The second (and last) match of the day found us in Agia Varvara, after a short drive from Proodeftiki’s stadium. Agia Varvara is a small neighbourhood bordering Korydallos, on the foothills of Mount Egaleo. It has a reputation for being rather rough, as well as having a considerable Roma population. It’s one of those areas you’d never visit unless you’re from there. The stadium isn’t even listed on Google Maps, and you have to do some hunting in satellite mode to find it. It sits right on the edge of the city, on a steep uphill road.

Keravnos, alongside Agia Eleousa, are the two football teams of Agia Varvara. Apollon Athinon-Dafni, on the other hand, is something like the B team of Apollon Smyrnis. They were founded in 2020 after acquiring the licence of Dafni Athinon, a club that eventually ceased to exist in its 100-year anniversary season. Apollon were playing in the first regional division last season, at the same level as their first team, funnily enough, but poor results led to relegation.

My friend and I approached the stadium not knowing what to expect, as there were no photos of it online. It turned out to be just another one of those uninspiring, single-stand municipal grounds, though the view was simply great, very similar to the one at Chrysoupoli. We sat among the visiting fans, as the home ones looked arguably scarier. Behind the goal, a few banners of their “ultras” were hung, though there was no actual organised support to be seen, just two men guarding the banners. A real Italian ultra would probably have a stroke at the sight of this.

The match, although theoretically at the same level, was of much higher quality than the previous one we had attended. Keravnos opened the scoring around the 20th minute, but Apollon equalised a few minutes later with a fantastic strike from outside the box. What followed was a very entertaining and passionate effort from both sides. It was an eventful, fast-paced game with plenty of chances, where a 2-2 or 3-3 scoreline would have made more sense, but both teams simply couldn’t find the net again.

As the match remained level in the second half, the pressure kept rising, and a few controversial refereeing decisions, as well as the match doctor’s actions, made the home fans furious. What followed was probably the craziest torrent of swearing I’ve ever experienced at a football stadium. I usually find banter and swear words funny, but the verbal abuse dished out that day was genuinely shocking. I was convinced that if Apollon scored, the locals would storm the pitch immediately, but for better or worse, no one scored again. The match ended in a draw and, although the abuse continued for a bit longer, before long everyone’s normal life resumed.