Well, I see now why I've gravitated to music and away from football (which
I do like, however).  In this kind of head-to-head contest, the winner
can tounce the loser in a given match by a score of 100 to 1, and still
is credited with only the simple win.  Some people might argue that
Beethoven's 3rd and 5th symphonies are orders of magnitude better than
their opposite numbers in the Mahler canon.  Others might not, of course.

Another way of looking at it might be the quality per bar measurement.
Assuming for the moment that the sixth symphonies of each composer are of
equal merit, surely Beethoven would get a higher rating per bar, or even
per beat.  Quantity has its value, of course, but if the championship is to
be determined, even partly, on the number of symphonic measures composed,
Papa Haydn would surely trounce both of your contenders.

I might add that some of us who hold Shostakovich and Sibelius in high
regard might want an enquiry into the officiating that eliminated these
worthies in the playoffs.

Richard, who invites you to visit his music, outdoors and other WWW sites
at: http://infoweb.magi.com/~richard/