England v Greece : Your quick digest to events at Wembley after first ever defeat to the Greeks

Greece is the word: Wembley ahead of kick off (Picture: YTJourno)

The Details:

England (0) 1 Bellingham 87

Greece (0) 2 Pavlidis 49, 90

How did England play: In a nutshell, very badly. A fragmented, shambolic performance. Especially defensively. Interim boss Lee Carsley opted to start without a conventional striker in the absence of an injured Harry Kane, with Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden taking on forward briefs, supplied by Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon down the flanks and Cole Palmer in a No10 role. There was plenty of creativity on show but it did not gel, despite a few promising signs at the outset. This looked like a group of disconnected individuals rather than a team.

What was the main takeaway: England lost to Greece for the first time ever in what was a 10th meeting between the two countries - and they could have few complaints. There was a lack of cohesion in their play and they often looked vulnerable when Greece broke out at pace. The vibrant visitors had three goals disallowed for offside and might have won by more than one goal. Their win was thoroughly deserved - albeit only through an injury time strike.

Who were the stand out players: In all honesty, only Bellingham. He was always the most dangerous player on show for England, firing just over and setting up a great chance for Palmer and netting England's only goal. His energy at least gave the home fans some hope of the game being salvaged. Just as he did in the 2-2 draw with Belgium in March, he was the one who looked on a mission to save the day - the one player capable of getting England out of the mire. But this was a game that resembled some of the mediocrity on show for much of the Euros.

London boys: Hammers centre half Konstantinos Mavropanos - ex-Arsenal of course - almost had a moment to savour for life in a Greece shirt, but his early header past Jordan Pickford was ruled out for offside. Levi Colwill's best moment came when he managed to race back and clear off the line after Pickford had nearly gifted a goal. But he was one of the players looking feeble as Vangelis Pavlidis waltzed around them for the first Greece goal. Palmer missed a sitter in the first half after being gifted an opening by Bellingham. Arsenal duo Declan Rice and Saka started but failed to shine. Noni Madueke replaced Saka just after the visitors had taken the lead. He appeared to have picked up a knock. Spurs striker Dom Solanke came on for his second cap in place of a struggling Foden.

What was it like for Carsley?: He took a gamble with his approach, deciding to experiment with a line-up that looked thrilling on paper, but was less functional than it might have been with a more conservative formation. The well-organised Greeks had not conceded in three games, but were way more adventurous than the famous 2004 European Championship winning outfit. The stands were emptying very early - not a good sign - and there were boos at the end for those home fans still inside. This failed test will not help his cause when it comes to trying to secure the job long term.

Where does this leave Nations League campaign? With only the top side in the four-team group earning promotion to the A-lister divisions, England's route back to the elite level is looking awkward now. They may well have to win the return contest in Athens next month in order to claim top spot.

READ PAUL LAGAN'S MATCH REPORT HERE