Well hello there. Can you believe this has been going for a week already? Oh, you can? Today we are back in Groups A and B, both of which served up great entertainment on day two. We’ll see our final two debutants today, with Glipton Grasshoppers making their bow in Group A whilst Corinthian Collector will be in action later on in group B.

Here’s a reminder of the groups after one game (for most teams):

Group A

We will get straight on to our debutant. Sid Lambert (Proper Football on Twitter) takes charge of the Glipton Grasshoppers as they welcome Chris Darwen’s FC Garrincha, who were unlucky to lose 1-0.

Glipton Grasshoppers vs FC Garrincha

Sid Lambert has amassed one hell of an attacking unit. Batistuta. Shearer. Svindal Larsen. Romario. Scholes. It’s frightening. He’s opted for a 4-4-2 – he is after all 90s through and through – but he has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal.

Poor old Chris battered Supernova Dragons in his opening game but just couldn’t find that all important goal. He’s missing Barjuan Sergi here but a shuffle to his front line sees Ostenstad and Sibierski come in. What’s the worst that can happen?

Video is here, scroll down for words of wisdom.

A fairly even opening saw chances for both teams but Glipton soon took control of the tie. Shearer fed the onrushing Svindal Larsen who showed his trademark coolness to finish past Richard Wright. Garrincha tested Landreau on a number of occasions but found the Frenchman in solid form, so the home side took their lead into half time.

Things escalated quickly in the second half. Fuser made it 2-0 shortly after the re-start and Batistuta effectively settled the game as a contest on 66 minutes. Romario climbed off the bench to make it 4-0 and even when Sibierski pulled one back, from the resulting kick off Goldbaek fed Romario to make it 5-1. A thrashing.

A second defeat from two games for Chris but once again his side made plenty of chances and perhaps 5-1 was a little harsh. Sid showed the merits of a strong set of attacking options and a comprehensive win sets up his campaign nicely.

Chris gets the round off on Thursday whilst Glipton will host PCR, who we’ll see in action next.

Supernova Dragons vs Plumstead Common Rangers

Supernova were able to pick their strongest team, with Curtis and Lennon available again. After a victory in match one, a second win here would put them in a very strong position indeed.

Ash Rose was still without Marc Overmars but still had a strong side to pick from. He enjoyed an entertaining 3-2 win in matchday one but would either team still boast a 100% record after this?

Video! Words below.

This was a more subdued affair than some matches we have seen recently. A tight first half saw chances for both sides but that man Tomlinson made the telling contribution, bundling in from a corner to give his side the half time lead.

Whatever Ash said at half time seemed to work. On 55 minutes, Dennis Bergkamp hauled his side level despite the heroics of David James. That seemed to sting the Dragons back into action though and Tomlinson and Nevland combined to allow the Englishman to put his side back ahead on 69 minutes with his third goal of the tournament. Shevchenko and Amor were thrown on to try and rescue a point but despite some bright openings, the Dragons defence held firm to seal a vital win and put one foot in the knockouts.

John Curtis picked up man of the match to the surprise of nobody.

That leaves Group A looking like a three horse race, although Rostance Rovers will host Supernova on Thursday with a chance to close everything back up. PCR face the difficult trip to Glipton.

With Group A on the bus and ready for Thursday, let’s see how Group B is getting on.

Group B

Bayern Bru vs Corinthian Collector

Mark Carruthers’ Bayern Bru were excellent in dispatching the Rookies on match day one but they face the debutant Corinthian Collector here. With home advantage again, he’ll be confident of adding to the five goals they scored in that first game and are unchanged.

Corinthian Collector is playing the formation we all know and love – a fearsome front four to say the least.

Here’s the video. Scroll down for words.

It’s never dull at Carruthers Park. Jardel gave the home side the lead after just four minutes but that lead only lasted 8 minutes. Fowler took aim from distance and when his shot rebounded, Seedorf was on hand to haul the debutants level. Jardel finished a second one on one on 19 minutes but Seedorf would also notch a brace, being played in by Zola and finishing confidently. Zola then put the away side ahead before Fowler gave them some breathing space just before half time. Six goals and one crazy half.

Any hopes of a comeback by the home side were dampened by Gianfranco Zola, who added his second and the team’s fifth on 55 minutes. Roberto Baggio got in on the act to make it 6 before Zola rounded things off with his hat-trick in the closing moments. A truly ridiculous game.

Never should this have been a five goal defeat for the home side but sometimes a team gets on a roll and above all takes their chances. With Mark winning his first match, this might not be a disaster but he will hope it doesn’t come down to goal difference. Corinthians on the other hand laid down a marker for their tournament chances.

Now let’s go to our final game of the day.

The Rookies vs Boca Seniors

Guest blogger Andrew Chapman has his back to the wall. The Rookies were blown away by Bayern Bru’s wealth of attacking options but showed some bright moments themselves. This isn’t a must win but it would be a very good idea. He’s opted to put Santos into the central midfield role, citing his research as the reason.

Dan is of course the 2017 champion and came back from 4-1 down to win his opener 7-4. Goals follow Dan about. With this front four, that maybe isn’t a surprise.

Video time, words are below.

Boca Seniors got off to the best possible start, Roberto Rios ramming in after five minutes to give the away side the lead. The game flowed and Fernando Couto’s headed equaliser was deserved but short lived. Kiko, the man with many first names, put Boca back in front on 29 minutes but Luis Figo made it 2-2 seven minutes before the break. The Rookies had certainly made the more chances but the scores were level at the break.

Moas conceded a penalty just five minutes into the second half but Christian Vieri could only roll it wide of the post. Disaster! The Rookies weren’t deterred though and continued to attack. The excellent Andersson denied Vieri but the rebound fell to Joao Pinto who made no mistake. The arrival of Mario Stanic from the bench seemed to give Boca new hope but it was Alfonso who had the last word, running through to score a 78th minute equaliser to add to his four goals last time out. A draw they scarcely deserved.

The Rookies battered Boca here, make no mistake, but it was a tale of two goalkeepers. Winston Bogarde of The Rookies was given man of the match for no real reason.

Group B doesn’t have any clear leader yet. Boca Seniors are out in front but they have the round off next time out. Patrick Thistle host Bayern Bru whilst The Rookies are off to Corinthians. After that we should get a better idea of what will happen in this group!

That’s all for today, we’ll be back on Tuesday with more from groups C and D. Bye for now!