As we went past the half-way mark in Group C results were getting more and more important as games remaining became less and less. It was 2nd versus 4th as Saipan FC met Tekkerslovakia in the next fixture.

Saipan FC claimed their first eurofootballfives.com trophy in 2014 when they won the Valencia Fives Plate! They beat Budapest Celtic Tigers 4-1 to win what was their 4th appearance in a final. They had reached the final with regularity before that but hadn't managed to get over the winning line – could that breakthrough in Valencia spark a run of success? They would hope so and things were looking good when they took the lead here as Julian Cornelius's fourth goal of the day put them in the ascendency.

They had taken the lead in both their previous fixtures and ended up with 1 win and 1 loss. When Ignacio Mochales Cuesta made it 2-0 it looked like Saipan FC were on their way to victory #2. However, Magid El Amin had other ideas as he put Tekkerslovakia back in it at 2-1.

Saipan FC had let a 2-0 lead slip in the opening game against Ziar Crew and would this open up some wounds for the team representing Ireland. They were pegged back to 2-2 as Magid El Amin claimed his third goal of the tournament. At 2-2 they must have had that sinking feeling but there was to be no further score. The draw kept Saipan FC in second place for the time-being.

The well-earned draw for Tekkerslovakia meant they remained in 4th place but didn't help them much in the overall context of Group C although they were 1 point better off.

Game 7 was Ziar Crew versus Donuts in an all-Slovakian encounter. The former were looking to make it 3 wins out of 3 and follow the example of their countrymen (FC Pressburg and Fireball) over in Group A on what was a fine day so far for the local teams.

They met a Donuts team who had 1 point from their opening two games. With this game underway it didn't look like they would add to their points tally though. Ziar Crew raced to a 4-1 lead at half-time. Matej Rapcan showing the form that won him the top goalscorer award here last September. He scored all four goals in the opening period.

In the second half Ziar Crew turned 4-1 into 7-1 with Martin Cvejkus scoring for the third game in a row and Tomas Valko emulating that feat with a brace at the end of the game. There was some small consolation for Donuts as Jan Cabel scored his first eurofootballfives.com goal.

Bede FC came into their game against Tekkerslovakia playing some of their best football in their 5-year association with eurofootballfives.com. If they could pull out victory here they would move into second place, a draw would see them remain in third position (and virtually guarantee they would finish in the Cup qualification places). A defeat however would see them slip into fourth with work to do in their final fixture.

For Tekkerslovakia, this was their final fixture and the last opportunity to put points on the board in their quest for tournament victory and Cup qualification. It started well for Tekkerslovakia with Danh Van Vo opening his personal account for the day to give his team a vital lead. Bede FC showed great resilience and bounced back with a goal from Troy Grant – an ever-present at each of Bede FC's @eurofootball5's adventures. At half-time it was 1-1.

With 2 draws in 3 games the last thing Tekkerslovakia wanted (with the obvious exception of defeat) was another draw. In these tournaments draws can really hinder your progress up the league and effect your qualification chances. When Nabil Zawadi scored his fifth goal of the tournament to put Tekkerslovakia 2-1 up it was vital they retained the lead until full-time.

That is exactly what they did as they secured a victory that saw them rise from fourth to second position. They had done all they could and would now have to wait and see where their tally of 5 points would see them finish. Bede FC had one more game to advance their own claims.

Game 9 of Group C would be the mouth-watering prospect of Saipan FC versus Donuts. Saipan FC had just seen Tekkerslovakia climb above them into second place in the table. They needed a point to reclaim second spot on goal difference or a win finish in second out right – either way, Cup qualification would be secured. A defeat would leave them in third position but prone to being overhauled by Bede FC (and possibly even Donuts if it was a heavy defeat).

From a Donuts perspective, they currently sat in fifth position and a draw or defeat would consign them to finishing fifth. A big win, combined with a Bede FC defeat in the final fixture, could see them claim 3rd and a berth in the Cup at the expense of Bede FC and Saipan FC. How big would that win need to be? Donuts needed to win by 5 clear goals (or more).

It was first blood to Saipan FC as they strengthened their grip on that Cup qualification place. It was a first goal of the day for Joey Fisher whose goal meant that Saipan FC had opened the scoring in all four of their group games. They held on to that lead once in their previous 3 games but things were looking good at half-time here as the score remained 1-0.

Despite Donuts struggling in the overall context of Group C, Jakub Halak was having a fine morning and it continued as his goal pegged Saipan FC back to 1-1. As the sands of time ran out there was to be no further addition to the score. The point was good enough to see Saipan FC move into 2nd place and above Tekkerslovakia. They had secured Cup qualification for the second time in eurofootballfives.com competition so congratulations were in order.

With 9 games down there was just one more to go in Group C – Ziar Crew versus Bede FC. Ziar Crew had already won the group but they would want to win again to take their momentum going through to the elite Cup competition.

Bede FC could join Ziar Crew in the Cup if they could claim a victory that would see them finish in second position. A draw would see them miss out by a point and whether they drew or lost they would finish in 4th position and join Donuts in the Plate competition.

A pulsating first half saw Bede FC give as good as they got on Pitch A. There was quite an atmosphere as this was the final game of the morning group phase so the eyes of everyone were on this game. We saw four goals in the opening period and they were shared equally between the teams, 2-2. Martin Namesny scored his second of the day and Lubos Hromota (five goals in 2014) opened his account for the Slovak team. For Bede FC, Muhammad Chilwan scored his first of the tournament and there was a first eurofootballfives.com goal for Alex Gatt.

After the break Ziar Crew upped a gear and moved ahead through Martin Namesny's second of the game. Bede FC were still competitive but Ziar Crew were shading things and, crucially, taking their chances despite the best efforts of Troy Grant in goal for Bede FC. Matej Rapcan added to his tally to make it 4-2 and there was no way back for Bede FC. The victory was complete as Martin Cvejkus kept up his goal a game record – final score, 5-2.

Ziar Crew would go through to the Cup as Group C champions with a maximum four wins. Bede FC would qualify for the Plate.