Developers World Championship: Match Report - Republic of Ireland v Sweden (Group G)

IRELAND SameGame (Steven Troughton-Smith)

VS SWEDEN Scarab Solitaire (Jadestone)

The final day of the round-robin stages was upon us, and, therefore, only Groups G and H remained undecided.

While flamboyant footballing nation Portugal was already eliminated from the competition, Brazil, Sweden, and the Republic of Ireland were still jostling for those two important qualifying positions in Group G.

Dublin-based lone developer, Steven Troughton-Smith, was getting his second run out of the tournament; fortunately for the fitness of his match-three Irish charges, he wasn’t sending the SameGame into battle. Well, actually he was. Kinda’.

In a sense, the situation in this afternoon’s clash was as simple as ABC. If Scarab Solitaire, representing Sweden, was victorious, the Yellow Army would progress to the Last 16. If Ireland took the spoils at 5pm, then the Guinness would continue to flow freely for at least another few days.

Either way we'd be looking at losing a world class app, with Labyrinth 2 and Plants vs Zombies only able to look on anxiously from the sidelines.

The key difference, however, was that a draw would also be sufficient for the Swedes to progress, whereas Ireland would then have to rely on Portugal notching up a rugby score against the mighty Brazil in iStadium II.

Could the legendary luck of the Irish work its magic charm once more?

Kick Off: 3pm, 25th June

The critical view: Scarab Solitaire’s developer, Jadestone, had a full deck of players at their disposal for this afternoon’s make-or-break encounter, even adopting the Irish trick of enticing a few Egyptian-born fellows into switching allegiances pre-tournament via some deep-rooted ancestral connection. Or maybe just a local greengrocer.

Accompanied onto the pitch by some delightfully atmospheric music, the Swedes settled into an early rhythm. Shuffling the pack at crucial junctures from the sidelines was their experienced coach, Sony-Göran Erickson.

Demonstrating an admirable degree of patience in midfield, Sweden bided its time before pouncing in the 18 minutes through its ace in the hole.

Neat touchscreen control had prised open the Irish defence, allowing the Swedish fox in the box (no, not Sven) to undo a mistake 30 seconds earlier and rifle home.

SameGame’s minimalist approach couldn’t, unfortunately for the lovable leprechauns, generate the enterprise needed for an equaliser at this critical level. Its familiar gameplay and double tap-to-pass philosophy were simply too easy to read for the opposition and without any real surprises on offer it couldn't unlock a critical pass (or excessive critical praise).

Half time: Republic of Ireland 0 – 1 Sweden The Fans’ 45: The habitually colourful and ebullient Irish supporters had crammed into the iStadium and were whipping up a fair old din, as the teams emerged from their respective changing rooms.

Generating the kind of atmosphere that can only serve to inspire a side (or indeed a stag party), the Dubliners' enthusiasm rubbed off immediately.

Removing the mental blocks that had gripped it in the opening period, SameGame worked the ball around the midfield in simple, but effective ways before player-manager-coach-physio-and-busdriver Steven Troughton-Smith unleashed a literally block-busting shot that left the Scarab Solitaire 'keeper clawing at thin air.

Ireland had forced the equaliser, but despite a spirited early performance, they never really came close to adding a second. Indeed, as the half wore on, they settled increasingly back into the familiar repetitive style that Jadestone had dealt with so comfortably in the first half, and the fans support subsided accordingly.

For their part, the Swedes were happy to sit back, absorb the pressure, and let the match peter out. A point was all they needed, after all, and they appeared to have played their cards absolutely right when the final whistle blew. A 1-1 draw guaranteed them at least a runners-up spot in Group G.

As for Troughton-Smith, PopCap, and co., the only thing that could keep their Irish eyes smiling would be a notable turnaround for the previously pointless Portuguese vs former colony Brazil...

Full time: Republic of Ireland 1 – 1 Sweden Latest Group Tables - Fixtures & Voting - Squads

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