Pavlidis Scores Brace In Greece's Victory Over England: George Baldock With Our Souls

JAKARTA - Greece was surprisingly able to beat England 2-1 at Wembley Stadium on Friday, October 11, 2024, early morning WIB, in the UEFA Nations League match.

Vangelis Pavlidis became a hero by buying up two Greek winning goals. The Benfica striker specifically celebrated in memory of George Baldock.

Baldock was a Greek national team player who died the day before the match against England.

"This is a very special day and game for us. Our thoughts are with George."

"We are professionals and have to play this game. We give our souls to him (Maldock) tonight."

"Today is not a day to talk about football. He is part of our team. We will miss him very much," said Pavlidis, who presented all his goals for Baldock.

The English vs Greece match began with respect for Baldock with a moment of silence before the start.

The players of both teams were also allowed by UEFA to wear black armbands during the match.

"We pray for strength for his family and don't talk about football. All day it feels numb."

"We won tonight and didn't want to celebrate. There were no right words," said Pavlidis, who was still missing.

Baldock just got with Panathinaikos this summer from Sheffield United. He was found dead in the swimming pool of his home in Athens.

George Baldock died at the age of 31. He is of Greek descent born in England.

No wonder, his name is also remembered in England. Baldock gained football at the Constitutional Court before being poor across various English clubs.

Baldock has played for Northampton Town, Tamworth, Oxford United, and Sheffield United in England. He has also tasted playing for IBV in Iceland.

He began to be called up by the Greek national team in May 2022 and debuted in June 2022 against Northern Ireland.

Baldock has played 12 times for Greece and his last appearance came in March 2024.

Meanwhile, Greece's manager, Ivan Jovanovic, assessed that his team's slick performance against England could not be separated from the spirit of presenting the best in honor of Baldock.

"At such times, football became number two. As he was with the team, he left a mark and it was seen from the way players played today," Jovanovic said as reported by Reuters.