Greece has made it two wins from two to mark the beginning of Ivan Jovanovic’s tenure as coach, with the “Ethniki” defeating Ireland to continue a strong start to life in League B of the UEFA Nations League.

The Greeks sealed a 0-2 away triumph in Dublin on Wednesday morning (AEST) to move to six points on the ladder, equal with group heavyweights England.

The game proved to be one of two halves with the Irish largely controlling proceedings in the first period without making an impact on the scoreline.

It was in the second half that Greece sprung to life as star striker Fotis Ioannidis produced a moment of magic, scoring a delightful long-range goal wherein he guided the ball into the top left on his weaker left foot (50′).

The effort marked Ioannidis’ third goal in two games in what has proved to be a very productive international break for the Panathinaikos marksman.

Ioannidis’ strike helped Greece grab a hold of the contest and they found a second goal late into the clash to crush the spirits of the home faithful.

The goal came courtesy of Christos Tzolis, who was put through on goal by playmaker and captain Anastasios Bakasetas, with the young winger hitting the ball into the bottom left to ensure the win (87′).

Jovanovic remarked that he is satisfied with the outcomes of the two wins against Finland and now Ireland, though he explained that he is more concerned with the team and staff getting better than he is about their current standing on the ladder.

“I don’t think that after two matches that the table plays a big role. What matters is that we improve from game to game,” the Greece coach said post-match to media.

“A positive mentality makes the situation easier for me and for our planning for the next fixtures. The important thing is that the players themselves are waiting for the October matches to come to play with the national team again.”

Ioannidis admitted that the first half did not go exactly as they would have liked, owing to the team still adapting to the new coach’s style, but their resilience and quality eventually shone through.

“After we stayed calm for a while, we managed to balance the game and in the second half I think we came out more determined,” the striker said in a post-match with Nova Sports.

Ioannidis stressed that the team’s sights are set on finishing first, and that they will have to get better very quick to achieve that dream.

Greece currently occupies first place in the group, owing to their +5 goal difference compared to England’s +4, though that could prove to be short-lived as they will face the Three Lions in a month’s time at Wembley Stadium.