Cornellian World Cup 2015 - (Closed, Cornellia Only)

[Vyrsar]

Presented by the Värsker Deutscher Fußball-bund

Match Results: Day Two

Group A
Gylias 1-0 Jedoria

Group B
Arbites 2-1 Julianicia

Group C
Nekulturnya 1-3 Austrania

Group D
Allamuunic S. 2-2 Laudine

OOC: The results for Day Three matches will be posted at 13:00 EST on April 11th. The cutoff/post deadline is at 12:00 EST on April 11th.

[Gylias]

Gylias-Jedoria match, 28:36
Olympiastadion Zürich

Arda Shanrek was on paper supposed to be focused on the match. In practice, her body was present, but her mind was wandering off into other directions. It was an enjoyable match so far, but she had felt a bit flustered by the fact that the Jedorians didn't really respond to her attempts to start conversation. It didn't really make a difference, since the main action at that point seemed to be on the entire other side of the pitch from her, and it had been well-covered by her teammates by now, so she had time to slow down for a bit and relax.

She had planned to go to bed early the previous night, but had instead wound up staying up slightly late chatting with her friend Natalia Scarpa. They shared several interests in common, and had helped expand each other's horizons; Natalia had turned Arda onto figure-skating, while Arda had done her best to introduce Natalia to funk rock. Last night's conversation had mainly revolved around figure-skating, and the memories of that were still quite fresh in Arda's mind, even as she moved about on the pitch. She couldn't help but be spellbound by both Natalia's descriptions, and the act of actually seeing figure-skating, and the agile moves it trained its practitioners to execute with the greatest of ease.

Arda saw that the ball had begun moving towards her area of the pitch, courtesy of Adrian Lucescu who was doing a pretty good job of dribbling so far past her teammates. She picked up the pace herself, scanning the pitch around her and seeing Traian Bratu ahead. On a hunch, she began moving towards the other player's direction, in the event that a pass was being planned.

Lucescu did end up doing exactly that, passing forward when he found himself being closed in by the Gylian defenders. Unfortunately, he kicked the ball slightly harder than necessary, giving it a slight elevation; it wasn't enough to be an aerial pass, but it lifted the ball off the ground somewhat. In practice, it meant that the pass was heading towards Bratu's chest instead of feet.

Finding herself in a good position, Arda continued running towards the front of Bratu, and it seemed likely that she would be able to intercept the ball before the pass connected. At that moment, the rush of likely success mixed in her mind with her previous thoughts, and she smirked and thought, Hehe, I'm gonna get the ball anyways, might as well try to be impressive!

Arda suddenly interrupted her running by jumping forward, giving herself enough of a push from the feet and a twirling motion to spin counterclockwise for the duration of her time in the air. It wasn't a perfect spin, by any means, but it would do. She extended her right foot, and managed to time it just right so that it connected with the ball and she kicked it mid-spin.

Unfortunately, she misjudged the trajectory the kick would impart, so the ball flew towards the touchline and passed it, bouncing off the wall that enclosed the pitch, right next to an advert for a Vyrsarian weapons manufacturer.

The referee blew the whistle and granted the Jedorians a free throw. As the Gylian team deployed itself to respond, Panagiotakis Xanthopoulos approached Arda and said, "Wow, Arda, that was really cool! You need to work on your targeting, but that was still pretty fuckin' ace!"

Arda grinned, and said, "Thanks! I'm glad you liked it, yeah, I'll definitely be working on it, no worries."

"I didn't know you were into ballet!", Panagiotakis added.

"Er... I was trying to do a Lutz, actually.", Arda replied sheepishly.

"A what's now?"

---

Gylias-Jedoria match statistics

Goals scored
Navan Dzíorny (11:11)

Fouls
None

Starting lineup
Tzane Leuthej (goalkeeper)
Rubinho Rodrigues
Dietmar Enns
Arda Shanrek
Nar Enylesh
Navan Dzíorny
Nels Langenberg
Panagiotakis Xanthopoulos
Xadje Korxal
Bhaksa Terneshyk
Mared Terneshyk

Substitutions
Bhaksa Terneshyk > Kalse Ramned (45:00)
Mared Terneshyk > Hurik Davidyan (45:00)

Possession
Gylias 48%
Jedoria 52%

[Shalum]

Zurich, Vyrsar
Altana Arena

As the final whistle blew, Thomas Carmichael could only pant tiredly and rest his hands atop his head as he looked around the stadium, eyeing both his teammates and the fans from his home country that had flown in to support the team. From where he stood, he could see a number of long faces and people shaking their heads as they made their way out of the stadium. It had been a hard fought match, for certain, but his team simply had not been able to hold out against the regional champions in the end.

For a while, the match had been going in their favor, all things considered. They had managed to keep it together all the way into half-time, where they took the opportunity to rest and regroup, and attempt to come up with a plan to counter the Edomites. They got one brewed up, thankfully, but within the first few minutes of the second half, the center midfielder Sarah Walker was being assisted off the field, an apparent knee injury that had many in the Shalumite crowd on their feet calling out for a card that never came.

From that point on, things seemed to go downhill for the Shalumite team, the wind leaving their sails. Sarah Walker was one of the midfielders on the team, and was an asset on both offense and defense. In her place came Hector Forrest, a player that was a couple of years older than her, but arguably not as good. He was a foot taller than the person who he was replacing, and wasn’t the natural ball handler like she was. The upside to him was that he was faster, and a fair amount stronger too. Alas, it wouldn’t be enough in the end though.

“Fucking bastards!” Was what many of the national team members heard as they arrived at their section of the sidelines. On one of the benches, under an overhang, an injured Sarah Walker could be seen, the team physio kneeling down beside her, looking over her knee injuries. “That hurts like a bitch, doc. Do you think I’ll be able to play again soon?” She inquired. Pain or not, she was a fighter, and she didn’t want some Edomite scumbags who thought they could get away with a foul to take her out of the running so soon.

The team physio was not a small man, nor was he the most fit, as he was in his late forties and could stand to lose twenty pounds or so. His once red hair was gray now and receding, though he shaved it regularly as if her were bald, so it was harder to tell that. Her thin lips were pressed into a thin line as he glanced up at her. “We’ll see, lassie. Give it a few days, follow my instructions about resting, and we’ll get you a knee brace too. You’re lucky its not a bad injury as it is.” He smiled kindly, patting her on the leg, before standing up and brushing off his legs.

Over the next ten minutes or so, the team would talk among themselves, especially with the injured player, as they waited for their transportation to show up. When it finally did, they would make their way out as a team, and head back to the hotel where they were staying for the duration of the cup. Later on, a few would head out to see the town, explore and eat. There was a rather strict ‘no drinking’ policy among them, as it was bad practice to get hammered during these sorts of events, something that was made rather clear in their contracts as well...

Of course, not everyone followed those rules exactly. Veteran striker Samuel Lange and a few compatriots ended up at a bar, drinking and talking among themselves as they did their best to shrug off the loss. For the most part though, the Shalumites were more mundane in their actions. There would be plenty of time later to celebrate, as they were hopeful that they would have a win next time around. People like Thomas Carmichael, who had broken off for a bit to call his fiance, were honored to simply have this opportunity to go up against pros whom they idolized back home.

[Vyrsar]

Presented by the Värsker Deutscher Fußball-bund

Match Results: Day Three

Group A
Vyrsar 1-0 Gylias

Group B
Adiron 3-2 Arbites

Group C
Schottia 2-1 Nekulturnya

Group D
New Edom 0-1 Allamuunic S.

OOC: The results for Day Three matches will be posted at 17:00 EST on April 13th. The cutoff/post deadline is at 16:30 EST on April 13th.

[New Edom]

Daniel Imlah sat sadly in his hotel room; he had not let his glumness affect the team, reminding them that last year they'd had a bad run at first then climbed steadily to victory, but still, to lose 0-1, never getting a single goal so early in the Cup had depressed them a bit. Prayer and devotions time with the chaplain, a message from Dr. Alexander pepping them up, and an early practice tomorrow. Fight, fight fight, that was the ticket. Just as when he had been an NCO, he didn't let them see his depression or exhaustion until later.

That Hulms was a damned good goalkeeper; that giant Haeldunn had fended off Cleopas' most brilliant ducking and weaving like a wall. Cleopas was hopping, determined that he'd see the Regulars on the pitch again. in fact the sheer number of huge men on the other team was a bit shocking to see as they lined up for the start of play.

Ah well, time to watch something not football related. He turned on the satellite TV to check out some possibilities--and there was the Paladin Cinemas Movie Review lineup.

New Edomite National News Report

Opening bars of Pictures at an Exhibition play as a globe spins with pins popping up on various points of the world. Split screen images of natural disasters, celebrations, military actions, elections, royal ceremonies, celebrity events are showin, occasionally with New Edomite news anchors talking about them, and then fades to a news desk.

A raven haired woman with olive skin, dark brown eyes with a rosebud mouth, a slim nose and a statuesque figure sat behind a news desk with the New Edomite flag imposed over a silhouette map of the Allied States of New Edom behind her. “Good evening,” she said, looking up with a smile. It was clear that above the waist at least she wore nothing but a gold cross on a chain, though her image was pixelated for those nations censoring such an appearance. “I’m Lavinia Tuller, and this is a NENN Arts and Entertainment Review with Professor Quaestor. And over to you Professor!"

Professor Quaesto, calm, patrician of face and silver of hair, sat comfortably at a table with a man with a long, homely but somehow arresting face, thick though short cut black hair, smoking a cigarette and smiling and waving with a grin. "Hello, thank you Lavinia, and I'm here with one of New Edom's wealthiest self made men, Mr. Michael Mallarhyde--"

"Mike" said Mike Mallarhyde. "Everyone calls me Mike, Professor. But you don't mind if I call you Professor, right?"

"Not at all, Mike," said Professor Quaestor as though the sounds were unnatural. "So..Mike...we have quite a blockbuster movie lineup at Paladin Cinemas, of which you are one of the senior board members, while still running...er...Mike's Monkey House, isn't that right?"

Yes, that's right Professor. Quite a lot of movies coming up, and I've become something of a movie buff let me tell you. And it helps with the monkeys too. By the way folks at home...we sell all kinds of monkeys at Mike's Monkey House, from marmosets to baboons! Anywhoo, yes back to movies! Well we have a bunch of action/adventure, like "Big Rigs: Over The Road Racing", which is just what it sounds like, only it's an action movie about a man wrongfully accused--it has good honest nudists in it too which surprised me in a foreign flick, but I don't think it's as good as Smokey and the Bandit which has a bit of a similar concept.

"The Final Fatherland" a bit more of a serious picture about a potential world apocalypse due to corruption in the World Assembly which confronts the SATCO alliance is pretty serious stuff, but I question whether it has the gravitas and screen memorability of a film like "28 Days Later" which explores the same themes and I feel in a more mature way. So we'll see...you may notice I'm wondering if movies today are really up to the standards of the past?

"The Horror line up is led impressively by "Morgan Thames " which I think shows a lot of promise though I think it cannot help but be an homage to an earlier film, "Murders in the Rue Morgue" but perhaps an homage is a good reminder of an earlier time of classic filmmaking.

"Mystery is often something I prefer to horror, and I'm reminded of "Night at the Museum" when I think of what a good mystery with a touch of light heartedness is, and I wonder if that's what we're going to see in "Bleeding Leaf Town". Maybe, maybe not, it's hard to top the greats.

"We have few romantic comedies or anything else in our blockbuster line up, but an interesting looking monster movie called "Itsasugea" is being presented, and I'm thinking, "Now wait a sec...haven't we seen this before in the ever classic movie which has the name of the monster in the title, of course speaking here of the touching and yet unsettling and exciting "King Kong"?" he chuckled. "Well Professor, I think we live in interesting times but when it comes to film, we perhaps stand on the shoulders of giants."

"Well thank you, that's all the time we have for now, and we've been talking with Mr....I'm sorry Mike Mallarhyde of Paladin Cinemas..."

"And Mikes' Monkey House!" said Mike Mallarhyde as he waved goodbye and the camera switched back to Lavinia Tuller."

Imlah snored on the bed, remote falling from his hand.

[Ghant]

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Scottia beats Ghant 5-4

Schottia wins close game in thriller

4 - 5

Special Coverage

Vyrsar- In the first match against Schottia, the Ghantish team showed a certain resiliency and ability to fight back, but as the Ghantish proverb goes, "sometimes the whole is just too deep."

Mark Allen and Eion Killanen scored for Schottia at 12'' and 20'', respectively, giving the tiny southern island nation a 2-0 lead against Ghant. Despite the 2 goal deficit, Ghant responded the way it needed to, aggressively attacking on offense, which led to Markos Poxton and Damien Sturridge, who scored at 27'' and 30'', respectively, to tie the game at 2-2.

Before the second half, Gaston Avelione scored at 43'' to give Schottia a 3-2 lead at the half. Despite ending the first half down by one, it was clearly anyone's game, and expectations were for a wild second half, which failed to disappoint.

In the second half, Damien Sturridge scored once again at 57'' to tie the game at 3-3. But as the Schottian team demonstrated, they would refuse to allow the Ghantar to remain tied with them. Fotan Corner scored 65'' to put the score at 4-3, while yet again, Ghant tied the game expediently with a goal by Christo Ixeto at 70'' to put the score at 4-4!

The end came when Gaston Avelione scored his second goal which proved to be the final goal and game winner for Schottia at 86''. While fans across Ghant were disappointed, this isn't necessarily a total defeat. Several things were learned from this game.

The Good

1. Ghant has a strong offensive game. The fact that the Ghantish team was able to score 4 goals against one of the strongest teams in the tournament is a testament to how much better Ghant has gotten over the years. It was just shown that the Direwolves can do a great deal of damage to even an elite team, and that means that there is still hope that Ghant can advance into the quarterfinals.

2. Ghant is resilient. Despite finding themselves in a 2-0 deficit, Ghant came together and found a way to respond and get back into the game. Schottia took the lead 3 times in the game in which Ghant came back to tie. That shows that the team doesn't quit and has a mental toughness needed to stay in a big game. Assuming that Ghant can advance to the quarterfinals, such a quality could make the difference in a tight game.

3. Ghant is motivated to win. In a group that features Schottia, Austrania and Nekulturnya, Ghant is said to be the second best team after Schottia. This match indicated that, but unlike in previous years, Ghant doesn't seem willing to rest on its laurels. In the tournament, nothing is a given and as such, expect the Direwolves to capitalize on their first match as they move forward.

The Bad

1. Goaltending. Young goaltender Aitor Abasolo showed his youth and inexperience by allowing 5 goals scored with him in the net. While the youngster shows promise, he needs to develop his reflexes and focus on the strong offensive presence of the opponent if Ghant will have any chance of winning and advancing.

2. Defense. Veteran Captain Ireles Hisquexte was doing his job on the defensive side, but clearly he could not do it alone. Young defenders Mardo Umaga and Unai Goycochea were simply outmatched by the onslaught of Schottian attackers. These defensemen need to elevate their game in order to take the pressure off Abasolo in future matches.

3. Attitude. There were definitely some tempers flaring on the Ghantish side, which while relatively mild in comparison to previous tournaments, was certainly there. Poxton in particular was getting mouthy in later stages of the match, and despite Manager Michael Milakar's emphasis on discipline, it seemed that the Ghantish team took all they could muster to remain mentally right. In upcoming matches, emphasis on discipline will be key.

After the match Ghantish managager Michael Milakar had the following to say,

“Schottia played a hell of a game and they demonstrated why they are a flagship football program year in and year out. Fact of the matter is they outplayed us and deserved to win the game. Having said that, I am very proud of this team for showing a resilient spirit and refusing to give up the game. They came back and tied the game three separate times and hung in there. I know that people are saying that Ghant is clearly the second best team in the group, but for me that team is Austrania, since they won and Ghant did not. So if we want to be in that discussion, we have to win. Simple as that."

---

Ghant prepares to take on Austrania

Must win game

Currently in the group, Schottia and Austrania are up, while Ghant and Nekulturnya are down, after Schottia's 5-4 victory against Ghant and Austrania's 3-1 victory against Nekulturnya. This is a must win game for Ghant in order to be in a position to advance into the quarterfinals. While Austrania is a new team, they won a good game against Nekulturnya and are currently that team that looks to advance into the next round. Can Ghant capitalize on the momentum it had in the Schottia match? We will find out.

[Hittanryan]

Cornellian Cup 2015: Adiron Prevails Over the Imperium 3-2

Throughout the nation, most of the chatter about today's Cornellian Cup matches centered on the Adiron-Imperium grudge match after last year's heated battle. Would the Imperials lock down the field as they usually do? Or would Adiran coordination and technical skill be able to overcome them? Would Tom Hall or Ernest Carter be the Cetan striker of the hour? Those questions were answered in a back-and-forth slugging match.

The Imperium was stronger early on, making a dedicated effort to keep the ball in Carter's possession. After several attacks and blocked shots, in the 15th minute Carter scored an impressive goal past Townsend from 25 meters, seemingly in a repeat of last year's match. Seemingly in a repeat of last year's match, the Imperial defense tightened up, playing conservatively now that they had a 1-0 lead.

Adiron wasn't having it. After Lowe won the ball, he connected a pass forward to Ralph Green, who once again showed off an impressive degree of control against multiple defenders until he found Hall. The Adiran striker drove the shot home past the Wall to equalize things by the 23rd minute. The Imperium was forced to loosen up its defense a bit and focus once more on getting the ball forward. The Imperium thought they had a chance when the ball fell to Carter in front of the goal in the 28th minute, but Chin made a critical block when the rest of the Adiran defense was in disarray.

In minute 40, Davis demonstrated to the Imperials the dangers of complacency. Feinting a pass to Hall, he instead lofted a pass to Jiang who raced into the penalty box and slammed a shot into the corner of the net to put Adiron ahead. Just before halftime, Carter himself made another attack. Collecting a header shot forward by Reed, he found himself in front of the Adiran goal only to shoot wide pressured by Brooks.

If the first half wasn't exciting enough, the second turned into a real nailbiter for both teams. First in minute 46, Adiron was awarded an indirect free kick for an offsides in the penalty box, only to lose possession. In minute 53, Carter collected a pass forward from Rollins and managed to outmaneuver Rodriguez. Making space for himself on the left side of the box, he aimed a shot where Townsend could just get his fingertips to the ball, but not keep it out of the back of the net. It was even once more.

Finally after a few more cursory attacks by both sides, a scramble in minute 76 decided the game. Finding himself forward, defensive midfield Nguyen made a speculative shot that shot straight for Imperial goalkeep Powell. Although Powell blocked the shot, he couldn't collect it, and it bounced straight back into play where Green collected it and passed to Hall, who rounded Powell and drove it home. Although the Imperials claimed Hall was a hair offsides when he collected the pass, no flags were raised.

It was at this point that Carter started taking any opportunity he could to try to convert the match into a draw. Adiron's heart probably skipped a beat when, in minute 86, Carter took an unexpected speculative shot from 30 meters away at the right side of the goal as he noticed Townsend was loitering to the left. Townsend leapt back, apparently blocking the ball with just the tips of his fingers enough for it to bounce wide of the goal. Football fans might have been disappointed, however, when the Imperium elected not to repeat its impressive, if near-suicidally risky, banzai charge on the Adiran goal from last year.

Commentators have said both teams seemed better-prepared for each other this year, possibly having drilled specifically with this match in mind. Adiron had a tough time scoring against the Imperium last year; its two goals were a long shot by Davis and due to the Imperial squad abandoning its half of the field in the aforementioned banzai charge. Similarly, last year after his first distressing goal Carter found himself completely locked down by Adiran defenders. This year Adiron had tightly-coordinated passing that saw them penetrating the lauded Imperial defense time and again, while Carter was better-supported throughout the game by his attacking midfield.

This brings Adiron up to two wins in the Group Stage, positioning them comfortably to advance to the Round of Eight.

[Gylias]

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GNBS News

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Vyrsar-Gylias 1-0
12 April 2015 Last updated 7:42 PM

By Derien Rakseb

Alexandria Vandenberg scores only goal in match with one of Cornellia's oldest football practitioners, Vyrsar.

Their entry onto the field at 70 minutes, substituting famous forward Matthias Klose, undoubtedly helped take to the next level a match that had already provided much in the way of excitement. The different styles of the two teams, Vyrsar's famous no-frills emphasis on precision and Gylias' predilection for fluidity on the pitch, proved to be a great compliment throughout an engrossing game.

Though Gylias won the coin toss to start, Vyrsar took possession of the ball in the first minute courtesy of André Jäger, setting the stage for a dominance on the pitch that often left the Gylian team in a primarily defensive role. If anything, the reactive posture seemed to energise the Gylian team more than usual, with the defense consistently blocking several attempts by André Jäger, Felix Scholl, and Johan Neustädter to approach the goal area. Out of these, Nar Enylesh prying the ball away from Matthias Klose with the left leg at minute 16, and Naomi Mizushima intercepting a long pass from Kristian Mahler, may be the most memorable.

Arevik Moushian also acquitted themselves nicely as goalkeeper, defending several goals until late in the match when the Vyrsarian team began to get the upper hand. Their best showing is likely the leaping save against a volley from Matthias Klose at 45 minutes, denying the Vyrsarians a score before half-time. Second position would undoubtedly go to the spectacular upward punch they performed on a shot from Johan Neustädter at 59 minutes, if only for the scrimmage that ensued near the Gylian penalty area.

The Gylian team also registered several near-misses in both halves of the game, preventing the Vyrsarians from coasting to the easy victory certain observers undoubtedly expected. Most spectacular of these was the 34th minute, when Zardáy Thashnæn passed the ball up the pitch to Panagiotakis Xanthopoulos, who then moved slightly backwards to avoid Victor Kruse before launching a daring airborne pass back to Zardáy Thashnæn to overtake the Vyrsarian defense; the ball landed slightly short and produced a contest for possession between Zardáy Thashnæn and Nikolas Baer. Alexander Dreschler's defense of Kalse Ramned's corner in minute 66 and the header from Xadje Korxal in minute 70, which narrowly bounced off the post back onto the pitch, also served to keep the Vyrsarian team on their toes throughout the match.

The decisive score came late in the game, as Alexandria Vandenberg received a cross from Stefan Schäfer and then embarked on a long run towards the Gylian area, struggling to stay ahead of Nels Langenberg and Hana Matsuri. The run and dribbling were an impressive display of vigour on Alexandria Vandenberg's behalf, who even themselves seemed surprised that they managed to retain possession of the ball for so long. Ultimately, an inability to pass to any teammate without risking a Gylian intercept drove Alexandria Vandenberg to push forward, feint their way past Kalse Ramned, and take a shot that bounced off the upper beam of the goal past Arevik Moushian, at 80 minutes. The resulting break saw the Gylian players closest to the goal join in and spontaneously applaud them for their remarkable play.

The Gylian team made good attempts to rally in the last minutes of the game, with several stray chances and a near-scare from Hurik Davidyan that was ultimately defused by Tobias Braun, before full time was called.

National team member Dietmar Enns commented, "We're very fortunate to have played Vyrsar. They're undoubtedly one of the titans of football next to Schottia, so the opportunity is one time, one meeting. They played a wonderful game."

Team coach Sarna Dyrvedz expressed similar praise, remarking that, "It's a privilege to be able to play a team like Vyrsar. Their excellent conduct and play befits their proud footballing history, and I should hope for more matches such as this in the future."

Lineups, bookings and substitutions

Gylias
Arevik Moushian (goalkeeper)
Hurik Davidyan
Tzane Leuthej (↓ 45:00)
Zardáy Thashnæn
Hana Matsuri
Dietmar Enns
Nar Enylesh (↓ 45:00)
Kalse Ramned
Panagiotakis Xanthopoulos
Adna Acsir
Naomi Mizushima

Substitutions
Tzane Leuthej → Xadje Korxal (45:00)
Nar Enylesh → Nels Langenberg (45:00)

Vyrsar
Alexander Dreschler (goalkeeper)
Stefan Schäfer
Nikolas Baer
Tobias Braun
Viktor Kruse
Dominik Volland
Kristian Mahler (↓ 45:00)
Felix Scholl
André Jäger
Johan Neustädter
Matthias Klose (↓ 70:07)

Substitutions
Kristian Mahler → Markus Draxler (45:00)
Matthias Klose → Alexandria Vandenberg (70:07)

Match stats

Possession

Gylias
31%

Vyrsar
69%

Shots

Gylias
8
4 (on target)

Vyrsar
17
5 (on target)

Corners

Gylias
1

Vyrsar
4

Fouls

Gylias
0

Vyrsar
0

[Vyrsar]

Presented by the Värsker Deutscher Fußball-bund

Match Results: Day Four

Group A
Novitera 1-0 Jedoria

Group B
TECT 5-2 Julianicia

Group C
Ghant 3-2 Austrania

Group D
Shalum 1-1 Laudine

OOC: The results for Day Three matches will be posted at 18:00 EST on April 16th. The cutoff/post deadline is at 17:30 EST on April 16th.

[New Edom]

The team's diet was generally observed carefully. The traditional Baran diet was naturally health, but Imlah encouraged more protein, a little less carbs for them, , and either got South Acheronian style restaurants to be gone to or else got equivalents from local.

Daniel Imlah did his best to enforce that his team got at least eight hours of sleep a night, and had a 'rack and lights out' policy, and even checked on them. and insisted on a nap mid aft if possible.

"Try not to stay up too late," he said, walking by them like a caged tiger, pausing and glaring a bit at Daniel Cleopas, who grinned innocently. "You stay up to midnight or later, and what do you know? You might sleep it off if you're drunk, but you might get a pick me up and find you aren't in bed till four."

"Another thing," he said, pausing to glare at "The boozing itself. A fine spectacle we make of ourselves if we get falling down or puking sick drunk!"

"Yes sir!" bellowed the hulking Philips, chin tucked in, staring at the opposite wall.

"So in bed, lights out at 10! Is that understood!" shouted Imlah.

"WE GET YOU SIR!' shouted the team.

"Ephratites," said Imlah, "I want you to envision their plays on the videos we've watched," he said, moving to the goal keeper. "And you infielders too..."

He did his best to make sure they were in fighting trim to the best of their ability; drills and exercise, endurance maintenance, dexterity encouragement, and in the hour before they spent time praying, then in heartfelt devotions and rousing battle-type worship music songs.

From the Heir, Crown Princess Jocasta to the New Edomite National Football Team: the Griffons.

I am very proud of how you played last year and how you have begun this year. Remember that God sets authority in this world, and so Management and Coaches are there to guide and lead you. Do your best with the assurance that your Ruler loves you and will stand by you in all things, and let God's grace and mighty hand and outstretched arm carry you to victory.

[Novitera]

Zurich

The loss to Vyrsar was not such a blow to Noviteran pride. An expected outcome, given the quality of the Vyrsarian team. On the streets of Zurich, the team partied with their supporters not all too fazed by the loss. They were still getting paid well to be here anyways. Although the Jedorian match served to liven up everyone's spirits. A great roar from the stadium followed when Tokunaga was able to drive deep and score on the Jedorian goal keeper. It was their first win in this World Cup and hopefully not the last. Those few Noviterans taking the time to get away from professional basketball celebrated the win as well.

On the streets of Zurich, the Foxes found a quaint pub to celebrate their victory drinking the heavy Vyrsarian beers. Word quickly got out they were there and the Noviteran tourists followed creating a crowded atmosphere that filled the establishment to its capacity. They were waving Noviteran flags in the background and dancing to whatever music was playing. Many were behaving boorish and lewdly. One of the staff was pounding on the bathroom door where Keith Cortez had locked himself inside with a female of unknown nationality. There were scantly clad women lying on tables with players doing body shots off of them. Whoever the owner was, they would be walking away tonight a good deal richer than they were yesterday as the alcohol flowed. Leading the debauchery was Paul McBride who stood on the table shouting, beer in his hand.

"We lost to the Vyrsarians! So what?! When this is all over they'll still be paying taxes up the ass and living in this frozen hole. We'll be back beach side enjoying the sun and drinking good ole fashioned bourbon! Fuck you!" He yelled slurring his words clearly intoxicated. The crowd cheered in return. "And the Jedorians! Our Southern neighbors! Fuck you too!" McBride shouted, thinking of nothing better to say in his inebriated state. A completely classless "Fuck You!" chant followed from a crowd of drunken fools while McBride downed the rest of his pint. Some took videos of the spectacle on their smartphones and soon enough the clips went viral in Novitera.

During the height of the celebrations, some newcomers entered the bar. A group of four battered-looking Adirans came in. One had a bloody balled-up tissue in his nose, another had a cut and quickly-swelling bruise on his arm, a third walked with a limp, and the last seemed to be holding his side in pain.. Most likely drawn to the lively sounds coming from inside. At first the Adirans were mistaken for Noviterans, sporting similar colors. They looked battered and bruised but were largely ignored due to the crowded atmosphere and drunken state of the patrons. McBride was back on the table.

“HEY! Those aren’t Noviterans! What are you doing here?! And yall look fucked up! What the hell happened?” He asked though not too aggressively, the display having drawn the attention of the rest of the Noviterans. They looked at the Adirans and back at McBride.

"Fuckin' fundies! Imps! Hey, if there are any Imps at this bar, I'm gonna preemptively shove this bottle right up their ass!" one of them angrily announced to anyone within earshot. In the background, a man rather hastily made his way out of the bar. “You wouldn’t happen to be an Imp in Noviteran colors, would you?”

McBride looked confused for a moment. “Buddy, you’ll find no love for the Emperor here. Let’s welcome our Adiran friends huh?!” He yelled eliciting a chorus of cheers and raised glasses. Jumping down from the table, McBride walked over to the Adirans while everyone else went back to what they were doing.

“I saw the highlights of the Adiran match between the Arbiters. Close one huh? And I agree with the refs call. Paul McBride, I play for the Noviteran team. Buy you all a drink? I’m running low myself.” He introduced himself and looked at his almost empty pint.

“Well, at least ten Imps didn’t agree with that call. Whole bar had to put ‘em down, throw ‘em out on their asses. Didn’t change the fact that we won,” the man grumbled, before shaking his head. “If you’re buying, we’re not exactly gonna turn you down. Name’s Ed, by the way,” he said with a grin, briefly looking at his face. “Shit, I’m real sorry, maybe it was the blow to the head...or the booze. What position you play?”

“Center back, dumbass,” the Adiran with the tissue in his nose said, in a very nasal tone.

McBride laughed. “There’s Noviteran soccer for you. I’m one of the best players on our team and you don’t even know who I am. I doubt most of Novitera does either. But hey, I like the game and they pay me well enough so I play. And fuck the Arbiters. Adiron won. They can go home and pray about it for all we care eh?” He asked rhetorically. Flagging down the bartender, McBride ordered a pitcher of some dark beer and filled the glasses. “Got yourselves into a scuffle huh? Well done. Rest easy now. This bar is a Noviteran stronghold for the night and we’ll shelter you. You think your team is gonna make through the qualifiers?” McBride asked.

“Gotta fight the good fight, right?” Ed said, falling into one of the chairs and taking a swig from the glass gratefully. “I’m not gonna jinx anything by talking about who’s gonna win. I got money riding on this. But it seems to me like everyone down in Novitera is playing the wrong kind of football. Even you’re calling it soccer,” he said wryly.

“Ah! Football is played with a pointed ball. This is soccer! Don’t disrespect the WBFL now.” McBride said jokingly. “Anyways boys. Best of luck to your team. Hopefully we’ll face off in the next round. I’m fixing to bring a woman of ill repute back to my hotel room tonight and need to get that operation moving. Good night to you all!” He bid them farewell.

“Cheers!” the Adirans all said, raising their glass, one of them a bit painfully. “And make me some money out there on the pitch, would ya?” Ed said, laughing.

The rest of the night was spent with similar raucous activity, many shattered classes and a fight between two Noviterans outside that had them put in a Vyrsarian jail. Coach Grier arrived with the team staff and shuffled the Noviteran team out into taxis to be taken back to the hotel with some of the players having to be carried. Thankfully there was no trouble at the hotel save for Bright breaking a few of the lobby decorations and vomiting on the floor. The manager promised to pay for it all. Irresponsibly, the team performed embarrassingly at the next day's practice. Players regularly went over to the side of the field to vomit and it was difficult for them to function properly. Everyone moved at a slower pace, dizzy and dehydrated from the night's celebrations.

[Schottia]

ooc: I had permission from Ghant to use random Russian names to generate this match report.

The Daily Worker
Cornellian Cup Special
Marrian McFadden reports

---

Schottia 2-1 Nekulturnya
Goals: 59" Avelione, 68" Seggerson. (Schottia)
83” Archic. (Nekulturnya)
Possession: 58% - 32%
Shots: 12 - 3
On-target: 7 - 1

---

Goals from Alfred Seggerson and Gaston Avelione early in the second half were enough to give Schottia a win over an impressive Nekulturnya team. Despite their opponents pulling a goal back late on, it was strong all round performance from Barry Gorman's side, as they edge ever closer to qualification from Group C.

The match was met with a great deal of excitement back in Schottia from the moment the draw was made. Cornellia 15 would be a first taste of international football for New Belfast Warriors striker Ivan Archic, who was only 12-years-old the last time Nekulturnya appeared in the regional tournament. Having moved to Schottia as a refugee in 1998, Archic is a Schottic passport holder and has been asked on two separate occasions to play for his adopted nation. However, the SPL's top scorer turned us down, meaning was now set to proudly lead the line for his homeland.

Schottia made one change to the side which held its nerve to edge out Ghant at the Aeon Arena; with Handon United's Alf Seggerson coming in for Joey Bia on the right. The Scots lined up confidently, sporting their new black away-kits, looking very much like a side here to get the job done. Schottia started out brightly and made most of the early running, but having learned lessons from a 3-1 defeat to Austrania, their opponents were in no mood to give them an inch. Time and time again the Nekulturnyan midfield pairing of Frolov and Usachyov broke down the Schottic attack leaving their foward players feeling frustrated. This cumulated in Gaston Avelione being booked for dissent, after right-back Darya Yerkulayeva grabbed his shirt. Avelione felt she had fouled him, however the referee had other ideas and brandished the yellow card in response to the winger's constant appeals.

There was also a close call for Schottia twenty minutes in when Alexander Anrep dispossessed Jon Fotan and sparked a Nekulturnyan counter-attack. He managed to squeeze the ball through to Archic who showed some real quality to get past Darren Hanlon before hitting his shot just wide. The fact that Nekulturnya had this sting in their tail was giving Schottia some real food for thought, preventing them from committing too many men forward.

The Scot's best chance in the first half fell to Eoin Killanen, who picked up the ball in a promising position just on the edge of the 18-yard-box. The £8 million rated FC Zurich attacker out-turned Gosia Dyatlova getting himself through on goal. However he will have been disappointed as he fired his shot straight at Timur Assonov; the big keeper was quickly off his line. There were other chances and on another day Avelione or Mark Allen could have given Schottia the lead. It wasn't to be however, as a dejected Schottia side were forced to head up the tunnel with the scores 0-0.

Barry Gorman must have sensed that something needed tweaking at the interval, as he made a double change. Mark Kelman came on for Eoin Killanen, while Chloe Rudden came on for her debut replacing Larry Watt. With this Schottia changed to a three at the back system; Kelman operating as a defensive midfielder, trying to starve Archic of service and nullify that threat. In attack Avelione moved to a more central position, acting more as a second striker, with Rudden taking his position on the left hand side.

This new look, more attacking formation seemed to give the team fresh vigour, as they were able to crank up the pressure on the northern nation. One thing that Rudden offers in abundance is pace, and now with experience playing in one of the best leagues in the world, she began to give Yerkulayeva a torrid time down the left.

Schottia's breakthrough came on the 59th minute, when pouring men forward for another attack, the ball was squeezed out wide to Seggerson on the right side of the box. The midfielder did well to turn the ball back onto his left foot before curling his shot round Assonov and into the far corner. There were scenes of jubilation and more that a few sighs of relief as Schottia found a vital opening goal.

There was a danger at this stage that Nekulturnya could have collapsed, as the Scots were in the ascendancy. Time and time again they tested the defence, with a roar getting up every time Rudden, Avelione or Seggerson got the ball in attack. Allen headed wide from a Fotan corner and Gary Corsie skimmed the top of the bar with a 25-yard effort, as Schottia searched for the all-important second goal.

The fans didn't need to wait long, as this passage of concerted pressure had to eventually pay off. In the end it was the ever dependable, if not slightly eccentric, Avelione who got the goal for his side after a characteristically neat build up. following an exchange between Corsie and Rudden the ball was played back to Kelman who hit a long, low pass forward. It was a rare occasion where the Nekulturnyan midfield weren't on their toes; because everyone seemed to misjudge the pace of the ball except Avelione who's first touch took him one-on-one with the keeper. Schottia's number-10 then sidestepped Assonov before sliding the ball into the back of the net for his third of the tournament.

With twenty minutes to go Schottia could finally afford to drop the intensity, and Gorman took the opportunity to rest the goal scorer Avelione, bringing on Port Sebastian's Joey Bia. At this stage Schottia seemed content to pass the ball across the turf, with no apparent pressure from the Nekulturnyan side. The match was not yet won however, and there was time yet for another twist in the story.

The entire match there was a feeling that Nekulturnya could spring something; that if they got a clear-cut chance they might take it. Kelman’s inclusion at half time had seemed to keep Archic and Khigir quiet, with their side getting little in the way of luck down the middle of the park. Everything was about to change though, with one long punt from Dyatlova. Direct football at its best, everyone on the pitch was forced to turn and chase the ball towards the Schottic goal. Sensing that Archic would beet Hanlon in a footrace, D’Araby was quickly off his line to act as sweeper. In the end however, it was Archic who showed his determination, toe-poking the ball past the on-rushing keeper. It seemed to take and age but eventually the ball trickled over the line to give Nekulturnya a life line.

The Nekulturyan players grabbed the ball and ran back towards the centre circle for the restart, but in reality, there was little time left in the match. In the end Schottia will be happy with the result and the performance, despite the late slip-up. It can always be difficult to break down a resolute side, and especially one with a smattering of quality players. Next up the White and Greens face Austrania, another team who are largely unknown. With Ghant narrowly beating them in the last match the Scots now need at least a draw to avoid the dreaded three way tie. Assuming of course that the Ghantish can overcome this Nekulturnya side. On the balance of play over their two matches, you would imagine that Michael Milakar’s team have about enough to prevail in that game.

---

Line ups:

Schottia: D'Araby 6, Watt 7 (45 Rudden 7), O'Brain 7, Hanlon 6, Okywä 7, Seggerson 8, Avelione 8 (72 Bia 6), Corsie 7, Fotan 7, Killanen 6 (45 Kelman 7), Allen 6

Nekulturnya: Assonov 8, Yerkulayeva 6, Luski 6, Dyatlova 7, Gruzinsky 6, Bortnik 5 (52 Bobrik 6), Anrep 7, Frolov 8, Usachyova 8, Archic 7, Khigir 6

Man of the Match: Seggerson. It was a close call between him and Avelione as the Handon United boys made their mark. Great close, one-touch passing, and sublime opener from the 24-year-old.

---

Elsewhere…

Finally, in a quick round up of the other groups, we take a look at who will be feeling confident of qualification and who will be praying for miracles, as we approach the final fixtures.

It’s kind of as you would expect in Group A, with Vyrsar on two wins out of two and arguably their two hardest games already out of the way. The brilliant Alexandria Vandenberg’s late goal was enough to beat Gylias in a match were the host enjoyed 69% of possession and managed 17 shots on goal. Last year’s runners-up put up a fight, but the goal on 80 minutes all but ended their chances of finishing first in the group. Most people, taking this group at face value, would have marked out Gylias to finish second, or even to have topped the group after their performances last year. I however, always felt Novitera had enough about them to spring a little surprise here, so watch this final fixture closely. Gylias v. Novitera should be a “great winner takes all” match.

It is a really similar story in Group B, with top seeds Adiron firmly in the drivers seat. It is now definitely in the hands of Sam Drescher’s side, who would have to lose to Julianica to go out. This seems highly unlikely, considering last years third place side have looked good in their first two matches. Regarding who joins them, well it’s a straight fight between T.E.C.T and Arbites, both of them on three points, setting up another exciting final day encounter. If I were betting woman, I would put my money on the Imperium to join their Cetan neighbours in the last eight.

Group D, is by far the most open in terms of outcome. The Allamuunic States sit top at the moment, following a shock win over last year’s champs New Edom. There will no doubt be many in the Griffons camp still reeling from the 1-0 defeat at the hands of Vaalhulm Shraedur’s Regulars. It’s not total despair for the Edomites however, as a win against Laudine in the final fixture will put them through either way. The Shalumite team will be desperately disappointed with their tournament so far. A narrow defeat to the Edomites then a frustrating draw with Laudine leaves them rock-bottom of their group. Like New Edom, they know that a win in their last match may well be enough. A victory by two goals or more against the Allamuunic States should send them through along side the Griffons. And as for Laudine, well it couldn’t be simpler, beat the reigning champions and go through. Easy huh?

[Arbites]

Order Eidos Office of Sport
Magus Civitas, Imperium of Arbites Materia

So far, the Imperial population had heard nothing of their defeat in the Cup. All news media was thoroughly screened by the Imperium's state media, the Order Eidos. The government body had firm editorial control over all newspaper, radio, television, and Internet content. The Order, in turn, reported directly to the Curia, who set general standards of morality and kept potentially subversive content away from the Imperial population. On occasion, the Order even worked with the Inquisition to hunt down publishers and distributors of illicit material, which consisted of everything from Adiran propaganda to pornography.

Sport was no exception. Almost all of their sports coverage was domestic, and it was composed almost entirely of football and baseball. Domestically, it served a purpose. Success in sport would come as a result of excellence and piety; star players were portrayed as faithful and virtuous. Losses were interpreted as punishment for some unspoken sin, and that like the common man, could be overcome by prayer, sacrifice, and honest work.

Something about football just didn't mesh with all of that. At the Order Eidos Sports Division, feelings were particularly bitter after the Imperium's loss to Adiron. A group of older men, all clad in suits, some rather old and cantankerous, were discussing how to handle it in a conference room. Division Chairman Marcus Gould was at the head of the table, a somewhat rotund, red-faced man with a big nose and a stuffy demeanor. He was largely staring straight ahead, not listening to the speaker, a somewhat overeager up-and-comer named Demarco.

"...I think we should just do what we always do in reference to a loss. This was the Emperor's will. If the Adirans won, we should call on the nation to reflect on why the Emperor has seen fit to humble us. The nation should turn to the Scrolls, should repent for the sin in their hearts, and..."

"It's just soccer, Demarco," Gould finally interrupted. "Nobody cares if we lost a do-nothing game dominated by foreigners."

He seemed to swallow, not quite sure how to answer. "But, Chairman, this was a loss at the international level. To Adiron. Surely He is trying to tell us something? Should we not raise awareness of this? Would it not bring the Imperium prestige if we were to build interest in it? If we were to build support for it, so that there would be more drive towards victory? This could be an opportunity to..."

"It's not an Arbiter sport, it's foreign," Gould grumbled, cutting Demarco off and restating his point. "It's not a proper sport where you use your hands. It's barely a proper competition, there's so few points scored. It's a poor man's sport for shiftless peasants and liberals who cannot bear being reminded that there are winners in the world. That's why the heretics enjoy it so. That's why we should make no effort to popularize it."

Before anyone could respond, the phone rang. Gould picked it up, muttered a few words, and then hung up. "I've just received word, we are not to report the loss," said flatly to the room of suited individuals. Several nodded their heads in agreement.

"How? Last year we just spiked the story and ended coverage on the Cornellian Cup," Demarco said. "As far as anyone knows we never played that match,"

"Yes," Gould said.

"But this is the...qualifier? What do they call this first round? People know we sent a team, they'll know this round is ending soon," Demarco said.

"We will report as little as possible from here on out. We'll have stories on wins, but not losses...or draws. Interest is low anyway, because, as I said, this is not a true Arbiter sport," Gould said conclusively. "If Alexander doesn't make it past this first round, no one will hear about him again until next year. It's that simple."

Dacha Bierhaus
Zurich, Vyrsar

Frank Jenkins' night was ruined. This was supposed to have been a proper banker's holiday, him and his buddies from Beckham cutting loose in a land of sin and debauchery, cold as it might be up here in the north. There was such variety of alcohol, he'd been expanding his palette beyond anything the average working Arbiter could ever dream of. Jenkins even decided he'd make it big betting on the Arbiter team against the heretics.

Then he lost. All from a bullshit call that gave them a goal. He sat there stewing over his lost funds, bitter, convinced the heretics and their Vyrsarian heathen allies had conspired against the faithful. He'd heard the Vyrsarian sold the Adirans weapons which they turned on the Imperium. Who's to say they wouldn't conspire to knock the Imperium out of the Cup as well? And at his expense to boot. His friends had had enough of his grumbling and had gone to sit at the bar, leaving him to stew.

That's when a group of four people came in, raucous, drunk, their nonsense slang and casual vulgarity marking them as Adirans. They confirmed it when they toasted that damned ref's favorite Hall and to the Adiran team. He hoped they would move farther away, but of course they sat down near him. Of course they started gloating about a game they likely never played, a game they had no impact on, as though it validated their worth somehow.

"Maybe if Carter didn't have that stick up his ass, he wouldn't have gotten laid out so much," one of them finally said, cackling obnoxiously.

Jenkins finally had enough and butted into their conversation. "Maybe if your rich, prancing, fag coach didn't grease the ref's palm, he would have called a proper offsides," Jenkins finally interrupted.

The Adirans stopped and stared at him. "Sorry buddy, what did you say?"

"I'm sure you heard me, heretic," Jenkins replied, finishing his beer.

"Heretic?" the first one said, eyes narrowing. Then a smile crossed his face. "Well well, it seems we've got a fundy in the bar tonight. Oh and the name's Ed."

"You've got a few fundies in the bar tonight, Brother," Jenkins said, motioning behind the Adirans where the rest of his group of ten or so had risen from their seats. Outnumbered by more than two to one, and the other Arbiters were slowly encircling the Adirans.

The Adirans seemed to know what was happening, but didn't back down. Ed looked him dead in the eye. "Hate to break it to you, but kicking our asses won't make your team any less shit."

"Oh, I know. That's not why we're gonna kick your ass. We're gonna kick your ass because it'll be fun," he said, before whipping his empty bottle at the group. It caught Ed in the arm as he shielded his face. The barkeep started shouting at them in German, but he ignored it. One of his group, who was behind the Adirans, shoved a waitress carrying a tray full of beer at the group next. She screamed as she toppled over some of the chairs, Maßkrugs spilling all over, drenching mostly her but also at least one of the four. While the group of four was still a bit in shock at being attacked, the Arbiters descended on them.

As Jenkins approached, Ed seemed to just flow around him, and he felt a hard blow to the solar plexus followed up by what might have been an elbow to the back of the head. Jenkins went down into a puddle of the spilled beer. To his satisfaction, however, he looked up and saw Ed take a right hook to the jaw. Still on the ground, Jenkins kicked Ed's feet out from under him, after which he slammed down on the table, which in turn tipped over. Jenkins heard the man's head impact the hard floor with a satisfying knock.

Jenkins stood to see his group just about had the situation in hand, having knocked two to the floor, backing another with a bleeding nose into a corner, and with two wailing on a man splayed out on the table. The one Adiran being backed away picked up a chair, threatening the Arbiters advancing on him. When they were unimpressed, he instead hurled it at the pair hammering on his friend. It caught them off guard, slamming more or less right into one of their heads and sending him crashing to the ground. The chair crashed onto a table, tipping it over. Ed was on his feet and charged one of the Arbiters with a beer bottle only to get full-on tackled and slammed against a wall. He didn't seem to get up after that.

Unfortunately, others seemed to join the fight. Sensing someone approaching, he found a massive, clean-shaven bouncer approaching him, yelling at him in German. He put his hands up in mock surrender, but as he got close enough, with one foot he lofted one of the fallen Maßkrugs right at the man's head. He apparently didn't expect that, as it impacted almost directly on his nose. Jenkins didn't really wait to see what he would do, instead simply bringing down another one of the mugs hard on the back of the bouncer's head.

Next thing Jenkins knew, however, something was around his throat. He looked around and saw numerous other patrons as well as security jumping the rest of his party, pulling them away from the Adirans. He felt the arm around his neck tighten its grip just a bit more, and then...dark.

The next time he opened his eyes, he saw stars. They were outside, it was cold, he was lying on something hard. Looking around a bit more, he was on a park bench. He then saw one of his friends, Niven, gingerly probing a swollen lip as he smoked a cigarette. "Well, look who's up," Niven said.

"Wha...happen?" Jenkins asked.

"You got choked, then you were out like a light. We kicked their ass, then got ours kicked by everyone else in the bar. I don't think we're allowed back in there anymore," Niven said bluntly.

"Big deal. If we were back home we'd be in prison by now. There'll always be another bar here," Jenkins said, shaking his head. He had an awful headache.

[Gylias]

Zürich
Before the Gylias-Vyrsar match

"All right, thanks Ashley. We will continue coverage of the situation throughout the day. From Puerto Rojas, I'm Mark Townsend."

The sounds of ANBC broadcasting continued to fill the room for a little bit before Nar Enylesh reached out for the remote and turned off the TV rather forcefully. Aside from the fridge buzz in the far end of the room, the atmosphere hung heavy with an oppressive silence. Several of the team members looked dazed and frightened. Hana Matsuri's face was burdened by a sadness too vast to measure and a distant, unfocused stare. The Terneshyk siblings embraced each other for support. A concerned Naomi MIzushima had placed her hand on Arda Shanrek's shoulder, attempting to ease her distress. Manager Amrana Eytak looked away as she adjusted her glasses. None dared say anything.

Nobody could say for sure how long before the silence was broken, but in all likelihood it was much less than it felt it had been. Sarna Dyrvedz stood up from her chair and began in a halting, subdued voice, "Comrades. We're all upset right now..."

It was an incredibly obvious thing to say, but it seemed to produce the effect Sarna wanted: the team members' attention began to focus on her. At least they were snapped out of the initial shock.

"But the fact is, our outrage, as healthy as it is, will not be able to bring back the dead.", she continued. It was said bluntly, yet with melancholy. "Nor will it help find the people responsible."

The rest of the team's expressions crossed over into the realm of slight confusion; Sarna took it as a sign that she was having the right effect.

"But I do know that whoever is responsible for this would have wanted this kind of reaction. Hurt, confusion, fear, horror... anger. Will we let them have it from us?"

"No.", Hurik Davidyan said, standing up.

A smile crept onto the edges of Sarna's mouth as she pointed towards her and said, "That's right, Hurik. At the end of the day, we are football players. We will accomplish nothing by lying down and despairing about it."

In the back of her mind, Sarna regretted that she had to put it in such crude terms and didn't have the opportunity to think of a more clever way of expressing it. Nevertheless, she couldn't complain because it was having the effect she'd wanted on her teammates, gradually.

"The only thing we can do is get back up and carry on forward, as a show of strength.", she said, building up to a conclusion. "Starting with this match we're due to play!"

The team chuckled collectively at the conclusion, perhaps amused by how clumsy the transition was, or that a few steps seemed to have been skipped in terms of buildup. Nevertheless, they seemed to have gotten out of their previous emotional paralysis, and now headed out towards the stadium in relatively good spirits.

Sarna smiled as she watched them leaving the room, and took a moment to drink a glass of water before she followed along. I fuckin' hope I'll never have to make that speech again, she thought wistfully.

Olympiastadion Zürich
Beginning of the match

When it came to be the Gylian team's turn to enter the pitch, they arrived in an orderly fashion and then lined up in the centre of the field. At that point, following what had been previously agreed, they stood still, looking at some undefined space in front of them, and held a moment of silence in honour of the victims of Isidium. In this they ended up being joined by the audience, quieting the stadium for a minute.

This is eerie., Dietmar Enns thought. I've never heard a silent stadium before...

When the moment ended, they broke off from the line-up and began taking up positions on the field, and the crowd resumed cheering and providing an atmosphere fit for a match.

Sometimes, it was the smallest things that could suggest such strength.

From her seat, Sarna watched the game happily, delighted at seeing her teammates being their usual happy-go-lucky selves on the field after they had been so dispirited earlier.

As the game ended and the Gylian team exchanged handshakes, gratitude and small courtesies with the Vyrsarians before leaving the pitch, she thought, This is probably what that "human endurance" thing is about.

[Shalum]

Zurich, Vyrsar

“Goddamnit, we were so close this time.” Aaron Holland groaned under his breath, massaging his temples as he cast his disappointed gaze away from the large board that declared the final score. The Shalumite national team had tied this time around, much to the dismay of its fans, especially since this was one of the games that they especially needed to win if they wanted to harbor any real hopes of moving onto the next round. Of course, they still had one more game to play against the Allammunic States that would determine if they would get in or not, but at this rate, things had been going so badly thus far, that there was only so much hope to be found among them.

Next to him, John Holland simply sighed and shook his head in agreement, before pulling his light jacket a bit tighter as a gust of wind swept through the stadium. How the locals managed to go around in as little as they did during this time of year, he certainly didn’t know, nor was he that inclined to find out. And the idea of trying to stay warm with the help of alcohol was one that he had declined, after he had taken a single sip of that local lager that his twin brother had bought him. The stuff was a bit too far on the nasty side, as far as he was concerned.

“We had them until the last twenty minutes, then we broke down again. Midfield without Walker isn’t nearly as great as it could be.” John commented, thinking about how the match had went. The midfielder in question, Sarah Walker, had managed to play during this game, but only for a half. At the forty-five minute mark, the coaching staff had decided to swap her out as a precaution given her last injury. And like the game with the Edomites, things had gone downhill from there, just less dramatically than last time. “The defense did well--”

“Fuck! Is Carmichael limping?” Aaron asked aloud with a raised eyebrow. Looking at the field, it was rather clear that the lanky Shalumite right back didn’t have the same spring in his step that he usually did. In recent games, he had become one of their more noteworthy players, as the Shalumite team was more inclined toward defense.

“He’s been like that since he got hacked earlier. No idea why the coaches didn’t pull him out though.” John replied as he glanced at the defender in question, who was shaking hands with a member of the opposing team. “Of course, you would have saw that if you had paid more attention to the game, and spent less time texting your girlfriend.” The younger prince by seven minutes smiled, motioning his head as if to say ‘follow me’ towards the nearby steps. People were beginning to file out, and he was getting impatient. It was bloody cold out!

A smile creased Aaron’s lips, but he let the comment slide for now. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. Carmichael took some harder hits during the game against the crazies anyways.” He said, having to speak louder, as the the throngs of people all around them spoke about the game or other matters. “So, since you’re the statistics nerd, think we’re going to make it to the next round?”

John shrugged slightly. “It could certainly happen. We’ve just got to beat the Allammunic States, which we might be able to do. I don’t know much about their soccer program, to be honest.” Was his reply as they went up the stadium steps. “But if there’s a will, there’s a way, as the saying goes. And let’s not forget luck, its what got us so far last year.”

[Vyrsar]

Presented by the Värsker Deutscher Fußball-bund

Match Results: Day Five

Group A
Vyrsar 3-1 Jedoria

Group B
Adiron 1-0 Julianica

Group C
Schottia 2-0 Austrania

Group D
New Edom 5-3 Laudine

[img]*Scoreboard%20Temporarily%20Unavailable%20(Reason:%20Don't%20have%20time%20ICly%20right%20now-%20will%20add%20later%20tonight)[/img]

OOC: The results for Day Three matches will be posted between 18:00 EST and 19:00 EST on April 19th. The cutoff/post deadline is at 17:30 EST on April 19th.

[New Edom]

The Griffon supporters had been advised to be wary of the Laudine national team's supporters in the stands; football was where a lot of the people of Laudine put their aggression, apparently. However they also had to be cautious; at home this would mean coming armed if they had to and also relying on the Militia to keep them safe. Here? It was anyone's guess--be ready to storm for the exits and use whatever came in handy for defense if it came to that. Between the chill and the potential hostility, it was a tense match coming up.

On the pitch itself, Imlah warned that this could be a rough match. The famed words "Let's get ready to rumble" were going around the Griffons in the locker room and as they moved out onto the PItch for the opening of the match.

The Laudine Confederate team shocked the Griffons in the first half by a two goal lead in the first sixteen minutes, Franchis Lowme expertly rolling back Joseph Mahlon then delivering a perfect cross for Tymchi Kakthusia, and the fans faces as they saw the Padan Powerhouse snapped by like that was tragi-comical.

The sheer aggressive firepower of the Laudine team seemed like it would blow the Griffons away, but the kickoff of the second half proved that a battle royale was to take place. With Pabadakis clipping and stealing the offense and then Mahlon coming back for more with an excellent pass to Cleopas who did a low left foot kick past Jonne Prekosic to break the tie.

At this the tide turned, the fury of the Laudine Confederate team made no difference to a swift exchange of passes between Tobais Smith and Josiah Levi that got a thirty second to spare goal across the line and finished the game. Daniel Cleopas was about to strip off to do a victory dance when stopped by Zuph who gave him a bear hug to lift him off his feet and stop him.

[New Edom]

The Preparations


To Coach Daniel Imlah as he rotated resting and drilling his troops--his team--for the next match, it was no different, really, from infantry planning on taking a fixed position.

His full backs--they were supporting suppressive fire combatants, machineguns and grenade launchers. Any counterattack had to come through them; any offense might be turned into a defensive position whereby the ball (the combat initiative) might be removed from them if the enemy (the opposing team) did anything unexpected.

The defensive line, to him, were the reserve and covering fire riflemen.

In planning for the last Cornellian Cup, there had been arguments about using the diamond formation. Dr. Alexander was still privately skeptical as he had admitted to Imlah in private. "It opens us up to a big attack if we lose control of the ball; look at what happened this year alone," he argued.

"Safe pass play and support by the entire team outweighs that," argued Imlah back. "Look at last year. Of course it's a risk. At some point, Doctor, you have to commit the troops to take that position."

"This isn't war, Danny," said Dr. Alexander with a shake of his head.

The ambush team--the point men--the strikers--they led the way, alone and yet not alone. The tactical plan allowed, Imlah felt, for great creativity among the midfielders. If the opponents could get the ball in deep, the goal was well defended; indeed right at the start the ambush team, the strikers, blunted and warned of the advance if the enemy tried to gain the initiative, allowing the midfielders to seize control and take the ball forward for a crushing advance. When it worked, it worked well.

Ultimately the Edomite team lacked the money and resources of some of the other great national teams competing for the Cup. They only had so much time, only so much ability to play; even now they had been delayed by the need to establish truces to see them play. Ironically, short of a priest, the one thing that could establish a cease fire and white flag in New Edom was football, the number one sport in the nation, for which it was rumoured you could get people to stop shooting to hear a play by play. So it was the 4-4-2 Diamond, the main strategy by which they practiced, hoping that the excellence and determination of their team work would win the day. As it pleased God, of course.

[Ghant]

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Ghant defeats Austrania 3-2

Damien Sturridge scores 2

3 - 2
Next up, Nekulturnya

Special Coverage

Vyrsar- It wasn't the most finesse win, but in the end, it was enough. Ghant defeated the upstart Austrania 3-2 behind an outstanding performance from phenom Damien Sturridge. Despite that, many of the same problems that plagued Ghant in the first match against Schottia continued to effect the Ghantish team in the second match, much to the chagrin of fans and manager Michael Milakar.

Damien Sturridge drew first blood at 31'' after what could be described as a defensive struggle, emphasized on the Austranian side by star defensemen Borys Kohut and goaltender Taras Gavrilyuk. Sturridge eventually found his way through to put Ghant ahead 1-0.

The lead didn't last long, however, as striker Vitaliy Kedzierski responded at 35'' with a goal of his own over the head over young Ghantish goaltender Aitor Abasalo. The score would remain at 1-1 through the first half of the game as both teams began to play tight.

It was in the second half that the game began to open up again. At 60'', striker Inigo Erretxe gave Ghant the lead again, making the score 2-1, which the game would remain at for quite sometime.

Thus it was that at 82'', Austranian striker Ivan Pasternak scored again to tie the game at 2-2, and then it began to appear as though the match would end in a draw, which would hurt Ghant's chances of advancing out of the qualifying round for the first time since 2000.

Then Cup magic happened, when at 87'', Damien Sturridge scored one last time to put Ghant ahead 3-2, which would prove to be the winning goal. The Ghantish side was one of exuberance and excitement, despite the displeasure on the manager's face. After the match, Milakar addressed the media.

“We played good enough to win, but if we want to be good enough to make a deep run, we have to play better. We have to play better on the defensive end, keeping them out of the net and working to build better discipline. That, and we still have a match to play against a solid Nekulturnyan squad."

When asked about the revival about the old rivalry between Ghant and Nekulturnya, Milakar was candid in his response.

"It's just another game we need to go out and win. The only reason why it is important is because it is the last match in group play, and we have to win it to advance. Simple as that. I know the media and the fans are playing it up as this great big rivalry, and while I admit it is good to see them on the pitch for the first time in nineteen years, our focus is going to be on simply winning another match to keep things going."

Score Box

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First Half

Damien Sturridge, 31''
Vitaliy Kedzierski, 35''

Second Half

Inigo Erretxe, 60''
Ivan Pasternak, 82''
Damien Sturridge, 87''

The Good

1. Ghant continued to have a strong offensive showing. Damien Sturridge has four goals this cup and is proving that he can be a consistent scorer despite his youth. He is getting help as well from the other strikers, as each has produced a goal this cup as well (Poxton scoring in the first match and Erretxe in the second).

2. Ghant is showing it can get over the hump. In the first match, there was a general sense that Ghant was unable to pull ahead and was struggling to try to keep up. In the second match, the reverse was true, in that Ghant took the lead and put pressure on Austrania to keep up. While in the first match Ghant came up just a tad bit short, in the second match they came up just a tad bit over the hump.

3. Discipline was much better. The Ghantish team played with better discipline in this match than in the first. Players were more focused, less driven by emotion, and less prone to bad sportsmanship, which were all issues that seemed to bleed out in the first match against Schottia.

The Bad

1. Goaltending. Mediocre goaltending continued to be a problem with Aitor Abasolo letting in goals that a more seasoned goaltender might have been able to prevent. While his performance improved from the first match to the second, he will need to do more in order for Ghant to a serious contender in the tournament.

2. Defense. Mediocre defense also remained an issue, as Ghant repeatedly allowed Austrania to make deep runs into their side of the pitch while demonstrating an ineffectiveness in containing their attack. While, like goaltending, defense seemed to improve from the first match, they will need to play better in order to beat a pesky Nekulturnyan team hungry for its first win since 1996.

3. Attitude. There were definitely some tempers flaring on the Ghantish side, which while relatively mild in comparison to previous tournaments, was certainly there. Poxton in particular was getting mouthy in later stages of the match, and despite Manager Michael Milakar's emphasis on discipline, it seemed that the Ghantish team took all they could muster to remain mentally right. In upcoming matches, emphasis on discipline will be key.

---

Classic rivalry returns

Black and Blue is Back!

Game Uniforms

Special Coverage

Once upon a time, the Black and Blue series was one of the most intense and historic rivalries in northern Acheron. The Blacks being Ghant and the Blues being Nekulturnya. Many a great match was played, many a great scrum, many classic moments that fans on either side of the Sea of Jormund still share.

The last time Nekulturnya fielded a team in the Cup tournament was 1996. That was also the last time they played Ghant. The Blueshirts appearance in the 1998 Cup was cancelled after the Nekulturnyan War intensified, and after the nuclear launch, they went on indefinite hiatus, with their return shrouded in doubt.

However, after the end of the occupation and the restoration of sovereignty for Nekulturnya, football fans began to rejoice at the prospect of the national team reforming in time for the 2015 edition of the Cup. And despite the small window with which to organize a team, it was done. This new team consists of many Nekulturnyan expats, several of whom have spent the past seventeen years or more living in other countries, like Schottia, Ghant and elsewhere.

They lost their first match to Austrania 3-1, and their second to Schottia 2-1. Ivan Archic, the superstar striker from the Schottian league, scored the lone goal in each of their first two matches, and looks to be a factor in this upcoming match. The ragtag squad has shown a certain resilience on the defensive end as well.

In matches of old, Nekulturnya was known as a team with a stout defensive and an aggressive, combative style of play. This was especially so when they played Ghant, who while historically a more successful club, always struggled against the Blueshirts, who seemed to play them harder than most.

For Ghant and Nekulturnya, and for the game as a whole, this is good. Whatever the outcome, the fans have been waiting for this for a long time, and the football gods were gracious enough to see it come back to life in group play. To commemorate the renewal of the rivalry, both teams will be wearing their home jerseys. Black and Blue is back, and it looks like it is here to stay.

Final Score Prediction: Ghant 2, Nekulturnya 1

[Hittanryan]

Fußball-Bundesliga Training Facility
Zurich

Although never to turn his nose up at a win, Drescher could tell his team was a bit worn out during the Julianica match. The team had been fully aware of how people back home viewed the match with the Imperium, especially after last year's third place battle. Cheers erupted everywhere from Puerto Rojas sports bars to living rooms in Granapolis farmhouses to military bases in the Burnt Hills. There were scattered cases throughout the country of people taking sick days (terminal case of Cup fever), classes on universities showing up half empty (or being cancelled by the professor), and nine months after the 2014 Cup there seemed to be something of a spike in maternity wards. This time was no different, and they put everything into taking down the Imperium.

The victory was hard-fought, though. Green took a hard tackle from the Wall in the second half of the match with the Imperium. Despite giving him rest, icing it 15-20 minutes at a time, and keeping his ankle elevated, it hadn't fully healed by the match with Julianica. Drescher started to suspect something was up when Green missed connecting a few key passes which might have otherwise been driven home. By the time they got his sub, Will Shi, out onto the pitch, they'd wasted about half the game. With a break in their matches, Green was now on a strict RICE routine: rest, ice, compress, elevate. Although Green's was the most dramatic case, several other players weren't quite in peak form against Julianica, having sustained various scrapes and bruises in their previous grudge match. Luckily, the defenders held together excellently, with the defensive mid throwing Julianica into disarray on each attack.

Another factor that might have affected the team's performance was news of the bombing back in Isidium. Davis played for Isidium West, and the entire team had played there several times, many of them even arriving through Bluebrook. Though it took several attempts and a good deal of waiting, Drescher even called Isidium West's manager, Dunham, to make sure everyone they knew was all right. His team was accounted for, but there were a number of people he hadn't been able to contact yet due to emergency services receiving priority use of communications throughout Isidium. The team sat glued to the live footage of the ensuing car chase. Chin even whooped when they caught Castro on footage beating Weaver senseless with a crowbar.

All of this left Drescher to try to refocus his team for the next match, now that they had a gap. He started them just drilling. At the moment they were doing a receiving drill. Davis was in the middle of a box of four players. One of them would pass to him, he would pass to the next corner of the square. That player would pass to the third corner of the square, who would in turn pass to Davis, who would then repeat. After they went all the way around, another midfielder would take Davis' place.

Eventually, once all the midfielders had done their time in the center, Drescher split the team up into a passing drill. One player would pass to a second more or less in front of him, and the second player would pass to a third to his side. The first player would then run down field around the second, and the third would pass to him in turn. The first player would finally connect another pass to a fourth player. At that point, the first player would shift and become the second, the second the third, the third the fourth, and another would become the initiator.

Drescher's style was to always keep his team sharp on the fundamentals. These were quite simple drills, but that was in a way the point. The simple had to be automatic. The simple had to be done reflexively, without thought, and therefore too quick for the opposing team to react. Furthermore, they had in the past sometimes revealed the state of his team. Even though the drills were basic, they had revealed injuries that the players were trying to hide and distractions that had not been addressed.

Practice picked up the pace from there, doing more advanced drills and scrimmaging for a bit. Eventually they hit the showers. In the lockers the atmosphere was a bit gloomy, people checking the news on their phones. Tom Hall glanced around at the team and broke the silence. "All right, there's shit going on at home," Hall addressed the room. Most looked over at him, a couple didn't and kept putting things away in their lockers. "Shit happens everywhere, and it's not the first time it's happened at home. Davis, you played all the way through the war. Brooks you said you signed up while your hometown was being occupied."

"There a point to this movie-worthy motivational speech, Hall?" Chin said wryly.

"We can't let this stuff get to us, and that's because we're the ones who need to keep folks back home going. Look at...the Nekulturnyans, or the Austranians, or the Edomites. Especially the Edomites," Hall said. "They've had occupations and civil wars, and they kept playing. Under any other circumstances the Edomites might've been ready to kill each other, but when it came to their team, suddenly it became about their country. That's what everyone back home needs now."

[Gylias]

Zürich

It had been a slightly overcast day earlier, though the clouds ultimately dissipated in the end and had allowed for a pleasant sunset to be seen. Panagiotakis Xanthopoulos had just taken a shower earlier after team practice, and had videochatted with his parents and friends back home. As a police siren could be heard coming in from the distance, passing by his hotel room's window and then fading again into the distance, he browsed the internet aimlessly from his laptop, his eyes glazing over at trying to comprehend the text in the tab he had just opened.

His attention had wandered to outside the window and the skyline of Zürich before the door opened, announcing the arrival (or in this case, return) of teammate Zardáy Thashnæn. Upon hearing this, Panagiotakis shifted his gaze nonchalantly to his teammate, and smirked. "Hey, Zar.", he said, waving mildly with one hand. "How'd it go?"

"Pretty good all in all.", Zardáy replied, smiling, before crashing into the bed. "We had to try a different place though, the first one was having some brawl or whatever. We ended up in a café, which was much nicer."

Panagiotakis chuckled slightly. "Somewhere, your sister is cringing.", he teased, playing on his knowledge that Zardáy had a sister who worked as a police officer.

"Haha, yeah, they did when I mentioned it to 'em.", Zardáy replied. "They's thanking the spirits we've never had to host a cup, likely." Zardáy's gaze then fell on Panagiotakis' laptop. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Oh, this?", Panagiotakis asked, pointing towards the tab he had open. "Friend sent me something from The Republic I've been trying to read, but I can't make heads or tails of it."

Zardáy moved about the bed slightly to get their head closer to the laptop's screen. "Really?"

Panagiotakis shrugged. "Yeah, there's too much legal jargon involved..."

"So, would you say it's all... Latin to you?", Zardáy joked, winking at Panagiotakis.

Panagiotakis laughed. "That's a new one, I'll give you that, Zar..."

[Vyrsar]

headlines | vyrsar | region | sports | tech | lifestyle | business | travel | environment

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A Fight For Second Place

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As the group stage begins to draw to a close, with eight teams going home, it is evident to many that the real battles of this Cup will be fought in the Round of Eight. Thus far, the group stage has been dominated by the big players such as Vyrsar, Schottia, Adiron, and last year's champion New Edom. In three of the four groups, three teams are already confirmed to advance as group winners. Vyrsar for Group A, Adiron for Group B, and Schottia in Group C. In Group D, the Edomite team will have to hold its breath and pray if they want to advance as group winners rather than runners-up, as an Allamuunic victory in today's matches would place the Allamuunic team first above the Edomites.

In Group A, a fight for runners up is going to be fought between Gylias and Novitera, with Gylias currently having the slight edge with a one point higher goal differential. A very slight edge, but it is crucial for both teams to try their hardest to win if they want to advance. Both teams claimed victory over Jedoria, but both lost to Vyrsar with the Noviterans having ceding more goals than Gylias, but also scored more. Currently, the favour among experts is shifting slightly in Gylias' favour.

In Group B, the fight will be between Arbites and TECT. Currently both are on the same footing as Novitera and Gylias are in Group A, with TECT having a higher goal differential with a two point difference. The favour is currently on the side of Arbites, and the Imperials must win in order to advance to the next stage. A draw or a loss will result in TECT advancing instead.

In Group D, Ghant is already known to be advancing as runners-up, but the Commission has yet to announce it officially. Statistically, it is already impossible for Nekulturnya to advance even with a victory, and the only other team matching Ghant in points, Austrania, has already played its three matches of the group stage.

Group C will be a struggle between New Edom and the Allamuunic States for the winner advancing position. What place they advance in will decide who they play first in the next stage. Though they will not be playing each other, the Edomites must hold their breath and pray that the Shalumites can hold their ground and either force the Allamuunic team into a draw, or claim victory. An Allamuunic victory will place them at the top of the scoreboard for Group D and put New Edom into the runners up position.

[Vyrsar]

Presented by the Värsker Deutscher Fußball-bund

Match Results: Round of Eight, Day Six

Match One
Vyrsar 3-1 New Edom

Match Two
Adiron 1-0 Ghant

Match Three
Schottia 5-2 Arbites

Match Four
Allamuunic States 3-1 Novitera

Advancing Teams

Vyrsar | Adiron | Schottia | Ghant

http://i.imgur.com/95m75oO.png

Current Accolades

Victory Streak: Vyrsar - Playing a series of over seven matches without losing once
Golden Boot: Schottia - Most goals scored of any team
Underdog: Ghant - Lasting beyond general expectations of experts
Most Anticipated (Match): Adrion v. Arbites - One of the most anticipated matches of the tournament
Most Anticipated (Match): Schottia v. Vyrsar - One of the most anticipated matches of the tournament

OOC: There will be a roughly one week break in scoring between now and the semifinals. This is to allow people to catch up in other, more post intensive threads without worrying too much about this and to simulate a break period for the players to rest, recuperate, and train after a long series of matches in quick succession.

The results for Round of Four, Day One matches will be posted between 18:00 EST and 19:00 EST on Friday, May 22nd. The cutoff/post deadline is at 17:30 EST on Friday, May 22nd.

[Novitera]

Avantine, Novitera

A packed bar full of Noviterans who decided not to make the trip to Vyrsar stood holding their breath watching a large television. Noviteran flags were being held up while in a crowd wearing red, white and blue. The way was currently tied and the clock was ticking down. A win here would secure their advancement into the next round. It had been a roller coaster of emotions for the fans. Gylias and Novitera scored on each other back and forth. At least one from a penalty kick. The whole game had been mired in foul play from the Noviteran side to the amusement and frustration of supporters who had to watch their team be penalized.

Then they started cheering. Cries of desperation as they watched Neil Tokunaga drive it down field after a pass from Bright. "GO! GO! GO YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Somebody yelled in the background. Tokunaga dodged one of the defenders, taking his chances he shoots. It was a gamble for sure but the clock was running down and they needed to score immediately. An opportunity like this would not come again in time. Time seemed to slow down as the ball sailed through the air. Then it was all over when it hit the back of the net in the top left corner.

The bar went wild. Noviterans were jumping up and down ecstatically screaming. Beer from pint glasses and pitchers were being spilling all over. Triumph and victory over the Gylians left them in a whirlwind of joy. The Foxes may not ever be close to winning a World Cup. But they could always prove that they would not let the route there come easy. A man was standing on a table raising his glass to the crowd. "TO NOVITERA! DOWN WITH THE SOCIALISTS!" He yelled. A "UFN!" chant followed.

Stadium, Zurich, Vyrsar

The Foxes danced and shouted their way off the field after the rest of the team ran on to congratulate Tokunaga who scored the final goal. There were exclamations of victory as well as taunting at the Gylians who had to leave in defeat. Sore losers and ungracious winners, the Foxes had to flaunt their win while belittling their opponents. A exuberant Noviteran crowd was in on the action as well. "GYLIANS GO HOME! GYLIANS GO HOME!" They chanted after the final win celebrations.

It was hardly an upset but it was the Gylians who were favored to win by Vyrsarian sports analysts and the betting rackets back home. They had to admit that the Gylians were more skilled at this than they. So when the game started the Noviterans brought a hard charging competitive mindset that paid off in the end. They tripped, elbowed and smashed into other players when the referees were not looking. Even when they were. A few yellow cards were given out and even a red for Sydney Akiyama who gave a referee the bird. That was not to say that their opponents did not give them a fight, seeing how close the score was. The Foxes left exhausted though still found the energy to celebrate in the locker room. There would be celebrations tonight like there was after the win against the Jedorians and all were excited for that as well.

"Look, I know we don't stand much of a chance at winning that cup. But let's see who we can take down with us huh? Let's go as far as we can!" Said McBride in the locker room to the team. They nodded their heads and voiced their agreement. The Foxes were given new life today and they would be sure to take advantage of it.

[Gylias]

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GNBS News

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Foul play mars Novitera-Gylias match
19 April 2015 Last updated 1:29 PM

By Nicola D. Wolfwood

The first Cup match between Gylias and Novitera proved to be an ugly encounter disfigured by unsporting conduct.

"This was the worst match we've had to endure, and I've had to witness in my years as a coach.", coach Sarna Dyrvedz commented briefly after the match finished. The comment was an apt description of the spectacle of vicious tackling, violent conduct, cynical tactics and abuse on display by the Noviteran side, who lived down to their reputation for nastiness on the pitch.

The game got off to a bad start when Shawn Fujimura pushed Arda Shanrek in the third minute, awarding the Gylian team a direct free kick. The occasion resulted in the first goal, scored by Panagiotakis Xanthopoulos, but it also set the tone for the Noviteran side's underhanded conduct, seemingly encouraged throughout by their contingent of supporters in the stadium audience. It also produced the first yellow card, as the referee cautioned Paul McBride for delaying the restart of play by attempting to provoke Navan Dzíorny.

Impressive sights, remarkable displays of football skill, or even the simple enjoyment of playing football proved to be in very short supply as the fouls and misconduct continued to come thick and relentless, with the Noviteran side doing its best to treat the match as a war of attrition. The Gylian team commendably refused to be dragged down by repeated skirting of the line of misconduct or the viciousness of the Noviteran supporters, carrying on playing as usual to make the best of a bad situation. One goal was conceded to Novitera in minute 42, when Xadje Korxal was hit in the back of the head by a stray ball and collapsed near the penalty area, prompting the entire Gylian team to rush to their aid and ensure they were not injured. The game was held up as several Noviteran players argued with the referee, demanding that the Gylian players be cautioned for deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee's permission and delaying the restart of play.

The fact that the score remained equal by half time drove the Noviteran side to greater lows of misconduct in the second half of the match. Keith Cortez received a yellow card in minute 48 for slide-tackling Zardáy Thashnæn from behind, Denis Galvez only minutes later for trying to kick Hurik Davidyan. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the match was that only Sydney Akiyama was red-carded in minute 55 for flipping off the referee.

The match ultimately finished with a goal by Neil Tokunaga two minutes before full time, with the Gylian team down to 10 players after Rubinho Rodrigues was removed from the pitch after fears that they had been injured by a foul from Mark Castillo in minute 84. In contrast to the celebrations of the Noviteran team and audience, the emblematic images of the match will likely be Sydney Akiyama's middle finger, and Gil Bright laughing above a hurt Arda Shanrek after they had been tripped by the Noviteran midfielder.

Following the match, the only comment from the Gylian team itself came from Bhaksa Terneshyk, who stated, "Thank fuck that's over."

Lineups, bookings and substitutions

Gylias
Nels Langenberg (goalkeeper)
Arevik Moushian
Panagiotakis Xanthopoulos
Zardáy Thashnæn
Bhaksa Terneshyk
Mared Terneshyk
Xadje Korxal (↓ 45:00)
Navan Dzíorny
Rubinho Rodrigues (↓ 84:23)
Kalse Ramned (↓ 45:00)
Arda Shanrek (↓ 68:35)

Substitutions
Kalse Ramned → Adna Acsir (45:00)
Xadje Korxal → Hurik Davidyan (45:00)
Arda Shanrek → Tzane Leuthej (68:35)

Novitera
Leroy Young (goalkeeper)
Paul McBride (.. 3:06)
Mark Castillo (.. 84:23)
Spencer Stone
Shawn Fujimura (.. 31:28)
Gil Bright
Denis Galvez (.. 52:56)
Sidney Akiyama (↓ 55:54, ..)
Keith Cortez (.. 48:09)
Neil Tokunaga (.. 15:45)
Clarence McBride

Substitutions
Spencer Stone → Gabriel Reyes (73:19)

Match stats

Goals

Gylias
Panagiotakis Xanthopoulos (3:33)
Bhaksa Terneshyk (17:02)
Adna Acsir (59:36)
Mared Terneshyk (73:19)

Novitera
Neil Tokunaga (20:35, 88:03)
Keith Cortez (42:07)
Denis Galvez (64:24)
Clarence McBride (69:13)

Possession

Gylias
48%

Novitera
52%

Shots

Gylias
14
9 (on target)

Novitera
20
10 (on target)

Corners

Gylias
5

Novitera
2

Fouls

Gylias
0

Novitera
7