Going
into the final round of games it was do or die
now for these eight teams. The only team to guarantee
its place in the Cup was the league leaders Pangare
Futebol Clube. The teams in second to fifth position
were fighting for the next three places. First
up was AAK S&S who needed a win the most as
they were in fifth position and three points behind
those teams above them. If they were to win it
would put pressure on all those above. A draw
would mean it was between them and Cruz Del Sur
A (with Jackson's 5 and Wonderleague safely in
the Cup). A defeat for AAK S&S would mean
fifth place and all those teams we've mentioned
above could relax.
AAK
S&S were due to play the team immediately
below them in the table. FC Seagrave were looking
to win and possibly take fifth position which
would secure them a favourable draw in the Plate
Quarter-Finals. Any form of win would achieve
this.
FC
Seagrave got off to the perfect start with Matt
Allard adding to his tally – his fifth of the
day. It went from bad to worse for AAK S&S
who saw Denis Moran make it 2-0 to FC Seagrave.
The game was not over yet though as Gary Bartley
pulled one back for 2-1. The two goal cushion
was restored with Denis Moran making it 3-1. AAK
S&S would not back off though and they pulled
another back to make it 3-2 with Richard Clubley
on target.
Time
ran out for AAK S&S who slipped to a 3-2 defeat.
They were looking at Cup qualification but defeat
meant they fell a place to sixth. FC Seagrave
finished the group on a high with 6 points from
6.
Pangare
Futebol Clube came into the final game knowing
they had already qualified for the Cup but they
still had some work to do. To secure the Group
B title they needed at least a draw. Not only
is the group win an honour but it provides the
winners with an easier route to the Cup Final
in the knock-out phase.
They
faced Lun-don FC who were unbeaten in 3 games
and had just conceded the 1 goal in those 3 games.
The Brazilian team knew they would not have it
all their own way.
It
was another strong performance from Lun-don FC.
The league leaders had won games 6-0, 5-0 and
3-1 (twice) plus beaten the team in second place
today but they were not having much joy against
Lun-don FC. In the end though their greater quality
told as a Victor Spaghol strike proved the difference
between the two teams. It was his 8 th goal of
the tournament and a great asset for Pangare Futebol
Club to possess.
Lun-don
FC should not be too disappointed it was a valiant
effort and should keep their confidence high from
their latest run of games.
The
penultimate game of Group B was Cruz Del Sur A
versus Wonderleague. The result of this game would
have been pivotal in deciding which teams would
qualify for the Cup and who would miss out. The
defeat for AAK S&S ended that speculation.
However, there was still a lot riding on this
game.
Cruz
Del Sur A could still finish second and with that
they could avoid playing the Group A winners.
To achieve this they needed to win and hope Jackson's
5 lost in their final game (or possibly drew then
it would come down to goal difference). Anything
less than a win for Cruz Del Sur A would mean
a fourth place finish.
For
Wonderleague, they could slip to fourth with a
defeat if Jackson's 5 then achieved a draw or
better. A draw would mean second or third – as
would a win which would put more pressure on Jackson's
5 to achieve the same result.
It
was another close game, like so many games in
Group B, but Wonderleague just had the edge. A
single strike would win it and it was Rui Miguel
Bastos who scored it. It was his third strike
of the tournament and his most decisive goal contribution
so far.
The
final game of Group B was Jackson's 5 versus Lun-don
FC. Jackson's 5 had the luxury of knowing they
could finish no lower than third position. It
was already a good day's work for them. They would
obviously love to finish off the group with a
flourish. A win by four goals or more would see
them go second on goal difference.
A
3-0 win for Jackson's 5 would mean they would
be level with Wonderleague on points, goals scored
and goal against. In this scenario, Jackson's
5 would finish second due to the fact they won
the head-to-head result. A higher-scoring three
goal win (4-1, 5-2 etc) would see them finish
second on goals scored. Anything less than a three
goal win and they would finish third.
Lun-don
FC would finish 7th no matter what the score was
here – it seemed harsh seeing they had only lost
once in four games and only conceded twice in
that period. This run of games included a match
against Pangare Futebol Clube. They did have two
0-0 draws which slowed their progress though.
Adry
Alonso was joint top scorer for his team today
(with William Sambrook) but he nudged ahead as
he put Jackson's 5 1-0 up against their fellow
English team. Anish Koshal scored his second of
the day to peg it back at 1-1. At this stage a
third draw in five games was on the cards but
Adry Alonso ensured the final 3 points on offer
would be collected by Jackson's 5. His sixth strike
of the day meant they won the game 2-1. It was
a fine way for his team to round off the group
and head into the Cup competition.