England secured a 3-1 first-leg victory over Greece in their Women’s World Cup playoff tie, though manager Sarina Wiegman's side fell short of producing a truly convincing display against their lower-ranked opponents. Goals from Georgia Stanway, Maya Le Tissier, and Alessia Russo established a solid advantage ahead of Tuesday's second leg, despite a late response from Greece.

Facing a Greek side ranked 59th in the world that has never qualified for a major tournament, the European champions entered the match as heavy favorites. However, the visitors lacked their usual intensity and fluidity during a largely quiet first half. Playing in front of a sparse crowd that featured roughly 500 traveling England supporters, the team struggled initially to break down a compact Greek defense.

England deployed a tactical setup that shifted between a back three in possession—pushing Le Tissier high up the right flank—and a back four when defending. The visitors survived an early scare when Greece striker Ioanna Papatheodorou beat the defensive line and struck the crossbar. Lauren James also saw a brilliant 25-yard chip ruled out following a VAR offside check before the breakthrough finally arrived.

Laura Blindkilde Brown set up the opening goal just before halftime, feeding Alessia Russo to lay the ball off for Stanway, who slotted a low finish past the goalkeeper. Manager Wiegman introduced Beth Mead at the interval to bolster the attack, and England quickly capitalized on their renewed pressure.

Le Tissier scored her first senior international goal shortly after, firing home strongly following clever build-up play by Keira Walsh. Russo added a third just four minutes later with a precise low shot into the bottom corner. Greece responded when defensive hesitation allowed Kallisti Brouksair to pull a goal back with a low strike.

Late substitutes and further near-misses followed, including an effort against the crossbar from Jess Park, alongside senior debuts for Erica Meg Parkinson and Grace Fisk. England will head into the second leg in Leicester with a two-goal cushion, aiming to advance toward a potential second-round playoff meeting with Slovakia or Ukraine as they seek qualification for next summer's tournament in Brazil.