[the phantom]

It was a strongly partisan crowd that welcomed Bywater and Thangorodrim to the field for the opening match of group play, and the players from the Shire were in high spirits. Gandalf and Saruman waved in recognition of old Ainu buddies in the stands, the hobbits smiled enthusiastically at the crowd of their fellows who had made the trip to the blessed realm, and the Nazgul pair nodded graciously to the rowdy section of Minas Morgul orcs.

Thangorodrim stomped onto the pitch to a massive rumbling “Booooo!!”, but the dragons seemed to enjoy it, egging on the crowd with obscene tail gestures. The traitorous men playing for Thangorodrim, however, seemed put out not to have a section of their supporters there (or at least a section that could be heard), and Carcharoth sniffed the air in vain for the scent of packmates.

The crowd then fell into silence, only to renew their disapproval as Thangorodrim took the ball right off the bat and went down the field, scaring the keeper Cotton with a zinger off the tail of Ancalagon that barely missed over the top cross-bar. Bywater’s defense seemed to be less than what was expected, or perhaps Thangorodrim’s offense was too good, and they stayed in control the first ten minutes, with Bywater unable to gain possession or keep the ball away from the danger zone.

But how swiftly the tide turns! Nazgul #2 managed to poke the ball away from Durin’s Bane with a nice tackle, and Shadowfax swiftly sent it all the way down to the dashing forwards and Gandalf. They kept the run going with some neat passing, and Saruman finished with help from Gandalf and it was 1-0 Bywater!

Now with the lead Bywater’s defense was suddenly effective. The hobbit midfielders and Gildor outworked the Thangorodrim boys, while the Nazgul, Ferny, and Shadowfax stayed on top of the dragons and balrog, denying them the ball most of the time and forcing quick decisions from them. As halftime neared the trailing side showed a bit of frustration and poor body language and picked up a couple of silly cards, one of which nearly costing them another goal.

No one knows who spoke at halftime or what was said, but it obviously made a difference, as Thangorodrim started off much more focused, and their deadly skill netted a goal but two minutes in, off the boot of Durin’s Bane. Just a few minutes later he nearly scored again- Cotton made a brilliant grab in mid-flight to preserve the tie. But just as in the first half, Bywater countered swiftly when things were looking quite bad. Again it was a sudden pass by Shadowfax to an already breaking group at the front, this time including Gildor, and it was Gildor who took the shot. Carcharoth managed to block it, but couldn’t corrall the ball, and Gandalf finished the job from point blank range to push Bywater into the lead once again!

The stadium bells, normally reserved for goals from the home team, sounded loud and long as the arena occupants celebrated. Fed by the energy perhaps, Bywater pressed the attack now, and Thangorodrim could barely deny them. In the 68th minute it looked certain Bywater would take a 3-1 lead when Saruman pounced on a ricochet and Carcharoth had no hope of being involved, but Drauglin came from nowhere with a massive leap and helped his keeper out by heading the effort away.

As desperation mounted for Thangorodrim, Ulwarth took too large a risk on a tackle and was shown his second yellow. He complained loudly to the ref that there was minimal contact, but the end result did not change and he was tossed from the game, leaving Bywater with a one-man advantage. The stadium erupted as it never had, for now with under twenty minutes and with an extra man, the upset seemed likely rather than just a happy hope. Bywater held the ball with precision for most of the next few minutes, but in the end Durin’s Bane could not be contained, as he stole the ball away on a slightly errant pass and worked it in all by himself, passing off to Scatha last second for the easy chip in.

The fans were absolutely deflated by the short-handed goal, and they feared the worst in the closing seconds of the game, but Bywater refused to roll over, and they finished off the match without allowing another threat. As the final was announced, the fans shook off their disappointment and applauded the Bywater squad heartily for their effort, and admitted that Thangorodrim leaving without the expected three-points from a win, but rather with the single point for the tie, was as good as they had hoped for when the match had started.

Bywater 2-2 Thangorodrim
tot shots 11-16
on target 6-8
GOALS:
*11, 1-0 Saruman (Gandalf)
*47, 1-1 Durin’s Bane (Ulfang)
*56, 2-1 Gandalf (Gildor)
*82, 2-2 Scatha (Durin’s Bane)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Bywater- Ferny, Fatty, Saruman
*Thangorodrim- Ulfang, Drauglin, Gorlim, Ulwarth, Scatha, Uldor
RED CARDS:
*Thangorodrim- Ulwarth (73, second yellow)

The result of the first game was a delightful surprise for the Valimar fans, and as the second match kicked off they were hoping to receive the cherry on top, so to speak, capping off a perfect day of football.

Long story short- they got it. Valimar was called by one columnist “annoyingly efficient” in their round of friendlies, and it was perhaps no different this night, as they played nearly mistake free, and just showed a bit of an edge over the opponents everywhere on the field. The first half they felt out the opposition and established their game, and in the second half they turned up the gas until they had secured a two goal lead, at which time Manwe called off the troops and elected to sit on the lead, which as everyone knows Valimar is quite good at.

As the denizens of Valimar made their way to their homes, they cast about in their memories for a better start to group play in recent years, and could not come up with anything.

Lorien 0-2 Valimar
tot shots 9-15
on target 4-8
GOALS:
*54, 0-1 Eonwe (Varda)
*65, 0-2 Tulkas (Manwe)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Lorien- Rumil, Orophin
*Valimar- Tulkas