The 2010 Valencia Fives kicked off with our first ever competitors to represent Japan taking the field against English team, Atlantic Star. The Samurai Japan had a difficult first match against an Atlantic Star team who were making their 5th eurofootballfives.com appearance. Their most recent performance saw them claim victory in the 2010 Manchester Fives Plate competition. Samurai Japan were impressive on their debut and when the teams reached half-time there was nothing to split the two teams as they reached the interval level at 0-0.

In the second half the deadlock was to be broken and the first goal of Group A came from Samurai Japan's Takumi Kushiyama. The goal proved decisive as it was the only goal of the game. Samurai Japan had earned their first three points. Atlantic Star had got off to a solid start without reward.

Game 2 saw Spanish team Plantaciones Inside host English team Karma FC making their 2nd eurofootballfives.com after debuting in Prague in 2009. First blood in this fixture went to the home team as Miguel Gomez Santos De Lima fired his team into a 1-0 first-half lead. In so many eurofootballfives.com matches the first goal of a game proves crucial and usually determines the eventual winner. This match was to be no different as the teams shared the second half spoils with goals from Hector Hernandez Rosa for Plantaciones and Ian Mansley scoring Karma FC's first goal of the day.

The 2-1 victory saw Plantaciones Inside jump above Samurai Japan at the top on goal difference with Karma FC joining Atlantic Star in looking for their first points of the competition.

AON Top Guns had to sit out and watch the first two games before getting their campaign underway. AON Top Guns were the second team in Group A who had a Plate success on their eurofootballfives.com CV – their Plate victory came in the 2009 Prague Masters.

In their opening game Samurai Japan had seen off another Plate winning team in Atlantic Star and they were to repeat the feat in this fixture. AON Top Guns, by their own admission, were suffering from the morning after the night before and Samurai Japan took full advantage racing into a 3-0 half-time lead. Takumi Kushiyama added two more goals to his personal tally to take him to 3 for the tournament and captain Gaku Sato also weighed in. In the second half, AON Top Guns found their form to some extent and reduced arrears to 3-1 through Leon Barber and that's how it finished. Samurai Japan sat on top of Group A with a maximum 6 points.

Atlantic Star had the opportunity to register their first points when they took on Plantaciones Inside. Spanish team Plantaciones were looking to join Samurai Japan on top with their second successive win. Jonathan Hidalgo Mora gave the Spanish a 1-0 lead quite early on and then Miguel Gomez Santos De Lima made it a goal a game for him personally to double that lead to 2-0.

When the teams turned round at half-time it was an uphill struggle for Atlantic Star to rescue something from this game. The Spanish defence remained resolute and when the referee blew for full time the score remained at 2-0. It was two wins from two for Plantaciones Inside and two defeats from two for Atlantic Star.

Game 5 of Group A would see the first English points of the table as there was an all England encounter between Karma FC and AON Top Guns. AON Top Guns started slowly in their first match and the same was to happen here as Karma FC took the lead through Larry Moore. Andrew Gauld made it 2-0 to Karma FC before adding another to make it 3-0. Ian Mansley made it two goals in two games for him to take the score to 4-0.

Karma FC claimed the three points and with it moved into 3rd place. AON Top Guns had work to do but still time to recover and make a challenge for the Plate although at this stage their chances of the Cup were looking a little distant.