Arda Cup Football 2010

[the phantom]

Tensions between the Thangorodrim players and the players and fans of the other teams were high headed into the final pair of games. With none of their fans being allowed to attend, and alleged incidents of their fans actually being slain, Thangorodrim definitely had the “us against the world” attitude going, and the paranoia to go along with it.

“It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Lorien threw their match against Bywater, losing purposefully by as large a margin as possible so as to force us out,” said Durin’s Bane before Thangorodrim’s final practice before the big match against the host, Valimar. His teammates agreed wholeheartedly, and expressed their belief that the only way into the playoffs was to defeat Valimar and take the top spot, or at the worst tie Valimar.

“We have to take this into our own hands!” roared Ancalagon. “If our fate is left to others, we will surely be cheated! With Lorien already eliminated, surely they will conspire against us and roll over for Bywater.”

As the opening game kicked off, the Thangorodrim players watched as they were seemingly proved right. In only the 11th minute Galadriel let one past and it was 1-0 Bywater. To be fair it was a tough shot from an extremely close position, so if anyone from the Lorien side was to blame, it would be the defenders for being disorganized and not accounting properly for Bandobras.

For a time Lorien showed some life on offense and made a go of attacking, but Bywater disrupted time and time again and soon had it down on the other end. At minute 28 Lorien tried to get a quick counter going, but Fatty got a foot on the outlet pass, sending it over to Maggot, who immediately sent a ball high at the far corner over a napping Galadriel who had not recovered in time from the possession change, and it was 2-0.

The hobbits and Nazgul-supporting orcs in the crowd began singing. This was the start they were looking for! If Bywater could just keep it up, surely they would advance, as Thangorodrim would find it tough to defeat the mighty home team! But Bywater did not keep it up, as for the rest of the half they looked rather spent and pulled back and defended, conserving energy for the second half push.

And the push came indeed. The opening 20 minutes of the second half was frantic, as Bywater gave it their all to push the goal margin, but Lorien betrayed no sign of giving up and pushed back wave after wave of attackers. Finally the Bywater attack started losing steam and the game moved to the midfield, and eventually to Bywater’s half. Lorien saw their best chances yet in the final 15, but Cotton turned them away and the match ended at 2-0. A couple of the Thangorodrim players interviewed before leaving to prepare for their match thought that perhaps they had misjudged the depths of the conspiracy, but the dragons remained adamant. “That was a nice little charade we just witnessed,” commented Scatha. “They played just enough to avoid looking suspicious. But no matter- we’re about to take care of business.”

Bywater 2-0 Lorien
tot shots 10-7
on target 5-3
GOALS:
*11, 1-0 Bandobras (Maggot)
*28, 2-0 Maggot (Fatty)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Bywater- Saruman, Ferny
*Lorien- Celeborn, Rumil, Orophin

The final match between Thangorodrim and Valimar was one of the most highly anticipated group play matches in recent history. It was receiving quite a lot of discussion even around other hosting sites. Heroes versus villains, beauty versus horror, defense and execution versus attack and fury!

There was no question that Thangorodrim would be bringing their top game, as they were tied in points with Bywater and their playoff berth was not secured. But everyone wondered how Valimar would play. They were already guaranteed to advance, so would they truly go all out at this stage? Why not hold energy and strategy back for the playoffs?

On the other hand, perhaps they wished to stick it to their old foes and eliminate Thangorodrim? And maybe it was worth the extra effort to secure the top seed and thus avoid going on the road to play an extremely impressive Mithrim squad? But gaining the top spot would also put them on the same half of the bracket as Utumno, Gondolin, and Tirion. Was that a factor? Soon enough though, all the questions were answered.

When they made their entrance, Thangorodrim was met with booing the likes of which had never been heard before in the blessed realm. It actually seemed to cause an earthquake. Even the dragons looked somewhat intimidated, as they skipped their usual taunting of the crowd, perhaps fearing that the 100,000 plus spectators would rush them, and even dragons can’t overcome numbers like that, particularly with such a great number of Ainu included in the crowd.

But the booing disappeared instantly when Manwe marched out at the head of his team. The crowd screamed and rang their handheld bells in union with the giant stadium bells as the home team encouraged the clamor with great vigor. Eonwe pumped his fists, Tulkas leaped up and down, Alatar and Pallando removed their jerseys and waved them, and Arien climbed the goalposts and burst into glorious flames! Even Manwe and Varda motioned to the crowd to increase the volume! This was not the typical Vala-led team of years past.

The game kicked off and it was clear that the energy and enthusiasm from Valimar had not been a mere show. They took it to Thangorodrim with speed and energy that stunned the evil men and monsters, and before ten minutes was up Valimar scored on a ringing header by Arien off of a Varda corner. But rather than frighten them, the early deficit seemed to wake Thangorodrim up, perhaps reminding them of the odds stacked against them and arousing their wrath.

The baddies stormed back with all their might and it was the host’s turn to be put on the heels. Valimar had certainly not seen anything like this attack before. Manwe and the defenders battled desperately, and Namo twice made spectacular saves when the defense failed, but Thangorodrim was not to be denied forever. At minute 20 the two dragons up front created a lot of contact and put several defenders on the ground and managed a free shot at the goal which there was no hope of saving. Scatha lifted up his head and sent a plume of flame into the air to celebrate his score, while the spectators booed more loudly than ever, thinking that at least one of the dragons should have been carded.

But Thangorodrim, perhaps realizing they had pushed their luck with the violent play, settled down into a more cunning game, and for the rest of the half they had the mastery, playing intelligently on defense and executing on offense, culminating in a strike by the other dragon forward, Ancalagon, off of a nice assist by Durin’s Bane. Thangorodrim made their way to halftime with their heads high while Valimar looked a bit shocked and tired. The crowd was completely out of it.

When the teams trotted out for the second half, Thangorodrim looked the same, but Valimar now looked grim and determined. Word was that Gandalf and Saruman from the Bywater team (who had tied Thangorodrim in the opening round) had been in the locker room and had spoken passionately, encouraging Valimar to not only win for themselves, but win for Bywater so that they could get into the playoffs.

Whatever the truth of it was, Valimar looked to be a different team from the very start. There was no panic in their steps, nor did they try to force the action. They now kicked with purpose and confidence, and Thangorodrim was unable to counter this new level of execution and concentration. Only 8 minutes into the new half the herald Eonwe announced Valimar’s return with the equalizer off a nice feed from Arien, and the crowd was back in it.

Again and again Thangorodrim tried to mount a charge, but now Valimar was meeting them head on and attacking in turn, and the baddies reverted to their earlier more violent methods. In minute 62 the decision was proved to be bad indeed as Ulwarth was caught tossing in punches to the back while bodying up on defense against Tulkas. He and nearby Durin’s Bane complained loudly that Tulkas had been throwing elbows back at Ulwarth and that he was only retaliating, but this had not been seen by the ref.

The crowd sang and rang their bells, seeing this send-off as a possible death-blow to Thangorodrim. Unlike the last time they had been presented with a challenge, Thangorodrim did not rise to the challenge, but rather looked panicky. Valimar built up the attack against them little by little. Tulkas and Eonwe were looking quite mighty, and Varda was completely in control of things and looking sharp, but the best in this match was Arien, who seemed out to prove that she was the true flame on this field, not the Balrog nor the dragons. And in minute 74 Arien was proved the best as she let loose a booming kick that actually caught fire and burned a hole right through the net!

Carcharoth howled his protest to the refs, saying that he couldn’t attempt to save it due to the fire, and that such things were clearly outlawed, but the refs took one look at Arien (she was perched on the posts yet again, shining brightly and sending spouts of flame into the sky) and didn’t dare rule against her revealed in all her fearful splendour.

Livid about the ruling, Glaurung made it his job to shut Arien down at that point, but when he got over and tried to defend she charged straight into his tail and went flipping into the air as if she’d been launched by a trebuchet. The refs immediately showed Glaurung a red card, and the bells of Valimar rang more loudly than ever, and the crowds broke out in singing. Scatha nearly got sent off too as he heatedly took issue with Arien’s trickery. But it was pointless to protest. With the whole stadium and the refs on the side of Valimar, plus missing Glaurung and Ulwarth- the match was over.

To the delight of the fans Valimar was not content to hold their one goal lead, but continued attacking, and in minute 84 Arien got on the scoring sheet yet again as she sent a perfect ball to Tulkas who beat the undermanned defense for a 4-2 lead. Amid the roar that arose from the stadium in that moment, the hollering of the hobbit section could be picked out, as Bywater now had a better goal differential than Thangorodrim to clinch the second playoff spot! Thangorodrim tried to reclaim the lost goal in the final seconds, but Valimar was far too solid and the game ended at 4-2 in favor of the hosts. Thangorodrim was eliminated!

Thangorodrim 2-4 Valimar
tot shots 14-15
on target 7-8
GOALS:
*7, 0-1 Arien (Varda)
*20, 1-1 Scatha (Ancalagon)
*39, 2-1 Ancalagon (Durin’s Bane)
*53, 2-2 Eonwe (Arien)
*74, 2-3 Arien (Eonwe)
*84, 2-4 Tulkas (Arien)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Thangorodrim- Scatha, Ulwarth, Gorlim, Ulfang
*Valimar- Pallando, Tulkas, Yavanna, Vana
RED CARDS:
*Thangorodrim- Ulwarth (62, second yellow) Glaurung (78, straight red)

GROUP F FINAL STANDINGS
Valimar (9 pts, +5, 7-2)
Bywater (4 pts, +1, 4-3)
Thangorodrim (4 pts, +0, 7-7)
Lorien (0 pts, -6, 1-7)

[skip spence]

While the other group H match between Dol Guldur and the Havens was highly anticipated, the encounter between goal-hungry Tirion out of Aman and Minas Anor attracted less hype. After all, Tirion was already qualified for the second round, and Minas Anor had been eliminated. Many people, orcs, spiders and elves showed up nonetheless, and they were treated to a fine game of football.

Minas Anor was made up of proud Men who’d fight until the bitter to contain their illustrious opponents, but still it was plain to see that they lacked the motivation required to give Tirion a real challenge. The Aman side’s quick passing, flawless technique and flowing movement made the Gondorians chase shadows for the most part of the first half and the two goals Tirion did score was less than what the team deserved.

In the second half the Elves relaxed and became rather nonchalant, which could have cost them dearly against a better team. Minas Anor did pull one goal back as Feanor messed up an extravagant but completely needless spinning move just outside his own penalty area and gave Boromir a gift, but the Fiery one responded with a goal of his own later on, a nice solo effort which surely will feature in the Palantiri highlights of the Arda Cup. Tirion had made it into the second round with ease.

Minas Anor 1-3 Tirion
tot shots 8-17
on target 4-8
GOALS:
*5, 0-1 Finwe (Feanor)
*24, 0-2 Nerdanel (Miriel)
*51, 1-2 Boromir I (Naz #4)
*72, 1-3 Feanor (Nerdanel)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Minas Anor- Siriondil, Dervorin
*Tirion- Amrod, Amras

After the host team’s dramatic comeback win in the previous round the scene was set for a showdown against their age-old rivals from the Western Havens. Football fever had a firm grip on every resident of the Mirkwood stronghold, from the deepest dungeon under the hill to the loftiest tower overlooking the wide lands of Middle Earth. As kick-off approached, all and sundry showed up to support their team, sundry referring to the ticket-less spiders who had climbed the façade of the stadium and hung down from a piece of sting and to the countless vampire-bats fluttering high above this field of dreams. Each of them was donning the home team’s black and green colours and making a noise that made and earthquake seem timid.

Into this melting pot came the Havens but they looked undeterred and confident, joking and goofing around as if it were a training session. The Dol Guldur players, led by the imposing Witch-King, did not laugh. They knew that they could not afford to fall behind again and were determined not to let that happen this time around.

Yet so it did. Early on and completely out of the blue Havens took the lead, when the Numenorian seafarer Tar-Minastir struck a volley from way out that Oropher in the Dol Guldur goal could only watch as it looped over him and dipped under the crossbar.

Not much later it got even worse for the home team. Cirdan made space for himself on the left, tunneled each one of Attercop’s eight legs and whipped a cross into the box where Eärendil met the ball with an audacious flying header. Oropher did not even move as the ball whistled past him and into the top corner. The whole stadium fell silent, apart from the spirited but respectfully demure clapping of a small section of travelling Havens fan out of Lindon.

“Not again…” was written across the face of all the home supporters. Their beloved team had come back from the dead in the second round. But surely lightning cannot strike twice?

At this point some of the Dol Guldur players started to hang their heads low, but as soon as the Witch-King spotted weakness he gave the player in question an icy stare that came with a promise of something much worse after the game. Thus, Dol Guldur soldiered on, scrapping for every ball and finally getting the crowd behind them again.

However, goals weren’t forthcoming. All the attacking, apart from the occasional counter-attack, was now done by Dol Guldur. But the Havens was a weathered side of professionals who wasn’t going to make it easy for the Mirkwooders, and each time Dol Guldur came forward they were thwarted. As three quarters of the game had passed the crowd had all but resigned.

But just like in the previous game Dol Guldur were given a life-line when all seemed lost. Khamul advanced with the ball and the Havens defenders backed off, rather giving the Nazgul a chance to shoot from distance than passing the ball to a fellow. And what a mistake that was! Khamul drilled a rocket past Olwe from well over 35 yards out that got the crowd right back on its feet.

Once again the atmosphere was feverish as the home team now pushed furiously for more goals. And unbelievably an leveller came only a few minutes later, scored from close range by the Witch-King, who had lost his marker Eriol completely.

Dol Guldur had come back once against the odds once again, but a draw would not be enough for them to advance, and Havens knew this also. Now all ten outfielders was in the lap of Oropher, and the seafarers took every chance to waste Dol Guldur’s precious time.

Unfortunately for the Havens Eriol seemed to be suffering from the black breath at this point and could no longer follow the Witch-King as closely as he had done earlier on. And for this failure his team payed the ultimate price. An Attercop cross towards the far post was met unopposed by the chief Nazgul and he headed the ball across goal where Grimbeorn nodded home to complete another unbelievable comeback from Dol Guldur.

The Havens was shell-chocked as the Dol Guldur players celebrated the goal with the ecstatic fans. The stadium was a boiling sea of black and green, and wood-elves, Orcs and Spiders embraced each other as if they were long lost friends.

Now it was suddenly Havens who had to come forward and although they found it hard to change their game-plan at this point Cirdan got a glorious opportunity to put rain on the parade as he was allowed a free header deep into injury time. The crowd gasped for breath as the ball hit the crossbar and bounced down just outside the goal line. That was to be Havens last chance. The referee blew the full time whistle and Dol Guldur was through to the second round.

As the supporters filed out of the stadium they were in dreamland but neutrals agreed that each one of them looked at least five years older from the pain he or she had suffered before finally being delivered. Some of them actually left the stadium with a new hair colour: grey.

Dol Guldur 3-2 Havens
tot shots 12-9
on target 8-5
GOALS:
*7, 0-1 Tar Minastir (Earendil)
*20, 0-2 Earendil (Cirdan)
*70, 1-2 Khamul (Witch King)
*75, 2-2 Witch King (Bolg)
*86, 3-2 Grimbeorn (Witch King)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Dol Guldur- Galion, Beorn, Bolg
*Havens- Uinen, Eriol


Final Standings GROUP H:
Tirion 3-0-0 11-5 9pts Q
Dol Guldur 2-0-1 8-8 6pts Q
Havens 1-0-2 7-8 3 pts
Minas Anor 0-0-3 4-9 0pts