London: On an emotional night at the Wembley Stadium, Vangelis Pavlidis struck twice as Greece earned an historic 2-1 victory triumph away against England. The Greek hero on the night dedicated victory to the memory of Greek footballer George Baldock, who passed away on Wednesday.
“It was a really special day for us because of George. We have thought about him a lot since we heard it yesterday. A difficult moment for us because George was part of the team. Special guy. We have to play for him and it doesn’t matter the score today. We gave everything for him,” Pavlidis told ITV.
A minute’s silence was held in memory of Baldock before the Nations League match, and Pavlidis Pavlidis, the first Greek to score at the historic Wembley, celebrated the goals by showing the black armband before all players collectively raised Baldock’s number two shirt in celebration after Greece had recorded their first ever win over the Three Lions.
England heavily struggled in the final third with Harry Kane out with injury, which saw interim head coach Lee Carsley experiment with a false nine formation. Pavlidis opened the scoring in the 49th minute and a Jude Bellingham equaliser in the 87th minute was not enough for the side as Greece once again scored in the 90+4 minute mark.
The win also kept Greece at the top of their table in League B Group 2 of the UEFA Nations League with the side having won 3-0 against Finland on Matchday 1 and a 2-0 win over Ireland in their second outing.
“We are professionals and had to play the match. We gave our soul for him tonight. Today is not a day to talk about football. He was part of our team. We will miss him very much.
“Also to wish strength to his family and not talk about football. The whole day was numb. We won tonight and don’t want to celebrate. There are just no words,” added Pavlidis.
–IANS
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