Developers World Championship: Match Report - Finland v Spain (Group H)

FINLAND DrawRace (RedLynx)

VS SPAIN Touch Racing Nitro (Bravo Game Studios)

Yet again in this astonishing tournament, the draw had concocted a clash of such epic proportions even Max Mosley may have struggled to control himself.

To finish off the group stages here at iStadium II then, we welcomed two rip-roaring racers into the Pocket Gamer pit lane for a last-chance drag race.

Finland were already sitting pretty in the paddock, having seen off challenges in the left wing mirror from both the well-drilled Hondurans and the 'Can Miss' Swiss. Taxiing up to the starting grid for the, this evening was DrawRace by the RedLynx Racing Team.

Pulling up alongside the Scandinavian line-drawing phenomenon was none other than fellow finger-throttler Touch Racing Nitro from the newly formed Team Bravo Game Studios out of Seville.

With Finland in pole position in Group H, would DrawRace ease off the gas for the upcoming knockout stages? Could the Spanish seize the initiative, reach the chequered flag first and guarantee a Last 16 berth? Or would we be in for a nail-biting finish, comparing qualifying times with the Switzerland v Honduras showdown?

The wheels were spinning, the engines revving...all we needed now was for Murray Walker to wander into the gantry. He didn't, so we started anyway.

Kick Off: 7.30pm, 25th June

The critical view: Led by the app all-stars Angry Birds and Zen Bound, Finland had cruised through the first two rounds of the group stages; Touch Racing Nitro, however, unarguably provided the nation's sternest test. Not that you would have known it from the first 20 minutes...

Into third gear from the outset, DrawRace was ghosting through touch-tackles as if they weren’t there, its dynamic movements perfectly matching the coach’s finger gestures.

After hitting the apex of a corner (kick) midway through the opening period, the Finnish lead driver leapt like a salmon and flicked on for his navigator to backfire into the Spaniards’ net.

When the Finnish team owner then wheeled out the prized Silver Award, Bravo Game Studios' hopes seemed to be disappearing in the rear view mirror. The reflective glare of the gleaming trinket distracted the Spanish sweeper long enough to allow the Finns to slipstream through for a second.

The European footballing champions were not willing to submit quite so easily, though, as their goalkeeping captain ushered them forward. Returning to a simpler style and ditching the virtual d-pad favoured elsewhere, the Spaniards’ 100 per cent touch and move mastery of the game reaped immediate dividends.

Equipped with a great engine, Touch Racing Nitro’s bustling midfielder now suddenly seemed injected with out and out pace, nitros in his wake.

After a period of tippy-tappy, intricate play, the speedy (Raúl) González drifted past his marker and drove the pig’s bladder home straight.

With both sides firing on all cylinders it was literally bumper-to-bumper for the remainder of the half and, as they came in for a tyre-change (and some oranges), it was anybody's race.

Half time: Finland 2 – 1 Spain The Fans’ 45: Corner after corner, turn after turn, these boy racers were putting on a thrilling display for both sets of fans in this, the concluding group game of this year's Pocket Gamer iPhone Game Developers World Championship.

Spain knew a draw was enough to see them into the next phase, and pressurised the Finnish rear (mud)guard at every opportunity.

The Spanish supporters thought they'd drawn level when their monster truck (one of 12 vehicles on offer) made a prodigious leap above the opposing defence to head home from a tight corner. Mystifyingly, it was ruled out by the ref and, despite heated protests, all they got was a yellow ticket.

Inevitably, though, the relentless racing forward was always going to leave gaps at the back, and so it proved on 75 minutes.

DrawRace's hot seat multiplayer for up to three players was enabling some fluid switching of midfield positions, which befuddled the Iberians. This created more than enough space for one flying Finnish forward to trace a pre-planned curved path into acres of space, collect a through ball, and unleash a skidding shot with all the support of 70 national network leagues that was just too hot for the Spanish 'keeper to hold.
What a difference a goal makes! One minute the Spanish were pushing for the goal to make their group position extra safe, the next, with a two-goal deficit and reports of a Swiss lead in the other fixture, they were looking at a premature retirement from the tournament. As the news filtered through the stands, the Iberian fans increased their volume and urged their team to move intro top gear.

Bravo's team was already flat-out, though, and mindful that a further goal would put a spanner in the works once and for all, they seemed unwilling or unable to make the vital breakthrough.

As the clock ticked down on the final laps, the tension became increasingly unbearable. Then, with 4 minutes of injury time held aloft by the fourth official, the news came through that Switzerland had sealed a 2-1 victory. If the result stood here, then Spain would return to the costa with out much brava-do.

It was now or never for Bravo's boys and with their foot to the floor and raucous support behind them, they gave it all they'd got with one last push.

Taking an inside line past a Finnish defence, who already had one eye on the Last 16 schedules, Touch Racing Nitro's impressive 3D visuals, leaderboards, and achievements combined for a passing move into the box that culminated in a virtual open goal for its OpenFeint integration. The net bulged - it was 3-2.

Barely a minute later, the final whistle blew and both teams and fans were united in jubilant scenes. The mighty Finns had eased through as group winners with a perfect record, whilst the Spanish had done just enough to get its nose-cone over the line ahead of the Swiss.

An astonishing end to a truly wonderful group stage then, but there was even better to come as the Last 16 beckoned for both sides.

Full time: Finland 3 – 2 Spain Latest Group Tables - Fixtures & Voting - Squads

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