First up we have Erebor facing off against Valinor. I reckon Valinor should be able to win this match. If they fail to win they will have the nearly impossible task of besting an in form Angband. Valinor have it all to play for. Lothlorien are second though only on goal difference. They have to win here to keep any hopes of making it through. They will have a hard time against Tuna who have been on fire.
***
Group A
Valinor 0 - 1
Erebor
(Bard 87th)
This match was not really one of high quality but Erebor managed a last grasp victory with a cheeky goal from their forward
Bard. Valinor did start the game rather gracefully almost going ahead after an
Eonwe free kick floated goalwards struck the crossbar. Near the end of the first half they had another great chance when
Pallando swept in from the right flank but his shot rolled harmlessly past the left post. The teams went in all square with Valinor dominating the chances.
In the second half it was Erebor that created the first chance when
Bard broke away. He was taken down in the box by
Manwe. An appeal for a penalty went up but the referee said the tackle was a clean one. Only moments after that
Manwe was booked for a tackle on
Bard outside the box. Ironically the tackle in the box looked more like a foul than this did. The refs need to be more consistent.
The only goal of the match came in the 87th minute after a corner. The corner was taken by
Fili. After some anxious headers by both teams the ball wound up loose in the box.
Bard swooped down on it and blasted it in from point blank. Erebor manage to win out of nowhere.
Shots: 5(2) - 3(1)
Posession:50 - 50
Bookings: Manwe
Group B
Lothlorien 2 - 0 Brethil
(Gandalf 12th, Amroth 53rd)
Lothlorien have finally got their game on.
Gandalf scored off a free kick in the 12th minute to finally give Lothlorien a goal. The game was a good one for them, they played some beautiful football and while their chances were few and far in between they made the most of them. In fact you could say that Brethil dominated attacking play in the first half. They got in five shots, three on target but lacking power or just shooting them straight
Galadriel while Lothlorien could only manage two, the one on target resulted in their goal.
Soon after the second half began Lothlorien had another great oppurtunity.
Gandalf played in
Gimli who crossed in well from the right flank. The ball went over a crowd in the box and found
Amroth who was standing wide and shot the ball into the bottom corner giving Lothlorien a two goal advantage. Brethil came close to equalizing when
Turambar forced an exceptional save out of
Galadriel from point blank.
Shots: 4(2) - 6(3)
Posession: 48 - 52
***
Valinor lost! To make it through the have to beat Angband. I guess it's safe to say that they won't be making it through to the next round. Lothlorien managed a good win which gives them moral advantage going into the next round. More importantly they have two precious goals which will certainly put the pressure on the Shire.