After the last minute organisation of LWC08, the preparations for the 2009 Logica World Cup had seemingly been going on for ages. Paris is by far the largest city to host the tournament, and there were plenty of organisational challenges to be overcome. LWC09 is also by far the biggest tournament in terms of travelling teams (the 2007 World Cup also boasted 24 teams, but 8 of those were local Portuguese teams) and the World Cup village comprised no fewer than four hotels to accommodate nearly 500 participants. The nature of the urban setting meant that for the first time all four pitches were artificial, and were also spread across two stadia a short walk apart. There was plenty that go wrong, but the fact that everything ran smoothly is a tribute to the incredible amount of hard work undertaken by local organiser Mickaël Pignier in conjunction with the LIFA mandarins, and also to the support and facilities provided by the FSGT organization, and David Cheveau in particular. We even had our first Official World Cup Programme!
Top seeds Team Essex topped Group A but only after some hard fought battles. A tentative start saw them held to a goalless draw by the Welsh Wizards, before two goals from 2007 Golden Boot winner Ian Wells calmed the nerves and contributed to a 3-0 victory over PS Utd. This was the Birmingham outfit's second defeat after a Richard Hilekes hat-trick had earlier earned a 3-1 win for Holland A.
The Dutch topped the group going into the last round of matches after seeing off the Welsh 2-0, skipper Maurice van Asten amongst the scorers. But it was Wells who nicked quarter-final qualification for Essex when he bagged the only goal as the top two came head to head in the final group game. And it proved to be a double Dutch misfortune when they were pipped to a best runners-up spot by a just a single goal.
Sepp's tantalising tombola threw up an enticing battle between two old foes in Group B. Two years ago in Portugal, the England Lags had gained some non-trivial consolation for losing the World Cup semi-final on penalties by beating the Italians 2-1 to claim third place. This clash had followed on from a gargantuan semi-final in 2004 which the Italians had finally won in the dying minutes of extra time. Unfortunately there was no such drama this time around, as Italy scored twice in the first five minutes before shutting up shop against a slugglish English team. After this impressive, start the Italians coasted to qualification as they scored three against both PT Utd and France C.
This left the other three teams to battle it out for the outside chance of qualifying as one the two best runners-up. There was little to choose between the teams, and the French gained an early advantage when a smart finish from Youssef Sirissy narrowly beat the Portuguese side. The French clocked up a fourth point in a goalless stalemate against the Lags, but then went down 0-3 to the Italians. At the same time a ding-dong match saw the England Lags twice coming back from being a Rafael Veloso goal behind, before snaffling the runners-up spot on goal difference when James McCabe headed home the winner from a corner.
It seems to be becoming almost an annual fixture, and the Group C draw again ensured that the England Corinthians would face up to Reading. After two consecutive quarter-final victories for the Berkshire side in 2006 and 2007, the Corinthians were up for some revenge. The match was a close affair with chances at both ends. But it was the unfortunate Phill Hatton, recalled to international duty for his first World Cup since 2000, who broke the deadlock by glancing a free-kick into his own net. England strove manfully to bounce back, but late on a cool finish from Mark Carter clinched the points.
The two seeded teams went to win their games against the other two sides in the Group, France B and Carlos Sousa's Portuguese side. But whilst Reading racked up seven more goals in those games (Mark Carter claiming a goal in every group game, and captain Nich Fazel grabbing a couple as well), the Corinthians mustered just three, two from Jas Badeshia seeing off the French and a solitary James Taylor strike accounting for Portugal. So despite racking up six points, the English team's inferior goal difference meant that they failed to claim one of the two best runners-up spots. In the other game, French skipper Rémi Beaufils scored one of the two goals that left Portugal bottom of the Group.
There was an element of the unknown for Calor Gas and the Czechs in Group D, with Luxembourg making their World Cup debut and Switzerland returning for only their second appearance having not travelled to Edinburgh. Both the known quantities were amongst the favourites for the Cup, but the English side laid down an early marker with a convincing 4-0 win, leaving the Czechs with their work cut out if they were to qualify.
Luxembourg started their international history in impressive style, earning a 2-0 victory over the Swiss. But the newcomers were not strong enough to trouble the established sides, going down 2-0 to Calor and 3-0 to the Czechs. Switzerland fared less well, conceding no fewer than nine goals against the marauding Devils who thus boosted their goal difference sufficiently to secure a best runners-up spot. But amidst a fantastic atmosphere in the Stade Maryse Hiltz, the biggest cheer of perhaps the whole tournament was reserved for Mohammed Ait who scored a consolation goal for the Swiss.
Despite boasting the reigning World Champions, Group E proved to be the closest to call, with all four teams in with a chance of qualifying going into the final match. Having won their first World Cup last June in Edinburgh, Manchester were well and truly deserted by the Football Gods. The first match typified their luck, when after somehow spurning a plethora of chances, Anthony Casey struck to give Leatherhead all three points. Meanwhile a goal from Add Belati claimed a point for Holland B on their World Cup debut, with Steve Donnelly responding for the Hull Tigers.
Holland went one better when a Rob Brinkerink goal accounted for Leatherhead, whilst skipper Ben Waite led by example as Manchester finally found the net, going on to beat Hull 2-1. With any outcome possible going into the third round of matches, two draws anti-climatically left the table unchanged, with Holland B claiming top spot after holding the World Champions to a goalless draw. Despite a goal from Adam Khalil, a strike from Hull's Dave Rawding denied the Surrey side qualification for the last eight. Hull thus somehow finished bottom despite scoring more goals than the other teams, but had at least contrived an opportunity to defend their Tier Three Trophy.
The World Cup tombola threw up an intriguing final Group F, with the hosts drawn against the ever-improving Aberdonians, a Staines side bristling with confidence after finishing sixth on their World Cup debut, and a Manchester B team more than capable of springing a surprise. France A settled their own nerves and avoided any pressure from an expectant home crowd when captain Mickaël Pignier opened the scoring against the Mancunians, with Malloum Laya rounding off a comfortable victory. At the same time, Alan Wall had given Staines a first half lead, only for the Scots to respond with a Rory Macdonald header and a finely curled 25-yard shot from Dave Glass to clinch three vital points.
The Group leaders then faced up to each other in the Stade Louis Lumière. France A, full of confidence now, raced into a two goal lead by the interval. Dave Glass again struck to pull a goal back, but as the Scots chased an equaliser the French counter-attacked late on to claim the win. A Brett Sneddon goal was enough to earn Staines three points against Manchester B, but the French and Scots claimed decisive victories in their final matches to qualify. Dave Glass claimed two more goals as Aberdeen beat the Mancunians 5-0, a margin of victory big enough to secure the second best runners-up spots on goal difference.
There seemed a certain inevitability to this one as soon as the remarkably close outcome of Group E had somehow dealt the Tigers a qualification for the Tier 3 Trophy that they held. And an all-English draw in the quarter-finals failed to halt the Hull band-wagon (or was that a caravan?) as they racked up no fewer than seven goals against the unfortunate PS Utd, Joe Baxter and orange Tiger Peter Straver both bagging a brace apiece. Staines also produced a convincing result as two more goals from Alan Wall helped them to a 3-1 win over Portugal. The other two ties were far tenser affairs, as PT Utd just managed to ensure Portuguese representation in the semis against the plucky Swiss, and Pete Dewhurst scored the winner as Manchester B won by the same 2-1 margin against Luxembourg.
The Tigers were still ravenous come the semi-final. This time it was legendary skipper Dickie McWilliam leading the way with a fine hat-trick as Hull managed just six this time out against the Mancunians. The only worry for the Humbermen was whether they had unwisely used up all their goals in getting to the final. It was déjà-vu for Staines in Paris as they again beat Portuguese opposition, repeating their quarter-final 3-1 win against more Portuguese opposition, although this time it was John McKay who scored twice. Meanwhile Switzerland had saved the best until last, as goals from Henning Lege and Raphael Dorsaz saw them claim a narrow if popular 2-1 victory to leave PS Utd holding the wooden spoon.
The bookies had stopped taking bets on the Final, but the men from Staines had other ideas. It is traditional for the victors to write history, so here's United gaffer Denholm Syme: "As the clubs squared off against each other there were very few chances in the first half, as the heat took its toll on both teams, and there was more of the same after the break. But the breakthrough came with when Staines earned a direct free kick on the right, 35 yard from goal. The ball was floated into the danger area from Wall, and as the ball travelled you could see the keeper was struggling ... Wall had done him ... it's a goal! Some of the tartan Staines likened it to Ronaldinho lobbing Seaman, but later in the bar the scorer openly admitted that his fifth goal at LWC09 was a cross to the back stick that went right! With just minutes to go a Hull snapshot from only six yards forced an important save from the Staines stopper. In the dying minutes the Tigers forced a corner and their keeper was quickly in the Staines box pushing for the equaliser, but the ball was again cleared. Staines held on, and the rest is World Cup history."
It turned out to be quite a formidable line-up for the Tier 2 Trophy. The reigning World Champions Manchester joined the wizened Englishmen of both Corinth and Lagdom, the wizards of Wales, plus Tier Two holders Leatherhead, whilst two host teams and the debutante Dutch side of van Asten represented a new generation of continental talent.
The Football Gods however were not amused, and a vicious sequence of ill-fortune saw the 2008 winners fall at the quarter-final hurdle. Despite mustering just eleven fit(ish) men, the Mancunians created all the running and the best chances against the strangely lack-lustre Lags. When extra time saw a Mancunian stretchered from the field with a bad ankle ligament injury, the Lags did not object to a B-man making up the numbers, but he almost immediately saw red when a mistimed challenge felled Stewart Adams clean through on goal, the Lag falling awkwardly and fracturing his ribs. Despite this, there are no prizes for guessing who won the penalty shoot-out, as the Lags partially erased the memory of their semi-final spot-kick nightmare in Portugal .
The other quarter-finals were far more clear cut as France C put three past the England Corinthians without reply, whilst Holland A went one better against the second string host side. These two teams kept their momentum on Sunday morning, with France C edging a close semi-final against Leatherhead only by virtue of an unfortunate own goal. There was similarly little to separate the Dutch from the England Lags as that semi-final headed into extra time goalless. But skipper Maurice "Marco" van Asten finally broke the deadlock, before Richard Hilekes tapped home his fifth goal of the tournament late on to clinch the orange men a place in the Final.
The Final found two well matched sides facing up to each other, but in the end a France C side roared on by the home crowd were ultimately beaten by a Dutch side with the edge in front of goal. Rachid Roumoussi broke the deadlock, and Steven Schippers clinched silverware for the Dutch with a second goal.
It was a formidable octet of World Cup quarter-finalists that set their alarm clocks for early on the Sunday morning, a line-up that included three past winners and the hosts. The biggest attraction for the spectators was undoubtedly Italy v Calor Gas after last year's feisty Group game that Calor had won 3-1 amidst a certain amount of acrimony on both sides. This year's quarter-final passed off perfectly peacefully however, as two fine footballing sides produced a good quality game that was decided by two strikes from Italy's fox in the box, Lucio Volpe. The hosts saw off the challenge of the 2002 winners by the same scoreline, with French skipper Pignier opening the scoring, and Mattieu Alexandre adding a second to defeat the Czechs. Meanwhile Team Essex also claimed a first World Cup semi-final appearance as they beat Holland B by 3-1, Ian Wells again amongst the scorers.
But the match of the round, and indeed the tournament as a whole, was a ding-dong battle between Reading and Aberdeen. Reading took an early lead, but the Scots fought back with two goals from prolific marksman Dave Glass. Reading responded with some intense pressure, and it took a remarkable clearance from Rory Macdonald in the six yard box to avert a certain equaliser. This earned the Scots an interval lead, but the price was high for the Aberdonian who sustained a double fracture of the wrist. It all seemed to no avail after the interval when Nich Fazel and Dominich Bloch both struck to put Reading back in front. But straight from the restart 'Wee' Alan Craig scored the goal of the tournament, lobbing a still-celebrating Reading keeper Andy Hudson with a 60-yard punt after the ball was rolled to him from the kick-off.
Extra time beckoned, and Frenchman Sandric Loriot headed Reading back in front, only for Aberdeen to once again summon up an equaliser via a deflected shot with just minutes remaining. The penalty shoot-out was also an up and down affair. Scottish keeper "Beaver" Anderson looked like being the hero when he saved the first two Reading kicks whilst the Scots netted both theirs. But the Football Gods were only toying, and Aberdeen proceeded to miss their remaining three penalties whilst Reading dramatically scored their last three to sneak through. Aberdeen would be left with the not insignificant consolation of boasting the Golden Boot winner, when Dave Glass bagged a hat-trick in the final play-off match to beat the Czechs and add to the six goals he had already scored.
These exertions, both physical and mental, clearly took their toll on Reading who were unable to rouse themselves against their old Italian foes in a semi-final repeat of 2005, 2006 and 2007. Who else but Lucio Volpe set the Italians on their way, and a second goal from Luigi Rubino secured last year's runners-up an incredible 11th appearance in the Final.
The other semi-final was a far closer affair, with the outcome only decided late in the second half. Team Essex showed few nerves as they dominated the first half against the hosts, and Graham Wells deservedly gave the English side the lead as he neatly controlled a free-kick floated over the France A rearguard, before calmly slotting home. The French bounced back after the interval, and a period of domination saw Nicolas Diakite equalise from the spot after a clear-cut foul near the bye-line. With the clock ticking down, France should have been awarded a second penalty when their skilful striker had his feet whipped from under him after a neat turn was just a fraction too quick for an Essex defender. The referee though merely waved play on, and cruelly Essex went straight up the other end and claimed their place in the Final when Graham Wells again finished clinically past an advancing keeper.
The 2009 World Cup Final reverted to a frequently acted pantomime script that we had thankfully not seen for a couple of years. The Italians started the Final in a mood that clearly showed their determination to regain a trophy they had not won for three years. Despite some neat football in the middle of the park from Essex, it was the men in all-white who carried the greater potency in the danger areas, and after a number of close misses, Italy duly took the lead. Volpe was the architect once more, dribbling clear on the right side of the penalty box before unselfishly squaring for Caserio to slot home easily.
Cue the amateur dramatics. As is their way, the Italians sought to protect their lead through a combination of neat passing football and a pragmatic approach to staying on their feet when the challenges came in. Everyone should know better by now, but predictably this riled both their opponents and the majority of the crowd packed into the main stand of the Stade Maryse Hiltz, who gleefully booed their favourite pantomime villains in all the right places. The Englishmen responded, as many had before, with some lusty challenges and a few choice words, and there was plenty for referee Erik van Vliet to try and keep his eyes on. Perhaps the only surprise was that it was an Italian who lost his cool first, with goalscorer Caserio lashing out off the ball after a lengthy debate with his Essex opponent on the merits of the game thus far. After more bouts of booing and cries of "he's behind you," van Vliet was moved to consult the fourth official who had seen the incident and the Italians were rightly down to ten men.
Ironically, though, this apparent set-back only served to inspire the seven-times World Champions. The crowd's pantomimic blood-lust had been sated, and even Essex had seemingly achieved their end and were now becalmed by the red card decision. Italy returned to playing football, which they do best of all, and dominated the remaining quarter of an hour. Predictably, and deservedly, it was Lucio Volpe who had the last word, controlling a difficult ball superbly and flicking it deftly over the Essex keeper to claim his eighth goal of the tournament and Italy their eighth Logica World Cup trophy. It was a joyous moment for captain Salvatore Borgese as he once again climbed the steps to accept the Logica World Cup trophy. None could argue that they had not been the best team, and they had emphatically beaten all in their path. Few would bet against them retaining the trophy on home soil in 2010.