Campionato Esportiva IV Everything Thread

[Swyftlandre]

Quarter Final:

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Swyftlandre Division:

The Great Dandish Empire v. Apox
[0] - [1]

Kirigawa v. Byfugland
[0] (1) - (0) [0]

Swyftlandre Regional Finals/Semi Finals 2: Apox v. Kirigawa

[Apox]

And here's the Apox cut-off, which turns out not to be late after all!

Quarter-Final Matches

Asadur 5–1 Cypradeos

THRILLEDGE 2–4 Sakhovelo

So the semi-final will be between:

Asadur and Sakhovelo

[Swyftlandre]

No point cutting off.

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Semi Finals:

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Swyftlandre Division:

Apox v. Kirigawa
[3] (3) {4} - {3} (3) [3]

Finals in Swyftlandre: Apox v. Asadur
Third Place Playoff in Apox: Kirigawa v. Sakhovelo

[Apox]

Results of Semi-Final 2

@ The APX Sports Stadium, Dwile: Asadur 2–0 Sakhovelo

Therefore, the third place play-off (taking place tomorrow) will be: Sakhovelo vs Kirigawa

With Asadur taking on me in the final!! (I'll RP later on)

[Apox]

Apox were through, with that kick they were through. It had been a roller-coaster ride here, with Kirigawa giving a splendid performance and pushing the team all the way to kicks from the spot.

It had started brightly for Kirigawa, with good offensive play, making Apox play deep and defend hard. Isao Kondo came close in the 12th minute, however, the ball was gobbled up by Will Hewitt in goal. Despite Will's best efforts however, Shibata Orayama, got the goal, in the 15th minute with a long penetrating shot which thundered into the back of the net.

Apox however, refused to give up, and John Carpenter, starting instead of Will Fich, had the goal a mere 5 minutes later, after a through ball from Oley Williams. The game hovered on the edge for a while afterwards, before the deadlock was broken in the 42nd minute by stand-in for Dravid Scott, Marlon Vetta. He jumped up a somehow managed to get his head to the ball from a corner, a difficult feat as it was so high, and Heisuke Shinzuda could do nothing about it.

Our lead however, was ripped up by Kirigawa in the second half, who came out and played like a footballing force, Kiyoteru Tazuka utilising his spicy pace on the wing to give Kirigawa the equaliser in the 50th minute and then give them the lead in the 54th minute, with an assist which Dai Yoshito finished off with.

It was starting to look desperate for Apox, who had still not scored when the 80th minute came, and then still not scored by the 85th minute. However, thankfully, Olim Benzari found the net for us, after taking a corner, then coming back round to smash the ball in. Although we attacked hard during extra-time, the winning goal could not be found and so, it went to penalties.

The last time we had played a game to penalties, we had gone out of the Cup of Harmony to Saugeais in the Round of 16, the nation we are preparing to host the Baptism of Fire with after this. Needless to say, we were restless.

The kicks:
Kirigawa 1-0 Apox - Ruda Kirigime
Kirigawa 1-1 Apox - Marlon Vetta
Kirigawa 1-1 Apox - Shibata Orayama (missed)
Kirigawa 1-2 Apox - Fran Gracie
Kirigawa 2-2 Apox - Isao Kondo
Kirigawa 2-3 Apox - Chris Maarsden
Kirigawa 3-3 Apox - Kiyoteru Tazuka
Kirigawa 3-4 Apox - Dan Weekes
Kirigawa 3-4 Apox - Imiri Miyazaki (saved)

As a result, we are through to our first tournament final! We will face Asadur in Swyftlandre in three days time.

Team Sheet from the Match (scorers in bold)
GK - William Hewitt
RD - Jack Forster
CD - Dan Weekes
CD - Oley Williams sub Fronden Abel 62'
LD - Jennie Scott
RM - Olim Benzari (c)
CM - John Carpenter
CM - Fran Gracie
LM - Tom Heeeh
ST - Marlon Vetta
ST - Chris Maarsden

[Apox]

I don't think a cut-offs necessary

@ The Royal Stadium, Dwile: Kirigawa 0–1 Sakhovelo

Congratulations to Sakhovelo on third, and well done to Kirigawa on a tremendous run. Thank you all for participating, and a special thanks to my fellow host Swyftlandre for his excellent hosting alongside me.

So onwards to tomorrows final!

[Swyftlandre]

Finals:

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@Avenhelm Castle:

Apox v. Asadur
[3] - [1]

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Fair Play Award:

Contrary to initial desires, there wasn't a large number of roleplay's. But that doesn't mean that the quality of the RP's that were produced was bad and for that reason, the Fair Play Award, which rewards the best RP of the contest will still go on. After a good bit of deliberation, I have come up with two potential candidates for the Fair Play Award.

"Now, now, gather round everybody, gather round. I know we wanted to win, but, never mind. We can still go throu-... Er, no, Nikos, we don't need to know all the mathematical possibilities, thank you. Yes, I know you can work them out in your head. Yes, you are very clever for a janitor. Now if you could just focus on the game rather than maths for five minutes then perhaps we could get on and win a match for a change? Thank you. Now, we can still go through if we beat Triimoria by two goals or more, whatever happens with the other match. So, how are we going to go about that, hm? Professor Ismael, perhaps you could think about passing to one of the undergraduates once in a while? Yes I know they take up all the research money, but Anatolios was open that time and you tried to pass to Hyacinthus instead, which cost us a goal, didn't it? Also, Dr Democritus, if you could look up once in a while when you've got the ball then-... yes, I'll make sure to buy you some more schnapps - then maybe you wouldn't have to keep plucking passes from nowhere. No, no, Dr Jehovah, I said plucking. Plucking. Now, Professor Straton, where are you? Ah yes, sitting behind Professor Andronikos - just as a side note Professor Andronikos, any chance you could sit at the back in future meetings? Only, you are rather round... Now, Professor Straton, you are very quick. If you could please refrain from considering the meaning of life every now and then you could do some real damage. When the crowd are chanting, usually the questions are rhetorical, you see, so there's no need to really discuss at length the nature of our parentage. Nor are the waving flags a threat to your political views, any of you. Hyacinthus I'm looking in your direction, there. Now, Mr Minotaur, if you could be so kind as to not break so many bones next match? I'm sure Athena is getting fed up of producing so many bone-mending spells every match, so perhaps just la-... no, see, now you're getting angry, Mr Minotaur, and there's no need to ge-... oh, see now you've broken Dr Democritus' legs, haven't you? Athena, if you would be so kind? Thank you. You know, guys, sometimes I wonder if you lot are that committed to this exercise thing. It's not like we'll win. Worth a punt though, I guess. No, no, Dr Jehovah, I said punt. Punt."

Kirigawa weren't giving up, and Shaun was becoming tired of his adventure into Swyftlandre. What he thought would be a two-week trip to watch his side get trounced every game started very positivley for him. A 3-0 hammering by the former colonisers. Thoroughly diserved, the Blossoms played dismally. But then they had to go and steal a last minute winner against Baz Mat, when Shaun had already left and had to get a Swyftlandrian newspaper seller to describe the goal to him so he could write on it.

Kirigawa seemed to have a taste for late drama, with Kiyoteru Tazuka tapping home a Orayama cross deep into stoppage time. So with that, they'd somehow wriggled through into the Round of 16, where they'd face the Northern Sunrise Islands. Surely a plane ticket home? In fact, Shaun was so convinced that they were going home, that he packed both his suitcases and left them in the small rental car, assuming he'd be heading back to the airport in about an hour and half when kick off came.

Shaun had never actually enjoyed a game of football before this.

Despite the fact there were no goals for either side, it was one of the best matches he'd witnessed. Many chances for both sides, as well as plenty of talking points. Was Ikarashi's shot over the line? Did Cunnington actually land a punch on Orayama, or did he go down easily? It made for good watching, and he was planning on watching the whole thing as the whistle went on 90 minutes and the scores were tied.

Kirigawa had only played three games of international football prior to this game, but they had taken to it like a duck to water. They played with the same speed, effiency and fluency as you saw in the SuperLeague. They played with a real spirit that can only be seen in international games, and Shaun even felt national pride when The National Song played through the loudspeakers.

As the seconds ticked down to penalties, Matsuo Ikarashi got a long ball after a defensive mistake, and he was clean through, but with two Sunrise defenders charging back towards the goal. He dug his foot under the ball, digging up a tuft of grass and sendiong the ball high up into the crisp night air. The harsh stadium lights blocked out the ball, and everybody struggled to see it. Including Shaun. Apparently, Matthew Di Martine had managed to get his foot to the ball of the line, and he sent it flying out of the goal mouth and out of danger. The referee, having blatantly not seen the shot and clearance, reacted to the bawling of 22,000 Northern Sunrise fans and didn't award the goal, casuing Shaun to throw his paper beer cup onto the floor in disgust. It was in fact over the line, by a couple of inches, but inches nonetheless.

So the 120 minutes dwindled into the perfect, and it was penalties. Was this to become Kirigawa's poison chalice? Or could it lead to brighter fields. All planes, rankings and scores went out the window when it came to penalties. It was simply one man, one keeper. And 60,000 screaming fans. The maths (Shaun's speciality) was vastly in the taker's favour, he the numbers rolled out of his head and into real life. He shook the 1s and 2s out of his head and focused on the first kick. Damien Bonaparte of NSI was going to take the first kick against a bouncing Shinzuda. Against a back-drop of blue and yellow, he calmly slots the ball into the top right hand corner. Game on.

Shibata Orayama would be the first of the Blossoms to step up. The ball rested on the spot. Shibata exhaled. The crowd were screaming their lungs out. He ran up erratically and thundered the ball into the crossbar, sending it careering almost as high as Shaun's lofty seat.

Despair. Total and utter despair. Shaun could not believe it. How could all this brilliance could down the plughole.

Larissa Pereira, a woman, was going to take the second kick for NSI, and she had chance to knock the Blossoms out of the competition. Pereira obviously wasn't very good at maths, as she didn't choose the edges or corners of the goal. In fact, she missed the goal altogether. She placed it with mysterious preciseness, as if she'd been told from the the etha that she must shoot there or face doom. She turned on her heels and marched back to the team, still confident of victory.

Mazatiri Nizihara, Kazamaki Advance's notably pacy winger, was to take the next penalty. He was tall for a Kirigawan, standing at 6ft 2 inches. He was the sort of the player who'd bring the party tricks in the 14th minute when you were 1-0 down. And the pressure of the situation didn't stop from trying the ultimate humiliation for the goalkeeper. The Pirlo chip. Nobody knew why it was called the Pirlo chip? It was probably some sort of Apoxian crisp. Anyway, he dug his foot under the ball and sent it looping into the gaping net, NSI keeper Cunnington lying on the floor to the right hand side of the goal. Head in his hands.

Shame.

With Kirigawa in the lead, the pressure was now shifted onto the Marills. Brendan Crawford was to take the next penalty. A confident, young player, playing overseas in Darmen. Shaun sneered at his comfortable cockyness. He hoped the ground would open up and eat him as he strode up to the spot. In a few seconds it would be Crawford himself who wanted the ground to open up and eat him. He sliced the penalty too much, and sent it rolling to the far right of the post. The stand was deathly silent. How could our star miss such an easy chance? It defied physics, time and national law.

Shaun was literally on the edge of his seat. He had moved from his certified press desk and had gone to stand in the stairway. His perch was someway from the action, but he got a good enough view. The next penalty was to be taken by Ruda Kirigime. He'd scored twice against Baz Mat, and was technically top scorer. Not an impressive feat when your team had only scored 3 goals in the competition, and they were the only team to qualify with a negative goal difference. One of the handy stats Shaun had rustled up for the fans back home.

Kirigime was a lot less calm than Nizihara, but he wasn't shaking as he took the four steps leading up to the ball, but he calmly struck it into the corner of the net, sending Cunnington the other way. The NSI keeper wasn't having a good day. It got even worse when de Sousa's shot was parried by Shinzuda, and then Yoshito had the chance to the put the game to bed. With a cheeky grin, and he slammed the ball into the top left hand corner. Cunnington guessed it, but nobody could stop that shot.

Marcelo Lima had the simplest of tasks. There was a 78.765% chance that he could find a space of open goal, and keep NSI in the game for a bit longer. He got the maths right with his low right shot, and the ball crept under Shinzuda. But when there was a glimmer of hope for the Marills, Orayama shut it down so cruelly with a placed shot in the middle, again leaving Cunnington ruing the fact he leapt to his left.

Anthony Hawk had a slightly bigger task. Keep his country in the competition. Those 78% chances were looking pretty thin as Shinzuda made himself big in the goal. Despite being only 5ft 11 inches, he was an imposing figure. He produced his best save yet stopping Hawk's penalty, diving high and right, sticking out a palm to stop the shot destined for the corner.

And that was that.

It took a while to pick between the two, but I eventually chose Kirigawa as the receiver of the Fair Play Award. Congratulations to Apox for winning the Campionato Esportiva IV and Kirigawa for winning the Fair Play Award.

As promised, an unofficial Round Robin will be scorinated shortly between Apox and The Esportivan Dream Team.

[Swyftlandre]

Mästares Liga:

Apox v. Esportivan Dream Team
[1] (3) - (1) [1]

And the Champion v. Esportivan Dream Team results have been pushed out. This is an unofficial final.

Congratulations, once again, to Apox for a close finish.

[Apox]

They'de done it. John couldn't believe it, after all the effort they'de put in, the hours of training, the early morning runs in the cold and wet. And they'de won it. Sure it wasn't a World Cup, but few could win that. No, this time they'de won the Campionato, which they'de co-hosted along Swyftlandre, a nation they had made great diplomatic bonds towards as a result.

So, how had it happened? Well, it had been tense in the Swyftlandre Country Stadium before the start. 20,000 Apoxian fans had made the journey out, and had been in full voice before the whistle blew.

Asadur, who had been dominant so far, had struggled at the start, although that may have been as a result of their team insisting on wearing suits of armour when they played, something John had found odd. Dravid Scott, as always had led from the front, and had opened the scoring for the Red Dragons, shrugging off concerns that he may have not been fit enough to play, and he had insisted on playing, despite many words of advice against, despite the pleas of man medical staff. His goal, as traditional, was a long driving strike from far off, which buried itself in the back of the net, and was stuck for an awkward second or two, as the Asadurian defenders wrestled it out of the net.

The game restarted, but now Asadur had some more vigour, and were pushing a lot more. While they were slow from their armour, that did not stop their shot accuracy, as Jarvis Staniels, playing his final game for Apox, had to jump and dive in all directions to stop the shots going in. That's not to belittle the defenders, who did a sterling effort in keeping shots at bay, just some still slipped through.

Eventually, the Asadur goal came, although we don't know who scored, probably someone like Sir someone who something something's, or something liek that. Anyway, it was a fairly routine goal, having picked up the ball from a cross in after he slipped pass Jennie Scott in defense. However, not a side to let these things get them down, we pressed on, but were not able to change anything by half-time.

After half-time, a shot from Fran Gracie came close, and Tom Heeeh fed in a good ball, which Chris Maarsden was almost able to put away, except for a great save by the armour-clad keeper. Asadur picked up a yellow for bad conduct, and a free-kick was awarded. Jack Forster stepped up to the plate, and hit the ball hard from about 35 metres out. It bounced off the post, and hit the back of Chris Maarsden's head, before going into the goal. and so that ended Chris Maarsden's tournament goal drought, although probably not in the way he'd intended.

Olim Benzari came off for Fari Y after a twinge in his ankle showed up, and John didn't want an injury to come of it. Asadur had another crack at goal, but the shot fell wide. Finally, in the 75th minute, the Red Dragons sealed the deal with Dravid nodding in another to end his CE amazingly.

The final whistle blew, and the reaction was a mixture of relief and sheer joy, as the entire team and support staff went wild. We'd won something. All those hours had paid off.

Team Sheet from the Game (scorers in bold)
GK - Jarvis Staniels
RD - Jack Forster
CD - Dan Weekes
CD - Chris Neguwa
LD - Jennie Scott sub Fronden Abel 79'
RM - Olim Benzari sub Fari Y 70'
CM - Will Fich
CM - Fran Gracie sub Tom Mills 79'
LM - Tom Heeeh
ST - Dravid Scott (c) x2
ST - Chris Maarsden