AFI’s Recap features scores from a record number of games across Europe

AFI | American Football | 06/23/2021

Graphic: Igor Lazarevic Photo: Swarco Raiders Tirol

This past weekend was jam packed with football and filled with great action as 24 games were played in stadiums throughout Europe.

The European League of Football kicked off its inaugural season while Finland’s Maple League, Denmark’s National League, the German Football League, Polish Football League, Italy’s Division 1, Sweden’s Superserien and the Hungarian Football League were all busy.

In the European League of Football, the Stuttgart Surge fell behind twice to the Barcelona Dragons in their inaugural game in the ELF, but scored a touchdown with less than three minutes remaining to defeat the Dragons 21-17.

For the second week in a row in the Finnish Maple League, the Porvoo Butchers were forced to come from behind. Trailing 27-13 late in the third quarter, Porvoo scored two touchdowns to tie the game at 27-27, sending it into overtime and then scored the winning touchdown in the overtime period.

In German Football League action, the Cologne Crocodiles scored early and often to defeat a hapless Kiel Baltic Hurricanes squad 49-13 to earn their their win of the season.

The Carlstad Crusaders remained undefeated in the Swedish Superserien with a 55-0 pounding of the undermanned Uppsala 86ers.

The Hamburg Sea Devils and Frankfurt Galaxy staged a defensive slugfest in the European League of Football with the Sea Devils emerging the winner on a last second field goal.

The Munich Cowboys took full advantage of a Stuttgart Scorpions in the midst of internal turmoil following the departure of their head coach, manhandling the Scorpions in GFL play, 62-6.

The Leipzig Kings looked sharp in beating the Berlin Thunder 37-27 in Berlin as the ELF continued its first weekend of play. Leipzig took a 29-15 halftime lead and withstood a fourth quarter offensive outburst by the Thunder to come away with the win.

The Lazio Ducks avenged an early season loss to the Bologna Warriors and qualified for the Italian Division 1 semifinals in beating the Bologna Warriors 22-7 this past weekend.

With their starting quarterback still sidelined with an undisclosed injury, the Tychy Falcons were no match for the Bialystok Lowlanders in the final game of the Polish Football League’s regular season as the Lowlanders won comfortably, downing Tychy 42-20.

In the Austrian Football League, the SsangYong Danube Dragons were pushed by a Modling Rangers team desperate for a win but ultimately held on for a 17-6 win after scoring a late touchdown.

In Finland, the Kuopio Steelers look poised to defend their 2020 Maple League title with a thorough 35-3 drubbing of last season’s semifinalists, the Wasa Royals.

The Projekt Spielberg Graz Giants ran roughshod over the Prague Black Panthers whipping them 41-17, taking themselves one step closer to the fourth and final playoff berth in the Austrian Football League.

After leading most of the German Football League contest against the Marburg Mercenaries, the Ravensburg Razorbacks found themselves suddenly trailing in the fourth quarter, but staged a late-game rally to surge past the Mercenaries, beating them 28-20.

In Hungary, the Budapest Wolves took advantage of an injury depleted Gyor Sharks squad and rolled over them 25-7 and will now face the Fehérvár Enthroners in the Hungarian Bowl.

The Søllerød Gold Diggers overcame a 12 point fourth quarter deficit to tie the game and then score in overtime to defeat the Copenhagen Towers in Danish National League action.

Poland’s Wroclaw Panthers were on fire from the opening whistle in their opening game of the European League of Football’s first season jumping out to a 14-0 first quarter lead. But after that the Cologne Centurions matched them score for score but were unable to make up the two touchdown lead and the Panthers came away with an entertaining 55-39 win in front of a delighted home crowd of 4,200 fans.

In Austrian Football League late season action, the Swarco Raiders took full advantage of a bad goalline snap as the Dacia Vienna Vikings were poised to score with just over two minutes left, and drove down the field to score the winning touchdown with seconds to spare to collect their first regular season win over the Vikings.

The Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns needed a full quarter to get rolling in their German Football League game against the Saarland Hurricanes but then rolled over their GFL South rivals, beating them 45-20.

In a battle of crosstown rivals in Finland’s Maple League, the Helsinki Roosters rolled out to a 28-0 third quarter lead over the Helsinki Wolverines before surrendering 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, but managed to hang on for the win.

The Örebro Black Knights staged the upset of the week by downing the Stockholm Mean Machines 33-20 in Sweden’s Superserien and will now face the Carlstad Crusaders in a battle for first place.

The Milano Seamen, still smarting from a loss to Italy’s league-leading Parma Panthers a week ago, showed no mercy in shutting out the Ancona Dolphins 42-0. The loss eliminated the Dolphins from the playoffs.

Italy’s league leaders, the Parma Panthers, powered out to a 31-6 third quarter lead over the Milano Rhinos in the last regular season game of the year, before taking their foot off the gas in the fourth allowing Milano to score to make the final 31-19.

The Silesia Rebels Katowice showed no mercy in hammering the winless Warsaw Eagles 46-14 in the final regular season game in the Polish Football League.

In the German Football League, the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions scored a late touchdown to break a tie and finally overcome the stubborn Berlin Rebels, downing them 29-22 in Berlin.