Offensive spectacle
Vienna Vikings in ELF final after victory over Paris
The Vienna Vikings are in the final of the European League of Football (ELF) after an offensive spectacle like two years ago. Head coach Chris Calaycay's team won the semi-final against the Paris Musketeers in the Generali Arena in Vienna on Saturday in front of almost 11,000 fans by 47:31 (21:6).
The Vikings will meet the winner of Sunday's clash between Stuttgart Surge and defending champions Rhein Fire in the final at Gelsenkirchen's Stadion Auf Schalke on September 22.
The Vikings went into the match against Paris as the only unbeaten team in the basic round. The hosts got off to a good start in front of a club-record crowd and prominent guests such as tennis ace Dominic Thiem, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (Austrian People's Party) along with the Austrian Armed Forces Guard and US ambassador Victoria Kennedy. Quarterback Ben Holmes threw three touchdown passes in the first half, two to Florian Bierbaumer and one to Kimi Linnainmaa.
Apart from a touchdown by Hugo Tekedam, the Vienna defense hardly allowed the Paris attack around quarterback Zach Edwards to get into the game in the first 30 minutes. This resulted in a comfortable 21:6 lead at the break.
At the start of the second half, Holmes showed that he can also run and ran 39 yards into the end zone. However, the "Musketeers" now got into their stride and reduced the deficit to 24:34 by the end of the third quarter thanks to touchdowns from Edwards, Austin Mitchell and Anthony Mahoungou. In the final period, the visitors added Tekedam and were suddenly only three points behind. "We really had to fight in this game. It was a tight game at the end, but we waited for the 'big plays' and we delivered them in the fourth quarter," said Calaycay.
The Vikings had a fitting response through Reece Horn, who carried a pass from Holmes 59 yards into the end zone. Defender Benjamin Straight then secured the Vikings' victory with an intercepted ball. To top it off, Bierbaumer made a third appearance in the Parisian end zone and crowned his outstanding performance. "Flo comes to me every week and says, 'I've got a delivery, three touchdowns, can we do it?' And today we delivered that. He's an incredible player," Holmes said of his team-mate.
Final at Schalke Stadium
The Vikings playmaker also put in a top performance with five touchdown passes, a rushing touchdown and almost 400 yards thrown. "He's a real baller, no stage is too big for him. He finds ways to make 'big plays'. He's hard to stop," praised Holmes' offensive coach Max Sommer. The final trip to Gelsenkirchen, where more than 40,000 fans are expected at the Schalke Stadium, now awaits as a reward. There, the Viennese could be crowned ELF champions for the second time in three years with a perfect season without defeat.
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