St Totts

i have been waiting since august last year to say this. but first, let me talk about today. when the whistle was blown, i just felt like collapsing. it is finally over and we have done it. against all odds, we have finished third. when you look at where we were in september, this is massive. it almost feels like winning a trophy. no one gave us a chance; they talked of a power shift ain north london as they gushed about that other team. we were even supposed to be relegated. in the end, we finished ahead of spurs, newcastle, chelsea and liverpool. this season has been a rollercoaster ride, full of ups and downs. i have given everything, as the players have done. when you consider that this was 'the worst arsenal side in 15 years', we still managed to create so many wonderful memories and finish above 'the best spurs side in 15 years', you can only be proud that you are a gooner. i will always remember rushing into the pub in vienna for the second half of that game at blackburn. i was panicking because nothing was opened on a saturday afternoon in vienna. i watched the 8-2 till the bitter end, a day before a major exam. i would like to think that game in milan never happened. i was in my pub for the norwich game. lots of chelsea and liverpool fans were way too early, and a chav was insulting us. i found out the next day they won the fa cup (yes it was that unimportant to me), and i thought to myself: the gods of football actually let that guy win, is there still any hope left in football?it was the longest of walks from königsplatz to the library, where i could use the internet to find out the result of the villa-spud game. as it was, there were 6 minutes of injury time, and soccernet was lagging, so i had to rely on khi hao to tell me via facebook that it was over, and a draw. we were handed a lifeline. a last chance. i would have taken 4th in september, but having come all the way, having done so much to put ourselves in the position we were in, to give away 3rd would have hurt a lot, a lot. the game today had shades of the norwich game in it. i don't think i will ever forget the picture of wenger in pat rice's arms in the 1st minute of injury time. but thankfully, we held on.that was the perfect farewell gift for pat rice. 44 years of service to the club. a true legend. another legend also returned to help our cause. a certain thierry henry. that goal against leeds was a fairy tale. who can forget that night? how about that 5-3 at stamford bridge? who can forget the NLD? and how about arteta's winner against man city, whom we outplayed? and who can forget the return leg against Milan? i really felt gutted that night, because we were very close to creating a miracle. closer than you thought.as koscielny said: everyone is dead but we would go on to cut the Spuds' 10 point lead to nothing and overtake them. i have waited a whole season to say this. forgive me for gloating, but i have had to put up with the abuse and insults over the past months. today doesn't belong to Man City. today belongs to Arsenal Football Club. 'Today shows that Arsenal is alive more than anybody thought before the game' were wenger's words after the NLD. today shows that Arsenal are more alive than ever. we finished higher than last year, with 2 more points, despite losing 2 key players. everyone had already written our orbituary, and some even dared published it. to those, i dare say today: f*ck off you all. Arsenal Football Club deserves more respect than you ever will.

my response

Final

So Japan are World Champions. I think it hasnt quite sunk in for anyone, neither the japanese nor the americans nor myself, that japan are world champions.

i have been saying that usa shouldnt be here, but today, they showed up and were the better team. japan never played to their level, and the back 6 were somehow leaden in their movement. it seemed as if the americans were always one step faster, one step stronger. i think the japanese were maybe a little rattled by the americans' strong and physical start, and maybe gave the americans too much respect because of their really inferior record against the americans. what the us did really well was that their front 6 formed 2 banks in the middle of the pitch, preventing the japanese from passing their way through the middle. there was really very little space and the japanese were forced to play long balls which the defence handled. the fact that the 2 fullbacks were stuck in their half showed how pegged back the japanese were. and that was a key reason why the japanese couldnt really get their game going, although when they did somehow get the ball into the attacking third, they could play balls right through the middle of the us defence, causing some panic.

it was only in the second half where japan raised their game a little. the us started leaving gaps as well, and the japanese fullbacks managed to get forward more. usa scored first through alex morgan. and i thought the centrebacks were just caught out by that long ball.

miyama stabbed home the equaliser 8 minutes from time.

the match went into extra time and abby wambach headed in alex morgan's cross at the end of the first period. and i thought japan were buried. but miyama's corner was flicked home by sawa and the match went into penalties.

to be honest, i thought the americans would be clear favourites in penalties because they had won one here and hope solo is the better keeper.

but kaihori saved with her legs against boxx. great reflex save. carli llyod, who was for me a contender for player of the match, blasted over. and tobin heath's was saved by kaihori as well. nagasato's miss was irrelevant as miyama, sakaguchi and kumagai all dispatched theirs with zen-like composure. japan won 3-1 on penalties.

over 120 minutes, usa had more chances, especially in the first 20 minutes. but japan kept coming back. i think the pressure got to the americans in penalties, while the japanese kept their cool.

i think the god of football was with japan today.

japan had played the best football in the tournament. it is a pity that they didnt win this game with the football that they have shown so far. not that they would care.

it is funny how sometimes you play well but lose and you get outplayed but win. i wouldnt have begrudged an american victory today.

Dream Team (Looks)

gk: Melissa Barbieri (Australia)
dl: Sonia Bompastor (France)
dc: Natalie Garcia (Mexico)
dc: Sophie Bradley (England)
dr: Alexandra Krieger (USA)
mc: Caroline Seger (Sweden)
mc: Louisa Necib (France)
aml: Josefine Öqvist (Sweden)
amc: Kelly Smith (England)
amr: Eugenie Le Sommer (France)
fc: Lotta Schelin (Sweden)

final preview

i will just keep it short and sweet:

beauty and the beast. future and the past.

let's hope the best team wins.

Team of the Tournament

i already came up with the team after the Semi-Finals, because i felt i have seen all i needed to see.

gk: Hope Solo (USA)
the japanese keeper kaihori ran her close, but hope solo got the nod, because she saved 2 penalties(unofficially) and is a great shot stopper, whereas Kaihori has impressed not because she is the best keeper, but because she functions so well in her team.

left back: Aya Sameshima (Japan)
the best left-back in the tournament, solid at the back, swashbuckling going forward. she weaved her way into the swedish box 3 times at least and also did the same against the English.

centre back: Laura Georges (France)
to be honest, after the game against Sweden yesterday, i seriously reconsidered my choice. but it was just one game and the 2 mistakes against USA. other than that, she has been the best defender in a suspect French defence. the only constant (along with Bompastor)

centreback: Charlotte Rohlin (Sweden)
i don't understand why Nilla Fischer is captain when Seger isnt playing. Rohlin is the real voice in the team, next to Seger. commanding centreback, organised the solid swedish defence well.

rightback: yukari kinga (japan)
basically the same thing for sameshima applies to her as well, just that going forward, she is less a silky dribbler, more power in her style of going forward.

centre mid: homare sawa (japan)
current joint-top scorer with 4 goals. heart of the japanese team. tackling, distribution, goals, leadership. what more do you want in a central midfielder?

centre mid: mizuho sakaguchi (japan)
for me the unsung hero in the japanese team. quietly doing her job in defensive midfield. she reminds me of amandine henry with her play because she is also so skilful and composed in her distribution.

other contender: lisa dahlqvist (sweden), elise bussaglia (france)

left wing: aya miyama (japan)
first name on this team sheet. interestingly, if not for her, this place would really have been up for grabs, with gaetane thiney(france), therese sjoegren(sweden) and megan rapinoe(usa) all putting strong claims for this spot.

amc: louisa necib (france)
disappointing end to the adventure, but necib is a joy to watch on the ball, her passing bettered by only Miyama.

amr: abily (france)
not her natural position, but does well there, playing the Lara Dickenmann role for France.

forward: Lotta Schelin (Sweden)
excellent finish against France. has got only 2 goals so far, but it is really her intelligence and movement that impress and really make the difference for the Swedes

contender: abby wambach for her heading, but schelin is a much more complete player.

supersub: megan rapinoe (usa)
i have said that she makes an impact every time she comes on.

coach: norio sasaki (japan)
i think he has been shrewd tactically and also the personnel changes.

the interesting thing in this world cup is perhaps the lack of a right-sided attacker. it is like every team plays its best attacker on the left flank, hence the competition for that spot if not for aya miyama. these same left-sided attackers are all predominantly right-footed, suggesting that the idea is to let them shoot or whip in inswingers with their right foot.

france 1 Sweden 2

this was a very disappointing match because
1) necib had to come off after just 30 minutes. i think she is too fragile
2) france never got into the game
3) the game was marred by the öqvist incident

basically, france's defence with renard and franco coming into the team was suspect all evening. even laura georges was very poor: positioning, pace, strength and clearing. there were a few occasions when scheline was stopped by the ref's whistle, apparently for fouling georges. to be honest, i thought georges was lucky there and could understand schelin's frustration. in attack, le sommer was well-marshalled by the swedish defence.

öqvist was sent off midway through the second half for kicking bompastor. deservedly so. but i must say that bompastor was not entirely innocent there. in the tangle before that, bompastor lashed out at öqvist too.

sweden seemed to play better with the numerical disadvantage, and hammarstrom got the winner when she hammered the ball in after evading le sommer and bompastor. great goal. sweden were deserved winners and certainly showed more fire.

i think this was a disappointing end to the french adventure. they imploded and didnt show what they could do, what they have shown before this game.

france v sweden preview

the OL bronze medal game.

ok that's a little obnoxious, considering that on the french team, only 4 OL players are guaranteened starters (Abily, Bompastor, Georges and Necib) and Sweden has only one OL player (Schelin). but these are basically the best players on the field.

i will say again that if france play their game, if the keeper doesnt screw up, they should have no problem against sweden.

for me, this is how the teams should be ranked: 1) japan 2) france 3) sweden 4) usa

france somehow threw it all away; or you could say usa somehow stole it from them.

caroline seger has been ruled out of this game, though i wonder if the french should rejoice, because it means nilla fischer will play, and she is an out and out destroyer in midfield. i expect her to put in some rough challenges on soubeyrand and co.

it will be interesting to see schelin play against georges.

i think the swedish defence really struggled against the clever japanese. the french attackers have a similar style, so i am curious as to how they will fare. the french love to shoot, and they really can, so the keeper lindahl will be really tested for the first time in the tournament with long shots.

usually, a third placing match is a match no one really wants to play in. but i have no doubt that both teams will be fully motivated because france have never been here, and they will want to end on a high, while sweden wants to prove that there is life after the retirement of the old guard like victoria svensson.

france to win 2-1.

japan 3 sweden 1

sweden took an early lead, öqvist pouncing on a stray pass from midfield to defence to race clear and put it beyond the keeper.

but after that, japan started playing football, and boy, what football did they play. until the 70th minute, sweden had only one shot and didnt get near the japanese box at all.

japan pressed, passed and ran to perfection. if france were a joy to watch, japan were on another level all together when they fully expressed themselves. you can see the idea behind every pass. the decisions they made were top notch. it was all very zen.

the swedes had no answer, and fell 3-1 behind. the attacking changes were then made, and even then, they only carved out 3 shots (1 on target).

the crowd started the game supporting sweden, understandably, considering japan had spoilt the german party. but by the end of it, they were applauding the japanese.

good football played with fairness, sportsmanship and heart will always be appreciated.

and that is what japan played.

i think their keeper was outstanding. i know i criticised her distribution against england, but the way japan plays, they need other qualities in their keeper and she has those: quick off the line to play as a sweeper, solid on the crosses. she is not the best keeper, but the kind of keeper japan needs.

norio sasaki the coach is quite a genius. the personnel changes he's made have all reaped rewards. maruyama came on at half time against germany and got the winner. kawasumi started against sweden and got two goals.

japan will face their biggest test against the americans, because this is one team that won't hesitate to send those high balls in. and in wambach, they have the best header in the game.

france 1 usa 3

for a game billed by many as 'david against goliath', all i saw was david running circles around goliath and goliath chasing shadows. aside from the 10 minutes after usa secured a shock lead, france was playing all the football.

so much so that from the worry on the usa coach pia sundhage's face, from the body language of the us girls, you know they know they were being outplayed.

france were having all the ball and controlling the midfield. the inevitable came, albeit with a stroke of luck. bompastor's cross went all the way into the far corner; gaetane thiney didn't touch the ball at all. gaetane thiney had 2 other golden chances in the game, put through superbly by necib, but she did not put them away. in light of this, perhaps it wasn't surprising that thiney didnt quite get to the ball.

but in 5 minutes of madness, the question from when france would seal the win became a ticket to the final handed to the americans on a silver platter. a poor clearance from sapowicz, the weakest link in the french defence all evening, fell straight to rapinoe and the french managed to clear it for a corner. sapowicz flapped at the corner and wambach scored.

then a rapinoe ball wasn't met cleanly by georges and alex morgan broke through. i seriously wondered why sapowicz was so far off her line. she was neither here nor there, and while morgan's chip was excellent, you felt that sapowicz should have stayed on the line, because the other centreback was moving to pressure morgan.

by then, it was too late.

the usa got out of jail again.

for me, the french lost because of their keeper. and you know i have complained about the second choice deville. now, i can only conclude that they don't have a good keeper. and they lost because georges made her only two mistakes in the whole tournament and was roundly punished today.

abby wambach was named the player of the match, but let's be honest. aside from that second goal and another header late in the first half, i didnt see her at all. neither did i see any american girls. but if u have to give it to an american, i would give it to megan rapinoe, because once again, she came on and gave an impetus, made things happen in attack.

the way necib picked out her teammates was a joy to watch. france were a joy to watch, though i felt they were a little too trigger-happy with their long shots. but hey, they really can shoot from anywhere, abily, thiney, necib, soubeyrand, bussaglia and bompastor. just that sometimes you feel they could still have passed instead of shootng straight away.

the litmus test is always if you want the game to end. for france, you can watch them forever.

i think they know it: they are better than usa and have thrown it away themselves.

semi finals

france-usa

in my opinion, if france can play their game and beat hope solo, this is their game to lose. many people will look at this fixture and tell you that usa are the favourites.

france plays the better football and are the better team. though of course we know that the better team, the better football doesn't always win.

let's talk about usa first.

they got out of jail against brazil. i think against brazil, they looked very inhibited. perhaps it was the effect of the shock defeat against sweden. so triumphing against brazil will do their confidence and morale wonders.

but if you look at their team, it is actually quite limited in terms of ability.

hope solo is a great keeper, as she has shown against brazil. abby wambach is a powerful striker who worries defenders just with her presence. the rest of the players are just cogs in the machine: athletic players with decent skills. amy lepailbet at leftback and rachel buehler at centreback are weak links in the defence. rachel buehler is suspended for the semi-final. and i do wonder if her replacement is going to be any better; why else would buehler be first choice?

usa play a traditional flat 4-4-2. all 4 midfielders can advance with the ball. abby wambach can hold up play while her strike partner amy rodriguez is more mobile and has licence to roam. but that's it. for me they are very rigid.

they will send in crosses and take long shots, because these are their strengths. like germany, norway, sweden, they don't have a playmaker or a great passer of the ball.

france have 3: camille abily, louisa necib and gaetane thiney. these are the 3 who play in the 3 in france's 4-2-3-1 behind marie laure delie. the thing that struck me about them is how all 3 swop positions during the game, underlining how comfortable they are both on the flank as well as in the middle.

the only question is: will renard partner georges in defence in light of the wambach threat? i think the key is to stop the ball from going into the box. this means closing down the americans quickly and having possession. against england, france had all the possession and isolated ellen white up front. the americans will pose the same aerial threat as the germans, and renard didnt look good against the germans. so i really don't know. i think renard will play. and i hope she will show up.

if they can handle the physical aspect and abby wambach, then what's left is just to play their game and beat hope solo. use their technique, use their intelligence.

japan v sweden
this will be an interesting contest. sweden started the competition with jessica landstrom in attack but josefine oqvist has since established herself as lotta schelin's strike partner. jessica landstrom is strong in the air while oqvist is a very quick player. so the question would be: would dennerby try to go the aerial route and bring in landstrom again?

my advice would be no. the japanese are shorter but germany didnt find any joy with that. in any case, i think schelin, sjoegren, the two key players in the swedish attack prefer to keep the ball on the ground. that's why oqvist has broken into the team. they function better as a team.

sweden are solid at the back, though i think japan will really test them with their quick passing and intelligent movement.

what i like about the swedish game is that they switch flanks very well. they make use of the space well. lotta schelin is the kind of forward that occupies the whole defence and it allows sjoegren and oqvist to play. forsberg, the other attacker plays abit of the dirk kuyt role, a runner upfront.

i mentioned playmakers and fluidity earlier. japan has a playmaker in aya miyama. kozue ando is also a clever forward who drops back to link up play. their two fullbacks are probably the best attacking fullbacks in the tournament.

sweden do not have a real playmaker, but they are more advanced tactically than the usa because of schelin and sjoegren. schelin's intelligence gives them a natural fluidity while sjoegren is the next best thing to a playmaker. nominally a winger, she is very comfortable on the ball and likes to drift in, adding another dimension to the play. you can say that she plays the nasri role for sweden.

i think sweden will be content to let japan play and try to hit them on the counter. i expect a game that flows from end to end. japan are slight favourites, but with lotta schelin, you know that sweden always has a trump card.

development of the game
in a way, this quartet highlights the development of the women's game. in men's football, systems have moved towards the incorporation of intelligent, fluid players who are able to play between the lines. before this world cup, before ol feminin's triumph in the champions' league final, women's football was based on power and athleticism. it was alot about having the stronger, faster, fitter player who can get past her marker first and foremost with her physical attributes, coupled with the basic technique to control the ball.

in this respect, france and japan, interestingly the smallest teams among the top 8 teams, have shown the way, playing attractive football based on technique and intelligence.

as i mentioned, sweden with schelin and sjoegren are halfway there, while usa are the relics of the past. but even their coach has acknowledged the need to be able to play football and has slowly tried to incorporate it into the american system. but compared to the other 3, they are still behind.

the word to describe this kind of football that we are moving towards is 'sophisticated'. it is about having ideas in your head, being one step ahead of your opponent in the head and having the technique to realise your idea.

being a strong advocate of beautiful, intelligent football, i am hoping for a france-japan final. i think it would be a treat with the two best footballing teams in the tournament up against each other.

what drama

what drama in the game between usa-brazil. aside from the drama and the controversies, it was for me actually a poor game in terms of football. the poorest among the 4 quarter finals.

usa made a dream start, with daiane diverting a cross into her own goal after maybe 2 minutes. but after that the game died down. usa played with inhibition, while brazil were self-indulgent.

the controversy came early in the second half. buehler was rightly sent off and hope solo saved the penalty. but it was allowed to be retaken. a decision i didnt understand.

down to 10, usa managed to hold on to extra-time.

then maurine was offside when she crossed for marta to make it 2-1. and to be honest, it was looking bleak.

but the americans upped their game in the second half of extra-time and applied pressure on brazil, who were resorting to time-wasting. erika and abby wambach jumped for the ball. she looked ok when she landed, looked around and saw that the usa had a throw-in, and promptly collapsed on the ground. she was stretchered off, but jumped off the stretcher to quickly make her reentry. pathetic.

3 minutes of injury time was awarded, and after 90 seconds of that, rapinoe sent in one last cross, and abby wambach headed it in to send the stadium into raptures.

'believe' was the word of the day.

usa prevailed on penalties to send brazil home.

and i can honestly tell you that i have no sympathy for the brazilians even given how cruelly everything has fallen apart for them at the last.

they are spoiling women's football. no sportsmanship, no fair play, theatrics, bitching to the ref at everything, time wasting. even the great marta. she is a great player but not a class player. she has got no class with her behaviour.

and they don't play great football. just individual, self-indulgent tricks. more suited for the circus. you want to watch football, you watch france and japan.

and in the earlier game, sweden were comfortable 3-1 winners over australia, who once again made too many individual errors.

conclusions from the first 2 quarter finals

you need a playmaker to break down well-organised defences. germany were lacking that player. they had good wingers, good strikers, but no one with that creativity who can come up with a different approach rather than just launch the ball into the box. someone who can find that space, who can find that pass. france has abily and necib, japan has miyama.

i think that was the main flaw in the german team. they have such a great 4-2-3-1 system that is very much based on their wingplay that they lack the creativity in midfield. so when they don't get their headers on target, or you cut out their crosses, they have a problem.

i am disappointed that we didnt get to see the best of kelly smith.

japan's win in a way is a victory for women's football because it shows how far women's football has progressed, developed. it has become much more competitive that you can't show up and expect to win. of course i would prefer it if it were brazil or usa on that other end of this 'groundbreaking' result. as it turns out, germany are, unluckily that 'sacrificial lamb'

of course i will be hoping that france beat usa/brazil in the semi-final to make it complete.

the big question now after germany's defeat: what next?

i think women's football is well established enough in germany not to suffer a fallout from this result.

i hope that people will still go to the stadiums, people will still watch at home, because it has been a fantastic tournament, and they won't be doing the other girls justice if they shut off simply because germany are no longer in the running.

as for germany, i think it is time for the new generation to take over. some tweaks in the system, some tweaks in the player selection could help. it is no secret that i am not a big fan of silvia neid because of the way she runs things. i am sure she will reevaluate things and come to the same conclusions as i had a while back.

for england, they have shown a lot of fight, alot of guts, but they know themselves that they didnt play to their potential. fara williams, coming back from injury, has been anonymous. kelly smith not making that impact. maybe too much burden has been placed on ellen white, playing in her first major tournament. for me, karen carney was england's best player. the only attacker among aluko, smith, yankey, jess clarke who really showed why i raved about them. she gave bite to the english attack.

for france, i am relieved that sapowiecz will come back for the semi-final. wasnt convinced by deville. and i think aside from jill scott's goal, where viguier and lepailleur collided into each other to give scott the route to goal, the defence with bompastor, viguier, georges and lepailleur did well, and bini should continue with this. france had 33 shots, apparently. only one went in. but i have faith in le sommer, abily, necib, delie and thiney. what is important is that they banished some ghosts with this penalty win. (remember em 2009 against holland and the champs league final in 2010 when ol lost to turbine on penalties)

japan were outmuscled by germany. mana iwabuchi couldnt show her stuff, because she was just being bumped off the ball.she will have to learn how to deal with it better. sweden and australia will dish out more of that physical treatment in the semi final.
the germany game was probably the first game in a while that they were on the backfoot for much of the game. to be honest, i didnt think they would prevail, but they did. hopefully they will be able to play their football against sweden or australia. for japan, what has been impressive is how their substitutes have come on and made an impact in the attack.

france-japan would be the dream final. and it is definitely possible.

japan 1 germany 0

japan recorded a famous 1-0 win over germany in extra time.

how did germany lose this game? to be honest, i still can't quite believe it. the germans sportingly praised the japanese' organisation and determination. surely a factor... but germany had enough chances, but didnt get their shots or headers on target.

there was of course an element of luck when you consider the chances for both sides.

but the japanese coach made one change at half-time which i think in hindsight, was brilliant. he took off yuki nagasato for karina maruyama. i was shocked, because an attack without nagasato was unimagineable. but maruyama gave the japanse a focal point in their counterattacks. she could hold the ball, knew when to hold it, when to pass it, when to take on the defender.

and of course, she got that winner, running onto sawa's throughball and putting it into the far post from a tight angle. fantastic finish.

when i saw the ball go in, i had to raise a fist in triumph, because japan were being bombarded with high balls all game, under pressure, but i always knew that one chance is all you need to score. and they did just that. one lapse in concentration it was from the germans too. the two midfielders didnt close sawa and ando down when they got the ball in midfield from the defence. and bartusiak was somehow already flatfooted when maruyama made her run.

there was a stunned silence after the goal. germany pressed for the equaliser, but japan held on for that famous win.

france 1 england 1 (france 4-3 on penalties)

marathon today. england got the first chance within 30 seconds or so with kelly smith latching onto the throughball but not putting it away with her weak right foot.

france got into the game and started dominating it. fara williams, kelly smith couldn't get into the game at all. france were dominating and creating chances, but you felt that england could always steal that one goal with one chance. and they did just that in the second half.

the keeper deville was beaten too easily from jill scott's long shot. positioning was all wrong.

after that, france were clearly shellshocked but managed to recover and searched for the equaliser, which they finally did, with bussaglia blasting it from outside the box late in the game to force extra time.

ellen white shot wide in england's only chance in extra time, while france didnt convert their chances.

penalties came. and to my horror, abily's penalty was saved by bardsley. your best player missing. shes that one french player i least expect to miss.

kelly smith was limping but blasted hers home to put all the pressure on france. bussaglia, thiney, bompastor converted for france, carney and stoney for england.

then claire rafferty pulled hers wide. i was thinking: why was she taking that penalty? where was fara williams? where was jill scott? ellen white? why claire rafferty, the young leftback who has come on late in the second half for the tiring rachel unitt?

le sommer was as cool as a cucumber, rolling the ball into the other corner as bardsley dived one way.

faye white sent hers against the bar, and the french were through.

i know i have put faye white under scrutiny, but i can tell you that she was the last player i wanted to see miss that penalty.

france were the better team, by a lot. but i was so torn between the two teams that maybe you could say that penalties was the best way to decide it. lottery.

albeit a very cruel way.