[Nogrod]

Shire awoke to the final day of their tournament with hassle and buzz all around. Edoras had advanced already from this group but all other teams had it in their hands, well some more than the others. The hobbits were just too painstakingly aware that even if they had one point more than the two other teams fighting for the last qualifying place, the two could just do it winning the other one, whereas Shire had to face the mighty Edoras and was desperately in need of points.

So the first match of the day would set the table for the home team and they had to wait a whole day in thrill. And the hobbits spent it over the tables of the pubs and under the shades of great trees drinking beer, eating and speculating about the games to follow.

A few courageous and broad-minded rarities seeked the gatherings of other fans and they had bothersome news when they came back to their friends. The Valar-admirers were sure their godlike team would finally start to play after they had performed their rites of humility required when crossing the Great Sea. Dorthonion supporters were sure the old blood of the humans and elves would be revived again and they would dominate the field against the otherworldy passivity of the Valar (bless them, though). And the worst of all: the Edoras fans were sure their team would eat the Shire team for starters, led by Eorl and backed by the great mearas the tiny hobbits would be literally trampled to the ground!

So it seemed all the other teams’ fans had firm belief in their team. “So why wouldn’t we?” They asked each other. “Are we no better than that? They believe in their teams so why don’t we believe in ours? What if hobbits wouldn’t have believed in Bullroarer Took at Greenfields in 1147? Why would we desert him now?”


On the first match Dorthonion faced Taniquetil. Neither team would settle for a draw. Even the Valar looked sharper than in the earlier games when they entered the arena. But when the referee blew his whistle to get the game going everything changed. Both teams were extremely careful and avoided mistakes of any sort. At the half an hour point some of the audience had already fallen asleep even if no one denied the importance of the game. It was just boring and timid by both sides. There were even some booing from the crowds when a team passed the ball safely backwards for the seventh time in a row when there didn’t seem to be a safe opening forwards.

It was one of those games where the shooting-statistics tell one all there is to tell. On the first half Dorthonion shot only once – and even that wide the target. Taniquetil shot twice, once wide and on the other occasion… well it was goal to wake the people up, five minutes before the end of the half!

And there was some discussion on this goal! Manwë got the ball some forty meters away from the goal and chipped it into the air to give himself a header – and he clearly blew after the ball! And the ball flew an astonishing distance only to land at Oromë’s feet at the edge of the box. Oromë actually aimed the ball and made such a shot that even if Beor went for a flying save and got his hand in between the ball and the goal, the ball just took a swerve from his hand and went irresistibly into the back of the net like it had been ordered to get there. There were many Uuuhs of awe and even some protests of unfair means, but everyone admitted that what they had just seen was impressive indeed.

Dorthonion came to the second half spiced up but Taniquetil’s careful game allowed them few chances. Until Finarfin’s sons exploded the stadium for good. Dorthonion was back in the game at 63rd minute! And the game got a bit livelier as neither team really seemed to accept a draw as a result.

Then came the much discussed event. Varda was making a run by the side facing Gorlim. Gorlim tried to stop her but failed. Using the slight physical touch there as an inspiration, Gorlim suddenly plunged into the ground and started howling and yelling while holding his leg. Lady Elbereth could not listen to the wailing but stopped and kicked the ball over the side. But the referee would have none of it and gave Gorlim a straight red card sending him to the shower from filming immediately.

With one-player advance Taniquetil laid pressure to the Dorthonion defences more easily and the game got a new life as Dorthonion struggled to stay in with it. And Varda got her prize for being tender at heart. She made a beautiful pass high up in the air and the ball almost reached the stars – and then came Thorondor chasing the ball from high up flying towards the goal. Just before the Great Eagle and the ball were facing the ground, Thorondor made a soft tweak with its beak and the ball changed it’s trajectory past the astounded Beor while the Great Eagle made an ashtonishingly quick landing spreading it’s wings majestically wide in front of the goal. It sure knew what a show was!

Dorthonion really put in the best it could for the last seven minutes but the Taniquetil defences held the onslaught. Even the last hobbit had surely awaken on the second half for that splendid show they were offered after the boring first half.


Dorthonion 1-2 Taniquetil

shots 6-9
on target 3-4
GOALS:
*40, Taniquetil (Orome, Manwe)
*63, Dorthonion (Angrod, Andreth)
*83, Taniquetil (Thorondor, Varda)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Dorthonion- Baragund, Bregor
*Taniquetil- Manwe, Lorien
RED CARDS:
*Dorthonion- 69, Gorlim (red)


But there were the bad news for the hobbits: Taniquetil had won Dorthonion. That meant the Shire would not qualify even if they played even with Edoras. Now they had to win. And that was easier said than done.

The hobbits started briskly with the aid of the bellowing home crowd but ran time and time gain into the insurmountable defensive towers of Shadowfax and Felarof. At 23rd minute it was one of these situations again. Halbarad tried to get past Shadowfax only to get the ball taken away from him. But the great meara saw Eorl running in the peak and made such a kick no man (or hobbit) could have ever performed and shot the ball far to the other end of the field.

There could be no talk of an off-side when the pass is given from the defensive box with that speed. So Eorl had passed the lowest defenders even before they realised what was happening. And as they turned in their heels Eorl already took the ball down some ten meters from the goal. Sam tried to dash for the ball but the old king was too experienced to lose that kind of a duel and so he tossed the ball into an empty net while brave Sam lay on the ground totally fooled.

But the Shirelings didn’t give up but went for attack bravely. And the home crowd supported them to their last breath sweating as much as the players in the field (half of it coming from the physical effort and the other half from the suspense). But Edoras’ defences held firm wave after wave.

Just before the half time whistle Edoras scored a second goal. This time from a corner kick. Thengel gave the corner which came nicely to the rush in front of the goal and went from head to head there. Finally Eowyn got control of the ball in front of the crowded goal and saw Felarof rushing in. With a nice little touch she passed the ball back towards the galloping meara who just hammered the ball in from the 16 meter line, sending a few defenders to the ground from the impact of the ball.

The heads of the hobbits hung low as their dream was broken. All in the audience knew that and the players sensed it even if they bravely tried to come back to the game at the second half.

A fine goal by Eomer on 62nd. minute already got some honest cheers from the home crowd as they had started to cope with the reality. Edoras was so much better team than their own. They had won even Taniquetil! And wait, hobbits played even with Taniquetil! Hobbits are a great footballing nation… if not as good as Edoras.

In the after-tournament parties most hobbits made solemn swears that on the knock-out rounds their heart would beat only to Edoras, the best team in the whole Middle-Earth.

Would Edoras really be the best team in the whole Middle-Earth? That would remain to be seen. But even with their absolutely marvellous defence one must be honest and admit that they haven’t yet been challenged by any major team in the tournament.


Edoras 3-0 Shire

shots 12-7
on target 6-3
GOALS:
*23, Edoras (Eorl, Shadowfax)
*42, Edoras (Felarof, Eowyn)
*62, Edoras (Eomer, Eowyn)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Edoras- Thengel, Brego
*Shire- Ted, Cotton


Final standings: Group F

Edoras 9 6-0
Taniquetil 4 3-3
-------------------------------------
Shire 2 2-5
Dorthonion 1 2-5