2014 Greece v Faroe Islands football match

On 14 November 2014, the Faroe Islands met Greece during a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match at Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, Athens, Greece. To the surprise of many, the Faroe Islands won 1–0, with the only goal of the game coming from Jóan Símun Edmundsson, causing what many consider to be one of the biggest upsets in UEFA Euro qualifying history.

Greece v Faroe Islands (2014)
Jóan Edmundsson scored the only goal of the match
EventUEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
Group F
Matchday 4
Greece Faroe Islands
0 1
Date14 November 2014 (2014-11-14)
VenueKaraiskakis Stadium, Athens
RefereeNicola Rizzoli (Italy)
Attendance16,821

It was the biggest shock in terms of FIFA World Rankings, as Greece were ranked 18th and the Faroe Islands were ranked 187th.[1]

Background

The Greek national team had taken part in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, reaching the round of 16 for the first time ever, being eliminated only on penalties by the surprising Costa Rica after a 1–1 draw on regulation time. Despite this, they didn't start well in the Euro qualifying, losing at home to Romania, drawing away with Finland and losing home (again) to Northern Ireland.

The Faroes started their campaign with three defeats, losing at home to Finland, away to Northern Ireland, and home to Hungary.

Match

Details
Greece 0–1 Faroe Islands
Report
Attendance: 16,821
Greece
Faroe Islands
GK1Orestis Karnezis
DF2Giannis Maniatis
DF3Nikolaos Karabelas 78'
DF4Kostas Manolas 88'
DF5Vangelis Moras
MF8Panagiotis Kone
MF10Lazaros Christodoulopoulos
MF15Vasilis Torosidis (c)
FW17Theofanis Gekas 46'
FW18Nikos Karelis 62'
FW22Andreas Samaris
Substitutes:
FW23Stefanos Athanasiadis 46'
DF16Charalampos Mavrias 62'
FW9Petros Mantalos 78'
Manager:
Claudio Ranieri
GK1Gunnar Nielsen
DF2Jónas Þór Næs
DF3Viljormur Davidsen
DF4Atli Gregersen 57'
DF5Sonni Nattestad
MF6Hallur Hansson 49'
MF7Fróði Benjaminsen (c)
MF8Brandur Olsen 33' 88'
MF10Christian Holst 76'
FW11Jóan Símun Edmundsson 86'
FW16Sølvi Vatnhamar
Substitutes:
DF13Pól Jóhannus Justinussen 76'
MF18Odmar Færø 86'
FW15Klæmint Olsen 88'
Manager:
Lars Olsen

Match rules

  • 90 minutes.
  • Maximum of three substitutions.

Aftermath

The result caused the sacking of Claudio Ranieri, whose next job would be manager of Leicester City the following July. In his first season, the club would go on to shock the football world by winning the 2015–16 Premier League.[2]

In the return fixture, played at Tórshavn on 13 June 2015, the Faroe Islands defeated Greece again, this time by 2–1.

References
  1. John Ashdown (19 November 2014). "Is the Faroe Islands' win over Greece the biggest shock of all time?". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  2. Will Magee (1 March 2016). "Why Leicester fans need to thank the Faroe Islands for their stunning season". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
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