[the phantom]

After the first round of play, host Valimar sat atop the group with three points. Behind them was Thangordrim and Bywater thanks to their first round tie, a match that had absolutely thrilled the crowd at the grand stadium. And on the subject of the crowd- the controversy continues.

Beasts & Monsters Weekly released a report early this morning stating the following- “Yesterday at nightfall a group of three dragons attempted to fly in to Valimar intent upon attending Thangorodrim’s match. But rather than being allowed to land, they were greeted by a squadron of giant eagles when they were still over the sea. The exact details of the encounter are unknown, but several boat occupants reported seeing spouts of flame and hearing roars and screeches for several minutes, with periodic booming splashes of heavy objects falling into the sea.”

At a press conference this morning tournament organizers from Valimar initially denied that any sort of incident occurred, but when several dead eagles and a dead dragon washed up on the beach later in the morning, their story suddenly changed. “In fact three dragons did attempt to invade this land last night, but a squad of eagles was sent to halt the dastardly attack they were planning. According to our sources they planned to burn down the stadium and set alight the dwellings of the opposing teams.”

Friends and family of the dragons have strongly denied these allegations, pointing out that they have receipts proving the three purchased tickets for the match today- tickets that now are certain to be bought up by Valimar residents who will most certainly not support Thangorodrim.

Thangorodrim’s captain Glaurung: “When we’ve hosted things at Angband in the past, I admit there may have been a few dealings that weren’t completely honest, but this is ridiculous! They aren’t being underhanded and cheating- they’re outright banning all of our fans from watching, and even killing some of them! Something must be done about this!”

Angry Thangorodrim fans have been complaining endlessly during the past week, but their efforts are perhaps wasted as none of them seem certain who to complain to, or about, and no one seems to want to help them. “We’re all being told different things,” said Mortakh, an orc football enthusiast from Angband. “I was told that the government of Valinor was behind these blockades and such, but my friend was informed that Arda Cup security was responsible, and another friend was told it was the Valimar Tournament Organizing Committee, while yet another friend was told to complain to the boosters on the Valimar Bid Committee!”

But the truth of these matters aside, the end result is simply that Thangorodrim had the entire stadium against them in the first match, and again in today’s match against Lorien. While Thangodorim may have been somewhat rattled in their first match, perhaps they got used to it, as today they played much better against Lorien, and the fences of the elves and ents could not keep the dragon forwards off the board. Scatha netted a goal and Ancalagon bookended the game with two scoring strikes. The stadium tried to buoy up the obviously discouraged Lorien side throughout the second half, but even after they put up their lone goal they just never looked like they were in it. The crowds filed out quietly, hoping the night match would give them reason to cheer again.

Lorien 1-3 Thangorodrim
tot shots 8-15
on target 3-8
GOALS:
*16, 0-1 Ancalagon (Scatha)
*37, 0-2 Scatha (Ulfast)
*58, 1-2 Amdir (Celeborn)
*77, 1-3 Ancalagon (Durin’s Bane)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Lorien- Fladrif, Nimrodel
*Thangorodrim- Ulfast, Drauglin, Ulfang

While Valimar certainly received the largest ovation of the day, Bywater was a close second, having gained a spot in the hearts of the Ainu and Elves of Valinor during their gritty first round tie. Admittedly their tie was made partly possible by the cards picked up by Thangorodrim, as well as Thangorodrim’s susceptibility to counter-attacks- two weaknesses that Valimar did not share.

Bywater found their every move blocked by the organized and athletic home side, and while Bywater’s defense was certainly stiff, they couldn’t restrain completely the talent of Valimar, and at minute 22 Eonwe put it past for the early lead. The rest of the half Valimar protected their lead with frustrating efficiency, and they picked up where they left off in the second.

A few fans were frustrated by the seeming lack of killer instinct, and believed it was foolish not to go after another goal, while others had in mind goal differential and the like, and wished to see as narrow a win as possible so as to make things more difficult on Thangorodrim in the final round. With around twenty minutes left it seemed an unspoken agreement was reached on the pitch, and Bywater toned down their efforts to equalize and Valimar graciously refused to push their advantage.

Perhaps Bywater believed Valimar was simply too good on the day and wished to save their legs for the final match? As far as Valimar’s lack of attack, was it Manwe’s overly passive influence showing through on the team, or was it a calculated effort to hold back their full game for their hated rivals from Thangorodrim? Reasoning aside, it was a polite but unexciting match to watch, and the crowds left the stadium more pleased with the results than with the play they had witnessed.

Bywater 0-1 Valimar
tot shots 4-9
on target 2-4
GOALS:
*22, 0-1 Eonwe (Yavanna)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Bywater- Gildor, Nazgul #2, Nazgul #3
*Valimar- Pallando, Alatar

------------------Pts---GF---GA----GD
Valimar-----------6-----3-----0-----(+3)
Thangorodrim-----4-----5-----3-----(+2)
Bywater----------1-----2-----3-----(-1)
Lorien------------0-----1-----5-----(-4)

ROUND 3 MATCHES
Bywater vs Lorien
Thangorodrim vs Valimar