Round-up

Qualifying Round

After all the planning the tournament began with a Jim v Jim match, which ironically Jim lost. Falling 2-0 behind to Palermo, a strike late on was followed by another one from Palermo and Denmark were beaten 3-1. The next match was shite, featuring Garonne and Messina it finished 0-0.

A break of a day passed before the tournament restarted, and it began with Jim claiming blindness as his Djurgardens IF team were crushed 3-0 by Inter. Jim's excuse was made to look like crap as he then won twice - 2-0 with Cote d'Ivoire over Ruhr and then a 3-0 win with Ajax against R.C.D. Mallorca.

After getting on a train to head to York Jim once again played shit while Richard hit on a winning run. Lancashire Athletic beat Northern Ireland 2-0, Nord crushed Teesside 5-0 and missed a penalty (nb - Schwarzer is the 3rd worst goalkeeper in the world behind David Fucking James and Kasey twatface Keller) before Portugal destroyed R. Madrid 4-1 as the train arrived into York.

As the tournament continued after a quick kip, Malaga knocked out RBC Roosendaal 1-0, and then Italy and NEC Nijmegen played out a cracker. Italy were 1-0 ahead before 2 strikes put the Dutch side 2-1 up. Itally levelled before falling behind again before a last minute penalty earned Italy a replay.

Ireland then held RC Deportivo to a 2-2 draw before Uruguay beat Villarreal 2-1. By this point a large amount of alcohol had been consumed and no-one really remembers the next few games. All of Celta v Lancashire, Croatia v Stahlstadt and Rhein-Main v Siena ended 0-0, but we know that someone was sent-off for one of Rich's teams and Jim missed a penalty. Or two.

Jim was clearly feeling the effects of the booze as he suffered 2 heavy defeats - 3-0 with Sheffcor Domake against AC Czech and 4-1 with the United States against RKC Waalwijk. Improving slightly (after a disgraceful 1-0 defeat for Newcastle United again Wigan Athletic) Jim only lost 1-0 with Slovakia against Sparta Rotterdam before losing 2-1 with Alsace against Turkey. Feeling sorry for Jim, Rich then allowed him a 1-1 draw in the Corse Sud v Paraguay match.

Onto another train and a partly interested couple of Australians were a witness to a 3-2 victory for Romania away at Norway all thanks to Mutu before Sweden won 2-0 at Lisbonera. As news of a delay to the train filtered through Valencia beat Willem II 2-1. As the train crawled into Newcastle Columbia fluked a 1-0 win at Azur.

Rich was away for the next 3 matches, and after his Kopenhagen side were beaten 1-0 in Sevilla, Greece beat Slovenia 2-0 before Classic France crushed Fohlen 3-1. After 2 good results, Rich then went and played like a team managed by Terry Dolan as his FC Twente side were beaten 3-0 by Ukraine.

Bouncing back Rich then got a credible 1-1 draw with West London White away at Netherlands before Rangers let him down badly by not being able to pass the ball 2 yards as they lost 3-1 at home to Meurthe-et-Moselle.

Leece then twice the lead to Merseyside Blue in a 2-2 draw. Switzerland and Franken shared a goal each while the long awaited Caopolo v Barcelona game ended goalless. Udinese beat Bruxelles 1-0 before Chelsea knocked out Chile by the same score.

2 Andy Cole goals helped Man Blue past Cagliari 2-1, but the main reason for this victory was bringing David James off after his mistake let Cagliari back into the game. Jim then tried a new trick of passing the ball around his defence to try and get a draw with Venezuela, but his plan back-fired in a 2-0 defeat to Classic England.

A run of 4 games at home then went badly wrong. Dynamo Kiev arrived at FC Bosphorus and won 1-0 before Ascoli repeated the trick at home to Athenakos. PSV Eindhoven did take the lead against Hanseaten before the visitors turned it round with a late winner to win the game 2-1. Chievo Verona were 2-1 up with 10 minutes left, but thanks to some late strikes (and Jim claims Hollyoaks birds were putting him off) Costa Rica managed managed to come away with a 3-2 win.

Rich played at home for the first time in a while and 3 first half goals saw England past Morocco 3-0. Mexico and Fiorentina shared 2 goals before Loire Ocean got past Japan 3-2. Jim finally won a game for the first time in 14 matches as his Russia side won 2-1 at Ile de France.

Rich bounced back with a 1-0 win for Merseyside Red away against Scotland before Tyneside sneaked past Peloponnissos by the same score.

Haracles Almelo and Bouches du Rhone couldn't manage a goal while Aube v Pompy and Tunisia v Wales both finished 1-1. Jim hit form as Rich had a run with poorer teams, and Bourgogne won 1-0 at Autostadt. Man Red only just overcame FC Utrecht 2-1 before poor finishing let North East London down away at FC Belgium in a 0-0 draw.

Juventus are laughably better than Getafe and it showed as Juventus coasted home 3-0 before 2 more draws followed. At. Osasuna were held 1-1 at home by R. Zaragoza as West Midlands City went to Sarthe and got a 0-0 draw.

Jim's Pas de Calais coasted to a 3-0 win away win at Cadiz before R. Sociedad and Empoli played out a 0-0 draw. France arrived at Vitesse to give Rich his first win of the day as France coasted home 3-1. Weser then sneaked past Moselle 1-0 before a late late goal gave Athletic Club a 2-1 win over Parma.

Reggina got a 1-0 win away at Roda JC before Bulgaria hammered Livorno 3-0 in the Italians back yard. Kanu (the World's shittest player) then scored a hat-trick to help 10 man West Midlands Stripes to a 3-0 win over NAC Breda which was followed by a 1st minute goal for Rhone who then held on to beat South Africa 1-0.

Sorenson joined the list of totally shit useless cunt goalkeepers as 3 pathetic howlers let Sampdoria in 3 times to beat West Midlands Village who got a late consolation through Hitchin born Kevin Phillips.

Westfalen were let down as Czech scored a goal in the 90th minute before Westfalen forced a brilliant save out of the Czech goalkeeper virtually straight from the kick-off, Czech winning by two goals to one.

Dirty shit left-wing hippies Roma drew 1-1 with Feyenoord thanks to a late equalizer from Feyenoord. Bretagne arrived at Alm and left with a 1-0 win before Dean Kiely (ex-York super keeper) couldn't stop a surprisingly poor WE United beating South East London Reds 1-0.

2 teams that are both laughably shite then played out a laughably crap game as Ecuador beat ADO Den Haag 1-0. Controvesy then followed. SC Heerenveen were brilliantly holding Isar to a 1-1 draw after 55 minutes when Jim's WLAN switch got switched off. Isar won the match 4-0 after the game restarted, which shows justice wasn't served.

With Rich still really fucked off Jim took full advantage as his very gay crap Nigeria beat Serbia & Montenegro 3-0. Lastly, Sommerstime played a cracking game to batter Classic Germany 0-0, but it looked like their chance of victory had gone.

Qualifying Round Replays

A boring Messina 2-0 win over Garonne followed before an astonishing result. NEC Nijmegen destroyed Italy 5-1. Jim's favourite player Worm bagged 3 as the Italians defence refused to jump and head the ball. (Ed's note - Italy's defence are retarded fuckwits who are shit).

A 50th minute penalty saw dirty Ireland knocked out by RC Deportivo before Lancashire beat Celta 2-1. Stahlstadt looked out of the tournament when Croatia score in extra-time straight but straight from the kick-off they went down the pitch and equalized. The game went all the way to penalties, where the internationals coasted home 3-1.

Siena played some sweet football and they disposed of Rhein-Main 2-0 before Corse Sud stunned Paraguay. 1-1 after 90 minutes, Corse Sud turned up the heat in extra time and got home 3-1 with the 3rd goal being a brilliant team goal that tore Paraguay apart. An 85th minute Cocu goal then helped Netherlands finally squeeze past West London White.

A woeful bunch of car thieves (Merseyside Blue) proved they were shit by losing 1-0 at home to Leece before Switzerland put Franken in their place thanks to a 1-0 hammering. FC Barcelona saw off other great side Caopola 1-0 to take themselves through as Fiorentina saw off mighty Mexico 3-2. The last game off the night (or morning as it was 6.30am) saw Haracles Almelo paste Bouches du Rhone 3-0.

A new day had dawned before an extra time strike from a super-sub (the main striker was like Lee Nogan - and he's a really shite fuckwit) gave Pompy a 2-1 win over Aube before a shit keeper let Wales down as Tunisia cruised to a 3-0 win. 2 injury time own goals helped create a flattering scoreline as North East London destroyed FC Belgium 5-1.

R. Zaragoza fluked a 2-1 extra-time win over Osasuna as Jim's keeper saved him with a great late save before an 80th minute dubious penalty saw Sarthe overcome twatty Brummies as West Midlands City bowed out to a 2-1 defeat. Empoli joined Sarthe in the 1st Round as they beat R. Sociedad 1-0.

Feyenoord beat AS Roma by the same score (1-0) before Classic Germany sneaked home against Sommersterrine. Twice Sommersterrine levelled (2nd time in the 80th minute) then went 3-0 up in the shoot-out. A few misses later, and it was 3-3, and the 18th man to take a penalty won it for Classic Germany. Totally undeserved, and Jim knows it was a total fluke. Flukey bastard.

First Round

Round 1 began with a standard Rich v Jim game - that is Rich dominating and Jim fluking it. Jim's Sampdoria fluked a 1-0 win away at R. Racing C. Rich then got revenage as he took West Midlands Stripes away to Rosenborg and won 1-0. Added notes to this game are that Kanu and Camera fired over at every chance - even after Kanu finally stopped being shit and fluked a goal.

The first shock (aside from Jim winning) then occured as Rich took Croatia to Classic Brazil and won 2-0. A 72nd minute strike after a good turn gave the Croats a deserved lead before an 81st minute free-kcik settled the tie. Jim then gave R.C.D. Espanyol a 1-0 lead at home to Czech who levelled in the 80th minute before a late late chance went just wide from Czech as R.C.D. Espanyol escaped with a 1-1 draw.

Jim's FC Groningen then got beaten 3-0 by Poland after 2 amazing goals. Poland's first came on 42 minutes as a blocked shot rebounded around until a Pole headed the ball home. On 47 minutes a corner was blocked on the line. The loose ball was rolled back at goal which hit the defender on the line, hit the striker and dropped into the bottom coerner of the net. The 3rd goal was a long range screamer.

A Defoe goal 5 minutes in gave North East London a 1-0 lead ahead of RC Deportivo but with 15 minutes left the connection was lost (not blaming anyone - Allan). On 60 minutes of the replayed game Defoe broke through, rounded the keeper who flew out and rolled the ball in from 25 yards. North East London knocked out RC Deportivo 1-0.

China and Franche-Comte drew 1-1 with Jim getting a leveller to a first half penalty before Jim really fucked up with Germany. Haracles Almelo were the visitors who fell behind after a plucky display and a great save from the German keeper before a belting leveller off the bar before the Germans escaped with a draw.

Isar took a 30th minute lead against Meurthe-et-Moselle through a bullet header before a spell of Meurthe-et-Moselle pressure. A belting 35 yard free kick over a wayward keeper gave Isar a 2-0 lead before a decent solo strike gave the visitors a lifeline.

Worm at NEC Nijmegen was closely marked by Rich's Uruguay but he got a yard of space and belted home a 37th minute opener before Uruguay profited from some slack defending to level in the 44th minute. After 73 minutes the connection was lost as Rich's PSP lost it's battery life and the game was over. The re-played game saw Worm snuffed out of the game and a goal from Recoba and one from someone else helped Uruguay to a 2-0 win. Bye bye Worm.

An 80th minute strike from Senegal had Jim thinking he'd get a win before a strike with 5 second left earned Esportiva a replay. A very poor Treviso side then got a surprise 1-0 win away at FC Porto. A 60th minute deserved goal was enough despite a 78th minute penalty miss that would have doubled the lead. In the last match of the session Jim's Athletic Club beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 with a 78th minute goal caused by the Saudi keeper stopping his charge out at the attacker.

The next set of matches began with Arsenal beating Russia Rail FC 2-1. Jim pulled one back at the end, but he was beaten. South Korea then knocked out Reggina 2-1 to continue Jim's poor run despite a late late shot from Jim striking the crossbar.

Jim's bad run continued as Sky from Neighbours put him off by looking very attractive as Rich sliced open the Bretagne defence to volley Greece to a 1-0 win. Jim's Aquitaine had a 1-0 half-time advantage, but in the 62nd minute Constanti levelled and then scrambled home a 66th minute corner to win the game 2-1.

Jim finally avoided defeat as Bourgogne drew with Pfalz. Jim was still fucked off as he was 2-0 up at half-time, only to fall 3-2 down. The equalizer came when Jim's keeper passed the ball to Rich's forward who rolled the ball in. The 3rd goal came when the ball rebounded into the net from the head of a defender after the keeper made a fine save. Jim levelled in the 87th minute via a lucky goal.

A Harewood goal after 47 minutes as Sheringham headed the ball across to Harewood to volley into an empty net was enough to give East London a 1-0 win against Sparta Rotterdam.

Sweden tore Middlebrook apart next. Ljundberg was unstaoppable and he set-up 2 tap-ins for Larsson as Sweden beat Middlebrook 2-0. Next up was RKC Waalwijk - who are shit. C. Atletico Madrid are far better, so it was a shock when Rich's RKC Waalwijk won 2-0. Madrid lost a player after going 1-0 down, but it was still a shock.

Finally Jim won a game as his Cote d'Ivoire side got a routine 3-1 win away at Loire Ocean before a game of 2 halves saw Feyenoord bow out the tournament. 1-0 up at the break, WE United finally hit form as they cruised home 3-1.

Another shock at Jim's expense followed as Juventus were stunned by Fiorentina. A 37th minute Fiorentina goal stunned Juve, but Del Piero levelled in the 51st minute thanks to a strike off the cross bar. Juve then missed chance after chance before an 88th minute converted low cross saw Fiorentina home in a shock win. Last game of the session saw Classic France batter Austria 3-0 in such an easy win. Easy - just too easy.

Following a length break the cup continued with Columbia and Man Red playing out a 0-0 draw. Ronaldo hit the bar for Jim's Man Red while Rich blasted the ball over the bar following a cut back. Jim's Galatasaray then beat Rich's Tunisia 1-0 surving a 2nd half battering from Tunisia before Jim's Pas de Calais sneaked past Domstadt 1-0 with a goal from the last kick of the match.

A long range screaming goal gave Jim's Udinese a 1-0 advantage over Nord only for Nord to equalize from the penalty spot before a last gasp sliding challenge saved Udinese and earnt them a replay. Another fine strike from Jim gave Finland a 1-0 victory away in Ecuador before Cameroon recovered from conceeding a goal in the 2nd minute to PES United to earn a 1-1 draw.

Wearside were finished off by Siena as the Italians won 1-0 before Rich's Rhein twice came from a goal down to earn a battling 2-2 draw at home to Leece. Following that was a 0-0 draw between Hanseaten and Weser, and then Brazil sneaked past Jim's Alpes Maritimes with an 87th minute winner giving them a 3-2 victory.

Pompy took the lead away to Jim's Sevilla following a Robert belter only for Sevilla to strike twice to go through. Jim's Corse Sud then ended all of Mutu's hopes as they beat Romania 2-1. Romania's keeper was shit and Corse Sud's had the game of his life to help Jim fluke his way through.

Nigeria cruised into a 2-0 lead at home to Sarthe, but Richard changed Sarthe's formation and pulled the game back to get a 2-2 draw. England went 2-0 up early away Jim's Neckar before a shock happened and Neckar went 3-2 up. A change of formation and Beckham being subbed saw England finally perform and a late Joe Cole strike earned England a 3-3 draw.

Jim's Ajax went to Hungary and cruised to a 2-0 win with Hungary marking poorly for the 2nd goal. Finally Richard sorted out his form and his Classic Italy side beat R. Zaragoza 2-1 and then Maradona inspired his Classic Argentina side to a 3-2 win at Empoli with the star of the show rounding the keeper to win the game.

Jim's Bulgaria beat Rhone 1-0 in a game only noteable for Jim texting his bird a couple of times before Classic Germany beat Rich's Switzerland in a thriller. Rich went 3-1 up before Classic Germany (who fluked their way through the last round) managed to sneak home 4 goals to win 5-3.

Andy Cole score a quick fire hat trick to put Man Blue 3-0 up at half-time at home to Barcelona before Ronaldinho starred in the second half as the game finished 3-3 thanks to his second half hat-trick. Jim's Netherlands went 1-0 up at home to Classic England who then unfairly had a player sent-off. With the Netherlands looking in control, Classic England turned on the style, equalized and looked the more likely to win before Jim scored a lucky late winner to see Classic England go out 2-1.

Peru played host to Rich's Turkey who were gutless and the Turks wimped out of the match which Peru comfrotably won 3-2. In the next match Jim put all of his faith in Schevchenko as his Ukraine side hosted Karneval, only for Schevchenko to be snuffed out as Karneval won 2-0. Bouncing back, Jim took Lazio to Malaga and took control going 2-0 up. In the 85th minute a Lazio defender headed a backpass out of his keepers hands to set-up a Malaga consolation goal.

Belgium and Messina drew 1-1 with 2 great goals - Rich's equalizer for Belgium coming in the 94th minute. A brilliant team goal and a fantastic solo run were 2 of the 3 goals that helped Dynamo Kiev beat AC Czech 3-0 before another shock occured. Lancashire Athletic went in at the break 2-0 up on CHelsea with the 2nd being a bullet header and an 89th minute Crespo goal made it a nervy finish, but Lancashire Athletic held on for a 2-1 win.

Lancashire were finding it hard to break down Jim's Hauptstadt so Rich changed the formation only to give Jim the advantage. The game finished 0-0. Adriano's 90th minute shot only struck the post as Inter crashed out 1-0 away at Valencia. Jim resorted to violence after Rich's Liverpool won 2-0 away at Russia thanks to goals by Gerrard (50th minute) and Cisee (60th minute).

Rich's 1st half goal for Costa Rica was ruled out by Jim's 2nd half goal for Niedersachsen in a 1-1 draw before AUstralia and Alaves did NOTHING during a 0-0 draw. Another massive shock occured as Iran knocked out Classic Netherlands through an early header - prompting more violence from Jim.

Rich's Portugal were out-classing Jim's Latvia before Ronaldo was crippled. Still reeling from the injury, Portugal let Latvia in to take the lead before Ronaldo's replacement gave Portugal a replay. A late Henry goal saved France as they were held to a 1-1 draw by little Ascoli.

Tyneside thought they had done enough to be into the 2nd round as they lead Palermo 2-0, only for Jim to find 84th and 89th minute goals to take the game to a replay. Jim's Spain raced into a 2-0 home lead against R. Betis and were coasting. Betis pulled one back, then had 2 great chances to make it 2-2 but Spain held on to win 2-1.

Celtic went 1-0 ahead against AC Milan after the Milan keeper dropped a cross onto a Celtic player off whom the ball rolled into the net and only a deserved 85th minute goal made the score 1-1.

The last match of the round saw Argentina miss from less than a yard out in front of an empty net before finally going 3-0 ahead. 2 late goals from Jim's AZ made it a nervy ending, but Argentina held on to win 3-2.

First Round Replays

R.C.D. Espanyol sneaked past Czech in a game that game that only came to life in the last 20 minutes. After 70 minutes Czech were 1-0 ahead before 2 goals in 5 minutes put R.C.D. Espanyol 2-1 ahead. An 80th minute penalty pulled it back to 2-2 before R.C.D. Espanyol scrambled home an 87th minute winner.

In a game of 2 crap teams Rich's Franche-Comte sneaked past China 1-0 thanks to a 90th minute winner which was in fact the last kick of the match. Next up was a thriller.

Haracles Almelo were fantastically holding Germany 0-0 in the 50th minute when a dodgy penalty was awarded to Germany and to make matters worse the ref produced a red card. A brilliant penalty save was the catalyst for Haracles Almelo to take a shock 1-0 lead 10 minutes later after the scramble. In the 84th minute it looked like Germany were in trouble until a cross was deflected past the Haracles keeper - a horrible own goal which was followed quickly by a 2nd German goal. Haracles Almelo looked out but one last attack earnt them a penalty which was converted to earn extra time.

No extra time goals meant a penalty shoot-out, which started badly for Haracles Almelo who fired over. The 7th penalty was missing giving Jim a chance to win. Germany missed the 8th penalty amd Haracles Almelo scored the 9th one to make it 3-3 with 1 penalty to go. Jim's Germany scored it to sneak into the second round.

It took Jim's Senegal 100 minutes, but finally they struck to go through 1-0. Jim's Pfalz fell behind early to Bourgogne but managed to get a 90th minute penalty to take the game into extra time. 20 minutes into extra time a player cut in from the right to fire a Bourgogne winner.

Man Red saw off Columbia thanks to Rooney. He struck after 54 seconds and again on the hour either side of a columbia equalizer from a cut back. Columbia battered Man Red in the last 20 minutes only to miss 3 great chances as they lost 2-1.

Udinese were 2-0 up over Rich's Nord only for Nord to pull it back to 2-2. Having done the hard bit, Nord collapsed and Udinese coasted home 4-2. Jim's Cameroon then had a routine 2-0 victory over PES United, who are uesless.

Leece levelled at home to Rhein in a game that was poised at 1-1 after 50 minutes when Rich's PSP battery died. When the game restarted Leece battered Rhein and finally Rhein sneaked a goal to complete a smash and grab victory.

Hanseaten played better than Weser and had a 1-0 advantage before a hapless back pass gifted Weser an equalizer. At the death Van der Vaart scored to give Hanseaten a 2-1 win. Jim's keeper produced outstanding saves for Nigeria against Sarthe but once Sarthe were 1-0 ahead Nigeria had great chances only to fail to finish as Sarthe held on.

England's game with Neckar was another end to end game. Owen's goal on 30 minutes was cancelled out 3 minutes later. Rooney restored the advantage from a tight angle and then in injury time Rooney made it 3-1. Neckar pulled it back to 3-2 before Rooney rounded the keeper with 4 minutes left to win 4-2.

As with the first match - a 3-3 draw - FC Barcelona and Man Blue had a goal fest. Ronaldinho gave Barcelona a 2-0 advantage before COle made it 2-1 at half-time. Ronaldinho made it 3-1 before Man Blue turned the game on it's head to make it 3-3 with 10 minutes left. An 83rd minute penalty won it 4-3 for Barcelona. Messina cruised home 3-1 past Belgium who were never at the races.

Another thriller came up next as Hauptstadt beat Lancashire 4-3 after extra time. Bellamy was running Hauptstadt's defence ragged before a dirty late challenge injured him and Hauptstadt soon had a 2-0 lead. Between the 70th and 80th minutes Lancashire turned it round to make it 2-2 and forced it into extra time. A 110th minute strike from Jim looked to have won it for Hauptstadt but in the 115th minute Lancashire levelled it again until the very last kick of the match won it for Hauptstadt.

Rich's Costa Rica were 2-0 up in the 40th minute away at Niedersachsen but threw it away to finish the 90 minutes level at 2-2. A 119th minute class lob from the edge of the area completed the comback for Niedersachsen.

Alaves and Australia were draw 1-1 when the PSP's mysteriously lost the connection. When the game restarted Jim's Alaves cruised past Australia with a 2-0 win, in which Australia didn't start passing or tackling until the 35th minute when they were already beaten.

Controvesy reigned in the next match. Latvia were 1-0 ahead at home to Portugal at half time when the connection was lost. An 83rd minute goal scraped Portugal home through a 1-0 win.

Ascoli gave France a massive scare in the next match. An early 2-0 advantage was taken by Ascoli, but a strike in each half meant France forced extra time. Ascoli had great chances to make it 3-1 or 3-2 and Henry missed a couple of brilliant chances for Rich's France. A 95th minute penalty finally gave France the lead but Ascoli fought back missing some good chances. In the 121st minute France were clear the with ball when the connection was lost and Jim sportingly conceeded defeat.

Tyneside breezed past Palermo thanks to an Owen goal in each half and Shearer completed the scoring in a 3-0 win. AC Milan and Celtic completed the replays, and Celtic's keeper gave away a first half penalty. Lucky to only be booked he then saved the penalty before the match saw both teams miss good chances to score. In the shoot-out the first 15 penalties were scored before Milan's keepe saved the 16th penalty to put AC Milan into the second round.

Second Round

West Midlands Stripes were the first team to book their place in the 3rd Round as they saw off Franche-Comte thanks to an Earnshaw strike in the 2nd half. Jim's Chinese sub was strangely booked after being in an off-side position in the last 10 minutes.

Athletic Club coasted past East London winning 2-0 with the 2nd being a superb free kick curled into the top corner of the net. Lancashire Athletic nearly got past Cote d'Ivoire, but a free kick came back off the bar as did a fine 92nd minute drive. Classic Italy should have seen off RKC Waalwijk, but every shot somehow stayed out including one where the keeper was rounded and the ball then blazed over the bar.

2 first half goals saw Rich's R.C.D. Espanyol dispose of Jim's Sevilla 2-0 before Siena hosted Rhein. Siena led 1-0 at half-time, but Rhein came back to take a shock 2-1 lead. A goal was ruled out for off side that would have made it 3-1 before a last grasp leveller took the game to a replay.

Jim's Germany were 1-0 ahead at half-time against Bulgaria who turned it round in the 2nd half. After levelling Bulgaria missed a couple of fine chances before netting 2 more to win the match 3-1. Reyes 1st half goal and Henry's 2nd half goal gave Rich's Arsenal a 2-0 win over Messina.

Twice Liverpool breaks saw the ball cut back to Baros, and twice Baros scored as Merseyside Red beat Jim's Croatia 2-0. Jim's Netherlands found it easy to go 2-0 ahead against Alaves which is how the game ended despite a good fightback in the second half. A 56th minute goal gave Greece a 1-0 win over South Korea.

North East London dominated the first half against Ajax as Rich's team took a 2-0 lead. A 48th minute goal put Ajax back into it before Robinson saved a 54th minute penalty. More good saves from Robinson were needed before North East London won 2-1. Niedersachsen eased into Round 3 as they won 2-0 away at Bourgogne without much trouble.

Rich's Constanti were all over Karneval creating dozens of chances only for Karneval to snatch an 86th minute advantage. With the last kick of the match Constanti equalized to forced a deserve replay.

Sarthe took a 1-0 advantage into the half time break at home to Rich's Valencia only for Valencia to come alive in the second half. Kluivert levelled the scores in the 46th minute and was then fouled in the area. Kluivert had to depart with an injury but the penalty was scored as Valencia got through as 2-1 winners.

England were then involved in yet another thriller. 2-0 up early on through a Beckham penalty and Owen srike it all went wrong. By half-time Cameroon were 3-2 ahead and Owen had departed with an injury. It was left to Rooney to dig England out with a last minute equalizing goal. Jim's Peru then decimated Poland hammering them 4-1 with Poland's 77th minute consolation goal coming from a diving header.

Ljundberg started brightly for Sweden, but everything went wrong for Sweden after he was fouled in the 3rd minute. Sweden's appauling defence an incredibly bad keeper only helped Udinese who coasted through to the 3rd Round with a 5-1 victory.

It took Rich's Brazil 48 minutes to finally break down Iran but finally they did with a header from a corner. Ronaldo missed a penalty soon after but made it for the miss by converting another penalty later in the game. Galatasaray's keeper gave Jim's Isar the perfect start by not dealing with a simple through ball, but Galatasaray fought back to equalize before Isar won the game in the 2nd half and got through 2-1.

Rich's Hanseaten took a 1-0 lead into the interval against Jim's Corse Sud but Jim came back into an even game and turned it round to win 2-1. Treviso came close several times but Barcelona held firm and hit the bar, post and missed a penalty themselves. In the 78th minute Barcelona finally broke the deadlock to get through 1-0.

Sampdoria turned over Jim's Hauptstadt in the next match. A class free kick right on half-time was the 2nd of 4 goals scored by Sampdoria as they won 4-0. A 10th minute header set Rich's Classic France on their way to a 2-0 win over Senegal.

Man Red were 2-0 ahead against Dynamo Kiev at half time before a classic comeback ensued. Goals in the 57th, 59th and 67 the minutes (all from rounding the keeper) put Dynamo Kiev 3-2 ahead before a 75th minute strike sealed the victory for Dyanmo Kiev. In the last match of this session France departed the cup. Uruguay were 2-0 ahead and even an 88th minute goal from Pires couldn't help France and Uruguay went through as 2-1 winners.

Jim needed some solid defending to help his Classic Germany side past Lazio. 2 goals put them in control and with Omaheld carrying on despite injury Lazio couldn't find a way through. Jim's joy was short lived as his Spain side were knocked out by Finland. After they had a goal harshly disallowed, Finland scored twice within 5 minute and despite one back from Spain right on half-time, Finland held on to win by 2 goals to 1.

Rich's Classic Argentina side never got going and let themselves down badly as Portugal saw them off with a comfortable 2-0 victory. With AC Milan drawing 0-0 at Fiorentina after 20 minutes one man stepped forward and 8 minutes later Shevchenko had smacked in a hat-trick to put Milan 3-0 up. A goal in the 2nd half couldn't save Fiorentina who went out 3-1.

A massive inability from Argentina to put the ball into the back of the net cost them dearly as they lost surprisingly 2-0 away at WE United. Jim's Pas de Calais managed to take a 2-0 lead at home to Tyneside before losing a player to a red card as he injured Dyer. Shearer pulled one back before Pas de Calais moved 3-1 ahead. Owen rounded the keeper in the 77th minute before Shearer turned home Emre's low cross with 2 minutes left to make it 3-3. Pas de Calais lost another player when Shearer was fouled as he went clean through and the tie went to a replay.

Second Round Replays

Rich's Lancashire Athletic departed the competition following a horrible 2nd half display. A brilliant first half saw Jim's Cote d'Ivoire go in 1-0 down, but right at the start of the second half the equalizer came. As Lancashire Athletic mis-placed their passes and failed to get stuck in as they fell 2-1 down after 70 minutes. Jason Roberts was put through with a few minutes left only to totally mess up his control and the ball rolled to the keeper. With 5 minutes left it was 3-1 and then 4-1 in injury time as the PSP changed Rich's defenders at every chance.

Classic Italy finally got themselves through as they beat RKC Waalwijk 1-0 through an early goal. Rhein were so close to winning away Siena and they finally finished off Siena in the replay. Siena's goal was sandwiched by 2 first half goals from Rhein who were delighted to get through.

Rich took his Constanti team to Karneval and won 1-0 thanks to a 47th minute strike from the edge of the area. Karneval nearly levelled in the 75th minute only for the strike to fly back off the crossbar and go clear.

Jim's Cameroon had the better of the first 80 minutes in their visit to England, but Rooney missed the best chance in the 90th minute when he fired wide when brilliantly placed. England were the better side in extra time and Owen had a goal disallowed in the 102nd minute which looked a bit harsh. In the 118th minute Owen hit the post but Rooney was on hand to fire the ball through the crowd of players to take England into the 3rd Round with a 1-0 win.

The final replay saw Rich's Tyneside host Jim's Pas de Calais. A Tyneside dominated first half ended goalless before Owen in the 56th minute and Shearer in the 62nd minute put Tyneside 2-0 ahead. Pas de Calais tried to fight back but Tyneside held firm before 2 own goals helped Tyneside to cruise home as 4-0 winners.

Third Round

Classic Germany were torn apart by Rich's Valencia but with their first shot they took the lead before Kluivert levelled it to make it 1-1 at the interval. With their 2nd effort (a header back across the goal) the ball looped in to give Classic Germany a 2-1 win. North East London scored 3 first half goals, the 2nd of which was deflected in off Defoe, to send Jim's Corse Sud spinning out of the tournament. A first half penalty looked like it would be enough to see Uindese past Classic France, but a 97th minute dramatic equalizer earnt Rich's team a replay.

Jim's Athletic Club team managed to produce a shock victory remove Rich's Brazil team. A first half goal was all that was needed as Brazil proved Rich's comments "they aren't a serious challenge" were true. With Brazil still playing like retards in injury time Rich smashed his PSP and PSP turned it's WLAN switch off in fear. Rich conceeded defeat.

Rich's PSP learned to stop fucking his teams about in the next match. Despite going 1-0 down to Uruguay, Rich's England were always in control and they managed to come through as 3-1 winners. AC Milan joined England in Round 4 as they cruised past Jim's Sampdoria. A 7th minute missed penalty only delayed AC Milan's first goal which came in the 15th minute. Crosses in the 48th and 60th minutes led to goals 3 and 3 as Sampdoria were beaten 3-0.

Jim's Cote d'Ivoire had a chance or two to level after Peru scored a fantastic long range strike, but each chance went begging as Peru went through 1-0. Rich's Tyneside dominated against Classic Italy with chances flying just wide time and time again. Classic Italy had a couple of chances, but Tyneside wil feel upset not to have won.

In a thrilling game Rich's FC Barcelona overcame Jim's Netherlands. 1-0 up early on Netherlands found themselves going in level at the break. FC Barcelona's pressure finally told as a corner was turned home. A cut-back was converted to make it 3-1, and despite a long range strike FC Barcelona held on to win 3-2. Greece led 1-0 at Rich's Portugal at half-time but a better second half saw Portugal level and Greece's keeper made some fine saves to earn a replay.

A poor R.C.D. Espanyol side were crushed 4-0 by Jim's Isar. An early pen gave Isar a 1-0 half-time lead before a 2nd half crumbling saw Rich's side lose 4-0 and lose a player. Goals from Henry in the 47th and 80th minutes gave Rich's Arsenal a 2-0 win away at Rhein.

New favourites Finland had a tough game against West Midlands Stripes. In the 45th minute Finland hit the post only for West Midlands Stripes to go down the other end and for Gera to give the visitors the lead. In the 60th minute Kamara fired wide from a good position before Kanu hit the post in the 70th minute. A 75th minute equalizer earnt Jim's side a replay.

Niedersachsen and Merseyside Red played out a 0-0 draw before WE United threw away a 2-0 advantage against Bulgaria. 2-0 up after 25 minutes from 2 corners, WE United looked set for victory. 2-1 after 75 minutes, the WE United keeper comitted more blunders as his defence wilted to let Bulgaria sneak through 3-2.

The last match of the round was a bit of a dull match as Constanti and Dynamo Kiev played out a 0-0 draw as both sides cancelled each other out.

Third Round Replays

Rich's Classic France struck the post before getting a break through in the 55th minute following a goalmouth scramble as Udinese failed to clear a drilled cross. With the last kick of the match Udinese missed a close chance to go out 1-0.

Rich's Tyneside dominated the early stages of their game away at Classic Italy and Shearer missed a total sitter just 2 minutes into the match. Classic Italy had 2 shots in the first half and went in 2-0 ahead at the break as Bowyer was replaced by Jenas for Tyneside. On 66 minutes Dyer's pull back stopped for Shearer to smack the ball into corner of the net. In the 90th minute Owen fired home another Dyer cut back to make it 2-2.

Tyneside dominated extra time and in the 97th minute Jenas beat 2 players on the edge of the area to fire home to make it 3-2. Classic Italy didn't manage to mount a serious threat and Tyneside made it through.

Portugal joined the list of the teams in the 4th Round as they sneaked past Greece. A penalty for Rich's Portugal on 30 minutes was cancelled out in the 42nd minute. Portugal went back in front in the 70th minute with a shot from just inside the area and Greece levelled again in the 76th minute when the ball was chested down and volleyed home. In the 90th minute a long range strike sent Portugal through.

Finland needed just 2 minutes to score the goal that took them past West Midlands Stripes. West Midlands Stripes had some first half chances that were wasted, but Finland controlled the 2nd half to coast home. Merseyside Red departed the tournament after they outplayed Jim's Niedersachsen team only to be knocked out by a 55th minute deflection.

The last replay saw Constanti go 1-0 down at Dynamo Kiev after a defender headed the ball brilliantly past his own keeper. A red card to a Dynamo Kiev defender led to Jim's first hot in the 55th minute making it 1-1. Rebrov missed an incredible chance in the 70th minute, but as extra time was about to start Jim accidentally turned off his WLAN. The replayed replay was won 1-0 by Constanti with Jim's first shot of the match just before the hour.

Fourth Round

Red-hot favourites Finland were 1-0 down before they even touched the ball away against Portugal as a 3rd minute penalty gave the hosts the lead. By the 6th minute it was 1-1 as both teams had lots of good chances in a cracking first half. The Portugal defence stopped and let a crap pass roll through them all in the 77th minute to let Finland steal it 2-1.

AC Milan doubled their lead in injury time at the end of the first half to go 2-0 up at th ebreak. After not being in the first half Classic France improved massively in the 2nd half to take advantage of a sloppy AC Milan side to score in the 73rd minute and then from a 77th minute penalty as Rich's PSP wouldn't let him select the nearest defender.

Despite pressure from England in the first half Jim's Athetlic Club went in 2-0 ahead at the interval. Robinson's failure to deal with a cross allowed Athletic Club to head in the opener before a free kick deflected off 3 England players and landed at the feet of an Atheltic Club player who was 2 yards out. A half-time formation change saw England dominate further and Owen's 66th minute goal was fruitless as with their first attack of the 2nd half Athletic Club scored a 3rd to go through.

Peru struck first away to Constanti before Solano was forced off with an injury. Constanti fought back to go in 2-1 up at the break before a 53rd minute strike from Solano's replacement meant the game finished 2-2 and would need a replay.

Jim's Isar against Rich's Barcelona was the thrilling game that was expected. Barcelona's defence decided not to deal with any crosses into the area and as a result they soon found themselves 2-0 behind. Barcelona's quality shone as they battled back to be all square after 35 minutes only for a close off-side decision to go in Jim's favour as Isar went in 3-2 ahead at the break. In a thrilling second half both sides created chances and in the 89th minute a FC Barcelona goal was ruled out as Isar sneaked through 3-2.

Tyneside dominated at home to Rich's North East London and they found themselves 1-0 ahead after 2 minutes. Loads of chances came and went for Tyneside while North East London's only shot was a goal bound effort Robbie Keane rushed offside to block. After 81 minutes substitute Mido slotted home North East London's first real chance to force a replay.

Rich threw Hleb into the Arsenal team for their match against Bulgaria and after 25 minutes he repaid the faith to open the scoring. Jim's Bulgaria levelled it on 55 before Hleb smashed the ball in following a goalmouth scramble in the 70th minute to win it for Arsenal 2-1.

In the last match of the round Classic Germany and Niedersachsen played out an even first half. In the 58th minute Niedersachsen scored a penalty to leave Jim's Classic Germany in trouble. In the 70th minute Jim's side got out of jail with a drillet shot that the Nidersachsen goalkeeper didn't try to stop.

Fourth Round Replays

A tight game with few chances were settled by a great passing move in the Classic France v AC Milan match. Shevchenko's first time shot in the 71st minute sent AC Milan through by one goal to nil.

30 minutes into their replay away to Peru and Rich's Constanti took the lead only for Jim's Peru to have equalized before half-time. 66th minute saw Peru go back infront as COnstanti's defenders didn't clear the ball as they were ordered to. By the 68th minute it was 2-2 with a blasted shot from a tight angle. In the 115th minute a Peru player scored from the edge of the area and a brilliant save in the 118th minute meant Jim would have more teams in the Quarter-Finals than Rich.

In contrast from the first match North East London dominated against Tyneside. Robbie Keane and Defoe scored to give North East London a 2-0 half-time lead. North East London dominated the 2nd half but no further goals were needed as Defoe rounded Given only to shoot wide.

Niedersachsen took a shock lead against Classic Germany as a cross deflected in off a Niedersachsen forward only for an 89th minute penalty to get Classic Germany out of jail. The right winger cut inside and fired home in the 97th minute to put Niedersachsen back in front before Classic Germany levelled in the 104th minute as the ball bounced around Niedersachsen's area and penalties were needed. After 3 penalties were scored 3 penalties were saved before 2 more were scored to put Niedersachsen 3-2 up with 1 penalty each left. The forward held his nerve to end Classic Germany's lucky cup run.

Quarter-Finals

North East London were to come very close to the Semi-Finals only to suffer late heart break. Robbie Keane and then Defore gave Rich's team a 2-0 lead against Jim's Isar but Isar weren't out and they scored early in the second half. Defore hit the post in the 70th minute before late drama. North East London thought that they had won a corner only for a goal kick to be given. From the goal kick in the 89th minute Isar forced the ball home to force a replay.

AC Milan travelled to Jim's Finland and scored through Kaka who waited for ages for Maldini's pull back to reach him. The lead lasted until the 22nd minute when when a corner was headed home after Stam didn't head the ball away as he was ordered to. Right on half-time Vieri gave the Italian side the advantage again and their defence held tight in the second half to send the favouries Finland out.

Jim's Peru side were totally dominant against Niedersachsen and they went in 2-0 up through identical long range strikes but it could have been more. More chances came and went before an injury time consolation goal for Niedersachsen arrived after a burst into the area.

Rich's Arsenal destroyed Jim's Athletic Club in the last match of the round. Henry on 19 minutes and Reyes on 22 minutes put Arsenal in control before Athletic Club's goalkeeper took out Henry on 41 minutes. The goalkeeper was sent-off, Henry was injured and had to be replaced and Pires scored the penalty before Athletic Club had their first shot. Henry's replacement Bergkamp made it 4-0 before an 82nd minute comback goal was scored for Athletic Club. In injury time Reyes went through to make it 5-1 to complete the scoring.

Quarter-Final Replay

After coming so close in the first match, North East London looked dead and buried after a corner was half-cleared and then fired home from the edge of the area. As half-time came near Robbie Keane turned his man before racing through and firing home. In the 47th minute Defoe fired home to give North East London a shock lead and then 3 minutes later he drilled another to make it 3-1 as Jim's PSP wouldn't select the nearest player. Jim's frustation and anger showed as his Isar team couldn't get through the North East London defence and went crashing out 3-1.

Semi-Finals

Jim's last hope of winning lay with Peru who travlled to Rich's Arsenal team only to suffer early heartbreak. Henry's shot came back off the post and it rolled back along the line then the Peru goalkeeper dive don it ball and it rolled over the line. In the 7th minute Henry doubled the lead then in the 23rd minute Reyes made it 3-0.

Henry's hat-trick was completed in the 38th minute before a possible 5th goal was strangely disallowed. In the 59th minute a low shot was blocked by Lehmann and it rolled across the goalline only for Arsenal to clear the ball to safety. In the 73rd minute a long range strike gave Peru a sniff of a chance but Arsenal cruised to a 4-1 win which confirmed Richard as the winner of the first Fosters Cup.

The second Semi-Final was another very one-sided affair. Rich's North East London were ripped apart by AC Milan who scored in the 4th, 9th, 17th and 44th minutes to be 4-0 ahead at the break. A bundled goal back came in the 73rd minute before a 75th minute goal made it 5-1. An 81st minute North East London goal didn't matter as AC Milan cruised into the Final.

FINAL

Richard took charge of Arsenal and gave Jim control of AC Milan for the Final and in the 3rd minute Hleb fired a rebound wide when he should have given Arsenal the lead. A tense first half saw only one goal which ame in the 45th minute. A free-kick was patted down by Dida only for Pires to turn the loose ball home.

A 52nd minute leveller came for AC Milan who started to get on top before Hleb completed a flowing end to end move in the 66th minute to put Arsenal 2-1 up. AC Milan fought back and nearly levelled in the 77th minute. The ball rolled along the line after a shot was blocked by Lehmann before Ashley Cole ran the ball onto the post Sol Campbell could clear the loose ball.

In the 85th minute a curled free-kick found it's way in to make it 2-2 before Gilardino drilled home an 89th minute winner to give AC Milan the first ever Fosters Cup.