In the shadow of the untimely loss of George Baldock, the Greek National Team managed to secure a historic 2-1 victory at Wembley against England, during the 3rd round of the Nations League.
The standout player for the Greek team was Vangelis Pavlidis, who scored both goals at the 49th minute and in the 4th minute of stoppage time, while Jude Bellingham had equalized in the 87th minute.
After his first goal, Vangelis Pavlidis removed his black armband and raised it in the air, dedicating the goal to Baldock.
Watch the 0-1 HERE
Watch the 1-1 HERE
Watch the 1-2 HERE
The match began with a great save by Odysseas Vlachodimos against a shot from Bellingham at the edge of the box. In the 11th minute, Greece had a double chance after incredible errors by Jordan Pickford! First, the Everton goalkeeper came out of his box but failed to clear the ball, Bakasetas stole it and shot, but Colwill saved it on the line. From the resulting corner and Kourbelis’ header, Pickford misjudged his exit and Mavropanos scored, but he was offside.
England’s best chance was lost by Palmer, who received an ideal assist from Bellingham in the 23rd minute but shot disappointingly wide. Overall, in the first half, the Greeks responded exceptionally well to England’s pressure, building attacks from the back and avoiding any panic. They had a great moment with Bakasetas after Pickford’s error and generally stood firm on the Wembley pitch.
In the 49th minute Pavlidis received the ball from Koulierakis inside the box, surrounded by four English defenders. With brilliant feints, he “danced” around them and placed the ball in Pickford’s corner, scoring Greece’s first-ever goal at Wembley. Immediately, the players went to the bench and raised a shirt with Baldock’s name, earning applause, even from the disappointed home fans.
In the 61st minute, Watkins, with his first touch, missed from a very favorable position, as England increased the pressure, but our internationals responded exemplary. In the 83rd minute, Pavlidis’ goal, which would have sealed the triumph, was narrowly ruled offside. Four minutes later, a fantastic shot by Jude Bellingham from the edge of the box made it 1-1. This result would have been a huge success for Greece, though they had every right to feel they deserved even more.
In the 4th minute of stoppage time, Pavlidis took advantage of confusion in the hosts’ penalty area and, with a diagonal shot, secured probably the greatest victory for Greece in the last 20 years.
A minute of silence was observed in memory of George Baldock before the start of the match. The stadium’s video boards displayed a picture of the tragically lost Greek-English international, and the advertising boards behind one of the goals displayed his name. Players from both teams wore black armbands.
