Oct 14,2024
Just a few short hours on from the raucous scenes at the final whistle inside the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, there was a sobering silence at Gate 21 awaiting the red eye out of Finland.
Three Nordic nights and three points to take from the first leg of this autumnal excursion around the periphery of the continent as the Nations League roadshow finally started to ignite Irish interest.
Next stop Athens; but first a short hop across the Scandanvian peninsula for a Stockholm switch and a three-hour lay-over in the Swedish capital.
Eventually arriving into Athens, and even with the sun long gone from the skyline, the welcoming heat of an October evening a pleasant distraction from the supplementary sleep deprivation.
Over 1,300 Irish fans travelled to Helsinki to support the Boys in Green, and they certainly got the rewards that come with a last-minute, away-day winner.
Most, no doubt, heading back to Dublin, quietly content to watch the Greece game from the comfort of their living room or local hostelry.
And yet, there was a sizeable contingent traipsing through terminals alongside, as they set out into the Athens environs psyching themselves to go again.
"It's easier to recover after a victory" was the word coming out of the Ireland dressing room, and no doubt, the same can be said for the fans as they shed their winter wardrobe in exchange for the summer shorts, purposely unpacked at the end of the Irish summer knowing that Athens lingered longingly on the horizon.
Around 1,000 Ireland fans are expected to tog out at the Georgious Karaiskakis Stadium tonight at the cauldron-like arena, which hosts the exciting encounter between the group leaders and the emerging Irish.
And the Olympic theme continues, as the destination moves from the host city of the 1952 Games to the home of the sporting spectacular, while the aforementioned arena is home to the famous Greek side, Olympiacos.
Having travelled – after the full complement of sleep – down to Athens later on Friday, the well-rested Ireland team were up early and primed to practice at the compact yet atmospheric arena that has a capacity just upwards of 30,000.
Heimir Hallgrimsson attended to media duties ahead of the squad session, and it was quite clear that the Brady buzz had definitely dissipated as the cool, calm coach went through the 20-minute session offering enough insight without revealing too much on tactics nor selection.
It adds to the intrigue, of course, that we can all pick our team and play out the heated conversations on form players and formations on the eve of the game, while eagerly awaiting the official selection, which arrives just over an hour before kick-off.
Comparisons to last year’s visit to the Greek capital were naturally worked through, but a lot has changed since Gus Poyet’s side powered past a shell-shocked Stephen Kenny outfit in the Euro 2024 qualifier.
While many of the playing personnel remain the same, there is a new coach in both dug-outs, and looking back on the September game in Dublin, there really isn’t a whole lot between the two sides.
Confidence gained from the 2023 double over Ireland perhaps the real difference, and with both sides coming into this one on a high, it makes for quite the entertaining affair.
There will be incredible acoustics on offer tonight at the historic venue, which was actually in operation back at the 1896 Games, in the guise of the Neo Phaliron Velodrome, hosting the track cycling.
Revamped into a football arena, it was the venue for the 1971 European Cup Winner’s Cup final as Chelsea beat Real Madrid. The final ended 1-1 and the two teams came back two days later for a replay with Peter Osgood grabbing the winner for the Stamford Bridge side in a 2-1 victory.
On a more sombre note, the stadium also experienced its own tragedy in 1981 following a derby game against AEK Athens – the Gate 7 incident happened as the crowd poured out following the 6-0 victory, as celebrations soon turned to sorrow, and it has been remembered with 21 black seats among the red to honour the victims, while there is also a memorial outside the ground.
The stadium was back in Olympic mode in 2004 as it was completely revamped in time to host the football tournament at the Athens Games.
Athens, indeed, but every local will tell you that the stadium is not actually in Athens, but rather in the port city of Piraeus, which blends into the ancient capital and starts somewhere adjacent to the Acropolis on the hill, rolling all the way out to the sea, where you might arrive to go island hopping around this vast country.
Following Ireland away from the home comforts of the salubrious setting in Dublin 4 may no longer take you to the big tournaments, however, it guarantees around five or six interesting itineraries every year, whether through World Cup or Euro qualifiers, and now with the Brucey Bonus of the Nations League.
The team is randomly thrown into the depths of the continent, from Belgrade to Bratislava, Reykjavik to Rotterdam, so when you do find yourself enjoying the 27-degree sunshine within a stone’s throw of the Aegean Sea in mid-October, it would be rude not to indulge in a matchday morning dip to help pass the time ahead of the absurdly late 9:45pm kick-off up at the stadium.
A few moments quiet contemplation was aided by the beautiful buoyancy of the salt-laden liquid and a chance to ponder what may or may not unfold during tonight’s proceedings.
Such is the dearth of great away victories with the Ireland team – aside from those glamourous days of yore of the Italia 90s and Giants Stadium – two that roll back into the memory of recent memory being Vienna and Cardiff, linked by the fact that a certain James McClean bagged the winner in both.
McClean, of course, has left the stage for a life in Welsh Hollywood, however, if the thousand-strong choir have reasons to be cheerful tonight, there is every chance that his name might be sang from on high as they work their way through the requisite repertoire when travelling away with the national team.
