Draft CL Draft: Semi-Final 1: AGFC vs Hunskelpers FC

[Rex Stone]

So for the "first" semi final (line ups were submitted after the other one) it’s the ranking tournament winners AGFC of @A_G vs the 4th seed Hunskelpers FC of @bingobob

As the higher seed AGFC will get to play the second leg at home in front of their fans.

Their knockout results so far:

Final 12: BYE
Quarter Final: Won vs FC SUAGA (6-5 on aggregate)

Their line up for this tie is:

As for the Hunskelpers their results in the knockout so far were:

Final 12 - BYE
Quarter Final - Won vs Sapient Hawks (4-2 on penalties)

Their line-up is:

The head to head for these two finished:

HSK 3 - 2 AG
AG 0 - 0 HSK

Two very strong teams with not a lot between them which could go either way!

 

[Juan Matas Beard]

Nice touch with the kits.

 

[Riou]

Remember when this was THE thing on the forum for a hot minute...

 

[albakos]

I have a theory

Could it be that after the announcement on big awards for each participant and eventual winner, and the prospect of message ratio standings being disrupted, @Blood on the Tracks has bribed the mighty @Rex Bezos to get the draft killed off and no awards are given ?

 

[Rex Stone]

It’s coming I promise

I’ve been absolutely f*cked with work the past two weeks, team got merged and somehow ended up with way more work than before.

Both semi finals are simmed and almost fully written up though. Unlikely to have anything tonight but tomorrow we’ll be done and then onto the final before we play Southampton.

Guaranteed

 

[A_G]

It’s coming I promise

I’ve been absolutely f*cked with work the past two weeks, team got merged and somehow ended up with way more work than before.

Both semi finals are simmed and almost fully written up though. Unlikely to have anything tonight but tomorrow we’ll be done and then onto the final before we play Southampton.

Guaranteed

You’ve been on the lash celebrating Iftarsenal getting knocked out, we understand.

 

[albakos]

You’ve been on the lash celebrating Iftarsenal getting knocked out, we understand.

Yes, the man needed a proper rest after resimming our matches for ages

 

[Juan Matas Beard]

You’ve been on the lash celebrating Iftarsenal getting knocked out, we understand.

That was my CL final. Felt so good knocking them out. I’m satisfied regardless from here on.

 

[jones]

That was my CL final. Felt so good knocking them out. I’m satisfied regardless from here on.

We'll see about satisfaction after I tell your United bredrin about the Gerrard shirt you bought in Tanzania.

 

[Juan Matas Beard]

It’s coming I promise

I’ve been absolutely f*cked with work the past two weeks, team got merged and somehow ended up with way more work than before.

Both semi finals are simmed and almost fully written up though. Unlikely to have anything tonight but tomorrow we’ll be done and then onto the final before we play Southampton.

Guaranteed

Tbh mate this is a lot of workload for one person. I would suggest you find others to split this with but nobody can write the scripts in this style.

Love the attention to detail after off the cuff posts like with my feud with captain Gerrard and Ronaldo fanboyism.

 

[jones]

Tbh mate this is a lot of workload for one person. I would suggest you find others to split this with but nobody can write the scripts in this style.

Love the attention to detail after off the cuff posts like with my feud with captain Gerrard and Ronaldo fanboyism.

He's not gonna shag you.

 

[Juan Matas Beard]

My tagline ffs.

 

[GoonerJeeves]

I hope @bingobob will learn from his previous team talk mismanagement. It is time to go full Braveheart and Nicola on this lot. Bring out your inner Alex Salmond. Give them Mars Bars, or give them death!

It is Bannockburn or Kringen

 

[jones]

I hope @bingobob will learn from his previous team talk mismanagement. It is time to go full Braveheart and Nicola on this lot. Bring out your inner Alex Salmond. Give them Mars Bars, or give them death!

It is Bannockburn or Kringen

Love how @bingobob just gave up on correcting people that he's Irish and not Scottish

 

[GoonerJeeves]

Love how @bingobob just gave up on correcting people that he's Irish and not Scottish

<makes note>

 

[Rex Stone]

So finally we have the first of the Arsenal Mania CL Draft Semi-Finals and it's a banger. Two top teams with quality players 1 through 11. It's AGFC of @A_G against FC Hunskelpers of @bingobob

The first leg would be played in front of the green and white faithful of Celtic Park and there was a lot of commotion when the two teams were announced. The teams had changed line ups from the quarter finals.

Firstly the home team may have kept the same line up from the first leg but they've shifted from a diamond to 4-3-3 and moved star man Henrik Larsson out to the left wing. Meanwhile there was shock throughout the press when the AGFC team was announced...

Chief playmaker Abedi Pele was dropped! @A_G wasn't exactly spilling the beans about what his thought process was in the pre match interview....

But rumours of disparaging comments made about Abedi's two sons "the Ayew brothers" were rife and in any case it seemed a high pressure situation for the now starting Rui Costa as he'd have to come in for the previously flawless Abedi.

Still the manager had outfoxed his way to the semi final stage so maybe deserved a bit of credit.

With the teams out of the tunnel, and the crowd signing some very dodgy sectarian tunes the game was underway and it was time to see what Hunskelpers could do in front of their passionate fans.

Seconds in and they were on the defensive... a great piece of play from Davids to shrug off the challenge of Lampard and he sets Vinicius away into space and able to run at Lahm.

The German retreats... and retreats... Vinicius is into the box....


Head up....


Ball across towards...


MESSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII







HE HITS THE POST!!



He had to hit it first time and thanks to some great pressure from Robertson it meant he couldn't get his foot fully round it and he hits the frame of the goal!

The home fans try and energise their team and the message gets through. They're starting to look more comfortable on the ball and Beckham is able to get on the ball and start angling in crosses for Kane and Larsson although he's not got the delivery just right yet.

Half an hour in and Beckham flights in another cross from deep... which...


JUST EVADES HARRY KANE!


The defence isn't schemed correctly if they're giving him that much time to ping balls in. The cross that just missed Kane is gathered up by Javier Zanetti who turns and plays a straight pass down the right wing...


On the counter now in free flow it's Rui Costa and hurdles the challenge of Lampard...


Fires it into the feet of Drogba...


Flicks it round the corner for Messi...


Head up on the break in front of the penalty area...


It's Rui Costa overlapping... Messi plays the ball between the defenders...


At the byline... can he get there....



He stretches for it...

AND SQUARES IT FOR A MESSI TAP IN!!!!


Absolutely breathtaking counter attack from AGFC and it's a simple goal for that man Messi who can't stop scoring!


One thing of note after stretching to get the assist Rui Costa had to overrun the pitch and ended up at the hoardings in front of the away fans. He celebrated a little too exuberantly with them and the referee got the yellow card out.


The Hunskelpers fans aren't happy and now it's all out attack to try and even the score... Figo manages to shake De Boer loose who's having a nightmare first half... rather than a cross he plays in Lahm... chips it into the penalty area for Larsson....


And....

SAVED BY KAHN! INCREDIBLE STOP!

Clawed out by the German to stop the Swede half volleying his side level! Larsson is sat on the ground in disbelief that he didn't score there!


Still his side has a corner and it's David Beckham out there...


Curls a wicked ball into the box....


Up goes Ramos....


Flicked on AND....

BUNDLED IN AT THE BACK POST IN BY DESCHAMPS!!


Extremely scrappy goal but they all count and Hunskelpers pull level! Unlikely scorer but again the home fans do not care!


Almost half time now and AGFC are sitting on top of their opposition now... they've wised up and totally shut down the outlet passes into Beckham and once Deschamps or Lampard touch the ball they're swarmed by Davids and Fabinho.


Good ball won by Davids and he plays in a rampaging Zanetti down the right... flying like a train even Robertson is struggling to get back...



Fires in a low cross...

IN A SEMI FINAL ALWAYS BEWARE OF THE DROG!


The home fans are sat in absolute silence here... their team has barely fought level and they're now down at home AGAIN!

Surely need to take a positive result with them to the away game...

The referee blows for half time and as it stands it's AGFC leading 2-1....

 

[bingobob]

dodgy sectarian tunes

 

[Rex Stone]

Right. Into the second half and almost immediately there's disaster for both teams! A long clearance from Van der Sar is met by the head of Godin. The ball loops up towards Messi....

Where he collides with Beckham!!

A really nasty coming together, it looks like Beckham has a nasty cut above his eye, maybe caused by a flying boot...

He also got his bell rung pretty badly there and he woozily makes his way to the sideline to get swapped out for Fabregas.

Messi plays on but minutes later he's looking heartbroken sat on the ground, one hand holding his calf. He pulls his shirt up over his face as he's carried off the field distraught and on comes Pablo Aimar. The two stars from each team are now back in the dressing room and the game is turned on it's head!

Not long after the changes Fabregas nips in on a careless Rui Costa and steals the ball... he turns and runs deep into the AGFC half...




Where he's pulled back by Rui Costa!!



He's already been booked and the referee....



SHOWS A SECOND YELLOW CARD! HE'S OFF!

That was such a needless foul! What was the Portuguese midfielder thinking?

Meanwhile the camera cuts to Abedi Pele on the bench... is that a grin!? He's looking at his manager, surely they're going to bring him on...

NO! @A_G is not going to make a change and he's keeping the other 10 men out there. No Messi and now down to ten men... his managerial acumen is going to be pushed to the limit.

With the Hunskelpers now a man up and with their opposition's best player off the pitch @bingobob goes for the jugular and brings on David Villa for a defender... time to push home the man advantage.

The next half an hour is an all out siege of the AGFC goal. They're just clinging on for dear life now and don't even have an outball to get up the pitch. Still despite the territorial domination the Hunskelpers can't seem to force the man advantage and even work Oliver Kahn.

They're resorting to long shots from distance but Lampard in particular has been extremely wasteful and hasn't hit the target once. With five minutes left the end is in sight for AGFC but Lahm is on the ball for the Hunskelpers and with the opposition retreating he's almost in position as a midfielder.


He plays in the substitute Fabregas trying to find space between the lines...



He flicks it round the corner for Figo...



Beats the lunge from an exhausted Fabinho... into the box and cuts out a cross...



WHERE VIDIC HANDBALLS IT!!


Stone cold penalty as the substitute panics about a lurking Larsson and ended up slapping the ball with his left hand....



Surely it'll be Kane or Lampard to take this... BUT NO! The Hunskelpers have common sense prevail and keep the Englishmen well away from a vital penalty. Instead it's the wiley veteran David Villa...




He missed in the shootout against the Sapient Hawks so he's not been automatic by any means...




He steadies himself.... steps up.....

AND SCORESSSSS!!!!



No mistake there and it's a huge goal for the home team and they're back level on the night!



A roar is up around Celtic Park as the home crowd want them to grab a winner now... and almost from the kick off an exhausted Drogba loses it to an energised Fabregas....



Lahm again is in mountains of space... he decides to drive deep into the AGFC half where they're on their heels....





And before De Boer can get to him....





He fires a fearsome low cross not far from the byline....





Back-post!??!?!

ITS LARSSON TO PUT THE HOME TEAM AHEAD!!!

Incredible come back from the Hunskelpers here and there's pandemonium with the Celtic Park faithful as their hero and star man has nipped between Sammer and Zanetti to dig out an absolutely crucial goal.


Real poacher's finish as he sniffed out where exactly to run to!


AGFC are spent and it's all they can do to cling to the one goal defeat as the referee blows the final whistle! There's absolute bedlam in the ground... there's gold and green flairs being let off... banners with some pretty blue language about the royal family are being waved... a home win that this Celtic Park faithful will remember for a long time!


Onto the second leg and AGFC will have their work cut out to overturn this deficit!


The first leg finishes 3-2 in favour of the Hunskelpers.

 

[A_G]

3 games against this team and we haven’t won a single one

 

[Rex Stone]

3 games against this team and we haven’t won a single one

@bingobob winning the tactical battle so far has to be said.

The Southampton to your Arsenal...