We were reaching the climax of Group B and with (on average) 5 games each already under their belts, most teams now had just 2 games left to stake their claim for the knock-out phase of the tournament. It was Holland versus Spain to kick us off next.

Elbersiktas came into the game on the back of their first three points having just beaten (the previously unbeaten) Wealdstone Raiders. AC Motxo's results had been up and down so far – it read Loss, Win, Draw, Draw, Loss. The Spanish were currently 1 point ahead of their Dutch opponents. If either of these teams could finish Win, Win then they would have a good chance of qualifying for the Cup.

Elbersiktas took the lead for the third game in a row and for the third game in a row it was the mythical Pieter Elbers who got his name on the scoresheet. CEO of an international airline and score of goals in an international football tournament – was there anything this man could not do?

The myth became legend moments later when Elbers was credited with a second goal in the game. At 2-0 the game was up for AC Motxo International who slipped to their second defeat in a row. Elbersiktas were up to fifth.

What a game we had in store next – Cruz Del Sur versus FC Gymnasium. It was the teams in first and third place. FC Gymnasium were current leaders of the group on 10 points. Cruz Del Sur were only 2 points behind but crucially had a game in hand. Although Lacey Green FC had a stake in the Group title, this was effectively a top of the table clash.

Both teams had a +3 goal difference and Cruz Del Sur were currently unbeaten. The English team were enjoying their second best start to a eurofootballfives.com tournament (they won Group C with a 100% record at the 2016 Riga Tournament). As good as their start was, there were 3 teams below them within 3 points so Cruz Del Sur could not relax for a moment as far as Cup qualification was concerned.

As was often the case with top of the table clashes, this was a close and evenly contested game and it was low-scoring. Defences remained on top and it was arguably more important not to lose than go full out for the win. This was especially true for Cruz Del Sur who had a game in hand. With the top 4 qualifying for the Cup it was important not to do anything silly at this stage.

The match finished 0-0. We often wonder if a draw is a point gained or 2 points dropped. Given the context of the group, this was arguably a well-earned point gained.

The battle at the top of Group B was hotting up. One team who would have been pleased to see Cruz Del Sur 0-0 FC Gymnasium would have been Lacey Green FC. It meant they had a chance to go 2 points clear at the top with 1 game to go. The team trying to prevent them getting a win was Wealdstone Raiders.

Wealdstone Raiders had started well with 4 games unbeaten but had just tasted defeat for the first time today. It meant they dropped out of the top four just as were getting to the business end of the group. Lacey Green promised to be a tough game to try and regain that top four position.

In Group A, L'Albiceleste seemed to be racking up the 1-0 wins (or wins by a 1 goal margin) and making steady progress up the group. In Group B, Lacey Green FC were doing the same. Keeping it tight at the back, grabbing a goal and seeing the game out. With potentially 10 games required to win the tournament this tournament would be a marathon not a sprint and so stamina under the Portuguese sun was an important factor.

Lacey Green continued this form. It was a fifth clean sheet for Ryan Maguire and a fourth tournament goal for Mark Johnson. Job done for Lacey Green FC who were top. Worryingly for Wealdstone Raiders it was a second defeat in a row.

The last game before the final round of fixtures was to be Men Behaving Chadli versus AFC Chorltonians. At kick-off Men Behaving Chadli sat in eighth position but with an outside chance of making the Cup. They needed two wins to take them to 9 points and hope other results would go their way.

Statistically, AFC Chorltonians had a better chance of Cup qualification. They were currently in fourth place with 7 points. This was their last chance to put points on the board. If they could grab a win and move on to 10 points they would be unlucky not to reach the Cup with such a haul. They had to win this game though.

It started off well for the team from Manchester as AFC Chorltonians forged ahead with Lee Bagshaw scoring for the second game in a row. With 4 draws already and a goal up they would desperately want to avoid a fifth draw. Right on cue, Shaun Cravagan kept his second clean sheet of the group phase to help his team to their second victory of the group phase. Final score, 1-0.

AFC Chorltonians had done all they could. They would now have to watch the last four games in Group B to see if they had done enough. Men Behaving Chadli's Cup hopes were extinguished but they had 1 game to come to see how high up they could finish in the Group B table.