The Inaugural Hannibal Invitational [Pre-WC] [Astyrian]

[Nouvel Ecosse]

THE INAUGURAL HANNIBAL INVITATIONAL
For the Countries of Astyria & Probation

It is once again that time of year, when World Cup qualifying comes 360 degrees through the revolving door that is nssports. And what better way to prepare for the gruelling games ahead than with a tournament in the mountains of Nouvel Ecosse, against those neighbours you once assumed to be your "good friends". True relationships will be witnessed on the field, rivalries will be founded or revisited, and all in the name of "friendly" matches, in the hopes of winning what is the inaugural Hannibal Invitational tournament and the prized Crystal Lanark Cup, named after the most successful Hannibal football club in the cities long history. The Tournament is open to eight of Astyria's (& Astyrian Probation's) fiercest national sides in the hopes of glory. Only one side may leave successful.

A BIT ABOUT THE CITY

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I know, I know. You may have some safety fears about coming to Nouvel Ecosse. But have no fear. Located in the high fringes of the Altnordisch mountains, and settled on the banks of one Nouvel Ecosse's largest lakes, Lakkvarv Hannibal, the city has natural barriers between them and potential threats. Add that to its distance from the fighting, the large armed forces and defences between the city and the opposition forces, and the presence itself of the Nouvel Ecosse Government in the City, your worries should be assured.

Hannibal is currently the counties City of Culture 2014, and supports thriving sporting, academic and cultural communities. More info on the city can be found at its info page here: http://iiwiki.com/wiki/Hannibal and here: www.VisitHannibal.ne. The City supports a large airports with links to numerous countries in Astyria, as well as world-class hotels and training facilities for all visiting teams, all paid for courtesy of the Nouvel Ecosse Football Association.

The Tournament will be played in three stadiums. Culloden, Crystal Lanark's ground with a capacity of 88,000, will host the important fixtures, most notably the opening game and the final. Games will also be played at Voyager Park and Flooden Street, with capacities of 62,000 and 53,000 respectively.

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THE TOURNAMENT

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The tournament will host eight teams from across Astyria, and feature two groups of four, who will play each other once. After this stage, the top two from each group will go on to face the other top two in the semi-finals, with the first place from Group A facing second place in Group B and vice-versa. The winners of these semi-finals will face each other in the final of the cup, whilst the losers will vie it out for the third-place medal.

PROGRAM OF EVENTS

Sunday 9th March: Signups Open
Wednesday 12th March: Signups Close When Eight Competitors Found & Draw Made
7.00pm GMT Friday 13th March: Match Day One - A1 vs A2, A3 vs A4, B1 vs B2, B3 vs B3
12.00pm GMT Sunday 15th March: Match Day Two - A1 vs A3, A2 vs A4, B1 vs B3, B2 vs B4
7.00pm GMT Monday 17th March: Match Day Three - A1 vs A4, A2 vs A3, B1 vs B4, B2 vs B3
7.00pm GMT Wednesday 19th March: Match Day Four - Semi-Finals - A1st vs B2nd, B1st vs A2nd
5.00pm GMT Friday 21st March: Final Match-Day - 3rd Place Game - SF1 Loser vs SF2 Loser
7.00pm GMT Friday 21st March: Final Match-Day - Final - SF1 Winner vs SF2 Winner

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SCORINATION

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Will be done using xcorinate 0.3.3, Association Football Setting, NSFS setting, with no home-team advantage. Will be based on 50|50 WC Rankings and RP, based on the knowledge that many present will not have a WC rank. I do have previous experience, having done both a football league for Nouvel Ecosse and run a domestic tennis tournament.

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SIGN-UPS

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No real form required. Just a roster for your team, some RP permissions information and a Style Modifier. TG me for more info if unsure.

CURRENT SIGNUPS

Nouvel Ecosse
Costa de Ouro
Agrincourt
Neu Engollon
Some Village
Hannibal XI
Riysa
Terres Des Gaules

[Nouvel Ecosse]

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Ranking: (As of 11th December 2013) 103rd (8.73 KPB)
Manager: Pierre Mossebien
Assistant Manager: Erik Knutten
Nickname: 'The Rampant Walrus'
Home Colours: Blue & White
Alternate Colours: Maroon and White
Formation: 3-4-1-2

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Pos No  Name              Team                 Nation         Age   FT  Sub  Res  Caps  Goals
GK  #1  Zinedine Frazer   Edinburgh City       Nouvel Ecosse  28     X             39     0
GK  #20 David Gordon      Harbour Tusks        Nouvel Ecosse  24         X         0      0
GK  #24 Dax Coscini       Caledonia Claymores  Nouvel Ecosse  23              X    0      0
LB  #2  Arnoldo Stein     Armadillo FC         Nouvel Ecosse  26         X         14     1
LB  #12 Junior Landis     Edinburgh City       Nouvel Ecosse  22              X    0      0
RB  #15 Armand Helm       Armadillo FC         Nouvel Ecosse  25              X    3      0
RB  #5  Dan Franklin      Alhambra Azores      Nouvel Ecosse  29     X             35     1
CB  #3  Javier Zanetti    Endeavour Thistle    Nouvel Ecosse  35     c             37     1
CB  #4  Pierre Van Miller Endeavour Thistle    Nouvel Ecosse  24     X             37     1
CB  #21 Andreas Skerla    Martell United       Nouvel Ecosse  26              X    4      0
CB  #32 Doran Milosevici  Blau-Weiss Pallstadt Buyan          16              X    2      0
LM  #7  Johnny Cahill     Everton              Nouvel Ecosse  24         X         15     0
LM  #16 Chase Maupin      Mabel Oilers         NSI            20              X    1      0
CM  #13 Logan Malloch     Alhambra Azores      Nouvel Ecosse  24         X         25     0
CM  #6  Dan Holt-Ash      Edinburgh City       Nouvel Ecosse  23     X             39     1
CM  #17 Franz Mackie      Everton              Nouvel Ecosse  23              X    3      0
CM  #8  Curt LaFleur      Endeavour Thistle    Nouvel Ecosse  21     X             39     8
AM  #10 Jorge Sanchez     Edinburgh City       Nouvel Ecosse  18     X             36     5
RM  #9  Colin Di Nesbo    Everton              Nouvel Ecosse  23     X             39     3
RM  #25 Brian Caine       Martell United       Nouvel Ecosse  30              X    5      0
LW  #11 Darren McFadden   Brinemouth           New Sideburn   29     X             39     22
LW  #19 Mark Pepperfield  Atticus              Nouvel Ecosse  32              X    3      0
RW  #49 Sanchez Reno      Edinburgh City       Nouvel Ecosse  28     X             39     10
CF  #22 Leandro Cardoza   Dynamo Nova Tangiers Taijan         27         X         13     9
CF  #27 Leigh Donovan     Alhambra Azores      Nouvel Ecosse  27     X             24     1

RP Info: As long as you don't go crazy on the suspensions and injuries, then I'm happy for you to do anything. This game is meant to be creative.
Style Modifier: +1.5

[Costa de Ouro]

We are in - a roster will be posted at some point in the future.

[Agrincourt]

You have my interest, but we'll see.

[Costa de Ouro]

Costa de Ouro Roster for the Hannibal Invitational I

Pos     Player                          #
Denotes Starter

GK	Luis Guiomar Torres		8
GK	Genoveva Luísa Araújo		27
GK	Ulisses Quim Mendes		29
RB	Fernando Ricardo Lobo		22
RB	Catarina Débora Ferreira	31
RB	Graça Núria Crespo		32
CB	Álvaro Dinis Ventura		10
CB	Félix Teófilo Mendes		11
CB	Clarissa Sabina Cardozo		23
CB	Narcisa Lígia Rosario		25
LB	Jerónimo Edmundo Campos		35
LB	Nico Roque Serafim		36
LB	Lídia Íris Achilles		45
RM	Manoel Mário Melo		37
RM	Bartolomeu Túlio Magalhães	39
RM	Silvio Jaime Fernandes		40
CM	Elias Octávio Matos		12
CM	Eugênio Julio Fonseca		14
CM	Roque Plínio D'cruze		15
LM	Verônica Efigênia Gomes		42
LM	Gabriel Veríssimo Pereira	43
LM	Alos Tadeu Matos		21
ST	Pablo Xavier Noyola		3
ST	César Mariano Silveira		5
ST	Fernão Matias Pinho		6
ST	Estevão Ze D'cruz		20
ST	Xavier Guálter Torres		16
ST	Tomás Fernando Torres		18

I Give My Opponent Permission To:
=================================
Choose My Goalscorers:        Y
Godmod Goalscoring Events:    Y
Injure Players:               Y
Godmod Injury Events:         N
Red Card Players:             N
Yellow Card Players:          Y
Godmod Other Events:          N
=================================
Style: -1.5

[Agrincourt]

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Agrincourtian National Football Team

Manager: William Kensington
Assistant Manager: Alexander Daedson
Home Colours: Royal blue & yellow
Alternative Colours: Scarlet red & royal blue
Formation 4-4-1-1 / 4-3-3

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POS    #           NAME          TEAM                     AGE
GK     1       R. Williams       Clevemount Rangers       30   
GK     25      D. Anderson       Bristol FC               27
GK     27      B. Knox           Clevemount Rangers       26
DF     2       J. Ferdinand      Easterport United FC     25    
DF     5       E. Maxwell        Redmont City FC          24
DF     4       F. Michaels       Bristol FC               27
RB     10      A. Watson         Summerdell United        26
DF     3       D. Griffiths      Bristol FC               30
DF     6       G. Roberts        Clevemount Rangers       28
DF     7       T. Stewart        West Bristol United      25
DF     8       J. Wright         West Bristol United      21
MF     11      I. Hazard         Bristol FC               24
MF     14      D. Larssen        Beaumont Lions FC        26
MF     15      A. Vermuelen (captain)  Bristol FC         33
MF     17      T. Walker         Clevemount Rangers       29
MF     19      X. Hicks          West Bristol United      26
MF     21      M. Freeman        Shadowport FC            24
MF     24      N. Miller         Bristol FC               24
MF     28      J. Bale           Hulipool FC              24
FW     20      P. Smith          Clevemount Rangers       26
FW     23      B. Anderson       Clevemount Rangers       24
FW     24      S. Hudson         West Midlands United     26
FW     28      T. Andrews        East Midlands FC         23

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4-4-1-1

4-3-3

Starting Eleven
GK - WILLIAMS, RYAN (vice-captain)

DEFENCE

LB / LWB - FERDINAND, JONATHAN
CB - GRIFFITHS, DONOVAN
CB - ROBERTS, GEORGE
RB / RWB - MICHAELS, FRANCIS

MIDFIELD

LM - HAZARD, IAN
CM - VERMUELEN, ANDREW (captain)
CM/RM - WALKER, THOMAS
RM/RF - MILLER, NATHANIEL

FORWARD
ST/LF - SMITH, PÁDRAIG
ST/CF - ANDERSON, BRADLEY

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Permission to:
- injure my players (don't go over the top please / telegram first if possible)
- choose my goal scorers (within reason)
- give yellow cards to my players

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Style: 4-3-3: +2.4 / 4-4-1-1: +1.7

[Some Village]

Some Village signs up, roster to follow swiftly.

[Neu Engollon]

NEU ENGOLLON NATIONAL FOOTBALL SQUAD 'GOATS'

Coach Staff

Coach: Nils Feinbaum, 39 (Burgunden)
Assistant Coach: Zoran Kostic, 33 (Konstanz)
Trainer: Tomas Fiorelli, 30 (Panoli)
Assistant Trainer/Coach: Hans Dettmann, 35 (Schwartzgarten)

First Team

Goal

#2 Oskar Flegzut, 24 (Schwartzgarten) 39 Caps

Defenders

#5 Marco Fantinelli, 22 (Canterlot Stars, Equestrian States) 43 Caps, 2 goals
#8 Karsten Rottentuf, 23 (Wurzemburg) 41 Caps, 1 goal
#15 Gabriel Lecuyer, 28 (Dronero) 21 caps, 1 goal

Midfielders

#14 Gaston Labrecq, 25 (Telleursville) 38 Caps, 7 Goals
#16 Stephane Manion, 26 (Paysban TU, Earent) 42 caps, 9 goals
#18 Matteo Grazzani, 23 (Appleoosa HC, Equestrian States) 41 caps, 8 goals
#22 Joachim Brenz, 29 (Burgunden) [Capt] 44 caps, 11 goals

Strikers/Forwards

#30 Andre Langlois, 23 (Monleux) 27 caps, 7 goals
#26 Gerard Paseult, 27 (Telleursville) 43 caps, 12 goals
#31 Erich Siebech, 24 (Stivarnel GU, Earent) 45 caps, 18 goals

Bench

GK - #4 Ignacio Anselmetti, 26 (Torino) 22 caps
DF - #13 Salvatore Bessorini, 21 (Panoli)
DF - #11 Dragan Milic, 20 (Konstanz)
DF - #19 Wolfgang Grosser, 22 (Goertenthal) 24 caps, 1 goal
M - #17 Alessandro Columbano, 24 (Ciavno) 26 caps, 7 goals
M - #24 Johann Hausenbech, 33 (Ludenthal) 22 caps, 6 goals
SK - #27 Merich Hummelmann, 25 (Burgunden) 26 caps, 7 goals
SK - #25 Jean Ziendler, 19 (Neuhausen)

MAIN HOME STADIUMS
Burgunden Dome (147,670)
Capital Center, Telleursville (67,000)
Omholt Center, Schwartzgarten (53,225)
Griffincrest Stadium, Panoli (89,450)

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:

Choose my goalscorers Y
Godmod scoring events Y
RP injuries to my players TG First
Godmod injuries to my players TG First
Hand out yellow cards to my players Y
Hand out red cards to my players N
Godmod other events TG First

Skill Modifier: + 1.3

[Riysa]

Reserving spot for team roster

[Nouvel Ecosse]

Wednesday 12th March 2014

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HANNIBAL XI ANNOUNCED FOR INAUGURAL INVITATIONAL

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By Chief Sports Correspondent Nicholas McGrant
Th three Hannibal professional outfits today announced that, after wrangling with the Nouvel Ecosse Football Association, they will be fielding a combined effort at the upcoming Hannibal Invitational, the pre-World Cup meeting of Astyrian footballing nations. FA chief Larry D. Edwards today confirmed that all open spots had been filled bar one, and the NEFA is still hopeful of a final filler. He announced some surprise additions to the line-up to the hosts Nouvel Ecosse, most notably Some Village, the small maritime nation off the coast of Neu Engollon. Others confirmed are top-ranked side Neu Engollon, who are ranked favourites to win the competition by local betting agents, Agrincourt, Costa de Ouro and Riysa. This means that there is still one open place, but the organisers believe this will be filled before the competition begins.

Former Endeavour Thistle and local manager Martin Brubeck has been given the reigns of what is dubbed the Hannibal Super Team, in what will be the first time players from all three clubs play under the umbrella of a larger Hannibal club in history. Hannibal Elect, East Hannibal Albion and Crystal Lanark will all be represented in Brubeck's "Dream Eleven", and the team will be playing in the colours of the city: Azure & Navy Blue with Black Rims. The badge will simply be the cities coat of arms, and locals have already taken to calling the side "The Unicorns". The local fans will be hoping that this isn't because they are non-existent on the pitch.

As you can imagine, the first three names on the team-sheet were the three captains of the respective sides, who met in a press-conference in a suite at the Johansenn Arena. Jonathon Barela, Bryant Carlson and Carl Grindth, of Elect, Albion & Lanark respectively, spoke with journalists, and despite the tough opposition and going into the competition as rank outsiders the side were more than confident. According to Carlson, the most senior captain and the one who has witnessed more derbies than either of the other two, insisted that any previous clashes had been put to bed the moment the three sides best combined at the first, clandestine training session.

"We know that we have a slim chance already as it is, without compounding that with squabbles. If we fight amongst ourselves, then our slim chance disappears. We just have to take our grievances on the chin." Said Grindth, who now plays in the third division with Crystal Lanark, the lowest placed team of the three yet the one with the most successful history. Barela added that "We've already had a few minor tussles, but we've dealt with them and we've grown because of it."

Brubeck then announced his full team, listed here.

#1  GK  Jonathon Barela    HE   26
#2  LB  Donnie Reid        CL   32
#3  CB  Richard Fast       HE   20
#4  CB  Vito Carrion       EHA  29
#5  RB  Robbie Bealieu     EHA  22
#6  DM  Carl Grindth       CL   27
#7  AM  Salvatore Gonzales HE   23
#8  RM  Brian Hound        HE   17 
#9  LM  Frankie DeVito     CL   25
#10 AM  Bryant Carlson     EHA  34
#11 CF  Jimmy Owens        EHA  20

#12 GK  Anderson Diarmid   CL   27
#13 CB  Finn Garson        HE   29
#14 CM  Lionel Morton      EHA  30
#15 CF  Clyde Peters       HE   21
#16 LM  Charlie Bonn       EHA  28
#17 RB  David Jean         CL   31

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Style Modifier: 0, RP Permissions: Whatever you want.

[Riysa]

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Riysian National Football Team

Nickname: "Gazelles"
Manager: M. Abdul-Aziz
Coach: A.Habib
Team Captain: B.Qudsi
Colors: Green, white
Alternate Colors (Home): Black, red
Style: 4–2–3–1 (+1.7), 4–6–0 (+1.2)

Denote starting 11
Goalkeepers
#5 H.Suleiman
#1 A. Mumtaz

Defenders
#3 M. Ghazali
#12 S. Arabi
#4 A. Durar
#9 M. Tikritli
#2 U. Salam
#10 N. Aqid

Centers/Midfielders
#6 O. Uthman
#8 S. Bab
#11 H. Manaf
#14 N. Karim
#15 B. Qudsi
#22 L. Muhaqiq
#19 A. al-Ingaltri
#18 G. Abbas
Strikers/Forwards
#13 U. Mu'min
#21 J. Zilzal

4-2-3-1


4-6-0

[Nouvel Ecosse]

THE INAUGURAL HANNIBAL INVITATIONAL
For the Countries of Astyria & Probation

MATCH DAY ONE

Group One

Nouvel Ecosse
Some Village
Agrincourt
Terres Des Gaules

Group Two

Costa De Ouro
Neu Engollon
Riysa
Hannibal XI

Match Day One Results

Group One

Nouvel Ecosse 3–2 Terres Des Gaules (1pm, Culloden)
Some Village  0–1 Agrincourt        (3pm, Flooden Street)

                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Nouvel Ecosse          1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
2 Agrincourt             1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Terres Des Gaules      1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0
4 Some Village           1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0

Group Two

Costa de Oura 2–0 Hannibal XI       (3pm, Voyager park)
Neu Engollon  2–1 Riysa             (5pm, Culloden)

                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Costa de Oura          1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
2 Neu Engollon           1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Riysa                  1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
4 Hannibal XI            1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0

[Agrincourt]

MATCH DAY ONE - GROUP ONE: AGRINCOURT vs SOME VILLAGE (ATT: 42,560)

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SOME VILLAGE

0 - 1
FT 90 + 3
HT 0 - 0

AGRINCOURT
Miller 86'

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By William Richards
RBC Sports

The Agrincourtian side struggled to establish a dominance over the Some Villageans for the majority of the match. One could say that it was a very equal fight, with but a few opportunities to score. With only four minutes to go, Miller broke through the Villagers' defence and, with a powerful left-footed shot to the top left corner, defeated the goalkeeper.

The Agrincourtians started out using their alternative 4-3-3 formation, with Griffiths and Roberts as full central backs. Michaels and Ferdinand were deployed further up the wings as wing-backs. Experienced captain Vermuelen played as a central midfielder and took on a play-making role, as he usually does. Walker and Hazard were deployed on his right and left respectively. Miller, who usually takes on the part of a right midfielder, joined in as a right forward, along with Smith - the centre forward - and Anderson, a left forward.

The referee blew the whistle at precisely 19:00 GMT Ecossian time; Smith and Anderson were the ones to begin the match. The match's first five or so minutes consisted of fluid passing between the Agrincourtian defence and midfield. A bad pass by Roberts nearly cost the Agrincourtians a goal; it was intercepted by one of the Villagers, who tried to score with a powerful shot. Fortunately for the Agrincourtians, Williams was awake and the ball was knocked out for a corner.

The remaining of the first half was fairly uneventful, save for Hazard's discounted goal due to an offside.

The second half of the match started out brightly for the Agrincourtians. Vermuelen intercepted the ball and swiftly sent it through the defensive line to Smith. However, he failed to score in a one-on-one situation and the ball was knocked out for a corner. For the most part, the Agrincourtians played for possession, trying to find their rhythm. It had been, after all, a long while since their last official match. However, it was obvious that the Agrincourtians had been hard at work - their ability to pass with fluidity and precision was demonstrated very well, especially by the captain of the team. You have to commend Kensington's ability to whip teams into form.

On the 56th minute, Roberts and Walker were replaced by Maxwell and Larssen respectively. Maxwell, a rather young defender was a regular for the Premier League Redmont City FC, whereas Larssen played for the Beaumont Lions. The two were a good addition to the team, especially at this time in the match.

It was in the 86th minute of the match when Vermuelen received a precise ball from the back. He looked around with his keen vision, and spotted the tall Miller charging through the Villagean defence. He didn't hesitate - he sent the ball flying ahead in a precise through pass. Miller received it with grace, controlling it as if it was second nature - he didn't wait for long; he smashed the ball with his strong left foot towards the goal's top left corner from a range of about 25 or so yards. The keeper had barely a chance to save it.

Needless to say, the remaining seven minutes, were rather uneventful and the Villagers failed to draw, thus ending the match with an Agrincourtian win by one goal to nil.

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LINEUP, BOOKINGS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

Some Village
GK. 1. Giorgio LaRossa

CD. 2. Hisa Al Quera
CD. 3. Jonathan Lomack
CD. 4. Pravo Golarovic

DM. 5. Karst Celmhang
DM. 6. Dario Maté
LM. 7. Jozef Vuljaeger
CM. 10. Kezia Atticos
RM. 8. Iepthae

AT. 11. Lukajs Yorkhaund
ST. 9. Arnaud Vuson

Agrincourt
#1 R. Williams
#2 J. Ferdinand
#3 D. Griffiths
#4 F. Michaels
#6 G. Roberts (E. Maxwell - 56')
#11 I. Hazard
#15 A. Vermuelen
#17 T. Walker (D. Larssen - 56')
#20 P. Smith
#23 B. Anderson
#24 N. Miller

Substitutes
#25 D. Anderson
#5 E. Maxwell
#8 J. Wright
#14 D. Larssen
#19 X. Hicks
#24 S. Hudson
#28 J. Bale

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MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
44%:56% (Some Village: Agrincourt)

Shots
4:7 (2 - 4 on target)

Corners
3:6

Fouls
4:5

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[Terre des Gaules]

ÉQUIPE NATIONALE DE FOOTBALL DE LA GAULE
Les Coqs

Management
Coach: Jean-Michel Averell
Assistant Coach: Gaston Peraulte
Team Manager: Dragana Urovijc
Trainer: Andre de Tequelle
Press Relations: Helene Seneaux

Goalkeeper
#1 Jean-Claude Fournier

Defenders
#4 Pierre Lamouline
#6 Jean Marette
#7 Emile de Clary

Midfielders
#10 Robert Cambon
#12 Eduoard Faucheux
#15 Gaston Eloff

Strikers/Forwards
#17 David Benceaux
#18 Francois Dufour
#21 Tomas Foccart
#22 Mattieu Gorajvic

Substitutes
GK:#3 Henri Du Toit
DF:#5 Nicolas Tamereaux
DF:#8 Denis Gandamon
MF:#11 Hubert Fabron
MF:#14 Remy St. Vincent
SK:#20 Patrice Ouirer
SK:#25 Michel St. Thierry

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SKILL MODIFIER:
+2.7

RP PERMISSIONS:
Have at it. Just TG me first about red cards, deaths, maulings or other serious injury

[Some Village]

Some Village Sports Federation

proudly presents the

SOME VILLAGE NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM

GK. 1. Giorgio LaRossa

CD. 2. Hisa Al Quera
CD. 3. Jonathan Lomack
CD. 4. Pravo Golarovic

DM. 5. Karst Celmhang
DM. 6. Dario Maté
LM. 7. Jozef Vuljaeger
CM. 10. Kezia Atticos
RM. 8. Iepthae

AT. 11. Lukajs Yorkhaund
ST. 9. Arnaud Vuson

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RP Permission: All except godmodding and horrible injuries.

Style modifier: +2

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One-nil. Inbetween two breaths, Kezia tried to figure out whether this should be considered a good or a horrible result. All in all, they had been able to make it a competitive game and if Lukajs would have had a better touch of the ball early on in the game, beating that brick wall of a Williams, who knows what way it could've gone. But this and that, the ball didn't hit the back of the net, Some Village didn't get in front and in the end, we got taken out by a screamer Miller launched.

"All right, boys," Rubnov tried to start a motivational post-match speech, "that's not a bad result, almost a point."

What exactly had sparked Kezia's change -or rather decision- of mind, one can't be entirely sure, but it probably was the tone with which the salesman, who dubbed as national manager for the occasion despite nothing knowing near to nothing about the sport, spoke that sentence. This was a good result, but it could be feared that it would be the best one in the series. Even a blind man could see that Agrincourt was capable of more, but Kensington clearly had used this fixture to train on position and defense. Their opening combo, a long sequence of passes, even had been slightly humiliating.
Across the room, Iepthae was trying to catch his breath. No one could contest that the calm, tall right midfielder had an interesting flick of the ball, but his stamina was far from ideal. Unfortunately, Rubnov hadn't cared -or known- to call up some bench players and during the ultimate minutes, it had cost the team. Fortunately, Giorgio LaRossa, a lanky lad with hands like shovels who claimed to play a home tournament due to having Nouvel Ecossian blood running in his veins, was to be considered a good goalie, despite his age. The defence, on the other hand, wasn't much to look at. No wonder as it appeared that Rubnov had found two of them in the docks of Panoli, where they were killing time between two shifts by tossing a ball around. Their tackles were rock-solid, but unfortunately, they also had the pace of a rock. No wonder Celmhang and Maté had to drop back time and time again to pick up the ball, converting our 3-5-2 into an actual 5-3-2. An interesting pair, they were, the ginger Celmhang with his red cheeks and Maté, who spoke some language no one of ours understood. The relation was mutual, we had discovered yesterday, during our second training session together, as Maté just would nod as an answer to everything.

"Kez," Lukajs huffed, "so, what's the pace like, here. You know, compared with Ark and all. Shplojj Division and..."
"The Paramount Division," she spoke fiercely, "well, the second tier..." she whispered. Her Arkan FC would not only have to compete against all types of other teams, instead of the usual cozy competition of three, it wasn't even allowed in at the highest level anymore. But no time for crying on days like these. Well, what was the pace? Actually, this team had enough potential, she tried to consider herself. Ok, the defenders were slow, the striker was old, the true Villageans lacked stamina and the defensive midfields couldn't communicate with one another. She had overcome worse. No?

[Nouvel Ecosse]

Saturday 15th March 2014

---

NOUVEL ECOSSE SCRAPE WIN OVER TERRES DES GAULES

---

By Chief Sports Correspondent Nicholas McGrant

Group favourites and tournament hosts Nouvel Ecosse were lucky to scrape past late entrants Terres Des Gaules in front of an 83,500 crowd in the opening game of the Hannibal Invitational Cup at Culloden. Only a late goal from the revelation that is Leandro Cardoza saved the team from potential embarrassment, Cardoza breaking through the plucky and oft-stubborn Gaulish defence.

The first twenty-five minutes were dominated by the fresh faced Nouvel Ecosse side, brilliant work by midfielders Curt LaFleur and Di Nesbo creating chances in the middle just begging for a head or a boot. Ever-scoring winger Darren McFadden came closest on the seventh minute, when an in-swinging corner from the boot of Dan Holt-Ash found his foot scooping the ball inches over the crossbar, although Jean-Claude Fournier's glove was racing after it. Despite the early possession, cracks were showing in the otherwise excellent Ecossian start. Francois Dufour of Les Coqs latched onto a break-away pass from Emile De Clary and found the typically under-powered Ecossian defence under-staffed, with only Pierre Van Miller present as Zanetti and Franklin raced back. However, despite showing brilliance on rounding Van Miller with some neat footwork, Frazer easily collected what was a limp attempt.

On the 25 minute mark, midfielder Jorge Sanchez was brought down on the edge of the box, two yards away from a penalty. In typical fashion, Darren McFadden swayed up to and stood over the ball, poised to latch the shot away. But in what was clearly a move straight off the training ground tactics board, he dummied the ball left instead straight into the path of midfielder Curt LaFleur, who easily slotted home as members of the Gaules wall attempted to cover. Fournier was left stranded, both feet planted as the ball raced into the top corner.

After that, though, the Nouvel Ecosse side seemed to lose its rhythm, and the Gauls wormed their way back into the match. Tomas Foccart's header breezed past the outstretched hands of Frazer, only to bounce off the post and to the clearing kick of Zanetti. Gaston Eloff levelled in the dying minutes of the first half with an almost too easy shot from the edge of the six-yard box, wrong-footing Frazer and Franklin as they dived in the wrong direction before coolly almost passing it in. It had class. It had style. And it made the two professional Ecossian players look like they were straight off the children's pitch.

Whatever manager Pierre Mossebien said to the players at half-time, it clearly failed to raise spirits, and just a minute after the whistle to restart the match was blown Nouvel Ecosse found themselves behind, Mattieu Gorajvic heading the visitors into the lead from a delightful Benceaux cross. Mossebien was forced to change his hand, and decided to take off almost-invisible Jorge Sanchez, replacing him with Azores midfielder Logan Malloch. Malloch's physical presence was felt almost immediately, and brought spirit back to the midfield that only LaFleur had shown.

It was Malloch who brought the two teams back to level terms on the 67th minute, a scrappy shot from McFadden bouncing off numerous players in a crowded penalty box before somehow squeezing its way to the left foot of Malloch, who only had to prod it homewards. Fournier was blocked by one of his own players as they attempted to scramble towards Malloch, who was shown an empty left-side of the net. Too easy, almost.

After this, Nouvel Ecosse always looked like the winning side, the only missing elements being, when, who and how. It was striker Leandro Cardoza who proved to be that man, scoring his tenth goal as he single-handedly took on and defeated the Lamouline and Marette partnership. Although he was subsequently booked for removing his shirt, it was all worth it. As he made sure to tell the press in his post-match interview.

In the other match in the group, Agrincourt eased past Some Village, who have garnered a large following in the bars of Nouvel Ecosse. Some Village athlete and footballer Kezia Attico's has become a cult hero amongst the patrons of Attico's Drinkeries, especially after her gold medal in the Winter Olympics. Many have 'adopted' the small nation as their second team, and their was large crowd at the match, many there to catch a glimpse of the woman, who was recently voted by this newspaper's readership as their Athlete of the Winter.

In the other group, there were no real surprises as Costa De Oura brushed aside the Hannibal XI side, who at times seemed to be fighting amongst themselves, something they had promised to not do during their tournament. We guess they just can't help it.

No  Pos Name               Rating YC  RC  Goal Subbed
#1  GK  Zinedine Frazer      6    --  --  ---- ------
#5  CB  Dan Franklin         6    26' --  ---- ------
#3  CB  Javier Zanetti (c)   7    --  --  ---- ------ 
#4  CB  Pierre Van Miller    8    --  --  ---- ------
#6  LM  Dan Holt-Ash         7    --  --  ---- ------
#8  CM  Curt LaFleur         9    --  --  24'  ------  Attico's Man of the Match
#10 AM  Jorge Sanchez        5    47' --  ---- Off, 49' for #13
#9  RM  Colin Di Nesbo       7    --  --  ---- ------
#11 LW  Darren McFadden      8    --  --  ---- ------
#49 RW  Sanchez Reno         6    --  --  ---- Off, 79' for #27 
#22 CF  Leandro Cardoza      8    90' --  89'  ------

#20 GK  David Gordon         Unused
#2  LB  Arnoldo Stein        Unused
#7  LM  Johnny Cahill        Unused
#13 CM  Logan Malloch        8    --  --  67'  On, 49' for #10
#27 CF  Leigh Donovan        5    --  --  ---- On, 79' for #49

[Nouvel Ecosse]

THE INAUGURAL HANNIBAL INVITATIONAL
For the Countries of Astyria & Probation

MATCH DAY TWO

Group One

Nouvel Ecosse 1–1 Some Village (1pm, Culloden)
Terres Des Gaules 0–1 Agrincourt (3pm, Flooden Street)

                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Agrincourt             2   2  0  0    2   0  +2    6
2 Nouvel Ecosse          2   1  1  0    4   3  +1    4
3 Some Village           2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
4 Terres Des Gaules      2   0  0  2    2   4  −2    0


Group Two

Hannibal XI 1–3 Riysa (3pm, Voyager Park)
Costa de Oura 0–0 Neu Engollon (5pm, Culloden)

                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Costa de Oura          2   1  1  0    2   0  +2    4
2 Neu Engollon           2   1  1  0    2   1  +1    4
3 Riysa                  2   1  0  1    4   3  +1    3
4 Hannibal XI            2   0  0  2    1   5  −4    0

[Agrincourt]

MATCH DAY TWO - GROUP ONE: AGRINCOURT vs TERRES DES GAULES (ATT: 49,950)

---

TERRES DES GAULES

0 - 1
FT 90 + 1
HT 0 - 1

AGRINCOURT
B. Anderson 7'

---

By Alexander Davis for
RBC Sports

The Agrincourtians came away from the watch with TdG with three points after Anderson's seventh minute goal, securing them a position at the top of the group with a two-point advantage over Nouvel Ecosse. The match itself seemed to have been Kensington's test of a completely new formation to the Agrincourtians: 4-2-3-1, a formation that relies on possessive football, a solid defense (4 defenders, 2 defensive midfielders), and a deadly counter-attack. With the passing abilities of the Agrincourtian midfield, the speed of their forwards, and the hardiness of the defence, it was surely a good choice.

The Agrincourtian side began the match with Watson (replacing Michaels) and Ferdinand as full-backs. Maxwell (replacing Griffiths) and Roberts were deployed as central defenders. The experienced Vermuelen was deployed as a defensive midfielder alongside the 24-year old Bale. This was a surprise to some, as they were expecting the more experienced Walker to be in the starting eleven. The three attacking midfielders were - Hazard, on the right. Larssen, as a central attacking midfielder and acting forward. Miller was deployed on the left. Anderson, not unusually, was deployed as the team's striker. Overall, this formation was a surprise to many football commentators; not many of them expected the Agrincourtian side to utilise the formation.

The normally offensive Agrincourtian team displayed their ability to play defensive-possessive football. The Gauls began the match at precisely 3pm; their first attack was countered when number fifteen Eloff's through pass aimed at David Bencaeux was intercepted by Ferdinand. The Agrincourtians spent the next five minutes probing the Gaul defenses. A carefully aimed through pass by Larssen reached Anderson, who used his speed to sprint past the defenses, before curling the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal.

As we found out, it would be the only goal of the match.

The Agrincourtians seemed to be happy with the one goal to nil advantage; there was little desire - or need - to score another goal (or so it seemed), and the first half consisted of the Agrincourtian playing a classic variation of defensive-possessive football, which only seemed to annoy the Gauls. Maxwell managed to get himself a yellow card after sliding into Cambon's legs; he was lucky to only get away with a yellow card. Jean Marette was also booked after tackling Anderson.

Kensington decided to use three of his substitutes in the first minute of the second half: Steven Hudson (26, WM United), whose reputation as a "super-sub" is widely acknowledged in Agrincourt, for Ian Hazard; Thomas Walker (29, Clevemount Rangers), for David Larssen; and Xander Hicks (26, WB United) for Jonathan Bale.

However, the second half wasn't very different; the Agrincourtians played more of their defensive football, the Gauls tried to snatch the ball away and score (which would happen after Dufour's dangerous shot was deflected by Williams for a corner), but no opportunity came to fruition. The match ended with one goal to nil for the Agrincourtians, putting them in front of the Ecossians. With six points in total, the Agrincourtians have secured themselves a place in the semi-final of the Hannibal.

The match was a display that the Agrincourtians, who are naturally offensive in football, can also play the defensive variety of football.

---

LINEUP, BOOKINGS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

Terres des Gaules
Goalkeeper
#1 Jean-Claude Fournier

Defenders
#4 Pierre Lamouline
#6 Jean Marette
#7 Emile de Clary

Midfielders
#10 Robert Cambon
#12 Eduoard Faucheux
#15 Gaston Eloff

Strikers/Forwards
#17 David Benceaux
#18 Francois Dufour
#21 Tomas Foccart
#22 Mattieu Gorajvic

Substitutes
GK:#3 Henri Du Toit
DF:#5 Nicolas Tamereaux
DF:#8 Denis Gandamon
MF:#11 Hubert Fabron
MF:#14 Remy St. Vincent
SK:#20 Patrice Ouirer
SK:#25 Michel St. Thierry

Agrincourt
R. Williams #1
J. Ferdinand #2
E. Maxwell #5
A. Watson #10
G. Roberts #6
(S. Hudson - 45') I. Hazard #11
A. Vermuelen #15
(T. Walker - 45') D. Larssen #17
(X. Hicks - 45') J. Bale #28
#23 B. Anderson #23
#24 N. Miller #24

Substitutes
#25 D. Anderson
#5 D. Griffiths
#8 J. Wright
#14 T. Walker
#19 X. Hicks
#24 S. Hudson
#20 P. Smith

---

Match Statistics
Possession
40%:60% (TdG:Agrincourt)

Shots
5:3 (3-2 on target)

Corners
4:2

Fouls
5:2

---

[Nouvel Ecosse]

Saturday 15th March 2014

---

SOME VILLAGE SURPRISE ECOSSE WITH DRAW

---

By Chief Sports Correspondent Nicholas McGrant

Nouvel Ecosse will enter the last game of the Hannibal Invitational requiring a draw with group leaders Agrincourt following a shock 1-1 draw with micro-nation Some Village. The visitors had taken the lead after twenty minutes through none other than Kezia Attico's and it was up to the ever-consistent winger Leandro Cardoza to provide the winner in the 60' minute, easing fears of requiring a victory on the last day. However, Nouvel Ecosse will at most require a draw to see them safely though, and in the event of a loss to Agrincourt will have to hope Some Village do not win.

Pressure is now mounting on Pierre Mossebien following two lacklustre performances, and it is believed he may shuffle the squad about to bolster the defence, who have been heavily outnumbered in both games by strong attacking forces.

No  Pos Name               Rating YC  RC  Goal Subbed
#1  GK  Zinedine Frazer      7    --  --  ---- ------
#5  CB  Dan Franklin         6    --  --  ---- ------
#3  CB  Javier Zanetti (c)   6    --  --  ---- ------ 
#4  CB  Pierre Van Miller    5    54' --  ---- Off, 60' for #2
#6  LM  Dan Holt-Ash         6    --  --  ---- ------
#8  CM  Curt LaFleur         6    --  --  ---- ------  
#10 AM  Jorge Sanchez        7    --  --  ---- ------
#9  RM  Colin Di Nesbo       5    --  --  ---- ------
#11 LW  Darren McFadden      7    --  --  ---- ------
#49 RW  Sanchez Reno         4    --  --  ---- Off, 84' for #27 
#22 CF  Leandro Cardoza      8    90' --  60'  ------ Attico's Man of the Match

#20 GK  David Gordon         Unused
#2  LB  Arnoldo Stein        6    89' --  ---- On, 60' for #2
#7  LM  Johnny Cahill        Unused
#13 CM  Logan Malloch        Unused
#27 CF  Leigh Donovan        3    --  --  ---- On, 84' for #49

[Nouvel Ecosse]

THE INAUGURAL HANNIBAL INVITATIONAL
For the Countries of Astyria & Probation

MATCH DAY THREE

Group One

Agrincourt 1–3 Nouvel Ecosse (1pm, Culloden)
Some Village 2–1 Terres Des Gaules (3pm, Flooden Street)

                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Nouvel Ecosse          3   2  1  0    7   4  +3    7
2 Agrincourt             3   2  0  1    3   3   0    6
3 Some Village           3   1  1  1    3   3   0    4
4 Terres Des Gaules      3   0  0  3    3   6  −3    0


Group Two

Neu Engollon 7–2 Hannibal XI (3pm, Voyager Park)
Riysa 2–2 Costa de Oura (5pm, Culloden)

                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Neu Engollon           3   2  1  0    9   3  +6    7
2 Costa de Oura          3   1  2  0    4   2  +2    5
3 Riysa                  3   1  1  1    6   5  +1    4
4 Hannibal XI            3   0  0  3    3  12  −9    0

Upcoming Semi-Finals

Nouvel Ecosse vs Costa de Oura
Neu Engollon vs Agrincourt

[Agrincourt]

MATCH DAY THREE - GROUP ONE: NOUVEL ECOSSE vs AGRINCOURT (ATT: 79,950)

---

NOUVEL ECOSSE
Reno 11', 54'
McFadden 69'

3 - 1
FT 90 + 1
HT 1 - 1

Agrincourt
Andrews 9'

---

By Alexander Davis for
RBC Sports

Things looked promising for the away side after Miller's strike that gave them a one-nil advantage over the hosts. Two minutes later, however, they had drawn and by the end of the match it would be one-three, after Reno's and McFadden's strikes in the second half. Perhaps Kensington's use of the 4-4-1-1 formation was a sign not to use it at all? Football commentators weren't surprised by the win by the group favourites, but even so, the Agrincourtians have managed to secure themselves a place in the semi-finals against the Neu Engeolons.

The Agrincourtians deployed in their apparently official formation of 4-4-1-1, with a heavily re-organised squad: Knox in the goal, followed by Watson, the very young James Wright, Maxwell, and Talbot Smith in the line of defense - a very surprising choice of players. The midfield had been changed, too; M. Freeman on the right wing, Hicks on the left, with Bale and Larssen in the middle. Up ahead, they Agrincourtians had Steven Hudson as a second striker, and Andrews as the main striker.

The whistle was blown at just a few minutes past seven in the evening; the home team started, of course. Their smooth, almost flawless passing in the first few minutes was intercepted by Bale in the middle of the pitch. Through a rapid series of passes, the ball had ended up at Andrews' feet; the young striker, who normally plays for East Midlands FC in the APL, charged into the eighteen-yard box and swiftly struck the ball past the Ecossian goal-keeper.

The crowd wasn't impressed whatsoever, but it was Andrews' first goal for the national team.

The match was level after the Ecossian right-winger Reno broke through the Agrincourtian defense and scored a goal with a lovely chipped ball.

The remaining thirty-four minutes were very much eventful; as opposed to the first halves of previous Agrincourtian matches. The Ecossians launched attacks, the Agrincourtian defense pushed them back, before launching their own counter-offensive. However, none of the teams failed to score and so the match was level at half-time.

Kensington used two of his substitutes for the second half; N. Miller for Freeman, and I. Hazard for Hicks. The subs weren't of much use, however.

Nine minutes into the second half and the Ecossians were in the lead after a beautiful twenty-five yard shot from Reno that landed in the goal's top right corner. Knox could do nothing but watch the ball fly into the net. Meanwhile, the crowd was finally warming up - going mad, even. It was simply all over for the Agrincourtians after a foul in the penalty area on one of the Ecossians. McFadden stepped up to take the shot and he didn't disappoint - a powerful strike to the top corner of the goal left the Agrincourtian goalkeeper immobile. An amazing shot indeed.

With twenty-one minutes to go, and with their morale down the drain, the Agrincourtians could only hold onto the score and try their best to stop the Ecossians from further increasing the lead. Hopefully for them, that was indeed the case, and the match finished with a three-one score for Nouvel Ecosse.

---

LINEUP, BOOKINGS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

Terres des Gaules
#1 Zinedine Frazer
#5 Dan Franklin
#3 Javier Zanetti (c)
#4 Pierre van Miller
#6 Dan Holt-Ash (Johnny Cahill - 45')
#8 Curt LeFleur
#10 Jorge Sanchez
#9 Colin di Nesbo
#11 Darren McFadden
#49 Sanchez Reno
#27 Leigh Donovan

Substitutes
#20 David Gordon
#2 Arnoldo Stein
#7 Johnny Cahill
#13 Logan Malloch
#22 Leandro Cardoza

Agrincourt
B. Knox #27
T. Smith #7
E. Maxwell #5
A. Watson #10
J. Wright #8
(I. Hazard - 45') M. Freeman #17
D. Larssen #17 (C)
J. Bale #28
T. Andrews #28
S. Hudson #24
(N. Miller - 45') X. Hicks #19

Substitutes
#25 D. Anderson
#5 D. Griffiths
#15 A. Vermuelen
#11 I. Hazard
#24 N. Miller
#23 B. Anderson
#20 P. Smith

---

Match Statistics
Possession
51%:49% (NE:Agrincourt)

Shots
7:4 (3-1 on target)

Corners
4:2

Fouls
6:6

---

[Neu Engollon]

---

"Bien-welk! Hello and good evening. I'm Karl Demais on the NETV Sports 7 Update. We now see the Goats going into the semi-finals at the Hannibal Invitational in Nouvel Ecosse, having clawed their way to the top of their group. What should have been easy matches were not even close to being so, except for the match against the local Hannibal Eleven, the host team, in which our boys knocked down by a five point margin. However, the game versus little known Costa de Ouro was a nil-nil draw with both offenses slamming up against defensive super blockades. The wonder team of Ventura, Lobo and Serafim on the Costa de Ouran side was an insurmountable challenge to our strikers, for sure...And then, of course, the debut match which we have shown highlights of several times in the last few days against the Riysa squad. The Goats squeaked by with a one goal advantage, to win it 2 goals to the single score for the Gazelles. Not for lack of trying by Karim, Qudsi and Mu'min, the Gazelles with the most attempts on goal during that match.

In comparison to the Goats performance, the Coqs, the National Gaul team, our neighbors to the West, have predictably been stomped in every Hannibal match. Not that they had superior attitudes, but I think the home crowds that traveled up, via the safe route through the Aurora Confederacy, were expecting so much more. The Gauls head home to the Mederano with nothing to show, but three goals and no wins.

Getting back to the Goats, though...
It is also the debut tournament for the new head coach, Nils Feinbaum, who gracefully took over from the retiring Remy Henau; moving up from the assistant spot. He was a natural pick to continue on with Henau's driving spirit and not cause ruffles with a random pick from outside NEFA, as had been suggested.
As well, some other visible changes to the team. Vuson and Schlosser retired, or so we were told, and some fresh new faces were brought into the bench to take the place of LeCuyer and Langlois, who had served their time there and were ready to shine as starters. The newly restructured Goats seem to have weathered the tests.

Interesting side note...Arnaud Vuson didn't seem to want to retire after all, or was offered a substantial sum by the SVSC in order to change his mind, as he promptly turned around and took the spot to helm the Some Village team. The Ark's scab crew of Panoli dock workers, Confederate cons and Astyrian has-beens...and a sprinkling of actual Villageans were another predictable dismal show, but entertaining all the while. More entertaining would have been a Some Village-Neu Engollon match up with Vuson facing his recent former teammates, but alas, it was not to be as the Villagean team did not move on from the Group Stage.

Back to the Goats again...They certainly know that nothing will be handed to them on a silver platter. A lesson that they probably have known and learned well from their dismal to average showings on the greater international World Cup circuit. Acting like big fish in a little pond was never the prevailing spirit of the Goats themselves anyway, rather an overly speculative home press.

That humble spirit will be appropriate when they face another surprising powerhouse team in their first post-group match...The Agrincourtians. These southern Astyrians, like the Ecossians, are embroiled in a war foisted upon them by their rogue socialist neighbors. In Nouvel Ecosse's case, the Yellow Star Republic...In Agrincourt's place, Casegene. Domestic politics doesn't seem to have gotten in the way of their concentration, however, as they have stunningly rocketed through the Group Stage. We wish our Goats the best of luck and all of the Confederacy will surely be on the edge of their seats in the pubs and at home as we watch the match tonight. The game will be televised live here on Sports Seven. Stay tuned for Seasogs previews..."

[Nouvel Ecosse]

Wednesday 19th March 2014

---

PLUCKY AGRINCOURT GIVE ECOSSE RUN FOR MONEY

---

By Chief Sports Correspondent Nicholas McGrant

Two goals form Sanchez Reno and a penalty from Darren McFadden safely saw Nouvel Ecosse through to the semi-finals against a resolute and spirited Agrincourt side. Having topped Group One, they will now face the runners-up of Group Two, the fanciful and surprising Costa de Oura. Meanwhile, Agrincourt will face their toughest opposition yet in Neu Engollon, who easily saw off the Hannibal XI side at Voyager Park.

There was a full-house at Culloden for the fixture, Hannibal Airport working overtime as fans flocked to the city from Ecosse and beyond. The crowd, not surprisingly consisting of a large amount of home supporters, were silenced however just mere seconds into the match, when some overly-fancy and show-boating passing was intercepted by Agrincourtian midfielder Bale who found his midfield partners in an eager mood. Half a minute later, and Andrews had scored for the side, silencing the support, aside from a small section in the stadium devoted to the travelling support. Frazer had to look on and hope it would drift wide as the ball roared past him, Andrews already reeling away in celebration.

From then on there was no more of the show-boating from the Ecossian side, who now seemed determined to get the result they desperately needed. There a couple of hard-tackles which really set the mood of the game, and midfielder Holt-Ash would find himself booked for what was a rash and late tackle on Freeman. A yellow card was less than he truly deserved.

Sanchez Reno would level the score just nine minutes after going behind with a delightful chipped shot over the sprawling Knox. That seemed to revitalise the crowd, although there was still tension in the air. A draw would be enough, but if Agrincourt were to take the lead would be disastrous for the hosts.

Credit must go to the Agrincourt defence, who for the next thirty-five minutes were a rock for the side, braking up any move that the Ecossians ventured before launching it up the park for a quick counter-attack. Goalscorer Andrews was incredibly unlucky to not double his and his countries tally after his head met a cross from captain Larssen, Frazer's glove narrowly tipping the ball wide for a corner. From the corner, Van Miller easily cleared, and it was the attacking squadron of Reno, McFadden and Cardoza who were now the danger, Cardoza splicing into the side-netting. The first half ended at one-all.

Agrincourt manager Kensington might regret his half-time substitutes, the words of Mossebien still echoing in Sanchez Reno's ear as he pounced on a twenty-five yard shot, swerving away from the goal-keeper Knox who could only look on helplessly. It was a terrific solo effort, and Reno was more than deserved of the Attico's Man of the Match Award.

With the crowd now firmly behind them, Nouvel Ecosse now looked like firm winners. And with twenty minutes to go, McFadden sealed the deal, tripping on a misplaced enemy leg in the Agrincourt penalty box and smashing home the resultant penalty. Knox could do nothing in any situation to stop the penalty, one that has been mastered and then remastered on the training ground.

Final score 3-1, and the Ecossians will feel confident for their semi-final against Costa de Oura.

No  Pos Name               Rating YC  RC  Goal Subbed
#1  GK  Zinedine Frazer      6    --  --  ---- ------
#5  CB  Dan Franklin         6    --  --  ---- ------
#3  CB  Javier Zanetti (c)   7    --  --  ---- ------ 
#4  CB  Pierre Van Miller    7    --  --  ---- ------
#6  LM  Dan Holt-Ash         5    7'  --  ---- Off, 45' for #7
#8  CM  Curt LaFleur         8    --  --  ---- ------  
#10 AM  Jorge Sanchez        7    --  --  ---- ------
#9  RM  Colin Di Nesbo       5    --  --  ---- ------
#11 LW  Darren McFadden      7    --  --  69'  ------
#49 RW  Sanchez Reno         10   --  --  11,54' ---- Attico's Man of the Match
#22 CF  Leandro Cardoza      8    --  --  ---- ------ 

#20 GK  David Gordon         Unused
#2  LB  Arnoldo Stein        Unused
#7  LM  Johnny Cahill        6    --  --  ---- On, 45' for #7
#13 CM  Logan Malloch        Unused
#27 CF  Leigh Donovan        Unused

[Nouvel Ecosse]

THE INAUGURAL HANNIBAL INVITATIONAL
For the Countries of Astyria & Probation

MATCH DAY FOUR

SEMI-FINAL ONE


Nouvel Ecosse 2–2 Costa de Oura (3–2 AET) (7pm, Culloden)

SEMI-FINAL TWO


Agrincourt 0–2 Neu Engollon (7pm, Flooden Street)

Upcoming Matches

Third-Place Match
Agrincourt vs Costa de Oura

Invitational Final
Neu Engollon vs Nouvel Ecosse

[Neu Engollon]

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"Buon-nachi! Good evening, Neu Engollon. Magda Wertauer on the NETV Sports 7 Update. The Goats are now in the finals at the Hannibal Invitational in Nouvel Ecosse, to play the host nation for the Cup. Last night they beat Agrincourt with two goals scored by Captain Joachim Brenz and Paseult, in the 26" and 42" respectively. Incredible match and they played like their lives depended on it, because let's face it, Agrincourt's team has been playing like that from the start. With as many attacks on goal as Anderson, Smith and Miller had, it's a wonder they couldn't land one in the net. Chalk up a medal and MVP for goalie Oskar, but also to the defenders, Rottentuf and LeCuyer especially showing that they are ready to step up and take charge on the new team. One could not fault the holes in the midfield, because without them, the counterattacks would not have finally proven successful. Surely, though, Coach Feinbaum was questioning the strategy until the first goal was scored. No matter, it all panned out in the end. This is the farthest the Goats have now moved in International competition, and the fiery drive is evident.
They go in facing the host team, the Walrus', with confidence and determination and the home crowd is going ecstatic. Even with many AVRU teams advancing to the final stages in the Seasogs, football is supplanting rugby on many televisions in the Confederacy this week. We will have a detailed match preview after the break..."