England loses to Greece as Carsley experiment backfires and France wins without Mbappé
Greece's Vangelis Pavlidis, top, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the UEFA Nations League Group F soccer match between England and Greece at Wembley Stadium in London, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Kirsty Wigglesworth]
Lee Carsley ran into the first problems of his tenure as England’s interim coach after a bold team selection backfired in a 2-1 home loss to Greece in the Nations League. Erling Haaland became Norway’s record scorer at the age of 24 with a double in his country’s 3-0 win over Slovakia. France coped just fine without Kylian Mbappe and the retired Antoine Griezmann in beating Israel 4-1. Ten-man Italy squandered a two-goal lead and drew with Belgium 2-2. Carsley felt emboldened enough to field an England team without a recognized striker in the absence of injured captain Harry Kane. The lineup looked exciting on paper but resembled a mess on the field.
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England's Ollie Watkins reacts after Greece's Vangelis Pavlidis scored his side's second goal during the UEFA Nations League Group F soccer match between England and Greece at Wembley Stadium in London, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Kirsty Wigglesworth