PARIS (AFP) – A 94th-minute winner by Vangelis Pavlidis gave Greece a 2-1 victory on Thursday against England in a Nations League clash overshadowed by the death of Greek player George Baldock on the eve of the game, while Italy were held to a draw by Belgium.
Greek striker Pavlidis netted a brace, either side of a late Jude Bellingham goal, to send Greece top of Group B2.
Greece’s first-ever victory against England came in an emotionally-charged evening at Wembley, which started with a minute’s silence prior to kick-off for Baldock, an English-born Greece international who drowned in his swimming pool in Athens on Wednesday.
“It was a really special day for us because of George. We are people and it’s a special night because of him,” Pavlidis told ITV.
“A difficult moment for us because George was part of the team. Special guy. We have to play for him and it doesn’t matter the score today. We gave everything for him.”
The Greeks took a deserved lead in the 49th minute when Pavlidis danced through flimsy defending in the England box, before driving the ball past Jordan Pickford.
The visitors had three disallowed goals in the match – the last of which came just minutes before Real Madrid’s Bellingham hammered in an 87th-minute equaliser for England.
However, Greece were not to be denied a third win in three Nations League matches as England failed to clear the danger in their area and Pavlidis took full advantage and drilled home a late winner.
In Group A2, Italy and Belgium played out an eventful 2-2 draw in Rome.
The Italians raced into the lead inside 60 seconds when Andrea Cambiaso got his first international goal by bundling home from close range.
Mateo Retegui doubled the hosts’ lead on 24 minutes, sweeping home with his left foot after a spilled save.
