MiniEURO 2013 kicked off with a blaze of colour, fireworks, music and pageantry – and plenty of skill – as the host nation were held to a draw.
After a spectacular opening ceremony, which included a marching band, rock music and traditional Greek dance, the football did not disappoint.
The host nation, roared on by a partisan capacity crowd, raced into an early lead against their Turkish opponents, but were unable to turn their first half dominance into more goals before being pegged back in the second half and settling for a 1-1 draw after conceding an equaliser to a resurgent Turkey side, who appeared livelier after the break..
The result was a fair one as the game lived up to its billing as the explosive first match, after a stunning opening ceremony had left the crowd in raptures for nearly an hour as first dancers and then music entertained the watching thousands, before the Mayor of Rethmyno Mr. George Marinakis declared the games open amid a firework display.
The first game kept the crowd enthralled, as the Greek fans backed their team to the end, but the side could not quite force the win.
No one went home too disappointed, however, as they were spellbound by one of the greatest evenings in minifootball history.
