From Inter Milan vs. Slavia Prague to Panathinaikos vs. Go Ahead Eagles: my impromptu Greek adventure and a bet for $2,000

Sometimes the most spontaneous decisions lead to the most memorable experiences. Earlier in the week, I was supposed to travel to Italy for the Inter Milan vs. Slavia Prague match, but I fell ill and canceled my trip. However, my desire to film a soccer match for our YouTube channel remained. As soon as I felt better, on October 1, I made a decision—I would go to Greece, even if only for one night, to catch the Panathinaikos vs. Go Ahead Eagles match from the Europa League.

The journey and first impressions

At that very moment, the weather was bad throughout Bulgaria, and it even snowed in Sofia. There were no such problems in Greece because when I landed in Athens, I was greeted by a temperature of 27 degrees Celsius.
In Athens, I stayed in a cozy Airbnb, where the most interesting thing was… the jacuzzi in the living room! Apparently, this is quite normal for rental properties in the Greek capital, because almost all the ads I looked at had a similar extra.
Before the match, I decided to take a look at the local bookmakers. In Greece, there is only one licensed operator with physical locations—OPAP—and I can say that their locations look much more modern and pleasant than ours.

Time to bet

For the match between Panathinaikos and Go Ahead Eagles, I decided to bet 2,000 leva on “over 2.75 goals.” I had a good analysis, which included the Dutch striker Milan Smith, who was looking to score, and the absent Greek striker, who had no one to replace him.
In addition, I decided that I would donate 100 leva for every goal scored in the match to a good cause.
This match is not the type of match I usually bet on, but it was a great opportunity to feel and see the atmosphere of the Olympic Stadium and the Greek ultras, who are so popular with their “fandom.”

The Olympic Stadium and the start of the match

As Panathinaikos’ new stadium is still under construction, the team is hosting its European matches at the Olympic Stadium in Athens – the largest in Greece, with a capacity of nearly 70,000 seats. Fun fact: during the opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games, the facility was turned into a lake.
Although there were about 19,000 people in the stands, the scale of the stadium made it look almost empty.
The match began with a series of attacks by the “green” team, but the Dutch were not far behind… at least in the stands. Go Ahead Eagles are actually an interesting team – they come from the small town of Deventer and earned their place in Europe after winning the Dutch Cup last season – their first major trophy since 1933! That’s why nearly 1,000 of their fans traveled across Europe and covered almost 3,000 km to support them in Athens.

Countless attacks… one half

The first half was crazy—21 shots, but zero goals. I was starting to get nervous because I needed at least three goals to win at least half of my bet.
I felt like every miss was against me and my bet – corners, crossbars, unsuccessful crosses, shots from three meters… everything was happening except what was needed – a goal!

The second half

The second half began as the first had ended—with chaos, nerves, and endless misses. The minutes ticked by, and the scoreboard still read 0:0. The Greeks pressed, the Dutch defended, and I could already feel the 2,000 leva evaporating before my eyes.
Around the 50th minute, I said to myself, “Well, that’s it, it’s not going to happen.” I was simply desperate from what I was seeing.

After another push from Panathinaikos – a corner from the left, a cross, commotion in front of the goal… and suddenly the ball ended up in the net after a header!
GOOOOOAL! Finally!
The stadium erupted like a volcano. The green fans were jumping, singing, going wild. I also jumped up from my seat, as if I were from Athens. One goal was already a fact, and even though I needed two more, hope returned.

But the joy didn’t last long because I needed two more goals. Just ten minutes later, after a big mistake in the middle, Go Ahead Eagles went ahead on the counterattack. Pass, second pass, and a diagonal shot—1:1! The goal was scored by Milan Smith, whom I had analyzed before the match!

Complete silence from the Greek stands. Only the visiting fans could be heard singing at the top of their lungs, as if there were 10,000 of them at their stadium in Deventer.
Me? I was happy for a moment, but I was still losing. I thought, “There’s no way they’ll score two more goals in 15 minutes.”
Time was flying by – 75th, 80th minute… the seconds were weighing heavily on me.

I watched as a new episode of the match unfolded before me – a pass on the right flank, a mistake by a defender, the ball reached Milan Smith – the same player I mentioned in my pre-match analysis. One glance, one touch, and a powerful shot into the bottom corner!
GOOOOOAL! 1:2!
The visiting fans went wild with joy, their stands literally boiling. And I didn’t know whether to laugh, scream, or just sit down and catch my breath. After all that, I won half my bet, and I felt like I had won much more.
It wasn’t a complete win, but after so much emotion, nerves, and misses, this match turned into a small personal victory.
As always, I kept my promise and donated 100 leva for each goal scored.

Conclusion

This Greek adventure was completely improvised – no plan, no expectations, but lots of excitement. I saw one of the biggest stadiums in Europe, felt the atmosphere of the Greek fans, tried an incredible gyros and, of course, experienced another live betting thriller.
Next time? Maybe Italy again. Or Spain. But one thing is certain – betting is even more exciting when you experience it at the stadium.

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