Noni Madueke showed his capabilities on a positive night for the Chelsea star and England against Greece in Athens.
England claimed a 3-0 win over Greece on Thursday night courtesy of goals from Ollie Watkins and Curtis Jones, as well as an own goal by the hosts.
Madueke was the only Chelsea star to feature following the withdrawals of Levi Colwill and Cole Palmer from the England camp at the beginning of the week.
The 22-year-old was handed a start by interim Lee Carsley at the Olympic Stadium in Athens and he justified the decision with an assist for Watkins’ opener.
Madueke linked up with Jude Bellingham on the flank to drive to the byline and cut it back for the Aston Villa forward to slot home from close range.
The Chelsea attacker made way after 66 minutes, but he walked off the pitch as one of England’s most positive performers.
Madueke created the most chances of any other player on the pitch, with three big chances created, while winning four of his six duels with the opposition.
🏴🔵 Noni Madueke vs Greece:
66 minutes played
1 assist
46 touches
94% pass accuracy
3 key passes
1 big chance created
1 shot on target
1/2 dribbles completed
4/6 ground duels won pic.twitter.com/PhglEPMfVd— Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) November 14, 2024
He will be keen to continue to back his display on Sunday at Wembley against the Republic of Ireland before heading back to Chelsea to prepare for their Premier League clash against Leicester City.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca will have watched Madueke’s performance and come away with a positive assessment, offering the 44-year-old hope that the attacker is starting to pick up some form and momentum going into the final months of the year.
Madueke was hauled off against Arsenal last weekend after 68 minutes and his reaction suggested he was not happy with the decision. Maresca backed his player and believes it shows hunger to always play which is a positive sign.
“The problem is when you change a player, they are never happy,” Maresca said. “Probably the only way to be happy is after the Wolves game where he scored a hat-trick and we changed him, so he was happy. It’s not only about Noni, it’s about all the players.
“It’s a good thing because they want to be there until the end. But in that moment, we thought in different ways, probably Pedro with Timber could be a little bit more aggressive – and also with Misha. So it was a tactical decision, no more than that.”
