Welcome back to Quaffles & Bludgers! After the excitement of the opening round, our coverage continues with the semi-finals! All matches are do or die, life or death situations and those who lose will be sent home packing while those who win continue on for their chance to win the World Cup!
Once again, we at the Daily Prophet would like to remind readers that the Quidditch World Cup Final will be held in Apotropaia, Greece on the 15th of July. Access to the island will begin July 8th for the general public. Tickets will be offered at 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class prices with seating available for each tier, available for purchase soon!
Top Bracket
#1 Nordic 40 v 270 #4 Germany
Though the match was much lower scoring, the intensity of the Germans remained sky high, once again turning in an all around dominant performance. The Nordic team looked sharp early on, striking first with a trio of goals to start the scoring, but from that moment on, they were thoroughly outplayed. While Germany’s offence wasn’t clicking as well as it had against Morocco in the previous round, their defence remained top notch, holding the Nordic team to its lowest scoring output throughout the entirety of the World Cup.
It’s a disappointing end to the Nords’ title hopes, but an impressive upset for the German squad, who earned themselves a berth to the finals, and a chance to take home the title of best team in the world.
Bottom Bracket
#2 Brazil 130 v 160 #11 Scotland
It was one of the most exhilarating matches of the tournament when the Brazilians met the Scots on the pitch. While some of the more devoted fans of Scotland may have predicted this result, we doubt if any could have predicted the manner in which it would happen. It was a low scoring affair for much of the short match; Scotland’s chasers, who had been the backbone of the team’s win streak, were unable to make any headway against Brazil’s locked-in keeper. And despite coming under intense fire from Scotland’s beaters, Brazil’s chasers kept finding ways to put the quaffle through the goals.
Twenty two minutes into the match, it looked as though Brazil was on their way to a finals match against the Germans, until Scotland seeker Mòrag MacLeòid, the team’s weak link in the previous two matches, delivered for her team with a quick snitch catch, the lower seed once more conquering a heavily favoured foe. Though they’re sure to be underdogs against the dominant German squad, the Scots seem to relish taking down favourites, and will look to do so again to deliver their country the Cup.
That finishes up the semi-finals of the knockout stage, and we’re down to our final two teams! With the final match set, stay tuned as our coverage continues, with the World Cup Final between Germany and Scotland on July 15th!