Russo scores again as England struggle to break down Greece
England beat Greece 3-0 away in the first leg of their Women’s World Cup qualifying play-off, giving the European champions a strong advantage ahead of Tuesday’s return match in Leicester. The win also highlighted a continuing problem: England dominated possession but found it difficult to break down Greece’s compact defence, underlining that the team is still in transition.
Georgia Stanway opened the scoring after 39 minutes with a quick passing move involving Alessia Russo, and Maya Le Tissier made it 2-0 in the 63rd minute while filling in for the injured Lucy Bronze. Russo scored England’s third, her third goal in as many games for club and country after a five-game drought. Her return to form is important as England seek reliable goals from their centre-forward, while Greece are ranked 54 places below them.
- England beat Greece 3-0 in the play-off first leg.
- Russo has scored in three straight games.
- England still struggled to break down a low block.
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The Women's World Cup qualifying play-offs are knockout ties between European nations fighting for places at the World Cup. England and Greece face each other across two matches, with the winner progressing to the tournament.
England are the European champions and ranked among the world's top women's football teams. Greece are ranked significantly lower, positioning England as strong favourites in this tie.
England's women's team has faced a recurring issue in recent matches: breaking down opponents who defend compactly rather than playing expansive football. This remains a challenge as the team continues to develop its playing style.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
England achieved a convincing and substantial 3-0 away victory, with three different goalscorers demonstrating clinical finishing and Russo returning to form with her third goal in as many games. A ranking gap of 54 places makes the scoreline entirely appropriate for a European champion, and the large first-leg advantage provides an excellent platform heading into Tuesday's return match, allowing the team to progress through qualifying as expected.
The case against
The persistent difficulty in breaking down Greece's compact defensive organisation is troubling for a team of England's calibre, particularly given the significant skill disparity between the sides. The fact that a European champion laboured to overcome such tactics from a much-lower-ranked opponent suggests underlying structural issues in their attacking play that could be severely exposed by stronger opponents, and the description of the team as still in transition indicates these problems remain unresolved.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Russo’s return to form is vital but Lionesses still lack bite against low blocks | Suzanne Wrack”.