Bellingham is unable to preserve England
At Wembley, Jude Bellingham, a midfielder, scored his first goal of the year as England fell short of Greece 1-2 in Nations League Group B2.
Ollie Watkins, a replacement, crossed into the box in the 87th minute, but three teammates were unable to finish. As the ball slid out of play, Bellingham emerged from the second line to score a diagonal touch to tie the game at one.
Bellingham’s first goal of the 2024–2025 season, both on the club and worldwide scene, is this. In eight games across all competitions, the English midfielder for Real Madrid has only contributed two assists.
This is not the same as Bellingham’s performance from the previous campaign, when he helped Real Madrid win three La Liga titles, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Champions League with 23 goals and 13 assists in 42 games in all competitions. The 21-year-old midfielder is a serious contender for the Ballon d’Or after winning the La Liga Player of the Year 2023–2024 award.
However, Bellingham was unable to prevent England from losing at home. After a pass from Konstantinos Koulierakis, Vangelis Pavlidis, the striker, spun around in front of five home players in the penalty area and crossed the ball past Jordan Pickford, the goalkeeper, to open the score in the 49th minute.
Greece secured a 2-1 victory at Wembley when Pavlidis promptly scored diagonally in the fourth minute of injury time, capping a hectic situation in the penalty area. Greece had never before beaten England in any competition, having suffered seven defeats and two draws overall.
Greece’s national hero, Pavlidis, was born and raised in Bochum before traveling to the Netherlands to play for AZ Alkmaar and Willem II Tilburg. He currently plays for Benfica and has eight goals in 41 Greece international matches.
Greece observed a minute of silence before kickoff in honor of former international George Baldock, who passed away this week at the age of 31. It was a moving evening for the team. “It’s a very special day and a very special match for us,” Pavlidis stated. “We all have Baldock on our minds, but as professionals, we have to perform. We are fully committed to Baldock. It is not appropriate to discuss football today.”
With three goals disallowed for offside, Greece could have won by a larger margin. Many spectators had left Wembley before Bellingham’s equalizer in the 87th minute, according to EPSN. The poor showing destroyed Lee Carsley’s chances of becoming England’s permanent manager. It was his first loss as manager since replacing Gareth Southgate. In his first game as team captain last month, Carsley and the “Three Lions” triumphed 2-0 over Finland and Ireland.
