The first matchup of the eFootball.Pro Cup Knockout Stage Semi-Finals was between FC Bayern München, who placed first in Group A of the Group Stage, and Juventus, second placing from Group B. The two teams were ranked closely as the Regular Season of eFootball.Pro ended, in second and third place with only three points separating the clubs. The first goal of the game, set up with an assist by MESTRE and scored by Alex Alguacil, started the Semi-Finals off with early excitement, putting the German club ahead from the beginning. Fellow FC Bayern München representative and team captain, JOSE, continued with his impressive list of goals in the Cup, scoring another in minute 32’, assisted by Alex Alguacil. The following two goals came in the form of an upset to Bayern’s two point lead, with ETTORITO97’s goal in minute 71’ assisted by Ildistruttore, and then a disappointing own goal by MESTRE, equalizing the score at 2-2. The Italian club ultimately received the win following LoScandalo’s goal in minute 83’, bringing the final result to 2-3, stunning their competition that had begun the game with a two point lead.
The second game began with another exciting goal in minute 12’ by Alex Alguacil, and assisted by MESTRE, putting FC Bayern München ahead for this second time, with the German club representatives hoping for a more positive result by the end of the game. The Spanish duo then accomplished the same feat less than ten minutes later, then again in minute 41’ with MESTRE himself being the one to bring the score to 3-0. Even with the impressive lead, Juventus still managed to force a tie-breaking third game to determine the which team would advance, as ETTORITO97 brought the aggregate score within one point of a draw with his goal in minute 53’, and LoScandalo guaranteed the third game by equalizing the total score of the first two games with his successful shot in minute 70’. In the final game, amongst various chances to score from both FC Bayern München and Juventus, Alex Alguacil’s shot in minute 19’ was the only one to successfully reach the inside of a goal, advancing the German club to the Final of the eFootball.Pro Cup. This came as a disappointment to the Italian team after their most likely attempt at equalizing the result was narrowly missed by the Juventus captain, with the ball bouncing off of the post of the goal and unable to alter the score.
The second Semi-Final, featuring gameplay between Manchester United FC and FC Barcelona, began with a penalty kick opportunity for Barcelona in minute 25’ of the first game, with The_Palma taking the shot, and KAMS successfully protecting the English goal, defending the 0-0 score. Barcelona had various other opportunities to bring the score into their favor, including a skillful header by HenryKinhO, who also immediately took another shot on goal following the corner kick they were granted, however this attempt failed at gaining the club any points as well. Leading up to halftime in the game, commentator Harry Channon observed that the “Catalan pressure was mounting,” as they continued to create opportunities to score against Manchester United FC. The_Palma had the chance to redeem the Blaugrana squad’s chances with his first goal in minute 76’, and the second in minute 93’, guaranteeing their victory over their English opponents in the first game.
The following game was much quieter between the two teams, ending with a scoreless result. Manchester United FC had some promising opportunities to equalize the aggregate score of the games, including a free kick in minute 37’ following a foul on OSTRYBUCH, which ended in E_c_oneill taking a hopeful shot on goal and GuiFera successfully defending the scoreless result for the Blaugrana team. With both clubs having the chance to alter the total score of the two games in this second matchup, the game ultimately ended in Barcelona’s favor, with them moving on to face FC Bayern München. Channon also mentioned that the “high-pressing gameplay from Barcelona was working wonders from them,” and arguably is what advanced them to the Final.
The Final between FC Bayern München and FC Barcelona consisted of a single game to decide which team would be crowned champion of the eFootball.Pro Cup. The competition began with almost immediate excitement in favor of the German club in minute 6’, with Alex Alguacil scoring another early goal assisted by MESTRE. Barcelona had a promising chance of equalizing the scoreboard in minute 29’ as they were granted a corner kick, which was received by The_Palma but expertly defended by MESTRE. Following the attempt, the Blaugrana team was able to move the ball back immediately onto their opponent’s side of the field and take another shot, however it was again defended successfully, this time by Knockout Stage MVP Alex Alguacil. MESTRE then had his own opportunity to increase the score on behalf of his team in minute 77’, assisted by team captain JOSE, guaranteeing Bayern’s victory in the Cup. The impressive gameplay shown by all three German team representatives was rewarded with the Knockout Stage MVP and best goal awards, as well as an additional MVP award and two best goal recognitions from the Group Stage.
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