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The Tenth Tournament was held on Saturday 4th April 2009. It was the second of a trio of tournaments that would determine qualification for Team Portugal at the 2009 European Championship. For those who performed well at the Ninth Tournament, this was an opportunity to virtually assure their place in the qualification tournament, for those who performed poorly it was a chance to improve their ranking before the decisive Eleventh Mega Drive Tournament in July. Regrettably, there was a huge decline in attendance for the Tenth Tournament with many people dropping out at the final moment adding undeserved pressure to the beleaguered host. Arsénio Ferraz disappointed his legions of fans by deeming work was more important than attending the latest tournament, making Alberto Campos and Fátima Campos the only members to have attended all ten tournaments. Twelve members in total contested the Tenth Mega Drive Tournament, making it the lowest attended competition in the history of the Portuguese domestic events.
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Stage One very seldom offers much in the way of shock results and the Tenth Mega Drive Tournament was no different. Like the proceeding competition, six games were used (King of Monsters, Fatal Fury, Mario Andretti Racing, F1 World Championship Edition, NHL '96 and Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge) and the Swiss method was used to select opposition and score points, which, basically, attempts to pair players of an equal skill level. The top eight qualify for the Second Stage while the bottom four are eliminated from the contest.
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 | Alberto Campos |
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Nobody, anywhere, in the world, ever, would deny King of Monsters is an awful game - two giant monsters wrestling in a downtown setting with hideous moves and sound to boot! This was the first game of the tournament and the crowd got a bit raucous when counting the pin attempts; "ONE! TWO! OOOH!" "ONE! TWO! THREE! YEAH!" At this point in the proceedings numbers were very light and a dark cloud hovered over the tournament. Yet the late arrival of defending champion, Ferdinand Menéndez, and a new member Armando Dias lifted the mood, although they were too late to join in the King of Monsters fun and their game was classified as a draw.
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Formula One World Championship Edition was the highlight of three distinctly average racing games. Requiring a touch of skill to negotiate the track, victories for Alberto Campos and João Pires would virtually secure their places in the final eight, with two games left to play. Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge ended the first stage where Pedro Mendes was able to secure his place in the final eight with a victory over rival Luis Xavier. A vital win for Fátima Campos against Vanda Campos gifted her a place in Stage Two.
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 | Luis Xavier plays Fátima Campos on Mario Andretti Racing |
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NHL '96 proved to be the biggest success story of the First Stage. Pedro Mendes comments that he didn't know how to play the game took a severe battering when he crushed Aida Campos 13-1. Alberto Campos overturned a 2-1 deficit to João Pires with four goals towards the end. Tournament newcomer Armando Dias showed his quality, 4-1 down against the feared Fátima Campos, he turned the score around to secure a 5-4 victory. Regrettably Armando would play just one more tournament game before facing long time member David Magueijo on a tiebreak game of Pit Fighter. With neither player overly sure of the controls of the game it was David who bashed out the final victory to qualify for the Second Stage, 3-2 the final score.
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Alberto Campos qualified in first place after impressively winning all six of his games. His comrades at the 2008 European Mega Drive Championship, Dário Pelixo and Ferdinand Menéndez, who finished 2nd and 5th respectively, joined him in the Second Stage. João Pires and Pedro Mendes continued their impressive form from the Ninth Tournament and qualified in 3rd and 7th. André Saraiva, making his first tournament appearance since the Fourth Championship in September 2006, marked his return by advancing to Stage Two. Fátima Campos and David Magueijo completed the eight qualifiers. The biggest casualty of Stage One was Luis Xavier who, after reaching the final at the Ninth Mega Drive Tournament, struggled to make any impact, won just two games and scored just six-points. Armando Dias, in his debut tournament, finished 9th while Vanda and Aida Campos finished a distance behind the rest of the competitors.
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Stage One - Final Standings |
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Game 1 |
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Game 2 |
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Game 3 |
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Game 4 |
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Game 5 |
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Game 6 |
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Pts |
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Q |
Alberto Campos |
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Win |
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2-0 |
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Win |
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Win |
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5-2 |
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Win |
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18 |
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Q |
Dário Pelixo |
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Win |
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2-0 |
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Win |
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Lose |
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3-2 |
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Win |
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15 |
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Q |
João Pires |
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Win |
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2-0 |
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Lose |
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Win |
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2-5 |
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Win |
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12 |
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Q |
André Saraiva |
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Win |
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0-2 |
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Win |
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Win |
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3-3 |
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Lose |
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10 |
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Q |
Ferdinand Menéndez |
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Draw |
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0-2 |
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Win |
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Win |
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2-3 |
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Win |
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10 |
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Q |
Fátima Campos |
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Win |
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0-2 |
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Win |
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Lose |
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4-5 |
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Win |
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9 |
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Q |
Pedro Mendes |
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Lose |
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2-0 |
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Lose |
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Lose |
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13-1 |
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Win |
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9 |
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Q |
David Magueijo |
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Lose |
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2-0 |
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Lose |
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Win |
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3-3 |
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Lose |
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7 |
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9th |
Armando Dias |
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Draw |
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0-2 |
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Win |
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Lose |
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5-4 |
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Lose |
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7 |
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10th |
Luis Xavier |
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Lose |
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2-0 |
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Lose |
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Lose |
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7-1 |
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Lose |
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6 |
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11th |
Vanda Campos |
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Lose |
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0-2 |
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Lose |
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Win |
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1-7 |
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Lose |
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3 |
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12th |
Aida Campos |
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Lose |
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0-2 |
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Lose |
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Lose |
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1-13 |
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Lose |
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0 |
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Player 1 |
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Player 2 |
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Mega Bomberman |
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Player 3 |
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Player 4 |
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Alberto Campos |
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André Saraiva |
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0 |
Vs |
2 |
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Ferdinand Menéndez |
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David Magueijo |
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Dário Pelixo |
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João Pires |
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2 |
Vs |
0 |
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Fátima Campos |
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Pedro Mendes |
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The eight qualifiers from Stage One were divided into two pools. Mega Bomberman was the first game of the Second Stage as members were paired off into teams. Dário Pelixo is widely regarded as the best player in Portugal on Mega Bomberman and, teamed with João Pires, they managed to secure an easy victory against Fátima Campos and Pedro Mendes. Ferdinand Menéndez is another highly regarded player on this game and he and David Magueijo successfully dispatched Alberto Campos and André Saraiva. Luis Xavier is a force to be reckoned with on Mega Bomberman so his premature elimination was a relief to his potential opponents.
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Player 1 |
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Player 2 |
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Sampras Tennis '96 |
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Player 3 |
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Player 4 |
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Alberto Campos |
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Ferdinand Menéndez |
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6 |
Vs |
1 |
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André Saraiva |
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David Magueijo |
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Dário Pelixo |
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Fátima Campos |
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2 |
Vs |
6 |
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João Pires |
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Pedro Mendes |
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Alberto Campos, Dário Pelixo and João Pires were the three players who possessed the greatest ability on Sampras Tennis '96 (sequel to Pete Sampras Tennis) the second game of the Second Stage. André Saraiva and David Magueijo were always going to struggle against two European Champions, Alberto Campos and Ferdinand Menéndez, who won very convincingly 6-1. In the other game, it was Pedro Mendes who adapted quicker than Fátima Campos and, in spite of a controversial malfunctioning controller, João Pires and Pedro Mendes beat Dário Pelixo and Fátima Campos 6-2.
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 | David Magueijo, Ferdinand Menéndez, André Saraiva and Alberto Campos |
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Player 1 |
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Player 2 |
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U. Mortal Kombat 3 |
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Player 3 |
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Player 4 |
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Alberto Campos |
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David Magueijo |
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0 |
Vs |
2 |
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André Saraiva |
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Ferdinand Menéndez |
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Dário Pelixo |
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Pedro Mendes |
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0 |
Vs |
2 |
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Fátima Campos |
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João Pires |
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Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was the most unbalanced of all the Stage Two games. Ferdinand Menéndez and João Pires were the dominant players in their respective games and were able to eliminate their competition without the need of their teammates. Victory for both these men gifted them qualification to the Third Stage of the competition, with just two more places in the Semi-Finals available.
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GROUP A |
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Micro Machines 2 |
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GROUP B |
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1st |
Alberto Campos |
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1st |
Dário Pelixo |
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2nd |
André Saraiva |
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2nd |
Pedro Mendes |
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3rd |
David Magueijo |
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3rd |
Fátima Campos |
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4th |
Ferdinand Menéndez |
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4th |
João Pires |
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The final game of Stage Two was Micro Machines 2 and the competitors raced around the Pinball Panic track - a winding course set on a pinball table and while some obstacles are very difficult to negotiate, there are a number of shortcuts to take advantage of. Alberto Campos once again showed his quality on the Micro Machines series and secured himself victory in Group A and qualification to the Semi-Finals. In Group B, Dário Pelixo won the race in order to book his place in the final four. André Saraiva, Pedro Mendes, David Magueijo and Fátima Campos were eliminated from the competition.
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Stage Two - Final Standings |
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Group A |
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Pts |
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Q |
Ferdinand Menéndez |
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6 |
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Q |
Alberto Campos |
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5 |
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3rd |
André Saraiva |
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4 |
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4th |
David Magueijo |
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3 |
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Stage Two - Final Standings |
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Group B |
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Pts |
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Q |
João Pires |
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6 |
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Q |
Dário Pelixo |
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5 |
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3rd |
Pedro Mendes |
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4 |
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4th |
Fátima Campos |
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3 |
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Alberto Campos |
Tournaments Won: | Fifth Championship |
Stage 3 Reached: | Six Times |
Overall Rank: | 5th |
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Ferdinand Menéndez |
Tournaments Won: | Ninth Championship |
Stage 3 Reached: | Twice |
Overall Rank: | 3rd |
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Reaching the semi-finals for the seventh time in his long tournament history, Alberto Campos has to be regarded as the favourite to win the contest. He beat the "invincible" Jorge Esteves, 5-2, in a World Cup Italia '90 final to win the Fifth Mega Drive Championship. Defeated finalist at the Seventh and Eighth tournaments, the master of Micro Machines will be tough to beat.
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The highest-ranking member left in the competition, defending Champion Ferdinand Menéndez possesses great ability on the Mega Drive. His championship victory came after defeating Luis Xavier, at the Ninth Tournament, on Herzog Zwei. Predictions would give Ferdinand the second best chance of winning the contest.
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Dário Pelixo |
Tournaments Won: | Seventh Championship |
Stage 3 Reached: | Once |
Overall Rank: | 9th |
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João Pires |
Tournaments Won: | n/a |
Stage 3 Reached: | None |
Overall Rank: | 26th |
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Returning to Stage Three for the first time since his Street Fighter 2 victory over Alberto Campos gifted him the Seventh Tournament title. Dário's performances since his championship triumph have been reasonable at best. Although undeniably a good player, he must be regarded as a long shot for the title and is not anticipated to advance much further in the competition.
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Ranked 26th, João Pires is the outsider to claim the title. Although his improvement in recent competitions has been phenomenal, he finished bottom of group 1B at the Sixth Tournament and was ranked at 41st, the challenge of winning the title seems like a step too far and against more illustrious opposition he is not expected to progress beyond the Semi-Finals.
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 | Alberto Campos Vs João Pires - World Cup Italia '90 |
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The final four members were now paired off against each other in what would be a straight elimination. Any margin for error which has previously existed was now gone as the players duelled for the honour of becoming the Tenth Mega Drive Champion.
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Player 1 |
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World Cup Italia '90 |
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Player 2 |
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Alberto Campos |
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p2 |
Vs |
2 |
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João Pires |
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Dário Pelixo |
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5 |
Vs |
0 |
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Ferdinand Menéndez |
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Dário Pelixo advanced with ease, eliminating Ferdinand Menéndez from the competition with a comprehensive 5-0 victory. The second semi-final, Alberto Campos versus João Pires, was on paper a secure victory for Alberto, however, what transpired was arguably the greatest Mega Drive game ever seen in the Portuguese domestic contests, as the pair fought intensely for the win. Alberto's Argentina twice took the lead over João's U.S.S.R. only to be pulled back on each occasion. With the score 2-2, neither man was able to break the deadlock and with the full time whistle came the ominous opportunity of an unforgiving penalty shoot-out. Stone-clad faces and nerves of steel, it was not until the sixth round of penalties that the pair were separated. Alberto Campos saved the shot and ended João's title challenge.
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The third-placed play-off between João Pires and Ferdinand Menéndez was a non-event with an utter drubbing for Ferdinand, the 7-0 win gave João Pires third place.
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Player 1 |
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Rugby World Cup '95 |
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Player 2 |
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Dário Pelixo |
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28 |
Vs |
7 |
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Alberto Campos |
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By 1995 the Mega Drive had seen such brilliant games as Sonic the Hedgehog, Ecco the Dolphin, Earthworm Jim and Streets of Rage produced, but they still weren't able to give us a fun and fast rugby game to play! Operating at the pace of a handicapped snail, Rugby World Cup '95 was selected as the final for the Tenth Tournament. Perhaps an anti-climax following the epic Albero versus João game of World Cup Italia '90, the crowd reaction was minimal for a game that saw Dário Pelixo dominate from start-to-finish. Alberto Campos, playing as France, was unable to put up much resistance against Dário's New Zealand All Blacks. With the final score at 28-7, the title celebrations were somewhat muted - the final victory having been secured for a long portion of the game. Never the less, Dário achieved something fine, becoming only the second man to win two tournaments, following in the footsteps of Jorge Esteves who won the second and third tournaments.
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 | Alberto Campos is defeated by Dário Pelixo |
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2009 EUROPEAN QUALIFICATION TABLE |
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Rank |
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Member |
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Points |
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1st |
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Alberto Campos |
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47 |
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2nd |
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Dário Pelixo |
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46 |
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3rd |
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Ferdinand Menéndez |
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45 |
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4th |
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João Pires |
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41 |
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5th |
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Luix Xavier |
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32 |
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5th |
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Pedro Mendes |
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32 |
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7th |
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David Magueijo |
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27 |
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8th |
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Fátima Campos |
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20 |
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8th |
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Arsénio Ferraz |
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20 |
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10th |
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André Saraiva |
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15 |
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11th |
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Pedro Bragança |
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9 |
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12th |
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Aida Campos |
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7.5 |
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13th |
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Vitor Sousa |
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7 |
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13th |
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Armando Dias |
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7 |
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15th |
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Vanda Campos |
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6 |
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15th |
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Orlando Silva |
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6 |
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15th |
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Hugo Vieira |
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6 |
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18th |
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Diogo Oliveira |
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5 |
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19th |
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Joana Hamrol |
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4 |
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20th |
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Nuno Folhadela |
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3 |
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OVERALL RANKINGS - TOP 20 |
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Rank |
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Member |
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Change |
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1st |
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Jorge Esteves |
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2nd |
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Ferdinand Menéndez |
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+1 |
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3rd |
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Filipe Semião |
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+1 |
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4th |
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Alberto Campos |
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+1 |
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5th |
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Dário Pelixo |
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+4 |
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6th |
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José Chança |
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-4 |
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7th |
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David Magueijo |
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8th |
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Ricardo Faria |
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+4 |
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9th |
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Fátima Campos |
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+2 |
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10th |
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Márcio Costa |
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-4 |
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11th |
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Flávio Esteves |
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-1 |
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12th |
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Arsénio Ferraz |
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+2 |
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13th |
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Pedro Mendes |
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-5 |
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14th |
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Orlando Silva |
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+1 |
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15th |
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Luis Xavier |
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-2 |
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16th |
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Tiago Pedro |
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+1 |
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17th |
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João Pires |
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+9 |
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18th |
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Vítor |
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-2 |
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19th |
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Jessica Vieira |
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20th |
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Carlos Xavier |
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-2 |
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|  | | The top three: Alberto Campos, Dário Pelixo and João Pires |
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