THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Quarter Final Result
"Are you going to watch the game between Stuttgart and Sturm Graz?" Paul Otterson asked, looking at his flatmates curiously.
"Of course" Zachary, Kendrick, and Kasongo answered more or less in unison. They were in the dressing room changing their match outfit into a dark blue shirt, having just finished the quarter-final against Zenit.
"Then we better hurry," said Paul, taking off his shoes. "The match will start at exactly 17:00."
Kendrick sighed softly. "I want to go back to the hotel first and clean up."
"That's a bad idea" Kasongo interrupted. "There will be no buses returning to the hotel any time soon. The coaches will also stay to watch the game. I'm sure they expect us to do the same and postpone our return to the hotel. That's why they gave us snacks right after the game." He said, pointing to the covered silver plates placed on the table in the dressing room.
Paul smiled, changing the subject. "We're going to face one of the teams from the quarter-final match in the morning. Have any of you seen the results?"
"No, yet" Zachary replied as he opened his shoelaces. "Coach Johansen forbade us to see the results of other teams before playing our game. But, I intend to go to the notice board and check it out before watching the Stuttgart game." He packed his shirt and walked out of the dressing room, followed by his friends.
They trudged along, carrying a plate full of snacks through a brightly lit corridor, all the way to the noticeboard area, close to the stadium gate.
When they arrived, Zachary began to check for freshly pinned posters on the large notice board. In the top right corner of the board, he found the results of the tournament group.
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group A
(1) Genoa FC Youth (Italy) 7 Points
(2) NF International (Norway) 6 Points
(3) JFC Riga (Latvia) 4 Points
(4) BK Frem (Denmark) 0 Points
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Group B
(1) Zenit ⁇ (Russia) 9 Points
(2) Tottenham (England) 6 Points
(3) Atalanta (Italy) 1 Point
(4) AIK Stockholm (Sweden) 1 Point
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Group C
(1) VfB Stuttgart (Germany) 9 Points
(2) Skonto Academy (Latvia) 4 Points
(3) Viimsi MRJK (Estonia) 4 Points
(4) FC Olimpiki Tbilisi (Georgia) 0 Points
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Group D
(1) ADO Den Haag (Netherlands) 7 Points
(2) SK Sturm Graz (Austria) 6 Points
(3) HJK Helsinki (Finland) 4 Points
(4) Jagiellonia (Poland) 0 Points
****
Zachary let his gaze venture onto the sheet pinned just below the group stage result. Tournament organizers have updated it with the results of the quarter-finals that day.
****
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Tournament Schedule and Results
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Sunday, 19 February 2012
Skonto Hall
Quarterfinals 1 - 8:00 am
->ADO The Hague 3:2 Skonto Academy
Quarterfinals 2 - 11:00 am
->Genoa FC Youth 3:3 Tottenham
(Tottenham won by Penalty 4:2)
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Sunday, 19 February 2012
Skonto Hall
->Zenit ⁇ 0:1 NF International
Quarterfinals 4 - 17.00
->VfB Stuttgart -: - SK Sturm Graz
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Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Skonto Hall
Semifinals 1 - 11:00 AM
->ADO The Hague vs. NF International
Semifinals 2 - 14:00
-> Tottenham vs. QF4 Winner
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Thursday, 23 February 2012
Skonto Hall
Play-Off Champion 3 - 15:00
->Losers SF1 vs Losers SF2
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Friday, 24 February 2012
Skonto Hall
Final - 15:00
-> Winner SF1 vs. Sf2 Winner
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"So, we'll face ADO The Hague in the semi-finals later" Paul observed from his right side. "I can't believe they made it this far in the competition."
"Nobody believes that our team will also be in the semi-finals" Kendrick said with a smile. "I guess this is going to be a fight between the underdogs."
"I hope you don't call ADO The Hague an underdog" Kasongo replied, taking his eyes off the notice board. "The Dutch Academy has always been one of the best in the world. I wouldn't be surprised if some players from ADO The Hague end up in the top teams as star players."
"I really doubt that," Paul shook his head. "If they had such talent, we would have already heard of them. Take a look at Zachary, Werner, and other Stuttgart players, for example. We have heard a lot about their achievements even at this stage of the tournament."
"You have a purpose." Kasongo. "I see here that Werner is ahead of Zachary with a goal on the list of top scorers" he said, pointing to a poster in the top left corner of the notice board.
"He's already reached nine goals" Kendrick sighed. "If he manages to score in today's game, he will be the undisputed favorite to take the golden boot at the end of the tournament." He added, stealing glances to Zachary.
Zachary would not comment. He has decided not to focus on individual awards, such as golden shoes, for a while. He can still earn Juju a lot of points from winning the tournament, without even scoring more goals in the rest of the game.
"I'm surprised Tottenham beat Genoa" Paul commented. "I think they will definitely win against a Tottenham squad that seems weaker."
"After all, they won on penalties" Kendrick said, glancing back at the notice board. "I really want to watch that game."
"We have to watch the Stuttgart game" Zachary said, taking his eyes off the result. "It's almost five o'clock" he added, leading the way to the stands.
Zachary and his friends made it to the stands—just before the referee blew the whistle marking the start of the game. The other NF Academy players were already sitting in their seats as they did not bother to check the notice board. They feast on snacks as they watch the players on the field take their positions.
Zachary exchanged a few words with them before sitting on the chair next to Magnus. The tall defensive midfielder nodded at Zachary with a smile before returning his attention to the field.
The match was very intensive. Both VfB Stuttgart and SK Sturm Graz used a 4-3-3 formation, increasing attack after attack, on their opponents. They both used grounded passes and counter-attacks, making this match an interesting spectacle. The fans cheered loudly from the stands as the two teams took turns attacking each other.
Zachary was surprised by SK Sturm Graz's performance early in the game. Despite losing in the opening minutes, the Austrian team took the lead through one of their strikers. He fired past the Stuttgart goalkeeper in the 16th minute after defenders failed to push a dangerous cross into the box.
But, the goal was as if it was poking a beehive. The Stuttgart players played with more vigor, continuing to put more pressure on Sturm Graz's defence. Shortly before the end of the first half, the referee awarded them a penalty after one of Sturm Graz's defenders handled the ball inside the box.
Timo Werner, number 9 VfB Stuttgart, stepped up to score a penalty and equalise in the first half.
In the second half, VfB Stuttgart started right where they stopped. Six minutes after halftime, Joshua Kimmich scored again, giving them a 2:1 lead.
VfB midfielder Stuttgart is on fire, playing Tiki-Taka style of football. Shortly after, they gave a pass to Timo Werner to score the third goal in the 60th minute.
Sturm Graz's disappointing night ended with an own goal in the closing minutes. They then lost to the German team four goals to one. Timo Werner managed to score two more goals, bringing his total to eleven. He is one step closer to sealing his position as the tournament's top scorer.
"We need to disrupt the mobility of their midfield to win against them" Magnus commented from the side just after the final whistle. "The combination of Philipp Forster, Timo Werner, and Joshua Kimmich makes for the strongest attacking midfield in the tournament."
"That's right," Zachary replied as he nodded. "Their team work is just as good as the professional team. They are the strongest team on paper and the main contenders for the trophy."
“The good side is; they focus less on their defense,” Zachary continued. "If we manage to score early enough, we might be able to surprise them and maybe win."
"Hahaha," Magnus laughed, turning his head towards Zachary. "You realize that we are discussing a team that we might only be able to meet in the final. We have to focus only on the semi-finals for now."
"We will face ADO Den Hague, the Dutch team on Tuesday" Zachary said, shaking his head. "I had a feeling we were going to win that game. VfB Stuttgart, on the other hand, will be our main obstacle. So, we have to start thinking about how to beat them."
"You're so confident?" Magnus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I can't be one hundred percent sure about the results" Zachary replied. "But I have to be optimistic. I think like a player in a team who is trying seriously to win trophies. I can already see myself playing in the final, even before the semi-final starts."