Despite their many casualties, England beat Greece 3-0 in Athens and regained first place in group B2 (second division) of the Nations League, this Thursday on the penultimate day of the group stage.
The European runners-up have 12 points after five games, like Greece, who had won 2-1 at Wembley, but the Three Lions have a better goal difference.
England must obtain at least the same result as Greece in Finland on Sunday against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley (5:00 p.m. GMT) to retain first place, synonymous with promotion to the first division.
This Thursday the team led by interim coach Lee Carsley won thanks to goals from Ollie Watkins (7), Odysseas Vlachodimos own goal (78) and Curtis Jones (83).
England’s visit to Athens was marked by the losses of a large number of important players; Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) Phil Foden, Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill (Chelsea) and Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton), all “unavailable” according to the English Federation.
The announcement of their losses, on Monday, provoked a barrage of ironic comments in the British press, which considers that in many cases there is a pretext to rest in the international window.
Harry Kane, the discreet English captain, raised his voice on Wednesday. “England first and foremost,” he said, hinting that some injuries might have been exaggerated.
As a general surprise, Carsley left the Three Lions’ best historical scorer on the bench, an opportunity that was taken advantage of by his substitute Watkins, who put the victory on track by finishing off a cross from Noni Madueke, well delivered by Jude Bellingham.
A shot by the Real Madrid player touched by Vlachodimos meant the second and finally Jones, with a gem in the form of a back-heel shot, closed the account.
“We are focused on those who are here, we have exceptional talents,” Carsley said of the noise about the losses. “We are moving in the right direction, but there is no need to rush, we have an important game at Wembley.”
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