[Boromir88]

Group A @ Michel Delving

Group A was still completely up for grabs. Angband had the upper hand but they still needed at least 1 point to assure their advance. And they were facing the dreaded Tol-in-Gaurhoth, who had not looked like their usual selves so far, but they always show up under these pressure situations. The bigger the stage, the more they thrive, but Angband is used to being in these games as well.

The match was set to start mid-day, but there was a heavy, dark overcast which blocked out the high sun and conditions were getting wet on the pitch. Many believed this was the work of Morgoth but some also noted TIG seems to be followed but an aura of bad weather, remembering the tornado and thunderstorm they played in a couple years ago.

Tol-in-Gaurhoth came out pressing more, for they were the team that desperately needed the 3 points with a win. Phantomwolf was really commanding the mid-field, overpowering the Men of Angband. Although they were not consistently threatening Carcharoth, because Angband's back line was led by Morgoth and his Balrogs. The defense-wights of TIG seemed a bit timid to come further up, with the wet pitch, they were nervous of hitting a slippery patch and Angband's ability to counter if Morgoth intercepted a pass.

Gradually Angband started taking firmer control as the half went on. Morgoth stepped up into the mid-field and that nullified phantomwolf's presense. Any TIG attack was stopped before it could begin and Angband was now seeing more possession. Ancalagon unleashed a couple wicked tail blasts on goal, to test TIG's keeper. Shastawolf was more than able to swat the attempts away, but Angband won a few corners. In the 37th minute, Morgoth crossed a corner into the box, Ancalagon rose above everyone else, to head it straight down and over the line.

Angband didn't let up on the pressure either, as they appeared to want to have an excellent close to the first half, and perhaps put this match away (and thus win the group) early. Nilpwolf was matched up against Ancalagon, and some thought it might have been better to put the lone wolf-defender on the cat. But Telvildo was agile enough to avoid the few wolf-players of TIG and still find openings. The feline, jumped, weaved, and then flicked a pass to Ancalagon who whipped the ball in with a trademark blast off its tail. It was center goal, but too high and hard for Shastawolf to react in time. The wolves and wights would head into the break, down 2-0 and desperately in need of a win.

The 2nd half was a classic example of letting up on just some of the effort and your performance plummets. Morgoth appeared to want to coast the rest of the match, as if it were a friendly. TIG however needed to win and they were not broken yet. If anything, they know how to stage comebacks in roaring fashion.

It still seemed to take TIG too long to finally break through Morgoth's defense and Angband's hand. NerWight didn't have much work to do with phantomwolf's precise pass, just redirect it's trajectory to the far post as Carcharoth was well off his line. Now with only a 1-goal lead Morgoth yet again stepped up in the mid-field to nullify TIG's advantage there. Only, unlike the 1st half, TIG was no longer timid.

They were going to throw caution to the wind and push everyone forward, if Angband got a goal on the counter, so be it. At least they would go down in a fury. As it turned out TIG's aggression paid off in the 84th minute as NogWolf pounded in LegateWight's shot off the post.

It was all level now, but TIG was not going to let up. They were not eliminated with a draw, but they could assure advancing with a win. Morgoth had no choice but to throw up the barricades and have his entire team practically defending on Carcharoth's lap. With only a few minutes of extra time left, TIG really started risking everything. They even pulled ShastaWolf out from goal just to have an extra player attacked. But in the final seconds, Morgoth cut off a pass and cleared it all the way back down TIG's end.

That was it. Angband is already qualified no matter what happens in the late match. TIG was currently sitting in 2nd, with 3 points. But if there was a winner between SB United and The Downer, they would be eliminated. So, they all had to wait, and hope for that one to end in a draw.

Angband 2-2 Tol In Gaurhoth
on target 8-7
tot shots 17-19
GOALS:
*37, 1-0 Ancalagon (Morgoth)
*44, 2-0 Ancalagon (Telvildo)
*66, 2-1 NerWight (PhantomWolf)
*84, 2-2 NogWolf (LegateWight)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Angband- Morgoth, Gelmir, Uldor
*TIG- SallyWight, GwathWight

After the first match had been played under an overcast, the clouds broke immediately. Michel Delving stadium was completely filled even an hour before the match was scheduled to start. With hobbits, wights, wolves, orcs, men, elves and others all in attendance. Shire-Bree was clearly the team the fans were fully rooting for. The Downer had very few supporters and the TIG fans were solely there to root for a very specific result. (Either a 0-0, or 1-1 draw would mean TIG advances. 2-2 draw would lead to a shoot out for 2nd place. A 3-3 draw, or a winner would clearly not be good).

Despite the entire stadium rocking, chanting, and drumming support the match began very slow. It was perhaps because Bombadil was not at all making his presense known. Normally he's either not on the pitch at all (and thus people notice he's not there) or he is and his skill can't be contained. Bombadil was actually on the field and playing, but he was completely neutralized.

In fact, that seemed to be captain Hookbill's strategy, to make Bombadil ineffective and force someone else from Shire-Bree to beat them. A smart plan, but neutralizing Bombadil was perceived as impossible by most others, as they could only wait and hope for the funny man to be distracted by lilies or something ridiculous. However, Hookbill placed Alien on Bombadil duties, and as it turns out Bombadil was very intrigued by Alien. Bombadil even began reading some of his poems, that is, until Alien produced a flame-thrower and set Bombadil's feathered cap on fire (Alien of course received a yellow).

Hookbill was quite pleased with his strategy, because with Bombadil being shut down, Shire-Bree was still getting more chances, but they weren't very good chances. They lacked the finishing touch and expertise of Bombadil. In the 35th minute, Shire-Bree received a gift of a chance though.

Khamul and Barrow-wight were causing the most havoc and, Khamul looked sure to score, but John Fillis stuck out his arm in what was a clear handball in the box. Fillis was carded and it was now a penalty kick, to be taken by Strider. In a cool display of skill, Strider struck and the ball slipped just inside the right post. The stadium erupted with cheers of STRIKER! STRIKER! STRIKER! Except the small section of Downer and TIG supporters.

The halftime whistle blew and the crowd was still partying and elated. Their team was winning, and it was time to get refills on all their pints before the 2nd began. However, SB-United had a cold awakening, realizing The Downer might be whacky and unpredictable, but they were not deflated and demoralized yet. Far from it, as The Downer began concentrating efforts on an equalizer.

They would get it in the 62nd minute, off a pass by Saucepan Man and finished by Hookbill. The TIG neutrals were suddenly livened again, because a 1-1 result means they would advance instead of the Shire team. SB-United grew slightly nervous for the first time in the match, even if there was a lot of time left, Bombadil was still completely ineffective while being marked by Alien. Who would have thought there could be a player who was more annoying than Bombadil? Could SB United win with their star-striker having no impact on it?

Their players were determined to win in front of their home crowd, on this final round of group matches, though. In the 79th minute, Gildor raced down the left flank and passed it back into the center to the Barrow-wight. The B-W made excellent contact and hit a rising thunderbolt, scraping the top crossbar and into the back of the net. One could not hear their own screams it was that loud in Michel Delving Stadium. TIG fans slumped at the goal, realizing what this meant to their fate, and were further annoyed when The Downer appeared to have no interest in even trying to equalize again.

A draw wouldn't do The Downer any good, so they simply stopped, as Hookbill told them that was it and to have fun. "Fun" on this day meaning watching Alien devise new ways to torment and make fun of Bombadil's outfit and poetry. Strider was protesting to the ref, but the ref had his hands tied...they weren't violently hurting anyone nor damaging property. Even with the anti-climatic end, that did not stop the crowd from singing and partying.

In fact, the rather boring end, seemed to only make anticipation of the victory party grow as the game was coming to an end. For when the ref blew the final whistle, the stadium exploded in jubilee. They did not remember the last time they could be this excited about a team from the Shire. Even if it only contained 1 hobbit and even though now, they already knew their first playoff opponent was going to be Gondor (since Gondor already qualified for 1st after Round 2). They would not think about that, however. They were going to celebrate thru the night and then book a route to Gondor in the morning.

Shire-Bree United 2-1 The Downer
on target 7-4
tot shots 16-13
GOALS:
*35, 1-0 Strider
*62, 1-1 Hookbill (Saucepan Man)
*79, 2-1 Barrow-Wight (Gildor)
YELLOW CARDS:
*SBUnt- Bandobras, Golfimbul
*Downer- Burnt Bert, Alien, Fillis

Standings (after 3 matches)
Angband, 5 pts (+2) Q
SB United, 5 pts (+1) q
Tol-in-Gaurhoth, 3 pts (0) e
The Downer, 1 pts (-3), e