N-Euro Cup Round 2
****Dragooooo 0-3 Mcoys Sons****
Dragooooo were looking to maximise their squad’s strength with a 4-4-2 formation while Mcoys Sons opted for a suppressive 4-5-1 to overpower their opponents. Mcoys Sons took an early lead when Dexter MacAlley took a shot from inside the penalty area and scored in the 4th minute but Dragooooo managed to shut out the rest of Mcoys chances in the first half. As the second half progressed, it was clearly a one-sided game as Mcoys Sons kept pushing their opponents and taking shots on goal but Dragooooo were doing a fine job keeping Sons at bay, at least until the 69th minute when Wyatt Rufus scored from a header. It was taking all of Dragooooo’s efforts to keep Mcoys Sons from scoring again which unfortunately stopped them from creating any chances of their own and in the 86th minute, Mcoys Sons sealed their fate with a final goal coming from Dexter MacAlley.
****DuDs Baggies 2-0 Bubbles FC***
The fans were promised a close game as these two evenly-matched teams came together but it turned out to be quite one-sided. DuDs took full advantage of their squad and home advantage by playing 4-4-2 but Bubbles risked a 4-3-3 away which left them too weak in the midfield. The first half went by without any goals but not from lack of trying. DuDs had 4 attempts on goal in the first half while Bubbles could not get close. Late in the second half of the game, Bubbles defences finally broke down after multiple attacks from an unrelenting Baggies team who were able to score in the 68th minute with a header from Rory Ashe. DuDs kept up their offensive game and scored again in the 86th minute as Val Livett scores from a shot in the penalty area.
*****Seahawks FC 1-1 The Comerade Co-op****
Seahawks stay true to their reliable 4-3-3 while Co-op counter with a 4-4-2. The first goal came from Seahawks in the 19th minute as Jeremias Ríos scores from a header but it was the only attempt on goal from either team in the first half. The second half was more frantic as Co-op got an early goal in the 50th minute to equalise, goal scorer was David Chmutov. Now that the score was level again, both teams pushed their offence to get a lead. Seahawks were more comfortable in attacking as the home side and managed more chances on goal but neither team were able to score again. The game ends in a draw which means Seahawks go through with 5 chances against 3.
****Haden United 1-1 Intergalactico Stars*****
Both teams look to dominate the midfield with 4-5-1 formations and although Haden United is the stronger team on paper, Intergalactico Stars have the better coach and their tactics today prove it. Intergalactico played a rough first half as they strived to keep United under wraps which sent a couple of bookings their way but it was worth it as they scored in the 41st minute with a long range shot from Nikolai Volkoff. With two chances against none and the first half ending 1-0, Intergalactico looked set to take victory. In the second half, United managed a couple of attempts on goal but not as many as Intergalactico, however it was United who scored next in the 78th minute as Favio Sbaccanti scores from a header. The final minutes counted down and Intergalactico had done enough to go through, all they needed to do was keep United from creating any more chances and when the final whistle blew, Intergalactico were ahead with 6 chances against 2. They may be out of the cup but Haden United walk away with their best ever home result against Intergalactico Stars.
