Greek man relives Battle of Thermopylae during football game

Citizens!

On Saturday afternoon Pseudo Professor Zosima and young Kolya Krastokin went to watch Gennady Bulgakov play football/soccer. 

Starring at left back for Lithgow Olympic in a fiery clash against the Mount Vic Vikings, the team rallied back from 2-0 down at halftime to claim a 3-2 victory. 

Key to this comeback was the moment the Hellenic spirit was summoned by their captain’s heroic speech at halftime, which Zosima and Kolya were privy to. 

In the wet piss smelling sheds captain George stood up and said: 

‘Boys! On the pitch I may get angry, perhaps I struggle to regulate my emotions, possibly it is a case of projection, maybe I lack perspective. 

But how do we describe sport in this land: it is gladiatorial, a battle, a war right? 

What is a proxy for war in this peaceful place? 

Sport my friends, my brothers – sport is the moment when I rekindle the spirit of my ancestors, it is when my nervous system remembers what our Alex went through - Greek not Macedonian! It is what our Leonidas felt. My mind might be here, but my body feels like it’s in that narrow mountain pass, with persian upon persian coming upon the breach. Yes I may get carried away, yes I’ll lose my head, yes the red mist will descend and I’ll commit all manner of war crimes on this pitch, especially when the referee is looking the other way. But I’ll fight until the end for you all here, until my heart gives out and my legs can run no more. I’ll fight until I’m escorted from the ground, even by the police if need be. For you my brothers, I’ll undertake an infinite amount of community service hours for this team!’

In a way, they did channel the Spartans at Thermopylae, by being reduced to 8 men on the field and having to repel half a dozen corners in the final ten minutes. Miraculously captain George finished the game without even a caution, even after he two footed Zosima undertaking his weekly ritual nudie run at the game.