Greeks and Canadians ‘have fun’ in nine goal thriller
Before their opening match in the Oslo 2025 Homeless World Cup, members of the coaching staff of Greece’s men’s team and Canada’s mixed team embraced on the pitch and said
“have fun”.
The players took that to heart in an entertaining, end-to-end encounter full of chances and goalmouth action.
Greece ran out 5-4 winners to record their first victory in two years at the tournament. They opened the scoring from a penalty spot before quickly doubling their lead. A superb volleyed finish and sustained pressure from Canada saw them draw level, before Greece scored again to take a 3-2 lead into half-time.
After the break, the Greeks soon made it 4-2 with a side-footed shot past the keeper before a shot from the edge of the box saw Canada move to within one, after their goalkeeper made himself big to deny Greece from extending their lead from the penalty spot. A great strike from distance saw Greece go 5-3 up before Canada pulled one back with less than 30 seconds left. Time then ran out for Canada as they searched for an equaliser to take the game to penalties.
Greece coach Periklis Papapanagis said:
“I’m very glad we won because last year we had 13 defeats in the competition. So today was a victory after two years and we will celebrate. We enjoyed the match a lot and it’s a great experience for our players.”
Words by Craig Williams | Photos by Donnie Nicholson