England Dominates Greece 3-0 to Stay in Nations League Promotion Contention

England maintained their push for promotion in the Nations League with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Greece on Thursday, despite controversy surrounding Harry Kane's recent remarks on player withdrawals.

Kane, who had criticized the squad's absentees, was dropped by interim manager Lee Carsley just a day after his comments about players pulling out of international duty. The England captain had stated that international commitments should "come before anything," amid concerns that several players had been advised by club managers to avoid injury risks due to the busy season.

Among the players absent from the squad were Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Declan Rice, and others, leading to Carsley's decision to leave Kane on the bench for the first 66 minutes of the match. Kane was eventually introduced as a substitute, though some speculated the benching served as a response to his comments.

England's reserves, however, were more than capable of handling Greece, with Ollie Watkins scoring early to give the visitors the lead in Athens. Watkins capitalized on a cross from Noni Madueke to open the scoring in the seventh minute. The lead was doubled soon after when Greece's goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos scored an own goal.

Curtis Jones, marking his first start for England, sealed the win with a third goal, demonstrating the strength of England's squad depth in the absence of key players. With this result, England moved above Greece on goal difference, and their promotion hopes remain in their hands.

The victory puts England in a favorable position in Nations League Group B2, with a win over Ireland at Wembley on Sunday guaranteeing promotion to Nations League A. If England finish second in the group, they will have the opportunity to fight for promotion through a play-off against a third-placed team from League A next year.

The match also provided a glimpse of the potential under incoming England manager Thomas Tuchel. Although Tuchel, who agreed to take over from Gareth Southgate in October, was not present in Athens, the victory highlighted the quality of players that will be available to him once he begins his tenure in January.

Despite some early pressure from Greece, including a chance for Kostas Tsimikas and a close-range effort from Fotis Ioannidis, England dominated the match. Watkins had a chance to add a second but failed to finish after racing through on goal. Madueke continued to impress with his attacking play, contributing to several dangerous moments.

England added a fourth goal in the 78th minute, when Jude Bellingham fired a powerful shot that hit the post and rebounded into the net off Vlachodimos. Jones further underlined the team's strength with a stylish back-flicked finish from Morgan Gibbs-White's cross five minutes later.

With the result, England remain in control of their Nations League destiny, and their performance provides a strong foundation ahead of Tuchel's arrival in the new year.