World Cup 76 - RP Thread

by **Chromatika** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 6:55 pm

By: Jordan Lawless, Chief Correspondent, Previous Sports Corresponsdent, Chromatik City Courier
Guest Panelist: Nikolai Thorben, Previous Starting Goalkeeper, Chromatik National Team
Guest Panelist: Kéirâ Andìsorì, Starting Striker, Chromatik National Team

World Cup 76: Quarterfinals Preview

Previous Record:
Lawless: 4-4 (Guessed Brenecia-Krytenia correctly )
Thorben: 4-4 (Guessed Chromatika-Royal Kingdom of Québec and Unified Sunrise Islands-Nephara correctly)
Andìsorì: 4-4

There isn't really a lead among the three panelists, as they all finish at a record of 4-4, with Lawless calling one match's score exactly and Thorben calling two exactly. Andìsorì? Scored the game-winning goal, and won, so we'll give her the win for the Chromatik-Québec game.

Now, we look ahead to the Quarterfinals, at the last eight teams remaining at this seventy-sixth edition of the World Cup!

Cenian Half

#16 Brenecia vs. #3 Audioslavia
@ Volatus Millennium Stadium, Cenial
How they got there: Brenecia defeated Krytenia, 2-1, After Extra Time, after tying 1-1 in regulation. Audioslavia defeated Eura, 1-0.
Offense: Brenecia: 25 qualifying, 9 proper, 2 playoffs. 36 total in 16 games. Audioslavia: 27 qualifying, 8 proper, 1 playoffs. 36 in 16 games. EDGE: Even 2.25:2.25
Defense: Brenecia: 8 qualifying, 4 proper, 1 playoffs. 13 total in 16 games. Audioslavia: 8 qualifying, 4 proper, 0 playoffs. 12 in 16 games. EDGE: Audioslavia 0.813:0.75
The Matchup: Woodgate vs. Williams was a doozy, and Brenecia needed heroics late, in extra time, to edge the Krytenians. Audioslavia, on the other hand, relied on an early goal of Rose and the keeping of Ozuna to get by Eura. The two sides are dead even in goals scored, and if Brenecia hadn't conceded the lone goal in the Round of Sixteen, they would be dead even in goals allowed as well.
The Pick:
Lawless: One of the great footballing giants reveals their true form. Audioslavia will make it to the finals, and give Unified Sunrise Islands a run for their money, behind the power that is Ozuna and the superstar that is Rose. The Patriots have made a good run, but it ends here. Audioslavia 2-0 Brenecia.
Thorben: I wouldn't count Woodgate out. Brenecia just has a different gait, a different look, this cycle. Especially with their friendly(?) rivals Nephara crashing out, they'll be wanting to do even better than this. I can see the upset coming. Brenecia 2-1 Audioslavia.
Andìsorì: I think that the first half hour of this game will tell the tale. Audioslavia will try to exert their will, Brenecia will try to hang on. As the game goes late, I think Brenecia has a real chance. It'll be up to the Bulls to generate enough of a lead. I think they will, they're a side that's been here multiple times, so why not more? Audioslavia 3-1 Brenecia.

#8 San José Guayabal vs. #21 Ceni
@ New Oxford Coliseum, New Oxford
How they got there: San José Guayabal defeated Valanora, 3-2. Ceni defeated Valladares 5-2.
Offense: San José Guayabal: 30 qualifying, 7 proper, 3 playoffs. 40 total in 16 games. Ceni: 10 proper, 5 playoffs. 15 total in 4 games. EDGE: Ceni 2.5:3.75
Defense: San José Guayabal: 15 qualifying, 7 proper, 2 playoffs. 24 total in 16 games. Ceni: 6 proper, 2 playoffs. 8 total in 4 games. EDGE: San José Guayabal 1.5:2
The Matchup: A high-scoring affair that sees the Guayabalense make it through, just to now face a Cenian side that produced the upset of the tournament with five goals scored against the second best team in the world. Ceni is producing goals at an absurd rate, though there's only been four games. Morales is doing just enough on the defensive end. Terrazas will be bombarded left and right. The midfield will be a crucial matchup, as it will dictate time of possession and the number of chances that Ceni will be able to attack.
The Pick:
Lawless: Yes, I understand that Ceni was grossly underestimated against Valladares, but I just can't see them put up another monster performance after the last. I think Terrazas will be able to hang on against the Cenian onslaught, and the Guayabalense offense will make enough of a difference. San José Guayabal 3-1 Ceni.
Thorben: Terrazas is the only reason you need to pick the Guayabalense. He's been playing as a man possessed, and he will be the difference. San José Guayabal 2-0 Ceni.
Andìsorì: The Cenian offensive juggernaut will take another scalp, Arrowsword & co. playing too hot on home soil. Mark my words - Ceni is going to the finals. Ceni 3-1 San José Guayabal.

Electrumite Half

#12 Cosumar vs. #18 Chromatika
@ Hamilton Multi-Purpose Venue, Hamilton
How they got there: Cosumar defeated Electrum, 1-0. Chromatika defeated the Royal Kingdom of Québec, 3-2.
Offense: Cosumar: 36 qualifying, 6 proper, 1 playoffs. 43 in 16 games. Chromatika: 30 qualifying, 12 proper, 3 playoffs. 45 in 16 games. EDGE: Chromatika 2.69:2.81
Defense: Cosumar: 17 qualifying, 5 proper, 0 playoffs. 22 in 16 games. Chromatika: 10 qualifying, 6 proper, 2 playoffs. 18 in 16 games. EDGE: Chromatika 1.38:1.13
The Matchup: Sigler's lone goal helped Winterfyll's efforts be enough for the win against pesky Electrum. Chromatika needed late heroics from Antonio and Andìsorì to get past ten-man Québec. Sigler will be suspended for this match after accumulating another yellow card.
The Pick:
Lawless: What a game it was for the Anomalies in Exile. These two teams met last in the Round of Sixteen of AOCAF 50, and the Vanquishers won in penalty kicks. It will be a true test of Nier, and Sigler's absence after another yellow card will be notable, as he is the playmaker for the Vanquishers. I think that the Anomalies will pull it off with the absolute brilliance of Andìsorì leading the way, and somehow see themselves in the Semifinals. Chromatika 3-1 Cosumar.
Thorben: As much as people talk about the Vanquishers' offense, it's Winterfyll that will have the last say as to whether the Anomalies will make it past Cosumar or not. Cosumar's defensive prowess is underrated, and it will be what dictates whether the Anomalies score enough or not. I think they will, only because the midfield is strong enough to contest - Kelly and Hellion will do a good enough job. Chromatika 2-1 Cosumar.
Andìsorì: Once again, I won't be providing a scoreline for this match. We are looking at Sigler's replacement, Kaspian, as the possible weak link. Hopefully we'll be able to capitalize on the chances that our system of play provides, and pull out another victory for the people watching.

#1 Unified Sunrise Islands vs. #13 Vilita
Walkers Stadium, Agri
How they got there: Unified Sunrise Islands defeated Nephara, 3-2, After Extra Time, after tying 2-2 in regulation. Vilita defeated Farfadillis, 3-1.
Offense: Unified Sunrise Islands: 28 qualifying, 6 proper, 3 playoffs. 37 in 16 games. Vilita: 25 qualifying, 5 proper, 3 playoffs. 33 in 16 games. EDGE: Unified Sunrise Islands 2.31:2.06
Defense: Unified Sunrise Islands: 13 qualifying, 3 proper, 2 playoffs. 18 in 16 games. Vilita: 12 qualifying, 4 proper, 1 playoffs. 17 in 16 games. EDGE: Vilita 1.13:1.06
The Matchup: A back and forth match saw Mallena's late score be the difference against Nephara, although Juliano is now out of the tournament... Vilita relied on a triple response after the early Farf goal to produce another upset, at least on paper.
The Pick:
Lawless: Ah, what a game by the Vilitans! Milake had an amazing game against Farfadillis. Now, he'll have to repeat that performance against another high-flowing offense, the Samba Kids! Unified Sunrise Islands had a spirited time against Nephara but ultimately prevailed. I think that the Samba Kids will get a step closer to a repeat... Unified Sunrise Islands 3-1 Vilita.
Thorben: Milake's goaltending last game was insane! I think along with his backfield, they'll make things more interesting on the Unified Sunrise Islands than people think. Defense wins championships, and Vilita will show that spirit! Vilita 2-1 Unified Sunrise Islands.
Andìsorì: There's something about a team playing with a chip on their shoulders that appeals to me. On paper, Vilita shouldn't win. But on paper, they shouldn't have defeated Farfadillis either. Rather insane, eh? Vilita will prevail. They just have the X-factor. Vilita 1-0 Unified Sunrise Islands.

#18 Chromatika vs. #7 Royal Kingdom of Québec
@ Fairleigh Field, Fairleigh
Starting Lineups:
Royal Kingdom of Québec: Cech; McNair - Jeong - Tagaq - Kontiola; Schneiderlin - Park; Kang - Conavacio - Gelinas - Mvouba
Chromatika: Nier; Morningstar - Stef - Aart - Ellen; Kelly - Hellion - Liam; Rien, Antonio, Andìsorì
Gelinas 7', Kelly 22', Conavico 52', Antonio 68', Andìsorì 90+3'

Three Keys to the Game:

1. Suspensions, Cards
You can say whatever you want about the Grim Reapers' depth and strengths, but missing three starters sucks no matter how good your team is. Missing van Robben, Hertel, and Dunford and having to be replaced by Gelinas, Kang, and Jeong definitely had an impact on the Grim Reapers. Yes, Gelinas did score the first goal of the game assisted by Park and had some good moments, but Conavacio definitely made things a lot harder for the team after getting ejected from the game due to disrobing almost completely after his goal. The Grim Reapers will most likely have hung on for a win had they had their actual starters.

2. Nier hanging on
Before you go off saying that she let in two goals, just keep in mind that the Grim Reapers play one of the most exciting brands of football out there, perhaps only matched by Ceni/Farfadillis. Gelina's shot from Park was a great ball that Aart mistimed by a little bit, and she really didn't have a chance at it. Conavico's goal? Perhaps that should have been handled a bit better, but Mvouba's touch was simple brilliance. Nier had some amazing blocks throughout the match, as Chromatika was outshot 16-4, and Québec had seven solid shots on goal versus Chromatika's five. It could definitely be stated that Nier had the hardest match of her career, but she will have to play better if the Anomalies are to go any further.

3. Kéirâ Andìsorì.

I'll let her account of the game winning goal stand for itself. What a sensational story and now the main face of the Chromatik team. If Antonio was first, and Thorben was second, Andìsorì, the youngster, is now.

There is one minute left in the match.

I can feel the energy getting drained from everyone on the pitch. McNair and Jeong look gassed, Porsan-Thauvin, the sub, looks a bit tired, too. Ki, who came in for Trenn at the eightieth, has the freshest legs, and she's doing a bit better than most of us out here. My mind can't help but wander to possible overtime, and then dreaded penalty kicks. Boy, does our team has a history of penalty kicks, with horrible results. Hopefully, it won't go down to that.

I'm down to our third, defending high, because the Reapers are pressing in. Although Conavacio's been ejected, the Québecois have continued to play their high-attacking style, and relied on their back end to cover when we counterattack. That image of Conavacio's celebration isn't going to be gone from my memory anytime soon. Poor wife. I get he likes attention, but that was just a bit too much.

Zelaya's probing shot is palmed by Jillian, and I start taking off towards the Québecois third. We're going to have one last chance! Jillian rolls the ball to Ellen, who's made some big challenges in the game. She gets by a struggling Zelaya, gets the ball to Kelly, who takes one, two steps, and I can see out of a corner of my eye what she's going to do next.

Porsan-Thauvin and Kontiola surround me with their burly forms, but I juke around them while making sure that i won't be offsides.

As I foresaw, the ball is dropping down, directly where only I can get to it. I can see Cech's eyes starting to get a bit bigger.

The pass is perfect. I take one touch with my right foot, to dribble it up in the air a bit. Then, taking a deep breath...

I hit it perfectly with the insole of my left foot. The ball seems to hang in the air for an eternity. It goes straight at Cech, who goes up to meet it, and then curves at the last second past his outstretched left hand...

And buries itself in the back of the net.

Elation. Simple elation. I slide down on my knees in the left corner area, and my teammates bombard me.

The resulting goal kick, a few more probes by Québec, and we win the fricking match!

Afterwards, I walked up to Cech, who gave me a high-five and said this:

"Our country has been rooting for you guys in your fight against your government. Best of luck out there, and don't give up."

Oh, we won't, Grim Reaper. This team has another match to play.

Last.fm · by **Cosumar** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:41 am

(OOC: I wrote most of this before the Ro16, but had to delay finishing and posting due to my computer being destroyed, so will post now for QFs instead)

LIVE GAMECAST: Cosumar vs. Rotschwarzland (Group H MD3)
Foot Slaves' loss opens window for fourth consecutive Cosumarite Round of 16 berth

Hello and welcome to The Courier's live coverage from Sailors Stadium. Cosumar are preparing to search for a win - they require all three points to advance here on the last day of the World Cup 76 group stage. A nipping wind and light drizzle have taken hold under an ominous grey sky here in Port Grenville, reflecting the tension among the Cosumarite ranks. Rotschwarzland are already eliminated, but Gethin Ramsey has warned his team of the dangers of playing a side with nothing to lose and a determination not to go home empty-handed. Though the Vanquishers are in high spirits after their late campaign-saving equalizer against Farfadillis, this has "trap game" written all over it. The infamous Red-Black Ultras have turned up in strong numbers - filling at least 3,000 of the mere 12,000 seats and making most of the noise in the stadium here with ten minutes until kickoff. One gets the sense here that this won't be an easy one.

The two teams, both dressed sharply in their Meski kits (Cosumar in home whites, Rotschwarzland in black alternates), are starting to gradually make their way towards the center of the pitch for the pre-match festivities. There goes the National's Pride March - as rousing as ever. And, of course, our own Glory and Majesty. Now WHO'S READY FOR SOME WORLD CUP SOCCER???!!??!?

COSUMAR XI: Winterfyll; Na'Kale, McNessa, Belfry, Serra; Sigler, Söderquist, De Marisco, Öhman (C); Lilley, Worsaw
ROTSCHWARZLAND XI: Hargreaves; Bászta, Marckéhiller, Van der Héensen, Enzo Peri; Rodristander, Defour; Shacker, Carmona (C); Felipinho, Behckestander

Some notable omissions for Cosumar: midfielder Tiffany Elam and captain defender Peter Svensson are suspended with yellow card accumulations. Both picked up their second of the group phase in MD2 against Farfadillis. They are replaced in the eleven by Stig Söderquist and Hemnes Belfry, respectively. Neither new starter had any international experience before Qualifying or has any World Cup Finals experience. Look for Peter Valbuena to try to exploit them.

Here we go. The players are in their starting positions now, jumping up and down and stretching to combat nerves (and shake some of the water off!). The atmosphere at Sailors Stadium is intimate, with all 12,000 umbrella-clutching spectators being very close to the action. In 90 minutes, the Vanquishers' well-publicized goal of making the semifinals will be very, very alive or very, very dead. And very, very wet.

1st minute: AND WE'RE OFF! Cosumar get us underway, working the field left to right across the back. Na'Kale, McNessa, Sigler...

2nd minute:

GOAL COSUMAR! 1-0! STUNNER! WHAT? ABSOLUTE STUNNER! Sheldon Serra lobs a ball forward from his right back position, Tevin Lilley outduels Clement Marckéhiller near the top of the box to get his head to it, and his flick falls right into the path of Ole Öhman, who smashes it into the top corner on the volley! The fill-in captain is over the moon! And he ought to be - that's a sensational strike! From nearly 20 yards out! 1-0 already and Cosumar move up to 2nd in Group H for the first time. It looks like Lilley is being credited with an assist, but that was 100% Öhman.

4th minute: Peter Valbuena is not happy on the touchline. His arms are folded grumpily and the Infamous Ultras have gone quiet behind him. After stressing all week how important it was for his team to hit the ground running and make an immediate statement, this start is...not ideal. Cosumar have dominated the early possession so far, with Rotschwarzland only having had a few touches. They're getting overrun in midfield at the moment. Young Stig Soderquist is everywhere.

5th minute: It's an odd feel here at Sailors Stadium five minutes in. Not as grandiose as a lot of the World Cup venues these teams are accustomed to playing in, and about half the seats are empty because people are waiting in the concourses for the rain to stop. To an uninformed onlooker, it wouldn't seem like an elimination World Cup game in the slightest. Both managers are animated trying to keep their teams focused and engaged through the weather and uninspiring atmosphere.

6th minute: Oooooh! Mauricio Sigler just nutmegged Enzo Peri with no remorse. A flick between the fullback's legs, a burst of pace and now he's all alone racing to the endline! This is promising! He squares a ball back into the box looking for Worsaw...but it's just behind the striker's run. Van der Héensen clears it away. Sigler and Worsaw have been on the same wavelength since the Mid-Qualifying break, but they weren't that time.

8th minute: Cosumar still patiently passing the ball around the midfield with confidence. Rotschwarzland are working hard but just haven't been able to disrupt the Cosumarite rhythm. Could be a long game for them if this continues.

11th minute: The Red-Blacks are starting to gain some footing, finally. Carlos Carmona just made a good run into space down the right and stayed onside to collect the ball. Bodies in the box... but his final ball ends up going wayward out for a goal kick.

13th minute: Despite dominating possession, the Vanquishers are lacking a cutting edge in the attack. The Rotschwarzland are closing down space better and decisions are being made a half-second too slow across the board. Nothing has been asked of goalkeeper Martin Hargreaves since the opener.

14th minute: Öhman does a shifty stop-start move a few yards outside the box, causing Franck Rodristander to clatter into him from behind and concede a Cosumarite free kick in a dangerous position.

16th minute:

GOAL COSUMAR! 2-0! AND THERE'S THE SECOND! The free kick hits a shoulder in the wall and ricochets behind for a corner. Öhman drives in the ensuing delivery and it's met square-on with power by the head of Hemnes Belfry. Hargreaves does well to dive across and palm it out, but Belfry follows up his effort and scuffs it across the line! Belfry! First international start, first international goal. A mini-dogpile has amassed where the 28-year-old reserve defender slid in celebration. Heartwarming stuff! Who could have predicted his name on the scoresheet a week ago?

20th minute: Tevin Lilley with a nice elusive run into the box...but he's finally halted and dispossessed by Marckéhiller. But wait! The ball trickles out right to the feet of Worsaw! Worsaw with some smart touches to open up space for a shot near the penalty spot. There's a real opportunity here! He curls a shot to the far post with his right foot... but oh! Hargreaves catches it cleanly - a fine save. He quickly gets up and runs out to launch a counter for Rotschwarzland.

21st minute: On the other end of the pitch in the blink of an eye, Felipinho is down begging for a penalty. I'll need to see a replay but I think it's a legitimate shout. Jo de Marisco seemed to drag him down. But the ref has (thankfully) turned a blind eye. Play goes on, but Valbuena is livid.

24th minute: A Cosumar corner lands in the center of the penalty area and the RedBlack defenders fail to clear it. Lilley and Worsaw both go for the golden chance, but end up getting in each others' way and neither gets a shot off. D'oh!

25th minute: The rain has finally tapered off and the sun is peeking out from behind the clouds now. It's actually looking like a pleasant day now. People are starting to fill back into the empty seats. Cosumar still in control on the pitch. Rotschwarzland need someone besides Hargreaves to step up. So many passes going astray.

30th minute: Ole Öhman is having a vintage performance today. With an exquisite touch he glides past Vladhimir Bászta and into an inviting pocket of space at the edge of the area. Having already nailed one from range today, he shows absolutely no hesitation in booming a shot towards goal. It goes blistering just inches over the bar, but what a cracking shot it was!

34th minute:

GOAL COSUMAR! 3-0! Delightful interplay! Jo de Marisco sends a sumptuous ball through to meet the run of Öhman on the right, who pulls it back for Worsaw in the center. The ex-Borderlandian's first-time finish beats Hargreaves to his near post. Just like that, the Vanquishers have seemingly put the game out of reach! That's a really well-worked goal.

37th minute: Another save for Hargreaves! That's his fourth of the first half as Cosumar already have seven shots on goal. This time he palms away a would-be outstanding half-volley from Öhman, who continues to completely boss this game. Maybe Ramsey should give Ole the armband more often!

39th minute:

GOAL ROTSCHWARZLAND! 3-1! A WONDER STRIKE OUT OF NOTHING! Lethargic defending from Cosumar, McNessa especially. She doesn't at all close down on Felipinho and the Cruce Estrella playmaker cuts onto his left and smashes a breathtaking effort into the far top corner from 20 yards out! Carmona did a nice job to find Felipinho from across the field.

44th minute: There's been a new spring in the step of the black-clad side since their opening goal. The Ultras are cheering again and they've managed to hold onto the ball for a couple minutes and produce some half-chances. Rotschwarzland will take some life and belief into half time despite being down two goals.

45+2 minute: And there's the whistle. COSUMAR 3-1 ROTSCHWARZLAND is what the scoreboard reads as the players retreat to their dressing rooms. Goals from Öhman, Belfry, Worsaw and Felipinho. Cosumar vanquishing the statlines for possession and shots, though the RedBlacks made some inroads in the last five minutes.

. . .

46th minute: In his halftime interview, Gethin Ramsey talked about Cosumar needing to keep their feet on the pedal. He was disappointed by how his team seemed to let up at the end of the first half, resulting in a conceded goal. It will be interesting to see how they respond as we get back underway in Port Grenville.

50th minute: Not much of note happening yet in the second half -- WAIT -- just as I type that, Lilley gets on the end of a give-and-go move with de Marisco in the box! Good bit of interplay there... but he takes a bad angle and ends up putting his shot into the side-netting.

53rd minute: Gasps around the stadium! Rotschwarzland captain Carmona takes a free kick from the corner of the box and his bending effort glances fortuitously off the crossbar. He had Jakk Winterfyll beat too! Nervy moment for Cosumar.

57th minute:

GOAL ROTSCHWARZLAND! 3-2 Hold your hats, folks! We have ourselves a game! It's poor all around from Cosumar. Franck Rodristander takes a forward pass and waltzes into the attack past a sluggish Öhman. Belfry is equally sluggish in closing Rodristander down and the Montgomery man drives a low, hard shot towards the far post. It sneaks under the also sluggish dive of Winterfyll to draw the underdogs within a goal of their first World Cup point.

60th minute: What a game we have on our hands now! A swell of rain has returned, and Rotschwarzland are swelling with momentum with it. Cosumar was so dominant in the midfield in the first half, but the Red-Blacks are turning the tables.

64th minute:

Substitution for Cosumar, the first of the night. It's Kit Kvanderwyk coming on for Belarmin Worsaw. That's a wide midfielder for a striker, so it looks like Gethin Ramsey is changing from the 4-4-2 to a slightly more defensive 4-5-1 to dig in and protect that one-goal lead.

66th minute: The underdogs have taken no notice of the change, continuing their urgent play. Carmona is viscerally urging his teammates on, shouting constantly. They're throwing lots of Red-Black shirts forward looking for that equalizer. Gerard Behckestander just put a shot wide of Winterfyll's far post. The Vanquishers seem stuck in Neutral.

69th minute: Defour leaves his leg out and Lilley makes no effort to avoid it, tripping to the turf about 25 yards from goal and earning a free kick. De Marisco takes it, but her drilled effort is too central and barely forces Hargreaves to move.

69th minute:

Substitution for Rotschwarzland, their first of the night. It's Behckestander coming off for the fresh legs of Nicolas Ferreth up top. Can Ferreth crush Cosumarite hearts with an equalizer?

72nd minute: Lovely cushioned delivery from Kvanderwyk, but Lilley heads it over the bar. That's the second or third time he's gone high in this half. He might just rue these missed chances if Rotschwarzland take one of their own. Lilley is jawing to the referee about being pushed in the back, but I don't think there was much contact there.

75th minute: Rotschwarzland continuing to play better in the second half. They've taken an inspiring all-hands-on-deck approach in defense, keeping Cosumar mostly on the perimeter. Kvanderwyk has provided the Vanquishers with some excellent width, but it's becoming awfully congested in the central areas.

76th minute:

Both sides making their second change of the night now. It's young attacking midfielder Alora Heher replacing limping fullback Bacary Na'Kale for Cosumar. Three in the back and more numbers to control midfield??? For Rotschwarzland, Valbuena has called the number of Herbert Lotzunali, a like-for-like switch for Rodristander. The final 15 minutes will be a fascinating tactical battle.

80th minute: Into the final 10 minutes now and Rotschwarzland are looking stronger than ever. Their defense is staying very well-organized, allowing Cosumar no way through. There's scarcely an opening to be found, even with the refreshing creativity of Heher probing. The Vanquishers are hesitating as a result, and they're getting caught in possession far too often.

83rd minute:

GOAL ROTSCHWARZLAND! 3-3! FROM 3-0 DOWN, THE REDBLACKS ARE LEVEL! Do you believe in miracles??!?!? Though you'd be hard-pressed to find a single person in Sailors Stadium who couldn't sense this one coming from the way Rotschwarzland has staked their claim on this second half. Felipinho strides down the left on the break, picks out the substitute Lotzunali in the center, who in turn plays in Defour...and he dinks a close-range finish in off the post to cap off a bang-bang counterattack! Wowza! Cosumar are on the ropes. If this stunning result holds, the World Cup is over for us.

84th minute:

Substitution for Cosumar. Desperately needing a goal for certain now, Ramsey immediately makes a change, looking for a spark. It's Linden Lucassen, still searching for his first international goal, replacing Tevin Lilley up top.

86th minute:

GOAL COSUMAR! 4-3! COSUMAR BACK ON TOP STRAIGHT AWAY! What a sudden turn of events! Rotschwarzland's celebrations are suddenly cut short and converted to disbelief as Jo de Marisco restores Cosumar's place in the Round of 16! IT'S MAGNIFICENT! Another remarkable finish in a day of quite remarkable finishes! An immaculate back-heel pass from Sheldon Serra put de Marisco in a good spot and she did not waste his skill - curling the ball into the back of the net from 18 yards. De Marisco's place in the starting eleven throughout this cycle has not been without controversy. Her performances have been mixed. But this heroic moment certainly vindicates Ramsey's (and the team's) trust in the Eastweald star. Just look at the smiles on those Cosumarite faces!

88th minute: Tension is very high here as the tempo ramps up with stoppage-time approaching. To walk away empty-handed would be a massive letdown for Rotschwarzland, but given the way this match has unfolded, you have to admire them for not just sitting back and accepting their third loss. They were still going for it at 3-0 down and they still are now at 4-3. Just look at the travelling Cosumarite fans. They're holding their breath with every Red-Black foray across the midfield line - they know anything can still happen.

89th minute: Marckéhiller has been a pillar in central defense for Rotschwarzland all night. He makes another key contribution here, pressuring Lucassen in the air to force his header wide. Of course, Lucassen has gone to ground to try to milk some seconds, but the referee is not having it. Hargreaves helps him to his feet with an annoyed grimace.

90th minute: If Cosumar can hang on for two more minutes, they're through!

90th minute +2: TALK ABOUT LATE DRAMA! *massive exhale* Carlos Carmona's potentially damning equalizer rattles under the crossbar but bounces directly back up off the ground and does not cross the line. Lotzunali nearly devours the rebound but Winterfyll is just barely able to sprawl and knock it out for a corner before Lotzunali could make contact. This corner will be the final chance for the underdogs to equalize.

90th minute +3: The corner is cleared by Soderquist...and THERE'S THE FINAL WHISTLE! Cosumar are through! Even the largely neutral Sailors Stadium is buzzing a little as the Vanquishers slip and slide through the still-wet grass in celebration!

We nearly choked away a 3-0 lead, but in the end held on to win 4-3 and wrap up Group H play with a 1-2-0 record. Rotschwarzland will return home 0-0-3 but with the pride of having been extremely competitive in every match.

In review, it was very much a tale of two halves - the first was dominated by Cosumar and the quality of Ole Öhman in particular, while defensive adjustments from Peter Valbuena saw Rotschwarzland wrest back control in the second. The difference ended up being Jo de Marisco's late moment of guts and glory. Sometimes that's all it takes to go through on a great run - that little extra bit of quality and inner steel.

Be sure to watch next week as Peter Svensson and Tiffany Elam return to lead Cosumar into the knockout rounds against host nation Electrum. It is sure to be a grandiose atmosphere at Centralis Olympic Stadium, perhaps further embittered by Cosumar's recent successes against Electrum. If you can't tune in, we'll be gamecasting live right here as always at TheCourier.cos.

EDIT: Stats updated to end of cycle

by **Vilita** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 11:36 am

Somewhere in an Alternate Universe, Not so Far Away ::: The Pumpkin Plague was still lingering on in Atlantian Oceania - but for the most part, the most severe effects had passed in most areas, really everywhere except one region. One wretched, disgusting, smelly region. And no, we're not talking about Audioslavia.

We're talking about Farfadillis. That disgusting little island somewhere south of the Nuclear Wastelands.

Unlike the rest of Atlantian Oceania that was embracing medical research related to finding a cure for this particular strain of the Pumpkin Plague, Farfadillis had taken the controversial stance of closing its borders and trying to deal with the problem from within.

As corpses piled up and Zombie Hordes multiplied en masse, nations throughout Atlantian Oceania began to grow wary of the Zombifarf threat.

It was at this point that the Vilitan Orbital Intelligence Agency, in working with Tropciorp, called in their secret weapon.

Zombifarf

- Cure Cat -

They called upon the jungle feline toting a modified handheld small rocket propelled launcher fitted with the Pumpkin Plague Anti-Virus as its payload.

Cure Cat approached the Farfadillian Island and aimed its missile in the direction of Zombifarf. Zombifarf lurched towards Cure Cat then *thwam!* - Zombifarf was hit.

The Cure become to take effect. But Zombifarf was resilliant. Cure Cat reloaded. *thwam! thwam!* another two hits. Zombifarf was down. Down but not out. An hour later, the Zombie hordes had revived Zombifarf. Cure Cat took aim. *thwam!*

The battle would rage on Cure Cat would score a serious of direct hits. Zombifarf would be beaten to submission, on the verge of death - then another Zombie Horde would arrive as a reinforcing agent to the Zombifarf mentality. *thwam! thwam! thwam!* the engagement persisted.

Finally, after hours of back and forth, it appeared that a truce was reached. The Zombie Hordes vanished into the sunset. Law & Order was back in place throughout the region and Cure Cat returned to the wild, waiting for another call to action - if needed, for any future Pumpkin Plague Outbreaks.

Somersville Stadium, Somer, Electrum ::: There was plenty of locker-room material for the Vilita National Team to build off of for motivation as they squared off against long-time rivals Farfadillis. Beyond just the self-motivation to take down the very nation that had cut them down so many times before. Articles from 'The Rebel' in Chromatika and other such sources, predicting a blowout victory for Farfadillis - all served as motivators for the Jungle Cats.

The 'Dillites, of course, will be the Jungle Cats opponents in the Round of 16 and according to the tabloids, and, admittedly, the statistics - are one of if not the hottest team in the Multiverse.

Vilitan fans, however, are hoping that their Jungle Cats can send the Farfudillae off to a golf outing with their fellow "F"-ers; Fluvique, Flardania and Ficiscia. Vilita and Farfadillis have a long... long history of meeting up in the World Cup Finals. Traditionally, those meetings have occurred with the Vilita Jungle Cats as the higher seeded team and Farfadillis as the underdog that spoils the Vilitan party - securing the upset result and knocking the Jungle Cats out of the World Cup.

During the Round of 16 in Electrum, however, it will be the Jungle Cats who come in as the Underdogs, looking to reverse a generation of disappointing results against their Atlantian Oceania rivals.

Never had Truer words been matched to the Vilitan mentality. Even when Farfadillis scored early to take the lead, the Vilitan resolve was still strong. Three goals, 90 minutes and one final whistle later, not only had the Jungle Cats exacted a long-awaited revenge on their Farfafufi-wufian rivals, but they had advanced to the final 8 of the World Cup. For the World Cup 68 champions, advancing to the Quarter Finals would still be considered something of an expectation for the Vilitan National Team. However, in light of recent under-performing campaigns - as well as watching the neighboring Turori National Team crash out without a single point - there is some relief for the Vilitan camp to advance into the latter half of the competition.

Now, however they would face a new challenge. It is a challenge they know they can handle, and perhaps even moreso in embracing their new role as underdogs. Now, the World Cup 68 Champions will square off against the defending World Cup Champions - the Unified Sunrise Islands, for a place in the Final 4. With hosts Electrum eliminated in the Round of 16, the path is now clear for the winner of the only of the four Quarter-Final matchups being contested between two former World Cup Champions to yield the new favorite to lift the World Cup 76 trophy.

The most recent matchup between Vilita and the Unified Sunrise Islands took place shortly after the conclusion of the Sunrise Island's signature World Cup 75 Campaign, during Eagle's Cup VI. While neither match went in the favor of the Jungle Cats - a 0-1 defeat in Vilita followed up by a 3-3 draw in the Unified Sunrise Islands, the knowledge that the matches have remained close is surely a comfort to Vilitan fans who know that they can hang with the Unified Sunrise Islands. They are still in the same league and expect their team - if they show up and play to the level that they are known to be capable of - will most certainly give the defending World Champions a run for their money, and just maybe, emerge victorious, and keep their own World Cup hopes alive in Electrum and Ceni.

by **Audioslavia** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 3:20 pm

EUR THE MAN NOW, ROD
Fraser repays manager's faith with crucial goal.
Fourth in four World Cup appearances for 'Hot Rod'.
Bulls in World Cup quarter-finals for the nineteenth time.
Brenecians await as Krytenia blow it.

Sanchez-Dysos has garnered plenty of enemies in the country thanks to his Krytenian passport and his failure to beat the country of his father's birth in two attempts. The twitter war between him and the trolls had been stepped up after his admission that the 80% fit, 32 year-old Dragan Kryznjak would not be playing in the second round against Eura. Yet the dust settled in southeastern Ceni on Tuesday evening to reveal Sanchez-Dysos's plan a success. One goal scored. Roddy Fraser. Kryznjak's 20 year-old replacement.

The gaffer's gamble had played dividends by only the eighth minute. Fraser received a low ball on the edge of the area and, as he's been want to do recently, chose the less obvious option - as if he'd seen the incident play out before and just knew intrinsically that Craig Gilbert was closing in on Aurrekoetxea, who would probably have seemed to be free in space to the striker - and turned sharply inside Sterling Rose, giving him just enough time to swing a big right boot at the ball and send it skimming along the grass, past the despairing dive of Jeffery Douglas in the Euran net.

Much has been made of Eura's plight off the field in the run up to the tournament. Most neutrals had signalled their desire to see a fairytale Euran triumph this mondiale, but Audioslavia set about trying to disappoint them as best they could, shutting up by the start of the second half and playing largely on the counter.

Mariezkurrena would go close to doubling Audioslavia's lead on the hour, finishing wide of the goal from a tight angle with Douglas beaten, while at the other end Rose, Sinclair and Sutton worked hard to create space and time for the likes of Spartan and Campbell to shine, but time and time again found themselves frustrated by a determined Audioslavia defence. Joel Sutton would go closest, curling a shot past Ozuna only to see his effort ricochet off the far post. Spartan would draw two saves out of the keeper, one a point-blank effort that Ozuna managed to scramble his torso in the way of. Sub Lofty Jones would go close with a header in the dying seconds, but the Bulls held on to progress to another quarter-final.

Waiting in the next round are a Brenecia side bearing many of the players that captiulated so badly to Audioslavia in Tzierra four years ago, in a second round match that the Bulls won three to nothing. For a manager trying to etch his name into Audioslavian history and a national team aiming for three semi-final appearances in a row, at the very least, nothing short of victory will do. Damned be the neutrals. If there are three more one-nothing victories in the coming weeks then Sanchez-Dysos won't ever need to buy a drink in Cathair again.

IBJJ, G'NB

Roddy Fraser read paragraph two for the fourteenth time before tossing the newspaper aside and standing up, trying to regain his composure in spite of the news and the blood rushing back from his brain from having stood up too quickly. He'd always known it'd been a mistake to let the hack in on his secret. I mean, really, of all the people in the world to tell, you tell the world's most famous sports journalist? It was only him and the gypsy that knew, and Roddy knew for sure that she wouldn't be telling anyone soon.

by **Ceni** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 8:18 pm

This is your quarterfinals cutoff!

by **San Jose Guayabal** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 8:53 pm

WC 76 Finals: And We Are Back On The Road

And they are returning slowly to what we know about them, "La Selecta" has recovered their usual performance and finished a decent game agains the Vanorian National Team on Cenial, Laborious Hawk was stopped by a splendid performance mde by Rudy Valencia, the forwards were accurate this time and Faña came back to activity scoring two goals, including a really beautiful long range shot, despite some mistakes, "La Selecta" recovers force and may arrive in a good moment for the match against one of the co-hosts.

By: Mayra Zelaya ¡OLE OLE OLE OLE, SELECTA, SELECTA!
From: Cenial, Ceni - World Cup 76 - Knock-out Stage.
Posted: Monday, June 24th, 2211 - 21:27 (Guayabalense Eastern Time - User's default time)

Recovering fast was essential for “La Selecta” in this game against Valanora, many fans could have lost the hope on La Selecta due to that performance against Audioslavia, that discouraged many people who was going to think that we could have done something better in this World Cup, though those people who were either skeptical or negative on regards of “La Selecta” performance in the Round of 16 game against Valanora were proven wrong and in big time, despite it turned to be a close game, “La Selecta” gave great sensations in a lot of moments into the game, we appreciated that sense of keeping control of the ball that we lost against Audioslavia, the accuracy provided by Faña (who came back to the starting XI after an entire World Cup cycle), Fraser and Zelaya, the three provided “La Selecta” a new sense of accuracy that we have forgotten, they also were responsible on giving some experience in it, Vaarisiemi absence wasn’t noticeable through the match and the great labor made in the defense literally blocked out Laborious Hawk, Espy va Drake and the rest of their teammates, the elves were kept back of the line settled by the Guayabalenses, they seemed to pose a threat during the first twenty minutes of the second half but Valencia’s performance was crucial to erase the Vanorians of the map and inclining the action for “La Selecta” in the rest of the game. Despite that childish mistake on the 93rd minute, the team looked solid and now is aiming for more and now, lots of fans have started to recover the passion and faith for “La Selecta” and are now aiming to achieve greater heights.

Things were looking good in the moments before the game, both fan groups were calm and decided to enjoy with each other, Guayabalenses met with themselves and realized different kind of activities such as playing football, cooking some roast beef and enjoying the night at Cenial; many touring agencies offered trips to the centre of Cenial which is not precisely known for its historical architecture, mostly known for being modern in everything, gigantic skyscrapers and lots of interesting places to visit such as a pretty especial pupusería located in the middle of Cenial, which prepares “gourmet” pupusas, despite those were way more costly compared to those in San José Guayabal, the Guayabalense people were up to eat the pupusas without major issue, in high quantities, they just decided to enjoy the moment with delicious food that would make the wait to go to the game something faster. People were walking to the stadium and suddenly found a group of elves who were also going to the stadium, nothing happened between them apart from a couple of glares, jokes towards elves due to their appearance, jeers from both sides and the “¡CoH 63!” chant coming from Guayabalense fans, which was answered by “We have five more cups!”, nothing more happened apart those chants. The players arrived to the stadium , with one hour and fifteen minutes in hand, people asked for autographs and some selfies to immortalize the moment digitally while others decided to shake hands: Zelaya, Faña and Fraser were the most wanted for the Guayabalense team while for the Vanorians were Galadirdren, Tathtauré and obviously Laborious Hawk. Compared to what happened against Audioslavia with those two players whose neurons were fried, this time there wasn’t any kind of abnormal event that could have potentially affected the development of the game and thus, the quality of the actions that we were ready to witness.

What about the actions of the game? The decisions that the managers would do concerning their teams? Let’s start with the Vanorians and their manager, Côfcarthor Undorina, who decided to use a team that could control the possession of the ball in order to keep “La Selecta” out of their original plans and then dominating the game, the role of Hawk to Tathtauré and Fresco in order to have a good performance on the front side for the Vanorians, if “La Selecta” blocked Hawk, Valanora would have a minimal chance to attack with what they want, Hawk is some sort of engine into the team for the elves, he’s their legend and all the weight of the mission was transferred to his shoulders for sure, a couple of hard tackles from Valencia could calm him down and set enough conditions against him to avoind any fantastical move of this player. For the side of “La Selecta”, Oliveira and Herrera were planning some changes in the front row of the team after the forced absence of Vaarisiemi due to the red card he got on the last game against Audioslavia, instead of the young star, a veteran bur still skilled Jonathan Faña would take his position, the 31 year old striker was up for the mission and available to do what it can be on his reach in order to make "La Selecta" win. Having Faña in the front would give the team a sense of order, speed and accuracy when trying to define in key moments of the game, while Fraser and Zelaya were complementing the trio on the front, those three together are able to destroy any kind of defense and everybody was aware of the fact, there was no doubt about it and for sure, Oliveira and Herrera were able to risk it and go to the front in order to attack and seal a positive outcome before the end of the first half of the match.

The game was near to tart, both teams were called up by the referee and the nerves were noticeable in some players, fortunately those were going to sit on the bench for this game, it was weird and a bit funny that a bird pooed on Saucedo’s shirt, hence he had to change his clothes fast in order to be available to play, he managed to reach the team before the national anthems were sung byy the fans, the Vanorian anthem was listened first and there was mild booing from different parts of the stadium, while the Guayabalense anthem, “Despiértate Guayabalense” was sang completely euphorical by the fans on Shadow B’Betsy Stadium, at least 29,000 Guayabalense fans were in the stadium to watch this important game for the Guayabalense aspirations to go a bit more far into the contention in order to get at least something in this World Cup, though the task was difficult by the fact of having Valanora at their front, the Vanorians were desperate since they now have a while without winning a piece of silverware, especially a World Cup, the five-times champions were on a somewhat critical moment and doing the things well would be a key for them in order to start gaining the confidence of the Vanorian fans and of course, the managers and everybody involved with the national team. While “La Selecta” wa on their aim to reach step by step the World Cup and keep their minds well for every match, though it can’t be denied that there are certain ambitions among the members of the team, still, both were focused on what they should needed to do in that game. Zelaya won the coin toss and he moved the ball with Fraser, that’s how the game started and the people took their seats to watch this spectacle.

The game started and Fraser passed the ball to Núñez and were decided to keep the possession for a time in order to do the fatigue game against the Vanorians, Oliveira and Herrera were aware that the rival team had a lot of physical resistance and consuming it would be the decision of causing fatigue the ideal move in order to creating a real threat against the Vanorian team, moving out the ball from one side to the other side of the defense, Moreira passed to Passarelli and then to Salume, controlled the ball and then Laborious Hawk took the ball from Salume, Moreira was aware of the situation and ran behind Hawk and tackled him quite hard and this earned a free kick for the Vanorians, Hawk took the ball and decided to make a prefabricated play, passed to va Drake and then to Fresco, the elf decided to dribble Salume but Passarelli appeared and kicked the ball out of the area defended by “La Selecta” the elves wanted to take an early initiative in the game, we were near the five minutes mark but they couldn’t exercise it, instead, “La Selecta” through Rudy Valencia recovered the ball from a bad throw in made by Lardireil and then he passed to Fraser, the “Black Panther” ran as usual through the left wing and reached the area fast, then passed to Zelaya and the Guayabalense star kept the ball, dribbled Aldamiel and Toraandal, then found Faña in an excellent position and the “Flea” did his first shoot of the game, sending the ball a bit wide past the goal of Galadirdren, the elf kept his eyes on the ball but decided not to launch, since it was being wide and it couldn’t have a lot of incidence after it, we were on eight minutes and the actions were equalized one-a-piece at that moment, since both teams had a chance each, but the defenses did their effort to keep the game tied as we started it, though, there wasn’t any clear option to score from both teams, hence we can’t said that certain player wasted a key chance., though there was a lot of minutes left and anything could happen, eighty minutes that would be disputed fiercely since there was a lot into the gamble.

We passed the first ten minutes mark and the things were looking good for “La Selecta” on the moment, the fatigue tactic was working but it had a secondary effect on the game, the Vanorians were playing desperately in order to recover possession, to the point of sweeping near the risk of getting yellow carded, such as an action made by Soldarian when he swept Zelaya quite hard, causing some delay into the game because Zelaya needed some medical attention at the moment, despite the hard impact, Zelaya had opportunity to return to the field safe and sound, a couple of “magic spray” was needed for RZ 22 to return to the field, though he wasn’t able to do the free kick, the second designated kicker, Núñez, was in charge of doing the free kick at the 13th minute of the match, he passed the ball to Bregoo who was running in the right wing and he gave a cross, he found Saucedo’s head and then he nodded, Galadirdren was forced to dive in order to take the ball out of the line since that goal was being literally “chanted” by the fans, but the referee awarded a corner for "La Selecta", in the left side of the field. Faña went to the corner and kicked the ball, crashed it on Aldamiel and he deflected it, awarding a throw in for ”La Selecta” Bregoo did the throw in, passed to Valencia, he gave a cross to Fraser and he nodded the ball, but it went high over the goal of Galadirden, shame that the goal didn’t arrived yet. The people from the Commonwealth had more words to say in that point of the match, at the 19th minute, Fresco passed it back to Haerear and the elf keep it for a while, passed through Valencia and then found Laborious Hawk, a large cross was sent to the left side and Fresco found the ball, he kept it and passed to Soldarian and then he passed to Tathtauré who ran to the area and made a solid contact in the sweet spot of the ball, sent it to goal and Terrazas dived to the upper left angle of the goal in order to send it outside the pitch, conceding a corner for the” Elves Security Forces”, Tathtauré did the corner kick and Laborious Hawk did found the ball into a sea of legs in the area, Hawk did contact with the ball but Passarelli sent it out of the area exactly over the line, what a non-appropriated moment people with heart diseases was that… Pheew!

Twenty minutes in and both teams weren’t being exactly dominant, domination was being shared by both teams since both had their chances, the game was being defined in the midfield, but “La Selecta” had another plans in mind for that part of the game and the first warning came at the 23rd minute, Zelaya did a counterattack and found Fraser on the other side, did a pass and the “Black Panther” had a head to head with Galadirdren, the Guayabalense player chipped the ball over the elf but it went over the goal, a bit over and thus, a really clear chance was wasted by “La Selecta”, now both teams had a clear goal chance per piece, and it was a sign that lot of action was coming for us and the tickets paid by the fans were going to be worthy, since nobody wanted to give up, hence they kept attacking hard and the tackling was an evident sign of it. On the 26th minute, another opportunity happened but this time was by the Vanorians, when Rudy Valencia did a hard tackle over Laborious Hawk, who was escaping in the centre of the pitch and was perfiling himself to a clear panorama that could have turned it into a goal, the legendary player needed some medical attention but didn’t happened more apart from a bit of the “magical spray”, Fresco did the free kick and smashed it in the crossbar of the goal of Terrazas, Hawk jumped with Terrazas in order to dispute the ball rebound, Terrazas went victorious after punching the ball out of the area and then a bicycle kick of Zelaya to send it away, near the defense of the elves. “La Selecta” was somewhat losing some dominance at the moment but there was an ace under their sleeves, and that ace was Jonathan Faña; on the 28th minute, the “flea” took the ball and ran through the right wing of the field, passed the ball to Zelaya and both were accompanied by Aldamiel and Toraandal, Zelaya nutmegged Toraandaland Faña projected himself to the area but decided to give a pass to Fraser, the “Black Panther” jumped and nodded the ball solidly, he sent it to the lower left side of the goal defended by Galadirdren, the ball entered into the goal and that was it, the first goal of “La Selecta” of that game, a solid contact with the ball by Fraser and Toraandal wasn’t unable to mark Fraser because he was returning after pressing Zelaya, Fraser jumped as usual, with a great spring back in order to reach the ball,28th minutes and up 1-0, now it was matter to make the difference bigger or keeping it for at least the halftime.

The Vanorian team was scattered at that moment, the players lose some circuits among them, mainly because by the efforts made by Rudy Valencia to keep Laborious Hawk annulated, while Passarelli, Moreira and Salume were keeping Fresco and Tathtauré on the margin, while the offensive side was taking advantage of the fatigue caused in the first minutes of the game. Oliveira and Herrera indicated the players to restart the fatigue plan, hence the team seemed to pass and distributing the ball a lot between the midfield and the defense, despite some boos were heard from the Vanorian sector, the aim was to await for the arrival of a Vanorian player, make them try to sweep and recover the ball but instead of allowing that, the players gave a pass in order to make the Vanorian effort being wasted, it was a risky tactic but it gave some fruits, some Vanorians were asking for hidratation at minute 35th, though some Guayabalenses did it too because the weather on Cenial, it was a humid night with at least a temperature of 25°C, at 21:00, despite that, intensity didn’t dropped out by the Guayabalense side, since they continued trying more and more and achieved a good chance in the 37th minute, when Sean Fraser took the ball from Aldamiel and had another head to head against Galadirdren, Fraser awaited for Zelaya and then passed, the Guayabalense star took it but had to dribble Lardireil but wasn’t able, he took the ball but Núñez swept and took the ball, passed to Faña and the “flea” shoot, sent it to the crossbar and then Zelaya flew it away from the goal with an horrendous shot, that if I’m not mistaken, that shot should have reached the moon like five hours ago, and may be on its way to mars and then cross all the milky way… For fuck sake Zelaya, what happened to you in that opportunity…? Reinvindication was close for Zelaya once again at the 39th minute, took a rebound of Laborious Hawk and then tried a midrange shot to Galadirdren, attempted to surprise the veteran goalkeeper who’s 687 years old (What. The. Actual. Fuck, he was born at the beginning of the era when we were colonized, WOW!) But the elf took the ball safe and sound with his hands and keep it away from any kind of risks that the ball could have been compromised and would have led to another goal.

“La Selecta” kept strong once again, passing the ball and distributing it, seeking for the perfect chance in order to launch a counterattack but at the same time, avoiding risks that could lead to the Vanorian equalizer, the risks weren’t taken until now but there was a particularly weird happening at the 43rd minute, just when the referee added three more minutes to the game. Rudy Valencia stumbled and Laborious Hawk exploded with his speed, lie a bullet train at maximum speed and reached the edge of the area, found Fresco and then the Vanorian forward took the ball and shoot towards Terraza’s goal, the keeper attempted to deflect but did it wrongly and the ball was going inside but the same Terrazas managed to send it out to corner with his left hand, a weird save of a mistake that could have comprised the game for “La Selecta” at that time. The corner was made by va Drake, then Tathtauré nodded the ball and smashed it into the crossbar, Faña kicked it away and the danger was gone at the moment. It was unthinkable on how the Vanorans didn’t scored a goal yet, since there were two clear opportunities that could have been goals but were smashed on the post, they clearly wanted to warn us for something that might happen on the second half, but there wasn’t any more action for the moment, the game finished at the 45+3 minute and “La Selecta” was now having a comfortable match to play, dominance and control of it, though the Vanorians were going to say a word but the crossbar impeded it twice, the moods on both sides were serious, though Laborious Hawk went to the referee and protested by excessive tackling by Rudy Valencia, Oliveira was going to have a word with Valencia due to it and the potential risk of him being red carded by doing it, considering how it was the match, that wasn’t something to take a risk for, nothing worthy for.

For the halftime, both teams talked about their performances on the field, but the emphasis on regards of the performance had to do with the Vanorians, since they were in troubles for some part of the match, especially on the definition which was worrying for them, Undorina asked their players to be more consistent and precise while attacking, since two chances missed in the crossbar given a lot of things to talk about on the half, considering that the Elves were now down in the score and nailing at least one of those opportunities would have equalized the match, Laborious Hawk decided to talk too and the situation was against him because what Valencia did against him during the first half, hence he told his teammates to avoid him when Valencia could be close to him in order to avoid any kind of risks, but Undorina told Hawk to resist and try to provoke Valencia in order to cause a red card for “La Selecta”. For us, the things were different, the environment was serene but Oliveira and Herrera told their players to don’t have mercy and turn every opportunity into a potential risk and try to score as much goals as possible in order to settle the things up for now, Valencia was being substituted by Sosa due to strategical and discipline concerns, keeping the team as clean as possible and avoiding risks of red carding or suspensions were something that was ideal for both managers, hence the substitution. With Sosa on the field, the team won more capacity to arm new plays, since Sosa is a team brain at certain extent, though also is a destroyer of any attempt made by the opposition to score. That’s how things were and the teams returned to the field, now the Valanorans would be under ball possession this time.

And that’s how it started, Hawk gave a pass to Fresco and the second half were underway at that point, constant moves and strategies were made in order to give “La Selecta” a bit of their own medicine, causing some fatigue and trying to be more vertical while attacking, something that was demonstrated twice in ten minutes: The first opportunity was at the 49th minute, when Fresco received a beautiful 50 yards cross from Hawk, the elf dribbled Salume and moved to the area and he decided to wait for someone, gave the ball to va Drake and then this player crossed the ball to the area and Tathtauré took the ball, the clearest chance maybe of the game since it was a head to head against Terrazas, the Guayabalense goalkeeper went out to press Tathtauré but Terrazas won it when sweeping, gave the ball to Núñez from a long throw but he lost the ball on that moment and then Haerear tried a midfield goal since Terrazas was well outside the box, Haerear attempt was a bit wide on the left of the goal of Terrazas, it was pretty close to score. The second attempt happened on the 55th minute, when James Moreira saw Hawk incoming, he decided to sweep violently in order to stop him and it worked, Hawk was on the floor and Moreira was yellow carded by doing that, a free kick chance was now realistic for the elves, and the distance was really close to goal, it was from the edge of the box, Terrazas was seeing the ball approaching after Hawk’s shot, he saved it with the leg and sent it to the corner. Va Drake took the chance to do the corner, nobody nodded it but Núñez to give the ball to Terrazas in a mild nodding that was well placed to the goalkeeper of “La Selecta” The Vanorians, at that point have certainly improved but that wasn’t enough to make them reach a decisive goal to make the game something narrow and interesting for the fans (even more interesting).

We passed the fifty five minutes mark of the game, Valanora was dominating the second half while San José Guayabal was calm expecting to defend any attempt made by the people of the commonwealth, it was a hard fought game in the midfield, including some harsh tackling in order to make some players vulnerable and at the same time, imposing some conditions while defending that could be vital to stop the Vanorians from doing any harm to the Guayabalense defense, but them decided to break that time without scoring and that’s how they started an interesting play on the 58th minute. Laborious Hawk awaked and was being some sort of nightmare for “La Selecta” on the second half of the game, he recovered that good passing and capability to make “La Selecta” lose some vital balance, Salume faced Hawk and decided to not be contemplative with him and swept harsh again, Hawk had an argument with the referee because it was already the third foul made against him of such severity, once again he required medical attention but nothing to worry, he returned and earned the Vanorians a free kick. Valanora had in Hawk their hopes and they turned it into a valid reason to have hopes on, Hawk gave a pass to Fresco and then he passed to Tathtauré, he was now in front of Terrazas and had no mercy, Tathtauré now sent the ball below the legs of the Guayabalense goalkeeper and that’s how Valanora equalized the game 1-1, the Vanorians were cheering wildly and the game now hadn’t anybody that could turn it into something different for now. Despite “La Selecta” was chanceless during the second half, they continued to penetrate the elves defense and they tried to do that on the 63rd minute of the game, Núñez gave a pass to Fraser and he moved out very well, dribbled Toraandal and gave a pass to Faña, he moved some meters and decided to shoot on the bottom right corner of the goal defended by Galadirdren, now Faña was hoping for that ball to cross the line and it happened, it was a solid shot that left the goalkeeper unable to do anything or attempt to save it, he stood like if he was posing for the cameras for newspaper presentation or doing some advertising to any kind of brands, Galadirdren was unable to react and the Vanorian happiness lasted only five minutes, “La Selecta was now back on the lead and the things looked promising for the national team, now it was matter if they could keep the score or turning it into a bigger difference, that positive scenario would be possible and in case it happened, the situation could liquidate the Vanorian hopes to qualify for the next round and then, the Guayabalense hopes would rise even more.

The game entered into a brief lapse of low activity, the game was now focused on the midfield and both teams were now focused on retaining possession, which was vital in order to attempt something positive in this game where defenses have had certain role on keeping the rival back of the lines, any attempt made by both was dangerous, especially those two shots that the elves sent to the crossbar and Terrazas managed to save after those shots, he did it with some effort but it was worth of it. On regards of possession until that moment, “La Selecta” has been more consistent than the elves, having it for around 54% of the time, while the elves lacked of effectivity and had the ball for the other 46% of time. On regards of the shots, both team had seven shots, but “La Selecta” had six to goal while the elves had five, including two that crashed the crossbar. If the game could have been described in a way during this moment, it would be one “accuracy”, the lack of that and a bit of lack of luck caused some negative costs to the elves, who could have been leading the game if they converted those two chances into goals though that’s how it is football, lucky should be in your side always to win, while “La Selecta” had that luck, the aggressiveness of the team was reduced after Hawk wasn’t too active by the fact of being the target of tackling and any kind of physical game, it was a risky job to do it but don’t you think that somebody has to do always the dirty job? Well, it does apply because it is needed to be dirty sometimes while tackling and preventing potential damage against your team, hence it was somewhat valid that decision made by the managers, Oliveira and Herrera to keep Hawk annulated for the rest of the match.

Fifteen minutes before the game finishes, “La Selecta” was recovering some terrain into the midfield, especially Sosa, he was doing it well when destroying any attempt to play from the rival and providing very good crossings for the forwards of “La Selecta”, especially aimed towards Rodolfo Zelaya; Sosa was doing something like a revolution on the midfield, a so-needed substitution for Valencia in order to keep him able for the next match, and Sosa covered the role of Valencia well, though the destruction of rival’s game isn’t his stronghold. At the 78th minute of the match, Laborious Hawk attempted to dribble Sosa but he swept and took the ball out of Hawk’s reach, Sosa moved around twenty meters and then gave a cross to Faña, the “flea” received it with the chest, controlled it and then dribbled Hawk, moved some meters and managed to see that Galadirdren was a couple of meters away from the goal, hence he decided to unleash a long range shot, the bet was going to be either a ridiculous try that could potentially send the ball to the coast of Cenial or being a beautiful goal, it was the last issue, he kicked the ball and it went fast towards goal, Galadirdren didn’t had a chance to save that goal, he tried and dived but failed to send it away from the goal, it entered on the upper left corner of the goal and it was pretty much the last nail on the Vanorian coffin, the beautiful bet of Faña turned it into the third goal for “La Selecta” now we were up 3-1 and things looked great for the national team, especially for Faña, who scored two goals in his return to the national team after a long absence from World Cup 73, where an Enemy Crusher attacked him wildly when “La Selecta” won 1-3 on Gregoryisgodistan. Faña was praying on the grass and crying of happiness after such a splendid return, a return that tastes like victory and gave “La Selecta” the passport for the next round, the Quarterfinals… Though, there were more minutes left, around twenty minutes left and prevention passed to be the number one task in order to avoid a catastrophe.

On the last minutes of the game, “La Selecta” still tried to find another goal, such as they demonstrated on the 89th minute, when Zelaya was near the box, Sosa gave a large cross and Zelaya took the ball in the air, the shoot crashed the crossbar and Galadirdren took the ball, then in the 91st minute, after a counterattack made by Hawk and then Salume stopping him, Fraser went to the front as usual, fast and being almost unstoppable, he did a hand to hand vs Galadirdren and decided to dribble him, he failed and Galadirdren took him to the floor, he was carder for the action and a new free kick was awarded for “La Selecta” And it was Zelaya the one in charge to perform it, he did it well but Galadirdren saved the shot, at that moment, he started a counterattack and passed the ball to Laborious Hawk, the legendary midfielder ran damn fast, like some sort of a rocket through the midfield and found Fresco, this player was alone at the moment of being in front of Terrazas, hence he took the opportunity to score and did it with a well-placed chipped off kick over Terrazas and scored the 3-2, it was a really late goal (Minute 92) that gave some hopes to the Valanorans but “La Selecta” stepped over the midfield and recovered the ball, passing the ball on the defense and then advancing to the front and keeping the ball there, near the corners in order to waste time, it was effective and the whistle was listened on the 95th minute, that made “La Selecta” advance to the next round, the Quarterfinals, where we will face one of the co-hosts, Ceni.

What about the next rival? Our next rival, as I said earlier, is Ceni, which is one of the co-hosts of the 76th World Cup. Before talking about the details of the Cenian squad, it’s noteworthy that one of the details that Oliveira and Herrera must work is the psychological area, on how to deal with nerves and pressure coming from outside, especially from the home fans which will be hostile and thirsty of more success on what it is the best cycle made by Ceni in their history. Though people is remembering that recent game in Concepción Batres (WC 74 GS, 3-1) and also a friendly in Ceni (0-4 for "La Selecta") which gives good feelings about this. Back into nerves issues, if we manage to control that, we will have an advantage, according to Herrera, the have been focusing on: “Nerves, that’s something that it’s under control but needs to be perfect or close to be that, since this kind of games doesn’t allows mistakes of any kind, it’s a must win game, no matter what happens but our goal is to win and continue progressing on the tournament, we don’t want to return soon and we are aware that we have what its needed to win this, I trust in my players” While Oliveira said “Optimism is a key for us, we stay united and strong, our goal is to win this and keep progressing. It’s good to known that accuracy has been fixed and defense too, especially on the centre of the defense, which motivates the group even more to continue doing the work strong and better” Now let’s resume Ceni in less than 200 words:

Ceni is the most offensive team in this World Cup as for now, averaging around three goals per game, their offense is accurate but their defense isn’t, despite that good record on goals, they haven’t had enough consistency this cycle, since they only have four official games and a couple of friendlies that didn’t ended well for the Cenians, the team guided by the Sargossan Elías Carrasco, are confident that they have what they need in order to do a significant impact into World Cup that might push up their rankings and earning more experience for the future. Jaime del Olmo, the Koromin brothers and Andrew Arrowsword might be the leaders of the Cenian national team, if we have to put the spotlight on somebody, do it on Arrowsword, let’s point this name out and remember it, this is a really exciting prospect for the Cenian team, considered by many their biggest bet for the future due to his technique and ability to be the leader of the team he plays, he has already demonstrated potential on Cosumar and can do that on World Cup too.

Prediction: Ceni will be a hard fought rival for us, let’s take that into consideration. Though nerves won’t affect “La Selecta” in his crucial game, they will know how to solve it properly and Zelaya along with Fraser and Faña, can do things well if they are accurate on the chances, this will be a midfield game and keeping Valencia able for this has been a smart move by the manager, Valencia will be the key of the game. About the score, “La Selecta” progresses to the semifinals, they will win 3-1.

by **Brenecia** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 10:34 pm

When was the last time Catherine Purrington hadn't started a game that mattered?
Hm.
She... couldn't remember. Well, that was a good sign for her legacy, but it was surprisingly annoying now that she had just sat around and watched for ninety minutes as two sides pressed, counterpressed and leaned hopelessly on their goalkeepers to succeed. In the 29th minute, the Patriots snuck the lead thanks to, of all people, the rightback Czeslawa Szukala, who unexpectedly found her great run rewarded by a great cross from Carroll which she promptly smacked low and hard past Owain Morgan, Krytenia's backup goalkeeper. Really, they should've scored more - the finishing wasn't quite right, they hit the post twice and Morgan was in fine form on top of it.
But it was one of those classic game-of-two-halves things. Krytenia's half-time team talk must've been a hell of a thing, because the Krytenian attacking machine clicked effortlessly into gear and almost casually in the 48th minute brought the game back into balance. The star, Ortega, with the pass - Alexander 'Not Valrauncion' Sampson with a thumping finish past Woodgate, who got a hand to it that wasn't quite enough.
Woodgate had only had the one save to make up to that point in a game that had seemed totally under control - in the second half, he needed to make seven, and a number of them were exceptional.
Valrauncion got the ball in the net in the second minute of injury time. A beautiful flicked header from an impeccable Lyons cross.
It was, barely but correctly, offside.

So they were kind of clinging to a lifeline that nobody in the stadium was quite sure they deserved, and it came as a relief to Purrington to be finally told, as the rest of the squad marched into the dressing room, to warm up. Balliol had done alright, but vanished in the second half. Brenecia needed star power, and that was Purrington's left boot.
This... felt good.
Okay, normally, she was slow and fat and now old, had about as much pace as the average... well, fan. But now? Everyone was fucking exhausted, and the guy who'd come on to reassert some control in midfield, Rankine, well, he was old too. And the Patriots' substitutions were starting to pay off. The aging double-Mitchell was unable to keep up with the fresh Ronan Bowditch while Brandon Duguid was back with a new lease of life playing the holding midfield role after Gryphon picked up a yellow card.
It was working. The pendulum was starting to swing back in their favour. And when a counter went astray, Ortega rushing forward but tackled cleanly by Duguid, the ball moving quickly to Skorupska and a neat pass to Purrington who fucking sprinted harder than she'd done in years, trying desperately to hurl one leg forward after the other, wishing she was remotely athletic and ten years younger and could maybe get her career back and-
Oof!
She tumbled and tossed and, unkind Vines might later say, bounced along the ground before finally coming to a stop. She glanced up. Rankine got a yellow card, professional foul, absolutely no argument, everyone knew the score.
She hauled herself to her feet, with the aid of Carroll. Trudged over to the ball.
"Hey, Cathy. If you're hurt I can-" Carroll began helpfully, but Purrington just trudged faster.
This was hers to win. Because...
... fuck, I mean, if they lost, this was her last game. Ever, for the Patriots. Did she really want to go out a substitute?
She planted the ball, took four brisk paces back, evaluated the distance, heard the whistle and fucking belted it into the stanchion.
108th minute. That was a Buddhist lucky number or some shit. Well, any number in a storm, she thought as she raised her hands to rally the rapturous Brenecians in the crowd.
After all, she didn't intend to go out without a trophy.

by **Electrum** » Thu Nov 10, 2016 1:20 am

Who will be the top two teams to remain in Ceni? Find out now.

by **Northern Sunrise Islands** » Thu Nov 10, 2016 4:52 pm

WORLD CUP 76
No Way Sunrise? Yes Way: USI beats Vilita

"Zombies are so last month" noted trendy "Lady" Garinotte Monnoyance before the match

3-1.
The Walkers Stadium saw a flurry of Sunrisian fans arrive, bringing their common noises, tambourines, guitars, maracas... lots of stuff that make noise, basically. Sunrisian presence was rather evident, thanks mostly to the Eastern and Southeastern Sunrises being at the region the World Cup was hosted at, after all, but a Sunrisian match had yet to see so much Sunrisian support. Some thought it was all thanks to Kike somehow playing well, enough to justify a trip to Electrum.

Funnily enough, Kike ended up getting the starter spot from Hannah Alcouin of all people as she was still vivid from the Rolandinho Juliano incident. Mallena von Kraus joined to replace the injured player (who has since arrived at Mardi and is currently under treatment). Even without the one considered to be their finest player, the Sunrisians played exactly like they would with her and it showed to be pretty effective.

Right from the start, the Sunrisians kept the ball on their feet. Kevin Stabb managed to keep hold of the ball and beat three markers until finding himself locked from any progress, to which he resolved the situation with a pass to Kike. Kike barely touched the ball, passing it to Tomoyo Nishidake. She looked at the remaining defenders and decided to leave both on her trail. She first left Amarini Baracelv sitting from an impressive dazzle to the side before nailing an impressive nutmeg against Endur Rotropii. Finally, she lodged the ball at the bottom left corner of the goal.

Chi-Chan kept the high tempo, taking advantage of a somewhat shocked left field, passing up front while Kike managed to reach the ball a bit forward, near the box. Kike reached an interesting moment in the life of a Sunrisian player: to dribble or not to dribble, and this moment in particular was supposed to be the key moment. Would he keep going forward and shoot as soon as he arrived or would he flair it up? Reminders of his failures at other points probably came to his mind, but he was capable of grabbing his courage and... well. He got closer to Endur Rotropii. He faked a step to one side. He faked a step to the other side. The defender made his move, trying to take the ball from the left. Kike quickly dragged the ball back somewhat, laying on the defender, seemingly trying to push him off. The two were landlocked for a couple of seconds until Kike dragged the ball back slightly more before going for a Pot of Rainbow over him. Kike had what probably was a fraction of second before booting the ball in as the keeper failed to block.

Seeing the goal advantage, the Sunrisians decided to slow down, a poor choice as soon the Jungle Cats would try a comeback. One of their offensive attempts saw Nili Ylimaiina lose Mike Flanningan off, getting close to the goal. A well placed pass by Purapal Eskiiy reached him but he would almost instantly shoot it, too much for Couch to hold. Vilita 1-2.

Second half arrived and Cinematic Football would go in full mode, nobody trully trying to score but still not willing to give away the ball. The tricks weren't quite marvelling to be honest, but they pulled what the Sunrisians wanted. Anger.

Anger soon turned into a free kick close to the box. The players looked to each other before finally pushing Kike for the kick. Kike took a breather before running for the shot.

...Except the ball found itself lodged right in the middle of the wall. Stabb got the rebound, punting it with all his strength, finally finding net. 3-1.

The Sunrisians are, once again, at the Semi-Finals.

This time, the Samba Kids face Chromatika, a side with much political turmoil. Expectations are mixed, but hey... if you can go for a title, wouldn't you do it?

And the Rhythm is back.

The Rhythm is back. Eastern Sunrisians bring the "kids dancing in the street" to a new extreme.

Oh, boy!

Sunrise and Kitsunia were on their way home from the battle.
Sunrise had surpassed Vilita without a whole lot of trouble.
His Jolteon overran Vilita's three chosen móns.
In a way, Sunrise thought it was justice for the Jolteon that had been so abused the battle before.
On the way, he heard something.
"So! You're aware of who's facing you in the semis!"
Chrom stood on the couple's way, smirking.
"Not... really, no."
"ME!"
Kitsunia started to laugh.
"You're kidding!"
"Hmm... Who did you beat?"
"Quebec! I wonder why you trembled so much during these things... It was really easy!"
She looked at her boyfriend, hoping he'd understand it was a joke but...
"...You're not serious, right?"
"I am. Dead serious, even."

She looked up at the computer, before finally giving up.
"...He's dead serious."
"Told you."
"Well, I reckon it'll be a pleasure."
Chrom looked at Sunrise with teary eyes.
"...Are you proud of me?"
Sunrise looked around.
"Uh... I guess I am."
"...I'm still shocked. Th-there's no words."
"We'll finally put those Chess matches to work after all, huh?"
"True, yeah."
"And you're as terrified of facing me as you were with others?"
"...The total package is terrifying enough as is."
"Kitsunia!"
"Fine. Fine."
Qasden brought the old Sunrise of the Sky book to her foster father, smiling.
"Daddy! Read this!"
Sunrise looked at the open page.
"First, you can call me Sunrise. And second... this is an interesting bit to read."
"Is it?"
"..."
He groaned.
"Listen up."

The Sunrise guild had finally managed to get to the sea.
The vessel they managed to travel on, the Futurnian Pearl, was now on the sea for the last two hours.
Sunrise looked over the sea with a smile, laid over the ship's railing.
"...You're OK, Matthewsiania?"
Matthewsiania was vomiting by his side, over the sea.
"...Guess not."
Soon, the mage and the scout arrived near him.
"Sir!"
"We have news for you, sir!"
"I have news. You're here just to leech off!"
"But my crystal ball-"
"What good is your future reading shtick if it ends up happening seconds later, anyway?"
"..."
The beast-tamer ended up joining them.
"Sir, we found a man swimming near the ship."
"Was this what you were talking about?"
The two girls looked at each other, before looking down.
"It's fine. Anything special about him?"
"He has a pretty... uh... big axe. He also said he happened to be from the Atlantian Union."
"I saw through my crystal ball that news reached other lands aside from the Commonwealth."
"It's a World Campaign again, apparently."
Matthewsiania struggled his head up, looking at them.
"A World Cup, if you will?"
They all stared at the minstrel until he soon resumed his puking over the sea.
"Kitsunia, get something for our musician here. You two come with me."

Sunrise, his two helpers and a man stood at the lower part of the ship.
The visitor towered Sunrise, wielding a shepherd's axe, "affectionately" called Warlord.
"No manners for a former leader of a nation?"
"I'm sorry. We didn't expect your presence."
"Hmpf."
"To be fair, your sight isn't exactly equal to your former position, wouldn't you agree?"
"Restrict your words, knight."
"Sorry."
"I believe you too are heading to the Great Line?"
"St. Margaret."
"Don't start, Hakifao."
"...And you call them by their names?"
"I... prefer."
"..."
"I'm sorry if it seems too off. My colleagues aren't like me, at least."
"You're interesting."
"Nah. I'm just a regular Esportivan knight."
"And you're probably going after Gaiatheia."
"Gaiatheia?"
"It's the sword, sir."
"Then yes."
The man rose his weapon.
"Then I must fight you."
"Y-you don't really need to... I-I mean, we don't even know if it's there!"
"I cannot let you continue either way. Apologies."
Lisander threw Sunrise the traditional three-section staff he was more familiar with.
Sunrise sighed, the weapon now in hands.
"...Well, if there's no way out of this."
BATTLE 1.
START.

OUT OF THE RING.
THE GRUELLING BATTLE HAS FINISHED WITH THE VICTORY OF. UNIFIED SUNRISE.
YOU WIN.
Sunrise stared over the ship as his opponent was now once again over water.
He could notice he was actually swimming away instead of a worse scenario.
"Well... That was something, I guess."
"You slid him out of the ship, sir."
"That was my idea all along."
"Are you serious, sir?"
"Imagine the trouble such a diplomatic accident would result in."
"...You have a point, sir."
"You guys can call me Sunrise, you know."
They looked over as the ship was slowly arriving near the coast.
"Sir!"
"Kitsunia, did you get something for-"
"Sir, it's urgent. There's something terrible coming!"
"It already came. You."
"Grrrr!"
"Please, you two. What's the matter?"
"... Well, sir. My crystal ball showed me the image... two fighting over the body of one."
"You sure it's not talking about-"
He looked at the three staring at him.
"...I'll be tending your beasts, sir. They probably haven't ate since yesterday night."
"My ball showed that the two lights were antagonists, using their puppet as they wished."
"Suddenly this whole quest seems even more off than what I first expected."
"Maybe it would be wiser if some of us stood behind."
"Like you?"
"No! I'm of key importance to Sir Sunrise's success!"
"I'm leaving Matthew here to rest. The rest comes with me, though."
The two sighed with relief as Sunrise left to another part of the ship.
"Thank Déesse."
"He's the worst ministrel ever!"

As Sunrise's party arrived at the docks, they found no living soul.
At best, they found notes of departure.
All mentioning a rampaging force only known as...
"Chromatika the Demon? Is this what you were talking about, Kitsunia?"
"I believe so, sir."
"Well..."
"You're surprised she actually made a good prediction without cheating?"
"Grrrr!"
"Not again, you two. I'm just thinking."
The party stopped talking as soon as they heard a faint voice sing from far away, together with what seemed like steel being dragged over the ground.
"Mister Sandman... Bring me a dream..."
The voice ressonated over the empty streets.
"Make him the cutest... that I've ever seen..."
The figure slowly appeared on the distance from Sunrise's eyes, a red aura towering.
"Give him two lips... like roses and clover..."
The actual singer finally appeared, a young man, seemingly younger than Sir Sunrise, his skin covered with red marks, his robes dirtied with blood.
"Then tell him that... his lonesome nights..."
His sword, a bloodied Hyup Do dragged across the ground, following his steps.
He finally looked at the party.
"Are... Over."

Kitsunia and Qasden were understandably hiding at another room as Chrom and Sunrise remained at the room, still reading the book.
"So... That's my ancestor?"
"Possibly..."
"...Where did the rest go?"
"I can imagine a couple of reasons. Mostly involving you."
"Maybe we shouldn't read more of this."
"Maybe. But don't worry, I'll have a talk with them."

by **Audioslavia** » Thu Nov 10, 2016 5:16 pm

Way of the Dragan
Frozen out in the second round, Dragan Kryznjak comes off the bench to put Audioslavia into the semis.
Form of top strikers give Sanchez-Dysos 'happy headache'.
Rematch with San Jose Guayabal beckons.
Audioslavia reach third semi in as many World Cups.
USI or Chromatika await in final or 3PPO.

Playing for Audioslavia has always brought with it a massive amount of pressure. It's a burden that Dragan Kryznjak has had to carry for eight years now, but the striker has never been one to show signs of it affecting him.

Now aged thirty-two, with his first-team status truly threatened for the first time in a decade, the Dragon showed just why he's still worthy of the name.

A seventieth minute substitution for an increasingly leg-weary Roddy Fraser, a typically powerful performance in attack, a thunderous hit on the half-volley from Mariezkurrena's cross, and Brenecia were beaten. It was the striker's fiftieth goal for the national team. He remains sixth on the all-time scoring charts, a goal away from Hudson-Blake's mark. Kryznjak has scored more than half as many goals as the legendary Karsten Eiger, but having played less than half as many games. That should tell you all you need to know.

It was a typically cautious performance from an Audioslavia side that have become increasingly stingy on the goals-conceded front since the opening-day 5-2 win over Abanhfleft. The side lined up 4-5-1 from the off, after having dabbled with 4-4-2 recently, with Fraser just ahead of a line of five midfielders that included Wight, Guerricachevarria and Eduardo Giuffrida (in for Guillaume Abbracciabene, who is nursing a niggle) in the centre, with Mariezkurrena retaining his spot on the left wing ahead of the two Etxes, and Besoitagoena on the right. The back four of Dallara, Seghers, Caceres and Marquez remained unchanged, except for the necessity of replacing Caceres on the half-hour mark after the thirty-four year old failed to recover completely from a knock to the knee following a clumsy tackle on Purrington.

Brenecia saw more of the ball in the first half, with Audioslavia failing to get the counter-attack game going until the forty minute mark, where a bout of pure kontrapuntzeka saw Mariezkurrena lay off a far post ball to Roddy Fraser, whose downwards header brought a splendid save from Mathis Woodgate.
Fraser, so confident in recent weeks, held his head in his hands in despair, almost as if he had been certain he was going to score. Alarmingly, the player's confidence seemed to drop during the second half, and his hold-up play suffered as a result, prompting Sanchez-Dysos to replace him with Kryznjak as the Bulls sought to get back into the game.

Get back in they did, and in style, through a far-post half-volley in the eightieth minute. Audioslavia never looked like losing their lead as the clock ticked down.

Audioslavia go on to face SJG yet again, having already beaten the Guayabalense in a quasi-dead rubber of a first round tie. La Selecta, breakers of the host's hearts in their quarter-final match at the New Oxford Coliiseum, will be looking for revenge, though few Audioslavians have forgotten SJG's win over the Bulls in the semi-final stage of World Cup 74. After two successive fourth-place finishes in World Cups, nothing short of victory in this tournament, now, will do.

IBJJ, G'NB

Roddy had to admit that the old hack had a point. Having this superpower is one thing, knowing how to use it is another, but knowing how to cope with life when the plan doesn't work is quite another.

He remembered the sequence vividly, what with having lived it twice. Mariezkurrena's trickery on the wing, him sprinting in at the far post, the fast, curled cross expertly placed into the space in front of him, exactly at head height. He'd seen that cross, initially, and decided it was ripe for a calm, collected header into the inside post. He'd connected sweetly, but Mathis Woodgate in the Brenecia goal had predicted his movements and spread himself well as he covered the ground from one post to the other, palming the ball over the top.

Fraser, who had saved just as Audioslavia had counter-attacked, decided he'd wanted the goal. Load. Sprint forward. Run onto cross, reposition body, header... saved. Woodgate, seeing Fraser's body shape contort as he'd gone for the header, had decided to hedge his bets and hope against hope that the Audioslavian wouldn't go for the inside post, and he'd been rewarded with a save with his shin that the commentators had called 'instinctive', but that he still thought was more than a bit lucky.

With the day's save point used up, unsuccessfully, Fraser began to feel the confidence draining away. It was pathetic, really. Here he was, a fully fledged international footballer, going to pieces at the first sign that things weren't going his way.

If there was one problem that this power couldn't deal with, it was mental ones.

Fraser had wondered, again, what would happened if he tried to access a save-point for a second time. In a more desperate time he might have actually relented, but this wasn't it. He'd never even tried it before. A split-second thinking about the possible consequences or ramifications revealed the idea to be more dangerous than it was worth. That, there, was truly only for life-and-death situations.

Having forced his way into the starting line-up of the national team, even if it was helped a little by the 'curse', Roddy was now in danger of losing it again, back to the popular and undeniably talented Dragan Kryznjak.

Fraser tried not to think about it. Maybe, given the powers he had, it was better to be put on near the end, and only have to memorize a few minutes of play, than to risk having to memorize over an hours worth of it.

There were, no matter what happened, two more games to go. He would get another chance...

by **Chromatika** » Fri Nov 11, 2016 5:45 pm

By: Jordan Lawless, Chief Correspondent, Previous Chief Sports Correspondent, Chromatik City Courier
Guest Panelist: Nikolai Thorben, Previous Starting Goalkeeper, Chromatik National Team
Guest Panelist: Kéirâ Andìsorì: Starting Striker, Chromatik National Team

What is the image? Good question. The answer to that will come in a few editions, as we have a story just on that storied image coming up.

World Cup 76 Semifinals Preview

Previous Record:
Lawless: 12 pts 8-4 (4-0 in quarterfinals, predicted Unified Sunrise Islands vs. Vilita correctly)
Thorben: 8 pts 6-6 (2-2 in quarterfinals)
Andìsorì: 8 pts 6-6 (2-2 in quarterfinals)

Lawless is in the lead, thanks to predicting every single quarterfinals match correctly. As quarterfinal matches count as two points each, this puts him four points clear of the two guest panelists. Now, to the Semifinals, which are worth four points apiece!

Cenian Half
#3 Audioslavia vs. #8 San José Guayabal
@ Bicentennial Stadium, Cenial
How they got there: Audioslavia defeated Brenecia, 1-0. San José Guayabal defeated Ceni, 4-1.
Offense: Audioslavia: 27 qualifying, 8 proper, 2 playoffs. 37 in 17 games. San José Guayabal: 30 qualifying, 7 proper, 7 playoffs. 44 in 17 games. EDGE: San José Guayabal 2.18:2.59
Defense: Audioslavia: 8 qualifying, 4 proper, 0 playoffs. 12 in 17 games. San José Guayabal: 15 qualifying, 7 proper, 3 playoffs. 25 in 17 games. EDGE: Audioslavia 0.71:1.47
The Matchup: Kryznjak scored the game-winner for Audioslavia... Ozuna kept his second straight clean sheet of the playoffs... The Guayabalense dominated upstart Ceni...
The Pick:
Lawless: Ozuna is putting on a clinic. Expect more of the same. San José Guayabal will come wave after wave, and the Bulls will block all of them. Audioslavia 1-0 San José Guayabal.
Thorben: I agree with Jordan. Ozuna is making a case to be MVP of the tournament. His play has been spectacular. He will be enough. Audioslavia 2-0 San José Guayabal.
Andìsorì: I'd usually vote for the team that scores more often, but Audioslavia's defense has been too good. I agree with the fellow panelists. Audioslavia 1-0 San José Guayabal.

Electrumite Half
#18 Chromatika vs. #1 Unified Sunrise Islands
@ Northcote Oval, Prescott
How they got there: Chromatika defeated Cosumar, 3-2, After Extra Time, after tying in regulation, 2-2. Unified Sunrise Islands defeated Vilita, 3-1.
Offense: Chromatika: 30 qualifying, 12 proper, 6 playoffs. 48 in 17 games. Unified Sunrise Islands: 28 qualifying, 6 proper, 6 playoffs. 40 in 17 games. EDGE: Chromatika 2.82:2.35
Defense: Chromatika: 10 qualifying, 6 proper, 4 playoffs. 20 in 17 games. Unified Sunrise Islands: 13 qualifying, 3 proper, 3 playoffs. 19 in 17 games. EDGE: Unified Sunrise Islands 1.18:1.12
The Matchup: Chromatika needed late heroics from both Gabriella Antonio and Kéirâ Andìsorì to get by Cosumar... Three different scorers for Unified Sunrise Islands... Nier's well-being remains the biggest question for Chromatiks...
The Pick:
Lawless: Well.. The game was going to be hard enough with Jillian starting, but with her health being a game-time decision? Mia Ria is a good prospect, but asking her to defend the goal against cinematic football from the Samba Kids isn't going to fly. Chi-Chan, Kike, Stabb, they'll be the ones dominating the game. I expect the dream of Chromatika to die here. Unified Sunrise Islands 3-0 Chromatika.
Thorben: It's a heartbreak, what's happened to Jillian. Thankfully, it hasn't paralyzed her or anything like that. Mia Ria will be dominated, the Chromatiks will be lucky if the game ends 3-0. Unified Sunrise Islands 4-0 Chromatika.
Andìsorì: I'm hoping Jillian will be all right. We know that the cards are stacked against us, but we'll try our hardest to make you guys proud.

#12 Cosumar vs. #18 Chromatika
@ Hamilton Multi-Purpose Venue, Hamilton
Starting Lineups:
Cosumar: Sinterfyll; Serra - Svensson - McNessa - Na'Kale; Öhman - De Marisco - Elam - Kaspian; Worsaw - Lilley
Chromatika: Nier; Morningstar - Stef - Aart - Ellen; Kelly - Hellion - Liam; Rien - Antonio - Andìsorì
Lilley 7', Andìsorì 22', Lilley 32', Dragana 82', Andìsorì 118'

1st Minute
Ah, the electrifying air of a stadium before kickoff. It always sent a chill down Jillian's spine, no matter where on the field she was. Yes, things had indeed become a bit different since taking over for Nikolai. It felt more... personal. A year ago, she would've never dreamed of starting in the biggest game in Chromatik history. Well, every game from this point onward was the biggest game in Chromatik history, but still. There was definitely a reason Nikolai was the starter, and she had agreed with Amos's decision for the most part. Becoming the starter in this fashion was not something that she had wanted, but an opportunity that she was grabbing by the horns. And now, there the Chromatiks were, facing Cosumar in the first Quarterfinal appearance in their history, despite all the political fiasco going on back home. An opportunity to make it to the Semifinals. And she would be the one to try to stop the Vanquisher attack tonight, at the Hamilton Multi-Purpose Venue.

Mauricio Sigler's accumulation of yellow cards had meant that Lucius Kaspian, an old reliable backup, would be the starter. Nier also knew that there was a chance for Alora Heher - the prodigy who had an amazing season at Alnio in the last season of the League Chromatiks - to be involved in the match. She would have to pay attention to Lilley & Worsaw, of course.

The game began, and Nier started her watch over the goalposts.

7th Minute
Despite Sigler's absence, the Vanquishers were disrupting the pace of play immensely to their favor. The four midfielders of Cosumar were absolutely dictating the pace of play, Elam and De Marisco having their way with Rachel, Lucjusz and Luuk. Here came one of those probing attacks now, Elam getting up into the last third. Then, Lilley got a step on Zlastica, and Lilley smashed it toward Jillian, who stretched for it with her left hand but missed it by mere inches. 1-0 Cosumar.

If this had been the beginning of her stint as starter, Jillian would have been tilted, and probably had some choice words with Zlastica. But they had gone down this road before - the usual concession of a goal or two during the beginning moments of the game. It had become the modus operandi of Chromatik games. Time to take a deep breath and move on.

15th Minute
They were starting to definitely figure things out now. Meagan had started to come over to help the midfield a bit, making it an elongated formation with Erika playing a bit further up to expedite the passing process to the forwards. It was helping against De Marisco and Elam, and the Chromatiks were starting to maintain possession a bit longer. An encouraging sign, to be certain.

Jillian had had to tend three corner kicks in the last eight minutes, but the strategy of making sure the ball went out of play in their final third was working, at least. With such monsters of height as their defenders, the Anomalies didn't mind defending corners. It was the breakaways that they had problems with, for certain. They'd only had two good looks on the offensive end, but more would come. That was how the system worked. And the system had gotten them here so far.

25th Minute
And finally, a strike!

Kéirâ - the enigmatic, brilliant youngster who was making the most of being the starter now - got a neat ball from Erika playing further up, made mincemeat of McNessa, got by Na'Kale, and slotted a slow ground ball that caught Winterfyll off-guard into the net. Game tied. If they had been playing under Cortez's old system - may she rest in peace - it would've been much harder to generate a response that fast. Amos's system definitely put Jillian in harm's way more often, that was for certain; but the reward aspect of it with the offense being able to be more free-flowing was a beautiful thing to watch. With the game now on an equal pedestal, it was time to see who would grasp the edge.

32nd Minute
A hard challenge by Lucjusz on a fast-charging Worsaw granted the Vanquishers a free kick not far from the penalty spot. This was a part of her game that she was still working on - set pieces. She had a problem with letting too much be shown either before the kick or in the initial step.

When she saw the film after the game, she would see that this was once again the case. As Lilley made his way toward the ball, she had already started to lean left. The Cosumarite placed the shot to the right, and the ball waddled into the net, and easy 2-1 to Cosumar. Definitely something to keep working on.

Halftime
After the second goal by Cosumar, play had been even, some forays from the Anomalies being stopped by the Vanquishers' defense and vice versa on the counterattack.

Amos told the Anomalies that she'd stick to the usual substitution routine - probably Aysu for Zlastica around the sixtieth, Alyss for Meagan around the seventieth, and Ki for Trenn around the eightieth.

"Time to let our pace and finesse take over, guys. We've been in this situation before. Let's go out there and show everything that we have!" she stated.

61st minute
Sixteen minutes have gone by, and the game's at a standstill. Not much is going on both sides, because the Chromatiks are trapping everything that the Vanquishers are trying to do, and Cosumar is making some mean tackles. Clean, but mean.

As she had said, Aysu comes in for Zlastica - sacrificing some height for some youth and speed. Ramsey counters with Alora coming in for De Marisco. Interesting choice. In the beginning moments after the substitution, Heher has two great touches on the ball and it takes some tight defending to not concede another one. Aysu takes care of it well, and the game marches on, with the Chromatiks looking for an equalizer.

72nd Minute
The Captain's Armband moves to Gabriella, as Alyss comes in for Meagan. It's something Lisa is starting to do more often now, trying to groom Alyss to a point where she could potentially move up to the Starting XI, though Meagan has some good years in her yet. They are of similar height, Alyss is a bit shorter and slower, but has great field presence and potential. All Chromatiks know the drill by now - hang on until the eightieth, and then when the final substitution comes in, press the pedal to the medal.

Four minutes later, Ramsey puts in Chisenhall for Serra, the senior member of the backfield for the Vanquishers. The ball stays mostly in the middle third, the midfielders duking it out. Jillian takes care of a few stray shots.

80th Minute
Lisa makes her final substitution... And it's Jazmin? That was a bit unexpected, to see the Bishop forward instead of Ki. She's a solid backup, has a quick burst and an artistic eye. Ramsey counters with Belfry in for McNessa. And it's go time.

Jillian stars playing a bit more in front of the box, the entire Chromatik team shifts up a few yards. And they start methodically attacking, one after the other.

Sure enough, two minutes later, a breach occurs - Rachel sees Jazmin at the perfect angle, and the substitute crams the ball past Winterfyll for the equalizer. 2-2.

85th Minute
Vanquishers bringing up their field to match ours now. Basically, whomever wins the middle third and gets the ball into the final third of either team will have some great opportunities in goal. For playing so long, Rachel and Carrol are doing wonderfully. Some fierce stuff going down.

92nd Minute
Jillian sees the break before it happens; Alora gets the better of Rachel for one second, and gets the ball to Lilley, who is on a breakaway to score a hat trick. Lilley, instead of taking a mid-range shot, is trying to get the ball closer to the net. The referee had signaled three minutes of extra time - there would be no time for a counterattack if this one goes in.

Jillian goes out to meet Lilley. The ball is on the ground, rolling. Lilley puts back his right foot - and Jillian decides to dive for the ball. She gets to it a second before Lilley does, cradles it into her arms, a second before - THWACK! - Lilley's foot makes solid contact with Jillian's skull, and she is left writhing on the ground. Lilley is also on the ground, but thankfully it seems like he will be all right, just taking a tumble. He, though, is gesturing to the sideline for the medical personnel to come.

Jillian is down for over a minute, and they bring the stretcher out. She comes to her senses, with a raging headache, and echoing in her ears.

"Can you hear me?" she can hear the Cenian doctor saying, rather slowly. She tries to raise her hand in reply, but it's rather hard.

Jillian gets taken off the pitch, on a stretcher. There is a profound hush over the stadium, and even the Vanquisher's bench seems a bit unnerved.

Now the entire focus goes on the referee. How would he call what just happened?

Foul to Cosumar. Goal kick to Chromatika. Resume play.

The Cosumarites were courteous enough to not argue the play. They weren't the ones that would have to play Extra Time without a keeper, after all.

Luuk Aart of all people took the goal kick, then a few passes later, the whistle blew. Overtime.

Before Overtime

"Who the hell do we have to play keeper?" exclaimed Meagan, in the huddle.

"Well it can't be a defender... And it probably shouldn't be one of the midfielders..." stated Kéirâ.

All eyes turned to Gabriella Antonio.

"Have you ever played keeper, Gabriella?" asked Amos, getting into the huddle.

"Uh... Never in my life. Screwed around a bit with it. Been too good up front. Why?" stated the veteran forward.

"Well, we're going to need you to play keeper," explained Amos, "With the defense playing a bit further back, and our midfield picking up the slack."

"What?" exclaimed Gabriella. "Me? Keep? That's insane!"

"We don't really have a choice," said Kéirâ.

And so... Keeping for the Anomalies during extra time... Gabriella Antonio.

97th Minute
Was this even football? The Anomalies were playing absolutely scared, with seven behind the midfield line at all times. It was driving Gabriella nuts. Sure, she hadn't played keeper ever in her life, but there was no way in hell they were going to score if things continued at this rate. It had been instrumental in keeping the Vanquishers off of her, and the only job she had to do until now had been to catch a nice, easy fly ball on a long pass from Heher.

But damn, they were going to have to take some risks if they were to win this thing before PKs happened. And she knew for sure they didn't want PKs, not with her defending, hell no. Especially not with the jinx that we PKs for her.

Overtime Halftime
"Look," deadpanned Gabriella, "They are more than happy to get this thing to PKs, I mean, I would be, too, if it was me that I was to face during it. We need an offensive spark, a risk. Yeah, I understand that we don't want to lose, but we have to win in these last fifteen minutes, or we are most likely going to lose! Rachel, Carrol, Alyss, you're going to have to help out Kéirâ and Jazmin a bit more. I'll do the best I can, and Aysu, Lucjusz, Luuk, and Erika will do their damnedest to keep me clean. Now, let's stop playing to not lose and play to win!"

"Good word," agreed Lisa, "Better to go out swinging than to die in a whimper."

110th Minute
They had taken her rant to heart. She had had to palm away a few more balls, and the defense was being stretched, but so were the Vanquishers. Kéirâ and Jazmin had both had a neat shot apiece, and the pace of play was such that it was hard to tell who was in the lead. Lilley was a foreboding figure, though. The star of the two goals and the shot that knocked out Jillian, he was still a handful after being on the pitch for so long, taking double teams to stop.

She caught another pass that was a touch too long from Alora. At least the youngster was folding a little bit under the pressure. Time was running out, though. Come on, team...

118th Minute
"Go, go!" screamed Antonio to Aysu and Erika.

She'd rather lose in Extra Time to a late goal from Cosumar than lose in PKs, she had decided. She waved the two edge backs forward, and Lucjusz and Luuk also parked themselves in the front part of the back third. And there they saw a miracle occur:

Rachel Hellion, giving Alora Heher a dose of her own medicine, nicely juking around, to find a rather unmarked Kéirâ Andìsorì behind Chisenhall, who took one step, two steps, and then fired off her right foot - past Winterfyll and into the net.

The Chromatik bench erupted. Meagan Kelly was in tears. Gabriella pumped her fists in the air, and then remembered there was still about two minutes left.

121st Minute
It could be argued that the foul had been wrongly given, she supposed. Lucjusz's tackle had definitely made contact with the ball, but had upended Worsaw.

That was not the focus now, though. The referee had signaled for one minute of extra time, and this free kick from about fifteen yards out would be Cosumar's last chance at it.

And who else would take it but the nemesis for Chromatika for this game, Tevin Lilley.

The whistle blew. Lilley's kick cleared the wall, and started to bend down. When asked afterwards, Gabriella could not explain why she leaped to the middle of the left side of the net instead of trying to hit the ball at the top of the net. The ball dipped, and...

It ended up in Gabriella's hands.

Bedlam. Absolute mayhem.

Chromatika defeats Cosumar, 3-2, After Extra Time, behind Gabriella Antonio playing keeper.

Who would've thought.

by **San Jose Guayabal** » Sat Nov 12, 2016 8:49 pm

WC 76 Finals: No Fraser No Party

After taking a boost after defeating Valanora in the Round of 16, "La Selecta" faced Ceni for the Quarterfinals, the hosts were eager in order to reach higher places and winning the game against us would be their opportunity to do it, but fast interventions from Valencia, who's slowly turning into a real bulwark of "La Selecta" and Sean Fraser who was on that night on beast mode and scored three goals, including two in the last ten minutes of the game to put the last nail in the coffin against the Cenians, now the things are getting better for "La Selecta" and this pace, now it's time to solve some previous debts with a known foe from this Group Stage.

By: Rubén Trigueros, An addict of "La Selecta"
From: New Oxford, Ceni - World Cup 76 - Knock-out Stage.
Posted: Wednesday, June 26th, 2211 - 23:18 (Guayabalense Western Time - User's default time)

It’s a day of great news for those fans of “La Selecta” since the national team, the team of everybody in San José Guayabal is recovering the shape we know and continues progressing in this World Cup, this time “La Selecta” took rid of the last co-host standing, Ceni at New Oxford Stadium in front of 55,000 fans, who were mostly local fans but there were allocated at least 22,000 Guayabalenses there in order to put some good environment into the stands, since some people considered Cenians as boring people when it comes to football, but things were proved wrong in the university city of New Oxford. The 55,000 people witnessed "La Selecta" starting fast and doing things well in order to get ahead earlier and having solvency in the rest of the game, hence they tried since early moments of the game and this strategy gave positive results with a goal from Valencia before the fifth minute of the game. The Guayabalense domination over the Cenians continued for a good lapse of the game and shots were constant against the goal of Morales and constant pressure on the three defenders of the Cenian team, despite there weren’t goals coming from mistakes, the contingency of the Guayabalense forwards when they were on attack on trying to solve every play worked wonderfully and “La Selecta” had a great two goals lead before the 30th minute of the game, the locals were stunned but they equalized at the second time, they threw up everything to the front but two counterattacks liquidated the Cenian hopes on the last ten minutes of the game, who did those? Fraser, the “Black Panther” scored three important goals for “La Selecta” against the Cenains, thus, giving us the passport for the semifinals, where we will face a good old known foe…

Environment at the grounds of the New Oxford Coliseum was lovely, it’s an university city, hence lot of action nearby, fans from both sides were walking together but some from each side chanted things that could have been a bit inflammatory but there weren’t riots between both sides, only a couple of insults and nothing more, only the usual answers between rival fans: The Guayabalense said “C3n1” as a way to provoke the local fans, also some chants against Andrew Arrowsword were detected and the people sang “Overrated idiot, go to hell” while the Cenians answered with “Welcome to hell”, “Arrowsword is way better than Vaarisiemi” or “Fuck off Guava” Things didn’t passed from that border and then everything was funny entertainment like roast beefs, people playing football among them some hours before the game and of course, people who decided to give a tour to New Oxford’s University, especially some Guayabalenses that might be thinking on sending theirs sons when they graduate after college, not that I sponsor them, but it’s quite unusual to see parents doing that kind of task while relaxing before a football game, isn’t it? Well, let aside university stuff and see the people walking near the shore of the coast of the city, a large boulevard with a burgeoning amount of business and entertainment options which are pretty decent and well-priced, compared to other countries we have been visiting before, starting with the food, hotel, transportation, bungee jumping and another kind of entertainment that people did.

As usual in this World Cup, the arrival time of both national teams have been chaotic, though this time they arrived an hour before the game, people was already waiting since a couple of minutes ago, the busses arrived and the Guayabalense players looked fine, while the Cenians were a bit confident due to the presence of people who were supporting them as usual, the environment was booming in that m, an unexpected wave of Cenians arrived and police seemed their job almost impossible, to the point that one of the officers ended crushed and was taken to the hospital and sent to recovery, it was notified that nothing bad happened to the police officer and we could return to duty in 48 hours maximum. Returning to the receivement of the players, “La Selecta” fans also arrived in big quantities and asked for autographs, as the Cenians did, the most wanted ones for “La Selecta” were Rodolfo Zelaya, Sean Fraser and Jonathan Faña, the offensive trio of our national team. For the Cenians, Andrew Arrowsword, Kel Koromin, and Javier del Olmo were the most wanted for the Cenians. Both managers were decided to start preparations and did it fast, they were on the pitch even before the referee would indicated so, both lined up in order to sing the anthems: “Despiértate Guayabalense” was slightly booed by the local fans, but the Guayabalense fans responded massively to the Cenian offense (Shamefully, since it should have been ignored, if you ask me) while singing the Cenian National Anthem “Equality and Tolerance”, at the end of that anthems, both teams were to salute their fans and jumped a bit in order to get ready for the games, the sortation was made and Ceni won the ball possession, “La Selecta” decided to switch sides of the field and they started to attack against the northern side of the stadium, defending the south one. Arrowsword was ready and moved the ball to find Koromin.

The game was underway and a massive cheer was listened on that moment, from both fan sided, Koromin kept the ball possession and moved it to the defense, passed to Celgis and then Valaran, Valaran to Jaros and this player moved forward and gave a cross to Xasan, the Cenian winger went on the right wing of the pitch and ran fast, gave a cross to Arrowsword but Passarelli was then and quit a good chance for the Cenians in the first minute of the game, it promised to be good but the Cenians lost momentum when “La Selecta” recovered the ball for once, the national team spent three minutes with the possession of the ball, Moreira passed to Bregoo and then to Fraser who ran on the left wing of the field, the “Black Panther” controlled the ball and kept it, dribbled Axakel in order to attempt going to the area, gave a short cross to Zelaya but Travaran deflected it, surprisingly appeared Rudy Valencia, who usually doesn’t appears in that part of the field, and he appeared for good in this time, took the ball in the air and prepared his right foot, he kicked strongly and made great contact with the “sweet spot” of the ball and it was going to the right side of the goal defended to Morales, it continued its path uninterrupted and beat the resistance set by Morales… Honestly, WHAT. A. FUCKING. GOAL!!! Valencia appeared for good in the few times he does and scored in a rare situation for “La Selecta” Valencia scored his seventh goal in his career with the national team and put “La Selecta” forward 1-0 at the 4th minute of the game, the Cenian fans were shouted immediately and casually, Valencia put his finger on his lips like if he was symbolizing a silence command. That wasn’t the only thing that “La Selecta” had to offer in the ten minutes, since at the 7th minute, Zelaya moved through Jaros and Celgis and took advantage of a big zone without players that the Cenian have on the midfield, he moved fast ad passed to Fraser, he crossed the ball to Valencia and then he moved, dribbled Travaran and shoot to the left corner of the goal of Morales, the ball crashed the outpost and shame that it wasn’t goal, it’d be lovely and at the same time surprising that Valencia would have scored two goals in one game, even more surprising that those two goals came out with three minutes of difference with each other.

The first ten minutes of the game have already passed and “La Selecta” was exercising a complete domination of the game by then, having two shots to goal and one of them being a goal, the Cenians looked surprised and desperate in order to recover some terrain and enter into the fight for the game, but “La Selecta” didn’t allowed the opportunity to them until Arrowsword took the ball at the 14th minute and then Passarelli awaited for him, the veteran Guayabalense central defender saw Arrowsword coming and preparing to do some trick but Passarelli decided to tackle him hard, Ceni earned a free kick while Passarelli earned a yellow card due to the tackle, Arrowsword required some preventive medical attention which was basically being sprayed on his leg with that especial “magic spray” that reliefs pain so effectively, way effective. He stood and returned to the field, he was on charge to kick, he did and passed the ball to Koromin, he controlled it and advanced to the edge of the area, passed to del Olmo and this player nutmegged Passarelli so Terrazas had to appear in a head to head in order to stop the opportunity for the Cenians, he did it well and won the head to head, Terrazas stood quiet in order to waste some time and make the Cenians get desperate. Terrazas passed the ball to Moreira and then Oliveira and Herrera instructed the players to calm down and do once again the “fatigue game” in order to increase desperation on the Cenian side, the strategy remained for the rest of the time but this didn’t prevented “La Selecta” of attacking once again in order to achieve another goal that might lead to play comfortably, at the 19th minute Zelaya received a 40 meters cross from Núñez, he controlled the ball quite well with his chest, dribbled Travaran and was moving towards the goal of Morales, he shot but the shot was too high over the goal defended my Morales, once again? Will a satellite or an alien detect that ball which was horribly kicked by Zelaya? If you find that somebody did please notify us and we will reward you with C$ 1,000, in all seriousness, wow, just wow…

The Cenians at least had an opportunity in order to start finding some confidence with themselves on the attack, it was needed in a moment where “La Selecta” was exercising a clear domination over them with constant attempts which were clearer than the ones that the Cenians had at that moment of the game, incredibly, since pretty much anyone predicted that the Cenians were going to have some domination over “La Selecta” and it was totally expected since they were hosts, the pushover from their fans continued even if they were down in the score, something that I continue admiring of the Cenians. But they found their first clear chance of the game at the 24th minute of it, Celgis gave a pass to Xasan, the midfielder moved away from Moreira and found himself able to continue running till the area, he crossed to Arrowsword and then the young and beloved player of the Cenian national team was fouled in the area by Passarelli, the referee sanctioned a penaty kick against “La Selecta” and the Cenians literally came back to life at that moment, Passarelli was close to being yellow carded again, hence being red carded but the referee didn’t took a card out of his pocket. Arrowsword prepared the ball and was ready to kick, Terrazas was moving from one side to the other and shouting to Arrowsword in order to intimidate him, the referee blew the whistle and Arrowsword kicked to the upper right side of the goal, Terrazas saved it quite badly and left Arrowsword with a rebound, the young Cenian player kicked the ball way high the goal of Terrazas and he fell to the floor as a signal of frustration due to the fail, and as expected, memes appeared and it was common to see people chatting and saying “Arrowsword sent it to the sun” “Comet Arrowsword spotted near the orbit of mars” While at the same time Terrazas was being hugged by his teammates, then lost some time in order to calm the impetus of the Cenian national team at that moment, which were high and discovered that they could try getting into the Passarelli zone since he could be on risk of getting red carded if he fouled once again and the referee decides to card him with a yellow.

Thirty minutes were elapsed at this point of the game, the Cenians tried nonstop in order to get into the area of “La Selecta” but their attempts were stopped by James Moreira, who covered the back of Passarelli since he was already cautioned due to the yellow card he got, on the 31st minute, Arrowsword attempted to shoot from long range but Terrazas sent it to the corner, del Olmo did the corner but Fraser took the ball and then passed it to Faña, the “flea” ran fast through the midfield in a counterattack attempt, he dribbled Celgis and then passed the ball back to Fraser, who ran through the left wing and then moved some meters, gave a pass to Zelaya who passed to Fraser back, the “Black Panther” moved in the edge of the area and then found the right moment to unleash a powerful shot from his right foot, which was placed to the lower right side of Morales’ goal, the shot was powerful enough to leave Morales chanceless, hence “La Selecta” scored the second goal of the game at that moment, a monumental silence was heard in New Oxford Coliseum, except for the noisy Guayabalense fans who screamed that goal so deep and with passion that I’d not be surrised if some of them might awake voiceless or with some vocal issues tomorrow, flares were set on and it was literally a party and a rain in the co-hosts parade, still, there was a lot of time in order to solve the issue. “La Selecta” was “extracting gold” from Cenian soil at that moment, they were having a comfortable lead on the game before the end of the first half, which was an ideal situation for “La Selecta” Oliveira and Herrera were happy but asked Passarelli to remain calm in order to avoid being carded again and thus, being expelled from the game. “Fatigue gaming” continued for the rest of the time and it worked well, “La Selecta” generated another good chance at the 38th minute of the game when Zelaya decided to aim and shooting from middle distance, Morales saved the ball with ease and that might have helped him in order to earn some confidence, which was needed for him at the moment.

On the last five minutes of the game, the Cenians tried some opportunities in order to keep trying and get at least a goal but they failed in their attempts, the first half was finishing and “La Selecta” was having a really great game, having six shots, four on goal and two goals scored, including one shot smashed on the outpost by Rudy Valencia, possession was high by “La Selecta” having it the 61% of the time, while Ceni had 39% of the possession, the Cenians had three shots, two to goal and a penalty kick which was saved and then a rebound wasted by Arrowsword which could have meant a tie and something different might have happened right now if that goal could have been scored. Cenian fans were pressing their national team a bit on the ending and some boos were heard from some part of the stands, while the Guayabalenses cheered the game performed by “La Selecta”, but the first half wouldn’t end without another opportunity by the Cenians, at the 44th minute, del Olmo passed to Arrowsword who was profiling himself in the edge of the area, passed to Koromin and it was another head to head opportunity against Terrazas, the Guayabalense goalkeeper went out and swept Koromin, taking the ball and remaining in the ground for a bit, he kicked the ball and the referee added one minute more to the game, nothing more happened and the first half of the game was finished, the local fans booed their national team and Arrowsword was visibly frustrated due to his miss on the penalty kick at the 24th minute. Carrrasco, the Cenian manager had to fix a lot of issues during the fifteen minutes break between both halves, maybe something could happen for the Cenians in the second half, since they wanted to do a good performance in front of their fans.

While on the break, for the Cenian side, the manager Carrasco told their players about the performance, which was considered as “unacceptable for a host team” and also “a ridiculous way to waste effort” Carrasco was brutal with some players when talking, he isn’t the best example of tolerance definitively. Arrowsword was scolded by Carrasco, to the point of screaming at his face and telling him to be “more prepared when having a chance”, Carrasco switched his 3-2-2-3 to a 3-3-4, being more offensive and risking all in order to tie the game as fast as possible, but the first challenge would be cracking the Guayabalense defense through Passarelli’s side, which was the most vulnerable point of the Guayabalense. Considering that Passarelli was going to be searched and provoked by the Cenians, Oliveira and Herrera substituted Passarelli with Coco in order to prevent major issues on that side. The Guayabalense manager decided to keep the usual scheme of play used by “La Selecta” in every game, three on the offense and pushing his team a bit back, near the defense in order to prenvent a potential Cenian fierce attempt to score a goal as fast as possible, they knew that resisting five or ten minutes would be the key in order to do it well on the rest of the time, hence he ordered their players in order to keep focused in that specific lapse of time. Both teams jumped to the pitch once again after the referee knocked the doors of the changing rooms, “La Selecta” was ready to start the game, Fraser moved the ball with Zelaya and it started.

The proposal for this second half by the Guayabalense team was to retain possession some time with themselves in order to continuing desperation for the Cenians and then force some key bookings for the rival, Zelaya passed to the defense, who controlled the ball while the Cenians were booing by the defensive pass of ”La Selecta”, Arrowsword and del Olmo went near the defense in order to press them, Coco chipped the ball over Arrowsword and moved on and then passed to Valencia, the midfielder moved some meters and then he reached the centre of the field, he passed to Núñez and then he passed to Zelaya, the Guayabalense star moved fast in order to surprise the Cenian defense, it started by taking Travaran away from Zelaya and then a pass for Faña, the “flea” was lone and then chipped the ball over Morales, but he didn’t fell on the trap and then he caught the ball at the 49th minute. On the 51st minute, Ceni robbed the possession of the ball and then Celgis passed the ball to Arrowsword, he ran fast and then dribbled Coco to face Terrazas in a head to head, it was a clear chance for redemption for the Cenian squad and Arrowsword took the opportunity for him and dribbled Terrazas, he was alone to shoot and he did it well, he didn’t sent it high, he put it into the goal and sscored the 2-1 for the Cenian squad, the people on New Oxford Coliseum literally came back to life, people were ecstatic and screaming so strong that it could have been heard some kilometers away from the stadium, the Cenians were back and they had thirty nine minutes in order to attempt to score an equalizer. It was a roulette that game, everything could happen at that moment, the Cenians could take advantage of fan support and hostility towards “La Selecta”, while that same pressure could play against them and fail at their attempts while “La Selecta” could be expecting a counterattack in order to finish the Cenian hopes, it was matter to see what could happen in the rest of the game.

We reached fifty five minutes into the game and the Cenian national team had a new fresh air at the moment, they were pushing and pressing high the Guayabalense national team, they were handling the ball as they wanted all the match, from one side to the other, attempting to make the Guayabalense defense crack once again and equalize the game for them, it could have been a hard task for them but they seemed calm and without pressure at all. At the 59th minute, Travaran received a pass after a goal kick of Morales, Travaran did a brief sprint and passed the ball to Celgis, the Cenian midfielder moved around Valencia and then passed the ball to Valaran, he left Valencia away since he ran and tried to sweep Valaran, the Cenian passed to Javier del Olmo and then, the veteran striker passed through Salume and crossed the ball to Arrowsword, the striker nodded the ball but Coco sent it away; Xasan dribbled Moreira immediately when he took the ball and tried to enter into the area he advanced and tried to shoot on Terrazas’ right post but he sent it to the corner. Arrowsword kicked it, del Olmo nodded the ball but Terrazas caught it. Immediately, Terrazas passed to Faña and then a counterattack was made, Faña ran fast through the centre of the field and wanted to finish the play by himself, he reached the box and tried to kick but Morroghany swept, Faña attempted to recover and he did, Faña reached the area once again but Morroghany fouled Faña and it was a free kick for “La Selecta”, with this, the Guayabalenses decided to wate some time, Zelaya took the ball and didn’t kicked it, he passed to Valencia and then the ball went back to the defense in order to prevent any happening. If you ask me, that was a smart way to recover the ball possession for “La Selecta” in a moment that they needed to held it while trying to score a vital goal and then finish this game for once, it’d take some time to do I but the more time they held the ball with themselves, the better for “La Selecta”, hence Oliveira and Herrera emphasized on keeping the ball for some time and not acting desperately.

Into the 65th minute of the match and the Cenians lost the so appreciated possession for them, they failed to take advantage of it after that corner and “La Selecta” recovered it for some time while the Cenians pressed even higher than before, they were really desperate to regain possession and they did it on the 70th minute of the game, when Celgis tok the ball while the Cenian fans were cheering wild and almost screaming for a goal in their favor, he ran and passed the ball to Koromin, the Cenian striker was near the corner and decided to dribble Moreira, he did it well and then centered the ball to Arrowsword, Terrazas had to dive and did it bad, Arrowsword nodded the ball and smashed it in the crossbar, at that moment Coco arrived and deflected it with a bicycle kick. For sure, this chance was really clear and maybe an unbelievable fail for Arrowsword, who despite having scored a goal, he clearly wasn’t on his best night since he failed a penalty kick on the first half, the Cenian fans were surprised on that miss and started to press more their national team, then Celgis took the ball after being deflected and kicked from long range, Terrazas deflected the shot and sent it to the corner and thus, avoiding any kind of potential danger. Arrowsword took the ball and did the cross with the corner, del Olmo nodded the ball and Terrazas had to dive to his left and then Coco cleared he ball after Terrazas deflect, the cenians considered that the equalizer was matter of time for them and it would be a totally deserved one, due to the effots made in orer to win it at any cost, manager Carrasco was literally inviting his players to go forward in order to score that goal, no matter what who could score, the goal was the important thing for Carrasco, the Cenain NT and the fans. At the same moment, Oliveira and Herrera told their players to keep focused and taking advantage of any space or chance in order to do a counterattack and leave the Cenians vulnerable and then scoring the third and vital goal for “La Selecta”.

Despite the Cenians looked way better than “La Selecta” in the last couple of minutes, it was early to say that “La Selecta” would gave up and try to resist any kind of Cenian ambush in order to keep the game in 2-1, that was far away from reality but Cenians wanted to express other things, as they did on the 79th minute when Andrew Arrowsword received a large cross from Celgis, Arrowsword dribbled Salume and entered to the area, dribbled Terrazas as he did on the first goal, he did it and shoot to the goal but Moreira sent it away with a kick, the ball reached Faña and it was a counterattack, a sudden one when Arrowsword was about to score an important goal that would have meant an equalizer for the Cenians, the “flea” was running fast and he dribbled Morroghany and proceeded to pass the ball to Fraser, the “Black Panther” took the ball and was head to head with Morales for the third time in the game, the previous two were fails for Fraser but the third one was the charm for Fraser, he didn’t chipped the ball over Morales, instead of it he dribbled him and then he was profiled in front of the goal alone, he kicked it smoothly and that was it, the so desired goal for “La Selecta” arrived at the 80th minute, Fraser ran and celebrated the goal with his teammates and fans nearby, but that was before he simulated to celebrate like an ”airplane”. It was being definitively a lovely night for Fraser at that point, a brace for him and scoring the 3-1 for “La Selecta” with ten minutes left in the game, things couldn’t have looked worst for the Cenians at that moment, they either failed clear opportunities or the Guayabalense defense acted really well in order to stop those ones, Arrowsword didn’t contributed at all for Ceni since he missed a clear chance on that penalty, he wasn’t on his best night for sure and it’s not to blame him for that, it can happen to everybody, even to the best players in the multiverse. After that, “La Selecta” had another chance at the 84th minute of the game, when Arrowsword stumbled upon Valencia and lost the ball, Valencia passed it to Núñez and then to Bregoo, he found Saucedo, who had a quite calm if not low participation in the game, Saucedo was near the edge of the area and crossed it to Fraser, the “Black Panther” nodded it but Morales managed to scratch the ball and sent it to the corner. Zelaya kicked the corner, Saucedo appeared and kicked the ball but Morales saved it with ease on the lower left side of the goal. He game was ending and the Cenian hopes were ending too, they weren’t having a chance and “La Selecta” was far away from losing their defensive order at that moment of the match, which was being arguably the best moment of the Guayabalense defense in the whole World Cup Finals.

The night which was a reason of illusions for the Cenian fans was slowly turning into a bad night, it needed a bit more to turn into a nightmare but “La Selecta” wanted to turn it into that, Herera and Oliveira asked their players to keep pressing high and attacking more, to the point of ordering them to achieve one more goal and then seal the game for once, there was already eighty seven minutes into the game but it didn’t looked far away from being something that could be real, it was going to be real but the question was: When it would be scored the last goal? Before it, Oliveira and Herrera decided to do a second substitution and put in Teitur Vaarisiemi into the game and put Faña in the bench, Vaarisiemi was strongly booed by the Cenian fans, to what Teitur reacted with something that appeared to be a middle finger gesture from him, something that provoked more booing against him, but that was far from affecting him, since at the same minute he received a pass from Zelaya, Teitur was head to head with Morales and decided to pass the ball to Fraser, the striker smashed his shot on the crossbar, Vaarisiemi attempted a bicycle kick and sent it wide on the left side of the goal of Morales, while the Cenian fans booed louder what he attempted to do at that moment. We reached the 89th minute and the referee gave two minutes more after the minute ninety before whistling and finishing the game, “La Selecta” impetus were far from being reduced, they were more intense in that moment and they demonstrated it why when Valencia ran fast through the centre of the midfield and then passed the ball to Vaarisiemi, who was booed, that didn’t mattered to Vaarisiemi and faced Travaran and then dribbled him, crossed the ball for Fraser who nodded the ball to the lower left side of Morales’ goal, he stood chanceless against that nodding and that was how Fraser put it into the goal, that was it folks, 4-1, already done for “La Selecta” and a brutal heavy rain on the Cenian parade, Fraser celebrated if by lifting his fists and standing like a soldier, the euphoria was into the Guayabalense fans who witnessed a return to the semifinals after a brief time without being in one. The whistle was heard and the Cenian fans booed and others applauded after the game while the Guayabalense fans lightened up some flares in order to celebrate, the bench players, Oliveira and Herrera stormed the field in order to celebrate the victory, while Arrowsword was being grabbed by the throat by Vaarisiemi since Arrowsword wanted to kick Fraser, the referees stopped the brawl and after that, everything was a party, literally, for “La Selecta”

Resuming the match, “La Selecta” exercised domination since the very beginning, looking solid everywhere and stopping any kind of Cenian attempt to grab the ball, it seemed that the “fatigue game” worked wonderfully once again and that, combined to Cenian desperation and Arrowsword unbelievable fails marked a negative scenario for the Cenian national team. The Guayabalense precision was extraordinary in this game, everything worked fine and the defense knew how to sweep with timing, maybe one of the most solid games defensively speaking for “La Selecta” in this cycle. Meanwhile, for the Cenians, the disappointment sensation was notable on their players faces, everybody expected something better from them by the fact of being hosts, though it’s important to mention that they weren’t accurate at all and the role that “La Selecta” defense did, the Cenian offensive zone was until now one of the best, if not the best offensive in the whole World Cup Knockout phase, hence “La Selecta” managed to keep them annulated for a great part of the game was something worthy to mention, while Terrazas participation was without doubt one of the best so far, according to Herrera “This victory helped to consolidate the moods over the guys in “La Selecta” doing that will help for future matches where things will be harder but not impossible to achieve.” While Herrera said that “The performance displayed by “La Selecta” was delightful and motivating at the same time, since it appeared in a key moment of the knockout phase of the World Cup Finals, now it’ll be matter to keep this pace for some time”. And we all want that “La Selecta” keeps this pace until the end, something that is without any kind of discussion the ideal scenario that we can have, now it’s matter to keep being disciplinated, working hard and training hard in order to be in a fighting fit for the next match against an already known old foe, a foe that we have already played against them in this World Cup and did also in a previous semifinal of World Cup 74, things might be different now but the goals are the same as the desires are the same for both sides, which are a step closer to glory and only one can be even more closer to glory and then lift the World Cup trophy, or as we know it, the trophy that every footballer, no matter if amateur or professional of ehichever nation wants to win it.

What about the next rival? As we already told, the rival is a really known foe for us, we are talking about Audioslavia, yes, the same team we faced on the last game of the Group Stage. This is one of the weird times that two national teams faces themselves two times in the same World Cup, on Matchday three, Audioslavia defeated “La Selecta” 2-3 and the other game of Port Christopher and Abanhfleft that finished in a tie, allowed “La Selecta” to advance to the next round, since then the performance of the national team has been increasing into positive levels, while the Audioslavians have being constant on their performances, but this is not the second time we face them, it’s the third time we face them in total and the first time was casually on semifinals too, it was in El Roblar, for World Cup 74 Semifinals where “La Selecta” defeated the Audioslavians 2-1 and qualified for the final of that World Cup, now people wants something like that to happen. What our managers say? Let’s start with Oliveira: “Audioslavia is a tough rival, they already defeated us in the third game of group stage, but it’s important to mention that the conditions are totally different and what it’s on game is totally different, it’s not the same being able to get past Group Stage to get past to the World Cup Grand Finale, our goal is precisely to be in the Grand Finale in Cenial but we need to be focused in this game in order to achieve that, I trust in my players that something better will happen compared to the last match between us, we are focused to win this.” While Herrera said: “No matter how tough with them or what happened earlier in this World Cup, we have improved for good and we know what we should do in this game, it’s a golden opportunity to us this game, we will play focused on victory, focused on qualifying for the World Cup Grand Finale, we have a good mentality on regards of this game, recognize that it’ll be hard but not impossible.” Now let’s resume Audioslavia in less than 200 words:

Due to tallness issues with the Audioslavians, they prefer to play on the ground, performing a technical game where the skills play an important role, they rarely pass 1.83 meters tall, hence they play technically and somewhat depend of individualities such as Alianza’s player Dragan Kryznjak, who’s a fast attacker and very skilled, though the Guayabalense defense has some idea on how to stop him. If there’s something to excel about Audioslavia is their midfield, one of the best in the current times, Wight and Abbracciabene are a good duet in the midfield. Not everything is perfect but it’s well known that the Audioslavian national team lacks of order and leadership, which are important things to have on instances like this one, the lack of that and imagination might cause issues for the Audioslavians, if we know how to close their circuits and avoid crosses, the Bulls would be literally annulated. As we do, the Audioslavians love counterattacking, hence being focused on defense, avoiding the concentration of players at the rival zone will be important to block any opportunity from them.

Prediction: It’ll be a hard fought game, clear opportunities should be executed in order to avoid a problem from the rival, it’ll be mostly a midfield game but the destruction duties of Valencia, adding to what Zelaya, Fraser and Faña does will contribute for “La Selecta”, but everything will happen if they avoid Audioslavian counterattack and they take advantage of their lack of leadership, something that I think it will happen, that’s why I say San José Guayabal 2-0 Audioslavia.

by **Ceni** » Sat Nov 12, 2016 8:55 pm

This is your semifinal cutoff!

by **Electrum** » Sun Nov 13, 2016 12:20 am

This is the other, more better and more superior semifinal cutoff!

by **Northern Sunrise Islands** » Sun Nov 13, 2016 6:55 pm

WORLD CUP 76
World Cup 76: Revenge of the Bulls or Sunrise Overdrive?

Current World Cup champions' Unified Sunrise Islands have managed to achieve the World Cup final again after beating the nation of Chromatika by the rather-not-so-surprising given the circumstances of their opposition score of 5-2 at the Northcote Oval at Prescott, thus guaranteeing themselves the opportunity to visit the lands of Ceni, the Cenial Halcyon National Stadium and face the world renowned Bulls from Audioslavia. Like afore-mentioned, the game had a lot of things influencing it, so maybe it's best to take a look at what made this such a big deal, aside from the obvious "being the semi-final of a World Cup". The Samba Kids arrived to this tournament with the sole plan of actually defending their title with grace and eventually bow down when a superior side arrived. Said superior side didn't actively arrive, though they did lose on a friendly to Ethane, but that was really it. Five draws throughout didn't exactly help the Sunrisian cause at the qualifiers, but the wins (specially over The Sarian) kept Esportiva's favorite bustards and the San Lleran ensemble from topping their group. The Savior Grey arrived at Electrum in a group against Runner Cup creators Chiata, traditional Turori and a heavily-pumped Royal Kingdom of Quebec, after their heated play-off against Anglatia. While the game against the Reapers showed to be an exercise at annoyance as they apparently feared a "7-1" as far as the media was aware, they found their first road block: rivals Nephara at the Round of 16. The Cormorants went at it with a desire for blood and certainly left a victim, an injured Rolandinho Juliano. Joan-Kasumi ended up debutting (and scoring) but the game was only resolved by Mallena von Kraus' effort inside the box. The Samba Kids went on to beat Vilita without a whole lot of trouble, though they didn't field a rather upset Hannah Alcouin out of fear she wouldn't do well against the opponents. The game saw Kike try a rather devious move and impress the Sunrisians, hopefully leaving his joke status back at his bed or something of the like. It could be said that the current defenders did grow a lot from the Vapourones and Nagatomis to their current heights.

The Bulls' path was slightly more different. While originally showing themselves as a rather strong team, a quick defeat to the Isles of Avon was enough to raise a lot of questions inside. The country could still remember the Anaiaxit episode ringing but the team proceeded to finish their qualifiers on good health, even if most people were more interested in making fun of their terrible choice of kits, an eyebrow-rising Kirola effort. Audioslavia got a slightly harder group, facing the rather effective San Jose Guayabal (whom they went on to beat on a breather), the always dangerous Abanhfleft (whom they made short work of) and Port Christopher (funnily enough tying with the small Esportivan nation). They went on to face Eura on the Round of 16, with Roddy Fraser more or less guaranteeing the garnets-and-greens in with a single. Following that, what was expected to be a derby against rivals Krytenia ended up not happening: the Cyan were beaten by Brenecia on extra time. Dragan Kryznjak and his team-mates faced San Jose Guayabal on a rematch for the semis. We'll talk about that one later on, but for the time being, let's focus on the Sunrise/Chromatika match.

Chromatika came on ill health, in more ways than one. Under the Rainbow Revolution, things more of less spiralled out of control over a needlessly harsh regime. The Sunrisian conundrum did not take part on the whole affair but it did catch the attention of nearby Nephara. The squad suffered from some backlash as a result, but did manage to find itself on the World Cup with a herculean effort at Group 18, beating teams like Starblaydia and Kaboomlandia for the top. Chromatika's group, Group G, was certain to see both first and second place sides face the two best from Group F. Luck made both Chromatika and USI not face each other earlier on, the Sunrisians facing Nephara as they got second place while Chromatika went on to face the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. The Quebecóise failed to surpass the Anomalies in Exile, missing out on a single goal. Kéirâ Andìsorì and Gabriella Antonio helped them see off Cosumar on the quarter-finals. Fate ended up being rather funny, what with Chromatika having been depicted on a certain Sunrisian anime as some sort of family member of Sunrise, now having the two square off for a spot at the final. Chromatika is distancing from the traditional Atlantian Oceania poorly tasted politic regime and sure as well, a spot at the final would bring ressurgence for the region. That said, the team had been relying on Nier and Ria at the net. Hell, to think a girl that for all accounts was still playing with her High School team (Belle Epoquenne, Sunrise's Academics League) was representing them nationally was insane. One of those things that only a political issue can give you.

Mia Ria took some deep breath before the game started. She was now against some of the finest strikers of the Multiverse. The Sunrisians were all there, watching from the other side of the field. Couch; Hikari, Flanningan, Zezinho, Paranawê; Sarracena, Chi-Chan, von Kraus, Nishidake; Alcouin, Stabb. The coach, a World Cup champion, Mihashi Chiyo from the lands of Kirisaki. Lina Amos' side was... well, on the other side of the field. Ria; Morningstar, Ellen, Stef, Aart; Kelly, Liam, Hellion; Rien, Andìsorì, Antonio. The game started. Antonio rolled to Andìsorì, Andìsorì took maybe five steps into the Sunrisian field, Stabb stole the ball. Stabb passed up front to Hannah Alcouin. She ran. A faint to the left side, dropping off Liam from her grasp. She ran. A brief ball drag before lifting it over the head of Stef. Alcouin ran a bit more. Ria was legitimately scared of the running Alcouin, but figured she'd best try to stop her. The seventeen year old managed to punch the ball off after a try from Alcouin. Stabb was there. He headed it in. Unified Sunrise 1, Chromatika 0. Three minutes. Well, damn, the Sunrisians' rhyme was back for serious. Ten minutes in. Chi-chan had the ball. The half-feline smiled as she managed to look up to the eyes of the Chromatik opponent on her way, Lucjusz Stef. She pondered if this was the perfect moment for her to use her old cat tricks. She decided to give it a go. Booting the ball up and then... well, tailing it over to an open team-mate. Hannah Alcouin had the ball on the open. Ria sighed, once again on position. Alcouin smiled, kicking it hard. She once again did what she could, patting it back. Nishidake slipped under the defence, pushing it to the net. The Sunrisians were now up two and willing for more. Felt like they weren't even quite trying sometimes. Cinematic Football did that to oppositions, apparently. Finally, at about twenty-six minutes, Andìsorì found herself some open ground. Sarracena couldn't stop her, Zezinho failed to reach the Chromatik and soon even Couch failed to stop her quick shot in. Chromatika was back in the game. 2-1.

As the clock neared the end of the first half, the Sunrisians were needing some sort of buffer, at least that's what Couch thought of. He whistled for Flanningan to get close as he had the ball, motioning for a set play. Mike shook his head, nodding, getting the ball. He looked around, passing it to Paranawê. The former street player punted it hard to the other side, meeting Chi-chan. She rolled it back to Sarracena as a defender got close. Sarracena took the chance to run. As Kelly got close, he rolled it back to an advancing Chi-chan. The cat girl found herself between Stef and Aart. From the corner of her eye, she could see Paranawê had arrived by the left wing. She punted it to the 20-year older, who proceeded to dash across the line. Morningstar was getting closer. He crossed over the box. Ria failed to take it. Ellen didn't reach it. But a tail swipe reached it. Chi-chan made it 3. Sunrisians up by 2 goals, 3-1 overall.

A stern talking probably gave the Chromatiks enough to come back. And soon enough, they were at it. Andìsorì clashed against Zezinho, Zezinho being the one on the blame. A free kick near the box, the shot took a mean curve as Rachel Hellion expected. 2-3, Chromatika once again, in the game. von Kraus saw the substitution sign on the border of the field. "Lady" Garinotte Monnoyance was making her play-offs debut apparently. The Eastern Sunrisian quickly got to position, receiving the ball almost instantly from Chi-chan. She smirked, running against Otis Sorendai, who had just been added to the game over Lucjusz Stef and the rather poor game he showed. And as they were to conflict, she spun around with the grace of a ballerina. Doesn't help she placed her hands as if she was holding up a skirt of some sort. She found herself alone and figured a shot wouldn't kill. The shot, somewhat weak, found itself under the legs of Mia Ria, though she did manage to grab hold of it. Ria threw it up to Sorendai, but he couldn't quite keep it as Lady Garinotte once again went after him. She managed to steal it and thus run against the goalie. This time however, she once again managed to spin off an opponent. Though this time, it was the actual keeper. Sunrise 4, Chromatika 2.

The clock ticked down, USI already seeing themselves guaranteed. Chiyo, on the other hand, decided to seal it. Allejo in for Stabb, Axelsson in for Flanningan. Axelsson had made a name for himself as the rough defender that USI could use, a Daineri-born Sunrisian, though they avoided using him over Flanningan and Zezinho during bigger games as they thought him to be a bit hot-headed. Maybe some of his Lasernan grand-mother blood there. 88th minute. The Sunrise had the advantage of a free kick somewhere after the middle of the field. Axelsson took a breather and punted it. Lady lifted her leg, again, very much like a ballerina, patting the ball over to Allejo, who wisely decided to kick it in, catching Ria by surprise.

It was all over. Unified Sunrise Islands 5; Chromatika 2.

The rhythm catches another one. To the final we go!

"So."
The four were once again at the same room.
"I swear it has a happy ending. I mean, I am here, after all."
"So the killer didn't win!?"
"Sir Sunrise of the Sky was wiser than you'd imagine."
He looked at the little girl, smiling.
"Do you wanna know how it ends?"
"...O-OK!"
"...Fine."

Sir Sunrise smiled, even if the person on his way seemed like a madman.
"Well... Good day, sir!"
Chromatika grumbled.
"...Well. I'm Sir Sunrise of the Sky, but you can call me Sunrise if you prefer."
"...You oppose my lord."
"Uh... Who?"
"It's not Hodori."
"..."
OK, I might have improvised that off.
"So... Who'd be that lord of yours."
"He's... he's more powerful... powerful than... than you... than me..."
"He... does he have a name?"
"He's possessed by a demon, Sir!"
"..."
Sunrise looked back at Kitsunia.
"He looks like it, yeah."
Just as he turned back, Chromatika attacked him.
He managed to block the sword with one of three sections of his staff.
Sunrise finally got in position.
BATTLE 1.
START.

BATTLE 8.
START.
The Esportivan knight struggled to stand.
He'd been fighting his foe for about an hour.
Every time, however, Chromatika got up.
His aura even more red, his strength even more enhanced each time.
"...You're strong..."
"My lord shall be proud of me!"
Sunrise quickly hit him in the back of his left leg, making the possessed one fall down. Soon, he'd get back up with help from a wall, but the white wall was now, somehow, with the symbol of a red hand over the place he used to help himself up.
Kitsunia snapped her fingers.
"Sir! I think I can release the demon from your foe! Keep him busy!"
Chromatika was up again a couple of seconds afterwards, forcing Sunrise to once again battle him.
Unbeknownst to Sunrise's opponent, Kitsunia got closer to the red hand mark and started a chant.
Suddenly, the aura fled him, the marks over his body disappeared and he soon fell to the ground.
Sunrise panted, struggling to stand up.
He was tired.
For a moment, he could see life go through his eyes.
Finally, he fell down, unconscious.

The Nightmare seemed to be over.
He didn't exactly know his whereabouts at the moment.
All he could remember was Kitsunia purging the demon out of that boy that briefly stood on his way.
His vision started blurry but a couple of blinks allowed him to see where he was.
Back at the ship.
"Sir!"
He looked around, still recovering.
"Uh... Yes?"
"Doesn't seem like he's well, he'd have told us to call him Sunrise by now."
"I was about to say that... Ugh... my head."
"That's because he didn't want to drag you around. Dainer had one of your beasts drag you back to the vessel."
"Better than the whole "let's take off all his armour to make him less heavy" plan you two connoted with clearly different goals-"
The two girls stared at the beast tamer.
"...I'll be taking care of the Growlithe that carried you around, sir. Hopefully you'll be feeling well by dinner time."
Thus, he left his master with the two misses, who proceeded to bicker about who saved the Esportivan lion.

Dainer instead decided to help out the other unconcious victim.
"Ugh..."
"So you too woke up, eh? Good."
"What... Where am I? Where's Roy?"
"...Roy?"
"Master Roy... the big... uh... red thing that follows me around. A witch cursed it on me."
"Our mage Kitsunia already got that fixed."
"Our?"
"Yes. You're at the Futurnian Pearl. It's a vessel Sir Sunrise of the Sky bought a while ago from merchants from far away lands."
"...Sir Sunrise?"
"One of the three Esportivan Commonwealth's Lions. He can guide himself with the help of the sky at all times, hence being named Sir Sunrise of the Sky."
"That's a rather foolish name."
"Says the servant of "Master Roy", the big red monster."
"Don't make fun of it!"
"Well, you did look different, if it helps. Anyway, Sir Sunrise is recovering in another room. I believe he wishes to see you when you're both full recovered."
"Actually... I'd rather you didn't tell your master, but I have to flee."
"Why?"
"I believe we'd better meet some other time. Don't want t cause more hassle. Thank your master for helping me out, though, and that we shall meet again some other time."
Chromatika jumped out of the make-shift bed and left.
Dainer shrugged, returning to his master room.
As he arrived, he noticed the two girls were still bickering.
"Yes, Dainer?"
"Your foe left. He did recover, but he's no longer possessed. Said something about meeting you some other time and thanked for helping him out against the demon."
"Well, that's wonderful. I guess."
"Why sir?"
"The way is probably clean to Gaiatheia. Maybe we can get there before some mad man gets there. Hakifao, I wish you to scout the way out by the morning. We'll meet at the village."
She nodded.
And it was all settled, the Sunrisian guild was on their way to Gaiatheia.

"So... did they met again?"
"I can't tell right now. You know, need to keep the excitement."
"By the way..."
"..."
"Ready for our next battle?"
"...I guess."
"I swear to give you a good battle."
"Sure thing."

The battleground was set.
Sunrise watched as Chrom sent out a Chandelure as his first Pokémon.
A smile formed at the current champion's face.
"Let's go, Vaporeon!"
Vaporeon splashed into the battleground, looking at his opponent.
"Well, this is going to be fun."
"You know he has the advantage, right?"
"Yes and no. Solar Beam, Chandelure."
"Stand strong, Vaporeon, and strike Hydro Pump!"
The clash was brief, but after the dust cloud fell, both were still standing, though struggling to remain as it was.
"You're not outsmarting a chess master, Sunrise."
He took a deep breath.
"You know what to do, Vaporeon."
The Vaporeon threw a Salac Berry up from its' watery body to the sky and ate it.
"Likewise, Chandelure."
The Chandelure shined briefly, dropping the remains of a Sitrus Berry.
"...Well, this is going to be fun."

...
It was very fun indeed.
A proud Espeon stared rather bored as Chrom's Banette fell down, having hurt itself from confusion a dozen of times before falling down.
...
"...I didn't think this through."
...
"Huh?"
...
Sunrise offered his hand, a serene expression on his face.
"You showed promise at the start. Allow me to teach you all you need to know after this tournament."
"..."
"..."
"Only if you call me..."
"..."
"...What?"
"...Son."
"..."
"...Oh, you won't!"
"Ow!"
Kitsunia dragged Sunrise off by the ear.
Chrom shrugged and followed them, laughing the way out.
He could always ask for it next time anyway.

Sunrise had an ice pack over his left ear.
"For someone that doesn't have a kid, you sure as hell know how to pull an ear! Ow..."
"Well, technically..."
Kitsunia grew a pair of angry eyes at the former nutjob.
"IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY-"
"IwassayingQasdenpleasedon'tkillme"
She replied with an angry but satisfied huff.
"Good."
"So... ow... who am I facing?"
"Audioslavia. He won a 5-on-5 bout."
"5-on-5?"
"Yeah. They had two stalemates."
"If I can get my ear back in place... Ow..."
Kitsunia pulled it again.
"OW!!!"
"Quit whining!"
Kitsunia giggled from the reaction, leaving the room. She briefly stared at a title belt with her name on it.
A smile.

by **Audioslavia** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 9:52 am

A Crack at Dawn
Audioslavia will play Unified Sunrise Islands in the final of World Cup 76
Guayabalense overcome in thrilling semi-final penalty shoot-out
Bulls hoping for 3rd win in 9th attempt at the grandest final

As Rodraig Fraser stepped up to take Audioslavia's fourth penalty of the shoot-out, he probably wasn't thinking to himself 'hey, if I can score this, my country will have been in 11.8% of all World Cup Final games ever'. And yet, to see all the statistics being launched around on social media, you might think this brand of sabremetrics (which means, literally, 'sword measuring'. Apt when you consider the gender of those more inclined to argue about statistics online) the most important part of football.

What's more likely to have been going through the player's mind, however, is something along the lines of 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA'.

Whether or not Fraser was thinking about the weight of history, he scored Audioslavia's winning penalty with all the confidence and ease of a man who seemed to know which way the goalie was going to dive before he even took the penalty. Fraser's celebration, more relieved than anything else, showed just how far the young striker has come since his incident-ridden international debut last year. The boy has become the man.

Fraser had started the semi-final on the bench, with established striker Dragan Kryznjak preferred in the number 9 role, heading the 4-4-2 formation alongside Aurrekoetxea, Marriezkurrena, Wight, Guerricachevarria and Besoitagoena in midfield, ahead of a flat back four of Seghers, Dallara, Marquez and Caceres, with Ozuna in goal. That back five has truly come into its own in the knockout stages. Ozuna has been nothing short of world class, proving, finally, why he deserved the number one jersey over the likes of de Snaaijer and Smulders, who many been much more popular choices. His command of the space behind the back four has been vital to Audioslavia's progression through the playoff stages, swooping in to clear up the situation on the few occasions that the defences have been breached.

Marquez, Caceres and Dallara have long been established at the back, with 150 caps between them, but Geraldo Seghers' rise to prominence has come as a surprise, especially considering his club, Eletti Valligiani, were little more than a footnote in Audioslavian football until recently.

Audioslavia, more than happy to sit back and let opponents come to them, did exactly that for much of the first half, allowing San Jose Guayabal the lion's share of possession and looking to hit on the counter. The pace and quick thinking of Besoitagoena and Mariezkurrena, coupled with the defensive abilities of Wight, with Guerricachevarria's limitless energy reserves and ability to pick out a pass, mean that this generation's grasp of kontrapuntzeka is equal to any past Audioslavia side you could care to name. Guerricachevarria's 40th minute snap shot from 22 yards almost yielded a goal but for Terrazas's stretching save, after Kryznjak had grazed the top of the bar with a powerful header from a Mariezkurrena cross, but the best chance of the half fell to San Jose Guayabal's Rodolfo Zelaya, whose far-post volley had Ozuna beaten, but hit the foot of the far post and quickly bounced out of reach of the three Guayabalense looking for a follow-up.

It was the Bulls who came closest to scoring early in the second half, with a quick break releasing Mariezkurrena on the wing. The Moreazerua winger cut inside of Meyson Salume and played a low ball just beyond Passarelli to where Kryznjak was standing. The striker had time to play the ball out of his feet and take a shot on goal, but Terrazas was equal to it, sending it round the post with a finger-tip save.

San Jose Guayabal's Sean Fraser saw a dipping, looping long-range effort cannon off the angle of post and bar, while Saucedo should have done better with a close-range finish after Caceres's botched clearance, while Aurrekoetxea squandered a late chance by shooting straight into Terrazas's legs when through on goal, and that was it for the chances inside ninety minutes.

Extra time saw Kryznjak and Aurrekoetxea make way for Fraser and Apexarena as Audioslavia looked to change things up up front, with Giuffrida already having replaced a tiring Wight in the centre. Audioslavia, always extremely fit, began to take charge of the game as their opponents tired. Mistakes crept into the Guayabalense game, with an exhausted Passarelli almost scoring a disastrous own goal early on, attempting to cushion a defensive header back to the goalkeeper but only succeeding in nodding the ball over the keeper and onto the bar. Fraser bundled the loose ball over the line, but could only do so via stampeding over substitute Marcos Perez, drawing a foul.

Sanchez-Dysos realised it was the right time for Audioslavia to press for the winner, and so the full-backs Dallara and Seghers began to maraud forward. A Dallara cross was met with ferocity by Giuffrida, who could only volley the ball high and wide, before Fraser almost scored the winner with a back-post header that he could only power into the side-netting. Fraser and Apexarena would go close before the final whistle, but to no avail. San Jose Guayabal went into the penalty shoot-out feeling as if they'd gotten out of jail.

SJG took their spot-kick first and scored through Zelaya. Marquez struck for the Bulls, Vaarisiemi for SJG, Apexarena for Audioslavia, and then Sean Fraser saw his effort saved by Ozuna's feet. Besoitagoena's effort just about found the net despite a strong hand from Terrazas, putting Audioslavia 3-2 up with two penalties left. San Jose Guayabal would miss theirs, meaning Roddy Fraser's calmly hit finish would put Audioslavia into a World Cup final for the first time in 24 years.

The Stats

Audioslavia vs Sunrisia

Audioslavia 2-1 Northern Sunrise Islands (World Cup 68 First Round)
Audioslavia 0-1 Western Sunrise Islands (AOCAF Cup 45 First Round)
Audioslavia 2-0 Northern Sunrise Islands (AOCAF Cup 45 First Round)
Audioslavia 2-2 Unified Sunrise Islands (World Cup 70 Second Round)
(Audioslavia win 4-2 on penalties)
Audioslavia 1-2 Western Sunrise Islands (AOCAF Cup 47 First Round)
Audioslavia 7-3 Western Sunrise Islands (AOCAF Cup 49 First Round)
Audioslavia 0-0 Unified Sunrise Islands (World Cup 74 First Round)
Audioslavia 0-1 Unified Sunrise Islands (World Cup 75 First Round)
Audioslavia ?-? Unified Sunrise Islands (World Cup 76 Final)

Played: 8
Audioslavia wins: 4 (includes penalty shoot-out)
Sunrisian wins: 2
Draws: 2
Audioslavian goals: 14
Sunrisian goals: 10

On paper, Audioslavia have a slightly better record against Sunrisian teams, but upon further inspection the Bulls' history doesn't look quite so rosy. Of our four wins, two came over thirty years ago against an NSI team yet to really embed themselves into the upper echelons of world football. The 7-3 win was a freak game against a weakened side representing only the Western islands, while the Bulls' one win against the unified team was 24 years ago, and was only via a penalty shoot-out.

The two most recent games came in the two most recent World Cups, wherein the sides were matched with one another in the first round. The only goal scored over those two games was a Sunrisian one. USI would go on to win that World Cup - the very same championship they look to defend on Saturday evening.

Audioslavia in World Cup Finals

Audioslavia 1-1 Rejistania (World Cup 12 Final)
Rejistania win 4-3 on penalties
Audioslavia 0-1 Crystilakere (World Cup 19 Final)
Audioslavia 0-1 Vilita (World Cup 20 Final)
Audioslavia 1-2 Casari (World Cup 29 Final)
Audioslavia 2-0 Starblaydia (World Cup 63 Final)
Audioslavia 2-1 Andossa se Mitrin Vega (World Cup 64 Final)
(AET. FT 1-1)
Audioslavia 0-2 Polar Islandstates (World Cup 67 Final)
Audioslavia 0-1 The Holy Empire (World Cup 70 Final)
Audioslavia ?-? Unified Sunrise Islands (World Cup 76 Final)

Played: 8
Audioslavia wins: 2
Opponent wins: 6 (includes penalty shoot-out)
Audioslavian goals: 6
Opponent goals: 8

Audioslavia's record in the final game of the World Cup is nothing short of legendary. Audioslavia made four finals from World Cup 12 to World Cup 29 and lost them all, creating a stigma around the national team that lasted for generations. Audioslavia's return and immediate successes in the Baptism of Fire and AOCAF Cup gave a single generation of Audioslavians hope that it didn't have to be this way, and the team's back-to-back victories in World Cups 63 and 64 arrested the losing streak and seemed to have destroyed the curse for good, but defeats against Polar Islandstates in World cup 67's final and a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Holy Empire have largely only fuelled speculation that, when it comes down to it, Audioslavians don't have the bottle to carry something through.

Were the 63/64 cycles merely a fluke? Can the Bulls make it three wins from nine attempts? Or are we destined to be merely the generic baddies in any and all other team's hollywood movies? Polaria, Rejistania, Casari, Vilita and Crystilakere all earned their first star against Audioslavia. The Empire got their fourth. Will USI make it two in a row against Audioslavia's pantomime villains come the weekend? Or is this time for Fraser, Guerricachevarria, Ozuna and the like to shine?

A nation, once again, expects. From behind a sofa. While stress-eating entire tubes of pringles. With their fingers in their ears.

by **Chromatika** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 3:31 pm

By: Jordan Lawless, Chief Correspondent, Previous Sports Corresponsdent, Chromatik City Courier
Guest Panelist: Nikolai Thorben, Previous Starting Goalkeeper, Chromatik National Team
Guest Panelist: Kéirâ Andìsorì, Starting Striker, Chromatik National Team

World Cup 76: Finals/3rd Place Play-Off Preview

Previous Record:
Lawless: 20 pts 10-4
Thorben: 16 pts 8-6
Andìsorì: 12 pts 7-7

It could be argued that Andìsorì being credited for a loss that was on her entire squad is unfair, but since she didn't comment on a score, that is what her record will be. Reality hit the Chromatiks today, but it was still a well fought game for a team running out of keepers. More on that later. The final is worth eight points, there is still chance for a different winner! The Third Place Playoff is worth six points.

3rd Place Play-Off
#8 San José Guayabal vs. #18 Chromatika
@ Olympic Stadium, Centralis, Electrum
How they got there: San José Guayabal lost a heartbreaker to Audioslavia, falling in penalty kicks, 2-4, after a scoreless game. Chromatika was manhandled by Unified Sunrise Islands to a score of 2-5.
Offense: San José Guayabal: 30 qualifying, 7 proper, 7 playoffs; 44 in 18 games. Chromatika: 30 qualifying, 12 proper, 8 playoffs. 50 in 18 games. EDGE: Chromatika 2.44:2.78
Defense: San José Guayabal: 15 qualifying, 7 proper, 3 playoffs; 25 in 18 games. Chromatika: 10 qualifying, 6 proper, 9 playoffs. 25 in 18 games. EDGE: Even 1.39:1.39
The Matchup: Terrazas's masterpiece was overshadowed by the performance of Ozuna, but the Guayabalense keeper should be given credit for playing wonderfully against the Bulls... Mia Ria was tagged for five goals against the Samba Kids, and will be making her third start in this match with Jillian Nier still not clearing concussion protocol... Kéirâ Andìsorì has scored eighteen goals in seventeen appearances this cycle... It is a rather important match, as history rarely remembers fourth place finishers, only taking into account up to the Bronze Medalists...
The Pick:
Lawless: Mia Ria will be a great keeper in the future. The fact that she has to start this game, against a team that is so experienced, so up to the task? Rather dubious for the Anomalies. I don't think they'll score enough to keep up with the amount that La Selecta can. San José Guayabal 3-1 Chromatika.
Thorben: I think that Amos will have the Anomalies come out and ready to play, hoping to end this coming-out tournament on a high note. La Selecta will be a tough opponent for certain but I think that Chromatika has what it takes to come away with a third place finish behind Andìsorì's playmaking and the back four helping out the young Ria. Chromatika 3-2 San José Guayabal.
Andìsorì: We'll definitely be out there trying our best. It's a tough matchup, and playing without Jillian or Nikolai will make it tougher.

The Final
#3 Audioslavia vs. #1 Unified Sunrise Islands
Cenial Halcyon National Stadium, Cenial, Ceni
How they got there: Audioslavia defeated San José Guayabal on penalty kicks, 4-2, after a scoreless game. Unified Sunrise Islands defeated Chromatika, 5-2.
Offense: Audioslavia: 27 qualifying, 8 proper, 2 playoffs. 37 in 18 games. Unified Sunrise Islands: 28 qualifying, 6 proper, 11 playoffs. 45 in 18 games. EDGE: Unified Sunrise Islands 2.06:2.5
Defense: Audioslavia: 8 qualifying, 4 proper, 0 playoffs. 12 in 18 games. Unified Sunrise Islands: 13 qualifying, 3 proper, 5 playoffs. 21 in 18 games. EDGE: Audioslavia 0.67:1.17
The Matchup: Ozuna, Ozuna, Ozuna. No goal allowed in 300 playoff minutes, as the Bulls go for their third title. It might be hard to keep the Samba Kids from scoring, as they've been on a tear on that front as of late. The Bulls will rely on their efficient counterattacking scheme.
The Pick:
Lawless: Ah. Ozuna vs. The Samba Kids, with the ever-efficient Bulls counterattack to play spoiler. Hm... I'll go with the conventional pick here and say that the Sunrisians will complete their second straight championship behind their patented cinematic football, but it will be close. Unified Sunrise Islands 2-1 Audioslavia.
Thorben: Defense wins championships. Ozuna is a god right now, and he will be the MVP of this tournament and cement it with an unforgettable performance against the scoring machine that Unified Sunrise Islands has been in these playoffs. Audioslavia 1-0 Unified Sunrise Islands.
Andìsorì: The classic sword vs. shield matchup, and I have to go with the sword, especially given that I just saw what the Sunrisians can do on the pitch. It's pure art, it's beautiful, and almost neigh impossible to stop. Ozuna will make it close, but Unified Sunrise Islands will repeat. Unified Sunrise Islands 2-0 Audioslavia.

About the match? Well, it would be easier if you read the Sunrisian post for that one. The team tried, Andìsorì and Hellion scored, but it was too much to ask of young Ria to hold the Sunrisians at bay.

by **Electrum** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 6:19 pm

On request of both teams, the third place play-off begins now!

by **Ceni** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 7:54 pm

Seeing as both Audioslavia and Unified Sunrise Islands have RPed.. we're now going to find out who's Gonna Fly Now!!

by **Audioslavia** » Tue Nov 15, 2016 3:18 pm

Dicks Out for Harambull
Beloved Bull Murdered Callously by Cenian Zoo.
Young Sunrisian boy had fallen into Bull enclosure.
Heroic bull 'euthanised' via three bullets to the chest.
'Leaving it longer may have put boy in danger' :- Zoo
Audioslavians everywhere exposing penises in bizarre show of respect.
Young boy 'in on it all along' :- the internet.

The internet was in uproar last night as news broke from a zoo in Ceni.

At roughly half past seven yesterday evening, a young boy, whose name has been withheld but is probably 'Jigglyao Sambaface' or something, 'fell' into the Bull enclosure at Cenial Zoo, Ceni.

Beloved zoo exhibtion Harambull, an Audioslavian bull, had seen the incident and proceeded to walk over to where the boy was laying.

In what onlookers call 'an act of kindness and civility', the bull proceeded to pick the boy up and seemed to try to nurse it back to health with its enormous bull hooves.

Zookeepers had been alerted to the situation by the boy's parents (now the most unpopular couple in the world if you ask Audioslavians) and inexplicably loaded sniper rifles when a tranquilizer gun would have sufficed.

The beloved, peace-loving bull had been gently nudging the boy to safety when the first of three gunshots pierced the Bull's tender, loving heart at roughly 7.41pm

After two more shots, the angelic, noble bull passed away from its injuries, allowing zookeepers to fetch that disgusting boy from the enclosure without fear of being adored by a perfectly reasonable bull.

'This type of thing has happened six or seven times before' said one startled Audioslavian internet user, between flapping his nether-regions into the wind. 'Honestly I'm beginning to lose count'.

In other news, nothing else happened this evening, especially not in football.

by **Chromatika** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 4:05 pm

Fuck Penalty Kicks.

I mean, really. Wasn't it enough that Mia Ria, a teenager, had stopped just enough shots from the Guayabalense to earn extra time? That it wasn't even the first nor the second string that would be setting up between the posts? Or that Daniel Lucas, in what was likely going to be his last appearance as a national team player, scored the equalizer just before the game was to end to send the game to extra time? How about the fact that Kéìrâ Andìsorì scored her team-record nineteenth goal in nineteen games this cycle to plant herself as one of the greatest players that Chromatika has ever seen, with such an upside headed into the future? Or that Luuk Aart, the one whose fate started the Rainbow Revolution, scored on a rare header in the first half off of a gorgeous corner from Rachel Hellion?

Nope, doesn't matter. The scoreboard doesn't lie. It reads 3-3, and knockout rules in the game of football decrees that the game then head into one of the most cruel sequence of events in sports. A heart-wrenching affair that can haunt the memories of players and fans alike into the depths of oblivion.

The Anomalies-in-Exile, battered, bruised, but proud, concluding a phenomenal run that fell flat only against the defending champions, go first.

Amos has sent out the Captain first. Meagan Kelly, in a slowly degrading role as the starter, doing well to start instructing Sybill in the same role. Still fast, still deadly. Terrazas faces her. He leans slightly to the left, her ball directly above him. Chromatika 1-0.

La Selecta respond by Zelaya going out. The experienced campaigner didn't even hesitate, striking with his right foot towards the center. Ria jumped left. Easy peasy. 1-1.

Most Chromatik fans knew that the only way they'd win this shootout is if they scored on every PK and Mia made a miraculous save. In comes Kéìrâ Andìsorì, the unquestioned star of the team. She doesn't even blink - straight shot to upper left corner. 2-0.

Fraser. Stutter step. Ria sells out. Directly down the center. 2-2.

Trenn Rien. Mostly quiet this cycle, very good at eating up attention so Kéìrâ can do what she does best. Barely beats Terrazas to the right post. 3-2.

Vaarisiemi. Calmly kicks straight ahead, elevating at the last minute to have it go up to the roof of the net. Mia is the closest to this one, tipping it but not successfully. 3-3.

Rachel Hellion. The set piece master of the team. Surely she'll continue the streak? Right? No! Terrazas with a lunging grab snatches it from the air! What a save! And it looks like the Anomalies' chances are dwindling... 3-3.

Valencia. An interesting choice as a defensive midfielder. A lot of pressure on Mia's shoulders now. She must block one of the last two kicks. She sells out a bit too much - nerves playing a part there - and it's 3-4.

The Chromatiks must make the last kick to even have a chance. Wait, is that... Gabriella Antonio stepping up? Surely Amos wouldn't be that cruel?! Not the one who has the jinx? Amos has always believed in breaking jinxes straight on. Let's see if Gabriella can... Oh, crap...

The ball sales above the net. Gabriella has her head in her hands. The Guayabalense celebrate. Subdued, yes - they didn't win the entire thing - but still celebrate.

History doesn't remember fourth place finishes...

The orders were clear.

Infiltrate. Snatch. Don't kill. The DG wasn't actually responsible? Get every possible documentation on this "Venom" character that was pulling all the strings. Niadri was very glad that they weren't going to try to kill Heidi. She was a victim as much as anyone.

Alina's plan of painting a plane to look exactly like one of the ones used by the Chromatik Party had gone off without a hitch. It had helped that the Dark Queen had cleared all of the flight paths and stuff as well. The plan from her end was to use the agents loyal to her to get the head of the Chromatik Party as soon as Heidi had been apprehended. Then, without the head of the party, the Rainbow Revolution and the Shadow Writers would have less resistance getting the rest of the country under control.

Nadri and his squad successfully infiltrated the compound that held the Chromatik Party's bureaucrats by landing on the roof. It was too easy in the age of cyber warfare when you had a mole that took care of the security systems of your prey. They were using tranquilizer darts for this mission - there was no need to kill people when it was possible that they were manipulated.

The blueprints that Krasnikova had forwarded to them had made it clear that the penthouse was where Heidi was. The landing pad was pretty close to that, but from the pad to the penthouse, they would have to definitely take care of security and grab her before she noticed what was going on.

Taking out the initial guards was no problem. Two well-placed shots and the guards went down in a heap. While the others held the perimeter, Nadri went to the penthouse. It seemed that Heidi was sleeping. He placed the forged fingerprint that Alina had granted him to the door's lock, and the door opened.

It would be best if he tranquilized her for the transportation, but he hated hurting her. No choice, he told himself.

One single dart, and she was as limp as a corpse. He grabbed her, lifted her up - she was very light - and they went back to the plane that they had landed with. The rest of his squad had successfully neutralized the entire area.

It was an easy operation. Almost too easy.

It wasn't until they landed back in Québec that they noticed a box taped to the undercarriage of the plane. In it was a note:

"It was about time the experiment ended. Do not worry, it was me the whole time. Nobody else is guilty. Don't try to look for me - I won't be very easy to find. VENOM."

by **Northern Sunrise Islands** » Fri Jan 27, 2017 9:01 pm

Sunrise woke up early that day.
The Final.
He could only barely brush his teeth as he soon heard the door knocking.
Seemed he was the sole one awake, so he figured he'd might as well open.
He opened the door, finding a group of people.
"Uh... Hi, guys?"
"It's finally time."
"Yeah!"
"The Breaking Point!"
"You better not disappoint us, sir!"
"...What are you even talking about?"
"The rivalry, you idiot!"
"The Esportivan Gym Associates against the Atlantian Gym Associates."
Sunrise stared at the Beltranes (sans Broénee) behind the small group of Esportivans.
"Oh, please. What are you four even doing here now?"
"We're associates."
"And like hell we're letting you embarrass the EGA!"
"Someone has to put them at their place, after all."
"...y-yes."
"Didn't even know we had a rivalry."
"I'm afraid we do."
"Yeah, dear. Did you forget about the old EGA-AGA rivalry?"
Sunrise jumped backwards from the sudden voice to his side.
"I thought you were sleeping!"
"The rivalry woke me up. I used to be a member as well, can't forget that."
"Didn't Guayabal beat one of them once?"
"I can't be the only one in this place to beat them at big moments, right?"
"We also brought you a little surprise to cheer you up."
Banguela, Rotschwarzland and Super-Llamaland ran up to the group, opening up space.
"He's here!"
Matthewsiania smiled. The rest of the group stared confused as he walked up to his cousin.
"Heya, cousin! Hi, sis!"
"Hi, Matthew."
"Hi. So, they brought you here?"
"Nah. I came on my own volition. Thought I'd say hi since everyone opened up."
"Ahem."
Apox stood behind Sunrise's cousin, his arms crossed.
"Believe I was the little surprise."

Sunrise took a sip of orange juice, looking around.
"So. Rivalry, right?"
"Yeah, no one told you of that before?"
"It was on the entrance folders, from what I recall."
"..."
"...You've read those papers, I imagine?"
"..."
"He... might've used some of the entrance papers at an invention."
"The Biggest Ball of Paper ever!"
A collective facepalm as Sunrise only looked around, shrugging.
"It was my greatest creation ever, except for one tiny little problem."
"What was it?"
"He couldn't remember why he invented it."
"That and he didn't invent it. It's something schoolkids do!"
"Psh. It totally had a point! I just... forgot which point it was for!"
"I'm sure it was a really important invention."
"Anyway, why do we have a rivalry with those guys?"
"Did you keep that old history book of yours?"
"Yeah... little Qasden loves the stories and-"
"The end of the Gaiatheia. Read it."

Sir Sunrise of the Sky struggled his way up, noticing some of the fallen warriors.
Mostly unnamed people, he couldn't find the usual suspects.
Although he did notice a young lady laid dead with a small sword.
The small sword had a golden handle, but there were a couple of blood spurts over it.
He sighed, as the rest of his party tried to follow.
"I hope Hakifao is OK."
"Sir, don't you think she's going to backstab us?"
"Doubt it. I trust you all equally."
"With all due respect, you're weird, sir."
"AGH!"
Sunrise ran on the direction of the yells, finding Hakifao dodging Audioslavia's Gaiatheia swings.
"You won't steal this amazing power!"
"I won't! Back off!"
The Esportivan Lion quickly pulls Hakifao with him, staring at the possessed North-easterner.
"For our independence! Stand aside!"
"...The sword possessed you, didn't it?"
"You're on her side... I'm sure!"
"...Who?"
"Turori!"
"S-s-sir, he's insane!"
"Gaiatheia is controlling his mind. I need to take him down and I'll need your help."
"...W-we'll help, sir."

Sunrise was once again struggling.
Gaiatheia was a strong weapon and Audioslavia was strong enough by himself.
While Sunrise was certainly faster, he couldn't quite match the opponent's strength.
Audioslavia could finally deliver the final blow, all he had to do was tear through his party and then lead the Northeastern People to Independence.
Sweet, glorious independence.
A powerful blast of green energy threw him off, causing the Gaiatheia to fall from his grasp.
Sir Sunrise shook off the damage, getting up and slowly reaching the sword.
The sword's gem started to shine and very much so his eyes earned a pink tone.
He managed to lift the sword.
Although he was weak, he still managed to walk.
A voice started to talk with him, almost as if it wanted chaos and disaster.
He started to walk on his own.
Sir Sunrise was close to the edge of the peak.
He could hear his party yelling to him, trying to get him back from the edge.
His eyes returned to normal as he had a smile.
Gaiatheia fell leaps and bounds.
"S-s-sir!"
He peacefully walked back, passing by the fallen Audioslavia.
"Yeah?"
"...W-we thought you-"
"It's a strong sword... but my task was to make sure it'd be destroyed."
"...You idiot!"
He started to rise from the ground, still with a bit of smoke coming out of him from the blast.
"My people would be independent!"
"At the expense of your mind?"
"Grrr... Do you want them to suffer under Turori's weak reign!?"
"I'd suggest you to tell them to deal with things at ease. My land's leader is contested as well, but I figured it was too much of a hassle. I want peace."
Sunrise started to walk off, calm.
"You can't sneak away from everything..."
"If it means no pointless bloodshed, then I shall do so."
"But with this sword, we'd get our independence peacefully-"
"Wrong. You'd kill the leader and everyone that got in your way. Gaiatheia's a powerful sword."
"..."
"Peace."
The group left the leader of the Northeastern People alone on the peak.

"And ever since that-"
"Ever since that, their descendants, who formed the Atlantian school of Pokémon Battling, went on to always look at us with some sort of anger for what happened."
"I'm sure Sir Sunrise didn't mean for them to fall in bloodshed anyway."
"Well, national pride does that to people."
"Still, it's a good Pokémon rivalry nowadays, one we need to keep our lead on."
"And you better not disappoint us. Beat him and beat him good!"
"One day, I'll be at the top. For now, you better win it."
"It's only one Boss Battle and then you're free for the rest of the season, win!"
"Think you're a rock-star."
"Helped us out all the time."
"You're good at this, I think."
"...y-yeah! Win!"
"You have already won it once, Artist. Repeat it for us."
"You're a bit thick, but you're good at this. Do it."
"...I'll try. I can't guarantee."
"Do it for me."
...
"Where's Little Qasden and the creep? They were supposed to help us out!"
"Aren't them Atlantian affiliates?"
"...Fine. Do it for us! Me and you!"
She gave a brief kiss to the rather dumbfounded Sunrise. He looked to the sides, his face a bit red.
"...I-I will!"

Little did Sunrise know that things weren't all that different on the other side.
The Atlantians gathered at another part of town, Chrom and Qasden were there as well.
"You know there's much more to this than just a mere game, right?"
"Of course. It's about my third title, after all."
"It's about bringing it back to us. They won it the last two times. That's two times more than enough."
"I hope you're ready for this."
"You're kidding? I trained all week! All my team is in top form!"
Chrom sighed.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. It's just..."
"Hon Hon Hon... Do you think he's losing this time, little man?"
"...I'm about your size."
"Je say he's a spy for the other guy, monsieurs."
"He's not!"
The little girl shook her fists, as if she was trying to punch Quebec.
"Meanie!"
"As little Qasden said, I'm not a spy. We both hail from here, so we're here to cheer on you even if we don't mind Sunrise winning."
"Fair enough. Plus..."
Audioslavia pointed upwards, making a pose.
"Not even spies can beat the Raging Bull! All hail!"
The rest of the Atlantians stared at him, arms crossed.
"...Please?"
Krytenia laughed, before slapping him in the back.
"Hail. For now."

The Pokémon Stadium had seen many battles of such caliber.
Seventy-five finals were seen inside those walls.
Many finalists came and went, some with pride, pomp and circumstance while others were left with either acceptance or sheer rage.
The World Cup final was always one of the biggest events ever.
And the fact it was between two of the Big Three association always made it best.
While sure, the Rushmori Association was left without trainers, a sad fact, both Esportivans and Atlantians were still at it.
Unified Sunrise Islands.
The Child of the Sun.
Born at Arceusian Springs, although preferring to be billed from the happy village of Saint Futurnian, Sports County.
The current champion, his Eeveelution team and a sheer love of hitting the limits of the rulebook made him one of the most technical and toughest trainers to face.
Fans liked to say he was "The Man of 1004 Pokémon Attacks" thanks to his use of TMs and HMs to increase his Pokémon's movesets.
Audioslavia.
The Raging Bull.
The most electrifying trainer in Poké-Battling History. One could say it was finally time Audioslavia had come back to a World Cup final.
Audio's favorite Pokémon was and would always be the Tauros, a very impressive beast that almost always couldn't be stopped.
He was, after all, the Northeastern People's Champ. Something that had to be re-obtained against Sunrise.

"Come wit it now!"
The Stadium's PA system started to blast a tune as several people decked under bull masks started to run across the arena.
"Come wit it now!"
Eventually, those masked men returned to the entrance, forming a sort of corridor.
"The microphone explodes, shattering the molds
Either drop tha hits like de la O or get tha f*ck off tha commode
Wit tha sure shot, sure ta make tha bodies drop"
Audioslavia finally appeared, with a flag tied to his neck.
His eyes filled of confidence.
"Drop and don't copy yo, don't call this a co-op
Terror rains drenchin', quenchin' tha thirst of tha power dons"
He quickly climbed on one of the ring's turnbuckles.
Soon, he took off the flag and held it high.
"That five sided fist-a-gon
Tha rotten sore on tha face of mother earth gets bigger
Tha triggers cold empty ya purse"
The COCANEFA flag.
A rather uneasy Vilita could be seen on the back, between some of his Atlantian comrades.
"Rally round tha family! With a pocket full of shells!"
Audioslavia put himself in position.
This time, he'd beat the Sunrise.
The music stopped eventually.

Smoke started to fill up the other side of the arena.
Light was turned on heavily behind the smoke.
Two figures could be witnessed as well.
"Lay down your head, you're not alone
Anywhere you go, I'll follow"
The figure on the left rose his arm.
The smoke started to lessen as the light slowly weakened.
Sunrise was finally seen, a sort of championship belt on his shoulder. His eyes closed, a smile on his face.
Funnily enough, Kitsunia, the one by his side, had a different championship belt as well.
Nobody knew what it was all about.
"We are the children of the sun
That's all you need to know"
The two started to walk down the aisle, the smoke still over their knees.
"Lay down your head, you're not alone
Anywhere you go, I'll follow
We are the children of the sun
That's all you need to know"
Sunrise took a short sprint, sitting on one of the ropes to open up a larger space for Kitsunia to pass through.
She smiled, taking the opportunity in.
Sunrise joined her afterwards, both raising their belts high.
Now some could see the one Kitsunia held best.
"Global Cup of Soccer Champion".

The World Cup holders, playing on their sweet white with grey and gold accents outfit had been on quite the momentum after beating a weakened Chromatikan team.
Their line-up started, as seemingly always, with Brâm Couch holding his own at the net.
The back had Anna Hikari at the right back, Mike Flanningan as the chief commander on the defense with Zezinho as his helper on the center back area. Paranawê, certainly not the lesser one on this line, play in the left.
Former +90er Yupanqui Sarracena stood in front of the defenders, his tanned skin now with a little tattoo by his left leg, a grim smile, symbol of his brother, pro wrestler Sankis. The middle had Chi-chan, all smiles for her second consecutive final. Mallena von Kraus was once again at the starters thanks to Rolandinho Juliano's injury. Tomoyo Nishidake completed the midfield, working as the creator for the forwards.
Hannah Alcouin had a fierce look on her face. She wanted this win more than anything else. To her side was a calmer, but just as confident Kevin Stabb.
The Challengers were on their dubious costume. One half full crimson shirt, one half thin green and white stripes.
August Ozuna was at the net of the Audioslavians, prepared to make justice to the status of fine goalkeeper this World Cup had given the player.
Vann Dallara, Jouard Caceres, Gael Marquez and Geraldo Seghers formed the back line, all of them products of the famous Audioslavian National League.
Gregory Besoitagoena stood on the right mid. An interesting situation as he would be clearly playing exactly against his team-mate Paranawê from Izotz Zubia.
Ruisheart Wight would play the middle, a common face at the host nation's league.
Robbie Guerricaechevarria would play a bit forward from that position while Rodger Mariezurrena was preferred over Zorio Etxezuniyiga as they wanted to capitalize on Sunrise's efforts to tire the opponent.
The front was a lock. Dragan Kryznjak and Frantzisko Apexarena.
The Bulls were managed by former player Guillermo Sanchez-Dysos, ready to prove the Audioslavians wrong about his half-Krytenian side while the Sunrisians were again managed by Mizuyukijin Mihashi Chiyo.
Things were on for a battle of epic proportions.

The rules were ceremonially repeated.
Three on Three, no substitutions aside of those three.
Items could be applied during the fight or given to the Pokémon themselves.
Sunrise looked like he always do.
Focused, plans already up his sleeves.
Audioslavia threw the flag to one of the masked men, before looking back at his opponent.
"It appears we face again."
"Indeed. I hope we have a great match."
"I'll obtain revenge for my people!"
"Sir Sunrise wanted peace."
"Sir Sunrise was a fool... and I'll make you eat the words he spouted that day!"
"...Well, I don't have anything to say."
Kitsunia grew a sly smile.
"Aside of this Ninetales' boy beating your arse!"

The game started with passing.
Both teams preferred possession, though the Audioslavians didn't like the dribbling very much.
Dragan Kryznjak got an opportunity at the net as Zezinho failed to keep his eyes on the player.
His shot, however, was caught by Brâm Couch.
He threw the ball to Hikari, who started to wheel the ball around, lobbing it to Yupanqui Sarracena.
Sarracena dashed with the ball, before doing a pass to Mallena von Kraus.
She forced her way in, downing Marquez before shooting it hard in the net.
Sunrise 1, Audioslavia 0.

The Flareon stood tall, a bit shaken having defeated Audioslavia's Breloom.
"You really shouldn't play this Breloom against me, sir."
"Oh, boy."
He unleashed his Tauros, smiling.
"Surf, boy."
A wave started to form as the Tauros ran over the Sylveon.
A one-hit KO.
"Now we're talking! C'mon, boy, let's win this one!"

Passing game once again at the Sunrisian side of the field.
Once again, the Audioslavians were on the offense, searching for a way to beat Couch.
Brâm was inspired that afternoon, blocking shot after shot.
Except for one.
Zezinho once again failed to stop the Audioslavian attack and Frantzisko Apexarena found himself in the spot for a perfect top right shot.
Couch couldn't pick it up.
Audioslavia 1, Sunrise 1.

Tauros tried to run over the Vaporeon, only for the latter to turn in into his water form.
"...I thought you ordered him to shoot Toxic?"
"Funny you mention."
The Tauros struggled, poisoned.
"Yeah. Expected."
Audio quickly used an Antidote on the Tauros.
"Same."

Penalty at the Sunrise area as Anna Hikari took down Dragan Kryznjak down.
Ruisheart Wight went on to take the penalty shot.
Couch to the left, Wight to the right.
Audioslavia takes the lead, 2 to 1, just as the second half reaches its' middle point.

The Tauros remained strong.
Not even Vaporeon's Water Gun could take it down.
And of course, eventually the Vaporeon fell.
"Only one left..."
"I'm aware."
Sunrise had a serene expression on his face.
"Tell me. Feeling like flying tonight?"
Sunrise's final pokémon.
Espeon.
"Psychic, Espeon."
"Run over him, Tauros."
Tauros tried to do so, only for him to start floating, covered by a light blue energy.
Espeon was in full control of the rampaging beast, throwing him off the ring, against one of the walls of the arena.

A corner at the Audioslavian side after a shot by Alcouin swerved off Caceres' leg.
The clock pointed near to the end of the game, the Sunrisians on the back-burner.
Paranawê found himself at the area with almost everyone else.
von Kraus punted the ball over.
It made a curve on air, Paranawê barely was able to head it in.
...
But he headed it in.
All tied down as the clock nears the end of the game.

"You might've taken my Tauros down, but I still have the advantage!"
He threw another Pokéball in.
"Let's finish this off, Houndoom!"
The Houndoom roared, doing a brief stretch in front of the Espeon.
The Espeon simply remained paused, stopped in motion.
"Now, I believe you know that Houndoom has a type advantage that I'll use to beat you in a full sweep, right?"
"...It appears so."
"But I won't end it like that. I want it to be painful!"
"...You sure about this?"
"Yes! "
"Very well. Tail Whip."
"Fire Fang!"
Espeon took a flaming bite to its' neck, shrugging it off afterwards and shaking its' tail, lowering the Houndoom's defense.
On the meantime, however, it got a burn.
Audioslavia commemorated, not noticing something also happening with the Houndoom.
Sunrise nodded, patient.
"Take this Burn Heal, sweetie."
"Smog!"
Sunrise managed to apply the Burn Heal quickly enough to heal the burn mark.
The Houndoom spewed smog from its' mouth, which the Espeon ended up inhaling, thus getting poisoned.
Sunrise remained silent while Kitsunia looked with tension to the action.
The Houndoom's trainer was still commemorating, all the while Sunrise could notice the Houndoom struggling to stand up.
"Say, do you want me to end it all now?"
"Eh. Why end a match all of a sudden? I want a good bout."
"Don't worry. You'll be eating those words soon!"
"Eat this Leppa Berry, Espeon."
"Hit the Espeon with a Thunder Fang!"
The Espeon ate a Leppa Berry before being hit with another bite to the neck, this one charged with electricity.
It quickly became paralyzed.
Audioslavia once again did his victory routine, not noticing a shocked Houndoom.
As he turned around, however...
"...wait, what?"
The Espeon ate another berry, a Cheri one he had hidden somewhere.
"Yes?"
"...HOW DID YOU DO THIS?"
"Eh, Espeon loves hiding berries. It's his favorite activity."
"MY HOUNDOOM!"
"Oh. You mean his paralysis with burn and poison?"
"..."
"I think you're not familiar with an Espeon's true power."
Sunrise smiled, petting him in the head before looking to the trainer.
"Espeon's greatest ability is Synchronize. Effects that hit him will hit the opponent as well, depending on how good your Espeon is."
"B-but..."
"Think I don't need to mention the amount of training I did with all my Eeveelutions. And well, given how the status are all racking up with your Pokémon... Let's say if Espeon hits an attack that is traditionally strong like... Hmmm... Giga Impact?"
The Espeon quickly used its' teeth to throw the Houndoom up before slamming him down with his tail.
The Houndoom fainted.
"And he's out. Game over."

Kike.
Last substitution of the Sunrisians, replacing Alcouin.
He luckily entered the game after a side throw.
Tomoyo Nishidake threw the ball to the entering number 23.
The Western Sunrisian ran across the right wing, dribbling the ball off Wight's reach.
He got closer to the box.
Soon, he would lift the ball over a not-very-welcoming tackle from Besoitagoena before trying a lucky shot.
A lucky shot.
There wasn't a whole lot of angle to hit it.
Marquez and Caceres were still on the way, Ozuna was a fantastic keeper.
But the amount of people on the way didn't matter much.
They all confused themselves.
The ball went over their heads, hitting a very hard to reach angle.

Kike threw himself on the pitch of the Cenial Halcyon National Stadium.
The Sunrisian number 23 just couldn't fathom it.
A long campaign.
And he had just scored the final goal.
The winning goal.
Luís Henrique.
He had won the USI their second World Cup.
He had won them their second star on the crest.
He had won the Sunrisians the right to call the Audioslavians, the Eurans, the Vilitans, the Osarians... hell, even the people from Cassadaigua, the team they had to beat to make their debut, their equals in skill.
He had won them the unexpected World Cup Hall of Fame spot, a proud moment for Esportivan football, the first ever nation from those lands to ever do so.
He had won his nation the title on the one place he had been playing for a while now.
He had won his nation a title after being made fun of so many times.
A smile appeared on his face as the cameras got closer.
Game over.

Sunrise stood in front of his opponent. Kitsunia was all smiles, hugging the now back-to-back champion.
"It appears the words my ancestor said have never gone through your lineage's heads, did they?"
"Grrrr..."
"I believe your anger. I don't doubt you're probably pondering why you didn't finish my Espeon off."
"Y-you're not making things any easier!"
"Maybe it's time you realized Sir Sunrise wasn't wrong."
"HE WAS!"
"Your wish was to damage my team and myself, but you chose not to look into it. And I don't even know why."
"It's your fault!"
"For? From what I recall, you beat me a couple of times as well. Yet now that I'm doing well, suddenly beating me is so important."
"...You're not so smart."
"Not the only one on that field."
"Heh. It's important to beat you exactly because of where you are."
"...Because he's dating me? Oh, I'm flater-"
"Shut up, furhead."
"Eat a large one, dumbull!"
"...But you're right about it. I should've finished you off when I had the chance."
"Or not enter with all that anger and confidence. I might sting more than I look."
"Fair enough."
"...I apologize if Sir Sunrise's conduct caused your family and your people pain. I assure you it wasn't his intentions."
"It's a touch subject. But I guess I can accept your excuses."
"Either that or keep pissed at this Ninetales' boy."
"I probably have better things to do than that. Worry not."
"So... Friends?"
Sunrise offered his hand, a rather fair smile at his face.
Audioslavia accepted, nodding somewhat.
"Fine. Friends."
He then smirked.
"Next time, though, I'm winning."
"Heheh... Good luck."

...Man.
Sunrise was once again cooking for a party. A celebration party, however.
"Seriously. What is it that I can't simply rest at a party celebrating a success of mine?"
Kitsunia was playing video games with Qasden while Chrom remained quiet, watching the sky on his own through the window.
"Please, Sunrise... You're such a great cook!"
"And you can't cook. Joy."
"Hey! Mommy is playing with me now anyway!"
"Fine! Can you help me, Chrom?"
"I'm not a cook. I don't think I can really help you out, Sunrise."
"You have a Wikipedia backlog on your head, surely there's something about cooking!"
"...Nope. Don't have it."
"...Remind me next time to take you all out for dinner instead?"
"Do we really have to?"
"Daddy's fantastic as a cook!"
"Eh. Personally, I think it'd be best if-"
He stared at Sunrise with a rather mean look at him.
"Nevermind. I'm sure you'll do well like always, Sunrise."
Sunrise could hear a couple of knocks on the door.
"I'll get it."
Kitsunia smirked, winking at her daughter.
Qasden winked back, giggling a bit.
"...Hello?"
He looked around, finding nobody but a box with his name on it. It looked rather fancy.
"...Huh."
The young man brought the box to the rest of the group, confused.
"Any of you responsible for this?"
Kitsunia paused the game.
"Open it."
Sunrise opened the box.
He stared at the contents inside, shocked.
Kitsunia smiled, taking a little piece of paper from it.
"Will you marry me?"
She giggled, looking at her boyfriend.
"So. Would you give me the honor?"
He looked at her, before breaking in laughter.
Kitsunia didn't appreciate it in the slightest until...
He turned it into a kiss.
"I do."

World Cup 76 - RP Thread

Who is online