England's forward line showed signs of rediscovering its sharpness on Friday, but the performance against a deep-sitting Greek side once again exposed the Lionesses' recurring struggles to break down well-organised defences, even as they secured a comfortable-looking victory.
Sarina Wiegman's side needed 39 minutes to unlock Greece's low block in Heraklion, a delay that underlined a familiar issue for the European champions and World Cup finalists: despite their pedigree, England have often found it difficult to carve open opponents who sit deep and defend narrowly. The breakthrough finally came through a combination move - Laura Blindkilde Brown threaded a pass to Alessia Russo, who flicked it first-time into the path of Arsenal teammate Georgia Stanway, who finished calmly past goalkeeper Fafailia Petaloti.
The goal, while vital, was greeted with restrained celebration from the England players, a reflection of the frustration that had built up during the opening exchanges against a side ranked 54 places below them in the world rankings.
Greece, for their part, held their defensive shape impressively for long periods, limiting the space England could exploit even after falling behind. It was only as fatigue set in during the second half that gaps began to appear, allowing England to extend their advantage.
The second goal arrived in the 63rd minute through Maya Le Tissier, deputising for the injured Lucy Bronze at wing-back. The Manchester United defender had been troubled twice in the first half by Kallisti Brouksair, who managed to get in behind her to deliver dangerous crosses - rare moments of attacking threat from the Greek side. Despite those early scares, Le Tissier recovered to deliver what was otherwise a composed display, capped by her goal.
Speaking after the match, Le Tissier addressed comparisons to Bronze, whose shoes she has been asked to fill in recent fixtures despite primarily playing as a centre-back for her club side. "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 capped the scoring with England's third goal of the match, a result that extends her personal tally to three goals in as many appearances for club and country - a significant turnaround after a five-match barren spell. With Aggie Beever-Jones left out of the squad after failing to score for Chelsea since March, and question marks lingering over using Lauren James or Lauren Hemp as a makeshift striker, Russo's return to scoring form carries extra weight for England's preparations heading toward the World Cup in Brazil.
Russo reflected on her recent struggles in front of goal. "I'm my own biggest critic, so there's maybe a bit of overthinking going into it," she said. "I knew that stripping it back and getting back to enjoying my football and not stressing too much was important."
On the difficulty of breaking down packed defences, Russo added: "It's tough when you come up against a low block. 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."
Despite the result, Greece did find the net themselves, a moment that sparked jubilant scenes among the home supporters and offers them a sliver of belief heading into the return fixture at Leicester on Tuesday. For Wiegman, still shaping her squad and system in this new cycle following a period of major tournament success, the display serves as a reminder that even routine qualifying assignments can reveal underlying issues that need addressing before the Lionesses head to Brazil.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football.