Patient England break Greece's resistance in Heraklion, but familiar frustrations resurface

England will take a first-leg advantage into Tuesday's return at Leicester after a 3-1 win over Greece in Heraklion, but Sarina Wiegman's side were again made to labour by a low block, their dominance rewarded through moments of invention rather than sustained comfort.

On the outskirts of Heraklion — the ancient city of Knossos, associated with the legend of the Minotaur and the labyrinth constructed by Daedalus to contain it — it took a suitably labyrinthine move for Wiegman's team to find a way through deep-lying Greece. Laura Blindkilde Brown's quick pass found Alessia Russo, whose artful first-time flick released her Arsenal teammate Georgia Stanway, and the midfielder slotted in past the Greece goalkeeper Fafailia Petaloti. The celebrations were notably muted, reflective of the frustration at having needed 39 minutes to score against a team ranked 54 places below them.

That frustration was a familiar one. Despite two Euros wins and a World Cup final, England have struggled to completely shake free of the accusation that they have problems against low blocks. In spite of the scoreline and their dominance in possession, the Lionesses did not look comfortable — or particularly happy — for stretches of the match. It was the speed of thinking and the inventiveness of the passing that made the difference for the opener; that is the flair England need to find in those testing moments.

“It’s tough when you come up against a low block,” Alessia Russo said 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.”

Greece keep their shape — and keep the tie alive

A first goal would usually have granted England more space, but in Heraklion it did not. Greece remained compact, a narrow-margin defeat a far more favourable result to carry to Leicester for the second leg on Tuesday night than the wider margin they might have faced had they thrown caution to the wind in search of a way back in. It was only as legs began to tire against the European champions that the home team left themselves more exposed.

The critical second goal, which brought a huge amount of relief, arrived in the 63rd minute — and that it came from Lucy Bronze's stand-in, Maya Le Tissier, was important. Operating as a wing-back at the Pankritio Stadium, still favoured by Wiegman as the best option to come in for Bronze despite playing centrally week in, week out for Manchester United, Le Tissier had twice been beaten by Kallisti Brouksair in the first half, the Greek breaking free to whip in crosses during the rarest of forays into the final third for the hosts. Bar those two chances, her goal capped a solid performance.

“I’ve played the position enough now to know what’s expected of me,” Le Tissier 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 back on the scoresheet at the perfect time

Russo's goal, England's third, was also significant. It was the forward's third in as many games for club and country after five games off the scoresheet — a timely return to form given the lack of alternatives in the No 9 position. Aggie Beever-Jones is out of form and out of the squad, having not scored for Chelsea since March, and experiments with Lauren James and Lauren Hemp in the central striking role have been unconvincing. Russo finding her goalscoring touch, and staying fit, is critical to England's World Cup ambitions.

“I’m my own biggest critic, so there’s maybe a bit of overthinking going into it,” Russo said. “I knew that stripping it back and getting back to enjoying my football and not stressing too much was important.”

Playoff route rooted in qualifying pain against Spain

That England are negotiating a playoff at all is the consequence of a difficult qualifying campaign: as the Guardian reported on 1 October, Spain's 4-0 World Cup qualifying demolition of England secured La Roja's place in Brazil at the Lionesses' expense, consigning Wiegman's team to the longer route to the World Cup.

A job half done, and questions still unanswered

It is perhaps naive to attempt to draw too many conclusions about England's World Cup potential from these autumn qualifiers, with Wiegman and her staff clearly still experimenting and tweaking in search of the best XI and the best finishers — the substitutes — that would make up the squad for Brazil. The team is also in a transition phase, at the beginning of a new cycle under Wiegman after a period laden with success. However, the opportunities for experimentation between now and the World Cup are few and far between.

And the concession of a goal in Greece — met with wild and slightly disbelieving celebrations from the hosts — leaves both a serious job still to be done ahead of Tuesday night's second leg in Leicester, while providing a sliver of hope to an opposition that, on paper, should have none.