We arrived at the Plate Quarter-Final stage and we would shortly see eight teams reduced to four teams. To begin it was DHFC versus Yac Club. It was 3 rd placed in Group A versus 4th Placed in Group B and as such you would imagine DHFC would be favourites given the higher league placing. Both teams returned the same number of points in the group phase – 6. The two teams achieved this haul in different ways with DHFC suffering just the one defeat and picking up 1 win and 3 draws. Yac Club had 2 wins and 3 defeats to their name. Both had a goal difference of -1 so this was expected to be a close contest.

If we expected a close game we didn't get one. We are not sure what DHFC had for lunch but it certainly did the job. They raced into a 5-0 lead and it wasn't even half-time! Ben Charles-Williams set them on their way before Charlie Wade doubled the lead. They had a three goal cushion when Ben Charles-Williams scored again. Charlie Wade also got his second for 4-0 before Ben Charles-Williams completed a first half hat-trick.

After the break it got even better for DHFC with Tom Jepson scoring twice to take the score to 7-0.

Sadly, it was the end of the day for Yac Club – it was great to see them join the eurofootballfives.com party and a welcome addition to our tournaments. They had performed well until this knock-out game and we hope to see them again in the future.

In the lower half of the Quarter-Final draw it was Zemniecki versus Fail Madrid. Of all the teams in the Plate competition, Zemniecki can consider themselves the most unlucky for not playing in the higher Cup competition. They had amassed the most points out of all the teams in the Plate with 10 points.

Fail Madrid had a decent morning and, like their opponents, had just the one defeat this morning but 3 draws had stalled their progress up the league table. Fail Madrid had experience in the Plate Quarter-Finals in our tournaments and so far had a 100% record – 1 game, 1 win. This was at the 2015 Berlin Fives where they defeated Coverton Road 1-0.

They trailed in this one after the early exchanges though when Kristaps Smiltens scored his third of the tournament to give them a 1-0 lead at the break. With 3 draws out of 5 in the group it was perhaps no surprise that Fail Madrid drew level with Dan Martin scoring the goal. It meant that all their available outfield players had scored today except one (sorry Graham – they made me write it!).

The game finished 1-1 in normal time and we would need a penalty shoot-out to decide this one.

The fist penalty was to be taken by Fail Madrid and it was a fail for Neil Hargraves who didn't convert meaning it was advantage Zemniecki. Kristaps Smiltens scored in the game and he took full advantage by scoring the Latvian team's first goal in the shoot-out.

The pressure was on Robert Maller for Fail Madrid but he was up to the task and he made it 1-1. Zemniecki had a penalty in hand and it was Janis Klepanis to take it. He had five goals today and made no mistake from the spot to restore the lead at 2-1.

It was all up to James Boshier to keep his team in it but he missed and it was Zemniecki who were through. Fail Madrid went out on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the 2015 Berlin Fives Semi-Finals, it was déjà vu in the 2016 Riga Tournament Quarters.

The final Quarter-Final saw Saga Louts take on Red Cow Belgrade. Saga Louts came into the game as the 3rd placed team in Group D with a haul of 7 points. Red Cow Belgrade came into the game as the 4th placed team in Group C also with a haul of 4 points.

The two teams had contrasting form as we reached the climax of the group phase. Saga Louts finished off with 2 wins, Red Cow Belgrade signed off with 3 defeats. Momentum can be a key factor in these tournaments and it was all with Saga Louts so far.

Red Cow Belgrade had come alive in the knock-out phase of our tournaments in recent years with two Quarter-Final successes in the last two years on their way to two European finals. They also had a 1-0 Trophy Semi-Final win on their knock-out CV over Saga Lout's stable-mates Where's Dave? last year in Lisbon.

Saga Louts had plenty of experience at Plate level with the zenith an appearance in the 2013 Krakow Trophy Final. They were so close to clinching the title only missing out via a penalty shoot-out. This was now the fourth season in a row Saga Louts had made the Plate Quarter-Finals. At the 2013 Krakow Trophy they won 3-0 over Budapest Celtic Tigers but at the 2014 Bratislava Fives they lost 4-0 to local side GSF Drunkerz, at the 2015 Lisbon Tournament they lost 5-0 to Frank Hirth B. Could they get their first Plate QF win since Krakow 2013?

With the game underway it was Red cow Belgrade who had the edge early on with Red Cow Belgrade's Joe Howitt and Ryan Robinson outgunning Saga Louts' Matt Johnson. 2-1 at half-time.

In the second half Red Cow Belgrade pulled away with Ryan Robinson going on to complete his personal hat-trick – a great memento from his debut eurofootballfives.com tour personally. Joe Howitt completed the scoring with his 6th of the day.

There was a 7th of the day for Saga Louts for Matt Johnson which completed a fine personal haul for him. Sadly for him on a team level his Saga Louts side were out. 5-2 the final score.