I’d been to this stadium twice before, but both visits were before I started this blog, so I thought this was a good enough excuse to pay this beautiful ground another visit. The first time was to see Kifissia (who at the time were using the stadium for their home games) take on Panserraikos, in a 4-4 thriller that remains one of the most dramatic Super League matches I’ve seen live. Later that season, I went back for another Kifissia home game, this time against Panetolikos in the play-outs for the second division. When I got to the gate, I was absurdly told that tickets were available only to season-ticket holders (to prevent visiting fans from entering). It was then that I randomly met a Union Berlin fan who faced the same problem. We teamed up and climbed the steep hill behind the ground, joining the hundreds of Panetolikos ultras who had the same idea. Their team eventually won, securing their survival in the top flight, and I ended up becoming friends with Johan in what was one of the most absurd matchdays I’ve experienced. Johan later became my host in Berlin, taking me to see Union and Babelsberg this year, but those are different stories you can read about here.

I knew that today’s match wasn’t going to be as eventful, but that was fine. The bar was very high anyway. I was just happy to climb that hill again and enjoy the view. What I hadn’t remembered was how long, steep, and confusing the trek is. I got lost at least five times and ended up missing kick-off, but as soon as I reached the edge, it was all worth it. I was also glad to be watching two big teams I’d never seen before.

Ethnikos Asteras are a historic club from the area of Kesariani. Their name came from the merger of the area’s two big teams, Ethnikos Kesarianis and Asteras Kesarianis, in 1943. In the 1990s they reached the first division and stayed up for four consecutive seasons, which is arguably their greatest achievement. In recent years, they merged first with Mikrasiatikos and later with GS Kesarianis, though they managed to keep their original name. In 2023, they won the Athens Amateur Cup for the first time.

Haidari FC are the biggest club from the western Athenian suburb of Haidari. Their most successful years were in the 2000s, when they spent three seasons in the second division and famously eliminated AEK from the Greek Cup. Just a few months ago, they lifted the Athens Amateur Cup after beating Apollon Smyrnis in the final. Both sides in today’s duel play in the third national division.

I spent most of the first half soaking up the view and chatting with my father on the phone, who had decided it was a good time to catch up. I doubt he could have guessed I was by myself on top of a hill watching a pre-season friendly, though he must have suspected something as he heard me shouting “goal!” twenty minutes into our conversation. It was the home side who had scored.

By half-time the sky was starting to darken, so I decided to make my way down towards the stands. The descent took me a while, but luckily I didn’t miss any goals. The crowd was surprisingly decent for a friendly, and there seemed to be supporters from both clubs. The standard of play was also higher than expected: the pace was sharp and both sides created good chances. In the end, though, it was the home team who really gave it everything, scoring two more fine goals towards the end of the match.