N-Euro Elite League Round One
***Battlestar Odwinica 1-0 Real Peeps****
The first game to be played this round was a tense struggle as the might of Battlestar Odwinica clashed against the wiles of Real Peeps. Real Peeps had a tactical advantage throughout the game and even had the only chance of the first half, locking Odwinica out completely. Unfortunately Real Peeps are still the weaker side and although it took longer than they would’ve liked, Odwinica finally found a weak spot in their opponent’s defence in the 86th minute and Fritjof Tygesen was able to score. Both teams had 2 chances in the game but Odwinica were the only team to score.
****AC Elites 1-1 Intergalactico Stars****
A quick freekick in the 3rd minute of the game caused upset for Intergalactico fans as Danny Beech put it away directly into the net, putting Intergalactico on the back foot right from the start! AC Elites kept things tight, not allowing Intergalactico to even have one attempt on goal in the first half. The second half began and AC Elites were keeping the match in their control and even had the confidence to bring the ball out of their own half to take another shot on goal which was easily saved. In the 59th minute, Intergalactico finally had a chance to take a shot on goal thanks to being awarded a freekick. Gandalf Grey took the shot and scored! It turned out to be Intergalactico’s only chance the whole game so they were very lucky to come away with any points at all from this game!
***Dragooooo 0-3 Madpool***
This match threatened to go the same way as Elites vs Intergalactico as Dragooooo were awareded a penalty in the very first minute but it was missed by Thijs Feskens. In the 8th minute, Reggie Hales took a freekick for Madpool and easily scored, injecting venom into the pride of Dragooooo. Just a few minutes later, Spence Monk broke through and scored a second goal for Madpool. In the second half, Dragooooo were on high offensive causing Ed Kent of Madpool to be heavily injured. Dragooooo were undeterred and kept up their attack, landing 4 shots on goal but not scoring any of them. All the while Madpool had been getting more and more shots on goal until finally Darrell Sedgewick scored in the 79th minute.
****Winston Gardens FC 2-3 Silverdale Hotpot****
The first half of this game was tense as both teams were getting shots on goal but neither were able to score. Silverdale were performing better, creating double the amount of chances as Winston Gardens despite being the away team. In the 52nd minute, Silverdale went into the lead thanks to a goal from Steven Calderwood. Winston Gardens weren’t set to give up though and a set piece freekick in the 57th minute saw Charles Ingham level the scores at 1-1. Just a few minutes later however, Bruno Da Luz of Silverdale Hotpot scored from right inside the penalty area, putting Silverdale ahead again. The minutes were counting away and Winston Gardens were still threatening to equalise until the 89th minute when Cristiano Romero managed to score a third goal for Silverdale, creating a 2 goal lead… and it’s lucky he did as Charles Ingham scored again for Winston Gardens just two minutes later! Unfortunately for Gardens, it was too little too late and Silverdale win 3-2.
***Eights United 5-2 The Sixty-Fourthers****
Eights had an easy time of it in the first half and took things slow after their first goal was scored by Charles Almaas in the 5th minute. They had one other attempt on goal in the first half but it flew wide. The Sixty-Fourthers didn’t create any chances until the second half but it was still Eights who scored first then, getting goals in the 60th and 68th minutes scored by Trygve Fjellbekk and Alec Svanson. In the 74th minute The Sixty-Fourthers finally managed to get a goal but it was thanks to Charles Almaas of Eights United who scored an own goal! Emil Beck put things right for Eights in the 76th minute, scoring from a long range shot to put the score at 4-1 but in the 80th minute Oliverio Ribeiro scored for The Sixty-Fourthers making it 4-2! The final goal of the game came in the 88th minute and it came from a penalty scored by Severin Granås of Eights United. It was an exciting game with many goals but Eights were the clear winners from the start.
Most Important Result: AC Elites 1-1 Intergalactico Stars, Intergalactico have won the last two seasons while the Air Conditioners have only just made it to the elite league this season after just scraping promotion from the middle league! AC Elites are the only newly promoted team to have made a splash this first round and they couldn’t have picked a better team to draw against. This may ruin things for Intergalactico and allow Madpool and Eights to fight it out between them for top spot this season!
Manager of the Round: Rowan, Silverdale Hotpot, Silverdale were a bit shaky last season but if this result is anything to go by, they’ll be a real competitor this season. Rowan led his team to a 3-2 away win, creating 10 chances in the game and easily keeping ahead of a strong home team.
Player of the Round: Severin Granås, Eights United, Granås assisted in the first goal of the game for Eights in the 5th minute and scored a penalty in the 88th.
N-Euro Elite League Round Two
****Winston Gardens FC 1-1 Battlestar Odwinica*****
Odwinica looked like they had this in the bag after Amar Sherawat scored in the 23rd minute. They had 3 attempts on goal in the first half while Winston Gardens failed to create any. The match dragged on as neither side gave anything away but in the second half both teams had a shot on goal although neither scored. It looked like it would be a 1-0 victory all the way but just as the ref was bringing the whistle to his lips to end the game, Elroy Goodison managed to score for Winston Gardens earning them a last-second draw!
****Real Peeps 3-3 Eights United***
Real Peeps played an offensive game from a distance against Eights United, apparently for great effect! In the 8th minute, Burt Lilywhite scored the first goal of the game for Real Peeps but it wasn’t too long before Kurniawan Yusri was able to equalise for Eights, scoring a goal in the 25th minute. Real Peeps were somehow keeping ahead of Eights this game though and in the 28th minute, Ernst Heinzmann pushed Real Peeps into the lead again after scoring from a long range shot. In the 41st minute, Eights levelled the scores again thanks to a goal from Alec Svanson and the first half ended at 2-2. In the second half it was Eights’ turn to lead and Justin Wilder scored in the 47th minute putting them 3-2 up. However, that was Eights only chance of the second half while Real Peeps had three. In the 63rd minute, Dominic Gili scored an equalising goal for Real Peeps to earn them a draw!
*****Intergalactico Stars 5-4 Dragooooo***
Another close game for Intergalactico as it seems their tactics were the only things keeping them ahead in this game! Nikos Scabos scored first in the 13th minute for Intergalactico Stars but Dragooooo levelled the scores in the 24th minute thanks to a goal from Gregor Forsyth. Intergalactico went straight back into the lead just a few minutes later as Nikos Papadopoulos scored in the 27th minute and the first half ended with Intergalactico 2-1 up. In the 47th minute, Daan Wielink scored for Dragooooo to tie the scores up once again but in the middle of the second half, Intergalactico pulled away. A penalty in the 54th minute was scored by Nikos Scabos and just two minutes later, Nikos Papadopoulos scored another goal for Intergalactico, putting them up 4-2. Mark Undertaker made it 5-2 in the 62nd minute and it seemed like Dragooooo were beat but in the 79th minute, Thijs Feskens scored a penalty for Dragooooo which gave them fresh hope. In the 82nd minute, Daan Wielink was able to score which made it 5-4 to Intergalactico with still time for an equaliser! Unfortunately for Dragooooo it never came but this was a close call for Intergalactico who have now nearly lost a game to two newly promoted teams.
***Madpool 5-2 The Sixty-Fourthers***
Another high scoring game and a mirror of the scores of last round’s game for The Sixty-Fourthers as Madpool and Eights have both beaten them 5-2. The Sixty-Fourthers were actually first to score in this game as Amer Kurdi scored from a long range shot in the 5th minute, but their lead was short lived as Madpool scored three goals against them within 5 minutes. Archie Gay scored in the 19th minute, followed by Spence Monk in the 21st and Darrell Sedgewick scored in the 24th minute. Madpool were now 3-1 up but The Sixty-Fourthers were still fighting hard and in the 28th minute Oliverio Ribeiro scored from a set piece freekick to make it 3-2. Madpool were easily keeping on top of their opponents though and in the 30th minute, Spence Monk scored Madpool’s fourth goal. In the 52nd minute, Steven Gerrard made it 5-2 and The Sixty-Fourthers lost hope. Both teams played the match out and no further goals were scored.
****AC Elites 1-2 Silverdale Hotpot****
Another home game for AC Elites and nearly another draw but Silverdale are doing well in their away games this season and brought it back at the end. Bruno Da Luz scored the first goal of the game for Silverdale in the 31st minute but the first half wasn’t over before AC Elites equalised with a goal from Flink Yang. The second half was well underway and neither side looked like they were going to give anything away but in the 84th minute, Silverdale had finally worn AC Elites down and Steven Calderwood managed to break through and score the winning goal for Silverdale Hotpot.
Most Important Result: Real Peeps 3-3 Eights United, this draw leaves Madpool and Silverdale as the only teams to have won both games so far this season as it promises to be one of the most competitive seasons yet in the elite league! Madpool and Silverdale are both on 6 points now but Madpool are ahead on goal difference while Eights and Intergalactico are in 3rd and 4th on four points, along with Battlestar Odwinica in 5th. Dragooooo and The Sixty-Fourthers are the only teams who have yet to earn any points.
Manager of the Round: Nikos9, Intergalactico Stars, Intergalactico had a near miss this game as they just about managed to keep ahead of Dragooooo. They had a 3 goal lead at one point but Dragooooo closed that gap in the closing minutes of the game, proving that there was little difference in the two team’s strength but tactically, Intergalactico had the upper hand!
Player of the Round: Spence Monk, Madpool, Monk scored two goals in his game against The Sixty-Fourthers and assisted in a third.
