Greece vs England LIVE: Result and reaction as Three Lions seal victory in must-win Nations League clash
Greece 0-3 England: Ollie Watkins, an own goal created by Jude Bellingham and Curtis Jones ensured Lee Carsley’s Three Lions got the victory they needed in Athens
England took a big step closer to winning automatic promotion to the top tier of the Nations League with a strong 3-0 victory over rivals Greece in Athens.
Interim manager Lee Carsley made it four wins out of five for his time in charge and made a bold call in leaving captain Harry Kane on the bench to start the game. His replacement was Ollie Watkins and the decision made off spectacularly. Noni Madueke sprinted down the right and slipped in a pass that Watkins turned home with seven minutes on the clock.
The early breakthrough settled the nerves and England were able to weather a storm from the hosts with Jordan Pickford proving his worth on a busy night between the sticks. In the second half, Carsley made attacking substitutions and replaced the whole front line.
It worked a treat as first Bellingham raced at the defence to score a fortuitious deflected shot from range before Curtis Jones added a third with a dainty flick having been supplied by substitute Morgan Rogers. Three goals and three points puts England top of Group B2 and they need one more win to gain promotion.
Relive the action from the Nations League with our live blog below as England take on Greece:
Bellingham reacts to England win
Jude Bellingham had a stellar night for England and says he is proud of his teammates. He told ITV: “It was a good win.
“A lot was made of the lads who weren’t here but I think the ones who showed up were amazing. Curtis [Jones] - making his debut, playing as he did and scoring - was amazing. I’m really proud of the boys.”
England player ratings as Noni Madueke and Jude Bellingham shine in crucial win over Greece
England avenged their shock defeat to Greece at Wembley last month as Lee Carsley’s side kept their chances of promotion back to Nations League A alive with a generally positive performance in a 3-0 win in Athens.
England flew out of the blocks at the Athens Olympic Stadium with Noni Madueke and Jude Bellingham particularly impressing and they both had a key hand in Ollie Watkins’s seventh-minute goal.
However, Greece came back into the game as the first half wore on, with Kostas Tsimikas forcing Jordan Pickford into a good save and the pressure built even further after the break, when it took another superb Pickford stop to deny Fotis Ioannidis.
England player ratings as Noni Madueke and Jude Bellingham shine in key win in Greece
Greece 0-3 England: Ollie Watkins, an own goal created by Bellingham and Curtis Jones ensured Lee Carsley’s Three Lions got the victory they needed in Athens
What does England’s win mean?
Becuase they triumphed tonight, England will win promotion back to League A in the Nations League if they beat the Republic of Ireland at Wembley on Sunday.
It also means Thomas Tuchel will start his job on January 1 with just the World Cup qualifiers to focus on instead of a two-legged Nations League play-off.
England top the table
Here’s how Group B2 is shaping up with one game left:
1) England - Played 5, won 4, lost 1, points 12, goal difference +8
2) Greece - Played 5, won 4, lost 1, points 12, goal difference +5
3) Republic of Ireland - Played 5, won 2, lost 3, points 6, goal difference -4
4) Finland - Played 5, won 0, lost 5, points 0, goal difference -9
FT Greece 0-3 England
Full-time! Greece 0-3 England
90+4 mins: A brilliant night for England. They would have felt a little irked after losing to Greece at Wembley. Three goals and a fine performance from Jordan Pickford was more than enough for the Three Lions to get through this match with a clean sheet and more importantly all three points.
England now have a better goal difference than Greece as well and will just need to defeat the Republic of Ireland at the weekend to win promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League.
Greece 0-3 England
90 mins: Four minutes of added time to play before the end of this game.
Greece 0-3 England
86 mins: Greece are still a threat but England have nullified them and the only voices to be heard in the stadium are coming from the English fans.
This victory will mean that the Three Lions have control of the group again.
GOAL! Greece 0-3 England (Curtis Jones, 83 mins)
Another one!
Morgan Gibbs-White comes off the bench and carries the ball up the pitch. He sends it out to Jarrod Bowen who slips a pass into the box for Morgan Rogers.
Rogers finds Curtis Jones who flicks a delicate shot at goal and nestles it into the far botton corner!
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