Russo rediscovers scoring touch but England still frustrated by Greece’s low block
England have the edge over Greece after the first leg of their World Cup playoff in Heraklion on 9 October 2026, but the Lionesses again laboured to break down a deep defensive block. Alessia Russo scored and Maya Le Tissier added another as England took a narrow lead to the return fixture.
The match was played on the outskirts of Heraklion, near Knossos, a setting the Guardian likened to a labyrinth as England worked to find openings against a compact Greek side. Despite dominating possession and recent major-tournament success — two European Championship wins and a World Cup final appearance — England have continued to face criticism for their performances against low blocks and remain a team in transition under Sarina Wiegman.
The opening goal arrived after 39 minutes when Laura Blindkilde Brown’s quick pass to Alessia Russo was flicked first time to Georgia Stanway, who slotted past goalkeeper Fafailia Petaloti. Celebrations were muted on the touchline, reflecting frustration that it had taken so long to breach a defence ranked well below England on the international list.
Alessia Russo acknowledged the difficulty of the task against a compact side, saying: “It’s tough when you come up against a low block,” said Alessia Russo afterwards. “We get it a lot at club [level] and here at England … It’s about being patient and then when you do have that moment, it’s about the quality of the pass and speeding the game up just to create half a yard for someone to get a shot off.” The Lionesses looked uncomfortable for stretches despite the possession statistics.
The second goal, which arrived in the 63rd minute, came from Maya Le Tissier as she operated at wing-back in the Pankritio stadium while standing in for Lucy Bronze. Greece’s Kallisti Brouksair had twice broken free in the first half to deliver crosses — rare incursions that otherwise described the hosts’ limited forays into the final third — and England increasingly exploited space as Greek legs tired.
Le Tissier described her approach to the role: “I’ve played the position enough now to know what’s expected of me,” she said. “Every time I get on the pitch, I just want to try my best, do everything I can and do whatever Sarina wants of me. I’m not the same player as Bronzy, I try to play my own game and I love getting on the ball and creating chances even higher up as well. I looked up to her when I was younger, but people just have to realise that you’re not the same. There’s so many different players; players that play in the same position but are completely different and I don’t try to be like Bronzy, I just try to be myself and play as well as I can.”
Russo’s goal, England’s third, underlined her return to form; it was her third goal in as many games for club and country after a five-game scoreless run. The article pointed to striker issues elsewhere in the squad, noting Aggie Beever-Jones was out of form and out of the squad, having not scored since March for Chelsea, and that experiments with Lauren James and Lauren Hemp in the No 9 role had been unconvincing. On her own recent performances Russo said: “I’m my own biggest critic, so there’s maybe a bit of overthinking going into it,” said Russo. “I knew that stripping it back and getting back to enjoying my football and not stressing too much was important.”
Wiegman and her staff are continuing to experiment as they search for an optimal starting XI and finishing options for Brazil, but the scope for further trials is limited before the tournament. With the return leg scheduled for Tuesday night in Leicester, England travel home with a narrow advantage and a single conceded goal in Greece that the hosts celebrated wildly, a result that both leaves work to do and gives Greece a slender hope.