The Fight For Third
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While not the most prestigious of games today will see the third place playoff. For people who don't see the value in this match they should be urged to look at motor racing or olympic events, a podium finish is still something to be very proud of.
These two teams may not be in the final, but they have a great chance here today to show that they deserve to be in the top three of the tournament.
Lets take a look at their paths to this playoff.
Heroic Skidmark Eyers DFC:
Group Stage - Group D
v Hurricanes
HeSkEy faced the hosts, Hurricanes, in their first match and even away from home they showed their promise by going 2 goals up in the first 16 minutes. However the second half was not as good and Hurricanes scored 3 goals in 13 minutes to take the win.
With a point to prove, HeSkEy hosted Hurricanes in round 4 of the group stage, it was to be a great match for the home side as they handed the hosts their first defeat of the tournament. Taking the match 2-1.
v Codebreakers
It was a slow start against Codebreakers United but mid-way through the second half HeSkEy came to life, 4 goals in the final quarter showed that they weren't a team to be taken lightly despite losing Dirk Kuyt to injury.
Determined to not leave it late like last time, Stevan Jovetic gave HeSkEy the lead, and subsequently the win with a 13th minute strike. This put Heroic Skidmarks into a qualification spot, and short of Codebreakers overturning a 7 goal goal-difference they would see the quarter finals.
v Mad Dogs
An early injury to Jermaine Jones seemed to put HeSkEy out of kilter against Mad Dogs and Falcao would prove to be too much for them, a less than impressive 3-0 defeat for a team who had scored 6 in their first 2 games.
Short of a miracle for Codebreakers in their match it wouldn't matter what results HeSkEy saw here in the final match of the group stage. Which was a good thing as they lost 2-1 to Mad Dogs, who really rubbed it in by injuring Neal Eardley on top of the win.
Heroic Skidmark Eyers DFC came a comfortable second in Group D with 9 points.
Quarter Finals v Donkey FC
HeSkEy started as they meant to go on, dominating their quarter final first leg with a staggering 4-1 win over Donkey FC. Injuries and fitness seemed to be a real problem for the visitors and the Skidmarks wasted no time in taking advantage of that fact.
Donkey were playing for pride in the second leg and pride was something they took away from the tournament as well. Having played brilliantly to get this far they found themselves 2-0 down as HeSkEy continued their romp into the semis. But in the second half Donkey showed their mettle and forced a draw.
Semi Finals v Hunters
HeSkEy have always been a team in it for the drama and the semi finals would be no different as a series of injuries and a flurry of goals resulted in a 2-2 draw which would really make the second leg a must win for both sides.
In another thrilling match which saw all 3 goals coming in 8 minutes of play Heroic Skidmark Eyers tournament came to a sudden stop, The Huntsmen proved to be too strong and would head on to the final.
NK GOŠK Dubrovnik:
Group Stage - Group A
v Triforce
Dubrovnik didn't have the best of starts in the tournament, losing out 1-0 in their first match against Triforce. To add insult to injury, or rather injury to insult, Gianluigi Buffon was ruled out of the tournament with an injury, but Dubrovnik showed a fighting spirit receiving 5 yellow cards and committing a massive 25 fouls!
In the second meeting of these two teams it would be a real tense affair, Dubrovnik taking an early lead only to suffer an equaliser in the 70th minute, taking the lead again in the 88th and then the final insult, a 90th minute equaliser from Triforce.
v Lippiano United
With second choice keeper Morgan De Sanctis in place Dubrovnik had to really assert themselves to ensure they didn't fall behind in their group. Being 2-0 up before Lippi's lost a man to a red card certainly helped matters.
Lippiano United needed a win in this final match of the group stages to push for qualification but an 8th minute goal from Kaka meant that Dubrovnik maintained their place in the group and would head onto the next stage of the tournament.
v Donkey FC
Donkey FC had so far been the outstanding team of the tournament but going down to 10 men early on in the game was all the advantage Dubrovnik needed, despite conceding a penalty late in the game they were already 2 goals to the good and would take the win.
This group was starting to look very tight and every point would count, that is why it was to be a such a blow for Dubrovnik when Donkey came to town and took revenge on their first meeting by beating NK GOSK 3-2 despite suffering a couple of serious injuries in the process.
Despite three teams being on 10 points, Dubrovnik took the top spot in the group with a healthier goal difference over the other teams.
Quarter Finals v Dereham Devils
Dubrovnik had a poor start to the quarter finals, losing 2-0 to a strong Dereham side and suffering a couple of minor injuries, nothing that would keep a player out of the side but certainly enough to put the team out of kilter.
Knowing that nothing short of a draw without conceding was needed Dubrovnik set out to win this match and it was only 20 minutes before Riquelme gave them the lead, it would be Riquelme who doubled it later in the game to force extra time and then penalties. In a tense shoot-out it was Dubrovnik who progressed winning it 3-2.
Semi Finals v Hurricanes
Facing the hosts for the first time is a daunting task for any team, as HeSkEy had found out in the group stage but Dubrovnik seemed woefully prepared for the Hurricanes who were 4-1 up before Darijo Srna got himself a second yellow card. The second leg was already looking to be an impossible task…
…And an impossible task it was, with only 2 shots on target Dubrovnik wouldn't have been able to overturn the deficit even if they went in, sadly Hurricanes added another 3 to their total in that time meaning a heavy 7-1 defeat would see Dubrovnik in the third place playoffs.
2 - 2 
- Andre Ayew 16'
- Carles Puyol (Thigh strain, 2 weeks)
- Nicolas Tagliafico
Lionel Messi (Hunters)
