Capital Park Leeds Whites had a mixed day so far – a 6-0 defeat followed by a 6-1 victory. They were one of three teams locked together on 3 points in the middle of the Group C table. They were up against Nordic Vikings who were one of their rivals on 3 points.

This was a big game in the middle of the table. A win for either team would be a big step forwards towards Cup qualification with just one game each to come after this. It was Capital Park Leeds Whites who nudged ahead in this one with James Dunstan scoring for the second game in a row. His goal was cancelled out by Kasper Vadstrup. A draw, whilst clearly better than defeat, was probably not much use to either team in the context of Group C as it would give JNJ Saudi Arabia and Leeds One the advantage for Cup qualification. The game would not end in a draw though as Payraw Farhad nudged Nordic Vikings 2.0 ahead before half time.

In the second half Nordic Vikings 2.0 eased away from their opponents as Kaspar Vadstrup, Payraw Farhad and then Kasper Vadstrup again made it 5-1 at the full-time whistle.

The next match on Pitch C in Group C was a tasty prospect. It was top of the table JNJ Saudi Arabia versus Leeds One. JNJ Saudi Arabia so far had a 100% record and were yet to concede a goal. A win here would see them guarantee Cup qualification with a game to spare and leave them just 1 point away (mathematically) from the Group C title.

Leeds One needed to find a win to keep pace with JNJ Saudi Arabia at the top of the table. They could make it a three team tie at the top with their opponents and Nordic Vikings 2.0.

It was Leeds One who opened the scoring as Luke Booker scored his fifth of the tournament. It was 2-0 at half-time to the English team as Luke Booker scored again to put his team in a strong position. This was a high scoring tournament and so 2-0 was not safe but Leeds One strengthened their grip on the game as Luke Booker completed his hat-trick for 3-0. He was not done there as he bagged a fourth to round off a superb win.

Janssen Lithuania were the final team to play their third fixture. With two defeats so far they looking to register their first points on the board with their game in hand. They would play against Nordic Vikings 2.0.

Nordic Vikings 2.0 were set to play their final group fixture and so this was their last opportunity to increase their points haul and stake their claim for Cup qualification. They were one of three teams locked on 3 points with only the two going through to the Cup. They were currently in third on goal difference so needed to win and win bag (or hope the other top two slipped up in the following games).

Nordic Vikings 2.0 did what they needed to do and won big against a Janssen Lithuania team who were making lots of noise and having lots of fun but not getting results. Janssen Lithuania were a great credit to the tournament and creating a great atmosphere.

In the game though Nordic Vikings 2.0 were dominant. Jesper Bile Puck, Kasper Vadstup and Lucas Carete (2) all scored in the opening period. There was a second goal of the tournament for Janssen Lithuania to celebrate – scored by Kestutis Cesevicius. 4-1 at half-time.

Jesper Bile Puck, Eve Katzerova and a Payraw Farhad hat-trick increased the lead to 9-1 before Kestutis Cesevicius had the final say. His third goal of the tournament.

Nordic Vikings 2.0 had won and won big. They had done their bit – would it be enough?

We went into Game 10 of Group C with Janssen Lithuania due to host JNJ Saudi Arabia. Let's have a look at what was at stake:

JNJ Saudi Arabia: A win for JNJ Saudi Arabia would move them on to 9 points with Nordic Vikings 2.0 and Leeds One. It would then be all about goal difference to decide where they finished in the table. JNJ Saudi Arabia were currently +5 and needed a 5 goal win to move above Nordic Vikings into second place. A 15-0 win would give them identical goal difference to Leeds One but finish second on head-to-head. A higher scoring 15 goal win or larger win would see them Group C winners on goals scored or goal difference respectively.

Draw: A draw would mean JNJ Saudi Arabia finishing third and Janssen Lithuania finishing fifth. Both would qualify for the Plate.

Janssen Lithuania: This would mean JNJ Saudi Arabia finishing third and Janssen Lithuania finishing fifth unless they won by 10 and Janssen Lithuania would finish fourth. Both would qualify for the Plate.

This game always seemed to be a case of “how many?” rather than about the result of the tie. JNJ Saudi Arabia were playing with the urgency of a team who needed 15/16 goals – they scored 8 in the first half alone. By the end of the rout it was 18-0. Unsurprisingly, the biggest win of the tournament.

Congratulations to JNJ Saudi Arabia for the group victory.