[the phantom]

After the first round of games Group A was a mass tie at one point each, and so it was a two match sprint for the playoffs. Losing was not an option for any of the teams. The intensity of the fans was increased at this stage of course, but as every team was still in the running moods were still optimistic and there were no incidents of violence or even verbal hostilities (something the organizers did not take for granted after hearing tales about some of the other group play sites).

The crowds flocked to see the first match of the day, Aman versus Beleriand. Both teams had gained supporters due to their gritty first round performances, but Beleriand had the edge in numbers certainly, and as the match kicked off they appeared to have the edge on the field as well. They moved the ball around swiftly and accurately and put Aman’s defense to the test from the word go. Aman proved up to the challenge, but they appeared worried nonetheless, as having the ball that close to goal for any amount of time is bound to end badly no matter how well one denies good looks at the net.

And indeed their worries were justified when in the 25th minute Imlach boomed a prayer towards the mess in front of the goal- it somehow found its way through, catching the foot of Marach in the process, redirecting sideways and leaving Nienna with no chance to halt the effort. Beleriand had drawn first blood!

This early deficit seemed to energize Aman however, and they raised their effort to new heights, and slowly the tide was turned back and Beleriand found themselves under pressure. Aman was deliberate and selective with their offensive game, working for the best opportunity possible before striking. At the 35th minute Orome struck, and the score was tied, but no! Halmir made a grand leap and tipped the ball away off the post. But two minutes later Finarfin finally converted, but no again! Halmir made a miracle save, and even rolled up quickly enough to lunge and stop the rebound shot from Orome!

The Aman faithful stomped their feet in frustration. Their hopes simply couldn’t be stolen away by a hot goalie like this. But the more calm fans reassured their comrades, telling them there was still plenty of time left, and that these saves couldn’t continue for the entire second half. But in actuality Aman couldn’t be held off the scoreboard even in the first half, as with under three minutes left Beleriand had a slight lapse and Irmo was able to find Orome so open that Halmir had no chance of any miracle.

The Beleriand fans groaned, as they had so nearly weathered the first half storm, while the Aman fans sighed in relief. Tied at last. Now if they could just continue this level of play all would be well. But at the second half’s start it was Beleriand on the attack again. Things looked dangerous for a bit with Marach getting off two decent efforts from just outside the box, but both times the possible angles had been reduced by the defense and Nienna was able to position herself with relative ease. Beleriand seemed to deflate a bit, or perhaps they were merely tired from their constant effort, and Aman took control. At minute 67 Aman took the lead off of a fine corner hook-up between Earwen and Ar Pharazon, and that proved to be enough.

Aman got several more looks, but Halmir turned them all aside. Unfortunately his fine day was all for naught as Beleriand simply could not threaten the Aman goal again, and the team from the blessed realm trotted off the field as the point leaders in the group.

Aman 2-1 Beleriand
tot shots 12-9
on target 8-4
GOALS:
*25, 0-1 Marach (Imlach)
*43, 1-1 Orome (Irmo)
*67, 2-1 Ar Pharazon (Earwen)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Aman- Orome, Nessa, Nahar
*Beleriand- Mim, Hathol, Imlach

It was many of the same faces present when the second match kicked off in the early evening, except that perhaps a third of the men had been replaced by elves rooting for Vinyamar. Except for the men from Ithilien, the stadium was almost exclusively for the host side, and they were quite pleased with the match as they were treated to some stingy defense and well executed offense from the home team.

The competitors from Mount Taras were just flawless and intense, and Ithilien despite their tactics and toughness couldn’t make a dent, managing only two rather easily saved balls on goal throughout the match, and unable to hold possession for long enough to get anything going.

Vinyamar on the other hand controlled the ball and pace with precision, and slowly and surely built up to quality attempts on Mumakil in goal. Were the defense not so stiff, Vinyamar would have scored more than two, but two was more than enough for their defense. Tuor put the first one up one up and his love Idril added the second and due to the low amount of stoppage during the match the clock showed time over before the sun had completely set over the picturesque sea.

It was a perfect night to celebrate, and the folks in the stands applauded wildly as the standings after round two were shown, and Vinyamar stood tied with Aman with four points, but thanks to a better goal differential they topped the board.

Ithilien 0-2 Vinyamar
tot shots 6-13
on target 2-7
GOALS:
*38, 0-1 Tuor (Duilin)
*63, 0-2 Idril (Voronwe)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Ithilien- Frodo, Bergil
*Vinyamar- Osse

--------------Pts--GF--GA---GD
Vinyamar-----4----3----1---(+2)
Aman--------4----3----2---(+1)
Beleriand-----1----2----3---(-1)
Ithilien-------1----1----3---(-2)

ROUND 3 MATCHES
Aman vs Ithilien
Beleriand vs Vinyamar