Our last game of the day is the second leg against our friends from TIGERs Mannheim. It takes place at 11:30 a.m. German time. Mannheim is currently leading the table with 19 points, followed directly by us with 17 points.
The first game against the TIGERs on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. already impressed with nice passes and good combos. Both teams did excellently during the game. Despite the fact that our team had to start the match with fewer robots in advance, we were able to keep the score 0-0 until the end. Accordingly, we have set ourselves the goal of letting this game against the reigning world champion again end at least in a draw.
First Half
| 05:00 | Due to delays due to the last games, our match against TIGERs Mannheim will start with a little delay, probably at 12:00 p.m. German time. |
| 05:00 | The game starts at 12:00 sharp with a kick-off from Mannheim. However, this is directly matched by one of our robots, which then unfortunately messes up listlessly and carelessly in the direction of the opposing goal line. |
| 05:00 | Mannheim appears to be playing this game with all 11 robots as well. Our team, on the other hand, only has 6 kickers. Two more are currently on the bench due to injuries and the number 9 was almost completely destroyed by a short circuit as a result of a loose screw. |
| 04:35 | After a few nice rallies, the ball finally lands out of bounds thanks to TIGERs. However, our 0 doesn’t manage the ball placement, which is why TIGERs is allowed to put the ball back into play. |
| 04:35 | Quick change: Our robot handler (the young man in the green t-shirt at the edge of the field) places a new robot on the field almost inconspicuously. Much more visible, however, he removes the 2 at the same time as he runs across the field, only to hand it back to the field after a short inspection. ER-Force now with 7 bots. |
| 04:20 | After the TIGERs throw-in, a dangerous moment for our team: An opponent’s robot pulls in the direction of the goal directly in front of our penalty area, but the ball bounces off one of our players . |
| 03:06 | As expected, the game is very dynamic. The ball changes sides, duels are the order of the day. |
| 02:27 | After a long, almost uninterrupted game, ball placement for us. But nothing moves on the field. It seems our 1 has radio problems and is therefore not moving to the ball. Our robot handler seems to have recognized this as well and takes the bot off the field. |
| 02:12 | The radio problems seem to be escalating: 4 more robots on the field for ER-Force, two had to go! |
| 00:49 | Another wonderful game that we can experience here! But in the end it tightens up: A dangerous bunch of opposing robots cavort in front of our goal, but our keeper can hold the trigger. |
| 00:31 | But unfortunately now: Our shot bounces off the enemy robot, rolls over half the field to an opponent’s bot. He doesn’t hesitate and passes it on to his striker, who sees the gap through our defense and takes advantage! Goal for Mannheim. |
Second Half
| 05:00 | The second half begins, ER-Force now with 8 robots. |
| 04:49 | The radio problems seem to dominate the second half as well. At 10, our robot handler has to help a little. |
| 03:40 | Another fast game, but now there are a few bad passes from both teams. The teams seem slightly exhausted. |
| 02:24 | Many changes of sides and shots on goal, but nothing really dangerous. Both teams seem absolutely equal in terms of their AI. Radio problems continue to dominate the game: 7 robots for ER-Force. |
| 01:07 | One minute left, but neither team seems to want to give anything to the other. ER-Force again with 8 robots. |
| 00:18 | Shortly before the end, another tactical timeout by ER-Force to make the robots fully operational for the last few seconds. |
| 00:00 | After a final competition in the Mannheim half, the final whistle finally blew: the game ended 1:0 for TIGERs Mannheim |
Our game against Tigers Mannheim was very nice to watch. It was fluid, without many interruptions and accordingly exciting and entertaining. The AI of the two teams appeared absolutely equal, but Mannheim had the edge when it came to hardware.
ER-Force had to deal with radio problems and non-functioning light barriers, which is why the robots simply stopped or could not shoot. In addition, they seem to have problems with sideways driving, which resulted in violent wobbling.
Nevertheless, it is by no means to be despised if, despite these handicaps and sometimes with a severe deficit of 4 to 11, you can hold your own against the opponent and finally finish the game with a good 0:1 for TIGERs Mannheim.
As this was the last game of the group stage, here is the final match table:
| Team | Points |
|---|---|
| TIGERs | 22 |
| ER Force | 17 |
| Twente | 8 |
| RoboDragons | 4 |
| KIKS | 3 |
