League Round Up

Welcome sports fans! It's been an exciting two rounds of Champions League action. Apparently we can't get enough of fantasy soccer and JT acting as commissioner has started a score prediction CL fantasy league. Response was luke-warm during round 1 but has since heated up with everyone from the fantasy experts to the couch pundits taking part. Rules are simple, predict the scores of CL games and get points based on accuracy. All points are decided by the commissioner and there is no impartial referee. Points will never be double-checked and the commissioner cannot be questioned. Points deduction and tabulation is subjected to anything the commissioner decides. All fantasy players have to do is submit their predictions via OPEN email to the GY mailing group before kickoff of each night of CL action.

Let's get done to the action. Round 1 saw little surprises as the big guns came out blazing. Plucky performances by the underdogs did see Rosenborg draw Chelski at Stamford Bridge and Fernerbahce hand Inter Milan an opening night defeat at the Sukru Saracoglu. Results as follows:

Group A
FC Porto 1-1 Liverpool
Marseille 2-0 Besiktas

Group B
Chelsea 1-1 Rosenborg
Schalke 0-1 Valencia

Group C
Olympiakos 1-1 Lazio
Real Madrid 2-1 Werder Bremen

Group D
AC Milan 2-1 Benfica
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 Celtic

Group E
Barcelona 3-0 Lyon
Rangers 2-1 Stuttgart

Group F
Roma 2-0 Dynamo Kiev
Sporting Lisbon 0-1 Manchester Utd

Group G
Fenerbahce 1-0 Inter Milan
PSV Eindhoven 2-1 CSKA Moscow

Group H
Arsenal 3-0 Sevilla
Slavia Prague 2-1 Steaua Bucuresti

The first round of fantasy picks saw the commissioner race off to a good start. Surprises included usual fantasy stud Kok at the bottom of the table and fantasy dud Rui coming in a close second. Round 1 standing as follows:

1. KT 36 pts
2. Rui 34 pts
3. Gor 30 pts
4. Beng 25 pts
5. Poh 24 pts
6. Kok 23 pts

* top spot to be crowned World Champion.

Round 2 of CL action provided some surprises with European finalists Liverpool crashing to Marseille at Anfield and plucky Celtic pulling a fast one over defending champions AC. Chelski got their campaign back on track as English teams dominated with the exception of Liverpool. Results and standings as follows:

Group A

Besiktas 0-1 FC Porto
Liverpool 0-1 Marseille

Marseille 6 pts
FC Porto 4 pts
Liverpool 1 pts
Besiktas 0 pts

Group B

Rosenborg 0-2 Schalke 04
Valencia 1-2 Chelsea

Chelsea 4 pts
Valencia 3 pts
Schalke 04 3 pts
Rosenborg 1 pts

Group C

Lazio 2-2 Real Madrid
Werder Bremen 1-3 Olympiakos

Olympiakos 4 pts
Real Madrid 4 pts
Lazio 2 pts
Werder Bremen 0 pts

Group D

Benfica 0-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Celtic 2-1 AC Milan

Shakhtar Donetsk 6 pts
Celtic 3 pts
AC Milan 3 pts
Benfica 0 pts

Group E

Lyon 0-3 Rangers
Stuttgart 0-2 Barcelona

Barcelona 6 pts
Rangers 6 pts
Stuttgart 0pts
Lyong 0pts

Group F

Dynamo Kiev 1-2 Sporting
Man Utd 1-0 Roma

Man Utd 6 pts
Roma 3 pts
Sporting 3 pts
Dynamo Kiev 0 pts

Group G

CSKA 2-2 Fenerbahce
Inter Milan 2-0 PSV

Fenerbahce 4 pts
Inter Milan 3 pts
PSV 3 pts
CSKA Moscow 1 pts

Group H

Sevilla 4-2 Slavia Prague
Steaua Buacharest 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 6 pts
Sevilla 3 pts
Slavia Prague 3 pts
Steaua Buacharest 0 pts

The second round also saw the start of the Championship League. Latecomers to the fantasy game were given a reprieve by the commissioner with their points counting for 1.5 times as much. Promotion and relegation will take place after each CL round. Standings after round two as follows:

Premier League

1. KT 55 pts
2. Beng 52 pts
3. Poh 49 pts
4. Gor 49 pts
5. Rui 49 pts
6. Kok 40 pts (relegated)

Championship

1. Roy 31.5 pts (promoted)
2. JW 25.5 pts
3. Alvin 22.5 pts
4. Des 21 pts
5. Meng 21 pts

* top spot to be crowned World Champion.

A tight race at the top with fantasy stud Kok taking the plunge for after 2 rounds. The race continues. Remember to submit latest predictions by October 23rd. Till the next update, good luck punters!