[the phantom]

The Rauros area was nicely accessible to three of the four teams of Group H- Mordorians could approach over the Brown Lands or sail up the river, those from Rohan could ride across the Wold, and those that dwelt along the Anduin could of course take the river (though those from the north had to deal with a rapid or two).

Arnor had a considerably longer trek, and not surprisingly had a smaller turnout- though they were more in evidence than the Orcs of Mordor, for the Orcs were not bunking and dining in the area immediately surrounding the arena, but rather the Coliseum Construction Committee (CCC) had built for them their own little town at the foot of Amon Lhaw. When asked if they had hastily thrown it up after discovering Mordor would be visiting, the CCC responded: “No, no, we had this nearly completed last year. We thought it’d be good for the future to have an area for visitors that was more isolated, in case there was any bad blood between teams or fans. Now that it’s completed visiting teams will always be welcome to choose the Amon Lhaw section as their area if they want a bit of privacy, or if they just want to avoid the other teams. By next year we hope to have a decent practice field set up over there so that literally everything they need will be there, and soon after we’ll add a couple more buildings so that Amon Lhaw can house two squads if need be.”

The CCC was also asked if they planned for the Amon Lhaw area to become an area of multi-seasonal or permanent use, as much of the west side of the lake was becoming. “Well, we do have a couple ideas for down the road- perhaps an amusement park- but really none of that is even in the planning stages. For the moment the Amon Lhaw guest facilities will stand empty for parts of the year, though after we establish an easier way to make the crossing we may house workers there.”

Some complained that sticking Mordor across the lake was an unhealthy bit of segregation, but the CCC was dismissive. “Mordor was quite willing to stay there- they can create an atmosphere that makes them feel at home, and there’s less worry of their people being arrested for getting into altercations. And it’s not as if we dumped them into tents- those are nice new lodgings and pubs over there, and fully staffed- largely by Orcs who know how to make the preferred liquors and dishes. Really everyone is more comfortable with the arrangement, and those who say otherwise are simply trying to cause trouble.”

But on the eve of the games all of the development and lodging issues faded into the background, and football was the only subject being talked about. According to the betting agencies Group H was by far the most competitive group, with the lowest odds of advancing (Mordor & Rohan) sitting at 42% and Anduin and Arnor sitting at 58%. But interestingly enough Rohan was the heaviest bet for winning the group outright 33%, while Arnor was sitting lowest at around 17%. Needless to say, the public and agencies were split.

Everyone hoped the group was as exciting as it looked to be on paper. They wouldn’t have to wait long to find out….

----------------------------

The first game of the day pitted those historic foes, Mordor and Rohan. With the massive number of seats of Amon Hen Coliseum, visitors of but two squads could not hope to fill it up, thus most of the Anduin and Arnor crowds were there as well, and the remainder was filled by Gondorians, both local and from downriver. Under most circumstances fans wouldn’t have the cash to attend both games each round, but the number of seats allowed the tickets to be sold for a bit cheaper than usual.

Without a doubt the crowd was on the side of Rohan. They had quite a few of their own fans, plus the Gondorians were supporting them to a man. Lucky for Mordor, Sauron had ensured that a sizable travelling group would come in from Dol Guldur, so Mordor at least had one sizable portion of cheerers, and of course they were noisy and rowdy.

At 1 o’clock sharp the game started up, and quickly the crowd was singing and happy, for Rohan was looking impressive. The threat of Shelob appeared nicely contained by Windfola or Snowmane, and the King of the Dead had apparently given some advice on how to combat the ill effects of the Nazgul, or perhaps just being around him in practice constantly had inoculated them. Whatever the reason, Mordor could make no headway against the horse-lords, and at only 5 minutes Faramir and Eowyn played a nice combination and earned Brytta a clear look, but his shot went astray.

A few minutes later it was Helm with an opportunity, but he didn’t summon quite enough will to break through the resistance of the Silent Watcher, and the ball rebounded away. Finally around the 20 minute mark Mordor started seeing some possession and regained their composure, and changed up their tactics just a bit, threatening to spring counters and trying to keep Rohan from attacking as a team. The change did just enough to throw Rohan off their rhythm, and at near the half-hour mark Mordor gained their first real shot, and again a couple minutes later, but both drives by The Mouth were caught by a sure-handed Theoden.

To the dismay of the Men and Elves, just minutes before halftime Mordor drew first blood. Rohan was trying to press the attack a bit before the half, and Gorbag caught them out of position after a steal and a long ball let two Nazgul and Shelob looses on Theoden with only the two horses for help. Snowmane moved to Shelob, leaving Windfola to deal with the Nazgul and the ball. Windfola charged one to force the issue, but the Nazgul left the ball behind them, and no one had noticed Shagrat was loping up behind them. Both Nazgul charged past Windfola as Shagrat reached the ball and sent it skidding into the box. Rohan supporters were certain the pass had been late thus offsides should have been called, but no flag went up, and Theoden was helpless to stop it.

During the half the legality of the goal was the only subject discussed in the Rohan areas—folks from the opposite end made a point of wondering closer to the Rohan goal to ask the fans there what they had seen from their angle. The verdict was unanimous among those that were level with the play—the rear feet of the Nazgul were perhaps onside, but the rest of them certainly weren’t. The commentators tried to give the refs some benefit of doubt, saying that the fact that Windfola was a horse made there appear an illusion of offside, as the Nazgul were indeed past his head, shoulders, and front legs, and thus would be offside with any other person, but the horse had back legs and a tail, and the Nazgul perhaps weren’t beyond that.

At the start of the second half most were expecting Rohan to return to the field with a fury, but instead they looked calculating and controlled. Their discipline and intelligence controlled the opening 10 to 15 minutes, and then Mordor decided to crank up the aggression and break Rohan’s coolness. The Nazgul shrieked and the Orcs let loose warcries and Shelob began menacing the Rohan horses, posturing herself in a way clearly predatory in nature- and the horses recognized it as such.

Rohan protested Shelob’s behavior, saying it was not proper for her to frighten horses to the point where it impacted their play, but the refs insisted that intimidation was fair play, so long as it didn’t involve excess physical contact. And soon the tactic indeed played dividends, as Shelob found herself marked only by a little human on a cross, the horses scared to approach, and she struck it with her mighty head and Mordor was up by two goals!

Most Rohan fans and even a couple players looked like the fight was out of them, but most of the team looked ready to go to war—go all out for 30 more minutes and see if a draw was possible. For a couple minutes Faramir and Helm looked like they would succeeded in spurring Rohan to a comeback, both nearly put it past Silent Watcher with pinpoint midrange snipes, but then disaster!

The King of the Dead had been chippy with Gothmog II and Gorbag for much of the game, and since Mordor took the two-goal lead they’d been needling him constantly. Finally in his temper and desperation he went too far—he had already been carded for his behavior, and a tackle well after the ball was gone got him sent off the field.

The reaction among the Rohan supporters was impotent frustration and despair. Down two goals and a man short, they could not hope for a comeback. What fools they were for aligning themselves with Mr. Dead King—he wasn’t a proper Rohanian, and he had cost them the game.

Mordor made the most of their advantage in numbers, holding possession better than ever before and running the precious seconds away. And in the end there wasn’t really much to tell of the final minutes. Mordor smartly got the job done and soon they were exiting the coliseum with their fans, headed towards the docks to hitch a ride back to Amon Lhaw, where they planned to party the rest of the night.

Mordor 2-0 Rohan
on target 6-4
tot shots 15-12
GOALS:
*40, 1-0 Nazgul#2 (Shagrat)
*63, 2-0 Shelob (Nazgul#1)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Mordor- Mumakil, Mouth
*Rohan- Erkenbrand, King Dead, Hama
RED CARDS:
Rohan- King Dead (69, second yellow)

The departing Orcs were soon replaced by the few fans of Anduin and Arnor that didn’t attend the first match, as well as additional Gondorians. There was still some daylight left, but a few of the stadium lights were lit, and more would be lit periodically as the natural light faded.

After most of the fans were disappointed with the result of the first match, they were looking forward to seeing something to cheer them up—a good match between two well-liked squads. And the fans were not disappointed.

In the opening 20 minutes both sides showed their mettle. Grimbeorn was a powerful menace up front, and the athleticism of Eorl and powerful boot of Boromir complimented him, but Malbeth was farsighted for Arnor and could see the attacks coming, and Elendil the tall was powerful and denied any high ball in the box. At the other end of the pitch the Kings of Arnor flowed together like parts of one machine, while the Witch King threatened with his finishing power, but Fram and Celeborn were up to the task for Anduin.

They were testing one another, and each time the other side passed, and the crowd was enjoying things immensely. Eorl and Haldir both had a chance to show off their burst and ball tricks, but it never yielded a result, while the Witch King showed off his power with a 35-yard bending drive that Amroth was forced to deflect. But everyone knew the squads had more up their sleeves and just weren’t showing it yet. Who would be the first to really crank things up?

It would be the home side. At the 26 minute mark Celeborn made a surprise run forward through the middle and Leod got it to him immediately as Eorl and Haldir rushed to flank him. For a brief moment before the defenders converged Anduin had numbers enough to perhaps gain a clear lane to shoot through as they approached, and indeed Celeborn sent it over to Haldir who looked for certain he’d take a crack at it, but no—he sent it to the right side where Fram had charged up from his position, and though he wasn’t particularly close to goal Fram immediately struck. Arvedui drifted to his left to adjust to the new positioning, and Fram went back behind him to the far post, the ball travelling out away from the keeper only to curve back towards the goal upon passing him! It was a brilliant shot, and the home team had the lead!

But before the Anduin fans could get all their celebrating out of their system, Arnor was going to work, moving the ball with ease and precision not yet seen previously. It was obvious everyone was on the same page, and they were comfortable with one another. They had to be annoyed that Anduin had beaten them to the punch, but it didn’t effect their play negatively.

Already at the 30 minute mark Araphor forced Amroth to make another save, and minutes later he had to jump on a loose ball that had deflected off Felarof, who had surely saved a goal. The Witch King thrice managed to find space to fire on goal, but two of them went wide, while the other hit the top bar. The Elves of Lothlorien and men of Gondor and the Anduin Vales that were supporting Anduin grew quite nervous indeed.

But at 40 minutes it was sheer delight on their faces, as a lovely tackle by Lenwe led to a quick counter, and Haldir hung it up in front of the net and Grimbeorn with a pure burst of strength outmuscled and outleaped everyone for it and nosed it perfectly inside the side and top bars for the two goal lead!

In the second half Arnor came out looking dangerous again, but bit by bit the Anduin defense got better and better—they were learning the patterns and playing things smart, and the tireless effort of Celeborn, Lenwe, and Felarof could apparently not be matched by the mortals of Arnor. Soon it was Anduin that was more threatening, and after Boromir nearly scored off a corner and Eorl forced a difficult save, Arnor shut things down so as not to increase their negative goal differential.

Much to the disappointment of some fans—certainly those of other squads—Anduin was content to accept the surrender and reigned things in, and soon the clock showed time over, and the locals had reason to celebrate. There were fireworks over the lake, and showers of sparks shot outward from the falls, lightning them and their cliffs for miles downstream. Anduin was revealed to all viewers, and it was mighty—just like its football team.

Anduin 2-0 Arnor
on target 7-4
tot shots 16-13
GOALS:
*26, 1-0 Fram (Haldir)
*40, 2-0 Grimbeorn (Haldir)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Anduin- Felarof
*Arnor-

STANDINGS
Anduin______3 pts_____+2
Mordor______3 pts_____+2
Arnor_______0 pts_____-2
Rohan______0 pts_____-2