Jude Bellingham praised England for overcoming “a million and one excuses” after the Three Lions won 3-0 in Greece to eclipse the row over withdrawals for the crucial Nations League match.
Nine players pulled out of Lee Carsley’s squad for the trip to Athens, with captain Harry Kane publicly rueing the volume of absentees while saying international call-ups should take priority over club football.
Interim manager Carsley surprisingly started all-time top scorer Kane on the bench but strikes by Ollie Watkins and Curtis Jones either side of Odysseas Vlachodimos’ own goal gave England a commanding victory.
🗣️ “It’s not surprising – Curtis is an OUTSTANDING player. I thought he played really well today even without his goal.”
Lee Carsley speaks with @GabrielClarke05 after victory over Greece #ITVFootball | #NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/f69NDru4Cn
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 14, 2024
Greece vs England: Bellingham praise
“It was an important win,” Bellingham told ITV Sport, having sent in the shot that hit a post and goalkeeper Vlachodimos’ back on its way in.
“A lot was made of the lads who weren’t here but the lads who were here, who showed up, were amazing. There would have been a million and one excuses if we didn’t play well or didn’t get over the line but the lads went out and did their business so professionally. We’re back to the top of the group, where we belong.”
Greece started the penultimate matchday three points ahead of England courtesy of their 2-1 win at Wembley on October 10, when Carsley was criticised for playing without a recognised striker.
🗣️ “I was in the moment… I did everything I had to do. I was at my peak but I still want to improve.”
A top performance from Jordan Pickford tonight 👏#ITVFootball | #NationsLeague | 🎙️ @gabrielclarke05 pic.twitter.com/g0KDGJiFa5
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 14, 2024
Bellingham’s goal in the return game put England ahead in the head-to-head with Greece which will decide the group if the sides finish level on points after their final fixtures on Sunday (5pm GMT).
Watkins replaced Kane and pounced on Noni Madueke’s cross to slot in the seventh-minute opener, with a brilliant backheel by Jones putting England even more firmly in control of winning promotion to League A by finishing top of the table.
England squad ‘persevered’
“Curt [Jones] making his [full] debut, scoring and playing as he did… amazing, I’m really proud of the boys tonight,” reflected Bellingham.
“[We showed] good defensive shape and character. The staff set up a game plan that was perfect for this game with the ball. [We were] trying stuff with the ball, whether it comes off or not.
🗣️ “There’s a lot of pressure to deliver and bring that excitement but I feel like we did that tonight.”
Another start and another goal for Ollie Watkins in an England shirt 😎#ITVFootball | #NationsLeague | @gabrielclarke05 pic.twitter.com/sNzhViXlLL
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 14, 2024
“It’s a young team; we’re all playing very well for our clubs and are exciting players who want to get on the ball and be creative, so we’re going to lose the ball.
“It was amazing that, regardless of how many times we tried and lost it, we carried on doing it. That’s the most important thing: perseverance.”
England Nations League group
England became the first team to beat Greece away in a year and are guaranteed promotion if they beat the Republic of Ireland at Wembley on Sunday, or match Greece’s result in Finland.
Should they fail to do so, England will face the promotion play-offs next March. Their new permanent manager, Thomas Tuchel, succeeds Carsley at the start of 2025.