TOP OF
THEIR GAME
HERE AT CUBED WE LIKE TO KEEP WITH THE TIMES, SO WE'RE PLAYING FIFA 15. THIS IS THE GENESIS OF THE CUBED
GAMERS CUP, WHERE SIAN, ROBIN AND ED WILL BE TAKING ON THE CREAM OF THE WORLD'S FOOTBALLING CROP AT
THE HELM OF OUR FAVOURITE TEAMS: NAMELY DERBY COUNTY, LEICESTER CITY AND EVERTON.
ED MCCOSH
T
32
he format is simple:
15 teams start in the
league stage – three
player-controlled and
12 CPU – and the top
four will progress to the
semi-finals, after which
one will be named the
CG Cup champion. Let’s
just hope it’s one of us,
anyway. Due to differing
playing standards Sian
and Robin kicked off on
Amateur difficulty, while
Ed started at Professional. This week we’ll be
featuring their opening
three games.
Game of the Month:
Derby County 5-2 Zenit
St Petersburg
Every now and again
a game comes along
that ‘has it all’. Just this
once, the blue moon
rose, the pig flew, and
Derby County served up
a classic with the unlikely
foil of Russian Premier
League champions Zenit
St Petersburg.
Amidst an electric atmosphere at Generic
FIFA Stadium One – literally – the two sides
shared seven goals in a
match with more thrills
and spills than a buffet in
a rollercoaster.
It was the visitors who
struck first, with exManchester City midfielder Javi Garcia slotting home from an acute
angle, and when Hulk
smashed home a second
just three minutes later
Derby found themselves
2-0 down with just 13
minutes on the clock.
ZEN 54%
Ball
Possession
DER 46%
Yet another three minutes after that, it was all
square. Johnny Russell
started the comeback
with a driven effort from
inside the penalty area,
before stand-in captain
Chris Martin sent Rams
fans to Para-Para-Paradise with a scintillating
run and unstoppable
finish.
Just five minutes after
Derby had forced parity, a mistimed tackle
by Cyrus Christie gave
the Russians the chance
to make it 3-2 from the
spot. Up stepped Hulk,
who lashed well over the
bar from 12 yards. That
would have made him
angry, and you won’t
like him when he’s-well,
you get it.
Zenit were punished
for their profligacy just
before half time, when
Derby were given a
penalty of their own for
a clumsy challenge on
Martin as he shaped to
shoot. It was a Rush Of
Blood To The Head from
the Zenit centre back,
and Martin said See
You Later to goalkeeper
Vyacheslav Malafeev,
chipping a Panenka
penalty down the middle to complete a Magic
turnaround.
Alright,
that’s enough Coldplay
puns. Sorry, but stopping is The Hardest Part.
14 On
Derby shots
[20 total]
6 Off
Derby put the game
beyond their beleaguered Russian opponents four minutes into
the second half, with
Will Hughes powering
home a fourth goal, before Tom Ince’s sharp finish punctured a languid
second half display.
6 On
Zenit shots
(10 total)
4 Off
Victory made it three
from three for Sian’s
Rams, after totally disparate wins over Galatasaray and Celtic.
It took an 80th minute
Ince winner to down the
Turkish giants 1-0, before Martin starred in a
ridiculous 8-5 win over
the Scottish champions.
Just when you thought
this was getting dead realistic, eh.
Martin notched twice
in the first half either side
of an Andreas Weimann
penalty, before the Austrian scored 49 seconds
into the second half to
make it 3-0. Ince and
Martin added another
goal apiece, before the
match descended into
anarchy.
Lee Griffiths curled
home an exquisite free
kick, but Ince added
another for Derby under a minute later. Stuart
Armstrong then got in on
the act, but once more
County provided an instant riposte, with Martin
scoring his fourth of the
game.
That was that for Derby, but Celtic did their
bit to provide some thrills
in the final moments as
James Forrest, Stefan
Johansen and Armstrong
all netted to wrap up a
game replete with just
the 13 goals. And yes,
that wasn’t the Game
of the Month. Work that
one out.
Meanwhile, Everton
picked up seven points
out of a possible nine,
with a late Gerard Deulofeu equaliser sealing a