We arrived at the Plate Quarter-Final stage and we would shortly see eight teams reduced to four teams. We had a high quality line-up in the Plate with 3 of the 4 teams who had played in our tournaments before having reached the Cup knock-out phase previously. We also had 4 teams on debut.

First up was Mitre FC A versus Mardons FC. The former were the top ranked team of the 8 qualifiers for the Plate. With 11 points from their 6 games they were displaying Cup form and only missed out on the Cup with a last gasp defeat to Norfolk N Chance, the defending champions – this was their only defeat of the day. Mardons FC would be no pushovers though. Despite finishing in 6 th position in Group B they could boast a win over Barrymoore's Swimming Club who had progressed to the Cup.

With the match underway it was Mitre FC A who struck first with Joseph Atunrase on target. Mardons FC hit back quickly through Tom Cook with his third goal of the tournament. Mitre FC A reasserted themselves and regained the lead with their top scorer Samuele Pagano finding the back of the net. When Pagano struck again, Mitre FC A had a little bit of breathing space. Joseph Atunrase's second of the game sealed the victory and sent them through to the Semi-Finals. Sadly for Mardons FC, they were out for today.

In the lower half of the Quarter-Final draw it was Jon Arne Riise's Pieces versus Mitre FC B. John Arne Riise's Pieces were the first of the two Riise's teams to stake their claim for a semi-final berth. Mitre FC B would not have known (as their Quarter-Final was played concurrently with Mitre FC A) but the A team were on their way to the next phase and the B team could join them with a win. All being well, the two Mitre FC teams could potentially meet in the Plate Final.

John Arne Riise's Pieces had finished 4 th in Group A and amassed 7 points in the process. They had finished the group off on a high with a 5-1 win over Kiwi FC. Mitre FC B had started the day superbly with two wins on the bounce but since then 4 defeats had seen them drop down the Group B table. In one sense that didn't matter as they were now 3 games from glory in the knockout phase but hopefully they had no psychological scars from the end of their group campaign.

What ensued was a really close game. Strangely enough in Group B, Bjorn Helge Riise's Pieces had become experts at pulling off the 1-0 victory. The DNA was consistent across the Riise's Pieces family as it was now John Arne Riise's Pieces who were securing a 1-0 victory. A solid defensive display with a captain's goal from Charles Warmsley sent them through to the Semi-Finals.

Mitre FC B were out but they still had hope in this tournament with Mitre FC A just two wins from success.

The final Quarter-Final saw Bjorn Helge Riise's Pieces take on Apolo Leyendas. It was the third placed team in Group B (Bjorn Helge Riise's Pieces) who only missed out on the Cup with a final game defeat taking on the 6th placed team in Group A (Apolo Leyendas). On paper, the English team were certainly favourites against the Dutch team with 10 points on the board in the group phase compared to 4 points.

Apolo Leyendas were Cup Semi-Finalists at the 2023 Amsterdam Sevens but they had found Barcelona and the 5-a-side format more difficult. Having said that they were competitive throughout as can be proven by their final group game when they only lost 1-0 to Cup qualifiers, Sharks.

If Bjorn Helge Riise's Pieces needed an extra incentive then the prize of a victory here would be a Semi-Final against their tour-mates, John Arne Riise's Pieces. Bjorn Helge continued their group phase form as they opened up a 1-0 lead thanks to an Ant Lenihan goal. Jack Thomas added a second to put them in command.

The game was not done and dusted though as Lucas Luzio pulled a goal back to make it 2-1 with his second strike of the day. Should they find an equalizer this game could be heading to a penalty shootout. Spot kicks would not be required thoughas Jack Thomas scored his fourth of the tournament to seal the win, 3-1.

We had to say farewell to Apolo Leyendas on the pitch. We'd like to thank them for making the journey from Amsterdam and great efforts they made to get here given the flight disruption. We look forward to seeing them on home territory again in Amsterdam next year.