A sensational final two days of action brought the ePL Invitational 2 Tournament to a close as Leicester City’s James Maddison ensured that the title of ePL Champion remains in The Midlands for a second successive event.

The original ePL Invitational was won by Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Diogo Jota, of course, after he sealed a memorable final with a golden goal winner. There was no need for a golden goal in the final this time, but plenty in the rounds before as Maddison sealed what, at points before his coronation, seemed the most unlikely of victories.

The Quarter-Finals

In the quarter-finals, Maddison’s crusade to make the semi-finals was almost over before it began. The mini midfield maestro was 2-0 deep into the first half against in-form Michael Obafemi of Southampton, only for a goal back on the stroke of half-time from Jamie Vardy to put Maddison back into firing range of the Saints player. Mind games were tense, with Maddison promising that he was ‘living rent-free’ in the head of his opponent and an equalizer from Maddison’s own in-game character proved pivotal. Maddison took the lead through Iheanacho, and while Obafemi equalised to take the match into ‘golden goal’ territory, it was Maddison himself who won it just eight minutes into that golden goal game.