Key events
87 min: Giannoulis takes a shot from the edge of the box, but it’s easily blocked. Greek hopes in ruins now.
86 min: Kane fancies getting in on the goalscoring action, and bustles down the right accordingly, but only succeeds in getting accidentally whacked upside the head. A sore one, but he’ll play on.
85 min: Greece haven’t lost a competitive match for over a year. There goes that record!
GOAL! Greece 0-3 England (Jones 83)
Game over, and in some style! Bowen and Gibbs-White combine down the right. The latter cuts back for Jones, who sends an exquisite back-flick across Vlachodimos and into the bottom left! What a finish that is. Fine team move, too, with Gibbs-White in the thick of it.
82 min: Mantalos comes on for Siopis.
81 min: Greece were seriously pushing for an equaliser there. But now look. If England are able to hold onto this lead, they’ll just need to beat Ireland on Sunday to make it back to the top table in the Nations League … and there’d be nothing Greece can do about it.
79 min: England are now in control of Group B2! Gibbs-White comes on for Gallagher.
GOAL! Greece 0-2 England (Vlachodimos og 77)
Well, this is one way to settle those nerves! Bellingham barrels down the inside-left channel and has a whack. The shot gets past Vlachodimos, but cannons off the base of the left-hand post. It clips the diving keeper’s heel – think unsuccessful scorpion kick – and back into the net. Gallagher tries to nick the goal on the line, but doesn’t get there in time. What a huge stroke of luck at exactly the right time for England! Fine shot by Bellingham, though, having said that.
76 min: Giannoulis crosses low from the left. Tzolis tries to divert it towards the top-right corner, but the ball’s always destined to waft wide of the goal. England aren’t quite clinging on, but a few nerve-ends are jangling nonetheless.
75 min: Rota romps into space down the right. His low cross somehow evades everyone in the box. But the home fans are really up for this now, as Greece press for the equaliser.
73 min: Jones sends Rogers off on a run down the left. Rogers rolls infield for Kane, who attempts to curl one into the top right from distance. Telegraphed, and easy to gather for Vlachodimos.
72 min: Konstantelias tries to barge his way through the middle of the England defence at pace, but Guéhi does just enough to unsettle him and put an end to his plan.
71 min: Konstantelias comes on for Masouras.
70 min: Giannoulis dribbles hard and fast down the left. It’s a fine run, but it doesn’t end with a cross to match. His appalling delivery floats miles over the head of everyone in the box.
69 min: Pelkas finds a pocket of space, 20 yards out, but doesn’t quite connect with his shot, which dribbles through to Pickford. Greece beginning to come on strong again.
67 min: England make a triple change, replacing Gordon, Watkins and Madueke with Bowen, the debutant Rogers, and that man Harry Kane.
66 min: A free kick for Greece looped down the inside-right channel. Tzolis extends a leg but can’t connect. Masouras tries again but only manages to clip Pickford. Another player who is performing right on the edge of legality.
64 min: Pelkas drives down the middle of the park. Ioannidis stands strong on the edge of the D and lashes a shot towards the bottom right. It looks a goal all the way, but Pickford gets a fingertip to the ball to divert it out for a corner. Earlier in the move, Gallagher clipped Zafeiris and was lucky not to pick up a second yellow. Nothing comes of the corner.
62 min: Zafeiris goes into the book for a lunge at Lewis. He’ll not play in Finland.
60 min: Gordon swings the free kick long. It’s a teasing delivery to the back stick. Bellingham tries to connect with a high-kick, six yards out, but isn’t able to divert the ball goalwards. Gordon isn’t happy. His ball deserved better.
59 min: Gallagher’s sheer industry down the left is enough to win a free kick, as he’s hooked to the floor by Siopis. A chance for England to load the box.
58 min: Tzolis hoicks over the bar harmlessly from distance. The crowd enjoyed it, though.
56 min: Greece make a triple change, replacing Bakasetas, Pavlidis and Tsimikas with Ioannidis, Pelkas and Giannoulis.
54 min: The corner is hit long, Madueke crosses from the right. From ten yards out, Watkins steers a neat header across Vlachodimos, the keeper’s feet planted, and off the left-hand post! Greece clear their lines. England getting closer and closer to snatching control of Group B2.
53 min: It’s nearly two. It’s Madueke again, who teases Tsimikas down the right before cutting back for Lewis, who slaps his first-time shot straight at Vlachodimos, who nevertheless saves well with a strong hand. Then from the resulting corner …
51 min: That damn fool is still waving his laser pen around. “If you want squads with names ending in the same set of characters, then Iceland at Euro 2016 is hard to beat as it had a 23-man squad full of -sons,” writes Andy (not that one) Flintoff. “However, that is a cheat, as they’re not really surnames but patronymics (father’s name + ‘-son’).”
49 min: This is all really scrappy. Neither team can keep hold of the ball at the moment.
48 min: England start the second half at their own pace. Not high. The home crowd frustrated as Greece chase about.
46 min: Hall’s introduction at left-back sends Rico Lewis over to the other flank, with Kyle Walker pairing up with Marc Guéhi in the middle.
Greece get the second half started. England have made a change at the break, Lewis Hall coming on for his debut. Ezri Konsa makes way.
Half-time postbag. “Let’s be honest, the only mistake in Watkins replacing Kane is that it didn’t happen against Slovenia five months ago. Walker’s comments about the surprise of him not being in the team says enough about the closed shop of England’s first choice players. They should always have to earn it, and be dropped if they don’t, all on merit” – Adam Hirst
“Delighted with Ollie Watkins’ goal and Madouke is playing out of his skin. As a Liverpool fan, I can’t deny I’m impressed by Tsimikas’s runs on the left. By far the most enterprising Greek player so far. Hope England give Carsley a well-deserved send-off” – Colum Fordham
“Rota the single player who has destroyed the perfect list of (players and substitutes) all names ending with S. I have been following both cricket and football for most of my life and I am yet to hit that perfect jackpot. This one is the closest I recall. Was there a Bulgarian team in 1990 or 1994 with all players ending with V?” – krishnamoorthy v
(Yep, Bulgaria’s squad at USA 94 consisted of 21 players whose surname ended either in -ov or -ev … apart from one player, Petar Mihtarski, though he only played for a grand total of one minute during his team’s run to the semis.)
In the other Group B2 match, the Republic of Ireland lead Finland 1-0 at half-time. Evan Ferguson with a header just before the break. As things stand, Greece maintain their lead at the top over England on the head-to-head, while Finland are relegated to League C. England and Ireland remain, respectively, in the promotion and relegation play-off places. How useful this information is, with the second half and a final round of matches still to be played, is moot. Ah what the hell, publish and be damned.
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Greece P5 W4 D0 L1 F9 A2 Pts12
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England P5 W4 D0 L1 F9 A3 Pts12
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Republic of Ireland P5 W2 D0 L3 F3 A7 Pts6
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Finland P5 W0 D0 L5 F2 A11 Pts0
HALF TIME: Greece 0-1 England
A good half for England, and especially for Ollie Watkins and Lee Carsley. They still need one more goal to knock Greece off their Group B2 perch, though.
45 min +2: Watkins scampers off down the middle, sent clear by Lewis. But he lets the ball clank between his feet, with Koulierakis in hot pursuit, and the chance of a second goal is gone.
45 min: There will be two minutes of additional first-half action.
44 min: Bellingham dinks a clever pass down the inside-right to release Madueke, who doesn’t realise he’s got the opportunity to advance on goal and shoot. Instead he checks back to ensure possession is retained and the chance is gone.
42 min: Masouras, who has already been booked, cynically tugs at an in-flight Jones. Another player who really wants to watch his step, given this referee’s hair-trigger, albeit haphazard, disciplinary style.
40 min: There’s some eejit pointing a laser pen at the England players, by the way. A crisp cuff around the lug wouldn’t go amiss.
38 min: Masouras swings a dangerous ball in from the right. Pickford claims well, with Pavlidis rushing in. Greece giving this a really good go now.
36 min: Bakasetas batters a shot goalwards from distance. Pickford handles well. It’s become a fast, open, fun game.
35 min: Tzolis tries to release Pavlidis with a raking ball down the middle. Pickford, who is in an adventurous mood tonight, races out of his box to blooter clear.
34 min: Bellingham bustles hard down the inside-right channel. He enters the box and prepares to shoot, only to have the ball whipped off his toe by Koulierakis. That’s precision defending. It had to be, because any contact with Bellingham would have resulted in a penalty. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
33 min: Masouras wins a corner down the right. Pickford punches it clear. The Olympic stadium really bouncing now. “While I agree with Philip Cornwall that you can win trophies with an imported German manager, let’s not forget that Greece won Euro 2004 almost exclusively by hanging on to a 0-1 lead for hours at a time,” recalls Justin Kavanagh. “So tonight’s a good test for their ability to manage out a game with Germanic efficiency.”
31 min: Nothing comes of the resulting corner. Greece have finally woken up, though, and for the first time this evening, England don’t have it all their own way.
