The Premier League may be on hiatus ‘in real life’, but on the virtual pitch, the action has been incredible. With goals galore and football banter that we’ve missed as much as the sport itself, the ePL Invitational FIFA20 event has been great value so far.
We’ve seen a dozen games so far, with only the quarter-finals, semi-final and final to come over the weekend. Who’s looking like they might be a player to avoid in those last games of the tournament series?
Round 1 took place between eight players, with just four progressing to the Last 16. John McGinn represented Aston Villa, but he was on the end of a 6-1 drubbing by Neal Maupay, who perhaps displayed why he hasn’t scored as many goals for Brighton & Hove Albion this season as he might have liked – he must have been playing FIFA20 into the midnight hour most nights to possess skills like these.
After the game, McGinn himself announced that he might have been retired from playing the popular video game:
FIFA retirement confirmed for @JMcGinn7. 😩😂 #AVFC pic.twitter.com/ehrDNh2X01
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 21, 2020
In the next game, Josh Franceschi represented Arsenal. The You Me At Six member edged out Nathaniel Chalobah of Watford 4-3 in a thrilling end-to-end game which was only sealed with 7 minutes of FIFA gameplay to go.
Dwight McNeil of Burnley won 3-2 again West Ham’s Ryan Fredericks. “Yeah, back to Call of Duty for me!” Fredericks announced at the final whistle, possibly hinting that his heart wasn’t quite in it as much as Dwight McNeil’s. The Burnley wing wizard played very well and deserved to win by more.
Bournemouth’s Philip Billing thrashed Southampton’s Angus Gunn 4-0 in the battle of the South Coast sides. Billing was turning tricks throughout and made sure he was going to be a test for Neal Maupay in the last 16. He even scored as himself, not something he’s been prolific at in the Premier League for real.
The Last 16
Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) 5-4 Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
A great win for Sterling as the City winger was given the ‘wagging finger’ by Wilfried Zaha after cutting it back when clean through to make sure of a goal. It’s what Pep Guardiola would have wanted. Zaha would eventually lose 5-4, scoring four but ruing his leaky defence in a situation that must have made him miss his Crystal Palace teammates even more.
“I’m so frustrated,” said Zaha afterwards. “My defending in that game was so bad. But Raheem’s a good player and the best man won today.”
See for yourself if that was the case.
Tom Grennan (Manchester United) 1-5 Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Grennan may have found what he’s been looking for in terms of football-related chart success, but he took a large L that was handed to him by the Liverpool right-back as Trent Alexander-Arnold made Grennan look tone deaf. A last-minute consolation for Martial aside, United were never in the game. Trent, just like on the pitch, has no problem with his ping.
“Liverpool deserved the win in real life and they deserved it on FIFA.” Grennan said afterwards, a concession that is likely to see the vast worldwide United fanbase abandon him and possibly set fire to his album sleeves in the street.
Reece James (Chelsea) 0-8 Andre Gomes (Everton)
Everyone loves a nailbiting game that is close right up until the last minute in FIFA. Reece James must look forward to that happening very soon after he was roundly humiliated by the silent assassin of the event so far. Asked if he was looking forward to it beforehand, Gomes mumbked disinterest, but clearly he’s adept of the art of hustling (or perhaps just grew bored of mastering the game while recovering from a broken leg) as he chastened James in an embarrassing education. By the end, it was merely a case of fans wondering whether Gomes has ever slept instead of mashing buttons.
Moussa Sissoko (Tottenham Hotspur) 1-2 Christian Atsu (Newcastle United)
A grudge match took place as former Newcastle midfielder Moussa Sissoko took on current Toon Army winger Christian Atsu in the last 16 match. Newcastle led in the first half after Joelinton smashed in a loose ball, something he’s achieved precisely never in the Premier League for real.
Atsu’s tactic of compact possession football was winning the day, but Spurs equalized in the second half, Sissoko slotting home as himself before doing the ‘chicken’ dance in front of the virtual St. James Park crowd.
If Newcastle United fans were livid, Atsu would cheer them up, nodding in a last-minute winner as Jonjo Shelvey to dump Sissoko out of the event and see Atsu go on to face Raheem Sterling in Friday’s quarter-final.
“I will have to change maybe my formation,” admitted Atsu after the game. “He has fast wingers and fast strikers [and] his midfield is very good, so I will have to be more compact even than this one.”
Even more compact? Expect Atsu’s side to remain in their pre-match huddle for the duration.
Diogo Jota (Wolves) 8-2 Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City)
Diogo Jota scored four goals as himself as Wolves ran riot against Leicester City in a Midlands clash that never seemed in the visitors’ grasp. Jota is really very good at the game, and was three goals to the good before Ndidi would have had the chance to think ‘But James Justin was supposed to be playing in this fixture, not me.’
“He can win the tournament, he’s really good,” conceded Ndidi after his defeat. Jota attacks relentlessly in the game and will be a threat to anyone he meets in the ePL Invitational tournament, especially with the result of the next match that took place.
Todd Cantwell (Norwich City) 2-6 Lys Mousset (Sheffield United)
A huge shock took place as Todd Cantwell imploded in a fit of rage quit in the second half as the last 16 was thrown wide open. Cantwell, the pre-tournament favourite, was 2-1 up at half-time, but Mousset equalized shortly after the second period kicked off and then went on a tear, leading to a hat-trick from Zivkovic. Cantwell ‘dropped his controller’ (“No, Mum, I didn’t throw it!”) as he simply fell apart in the second half.
While both men mused on the merits or otherwise of the 85-rated basic teams set-up, Cantwell’s moan that he’d “…played a couple of games today and lost them so I wasn’t in good form.” Was truly peak teenager stuff. It was the Twitter hype that did it.
Neal Maupay (Brighton & Hove Albion) 4-2 Philip Billing (Bournemouth)
The penultimate game of Day 3 saw a close encounter between two excellent players decided by a late double. Brighton striker Neal Maupay had flown through his opening game, but so had Bournemouth midfielder Philip Billing who won 4-0 in a rare win to nil.
This tie was decided by the clinical finisher, as with the scores level at both 1-1 and then 2-2 on 83 minutes, two goals in five minutes won through for Maupay who survived a banana skin to progress to what will be a lip-smacking encounter in the quarter-finals against the winner of the final last 16 tie.
Josh Franceschi (Arsenal) 1-3 Dwight McNeil (Burnley)
Dwight McNeil triumphed against the only non-footballer player left in the competition as Burnley first led, then were pegged back before two second half goals saw them to victory at Turf Moor.
Dwight McNeil acknowledged that possession of the ball will be crucial in his forthcoming quarter-final against Neal Maupay.
“I’ve heard he keeps the ball well, a bit like me,” McNeil said in the aftermath of victory. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Aren’t we all?
Round 1 Results:
John Mc Ginn (Aston Villa) 1 – 6 Neal Maupay (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Josh Franceschi (Arsenal) 4-3 Nathaniel Chalobah (Watford)
Dwight McNeil (Burnley) 3-2 Ryan Fredericks (West Ham United)
Philip Billing (Bournemouth) 4-0 Angus Gunn (Southampton)
Last 16 Results:
Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) 5-4 Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
Tom Grennan (Manchester United) 1-5 Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Reece James (Chelsea) 0-8 Andre Gomes (Everton)
Moussa Sissoko (Tottenham Hotspur) 1-2 Christian Atsu (Newcastle United)
Diogo Jota (Wolves) 8-2 Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City)
Todd Cantwell (Norwich City) 2-6 Lys Mousset (Sheffield United)
Neal Maupay (Brighton & Hove Albion) 4-2 Philip Billing (Bournemouth)
Josh Franceschi (Arsenal) 1-3 Dwight McNeil (Burnley)
Remaining Fixtures:
Friday 24th April (Quarter-Finals)
Quarter-Final 1: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) vs. Christian Atsu (Newcastle)
Quarter-Final 2: Andre Gomes (Everton) vs. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
Quarter-Final 3: Diogo Jota (Wolves) vs. Lys Mousset (Sheffield United)
Quarter-Final 4: Neal Maupay (Brighton & Hove Albion) vs. Dwight McNeil (Burnley)
Saturday April 25th
Semi-Finals
Semi-Final 1: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2
Semi-Final 2: Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4
Final
Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2)
