close
close

Greece gave Baldock “soul” in historic victory over England.

Greece gave Baldock “soul” in historic victory over England.

Greece's two-goal hero Vangelis Pavlidis paid an emotional tribute to George Baldock after his side's 2-1 Nations League victory over England at Wembley Stadium on Thursday.

British-born Greece international Baldock, who joined Panathinaikos from Sheffield United in May, died this week aged 31 after being found in a swimming pool at his home in Glyfada.

The Wembley crowd observed a minute's silence before kick-off and the Greek players looked completely expressionless after the final whistle, despite having secured their first win against England.

During their celebration, they lifted a shirt with the name Baldock on it.

“It was a very special day and a very special game for us. Our thoughts are with George,” Pavlidis said.

“We are professionals and had to play the game. We gave our souls for him tonight. Today is not a day to talk about football. He was part of our team. We will miss him very much.”

“He also wants to wish his family strength and not talk about football. The whole day was numb. We won tonight and we don't want to celebrate. I’m just at a loss for words.”

Baldock, who was of Greek descent, played twelve international matches for the country, his last appearance coming in March.

Greece coach Ivan Jovanovic praised his team's spirit and said they were inspired to play in Baldock's memory.

“In moments like this, football comes second,” he said. “In the time he was with the team he left his mark and that could be seen in the way the players played today.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *