Lionesses Beat Greece 3-1 in World Cup Playoff

The Lionesses took a major step toward the next round of Women’s World Cup qualifying with a 3-1 first-leg win over Greece, but Sarina Wiegman was quick to point out that the performance was not quite at England’s usual level. Georgia Stanway, Maya Le Tissier and Alessia Russo all found the net, yet Greece’s response ensured the tie remains alive heading into the return leg.

England do enough to seize control

On paper, this was a fixture England were expected to dominate. Greece came into the tie ranked 59th in the world and had never qualified for a major tournament, while the Lionesses carried the weight of expectation from a side packed with top-level talent.

Yet the opening stages never fully followed the script. England controlled possession for long stretches, but Greece stayed compact, disciplined and difficult to break down. That meant the first half drifted by without much rhythm, with England occasionally looking short of their usual spark.

Wiegman admitted as much after the match, saying her side had been “a bit sloppy” at times. “I think we made it a bit harder for ourselves,” she said, while also praising Greece for being “very well-prepared, very well-organised and very disciplined.”

Stanway opens the scoring after a patient build-up

England’s breakthrough finally arrived through a sharp move involving Laura Blindkilde Brown and Alessia Russo. Blindkilde Brown quickly found Russo, whose touch allowed Stanway to finish low and cleanly into the net.

That goal settled England down, but not completely. Greece had already threatened once through Ioanna Papatheodorou, whose effort hit the woodwork after she escaped the attention of Esme Morgan and Leah Williamson. It was the clearest warning sign for the visitors, who remained vulnerable whenever England lost concentration.

Lauren James also produced one of the night’s most eye-catching moments when she chipped the goalkeeper from 25 yards, only for VAR to rule the effort offside. Lauren Hemp went close as well, and England’s superiority in possession was clear even if the final product was not always crisp.

Le Tissier and Russo turn the screw

After the break, England looked more threatening and more decisive in the final third. Keira Walsh helped open space for Le Tissier, who powered home her first senior goal for England to make it 2-0.

Just four minutes later, Russo added a third with a low finish into the bottom corner, and for a moment it looked as if the floodgates might open. England had their grip on the tie and were pushing forward with greater urgency, sensing a chance to put the contest beyond doubt before the second leg.

But Greece refused to fold. A loose long ball was not dealt with cleanly, and Kallisti Brouksair reacted quickest to fire in a low finish for 3-1. It was a reminder that England’s defensive structure was not entirely secure, even if the match never felt like it was slipping away completely.

Momentum with England, but work still to do

The final minutes offered further evidence that England could have added more. James curled narrowly wide, Jess Park rattled the bar and late debuts were handed to Erica Meg Parkinson and Grace Fisk. The scoreline, though positive, could easily have been more emphatic.

For England, the result means control of the tie and a clear path into Tuesday’s second leg in Leicester. Should they finish the job there, they will face Slovakia or Ukraine in the next playoff round later in the year, with a place at the World Cup in Brazil still to be earned.

That larger target is what keeps the focus sharp inside the camp. Wiegman was clear that winning is not the only objective. “We want to play really well too,” she said. “We want to show more than winning.”

It is a fair summary of a night that delivered the right scoreline but not the cleanest performance. England are in command, but they also know the standards rise sharply from here. If they are to reach the tournament next summer, the Lionesses will need more fluency, more speed and more consistency than they showed in Greece.

First-leg score at a glance

England may be heading home with a strong advantage, but the message from their head coach was unmistakable: the job is only half done, and the football must improve if they want the journey to continue all the way to Brazil.