Baptism of Fire 48 - Everything Thread

[Altito Asmoro]

A very good match indeed. 4-0, what a score. Now the team are resting at their base.

[Danaelia]

OOC : Wow,Kingdom Of Phoenixia,10 free kicks and 12 corners?That's quite a lot,those are pretty ridiculous numbers for a first half,I will take that for now.

---

The Diwah Times
Kingdom Of Phoenixia 1-1 Danaelia
Angelina Criticise Danaelia Play,Half-Hearted Play Hurts Danaelia

Danaelia arrived at Rue De Novembre with confidence at their side trying to take home at least a victory for the first match to start the campaign right.However,things were not at Danaelia's side as they let in the first goal credit to Stenko in the 35th minute and Samuel scored a consolation goal for Danaelia as they finished on level in the 74th minute to hold onto a draw.

The Danaelian team conceded a ridiculous amount of free kicks and corners leading to the defensive weakness that pile up on the Danaelian team,10 free kicks and 12 corners to be excat.

The shock held to a lasting impact as Jakob Bertil made a huge mistake in the 35th minute,his clearance was chest down by the on-running Stenko who got his chances well on target as he strike the ball right into the net,past Ebbe who made a dive for the ball but couldn't reach it.

Despite the first shocks that pile on the Danaelian team,there is something that the Danaelian fans can smile about,Torkel Torvald led a superior midfield play as he got the ball on the move past the right flank,Ingmar Otto read his intentions well as he went straight into the penalty box as he headed Torvald's cross just wide of the goal.

Kingdom Of Phoenixia went back into their attacking stance as they started to throw men forward to force the Danaelian team into making mistakes and to exploit the thin defence and the flanks.

The first half dragged on as KoP made stunning attacks into the Danaelian's hub with several long shot attempts to keep Ebbe on his toes.

By the look on Angelina's face for the entire of the first half,she doesn't seemed please with the performance of the Danaelian team and she was seen jotting down several notes on her notebook that has been sticking round with her for the entire of the match.

Angelina was seen talking to assistant Amy for most of the time as both of time tried to get the most out of their conversations to chase the goal back down for an equaliser and then a winner to seal for the Danaelian team.

Despite Danaelian's efforts,the first half didn't end in their favour as they lacked behind KoP 1-0 at half time.

The play settled down to a Danaelian affair for most of the second half.Angelina stepped up on skipping the forward line as she played striker-less.

The intention was clear to put KoP into a trap of throwing men forward.Due to their inexperienced,KoP were tricked into throwing men forward and with the defence opened up,the strikers that played the first half trapped the blind spots to keep the attack intact.

Sticking to that,the Danaelian team spring forward and several counterattacking attempts were launch. The first of such attempts were spring up by the influential Ebbe Christer.He kept the play going as he tried to annoy the KoP players by passing all around the field into a birdcage,a tactic employed by Mr Patterson Dellars for the Mapletish team.

With the play trapped to KoP's half,with the play at Angelina's hands,Otto appeared right out of nowhere and attempt a curling shot towards the goal,stunning the keeper but it hit the bar and went out.

Despite the morale-tearing miss,the Danaelian team did not give up,with the President Of The Mapletish Sports Federation in the stadium,the team was determined to show a thing or two.

Patrik became a lone striker in the middle stages of the second half to keep the pressure on the weak midfield and attack link from KoP.

Unable to move into the Danaelian defence,the KoP team had to depend on long ball tactics to skip their midfield and to move their attack forward.With a weak link between the wings and the center,KoP have no choice but to keep their play in the center.

This led to an utmost advantage for Danaelia.Overwhelmed by the constant counterattacking threats,the defence finally gave way in the 74th minute,through a wonder strike by Orvar Samuel that sealed the two sides level.

With the KoP team short on their supply from the midfield as the play was pushed back from the defence onwards,one error in a defensive clearance led to Samuel getting onto the ball and a long range effort from him kept the efforts of the Danaelian team worthwhile.

With 20 minutes remaining,the tired KoP team slept back to defence and tried to cushion the counterattack attempts by Danaelia.KoP was beaten in the air and on the ground and with Otto posing a threat in the center of KoP's defence.

3 men were sent to mark him,leaving a hole in some areas,Samuel made use of the holes to create chances for the defenders that joined in the attack.Excellent in the air,Jakob went for his clear-shot header but it went just wide.

Not dampen by the miss,Samuel,Patrik and Otto played a wonderful triangular passing stance around the entire KoP defence and it eventually led to a chance for Otto but it was well held by their keeper.

KoP had their chances as they break into the Danaelian defence for the first time in the second half.Stenko gave Ebbe a shooting practice as all his shots went right into Ebbe's hands.

Sir Moros Alexander,the President of The Mapletish Sports Federation was seen clapping his hands and with his Assistant beside him,both of them were seen discussing about the play.

Angelina on other hand was starting to shout out orders as the Danaelian started to hold onto the Lion-share of procession for the rest of the second half.

The best efforts by both teams led to a 1-1 draw."The draw is simply not good enough." as Angelina commented on her post-match conference.Dressed in a sliver-kinted skirt and long jacket with a simple self-designed high-heels,she walked into the dressing room with her assistant and her hair-dryer treatment starts from there.

The Man Of The Match was Ebbe Leif,the goalkeeper that kept Danaelia save for the entire of the match,blocking out so many attempts by KoP.

[Yorobia]

Yorobia performance provides disappointing loss!

Yorobia's defense seemed to leave Yorobia wide open as they lose their first match of the Baptism of Fire 48 against Bisim 2-1. Rainbow Hoof didn't know what was keeping him from scoring, but it might force the manager, Alberto Maretinez, to place him on the bench for the next game.

The game couldn't have started any worse when Kevin Hand scored a well placed effort from the edge of the box in the second minute. Experienced midfielder Ferd Smithson then made it 2-0 at the 30 minute mark, heading it in from a corner.

Things went from bad to worse as substitute Trojan Arrow, who had replaced midfielder Supersonic, received a minor injury immediately after half time, which will probably have him sit out in the next match.

Yorobian left winger Rusty Wind managed to pull one back near the end of the match, volleying it into the top left corner after the Bisim goalkeeper, Patrick Rose, stopped the first shot from Rainbow Hoof.

The Yorobian players left the field with an air of disappointment, but after a press conference with Alberto Maretinez, Alberto stated that it would be a challenge to get the Yorobian squad back on it's feet for the next game.

Man of the Match: Ferd Smithson (Bisim)

[Conclespia]

89th Minute

The National Team was losing.

A well-placed shot from just outside the box on the stroke of half-time from Arcadian captain Kensi August had the Conclespian side trailing for most of the match, although Et Bonest had desperately sought to put themselves back in the game. Several shots had forced some superb saves from Mark Antis, although as the match grew the Conclespians' will did nothing but start to waver. An excellent reflex save from Matthew Peterson following a header kept his team in it, but even Blade Runner of all people was starting to think that the match was starting to fly out of reach.

Until a golden opportunity came along.

Blade Runner stood by the touchline, his hooves frantically caressing the ball with a towel, his eyes focused on the clump of players that were swarming around in the penalty box. He could almost see the play in his mind. 35 yards. Wind speed: 2 kilometers per hour. Minute: 89th. Scoring percentage: close to nil. He could almost hear the commentator's voice in his head: "And the long throw we've been waiting for all night from midfielder Blade Runner: is this the last chance for an equalizer from the Conclespian National Team?"

He almost missed the tall figure snaking just on the edge of the penalty box. Unseen by the 20 pairs of eyes that stared at him expectantly. Maybe, just maybe, if he could get his throw to him...

The earth pony closed his eyes in silent prayer and took several large strides back to the touchline. Just like his coach had taught him. Four quick steps, one huge stride, then throw.

Blade Runner ran up to the touchline and hurled the ball through the air.

Outside the Penalty Area

Matthew Peterson slithered along the edge of the penalty box, trying to be as discreet as possible through the constant void of noise that the fans were creating. It was perfect. Everyone's attention was on Blade Runner, and if they didn't know that an extra ingredient was being thrown into the mix, then...

The goalkeeper's eyes met the midfielder's. The short, quick look of understanding that passed through them. Yes, Blade Runner knew.

The throw fell horribly short. An army of players ran up to meet the ball as it descended like a meteor into the 12-yard area, almost climbing over each other to get a better chance of getting possession. But one person rose above the rest, and Sandy Steamroller knocked the ball just in front of Peterson.

The golden opportunity, sitting right in front of his eyes.

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as the goalkeeper extended his left foot, sliding to meet the ball. It connected with the inside of his boot and went sailing into the roof of the net with so much force it seemed it could have ripped a hole straight through the goal.

A guttural roar erupted from the throats of 10,000 Conclespian supporters as Matthew Peterson screamed in a mixture of happiness and sheer relief, hurtling down to the corner flag and sliding on his knees while pumping his fists in the air. The entire squad mobbed the goalkeeper as the weight of the scored goal was lifted off of his shoulders and the tie was secured.

A while ago there was a newspaper article talking about how The Blues had always conjured up dramatic last-minute wins or draws. They certainly had lived up to their reputation this match.

[Arcadian Islands]

It had been a close match from the first kick off, and after a hard fought one all draw with Conclespia, the Satinbirds retired to their resort retreat for a good nights sleep ahead of the second matchday clash with Cosmic Censorship. As the clock in the modern foyer struck ten o'clock the entire team were to be found tucked away in their comfortable queen sized beds.

Along an elegantly decorated corridor in the heart of the retreat the calm of night was broken as a door, identical to all the others lining he hallway, slowly crept open. The silhouette of a man's face was barely recognisable in the dim light, and it disappeared with as much haste as with which it had arrived. Whispers followed and moments later two figures slipped out of the door and crept down the corridor in silence, glancing over their shoulders as they guiltily disappeared out of the resort and into the still young night.

It was not long before the pair found a suitable location to quench their late night thirst. As they entered, light from a sign affixed to the wall lit the faces of the pair. The first was about six foot, athletically built, dark skinned, with sparkling diamond earrings in both ears and a smile any dentist would praise. His partner was fair skinned, almost six inches shorter and not as well built, although seemingly etched on his face was an expression daring anyone to try him.

The two men would have been of no particular note to any but the most dedicated Iturributan fans, although even the most casual Arcadian follower would instantly know the duo. Both representing Arcadia Association Football Club, the taller of the pair was defender Rexley Sese Aala, and the shorter his teammate Bryan Davies.

As the two footballers entered and inconspicuously moved towards the bar, a rather corpulent man arose to intercept them. Decked out in the Arcadian blue, gold and white, the man stood in their path as his two friends at a nearby table watched on. Rexley smiled at the man and began to move past him when he grabbed onto the sculpted arm of the right back.

"You cost us the game today." barked the supposed 'supporter'.
"Sorry?" replied Rexley, feigning deafness.
"Your soft defending cost us the win. Why they pick your kind in our team I don't know." the man spat back.
"You got something to say fatty? I doubt you could even put your own boots on." interjected Bryan as he stepped closer, just itching to take out his frustrations at being stuck on the sidelines.
"Tell your boy here to go back home and pick bananas - something his kind is good at." jeered the man as his friends rose to provide support; one stood behind the aggressor while the other pulled a phone from his pocket and began recording.

As if given a director's cue, the aggressive man lashed out towards Rexley, spitting in his direction as he did so. For the young defender, who was only barely controlling his rage, this was the final straw. Grabbing the aggressive fan he replied in turn with a closed fist which met the man's face. Overcome with anger at the man's comments, Rexley found his arm pulling back and repeating the motion. Simultaneously, Bryan launched himself at the second man, knocking him to the floor and quickly beating him into submission.

Over as quickly as it had begun, the two footballers found themselves standing over their assailants as security moved in. Tempted to try and fight their way out the pair looked at one another and realised they had no option but to submit. The pair were marched into a back office by several security personnel as they waited for police to arrive on the scene. After taking statements from all involved, Rexley and Bryan were taken back to the local Iturributan station for further questioning, and a displeased Nial Moro was awoken from his sleep to manage an issue he could well do without.

[Anollasia]

The Jefferton City Chronicle

Anollasia is in the lead!

The 48th Baptism of Fire has started, and with a won game from Anollasia, we're in the lead!

Group D
Backyard Sports 1–3 Aqusul
Anollasia 3–1 Redaya
Yorobia 1–2 Bisim

GROUP D
1. Anollasia
2. Aqusul
3. Bisim
4. Backyard Sports
5. Redaya
6. Yorobia

All of Anollasia went crazy when they learned they are in the lead in the group.
In the South Califas Roller Hockey Internationale, Anollasia was qualified 6th place. In the 5th World Indoor Soccer Championships, Anollasia was eliminated, immediately.
In the 48th Baptism of Fire, Anollasians have a feeling that they are going to be lucky, this time.
Coach Toptas said after the game, ''Soccer has always been in our blood. We are a mix of english, and turkish. They're both good at soccer, which makes us good, too. Sure, we didn't win roller hockey, or futsal. But, you can't be good at everything. I believe we might win, this tournament, or at least get close to winning''.

Forward player, Richard Medley, had a press conference, last night.
''It was a tough game, they had good offense, but, their defense was a little weak. I scored two of the goals, while, Denktas scored one. I was huffing and puffing, by the time the game ended''.

[The Scandinavian Islands]

Dominion of the Scandinavian Islands Football Association
Men's National Team
Squad Nickname: The Hounds
Governing Committee: Dominion of the Scandinavian Islands Football Association (DSIFA)
National League: DSIFA Dominion League (Top Tier: The A Division)
Demonym: Scandinavian Islander

Manager Oliver Eilberg – Age 47 – Wesholm City
Eilberg is a big name coach for a big name side, as far as TSI goes. Eilberg’s tactics are probably the most defensive of any other Scandinavian Islander team, he released only a week ago his plan to use a 1-3-3-1-2 formation, using a sweeper, a defensive line, wingers, and an attacking midfielder. Some people have criticized the obscurity of this formation, and have even called for DSIFA to force Eilberg to change the formation to something more well-known and predictable. Eilberg defended his decisions, saying, it worked in scrimmages, it’ll work in the Baptism of Fire.

Eilberg is a gentleman’s gentleman. He is married, with two children, both attending prestigious private schools in the Wesholm area. Eilberg is almost never in public not wearing something other than a suit. Eilberg is the kind of coach you also don’t want to mess with, because, well, you will get sold quicker than you can say “start me.” He is always standing up and on the sideline pointing and yelling directions, that unless you have known the guy for a while, you probably won’t understand them.

COMPLETE ROSTER

GK 30 Nicklas Eriksson – Age 29 – F.C. Wesholm
Nicklas Eriksson is a very influential figure in Scandinavian Islander football, he is probably TSI’s best keeper ever, which is hard to say, seeing as the DSIFA has existed for only months. Eriksson has very soft hands, and could catch a missile if he wanted to. He also has really quick reflexes, but isn’t as easily fooled as Olestrum. Eriksson, overall, is judged to be a very good person, and an elite keeper.

GK 05 Alexander Olestrum – Age 26 – Barkenston United
Olestrum is your classic, straight up keeper. He can jump, he can dive, he can save when it matters most. He does have a tendancy to act to soon, and he sometimes can be easily fooled when strikers make a shoot-fake. Olestrum is the team ‘jokester’ for sure, he has a knack for letting jokes lose at the perfect times.


SW 04 Tomas Denberg – Age 24 – Nordin
Tomas Denberg is a centre back when he plays for the Nordin side, he has been converted into a sweeper for the purposes of the national team campaign’s. Denberg is great on the long ball, and isn’t scared to use his body to block a shot or pass. Denberg is very conservative, and criticized to me timid when tackling. However, when you put him in a zonal marking scheme, there is almost nobody better.

LB 09 Edsson Fedinstrom – Age 28 – Ballo Impact
Fedinstrom is a great leader for the nearly second rate, Ballo Impact, where he is going to try and beat the opening odds. Anyways, he is on national team for a reason, and that reason is to tackle, tackle, tackle. Fedinstrom can easily be named the greatest tackler in all of TSI. However, with his tackles, he can attract a lot of cards, and even though he is not dirty, he sometimes can get two yellows pretty quickly, however, he is not one to get stand-alone red cards.

CB 21 Aleksander Edler – Age 31 – Wesholm City
Aleksander is one of the most experience players on the entire team, but regardless, he runs his defensive line with ease. Edler will mark you until you admit to the world that attacking against him (Edler) was complete hell. Edler marks righter than anyone else on the national squad. Edler also is known to act up and let his emotions get himself sent off.

RB 10 Ludwick Adholm – Age 26 – Hagen Town
Adholm is a very well ranged defender, and you can never know whether he will tackle, or whether he will sit back and mark. He has great fundementals, perhaps the best on the team. However, Adholm is a small footballer, and can be easily over powered by a big striker. Adholm also is a very scholastic person and his home is always fulled with books and other things he has wrote or read during his collegiate days.

LB/CB 18 Albertus Dudvist – Age 22 – East Star Hanslet
Albertus is a young player with a huge stash of stamina, Dudvist, despite not being a starter, is a key asset of the bench to rest starters. Dudvist can play hard for a long time without getting tired. He is known to be all over the place which can be a good thing and a bad thing. He is an aggressive tackler, but sometimes can be caught off guard.

CB/SW 44 Erik Nailberg - Age 23 – F.C. Wesholm
Nailberg, a starting centre back for F.C. Wesholm, is a backup sweeper and centre back for the TSI national team. Nailberg is great at using a poke tackle to quickly de-ball an attacker, without leaving his feet. He also is great on kicking long balls and can accurately get the ball down field, buying precious seconds in counter attacks. Nailberg is also a young guy, who is a heart throb for young females all across the Scandinavian Islands.


LM 15 Jorge Backstrum – Age 25 – East Star Hanslet
Nobody can run up and down the left flank better than Backstrum. He is a physical footballer who is known to punish the opposition with his slide tackles. He also has one big boot for getting the ball up to his strikers. Backstrum also has made a reputation for being full of himself and dismissing an constructive or destructive criticism.

CM 24 Nicklas Ludberg – Age 28 – Port Kostas Strikers (Camwood)
Ludberg has very recently been signed by the Camian squad, Inter Compolis. He is very a very finesse oriented footballer who isn’t scared to dribble forward and let one rip. PKS is facing a lot of financial struggles and will most likely file for Bankruptcy before the next C-League season. Ludberg, being a very calm and low-ego player, is confident he will get to play next season in the C-League. He, and the rest of PKS will most likely end up playing for a new team known as Port Kostas City, which will be founded, and merged with the strikers in the event of a bankruptcy. Ludberg also is a very humanitarian player and likes to be active in the community.

RM 06 Jakob Malvist – Age 29 – Barkenston United
Malvist is a superstar for a super club. He is predicted to score the most goals in the inaugural season of the DSIFA Division A. Malvist, who normally is a central midfielder, has great accuracy in all his shots and passes. He also is known to take PKs and almost always scoring because he will use the goal posts to ricochet the ball into the net.

AM 13 Andrus Jorge – Age 26 – Wesholm City
Truly an elite midfielder, Jorge is the key playmaker to the Islander attack. Andrus Jorge can effectively dribble and joke and create good scoring chances for the strikers. He can dribble better than anyone else on the national team, and is great at slide tackling and not letting the opposition counter attack. Jorge also has been known to battle with alcoholism, and was an orphan starting when he was five years old.

AM/CM Tomas Holmberg – Age 33 – Nordin
Holmberg is a very senior player on the national team. In fact, he is the oldest. Holmberg, used to be a heavy duty tackler, but since he has aged, he has turned into more of a player who is utilized for setting up play. He is not much of a scorer, but he can definitely use his direct passing skills to get balls into the smallest openings and becomes a great asset on the counter attack.

Wing Mikael van Idasson – Age 30 – North Port Islanders
Van Idasson is a beyond average winger, who has learned to use his wits to overpower the opposition. A Canidate for a PhD. In philosophy, van Idasson, always knows what the opposing side is going to do next and how to counter it. However, he is not the most athletically inclined player on the field, and you can normally get only twenty to thirty good minutes out of him before he needs a breather.


CF 23 Jaal Danvist – Age 23 – Wesholm City
Another footballer who is expected to go a long ways next DSIFA season is Jaal Wrightson. Jaal Wrightson has a great boot, but when he is expeted to dribble, he can disappoint. Wrightson is also the kind of person who is mainly interested in three things: his contract, himself, and winning. However, he is a great striker with a great future ahead of him.

Wing 11 Hendrick Berholm – Age 25 – East Star Hanslet (C)
Greatly unlike Danvist, Berholm is a great team player and well-chosen to be the team’s target man. Berholm is a very well rounded football player; he can shoot, he can tackle, and most of all, he can effectively dribble. Berholm also is a very smart player and is a very good leader, which is why he is team captain.

Wing 07 Kenrick Winstrom – Age 21 – Hagen Town
Kendrick is not a very good shooter, but is great at centring passes from the corners, and when he is on the field, he makes a great corner taker. Winstrom is very team centred and sometimes he passes up on scoring opportunities to get it to someone else.

Style Modifier: +2.0
Starting Lineup:
-----------Erikkson-----------
------------Denberg-----------
--Fedinstrom--Edler----Adholm--
--Backstrom--Ludberg---Malvist--
--------------Jorge-------------
---Danvist---------Berholm---
RP Permissions:
Do not injure my players for more than four matchdays, and only give red cards to those whose biographies would suit a red card. Otherwise go wild.

[Wild Isle]

WildIsle 2-1 Perinpanland





Wild Isle started off their third international football competition with a win against a country that (like Wild Isle) is new to the great big world of Football.




The sun was setting, or in Taparuamotu lore, the great sky Narglatch was falling into the great sky sea. foreigners were staring at the solemn faces of determined men, determined to conquer, but not to fight. Determined to triumph, to triumph in something these warriors couldn't wrap their primitive minds around, in something the rest of the world had their whole body smothering. It was time, time to play....................................................



Bright lights flared in the teams eyes as they took the field, tribesmen on Narglatches bore torches, drummers were drumming a loud rhythm, while flutes rose and fell in pitch quickly, creating a proud and regal atmosphere. Then everything was quiet, the Peripanland fans quieted as well, suspecting something would happen. Out of the jumble of the Taparuamotu tribesmen came the football team, the assembled as the would at the starting kickoff, except packed tighter. Ruramoutuawhengakai, the captain of the team and the leader, stepped forward and called out orders in his native language, the team reacted by slapping their hands on their thighs and creating odd facial contortions. Peripanland players seemed to be terrified of these insane tribesmen, no one would dare approach the Wild Isle half of the field. But the Taparuamotu team wasnt afraid of Pripanland, they stomped right over to the opponent, who quickly backed away. Finally the Haka war dance stopped, and the Wild Isle team seemed, once again, as normal as a cannibal, tattooed, shirtless, tribesman could.

[Vamprican-Krumbian Confederacy]

The Confederacy Beats the Scandinavian Islands

In a close match, a few days ago, the Vamprican-Krumbian Confederacy beat the Scandinavian Islands 1-0. It was good football, with passing and possesion a priority for both teams. In the end, the Confederacy came out on top with a goal at the 65th minute.

[Mashiki]

Mashiki Draw Opening Game after Dominant Start

After a dominant start, Mashiki let in two second half goals to draw their opening game at the Baptism of Fire. We deserved the win, but Romili fought hard in the second period.

The two sets of teams stood still warming up both physically an mentally or what was about to come. Even though the two sets of players had never met each other before, there was still a sort of knowledge between them. They both knew they were good teams, both knew they could win this match, but both needed to prepare for the task ahead. They walked forward.

Menz and Suhuio stood in the centre circle watching as the coin slowly turned through the air. It landed on the ground and it showed tails. Suhuio chose to kick off. The whistle blew, and the match began.

Instantly, there was excitement. Romili wanted that crucial early goal, and so they stuck their emphasis on attack due to the offensive formation set out by Emperor Owen. Weepes and Zasica acted as wingers almost and Weepes ran up the wing. But in came a crucial challenge from Lalk, and Mashiki began to counter. Menz picked up the ball in midfield, and played a long pass to Denchski. He then floated a delightful ball over to Papovski which left him one-on-one with the keeper. Faco ran out to try and gather the ball, but Papvski took no hesitation in chipping the ball over his head and into the goal. 6 minutes in, Mashiki had scored.

For the next 20 minutes it was all Mashiki after that early goal. But as the clock ticked over the half-hour mark, the pace of Didinho began to become more visible. As he whipped in a darting cross, the Romili defender didn't see it coming till the last minute and it deflected off him into his own goal. Zuiro held his head in his hands, as the Mashik team-mates ran towards the corner flag to celebrate. The goal was counted as a Zuiro own goal.

Half time beckone for the two teams , but not before the Romili attacker, Yecio hit the bar with a shot from at least 30-yards out. The two managers would certainly have different team talks at half-time.

Mashiki came out with a changed formation, now a 4-4-2, with Drist coming on for Donté. Romili had nothing to lose, so they brought on another attacker, Asero, in order to strengthen their strike force. Mashiki kicked off with Papovski passing to his twin Papovska, but he didn't see Suhuio coming, and was intercepted immediately. Cuhuio stylishly played the ball over to Weepes and they progressed down the wings. Luckily for the Mashiks, Wimpal-Mateng made a crunching slide tackle on Weepes to bring the attack to a halt. Unfortunately, it was a bad tackle and Wimpal-Mateng was booked. Jucio went over to take the free-kick out wide. He floated the ball over the top of the Mashik heads towards the at post where Cuhuio was waiting, and he unleashed a superb volley in to the top corner. The score was now 2-1.

With 5 minutes left Mashiki were passing the ball around the defence carelessly, as they only needed to keeps possession in order to win, but Drist played a bad pass to Drapov, and it was intercepted by Yexio, who continued his run towards goal, but from the edge of the box he picked out the top corner with a divine strike to level the scores.

After this both teams looked to be happily with a draw, and didn't really go forward much at all until the final whistle blew and the crowd clapped the players off the pitch. It was a fair result for Mashiki, they could have won it but due to a careless mistake they got a draw. But we are still happy, and we look forward to the next match against the Vamprican-Krumbian Confederacy, where we will agin hope to win.

[Democratic States of Fenbar]

Teamsheet for second match announced!

4-1-3-2

GK: 1.Carr
LB: 21.Call
CB: 6.Knox
CB: 5.Fenn
RB: 17.Murphy
DMF: 37.Bailey
LMF: 12.Fence
RMF: 26.Matthews
AMF: 8.Carlo
CF: 10.Hockaday
CF: 9.Ackle

Manager Michael Griffiths has made two changes from the team that drew 3-3 with Cosmic Censorship yesterday, replacing Right Winger Warne with Matthews, and Striker Postgate with Defensive Midfielder Bailey, who will win his first cap. His reasons for this are that he felt the team played a poor defensive game in the last match, and the two changes he has made will hopefully rectify this problem. He said he was happy with his attack, and although he has taken out a striker, the insertion of a diamond midfield will not compromise the goalscoring prowess of the team too much. He hopes that his team will get their first win of the tournament tonight against Vindesby in the Negaro Street stadium.

[Perinpanland]

!Perinpan Sports Network!

Cameras pan to three men sitting on an oval desk with. On the right is the Soccer Analysis Joe Brown. In the middle is a young dashing Soccer Informat Chad Dylan and on the Right is Ex-Coach of Chymala FC Steve White.

Mr. Brown: Hi and welcome to the Gol! Perinpanland! The soccer program as part of the Perinpan Sports Network. After the well fought match against Wild Isle ending in a 2-1 loss, Perinpanland will be up against Timfen at 4:00 PM PPST. A half hour to go as the fans arrive. For those of you that speculate whether it is worth coming to these games anymore let me remind you that against the oure beefed competition that would instill fear of injury and possibly death in these games we did play great only losing by 1 and at one point tying it up. We even fought fire with fire and got a yellow card for it.

Mr. White: Yes, lets see the fans as they arrive!

Screen changes to the outside of the stadium

"YEAHH!!!" "WOOOH!!!!" "PERINPANLAND!! LETS KICK SOME ARSENALS!!!!!" "WOOH!!! LETS GO

PERINPANLAND!!!!" yells out many women. "Here are the fans as they await to be let in:and here are more" says Steve White!



Screen back on our hosts:

mr. Dylan: Well Perinpanland's National Team have been practicing after their loss against Wild Isle. They have run through many scenarios and have learnt to pressure the controller of the ball. Their defence would be helped by midfielders for this game as well as the defenders retreiving back up from their team mates and using passing the ball and passing it long to the forwards. Today will be a marvelous day!

Mr. White: Didn't you tell me not to be too optimistic?

Mr. Dylan: Like you said, its based on true stats!

Mr. Brown: Well, in this game Valenzuela will not be playing in this game. He will be replaced by both soccer player and track star Ignacio Cook. He is too smashed up for this game and would need to heal. Also #2 Maximillien Mason will be switched for #16 Adriano Xavier. He is able to quickly retrieve the ball and at the same time is accuaracy is always on the dot. He is even seen kicking the ball into bullseye and doing hockey accuracy tests. He is able to kick the ball to any player anywhere on the field. He are the formation they will be playing with:

This formation would supply an attacking midfield when nedded and at the same time cut off the center pushing the ball left and right where left/right midfield is able to stop or delay the ball as defence rushes in.

Alright here is today's starter team:

#1 Gaspard TROTTER
#6 Arlen WALL
#7 Theirn CONNORS
#4 Nicolas WORLEY
#16 Adriano XAVIER
#9 Scottie FISH
#24 Ignacio COOK []
#11 Donovan MILES
#10 Chas MORRISON
#5 Rosario CHARPENTIER "C"
#8 Raymond BRADLEY

Mr. White: We are awaiting kick off in exactly 8 mins in Stadio Aquila - Villafretta. A beautiful Island. The players take advantage of the fresh water here and oceanic breeze.

Mr. Dyaln: That does look tempting, maybe I should just go down there and take a break, enjoy the view...when is our break

Mr. Brown You'll get you chance but for now! See you later after the game

THIS IS Gol! Perinpanland! Brought to you by Michelgen Tires! Keeping you rolling since 1947!

[Cosmic Censorship]

Goals galore in Guenara

A thrilling game between Cosmic Censorship and the Democratic States of Fenbar ended in a 3-3 draw. The crowd in Guenara were treated to a delightful first half in which the States arguably enjoyed the best of the possession.

However, it was Charles Stuart's side who went ahead after 37 minutes. Charles Sedley's corner found John Wilmot, who duly nodded in. Cosmic Censorship could not drive home their advantage though; indeed, they lost it almost straightaway, thanks to some imperious interplay from the Fenbar attacking players. Hockaday finished their move and it was 1-1.

After an attritional start to the second half, the States' captain, Jack Ackle, scored a fantastic solo effort against the run of play. He evaded George Villiers and left Christopher Wren for dead before launching a screaming strike past Samuel Pepys. It was 2-1. Cosmic Censorship responded well, throwing everything at the Fenbar goal. They did not manage to break through a solid defence until the 78th minute, and even then it took a magical volley from the brilliant John Wilmot. Before the crowd had had time to recover, Cosmic Censorship had taken the lead in the bizarrest of manners. An abortive clearance from Fenn hit Ganzfeld in the collarbone, and the ball beat the States' bewildered keeper and landed in the goal. A few tense minutes followed, but frenetic Cosmic defending could not keep Postgate from equalising a minute from time.

'By golly,' said Ganzfeld in a post-match interview, 'the game was awfully close. I had a rip-roaring time. How the devil did I manage to score?' He let out a hearty laugh. Was he enjoying Iturributa? 'Hai.' Another giggle. 'The Pratarra gets me awfully squiffy. I do love it here, but must you hate your brothers so? Why, you folks need to find the Báb. You can't go on like this forever... '

[Urbis Tractus]

“COME OOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNN !!!”

“Chill down mate !! It’s only one game.”

“FUCKIN’ KILL ‘EM LAMMERGEIER !!”

“Mate, calm it. There’s a load o’ them Ay-oh-starns over there, and they look pretty pissed.”

“Who gives one ?!?! We kicked their arses !!”

“Mate, one of ‘ems walking over.”

“Shite. RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN !!”

5 minutes later...

“What was that lad’s deal ??"

“Maybe cos you were giving the lad shit ??”

“Shut up.”

“Who’re we playin’ next ??”

“Northern Sunrise Islands.”

“At least their name isn’t stupidly ‘ard to say.”

“What did you think of that stadium ?? Floating off the harbour, eh ??”

“What you on about ??”

“That stadium. It was floating on the water.”

“It was ??”

“Yeah.”

“Bloody foreign nutters...”

-Two Licentian fans in Sant’Elia, Ossadiacqua

[Ossidiacqua]

CUTOFF!
Check back for scores in the near future.

[Ossidiacqua]

Group A
Dark 2–1 Earo
Urbis Tractus 2–3 Northern Sunrise Islands
Apox 1–1 Aosta

  Group A                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  Pts 
1 Dark                        2   2  0  0    4   2    6
2 Earo                        2   1  0  1    2   2    3
3 Northern Sunrise Islands    2   1  0  1    3   3    3
4 Urbis Tractus               2   1  0  1    4   4    3
5 Aosta                       2   0  1  1    2   3    1
6 Apox                        2   0  1  1    2   3    1

Group B
Boyznichov 1–1 Vielha
Oswaldia 3–1 Wellboneland
Leorudo 1–2 Mesoland

  Group B                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  Pts 
1 Oswaldia                    2   2  0  0    6   2    6
2 Vielha                      2   1  1  0    2   1    4
3 Mesoland                    2   1  0  1    3   4    3
4 Leorudo                     2   1  0  1    4   3    3
5 Boyznichov                  2   0  1  1    2   4    1
6 Wellboneland                2   0  0  2    1   4    0

Group C
Kingdom of Phoenixia 0–0 Sicoutimont
The nordic land of Skyrim 2–2 Balma
Danaelia 2–0 Zandistan

  Group C                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  Pts 
1 Danaelia                    2   1  1  0    3   1    4
2 Sicoutimont                 2   1  1  0    3   1    4
3 Zandistan                   2   1  0  1    3   2    3
4 Kingdom of Phoenixia        2   0  2  0    1   1    2
5 Balma                       2   0  1  1    3   5    1
6 The nordic land of Skyrim   2   0  1  1    2   5    1

Group D
Aqusul 0–3 Bisim
Redaya 1–1 Yorobia
Backyard Sports 2–1 Anollasia

  Group D                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  Pts 
1 Bisim                       2   2  0  0    5   1    6
2 Aqusul                      2   1  0  1    3   4    3
3 Backyard Sports             2   1  0  1    3   4    3
4 Anollasia                   2   1  0  1    4   3    3
5 Redaya                      2   0  1  1    2   4    1
6 Yorobia                     2   0  1  1    2   3    1

Group E
HorusLand 0–0 Bongo Johnson
Wild Isle 1–1 Deep Fried Pickles
Timfen 0–3 Peripanland

  Group E                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  Pts 
1 Deep Fried Pickles          2   1  1  0    3   2    4
2 Wild Isle                   2   1  1  0    3   2    4
3 Peripanland                 2   1  0  1    4   2    3
4 Timfen                      2   1  0  1    2   4    3
5 Bongo Johnson               2   0  1  1    1   2    1
6 HorusLand                   2   0  1  1    1   2    1

[Apox]

From the Apoxian Word...

When are we going to win?

The Apox football team are still awaiting their first win of the tournament, after a 1-1 draw to Aosta. Now Aosta is a team we know little about, not even knowing their roster. Hmmm... might explain why we only drew, we weren't execting their attack.

The kicked off, and the game panned out with a few chances either way. Then, inspiration struck, as Oli Weekes fired in a shot from outside the box, which curl in nicely behind the keeper. That was a good enough start, and the teams hope was rising. Then it was crushed, when Insert name here skilled several players and passed it in to insert name here who put the goal away. 1-1. Oh joy.

The second half panned out it a dull sort of way which few chances really, except for when a small part of the stadium caught on fire. Yes that was interesting. But apart from that, it was dull, lots of boring passing in the midfield.

Team Sheet from the Match
GK - Jarvis Staniels
RD - Jack Forster sub Sam Lowe 60'
CD - Chris Neguwa
LD - Donnie Rathburn
RM - Olim Benzari
CM - Jonty Smith
CM - Ken Rickwright
LM - Will Fich
ST - Stan Miller
ST - Dravid Scott (c) sub Chris Maasden 73'
ST - Oli Weekes

[Horusland]

Baptism of Fire Group Round 1
Bongo Johnson 0-0 HorusLand

In Group Match 2, HorusLand met the team of Bongo Johnson. No one scored, thus making the match a tie. Both teams thus get one points, and so, because of our previous scores, both HorusLand and Bongo Johnson are in last place in the Group Rankings.
HorusLand's fans, both in Ossidiacqua and back home in HorusLand, are starting to lose hope, as our national team has yet to win a game. But still, there are three more matches left. We shall see if our situation gets better in tomorrow's match against Peripanland.
Here are the current Group E rankings:

  Group E                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  Pts 
1 Deep Fried Pickles          2   1  1  0    3   2    4
  Wild Isle                   2   1  1  0    3   2    4
3 Peripanland                 2   1  0  1    4   2    3
4 Timfen                      2   1  0  1    2   4    3
5 Bongo Johnson               2   0  1  1    1   2    1
  HorusLand                   2   0  1  1    1   2    1

[Perinpanland]

!Perinpan Sports Network!

Cameras pan to three men sitting on an oval desk with. On the right is the Soccer Analysis Joe Brown. In the middle is a young dashing Soccer Informat Chad Dylan and on the Right is Ex-Coach of Chymala FC Steve White.

Mr. Dylan:Hi and welcome to the Gol! Perinpanland! Well the game is over as Perinpanland plays against Timfen in Villafretta! And let me tell you it is a beautiful island. A little outdated but that makes for a beautiful environment with a outstanding ecology. Somehow they have both a beautiful environment and yet show signs of the modernity. If only more countries were like that.

Mr. White: I think someone here is trying to get off topic as someone here thought I was a bit too optimistic...

Mr. Dylan True, I originally thought Perinpanland would lose 0-1

Mr White: BOO! I knew they would win!

Mr. Brown: Yes but none of you thought Perinpanland would win 3-0!!!!!

Mr. White: That is true but nevertheless, let's watch this game unfold

screen changes to the game

O'
Alright as the game begins Rosario Charpentier the captain and only goal scorer will arrive to choose for the coin toss. He arrives with Jake Hicks. It would seem that Timfen would win this toss. It seems Charpentier is unlucky when it comes to coins. At the center, #7 Mesut Dras would start the game by passing it to #8 Jake Hicks. Passes Morrison but stops with the arrival of both #24 Ignacio Cook and his support #9 Scottie Fish. Hicks Passes it to his team mate #11 Dan Drurton before he is taken away by #6 Arlen Wall. Good pressure by Perinpanland.

12'
Cook with the ball. Sprints towards the net. he goes for a pass to our #5 Rosario Charpentier But intercepted by #2 Oscar Barton.

16'
Another hustle by Dras, he passes it to #20 Zeb Wert who passes the defensive line and passes the ball to #9 Jacques Brondon. He goes for the shot but the ball is tapped away by #7 Theirn Connors

22'
This time Hicks has the ball. Passes it up, above the heads to Drurton. He then another long pass to Dras and goes for goal...but denied.

24'
#1 Gaspard Trotter Passes it to Fish has the ball. He travels with it As he passes Hicks and passes to #10 Chas Morrison who stops. He passes to Cook And takes a long pass to #8 Raymond Bradley He goes for goal but is tripped by their #5 Joe Atkins. The referee takes out his book and it looks like Atkins will be booked. The first of the match. He is receiving the yellow card and also a penalty kick has been rewarded to Bradley. I don't see why that's not a red card. Well the referee does say that it wasn't deliberate but that still is questionable.

25'
Bradley stares down the goalie #1 Tony Kelly...He goes for the shot...He Shoots!!!! HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!

The score is now 1-nil Perinpanland in the 25th minute in beautiful Villafretta.

The Perinpan fans are overwhelmed as they scream and jump! A well deserved goal at the top right corner. Kelly is distraught.

32'
#3 Chris Hawkins with the ball. He passes to Dras. He runs up and passes straight to the middle to Brondons. He goes for goal but denied by Trotter Who kicks the ball far! Bradley gets the ball but it's offside.

36'
Atkins passes to Hawkins who passes to #6 Debra Drews who is stopped by Fish. Wait. the referee is running up and it appears he will be booked. Scottie Fish has just received a yellow card.

39'
Drews passes to Brondons but the pass is intercepted by Connors. Gets the ball and passes to Morrison He passes to Charpentier who goes for goal but denied!!! by Kelly.

45+3'
HALF TIME Both teams played well defensivly. It was just the one slip up that led to a 1-nil game.

46'
Cook passes to Fish to start the second half. Fish passes to Morrison who gets the ball taken away by Hawkins.

52'
Hawkins passes to Hicks. He passes towards Wert who is just passed Fish He passes to Brondon who is in between Walls and Connors. He goes straight for net but passes to Drurton as he SHOOTS....Aww Trotter with the save. That was a close call.

54'
Trotter passes to Connors who passes to Cook but intercepted by Dews.

57'
Wert with the ball but it's taken away by Connors. He kicks the ball far as it lands a several feet in fron tof Charpentier and the defensive line. He sprints towards the ball. Gets it. Runs towards the net. Shoots with his left leg and....SCORES!!!!!
A real goal at the 57th minute in this match. The score is now 2-nil. They have sealed it. Just listen to that crowd!

64'
Coach Enrico Martini seems to be switching #8 Raymond Bradley for #13 Alex Coelho

68'
Connors with the ball. He passes to #11 Donovan Miles who runs up. Passes to Coelho but it's offside.

73'
Coach Enrico Martini seems to be switching #9 Scottie Fish for #14 Tony Summerfield

76'
Barton passes straight to Banes. I guess now their trying the Perinpan play. Banes passes to the open Drurton. He runs towards the net. Crosses it back to Banes who is now open. Trotter Leaves the net open as Banes goes SHOOTS!!!!! WHAT?!? Denied by the head of Arlen Wall. What a defender. Knowing the Trotter moves to the right, he moves to the net and watches for a scoring opportunity. It will be a corner for Timfen.

80'
Dras goes for the corner. Stopped by #4 Nicolas Worley and the ball goes to Miles He runs up sprinting trying to get ahead of the defensive line. He stalls for time. Passes to Morrison. Who passes to Cook. He runs towards the net as he gently tapped to the feet of Morrison. He passes to Charpentier who kicks it but Kelly fists it up high and over the net.

83'
Miles is at the corner. Note that there is a 3/5 chance this ball will go in. Miles boots it into the feet of Morrison who SHOOTS!!!! HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!! I can not believe this. Perinpanland 3-nil. The crowd is ecstatic. They are amazed.
On the other side look at the disheartened faces of Timfen. The frustrated faces.


90+1'
The referee gives 1 minute of stoppage time. Wert has the ball. He again would pass to Brondon in front of him. Brondon would pass it up to Drurton. It would look like he would shoot but passes to Wert who passes to Brondon who SHOOTS!!!! Oh it is caught by Trotter who clears it. The ball would leisurely be walked by Summerfield until the referee checks his watch and blows his whistle. Game is over. The score is 3-0 Perinpanland. The crowd can not wait for more! They are eager for the next game. What a great game.

screen changes back to the hosts

Mr. White:EYYYY

Mr. Dylan: I know....You were right!

Mr. Brown: Haha, well I guess they listened to us. They choked the center. Made them play along the sides where they were...well crushed.

Mr. Dylan: Well, they also took our advice and didn't let their first loss seriously. With that being said, they did lose...so they can expect much more opponents that play with exceptional skills. Let's just say they played an easy oppenent today and that our next game will be much harder. They can not get too cocky with this one.

Mr. Brown: How about our substitutes?

Mr. White: Well, the starter teamline had Ignacio Cook instead of Rolf Valenzuela. He plays great. His speed does help out alot. in the defensive line, I would like to see more of Adriano Xavier when they do play offensive. If he goes up at the start he can be able to stop the ball in its tracks. I can not say much about the two substitutes in this game as they didn't have much to play with but Summerfield would need to mature in future games. Coelho does seem like a sharp shooter but i feel he would need to put himself in the game more instead of cherrypicking.

Mr. Dylan: Well, Coach Martini would need to do the same as he does now. A little more practices and more research on our oppenents to tell us how to beat our next oppenents.

Mr. Brown Speaking of next oppenents. It would seem Perinpanland would be facing Horusland next who is 0-1-1. Perinpanland is now 1-1-0. Here are the standings:

  Group E                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  Pts 
1 Deep Fried Pickles          2   1  1  0    3   2    4
2 Wild Isle                   2   1  1  0    3   2    4
3 Peripanland                 2   1  0  1    4   2    3
4 Timfen                      2   1  0  1    2   4    3
5 Bongo Johnson               2   0  1  1    1   2    1
6 HorusLand                   2   0  1  1    1   2    1

we would need to win the next game to be the top two. Lets see the game summary.

Team	Perinpanland 3	Timfen 0
Goals Scored	Bradley (25') Charpentier (57') Morrison (85')
Shots:	14	9
Shots on Goal:	6	4
Possession:	58%	42%
Yellow Cards	1	1

[Leorudo]

Leorudo Chronicle
Leorudo Roar A.F.C. Report
Leorudo 1–2 Mesoland

Scena Tartarus lets the would-be game-winning Mesolandian strike into the net.

Letatzadur Stadium,Iturributa
(by James Winstone) Leorudo faced Mesoland last night, a team never before heard from in the Baptism of Fire reports, the Leorudian squad came out strong, coming off of their 3-1 victory last night, scoring a goal in the fifteenth minute of the match. The game went slowly until the firty-third minute when Mesoland scoring on a rebounded shot, tapping it past Scena. In the sixty-eighth minute, the Mesolandian striker shot a long-distance attempt that went just past Tartarus' fingertips.(as depicted above) The game Leorudo side made a charge for it, but the squad just ran out of time. Leorudo had lost by one goal and they were now in fourth position in their group. This match clearly shows that you can never underestimate a club, no matter the skill. Scena Tartarus after the game:"I think we needed to execute our defense more, we have a very defensive club, and having all of our defenders colaspe inwards can create open chances. We will just have to move forward." Today the Leorudian squad takes on another opponent that has little or no information posted about them. We should expect more of our players, and hopefully they give us more.

[Iturributa]

Don't get in bar brawls with hooligans; they might CUT OFF your merry evening and keep you from reading the History of the World Cup, from edition 11 to 18.

[Vielha]

Not good enough. That display was simply not good enough. Sure they had dominated possession but, like the first game, the quality of finishing was poor at best and that cost them three points. Something would have to change. Something dramatic. They needed to go for a more attacking formation whilst remaining in control of the midfield and being responsible at the back. Their 4-4-3 wouldn't work anymore. Something new. Their next opponent, Oswaldia, were the current group leaders, having won both of their games. For a defensive team they were doing quite well scoring goals, having found net six times.

National team manager Josep Alexander Vilario looked at the diagram he had created on his electronic tablet before him.

This formation was not his own creation. No it was borrowed from the team that he considered to be the best in the world. The national team of the Polar Islandstates. A somewhat new team who had already accomplished so much. He loved their playing style and based several of his core philosophies off of them. First and foremost was his preference for high pressure. The Polarian team, under the guidance of the brilliant Sol Kirkkegaard and under the current reign of Joachim Schwartz, was renowned for their high pressure game, never letting the opposition have a moment to rest with the ball. Always pressing, always hounding the opponent until a mistake was made. Then in a flash, defense was made offense through the use of the midfield. They also employed the use of a defensive triangle formed of the two center defenders and the defensive midfielder, and an offensive one formed of the center attacking midfielder and the two strikers. It was brilliant. It was inspiring. It was beautiful.

Unfortunately it wouldn't work for this match. The attacking, fast paced nature of the would work in the midfield and against the defense. However, there just wasn't enough Vielhan defensive security and that was something he needed against the powerful offense that the supposedly defensive Oswaldia had at its disposal.

Josep sighed quietly and went to the minibar in his hotel room to fix himself a drink. Something to clear his mind and help him think. After making, and downing, a Traditional, Josep sat back down in his chair with his tablet in his hands. He closed his eyes and leaned back, flipping through each Vielhan players individual strengths, weaknesses, and playing style in his head. Eventually the starting tendrils of a formation and game plan started to come together in his mind. It was daring. It was audacious. It was brilliant. He started jotting it all down on his table, making small notes as he went regarding the specific role of each player. After half an hour of scribbling furiously, he was pleased with the final result.

As for the specific playing style of each player, Josep compiled them all into one neat little doc.

Oradell: Oradeel will be tasked with playing as a sweeper keeper. Not only will he fulfill the responsibilities of a goalkeeper, but he will also be called upon to fulfill those of a sweeper. This means that he will pick up balls that are outside of the penalty area and will build up play by feeding the ball to an outfield player.

Puxti: Puxti will be employed as a ball playing defender. In this capacity he will be charged with the usual duties of a central defender, with the added responsibility of being encouraged to generate counter attacking opportunities by attempting to split the oppositions defense. He'll be playing in more of a cover rule, tasked with dropping a bit deep to pick up any through balls that manage to get behind the defensive line.

Zedinha: Zedinha will be used as a limited defender, who will stop opposing attacks by winning the ball without giving away a freekick before playing it upfield. He'll be playing as a stopper and thus will push ahead of the defensive line so he can close down players before they get into the danger zone.

Salgado/Campo: Salgado and Campo will play their same rule as usual as fullbacks. However they will be expected to play more of a supporting game, as they should support the midfield by pushing upfield to provide width and attempt to cross the ball and provide through balls for the rest of the team.

Vell: Captain fantastic will play as an anchor man. He will sit between the defense and midfield in an attempt to intercept progressing opposition attacking movements, win the ball, and provide a short and simple passing game to other teammates. He won't be encouraged to wander too far from his position, as he will be fulfilling a vital role.

Dico: Dico will be playing as a deep lying playmaker. He'll look to play in the hole between the midfielders and defenders with the intention of initiating attacking movements by spraying his trademark pinpoint accurate passes across the field to players positioned further up the pitch. He'll also be tasked with bringing the ball out of the defense to look for supplying through balls as well as having a go from distance. Additionally he'll be required to play defensively as the situation requires.

Cuco: Cuco will play as an inside forward, tasked with cutting inside from the right side of the field and running right at the center of the opposition's defense. By doing this, he'll open up space for Campo to push up into and exploit in addition to overloading a retreating opposition fullback. He'll be asked to cut in diagonally behind the defense and supply through balls or have a rip if the situation calls for it.

Piojito: Piojito will operate in his preferred role as a trequartista, making this an easy assignment. Piojito will play in the other hole, which would be the one between the midfield and forwards as opposed to the one between the defense and midfield. He won't be asked to do much really defensively, and will spend that time drifting about looking for space. Therefore, the team will have to compensate for him when defender, but will need to keep an eye open for him so they can use him as the main point to initiate a blazing fast counter attack.

Luso: Luso will play as an advanced playmaker, which is the role he fulfills for his club Montse. He'll look to stay in the midfield-forwards hole to make himself available for teammates passes in order to turn defense to attack in the blink of an eye. Mainly, he'll stay in the hole and will be charged with supplying the ball to attacking players.

Senzi: Senzi, like Cuco, will look to play as an inside forward. However, Senzi will be asked to run directly at the defense and will be given the liberty of shooting, crossing, or passing as he moves into the attacking third.

Finally satisfied with his work, Josep leaned back in his chair and smiled. This would work very, very well. Or it would crash and burn catastrophically and he would look like a bloody idiot to every manager in the world. But it wouldn't do that. It would work. Probably.

[Iturributa]

Iturributa Region: MD2 Scores

Group F
Mashiki 2–0 Vamprican-Krumbian Confederacy
Catocton 1–5 The Scandinavian Islands
Romili 0–0 Inthelittlenation

  Group F                            Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Inthelittlenation                   2   1  1  0    3   0  +3    4
2 Mashiki                             2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
3 Vamprican-Krumbian Confederacy      2   1  0  1    1   2  −1    3
4 The Scandinavian Islands            2   1  0  1    5   2  +3    3
5 Romili                              2   0  2  0    2   2   0    2
6 Catocton                            2   0  0  2    1   8  −7    0

Group G
Malt 1–0 United Federation of the World
Wihsirmir Taoul di wer Qumadosfan 1–1 Sundsborg
The New Roman Imperialists 1–0 Daydreamtopia

  Group G                            Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The New Roman Imperialists          2   2  0  0    3   1  +2    6
2 Sundsborg                           2   1  1  0    4   1  +3    4
  Wihsirmir Taoul di wer Qumadosfan   2   1  1  0    4   1  +3    4
4 Malt                                2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
5 Daydreamtopia                       2   0  0  2    0   4  −4    0
  United Federation of the World      2   0  0  2    0   4  −4    0

Group H
Conclespia 1–1 Remad
Democratic States of Fenbar 1–0 Vindesby
Arcadian Islands 0–0 Cosmic Censorship

  Group H                            Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Democratic States of Fenbar         2   1  1  0    4   3  +1    4
2 Conclespia                          2   0  2  0    2   2   0    2
3 Arcadian Islands                    2   0  2  0    1   1   0    2
4 Cosmic Censorship                   2   0  2  0    3   3   0    2
5 Remad                               2   0  2  0    2   2   0    2
6 Vindesby                            2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1

Group I
Westros 3–0 Kerblaekistan
Artsakhestan 0–0 Altito Asmoro
Aexalla 0–1 Deadmans

  Group I                            Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Altito Asmoro                       2   1  1  0    4   0  +4    4
2 Deadmans                            2   1  1  0    1   0  +1    4
3 Aexalla                             2   1  0  1    3   1  +2    3
4 Westros                             2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
5 Artsakhestan                        2   0  2  0    0   0   0    2
6 Kerblaekistan                       2   0  0  2    0   7  −7    0

[Zandistan]

(OOC to my opponent: if you don't want to read the story to find out what happened, scroll to the bottom MATCH REPORT for a recap)

INCA, OSSIDIACQUA

Garbage. He grumbled upon seeing the result. Pure garbage, I should’ve been there.

But he had made the decision to stay away. After tending to his business in Sant’Elia after the Skyrim game in Collindiana, he had taken his private helicopter to just outside of the city of Inca, preparing to view the second Zandistani soccer match of this Baptism of Fire. Upon seeing the stadium, however, he changed his mind. Too much can go wrong with those cables. If the wind blows, stadium shakes…I’m not risking my life to watch a game.

He returned to Sant’Elia and asked Evanolan Fry to keep him updated on the game, but soon he wished he hadn’t. The Zandistani squad came into the Stadio Alianza nervous of the high winds forecasted that day. The forecast held true: as they walked onto the pitch, the stadium was shaking from side to side. Indeed, the nervous Wilfried Thomas lost his lunch in one of the stadium bathrooms, the stadium shook so much. Despite Thomas being the third-string goalkeeper, this event set the tone of how the game would go for the team. As the teams lined up for the kickoff, Fry sent the message, “Stadium shaking like crazy, kickoff now.”

Thank goodness I’m not there. We’d better win. But he did not know about Thomas’s troubles, nor did he see how lackadaisical the team appeared in their warmup. The general mindset of the team had seemed to be "We destroyed Skyrim, we’ll get these guys easy. We don’t even need to try."

Early on in the game, no Zandistani player was on his game, and the Danaelian unit was flowing seamlessly up the field. Solid defense from center backs Bertil and Mathias, repeated through balls from midfielders Ulf and Torvald, and cracking shots from forwards Patrik and Otto. Only an array of dazzling saves from Megatron kept Zandistan from falling behind 3-0 or 4-0 in the first 20 minutes. Fry wasn’t thrilled about sending the update on how the match was running, but he did anyway.

Stupid players, we’re way better than Danaelia and you don’t have a shot yet? Get in the game, guys!

Still, all the amazing saves by Megatron couldn’t overcome the uneasy defense. In the 26th minute, Blade von Zanderstrom III played a sloppy ball to The Grizzly Radonezh-Muratovich, easily intercepted by Jakob Bertil. Bertil played it out to Frej Simon, who sent it up the side to Ebbe Christer. Christer dished middle to Jon Ulf, who split the Werdenheimer brothers with a brilliant through ball to Melker Patrik, who had Orvar Samuel and Ingmar Otto flanking him. Three-on-one, Megatron knew he had no chance. He tried to dash out and take it off of Patrik’s feet, but Patrik slid the ball over to Otto for the easy goal. Zandistan 0-1 Danaelia. On the bench, the motionless coach Wickami Schwartz cursed.

Fry again reluctantly sent the update, and rage ensued. YOU ALLOWED A GOAL??? FIRE ALL THE COACHES, GET ME NEW ONES!!! NEW PLAYERS TOO!! A LOAD OF GARBAGE WE’RE LOSING TO DANAELIA!!

The Danaelian goal seemed to wake up the Zandistani squad somewhat, and in the 29th minute they logged their first shot of the match, a long-range strike by Tango Tangari, but it still had no chance of beating the keeper. Somehow, the Zandistani team was just not as effective with their through balls, less precise in the final third. Danaelish keeper Ebbe Leif only faced two shots on target the entire first half, both routine saves.

Simon, Bertil, Mathias and Lorens were as effective a defensive unit as any member of the Zandistani squad had ever seen. Frustration grew amongst the Zandistan team. Just as they had outclassed Skyrim, they were being outclassed by Danaelia, and the same as Skyrim, they played rougher and rougher. As Danaelia kept attacking, Firestorm Stenhoffer, Buzz Saw Werdenheimer and Vortex Werdenheimer kept bringing down their opponents, not letting them get around and shoot. Free kicks to Danaelia in the 40th, 41st, 43rd, and 45th minutes. At the last, the referee sternly reprimanded the culprit Stenhoffer, “No more.”

And despite four brilliant shots off those four free kicks, Zandistan somehow held the deficit to 1-0 at halftime. Megatron came off the field panting, growling angrily at his teammates to stop giving him so much work, “They’re going to score again, you know.” There were no high fives as the players came off, no smiles. All the glory of their debut yesterday had vanished from the players. Here they were, hanging on for dear life, struggling to find any positives from a dismal first-half performance.

But after Fry updated him, the man back in Sant’Elia did find a small glimmer of hope. How about that Bellucci kid, could we maybe see him again? And we only need one goal for a tie. We’d be no worse than second in the group if we could manage that. Domingo scores with ease, and the Grizzly has talent as well. I chose these guys, they can pull off anything. Even if it’s only a fluky goal, we’ll be right in this game. The man’s hope was misplaced. He had not seen how poorly the team played in the first half, only getting a series of updates that, while informative, couldn’t paint the whole picture of what was going on above Inca.

In the team huddle, silence ruled. Vilisevic didn’t know what to say. Rommendell had a comment or two, but only that. Schwartz encouraged them to play cleaner, but didn’t see how they could possibly win this game. Wilfried Thomas was still having stomach issues, and the high winds making the stadium shake had caused his issues to spread to other people, including Bellucci. He would be unable to sub in, to provide the spark he had against Skyrim. The outlook was truly grim beginning the second half, but the team returned to the field determined to not let Danaelia beat them.

They were not up to the task. Danaelia was just too strong on the day. Dominant midfield passing and dribbling, better off-the-ball movement, and solid center-backs. Danaelia played so well they likely didn’t need a goalie. Extremely outclassed, the grim determination the Zandistanis had played with soon left them, and they returned to playing rougher than ever. In minute 52, after Melker Lorens beat him to a through ball, Grizzly plowed right through him, laying him flat on the ground. Yellow card. Minute 58, Jon Ulf played a ball to Orvar Samuel, who would have taken Buzz Saw Werdenheimer on the dribble when he was viciously cleated in the shins. Yellow again, and it should’ve been red.

Stop fouling, guys, we can’t win that way. Get ’em back with nothing but skill. One goal and we’re tied, it’s all we need.

Credit Danaelia for not retaliating. Repeated, hard fouls on virtually every one of their players, it was incredible that none of them had been seriously injured. Sure, Torkel Torvald had gone off with a twisted ankle, replaced by Bo Caj, but he could surely return the next game. The Danaelish side played with class, pressuring offensively, defending resolutely. Zandistan would soon give in again.

In the 73rd minute, Speed McRae lost the ball on the right flank to Lorens. Lorens played middle to Jon Ulf, who sent it back wide to the substitute Caj. Caj broke free past Cannonball Schmid and dribbled into the penalty area, set to pass across to the oncoming Patrik, when Schmid lunged from behind. He looked up, and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Cannonball was handed a yellow for his efforts, and on the bench, Schwartz whispered into the ear of Drago Vilisevic. The signal was for a furiously itching Scratch Tzingotürk to begin warming up.

Scratch has the itch, that only means bad. Maybe just the penalty. Or are the police headed here to Ossidiacqua? I’d better check real quick.

Danaelish penalty kick, Melker Patrik against Juan “Megatron” Sánchez de la Mega. Patrik struck it so well that Megatron never had a chance. He got the tip of his finger on the ball, but it was straight into the lower left corner, Zandistan 0-2 Danaelia. Absolutely crushing for the Zandistanis. Their last hope of an unlikely draw vanished with one strike. It was too late to hope for two goals, the way they were playing.

You guys freaking suck, be glad I’m not there. I would kick you all of my team if I had the chance. A team like Danaelia, and you’re down two goals, who cares if we didn't know how good they are? Why can’t you play at all?

The teams prepared to kick off again, and the Zandistanis were barely moving. Cannonball Schmid came off for Scratch, still itching. Are they in Inca or here in Sant’Elia? You’re freaking me out, man. But he had no locatable reports of the Zandistani police’s whereabouts.

The game was essentially over. Danaelia comfortably cruising to their 2-0 victory, just killing time to seal the deal. Zandistan knowing they were beat, just trying to limit the damage. The minutes couldn’t go by fast enough for them; they were tired and wanted to go back to their temporary home in Sant’Elia. Soon the final whistle blew, a disheartening defeat that put a significant damper on the euphoria of day one.

Again, as it was at half time, the team circle was largely quiet. Nobody was happy with how they had performed. Megatron had excelled, saving shot after shot, but he was still angry with the two he had let pas. Schwartz had no compliments, “A lousy game.” They climbed aboard the stagecoaches once more, ready for a long ride back to Sant’Elia and their undercover inn, where a certain man was already hidden.

Rubbish, we’ll win tomorrow though. But that itch worries me. I’ve totally forgotten about the police, surely they don’t know I’m here. But they’ll know about the team, how can I keep that down? We have another match in Collindiana, and if they find me there…no escape, really. Indeed, the Zandistani police, after stealing a glance at the Baptism of Fire group tables, had noted that the soccer team was not playing in Iturributa as they had been led to believe. Rather than heading to Ossidiacqua however, they were on a boat back to Zandistan to report to the ZNFA and the government. Strange. Maybe they don’t know I’m here. But we’ll have to keep a lookout.

He was safe for the time being, he knew he had at least a few more days before the police would arrive in Ossidiacqua, if at all. Looking forward to tomorrow, he settled down in bed and slept.

A half hour later, the Zandistani stagecoaches slipped into the back of the inn, and the players unloaded. Before the team members dispersed to their rooms, Vilisevic spoke, “Good news. A Sicoutimont draw means we are 3rd in Group C, 1 point behind the leaders Sicoutimont and Danaelia. A win tomorrow, we might be right back on top. Sleep well, we want to come out firing on all cylinders. We're a strong team, it's high time we play like it.”
A halfhearted cheer of approval came from the team, who then retired to their rooms to sleep: they had a match tomorrow, and they needed to be ready.

MATCH REPORT

Zandistan 0 – 2 Danaelia

Events
26’ Danaelia GOAL, Ingmar Otto
52’ Zandistan BOOKING, Yuri “The Grizzly” Radonezh-Muratovich, YELLOW
58’ Zandistan BOOKING, Rudolf “Buzz Saw” Werdenheimer, YELLOW
65’ Danaelia INJURY, Torkel Torvald, Ankle Sprain
66’ Danaelia SUBSTITUTION, Torvald OUT, Bo Caj IN
73’ Zandistan BOOKING, Artur “Cannonball” Schmid, YELLOW
74’ Danaelia GOAL, Melker Patrik (penalty)
74’ Zandistan SUBSTITUTION, Schmid OUT, Scratch Tzingotürk IN

UPCOMING MATCH

vs. Kingdom of Phoenixia (0-2-0, 1 GF, 0 GD) at Rue de Novembre, Sant’Elia

[Kingdom of Phoenixia]

0-0 the curse of ties:

The second game is over and again Phoenixia must wait for the first win. The opponent this time was the Empire of Sicoutimont from the famous Region of Rushmore.
After the first match vs. Danaelia many fans set all their hope on this game but the reality was certainly different.
The team of Sicoutimont played a Catanachio Formation in their purest form, no own attempts to score a goal and only three shoots on the Phoenixia goal after counter-attacks.
The defense worked as one and only 6 chances in 90 minutes, including two freekicks in less than 25 meters, testified this poor game.
The second point out of 2 games lead to only one conclusion, if Phoenixia doesn't want a qualification trough the playoffs a win against Zandistan is obligate.
After that the matches against Skyrim and Balma choose the destiny in this tournament.

Goals: None
Cards: yellow card for Phoenixia in minute 63 for complain.
Injuries: none
Player of the Match: Andreij Stenko as he was the only one with a few good moments
Referee: Jaroslav Sletki from the South-East Territory

Stadium: Rue de Novembre, St'Elia - 40 000 Visitors (74 100 maximum)