Arda Cup Football 2013

[Nogrod]

Group E @ Erebor

The day was full of anticipation. With the homeside drawing with Wilderland on the first round everything was open – and a lot would depend on this day’s games. And the draw had also rekindled the hopes of those who supported the Misty Mountains. So even if Eriador was like it would qualify, with the draw of Erebor and Wilderland there were now three contenders for the second place. And sure the homeside fans and many others wished Eriador could be beaten and thrown off – the posh Westerners… And yes, if they only managed to win Misty Mts. 2-1 – would they be vulnerable indeed, or was it because Misty Mts. is indeed a good team?

Loads of orcs and trolls and Lothlórien elves had rushed to Erebor after the first round to support Misty Mts. and so in the end the fans of both Wilderland and Misty Mts. were quite even in attendance while many of the local dwarves tended to support Misty Mts. just hoping their support to the opponent of their own perceived rival number one would somehow help things out for their own team.
It is funny how things go. Before the tournament no none would have thought Misty Mts. but a walk-through for Wilderland – but suddenly with a draw in Wilderland’s back and Misty Mts., making a decent effort against the favourites Eriador – everything seemed like open in a totally new way – even if neither result was like some real news to anyone…

So when the referee whistled the game started there was a huge roar of the crowds. The winner of this first game would be soo close qualifying – and Misty Mts. was taken seriously by every Wilderland supporter – this was going to be a killer!

Both teams started the game in careful fashion which earned them some booing from the stands as everyone were looking for daringly attacking football – and slowly things started happening and Wilderland started controlling the game. But with no results.

Indeed Misty Mts. defences proved especially hard for Wilderland attack to get rid of: Caradhras was immobile maybe but hard to get around while the witless troll William had pure physical power and stamina to hold lesser attackers in check quite easily; The Watcher’s eerie and timeless presence was enough to make even stronger souls to hesitate – and Gwaihir had speed, power and presence to challenge even Scatha.

But just before the half-time it happened! Thranduil wrestled himself free from William’s embrace and went for a header to the ball centered by Radagast – and heading it with a curve from behind Caradhras left the Chief Wolf no chance of seeing it coming until it was too late.

Wilderland was thus leading 1-0 when the teams retreated from the field for the half-time – the Wilderland –fans were singing loudly whilst the supporters of Misty Mountains team were too nervous to stay at the stands and were queuing for sausages and beer at the interval.

Misty Mts. came to the second half with some real decision forcing Wilderland intob defencive mode. Durin’s Bane was especially on fire forcing his way through the ent-defences despite their supposed eqaulity of physical power.

And to the great delight of the Misty Mts. fans and the mixed joy of Erebor supporters Durin’s Bane actually set the scores even with a scaringly powerful curveball from the edge of the box.

Wilderland answered the equalizer with putting in a new gear and went on their normal frenzied-attcking –style – which gave their fans a real boost – and with that to them as well. And suddenly Misty Mts’s decisiveness and self-confidence was washed away.

Six minutes from the earlier goal Scatha then scored Wilderland into the lead again with his typical tail-shot from inside the box totally dieregarding the attempts of William to stop him. Well what was a troll to move a dragon?

But from somewhere the Misty Mts. still found a new pace to fight for the evener – and the game was back on the Wilderland half of the pitch – even if especially Thranduil proved dangerous with his fast runs forwards when Misty Mts. concentrated all their effort in the offence.

It paid off though for Misty Mts. Pressing on resulted in a number of corners and from one given by Rumil the ball went to the edge of the box from where Durin’s Bane chested it towards the goal but just as Skinbark was “boughing” it away Azog dived in between and headed the ball from the reach of Skinbark and into the net behind the totally astonished Great Warg.

Wilderland tried to force the game back to the Misrty Mts. side for the last ten minutes and partly succeeded – but only partly for the whole Misty Mts. team had dropped back to defend their goal – except Durin’s Bane and Azog whose presence at the midfield forced Wilderland to keep a few players back there to guard them as well.

And so the game ended in a draw. A great result for the Misty Mts. fans but nightmare to the Wilderlanders.

Misty Mts 2-2 Wilderland
on target 5-7
tot shots 13-18
GOALS:
*43, 0-1 Thranduil (Radagast)
*60, 1-1 DBane (Narvi)
*66, 1-2 Scatha (Fimbrethil)
*78, 2-2 Azog (DBane)
YELLOW CARDS:
*MMts- Gwaihir, Orophin
*Wilder- Oropher, Fimbrethil


With Wilderland struggling against Misty Mts. and forced to a draw the home crowds were torn with different interpretations they should make out of it… but winning Eriador would just change everything – or even drawing the game – and was this Eriador team really the last year’s finalists, winning Misty Mts. only 2-1? If the Misty Mts. managed such a result why shouldn’t Erebor make it better?

With an insecure confidence the home crowds welcomed the hometeam into the field – while most of the visitors to the mountain gave their loudest cheers to the Erebor team as well – oh how they loved to hate the Western elves and men with their self-imposed “nobility” – although some elves from Lórien did support the Eriador team.

The name of the game became quite clear early on. Eriador was shutting the wild offence of Erebor out quite confidently not letting them shoot but from very bad angles or under pressure. But Eriador was neither the attacking team number one as everyone knew: yes they made decent attacks and in the end seemed even a bit more dangerous on offence than the home team, but there was not the flair or sparkle of going forwards you could see with Wilderland or Erebor at their best. Sadly for the fans Eriador seemed more than cabable of shutting up any flaring attacks from the home team this day.

And just before the break Eriador hit it in. NogWight gave a neat backwards heel-pass on ground to Isildur inside the box his back against the defence exploiting the weakness of the eagles in the defence – and Isildur manged to get rid of Thorin with the ball and to shoot it from near enough giving Beorn no chance to catch it.

It was 0-1 on the break and the homeside fans were gnawing their nails. It was not that uneven a game but somehow Eriador just seemed to produce the results unlike their own team. It was so annoying and yet Eriador played just that inch sharper and cooler – and there was nothing the fans could do about it.

And that was true of the second period as well – even if Erebor rushed into it with some real energy getting the crowds high with their effort – only to be shut off by the Eriador defences and their organized midfield.

Erebor was soon exhausted with the effort they made early on the second period and the game gradually turned towards the Erebor side in the end but even with the decent tries by Glorfindel, Isildur, Arveleg and NogWight there was not to be a second goal on their favour either – and so Eriador won 1-0 securing their qualification in no uncertain terms.

Like Gil-Galad had said in the press conference in the morning: “You fight only when you have to”. That is not probably entertaining for the crowds but it seems to be effective as far as the results go – and securing number one seat from this group was vital for them anyway as the second of the group will most probably meet FC Valinor the next round...


Erebor 0-1 Eriador
on target 3-5
tot shots 12-12
GOALS:
*40, 0-1 Isildur (NogWight)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Erebor- Smaug, Dain, Nazgul#7
*Eriador- Isildur

Team	                W-D-L	Pts.	Score
Eriador		        2-0-0 	        6	3-1	
Wilderland		0-2-0	        2	5-5
Erebor		        0-1-1	        1	3-4
Misty Mts.		0-1-1	        1	3-4

Last games:
Eriador vs. Wilderland
Erebor vs. Misty Mountains

[the phantom]

Group H at Amon Hen

Many of the host sites had experienced some amount of tension between fan-bases, but such activity had been kept to a bare minimum on the shores of Nen Hithoel. Part of the credit had to go to placing Mordor and their supporters across on Amon Lhaw in such comfortable fashion. Were the Orcs mixed in with the horse-lords, Arnorians, and various Anduin groups (Beornings, Lothlorienites, etc.) no doubt there would be trouble here and there, and if the Orcs were shoved aside or banned from lodgings then that would be asking for trouble as well. But the way the Coliseum Construction Committee had done things ruled out such things, as reasonable Mordorians had no reason to complain about getting their own new well-built area at the foot of Amon Lhaw.

Everyone knows all Mordorians aren’t reasonable however, so something was keeping even the worst Orcs in line as well. Some theorized it was the Coliseum itself, and the way they had purposefully incorporated designs of all sorts and grouped them sensibly. The Utumno, Angband, Mordor, Moria, and Gundabad sections are all close, and Mordor fans were given seats in those sections, which combined with their private living area made them all feel as if they were at home.

But some commentators have insisted there is something else at work. “The Mordor folk have just been too well behaved,” said Haldan, MESPN correspondent for Gondor League football. “The incidents aren’t low or minimal—they’re non-existent. I’ve checked, and there have been zero arrests for vandalism, fighting, etc. I mean, there’s always at least one, even among friendly sides.” When asked what could account for this, Haldan said it had to be Sauron. “It seems to me he’s keen to keep in good graces with Arda Cup, so I can only suppose he’s trying to win some hosting rights or trade allowance or something.”

Whatever the reason, the folks at Amon Hen Coliseum certainly were enjoying the calm. The Arnorians drank with the men of Rohan in the pubs, and promised to avenge their defeat when they played Mordor, and the folks from Rohan promised they’d slow Anduin’s roll for Arnor. But if people from Arnor and Rohan were found drinking with Anduin supporters, they were congratulating them for their fine play. It was just a pure atmosphere of enjoyment.

The stadium was still filling when the first game of the day kicked off—Arnor versus Mordor. The Mordorians had their loud section of support, but Arnor had the backing of scattered Rohan fans as well as the Elves and Gondorians there in support of Anduin. And Mordor didn’t own a monopoly on Orcs either, as the Witch King, forward for Arnor, caused quite a few to splinter off.

Those fans didn’t have much to cheer about though—Mordor looked impressive from the start. The men of Arnor frankly looked nervous around the Nazgul. Some wondered before the game if practicing with the Witch King would cure them of the Black Breath, but it seems it’s different when they are playing in opposition. And Shelob was being a bit terrifying as well. The Arnorian defenders weren’t running scared the way the horses of Rohan did, but they still didn’t feel good about her presence.

Only four minutes in Shelob managed to clear herself some space and one of the Nazgul found her perfectly with a cross, and only great anticipation and reaction from Arvedui kept it scoreless. A few minutes later Mouth put one on the mark, and again Arvedui staved off disaster, stopping both Mouth’s tricky curve but also stuffing Shagrat’s put-back attempt.

After that Arnor changed things up. Elendil was the tallest and boldest, and he volunteered to give up his role in the possession and attack in order to shadow Shelob, and Malbeth took it upon himself to foil the pair of Nazgul, using his powers of foresight to ascertain their likely plan of attack and position himself to upset it. The change-up worked like a charm, and Mordor was stifled, and they reacted by trying to win past defenders on the dribble, but Arnor was having none of it. Instead of attacking the ball they just maintained some space and forced the ball wide around them over to another defender’s area, essentially making them run for nothing. And when they approached the offensive area, there were simply too many defenders around to have any hope of taking them on—not without an Arda-class skill player.

As the halftime break approached Mordor looked more and more ragged and Arnor began to press the advantage, pushing farther upfield as a team and threatening to open the scoring themselves. At 38 minutes the Arnor supporters gave their first true shout of excitement as Witch King beat everyone in the air and forced Silent Watcher to exert his maximum evil will to turn the shot aside. Just a few minutes later off a corner it was the same exact recipe, only this time the shot found the crossbar. A great many bodies hit the ground as everyone went for the loose ball, and as it came down Arantar and Gothmog II got tangled up and fell leaving the approaching Gorbag free to bicycle it the other way.

By Mordor’s good fortune Gorbag’s blind kick flew between where Malbeth or Malvegil could reach it and the Mouth took it in stride, putting just enough of a touch on it to keep it from drifting farther towards the side. When he reached the ball to put his second touch on it, he faked a pass to the Nazgul in the middle, which Valandur had been expecting, thus he bit the fake to attempt the steal and Mouth dashed on. Upon reaching the edge of the penalty area Mouth gave another fake then sent it sideways to Nazgul#2, who sent it directly back and completely sending Earendur in a hopeless circle. The Mouth would surely attempt the close range shot, but instead he skidded it towards the far post, just barely beyond the sliding Elendil, but not beyond Nazgul#1 who practically slid into the net himself taking the ball with him.

The Mordor supporters waved their red and black banners and blew their war-horns and beat upon their drums! This was the Arda Cup they dreamed of—taking the field and defeating their foes from Rohan, and then the kingdom of Arnor of the north! The teams exited the field for halftime and Mordor just continued their party throughout the break. And why not? They were sitting at +3 in goal differential and controlled their own fate for first place.

As the second half started it looked like the victory was indeed as good as claimed, as Mordor looked more likely to increase their lead than Arnor looked to draw level. Already at minute 49 Shelob had a free chance of a corner, and only a good guess by Arvedui spoiled it. Then ten minutes later Mouth released both Nazgul behind the back line, and only a rather suspect tackle by Valandur saved the day, as the wall turned aside the resulting free kick.

At minute 68 another corner forced a save to be made, and Arnor fans were half out of their chairs ready to leave, but Arvedui was to the rescue again. And then suddenly, the game changed.

No doubt there will be many reviews of the game tape during the next week or so, and many different theories will be spun, but there can be no denying that the entire field was turned on its head at minute 70. Most spectators agreed that the men of Arnor suddenly looked hopeful, and that the two Nazgul for Mordor appeared wary and lost their aura, and with that gone their Orc-support and Fellbeasts looked a little disorganized. It is this writer’s opinion that Arnor had the Witch King to thank for the sudden turn—perhaps he had some mystical way to make this come about? But then why not do it earlier? Then perhaps it was but a temporary measure that couldn’t be counted on to last long…

But only 20 minutes remained in the contest, so if that was the case, it was now or never. Suddenly Mordor gave way and grew over-careful and timid, and Arnor pressed relentlessly and forced mistakes, and defenders got in one another’s way, and after but five minutes it was the Witch King himself evening the score with a point blank chip in.

The Mordor players shook themselves, as if attempting to recover from a blow to the head, and they looked a little less panicked, but still Arnor had the mastery. At minute 83 Witch King earned another chance to slot it home, but a Fellbeast tail managed to get in the way. Two minutes later Argeleb nearly broke the tie with a 30-yard strike, but Silent Watcher managed to put it aside off the side post. But the resulting corner—Arnor would not be denied. They knew they wouldn’t get it free in the air with the Fellbeasts and Shelob packed in close, so they passed to the far side, then one-timed it to the middle, then back to the original side, and Arassuil found a small alley to send it through the box and that late-game specialist Araphor somehow found it flying through the traffic and redirected it down under Shelob’s legs and it bounced in to hand Arnor the lead!

What did it matter that Arnor only had the lead for 4 minutes? It’s the score at the finish that counts, and the Northern Dunedain had secured it. They were right back in the thick of the playoff hunt! The Mordorians on the other hand filed out in bitter disappointment. Some felt that the Witch King was a traitor, while others seemed grateful that they at least lost to one of their favorites. But on the bright side, they still had the edge in differential, and thus still controlled their own destiny—provided the contest in the evening went the right way for them.

Arnor 2-1 Mordor
on target 6-6
tot shots 13-15
GOALS:
*43, 0-1 Nazgul#1 (Mouth)
*75, 1-1 WitchKing (Arantar)
*86, 2-1 Araphor (Arassuil)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Arnor- Arassuil, Valandur
*Mordor- Gothmog II, Gorbag, Fellbeast#3

The Rohan supporters awaiting kickoff were discussing the previous result with mixed feelings. While they generally liked Arnor and disliked Mordor, seeing Arnor win just made them that more disappointed by their own loss. Many still blamed the King of the Dead and his untimely red card, while a few gave him credit for being the most active Rohan player on the field while many of his fellows had seemingly frozen around him.

At the least the Arnor victory meant that a win tonight by Rohan would catapult them into a four-way points tie, so they had to feel good about that. But it also meant that Arnor in their final game would have something to play for, which could make that game harder than it perhaps might have been.

But the homeside Anduin had no thoughts of a four-way tie. They were keen to take a death-grip on the group by scoring a win over Rohan. In their first match they had looked quite impressive, the power of Grimbeorn and the Gondorians and the skill of the Elves and the athleticism of Eorl and Fram all working together seamlessly.

Tonight the stadium was nearly filled to capacity, as even more Gondorians had come up-river to enjoy the atmosphere for the remainder of group-play. There weren’t any Mordorian hold-overs from the first contest, as they were far too disappointed to stick around, but many Arnor fans were still around basking in the joy of their triumph. The Arnor supporters largely didn’t care who won the evening match so long as they got to see some good football. After all, if Rohan won then everyone would be tied, but Arnor could clinch first. If Anduin won though first place would be less likely but qualifying in general might be easier.

And so it was the the crowd was rooting 25% for Rohan, 50% for Anduin, and 25% for just plain good play. And quite soon 75% of the audience was pleased, as Anduin looked impressive indeed and threatened, threatened, then scored just under 20 minutes in thanks to a resounding boom from Grimbeorn. For a while Anduin relaxed and preserved their lead and their energy, but Rohan was late in trying to take advantage, only looking a serious threat just before the break.

Right from the start of the second half Anduin was in full attack mode, wanting to take the game out of the hands of Rohan, and the horse-lords were surprised and unprepared for the sudden show of skill and power. Only three minutes in Grimbeorn forced a fanastic save from Theoden, and Eorl nodded the rebound over to Boromir who volleyed it straight into the back of the net. The home team was up two-nil!

Though there was still ample time for more goals, most of Anduin seemed to agree to pull up, and those keen to push things quickly went along with the majority to better accomplish the chosen strategy. Rohan recognized the opportunity presented and started looking more impressive, not having to worry about their own defensive efforts as much, but with Celeborn, Fram, Felarof, and Minalcar receiving the full help of the Anduin midfield Rohan couldn’t get much of anything developed.

The closest Rohan came was at 58 minutes when Amroth was forced to catch a swerving effort from King Dead, and at 67 minutes when a lucky deflection fell to Faramir and he sent it perfect to the far post, but Minalcar was positioned smartly and he got up and headed it away. Once the game passed 80 minutes the Anduin fans began opening the celebrations. Rohan couldn’t manage two goals in ten minutes. Rohan fans sat back and shook their heads. What had happened? Weren’t they a dangerous playoff team last year? Now they were sitting in last, with little hope of qualifying. If only they had Eorl and his steed playing for them instead of Anduin—perhaps then things would look more as they should.

Anduin 2-1 Rohan
on target 4-5
tot shots 12-14
GOALS:
*19, 1-0 Grimbeorn (Eorl)
*48, 2-0 Boromir II (Eorl)
*72, 2-1 Eowyn (Faramir)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Anduin- Leod, Minalcar
*Rohan- Wildfola, Helm

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

GROUP H STANDINGS

--------  W-D-L   Pts  Score
Anduin    2-0-0   6    4-1
Mordor    1-0-1   3    3-2
Arnor     1-0-1   3    2-3
Rohan     0-0-2   0    1-4

LAST GAMES @ AMON HEN COLISEUM
Arnor vs Rohan
Anduin vs Mordor

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

On the morning after the first round of games in Group F, Tol Eressëa Mobile raised anchor and sailed down the Anduin, before turning west. Thousands of Gondorians cheered along the shore as the island made its way through the heart of southern Gondor. The four teams, as well as some of their supporters, were now aboard the floating isle as it made its way to the next stop for the second round: a reunion with the Isle of Balar, south of Beleriand.

The BalarDome, with a capacity of 40 000, was to be the secondary site for the next round of group F games. It played host to team Balar of the Beleriand League during the apertura (summer/autumn) regional league of Beleriand. The Nargothrond city council had requested for Tol Eressëa to make its way up the Narog, so that Nargothrond fans would have less distance to cover as they watched their team’s game. Unfortunately, the mobile island’s draught was too deep for the river—only truly mighty rivers like Anduin and Sirion were wide and deep enough for it to pass through safely. Nargothrond fans were not dismayed, however, and travelled in droves south to Balar. They reasoned that Minas Tirith supporters also had to travel far to support their team during the first matchday; would they do any less?

Tol Eressëa Mobile was by now a little more crowded than when it had left the shores of Aman. The fans of FC Valinor that they have ferried to Gondor have left the island, but they have been more than amply replaced by the Nargothrond fans who travelled by land for the first round (the whole Bëorian contingent, and even some of the Orcish horde) and a group of Gondorians supporting Minas Tirith. Unfortunately, none of them could see their teams in training—all four teams have asked that the public stay away from their training grounds in order to protect their strategies from leaking to their opponents. Many opined (including some realistic, if disheartened, Minas Tirith fans) that no strategy could save the White Tower from elimination, but for the other three teams, all of whom seem evenly matched, knowledge of another team’s tactics and formation could be the difference between victory and defeat.

BalarDome
Minas Tirith vs Tirion

Despite that gap in talent between the two teams, tactics still played a role in the game between the Tirion and Minas Tirith. A few pundits believed that, with their athleticism, stamina, and organisation, the Stewards could contest the midfield from Tirion and win the possession battle. If they could keep the number of chances for the Tirion attackers low, while giving themselves more chances to score, they could conceivably win the tie.

So it was surprising that, during the opening stages of the game, Minas Tirith retreated into their own half with two banks of four, leaving Éomer as the only attacking support behind Boromir I (even though the Rohirric midfielder was anonymous in the first game.) Some Minas Tirith supporters argued that, since Tirion had better defenders than Nargothrond, letting the Eldar attack and hitting them on the break was a better strategy than attacking an organised Tirion defence. But even they thought that the move was a bad one; Tirion, like Nargothrond, prefer to apply attacking pressure, but were less comfortable when the opposition attacked back.

Minas Tirith did well to hold on for half an hour. In the eleventh minute, Aredhel hit the post when put through on goal by Mahtan. Thirteen minutes later, Finwë’s header from a Rúmil cross was saved by Denethor II; Firefoot cleared the rebound moments before Mahtan got a boot in. But Finwë opened the scoring in the thirty-fifth minute by converting a Caranthir corner; Denethor did well to get a palm in the shot, but was unable to redirect the bullet header from its trajectory. After the goal, Tirion eased the pressure on Minas Tirith’s backline, but Minas Tirith were slow to change gears from defending to attacking. They were thankful to go into the break only a goal behind.

The second half began with Minas Tirith’s first significant foray forward. Mardil got past Rúmil with a neat dribbling trick and took on right-back Irimë. Suddenly, Cirion flew in from all the way in the backline and took a short lateral Mardil pass. He then beat the surprised Irimë to the byline and crossed for Boromir I in Tirion’s penalty box. The Minas Tirith forward won the header against Amrod and knocked the ball down on to Éomer’s path, but Anairë slid in to clear the ball moments before the Rohan lord got to it.

Minas Tirith became more adventurous as the half wore on, sending as many as six players forward as Tirion conceded ground to them. But the Eldar of the First Age reminded the Men of the Third Age of their counterattacking threat when, in the fifty-second minute, Aredhel took an Amras long ball behind Minas Tirith’s defence; she ballooned her chip well over the Stewards’ goal. But with Minas Tirith chasing the game, the warning fell on deaf ears. In the sixty-sixth minute, Finarfin had to stretch to keep out a stinging drive from Mardil. The rebound was cleared only as far as Telumehtar on the edge of the Tirion box, but when he attempted to take on Mahtan, the Noldorin smith dispossessed him easily and found Aredhel ready to sprint past Ecthelion II. Mahtan sent a slide-rule through pass for the White Lady of the Noldor, who made sure this time that her chip past the Minas Tirith stopper was on target.

Now Tirion’s threat on the break was well and truly heeded, but it was closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Minas Tirith were already two goals down, and now they were scared of attacking en masse. Had they been more combative before Tirion opened the scoring, had they been more careful when they were a goal down, they probably wouldn’t have been in this hole. Tirion easily handled Minas Tirith’s tame attacks and saw the game through without further trouble.

With Tirion already on four points, and since either the Sea or Nargothrond were sure to be at or over four points after the next game, the Stewards, with zero points from two games, were already eliminated.

Minas Tirith 0-2 Tirion
GOALS:
35, 0-1 Finwë (Caranthir)
67, 0-2 Aredhel (Mahtan)

Total Shots:
9-16
Shots On Target:
3-8

YELLOW CARDS:
2-1
MTI: Eärnur, Cirion
TIR: Eldalótë

Tol Eressëa Mobile Stadium
Nargothrond vs The Sea

With Tirion taking temporary first place in the group, the game between Nargothrond and the hosts took on an even greater significance. They were determined not to fall behind in what has become a three-horse race. Even the number of goals scored and conceded might be important when it came to deciding who advanced. This was a group of fine margins.

Even from last year, the Sea have not been a high-scoring team. Because of that, they elected to keep the game’s tempo slow at the start. Instead of pressing the defenders, their front four prevented easy passes from being played to Finduilas and Nienor, the engine room of Nargothrond’s attacks. And when the Sea were in possession, they simply held onto the ball instead of passing it forward quickly. But that played right into Nargothrond’s hands—Finrod advocated pressing from the front, acting as their first line of defence and forcing turnovers in dangerous areas of the pitch. In the sixth minute, Gwindor intercepted a weak Salmar back pass and sprinted past the rest of the Sea’s defence. He would have scored the opener had Hyarmendacil not guessed correctly and dove for the far post at full stretch.

Finduilas took the resulting corner kick; Finrod had ordered all but Baran and Arminas in and around the penalty box, leaving them vulnerable to a quick counter if the Sea managed to survive the pressure. But his gamble paid off when, after a mighty goalmouth scramble involving three attempted clearances that was booted right back into the mixer, Nienor tapped in a shot that trickled past Hyarmendacil to give Nargothrond the lead.

Surprisingly, the game got more open after the goal. Nargothrond had scored too early; they couldn’t possibly keep the Sea scoreless by sitting in front of their penalty box for the next eighty-two minutes. So they continued to attack, advancing as many as five players into the Sea’s half. With the Sea chasing the game, the tie began to resemble more a basketball game than a football match with its quick exchange of possession.

It was one of those transitions that led to the Sea’s equaliser. With ten minutes left in the first half, Barahir was caught well past the halfway line when Voronwë intercepted an attempted Finduilas through ball. He quickly got the ball to Tar-Meneldur, who was occupying the space Barahir had left unmarked. Tar-Minastir drifted to the right to support him, and the two passed their way to Nargothrond’s penalty area. With Baran, Arminas, and Guilin totally focused on the pair of Númenórean kings, they didn’t notice Aldarion’s run from the opposite wing until Tar-Minastir fired a backheel pass to him. The Nargothrond defence was too slow to reorient itself, and Tar-Aldarion’s strike found the net to tie the game.

The game calmed down a bit after the Sea’s equaliser—no team created chances between then and the halftime whistle. But after the break, Nargothrond attacked with renewed aggression, which the Sea met with equal defensive determination. Tar-Ciryatan did well to deny Glaurung touches; when the dragon did get the ball, he did not try to contest him on the turn, leaving him instead to Ossë. The Sea Maia was strong enough to prevent Glaurung from getting past him, and he even doused his fires with well-timed jets of seawater.

Gwindor on the right was faster than his marker Salmar, but the Maia was big and tall enough to block his crosses even if he were half a step behind him. Five minutes after the hour mark, Gwindor cut inside instead of making for the byline, but when he shot from twenty metres the recovering Salmar managed to get a boot in the way. The ball fell to Ulmo, who whacked it to Tar-Minastir up front. The Númenórean king held off the challenge of Baran and laid the ball off to a charging Vëantur, whose shot drew a save from Orodreth.

Tar-Aldarion took the resulting corner. Ulmo leapt highest to head the ball in, but he didn’t connect well with the ball, giving Orodreth enough time to palm the weak header clear. Tar-Ciryatan got a boot in the rebound, but his shot bounced off Guilin’s leg and fell to Uinen on the edge of the box. Her aim was true this time, and Orodreth dove after her shot too late. His head was buried on the ground in despair as he realised that he might have cost his team advancement to the knockout stage.

But there was still twenty-three minutes left to play, and the squad from the Caves of Narog drew strength from their captain. Finrod was all over the pitch, orchestrating the movement of his forwards and midfielders. The Nargothrond players passed the ball to each other at an increasingly high tempo, and the ball moved from flank to flank, confusing the Sea’s backline, who were constantly forced to alter their position and their line of sight; inevitably this created blind sides that the pacy players of Nargothrond were able to exploit. In the eightieth minute, Glaurung was on the left with Nienor, weaving their way through the Sea’s right wing; a moment later Nienor launched a quick pass to Finrod a few yards from the arc; without looking, he fired a pass to his right where Gwindor ran in and belted in a fierce drive. The ball crossed the width of the pitch in about a second, and by the time Ulmo and his players had realised Gwindor had got it the ball had already hit the net.

There was little celebration of the goal; Gwindor rushed to get the ball and handed it to the referee. In the meantime the two captains conferred with their players. Press for a winner? Shut it down? Tar-Minastir convinced Ulmo to try to go for the win; Finrod and Barahir decided to live with the draw. Both sides reasoned that Nargothrond’s front line were exhausted and could not press as effectively as they usually did, leaving them vulnerable to counterattacks; therefore the Sea could attack almost with impunity. But with Nargothrond outnumbering the Sea in midfield, they were able to enforce their decision, keeping possession until the full-time whistle was blown.

With four points secured, and a greater goal difference than second-place Tirion, Nargothrond were in a pretty good spot. The Sea, with only two points from two games, need to win their last game against Minas Tirith to have a chance to advance.

Nargothrond 2-2 The Sea
GOALS:
8, 1-0 Nienor (Bëor)
35, 1-1 Tar-Aldarion (Tar-Minastir)
67, 1-2 Uinen (Tar-Cirytan)
80, 2-2 Gwindor (Finrod)

Total Shots:
13-15
Shots On Target:
6-7

YELLOW CARDS:
2-2
NGR: Gwindor, Arminas
SEA: Salmar, Ossë

------------ W-D-L Pts GD
Nargothrond  1-1-0  4  +3
Tirion       1-1-0  4  +2
The Sea      0-2-0  2  0
Minas Tirith 0-0-2  0  -5

W-D-L: win-draw-loss
GD: goal difference

LAST GAMES:
@Alqualondë Seaside Stadium: Tirion vs Nargothrond
@Tol Eressëa Mobile Stadium: Minas Tirith vs The Sea

[Boromir88]

GROUP G @ Anfauglith

The late match would be played in Anfauglith as the home team will battle Angband in hopes of securing a playoff spot (while also sending Morgoth's side away with no points in 2 games). But the earlier game was taking place in Tol-in-Gaurhoth, this time underneath the ghoulish dome of Tol-in-Gaurhoth.

The wolf supporters of TIG were loud and raucous leading up to the game, still ecstatic over their convincing 2-0 win against Angband. Now they were licking their chops at the prospect of playing Imladris, "We'll slaughter them like the lambs they are!" laughed AganWolf. "We already beat two elven sides in the friendlies, and they were both better than Imladris. We'll make it three out of three for sure!" said LomWight.

As for the events of the match, there isn't much to tell other than only one team appeared to be playing on the field: Tol-in-Gaurhoth. The elven side, like Doriath were playing frightened out of their wits in the face of the TIG defensewolves. But they weren't only relying on strong scare tactics, they were playing an organized team game as well. Moving the ball smoothly from defense, to their mid-fielders and peppering Imladris' goal with shots.

Imladris' defense was playing well, but again without any ability by Imladris' offense to build up attacks it was only a matter of time before their defense broke to the relentless TIG attack. In the 33rd minute Thuringwethil simply stole the ball from Galdor and scored a cheap unassisted goal, as Valandil wasn't prepared when his defense turned the ball over.

The 2nd half was like a replay of the first, which didn't bother the wolves and wights packing the stadium at all. They could watch performances like this one all day long. After working the ball all around Imladris' box, with crisp passes and searching for an opening, NerWight spotted the opening, finding InzilWolf who put TIG up 2-0.

Imladris played the remainder of the game frustrated and angry, trying to play more physical against the wolves. But it wasn't successful in creating any offense to the biteless Imladris attack. All it did was make the ref hand out several yellow cards and leave the wolves laughing at Elladan's and Elrohir's feeble attempts to rough them up.

The party continued inside the stadium, and outside, well after the final whistle. TIG was 1st in their group and had yet to surrender a goal in group play. In fact, including the friendlies, TIG has only allowed 1 goal in 4 matches.

Imladris 0-2 Tol In Gaurhoth
on target 1-6
tot shots 8-14
GOALS:
*33, 0-1 Thuringwethil
*68, 0-2 InzilWolf (NerWight)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Imladris- Celebrian, Elladan, Elrohir
*TIG- LegateWight

Under the night skies in Anfauglith, the ancient coliseum was packed but split fairly even in terms of fan support. Angfauglith was the home team, but Morgoth still had a considerable influence in the area to beat his own fans into attending. Even if Angband was feeling rather disheartened by their first round loss to TIG. They had allowed themselves to be outplayed by the wolves, and that was unacceptable. Morgoth was going to have none of that against Angfauglith, or so he cursed.

Yet Angfauglith was feeling confident. Already with a win under their belt and behind Ungoliant, the only evil creature who had ever given trouble to Morgoth, they believed they could win again. There were hostilities in the stands, as well as on the field of play. One wouldn't be able to tell by the cards given, but the referee was probably intimidated by being in this atmosphere. I mean the orcs and evil men, breaking out into brawls could be scary enough to anyone, then having to call a game involving balrogs, Ungoliant, and Morgoth one can not blame the ref for swallowing the whistle. If the players wanted to bruise eachother up, let them have at it.

Morgoth was seemed relieved and happy the ref held a permissive line to not be the decider and it allowed both defenses to test the strength of the other. The first half ended without any goals, mostly because Morgoth was committed to playing lockdown defense after his team gave up 2 goals in the first game. But Angfauglith was also a mighty defensive team, although Ungoliant had to come up with a couple good saves, denying Ancalagon and keeping her goal clean.

The 2nd half started much the same with both defenses playing ridiculously rough and tempers in the stands ready to boil over. But both teams just kept battling and it was looking like a warzone upon the dry plains of Anfauglith. After 15 minutes passed, finally the game was broken open. Ulfang lobbed a high ball into the box, Ungoliant was anticipating the Angband dragon to try the on-goal header, but at the final second, Ancalagon saw that Oikeroi manuevered around his Balrog-marker and was open on the right post. Ancalagon hit it back on the ground and Oikeroi bumped the ball over the goal-line. And after over 150 minutes of actual game time, the Angband fans had something to truly cheer about.

Morgoth now renewed his efforts to play lockdown defense and protect the lead. This was allowing Angfauglith's offense to start getting a grip on the match as Gothmog and Ecthelion were starting to get some chances. There chances weren't particularly great, but they would have brought the game even if it wasn't for a couple fabulous saves by Carcharoth. Just when an Angfauglith goal seemed to be coming though, Gorgol made a terrible decision. Ulfast had intercepted a pass from the Angfauglith mid-fielder and Gorgol wickedly tripped Ulfast in an attempt to get the ball back. With Gorgol's 2nd yellow, he was sent to the showers early.

Now with the 1-player advantage, it was no surprise Morgoth was able to take advantage of the chaos and confusion. He thrives in chaos and Angfauglith was just desperately trying to hold onto the 1-goal defecit now. It didn't hold. In the 81st minute Telvildo weaved into Angfauglith's box, and drew the defense on him. He then skidded a pass out to Ancalagon who hit a rising thunderbolt off his tail that zoomed past Ungoliant.

Morgoth's team had recovered after the first game, and they now leap-frogged Angfauglith in the standings, based on a better goal differential. With Angband having Imladris in the final round, and Angfauglith against group leaders Tol-in-Gaurhoth, Angfauglith's prospect of advancing looked bleak indeed.

Angband 2-0 Angfauglith
on target 8-3
tot shots 19-10
GOALS:
*55, 1-0 Oikeroi (Ancalagon)
*81, 2-0 Ancalagon (Telvildo)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Angband- Oikeroi, Ulwarth
*Angfaug- Borlach, Gorgol
RED CARDS:
*Angfaug- Gorgol (75, second yellow)

Group G     W-D-L  Pts.  GD
T-I-G       2-0-0    6   +4
Angband     1-0-1    3    0
Angfauglith 1-0-1    3   -1
Imladris    0-0-2    0   -3

[Nogrod]

The AKM will provide the advanced Phantasy Players some statistical material to take better hold of what is going on between the teams – which are their specific strengths and weaknesses.

So here are the stats from the two first rounds of the tournament thus far...

After the group definer (A, B, C…) and the venue(s) there are all the results of the games played on the first two rounds in that group – in the end there are the group-standings (inside the coded brackets... showing the points and the goal-difference respectively) and the last games to be played.


In the middle there are some stats – and here is the guide on how to read them.

Let’s take the alphabetically first team of Group A as an example: it goes as follows:

Armenelos		3-2	1-1-0
10/26 – 11/28
Offence		3/26	11,5%
Tar Atanamir		2/11	81,8%%

Row 1: Team name, goals made – goals allowed, wins – draws –losses
So:
Armenelos has made 3 goals and allowed 2, they have won 1, drawn 1 and lost no games.

Row 2: Shots aka. shots on goal / overall shots made, shots on goal allowed / overall shots allowed
So:
Armenelos has shot 10 shots on goal while shooting 26 shots overall, on their own side they have allowed the opponents to shoot 11 shots towards goal from 28 opposing teams shots overall.

Row 3: Offence aka. number of goals / shots overall, scoring percentage from all shots made (not from shots on goal *).
So:
Armenelos has scored 3 goals from 26 shots overall – which means they have a scoring percentage of 11,5% from overall shots.

Row 4: Goalkeeper aka. number of goals allowed / shots on goal allowed, keepers saving percentage from shots on goal.
So: Armenelos goal-keeper Tar Atanamir has allowed 2 goals from 11 shots towards the goal (so he has saved 9 shots from 11) and thus his saving percentage is 81,8%.


* We could have chosen also counting the shooting-percentage from only their shots towards goal, but as that number would have only mirrored the stats of the goalkeepers they have faced we thought counting it from all the shots would be more informative, giving a slightly different perspective to the stats.

~*~

So here are the stats. The AKM will refer to them with it’s further analyses for the last round of the group-phase, but will not make a detailed and separate analysis on the basis of it – but what little follows this article.


ADD ON: Hah, only group H looks like I would have liked the stats to look like but there are too many tables to be corrected. WIth the above instructions they should be clear enough even if the lines aren't aligned properly in every case...


Group A
GROUP A at Valimar & Taniquetil

Armenelos 2-1 Havens
Barrow-Downs 0-2 Valimar
Havens 2-2 Barrow-Downs
Armenelos 1-1 Valimar

Armenelos		3-2	1-1-0
10/26 – 11/28
Offence		3/26	11,5%
Tar Atanamir		2/11	81,8%%

Barrow-Downs	2-4	0-1-1
8/23 – 11/27	
Offence		2/23	8,7%	
Alien	 	4/11 	63,6%%

The Havens		3-4	0-1-1
13/27 – 11/27	
Offence		3/27	11,1% 
Amandil		4/11	63,6%%

Valimar		3-1	1-1-0
9/24 – 7/22		
Offence		3/24	12,5%
Manwë		1/7	85,7%

Valimar		4	3-1
Armenelos		4	3-2
The Havens		1	3-4
Barrow-Downs	1	2-4

Last games:
Armenelos vs. Barrow-Downs
Valimar vs. The Havens


Group B
GROUP B at Gondolin & Tumladen

InterBeleriand 2-0 Dwarves United
AC Beleriand 2-1 Gondolin
AC Beleriand 3-1 InterBeleriand
Dwarves United 2-1 Gondolin

AC Beleriand	5-2	2-0-0
13/29 – 9/22	
Offence		5/29	17,2%
Marach		2/9	77,8%

Inter Beleriand	3-3	1-0-1
8/21 – 11/27	
Offence		3/21	14,3%
Turgon		3/11	72,7%

Dwarves United	2-3	1-0-1
9/27 – 11/27		
Offence		2/27	7,4%
Galadriel		3/11	72,7%

Gondolin		2-4	0-0-2
12/28 – 11/29	
Offence		2/28	7,1%
Rôg		4/11	63,6%

AC Beleriand	6	5-2
Inter Beleriand	3	3-3
Dwarves Utd.	3	2-3
Gondolin		0	2-4

Last games:
AC Beleriand vs. The Dwarves United
Inter Beleriand vs. Gondolin



Group C
GROUP C at Menegroth & Neldoreth

Hithlum 1-3 Real Valinor
Doriath 1-1 ShireBree United
Hithlum 4-1 ShireBree United
Doriath 0-2 Real Valinor

Doriath		1-3	0-1-1
5/17 – 12/27	
Offence		1/17	5,9%
Dior		3/12	75%

Hithlum		5-4	1-0-1
13/32 – 13/32	
Offence		5/32	15,6%
Húor		4/13	69,2%

Shire-Bree United	2-5	0-1-1
9/22 – 11/27	
Offence		2/22	9,1%
Halbarad		5/11	54,5%

Real Valinor		5-1	2-0-0
16/37 – 7/22	
Offence		5/37	13,5%
Tulkas		1/7	85,7%

Real Valinor		6	5-1
Hithlum		3	5-4
Doriath		1	1-3
Shire-Bree Utd.	1	2-5

Last games:
Real Valinor vs. Shire-Bree United
Doriath vs. Hithlum



Group D
GROUP D at Dol Amroth & Pelargir

Isengard 0-4 FC Valinor
Barad-Dur 1-1 Gondor
Barad-Dur 2-1 Isengard
Gondor 0-2 FC Valinor

Barad Dûr		3-2	1-1-0
11/27 – 9/24	
Offence		3/27	11,1%
Grishnakh		3/9	66,7%

Gondor		1-3	0-1-1
6/21 – 12/28	
Offence		1/21	4,8%
Imrahil		3/12	75%

Isengard		1-6	0-0-2
6/18 – 12/27	
Offence		1/18	5,6%
Ugkluk		6/12	50%

FC Valinor		6-0	2-0-0
13/28 – 3/15	
Offence		6/28	21,4%
Huan		0/3	100%

FC Valinor		6	6-0
Barad Dûr		4 	3-2
Gondor		1	1-3
Isengard		0	1-6

Last games:
FC Valinor vs. Barad-Dûr
Gondor vs. Isengard



Group E
GROUP E at Erebor & Mirkwood

Eriador 2-1 Misty Mts
Erebor 3-3 Wilderland
Misty Mts 2-2 Wilderland
Erebor 0-1 Eriador

Erebor		3-4	0-1-1
12/34 – 12/30	
Offence		3/34	8,9%
Beorn		4/12 	66,7%

Eriador		3-1	2-0-0
11/24 – 7/24	
Offence		3/24	12,5%
Elrond		1/7	85,7%

Misty Mountains	3-4	0-1-1
9/25 – 13/30	
Offence		3/25	12%
Chief Wolf		4/13	69,2%

Wilderland		5-5	0-2-0
14/36 – 14/35	
Offence		5/36	13,9%
Great Warg		5/14	64,3%

Eriador		6	3-1
Wilderland		2	5-5
Erebor		1	3-4
Misty Mts.		1	3-4

Last games:
Eriador vs. Wilderland
Erebor vs. Misty Mountains



Group F
GROUP F at Tol Eressea Mobile & Pelargir/Balar/Alqualonde

Minas Tirith 0-3 Nargothrond
The Sea 1-1 Tirion
Minas Tirith 0-2 Tirion
Nargothrond 2-2 The Sea

Minas Tirith		0-5	0-0-2
7/21 – 18/41	
Offence		0/21	0%
Denethor		5/18	72,2%

Nargothrond		5-2	1-1-0
16/38 – 11/27	
Offence		5/38	13,2%
Orodreth		 2/11	81,8%

The Sea		3-3	0-2-0
11/27 – 10/26	
Offence		3/27	11,1% 
Hyermendacil	3/10	70%

Tirion		3-1 	1-1-0
12/29 – 7/21	
Offence		3/29	10,3%
Finarfin		1/7	85,7%

Nargothrond		4	5-2
Tirion		4	3-1
The Sea		2	3-3
Minas Tirith		0	0-5

Last games:
The Sea vs. Minas Tirith
Tirion vs. Nargothrond


Group G
GROUP G at Anfauglith & Tol-In-Gaurhoth

Anfauglith 1-0 Imladris
Angband 0-2 Tol-In-Gaurhoth
Imladris 0-2 Tol In Gaurhoth
Angband 2-0 Angfauglith

Angband		2-2	1-0-1
12/33 – 9/25	
Offence		2/33	6,1%
Carcaroth		2/9	77,8%

Anfaughlith		1-2	1-0-1
6/19 – 11/27	
Offence		1/19	5,3%
Ungoliant		2/11	81,8%

Imladris		0-3	0-0-2
4/16 – 9/23		
Offence		0/16	0%
Valandil		3/9	66,7%

Tol-In-Gaurhoth	4-0	2-0-0
12/29 – 5/22	
Offence		4/29	13,8%
ShastaWolf		0/5	100%

Tol-In-Gaurhoth	6	4-0
Angband		3	2-2
Anfaughlith		3	1-2
Imladris		0	0-3

Last games:
Angband vs. Imladris
Anfaughlith vs. Tol-In-Gaurhoth



Group H
GROUP H at Rauros

Mordor 2-0 Rohan
Anduin 2-0 Arnor
Arnor 2-1 Mordor
Anduin 2-1 Rohan

Anduin		4-1	2-0-0
11/28 – 9/27	
Offence		4/28	14,3%
Amroth		1/9	88,9%

Arnor		2-3	1-0-1
10/26 – 13/31	
Offence		2/26	7,7%
Arvedui		3/13	76,9%

Mordor		3-2	1-0-1
12/30 – 10/25	
Offence		3/30	10%
Watcher		2/10	80%

Rohan		1-4	0-0-2
9/26 – 10/27	
Offence		1/26	3,8%
Theoden		4/10	60%

Anduin		6	4-1
Mordor		3	3-2
Arnor		3	2-3
Rohan		0	1-4

Last games:
Arnor vs. Rohan
Anduin vs. Mordor



Some comments.

Reading the stats FC Valinor seems like on a league of it’s own. Their scoring percent from shots on goal is far better than any other team’s aka. 21,4%, while the next best AC Beleriand has 17,2% - Hithlum has 15,6% and then the next effective teams’ percentages hang around 13-14%. Also the number of shots they have allowed the opponent to make (3/15) and Huan’s saving percentage (100%) are also remarkable. T-I-G has allowed the opponents to shoot only 5/22 and the next most effective defences reach 7/21 (Tirion) and 7/22 (Real Valinor and Valimar). Shastawolf shares the 100% keeper-record thus far while a few reach 85% and 80% results.


But – and here’s the but – FC Valinor has played clearly lesser opponents many of the other top-teams have so their stats should look that good. If they were as good as with other serious contenders to win the Cup FC Valinor would look pretty weak indeed. In the same vein T-I-G’s remarkable defencive stats are partly explained by the quality of the offences of the teams they have played: Angband and Anfaughlith are tough teams but hardly offencive powerhouses – and Imladris plays in a group far exceeding their skills (zero goals made thus far).

So one should look for teams that perform very well in tough groups and have already played some tough opposition… The list looks hardly surprising: Armenelos, Valimar, AC Beleriand, Real Valinor, Nargothrond, Tirion – added with Hithlum (not impressive in defence – mostly due to meeting Real Valinor) and Eriador (not impressive in offence partly due to their philosophy of “just winning is enough”).


Does anyone think Minas Tirith, Imladris, Rohan or Isengard are in deep trouble? Just take a glance at their stats and you see why… also teams like Shire-Bree and Gondolin just allow too many goals while Doriath and Anfaughlith have too big problems in making them.

But also bad stats can mislead. “Case Gondor” is a nice example. Looking at their stats it would look like they are one of the teams dropping off from this tournament after the group phase – but alas, there’s more!

Let’s look at it. Isengard is out from group D, disqualified for sure as there is no way they can make it four points from one game (and the second, aka. Barad-Dûr has that many points already). So it will be between Barad-Dûr and Gondor which one will qualify as FC Valinor has also a safe qualification now as two teams can’t overcome it’s six points.

So let’s compare the stats of Barad-Dûr and Gondor. Barad-Dûr shoots about 25% more (27 vs. 21 shots) and their efficiency in scoring is nicely over double the numbers of Gondor (11,1% vs. 4,8%!). Now Imrahil of Gondor has a 10% percent lead in goalkeeping comparing to Grishnâkh (3/9 vs. 3/12 – resulting in 66,7% vs. 75%) but Barad-Dûr actually lets the opponent shoot 25% less – so that is kind of dealt with, right? And Barad-Dûr will qualify?

Well, there is one “but”. First of all Gondor and Barad-Dûr played a game already and it ended up in a draw 1-1. But while Gondor’s last game will be against already disqualified Isengard, Barad-Dûr will meet FC Valinor… so it is clear, whatever the outcomes of the last matches, that the stats will be much more closer after the last round – when they are strictly speaking comparable.


So the stats can be an aide for sure – letting one notice patters or tendencies, or sudden or unanticipated strengths or weaknesses of the teams – but one can’t apply them just like that. One needs to consider both the games against who they have been gathered and what kind of team is the next opponent.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Group Tables:

(1) secured first seed
(q) qualified for the knockout stage; seeding undetermined
(x) eliminated

Power Rank:



Greatest gain:

• +20 Anduin, Mordor
• +19 Valimar
• +12 FC Valinor

Greatest loss:

• -22 Gondor
• -20 Shire-Bree United
• -12 Erebor, Imladris

The Power Ranking is based on the aggregate of offensive and defensive ranking, combined with the adjusted goal difference rank of each team. The listed offensive and defensive rankings are from the actual numbers by the teams, and not adjusted. Ties are broken by a) win-draw-loss record; and b) goal difference.

The offensive ranking is based on the goals scored throughout the matches. Ties are broken by a) greater number of shots made on target; and b) greater number of shots made.

The defensive ranking is based on the goals allowed throughout the matches. Ties are broken by a) least number of shots allowed on target; and b) least number of shots allowed.

Top Individual Performers:

GOALS + ASSISTS

3+0
Scatha (Wilderland)

2+1
Curufin (FC Valinor)
Eöl (AC Beleriand)
Sauron (Barad-dûr)
Argon (FC Valinor)
Durin’s Bane (Misty Mts)

2+0
Glaurung (Nargothrond)
Ar-Pharazôn (Armenelos)
Eärendil (The Havens)
Aegnor (AC Beleriand)
Maedhros (Inter Beleriand)
Legolas (Dwarves United)
Gandalf (Shire-Bree United)
Aredhel (Tirion)
Grimbeorn (Anduin)

GOALKEEPING

• 100.0% – 5/5 – ShastaWolf (Tol-in-Gaurhoth)
• 100.0% – 3/3 – Huan (FC Valinor)
• 88.89% – 8/9 – Amroth (Anduin)
• 85.71% – 6/7 – Elrond (Eriador)
• 85.71% – 6/7 – Manwë (Valimar)
• 85.71% – 6/7 – Tulkas (Real Valinor)

[the phantom]

A Look at Group Scenarios
Philip McPhantom, MESPN News

In case you are wondering which teams look likely to advance, or to take first place, or have already done so etc. this is a handy little guide for where the teams stand with one game remaining.

GROUP A

Armenelos vs Barrow-Downs
Havens vs Valimar

No team here has clinched, and no one has been eliminated. Valimar and Armenelos are in the lead though, as both can clinch a spot with a win or a draw and can even survive a narrow loss, whereas Havens and Barrow-Downs need to win their games by two goals to take a spot. If Havens and BDowns both win 1-0, Valimar would advance in first and Havens in second.

GROUP B

AC Beleriand vs Dwarves United
Inter Beleriand vs Gondolin

AC Beleriand hasn’t technically clinched, but to be left out they’d need to lose by three goals to Dwarves United combined with Inter Beleriand beating Gondolin. If they lose to DwUnt let’s say 2-1 they’d still finish in first unless Inter beats Gondolin by two goals. If Inter and DwUnt both draw then Inter finishes ahead for the second spot. If DwUnt wins or draws and Inter loses then DwUnt qualifies. If AC beats DwUnt then Gondolin could qualify by beating Inter.

GROUP C

Shire-Bree United vs Real Valinor
Doriath vs Hithlum

Real has clinched a spot, and will finish first unless they lose to Shire-Bree United and Hithlum beats Doriath and the margins add up to 3 or more. Hithlum clinches the second spot with a draw unless SBUnt beats Real by at least four goals. Doriath can take the second spot with a win over Hithlum combined with a SBUnt loss, draw, or narrow win.

GROUP D

Barad-Dur vs FC Valinor
Gondor vs Isengard

FCVal has clinched a spot, but Barad-Dur can still finish first with a win over FCV. BDur clinches second with a draw, or with a Gondor loss or draw. Gondor can take second with a win combined with a BDur loss so long as the margin adds up to three. Isengard is eliminated.

GROUP E

Erebor vs Misty Mts
Eriador vs Wilderland

Eriador has clinched first place, and second place is up for grabs. If Erebor and Misty Mts draw then Wilderland clinches second with a win or draw. They can also clinch with a one goal loss and an Erebor-Misty draw so long as Erebor-Misty don’t outscore them by more than one goal (Wilderland is up two in goals scored). If Wilderland loses or draws then Erebor or Misty can claim second with a win.

GROUP F

Nargothrond vs Tirion
Minas Tirith vs The Sea

Minas Tirith is out, but that’s all that is known. If Nargothrond or Tirion pick up a win against the other then they will clinch first. The loser can still advance if Sea loses or draws against MTirith, but if Sea wins then they will take the second spot. If Nargothrond and Tirion draw then Sea can take the second slot from TIrion by beating MTirith by three goals, or only by two so long as they score more total goals than Tirion.

GROUP G

Angband vs Imladris
Angfauglith vs Tol-In-Gaurhoth

Technically no one is eliminated here, and first hasn’t been clinched. If TIG beats Angfauglith and Imladris beats Angband by two goals, Imladris can take second. If Angband draws they take second with a TIG win or draw. If Angband wins by only one goal TIG would still finish ahead with a one or two goal loss, and a two-goal loss would cause Angfauglith to tie with Angband on differential. A two-goal win by Angband safely clinches a spot. If Angband loses then Angfauglith takes a spot with a win or draw, and if Angband draws then Angfauglith needs to win to pass them.

GROUP H

Arnor vs Rohan
Anduin vs Mordor

Technically no one is eliminated here either. Anduin clinches first with a win or draw, while Mordor can clinch first by beating Anduin so long as Arnor doesn’t defeat Rohan by three or more goals. If Arnor loses or draws then Mordor can take second with a draw. If Mordor loses then Arnor can take second with a win or draw. Rohan can grab the second spot with a two goal win combined with Anduin beating Mordor by two goals.

What This Means for Phantasy Owners

Remember, most leagues limit trades once the final round of group play begins, so you don’t want too many players that are at risk of elimination. We’ve tried to look at the likelihood of various scenarios and narrow the teams into categories of how much of a risk it is to own players from those squads.

PLAYERS FROM THESE TEAMS WILL BE GONE
Isengard
Minas Tirith

PLAYERS FROM THESE TEAMS ARE AT HIGH RISK
Imladris
Shire-Bree United
Rohan
The Barrow-Downs

PLAYERS FROM THESE TEAMS ARE AT RISK
Angfauglith
Arnor
Doriath
Dwarves United
Erebor
Gondolin
Gondor
Misty Mts
Mordor
The Havens
The Sea
Wilderland

PLAYERS FROM THESE TEAMS ARE AT SLIGHT RISK
Angband
Armenelos
Barad-Dur
Inter Beleriand
Hithlum
Nargothrond
Tirion
Valimar

PLAYERS FROM THESE TEAMS ARE RATHER SAFE
Anduin
AC Beleriand
Tol-In-Gaurhoth

PLAYERS FROM THESE TEAMS ARE ENTIRELY SAFE
Eriador
FC Valinor
Real Valinor