Xpert International League review

 

Vasastan BK were crowned Xpert International League Champions for the first time in the club’s history. Led by manager Janne_cz, who took over managing the club in Season 22, the Swede had a fantastic, unbeaten league campaign, winning 10 and drawing 4 matches. Janne can now add the League Crown to the Xpert International Cups Vasastan won in seasons 34 and 32.

It hasn’t been a meteoric rise to the top but a hard fought, consistent, despite the occasional  relegation, move up through the lower leagues to reach Division 7:17 in season 27.  Vasastan BK then produced some of the best football of their history to go on a winning spree as they won their next 6 division titles in a row to reach the top flight last season, in which they finished third. An excellent achievement in their debut season and eclipsed by their league triumph this term.

It was a tremendous team and management effort but two players in particular stand out: 36 year old defender Artur Posener and 33 year old forward Raul Albin. Posener, bought for a song at a shade under 76m econ in February 2011, is without a doubt, the best player in the league. He now has 14 MVP’s under his belt since signing, including two from this season: the XCL for his 6 XP11’s and this season’s league honour for his 12 showings, one for each of his appearances, and all as captain. Dominating and imperious at the back, Posener helped provide the foundation for the title success, never conceding more than a single goal in any league game, and losing only 6 goals all season.

At the other end there was Albin who came to the club from Barcelona 2012 in 2008 for nearly 9m econ. He consistently produces the goods to be the club’s top scorer and/or points man. No slouch in the performance stakes, he earned himself 7 XP11’s this term and weighed in with 11 of the team’s 29 league goals, including a hattrick against Epsilon Aliens in Round 2, and 4 assists to chalk up the points that went a long way to securing the title.

Janne had Vasastan purring all season and kept them playing at a level that was just consistently too good for the opposition. They dominated 12 of their 14 matches. Only Lokomotiv MacRobert, in Round 7 and Chaos Marauders in Round 9, had more of the ball in games with VBK this season. Posener missed the Locomotiv match, as well as the Round 8 return, after picking up an 86th minute injury playing Chaos Marauders the week before. In Round 9 the defending champions’ manager RobbieD made his Marauders’ home advantage count to secure a point against VBK. Even Macedo seeing red in the 91st minute couldn’t impact on the result and it was Marauders’ outstanding goalie, Odd-Hugo Warhuus, who ensured the scores were level over the 90 minutes.

Vasastan BK thoroughly deserved to win the title this season as, virtually, week-on-week they out-thought and out-fought opponents, sweeping them aside to justifiably take the plaudits in the league, points, goals, XP11, skill and ratings stakes. If Janne can keep this team together, maybe bring in a bit of youth, it’s hard to see any of the others knocking Vasastan BK off their perch for a while yet.

However, Vasastan BK’s triumph couldn’t have been predicted at the start of the season as they started their campaign with a drawn home tie against Tegnérlunden. Indeed, Vasastan drew 3 of their first 6 matches, including 1 – 1’s away to Hässelby Västra (R3) and Chaos Marauders (R6). Wins over Epsilon Aliens (1 – 3), The Gunners FC (1 – 4) and Brynäs IF 1912 (3 – 0) saw them move from 6th after Round 1, to 2nd  after Rounds 3 and 4 and go top by  Round 5. There was a 3 team chasing pack led by Epsilon Aliens. By the 6th Round Epsilon were on the same points tally through to Round 8: 12, 15 and 18 points but Vasastan’s goal difference kept them on top. Brynäs IF 1912 and Chaos Marauders were sharing 3rd and 4th place between but kept themselves in it and were never more than a point or two away by Round 8.

Pushing Vasastan all the way were Epsilon Aliens and it is a credit to manager Imajedi that he was able to take advantage of VBK’s slip in Round 9 to go top and stay there for two weeks. Fighting on a Cup front as well as in the league was proving a testing time for the Norwegian yet he, and his team, managed to deliver a quality season and kept themselves in the frame for league honours. Epsilon won 6 consecutive league matches to Round 10, which saw them with a 2 point cushion over the champions elect. But Epsilon lost top spot when they could only manage a home 1 – 1 draw with Hässelby Västra then redeemed themselves the following week with a 2 – 0 win over Chaos Marauders.

Winning Division 1b last term gave Epsilon return passage to the top flight and with their exploits throughout the season must have been confident going into Round 13. However, they were eventually to lose out on the title as they capitulated in the final two weeks of the season, losing to VBK 3 – 0 and then to Brynäs IF 1912 in the final league match. Yet, Imajedi can be forgiven for taking his eye off the ball at this crucial point in the season as, sandwiched, between those two fixtures, they were playing in the Xpert League Cup final against Vasastan BK and resources were stretched. Overall, Epsilon had a great league campaign and go into season 36 in great shape.

Emil_999 led his Brynäs IF 1912 to a 3rd place finish, level on points with Chaos Marauders but with a goal advantage. The Division 1a winners from Season 34 brought one of the strongest and oldest squads to the top tier. Brynäs had a very good debut season with Ayo Foyege and Gunnar Ewertsson the stand outs. Foyege made four XP11’s while Ewertsson topped the team goals tally with 6 for the season. If Emil wants to improve on this season he will need to increase the size of his small squad and look to add some younger players, possibly before they kick off next season.

RobbieD must be kicking himself at the goal difference placing Chaos Marauders 4th instead of 3rd. They started well enough to be top for the first 4 weeks then dropped to second by Round 5, but it was the consecutive draws against Tegnérlunden, Vasastan BK then Hässelby Västra that dropped them to fourth and they never really recovered. Midfield old-stager Oskar Häggfors performed miracles all season and if Dermott Burley had added another goal or two to the 7 he bagged it might have made a difference. However, RoddieD has got a well-balanced squad and they are in good shape for next season.

Niskannen had a good squad at his disposal but struggled for form for much of the season. Hässelby Västra finished second in Season 34 and should have been looking to push on but it just never happened and they were mid-table all season. Two wins in the first half of the season said much about how they were performing and although they finished the second half better, it wasn’t enough to climb the table. Cristiano Paris was their top player, outstanding at times, and the midfielder helped guide Kurt af Klinteberg to some excellent performances. Front man Valter Fjordsjö, who scored 7 goals, did much the same with Ryce Shanks (5 goals). If Niskannen can hold onto his senior pros they should do better next season.

Lokomotiv MacRobert have been on the slide in recent seasons and time finally caught up with them. Three 2nd place finishes in seasons 31 to 33 and fifth last season, they are relegated from 6th place. After a decent start, picking up 4 from their first 6 points, they plummeted to the relegation zone by round 4, where they were to remain all season. Never the strongest squad, Šiki still had some real quality players at The MacRobert Building who were playing in decent form. Then Šiki, only in charge for about 3 months, was replaced by Marco9fernandes on 26th June when the team had already lost 4 and drawn 1 match. The following day Marco saw his new squad lose to Vasastan BK to leave them on just 7 points from 8 games but still in with a shout of survival. With the likes of Scott Blair, Paolo Bjärklid and Ilie Calotã, Marco has the nucleus of a good squad that could see Lokomotiv make a swift return from Division 1b.

Tegnérlunden’s two league wins came against group whipping boys The Gunners FC. Starting mid-table they fell to 7th spot by Round 6 and never moved higher. Strummer stuck with a small squad for the season but players regularly failed to deliver despite having the quality of the likes of Niclas Rasck, Jacob Blennow and Danny McCarroll. Strummer will be looking to get some new blood into the Auguststadion if they are to do well in Division 1a.

After two seasons at the top table The Gunners FC were relegated to Division 1a. At the Underhill Stadium Season 35 is one to forget for Matski et al: 14 league losses, scoring 5 and conceding 48. There won’t be many teams with a worst record. Their last win was the Cup double header against Division 7:117 outfit DeLuxe with the second leg played on 12th April 2013. Their last actual league win was 25th March at Underhill when they won 1 – 0 against Unwell FC; Round 14 of Season 34. Although good sized, it was one of the weaker squads in the league and players regularly underperformed. Matski decided at Round 8 that he’d had enough and started using his youth players instead of his underachieving first team stars. Although not formally relegated until Round 10, like any good manager, Matski saw the outcome and planned for it accordingly. He should get some valuable DV as a result that will stand him in good stead next season.

Xpert International Season 35 final standings read:

1  Vasastan BK
2  Epsilon Aliens
3  Brynäs IF 1912
4  Chaos Marauders
5  Hässelby Västra
6  Lokomotiv MacRobert
7  Tegnérlunden
8  The Gunners FC

My dream team lines up 4-4-2:

GK – Francisco Velamazán: Epsilon Aliens

D – Artur Posener (C): Vasastan BK
D – Feliciano Botero: Epsilon Aliens
D – Conrado Espósito: Hässelby Västra
D – Gimi Rosca: Vasastan B

M – Scott Blair: Lokomotiv MacRobert
M – Cristiano Paris: Hässelby Västra
M – Ilie Calotã: Lokomotiv MacRobert
M – Otto Sturesson: Vasastan BK

F – Raul Albin: Vasastan BK
F – Belmiro Ulhoa: Epsilon Aiens

Congratulations to Janne and his Stadshagen crew on an almost flawless season, Vasastan BK were excellent all season and deserve the top honour, commiserations to the losers and good luck to all for next season.
 

Xpert International Cup review

The teams contesting the Xpert International Cup Final were Epsilon Aliens, seeded 5 and Vasastan BK, the number 1 seeds, making the Season 35 Cup Final an all Scandinavian affair.

Plying their trade in the top flight both teams were battling for a League and Cup double this season. Justifiably top seeded, Vasastan BK were looking to retain the Cup they won last season and make it three Cup trophies in four seasons. They headed into the Final on a terrific run of form having not lost a match since FC Olympiakos beat them 2 – 1 in Round 3 of the XCL back in April; 26 games ago!

But Epsilon Aliens have a good Cup pedigree: 5 times Xpertsvenskan Cup winners although their last Cup success was in season 15, when they won their fourth consecutive trophy, their fifth in total. Their form wasn’t too shoddy either having lost only once in their last 19 outings. Crucially though, that defeat was only 4 days before the final, against Vasastan BK.

How did both teams reach the Final? Let’s take a quick overview.

Epsilon Aliens began their campaign with a very comfortable 9 – 0 aggregate over Ålandsfärjan before struggling past BK Röta 2 – 1. The Röta game seemed to set the tempo for Imajedi’s players as they toiled past Buderim Fireflies, IFK Stark Starz  and FFF United, all by 1 – 0, before securing a 2 – 0 win over Bola Na Trave F.C. The result was aided when Alfred Simpson got red carded for Bola on 81 minutes and Epsilon scored their second in the 91st. Epsilon reverted to type against Gimo IF and managed to secure a 1 – 0 win with the goal coming just after the break, even though they were a man down when young midfielder Dermott Longsworth was red carded on 42 minutes.

Xpert International Cup Quarter Final
Xpert Arena
21st June 2013
Referee: Al Beback (6/3)

Epsilon Aliens (5) V Gammalkils IF (79)

Imafedi had seen his players do just enough to reach this stage of the competition and was looking for more from his team as they took on the Division 2b outfit. He sent his players out to dominate with a 3-5-2 formation. Without too much fuss Epsilon put two past Gammalkils to gain passage to the Semi Final but they did suffer the loss of Mel Arthurs, who was stretchered off after 65 minutes.

Epsilon Aliens (Mazda 10’, Guardiola 46’) 2 – 0 Gammalkils IF


Xpert International Cup Semi Final
Xpert Arena
28th June 2013
Referee: Luke Bribe (3/3)

Epsilon Aliens (5) V Orlando Magic (82)

The Semi Final paired Epsilon with Orlando Magic. The Division 3e strugglers had lost 4 – 0 to Dunhill Snuffbridge in the league four days earlier and now knew they would be relegated to Division 4. Their manager Kadri knew that Cup success was vital to put a positive shine on a disappointing season.

However, as the professional that he is, Imajedi put out a strong team, minus the injured Arthurs, and they delivered with a solid performance. But the match didn’t quite start out that way. While Epsilon lined up with a well-structured 3-5-2, Kadri set his boys up in a 4-5-1, looking to frustrate and hit on the counter. It almost paid dividends after only 6 minutes but defender Simeão Alpedrinha couldn’t put his powerful shot away. Roger Fitzgerald tried his luck on 19 minutes but his effort sailed over. Orlando’s luck failed when Gian Fusco couldn’t run off a knock and left just after 20 minutes. Epsilon were now getting a real feel for the match, starting to dictate more and dominate play. As the half wore on they were making more chances until 27th minute when Belmiro Ulhoa got on the end of a precise Alexander Culverton cross to head the ball back over Józek Osowski for the first before Orlando Guardiola fired in the second 9 minutes later. Orlando’s frontman, Eliott Seaman, became another victim to injury, leaving the field 6 minutes before the break and Epsilon ended the half on the front foot and well in command.

The second half was almost a mirror image of the first: Epsilon started slowly and on 51 minutes Ahmad Amanah tried to round Francisco Velamazán, but the big goalie did enough and the chance went astray. Unfortunately, that was about it for Kadri’s troops as Epsilon took a stranglehold on the game and eventually sealed the win 3 – 0 after a quick-fire blast of 3 chances in succession: on 67 minutes Guardiola missed when he tried to place his shot to the ‘keepers’ right, on 68 minutes Gustavo Caetano wasted a freekick when he fired straight at Osowski but on 70 minutes the third finally arrived when Guardiola got in front of the defenders to reach Ulhoa’s early ball in and head home. 3 – 0 to Epsilon and they were in the final! Were they on the brink of returning to the glory days of yesteryear? There was only one more match standing in their way.

Epsilon Aliens (Ulhoa 27’, Guardiola 36’, 70’) 3 – 0 Orlando Magic


Defending champions Vasastan BK have had a more demanding campaign over Season 35 including play-off ties and XCL fixtures. They began their defence with a comprehensive 6 – 0 aggregate over Babylon Elite Pirates and followed this up with some excellent performances as they powered towards the Quarter Finals, including wins over Pukebergs BK (6 – 0 agg), Leixoes S.C SAD (4 – 2), Rio de Mouro (1 – 2), RedStar (0 – 2 after extra time), Real Göteborg (1 – 2) and Wu1star Rangers (1 – 3).

Xpert International Cup Quarter Final
Xpert Arena
21st June 2013
Referee: Michael Steen (7/2)

Vasastan BK (1) V Armoured Ducks (174)

RebelRebel’s Armoured Ducks gave the top seeds a real fright in their quarter Final clash. The Division 4i outfit, ranked 173 places below Vasastan, came into this tie on the back of a 4 game winning streak but knew this was a different class of opposition than they had faced so far. Despite a phenomenal defensive display they were eventually undone by a Posener penalty in the 68th minute that saw Vasastan safely through to the Semi Final. Janne was full of praise for the AD boss after this hard fought contest but still had his own concerns when sublime midfielder Svante Leander picked up an injury and had to be taken off a few minutes before the penalty goal.

Vasastan BK (Posener 68’ P) 1 – 0 Armoured Ducks


Xpert international Cup Semi Final
Xpert Arena
28th June 2013
Referee: Travis Tee (6/4)

FC Gaia (21) V Vasastan BK (1)

FC Gaia are no mugs at this level and in RuteNunes have an experienced manager who knows his trade. Coming into this tie on the back of an excellent 5 – 3 win over PRIMAVERA in the Quarters, Gaia lined up with an attacking 3-4-3 formation to really challenge Vasastan. Janne recognised the danger and set his team up in a 4-5-1 to use their midfield strength and build a platform for a good result, but they had to do without the services of Leander.

The stats don’t really tell the full story, showing that Vasastan won 1 – 0 thanks to Otto Sturesson’s goal in the 27th minute and an injury apiece, but this really was a fantastic game of football, well worthy of its Semi Final billing.  As expected both midfields went at each other with no quarter asked or given. For Gaia it was Anselmo Geovanni and for Vasastan read Calisto Macedo who were the lynchpins in the centre, battling hard, dictating, shouting and directing their teammates to dig deep and give their all. And it was Macedo who came out on top, enabling his defence to perform beyond expectations.

Led by Artur Posener the Vasastan defence was immense throughout hovering up almost everything that Gaia threw at them and they had to be on point. Gaia’s front unit was terrific, constantly moving, making runs and creating space for their teammates to fill.

First chance fell to Gaia with a freekick on 7 minutes. The ball was fired over to Anselmo Geovanni but ‘keeper Eyüp Hakan blocked well. Two minutes later Janne had his head in his hands when he saw midfield genius Dennis Ferguson limp off to be replaced by Deandre Cole. The injury looked serious enough to keep Ferguson out for a few weeks but only Janne knows if he’ll be available for selection. Vasastan’s Janne Södergren tried his luck on 13 minutes when a freekick came his way and he struck it sweetly on the half-volley that Ruben Westlin tipped over. Gaia’s Rigoberto Santi tried the same trick 4 minutes later at the other end but Hakan held easily. Then came the goal from a well worked corner. Macedo found Sturesson in space and pinged the ball to him. The midfielder didn’t blink as he powered his shot across Westlin and into the far corner. It was a thing of beauty and fully deserved as Vasastan had the upper hand and controlled more of the play in the first half.

Gaia came out for the second half with a bit more determination about them and, like the first 45, had the first shot at goal 10 minutes in but Karl-Gunnar Fridén’s chip sailed over.  The midfields were more evenly balanced in this half as Gaia played up a gear, had more of the ball but both teams were guilty of squandering chances: Charlie Pucknell, on for Raul Albion on the hour mark, sent his freekick over on 71 minutes; Macedo’s diving header on 86 went wide; Álvaro Dalmonte wasted his freekick on 87 by firing weakly straight at Hakan; Pucknell missed a great chance on 91 when he steered a loose ball towards the goal but it struck the top of the upright and, with the last kick of the ball, 3 minutes into time added on, Feri Sándor powered one in from distance but, again, Hakan was equal to it. Time up! 1 – 0 to Vasastan who head into the Final looking to retain the Cup. A very proud, but gutted, RuteNunes applauded his team off the pitch at the end. It was unfortunate that he lost Geovanni to injury from a poor Pucknell challenge 10 minutes before the whistle, but he was still generous in defeat, congratulating Janne on the win and wishing Vasastan well for the final.

FC Gaia 0 – 1 Vasastan BK (Sturesson 27’)


Xpert international Cup Final
Xpert Arena
5th July 2014
Referee: Donald Scott (3/6)

Epsilon Aliens (5) v Vasastan BK (1)

Now was the time, now was the hour (and-a-half): The Final between two of the kingdoms of Scandanavia. Time to make real the aspirations and resolve of all those fans and give bragging rights to the UFO’s or VBK Ultraz. There would be no Convention of Moss as Janne and Imajedi go head-to-head to decide the home for the trophy.

Could Janne defend it, picking up his second Cup win in 3 seasons or would Imajdi bring back the glory years? The time for preparation was over and it was the turn of the players to bring the dream alive. Would Vasastan add a Cup win to the league double over Epsilon or could Epsilon exact revenge on the grandest stage of all? It was time to find out.

Team news on the starting 11’s read:

Epsilon Aliens
Lined up 3-5-2, Mazda made the starting 11 but Arturs was out:

Goalkeeper – Francisco Velamazán
Defenders – Roger Fitzgerald, Feliciano Botero, Gustavo Caetaon (C)
Midfield – Gudmund Frostgård, Dermott Longsworth, Alexander Culverton, Yusuke Mazda, Marc Föhrman
Forwards – Belmiro Ulhoa, Orlando Guardiola

Bench – Basarab Gâlcã, Luciano Balança, Thomas Kuszack, Rodney Westhead, Caetano Conceição

Vasastan BK
Lined up 4-5-1 with Ferguson starting on the bench:

Goalkeeper - Eyüp Hakan
Defenders – Gimi Rosca, Preston Tant, Artur Posener (C), Danut Leseru
Midfield – Tord Fridh, Svante Leander, Otto Sturesson, Calisto Macedo, Janne Södergren
Forward – Raul Albin

Bench – Urban Wikström, Dennis Ferguson, Deandre Cole, Daniel Tono, Charlie Pucknell

From the first whistle Vasastan took the game to Epsilon with a great midfield display backed up by a formidable defensive set up, led again by the imperious Artur Posener. The passion shown by both squads was infectious and they were putting in a tremendous effort. Although Epsilon were struggling to get a hold of the ball, thanks to some deft footwork and crisp passing by the Vasastan midfield five, they ran their socks off, putting in a great shift to close in quick and tight, making it almost impossible to Vasastan to get a shot in.

The tremendous effort from the Epsilon players, with Orlando Guardiola in particular proving to be a real handful with his darting runs and tracking back, defending from the front was frustrating the Vasastan players. With only 10 minutes gone Posener picked up the game’s first yellow for a tackle from behind on Guardiola and he was soon joined in the book by Otto Sturesson 9 minutes later when he stamped on Marc Föhrman. Scott was being lenient on this occasion as the challenge could so easily have drawn a red from the MIB’s pocket.

The first chance fell to Vasastan with a freekick. Albin struck the ball cleanly, up and over the wall to the top corner but Francisco Velamazán showed exactly why he is a top quality ‘keeper with an outrageous save as he plucked the ball out the air and held with both hands.

Epsilon came a little bit more into the game after 20 minutes but Vasastan were showing more composure and, it has to be said, class in the middle of the park but chances were scarce: both midfields were battling hard with Sturesson and Tord Fridh leading the way for Vasastan while Föhrman and Yusuke Mazda more than held their own for Epsilon. It was quick and pacey with Vasastan owning the ball but unable to settle with it as their opponents closed them down time and time again.

Epsilon’s Feliciano Botero went into the book next for an elbow on Danut Leseru in the 33rd that caused the Vasastan player some pain requiring treatment. But the big defender isn’t one for lying down and was soon back on his feet, to the delight of his manager, who was having a heated discussion with the fourth official about the colour of the card. Botero was joined in the book by midfielder Mazda 4 minutes later for unsportsmanlike conduct. Epsilon finished the half somewhat stronger than they started but Vasastan were still the dominant force.

With no changes at the break both sides carried on as if the interval hadn’t happened: going at each other with Vasastan controlling the flow and possession. Their next chance came on 55 minutes but Calisto Macedo’s bullet header skimmed the joint of the upright and bar to fly clear. On 58 minutes Mazda came out the worst in a 50/50 with Fridh and had to leave the field. He was replaced by the very capable Caetano Conceição and news is that the knock isn’t serious but came at a time when Epsilon were showing their own ball skills as they pinged the among themselves to try to break through the Vasastan strong back line.

Janne put on Charlie Pucknell for Albin on the hour mark. Obvoiously a pre-arranged ploy as the 32 year old front man had run himself ragged and was badly sucking in air by the time of the change; he’d given his all and the change came at the right moment for him.

Epsilon got their first direct effort on goal on 63 minutes but Caetano couldn’t score and 12 minutes later Vasastan’s Pucknell also had a crack from a freekick but his effort was one to forget as the bail went well wide of the mark.

The game played out with both side battling hard but without an end result to show for their efforts. The fans were sweating, the ref was sweating and the players were taking on water by the gallon as they prepared for extra time.

Epsilon started better this time, gaining a foothold while Vasastan remained dominant. Epsilon’s extra efforts paid dividends when Belmiro Ulhoa ran onto a high Föhrman cross and looped his header over the despairing Hakan. 1 – 0 to Epsilon and their fans went wild, cheering and bouncing as they rocked the stadium.

The goal seemed to spur Epsilon on to greater efforts as they then controlled the game for the next 5 minutes, until Janne Södergren powered in the equaliser from just inside the area. How he found the space was a miracle as the box was crowded yet Macedo picked him out. The whole stadium was bouncing now: 1 – 1 and everything to play for.

All of two minutes the match was level until Caetano swung in a teasing header, missed by the defence but not by Orlando Guardiola as he rose majestically to head home. 2 – 1 to Epsilon and the noise levels increased another 50 decibels! Absolutely incredible. Two minutes earlier the man looked out on his feet, barely able to walk yet here he was, bursting a lung to get into the box and on the end of the cross.

Pucknell was next to try his luck was but the header wasn’t good enough; Södergren saw his side-foot effort draw a blank, then Pucknell had his freekick punched clear with 2 minutes remaining! Vasastan were pushing hard to get the equalizer but time ran down, Scott blew and the UFO’s went into the stratosphere as they roared the roof off in celebration as their team danced for joy on the pitch! What a finish to an astonishing match and Espilon were crowned Cup champions for the 6th time! What an achievement.

Epsilon Aliens (Ulhoa 98’, Guardiola 106’) 2 – 1 (aet) Vasastan BK (Södergren 104’)

Possession: 44 - 56 (40 - 60); chances: 3 - 7 (0 - 1)

Defence 16                                  Defence 18
Midfield  16                                  Midfield  18
Offence  18                                  Offence  11

Manager 4 Star                           Manager 4 Star

EA ---------------MotM---------------  VBK
Orlando Guardiola          Artur Posener


What an incredible end to a magnificent Cup campaign from both teams. But there can be only one winner and, this season, the Cup belongs to Epsilon Aliens. Congratulations to Imajedi on a fantastic Cup win, finally getting the better of Vasastan at the third time of asking. Commiserations to Janne whose team gave their all and played their part in a great final but, for once, came up short.

Well there you have it folks a brief (?) insight into the wonderful world of Xpert international. It was another season of drama and excitement, entertaining football, passion and pride. Well done to both Epsilon Aliens and Vasastan BK on their triumphs and good luck to everyone in Season 36, where we get to do it all again.