THIS GIVEN SUNDAY — EFA WK5: PARIS LEAVE IT LATE AGAIN
The race for the European Football Alliance championship completed the first half of its regular season schedule with two unbeaten sides remaining unchanged. However, the race for the remaining playoff spots continues to evolve, with the Paris Musketeers needing some late drama to deny Raiders Tirol their first victory.
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Raiders Tirol 17 @ 24 Paris Musketeers
For 59 minutes and 44 seconds, it looked as though Raiders Tirol were finally going to put a number in the win column. Instead, Zach Edwards and Hugo Tekedam had other ideas.
Having only beaten Frankfurt at the death in Week 1, Edwards found his receiver for an eight-yard touchdown with just 16 seconds remaining to cap a dramatic comeback and hand the Musketeers fans a thrilling 24-17 victory at Stade Bauer.
The hosts started brightly. Edwards immediately stretched the Raiders defense with a 51-yard strike to Austin Mitchell before connecting with Tekedam for an early touchdown and a 7-0 lead. But the visitors responded impressively. Steven Krajewski settled into a rhythm behind an effective running game featuring Lukas Haslwanter and Tobias Bonatti, while Jonata Loria’s field goal got Tirol on the board.
The first major turning point came courtesy of the Raiders defense. Tim Unger forced a fumble from Edwards, Jan Mayerhofer recovered and Krajewski quickly converted the turnover into points with a touchdown pass to Marco Schneider to give Tirol a 10-7 advantage. Dean Faithfull levelled matters with a field goal, but Krajewski then capped a long drive with a rushing touchdown shortly before half-time allowing the visitors to enter the break leading 17-10.
From there, however, the Raiders repeatedly missed opportunities to put the game away. A blocked field goal and several stalled possessions kept Paris within striking distance, and Edwards gradually began to regain control. With Austin Mitchell lost to what appeared to be a serious leg injury, running back Jason Bofunda took up the slack and eventually finished off a lengthy drive with a touchdown to tie the game midway through the fourth quarter. Still the Raiders had a chance to escape with victory, only to punt the ball back with under two minutes remaining.
It was a decision that Edwards made them pay for. Completions to Hassane Dosso, Rémi Bertellin and Lokmen Nadjem moved the Musketeers into scoring range before Tekedam hauled in the winning touchdown with 16 seconds left, sparking wild celebrations and lifting Paris to 3-1. For Tirol, now 0-4, another narrow defeat was perhaps the cruellest yet and could be costly in the race for a top four spot.
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Frankfurt Galaxy 12 @ 20 Nordic Storm
The Nordic Storm had to work considerably harder than usual to maintain their unbeaten record, but John Shoop’s side ultimately held off the Frankfurt Galaxy for a nervy 20-12 victory in Denmark.
The home side appeared set for another comfortable afternoon after Jadrian Clark directed touchdown drives to Brendan Beaulieu and Jonathan Steinhauer Nielsen to establish a 13-0 advantage, but Frankfurt — who had ended the debutant Storm’s long unbeaten run in last year’s ELF — were not about to roll over, and set about producing one of its strongest performances of the season.
Ryan Rimmler put the Galaxy on the board with a 46-yard field goal before QB Ethan Garbers connected with Brevin Easton for a touchdown. A missed extra point kept the deficit at four, but the momentum had clearly shifted. Defensively, Frankfurt repeatedly frustrated Clark and, having already given the ball away on a deep heave in the first quarter, Roedion Henrique intercepted the Nordic quarterback a second time with the game in the balance. Meanwhile, Chris Molumba, Jaylen Clay and the rest of the Galaxy defensive front consistently generated pressure, preventing the hosts from finding any of their usual offensive rhythm.
Another Rimmler field goal early in the second half brought Frankfurt within a point at 13-12 and transformed the game into a tense defensive battle. But when Nordic needed a response, they turned to Glen Toonga and the British running back became the focal point of the offense in the fourth quarter, despite having had to be helped off the field after a massive hit in the third. Helping chew clock to limit the scope of Frankfurt’s potential response, Toonga eventually finished off a decisive drive with a touchdown that restored breathing room at 20-12.
Frankfurt still had chances, but the Storm’s defense came up with critical sacks and late stops to preserve another victory that sees them join Munich at 4-0 atop the standings, while Frankfurt can at least draw encouragement from a much-improved display.
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Prague Lions 13 @ 45 Munich Ravens
The Munich Ravens once again demonstrated why they are considered one of the favourites for the inaugural EFA title, dispatching the Prague Lions 45-13 at Sportpark Unterhaching.
Russell Tabor wasted little time putting the hosts in command, throwing first to Marvin Rutsch and later Philip Okonkwo for touchdowns as Munich built a commanding 24-0 advantage. Louis Geyer also found the end zone, while Daniel Schweiger added a field goal.
To their credit, however, the Lions refused to fold. Jaylon Henderson found William Patterson for a 45-yard touchdown late in the second quarter, and the same combination struck again before half-time. A missed extra point left the score at 24-13, but it at least offered the visitors some hope heading into the locker room.
Sadly for the Czech side, those hopes disappeared shortly after half-time. First, Justus Seelig powered in for a third-quarter touchdown to restore the three-score lead, before Munich’s defense steadily tightened its grip on the game. Henderson faced constant pressure and struggled to establish consistency against one of the league’s deepest defensive units, and Seelig added another rushing score in the fourth quarter to effectively put the result beyond even the wildest imaginations.
Reserve running back Benedikt Pohler completed the scoring late on, before Eric Könchke’s interception of Henderson effectively extinguished any remaining thoughts of a consolation score, much less a comeback. Prague again showed flashes of promise, however, and Patterson continues to look one of the league’s more dangerous receivers, but Munich’s depth and physicality eventually proved overwhelming, as it has for each previous opponent this season.
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With five weeks in the books and two full slates ensuring each side has four games under their belt, bye weeks reduce the fare on offer in Week 6. With Munich and Tirol sitting this one out, the Musketeers travel to Copenhagen to face a Storm side needing to re-establish its authority, while Prague are in Frankfurt seeking a win that will lift them off the bottom of the table.