The developments and results of rounds 7 and 8 of the SCL 2023 football tournament

30/10/2023

The 8th round, the first return leg of Sigma Champions League 2023 took place last weekend under the cold rain of late autumn but did not reduce the heat of the key matches. Meeting again like in the series of matches on the opening day, the clubs are determined to get valuable points for the race in the rankings.

The first series of matches took place between the pairs E2 - Safety on field number 1 and M2 - E3 on field number 2. On field number 1, the young Safety players took to the field with their fullest force with the determination to claim victory. Repaid the debt borrowed on the opening day and won all 3 points before E2 to continue to raise hopes for higher positions. The game started better with consecutive attacks and goals, but the S players suddenly conceded an early goal after a careless play by the defense. With the opening goal, E2 players played confidently, gradually regained their position in the game and maintained their advantage until the end of the first half. Entering the second half, diligently searching for an equalizer without success, S had to concede a second goal right from the first minutes of play after an accurate header from the striker on the E2 side. At this point, with the mindset of having nothing to lose, the S players rushed into the opponent's field in search of a goal to shorten the score. They finally got what they needed, a goal to shorten the score to 1-2. The spirit was high after the equalizer, thinking that the S players would have an easier time playing, but the direct red card of the S defender immediately afterward greatly affected S's match. But with the spirit of the red-shirted soldiers, playing in a 6-7 match, they were still determined to find another equalizing goal, and that determination was realized with a 2-2 equalizer in the final minutes, bringing a valuable point to Safety.

Safety and E2 both brought home 1 point after the confrontation

On the neighboring field, E3 is considered to have an easy match against M2 in the context that the opponent has parted ways with a few pillars after the mid-season transfer period. And the superiority in force was soon concretized with the opening goal right from the first moment of the match for the E3 players. Dominating the game and controlling the match well, the E3 players scored more goals before allowing M2 to take one back, completing a gentle 4-1 victory over M2 to continue to blow heat on the teams ranked above.

E3 surpassed M2 to bring home 3 valuable points

The focus of this round is the confrontation between the two top teams in the rankings, M1 and E1. Recreating the opening match of the tournament, both clubs understand each other well enough to promise that this will be a very dramatic match. And the events on the field made the audience unable to take their eyes off. Attacks responded back and forth between both teams. M1 were the players who took better advantage of the opening goal after a very methodical combination of corner kicks. But E1 was never easy to surrender as they calmly redeployed the attack and scored a 1-1 equalizer soon after. The two teams entered the break with an inconclusive 1-1 result. Entering the second half, the E1 players suddenly accelerated and scored a goal to increase the score to 2-1 with a surprising header. This gradually heavy rain has affected the quality of the players' handling. The field was wet and slippery, and mistakes happened from E1's side. A wrong pass situation caused them to face a counterattack and the score was equalized 2-2. The match went to the final minutes, when the audience thought of a draw for both sides, suddenly in the last minute of official play, the referee blew a penalty for M1 in a rather controversial situation. Taking advantage of the opportunity with a successful penalty kick, M1 players won a dramatic 3-2 victory over E1 and continued to hold the top position in the SCL-2023 rankings.

M1 surpassed E1 to hold the top spot in the rankings

In the final series of matches on stadium number 2, M&S promises to cause many difficulties for M3 when M&S is the only club to spend money in the mid-season transfer period to bring in more quality players. M3 players took the field with just enough 7 players including the manager, which further increased M&S's chances of scoring points. But football is not inherently a game based on numbers. The great spirit of M3 players stunned M&S right at the first moment of the match, 3 goals were scored in the first 5 minutes of play at M&S. In the following minutes of play, although M3 still had to fall into a situation of lacking players due to the goalkeeper being injured very early, the M&S players still could not make a successful comeback. They were always in a situation of chasing the score when they let M3 score more goals, ending the match with a final score of 7-5 in favor of M3. A courageous match and sweet victory brought M3 to 2nd place in the rankings.

Below are detailed scores of round 8 matches, standings and schedule of round 9 of the SCL 2023 football tournament:

The developments and results of rounds 7 and 8 of the SCL 2023 football tournament

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