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the phantom · 07-11-2009, 10:17 PM

Stadia Anor could seat a whopping 115,000, but no one doubted that more spectators were present. Many a father sat with his son upon his knee, and some of the smaller orcs and slighter teens did their best to share a seat. And the aisles and stairs, well- let's just say that there was no chance of exiting.

The elves were draped in Hithlum banners, as were a few men who couldn't bring themselves to support Sauron, but most of the stadium was in support of the Numenoreans, as the Gondorians were more than happy to support their progenitors, and all manner of evil creatures were wholly behind Sauron.

The teams from the bronze medal match made their way onto the field and the crowd greeted them gleefully, and were even more delighted when the teams climbed into a roped off area of seats to watch and cheer with the rest of the arena! Most of the Mirkwood team seemed to be for Hithlum, but Bilbo, Scatha, and Fram bore no signs of their loyalties. Nazgul #6 however was fully behind Armenelos, and was enthusiastically waving a flag in the air, black trimmed with red and gold.

All the players from Angband save Gwindor and Maeglin joined with Nazgul #6 in support of Armenelos, and Hurin's voice could be heard above the general din crying out support for his distant relations.

Up high in the press boxes sat representatives of various agencies such as AKM and MESPN, loaded down with stats and bios and giving last minute predictions. In the week leading up to the contest, many analysts had been quick to point out Hithlum's championship pedigree, for the team featured five players from last year's title-winning Formenos team (Feanor, Maedhros, Aredhel, Caranthir, Huan), and two players from last year's runner up (Fingolfin, Fingon). Was it any surprise that Hithlum had been the heavy favorite coming into the tournament? And surely they were going to make good on their potential.

But other analysts were quick to counter that every member of Armenelos had reached the bronze medal game the previous year, so they had proven their talent as well and had virtually the same amount of experience. And though they weren't the heavy favorites entering the tournament, surely no one could deny that they had played the best of any team thus far. No one had even come within a goal of them!

The offensive numbers were incredibly similar- Armenelos led goals 15-14, shots 88-85, and shots on target 43-42. The defensive numbers were the largest difference. Armenelos had allowed seven more shots, while the on target shots was dead even at 21, but- Armenelos had allowed three fewer goals. It was this fact that most cited as their reason to predict Armenelos to win. Tar Atanamir had racked up nearly an 86% save percentage!

But Hithlum fans were quick to point out that Armenelos had managed to avoid playing high-powered Tuna or Valimar in the semis due to Mirkwood's surprise run, and that their defensive numbers would not look so shiny had they been put up against them.

However, it was time to put all speculation to rest. The match was to be decided on the field!

As warm-ups were held, both teams looked very sharp. There would be no sub-standard play here. Feanor and his old friends from Formenos looked confident they could rise to the occasion once again, while Fingolfin and Fingon looked quietly determined not to let this one slip away.

The players for Armenelos looked equally determined, except for perhaps Ar Adunakhor and Ar Pharazon, who wore expressions that were downright haughty. Sauron's face, however, was a complete mask- expressionless and emotionless. What was going on in his head? Was he planning treachery? Or was this his way of showing his nerves, and how badly he craved victory.

As play began, it was clear that both sides were right to look confident. The passing was precise, the runs were quick, and the kicks were forceful. But the fine play did not limit itself to the offenses- the tackles were perfect, the best options were always cut off, hopeful balls up for grabs were controlled, and so the attackers were unable to gain a legitimate threat despite their best efforts. Both midfields took a couple of snipes at the goal, but Huan and Tar Atanamir were not asleep and handled the balls like the pros they were.

As halftime approached, the forwards for Hithlum were clearly growing frustrated, as was Ar Pharazon for Armenelos. Sauron at one point had to grab the Golden-boy and keep him from drawing a foolish yellow card. At the other end Aredhel got a bit rough in her frustration and drew a yellow, and only some words from her father kept her from making things worse.

Halftime arrived and the scoreboard still showed 0-0. Despite the lack of goals, the crowd was quite pleased with what they were seeing- football at its highest level! And most of them knew that no matter how great the defenses, offensive skill like that on the field could not be held in check forever. And they were proved right in the opening minutes of the second half.

Armenelos had it in the offensive zone, but Caranthir got a foot on a pass and it skidded over to Ulmo who immediately launched it to the dashing forwards. Two Armenelos players were there when it came down, but Fingolfin managed to head it forward from between them and followed after it and sent it to a sprinting Aredhel who then made a great move past Tar Cirytan. Tar Telperien came up to put a halt to the run, but Aredhel managed to send it sideways to Maedhros who was in front of Tar Calmacil, and the deadly left foot of Maedhros met it solidly and sent it past Tar Atanamir, but into the crossbar! Feanor nabbed the rebound after a bounce and took it into the box himself. Ar Zimrathan tackled, but Feanor held his line! Tar Telperien rushed up from behind, but Feanor swerved behind her and then back again when she turned! Tar Calmacil went for the ball, but Feanor held up and he went sliding past! And then came the booming boot into the lower right side, and it was good!

The elvish portion of Stadia Anor exploded and fireworks lit up the sky! The first score of the championship match went to Hithlum!

Hithlum tried to press their advantage swiftly, but Armenelos recovered quickly and set to it with renewed energy and increased efficiency. Right after the 60 minute mark Armenelos saw their best chance yet off of a corner, but Tar Minastir's header was tipped away full stretch by Huan, and the fans of Hithlum breathed a sigh of relief.

Though they didn't gain another great opportunity, Armenelos continued the attack and it was clear that Hithlum was only staving them off with perfect defensive play. But then at minute 71 Fingon got too heavy-handed with Ar Pharazon and Armenelos was awarded a free kick from about straight on 15 yards beyond the box. Ar Pharazon set to take the kick, and Hithlum set up a wall in front of him. And then to the astonishment of everyone in the house, Ar Pharazon crushed the ball to the right of the wall, clearly on its way out of bounds to the side of the goal, but no- as if the ball was guided by its own will, it curved hard back to the left and snuck inside the post beyond Huan's reach!

The Gondorians screamed and let loose with their noise-makers, for their beloved Armenelos had tied the score! Hithlum demanded that the refs examine the ball, and they did, but there was nothing fishy about it. Ar Pharazon had just put the most wicked curve ever seen on the kick, fair and square.

As the 70s rolled by and the 80s began, the noise and excitement mounted, and the audience gasped and groaned with every tiny touch of the ball. At minute 85 a mighty shout went up as Feanor worked his way in and found Maedhros with a perfect cross, but Tar Atanamir came flying from the other side and knocked it away! Armenelos took possession and worked it up the field for an attack of their own, and to the dismay of the Hithlum fans, Annael was judged to have tripped Tar Minastir and Armenelos was awarded another free kick! Many of Hithlum's supporters insisted loudly that it was incidental contact and that their feet got tangled up, but the ruling would not change due to their complaints, and Armenelos prepared to take the kick.

The kick was taken from about ten yards out of the box a little to the left of the left post, and Tar Minastir lined up to do the honors. In the meantime Hithlum had their wall set again, while Sauron positioned himself to the left of the wall, Ar Pharazon on the right side, and Ar Adunakhor right at the top of the box.

But instead of booming a kick, Tar Minastir sent it directly at Ar Adunakhor who stepped out towards him, and Fingon was unable to get to the pass in time to stop it, and Ar Adunakhor immediately touched the ball forward past the right side of the wall towards the left post, where Sauron had broken upon first contact. In the meantime Ar Pharazon curled around behind the pass and dashed at the right post. Sauron beat the defense to the ball and touched it barely around the sliding Ulmo to the right side where Ar Pharazon had slipped in and the King wasted no time in sending it into the empty net in front of him for the lead!

The stadium rumbled and shook as it never had, as the Gondorians and Numenorians alike bellowed their approval of the brilliant free kick! The Hithlum fans hung their heads in sorrow. Only minutes left, and the Armenelos defense was solid. Feanor tried to energize his side, but the competition was just too stiff and the midfielders couldn't get the ball up to him, nor could they regain possession after Armenelos took it in the closing seconds. It was Armenelos with the win, and they would take home the Arda Cup!!

(Go to 2:06 to see the winning goal, with replay of it at 2:11)

Armenelos 2-1 Hithlum
shots 13-12
on target 5-5
GOALS:
*54, Hithlum (Feanor, Maedhros)
*71, Armenelos (Ar Pharazon)
*87, Armenelos (Ar Pharazon, Sauron)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Armenelos- Ar Gimilzor, Tar Minastir, Ar Zimrathan
*Hithlum- Aredhel, Fingon, Annael

07-11-2009, 10:17 PM	#124
the phantom Beloved Shadow Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: The Stadium Posts: 5,971	The Finals! Stadia Anor could seat a whopping 115,000, but no one doubted that more spectators were present. Many a father sat with his son upon his knee, and some of the smaller orcs and slighter teens did their best to share a seat. And the aisles and stairs, well- let's just say that there was no chance of exiting. The elves were draped in Hithlum banners, as were a few men who couldn't bring themselves to support Sauron, but most of the stadium was in support of the Numenoreans, as the Gondorians were more than happy to support their progenitors, and all manner of evil creatures were wholly behind Sauron. The teams from the bronze medal match made their way onto the field and the crowd greeted them gleefully, and were even more delighted when the teams climbed into a roped off area of seats to watch and cheer with the rest of the arena! Most of the Mirkwood team seemed to be for Hithlum, but Bilbo, Scatha, and Fram bore no signs of their loyalties. Nazgul #6 however was fully behind Armenelos, and was enthusiastically waving a flag in the air, black trimmed with red and gold. All the players from Angband save Gwindor and Maeglin joined with Nazgul #6 in support of Armenelos, and Hurin's voice could be heard above the general din crying out support for his distant relations. Up high in the press boxes sat representatives of various agencies such as AKM and MESPN, loaded down with stats and bios and giving last minute predictions. In the week leading up to the contest, many analysts had been quick to point out Hithlum's championship pedigree, for the team featured five players from last year's title-winning Formenos team (Feanor, Maedhros, Aredhel, Caranthir, Huan), and two players from last year's runner up (Fingolfin, Fingon). Was it any surprise that Hithlum had been the heavy favorite coming into the tournament? And surely they were going to make good on their potential. But other analysts were quick to counter that every member of Armenelos had reached the bronze medal game the previous year, so they had proven their talent as well and had virtually the same amount of experience. And though they weren't the heavy favorites entering the tournament, surely no one could deny that they had played the best of any team thus far. No one had even come within a goal of them! The offensive numbers were incredibly similar- Armenelos led goals 15-14, shots 88-85, and shots on target 43-42. The defensive numbers were the largest difference. Armenelos had allowed seven more shots, while the on target shots was dead even at 21, but- Armenelos had allowed three fewer goals. It was this fact that most cited as their reason to predict Armenelos to win. Tar Atanamir had racked up nearly an 86% save percentage! But Hithlum fans were quick to point out that Armenelos had managed to avoid playing high-powered Tuna or Valimar in the semis due to Mirkwood's surprise run, and that their defensive numbers would not look so shiny had they been put up against them. However, it was time to put all speculation to rest. The match was to be decided on the field! As warm-ups were held, both teams looked very sharp. There would be no sub-standard play here. Feanor and his old friends from Formenos looked confident they could rise to the occasion once again, while Fingolfin and Fingon looked quietly determined not to let this one slip away. The players for Armenelos looked equally determined, except for perhaps Ar Adunakhor and Ar Pharazon, who wore expressions that were downright haughty. Sauron's face, however, was a complete mask- expressionless and emotionless. What was going on in his head? Was he planning treachery? Or was this his way of showing his nerves, and how badly he craved victory. As play began, it was clear that both sides were right to look confident. The passing was precise, the runs were quick, and the kicks were forceful. But the fine play did not limit itself to the offenses- the tackles were perfect, the best options were always cut off, hopeful balls up for grabs were controlled, and so the attackers were unable to gain a legitimate threat despite their best efforts. Both midfields took a couple of snipes at the goal, but Huan and Tar Atanamir were not asleep and handled the balls like the pros they were. As halftime approached, the forwards for Hithlum were clearly growing frustrated, as was Ar Pharazon for Armenelos. Sauron at one point had to grab the Golden-boy and keep him from drawing a foolish yellow card. At the other end Aredhel got a bit rough in her frustration and drew a yellow, and only some words from her father kept her from making things worse. Halftime arrived and the scoreboard still showed 0-0. Despite the lack of goals, the crowd was quite pleased with what they were seeing- football at its highest level! And most of them knew that no matter how great the defenses, offensive skill like that on the field could not be held in check forever. And they were proved right in the opening minutes of the second half. Armenelos had it in the offensive zone, but Caranthir got a foot on a pass and it skidded over to Ulmo who immediately launched it to the dashing forwards. Two Armenelos players were there when it came down, but Fingolfin managed to head it forward from between them and followed after it and sent it to a sprinting Aredhel who then made a great move past Tar Cirytan. Tar Telperien came up to put a halt to the run, but Aredhel managed to send it sideways to Maedhros who was in front of Tar Calmacil, and the deadly left foot of Maedhros met it solidly and sent it past Tar Atanamir, but into the crossbar! Feanor nabbed the rebound after a bounce and took it into the box himself. Ar Zimrathan tackled, but Feanor held his line! Tar Telperien rushed up from behind, but Feanor swerved behind her and then back again when she turned! Tar Calmacil went for the ball, but Feanor held up and he went sliding past! And then came the booming boot into the lower right side, and it was good! The elvish portion of Stadia Anor exploded and fireworks lit up the sky! The first score of the championship match went to Hithlum! Hithlum tried to press their advantage swiftly, but Armenelos recovered quickly and set to it with renewed energy and increased efficiency. Right after the 60 minute mark Armenelos saw their best chance yet off of a corner, but Tar Minastir's header was tipped away full stretch by Huan, and the fans of Hithlum breathed a sigh of relief. Though they didn't gain another great opportunity, Armenelos continued the attack and it was clear that Hithlum was only staving them off with perfect defensive play. But then at minute 71 Fingon got too heavy-handed with Ar Pharazon and Armenelos was awarded a free kick from about straight on 15 yards beyond the box. Ar Pharazon set to take the kick, and Hithlum set up a wall in front of him. And then to the astonishment of everyone in the house, Ar Pharazon crushed the ball to the right of the wall, clearly on its way out of bounds to the side of the goal, but no- as if the ball was guided by its own will, it curved hard back to the left and snuck inside the post beyond Huan's reach! The Gondorians screamed and let loose with their noise-makers, for their beloved Armenelos had tied the score! Hithlum demanded that the refs examine the ball, and they did, but there was nothing fishy about it. Ar Pharazon had just put the most wicked curve ever seen on the kick, fair and square. As the 70s rolled by and the 80s began, the noise and excitement mounted, and the audience gasped and groaned with every tiny touch of the ball. At minute 85 a mighty shout went up as Feanor worked his way in and found Maedhros with a perfect cross, but Tar Atanamir came flying from the other side and knocked it away! Armenelos took possession and worked it up the field for an attack of their own, and to the dismay of the Hithlum fans, Annael was judged to have tripped Tar Minastir and Armenelos was awarded another free kick! Many of Hithlum's supporters insisted loudly that it was incidental contact and that their feet got tangled up, but the ruling would not change due to their complaints, and Armenelos prepared to take the kick. The kick was taken from about ten yards out of the box a little to the left of the left post, and Tar Minastir lined up to do the honors. In the meantime Hithlum had their wall set again, while Sauron positioned himself to the left of the wall, Ar Pharazon on the right side, and Ar Adunakhor right at the top of the box. But instead of booming a kick, Tar Minastir sent it directly at Ar Adunakhor who stepped out towards him, and Fingon was unable to get to the pass in time to stop it, and Ar Adunakhor immediately touched the ball forward past the right side of the wall towards the left post, where Sauron had broken upon first contact. In the meantime Ar Pharazon curled around behind the pass and dashed at the right post. Sauron beat the defense to the ball and touched it barely around the sliding Ulmo to the right side where Ar Pharazon had slipped in and the King wasted no time in sending it into the empty net in front of him for the lead! The stadium rumbled and shook as it never had, as the Gondorians and Numenorians alike bellowed their approval of the brilliant free kick! The Hithlum fans hung their heads in sorrow. Only minutes left, and the Armenelos defense was solid. Feanor tried to energize his side, but the competition was just too stiff and the midfielders couldn't get the ball up to him, nor could they regain possession after Armenelos took it in the closing seconds. It was Armenelos with the win, and they would take home the Arda Cup!! (Go to 2:06 to see the winning goal, with replay of it at 2:11) Armenelos 2-1 Hithlum shots 13-12 on target 5-5 GOALS: 54, Hithlum (Feanor, Maedhros) 71, Armenelos (Ar Pharazon) 87, Armenelos (Ar Pharazon, Sauron) YELLOW CARDS: Armenelos- Ar Gimilzor, Tar Minastir, Ar Zimrathan Hithlum- Aredhel, Fingon, Annael __________________ the phantom* has posted. This thread is now important.