[skip spence]

Match 5: Dale vs. Gelion:
One of the surprise teams of the tournament so far has been Gelion. This woodland folk had long been loath to travel and to compete out on the open field on the big stage, which had been interpreted as a weakness by most pundits. But when they finally had made the trip out of the deep forests Gelion turned out to be a tight and tactically astute unit, who played to its strengths and proved very hard to break down. Dale on the other hand had been disappointing. Although the team did not lack attacking threats, the players had acted disjointed on the pitch and the leadership qualities of Major Moneybags had been questioned. Still they had a chance of advancing to the second round with a win, if Eithel Sirion also won their game against Rohan.

There had been speculations whether Gelion would try to play more offensively against an arguably weaker Dale side. Soon it became apparent this wasn’t going to happen. The woodland team came out playing the same game they had played before in the tourney, defending aggressively with many men behind the ball and launching quick counter attacks when given the chance. And just like the first two matches it paid off with a first half lead as Denethor slipped in Beren who finished with a low drive past Brand, his second goal of Arda Cup. Dale looked dejected as their last hope was slipping between their fingers while Gelion now were content to defend their lead.

In the second half the match followed the same pattern. Dale grew more and more desperate as the clock ticked on but they couldn’t find space behind the miserly Gelion defense, where Caranthir admirably took care of the threat of the great dragon Smaug. Yet Smaug wasn’t to be denied for the entire match. In the 64th minute Dale won a corner-kick and Girion whipped a ball towards the first post where Smaug outmuscled Caranthir and nodded the ball past Dior for a rather undeserved equalizer.

Now the momentum was with Dale who pushed for a winner. Gelion defended deeper and deeper and Dale was allowed to knock the ball around with ease until they came into the last third of the pitch. When the Dale players heard that Eithel Sirion where beating Rohan at this point, motivation soared and the players really started to gel together for the first time this year. And if it wasn’t for a betrayal they might well have won this match.

What happened was that with 10 minutes left of the clock Major Moneybags suddenly went missing. In the confusion that followed Dale didn’t even make a substitution and thus finished the game with ten men. The Dale players looked baffled at each other. Where was their captain? He had abandoned ship when it mattered the most and the team may had lost the chance to win this game because of it. At the final whistle Smaug went looking for the missing leader straight away, the fires burning hot within him, but he could not locate the Lakeman. When the dragon was told that all the team’s equipment, gold and jewelry was missing too his terrible roar could be heard all across Beleriand. Some say it lingers still in the high passes of the Shadowy Mountains.

Dale 1-1 Gelion
tot shots 11-11
on target 5-5
GOALS:
*26, 0-1 Beren (Denethor)
*64, 1-1 Smaug (Girion)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Dale- Moneybags, Bard, Roac
*Gelion- Azaghal, Amlach

Match 6: Eithel Sirion vs. Rohan:
The supporters and players of Rohan were in for a nervy evening. Although they came into the third round holding on to the second qualification spot in group D, they knew they could ill-afford to lose against a strong host team from Eithel Sirion, which despite two victories still needed a result tonight to be guaranteed a passage to the knock-out stages.

And in the sold-out stadium both teams looked determined to win this match. The first half was played at a very high level but goal scoring opportunities where kept to a premium thanks to solid defending on both ends of the field. The team play tonight was admirable on both ends and what decided this match was the individual brilliance of the Eithel Sirion stars. The home team took the lead after a beastly shot by Hador. The Edain was foolishly allowed space some 40 yards out and he absolutely wellied the ball, sending it screaming though the air before hitting the crossbar and bouncing down just inside the line. Initially there was some confusion as to whether the ball had crossed the line or not but the goal was given. It is said that the crossbar is still rattling.

Rohan gave a good account of themselves tonight but after another wonder-goal by Eithel Sirion early in the second half the uphill struggle proved too hard. Maedhros picked up the ball just inside the offensive half, went on a slalom run with the ball glued to his feet before curling a shot past Fram from just outside the penalty area.

Eithel Sirion were comfortable now and the home crowd cheered on every completed pass, and there were to be many cheers. Rohan did not see much of the ball and was in the end beaten quite comfortably. At the final whistle the Eithel Sirion players honoured their opponents by appreciatively clapping their hands, but that was small comfort for the horsemen, who now could start packing their bags and return empty-handed to their own distant lands, along with Dale. For Gelion and Eithel Sirion the adventure continued.

Eithel Sirion 2-0 Rohan
tot shots 15-10
on target 8-5
GOALS:
*29, 1-0 Hador (Maedhros)
*51, 2-0 Maedhros (Fingon)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Eithel Sirion- Galdor, Nienor, Angrod
*Rohan- Helm, Hallas, Stybba

Final Standings, Group D:
Eithel Sirion 3-0-0 7-1 9 Q
Gelion 1-1-1 3-3 4 Q
Rohan 1-0-2 3-5 3
Dale 0-1-2 3-7 1