The Nordic Storm (11-1) came to Innsbruck looking to make history and left with the first championship in European Football Alliance history, pulling away from the Munich Ravens (10-2) for a 48-28 victory at Tivoli Stadion Tirol.
For three quarters, Munich stayed within striking distance. Then Nordic slammed the door.
Jadrian Clark threw four touchdown passes, Glen Toonga ran for three scores and the Storm erupted for 20 fourth-quarter points to finish the inaugural EFA season holding the trophy.
Storm waste no time
There was no feeling-out period.
On Nordic’s first offensive snap, Clark went deep to Simon Fons for a 51-yard touchdown. Munich answered when Justus Seelig powered in from four yards, but the missed extra point left the Storm ahead 7-6.
Clark went straight back to work. He found Fons again, this time for a 15-yard touchdown, and Nordic finished the opening quarter with a 13-6 advantage.
The Storm began creating separation in the second.
Clark connected with Edvin Almeida for a 16-yard touchdown, and Toonga later muscled his way across from seven yards. Nordic added two successful two-point conversions and carried a commanding 28-6 lead into halftime.
Munich comes back swinging
The Ravens needed a response and finally found one in the third quarter.
Russell Tabor drove Munich downfield and finished the possession himself with a seven-yard touchdown run. The Ravens added the two-point conversion, cutting the margin to 28-14.
Suddenly, the championship game had tightened.
But Nordic had kept Munich off the scoreboard throughout the second quarter and wasn’t about to let the comeback gather much more momentum.
Storm finish the job
Toonga took over near the goal line in the fourth quarter.
The Storm running back punched in a one-yard touchdown to stretch the lead before later breaking through for another score from 10 yards.
Munich kept fighting. Tabor found Louis Geyer for a nine-yard touchdown and Seelig ran in the two-point conversion, bringing the Ravens within 42-28 with 5:11 remaining.
That was as close as they would get.
Toonga struck once more, powering in from a yard with 1:09 remaining to complete the scoring and send the Storm sideline into celebration. The final quarter belonged to Nordic, 20-14, and the championship belonged to the Storm
Clark directs the offense
Clark finished 24 of 39 for 306 yards and four touchdowns, repeatedly pushing the ball downfield as Nordic built its early advantage.
Brendan Beaulieu caught seven passes for 91 yards, while Fons turned three receptions into 66 yards and two touchdowns. Almeida also hauled in a touchdown.
Toonga gave the passing attack its hammer on the ground, carrying 18 times for 91 yards and three touchdowns.
Tabor keeps Ravens fighting
Tabor completed 26 of 45 passes for 311 yards and a touchdown while also running for a score as Munich tried to chase down the Storm.
Geyer was his leading target, catching nine passes for 116 yards and the fourth-quarter touchdown. Seelig supplied Munich’s opening score and later added a two-point conversion.
The Ravens generated offense, but the early deficit left them chasing the game for most of the afternoon.
Storm make history
The two teams had traded blows throughout the inaugural season, with Munich handing Nordic its only regular-season defeat.
This time there would be no rematch.
The Storm led 28-6 at halftime, weathered Munich’s third-quarter response and then buried any comeback hopes with three fourth-quarter touchdowns.
When the first European Football Alliance Championship Game was over, the league had its first champion.
The Nordic Storm.