In week 2, a Necropolis appeared, and the timer dropped to 0 :(
After that, it was a race. I arrived at his stronghold just in time and wiped out part of his army with ranged units, followed by a retreat. Then I focused on my own affairs, got +5 all stats, and eventually caught up with my opponent, where he no longer had a chance.
Thanks for the game.
P.S. I liked the updated template, but the timer is just awful. At least make it 10+5+1 for mirror matches; otherwise, it's simply unplayable.