.

A draw would have been tough for them to accept. Their first victory over England was entirely deserved.