Group B began with The A Team versus DZ Fennecs. The A Team (Fra) visit Poland from Paris. They make their 11th eurofootballfives.com appearance after a debut here at the 2013 Krakow Trophy. They were on course for victory leading the Cup Final 1-0 before Budapest Celtic came back to win 2-1. They progressed to our Veterans tournaments in recent years but returned to Open Age competition as they enjoyed a trip down memory lane back to Krakow.

DZ Fennecs were a team on debut and keen to make their mark in our events. The Krakow-based team looked strong in the opening exchanges but with both teams making good early impressions the teams were locked together at 0-0 at half-time. In these games the first goal can often prove crucial and so it was a big moment when Amine Chenouane put DZ Fennecs 1-0 up in the second half.

The A Team were up against it now trying to recover from a goal behind. As so often happens, 1-0 becomes 2-0 as the game opens up and Walid Moussi took full advantage to give DZ Fennecs a two goal cushion.

The game finished at 2-0 and DZ Fennecs had begun the game in style. For The A Team it was an encouraging performance but they left the field empty handed.

Riises Pieces make their 7th appearance at our tournaments following trips to Lisbon, Barcelona, Mallorca and Amsterdam. Most recently, Riise's Pieces appeared at the 2024 Amsterdam Fives and Sevens. They found the Fives tough going with 5 defeats from 5 games although two of those were only by the odd goal (1-0 to Argon'ze and 4-3 to Shaheen's United). The Sevens didn't start well with a 2-1 defeat to Sweden's BK Manskomplex but they recovered with 2 wins and 2 losses to post 6 points in Group A which saw them finish in 4 th place and earn qualification to the Plate. In the Plate Semi-Final they produced a 1-1 draw against FNF on Tour but missed out on the Final via a 3-2 penalty shootout loss.

They were up against Big Time – the second of two squads today from Big Time Krakow – our winners here in 2017 and in Gdansk in 2018.

Big Time made the perfect start to their Krakow Trophy campaign with a narrow but important 1-0 victory over Riises Pieces. The Polish side struck early in the first half when they capitalised on a sharp attacking move to take the lead, and from that moment on they showed impressive maturity in managing the contest. Riises Pieces worked hard to find a way back, enjoying good spells of possession and applying pressure in search of an equaliser, but Big Time's defensive organisation and work rate kept them at arm's length. It wasn't always pretty, but it was effective, and as the final whistle blew the single early strike proved enough to secure all three points and get Big Time off and running in Group B.

Juno FC and The A Team met in the third fixture of Group B, with both sides looking to establish themselves after mixed starts to the tournament. Juno FC wasted no time in seizing control of proceedings, showing their quality and intent from the opening whistle. The A Team, still searching for their first points of the day, knew they faced a difficult task against one of the group's more technical outfits.

Juno FC edged ahead in the first half thanks to Patryk Izydorsk, who broke the deadlock with a composed finish that rewarded his side's early pressure. After the interval, they pressed home their advantage with Lukasz Sosnicki doubling the lead before Dawid Stracilo applied the gloss to a polished performance by making it 3-0. Juno FC looked sharp and well-drilled throughout, combining slick passing with clinical finishing, and crucially they never allowed The A Team a way back into the contest.

The 3-0 result gave Juno FC a first win of the group stage and a strong platform on which to build for the games ahead. For The A Team, a second defeat without scoring left them bottom of the table and in urgent need of points to keep their Plate qualification hopes alive.

DZ Fennecs v Riises Pieces produced a tightly contested affair with both teams showing quality on the ball. DZ Fennecs came into the match with a fine opening win under their belts. Riises Pieces were looking to bounce back after a 1-0 loss following the concession of an early goal.

Despite the disparate results in their first games there was little to choose between the two sides here. The breakthrough came in the first half when Rafik Benchaabane found the back of the net, putting DZ Fennecs ahead. Riises Pieces pushed hard in search of an equaliser, creating a few half-chances, but the Fennecs defence remained resolute and well-organised throughout the full match.

DZ Fennecs secured a 1-0 win and maintained their 100% record and their clean sheet streak. Riises Pieces had now suffered two narrow defeats in the group, each by just a single goal, demonstrating that they were never far from turning results their way. Despite these narrow defeats they could take encouragement from their competitiveness. DZ Fennecs were now top of the group with maximum points and they were yet to concede.

Big Time v Juno FC saw two unbeaten sides go head-to-head in a match that promised to be closely fought. Both teams had collected points in their opening games and were looking to continue their strong starts to the tournament.

The match was a stalemate throughout, with defences dominating play. Chances were limited, as both goalkeepers made key saves and defenders blocked attempts before they could test the keepers. The first half saw a cagey 0-0, mirrored in the second half as both sides struggled to break the deadlock.

The game ended 0-0, preserving the unbeaten records of both Big Time and Juno FC. While the match lacked goals, it was a solid performance from both sides, providing a foundation on which each team could build confidence heading into the final group fixtures.