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--GROUP B--

When morning broke in Edoras rain was falling, but as the evening progressed and with kick off only hours away the sun suddenly burst throught the clouds, illuminating a glorious rainbow stretching over the snow-clad mountains in the south. The gilded ornaments of Meduseld Stadium were glimmering majestically and on it’s pinnacles, high above the crowd below, the green and white banners of the home team were flying proudly. It was a beautiful day for football.

The sell-out crowd had two matches to look forward to tonight. First Breeland, in desperate need of a win, was to play already qualified Tol-In-Gaurhoth. It was the second match the home crowd was most eager to watch however, as their beloved Edoras was to secure a spot in the play-offs against Mirkwood. A draw would do it for the Rohirrim, and few doubted they would succeed front of their passionate supporters.

The biggest pre-match story ahead of the first game was the alledged excursion into the Path of the Dead that some of the Tol-In-Gaurhoth players were reported to have done. After having secured their place in knockout-stages of the tournament, there were reports of a wet celebration in their Inn near the Hornburg. A waiter at the party has confirmed that a few prominent players, of which Saruon and The Phantom stood out, were bragging about ‘showing those half-baked ghouls just who should be afraid of who in this valley’. Whether they went ahead with their plans isn’t known, but some pundits commented that they should feel right at home inside that dreadful passage.

As the stadium filled up for the first match of the evening, there was no sign of weariness on the faces of the Tol-In-Gaurhoth players, who looked very relaxed as they entered the field. There opponents Breeland seemed tense though, as they were pressed to win in order to give themselves a possibility to progress. As the match kicked off, it soon became apparent that this would not be an easy task. Offensively, star men Tom Bombadill and The Barrow Wight were given very little space to operate in and at the back it looked even worse for the Breelanders, as their diminutive backline struggled against the aerial strenght of Nogrod, deployed as a targetman for the day. His lay-offs often picked out the runs of the Phantom and Sauron, who created havoc in the northeners defence. Breeland tried to play more agressively, pushing up their back four, but this only created more openings for Tol-In-Gaurhoth, who very nearly took the lead when The Phantom picked out Sauron’s perfectly timed run, giving him a one-to-one opportunity with Old Man Willow, who managed to pull off a good save. Sauron wasn’t to be denyed for long though, and in the 22nd minute he broke the deadlock with a thunderous drive from just outside the area. Old Man Willow looked rooted to his spot as the ball rocketed past him and into the net.

Now Breeland’s captain Bombadill tried to rally his troops and he was whisteling a merry tune as he powered past Lhuna down the right. The smile on his face turned upside down however as he tumbled to the ground in agony. Lhuna appeared to have grabbed his beard, and ref Boro88 had to separate the two before showing the Tol-In-Gaurhoth defender a well deserved yellow card. Minutes later crowd favourite Eomer earned another booking by sending The Barrow Wight flying thought the air with a harsh challange. Any suggestions that Tol-In-Gaurhoth would take it easy and save their strength for the later stages of the tournament could be easily dismissed. They were really banging up their opponents who were beginning to look a bit scared at this point.

At the start of the second half Breeland once again tried to rally, but they were immidiately punished. Formendacil expertly controlled a long ball from Hookbill and advanced down the left. His pinpoint cross was met by the head of Nogrod, and directed into the net past a hapless Old Man Willow. It was a good effort by the big Finn, but Nob and Bob really could have done a lot better with their marking. At this point the match was all but over, and Tol-In-Gaurhoth were happy just to knock the ball around and keep possesion. When the final whistle sounded, Breeland had not managed a single quality effort on goal. Bombadill and The Barrow.Wight had been completely neutralised by the Tol-In-Gaurhoth-defence, led by the excellent centrebacks Gwathagor and Cailin.

Breeland 0-2 Tol-In-Gaurhoth
shots 7-14
on target 3-7
GOALS:
*TIG, 22 (Sauron- the phantom)
*TIG, 50 (Nogrod- Formendacil)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Breeland- Goldberry, Harry, Ferny
*TIG- Nogrod, Lhuna, Eomer



The disapointment of failing to hold on to a second half lead against Tol-In-Gaurhoth was all but forgotten among the Edoras fans, who, judging by the singing and taunting in the streets and bars during the day, seemed certain of victory; a conviction no doubt boosted by copious amounts of mead consumed during the day. Most of their taunting was directed at Scata, the Mirkwood star striker, who had had a torrid time last time he played the Rohirrim. Mirkwood were seen as a patch-work team by most pundits, and they were disregarded by the Edoras fans, something which only seemed to please team captain Thranduil. “Being the underdogs just gives us the peace we need to prepare for the game” he said to a reporter prior to the game. “We have a good chance of progressing in this competition and are confident in our abilities”.

The crowd roared as the two teams finally made it onto the pitch. Last of all Eorl the Young came out of the tunnel and the noice reached a crescendo. The Mirkwood players were not daunted however, and when play came underway it was they who made the brighter start. Although Edoras tried to attack they looked a little nervous, often losing possession and allowing Mirkwood to counter-attack. Fair-haired Legolas had a few good efforts early on, and the female fans in the stands were swooning. As the half progressed however, The Rohirrim, urged on by the home crowd, started to take over the match. It payed off in the 28th minute when Muzgash and Gorbag allowed a hopeful long ball from Eowyn to drop behind them, giving Eorl the chance to steal in and finish with applause. The crowd exploded in extasy.

The joy was not to be long-lived though, as Mirkwood equalised in the 38th minute of play, though a deflected shot by captain Thranduil. The nerves were once again showing in the faces of the Edoras players and they could well have been two goals down at half time, had it not been for a pair of very classy saves by Theoden, on both occations denying Scata in front of goal.

The second half was pretty much a mirror image of the first. Edoras tried to come forward, and did create quite a few chances, but they looked anxious, more afraid of losing than hungry to win. In the 52nd minute Legolas hit the bar with a swirling shot, and the home supporters grew quieter. A draw would do it for them, but they were getting nervous now, and would have prefered a bigger margin of error. In the 58th minute the home team was handed a gift though, as a weak back-pass by Grishnakh was intercepted by Eowyn, who rounded the keeper and rolled the ball into the open net. Thranduil could not have been happy with the defending as once again the Orcs had been all too negligent.

Alas, the party atmosphere in the stands wasn’t to last long this time either. In the 66th minute Mirkwood equalised once again and what a goal it was. Thranduil aimed a corner towards his son Legolas who met it with an unstoppable volley from some 35 yards out, leaving Theoden no chance to save. Although renowned for his long distance projectiles, Legolas can’t have scored many better than this. Sensational! The home crowd was stunned, while the few Mirkwood fans present (mostly unruly spiders) screamed out their joy.

Now Mirkwoood were going all out for the win, as Edoras failed to mobilise a third time, falling back deep into their own half. Their defensive outlook seemed to work though as Mirkwood struggeled to create chances, but the Edoras players could never allow themselves to back down too much and give the dreaded Legolas a chance to shoot. The Edoras penalty area was starting to resemble a war zone now, as Mirkwood pushed more and more players forward. In the 80th minute the pressure finally payed off when Mirkwood were awarded a penalty kick as Grimbeorn was alledged to have been man-handled inside the area. Inevetably it was Scata who stepped up, and he made no mistake, sending Theoden the wrong way. With a finger to his mouth and a swagger he celebrated the goal in front of the dejected and silent Edoras fans.

The Rohirrim tried to come back into the game, but despite managing a few half-chances, they were never really close to a third goal. Edoras were eliminated in front of their home crowd! As the jubilant Mirkwood players and supporters celebrated, the Edoras players left the pitch with their heads hanging low. They would not sleep well tonight.

Edoras 2-3 Mirkwood
shots 20-22
on target 8-10
GOALS:
*Edoras, 28 (Eorl- Eowyn)
*Mirkwood, 38 (Thranduil- Nazgul #8)
*Edoras, 58 (Eowyn)
*Mirkwood, 66 (Legolas- Thranduil)
*Mirkwood, 80 pen (Scatha)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Edoras- Folcwine, Brytta, Thengel, Folca
*Mirkwood- Muzgash, Grishnakh, Nazgul #8

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Group B EDORAS

Mirkwood – Tol in Gaurhoth 2-3
Breeland – Edoras 2-3

Breeland – Mirkwood 3-3
Edoras – Tol in Gaurhoth 2-3

Breeland - Tol in Gaurhoth 0-2
Edoras - Mirkwood 2-3

Final Standings:

1. Tol in Gaurhoth 8-4 9pts Q
2. Mirkwood 8-8 4pt Q
3. Edoras 7-8 3pts
4. Breeland 5-8 1pt