Greece National Team – Dinamo 1-1 (USA and Canada Tour)
Landing in New York, premiere match in Toronto, then Cleveland and Chicago... And back to – Toronto. This time it was Dinamo's turn for their fourth match on the tour of Canada and the United States. The opponent was – the Greek national team. Many considered this to be the toughest test of the entire tour.
After all, just a month earlier Panathinaikos had played in the European Cup final. They were beaten by the famous Ajax 2-0. Furthermore, Toronto has a strong Greek community and it was clear that Dinamo's opponents would have strong support from the stands. Five days earlier, Greece had played a friendly match in New York against Milan. The 'Rossoneri' won 2-1, but the match was marked by major incidents. However, in Toronto the Greeks took the lead in the second minute, and Josip Lalić equalized in the 33rd minute. And then... A 'replay' of New York from five days earlier!
In the 65th minute there followed what local media described as 'a brawl the likes of which Toronto has never seen'. Sparks flew after Filip Blaškovic's foul on Babis Stavropoulos. The referee called an indirect free kick, the Greeks demanded a penalty... When the Greek players surrounded Canadian referee Bell, Dinamo goalkeeper Fahrija Dautbegović ran to help him. And in the process, one of the opposing players punched him in the face. At that moment, naturally, a general brawl ensued. Substitute players joined the fray, then fans stormed from the stands... Canadian reporters later blamed the Greeks for the general chaos and mayhem, highlighting that their appearances cannot pass peacefully without a fight. They naturally reminded everyone of the incidents that broke out five days earlier at the Greece vs Milan match in New York. The contract had provided for another match between Greece and Dinamo on that tour, but the Canadian Federation pulled the plug for fear of new incidents.