Jude Bellingham was included from the start for England as they faced Greece at Wembley in the UEFA Nation’s League. He was deployed the furthest forward, joined by the likes of Phil Foden and Cole Palmer joined him in an attractive offensive set-up. No recognised striker started for England.
To put it bluntly, England were as boring to watch as usual in the first-half. Greece should have led at the break, but a disallowed goal and a fine goal-line clearance by Levi Colwill saved their blushes. Cole Palmer came closest for England but blazed his shot over the bar after being set up by Jude Bellingham. Jude looked as busy as anyone else on his team, but on the whole didn’t manage to reach the huge heights of his own very high standards.
Five minutes into the second half, Greece did take the lead. Some sloppy defending lead to an aesthetically pleasing goal for the Greeks. They then had a big chance squandered to double it. Greece had the ball in the net for two, only to be pulled right back for offside in the build-up. Ollie Watkins came on to shake things up, as Jude dropped further back to try and get on the ball. Bellingham’s first chance of the half summed up the majority of his performance: an aimless, slightly wasteful effort. Greece scored another offside goal, their third off the game – this time with a tight finish from close range. This left the home fans with next to no hope of a result, but they forgot that Jude Bellingham was on their team. An absolute rocket from Jude was too much for the keeper with minutes to spare. Greece looked superior all game however, and refused to back down. A late goal in injury time was enough to secure their first ever win over England. 2-1 the final score, with Jude scoring England’s only goal.
