England’s Women’s World Cup playoff first leg against Greece ended 3‑1 in favour of the Lionesses, but the result was far from a comfortable cushion. The match, played in a sparsely attended Athens stadium, saw England dominate possession and create chances, yet their performance was described by coach Sarina Wiegman as “a bit sloppy” and lacking the usual energy and urgency.
The Lionesses opened the scoring when Georgia Stanway finished a neat pass from Maya Le Tissier, giving England a 1‑0 lead. A few minutes later, Alessia Russo added a low strike to extend the advantage to 2‑0. In the second half, Le Tissier delivered a powerful finish after a clever build‑up from Keira Walsh, and Russo followed with a bottom‑corner shot that made it 3‑0. However, Greece’s Kallisti Brouksair managed to pull one back with a low finish, leaving the scoreline at 3‑1 and keeping the tie alive for the return leg in Leicester.
Wiegman admitted that England had “made it a bit harder for ourselves” and praised Greece for being “very well‑prepared, very well‑organised and very disciplined.” She highlighted moments when England was “really good on the ball” and moments when they “were not so good on the ball,” noting that better decision‑making and positional play were needed. “We want to play really well. Of course, we go out to win, but we want to show more than winning, we want to play really well too,” she said.
The Greek side, ranked 59th in the world and never having qualified for a major tournament, were considered the underdogs. Their defensive structure was tested, but they managed to keep England from scoring again after the third goal. The match was played in a low‑key atmosphere, with only a few thousand spectators and minimal support from the home crowd; most of the noise came from around 500 travelling England fans.
England will need to improve their cohesion and fluidity with the ball to secure a win in the second leg. Wiegman said, “We have an opportunity now to fix that, for Tuesday.” A victory in Leicester would set England up against either Slovakia or Ukraine in the next playoff round, a two‑legged tie that would decide qualification for next summer’s tournament in Brazil.
The second leg will be played on Tuesday, and the outcome will determine whether England can advance to the final playoff round and ultimately secure a spot at the Women’s World Cup.