Greece did not want to play England after George Baldock's death

Greece paid tribute to their teammate George Baldock after beating England 2-1 at Wembley

Midfielder Dimitrios Pelkas admitted that Greece felt compelled to play against England in their Nations League clash despite the heartbreaking death of team-mate George Baldock. The former Sheffield United defender, who tragically drowned at 31 in his swimming pool in Athens, was honoured by a determined Greek side who secured their first-ever victory over England with an exhilarating 2-1 win at Wembley.

Pelkas revealed post-match that the team felt reluctant to play but were left without choices due to scheduling constraints.

"It is like this, rules are rules, UEFA don’t have another opportunity to play this game so we played today," he said. "We give this win to him. When these things happen in life, football is the second part. The most important thing is that our friend George passed away."

"We will never forget him, I was sure today that he would be with us from upstairs and he would celebrate with us and force us to take this victory.

"I don’t want to speak about football, yesterday was very hard for all of us, we couldn’t speak, we couldn’t laugh, we couldn’t eat in the hotel. It was a really hard day. I want to send my condolences to his family, for them it is the most difficult period."

The football world is in mourning following the untimely death of Baldock, with heartfelt tributes pouring in from across the sport.

Sheffield United's owner Prince Abdullah and chairman Yusuf Giansiracusa expressed their profound sorrow on Friday morning. "Like all Blades, we received the news of George Baldock’s tragic and premature passing with overwhelming sadness," their statement read. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, as well as his friends and all who knew him, not least the Sheffield United family."

"George played every minute on the pitch with passion, commitment and the ability associated with our football club and his role in our campaigns to achieve two promotions will live long in our memories and the history of the club. George served United with distinction – he remains a Blade."