UEFA nations league: England beat Finland 3-1, Greece sustain winning run

 


England returned to winning form with a 3-1 victory over Finland in the Nations League on Sunday. After a surprising 2-1 defeat to Greece just days earlier, goals from Jack Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Declan Rice secured the win in Helsinki.


This was England's third win in four matches under interim manager Lee Carsley, potentially strengthening his bid for the permanent role. Despite their higher ranking, England could have faced more difficulty had Finland, ranked 64th, capitalized on some missed opportunities.


Grealish opened the scoring in the 18th minute, converting from close range after Angel Gomes cleverly set him up. Alexander-Arnold extended the lead in the 74th minute with one of his signature free kicks. Rice sealed the result 10 minutes later, finishing from a cross by substitute Ollie Watkins. Finland managed a late consolation goal in the 87th minute through Arttu Hoskonen.


In another Nations League fixture, Greece maintained their perfect record with a 2-0 home win over Ireland, their fourth consecutive victory. Goals from Anastasios Bakasetas and Petros Mantalos in the second half secured Greece's place at the top of Group B2 with 12 points, three points clear of second-placed England. Ireland remains third with three points, while Finland is last with none.


Greece’s match came on the heels of an emotional 2-1 win over England, following the passing of their former teammate George Baldock. Ireland’s goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher kept his team in the match with several key saves in the first half, but Greece eventually broke through when Bakasetas’ deflected shot found the net early in the second half. In added time, Mantalos capitalized on a mistake from Kelleher to score Greece’s second goal.


Elsewhere, Austria dominated Norway with a 5-1 victory. Following a 4-0 win against Kazakhstan, Austria continued their strong run, with Marko Arnautović scoring twice, followed by goals from Philipp Lienhart, Stefan Posch, and Michael Gregoritsch in the second half.


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