THIS GIVEN SUNDAY — EFA WK6: NORDIC SET UP MUNICH CLASH
A heavyweight showdown in Copenhagen produced another statement performance in the race for the inaugural EFA title, while Frankfurt Galaxy kept their playoff hopes firmly alive with a second consecutive victory.
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Paris Musketeers 16 @ 48 Nordic Storm
With the resting Munich Ravens due to visit Denmark next weekend, the Nordic Storm ensured the much-anticipated clash between the league’s only remaining undefeated teams arrives with even greater significance by turning what had been billed as another battle between two potential championship contenders into a one-sided display at the Gladsaxe Stadium
The Danish side seized control over visitors Paris almost immediately. After his defense had intercepted Zach Edwards early, Jadrian Clark wasted little time exploiting the opportunity, with Simon Føns racing 75 yards for the opening touchdown. Paris struggled to cope with the relentless pressure generated by the Storm defense, and the home side quickly established a commanding advantage as Brendan Beaulieu added another score following a second explosive play.
To their credit, the Musketeers refused to disappear. Edwards steadied himself in the second quarter and helped engineer a response, with Lokmen Nadjem finding the end zone and Dean Faithfull adding a field goal. Paris briefly sensed an opening, but a failed fourth-down attempt near the goal-line proved pivotal as the home defense again forced the Musketeers to leave valuable points on the field.
Any hopes of a comeback evaporated completely after half-time, as the Storm defense continued to force mistakes and repeatedly handed Clark and the offense favourable field position. Føns added his second touchdown of the afternoon, while Roberto Miranda also reached the end zone, before Beaulieu completed his own two-touchdowns haul to put the result beyond doubt regardless of Nicolas Khandar’s consolation score for Paris.
Having escaped narrowly against both Frankfurt and Tirol in previous weeks, and only enjoyed a single comfortable victory, over struggling Prague, Paris have shown themselves to be less than a likely title contender, having suffered heavy defeats to both Munich and Nordic, the former in the City of Lights as opposed to on the road. With return fixtures against both team still on the docket, the Musketeers could be looking a four defeats on their record by season’s end, irrespective of potential struggles against the rest of the league.
At 5-0, meanwhile, the Storm strengthened their grip on a share of top spot and underlined their credentials as a championship favourite. More importantly, it sets the stage for a mouthwatering meeting with fellow unbeatens Munich next weekend as the Scandinavians make the journey to Bavaria in search of first blood in what seems likely to be a contest that extends all the way to the championship game in late August.
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Prague Lions 18 @ 31 Frankfurt Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy improved to 2-3 with a 31-18 victory over the still-winless Prague Lions in front of 4,519 spectators at PSD Bank Arena, but the Czech side will at least have taken some pride and encouragement from their second half performance.
The hosts did much of their work before half-time, with QB Ethan Garbers guiding his team downfield before RB Antony Marvyn Bouembe punching in from close range. Garbers then connected with Normen Schumm on a 28-yard touchdown pass as the Galaxy raced into a 14-0 lead before the end of the opening period.
Although Prague answered through the burgeoning Jaylon Henderson to William connection, a missed extra point limited their response, and the game again looked to be slipping away from the Lions as Frankfurt hit back almost immediately — and with a little trickery. Defensive back Mason Chambers was in on a designed play where he was seemingly supposed to throw Garbers’ lateral to a receiver downfield but, when swarmed by Prague defenders, opted instead to run, somehow evading multiple tackles before completing a 32-yard touchdown. When Garbers subsequently found TE Adria Botella Moreno for his first touchdown of the season just before half-time, Frankfurt appeared to have established the sort of lead that inevitably leads to victory, while Prague seemed to be slipping towards another 40-point opponent score.
It wasn’t to be, however, as the Lions showed improved vital signs after the interval, with Henderson finding Matyáš Bílý from 43 yards to make up for an opportunity the receiver squandered on his team’s opening possession of the day, and then feeding RB Adam Žouželka, who capped a sustained drive with a rushing touchdown to cut the deficit to 10 points.
Ryan Rimmler’s field goal restored breathing room for the Galaxy, though Prague still had one final opportunity after blocking a punt and taking possession deep inside Frankfurt territory. Needing a touchdown to truly threaten, the visitors were denied by a stubborn goal-line stand but, even then, had one final possession after forcing the home side to punt with less than a minute on the clock.
When Patterson returned the kick all the way to the house, it appeared that the Lions had made the final score even more respectable, only to find that his last cut inside to avoid would-be tacklers meant that he crossed the line mere seconds after time expired…
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Victory will give Frankfurt renewed momentum heading into a difficult Week 8 trip to Paris, where reversing their heart-breaking defeat in the opening game of the season would draw them level with the Musketeers in the race to secure a postseason berth. Prague’s search for a first victory of 2026, meanwhile, will continue against Raiders Tirol who, while being more unlucky than their Week 7 opponents, also remain winless. Something has to give…