ELF

New quarterback – but Vikings remain undefeated

Cheers for the Vienna Vikings in the ELF.

(Bild: GEPA)

The Vienna Vikings remain undefeated after round four following a dramatic comeback triumph in the European League of Football (ELF). Head coach Chris Calaycay's team won 25-20 in front of 9,000 fans at the Generali Arena against Berlin Thunder despite trailing 9-20 in the debut of new quarterback Shelton Eppler. 

The US playmaker led the Viennese team to victory with three touchdown passes after the break.

For a long time it had not looked like the Viennese would win at home. Eppler, who had only been signed a few days ago following the injuries to quarterbacks Ben Holmes and Alexander Reischl, initially achieved little in a real defensive battle. Vienna's offense failed to get going in the first half, while the visitors from Berlin scored two touchdowns. The result was a 3:13 deficit at the break.

The error rate also remained high in the second half, with Eppler losing the ball several times. However, the 26-year-old Texan now also found his wide receivers. A touchdown pass to Reece Horn was countered by the Berliners, who also found their way into the end zone. However, the Vikings defense kept the hosts in the game at the end. Two more touchdown passes from Eppler to Jordan Bouah and Noah Toure and successful two-point conversions from Exavier Edwards turned the game around. The Vikings' defense then sealed the deal.

Eppler "did a great job"
"That's the Vikings culture. That was a game where it would have been easy to hang our heads. But we believed in a comeback right to the end," explained head coach Calaycay in an interview with APA - Austria Presse Agentur after the game. The coach found Eppler's performance remarkable. "He's had three training sessions so far, he had jet lag from the trip from Texas. And then he played in this atmosphere here, it was so loud. He did a great job." The downer is the injuries to top defender Thomas Schaffer (shoulder) and Bouah (collarbone).

With four wins, the Vikings remain first in the Eastern Conference ahead of Berlin, which now has two wins and two defeats. On Sunday, the Raiders Tirol will host the neighboring Munich Ravens in Innsbruck in the Central Conference clash (4:25 p.m./live on Puls24). Both teams have two wins and one defeat each.