Saints narrowly miss out on ePL progression
Southampton’s ePremier League representatives narrowly missed out on reaching the knockout stages after finishing third in Group A at the Grand Finals.
The cross-console EA Sports FIFA 23 tournament saw 40 competitors representing all 20 Premier League clubs to battle it out for ePL glory.
Michael Fisher returned for his second season representing Saints on the PlayStation, whilst Tyreece "RoweEdition" Rowe was making his finals debut as he took to the Xbox side of the competition.
Drawn in Group A alongside Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace, the newly-formed duo battled it out for a respectable third place finish.
Kicking off proceedings at Here East in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Rowe marked his tournament debut with an impressive 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.
At the same time on the PlayStation, Fisher was beaten 3-0 by a strong opponent in EthxnHiggins giving both sides three points after the opening match.
The results then flipped for the second round of matches as Saints faced Aston Villa; Fisher got into his groove with a 3-1 victory whilst Rowe fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat.
Entering their brief break, Saints found themselves second in the group table with six points from their four matches before a return to action followed with two dramatic ties against Arsenal.
Rowe took the lead against the Gunner's Xbox representative AFC Billy, but was beaten in the second half to suffer a 2-1 defeat.
However, in the PlayStation leg, Fisher was on the right end of a comeback as he found himself a goal down with a player sent off but managed to claw back a 1-1 draw.
Saints had seven points from their first six matches and were fourth in the group, but still had a slim mathematical chance to qualify in their final match against Brighton.
Finishing his tournament debut as he began, Tyreece Rowe picked up another three points, this time with a 1-0 victory, whilst Michael Fisher played out a 0-0 draw in a tight affair on PlayStation.
Despite their solid display throughout the group, qualification narrowly evaded Saints as they finished third in the group with 11 points.
Aston Villa and Crystal Palace finished in first and second respectively as they advanced to Sunday's knockout round.
