England beat Greece 3-1 in World Cup play-off first leg
England beat Greece 3-1 in Crete to take the lead in their two-legged Women’s World Cup play-off. The Lionesses will carry a two-goal advantage into Tuesday’s second leg.
Georgia Stanway opened the scoring late in the first half, finishing a move that began with a quick pass from Laura Blindkilde Brown to Alessia Russo, who flicked the ball into Stanway’s path.
Maya Le Tissier made it 2-0 in the 63rd minute with her first England goal. Russo added a third before Greece’s Kallisti Brouksair pulled one back with 13 minutes remaining.
England dominated possession but found Greece’s deep defensive shape difficult to break down. Sarina Wiegman said her side had been sloppy at times and wanted to see a stronger performance.
Le Tissier started at right-back after Lucy Bronze withdrew from the squad with a minor injury. The Manchester United captain, making her 15th England appearance, took the opportunity to score her first international goal.
The teams meet again at the King Power Stadium in Leicester on Tuesday. England need to protect their lead to progress from the first round of the play-offs.
The winner of the tie will face either Ukraine or Slovakia in the next round, with a place at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil at stake.
Reporting
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