THIS GIVEN SUNDAY — EFA WK7: MUNICH, PRAGUE EDGE THRILLERS

The European Football Alliance’s inaugural season enjoyed its most exciting weekend as the league’s two remaining unbeaten teams finally collided, while its only winless sides battled for their first victory, producing the closest round of football in the competition’s young history.

Just four points separated the teams across the weekend’s two contests, with Munich Ravens overcoming two separate 14-point deficits to edge Nordic Storm 37-34 in Germany, less than 24 hours after the Prague Lions finally broke their duck with a thrilling 45-44 road victory over the Raiders Tirol.

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Nordic Storm 34 @ 37 Munich Ravens

The headline attraction lived up to its billing as Munich and Nordic produced a contest worthy of their perfect records. The Storm appeared favourites to have one hand on sole possession of first place after twice opening up a two-touchdown lead, only for the Ravens to respond on each occasion and gradually wrestle momentum back in front of their home supporters.

An opening drive fumble by the Ravens gave Nordic their first opportunity, with Jadrian Clarke finding Simon Føns before the receiver somehow kept his feet to plunge over. Things got worse for the home side when Luke Glenna picked off QB Russell Tabor to set up Glen Toonga for Nordic’s second score, the safety only having ben denied himself by a heroic effort from Ravens RB Justus Seelig.

Munich reduced the arrears with a minute left in the opening quarter as Tabor found Sixten Dragan for six, and were further encouraged when the Storm squandered their next drive on a rare drop in the endzone by Brendan Beaulieu and a nightmare FG attempt that followed. Despite moving his offense fluidly downfield, Tabor then coughed up a second pick to Glenna, but the Ravens got the ball back in time for Seelig to convert a long redzone run that, with the extra point, brought the home side level again.

A goal-line fluff on the ensuing kickoff by Edvin Almeida appeared to have dashed any hopes of a last-ditch Storm response, but Clarke and Beaulieu had other ideas, connecting their own 40 to put Storm back ahead, a lead that was confirmed when linebacker Elliott Krogius claimed the third interception of Tabor as the half expired.

Receiving the opening kick of the second half, Nordic were unable to extend their lead, allowing Seelig and Tabor to set up repeated attempts on the visitors’ endzone, albeit without success. The third period passed off without any further score, but Clarke connected with Jakob Green on the first possession of the fourth to re-establish the Storm’s 14-point advantage at 28-14.

Munich, however, refused to fold under the pressure of again falling behind in front of a crowd approaching 3,000, and eventually Tabor converted on a twisting run to halve the deficit. Spurred on, the Ravens got the ball back and set Seelig up for another jitterbug run to paydirt. The ensuing two-point attempt edged the home side ahead — only for Clarke and Beaulieu to respond from long distance, the receiver losing his helmet as he made a contested catch in the endzone.

Nordic’s two-point attempt was snuffed out, allowing the Ravens two minutes to try and salvage the game, and the combination of Seelig and WR Malik Stanley made quick inroads into Storm territory before Tabor went over on a QB sneak and another successful two-point conversion left the Scandinavians needing at least a field goal to prolong their interest. Despite several attempts on the endzone, the Storm had to rely on their faltering field goal unit — and were made to pay by another miss as the clock ran out.

Victory leaves the Ravens alone at the top of the EFA standings as the league’s only unbeaten side, while Nordic suffered a first defeat despite delivering another performance that reinforced their credentials as one of Europe’s elite teams. With a return meeting still to come later in the season, the contest may prove to have been only the opening chapter in what is rapidly becoming the league’s defining rivalry.

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Prague Lions 45 @ 44 Raiders Tirol

Earlier in the weekend, there was guaranteed to be a first-time winner at the other end of the table as the Raiders Tirol hosted the Prague Lions with both clubs still searching for their first success of the campaign. What followed was every bit as dramatic as Sunday’s heavyweight clash.

Prague emerged with a remarkable 45-44 victory to secure its maiden EFA win, surviving a high-scoring shootout that leaves them with renewed belief heading into the final weeks of the regular season. For once, Willie Patterson was not the focal point of the Prague offense, although Tirol’s valiant attempts to erase the American only left gaps elsewhere that Lions QB Jaylon Henderson exploited with regularity.

For the Raiders, another narrow defeat will be particularly difficult to absorb. Having come within a single point of victory, Tirol remains the only team still without a win this season, despite producing an offensive display that would have been enough to prevail on many other weekends.

The game see-sawed throughout, with the Lions capitalising on two first quarter turnovers to open up a 10-0 lead highlighted by an Aleksandar Borković pick-six. Tirol hit back after the change of ends, however, with Adrian Platzgummer getting on the end of a Steven Krajewski pass and Lukas Haslwanter setting up his own go-ahead score with a long run through the Prague defense. Despite Lions QB Jaylon Henderson then being picked off, it was Prague who ended the first-half scoring with a David Lukšan touchdown to send the teams into the break at 13-17.

An early Raiders fumble recovery set up Jonata Loria to close the gap with a field goal from 41 yards, but Prague responded before the third quarter was done as Henderson scampered in from close range to make it 16-24.

The final stanza then proved to be frenetic, with touchdowns raining on almost every possessions. Firstly, Tirol opened up with back-to-back scores as Tim Tonko and newcomer J’Kalon Carter went over to move the home side back in front, only for Willie P to finally show his stuff with a tip-toe run down the right sideline to square the game at 31 apiece.

Tonko, with a diving effort at the pylon, and Radim Kalous, with a weaving run through the Raiders half, traded scores before Carter, with his second of the day, pushed Tirol ahead once more. Crucially, however, Lonata’s PAT attempt was deflected wide, opening the door for Henderson and Prague to steal a last-gasp win. The Lions left it about as late as they could, however, with Henderson finding Matyáš Bílý in the endzone with three seconds on the clock before Marek Hruboň’s extra point proved the difference between the teams.

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While a quirk of scheduling provided the simultaneous opportunity for one unbeaten record to end at the top of the standings and one winless record to be discarded at the bottom — while mid-table Paris and Frankfurt watched from their bye week sunloungers — Week 7 felt like a turning point in the inaugural EFA campaign, with close-fought games in both Munich and Innsbruck living up to the league’s vision. Munich now controls the race for the regular season crown, but Nordic will already be chomping at the bit for a chance to redress the balance on the final weekend. Prague, meanwhile, has breathed fresh life into its campaign by following a strong second half performance in Frankfurt with a gutsy victory on the road in Austria. Like Nordic, however, Tirol will feel hard done by but should know that a first win, after so many close calls, has to be just around the corner.

Image courtesy Munich Ravens/Lewin Weinberger