The eurofootballfives.com circus rolled back into the Netherlands as we kicked off the 8th edition of the Amsterdam Fives. It was great to be back in the Dutch capital and we had a brand new venue for our teams to enjoy.

To kick us off we had Team Koopman (Hol) versus Real BUILDers (Eng). Team Koopman were on debut in our tournaments so we would get our first glimpse of them shortly. Real BUILDers already had some eurofootballfives.com experience under their belts.

Real BUILDers were making their second eurofootballfives.com appearance having made their debut last year at the 2015 Lisbon Tournament. They went through the group phase unbeaten with 3 wins and 2 draws to their name. They scored 11 goals and conceded just 3 along the way. In the knock-out phase they came unstuck against a very good Indoorsoccer (Por) team and bowed out 3-0.

Real BUILDers began with a draw in Lisbon but they went one better at the start of their Amsterdam campaign. They secured a 4-2 victory with goals from Darren Sooprayen, Adam Ryzner, James Pomeroy and Sean Richardson. Mitchell and Van Der Laet scored the goals for Team Koopman but, alas for them, there would be no points for them.

It was England versus the Netherlands again in match #2 of Group A as Paralytic Athletic and Indonesia FC both took to the field. Both teams were on debut and so they had a blank canvas upon which to paint their footballing artistry. Let the games commence……

Paralytic Athletic got off to an absolute flyer. Jack Veness had the honour of scoring his team's first eurofootballfives.com goal and they never looked back. The English team raced into a 4-0 half-time lead. They eased off a little in the second half but still extended their lead to 6-1 by full-time and they were the early leaders of Group A.

There was a second goal for Jack Veness, two for Nanda McCarthy and one for each of Jack Cuthbertson and Philip Robinson. Indonesia FC scored a consolation through number Mark Hann which was a highlight in an otherwise tough game for them.

The final team to begin their Group A challenge was Wizards of WhatsApp of the Netherlands. The Dutch team was a late entry into the tournament after the late withdrawal of France's FC Magnum. Denmark were a late entry into the 1992 European Championships due to the late cancellation of Yugoslavia. Denmark went on to win Euro 1992, could Wizards of WhatsApp go on to win the 2016 Amsterdam Fives?

Team Koopman had already begun their campaign and warmed up with a 4-2 defeat to Real BUILDers. Team Koopman were 1-0 down in that game at half-time and they found themselves a goal down at half-time in this fixture. They trailed 2-1 this time.

After the break the goals continued to flow and it was “tit-for-tat” as both teams were in fine goal-scoring form. There were four second half goals to savour and the teams shared them equally meaning Wizards of WhatsApp emerged 4-3 victors. Their goals were scored by Charlie Barth, Paul Pelzl and Bas (x2). Team Koopman's goals proved to be consolations again but were scored by Mitchell, Galied and Michel Kroes.

Real BUILDers were back in action again against Paralytic Athletic in Game 4 of Group A. Both teams had tasted victory in their opening games and they now had a chance to take a firm grip on Group A if they could claim a second successive victory here.

Real BUILDers had an enviable record in the group phase of our tournaments. Including their opening fixture today it read 4 wins, 2 draws, 0 defeats with 15 goals for and 5 against. Could Paralytic Athletic be the first team to punch a hole in that record?

If they were they would have to do so coming from behind as goals from Joel Hanley and then Sean Richardson gave Real BUILDers a 2-0 lead going into the change of ends. After the break Philip Robinson pulled a goal back for Paralytic Athletic but ultimately the sands of time ran out for them as Real BUILDers saw the game out to win 2-1.

Indonesia FC took to the field for their second fixture of the tournament looking to bounce back from opening game defeat. The reverse was true for Wizards of WhatsApp who had emerged victorious (4-3) in a very tight game against Team Koopman.

Indonesia FC put in an improved performance compared to their first game. They were 4-0 down at the break in that one but here they were level at 2-2. Indonesia's Mark Hann scored for the second game in a row with Joep de Man scoring his first of the day. Wizards of WhatsApp were on the scoresheet through Charlie Barth and Paul Pelzl.

Wizards of WhatsApp came out on top in a very close opening game but this time they were on the wrong end of the result as it was Indonesia FC who edged out the Wizards. There was another goal each for Mark Hann and Joep de Man but it was Ros Poluyga's goal which proved to be the match-winner in a 5-4 victory. It was a remarkable turnaround for Indonesia FC who lost 6-1 first time out but now had their first win and first points on the board.

Wizards of WhatsApp's second half goals both came from Bas which meant they had exactly the same scorers in this game as their opener.