[the phantom]

Angband and Pelori warmed up in front of a packed out Coliseum as the fading yellow light of the sun was slowly replaced with the glow of high suspended Feanorian lamps. Pelori looked focused and sharp, with Manwe calmly organizing things, while Angband had an angry edge about them, shooting occasional hostile glances towards the Pelori half of the pitch.

The split in support was roughly 50-50 when all the lucky viewers found their seats, and head referee Boromir88 made his way onto the pitch to get things rolling. Knowing the climate, he gave both sides a warning to keep things clean, and as the game began things were clean indeed. Despite the intense feelings neither side was keen to give the refs a reason to card them and give the opposition an opening, and the squads kept things tight.

Pelori's passing was brilliant and efficient, but any time they worked it in close they couldn't crack Morgoth and the Balrogs. When Angband was in possession they were able to look dangerous temporarily by getting it to the forwards quickly, but Pelori always brought back tons of help and clogged things up. If Angband was going to score, it would need to be quick rather than built up, or on a set piece.

As the half wore on the same pattern continued- both sides were able to hold some possession, Pelori more so, but decent scoring chances were impossible to find. Ungoliant was forced to stop an Irmo header, but it wasn't a challenge, and neither was Orome's distant snipe. On the other side Manwe had little to do. Through more than 30 minutes he was only forced to make one save- an off-balanced kick from Telvildo booting the ball out of midair with little hope of careful aiming. Angband's best chance was off a quick attack where Ancalagon released Tilion nicely but Gwaihir forced Tilion's shot wide.

As the end of the half neared Pelori had possession near midfield and Manwe gave a signal, and unexpectedly all of Pelori pushed forward. The offense of Angband stayed put, staring back at Morgoth hoping for instructions. This was not in the game-plans. Pelori never did this sort of thing. And yet there they were, doing it. In the closer space they shifted to a rapidly moving one-touch passing mode, and worked the ball towards the top of the box again and again with undeniable efficiency.

With their teammates supporting them Morgoth and the Balrogs could no longer turn Pelori aside with ease, and Ilmare managed an opening for a boot. She skipped it off the ground straight off the feed, and Ungoliant barely handled the ball, deflecting it away. The defense closed, but Varda slid in first to it and sent it bounding away towards the far side, and Eonwe rose high and sent it in, and Pelori had the lead!

During the extended halftime the Pelori supporters bounced gleefully through the aisles, high-fiving and singing and grabbing refreshments. The Angband supporters on the other hand slumped about, and didn't purchase nearly as much food, though a great deal of beer was definitely handed out.

The second half started much as the first, but Pelori seemed quicker to defend than before. The commentators immediately started making comments, both positive and negative. Some pointed out how effective Pelori's defense was, and how it was their game, and that they were right to go to it. But others insisted that it was impossible to keep Angband off the scoreboard for an entire game, and that Pelori had better have something in the works to gain a second goal.

And it was the former that looked to be correct, as again and again Pelori turned Angband away. Morgoth was growing incredibly frustrated, and so did his teammates, and slowly Angband began getting violent. Pelori might have taken advantage of this, but Angband went after the right targets at the right times and instead provoked Pelori into pushing back. But despite this Pelori stayed as defensive as ever, and noting his opponent's tactics Morgoth decided to go all-in attack. Pelori bent a bit, and Manwe looked nervous, but Pelori held. And then around the 70 minute mark the thing Morgoth feared happened- Pelori let loose a surprisingly swift counter after winning possession.

Before the Balrogs could get organized, Pelori had their entire midfield up in support and Orome found a sneaky Irmo for a point blank shot. The Pelori fans shouted and rocketed from their seats, but no! Ungoliant closed the distance and deflected the shot straight into the ground, and Drauglin dove to the rolling ball and sent it away!

Taking advantage of the sudden shift of momentum, Morgoth spurred his team to move forward quickly while Pelori was still lingering in disappointment, hands on heads. Balrog #2 sent it up to Tilion, he sent it to a dashing Telvildo, who sent it towards the middle for Thuringwethil, who left it for Ulfang, who sent it to the left side to Tilion. Namo and Nahar closed on Tilion, but he chipped it immediately over them, and it appeared to all spectators as if the ball was headed directly to the defending Gwaihir. But in fact Tilion had seen a dark blur headed towards the spot, and indeed a fraction of a second before Gwaihir contacted the ball, the unmistakable muscly black tail of the fearsome Ancalagon nudged the ball back to the left post to Tilion, who had never stopped his run, and he pounded it past Manwe and into the goal for the equalizer!

Angband erupted with celebration, while Pelori screamed in protest, certain that Ancalagon had not contacted the ball legally- flying creatures are not allowed to contact the ball without some portion of their body contacting the ground. The refs hadn't seen it that way, however, and the goal stood. Even on replay it was unclear, though in slow motion it appeared that the Pelori protests may have been valid.

But nonetheless the game continued on- a sprint to the finish, tied with around 25 minutes left! Morgoth pulled his troops back, keen on giving them a bit of rest before a final push. Manwe was keen to do the same thing, though, and the game stalled before the eyes of the anxious spectators. Looking to surprise the opposition again, Pelori was the first to break the stalemate, but Morgoth was ready for them, and had his team playing fine organized defense.

As the seconds ticked away Pelori stagnated and Angband began taking over. Tilion earned a lane to drive through, but Manwe batted it aside. Thuringwethil leaped high for a header, but it went wide. Ancalagon crushed a nice Telvildo cross, but Nahar got in the way and deflected it out of bounds.

With only one minute left until full time, Angband lined up for the corner. The strong leg of Tilion was to send it in, and Morgoth brought everyone forward to force the issue. Tilion rushed forward, but he sent a shockingly weak and loopy ball in that looked set to fall right on the nearest side of the box. Both teams surged towards the ball, but as Morgoth knew would happen, the strong lean vampire Thuringwethil rose above all others- upside down, and booted the ball high to the top of the opposite side of the box, where the forgotten Balrog #2 was standing with his back to the goal, waiting just as he had so many times in practice. As the ball left Thuringwethil's foot, the mighty Balrog bent his legs and rocketed into the air, and he met the pass perfectly with a thunderous bicycle kick, nearly flattening the ball before sending it on its path rocketing into the goal!

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAL!!!!!!!" The Pelori announcers shielded their microphones from the howling of their Angband counterparts and drooped their heads in anguish. The pro-Angband portion of the stands turned into a boiling sea of bodies! Objects were flying everywhere, and orcs were leaping onto their neighbors, some sections featuring crowd-surfing, and others just dissolving into a heap of flailing arms and legs!

Manwe called out to his team not to give up and to try to tie it up again, but his face and voice held little conviction. He knew the battle was lost. In no time at all the game was declared over and the Angband faithful spilled onto the field to celebrate with the team. Nearly all of team Pelori ducked off the field immediately, but Manwe made the trek towards Morgoth to shake his hand as tradition dictated.

Team Angband mock-bowed to Manwe as he made his way past, and Morgoth smiled maliciously as he handed over his jersey. Some eye-witnesses report that Morgoth told Manwe, "Here, wear this. Maybe a little talent will rub off on you." But whatever was said, Manwe maintained a straight face and exited without saying a word, leaving Morgoth and company to party the night away.

The grudge match was over. Evil had triumphed!

Angband 2-1 Pelori
tot shots 16-12
on target 7-5
GOALS:
*43, 0-1 Eonwe (Varda)
*72, 1-1 Tilion (Ancalagon)
*89, 2-1 Balrog #2 (Thuringwethil)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Angband- Ulfang, Drauglin, Balrog #3, Ancalagon, Balrog #1
*Pelori- Vana, Nahar, Eonwe, Gwaihir