History
The Greek Cup began in 1931. In its early years, entry was optional. Teams were paired against each other by the football associations, without a draw taking place. Later on, for many years, a proper draw took place and two-leg matches were held up to the final. In the 90s, the qualifying matches were played in groups. The winners of the groups played against each other up to the final in two-leg matches.
Until 1964, if the final score was a draw (including extra time), the two teams played another match, while penalties didn't exist. That year, in the semi-final match between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos (final score: 1–1), fans of both teams stormed the pitch, damaged the ground and virtually stopped the game, believing that it was fixed to end in a draw, in order to be replayed for financial reasons.
The next year a new rule was applied, to determine that, if the game was undecided even after extra time, the winner would be determined by the toss of a coin. That rule was abolished in 1969, when the penalty shootout was applied.
Until 1971, teams from all over the country, professional and amateur, had been taking part. Each team first played against clubs from its own association and the winners continued in a nationwide competition. Due to this, strong professional sides met amateur neighbourhood teams, sometimes beating them with high scores; a 23–0 win in a Apollon Athens vs. PAO Neas Melandias match on 23 September 1959 remains a record win for the Greek Cup until today. Since 1971, only teams from the three professional divisions are allowed entry, while amateur clubs take part in the Amateur Cup.
Read more about this topic: Greek Football Cup
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