England beat Greece 3-1 in Crete on Friday to take control of the first leg of their Women’s World Cup playoff semi-final. Georgia Stanway put England ahead in the first half, Maya Le Tissier scored her first senior international goal after the break, and Alessia Russo added a third before Kallisti Brouksair pulled one back for the hosts.
The result leaves England in a strong position ahead of the second leg on Tuesday. The Guardian’s live report said England were in command for long spells but still had a few uneasy moments, including a Greece chance that struck the crossbar in the first half and a late goal that prevented the tie from becoming completely one-sided.
England led 1-0 at half-time after Stanway finished a move involving Keira Walsh, Laura Blindkilde Brown and Russo. After the break, manager Sarina Wiegman made changes, with Beth Mead coming on at half-time and later Grace Fisk and 18-year-old Erica Meg Parkinson making their England debuts. Le Tissier made it 2-0 in the 63rd minute and Russo followed four minutes later to put the visitors out of reach.
Greece’s goal came in the 77th minute, when Brouksair finished well after England allowed a long ball to bounce. Wiegman said she was pleased with the win but not with the goal England conceded, and added that there were still areas to improve before the return leg.
