AFC Wimbledon were tonight knocked out of the #UltimateQuaranTeam tournament, but only after our representative Paul Kalambayi pushed a professional FIFA gamer all the way.
Our defender produced an admirable effort as he was just edged out 2-0 by Jamie 'Jamboo' Rigden in the computer FIFA tournament. The Wimbledon versus West Ham game was streamed live on Twitch, plenty of supporters from both clubs tuning in at a time when there's a football famine due to Coronavirus.
In terms of the virtual experience, a shock looked on the cards early on when Anthony Hartigan was just denied an opening goal, as Wimbledon sought to repeat the fantastic FA Cup upset of last season. However, Declan Rice opened the scoring just after the half hour.
The 1-0 half-time deficit meant that Paul still had every chance heading into the second-half, but Albian Ajeti doubled the advantage. With 10 minutes to go, Kwesi Appiah was just denied a goal back, as Wimbledon bowed out.
It was a fine effort by Paul against a pro FIFA player! We thank Paul for taking part in the tournament organised by Leyton Orient, which started with 128 teams from around the country, and aims to raise funds for good causes.
Following the match, the WestHamESports Twitter account posted: "Great game, Paul - and good luck with the rest of your season!"
The tournament is raising vital funding for EFL clubs who are going to have financial struggles during this time of fixture postponement. A total of 75 per cent of money raised will be given to the EFL within 28 days. The remaining 25 per cent will be split between two very worthy causes. One is the EFL's chosen charity mental health charity called MIND and it will also help fund the all-important COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fundraiser by WHO. Visit the designated JustGiving page to make a donation.