Greece record historic win over England to hand Lee Carsley a reality check

Maybe this is what happens when you play all the fun guys. Lee Carsley loaded his starting England XI with Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer in central areas, Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon on the wings; the dial turned furiously to attack.

It was a team to excite, the kind that so many England fans have craved. And for very long spells, it was a mess. England lacked control and authority in midfield while they were porous at the back, Greece – ranked 48 in the world – tearing through them with increasing regularity. The gung-ho approach might work on the PlayStation. There are fewer guarantees at international level.

Nobody could say that Vangelis Pavlidis’s goal on 49 minutes had not been signposted and as the second half wore on, it was Greece who looked the likelier scorers. They were denied when Pavlidis touched home after yet another slick team move, the video assistant referee calling him back for offside. By the end three Greece goals had been disallowed.

Related: Lee Carsley ‘hopeful’ of return to England Under-21s after defeat

The upside of having so many game-breakers on the pitch is that there is always a chance, even when everything looks lost – specifically the team, in this instance. Carsley had groped for the solution, sending on strikers, changing his formation and when one of them, Ollie Watkins, cut back from the byline, Bellingham ran from deep to shape a side-footed curler past Odysseas Vlachodimos.

England looked set for a streaky point. Yet they got the result that the performance deserved when Levi Colwill and Rico Lewis got in each other’s way, England yet again all over the place at the back, and Pavlidis drove home the last-gasp winner.

It was Greece’s first victory over England and one that they dedicated to George Baldock, the England-born Greece international who drowned in a swimming pool at his home in Athens on Wednesday. The tragedy has devastated everyone connected to the Greece squad. For 90 minutes, it drove them.

Carsley’s lineup was bold, marked by fluidity. It was Bellingham and Foden as central attackers, Palmer in midfield alongside Declan Rice, albeit with the license to push up. Call it a 4-2-4 with asterisks. Trent Alexander-Arnold stepped up and across into midfield from right-back – sometimes into an inside-forward position – while Lewis was attack-minded from left-back.

Carsley has made it plain that he wants to ask questions of the opposition, rather than finding the answers to what they do. He wants to have the ball, to make things happen. Here, he went all in on the approach. As everybody drifted away from Wembley, there were many who feared the interim manager had blown one of the key parts of his audition for the permanent job.

It was all a bit of a blur, the cohesion elusive. Worse, England were open at the back, vulnerable to Greece’s counters, of which there were many. Carsley’s team could have conceded one or more by the midway point of the first period. The tone was set early on.

Greece had major regrets in the 10th minute. Jordan Pickford, who was erratic all night, left his area to try to spark a move but he was robbed and when Tasos Bakasetas lobbed towards the empty net, only a spectacular goalline clearance by the retreating Colwill saved England.

Carsley’s team enjoyed some rewards when they brought a high press, panicking Greece into errors. Further up the pitch, though, the ­visitors were comfortable in possession and they had other chances during that initial period.

Pavlidis curled wide after Bellingham went to ground too easily and Greece worked themselves up the length of the field. Konstantinos Mavropanos had the ball in the net after a Pickford flap following a corner only to be pulled back for offside; Pickford was a lucky boy. And Bakasetas would work the goalkeeper when well-placed.

England had their own chances before the interval, the big one coming in the 23rd minute when Bellingham ran in behind before producing a stunning drag-back and teeing-up Palmer. Implausibly, he lifted high.

Palmer had air-kicked early on and there was also the moment when he bent a free-kick off target. Bellingham could point to a shot from the edge of the area that forced Vlachodimos to tip over while Gordon headed high.

Greece pushed again at the start of the second period, Lazaros Rota seeing a shot blocked by John Stones, having cut inside into yards of space. The breakthrough goal was so soft from an England point of view. When Pavlidis collected the ball inside the area, there were plenty of England players around him and yet nobody was able to make the challenge. Pavlidis was too cute, plotting an unerring course to the finish.

• Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.

• If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.

• In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.

• Turn on sport notifications.

England looked scrambled. Rice was booked for a late tackle on Manolis Siopis, having got away with one on Dimitrios Kourbelis in the first half and there was further alarm when Konstantinos Koulierakis ghosted around the back to head a corner square. Bellingham cleared. What was going on?

Carsley lost Saka to an injury, Noni Madueke coming on, and the manager switched to 4-3-3 on the hour, introducing Watkins for Gordon, moving Palmer to the right. Watkins almost scored with his first touch, shooting high from a Palmer pass. Carsley would get Dominic Solanke on, going to 4-4-2, but Greece had the balance, the superiority. A draw would have been tough for them to accept. They were not prepared to do so.