Arda Cup Soccer 2008

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Group D is up next!

All right, Finduilas, Guilin, emya Amarië? Minë, atta, neldë:

NAR-GO-THROND! NAR-GO-THROND!

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Nilpaurion Felagund

Group D is up next!

Results will be coming later today... Sorry to keep you waiting but... they're coming...

[Nogrod]

The crowd at Osgiliath was full of pride as the city had earned the right to host the Arda 2008 games. All the people had gathered to the stadium and naturally people from Minas Tirith were crowding the place as well. But it was not an all-Gondorian event as the staunch groups of Umbarians and elves from Lothlorién had come to witness the games and to cheer for their team with their colourful masks and ear-catching chants.

On the afternoon match Nargothrond was calling the shots from the very first minutes and they played creatively letting all the players to make their mark on the game. Even if the tallies talk of somewhat even game the truth in the field was different. Nargothrond controlled the ball and had the quality chances. At 22 minutes Glaurung breathed the ball in from a superb pass by Finrod. It was just pure luck the numbers were only 1-0 at the halftime.

Nargothrond stroke again in the beginning of the second half when Barahir tossed the ball in after Beren’s beautiful shot at the post. Umbar side got heated and started getting yellow cards for their frustrated and late tackles. Suddenly Nazgul #9 took the ball from the Nargothrond defence (Bregor and Belegund were not agreeing which one of them should take the ball) and thanked with a score. That was a beautiful piece of individual talent even the supporters of Nargothrond had to admit and just watch in awe.

Sadly for Umbar the goal didn’t lead to a group effort but to more individualism and more foul play. At 74 minutes – playing at one player advance after Brodda had got his second yellow card – Gwindor sent a free kick to the high corner of the net sealing the victory for Nargothrond.

There was no question on which side the crowd cheered for.


Nargothrond 3-1 Umbar
shots 15-10
on target 6-3
Goals:
*Nargothrond, 22 (Glaurung- Finrod)
*Nargothrond, 49 (Barahir- Beren)
*Umbar, 61 (Nazgul #9)
*Nargothrond, 74 (Gwindor)
Yellow Cards:
Nargothrond- Gelmir
Umbar- Ulrad, Brodda, Folcred, Beruthiel
Red Cards:
Umbar- 71, Brodda (second yellow)



But the match of the day was clearly to come. The team of Lothlorién would measure the home team and the tension got ever higher. There was no empty seat on the stadium as the referee whistled the game open.

First both teams played it safe and the game was mostly boring. Lothlorién tried to build up some nice attacks but the Osgiliath’s defence held. The support of the home crowd encouraged the players to give their best in defence.

Slowly the initiative turned to the Osgiliath team and at the second half the crowd went wild. Lothlorién players had started to frustrate and had taken a few yellow cards when after one of them (Gollum hanging on the shirt of Telemnar) Ostoher took the free kick fast releasing Hyarmendacil to face Galadriel one on one. And it was a goal!

After the goal Lothlorién was unable to make it a game and it was indeed Osgiliath who had better chances of furthering their lead. Happily for Lothlorién Galadriel managed to boost her defence to not allow any more goals.

As the referee whistled the game close the crowd went wild cheering, singing and dancing away from the arena.


Lothlorien 0-1 Osgiliath

shots 8-11
on target 1-5
Goals
*Osgiliath, 65 (Hyarmendacil- Ostoher)
Yellow Cards:
Lothlorien- Gimli, Nimrodel, Gollum
Osgiliath- Falastur, Eldacar

[Nogrod]

Gondolin, the town of legends, the city of heroes, the town of the lore, the city of unsurpassed greatness showed the Middle-Earth it had not been chosen as the venue for the Arda 2008 soccer tournament in vain. The opening ceremonies surpassed those of the crowning of king Aragorn back then and the number of the balloons left to float into the air were more numerous as the stand able to home over 50 000 spectators.

At that grand setting the first match between Erebor and Gondor promised to be a classic before the home team would take on Tuna. At least the crowd was waiting for one. And they were not disappointed.

The name of the game came obvious to the spectators from the very beginning. Gondor pressed but their shots were mediocre at best. Then again Erebor shot less but with a far superior quality. Thanks to Beregond the numbers stayed 0-0 up to the end of the first half. The most cheers were given to the deadly looking combo of Smaug, Bard, Beorn and Girion who at times seemed to make fun of the Gondorian defence. At 39th minute the combo finally made a result when Bard hammered the ball into the net after the releasing pass by Girion. It was a goal to be cheered for.

The Gondorian team came to the second half spiritedly and their effort was rewarded at the 56th minute when lord Imrahil managed to ram the ball in from a beautiful pass by Hirluin.

The game was even then and it promised to be a real thriller. But the defence of Gondor got into trouble late in the game not able to stand right with the imaginative and creative attacks they faced. They were unable to counter the dribbling of the Smaug, Bard, Beorn and Girion quartet, and then Golaskil tackled Beorn really bad as he was about to break free to score. It felt like metaphysical justice coming true when Beorn made the free kick and Smaug banged it to the bottom of the net with his tail.


Erebor 2-1 Gondor
shots 10-15
on target 4-6
GOALS:
*Erebor, 39 (Bard- Girion)
*Gondor, 56 (Imrahil- Hirluin)
*Erebor, 77 (Smaug- Beorn)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Erebor- Thror, Dain, Thrain
*Gondor- Minalcar, Golasgil


The anticipation for the second match was something everyone in the crowd could feel. It was going to be a match between real giants and the home crowd was both fearing and anticipating the outcome.

The game proved to be really entertaining. It was no midfield to and fro but the ball stayed mainly near the goals as both teams made their best to score. It was not that there were poor defences, it was just that both sides really went for the attack.

Miriel, who was one of the deciding factors in the game got the Tuna team in front with a great individual performance in the middle of the first period but Idril equalised the game with as beautiful solo performance. Basically the game was one between Eol and Nerdanel. The middle-field motors orchestrated the game and gave the defences hard times with all the talent up front on both teams keeping the goalies at their toes. And the shots were raining on them.

The Gondolin team came very aggressive to the second half and partly because of the pressure of their “gusto” and the home crowd Ecthelion managed to score shooting the ball irresistibly behind Orodreth after a nice releasing pass by Maeglin confusing the goalie to the other corner.

But the good feeling of the home crowd was soon brought down as Finwe headed the excellent pass by Miriel into the back of the Gondolin net. It was 2-2 with about twenty minutes to go.

The “Miriel-show” was something even the home crowd appreciated. She seemed to be everywhere playing tricks with the ball no one thought possible and creating opportunities for her team every once in a while. Against the finesse and quickness of the Tuna efforts laying mostly on Miriel and Nerdanel the robust forwards of Gondolin were able to shield the ball from the defenders at the other end. The Game went to and fro.

Finally the crowd exploded. Maeglin hammered in a shot that would have stunned a roaring bull ten minutes before the full time. It was no surprise that Eol had his mark on the goal: he dribbled two defenders and then passed the ball ingeniously to Maeglin who had sneaked behind the defenders. Orodreth had no chance.

The home crowd went wild and the team stood firm the last ten minutes. The crowd got home joyfully this day as the home team was victorious. The crowd was waiting for more.


Gondolin 3-2 Tuna
shots 16-18
on target 8-9
GOALS:
*Tuna, 21 (Miriel- Nerdanel)
*Gondolin, 41 (Idril)
*Gondolin, 49 (Ecthelion- Maeglin)
*Tuna, 68 (Finwe- Miriel)
*Gondolin, 80 (Maeglin- Eol)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Gondolin- Rog, Salgant, Eol
*Tuna- Guilen, Mahal, Duilin

[the phantom]

--GROUP F--

The stadium upon Taniquetil was half empty for the first game between Amon Rhud and Armenelos. The players from Amon Rhud seemed relieved, as they were used to a life of secrecy. But some of the Armenelos players were visibly offended by the seeming lack of interest in the teams. "What, just because we're mortals, we're not worth your time?!" shouted Ar Zimrathan as he passed a tv camera.

The fans that were present were happy they had attended, for they were treated to a display of fine teamwork and skillful ball control by both squads. Amon Rhud controlled possession early, but they were constantly having to retreat back to the midfield, unable to find cracks in the back line of Armenelos. In the 28th minute they worked the ball in as close as they ever had, and Algund put a move on his defender and kicked one towards the goal. Elros was there easily however and sent a pass deep to Tar Calmacil.

For the rest of the half Armenelos largely controlled the ball, and much of that time was spent on Amon Rhud's half. Amon Rhud did a fine job of halting runs and stepping into shooting and passing lanes, but they were largely unable to steal the ball away. After forcing Ebor to make a couple of saves, Armenelos finally drew blood in the 41st minute as Ar Adunakhor sent a shot in from the corner and Ar Pharazon redirected it into the goal.

During the second half the stadium began slowly filling in anticipation of the second match. As if putting on a repeat performance for those who had missed the first half show, the teams engaged in an eerily similar second half. Amon Rhud controlled the ball but were once again unable to get decent looks at the goal and found themselves in their own field most of the time. And then at about the 60 minute mark Armenelos began their control game, only with their skilled offensive players they were able to work the ball around close to the box quite a bit. In the 67th minute Ar Gimilzor, standing straight out from the goal, somehow threaded a pass to Tar Ancalimon who came sprinting in from the right and he wasted no time in blasting a shot. The shot ricocheted off the shin of the goalie and into the net, giving Armenelos the 2-0 lead.

Amon Rhud attempted to get the ball down the field, but Armenelos's defense held firm and when they took possession they just passed it around, quite content to sit on their two goal lead. As the final whistle sounded quite a few of the spectators booed the Numenoreans vigorously, and the Numenoreans responded by making obscene gestures at the crowd. They are likely to face fines from the Arda Cup Committee.

Amon Rhud 0-2 Armenelos
shots 6-9
on target 2-6
GOALS:
*Armenelos, 41 (Ar Pharazon- Ar Adunakhor)
*Armenelos, 67 (Tar Ancalimon- Ar Gimilzor)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Amon Rhud- Avranc
*Armenelos- Ar Zimrathan, Ar Gimilzor

The stadium filled completely as the players from Taniquetil took the field and began warming up. The boys from Helm's Deep looked surprisingly calm as they took the field, despite being faced by the might of the Valar and their cronies.

"We at Helm's Deep are used to this sort of thing," said Hama before the match. "Standing firm and surviving against overwhelming odds is what we're known for!"

The match started, and the crowd was absolutely deafening as Taniquetil took immediate possession and then.... proceeded to pass the ball back to Vana in front of their own goal. The crowd grew quiet, and watched fairly silently as Taniquetil controlled possession for most of the first half and yet refused to advance the ball past midfield. Aule and Thorondor both tried to push things, but the offensive players for Taniquetil seemed content to let Aule's long passes sail just over them and let Helm's Deep take possession. Twice Thorondor went up past everyone by himself and gained control of a long ball and tried to pound in a long goal, but the goalie easily stopped the shot that didn't go off target.

When Helm's Deep had control they were the mirror image of Taniquetil, passing the ball around in their own zone, not wanting to challenge the defense of Taniquetil. When the first half ended, the stadium buzzed loudly with perplexed chatter. Why did both teams appear to be playing for a tie?

The second half was much the same. Helm and Eomund ran into Taniquetil's half and called loudly for the ball, but their teammates had trouble getting it to them. Helm earned himself one decent chance around minute 60 when he faked out Nessa and gained a clear lane to shoot through, but Mandos reacted well and caught the shot.

Then at minute 75, as if an alarm had gone off, Manwe and many of the other Valar seemed to wake up and began working the ball upfield, and actually working to beat their defenders one on one. At minute 79 Varda broke suddenly towards the goal and Manwe lobbed the ball beautifully out in front of her, and she proceeded to rise up above the defenders and poke the ball towards the goal. Erkenbrand managed to get a hand on the high shot as he leapt up and backwards, but the ball kept most of its momentum and hit off the crossbar and fell down across the line.

The crowd finally had a chance to cheer, and cheer they did. For the final ten minutes Taniquetil played solid defense and kept kicking the ball back down to the other end, and most of the crowd began celebrating the win they knew they'd earned, though quite a few of them remained subdued, a bit unnerved by the in-the-nick-of-time act pulled by Manwe and friends.

"This is football, not Beleriand!" said an irate fan after the game. "They don't have to play so defensively and wait till the last minute!"

Helm's Deep 0-1 Taniquetil
shots 4-6
on target 2-3
GOALS:
*Taniquetil, 79 (Varda- Manwe)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Helm's Deep- Walda, Hama
*Taniquetil- Nienna, Thorondor

[the phantom]

--GROUP H--

Orcs, Trolls, Werewolves, and all manner of creatures filled the stands at Angband stadium. Thangorodrim was belching fumes into the air, covering the sky with a canopy of dark grey which blocked out the sun for the benefit of the many sun-allergic residents.

As the teams took the field curses and threats were hurled at both, but in particular the crowd gave Valimar a difficult time in hopes that they would be angry and distracted enough to be upset by Brethil. But as the game began it didn't look like that would happen. Valimar took control of the ball and moved it down with relative ease and began looking for opportunities to score. They tested the defense of Brethil a couple of times, and the third time they struck gold as Earendil passed expertly to Tulkas who chipped it in from short range.

Brethil got the ball in deep around the 25 minute mark, and after a couple of off-line kicks Haldir managed to direct one true, but Ungolient was there for Valimar to stop it. Valimar took control once again and kept things simple, not being overly aggressive. Eventually they found themselves in close to goal again, and this time it was Tilion sending an excellent pass from the beside the goal out to the front where Eonwe dove and headed it in for a 2-0 lead right before halftime.

The second half was largely controlled by Valimar, though they pushed the ball very little, conserving energy perhaps for their eventual showdown with Angband. Every time Brethil attempted to advance they were met with the staunch defense of Valimar, and Brethil never threatened again, managing only one shot the second half. Ungolient looked absolutely bored back in goal.

The crowd jeered and yelled as the teams went back to their locker rooms, but none of the Valimar players responded, preferring to let their playing do the talking.

Brethil 0-2 Valimar
shots 4-11
on target 1-7
GOALS:
*Valimar, 15 (Tulkas- Earendil)
*Valimar, 40 (Eonwe- Tilion)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Brethil- Brandir
*Valimar- Arien, Pallando, Radagast

When Angband took the field for their match, it was as if a volcano was erupting beneath the stadium. The roar of the crowd literally made the ground tremble (largely due to the many dragons in attendance), and Melkor and his minions waved gleefully at their supporters.

The game began with Angband on the attack, but the valiant squad from Annuminas always seemed to do just enough on defense to keep Angband from getting too good a chance. In the 18th minute Gothmog sent a blistering shot just inside the sidebar, but Arvedui laid out and tipped the shot away.

The ball ended up right in front of Elendur who sent a pass forward to Argeleb, and he dribbled past two Balrogs and lobbed one down field behind the Angband defense. Valandur outfought Uldor for control of the pass, wrong-footed the Balrog who had caught up to help, and blasted a shot into the top corner of the goal past the outstretched paws of Carcharoth to take the early lead!

The Angband crowd sat in stunned silence as the game resumed and Annuminas advanced the ball into Angband's half. At the 33 minute mark Araphor finally gained enough breathing room to try a shot and skidded one down low. Carcharoth was there to deflect it, but the deflection went straight to Arantar who tried to quickly punch it in. The shot went wide however and the crowd breathed a sigh of relief.

Melkor, shouted angrily at his team and they responded to his prodding, playing very good and aggressive all the way up to the half, challenging the defense and goalie of Annuminas several times, though not succeeded in scoring any goals. Both teams drew several yellows before the half.

When they took the field for the second half Angband once again rushed forward aggressively, and scored after a mere two minutes of play, with Gothmog redirecting a hard shot from Melkor. The Angband crowd began cheering again after that a bit, though they certainly had not regained the confidence and swagger that they entered the stadium with.

After that Annuminas tried pushing the ball forward aggressively. Several times Valandur and Araphor were able to gain control of long balls, but they weren't able to gain quality scoring chances. In the 61st minute Ulfast sent a long pass into the middle and Ancalagon kicked it brilliantly out of midair right into the goal.

For the first time since the outset of the game the crowd cheered in full force as all was right in the world once again. After that the Angband defense really locked down and kept Annuminas off the attack, and gained a couple of good scoring chances, though they weren't able to capitalize thanks to Arvedui. As the minutes ticked away the crowd roared louder and louder as Angband controlled the game more and more.

But with only six minutes to go Eldacar ran down a loose ball and lifted the ball down the field where Araphor knocked it down, split through two Balrogs and ran in for a one on one with Carcharoth and squeezed it past on the ground just inside the bar. The small section of Annuminas fans went nuts but the rest of the stadium went dead quiet.

Not content to tie, Angband immediately went full attack, but Melkor got a bit carried away and got his second yellow and was sent off the field. The last few minutes Angband appeared scared of making a mistake while shorthanded and tried to run the clock out. Annuminas tried to mount an attack at the end, but the defense held easily for the tie.

Angband 2-2 Annuminas
shots 15-7
on target 7-4
GOALS:
*Annuminas, 18 (Valandur- Argeleb)
*Angband, 47 (Gothmog- Melkor)
*Angband, 61 (Ancalagon- Ulfast)
*Annuminas, 84 (Araphor- Eldacar)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Angband- Ulfast, Uldor, Ancalagon, Balrog #3, Balrog #4, Melkor
*Annuminas- Arantar, Tarandor, Tarcil, Valandur
RED CARDS:
*Angband- Melkor, 86 (2nd yellow)

[Nogrod]

The sporting community has always been renonwned for its effort to promote peace and brotherhood among nations but a few eyebrows were raised when the Arda 2008 board gave Mordor the right to host group G for the tournament.

The organisers had done their best before the tournament making different PR-campaigns but not all were convinced. Some of them just seemed to lack any street credibility like the campaign “No more tug of war – go out, hug a dwarf!”. The others seemed not to exactly promote brotherhood of nations but rather opened old wounds, like the “We couldn’t beat the White City in the war so let’s beat them on the scoreboard” –campaign. And what should one say about the last and greatest campaign of “Don’t kill a tourist!”?

It was then no wonder that only a handful of extreme football fanatics from Hithlum, Moria and Minas Tirith dared to venture to the games in Mordor. Against all odds there had been only sporadic acts of violence and only a few deaths during the days leading to the games.

The stadium was practically empty when the referee whistled the game between Hithlum and Moria open. The orcs were still preparing for the grand match of the evening drinking in local pubs and warming up by having fights with themselves and with any outlanders they could find. Naturally most of the visitors felt themselves the most safe within the walls of the stadium.

And what a match they saw there! If someone had bet his money on Moria he should quickly try to get his money back for there was practically one team in the field – and what a game it played! Hithlum was leading 2-0 before even an half an hour had been played. Hurin broke through the defence with a most intelligent pass by Fingolfin and just ten minutes later Turin shot such a rocket from 30 meters that the Watcher was only able watch it go in. Before the half time Hithlum had two great chances of adding their lead but first Hador and then Hurin managed to shoot wide from open places.

To anyone betting on these games it must be said though that Hithlum’s defence made a few cardinal mistakes in the beginning of the second period when Moria tried to come back to the game. First Gundor and Marach collided going for the same ball giving Narvi a great opportunity to score. Just a few minutes later Hador blundered as the lowest defender and passed the ball straight to Durin’s feet. But on both occasions Huor at the goal was a man worth his weight in gold. But so it went that on 51st minute Durin’s Bane finally booted the ball in after Bolg had dribbled Gundor out of the game and passed him free to an empty goal.

But that was all team Moria was capable of. The Hithlum team pulled itself together after the goal and went its way. The slowly growing crowd witnessed the sealing of the match on 69th minute when Fingolfin played a nice wall-pass with Hurin and hammered the ball in from the edge of the box.

Hithlum 3-1 Moria
shots 14-10
on target 6-4
GOALS:
*Hithlum, 17 (Hurin-Fingolfin)
*Hithlum, 28 (Turin- Fingon)
*Moria, 51 (Durin's Bane- Bolg)
*Hithlum, 69 (Fingolfin- Hurin)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Hithlum- Aegnor
*Moria- Oin, Balin, Great Goblin


But then all was set for the real game the crowd had been anticipating. Due to the peace-promoting campaigns the general feeling was that of a war. When the teams walked in to the field the crowd started throwing knives and different kind of kitchen utensils on the Minas Tirith team who made a quick leap back to the field house. It was only after several announcements and the referee’s threat to cancel the match that the crowd started behaving and the match could begin.

It was no surprise the game was a rough one. 11 cards were dealt during the game and a more strict referee would have easily given double or triple the amount. The game was also stopped three times because of the crowd’s behaviour. First it went mad from Minas Tirith’s equaliser calling it an offside, second time they greeted the visiting team yet again with knives and bottles as the second half was about to start and third time they couldn’t take the referee’s decision to send Shagrat off the field at 65th minute (that time the referee’s were forced to run for cover).

Mordor got an early lead when Khamul was freed by an ingenious pass by the Witch King who had scared the defenders away. But Minas Tirith equalised with Denethor II’s long pass that freed Boromir to face Shelob one on one. Whether it was actually offside will remain a disputed point that will be discussed for years to come.

The game was rough but it was also very offensive football. Both Ecthelion and Shelob had to perform their best to keep the scoreline low. And they did it. But finally, on the 57th minute Mordor’s forwards aided by Nazguls #3 and #4 opened the Minas Tirith defence with beautiful series of passes leaving The Witch King the easy job to pass the ball into the empty net in front of him. Officially the pass went to The Mouth but to be fair also Khamul and the Nazguls should have been recorded.

After getting the lead Mordor team started to secure their position which led into Minas Tirith getting the upper hand in the field. Mordor’s assets weakened considerably as Shagrat was sent to the shower at 65th minute for biting Telumehtar’s ear during a row before a corner kick. But Mordor had a tactics for the situation as well. Khamul managed to provoke Ondoher into a retaliation by kicking him to the groin when the referee didn’t notice. As Ondoher got back to his senses and went mad chasing Khamul around the field the referee showed him the red card immediately. Worried about Ondoher’s security, if he would need to walk out from the field and thence go near the audience, the referee made an unconventional decision ordering him to stand in the middle spot of the field not allowed to take part in the game for the rest of the match.

Even if they tried their best Minas Tirith never got the second goal and the home team was victorious. It had actually been the better team on the field and earned the victory but the behaviour of the crowd would be assessed through a looking glass. The threat is the last games will be played in an empty stadium.

Minas Tirith 1-2 Mordor
shots 10-15
on target 5-8
GOALS:
*Mordor, 22 (Khamul- Witch King)
*Minas Tirith, 38 (Boromir I- Denethor II)
*Mordor, 57 (Witch King- The Mouth)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Minas Tirith- Ondoher, Telumehtar, Earnil II, Earnur, Beregond
*Mordor- Shagrat, Nazgul #6, Khamul, Nazgul #7
RED CARDS:
*Minas Tirith- Ondoher, 68 (2nd yellow)
*Mordor- Shagrat, 65 (2nd yellow)

[skip spence]

Originally Posted by the phantom

Melkor got a bit carried away and got his second yellow and was sent off the field.

Does that mean Melkor will get suspended for the two remaining group matches?

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Sorry for the delay, but blue resisted conversion to jpeg format (yes, I use Paint), and so the names of the qualifying teams were unreadable.

I just pasted the worksheets I made of the standings and the bracket, and attached them to this post. Tomorrow I may have time to turn both into pictures.

[Nogrod]

A keen observer might acknowledge that the individual performances have gotten a lot better as the tournament has advanced and thence with performances one got three points in the first leg of the matches one might have been left on zero on the third leg. But then again these stars are relative to any round of game and who makes the outstanding performances.


Five stars go to:

Miriel of Tuna
Nerdanel of Tuna
Eöl of Gondolin
Huor of Hithlum

Three stars go to:

Tar Minastir of Armenelos
Boromir II of Rivendell
Finrod of Nargothrond
Melkor of Angband
Eowyn of Edoras
Girion of Erebor
Hurin of Hithlum
Thranduil of Mirkwood
The Mouth of Mordor
Bolg of Moria
Eldacar of Osgiliath
Beruthiel of Umbar
Eärendil of Valimar
Beor of Nargothrond
Elros of Armenelos
Drauglin of Tol-In-Gaurhoth
Celebrimbor of Formenos

One star goes to:

Oropher of Mirkwood
Pelendur of Umbar
Ecthelion II of Minas Tirith
Finwë of Tuna
Araphor of Annuminas
Ar Pharazon of Armenelos
Fëanor of Formenos
Arahael of Fornost
The Witch King of Mordor
Azog of Moria
Aragorn of Rivendell
Carcaroth of Angband


There will be special awards from the Arda Kicker Magazine’s board at the end of the group stage as well.

Both Armenelos and Rivendell defences have been astonishingly solid allowing their opponents not a single goal. Therefore the defenders who seldom get rewarded in these star-tallies will get six extra-stars each and the goalies three extra stars each. The AKM acknowledges the joy of assigning the outstanding brothers tending the goal the same points...

Six special stars will go to:

Tar Atanamir of Armenelos
Tar Ciryiatan of Armenelos
Tar Telperien of Armenelos
Gildor of Rivendell
Celeborn of Rivendell
Erestor of Rivendell
Gandalf of Rivendell

Three special stars will go to:

Elros of Armenelos
Elrond of Rivendell


An Arda Kicker Magazine's sum up for the stars after the group-phase will follow a bit later…

[Nogrod]

Eight stars:

Elrond of Rivendell
Hurin of Hithlum
Miriel of Tuna

Seven stars:

Elros of Armenelos

Six stars:

Eöl of Gondolin
Huor of Hithlum
Maeglin of Gondolin
Carcaroth of Angband
Celeborn of Rivendell
Erestor of Rivendell
Gandalf of Rivendell
Gildor of Rivendell
Tar Atanamir of Armenelos
Tar Ciryiatan of Armenelos
Tar Telperien of Armenelos

Five stars:

Ar Adunakhor of Armenelos
The Barrow Wight of Breeland
Huan of Formenos
Scatha of Mirkwood
Tar Palantir of Romenna

Four stars:

Ar Pharazon of Armenelos
Boromir II of Rivendell
Finwë of Tuna
The Witch King of Mordor

Three stars:

Amandil of Romenna
Eomer of Edoras
Fingolfin of Hithlum
Legolas of Mirkwood
Maedhros of Formenos
Mardil of Minas Tirith
Melian of doriath
The Phantom of Tol-In-Gaurhoth
Sauron of Tol-In-Gaurhoth
Tom Bombadill of Breeland
Turgon of Gondolin
Turin of Hithlum

Two stars:

Pelendur of Umbar

One star:

Amroth of Lothlorien
Aragost of Fornost
Argeleb of Annuminas
Bain of Erebor
Barahir of Nargothrond
Bard of Erebor
Beren of Nargothrond
Boromir I of Minas Tirith
Brytta of Edoras
Durin’s Bane of Moria
Eärendil of Valimar
Ebor of Amon Rhûd
Eldacar of Osgiliath
Eomer of Tol-In-Gaurhoth
Galadriel of Lothlorien
Glaurung of Nargothrond
Grishnak of Mirkwood
Gritnir of Amon Rhûd
Idril of Gondolin
Olwe of Alqualonde
Tilion of Valimar
Tuor of Gondolin
Ulfast of Angband
Valandur of Annuminas
Varda of Taniquetil

[the phantom]

Sixteen teams were gone, sixteen teams remained. It was playoff time. The time for mistakes was past. There would be no opportunity for redemption. No ties. It was win or go home. Do or die.

**********

MATCH 1, AT RIVENDELL

The Valimar supporters that showed up in Rivendell were confident that their team was prepared. They had survived a very tough group, and shown that they were the equal of the great and powerful Angband team.

But the fans in Rivendell were confident as well. Rivendell had not given up a goal thus far, and they saw no reason why their defense couldn't win the match for them yet again. True, Valimar was skilled, but surely Gandalf and Elrond were up to the task of countering them.

The game kicked off and the fans of both sides cheered, and the players threw themselves into the battle, determined not to disappoint their confident supporters. But the players were not nearly so sure of the outcome. Many of them knew each other well, and knew that the other side was good enough to defeat them. Radagast, Pallando, and Alatar wondered if their former ally Gandalf had given the Rivendell offense tips on how to get past them, and Gandalf wondered the same of them. Elrond and Earendil both surveyed each other, fervently wishing there was a way for both of them to be successful, but knowing that it was impossible. One would leave the field defeated.

Early on it seemed that Valimar would be advancing, as their midfield controlled the ball masterfully, and got the ball forward effectively. But the Rivendell defense did not crack, and they refused to allow anything productive to happen out in front of the goal, but rather forced Valimar into the corners and clogged the middle. Valimar tried to make something happen by forcing it out front, but every time Rivendell met the challenge and sent the ball away.

Finally, Valimar started taking cracks at the goal from more towards the side as well as straight on from a distance, but as expected this tactic did not work. Elrond could not be caught napping or misplaying the angles, and anything that was on target he stopped with ease. After the first twenty-five minutes had been played, the Valimar front players seemed to have lost a step and Rivendell began pressuring more and successfully gained and held possession several times, though they were still unable to move it up against the Valimar deep players. For the final fifteen minutes of the half Rivendell controlled the action, but they were only able to gain one quality chance, a nice pass from Boromir II to Glorfindel that the elf-lord poked just wide of the goal.

The second half began and Valimar and Rivendell both took turns moving the action, but once again neither team could gain the upper hand on the defense of the other. By the sixty minute mark both teams appeared to be at a loss. The defenders were playing ridiculously perfect, never making a single lapse to take advantage of. To get a goal it seemed that they would have to depend on one of their up front players to come up with a great individual effort, or they'd have to gamble and commit more players to the attack. But neither team seemed willing to risk it.

At minute 71, the tie was finally broken. Tulkas managed to muscle his way between Celeborn and Erestor with the ball still with him and boomed a mighty kick towards the goal. Elrond layed out and deflected it away, but Earendil got to the deflection first and sent an amazing no-look pass back behind him to Eonwe who placed it expertly into the other side of the goal.

The Valimar fans, who had never once doubted their team, shouted their approval and high fived each other. Rivendell was precise, but Valimar was just as precise and had the edge in talent. Now all Valimar had to do was shut out Rivendell for twenty more minutes, and they had been doing that the entire game.

Rivendell began pressing, but Valimar handled it easily and sent the ball back the other way, once almost putting up a second goal on the counter. The Rivendell supporters waited anxiously for their team to put something together, but nothing materialized. As time ticked away the crowd began hoping for a miracle.

And they got it.

With only three minutes left in the game Aragorn went in deep to harass the ball and perhaps got away with roughing up Pallando a bit and stole the ball away from him and took off straight at the goal. Alatar came up to meet him and Arien caught him from behind but he did a brilliant spin move and the two slammed into each other, bumping heads violently. With them out of the action Aragorn stopped his desperate run and waited for Glorfindel and Boromir to charge in with him to challenge Ulmo, Radagast, and Ungolient.

Orome and Tilion were hot on their heels, but Boromir and Glorfindel stayed ahead and Aragorn took the ball in and drew Radagast up to challenge and sent it quickly to Glorfindel. Ulmo had gambled Boromir and so Glorfindel was free, and he made the most of his chance, throwing Ungolient off with a quick fake and then dribbling to the side and chipping it into the open goal.

The home crowd went wild and the Rivendell players mobbed Aragorn and Glorfindel. They had hope once again. Regulation ended and overtime began at 1-1. The first overtime both teams made a solid try, but both keepers were up to the challenge. During the second overtime both teams slowed it down, seemingly resigned to the fact that the game would be decided by a shoot-out. Valimar would shoot first.

Eonwe directed his shot at the right post. Elrond got a finger on it and the ball hit the post and rebounded away. The crowd screamed.

Glorfindel sent his kick low and to the left. It was good! 1-0 Rivendell.

Tulkas kicked next for Valimar, booming it into the back of the net to tie up the score.

But Boromir II mirrored the strength of Tulkas with his kick and Rivendell had the lead again.

Then it was Earendil's turn to face his son. Elrond was completely faked out as Daddy got the best of him.

The score remained tied as Aragorn II stepped up and missed wide on his attempt. The score was still even at 2-2 with two kicks left for each team.

Tilion sent a screamer high to the left side, but the ball hit the crossbar and bounced down on the goal line and Elrond caught it on the bounce to preserve the tie.

Elrohir gave it his best effort to gain the lead, but Ungolient batted it away brilliantly.

And so it was down to one kick a piece. Orome the hunter approached the ball and crushed it low and left. Elrond guessed left. As the ball flew beneath him, Elrond stretched his right arm down and stopped it cold.

The crowd stomped and whistled for their Lord, and then shrieked with excitement as he made his way to the other end of the field and lined up to take the final kick. It was all over. They knew it. Elrond stepped up and sent a laser to the top right corner. It scraped both bars as it entered the goal and the Rivendell players came pelting up the field towards Elrond. He was met first by Gandalf who hoisted him up in the air in victory as the rest of the team gathered around. The celebrations that night nearly rivaled those held after the destruction of the Ring at the end of the third age.

Rivendell 1-1 (3-2) Valimar (shoot-out)
shots 10-13
on target 4-7
GOALS:
*Valimar, 71 (Eonwe- Earendil)
*Rivendell, 87 (Glorfindel- Aragorn)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Rivendell- Elladen, Erestor
*Valimar- Arien, Alatar

[the phantom]

(special thanks to Nogrod for writing this match up)

MATCH 2, AT THE BARROW-DOWNS

There had been a lengthy discussion about where the Tol-in-Gaurhoth team should play it’s home game. Finally, the isle of Tol-In-Gaurhoth lost to the Barrow Downs as most ‘Downers were not too keen to play on the island and preferred the ‘Downs – even though the Barrow Wight himself had played for Breeland. So in the end Sauron was left almost alone (Thuringwethil voted with him, surely) and the game took place in the Barrow-Downs.

It was the time of the play offs then and the crowds packed the stadium at the Barrow Downs. But the mist had begun to gather long before the game started and soon the visibility was down to ten meters at best. The crowds – especially the loads of Mordor supporters – were complaining loudly about how much better the isle would have been.

But suddenly there was a song in the air.

Old Tom Bombadill is a merry fellow,
Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.
None has ever caught him yet, for Tom, he is the master:
His songs are stronger songs, and his feet are faster.

Get out, you old Wight! Vanish in the sunlight!
Shrivel like the cold mist, like the winds go wailing,
Out into the barren lands for beyond the mountains!

A strong breeze of wind broke the mist away in minutes and the sun came out from behind it shining bright over the stadium. It was clear that one of the reasons the Breeland team hadn’t managed to qualify was the internal tension within the team. But now Tom Bombadil had conquered and given the crowd a chance to see the game the Barrow Wight had tried to conceal from them. There was a loud cheer when old Tom entered the stadium. Although a few Mordor supporters were already whining about the sunlight…

Now there were interesting dynamics to this game as Sauron played for the T-I-G team and not for Mordor. It was clear from the very beginning of the game that the Nazgûl were more than willing to show how formidable they were without him. At times it seemed Sauron was looking upon them as a proud father who thought that finally his offspring was showing some talent. Sadly the referee was not looking at the events in the game from the same angle and gave a yellow card to both Nazgûl #4 and #6 for roughing.

Although in the latter case also Hookbill the Goomba was carded as well, and with a reason. Nazgûl #6 and Hookbill were reaching out for the ball in the midfield when the Nazgûl booed loud to Hookbill’s ear to frighten him. But Hookbill took the Alien from under his shirt and threw it towards the Nazgûl. When the Alien bit the Nazgûl’s ear the Nazgûl got mad and tried to kill Hookbill with the sword he had sneaked into the playfield within his cloak. Happily the referee got into the middle of it and showed a card for both of them – and disarmed the Nazgûl.

But the T-I-G team was sovereign on the first half. Even though Mordor managed to make a few nice offensives, it was the T-I-G that controlled the game. On the 22nd minute Formendacil opened the scoreline after a long pass by Cailín that sent him one on one with Shelob – and Form was in form for it. On the 42nd minute it was time for the header specialist Nogrod to head in a nice pass from Thuringwethil following a corner kick situation.

But the Mordor team came back to the second half more offensive and more determined. And their offence proved to be poison to the T-I-G defences. On the 58th minute the Nazgûl were building up an offence on the midfield and while passing the ball the #6 gloated for his attack on Hookbill and made some remarks on Hookbill’s sister. That was too much for Nogrod and he headed the Nazgûl to his chest causing him to tumble down. The referee was strict: a yellow card for Nogrod.

But finally Mordor’s counter-offensive brought results and on the 61st minute The Mouth shot in a beautiful volley from the pass by Khamul from the corner of the box. Mordor was back in the game!

Their joy was short-lived as Sauron himself banged the ball into the Mordor net after a nice releasing pass by the Phantom. He had finally decided to show his minions who was the master on the ground.

Even though the T-I-G had been dominant the whole game, Mordor came up once more and went for making the game more even. An attack after another they came towards the T-I-G goal and the T-I-G players had the first idea what it is to play against an opponent which really knows how to play.

On the 83rd minute Khamûl was about to break free from the corner of the box. Eomer would have none of it and charged him – but being late of the situation he only managed to kick Khamûl to the groin. A yellow card and a free-kick were quite nicely judged by the referee as it could have been a penalty as well.

Khamûl gave the free kick from the corner of the box and The Witch King just shoved the defenders away from him and made the score line 3-2.

But the time ran out for the Mordor team and T-I-G managed to pacify the game after Mordor’s last goal so that when the referee blew his whistle to end the game it was the T-I-G that had a reason to celebrate. They had been the better team and had stood to the challenge.

Tol-In-Gaurhoth was in for the next round and Mordor had been beaten. There were a few troubles with the disenchanted Mordor fans, but in the end it went pretty nicely as the Barrow Wight’s police-teams were quite effective dealing with rebelling orcs…

Mordor 2-3 Tol-In-Gaurhoth
shots 12-16
on target 5-8
GOALS:
*TIG, 22 (Formendacil- Cailin)
*TIG, 42 (Nogrod- Thuringwethil)
*Mordor, 61 (Mouth- Khamul)
*TIG, 73 (Sauron- tp)
*Mordor, 84 (WK- Mouth)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Mordor- Shagrat, Naz #4, Naz #6
*TIG- Hookbill, Nogrod, Eomer