and here it is:

in first championship first rounds i beat a team playing 3-1-3-3 with 4-3w-3w without breaking too much sweat AWAY and getting a RED CAD in process

second round, everything is exactly the same, but i lose 0-2 without a chance

BUT!

their best player is now 113% instead 104% what he was the first time round. i even set up my best defensive player on him, no effect, he scored minute 7 on individual effort. at age 28 there is no way he could advance this much (204% passing skill) without spending coins

so, there you have it...