We began Round 5 with so many possibilities on which teams would qualify for the Cup or the Plate– certainly too many to detail here. We began the home straight with Abertawe versus Lilchicago.

Abertawe had just picked up their first European win and would come into the game with confidence. They had a pretty daunting fixture ahead though as their opponents were, so far, unbeaten. Abertawe needed a win or a draw to qualify for the Plate. If they lost they would still qualify as long as Brioche FS failed to win. Even then it would come down to goal difference for 5th /6th and they could still potentially make it through as the best 6 th placed team but it would depend upon results in other groups.

For Lilchicago, a win would put them safely through to the Cup. They could even with Group A if they bettered the result of Mavericks in this final round. A draw would see them qualify for the Cup also. A defeat would potentially see them slip to third (subject to other results) but the 10 points they already had would probably be good enough as one of the two best 3 rd placed finishes.

It didn't look like those permutations would come into play as Lilchicago hit the front in the first half. Danas Kulisauskas and Mantas Garsvinskas scored the goals that gave the team from Lithuania control of the match. Danas Kulisauskas made it 3-0 after the interval and Lilchicago had recorded 4 wins and 1 draw in Group A.

Next up was Brioche FS versus Whiteley FC. Both teams played at the 2014 Mallorca Tournament but avoided each other on that occasion as they were drawn in separate groups. Brioche FS qualified for the Plate on that occasion with 2 wins from their 4 games, Whiteley FC qualified for the Wooden Spoon with 1 victory in the group phase.

Today, it was a bit of a role reversal with Whiteley FC the more successful of the two teams. In the context of Group A, Brioches FC were aiming for a win to avoid elimination. They had to win – anything less and they would be out. Whiteley FC were aiming for the Plate and could possibly also make the Cup if they won their last two games.

It was a goal-less first half. A draw would not really be much use for either side when looking at the league table. The game would not end in a draw though as two second half goals from Steve Holmes and then Scott Pearson ensured that Whiteley FC would be adding 3 points to their tally for the day.

The result confirmed Brioche's elimination from the tournament. Whiteley FC still had a game in hand to determine their fate.

The final thing to wrap up in Group A was due to be Mavericks versus Finn's Chins. Due to the earlier fixture re-arrangement it would actually be the penultimate thing to decide. For Mavericks this would be their last chance to secure their fate in the knock-out phase as they played their 5th game. This was Finn's Chins fourth fixture as they had a game in hand to come afterwards.

The game was kicking off at the same time as Lilchicago's versus Abertawe. Mavericks needed to better the result of the Lithuanian team to win Group A. A draw would guarantee them a place in the Cup in second place. A defeat would leave them vulnerable to them slipping down to third – subject to other results.

Finn's Chins still had realistic chances of qualifying for the Cup. They needed 2 wins to finish second. There were numerous other permutations depending on results in this and their final game. They just needed to concentrate on winning this game and seeing where that took them.

In their previous game Mavericks found themselves 1-0 down at half-time to Lilchicago. They found themselves a goal down again in this one as Guy Turner put Finn's Chins ahead. In their last fixture Mavericks hit back after the break with an equaliser but they were unable to repeat the feat here. Simon Shergold's strike meant it was 2-0 to Finn's Chins who recorded a memorable victory.

To conclude Group A then was the not-so-small matter of the re-arranged fixture between Whiteley FC and Finn's Chins.

Whiteley FC's group record in Mallorca was slightly below par compared to their overall group record across all our tournaments. The stats, at the start of the day, read:

Non-Mallorca (Group Phase only): P24 W6-D2-L16 Goals: 38-53 20 points.

Mallorca Overall (Group Phase only): P24 W4-D2-L18 Goals: 16-53 14 points.

Overall (Group Phase only): P48 W10-D4-L34 Goals: 54-106 34 points.

Defensively, the records in Mallorca compared to elsewhere were identical. It was goals they had found difficult to come by in the Balearics. Today, they had been much better with 2 wins out of 4 games. The defensive record was very good with just 2 goals conceded and they had scored 4 at the other end. A third win in this game would see them finish third and qualify for the Cup.

Finn's Chins were on a bit of a roll. Following their opening 3-2 defeat they had recorded 3 wins in a row. If they could make that 4 wins in a row they would qualify for the Cup in second place. A draw would see them level with Mavericks and it then come down to “goals scored” so they would need a 2-2 draw or better.

It didn't start well for Finn's Chins as they found themselves a goal down following a strike from Simon Stones – his second of the tournament. It was a goal that meant Whiteley FC lead 1-0 at the break, Finn's Chins levelled it up in the second half as Ross Lawson also scored his second of the tournament and the game finished 1-1.

It meant Lilchicago would be crowned Group A champions. They would be joined in the Cup by Mavericks and Finn's Chins (as one of the best two third placed teams). Whiteley FC and Abertawe would progress to the Plate. Brioche FS would be eliminated.