Can you believe it!? I certainly can't. The night of the supposed favourites became the night of the underdogs tonight; here are the match reports from this year's RTC Semifinals:
The Bumbling Bunnies - Frost Fighters 3-4
The Bunnies were undefeated. They had destroyed every team facing them thus far in the tournament. The had scored heaps of goals and not lost a single game. The Frost Fighters, who surprisingly made their way to the semies by beating the Great Summoners, were to be eaten alive - a mere epitaph on the Bunnies' road to the final, glory and riches. So what the hell happened? It started so well; two goals were scored before half-time, and the one conceded before the break was a fluke. A high ball making its way through the defence, bouncing this way and that. The defender who was to clear it tripped, surely. The goalkeeper was surprised and hadn't prepared for a shot. Nobody noticed the FF striker sneaking into the box, snatching the loose ball and slamming it home. He must have been offside, surely. Oh, well, a short break and the second half would prove their metal, surely...
After the break, the Bunnies started building their structured attacks, and sure enough, after only a few minutes, the ball was in the net. The Frost Fighters didn't give up, though. They made it 3-2. The Bunnies' fans seemed frustrated. Come on, no need to let them score, just keep them away, beat them and let's get on with the final, shall we? Then the shocker. 3-3. How? What? What's going on? They scored again? The striker took a pot-shot and the ball somehow went in? What the hell? All right, time to work a bit harder, lads, come on. A couple of quick goals will soon put them back in their place...
But the goals never came. Instead, the strikers who had bombed the Summoner's defensive walls apart and left five balls behind one of the best goalkeepers in the tournament, kept harrowing the Bunnies' defence as well. Sleek combinations, wall play, flares and faking moves left the home team's players standing confused. And when the Frosties' top scorer showed the Bunnies' right back a clean pair of heels he was one on one with the goalie. 3-4. And the Bunnies' fans were shellshocked. So it would remain for the last ten minutes. No final for the Bumbling Bunnies. No glory, no riches. And noone to understand what had just happened.
Nukular Turbo Toasters - Velvet Nightmares 2-6
While the result left the stadium quiet in the other match, so was not the case in this faceoff between David and Goliath. The Silver Ladle, home to the Gravyluvn Cheesepotatoes, seats some 50.000 spectators, and tonight the arena was packed to the rim. The Velvet Nightmares had barely gone through after a surprising win in extra-time against favourites The Atomic Sparrows. Tonight, some 30.000 Nightmares fans filled the stadium with noise, cheers, songs and music throughout what was to be a glorious night. Taking the lead and holding it throughout, the away team went through to the final after totally hammering what was supposed to be a team destined to take home the trophy themselves.
What happened? The Nightmares dominated from start to finish; as is well-known amongst engineers, you need a bit of speed before the turbo kicks in... well, tonight, the Turbo Toasters never even made it out of the starting block. 0-2 at half-time, the coach was at a loss to explain what was going on. It seemed that whenever one of their players got the ball, there were two Nightmares' players on him immediately. They were all over the place. Lightning fast, sticking to their opponents like a sleezeball onto a hot blonde, the Turbo Toasters never got the time or space they needed to start up their attacking moves. Attack after attack was simply and efficiently broken down, only to be met by a counter-attack. The home team's goalkeeper has his hands full - or as was the case: his hands were empty, as the ball usually found its way to the net rather than his gloves.
The match was won by pure enthusiasm. Hard work for ninety minutes. Volume from the stands cheering them on every time they got the ball. The lacklustre home team, who had expected little resistance to superior quality. It seems the Turbo Toasters had forgotten one important in football - just as the Bumbling Bunnies had: you need to win before you can call yourself the best.
Round Table Championship
FINAL FIXTURES
Final:
Frost Fighters - Velvet Nightmares
Bronze Final:
The Bumbling Bunnies - Nukular Turbo Toasters
And to remind you what we're playing for - not the glory, but the riches...
1st place: Amazon gift certificate of £15/$30
2nd place: Amazon gift certificate of £10/$20
3rd place: 2x512Mb RAM chips, DDR2 PC3200 (if you want 'em)
Final:
Frost Fighters - Velvet Nightmares
Bronze Final:
The Bumbling Bunnies - Nukular Turbo Toasters
And to remind you what we're playing for - not the glory, but the riches...
1st place: Amazon gift certificate of £15/$30
2nd place: Amazon gift certificate of £10/$20
3rd place: 2x512Mb RAM chips, DDR2 PC3200 (if you want 'em)
In War: Resolution, In Defeat: Defiance, In Victory: Magnanimity, In Peace: Goodwill.
Need I remind you, you play to win the game.
Simmons: I think you’re asking me if these computers store all the data on Red and Blue armies?
Sarge: Control Alt Bingo.
Sarge: Control Alt Bingo.
RTC 2007 Bronze Final (video available here)
The Bumbling Bunnies - Nukular Turbo Toasters 2-0
These teams - supposedly the best two - were supposed to meet in the final. This became the moral final then; the match traditionally not wanted by any team, yet both teams seemed eager to enter the pitch and play as if they were really playing for the trophy. Still, the atmosphere was definitely affected by the lack of spectators turning up; only about 25.000 came to watch, while the Stadium of Darkness can seat twice as many.
The Bunnies took an early lead, after which play waved back and forth for thirty minutes. It seemed the Toasters would have the equalizer for the break, but they failed to convert a penalty awarded five minutes from time. Another goal to the Bunnies during the final third saw the away team run out of steam altogether, and the bronze was never threatened after that. Strangely, it seemed the Toasters were (as one reporter called it) inoculated from scoring. Free kicks - and another penalty even - were giving them ample opportunity to redeem themselves, but all efforts were wide of the target. The home team's coach loosely claimed after the match that they "weren't even playing a real team" in the second half.
Moods are buoyant elsewhere, though, as fans stream to the capital city of Wooble for tomorrow's final clash between the so-called "underdogs". Entusiasm is expected to be quite a bit higher for this encounter.
The Bumbling Bunnies - Nukular Turbo Toasters 2-0
These teams - supposedly the best two - were supposed to meet in the final. This became the moral final then; the match traditionally not wanted by any team, yet both teams seemed eager to enter the pitch and play as if they were really playing for the trophy. Still, the atmosphere was definitely affected by the lack of spectators turning up; only about 25.000 came to watch, while the Stadium of Darkness can seat twice as many.
The Bunnies took an early lead, after which play waved back and forth for thirty minutes. It seemed the Toasters would have the equalizer for the break, but they failed to convert a penalty awarded five minutes from time. Another goal to the Bunnies during the final third saw the away team run out of steam altogether, and the bronze was never threatened after that. Strangely, it seemed the Toasters were (as one reporter called it) inoculated from scoring. Free kicks - and another penalty even - were giving them ample opportunity to redeem themselves, but all efforts were wide of the target. The home team's coach loosely claimed after the match that they "weren't even playing a real team" in the second half.
Moods are buoyant elsewhere, though, as fans stream to the capital city of Wooble for tomorrow's final clash between the so-called "underdogs". Entusiasm is expected to be quite a bit higher for this encounter.
In War: Resolution, In Defeat: Defiance, In Victory: Magnanimity, In Peace: Goodwill.
*Marching band playing*
Frost Fighters - Velvet Nightmares - tomorrow!
Expert 1: "Well, Lewis, what do you think of this one?"
Expert 2: "Well, Bob, both teams have beaten the odds to get here, and all bets are off. Honestly, the bookie was so shocked he had a heart attack and so all bets are cancelled."
Expert 1: "Yes, yes, but what about the match?"
Expert 2: "Quite frankly, I expect the brilliant attack of the Frost Fighters will be difficult to stop. They've scored lot of goals and have a definite advantage in the final."
Expert 1: "These teams met each other in the group stage, and the Frosties won the group by having scored two goals more than the Velvet Nightmares."
Expert 2: "The last encounter was 7-5 in favour of the Fighters, there were two red cards and lots of drama and entertainment... any chance of the same thing happening again?"
Expert 1: "It was an even match last time, and I think we'll have a great spectacle on our hands once more. The Nightmares will of course be hungry for revenge, and the trophy."
Expert 2: "Tune in tomorrow and have a look!"
Frost Fighters - Velvet Nightmares - tomorrow!
Expert 1: "Well, Lewis, what do you think of this one?"
Expert 2: "Well, Bob, both teams have beaten the odds to get here, and all bets are off. Honestly, the bookie was so shocked he had a heart attack and so all bets are cancelled."
Expert 1: "Yes, yes, but what about the match?"
Expert 2: "Quite frankly, I expect the brilliant attack of the Frost Fighters will be difficult to stop. They've scored lot of goals and have a definite advantage in the final."
Expert 1: "These teams met each other in the group stage, and the Frosties won the group by having scored two goals more than the Velvet Nightmares."
Expert 2: "The last encounter was 7-5 in favour of the Fighters, there were two red cards and lots of drama and entertainment... any chance of the same thing happening again?"
Expert 1: "It was an even match last time, and I think we'll have a great spectacle on our hands once more. The Nightmares will of course be hungry for revenge, and the trophy."
Expert 2: "Tune in tomorrow and have a look!"
In War: Resolution, In Defeat: Defiance, In Victory: Magnanimity, In Peace: Goodwill.
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