Eurobowl II

Eurobowl II

Helsinki Roosters Amsterdam Crusaders ( VL ) ( AFBN ) 35 14th
date	August 7, 1988
city	London
Stadion	Crystal Palace National Sports Center
Number of visitors	15,500
MVP	Mike Kane
Television broadcast
TV channel	not transferred

Eurobowl II was the final of the second season of the European Football League . In 1988 the Amsterdam Crusaders and the Helsinki Roosters faced each other. The Finnish Roosters won the second final by 35-14.

Course of the game

Both teams started off nervously and gave the ball in the fourth attempt with a punt . Then Ricky Ramsahai was able to achieve the first new first down of the game for the Crusaders by one run, before the right of attack changed again after four incomplete passes in a row. The Roosters only used running plays in the first quarter, but couldn't get a single first down. On the other hand, the Crusaders got better and better into the game thanks to a more variable offense that worked its way well into the opposing half. A resulting field goal attempt was not converted, however.

In the second quarter, the Finns' offense found more and more gaps in the opposing defense, although they still only bet on running plays. So it was running back Mike Kane, who made the Helsinki Roosters touchdown for the first time with a run over 52 yards. The answer was given by the Crusaders quarterback Paul Troth by carrying the ball himself into the end zone behind his offensive line. After a converted extra point, Amsterdam equalized to 7: 7 in the meantime. The Roosters were able to take the lead again before the break. Running back Jyrki Ahola fumbled the ball while trying to carry it into the end zone. Tight End Timo Backman threw himself on the free ball in the end zone, making Helsinki 14: 7 at halftime.

In the second half of the game, the right to attack was initially on the side of the Finns. Eight running plays in a row ended again in the end zone. In addition to Kane, who again ran the most and finally the missing yards to the end zone, running back Ari Tuuli played a major role in the Finns' attack series. The following extra point turned kicker Tapio Heikkila to 21: 7 for Helsinki.

Amsterdam remained without points in the third part of the game, but began the last quarter with possession and a promising field position. It was above all the running backs Rufus van Gom and Ronald Rosbald who carried the ball far into the opposing half. Running back Henri Castillion could then be stopped by the Finnish defense shortly before the end zone three plays in a row. The result, however, was a new first attempt with two yards remaining. This bridged again quarterback Troth, whose offensive line blocked his way into the end zone free. The following series of attacks by the Roosters presented the familiar picture. Without a single pass, the main players Kane and Tuuli carried the ball across the field to the opposing end zone, where Kane celebrated his third touchdown. With two touchdowns behind, the Crusaders now bet even more on their passing game. After three incomplete passes, it was Timo Takko who gave his team the preliminary decision. In the fourth attempt by the Crusaders, he managed a quarterback sack , which gave the Helsinki Roosters possession of the ball at the opposing 12-yard line. From there, Helsinki could not achieve a new first down in three runs. In the fourth attempt, Mike Kane got the ball, which ran the missing eight yards into the end zone. Heikkila converted the extra point to the final score of 35:14. In the remaining playing time, the Crusaders used their replacement quarterback, but could not score any more.

As expected, Mike Kane was chosen as the player of the game, who with four touchdowns was the outstanding running back of a Roosters offense that played runs almost without exception.

Scoreboard

7th August 1988 Crystal Palace National Sports Center, London
team		Points	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4
Helsinki Roosters		35	0	14th	7th	14th
Amsterdam Crusaders		14th	0	7th	0	7th
Roosters	Crusaders	player	Move
7th	0	Mike Kane	52 yard run (PAT:?)
7th	7th	Paul Troth	Run (PAT:?)
14th	7th	Timo Backman	Fumble recovered (PAT:?)
21st	7th	Mike Kane	1-yard run (PAT: Heikkila)
21st	14th	Paul Troth	2-yard run (PAT: Dix)
28	14th	Mike Kane	1-yard run (PAT: Heikkila)
35	14th	Mike Kane	8-yard run (PAT: Heikkila)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ BritballNow.co.uk Eurobowl Results (in English), accessed July 8, 2009.