England Beat Greece 3-1 in World Cup Playoff First Leg

England beat Greece 3-1 in Crete on October 9, taking a two-goal advantage into the second leg of their 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifying playoff. The tie remains undecided, with the return match scheduled for Tuesday at the King Power Stadium in Leicester. Georgia Stanway put England ahead before Maya Le Tissier and Alessia Russo added second-half goals. Greece replied through Kallisti Brouksair, leaving England with a lead but without having settled the contest. The winner of the two-legged tie will advance to face either Slovakia or Ukraine in the next playoff round. England controlled much of the match, but Greece threatened before the opening goal. Ioanna Papatheodorou struck the crossbar, while an effort by Lauren James that appeared to give England an early lead was ruled out for offside after a video review. England went ahead shortly before halftime when Stanway finished after a move involving Laura Blindkilde Brown and Russo. Le Tissier extended the lead after the break, scoring her first goal for England following a pass from Keira Walsh. Russo made it 3-0 soon afterward.