Doriath at Eriador, Weathertop
Weathertop, the pride of stadiums in north-west Middle-earth, would be host to its fourth straight game, after Group B hosts Eriador qualified with maximum points, beating Arnor, Gondolin, and Inter Beleriand. Most of the ninety-thousand seats of the arena had been taken by the local fans as soon as the tickets were put on sale, and only twenty thousand were left to the supporters of Doriath, the surprise qualifiers from Group G. They have drawn even with the powerhouse AC Beleriand, lost narrowly to Anfauglith, and beaten the hosts Nargothrond.
Yet there was no doubt in the minds of the Eriador faithful (and the hangers-on from team Arnor) that Doriath’s fairy tale run would end today. Elrond was light years away the better keeper than his grandfather Dior, and Glorfindel, the Witch-king, and Arveleg have scored more than Mablung, Beleg, and Lúthien. Melian was a top-tier defender, true, but the rest of Doriath’s back line wouldn’t compare to Eriador’s back four. So it’s an advantage in three areas for Eriador, and the midfield battle was the only one where Doriath had a fair chance.
There was one ace in the Fenced Realm’s sleeve, though. Their fluidity and adaptability to the opposition’s formation have given them a chance to upset superior teams. If they can blunt Eriador’s strategy and force them to play to Doriath’s tune, then they would have a chance despite their inferior personnel.
Soon after the opening whistle, Doriath skipped the obligatory feeling out period and pressed the Eriador outfielders towards Elrond. The Northerners needed time to identify their opponent’s formation before they can mount their attack, and they were hoping that Doriath would give them the leisure to do so. Instead Elrond, holding midfielder Valandil, and their defenders were forced to stop a Doriath squad intent on drawing first blood.
In the ninth minute, Mablung headed Beleg’s cross wide.
In the sixteenth minute, Lúthien dribbled Gil-galad out of position, but Asfaloth got a boot in her ensuing shot.
In the twenty-seventh minute, the tide began to turn as Eriador finally had a grip on Doriath’s formation. They were playing a defensive 4-3-3 formation, with Beleg and Lúthien pressing the Eriador fullbacks Malbeth and Gil-galad and a midfield trio of Nellas, Daeron, and Galadhon holding position in front of their defenders; Melian was once again playing centre-back, matched against the chief of the Nazgûl. Their formation left Valandil without any natural marker, and he found time to pick his passes. When someone moved forward from the midfield line to guard him, then one of Eriador’s attacking midfield trio was left free. It was this numerical advantage in the midfield, combined with intelligent off-the-ball runs, that gave Eriador their opener.
With Valandil bringing the ball up to the halfway line, Glorfindel made a run towards the centre, dragging Nimloth with him, and Wiki drifted to the left, forcing Galadhon to follow him. When Valandil was ten metres from the box, Galadhon closed in to mark him, but it was too late—the son of Isildur chipped the ball to Glorfindel; at the same time, Arveleg, given space with the departure of Galadhon, made a run past Daeron, forcing Saeros to leave the left zone to guard him. Arahael charged towards the space the courtier vacated, and Glorfindel then tapped a simple pass to him. Arahael’s impressive low effort snuck under Dior’s body, and Eriador was in the lead half an hour into the game. Just as expected, the home crowd thought as their cheers filled the stadium. The Doriath faithful groaned in despair— to win, Doriath had to get two goals past Elrond, something no team has ever done in a real game since 2010. And a draw won’t do—a penalty shoot-out against the legendary shotstopper was something no one wished to contemplate.
The half ended with a couple of Doriath chances, but none that really bothered Elrond. The Doriath supporters wondered what would be discussed in the locker room. Mablung was not in the form he was when he pulled a hat trick against Nargothrond. Beleg and Lúthien were locked in a stalemate with Malbeth and Gil-galad. And there was no inspiration from the midfield, so occupied were they with containing Eriador’s midfield threats.
The beginning of the second half was exactly as the Doriath supporters feared—and expected. Eriador applied pressure on the ball handlers once more, and Doriath were unable to make headway from the midfield zone. A few long balls from Melian to Mablung were the only times Doriath managed to get as far as the box, but in one instance Mablung was quickly dispossessed by Araphant, and in another his hurried shot sailed straight into Elrond’s hands. Eriador, meanwhile, gained few counterattacking chances themselves; most of the downfield passes from the defence were won by the indefatigable Melian and sent back to the Doriath midfield.
After twenty minutes of stalemate, Melian whistled for attention and raised two fingers. Eriador didn’t know what the signal was for, but soon they noticed a marked difference. Doriath was controlling the ball more, and Beleg and Lúthien took up higher positions on the pitch, pressing the Eriador back line aggressively. Mablung went deep into the midfield, and his presence made the numbers even there—even in numbers, but not in the quality of passing. Doriath was ahead in that aspect. They made their way slowly towards Eriador’s penalty box, and the two wingers made blazing runs that drew attention away from the ball-handlers. Elrond was still not being tested at goal, but the defence was getting nervous. They were anxiously waiting for Doriath’s blow.
And the blow did come five minutes before full time. Daeron was given too much time on the ball, and Mablung made a forward run that drew Araphant to him. Arveleg came to challenge Daeron, but he had already sent the ball to the left of the box, a pass to no one, it seemed. But then Beleg snuck past Malbeth and got to the ball first; his one-touch volley zoomed past Elrond’s outstretched hand, and Doriath had equalised with minutes to spare.
Full time ended with a few chances. Beleg came closest after receiving a lofted ball from Nellas; he managed to fool Elrond to committing, but the Peredhil’s outstretched foot deflected his shot enough that it hit the post and ricocheted out.
The Doriath crowd was brimming with excitement. Elrond could be beaten, and perhaps their team could do something no-one else had done in two years. Meanwhile a nervous silence has descended upon most of the stadium. Eriador only needed to hold on—surely they can win if it came to spot kicks.
The first half of extra time was a conservative affair, with Doriath content to hold the ball in midfield, and Eriador content to keep them there. But when the second half began Eriador started pressing hard once again. Doriath’s midfield began to lose control of possession, and Eriador gained some dangerous chances. The Witch-king struck the side netting in the 108th minute, and three minutes later Glorfindel curled a chance over the crossbar. But Eriador’s attack also gave Doriath a few counterattacking chances—a cross sent by Lúthien, after she had outrun Gil-galad and Valandil chasing after a long pass, was snatched by his great-grandson moments before Mablung could head it in. For most parts, however, the ball was in Doriath’s side of the pitch, and the pressure was stretching them to the breaking point. Six minutes before the end of extra time Daeron handled an Arassuil corner, and the referee pointed to the spot. The Doriath fans prayed for Dior to pull off a save like the one he had against Finrod in the last group game, but it was not to be. The Witch-king of Angmar sent a spear of terror screaming towards the bottom-left corner, and Dior, despite guessing correctly, was unable to force it out.
And that was it. Doriath made a furious run to force a shootout, but they were up against a wall of ten players arrayed before one of the best goalkeepers in the game. Soon the whistle was blown, and a great cheer erupted from Weathertop. They were through to the quarterfinals, three games away from the greatest prize in Arda football.
Doriath 1-2 Eriador
(after extra time)
GOALS:
30, 0-1 Arahael (Glorfindel)
85, 1-1 Beleg (Daeron)
115, 1-2 Witch-king
Total Shots
16-16
Shots On Target
7-5
YELLOW CARDS:
1-1
Doriath: Daeron
Eriador: Asfaloth