Lionesses take firm control of World Cup playoff tie against Greece

England took control of their Women’s World Cup qualifying playoff against Greece with a 3-1 win in the first leg, but the home side’s dominance didn’t translate into a convincing performance. Georgia Stanway, Maya Le Tissier and Alessia Russo scored for England, while Greece’s Ioanna Papatheodorou replied, keeping the tie alive ahead of Tuesday’s second match. England started as overwhelming favourites despite Greece being ranked 59th and never having qualified for a major tournament, yet their first-half display lacked the urgency usually associated with Sarina Wiegman’s team. A loud crowd was missing, with only a few thousand present and limited home noise. Defensively, England were mostly secure, aside from a major 0-0 let-off when Papatheodorou hit the woodwork.