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Although the fate of the home team was sealed, the three other teams in this group had it all to play for. Minas Morgul had surprised a few people so far, playing much better than big brother Mordor, and a draw against Gondolin would be enough for them to advance. Gondolin recovered from their opening night defeat against Hithlum with a comprehensive win against Isengard, and were now looking to banish the evil Witch-King and his following to the shadow-world. Hithlum would face Isengard, and needed a result to ensure passage to the last 16, something that wouldn’t seem too difficult judging by the lacklustre form the host had shown so far.

Match 5: Gondolin vs. Minas Morgul.
With kick-off approaching a black rider on a huge black stallion appeared. It was the Witch-King, fully armoured, looking kingly, stern and deadly. He paced up and down around the stadium, giving his opponents a close examination from head to toe, and not a few of the Gondolin (and Morgul) players looked terrified. Then his horse halted with a loud snort, and the Nazgul king dismounted. His assistants rushed up and helped him take off his armour, and helm, and the long black sword he was carrying to the dismay of tournament officials. Turgon, Etchthelion and Idril showed no fear however, and neither did Gothmog, who just scuffed at the intimidation-attempt by the Nazgul. They were here to play ball, not strut around trying to look important.

The match itself was extremely competitive and fast paced. Gondolin played passionately, always looking to set up their power trio of Ecthelion, Gothmog and Idril, but the Morgul team also looked dangerous, and the WiKi had a menacing air about him any time the ball was around him. Early on, Minas Morgul was defending rather deep, and it worked well too, at least until a wonderful long distance shot from Etchelion forced them to change their game-plan. The Elf hit a half-cleared ball on the half-volley from more than 30 metres, and got the perfect bend and power to it, giving The Mouth no chance to stop the ball from the position he was at.

This goal really opened up the game, as Minas Morgul now were forced to attack - and it took them little time to equalize. The goal came rather cheaply from a Gondolin standpoint. Duilin slipped on the wrong occasion, and Queen Beruthiel picked up the ball and sent a low cross that was met by Eärnur who got past his marker at the near post, firing in from close range. Poor defending from the Gondolin players on that goal!

In the second half Gondolin gave it their best, and when three quarters of the match was played they took the lead once again, as Gothmog nodded in Voronwe’s well measured cross. The small section of Gondolin fans were celebrating wildly now, believing their team had done enough to win. Long it looked like they had done so too, as Minas Morgul found it hard to create chances against the solid Elven defence. But out of the blue, and just as the team of the Moon seemed to have hit a brick wall, the Witch-King himself equalized. He received the ball from Castamir, accelerated past Penlod, and hit a shot from a position that normally wouldn’t worry Rog in the Gondolin goal, but the ball was hit so hard it had passed him before he could even react. The Morgul players were praising their captain for his marvellous feat, while the Gondolin team looked shell-shocked.

With only 5 minutes to go Gondolin went looking for a winner, and although they did get one last chance Idril couldn’t capitalize on it, and time ran out. Gondolin had been eliminated, while The Witch-King and his Morgul team advanced to the second round of play.


Gondolin 2-2 Minas Morgul
shots 14-13
on target 6-7
GOALS:
*20, Gondolin (Ecthelion, Duilin)
*35, Minas Morgul (Earnur, Beruthiel)
*62, Gondolin (Gothmog, Voronwe)
*84, Minas Morgul (Witch King, Castamir)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Gondolin- Penlod, Elenwe, Salgant
*Minas Morgul- Angamaite, Gothmog II

Match 6: Hithlum vs. Isengard.
As the earlier match had ended in a draw, the only thing Hithlum had to play for now was the number one spot in the group. They would play in the second round no matter what, while the home team would not, and this fact certainly played a part of making this affair rather boring. Hithlum had two proper opportunities to score in the first half and made both count, and while Isengard did try to make a match of it, they were simply not good enough to threaten the Noldo side. In the second half Hithlum just kept possession without wasting too much energy, and their nonchalance almost resulted in an Isengard goal or two, but the score remained at 2-0.

Hithlum 2-0 Isengard
shots 13-6
on target 7-2
GOALS:
*23, Hithlum (Fingolfin, Feanor)
*43, Hithlum (Fingon, Aredhel)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Hithlum- none
*Isengard- Wulf, Quickbeam, Lurtz

Final Standings: Group C

Team................W D L GF GA P
1) Hithlum..........2 1 0...6 - 3 7 Q
2) Minas Morgul..1 2 0...7 - 4 5 q
3) Gondolin........1 1 1...5 - 5 4
4) Isengard........0 0 3...1 - 8 0