Results
 

DePuy Blackpool (Eng)

1

v

1*

Klopp & Co (Bel)

* Klopp & Co won 3-2 on penalties.

 

The first final of the day would see DePuy Blackpool versus Klopp & Co. With seven games of football already under their belt these two teams would need to summon one last burst of energy to ensure they would be picking up winners and not runners-up medals in the presentation.

 

Let's have a look at the two teams:

 

DePuy Blackpool:

Played 7, Won 3, Drawn 1, Lost 3. 9 goals scored. 9 goals against.

 

Klopp & Co:

Played 7, Won 3, Drawn 2, Lost 2. 12 goals scored, 3 goals against.

 

Klopp & Co came into the game on a bit of a roll. They were unbeaten in their previous 4 games with 2 wins and 2 draws in that period. They had scored 9 goals and conceded just 1 in that period. DePuy Blackpool had 2 wins on the bounch and had just claimed their biggest win of the day (4-1) so were maybe peaking at the right time.

 

With the match underway the two teams shared the goals in the first half of play. Robbie Hunter and Stef Denhouwer both scored to keep things level at the break, 1-1. In the second half there was to be no further addition to the score and so we would need another penalty shoot-out to settle things.

 
 
 

Klopp & Co would surely be confident having progressed to this Plate Final via penalties in the Semi-Finals. Youssuf Benarous took the first penalty and he was unlucky as he saw his penalty rebound off the post. There was an early opportunity for Belgium. Maarten Sas was first up in the Semi-Final and he was first up again here. He scored last time but was to be denied here. Andrew Chippendale made the save for DePuy Blackpool.

 

Robbie Hunter was up next for DePuy Blackpool. He struck it down the middle but Jelle Van Steenbergen made the save, still 0-0. Yannick Van Steyvoort was the next man up and it was another save for Andrew Chippendale.

 

After 4 missed penalties surely something had to give. Mohsin Chopdat was the man tasked with taking the final regular penalty for DePuy Blackpool. He scored but Van Steenbergen was close to it. It didn't matter though, DePuy Blackpool were 1-0 up. A hat-trick of Andrew Chippendale saves would win this for the English team. Bert Meeus had all the pressure on him – he went to the right of the goalkeeper and he struck the inside of the post before the ball hit the back of the net. Sudden death penalties would be required.

 

Ben Jones would make the walk to the penalty spot – he went high and down the middle as Van Steenbergen dived to his left. Raoul De Schutter had to score to keep Klopp and Co in it. Following a huge run up he went low to the goalkeeper's left and scored for 2-2.

 

Terry McCray now had the task of putting Blackpool ahead again. It was another penalty down the middle and Van Steenbergen made his second save of this shoot-out. So, Joren Mertens had a chance to win it for Klopp & Co. It was all over as he sent the goalkeeper the wrong way and Klopp & Co had won it!

 

We'd like to thank DePuy Blackpool for attending the tournament and offer our commiserations for the Final. They could not have come much closer to glory in that Final. Hopefully the runners-up medals afforded a little consolation.

 

Great credit today and many congratulations go to the 2018 JNJ Euro Soccer Tournament Plate Winners – Klopp & Co! After Treasury Tigers win last year it was successive Plate wins for Belgium.

 
 
 
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