Campionato Esportiva 36 - Everything

[Cap Nord]

Cap Nord - 4th appearance, all-time record 17-2-4, 1 Final
Dod Rava - 3th appearance, all-time record 4-2-7, first KO appearance

First encounter between these two nations

Of the nations present, no team finds the net as easily as Cap Nord. So far, the Whalers scored 59 goals in 23 games, averaging a commendable 2.57 goals per game. However, the lead margin is rather flimsy, with Xanneria scoring 2.56 in their much longer history. It will up to Till Myrrheim, Jorgen Bjerkness and Rohan Williams to keep that track record alive.

Even if the average goals scored by the participants, in their entire history, is 1.74 goals, the most common number of goals scored by those was 1. As such, every nation present has had a game in which they wrapped it up with a single goal scored… Apart from Dod Rava. If Berezucki’s boys score, one can be assured that they will find the net one more time: a clear warning for Cap Nord!

BET Njaza - 2nd appearance, all-time record 5-1-3, 1 Ro16
Ceyne Isles - 14th appearance, all-time record 26-10-25, 1 Bronze

First encounter between these two nations

BET Njaza has one of the shortest Campionato histories. Still, while most nations slowly rise up the ranks, the Njazans are true to their Banijan heritage and storm the table. Doing so, they amassed a 55.6% win record. If one looks to the list of current participants who do better, one finds a string of former winners (Brenecia, Tumbra, Xanneria and The Licentian Islands) and former finalist Cap Nord.

It is fair to say that Ceyne Isles has a decent feud with the Xannerians. During their adventures in Esportiva’s prime football tournament, the Pirates met most opponents at maximum three times. But with the Maroons, they have already clashed six times. The track record reads in the advantage of their nemesis who have won four of those encounters but the bronze medal match between the two was won by the Pirates.

South Newlandia - 10th appearance, all-time record 28-8-15, 1 Campionato
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom - 11th appearance, all-time record 25-10-22, 1 Campionato

Third encounter between these two nations:
CE27; Group Phase; 0-0 draw
CE28; Ro16; 1-0 win for ZRH

One of the most hotly contested derbies of the region takes place between South Newlandia and Tumbra. With reason, as the Elephants are the only nation, apart from Nephara, to have beaten the Black Eagles more than once. Whilst the Cormorants did so in the ‘infant years’ of what would become the Tumbran dominance, South Newlandia are the only nation not politically repressed by Tumbra to beat them since Campionato Esportiva 30. The Elephants did so twice.

Speaking of rivalries, the evident nemesis of Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom are their neighbor of Cap Nord. Neither team has played a different opponent more often in the Campionato more often than one another. Especially from the viewpoint of the Whalers, the attraction in the draw gets obvious as 22% of their Campionato games were against the Rekans. Some Capnordics will not forget to mention that the last three encounters were won by Finchley’s team. But not us.

Sylestone - 6th appearance, all-time record 12-7-9, 1 Semifinal
Lozho - 4th appearance, all-time record 2-7-7, first KO appearance

Second encounter between these two nations:
CE35; Group Phase; 3-0 win for SYL

Whilst being best known for their defensive prowess, Sylestone is one of only three nations present to have won a game whilst scoring over seven goals. Macbon was the victim at their hand with a 2-8 dripping. The others to hand out such carnage are Brenecia (9-0 against Batto Vitolo) and Natanians and Nosts (8-1 against Starcom Racing). To give the Sentients some more confidence for this game: they are the only ones present to play multiple round of 16 games and never lose one.

And now they are up against Lozho, quite possibly the biggest surprise in the remaining line-up. Whilst former winners such as Nova Anglican AZE, the Licentian Isles and Esportivan Darmen have boarded planes back home, the Lozhoans become the fan favorites among the last sixteen. Ahead of the spectacular 5-4 against Damukuni, they had only won a single CE game in their history, a 2-1 in a dead rubber against Cheetahs and Reptiles Coalison.

Xanneria - 14th appearance, all-time record 47-5-25, 1 Campionato
Gouvanarch - 7th appearance, all-time record 5-11-11, 1 Ro16

First encounter between these two nations

Xanneria are known for their excellent extra-time record as they have won four of its five games that went beyond the ninety minute mark. Only the Licentian Isles have improved upon that with seven wins after extra time in eight knock-out games. Yet, Gouvanarch should not despair yet if the game cannot be settled in regulation: last edition, the perfect record of the Maroons was shattered as Robostania won on penalty kicks.

Gouvanarch will be happy to face Xanneria and not their boogeyman, Esportivan Darmen. The Darmeni beat them three editions in a row in the group phase and a fourth encounter is yet to come. Of all nations present, the only worse loss-only streaks are held by Boring Paradise (four against Earo) and Damukuni (four against Fhulgamous Peninsula). Still, ironically, the record is held by Esportivan Darmen who have lost all their six confrontations against Brenecia.

Brenecia - 30th appearance, all-time record 123-25-47, 5 Campionato wins
Tumbra - 13th appearance, all-time record 48-16-14, 3 Campionato wins

Third encounter between these two nations:
CE31; Quarterfinal; 1-0 win for TMB
CE33; Round of 16; 2-0 win for TMB

By most measures, one can say that Brenecia is, if not the best, then the most successful nation in Esportivan history. In their long history in the Campionato, they only missed out on the knock-out rounds three times and if not for the CE21, they would have had a streak of 26 editions beyond the group stage. Their thirteen quarterfinal wins is an astonishing feat, as is winning more knock-out games than twenty-one other participants combined. For reference, 47 knock-out victories is more than Xanneria, Tumbra and Fhulgamous Peninsula combined.

Still, most pundits put them as the underdog in this encounter with Tumbra. The Black Eagles are one of only three nations to play Brenecia multiple times and always beat them: the Sarian and San José Guayabal are the other ones. Their knock-out win percentage is a record 73% and Tumbra are notorious quarterfinal legends, with six wins out of seven. But to get there they will have to beat the runner-up in that statistic, Brenecia with 65% knock-out wins.

Natanians and Nosts - 19th appearance, all-time record 44-12-35, 2 Bronze
Fhulgamous Peninsula - 23th appearance, all-time record 53-21-36, 2 Bronze

Fifth encounter between these two nations:
CE21; Group Phase; 2-1 win for FHP
CE22; Quarterfinals; 1-0 win for NTN
CE27; Group Phase; 2-2 draw
CE33; Round of 16; 4-2 win for NTN

Probably the most-played encounter in all of Campionato Esportiva history is the one between Natanians and Nosts and Nova Anglican AZE. Of the eight encounters so far, three were won by the Lions but five by N’n’N. Despite the longevity of both nations in the tournament, they had only played one another once until the 29th edition. Since, only CE31 lacked a duel between the two with seven encounters in eight editions.

In pure numbers, one would see some wobbly knees for the Fhulgamous Peninsula as they have lost a record nine ‘round of 16’ games. Moreover, they have only won one of their last seven Ro16 since CE23. However, the Colonists should not yet despair: with 5 Ro16 wins, they get to a 36% wins, still better than Hannasea (33%), Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom (33%), Ceyne Isles (28%) and Bongo Johnson (20%).

Hannasea - 8th appearance, all-time record 15-4-14, 1 Quarterfinal
Acadiana - 4th appearance, all-time record 9-3-6, 1 Quarterfinal

First encounter between these two nations

Most of the nations present took a slower start to their Campionato adventure but Hannasea took the cake by requiring ten games to win one. Their first scalp? Esportivan GOAT Brenecia, before taking Zeta Reka in their next game. They clearly developed into group stage kings, being the only team to go without a loss in the group stages of the last three Campionato’s combined.

Last but not least, Acadiana concedes less than one goal per game: they are currently at 16 goals against in 18 duels. Only Tumbra can vouch for a better average across the current participants with 64 GA in 78 games. As such, Acadania bests by example the Sylestonian wall, who sit in fourth in that classification. On the flipside, the Warriors are (beside newcomers Irithoren and Capital Cove) the only team present to never have scored more than three goals in a single game.

[Natanians and Nosts]

Out of the group stage,onto the knock-outs!

With goals of t'Brāhinni (43' 1st period) and Wafa (28' 2nd period),Natanians and Nosts defeated Dod Rava and managed to advance to the knock-out stage of the Campionato Esportiva,first in the group,even.The squad will face Fhulghamous Peninsula having to travel to the other side of the country to play at the Stoker's Park in Fontwell;a stadium that raises concerns about pollution,since it emits smoke when matches are played there.
The path to playing a possible final looks tough.If Natanians and Nosts advance to the next round,they will face either Acadiana and the Hannasean Federation,who has made an incredible campaign;defeating any would be something doable,even if troublesome.The semi-final will be agains either one of Xanneria,the Gouvanarch,Brenecia or Tumbra,surely comprising one of the toughest keys of this Campionato;Tumbra and Brenecia,who will face next round,are amongst the strongest current Esportivan nations,Xanneria is in a good phase,and has been consolidating itself as a powerhouse,while the Gouvanarch is allways a tough nation to face,posing real threat to its opponents.If Natanians and Nosts manages to get into the final,it would be a historical happening to the nation,being its best campaign.
Although the current project has been getting good results in Esportiva,the team's performance at the WCC has been,to some,not optimal,even though the basic goals have been met.The squad of Johann C. Mureșan-Antonescu shares some similarities with the latest ones from Mutu,even if the structure is different,shoowcasing the variety one can show using a similar group of people under different systems,such as a 4-3-3 and a 4-4-2.Mureșan-Antonescu said he plans on calling more than a single 23-man squad for the World Cup Qualifiers,and maybe not at all that different from what Mutu did for the campaign of the Wold Cup Qualifiers 86,eight years ago;which could possibly bing a breath of fresh air,something he's quite been doing (pers. obs.),and possibly call players who would better sui the teams that are faced,even if when taking into account that the World Cup is played with a single squad all-over,it would bee counter-productive.
Johann C. Murteșan-Antonescu also announced the line-up for the upcoming match:Whticliffe - Ret;Constantinescu,Ionescu MI;Tralto - Probus,Wafa;Ionescu FM,Ademélsson-Vit,Martinescu - Ubuntu.

[Hannasea]

Posted on the In Brief section of the GS SuperSports+ website.

But can they do it on a sunny night in Marray?

The Black Butterflies continued their unbeaten streak in CE group stages that has now lasted 3 tournaments as they coasted past Macbon at Serrapince Park. According to stats blatantly ripped off some Capnordic website data we very clearly were already aware of the Hannasean hateball team have not been beaten in a group stage since playing the Nova Anglicanan Admin Zone in Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom in CE33, six years ago. Since then, they have won 11 of 13 games, drawing two in Sylestone two years ago. Yet for all that, the Black Butterflies have never progressed further than a solitary quarterfinal: while their efficiency at fighting through the group stage churn is admirable, their playoff mettle remains severely unproven.

The win over Macbon was something of a procession after an early goal from Emma Terrell settled the nerves jangling since Kayla Cole's save five minutes in spared the Butterflies' blushes. In truth, the goal wasn't a thing of beauty: the "cross" was actually a scuffed shot by Annabellea Rose, so badly mishit that it wrongfooted Macbon's keeper and presented an easy tap-in at the back post for Terrell. Remi Gray, in scintillating form, converted a goal of better quality as Mikayla Ross's pass split the defence and found Terrell in space to whip in a cross that Gray pinged home first time. She had a chance to double her tally later, but unselfishly squared the ball for substitute Aisha Connell. With Rose tickling the cross bar, Ross forcing a good save from the edge of the box, and Gray herself heading just mm wide, the margin could have been wider, while there was never much threat on the other end.

Hannasea will now play Acadiana in the Round of 16 in a game that will fit the Black Butterflies' exciting offence, led by Gray and marshalled by Rose, against one of the surest defences in Esportiva. Coach Kate Grant says: "We were very pleased with our strong group stage showing but obviously we've been here before and seen that a good run in the groups doesn't mean much in the playoffs. This time, it will be different," she added, reading from a briefing note entitled "Remarks for CE 34 35 36".

Also in the news:

• Grand Warden Evie Cameron foreign policy speech sets "new agenda of non-interventionism, not isolationism"
  
• Coconut Island airport expansion debate highlights conflict between economic and environmental priorities in the Guild Federation
• Mixed response to Furs Ministry reading policy announcement: "It's good that their ambition is to teach children to read but... isn't this something we were doing already?"
• Hayley Dines named Player of the Year in Federation Hateball League
• Hannasean Pride: gay rights campaigners take to streets for annual festival

[Tumbra]

Slembana 0-1 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 1 - V Jones; 18 - M Hawthorn (2 - H Kennedy, 83'), 5 - B Proudfoot, 24 - M Toussaint (4 - I Ashburn, 77'), 3 - Shim SY; 15 - S Philips (23 - C Campbell, 65'), 26 - J Hwang, 8 - V Hicks; 7 - E Robertson, 21 - P Wilson (9 - F Woodhouse, 65'); 11 - C Henshaw (22 - S Fortier, 83')

TMB scorers: Erin Robertson (25')

Player of the Match: Erin Robertson [TMB]

Tumbra advances to last 16 of Campionato, but sack still looms for Gabriel

BENCOOLEN: A solid victory in Bencoolen saw Tumbra advance to the round of 16 of the Campionato Esportiva, but a match against Brenecia — by now, long-established regional rivals and yet another opportunity for a grudge match — could still see the end of Peter Gabriel's time as Tumbran national team manager. The manager, however, remained unflappable during the pre-match press conference; insisting that the side's consistent lack of attacking output was not due to his tactics — which have, at times, been criticised as "overly structural".

"I'm not about to take a sledgehammer to the way I do things, the way Tumbra does things, the way that this team does things," said the manager. "It's all about steady progress; and I'm very pleased with the progress we've made in this arena, and with how things are going in the underaged competitions. The Tumbran talent pipeline is strong, remains strong, and will continue to create lots of talent thanks to our approach to grassroots football."

Potential successors for Peter Gabriel include former Straton and Lakewood United manager Ted Bayh, as well as a plethora of foreign managers who would no doubt relish the chance to take on the reins of the world's twelfth-strongest team. One name that has consistently emerged in discussions is Savigliana Nicoletta Arnaudo, but the TFF refused to speculate on the details of Gabriel's job prospects when pressed for comment.

[Tumbra]

Cutoff. Scores will be edited into this post.

Round of 16 results

Cap Nord 4–3 Dod Rava
BET Njaza 0–1 Ceyne Isles

South Newlandia 1–1 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom (1–1 AET) (3–4 pen.)
Sylestone 1–0 Lozho

Xanneria 5–3 Gouvanarch
Brenecia 0-0 Tumbra (1-1 AET) (3-2 pen.) scored by Tikariot

Natanians and Nosts 2–2 Fhulghamous Peninsula (3–2 AET)
The Hannasean Federation 3–0 Acadiana

QF matchups

Cap Nord v Ceyne Isles @ Nantwich
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom vs Sylestone @ Kingsbury

Xanneria v Brenecia @ Couno (Wrenchwelt)
Natanians and Nosts v The Hannasean Federation @ Straton

[Natanians and Nosts]

Facing at the 36th edition of the Campionato Esportiva,Natanians and Nosts and Fhulghamous Peninsula,for a spot at the quarter-finals.
The first period begun with Fhulghamouls Peninsula pressing Natanians and Nosts,who kept on deffending and did not allow Fhulghamous Peninsula to properly attack,save on two occasions,both by Anselmo Iñiguez,one 5cm too high,and the other skillfully caught by Daniel Whitcliffe.Natanians and Nosts did have one chance to attack,nuilding it after a throw-in on the midfield,which ended with Sheldon Ubuntu having the ball stolen by Mouzakis,who started a counter-attack that ended with a strong shot by Tilemachos Dementzis onto the net,an easy deffence by Whitcliffe.At the 28th minute,Natanians and Nosts started a counter-attack when Probus stole the ball from Giorgis Agiasmenakis,passed through to Wafa,who ran and short crossed to Probus in a good position to cross to Natan Gabriel Ademélsson-Vit who scored the first goal of the match.That goal changed the mood of the match,making it more even.Ubuntu nearly doubled for us at the 32nd on a good header.Iñiguez had three really good chances,one of them on a free kick that Whitcliffe could never have dreamt of catching,had it entered.Ademélsson-Vit had a couple of good chances,and even made a good passing to Wafa who shot into a brilliant deffence by Thanasis Tsiros.One minute of stoppage time.Half time.Natanians and Nosts 1x0 Fhulghamous Peninsula.
Natanians and Nosts came back for the second period with John Cramer and Jack Kramer in place of Flávius Március Ionescu and Mihai Martim Martinescu,respectively.
Fhulghamous Peninsula returned with Alibek Sokolov in place of Giorgios Agiasmenakis,who was rather disappeared from the game.
The second period started with Fhulghamous Peninsula putting high pressure,only for Natanians and Nosts to have the first clear chance of scoring,when Sheldon Ubuntu receive a cross from Ademélsson-Vit,only him and the goalkeeper,with less than 40m between them,but he was clearly off-sided.Bu it was Fhulghamous Peninsula to score forst on this period,with Iñiguez himself scoring at the 15th,dribbling Cláudius Petres Constantinescu and Mikhail Ioan Ionescu.Twenty minutes into the second period,Iñiguez had a great opportunity,reveiving a cross from Priamos Kantoulis.The 31st minute saw Natanians and Nosts create serious danger with a shot from outside the area by Natan Gabriel Ademélsson-Vit.At the 38th minute,Edgardo Quinterno left for Magdy El-Romy.Thirty-nine minutes,after a corner,El-Romy intercepts a pass behind the penalty mark,passes to a free Sokolov,who puts Fhulghamous Peninsula ahead.Natanians and Nosts becomes desperate for a tie,while Fhulghamous Peninsula chases another goal,for comfort,making an exciting game,where Whitcliffe and Tsiros gave a show of great deffences!Three minutes of stoppage time.Natanians and Nosts managed to tie the match at the 47th minute of the second period,when Sheldon Ubuntu headed a ball into the net,who was being sent off the area by Mouzakis from a corner kick.After the second goal,Natanians and Nosts held back whilst Fhulgamous peninsula couldn't score.Full-time.Natanians and Nosts 2x2 Fhulghamous Peninsula.
Sheldon Ubuntu left for Márius C. Mureșan-Antonescu.
Extra time started with both teams being weary.El-Romy created the first real chance at the 7th minutes,on a shot which Whitcliffe was happy to not go into,for he had bo chance.Three minutes later,Iñiguez nearly left his second.Mureșan-Antonescu gave a good low header that Tsiros easily caught.Thirteen minutes,Priamos Kantoulis left for Besim Bušić.No stoppage time.Natanians and Nosts 2x2 Fhulghamous Peninsula.
Both teams returned with refreshed attitude,seeking the goal to put them into the quarters.Probus fouled Iñiguez on the 7th minute,which gave the Fhulghamous Peninsula a good free kick opportunity,which they missed.The ninth minute saw Natanians and Nosts have a good counter-attack,that ended in a corner.The corner saw Rodion Mihai Wafa head the ball onto the goal,but Thanasis Tsiros did not allow it,anothe corner.Again a cross into the area,this time Mureșan-Antonescu sent it to the posts,the rebounding ball gave a clear chance for a counter-attacking opportunity for the Fhulghamous Peninsula,which was dilligently take,but a fast,returning Probus interceped an otherwise good pass,crossed to Mureșan-Antonescu,who passed to a free Ademélsson-Vit that sent a brick into the net,grating Natanians and Nosts spot into the quarter-finals.The last five minutes of the match,plus three of stoppage time,saw Natanians and Nosts make good counter-attacks,but failing when gojng up,giving Fhulghamous Peninsula more chances to tie the match.Natanians and Nosts 3x2 Fhulghamous Peninsula.
The starters against Hannasea will be:Whitcliffe - Ret;Constantinescu,Ionescu MI;Tralto - Probus,Wafa;Ionescu FM,Martinescu - Ademélsson-Vit,t'Brāahinni.
Natanians and Nosts will travel to Straton,in the other side of the country,a bit more North than Lakewood and play at the Eagle's Club.

[Hannasea]

Article from the popular sports blog He's Had An Absolute Holocaust.

Most popular hateball clubs among Hannasean fans

Soccer, once known as "hateball" in the Guild Federation because of how much we hate it, has been steadily growing in popularity and today almost 7½ Hannaseans can claim that soccer is not "literally worse than death". While much of this popularity has been linked to the rising fortunes of the national team, the Black Butterflies, at the Campianato Esportiva, we can also see the impact of increasing visibility of international club football thanks to Hannasean media's partnership with GS SuperSports+. These are the top 10 clubs, calculated by adding viewing figures, online comments, and shirt sales, and divided by the number of eggs thrown at visiting team buses.

10. Galaxy SC (XAN)

Typical of Hannasean contrarianism to like the most disliked club in the Esportivan nation Xanneria.

9. La Querida (FFD)

Hannaseans tend to call La Querida's style of play "total hateball". They see it as the apotheosis of football, and dream of a day when Hannasean clubs can aspire to play this way.

8. Royal Brecqueffret (GVN)

A bit of demographic skew here: while most Hannaseans have never even heard of the club, the small Gouvanarchais minority in the northwest are disproportionately fanatical.

7. Northern Union (BRE)
6. St Thomas (TLI)

Hannaseans have a strong glory hunting streak, and many simply support the best teams in Esportiva regardless of any more depthful cultural attachment.

5. Kirkenes FC (KSK)

Rising over 1000 places in popularity, owing to said aforementioned glory hunting. By next season most Hannasean fans will have forgotten them.

4. Sporting Noordende (CNR)

See above.

3. Avondale City FC (SYL)

Also fast rising in popularity owing to their Esportivan roots and recent successes, with strong fanbases for several other Sylestone clubs also present in the Guild Federation.

2. Lakewood United and Lakewood City (TMB)

Infuriating true football fans, many Hannaseans, when asked which Lakewood team they support, answer: "Yes". The concept of local derbies isn't unknown in Hannasean, but when it comes to hateball, they're happy to hedge their bets.

1. Lydholm Forened (CNR)

Remi Gray is the only decent player the Black Butterflies have ever really produced, so understandably huge numbers of Hannaseans have flocked to support her club team. Gray featured twice on the scoresheet in the Round of 16 win over Acadiana: Remi scoring the opener, and her younger sister Mackenzie, a promising prospect, adding the clincher in injury time. Emma Terrell scored the second goal -- but despite enjoying a good tournament, she plays for a Hannasean team, none of which feature in the top 100 most popular clubs, let alone top 10.

[Tumbra]

Cutoff.

Scores will be edited into this post.

QF results

Cap Nord 4–1 Ceyne Isles
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom 0–1 Sylestone

Xanneria 1–1 Brenecia (1–2 AET)
Natanians and Nosts 1–0 The Hannasean Federation

SF matchups
Cap Nord v Sylestone @ Serrapince
Brenecia v Natanians and Nosts @ Kingsbury

[Natanians and Nosts]

Natanians and Nosts defeated the Hannasean Federation and is again at the semi-finals of the Campionato Esportiva.
The team was very wary the whole match,and after Ion Claudiu t'Brāhinni scored a beautiful goal for us at the 35th minute of the first period,the team played with an ultra deffensive mindset 'till full time was blown.The team will travel to Kingsbury to play at Fletcher Park against Brenecia for the right to play the final.
The match was calm,with the referee not only having control of the situation but always imposing himself,beyond need.The substitutions were Enderssen and Lima Larssen at half time in place of Wafa and Probus for Natanians and Nosts;Hannasea made no changes.Johann C. Mureșan-Antonescu complimented the team and was happy for reaching another semi-final,even though he would have preferred winning by more goals,and not being scared of taking one,to the poinst of being pressed so much.

[Brenecia]

Xanneria 1 - 1 Brenecia (1-2 AET)
(4-2-3-1) 12 - Fife; 17 - Hadley (2 - Sheen), 5 - Wheater, 6 - Jeong (22 - Shrine), 3 - Culpepper; 4 - Briggs (14 - Cheschon), 8 - Kearney (23 - Sitko); 15 - Wake (7 - Wakering), 11 - Rourke, 10 - Byrne; 13 - Stokes (21 - Lofthouse)
Goals: Byrne 38', Lofthouse 108'

Erin Camden's smile was that of a woman who knew something the rest of the world did not.
The narrative had been so, sooo easy. Brenecia's squad were so clearly, obviously declining. Crashing out of qualifying, accomplishing fuck-all in the Cup of Harmony... a cooked team under a cooked manager. Hah, yeah. Tech-heads and supposed tactics gurus all said the game was changing, there was no room for Camden anymore, at least at the top level.
Well, maybe they were right to an extent. The game was changing. But fundamentals... fundamentals stayed the same.
Camden had stayed in the job after the Cup of Harmony - hell, after qualifying - based almost entirely on her name, her prestige, and the fact that Brenecia could not afford anyone better. Also that it could not afford to sack her. She was on, frankly, an outrageous sum of money.
But her contract was set to expire at the end of the Campionato, and most people expected, alright, see how it goes, watch Brenecia petre out, move on and rebuild. Shift out all the 30-year olds. Those people scoffed when Camden stuck to her guns, picked a basically unchanged side - the main difference being that Cerys Staplewood had slipped to being a backup at a second-tier side, and slid out of the team in favour of a recall for the glacial veteran Shrine - employed basically unchanged tactics. But this time, they worked.
Ares-y-Penthesilea 1–3 Brenecia. Brenecia 1–1 Gouvanarch. Acadiana 0–1 Brenecia. Hardly world-beating performances, but they had navigated the group well enough; and Gouvanarch were no mugs, sailing through the group unbeaten as well.
But next up was Tumbra, and pretty much everyone expected Tumbra, a side on the way up - despite pressure on manager Peter Gabriel - to edge out Brenecia, a side undoubtedly on the way down. But Brenecia held firm. 90 minutes in a stalemate, a true arm-wrestle that played to the Patriots' undoubted strengths, the suffocating double pivot of Briggs and Cheschon turning midfield into a quagmire. Alaoise Rourke put Brenecia ahead with a beautiful free kick, but Proudfoot pegged them back with a towering header off a corner, and so it came to penalties. Hardly a vintage shootout, but Olwyn Fife - 27 years old, with no experience outside the A-League - proved the hero, going the right way on all five penalties, saving two and watching the third sail past the post.
And now they were in the quarterfinals, and again in extra time. Again it had been an arm-wrestle, but a more vicious one, the iron fist of Xannerian brute force meeting against Brenecian cynicism and gamesmanship. Every sub had been made, and in large part to manage yellow cards; even Athelney bloody Shrine got carted out to avoid Jeong's temper getting the best of him.
And Jadwiga Lofthouse had lumbered on at the same time. Another who wouldn't see 30 again, and one of many Brenecian players who had seemingly sleepwalked their way to 100 caps without ever really being a top-quality player, just not having any competition. Her predecessor, Mhacha White, had almost reached that mark herself while being a merely whelming centre-forward, for all her early promise. Lofthouse was no longer the go-to player, with Lowen Murdoch being the best hold-up player, and Mor-Rioghain Stokes by a distance the most prolific goalscorer, but she had height. She absolutely had height. And when Byrne stuck in a cross, hit about as sweetly as could be imagined...
Well, Camden knew where it was going, and closed her eyes, and heard the gasp, and the cheers, of the crowd, heard people running past her as Lofthouse came to celebrate with the technical area and various Xannerians claimed phantom offsides. Camden knew. As she always had.
She was not done yet. Not by a long shot.

[Cap Nord]

Seventeen minutes. One goal. One assist. And still it was with a meager smile that Danny Clark accepted the ‘Man of the Match’ accolade. It could be assumed that part of that sentiment was inspired by the requirement to pose with the trophy. As many things in Capnordic football, post-game trophies had quickly commercialized and someone in the marketing department of a sanitary group had decided to throw their cash at this purpose, eager as everyone to get their piece of the quickly improving pie called the national team. As such, the Sporting Noordende forward posed with a rather ridiculous toilet brush, in bright orange with googly eyes and a ‘Mr B. Rush’ name tag. If they had put a professional model next to it, it would have been a pretty poor picture. If you put a sweaty, slightly annoyed footballer with little touchpoints to the conventional beauty ideals next to it, it borders the ridiculous. It did not help that the interviewer was required to ask the worst of open-ended questions.

“Danny Clark, how happy are you to win the ‘Mr B. Rush’-trophy, brought to you by Rush Sanitary Group, your fast solution for a perfect bathroom?”

No, not even the ‘are you happy’ to which you could respond with a semi-genuine ‘yes, of course’. No, exactly how happy were you with this googly-eyed toilet brush? Merry? Chipper? Jubilant? Or downright ecstatic? Danny scratched his ear, stared into a corner and mumbled.

“I’m chuffed. Really chuffed.”

At least, the interviewer was sufficiently in touch with the condition humaine to recognize that he needed to take a little detour to his target.

“Quite the opening half against the CE 34 bronze medallists, with chances at both sides. What did Finchley have to say about the 1-0 scoreline at half-time?”
“He… uhm, he was not entirely dissatisfied. After all, the team was forced to make the game against a side that decided to wait for our initiative… And all that in quite a rather physical atmosphere. Our defensive line only had one or two foggy moments, where time seemed to go a bit too fast for them but Kamau could not make use of that.
“Could we have scored more before the break?”

Danny Clark lifted his shoulders, a reply that told more than any string of words could make clear. He too had noticed off the bench how Myrrheim skyed an opportunity that could have given the Whalers peace of mind.

“In the second half, the team struggled?”

It wasn’t even a question, but he had hit the right vein to let Clark explain.

“Carden fell back even deeper and we struggled to find a reply to that. As such, they could launch their wings better. Troels did well but it was difficult to keep control of Berenice Tzaha tonight. In the end, a fault was inevitable.”
“Still, the coach waited till that successful Gravehurst free kick, the 1-1, to make a substitution: Sangaré and Breuker for Williams and Barnes. Was that the turning point?”
“I… I think so. The Ceynans might be strong and hardy but if you can let them run for the ball long enough, they run out of steam a bit and that helped.”
“And then your appearance, creating the opportunity that ended in the 2-1, a strike inside the box to double up the gap and an assist that led Sangaré through the offside trap for the final score, all that despite only entering the game this late. Was it hard to have stayed on the bench that long?”

Clark hesitated a second, weighing his words.

“I knew I could add something to the game so when the coach called me on, I gave it my all. It is the kind of opponent that suits me and they were rather focused on Jorgen, so there were chances to go into that one-on-one duel: if you win it, there is space.”
“Up next, an important clash. A chance for a second Campionato final against Sylestone. Will you be at the start for that one? Or rather, should you be?”
“Eeeeh…”

KRRKRKRRKRRR

How it is possible that the long, distorted phlegmy rattle of a Capnordic striker caused a rift between two parallel worlds is an open question for the physicians in the room. There is probably a very good explanation for all that. But otherwise, pick your poison.

”Yeah… Yeah, I think I should. My IFCF track record shows I am at the pinnacle of my capabilities at the moment and every time I got a chance in this tournament, I scored. In crucial games as the semi finals, the in-form player should appear and at the moment, that is me.”

Two men saw this snippet, thousands of miles apart from one another. The first one did so on a television screen so large, he needed a cinema-style seat to really absorb the whole image. That is one of the perks of being the general director of one of the biggest clubs in the world, a side that makes waves in the Champions League every other year, a club that sells shirts in over a hundred countries and of which the name alone makes the knees wobbly of practically every baller in the multiverse. His name was… Well, that doesn’t matter. What does is that he picked up his smartphone and called his head of scouting.

“You’re watching the Campionato as well? That Capnordic guy, Clark. Danny, I think, pretty Euran name. I want him on our radar. He has got the attitude of the greats.”

Much, much closer to Danny (or more exactly, one floor apart from the hotel on a corner of Yoshiman Park), there was a Lozhoan who watched the same footage. And he was less amused. Quietly, he opened a match preparation folder on the second screen, the one in “C:/Documents/MatchPrep/CE36/Semi/Gameplan”. He opened the one with on it ‘Plan A’ and a starting line-up appeared. The trained Capnordic eye would notice two remarkable elements: Veensma replaced Barnes in an attempt to break the ultra-defensive lines of the Sentients. And up top stood a little icon of a jersey with underneath ‘D. Clark’. Finchley closed the folder and renamed the file ‘Plan B’.

”I would of course want to but that goes for every player in this selection. We are all very enthused to make it happen, to qualify for that second final. It can not be about egos in Serrapince, it must be about the team and if the coach prefers me on the bench, that is where I’ll be.”

Two men saw this snippet, thousands of miles apart from one another. The first one did so on a television screen so large, he needed a cinema-style seat to really absorb the whole image. That is one of the perks of being the general director of one of the biggest clubs in the world, a side that makes waves in the Champions League every other year, a club that sells shirts in over a hundred countries and of which the name alone makes the knees wobbly of practically every baller in the multiverse. His name was… Well, that doesn’t matter. What does is that he picked up his smartphone and swiped through a large sheet his head of scouting had prepared. In a neat, colour coded way, it showed the transfer targets for the upcoming season. A… B… C, there it was.

CLARK, Daniel (Danny).

The italics and the red lettering indicated that he was agreed upon as a main prospect. Our GM clicked the button to return to the default formatting before adding a note. Not a winner mentality, too kind for top level football. Need a killer.

Much, much closer to Danny (or more exactly, one floor apart from the hotel on a corner of Yoshiman Park), there was a Lozhoan who watched the same footage. And he was more amused. Quietly, he opened a match preparation folder on the second screen, the one in “C:/Documents/MatchPrep/CE36/Semi/Gameplan”. He opened one of the files there and a starting line-up appeared. The trained Capnordic eye would notice two remarkable elements: Veensma replaced Barnes in an attempt to break the ultra-defensive lines of the Sentients. And up top stood a little icon of a jersey with underneath ‘D. Clark’. Finchley closed the folder and renamed the file ‘Plan A - Final’.

[Sylestone]

IMPROVING SENTIENTS REACH CAMPIONATO FINAL FOUR… AGAIN

Sylestone (4-4-1-1 → 5-4-1): Macleay; Holt (Cross 73’) - Mornington - Nutt ( 82’) - Lowe (Hand Sanitiser 73’); Ryland ( 85’) (Holmes 90+2’) - Rodway - Lawson - Jones (Keller 73’); Sarcav-Jones ( 10’) (Brown 57’); Eastwood

Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom: Unknown

KINGSBURY, TUMBRA - They have not been at their brilliant best this Campionato Esportiva and yet, the Sentients have qualified for their second semifinal in a row, Tumbra the only team thus far that have prevented them from reaching the tournament’s final four since the nation’s return to the regional stage. It marks a drastic change from the three prior tournaments where over the course of nine games, Sylestonean sides were only able to obtain one win - against Sahuarita in the 29th edition of the tournament - and three draws en route to three consecutive group stage exits but ever since, they’ve risen from the ashes and asserted themselves as a true Esportivan powerhouse. Even here in Tumbra where they have appeared nowhere near their best, Mojmir Anac’s side made it through the group stage with relative ease despite conceding a shameful four goals but since then, have returned to plan A with two proper 1-0 triumphs over Lozho and now, Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom. In front of a packed house in Kingsbury, Charlotte Eastwood continued her breakout international campaign with her fourth goal in five matches, cutting in and out of the defence and leaving the Rekan goalkeeper with absolutely zero chance with a classy bottom corner finish. After failing to score in her first dozen caps, the electric Avondale City forward has now repaid the faith Anac has shown in her, justifying his decision to start her over the more experienced and reliable Riley Strathfield up front for the Sentients. If she can keep this form going through World Cup Qualifying, who knows how good she could become?

Despite the brilliance of Eastwood’s goal, the whole game was classically Sylestonean. Despite giving up 68% possession to the Rekans, the northwestern Esportivans were only able to make six shots over the course of the entire game, with neither of the two on target really looking like going in - one was blocked by the body of Alexander Nutt, and the other, in the 90th minute, was from distance and straight at Ryan Macleay. At the other end, the Sentients had several decent chances - one of which was an Alexander Nutt crossbar that clattered into the crossbar from a corner, and the other one a tight miss from a difficult angle as Eastwood looked to play the hero late on and seal the victory with another tantalising run through the Rekan defence after Jack Lawson’s inch-perfect cross to her feet at the edge of the box. Although some will question why she didn’t just shoot, having three defenders and the goalkeeper masking her view at the target left her needing to time it inch perfect and ultimately, it was that much easier to try and break through as she had done an hour before. Either way, it didn’t really matter - another commanding defensive performance saw the Sentients extend their period of time without conceding to nearly four hours since the Cheetahs and Reptiles Coalison equalised against them late in the first half in the two nations’ matchday three fixture also in Kingsbury. It so happened that that game also saw a Charlotte Eastwood brace steal the show in a 2-1 triumph to the Sylestoneans meaning that in her two games at Fletcher Park, the Avondale City forward had scored thrice - maybe if the Sentients reach the final, it might be worth bargaining with Tumbran officials to get the game played there.

But first Anac’s side will have to face a very tough opponent - the side that is now probably tournament favourites - Cap Nord. In the group stage, the Whalers found themselves with the best record of everyone in the tournament, defeating Boring Paradise and Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom 2-0 either side of a clinical 5-2 thrashing of a hapless Licentian outfit, still getting used to returning to the international football scene once again. Although Dod Rava put up a splendid fight in the round of 16, scoring three times and still not progressing, the Capnordics found the Ceyne Isles no trouble whatsoever, dispatching another four goals past the hapless Pirates and barging into the semifinals untroubled.

But despite the two sides only facing off against one another once - a little over a year ago in the Esportivan Derby Series in the lead up to qualifying for World Cup 94 that resulted in a 1-0 triumph to Sylestone - the Sentients know this Whalers side quite well, with three of their players making their money in the sweltering heat of the equatorial island nation. Goalkeeper Johannes Marzinn and midfielder Jody Barnes ply their trade with Cleorough, with both playing integral roles in securing the club and its long suffering fans an inaugural berth in the IFCF Challengers Cup last season, coming out on top in a tussle between them, Capitol Athletic, Dodle, AFC Droves and Kirkham Sentients for fifth place. Meanwhile, attacking midfielder Hella Veensma has ably filled in the gaping hole left by the departure of one Gemma Rodway two years ago, forming part of the backbone of an immense Pesfield Trees squad that should be title challengers year in, year out. The fact she has to wait in line behind Simon Carstensen speaks volumes of the Whalers’ outstanding midfield depth although with the Sentients’ ultra defensive mindset and her knowledge of Sylestonean football, it would surprise no one if she was to make a start in Serrapince. While multiple Capnordic internationals play club football in Sylestone, none of the three in Cap Nord - Sarah Alleyne, Harrison Gilchrist and Noah Smythe - are quite there yet, although all are definitely good enough to play if it weren’t for the remarkable depth in their respective positions. It might only be a minute advantage, but it is one that the Sentients will undoubtedly try to exploit.

A fixture between the most successful aggressive outfit in Esportivan history and one of the best defences in world football at the moment. What more could you want in a Campionato Esportiva semifinal?

It’s going to be a thrilling game and if one thing is for sure, the winner will not be decided until the referee blows his whistle thrice.

Sylestone 1-0 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom
                               Eastwood 39’

---

Starting Lineup vs Cap Nord @ Serrapince Park, Serrapince, Tumbra

Macleay; Cross - Mornington - Nutt - Keller; Ryland - Rodway - Lawson - Jones; Sarcav-Jones; Eastwood

[Tumbra]

As all four participants have roleplayed, cutoff.

SF results
Cap Nord 1–0 Sylestone
Brenecia 2–2 Natanians and Nosts (3–2 AET)

CE36 Final
Cap Nord v Brenecia @ Straton

CE36 3PPO
Sylestone v Natanians and Nosts @ Lakewood (Trenton)

[Brenecia]

Brenecia 2 - 2 Natanians and Nosts (3-2 AET)
(4-2-3-1 -> 4-4-2) 12 - Fife; 17 - Hadley, 5 - Wheater, 6 - Jeong, 3 - Culpepper (22 - Chalk); 4 - Briggs (14 - Cheschon), 8 - Kearney (23 - Sitko); 15 - Wake, 11 - Rourke (21 - Lofthouse), 10 - Byrne; 13 - Stokes
Goals: Stokes 29', Kearney 41', Lofthouse 97'

They could not, as the meme went, keep getting away with this.
But yet again, they had. They'd played very well for a half against Natanians, then played terribly for the second and lost their advantage. Look into extra time and, well, you tend to give the advantage to the team that's playing better. But to hell with momentum; Camden threw on Bede Cheschon, as she always did, and Jadwiga Lofthouse, because of course she did, and it, well... it worked. Katua Byrne slung in a cross and Lofthouse ate it up.
And just like that...

Brenecia had been waiting for this for a long time. Number six had a large place in the Brenecian mindset, for reasons largely rooted in the Grand Old Cause: 'fuck Nephara, fuck everyone from Nephara, those uppity shags better get what's coming to 'em.' Nephara had five Campionati, but did they have six? No. Was that because they'd left the region? Shh.
Brenecia started slow in Esportiva as they'd started slow in general, but when they hit their stride, they really, really found their mark. In eleven Campionato between 14 and 25, they nabbed five titles, whether through the more attritional tactics that had won out over the years or - though it was a distant memory at this point - with eye-catching, fast-paced relentless attack. Along with the World Cup, of course, that made up Brenecia's undisputable golden age.
It had been eleven barren Campionati since.
The A-League had declined as other leagues had surged, stricken by the lack of money in the nation and crumbling under the weight of institutional corruption. The players Brenecia put out now were... ordinary. Granted, there was never true quality in depth in the Patriots - there were two players in the World Cup winning squad who had just been relegated from Nephara's top flight - but now, with every big, truly strong name that retired, it felt there just wasn't a replacement coming through. There was a real melancholy with every year that passed, knowing that Katua Byrne, Maerhen Wake and Nimue Culpepper - Brenecia's last three genuinely exceptional players - just didn't seem to have replacements lined up.
But here they were.
Many of their key players were now the wrong side of 30, and their manager was 64, in the last year of her contract. The next qualifying cycle was likely to be one of renewal; a bunch of hopefuls dredged up from the A-League, a bunch of foreigners with Brenecian blood hopefully approached to represent the blue and white... things might revive. More likely, it seemed, they wouldn't. People looked back at the golden age with fondness, but it was a cowboy era, victories attained by sheer fluke. Maybe processes had been advanced for the time, but not anymore.
This was the bronze age. And while it had been a painful journey, with the occasional glimpse of glory - the inexplicable recent third-place finish at the World Cup, and a few close runs at a regional title - nobody would remember the last 20 years, going forward, with any real fondness. Already, new fans treated the fact that Brenecia was ever relevant with some amusement. And, in fairness, people treated Brenecia's relevance with some amusement when it was happening; it was, by very nature, absurd.
But these last players dredged up by the old ways - even if they had left the A-League system before they could stagnate in it - and this manager, who had won trophy after trophy in Brenecia and Nephara after struggling in Brenecia's early years as a player, deserved this catharsis. Deserved this moment. Brenecia deserved one (1) nice thing. Didn't they?
But they probably wouldn't get it, because Cap Nord loomed, a superior team in better form. Still, at least for one more night, Brenecians could dream.
Worst-case, they always had Jadwiga Lofthouse to come off the bench.

[Cap Nord]

“I think he’s not feeling too well.”

About twenty-five pairs of eyes focused on the door. Behind it, there was silence, albeit pierced by a remarkably loud breath going up and down. Then, it fell silent and just as some form of relief started to arrive in the group, the actual relief happened behind the door. The conclusion came before the stench reached their noses.

“Yeah, he’s not well.”

Ahead of the tournament, a few of the elderly statesmen in the selection had signed off but the lack of a Patrick van Hilvaren or a Siel Leuwert had barely been felt, up until this moment. The awkwardness only got pierced momentarily by a death rattle which came, undoubtedly, from the mouth of Simon Carstensen. Simon Carstensen, the captain of the Whalers. Simon Carstensen, the undisputed best player of the national team. Simon Carstensen, the star who should be the guiding light for the Capnordic selection to outdo the inevitable Brenecians. Simon Carstensen, the man who had finished a fishy egg salad, according to him. Considering the impeccable organization, most suspected just an ordinary stomach bug. Be what it might, he was hugging the floor at the moment, radiating an awkward paleness. After the surprising elimination of the home favorite, the Whalers somehow were catapulted into the position of main title candidate: but after the flight, that came crashing down in the hearts of minds of the team. After a while, Erik Brymsaeter made the additions and concluded that he was now the senior player in the dressing room.

“I… I think it’s game time, guys. Hella?”

A simple nod of hers sufficed. It held a certain irony that in the tailend of this tournament, the first one that she had traveled to accepting her position as supersub, Hella Veensma would become the pivotal player. After switching colors to Pesfield Trees, the diminutive midfielder had improved once more but there was no way she could get around the status of a Simon Carstensen and as the current system of the Whalers only allowed a single attacking midfield, Hella Veensma collected the record “caps as a substitute”. On rare occasions, she got the nod from Finchley. Usually when Carstensen could use some rest but the semi final had been an exception: against ultra-defensive Sylestone, she cracked open the double lock. The press heralded her performance, her vision and her fast actions but no one suspected her on the field for the final. Pazron Finchley walked in, fearing stage fright among his troops. In a few seconds, he overlooked the situation (as if the sounds Carstensen produced needed more context). He scratched his throat, overlooked the team and declared.

“I had a speech prepared for the occasion. Lots of yadda-yadda. Ah, screw it. Let’s give them hell-a.”

[Tumbra]

Cutoff.

Campionato Esportiva 36 3PPO
Sylestone 0–1 Natanians and Nosts

Campionato Esportiva 36 Final

Cap Nord 1–1 Brenecia (1–1 AET) (3–2 pen.)