Handball World Cup 13 - RP/IC Thread

[Ko-oren]

The Strongest Nations in Handball - Power Rankings

First of all, 13 nations in the Handball World Cup are definitely good enough to reach the second round. Unfortunately, at least one of them is not going to make it, and that is because of the 3-way tie between Felix, New North Aqmuland and Teyneyji in group 6. And then there are some that will make it to the final 16 but are not in the rankings, just because we think they are not impressive enough to warrant a place on the provisional top 13 list. Anyhow, two tiers of 7 and 6 teams: the Unbeaten Tier and the Honorable Mention Tier.

Unbeaten Tier

Nassau-Hessen (12 pts, +33 GD)
Polar Islandstates (12 pts, +27 GD)
Saintland (12 pts, +21 GD)
Estenia (10 pts, +17 GD)
Gregoryisgodistan (12 pts, +20 GD)
Ko-oren (10 pts, +16 GD)
Jahistic Union (10 pts, +18 GD)

Honorable Mention Tier

Royal Kingdom of Quebec (9 pts, +18 GD)
Friskney Eaudyke (9 pts, +14 GD)
Costa de Ouro (9 pts, +19 GD)
Felix, New North Aqmuland and Teyneyji (9 pts, and +31, +13 and +9 GD)

In the Unbeaten Tier, Nassau-Hessen takes first place for now beacuse of their superior goal difference. They win games by 8 goals and that's just on average. They've had some luck with the draw, but that can't be a reason to really downscale a team on power rankings as long as a team enjoys stats such as having the third best offence and the single best defence. So they are first, and they lead a group with Friskney Eaudyke and Patistan. Second is Polar Islandstates, with decent stats but most importantly keeping hosts and home-advantaged Costa de Ouro to a second place. Saintland is next, who are in a tough group with Darmen, Bandwagon and Star United States, but they still maintain a huge goal difference and four victories. Estenia is next: maybe an odd choice, but they are the only unranked team leading a group right now and they are doing so comfortably. Royal Kingdom of Quebec and Ancharmunn are trailing by 1 and 7 points, with Semarland in between. So again, a bit of an unorthodox choice for fourth, but at this rate I can see Estenia being the huge surprise and definitely Quarterfinal materal. Gregoryisgodistan is fifth as the fourth out of four 'perfect' teams on 4-0-0. The Greenblues are second last in the Unbeaten Tier with three wins and a draw, and the Jahistic Union are 7th with 3 victories and a draw over Equestrian States, Mendoya, Nova Pruthenia and Daritii. And that are the first seven teams, all of which are leading their group. But with eight groups, there is one team missing - Felix. They will follow in the Honorable Mention Tier, together with their group buddies. But first: the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. Second behind Estenia, they have the biggest chance of taking second place in their group and maybe putting Estenia in a place more fitting of an unranked team, but for now we're enjoying the upsets in Group 4. Still, the Quebecois are 8th overall, and first in the non-unbeaten Tier. Friskney Eaudyke is second in the tier for being the only other unranked team that is anywhere close to qualifying. Admittedly the team's philosophy does not exactly stand out, but it is doing the job and the slightly nepotist formation is still second in their group. Then Costa de Ouro, who are doing pretty well but honestly we expected more from a team that should be getting a lot more help from their home stadiums. And then in fourth, fifth and sixth: Felix, New North Aqmuland and Teyneyji. Three teams contending for two places in the Round of 16, and it's going to be a close one (except for Felix' huge goal difference). Felix has the best chance, and we're going to say Teyneyji joins them.

[HAUAHUHAU]

"Mom, what is it like?"

"What is what like?"

"What is it like to win?"

"Oh David, why would you ask a question like that, honey?"

"Because we never win."

"David, we've won lots of things. Remember when your football team got second place in the big tournament last month? You and your friends were so excited."

"That's second place. That's not winning. Besides, I was talking about HAUAHUHAU, not our little kid football team. Handball, not football."

"David, we can't win all the time."

"But we can't lose all the time, right mom? Because that's not fair."

"Sometimes it is."

"But why?"

"David, I'm tired. It's time for dinner. Let's go."

"But you didn't say why."

[Costa de Ouro]

Time to start the second half of the group stage! Cutoff off the port bow!

[Costa de Ouro]

Group 1
United States of Devonta 24–29 Ko-oren
Arvenia 24–27 Jeckland

  Group 1                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ko-oren                                     5    4   1   0   144  123  +21    13
2 San Jose Guayabal                           4    2   1   1   118  106  +12     7
3 Jeckland                                    5    2   0   3   127  131   −4     6
4 Arvenia                                     5    2   0   3   125  138  −13     6
5 United States of Devonta                    5    1   0   4   126  142  −16     3

Group 2
Star United States 31–28 Darmen
Fellow Citizens 23–24 Bandwagon

  Group 2                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Saintland                                   4    4   0   0   121  100  +21    12
2 Bandwagon                                   5    3   1   1   128  124   +4    10
3 Darmen                                      5    2   1   2   136  134   +2     7
4 Star United States                          5    2   0   3   130  137   −7     6
5 Fellow Citizens                             5    0   0   5   119  139  −20     0

Group 3
Nova Pruthenia 24–24 Equestrian States
Mendoya 27–27 Daritii

  Group 3                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Jahistic Union                              4    3   1   0   115   97  +18    10
2 Equestrian States                           5    2   2   1   141  128  +13     8
3 Mendoya                                     5    2   1   2   122  137  −15     7
4 Nova Pruthenia                              5    1   1   3   121  124   −3     4
5 Daritii                                     5    1   1   3   129  142  −13     4

Group 4
Semarland 32–25 Ancharmunn
HAUAHUHAU 30–28 Estenia

  Group 4                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Estenia                                     5    3   1   1   143  128  +15    10
2 Semarland                                   5    3   1   1   136  127   +9    10
3 Royal Kingdom of Quebec                     4    3   0   1   113   95  +18     9
4 HAUAHUHAU                                   5    1   0   4   131  151  −20     3
5 Ancharmunn                                  5    1   0   4   129  151  −22     3

Group 5
Sclabenia 26–27 Patistan
Friskney Eaudyke 32–23 Donwest

  Group 5                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Nassau-Hessen                               4    4   0   0   119   86  +33    12
2 Friskney Eaudyke                            5    4   0   1   139  116  +23    12
3 Patistan                                    5    3   0   2   124  136  −12     9
4 Sclabenia                                   5    0   1   4   126  146  −20     1
5 Donwest                                     5    0   1   4   122  146  −24     1

Group 6
Teyneyji 28–29 New North Aqmuland
Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland 21–27 Peruvian Highlands

  Group 6                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 New North Aqmuland                          5    4   0   1   139  125  +14    12
2 Felix                                       4    3   0   1   120   89  +31     9
3 Teyneyji                                    5    3   0   2   136  128   +8     9
4 Peruvian Highlands                          5    1   0   4   117  141  −24     3
5 Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland    5    1   0   4   109  138  −29     3

Group 7
The Intergalactic Mian Empire 23–26 Britonisea
Sasoon 23–28 Rizealand

  Group 7                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan                           4    4   0   0   109   89  +20    12
2 Britonisea                                  5    3   1   1   128  114  +14    10
3 Sasoon                                      5    2   1   2   123  127   −4     7
4 The Intergalactic Mian Empire               5    1   0   4   122  135  −13     3
5 Rizealand                                   5    1   0   4   125  142  −17     3

Group 8
Wolfbenz 22–26 Polar Islandstates
Nova Terra Divinia 31–23 North Britonisea

  Group 8                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Polar Islandstates                          5    5   0   0   142  111  +31    15
2 Costa de Ouro                               4    3   0   1   114   95  +19     9
3 Wolfbenz                                    5    2   0   3   119  136  −17     6
4 Nova Terra Divinia                          5    1   0   4   125  134   −9     3
5 North Britonisea                            5    1   0   4   120  144  −24     3

EDIT: Formatting.

[Costa de Ouro]

Handball Group Stage

The game of handball is full of pleasure
If one team wins by a good measure
People run, people shoot, people score
And the ones who are good, we adore
The ball swishes in to the net
Defenders moan, goalkeepers fret
While the forwards excite
And bring the fans delight
but wait - it's not the final!
No big team to be an idol,
some teams win, some teams lose,
but still out of mouths, praise profuse,
despite this being a great gauge -
yes, it's just the group stage.

[Costa de Ouro]

If no more RPs are forthcoming... then cutoff.

[Costa de Ouro]

Group 1
Jeckland 23–28 United States of Devonta
Ko-oren 31–24 San Jose Guayabal

  Group 1                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ko-oren                                     6    5   1   0   175  147  +28    16
2 San Jose Guayabal                           5    2   1   2   142  137   +5     7
3 Jeckland                                    6    2   0   4   150  159   −9     6
4 United States of Devonta                    6    2   0   4   154  165  −11     6
5 Arvenia                                     5    2   0   3   125  138  −13     6

Group 2
Bandwagon 24–24 Star United States
Darmen 24–29 Saintland

  Group 2                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Saintland                                   5    5   0   0   150  124  +26    15
2 Bandwagon                                   6    3   2   1   152  148   +4    11
3 Darmen                                      6    2   1   3   160  163   −3     7
4 Star United States                          6    2   1   3   154  161   −7     7
5 Fellow Citizens                             5    0   0   5   119  139  −20     0

Group 3
Daritii 27–27 Nova Pruthenia
Equestrian States 24–30 Jahistic Union

  Group 3                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Jahistic Union                              5    4   1   0   145  121  +24    13
2 Equestrian States                           6    2   2   2   165  158   +7     8
3 Mendoya                                     5    2   1   2   122  137  −15     7
4 Nova Pruthenia                              6    1   2   3   148  151   −3     5
5 Daritii                                     6    1   2   3   156  169  −13     5

Group 4
Estenia 24–29 Semarland
Ancharmunn 24–35 Royal Kingdom of Quebec

  Group 4                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Semarland                                   6    4   1   1   165  151  +14    13
2 Royal Kingdom of Quebec                     5    4   0   1   148  119  +29    12
3 Estenia                                     6    3   1   2   167  157  +10    10
4 HAUAHUHAU                                   5    1   0   4   131  151  −20     3
5 Ancharmunn                                  6    1   0   5   153  186  −33     3

Group 5
Donwest 31–27 Sclabenia
Patistan 21–29 Nassau-Hessen

  Group 5                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Nassau-Hessen                               5    5   0   0   148  107  +41    15
2 Friskney Eaudyke                            5    4   0   1   139  116  +23    12
3 Patistan                                    6    3   0   3   145  165  −20     9
4 Donwest                                     6    1   1   4   153  173  −20     4
5 Sclabenia                                   6    0   1   5   153  177  −24     1

Group 6
Peruvian Highlands 20–36 Teyneyji
New North Aqmuland 29–31 Felix

  Group 6                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Felix                                       5    4   0   1   151  118  +33    12
2 Teyneyji                                    6    4   0   2   172  148  +24    12
3 New North Aqmuland                          6    4   0   2   168  156  +12    12
4 Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland    5    1   0   4   109  138  −29     3
5 Peruvian Highlands                          6    1   0   5   137  177  −40     3

Group 7
Rizealand 25–21 The Intergalactic Mian Empire
Britonisea 24–27 Gregoryisgodistan

  Group 7                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan                           5    5   0   0   136  113  +23    15
2 Britonisea                                  6    3   1   2   152  141  +11    10
3 Sasoon                                      5    2   1   2   123  127   −4     7
4 Rizealand                                   6    2   0   4   150  163  −13     6
5 The Intergalactic Mian Empire               6    1   0   5   143  160  −17     3

Group 8
North Britonisea 29–33 Wolfbenz
Polar Islandstates 24–28 Costa de Ouro

  Group 8                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Polar Islandstates                          6    5   0   1   166  139  +27    15
2 Costa de Ouro                               5    4   0   1   142  119  +23    12
3 Wolfbenz                                    6    3   0   3   152  165  −13     9
4 Nova Terra Divinia                          5    1   0   4   125  134   −9     3
5 North Britonisea                            6    1   0   5   149  177  −28     3

[Star United States]

The Rise and Fall of the Starian Governments

Part I: The Rising
Part II: The Rising Cont.
Part III: Chaos In Golden City and Blu

Chapter 4: The Alarmed Nation

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF
STAR UNITED STATES

Addressed To: Members of the Presidential Cabinet

Message:

Dear Members,

I write to you to inform you that we have received a message from the federal building of Blu. The message stated that they are no longer part of the federal government of Star United States, and that they have surpassed the power of the mayor by murdering him. Luckily enough, I was in the building at the time of murder but, my guards did not let me leave the hidden room for my safety. They, along with the Mayor and his wife, are no longer with us.

However, this said person, calls himself, or herself, M., and has declared the city of Blu independent from our government. This cannot be accepted by any means whatsoever.

I cannot write much on here. We will have a meeting later today at 11:00 P.M. at the Star Building. Use Plan C.3.2.1. See you all there.

President Chris Cross

Star Building - Emergency Meeting
“Please remain quiet as I announce the names of the ones present,” said Jake Log, the Speaker of the House, and continued:

“One, Chris Cross, Executive President of Star United States
Two, Barren Walt, Executive Vice-President of Star United States
Three, Jake Log, Executive Speaker of the House
Four, Iris Marty, Executive Chief of Justice
Five, Zach Sherman, House Chief Official
Six, Madisyn Spei, Environment Official
Seven, Nora More, Trade Official
Eight, Peter Sanders, State Official
Nine, Rosa Flor, Treasury Official
Ten, Michael Cobb, Defense Official
Eleven, Marc Mani, General Official
Twelve, Hannah Turner, Interior Official
Thirteen, Chad Peters, Agriculture Official
Fourteen, Jessica Santos, Commerce Official
Fifteen, Carlos Fory, Labor Official
Sixteen, Samantha Fields, Health Official
Seventeen, Ruth Daniels, Urban Development Official
Eighteen, Pablo Lopez, Transportation Official
Nineteen, Henry Hernandez, Energy Official
Twenty, Jefferson Mejia, Security Official
Twenty-One, Samuel Richardson, Representative of the Starix District
Twenty-Two, Nicholas Wright, Representative of the Starix District
Twenty-Three, Cristobal Soto, Representative of the Estrall District
Twenty-Four, Miranda Horton, Representative of the Estrall District
Twenty-Five, Sheldon Carpenter, Representative of the Piasxe District
Twenty-Six, Courtney Summers, Representative of the Piasxe District
Twenty-Seven, Iris Jordan, Representative of the Opangue District
Twenty-Eight, Eva Goodman, Representative of the Opangue District
Twenty-Nine, Lynda Wood, Representative of the Herbeid District
Thirty, Margaret Morris, Representative of the Herbeid District
Thirty-One, Roberto Cruz, Representative of the Islands
Thirty-Two, Caio Fernandes, Representative of the Islands
Thirty-Three, Jake Kennedy, Head of the Upper Star House
Thirty-Four, Katherine Carter, Head of the Lower Star House

Welcome to this session. Thank you for being present.”

"We have a major problem. The mayor of Blu was killed and a M, as he or she calls him, or herself, has taken over the city under the name of the Socialist Party of Star United States." said the President.

"We have a socialist party?" asked one of the member middle confused.

"Apparently," added another one.

“Is this considered as treason?” asked one of the officials present.

“By all means. Mr. President, what do you suppose?” asked the Vice-President.

“I suppose Plan PWDA.” stated Mr. Cross.

“Mr. President! Are supposing to go to war?” asked the Defense Official.

“Oh no, Plan PWDA, Prepare, Wait, Defense, Attack. We must prepare. I suppose to locate troops around the city limits, and start a force migration of the people in the danger zone.”

“Why don’t we just bomb them?” asked on the men present.

“Sir, there are citizens in said area,” replied the Environment official.

“That’s why I suppose to wait and evacuate the people. If they attack, we defend and attack. However, I hope that we do not enter a civil war,” stated the President.

"But sir, the national federation of sports has submitted a bid to host a tournament, and the nation is co-hosting a Championship." added a member.

"True, this is why we must contain the situation in Blu." answered the President.

"Sir," said Pablo Lopez, "we must secure airports, harsher customs, and such. I propose Plan 102, to protect our borders by implementing this."

"Hm, true," added Hannah Turner, "I suggest offering guardians to the incoming teams and athletics into the nation for these upcoming tournaments, or tournament."

"I second it," continued on another member of the community.

“Ahem. Before we continue, we must vote on the following items: 1. Plan PWDA, 2. Plan 102, and 3. Plan PTAA,” stated the Jake Log.\, "please submitted into your device, which is located right in front of you, your vote. Thank you."

A few minutes later…

“We have reached a conclusion. There are thirty-four present, eighteen votes in favor are needed for Plan PWDA to be placed into action. With no further to do, votes against: five. Votes for: twenty-nine. With no further to do, this plan will take action following the rights of the Cabinet.

There are thirty-four present, eighteen votes are needed for Plan 102 to be place into action. With no further to do, votes against: fifteen. Votes for: nineteen. With no further to do, this plan will take action following the rights of the Cabinet.

There are thirty-four present, eighteen votes in favor are needed for Plan PTAA to be placed into action. With no further to do, votes against: nine. Votes for: twenty-five. With no further to do, this plan will take action following the rights of the Cabinet." states Jake Log.

"Good then," said the President, "now, we move on to..."

to be continued...

[The Jahistic Unified Republic]

JU Crushes Equestrian States
Jahistics Ahead for 49/60 Minutes, Including Perfect Half

Talk about redemption. A draw earlier in the group stage against the Equestrian States infuriated the Jahistic team, who vowed to never let it happen again. And it didn't, with a 30-24 victory.

For the first half, it was up and down between the two sides, with Aldrani Quila suffering what was then called a "minor concussion" at thirteen minutes of play. The ES had control for a five minute stretch and then another six minute stretch in the first half. Chen Duxu was able to lead the Jahistic side into a narrow 13-12 lead over the ES, with five goals of his own.

The second half wasn't as dramatic. The JU scored three goals in a row, which solidified their leading position. It came to the point where the Union was up by eight goals before the ES brought it down in a last minute surge, but it was too late. The Union won, 30-24, for their twenty-first game in a row undefeated in the group stage. They now have a five point advantage over the ES in second place. It should definitely be noted that EQS has played six games to the Union's five, providing an even deeper advantage.

Regarding Aldrani Quila, he is set to sit the first half of this game out, according to sources close to the team. This was after he dove, head first, into the crease in an unsuccessful attempt of scoring. He was not concussed, contrary to initial reports, but he does feel sore. With regards to that, here is the projected special starting line up for the match against Daritii:

GK: Kim Myung-Lee
LB: Walter Horssflet
RB: Zhou Likai
CB: Yi'quei Ban'yan
CR: Sa'kai Kimmei
LW: Jang Lun-kai
RW: Chen Duxu

There are rumors that the Provisional Government of the Jahistic Union, especially in Unolia, are already setting up large telescreens in major city squares for public viewings of potential Union knockout stage games. These have been known in the past to draw large crowds for public viewing and celebration, so we'll keep you updated on that.

As stated, the next game will be with Daritii, whom many saw promise in the beginning, but now sits with five points in fifth place, down on goal differential. As always, this game will be broadcast on Firebrand Sports for those in the Unoliasphere and on podcast for those living in Sanguinia.

Ken Un is a professor of Sports History at Hae Jae Bon University in the City of Unolia. He is also the Firebrand's official sports correspondent.

[Ko-oren]

KO-oren
[  ] Teams with a 9-point lead over the rest of the group
[  ] Teams with a 8-point lead or less, or no lead at all

Krisýna Dobrovská was unstoppable as Ko-oren powered past first seed San Jose Guayabal: she scored 11 goals out of the total of 31, while Schildknecht, Rosa and Yamamura were amazing in the back keeping out most of the Guayabalense counterattacks. Whenever possible, Xiaosi, Dobrovská and Won were also at the back, as this is still handball, but just the three by themselves managed to stop some early SJG attacks that were performed by four players or less. The amount of turnovers won by the Greenblues was huge, and the speed of transitioning between defence and attack was something else. If anything, the only complaint about the Greenblues yesterday was that they maybe could have risked more and scored more, but that would be a bit difficult as the entire philosophy of the team is to keep as much out as possible. Still, Dobrovská in huge form and Xiaosi (8 goals) and Won (5 goals) not much worse was enough to give San Jose Guayabal a run for their money. One bye day and 2 more games left, and Ko-oren is pretty much in the final 16 already.

Pretty much? Jeckland and Devonta can maximally grab six more points, to give them a total of 12. Arvenia has a game in hand, but they also have six currently, so they can get 15. San Jose Guayabal also has three games to play and a current total of seven points, with nine more points, that's 16. Welcome to the final 16, everyone! Ignore the pretty much from earlier.

[Costa de Ouro]

Cutoff, and results to come shortly.

[Costa de Ouro]

Group 1
San Jose Guayabal 29–29 Jeckland
United States of Devonta 24–23 Arvenia

  Group 1                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ko-oren                                     6    5   1   0   175  147  +28    16
2 United States of Devonta                    7    3   0   4   178  188  −10     9
3 San Jose Guayabal                           6    2   2   2   171  166   +5     8
4 Jeckland                                    7    2   1   4   179  188   −9     7
5 Arvenia                                     6    2   0   4   148  162  −14     6

Group 2
Saintland 34–19 Bandwagon
Star United States 30–27 Fellow Citizens

  Group 2                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Saintland                                   6    6   0   0   184  143  +41    18
2 Bandwagon                                   7    3   2   2   171  182  −11    11
3 Star United States                          7    3   1   3   184  188   −4    10
4 Darmen                                      6    2   1   3   160  163   −3     7
5 Fellow Citizens                             6    0   0   6   146  169  −23     0

Group 3
Jahistic Union 24–26 Daritii
Nova Pruthenia 24–24 Mendoya

  Group 3                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Jahistic Union                              6    4   1   1   169  147  +22    13
2 Equestrian States                           6    2   2   2   165  158   +7     8
3 Daritii                                     7    2   2   3   182  193  −11     8
4 Mendoya                                     6    2   2   2   146  161  −15     8
5 Nova Pruthenia                              7    1   3   3   172  175   −3     6

Group 4
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 30–28 Estenia
Semarland 23–32 HAUAHUHAU

  Group 4                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec                     6    5   0   1   178  147  +31    15
2 Semarland                                   7    4   1   2   188  183   +5    13
3 Estenia                                     7    3   1   3   195  187   +8    10
4 HAUAHUHAU                                   6    2   0   4   163  174  −11     6
5 Ancharmunn                                  6    1   0   5   153  186  −33     3

Group 5
Nassau-Hessen 37–26 Donwest
Sclabenia 27–27 Friskney Eaudyke

  Group 5                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Nassau-Hessen                               6    6   0   0   185  133  +52    18
2 Friskney Eaudyke                            6    4   1   1   166  143  +23    13
3 Patistan                                    6    3   0   3   145  165  −20     9
4 Donwest                                     7    1   1   5   179  210  −31     4
5 Sclabenia                                   7    0   2   5   180  204  −24     2

Group 6
Felix 27–29 Peruvian Highlands
Teyneyji 29–30 Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland

  Group 6                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Felix                                       6    4   0   2   178  147  +31    12
2 Teyneyji                                    7    4   0   3   201  178  +23    12
3 New North Aqmuland                          6    4   0   2   168  156  +12    12
4 Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland    6    2   0   4   139  167  −28     6
5 Peruvian Highlands                          7    2   0   5   166  204  −38     6

Group 7
Gregoryisgodistan 24–22 Rizealand
The Intergalactic Mian Empire 27–30 Sasoon

  Group 7                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan                           6    6   0   0   160  135  +25    18
2 Britonisea                                  6    3   1   2   152  141  +11    10
3 Sasoon                                      6    3   1   2   153  154   −1    10
4 Rizealand                                   7    2   0   5   172  187  −15     6
5 The Intergalactic Mian Empire               7    1   0   6   170  190  −20     3

Group 8
Costa de Ouro 31–24 North Britonisea
Wolfbenz 19–23 Nova Terra Divinia

  Group 8                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Costa de Ouro                               6    5   0   1   173  143  +30    15
2 Polar Islandstates                          6    5   0   1   166  139  +27    15
3 Wolfbenz                                    7    3   0   4   171  188  −17     9
4 Nova Terra Divinia                          6    2   0   4   148  153   −5     6
5 North Britonisea                            7    1   0   6   173  208  −35     3

[Costa de Ouro]

Cutoff. Kind of easy to grade RP's when there aren't any...

[Costa de Ouro]

Group 1
Arvenia 19–33 San Jose Guayabal
Jeckland 23–27 Ko-oren

  Group 1                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ko-oren                                     7    6   1   0   202  170  +32    19
2 San Jose Guayabal                           7    3   2   2   204  185  +19    11
3 United States of Devonta                    7    3   0   4   178  188  −10     9
4 Jeckland                                    8    2   1   5   202  215  −13     7
5 Arvenia                                     7    2   0   5   167  195  −28     6

Group 2
Fellow Citizens 27–28 Saintland
Bandwagon 24–23 Darmen

  Group 2                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Saintland                                   7    7   0   0   212  170  +42    21
2 Bandwagon                                   8    4   2   2   195  205  −10    14
3 Star United States                          7    3   1   3   184  188   −4    10
4 Darmen                                      7    2   1   4   183  187   −4     7
5 Fellow Citizens                             7    0   0   7   173  197  −24     0

Group 3
Mendoya 24–29 Jahistic Union
Daritii 22–24 Equestrian States

  Group 3                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Jahistic Union                              7    5   1   1   198  171  +27    16
2 Equestrian States                           7    3   2   2   189  180   +9    11
3 Daritii                                     8    2   2   4   204  217  −13     8
4 Mendoya                                     7    2   2   3   170  190  −20     8
5 Nova Pruthenia                              7    1   3   3   172  175   −3     6

Group 4
HAUAHUHAU 20–28 Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Estenia 24–27 Ancharmunn

  Group 4                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec                     7    6   0   1   206  167  +39    18
2 Semarland                                   7    4   1   2   188  183   +5    13
3 Estenia                                     8    3   1   4   219  214   +5    10
4 HAUAHUHAU                                   7    2   0   5   183  202  −19     6
5 Ancharmunn                                  7    2   0   5   180  210  −30     6

Group 5
Friskney Eaudyke 24–31 Nassau-Hessen
Donwest 29–21 Patistan

  Group 5                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Nassau-Hessen                               7    7   0   0   216  157  +59    21
2 Friskney Eaudyke                            7    4   1   2   190  174  +16    13
3 Patistan                                    7    3   0   4   166  194  −28     9
4 Donwest                                     8    2   1   5   208  231  −23     7
5 Sclabenia                                   7    0   2   5   180  204  −24     2

Group 6
Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland 19–36 Felix
Peruvian Highlands 27–37 New North Aqmuland

  Group 6                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Felix                                       7    5   0   2   214  166  +48    15
2 New North Aqmuland                          7    5   0   2   205  183  +22    15
3 Teyneyji                                    7    4   0   3   201  178  +23    12
4 Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland    7    2   0   5   158  203  −45     6
5 Peruvian Highlands                          8    2   0   6   193  241  −48     6

Group 7
Sasoon 22–27 Gregoryisgodistan
Rizealand 22–24 Britonisea

  Group 7                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan                           7    7   0   0   187  157  +30    21
2 Britonisea                                  7    4   1   2   176  163  +13    13
3 Sasoon                                      7    3   1   3   175  181   −6    10
4 Rizealand                                   8    2   0   6   194  211  −17     6
5 The Intergalactic Mian Empire               7    1   0   6   170  190  −20     3

Group 8
Nova Terra Divinia 26–30 Costa de Ouro
North Britonisea 23–34 Polar Islandstates

  Group 8                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Polar Islandstates                          7    6   0   1   200  162  +38    18
2 Costa de Ouro                               7    6   0   1   203  169  +34    18
3 Wolfbenz                                    7    3   0   4   171  188  −17     9
4 Nova Terra Divinia                          7    2   0   5   174  183   −9     6
5 North Britonisea                            8    1   0   7   196  242  −46     3

[Felix]

Previously

Cato, Felix

"Christopher... We have been studying this potential teleportational device for weeks now and we have gotten no results. Maybe there isn't a teleportation, maybe this thing was just a crazy Nationalist power flexing thing..." Christopher snapped, clearly tired of complaining and well, doing his job, "Look Enrique, we have been studying this thing and we have made some progress. You are telling me you want to just quit and tell the government that we found nothing conclusive? I am telling you this thing?" Chris points at the damaged remains of the device, "Is not a teleportation device? Common man, open your eyes! We are in front of a machine the Nationalists used to escape capture!" Enrique shrugged, "I dunno... It's that we've been researching day and night and we have gotten nothing..."

Chris just ignored him and continued tampering with wires and looking at his computer for simulated results and finally, when he got the result he wanted he pressed the button to turn the thing on. A shining blue light suddenly flooded the room stunning the two scientists in the room and taking out the power in the building exactly like what happened when the nationalists used it. A low hum greeted the two men as they got up and were greeted by five security officers entering the room asking what happened. Enrique shrugged while Chris softly said, "I think I might've turned on this device..."

Santa Maria, Felix

Takumi Kato's tip on the potential coup attempt was sent to the Felixian National Security Service which relayed the tip to the President of Felix, Tamara Van Der Ven. She sent out Felixian Army Special Forces to go into the apartment of Marcus and Edward to intercept the plot just a few nights before the actual coup and during a coup meeting. The cops fired smoke and tear gas into the apartment and the men in the room (not including Marcus) were shocked by the attack but couldn't do anything about it as they were immobilized by the strong gasses the special forces went in the apartment and quickly captured all the men involved in the plot and arrested them.

Barely two days later news broke out around Felix and the greater multiverse of this plot and in Felix everyone was shocked and surprised. Especially the man that was in a relationship with Edward, Marcus Townsend. In the hours following the capture of the conspirators, Marcus himself was apprehended and questioned for his role in the plot to overthrow the Felixian government but was later cleared after a day of questioning. Meanwhile, Takumi Kato was grinning widely at the news of the arrest of Edward and those other plotters. He still had most of the weapons from Mizuyuki and was going to use them in a new plot this time, without Edward.

So, Felix's reemerging democracy was not out of the woods yet. Takumi Kato still had plans to do the coup and despite his lack of sources especially compared to Edward, he had something his coup predecessor didn't have... A better plan and a less intimidating personality that could attract even some loyal anti-Nationalists.

To be continued...

[The Jahistic Unified Republic]

Jahistic Union: Group Three Champions
Will Face Semarland in Round of 16

The Jahistic Union clinched the group in their 24-29 win against Mendoya yesterday. Aldrani Quila, largely blamed for the loss against Daritii, sat out this game and will likely sit out the final group stage match against Nova Pruthenia. That match, however, is largely inconsequential and will not determine anything with regards to us. We focus, then on the knockout stage.

The challenge is simple: win four games in a row. Unolia, before the Union was formed, was no stranger to the knockout stage. Unolia had a 100% success rate in making it into the group stage. If it is to be considered that the Jahistic Union carries on Unolia's legacy in the Handball World Cup (which, frankly, it would be a travesty if the powers-that-be denied the JU's right to Unolia's legacy) then we expanded that to a perfect four for four.

Semarland, unranked, is a scary team. Despite their 4-1-2 (as of this article, matchday eight is pending) record, they toppled #23 Ancharmunn on MD 5. Now, they finished second in their group to #3 Quebec (a handball superpower, mind you), but that is still quite an accomplishment to such a sophomore team. They are going to go places, without a doubt, and could be an amazing-tier team in the future. JU-Semarland is going to be a great match, which might explain Coach Kim Dae's wanting to keep his B-Team out today. Maybe it's not because Aldrani Quila did poor that he got pulled from the roster, but because he can do great. It would be unfortunate to see Quila get injured before the KO Rounds.

Now, let's focus on the one non-Jahistic match we are keeping an eye on: Teyneyji v. Felix. In Group 6, it is more than possible that the #1 seed may just not make it to the KO Rounds. Felix has done okay, but not okay enough as now they are tied for 15 points with New North Aqmuland and threatened by 12-pointer Teyneyji. Now, granted, it's extremely unlikely that the former champions will be elimintated (Teyneyji would need to win by 25 goals), but if Teyneyji does well enough to send Felix down to second place, it would mean a duel with #5 Nassau-Hessen. A duel I would rather avoid if I was Felix.

If you do desire to watch an inconsequential Jahistic match, as always, it will be on Firebrand Sports and podcast on http://www.FirebrandSports.jru.com, free for Sanguinian viewers.

Ken Un is a professor of Sports History at Hae Jae Bon University in the City of Unolia. He is also the Firebrand's official sports correspondent.

[Costa de Ouro]

Who will make it and who will go home? We will find out in a few minutes!

[Costa de Ouro]

Group 1
Ko-oren 30–22 Arvenia
San Jose Guayabal 31–20 United States of Devonta

  Group 1                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ko-oren                                     8    7   1   0   232  192  +40    22
2 San Jose Guayabal                           8    4   2   2   235  205  +30    14
3 United States of Devonta                    8    3   0   5   198  219  −21     9
4 Jeckland                                    8    2   1   5   202  215  −13     7
5 Arvenia                                     8    2   0   6   189  225  −36     6

Group 2
Darmen 24–24 Fellow Citizens
Saintland 21–30 Star United States

  Group 2                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Saintland                                   8    7   0   1   233  200  +33    21
2 Bandwagon                                   8    4   2   2   195  205  −10    14
3 Star United States                          8    4   1   3   214  209   +5    13
4 Darmen                                      8    2   2   4   207  211   −4     8
5 Fellow Citizens                             8    0   1   7   197  221  −24     1

Group 3
Equestrian States 30–24 Mendoya
Jahistic Union 35–26 Nova Pruthenia

  Group 3                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Jahistic Union                              8    6   1   1   233  197  +36    19
2 Equestrian States                           8    4   2   2   219  204  +15    14
3 Daritii                                     8    2   2   4   204  217  −13     8
4 Mendoya                                     8    2   2   4   194  220  −26     8
5 Nova Pruthenia                              8    1   3   4   198  210  −12     6

Group 4
Ancharmunn 24–24 HAUAHUHAU
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 31–24 Semarland

  Group 4                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec                     8    7   0   1   237  191  +46    21
2 Semarland                                   8    4   1   3   212  214   −2    13
3 Estenia                                     8    3   1   4   219  214   +5    10
4 HAUAHUHAU                                   8    2   1   5   207  226  −19     7
5 Ancharmunn                                  8    2   1   5   204  234  −30     7

Group 5
Patistan 30–28 Friskney Eaudyke
Nassau-Hessen 32–23 Sclabenia

  Group 5                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Nassau-Hessen                               8    8   0   0   248  180  +68    24
2 Friskney Eaudyke                            8    4   1   3   218  204  +14    13
3 Patistan                                    8    4   0   4   196  222  −26    12
4 Donwest                                     8    2   1   5   208  231  −23     7
5 Sclabenia                                   8    0   2   6   203  236  −33     2

Group 6
New North Aqmuland 32–26 Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland
Felix 29–27 Teyneyji

  Group 6                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Felix                                       8    6   0   2   243  193  +50    18
2 New North Aqmuland                          8    6   0   2   237  209  +28    18
3 Teyneyji                                    8    4   0   4   228  207  +21    12
4 Peruvian Highlands                          8    2   0   6   193  241  −48     6
5 Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland    8    2   0   6   184  235  −51     6

Group 7
Britonisea 28–31 Sasoon
Gregoryisgodistan 22–24 The Intergalactic Mian Empire

  Group 7                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan                           8    7   0   1   209  181  +28    21
2 Britonisea                                  8    4   1   3   204  194  +10    13
3 Sasoon                                      8    4   1   3   206  209   −3    13
4 Rizealand                                   8    2   0   6   194  211  −17     6
5 The Intergalactic Mian Empire               8    2   0   6   194  212  −18     6

Group 8
Polar Islandstates 29–24 Nova Terra Divinia
Costa de Ouro 36–22 Wolfbenz

  Group 8                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Costa de Ouro                               8    7   0   1   239  191  +48    21
2 Polar Islandstates                          8    7   0   1   229  186  +43    21
3 Wolfbenz                                    8    3   0   5   193  224  −31     9
4 Nova Terra Divinia                          8    2   0   6   198  212  −14     6
5 North Britonisea                            8    1   0   7   196  242  −46     3

Round of 16 matchups:
Ko-oren vs Bandwagon
San Jose Guayabal vs Saintland
Jahistic Union vs Semarland
Equestrian States vs Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Nassau-Hessen vs New North Aqmuland
Friskney Eaudyke vs Felix
Gregoryisgodistan vs Polar Islandstates
Britonisea vs Costa de Ouro

[Ko-oren]

Power Rankings, Part 2

Nassau-Hessen (24 pts, +68 GD) (-)
Royal Kingdom of Quebec (21 pts, +46 GD) (+6)
Costa de Ouro (21 pts, +48 GD) (+7)
Ko-oren (22 pts, +40 GD) (+2)
Saintland (21 pts, +33 GD) (-2)
Gregoryisgodistan (21 pts, +28 GD) (-1)
Polar Islandstates (21 pts, +43 GD) (-4)
Felix (18 pts, +50 GD) (+3)
Jahistic Union (19 pts, +36 GD) (-2)
Friskney Eaudyke (13 pts, +14 GD) (-1)
New North Aqmuland (18 pts, +28 GD) (-)
Britonisea (13 pts, +10 GD) (-)
Semarland (13 pts, -2 GD) (-)
Bandwagon (14 pts, -10 GD) (-)
Equestrian States (14 pts, +15 GD) (-)
San Jose Guayabal (14 pts, +30 GD) (-)

Nassau-Hessen stays where it is. First place in the power rankings, and how could we decide otherwise. The team has won all their games, and even if those games were against some of the smaller teams in the tournament (Friskney Eaudyke, Patistan, Donwest, Sclabenia), and maybe this group was not as easy as it first looked. Then in second and third place we have the teams that improved most over the course of the group stage: the Royal Kingdom of Quebec and Costa de Ouro. The first ended up with just one loss in eight games and a huge goal difference of +46, including a 7-goal win over runners-up Semarland on day 8 (which is a great way to start your knock-out phase anyway). Costa de Ouro should be heavily profiting from the home advantage from now on.

In fourth place we just put ourselves. And why wouldn't we? One of just two teams with no losses in the group stage, and we made the final 16 as the second seeded team of all. We know our goal difference could have used some help, but that's not what our team is here to do. We are here to concede very little (and we succeeded somewhat: six teams conceded less than 200 goals, and we are one of them. However, even our 192 conceded goals can't top Nassau-Hessen's 180).

Saintland and Gregoryisgodistan come next. Gregoryisgodistan boasts a huge defence (181 conceded), while their Sanctii rivals had one of the greatest offences of them all with 233 goals scored and still just 200 conceded. They have as good a chance to reach the semifinals as, say, Ko-oren or Quebec regardless. Then in seventh place is Polar Islandstates, the last team with 21 or more points (which signifies a team that went either 8-0-0, 7-1-0 or 7-0-1): they finished second behind Costa de Ouro in Group 8. Yes, a runner up with a 7-0-1 record, can they be blamed? What they are doing in seventh is unknown to us, they could as well have been third or fourth. So if you're looking for a dark horse to bet on, here they are!

Felix is up next as the first team with less than 20 points. They rose three spots in the power rankings as they clinched the group with the difficult triangle of Felix, New North Aqmuland and Teyneyji in it (even though Teyneyji just gave up after a while). The biggest asset of this team is their massive goal difference: even in a tight group, even after suffering two losses, they conceded 193 goals and scored a massive 243. Forget Polar Islandstates as the underdog, Felix might also have what it takes!

The Jahistic Union is ninth as the worst group winner. They come from a fairly bland group with Equestrian States, Daritii, Mendoya and Nova Pruthenia and it makes us wonder why they didn't do a lot better. Decent numbers (233-197), but consider against which teams they achieved these numbers. That's also why they dropped two places. And then the last of the previously ranked teams: Friskney Eaudyke. We already tipped them as friendly newcomers, and now they actually are in the final 16. They don't really have impressive numbers, they won 4 out of 8 games and relied on a tie to eliminate Patistan from the group stage, but we just want to see them do well and cause some upsets.

The final six teams have been unranked in the previous edition of the power rankings (unless you want to include New North Aqmuland in the previous ranking where we just put three teams together): New North Aqmuland, Britonisea, Semarland, Bandwagon, Equestrian States and San Jose Guayabal. We don't really see any of these reach the quarterfinals to be honest, and if they do, it's probably because of luck. Bandwagon faces Ko-oren, Britonisea plays Costa de Ouro, San Jose Guayabal is up against Saintland and the Equestrian States have to play Quebec. That's not even the worst fate of these six teams: New North Aqmuland is to play Nassau-Hessen. The sixth of this group, Semarland, has seemingly the best chances against the Jahistic Union. Let's see what any of these 6 can do, but we are skeptical in advance.

[Semarland]

Jon Sigmund was ecstatic.

Yeah, sure, they'd lost a couple of games. But to come out second, as an unranked team, in their first HWC, against teams like the Royal Kingdom of Quebec and Ancharmunn, was a massive achievement. Jon was impressed with all the players. Every one. Even the subs who hadn't played as much, like Kristian Klein and Knut Marcssen, to the regulars such as Johan Pedersen and Yakubu Nzonzi. Every one of them had played their part to the maximum, and it had payed off entirely.

Advancing to the round of 16, they'd face the Jahistic Union. Ranked 14th, of course they would be no easy match. Jon thought to himself, "How can we break down this team?". It would be hard. The task would be tough, no doubt. But what was their weakness?

Looking at their stats, Jon browsed through their results. Won 6, drew 1, lost 1. Top of the group. Whereas, Semarland, won 4, drew 1, lost 3. Semarland scored 212 goals. They scored 233. Semarland conceded 214 goals. They conceded 204. Jon sighed. "Never give up" he thought. Before he knew it, it was time to go and begin the final training session before the big game. Striding out into the Costa de Ouro sun, he addressed his players, with his assistant Mikel Laursen standing by his side.

"Listen up guys," he spoke. "This is a first for us. A surprise for us, and the whole nation, and all handball lovers across the world. Who'd have thought some unranked minnows like us would qualify in a group containing the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, ranked third, and Ancharmunn, ranked twenty-third, of course. We'd be lucky to get third place at best. But we defied them. Do you know why? Never giving up. And that's the key to success. Persevere, have the right attitude, play your best and never give up.

Do you know who we're up against? The Jahistic Union. They're a great team. Both on paper and realistically they are better than us. A game against the 14th ranked team will be no easy task whatsoever. Does that mean we're gonna get hammered? Does that mean we're gonna go home, looking sorry for ourselves amongsts the boos and hisses of the nation? Absolutely not. If we have the wrong attitude, we lose. If we don't try hard, we lose. If we give up, we lose. So what do we need to do?

Never give up."

[Bandwagon]

Bandwagon Reigns Again
Bandwagon is becoming one of the most famous teams in the NS Sports World. Bandwagon is a powerhouse at many sports from Baseball to Handball. "Sports a part of our culture" wrote famous novelist from Bandwagon Ronny Boyle. "If we didn't have sports we'd be noobs. We are not noobs, We are strong. We are brave. Noobs are nerdy, non sports playing ones" he said in the famous Bandwagon Times.

[Friskney Eaudyke]

Sports
Eaudyke Times: Not conservative, but number 1 with conservatives

Excellent Eaudyke reach Round of 16
Felix up next as team exceed all expectations
By A. Nonymous

After being given a couple of days break from the job due to a small incident involving the former editor, a chair and my nose, I am back from the hospital. The interim editor seems like a nice bloke and has hired me on a permanent basis. So you're going to be seeing much more of me covering all the sporting events that happens, seeing as there's no-one else who knows about sports in here. Not that there's that big of a sample size of course.

But let's not think about this newspaper's impending doom, instead focus on the Handball World Cup currently going on in Costa de Ouro. Last time wrote about this was two games in, where Friskney Eaudyke had won both to the surprise of many. Now, with the group stage over, Eaudyke qualified relatively comfortably from the group with a game to spare, fighting off Patistan for second spot. Since that last report, we had won two more games, drawn another and lost three. Let's quickly run through the games:

Nassau-Hessen 25–20 Friskney Eaudyke
The first loss of the tournament for Eaudyke, although they still gave an admirable performance against what was on paper a much stronger side. Nassau-Hessen ranked fifth in the world for handball, showed their quality, outplaying Friskney Eaudyke's players in every area, never in danger of losing. After racing into a five goal lead within the first 8 minutes, they remained calm and didn't let Eaudyke back into the game despite another fantastic display from Daniel Black, scoring seven of Eaudyke's goals. Other goalscorers were Samuel Herbert with four, Max Clayton and Riley Perry with three apiece, and Kyle Read, Liam Simonson and Tyler Schofield with one goal.

Friskney Eaudyke 29–22 Patistan
Eaudyke clinched a 29-22 win over Patistan on the fourth matchday to put them in the driving seat for the second qualifying place from the group. The team looked like they wanted to bounce back from the previous defeat and they did with a good attacking display from the front three. Both teams put on an entertaining display and the game was incredibly even throughout, but in the end Eaudyke's clinicalness won the game for them. Black was once again the top scorer, with eight goals, followed by Simonson and Clayton on six apiece. Adam Fry gave another great goalkeeping display to keep the Patistan attack at bay, but appeared to have an issue at the end of the match with his left arm, manager Aidan Simonson opting to leave him out for the rest of the group stage.

Friskney Eaudyke 32–23 Donwest
The second round of the group stage started off well with a dominating 32-23 win over bottom of the group Donwest. After the mid-group stage break, Eaudyke looked raring to go and showed it with a ruthless display against a weak Donwest side who looked disinterested. Ten goals from Clayton helped Eaudyke to record their biggest points total of the tournament, Simonson and Black also featuring on six goals each. Oscar Scott also produced a solid display in goal for his first game.

Sclabenia 27–27 Friskney Eaudyke
This is where Eaudyke started to get a bit off course. A draw against a team that hasn't won a game so far in the tournament doesn't help the chances of qualifying from the group. Luckily, at this point it didn't really matter, as Patitsan had lost their last game while Eaudyke were on a bye day, but it was still disappointing. Scott, who had done so well in his first game, had a bit of a nightmare as he made several errors to allow the Sclabenians through. At the other end, Black once again topped the scoring with seven goals, followed by Clayton on six and Riley on five.

Friskney Eaudyke 24–31 Nassau-Hessen
Despite a heavy loss to Nassau-Hessen in their pneultimate game, Friskney Eaudyke qualified from the group in second place with a game to spare. It was a similar situation to the first time they had met, with Nassau-Hessen's much more skilled players outplaying Eaudyke's twenty-somethings. Scott in goal did well and kept the score as low as it was, obviously hoping to put his less than impressive display last match out of his mind. Clayton scored seven in the game to claim the top scorer spot, Black and Herbert following on five each.

Patistan 30–28 Friskney Eaudyke
A game that was a bit irrelevant seeing as the qualifying places had already been decided served up an exciting high scoring game between 2nd and 3rd place. Simonson had decided to rest some of the key players a bit more this game, in anticipation for the next round, so the game was left for match practice for the usual substitutes. the game was end to end and the lead changed hands every few minutes, with both teams giving it their all despite the game's unimportance. Heading up the scoresheet this time was Riley with eight, followed by Clayton on seven and Simonson also on seven.

Friskney Eaudyke next face Felix in the Round of 16, surely much more of a challenge for the team and one not many people expect them to win. Still weirder things have happened and as we've seen in the tournament so far, Eaudyke like surprising people. Manager Aidan Simonson certainly thinks that his team stands a chance, saying to me, "We don't expect the team to win , but if they play at their best we have a decent possibility of a win. It helps that we have Aidan back as well, he's a real asset to the team and one we've been missing over the past few games."

[Costa de Ouro]

Nervousness

Right before that big game -
whose heart doesn't tick like that big clock
your grandfather had on the wall
whose arms made great big noises
and whose gong rang every time the hour turned?

Who didn't have that rush of excitement
that seems to start at your toes
and flow up your body
like one long river, bringing
you that sense of adrenaline?

Who didn't feel nervous before a big event?
I, for one, did.

[Costa de Ouro]

We will now see who goes home and who advances to the quarterfinals! Cutoff.

[Costa de Ouro]

Ko-oren 30–19 Bandwagon
San Jose Guayabal 21–21 Saintland (24–23 AET)
Jahistic Union 35–15 Semarland
Equestrian States 29–27 Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Nassau-Hessen 28–25 New North Aqmuland
Friskney Eaudyke 20–27 Felix
Gregoryisgodistan 32–24 Polar Islandstates
Britonisea 21–36 Costa de Ouro

(EDIT/2: Formatting)