Two groups down, two to go as we turn our attentions to Group C. The first game saw FK Prienai drawn against Burritos – both possessing previous experience on the eurofootballfives.com circuit.

FK Prienai made the journey from Lithuania to Riga last year to compete at our debut Riga Tournament. In the process, they became the first team to represent Lithuania in our tournaments. They began superbly with 2 wins from 2 and then finished the group unbeaten with 3 wins and 2 draws in their 5 games. They won Group B on goal difference and were one of the teams to watch going into the Cup knock-out. However, a surprise 2-0 defeat saw them exit the competition at the Quarter-Final stage.

As they did in Riga, FK Prienai got off to a winning start. A first half goal from Mantas Karciauskas and a second half strike from Robertas Ratkevicius earned the home team all 3 points.

For Burritos (more on them later) it was a tough start and a disappointing result but there was still plenty of time for them to recover.

Match 2 was due to be Shahs of Sunset versus Riga United Legends. The latter were due to be the first team to represent Latvia at one of our events outside of Riga. That honour is still up for grabs though as Riga United Legends were a cancellation/no-show at the last minute. It meant all teams would earn a 3-0 walkover victory in their fixtures against Riga United Legends.

AFC Shooters A were on the field next in their opening fixture against FK Prienai who were playing their second fixture. FK Prienai were looking to make it 2 wins from 2 if they could secure victory here.

If you've read the write-up of Group B you will have learned that AFC Shooters were making their second appearance in our tournaments (previously played at the 2015 Algarve Open). The A team in Portugal made a steady start with two draws in their first two games before a defeat to Galacticos. They steadied the ship with another draw before getting their first win in their final game. Although only 1 defeat in 5, the draws stalled their progress and they progressed to the Plate. A 3-0 win in the QF was followed by a 0-0 draw in the SF (which they won on penalties). They then finished off the day in style with a 3-0 win in the Plate Final over Mavericks.

The A Team here today was much changed from 2 years ago with 5 new faces compared the Algarve (although featuring 2 players who played for the B team in Portugal). The team also included an emergency Latvian loan signing. This, combined with a late night out in Vilnius, was probably not ideal preparation for a game against FK Prienai.

FK Prienai took full advantage as they raced into a 3-0 lead at half-time with some slick passing moves. Tadas Simonaitis, Mantas Karciauskas and Simonaitis again with the goals. In the second half Robertas Ratkevicius added to the tally.

AFC Shooters A then put together a slick passing move of their own as Eric Ongeri fed Jamie Hall to open their account on the day. Final score, 4-1.

Burritos started life in Group C with defeat but had a chance to put that right when they took to the field against Shahs of Sunset. Shahs of Sunset had picked up 3 walkover points but this would be their first taste of action on the field today.

Burritos FC played in their first eurofootballfives.com event at the 2013 Barcelona Fives entering two teams – Burritos FC and Burritos FC with Mustard. They have concentrated their powers into one squad for the 2016 Lisbon Tournament. The Burritos FC were the more successful of the 2 squads in Barcelona with 6 points from 4 games to finish 3rd in their group. Both squads went out in the Quarter-Finals stage – Burrito FC to JF & The Pullbacks, the “with Mustard” squad to Trophy Winners Deportivo Dooradoyle.

They returned to action at the 2016 Lisbon Tournament and although they lost 1-0 to Ukraine's East United in the first game they recovered with a 100% record thereafter to top their group. They went on to the Cup Semi-Final where they went out to the eventual Cup winners – Parque Tejo (Por).

Shahs of Sunset also appeared at the same 2013 Barcelona Fives tournament as Burritos but the teams did not meet. Shahs of Sunset reached the Plate Semi-Finals that day for reference.

In Vilnius, it was Burritos who made the early running as they took a first half lead through Matthew Lee. In the second half they extended their lead as Lincoln Chawora added a brace and there was also a goal for Andrew Perris. The bright spot for Shahs of Sunset was a Paolo Ferrari strike although it was to be a mere consolation in this particular fixture.

Riga United Legends versus AFC Shooters A was the next scheduled fixture. We recorded the 3-0 walkover win to AFC Shooters A and moved on to the next game.