Some weeks I have to work on Saturdays, which isn’t ideal for catching games, but today I was lucky, as there was a game at Alepotripa that fit perfectly with my long break. Alepotripa is one of the six football stadiums in central Athens and probably the second most iconic after Panathinaikos’ home ground. Located on Elikonos hill in Kypseli, it’s always a bit of a trek to get there, but the view is definitely rewarding. The stadium is also quite busy, and up until recently, it housed as many as 8 different teams, including some historical clubs like Asteras Exarchion and the club that birthed AEK, Pera Club.

Today, Gyziakos, one of the two clubs from the neighbouring Gyzi area, was hosting Argyroupoli, a team from the south side, in a single-legged game for the first round of the amateur cup.

The sun was too bright, and half of the crowd was standing behind the goal where there was shade. I strongly regretted not bringing my sunglasses. I had missed the first goal as I arrived late, but I got to see the equaliser, which came from a header by the home side. After that, Argyroupoli largely dominated the game and scored again. As the second half started, I found myself sitting next to two men who seemed to know a lot about Gyziakos and the EPSA league. One of them might even be the president, I thought—how exciting. I tried to absorb as much information as I could while they talked, after failing to start a conversation. The visiting side was awarded a penalty and scored once more. The game was decided, the final whistle blew, and I headed back to work.