AM Chain Draft Quarter-Finals

[Rex Caudillo]

So after the first round of knockouts we have our quarter finalists which you can see on our bracket. Congratulations if you've made it this far and comiserations to our unlucky losers from the first round.




So for this round we have some truly spicy games...

Match 1: Our first round bye winner @albakos vs @JMB
Match 2: @Bagels vs @The Ducking Duck
Match 3: @jones and @2Smokeyy vs @GDeep™
Match 4: Match fixers @Rex Caudillo vs @A_G

I will sim the matches this weekend and then look for the results after that.

 

[Bagels]

Fully expecting match 4 to result in the world’s first double win, catapulting both teams miraculously to the final, wherein they once again both win, each getting their own trophy.

 

[albakos]

Fully expecting match 4 to result in the world’s first double win, catapulting both teams miraculously to the final, wherein they once again both win, each getting their own trophy.

 

[A_G]

Fully expecting match 4 to result in the world’s first double win, catapulting both teams miraculously to the final, wherein they once again both win, each getting their own trophy.

Another famous scandal in Serie A-M

 

[Steps]

Fully expecting match 4 to result in the world’s first double win, catapulting both teams miraculously to the final, wherein they once again both win, each getting their own trophy.

They already started the photoshoot.

Spoiler

 

[Steps]

Jokes aside, I am really looking forward to the @2Smokeyy / @jones v @GDeep™ match.

 

[GDeep™]

Jokes aside, I am really looking forward to the @2Smokeyy / @jones v @GDeep™ match.

Would love to smash the AM Draft golden couple.

 

[A_G]

Spoiler: ALBAKOS FC VS JMB CITY

The Quarter-Finals begin with the two protagonists from what some are calling Loopgate. El Banico promises to be the ultimate grudge match.

Albakos won the league stage and received a bye to this round while JMB overcame Clrnc.

Despite the pressure, @JMB has once again reiterated that he will not leave on his own account:


A hostile home crowd awaits JMB City, with a special tifo for the embattled boss:


Safe to say JMB doesn’t see the humour:


No pre-match handshakes on the touchline as expected. A cold night in Prishtina in more ways than one.



The game begins with the tension that was expected as both teams go flying into tackles. Looks like the team talks from both managers had the desired effect.

Ronaldinho looks to stamp his mark on the game early and jinks past two markers. The shot opens up before someone comes steaming in…



Yellow for Pique as the referee finally loses his patience.

Albakos FC look to get down the left as a counter attack opportunity presents itself, but Eden Hazard is hacked to the ground..the referee walks over again…



Booking for Maicon. The referee is trying to get a grip of the game quickly.

The match starts to get bogged down in midfield as both sides try to get a foot on the ball, and finally JMB City manage to work an opening on the left side of the attack. Ronaldinho cleverly turns away from Vidal and drops a shoulder before bending one around the defender who’s blocking the keeper’s vision…



Blinding save from Van Der Sar!!! He gets a strong had to it having seen it late!!



Dinho thought he’d scored!!

This passage of play gives City confidence and they pour forward in numbers, but Albakos FC steal it back quickly and have a breakaway opportunity…



Eto’o peels off to the right and gets a shooting opportunity…



Kahn gets down to turn it away!! The first real sight of goal for Albakos FC and Kahn was tested!!

Some encouragement for the home side and
they drive forward again. Eto’o gets closed down but the ball ricochets to Vidal who runs onto it…



Just whizzes past the post!! An inch or two to the side and it would’ve been the opening goal!!!



Tense moments for @JMB as his side are under the cosh as we close in on half time…

A rare double sub at halftime as JMB brings on Mexes for the yellow carded Maicon and Larsson for the ineffective Adriano.

Not much action to start with until JMB City get a corner. The ball is whipped into a dangerous area and Thiago Silva powers it at goal…



Just flashes wide!!! Albakos FC breathe a sigh of relief…

But the danger isn’t over as JMB City win it back immediately after the goal kick and are on the attack again. They work the ball wide and patiently look for an opening before it gets squared back to a central position…



Smashed against the crossbar by Kroos!! His thunderous side foot strike beat Van Der Sar but just couldn’t sneak under the post!!! Still 0- somehow.

The game descends into a tactical battle with both teams making several subs to change the state of the match.

As we head into the final twenty minutes, Albakos FC look to push forward and grab the initiative as the home side. Wesley Sneijder looks to advance with the ball before playing it to the right wing with Salah waiting. He beats the full back with ease and gets to the byline to play it across the area…



Tapped home by Sneijder!!! He has the simplest of finishes to open the scoring and wheels away in delight!!! But he’s not joined by any of his teammates…he turns around to see why…



Oh dear, he’s been given offside!! He didn’t realise he’d been flagged for going too soon!!! The goal has been chalked off and Albakos is fuming!! He’s screaming at the 4th official and yelling some anti-Welsh rhetoric at anyone who will listen!!

Albakos FC need to focus again but it’s difficult with the manager looking for a fight on the touch line and the crowd getting agitated at the referee. JMB City try to take advantage of the chaos and spring forward themselves, looking for the opening.

Kaka decides to take responsibility and goes on one of his famous runs, gliding past any opponent that challenges him. He gets to the edge of the box and instead of shooting, slips in a delicate pass…



Smashed into the roof of the net!! Brilliant finish from one of British football’s most lethal goal scorers after a moment of individual magic from Kaka!!! @JMB can hardly contain his excitement:


Contrasting emotions for Albakos:



Albakos FC look to throw the kitchen sink at City with the clock ticking down. They patiently wait for an opening to break their opponents down until Zidane surprises the keeper with a shot from distance…



A deflection just takes it wide!! It’ll be a corner kick but looked like it was headed for the back of the net!!

The resulting corner comes in and gets cleared, but JMB City are slow getting out and the ball comes into the box…Van Persie catches it sweetly on the volley…





Breathtaking save from Kahn!! One of the best you’ll ever see as he somehow keeps out RVP’s drive!!! Albakos FC cannot believe it!!!

Kahn rises to his feet and celebrates like he’s just scored a goal himself:


The home side look to the clock and see time running out. They decide to abandon their football and go route 1 instead. Wave after wave of long balls into the box defended by JMB City:


The referee looks at his watch and Albakos FC opt for one last ball into box…



Claimed calmly by Kahn!! He holds it for a few seconds and then boots it down the field as the referee blows for full time…

Albakos FC 0-1 JMB City

 

[JMB]

Good game @albakos, top write up @A_G

2 derby day games in 24 hours is going to give me a stroke.

 

[UpTheGunnerz]

Up the mighty Gagan deep

 

[albakos]

Spoiler: ALBAKOS FC VS JMB CITY

View attachment 42699

The Quarter-Finals begin with the two protagonists from what some are calling Loopgate. El Banico promises to be the ultimate grudge match.

Albakos won the league stage and received a bye to this round while JMB overcame Clrnc.

Despite the pressure, @JMB has once again reiterated that he will not leave on his own account:
View attachment 42701

A hostile home crowd awaits JMB City, with a special tifo for the embattled boss:
View attachment 42703

Safe to say JMB doesn’t see the humour:
View attachment 42704

No pre-match handshakes on the touchline as expected. A cold night in Prishtina in more ways than one.
View attachment 42705
View attachment 42706

The game begins with the tension that was expected as both teams go flying into tackles. Looks like the team talks from both managers had the desired effect.

Ronaldinho looks to stamp his mark on the game early and jinks past two markers. The shot opens up before someone comes steaming in…

View attachment 42708

Yellow for Pique as the referee finally loses his patience.

Albakos FC look to get down the left as a counter attack opportunity presents itself, but Eden Hazard is hacked to the ground..the referee walks over again…

View attachment 42709

Booking for Maicon. The referee is trying to get a grip of the game quickly.

The match starts to get bogged down in midfield as both sides try to get a foot on the ball, and finally JMB City manage to work an opening on the left side of the attack. Ronaldinho cleverly turns away from Vidal and drops a shoulder before bending one around the defender who’s blocking the keeper’s vision…

View attachment 42710

Blinding save from Van Der Sar!!! He gets a strong had to it having seen it late!!

View attachment 42711

Dinho thought he’d scored!!

This passage of play gives City confidence and they pour forward in numbers, but Albakos FC steal it back quickly and have a breakaway opportunity…

View attachment 42712

Eto’o peels off to the right and gets a shooting opportunity…

View attachment 42713

Kahn gets down to turn it away!! The first real sight of goal for Albakos FC and Kahn was tested!!

Some encouragement for the home side and
they drive forward again. Eto’o gets closed down but the ball ricochets to Vidal who runs onto it…

View attachment 42717

Just whizzes past the post!! An inch or two to the side and it would’ve been the opening goal!!!

View attachment 42719

Tense moments for @JMB as his side are under the cosh as we close in on half time…

A rare double sub at halftime as JMB brings on Mexes for the yellow carded Maicon and Larsson for the ineffective Adriano.

Not much action to start with until JMB City get a corner. The ball is whipped into a dangerous area and Thiago Silva powers it at goal…

View attachment 42720

Just flashes wide!!! Albakos FC breathe a sigh of relief…

But the danger isn’t over as JMB City win it back immediately after the goal kick and are on the attack again. They work the ball wide and patiently look for an opening before it gets squared back to a central position…

View attachment 42722

Smashed against the crossbar by Kroos!! His thunderous side foot strike beat Van Der Sar but just couldn’t sneak under the post!!! Still 0- somehow.

The game descends into a tactical battle with both teams making several subs to change the state of the match.

As we head into the final twenty minutes, Albakos FC look to push forward and grab the initiative as the home side. Wesley Sneijder looks to advance with the ball before playing it to the right wing with Salah waiting. He beats the full back with ease and gets to the byline to play it across the area…

View attachment 42726

Tapped home by Sneijder!!! He has the simplest of finishes to open the scoring and wheels away in delight!!! But he’s not joined by any of his teammates…he turns around to see why…

View attachment 42727

Oh dear, he’s been given offside!! He didn’t realise he’d been flagged for going too soon!!! The goal has been chalked off and Albakos is fuming!! He’s screaming at the 4th official and yelling some anti-Welsh rhetoric at anyone who will listen!!

Albakos FC need to focus again but it’s difficult with the manager looking for a fight on the touch line and the crowd getting agitated at the referee. JMB City try to take advantage of the chaos and spring forward themselves, looking for the opening.

Kaka decides to take responsibility and goes on one of his famous runs, gliding past any opponent that challenges him. He gets to the edge of the box and instead of shooting, slips in a delicate pass…

View attachment 42728

Smashed into the roof of the net!! Brilliant finish from one of British football’s most lethal goal scorers after a moment of individual from Kaka!!! @JMB can hardly contain his excitement:
View attachment 42732

Contrasting emotions for Albakos:

View attachment 42744

Albakos FC look to throw the kitchen sink at City with the clock ticking down. They patiently wait for an opening to break their opponents down until Zidane surprises the keeper with a shot from distance…

View attachment 42737

A deflection just takes it wide!! It’ll be a corner kick but looked like it was headed for the back of the net!!

The resulting corner comes in and gets cleared, but JMB City are slow getting out and the ball comes into the box…Van Persie catches it sweetly on the volley…

View attachment 42738

View attachment 42739

Breathtaking save from Kahn!! One of the best you’ll ever see as he somehow keeps out RVP’s drive!!! Albakos FC cannot believe it!!!

Kahn rises to his feet and celebrates like he’s just scored a goal himself:
View attachment 42740

The home side look to the clock and see time running out. They decide to abandon their football and go route 1 instead. Wave after wave of long balls into the box defended by JMB City:
View attachment 42741

The referee looks at his watch and Albakos FC opt for one last ball into box…

View attachment 42743

Claimed calmly by Kahn!! He holds it for a few seconds and then boots it down the field as the referee blows for full time…

Albakos FC 0-1 JMB City

Why did you have to post this in the heat of match.

Can't believe I lost to a Sunday League team with a loser manager who prefers watching at his feet instead of leading his players.

Draft corruption ringleaders and consigliere pull this off again.

 

[A_G]

Why did you have to post this in the heat of match.

Can't believe I lost to a Sunday League team with a loser manager who prefers watching at his feet instead of leading his players.

Draft corruption ringleaders and consigliere pull this off again.

 

[JMB]

"Loser" huh...

Tried to be gracious but someone going to tell him we also slapped him up at league stage? That makes 2.

 

[GDeep™]

@albakos always getting slapped up by my boy @JMB

 

[Rex Caudillo]

Congrats @JMB can you resend me those Monzo funds btw it didn’t go through.

 

[Rex Caudillo]

@A_G sliding this in whilst the match was going on to stop the forum being nuked into oblivion is why he’s got the mod powers.

God Emperor foresight on show.

 

[GDeep™]

 

[Rex Caudillo]

View attachment 42763

Top pic that.

 

[jones]

Would love to smash the AM Draft golden couple.

View attachment 42682

Two blokes and you immediately think couple, interesting.

 

[A_G]

Spoiler: THE DUCKING DUCKS VS BAGELS ATHLETIC

The first quarter-final of the other side of the bracket sees @The Ducking Ducks take on the Italian Stallion himself, @Bagels. Not as big of a rivalry as the previous matchup, but Bagels has not forgotten The Duck's role in the controversy surrounding his Dida pick.

The game starts with a slow pace as the seven midfielders on the pitch grapple for possession. De Bruyne looks to drive forward with the ball but gets hacked down almost immediately...



An early yellow for Rodri!! The first foul sends him into the book and he's not impressed with the referee!! His manager doesn't seem amused either:


The midfield battle continues as the both sides struggle to find a way through, until Claude Makelele decides to have a go himself from distance...



He catches it perfectly...



Great save by Dida to push it out of the danger zone!! The first real sight of goal ends with a big stop from the Brazilian!!

Anxiety increasing for Bagels as it looks like The Ducks are seizing control of the match:

He tries to coax his men forward and does get a response from the team as they start to get a grip on the game. They work the ball through midfield until it gets to Nedved, and instead of playing it back to De Bruyne he chips the ball forward for Vieri to run on to...



Vieri catches it first time...



Oblak leaps like a salmon out of water to keep it out!! The first shot on target for Bagels and it took a world class save to prevent them from scoring!! That ends the first half action as we're still goalless with both keepers now being called into action.

Surprising change at half time with The Ducking Ducks bringing on Panucci for Evra, who seems annoyed by being replaced. As he walks back to the bench after the halftime interval, he exchanges words with someone in the crowd...



My word, he's kicked out at commissioner @Rex Caudillo!! What on earth is he thinking?!! Coaches rush to separate the two as it's unclear what sparked the melee!!



He's ushered away by staff members and even though he can't be red carded after being subbed, attacking the commissioner will surely result in a suspension.

The fallout from the brawl transmits to the pitch as the crowd and teams are all stunned after the goings on of the break. The substitutions on both sides lead to a stop start game with constant disruptions, with The Ducks being frustrated by the classic Italian sh*thousery on display. They're forced into shots from distance, with Rodri stinging the palms of Dida with a low driven shot. He gets the ball in a dangerous area once again and aims for goal...



Cannons off the post!! No Rodri rocket this time, but a placed shot bending towards the far post just doesn't have enough curl on it and ends up going out for a goal kick after kissing the post.

Bagels wants more from his team:

The Ducking Duck meanwhile is the picture of calm:


Bagels Athletic begin to time waste as it's clear they are going to play the long game and hope to win it in extra-time. Minutes tick off the clock as they take the sting out of the game, but suddenly they see an opportunity to break and push forward in numbers. With a lack of width, they try to play their way through the middle and nearly succeed before Barzagli clears. It only goes as far as Zola, who takes a touch and fires at goal...

The ball beats Oblak...and the post!! A letoff for The Ducks as Zola's shot grazes the post on its way out of play!!

That proves to be the final action of normal time as catenaccio wins the day. 30 more minutes to decide it.

The first half of extra-time comes and goes with little goalmouth action as the tiredness and caution begin to take over.

Into the last 15 minutes before the dreaded penalty shootout and it looks like The Ducking Ducks will be the side to take the initiative. The controversial Swede gestures for his players to get forward, despite the huge physical toll the game has taken on his players. Griezmann has fresh legs after coming on towards the end of normal time and he looks to find a way through a packed defence, but he can't dribble his way past Ferdinand. He loses it cheaply and suddenly there's a last minute break on for Bagels as Yaya Toure drives forward. He decides to play the ball back to De Bruyne who steps up and has a go...



The ball dips and swerves meaning Oblak can only stand and watch....



My goodness, it's smashed off the crossbar!! Oblak had no chance to stop it, but the ball doesn't dip quite enough to sneak in!! De Bryune nearly wins it at the death for Athletic!!



The Belgian is in disbelief as the referee blows for full time. This match will be decided by a penalty shootout.

The Ducking Ducks 0-0 Bagels Athletic (AET)

Athletic have won the toss and will be kicking off the shootout.

Spoiler

ROUND 1

Sinisa Mihajlovic will be first up for Bagels.

Sends Oblak the wrong way and finishes calmly. 1-0 Bagels

Cesc Fabregas takes a deep breath as he walks up the spot.

He opts for power and sends it crashing into the side netting. 1-1 The Ducks.

ROUND 2

George Weah will be up next for Bagels Athletic. No nerves showing for the Balon d'Or winner.

Oblak guesses the right way but it's just out of his reach. 2-1 Bagels.

Arjen Robben is the second taker for The Ducks. Not his first high pressure penalty.

A slow run-up from the Dutchman, but he finds the net with a powerful shot. 2-2 The Ducks.

ROUND 3

The great Gianfranco Zola will be the next taker for Bagels.

An immediate run-up after the whistle and he buries it. Never looked like missing. 3-2 Bagels.

Antoine Griezmann walks forward to take the next penalty for The Ducks.

A low finish past the outstretched arm of Dida leads to a trademark celebration as his manager looks on disgusted. 3-3 The Ducks.

ROUND 4

Pavel Nedved is the next chosen taker and he walks confidently to the spot.

He opts for power over placement and rifles it into the roof of the net. Oblak had no chance. 4-3 Bagels.

A surprise for The Ducks as Daniele De Rossi is up next for them with several attackers still on,

It proves to be the right choice as he manages to send Dida the wrong way. 4-4 The Ducks.

ROUND 5

Big Yaya Toure walks up to the spot, one of the most seasoned penalty takers left on the pitch.

He takes a deep breath as the whistle blows, and side foots a perfect penalty into the top corner. 5-4 Bagels.

The first pressure penalty of the match as notorious bottler Higuain must score for The Ducks to carry on.

With the weight of the world on his shoulders, he aims for the far corner...and scores!! 5-5 The Ducks.

ROUND 6

The man who nearly won it in extra-time will take the next penalty as we head into sudden death...

Kevin De Bruyne steps up and looks to go to the keeper's left...



Saved by Oblak!! The penalty wasn't far enough in the corner and the Slovenian keeps it out!!!

De Bruyne is gutted!!


Just wait until he gets back to see Bagels who has totally lost it by now!!!

De Bruyne's miss means that The Ducks can win it with their next attempt. Here comes Rodri to send his team through to the Semi-Finals...

He takes a deep breath and waits for the keeper to move...

He slides his penalty right down the middle and scores!!!

Wild celebrations from The Ducks as they battle through a difficult match to move onto the next stage!!

The Ducking Ducks win 6-5 on penalties