Baptism of Fire 60 - Everything Thread

[Burthnas]

[[Channel 5//MornRept??07272015..\\LIVE\248610A\NATREGION]]

Tim: Good morning Burthnas, welcome back! That's right, the internet is FINALLY back up again, just in time for the Morning Report!

Anna: The final day of the group stage is here, and Burthnas has been doing spectacularly so far with no loses.

Tim: But today might be the turning point for that streak as we're up against the powerful Akbarstani national team, who have been doing just as well as we have.

Anna: Should be a very exciting game game!

Tim: Yesterday our team went against the Team Banija, and won 2-0.

Anna: It looks like our defense game went up in exchange for a little bit of offense. Especially on comparison to Burthnas' first 3-2 with Saaksvala.

Tim: Today we will be back in Castle Road, but in the mean time, the Buffelelk co-captain has graced up with a glimpse of his second journal entry:

Code: Select all

"GRUMP! GRUMBLE! GRUMBLE GRUMBLE MUMBLE LOO! GARGLE GRIMBLE GRUMP. PLUS EURA GRUMBLE MUMMBLE GRUMP... SOO... PRETTTYY ...  BURTHNAS SPIT SPAT GARFLE MUMBLE UGLLY AND DEAD."

Tim: How inspiring!

Anna: But that's all we have for now! Make sure you check back later for the Tweeter Hour!

*commcecials begin*

[[end.stream//BNB5\\#]]

A Moment of Silence For Leonard Pierce
Prior to the start of Burthnas' second match. News had reached the Roshmori continent that the late president and his had been missing after boarding a flight to The Aristocracy. Organizers in Eura agreed to have a minute of silence prior to the beginning of the match in honor of our president, and the brave souls who flew him there (who are currently regarded as heroes). Googolsia and Eura have both expressed their condolences, with the Googolsians even offering help in their search mission. Please tweet #ThankYouGoogolsia and #ThankYouEura along with a short note, and your tweet to be printed and delivered to the Googolsians and Eurans as thanks.

VICTORY CELEBRATION
by: James on 9-29-2015 11:01 pm

After the Burthnasians were declared victorious is Tueday's match, the team celebrated with cake, and a lot of victory flavored gum. Co-captain Buffelelk seemed to have really [i]despised[/i] enjoyed his pack of free gum. That is all for today. Ciao!

[Copper Cuprum]

From the diary of Prince Deg

1 October 2015
Wonderful news! The rest of the team has finally arrived here in Valladares! This means that I can now finally replace that gods-damned Setobi with a proper center back. Unfortunately I have a new problem now: who do I choose to replace the ineffective Setobi? I could go for the big man Tenoka Itoro. Or maybe I could go for the playmaker Sitere Buwata. I am simply spoiled for options! Although it could be said that I'm spoiled, period. But what can I do? I am just the Crown Prince of Copper Cuprum...

2 October 2015
Just my luck. As soon as I say that Setobi will be replaced by either Tenoka or Sitere, both of them choose the time to fall sick! Now I'll have to contend with the damned Setobi playing in my defensive line once again! I can only imagine the disaster that will happen against Transpadana...

3 October 2015
The great goddess Muar-Gear-Rhit must be pleased with the beheaded rubber chickens that we have offered in her name! After the Valladars forced us to stop our traditional chicken sacrifice, we have been hard-pressed in searching for a suitable alternative. Eventually, Duke Dorogi came upon the solution of rubber chickens as a possible suitable alternative for the live chickens we are used to sacrificing. Unfortunately we couldn't find many rubber chickens in Valladares, and the campaign was close to coming to a cultural collapse. But we managed to find a stock of rubber chickens in a joke shop in Valladares, and the campaign for the Baptism of Fire is safe!

And now I must return to the matter at hand. The great goddess was much satisfied with the rubber chickens that we decapitated in her name, for the game against Transpadana fell well and truly in our favor. Not only did I score the greatest goal of all time, I even got an assist for Opatop the half-Pridnestrovian! It was most probably the right thing to do, as while I was indeed goal-bound he had a clearer shot. The spirit of the great goddess overtook me, and I made the pass that sealed the game well and truly in our favor.

Unfortunately this game had used up our entire supply of rubber chickens. Wherever will we find this new sacrificial animal?

4 October 2015
What's this, what's this? The Burthnasians have given us a substantial number of rubber chickens! And they've come with a surprise: grape juice! 'Tis truly the most wonderful grape juice I have ever tasted! We must negotiate a trade agreement with the Burthnasians at once! Their grape juice for our copper! This must be done! At once!

[Burthnas]

Joe Mcgoh @JoeMiggo
I wonder why the supermarket's replaced the #grapejuice aisle with raw #copper? O.o
51 Retweets | 26 Favorites | 11:06 pm

BURFAN72 @Xxx_BURBUR72
ZOMG GO GOG GOGOGOGOG TEAMMM BURRRRRR
1 Retweets | 0 Favorites | 11:05 pm

Anna Ou @OuItsAnna
The moment of silence was a nice thing for you to do! #ThankYouEura
23 Retweets | 7 Favorites | 11:08 pm

Tim Mchaullen @ZeOnlyTimM
I'm on a horse #TweeterHour!
12,345 Retweets | 6,789 Favorites | 11:10 pm

Miffy Bunny @I_is_Miffy
I saw your jets and thought we were being air raided ._.
#ThankYouGoogolsia
782 Retweets | 95 Favorites | 11:11 pm

[Dreamplanet]

Nation Name: Dreamplanet
Short Name: DRE
Manager: Rodrigo Vaz
Senior Captain: Igor Filipes
Style Mod: 0

STARTING XI

Spelling Mistakes: Luis Silva and João Pedro

SUBSTITUTIONS
GK: Rafael Dos Bosques
DEF: Michael Silva
DEF:Zé André
MID:Luis da Costa
ATT:Antonio Luis
KITS-MADE BY MESKI

FORMATIONS
4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-2-4 all attack

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: No
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: No
Godmod other events: No

[Banguela]

“I… I think it is not good… Good for the confidence of the team. They need stability.”

The quick mathematician would have sorted out already that those are fourteen words but the one that mattered were the two short pauses, Joao Ferreira realised. He quietly stared at the blurry shadows put up by the flickering bed stand light of his boss and himself. They formed a remarkable duo, a forced marriage in which both parties had been pushed by pitchforks to the altar. Unknown, even to most insiders in the Banguelan football scene, Joao had been contacted by Uniao Lumpula to become the head coach during the first professional season to hit the nation. After ploughing and toiling for years on end with mediocre youth teams and amateur sides, both incapable and unwilling to produce what he had in mind, it would indicate a first big step. Admittedly, Lumpula appeared at the bottom of all previews, but such only formed an additional aspect. But not only the players group was poor in Lumpula, a remote town where electricity shortages were still as regular as sunrises and the newspaper, the treasury had the consistency of a fishing net as well. They hesitated and then…

Joao exactly recalled how his fiancé shouted his name that evening, holding the earphone like a Fabergé egg embroiled with diamonds. Somehow, her voice managed to skip three beats in the two words For you! and her eyes had doubled in size. It was an infectious fear for the unknown and without any doubt, her trembling had reverberated in his quiet and short answers. A personal call whether he was interested to assist the brand-new national team as T2. Something paperback books tend to describe as a dream coming true. And even though Joao Ferreira wasn’t the man for fairy tales and similar nonsense, it came across as a unique launching pad.

By the time Joao put the pen to paper, he already knew better but he believed in being someone who places his money where his mouth is. Crawling back is for the weak! Oh, how oft he had cursed his silly romantic ideas, to describe it a tad more prosaic. During the two conversations with Marco Freite, who had preferred meeting in flashy hotel lobbies over quiet pubs, a disastrous decision as these locations tend to provide no coasters for advanced tactical discussions, he had discovered that actually neither was satisfied with the choice made. Made by whom? People who had something to win with the national side that was more precious, and easier exchangeable with commodities, than glory, Joao presumed.

One of those people had voiced his name, which still fell like the harshest insult in the whole process to Joao, as a possible docile sidekick. A young lad who would already be glad that he could walk around his neighbourhood with a training with ‘Banguela NT’ ironed to the back, was capable of putting cones at the right spot on a training pitch, managed to stay positive in his press contacts with journalists who lacked a long arm in the management and would otherwise keep his food department shut. It didn’t take long for both parties to realise that their expectations in one another were not exactly met, but by the time it truly kicked in, neither could get out of the deal anymore.

A difficult marriage had formed as such, in which one party was trying to keep his foot on the head of his opponent, while the other one silently sawed at the legs of the chair. But Joao was clever enough to do in silence, contrary to his colleague-adversary, or as the young and hip would say, frenemy, who didn’t let an occasion go past to humiliate him.

”Hey, Joao, I think one of the balls flew into the parking lot. We will already go to the restaurant, you’ll pick them up and a bit quick, please?”

Or at least, that was the act outdoors. When the players had gone to rest and the sun disappeared behind the horizon, back- and foreground switched. They both knew the rules of the puppet theatre they were playing with Joao giving suggestions and Marco Freite waving them away. But generally, he would follow them. Not so before the opener, where the manager insisted on fielding Nefala, a tactless player who lacked the finesse to deal with international football as was painfully proven against Armeia. And now, Marco Freite hesitated.

“I mean, Luis Cangé did excellently and we should all give them time to build up,” he stuttered, not even convincing himself.
”No, that is right,” Joao calmly meditated, ”that’s right. I mean, in a way, if it wouldn’t have worked out with another system like with those wide wingbacks, one would say it is just the group that has not got the quality. It would smash them out of confidence for that vital third match. We’ll stick to the 4-3-3.”

Joao stood up, self-assured and wished him a good night. The nervous shuffling he heard for more than an hour in the room next to his confirmed who had won this battle.

...

Fourteen minutes left and Halis Mirtas could have come near his second one, but the slide tackle of Djalma Yaba was well-timed. Joao Pinto picked it up and used his arm as a slingshot to send the relentless Chingala into the wide open space at the left side. Matir Sekkol saw the elastic midfielder come like people tend to gaze upon incoming rockets. Aware that no escape was possible and that silent contemplation would diminish the impact over a flailing attempt to get away, Sekkol stood fast as Chingala rushed past him. It would have been magic if it had been the first time that evening but some of the fans had already tired arms from joining the wave at that side of the pitch. Admittedly, his cross pass was not the best of its kind but Ze Vidigal ran cleverly towards the second post and could glide it past a hapless Halson Irith.

...

“We’re going in in five, mister Marco Freite.”

As he attempted the biggest of grins for the live audience, the camera came in just too late to see Joao Ferreira truly pull that off.

“And we are live here in Estadio Parque Armenia, mister Marco Freite, I know you probably want to join the guys in the dressing room but thank you for spending a few seconds with us.”
“With pleasure, as always.”
“There were a few surprising changes in the line-up, no Luis Cangé, no Mananga. A remarkable decision?”
“Well, of course but you cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs. These guys know it is not a punishment but as a squad we have to be flexible. Sometimes you must adapt to your opponent. It is not always about being strong, but also being clever.”
“But the 3-5-2... Or was it a 5-3-2? Or...”
“Those are just numbers and that’s where you can make the difference. It is about looking beyond that, you understand?”
“Ehm... Yes. I see. Will we see the system with Chingala and Ze Mata each taking a whole wing for their account return against Eshan?”
“I have just heard that they did splendidly against Armeia, congratulations to them. We will obviously go through the tape first but it is an option.”

It would be the last question of the interview as he indicated with a nervous hand gesture that he would take off. In all fairness, he did not know the answer either.

...

The Banguelans will compete against Eshan with the same line-up as in the previous confrontation with Wazekia.

[Estelar]

"An official WCC competition shouldn't happen during a Mercury Retrograde period", says Jupiter Lynx
news brought to you by the Daily Predictor, in association with Astrology Today/Past/Forever

Horoscope of the day - Cancer: "Be calmer and lighter. Ready to be more understanding and more investigative too: Moon stays in the peaceful Taurus, in harmony with Jupiter and Pluto. It is worthwhile to adopt a positive attitude, practical and objective towards live, realize what needs improvement, to be transformed or recycled. Good moment to analyze possibilities, to think about strategies which can promote improvements."

Comment of the Cancer player - Beatrix July: "Why do we Cancer people always have to be the understanding ones trying to see the good in people? Well, I know that this is a critical moment because the team isn't performing very well, so it is time for improvements and for us to analyze the strategies of the team. But I really can't stand some of my teammates sometimes... Dani drank during the entire match and Augusta asked to be substituted over some leg cramp, don't know if I should believe her... but okay, since the team is in such a difficult moment, I'll try to practice my empathy and work together with team in order to find ways to grab this win in the last and vital match of the group stage."

Calm down, Beatrix. It is Mercury Retrograde, in an air sign, Libra, which is also involves insecurity and lack of decisions... this may well be the reason of Estelar's difficulties in the Baptism of Fire.

Yes, you read this, both the comment above and the headline were said by Jupiter Lynx, the coach of the Estelarian National Team. The Stargazers, which were expected to be a slightly offensive team, but offensive anyway, are yet to score a goal, and the good form of attackers Imogene and Vesta in the National League is gone. After the loss in the physically intense match against New Gelderland, in which a defensive strategy made the difference, Estelar repeated mistakes and failed to perform well at the attacking area. And, worse than that, the team couldn't keep focus, with players arguing with each other, especially in two moments: Beatrix complaining with Dani and Éris shouting at Vesta after the latter made a second bad finish in less than five minutes. Bad communication between the players, difficulties in following strategies and concluding moves, insecurity in producing strong attacks, arguments between good friends... surely there is something behind all this, and our astrologers agree with Jupiter, as one commented: "Mercury Retrograde in an air sign... movement and communication problems while the planet is exactly in a sign which affects communication... everything gets bigger, more powerful, intense, challenging... some people can claim that this extra level of difficulty adds something to the competition, but I tend to agree with Jupiter in this case, an official competition shouldn't happen during times like these, you simply can't perform your best... and who knows, even an accident can happen, you know that Mercury also affects machines and transportation."

There isn't much that we can say about the match itself. This wasn't a match in which the strong defence made a difference, like the first one against New Gelderland. It is true that Witty Penguin's defenders, especially Strathmore who some people argue was the best player of the match, were superb in stopping the Stargazers' attackers, but at the same time Vesta made a lot of offensive mistakes. On the other side, Witty Penguin had some chances too with the duo Dehart and Günther, mostly during the first half, as in the second half they seemed unable to connect the ball to each other until the latter ended being substituted. The most commanding player on the pitch was Éris, the other contender for top player of the match, who held the ball well and even had some offensive runs even being a more defensive midfielder, but she couldn't do much more: few of her moves ended giving real danger to Johnson. The same can be said of Dani. With few shots going towards her, she spent more time drinking from the flask that was beside the left goalpost. Close to the end of the match she even danced in front of the supporters behind her goal, shouting some things no one could understand. Later it was discovered that the flask didn't have water, but brandy. "I don't know if I can drink while on the playing field, but I thought that if I could hide and pretend it was water there wouldn't be a problem... to bad that my attitude revealed that there was something different going on... I should have predicted that when I attempted to hug Beatrix when she came to scold me."

Her teammate, even after being hugged, didn't take the situation in a good mood. "You know, there are moments to party and moments to be focused and calculate what you need to do in order to reach objectives. If you want to I can show you the graphs I made, to prove how much I studied for this match. Drinking isn't something that will help us, especially when you are the goalkeeeper!!! The goalkeeper who needs to have her reflexes ready! In the end we didn't lose, but she took risks. Even Vesta, who is her favourite partying and drinking buddy, showed much more determination, while Dani relies only on her plastic and movie-style saves and her popularity as a top player." The goalkeeper and team captain only replied: "I don't want to fight, please, I want to help the team! Come on, I had a clean sheet today, after all. I promise to not drink next match." In order to calm down everybody, attacker Imogene, an influential player in the squad, commented: "If you think about the situation we are now in the Baptism of Fire, the difference between this draw or what would happen if we had won isn't that big... with New Gelderland winning, we still depend only on ourselves in order to achieve the spot in the next round. We win and we are in. Simple as that, and that's what we are going to fight for.

ESTELAR - 0						WITTY PENGUINS - 0

1-  Dani Abate						1-  Oliver Johnson
2-  Sidonie Belini (subbed out 63')			4-  Levi Cobb
6-  Nicole Luna						2-  Roman Garley
3-  Leona Ferran					3-  Gary Strathmore
4-  Ariana Pacheco					18- Floyd Howard
7-  Chrissie Hacker					7-  Ben Knight
5-  Éris Dezon						6-  Jamie Walter (subbed out 75')
10- Beatrix July					15- Troy Cornet
9-  Augusta Dreher (subbed out 52')			14- Harry Whitfield (yellow card 66')
11- Imogene Gallacher					8-  Lesley Dehart
8-  Vesta Robles (subbed out 80')			9-  Klaus Günther (subbed out 68')

Subs:							Subs:

19- Amber Gondelle (subbed in 52')			20- Matthew Martinez (subbed in 68')
25- Ellen Castor (subbed in 63')			12- Pierre Fort (subbed in 75')
18- Gia Cruzeiro (subbed in 80')


Coach: Jupiter Lynx					Coach: Richard Peak

[Dreamplanet]

DTV.com - Baptism of Fire News

Dreamplanet fans during the match against Lee Islands.

30th September 2015/30th September 2001 (Dreamplanet years)
This is the final group stage match, we will see if Dreamplanet can withstand the pressure and make it trough to the next round, some countries have already been eliminated like Lee Islands (Eliminated by Dreamplanet) and Transpadana (Eliminated by Copper Cuprum). Captain Luis Silva of Sporting CD says "We will try our best to not let it slip out of our hands and make a shock." We will soon see if Dreamplanet is up to the task, Dreamplanet face Shtiar Bakal which are tied with 4 points with Damukuni, Dreamplanet had it's debut against Damukuni, Dreamplanet lost 1-0 and Damukuni rubbed it in in our faces because their midfielder apparently beat our experienced goalkeeper by "using a physics equation she had learned at the University of Damushuto, where she studied nuclear physics." Dreamplanet failed to go to the Press meeting after a fight in the Dressing Room between FC Libon Captain Center-Mid, João Souza, the Manager, Rodrigo Vaz later made the statement "I shall not tolerate this kind of attitude towards me, he has been sent home." Luis Silva later became Captain, he commented saying "João did a bad decision, and he probably is never going to get back to the Dreamplanet squad due to his decisions".

The next day, Dreamplanet made headlines by winning their first match, Luis Silva scored the winning goal, he said "They were lucky to bring the game to 1-1, but i was able to header the ball in and rescue Dreamplanet."
Dreamplanet went on to win the match against Lee Islands, and now Dreamplanet is in high hopes of making it to the next round.

[Damukuni]

<< Previous Post | Next Post >>

This is my player entry for the Eura/Valladares Eleven of Fire selection committee.

Wisdom Tracey

---

From ProPlayer Wiki, the wiki site on professional sports figures

Not to be confused with Damukuni Spiritualist Church guru Wisdom Tracy.

Wisdom Tracey

Tracey on Forest Glade Lumberjacks, 2015

---

Personal information

Full name	Wisdom Jane Tracey
Nationality	Damukunian (formerly South Otselician)
Date of birth	17 Feb 1995 (age 20)
Place of birth	Forest Glade, Eastern Free State, Damukuni (then a part of South Otselic at the time of her birth)
Height	174 cm (5' 9")
Playing position	Forward

---

Club information

Current team	Number
Damukuni National Team	21
Forest Glade Lumberjacks	6

---

College (DCN*) career

College	Apps	Goals
Univ. of Damushuto (2014)	17	32

---

Club career

Team	Apps	Goals
Forest Glade Lumberjacks (2015)	38	20

---

National team career
(listed in competition order)

Competition	Apps	Goals
Campionato Esportiva XIV	3	2

Wisdom Tracey (full name: Wisdom Jane Tracey) is an Otselician-Damukunian professional football player who plays for Damukunian football club Forest Glade Lumberjacks and is also the captain-in-chief and offensive captain of the Damukunian national football team.

Early life
Wisdom Tracey was born on 17 February 1995 to Charles and Joanna Tracey in Forest Glade, Western South Otselic province, South Otselic (now part of Damukuni's Eastern Free State). She attended the Nishi-ga Minami Otserikku-shō Akademī (Western South Otselic Provincial Academy, now part of the Eastern Free State College of Arts and Sciences) in Forest Glade during her childhood. She developed an interest for football at an early age, playing on the academy's youth team beginning at the age of eight. In the year 2004, she scored the winning goal at the South Otselic Youth Football Division B National Championships, beating out longtime rival Endicott City Schools.

Tracey then grew to be a strong force on the Nishi-ga junior high football team, narrowly missing two attempts to make the Girls' National Junior High Football Championships (2007 and 2008) before leading her team in points to win the 2009 Girls' National Junior High Football championship title against Adelein Union Middle School.

High-school football career
Tracey's family moved to the West South Otselic provincial capital of Teikokuda (now the Damukunian capital of Atarashii-Damushuto) in July of 2010, thereby causing her to attend the ill-reputed Teikokuda High School. There, Tracey met several street gangs, whom she was able to form a high-school football team, with the help of the Teikokuda Police Department and Restoration International, an organization dedicated to rehabilitating street gangs. During her time with the Teikokuda High team, she led them to the 2012 High School National Championship, where they defeated the West Bay High Schools team 2-1. She also led the team to post-season play in 2013, but lost in the quarterfinals, 3-2, to former rival team Endicott High Schools.

Damukunian self-sovereignty and college career
During the short period of the rule of the Holy Empire of Damukuni over the former province of Western South Otselic, Tracey and her family were forced to flee to South Otselic to avoid religious persecution by the Damukunian Catholic Church. The Tracey family returned to their city, renamed Atarashii-Damushuto, on 28 February 2015, after the establishment of the Federal Republic of Damukuni under the rule of President Naruto Shinagawa. Tracey was able to graduate from now-renamed Damushuto City Schools in 2014 as the salutatorian of her class.

Tracey attended college at the University of Damushuto, where she received an athletic scholarship for women's football, majoring in applied physics. While there, her talent was discovered by not only her coach, who put her on the starting roster, but also talent scouts for the newly-created Damukuni Football Association. While on the University of Damushuto women's football team, she made appearances in all seventeen of her regular-season games, scoring 32 points.

Professional football career
The Damukuni Football Association drew Wisdom Tracey to play on the Forest Glade Lumberjacks, a team from her hometown. ((OOC: The Damukuni FA has a draft every year, similar to the American NFL draft.)) In their first season, the Lumberjacks were drawn to play in the Under-Challengers' League, the lowest of the three created tiers of football. Despite this setback, Tracey played well for her hometown team, scoring 20 goals on the season. She eventually played a vital part in promoting her team to The Challengers (the second tier) after the Lumberjacks qualified for the Lower Promotion Tournament. She was also selected to play for the Damukunian national football team starting with the fourteenth edition of the Campionato Esportiva. While in the CE, Tracey scored two of the national team's three goals, including the tying goal with Nova Anglicana, giving Damukuni its only match point. She is slated to play as the captain-in-chief of the national team heading into the 60th Baptism of Fire and the 73rd World Cup, to be held in late 2015.

[Witty Penguins]

THE UNITIA CITY TIMES

Baptism of Fire: All over for the Penguinites?

30 October 2015

Yesterday's result was not what everyone had wanted. A win against Estelar would have put the Penguinish side into a slightly more comfortable position in their group, though nevertheless the draw meant that the side would not be eliminated. Yet, that is. New Gelderland are more-or-less through to the next round having secured two wins, however second spot (where Googolsia is currently sitting) could still be taken. Witty Penguins are in a grim spot and will need more than one miracle to continue their Baptism of Fire dream.

Yesterday's match against Estelar resulted in a 0-0 draw. The Penguinish defense played a great game, managing to fend off the Estelarian offensive for most of the match, with Johnson only needing to save a small number of shots. However the same could not be said about our attacking players. Gunther, and his later replacement Martinez struggled to find their way through to Dani Abate's goal. A dodgy tackle against Ellen Castor in the 66th minute saw Harry Whitfield receive the only yellow card of the match.

Today at Workers Athletic Achievement Stadia, the Penguinites will be playing against New Gelderland, who currently lead the group. To progress, they will need to win this match by a convincing amount. This will be a very hard feat, considering that their opponents had beaten Googolsia, whom the Penguinites lost to in their debut match. In addition, they will need Estelar to win their match against Googolsia. Many are expressing their doubts within the Penguinish fanbase, though few still believe that the team can still make it.

"The team will have to give it their all tomorrow, but it's not an impossible task," said one supporter in Eura.

"We believe in them, and at tomorrow's match we'll make it clear that we're still behind them."

i really suck at writing these

[Chromatika]

Luuk Aart is my submission into the Eleven of Fire

It had been a hard-fought game from both sides, with the Chromatik defense holding strong, and the Natanians' possession-heavy game equally as suffocating. Yet, at the end, it was the Natanians that came through, with another goal off of a set piece, on a gorgeous free kick that curled into the left top corner of the net. All Larriet's side could do was shake their head in disbelief, and walk off the pitch, knowing that they had failed to advance into the knockout stages, and that their campaign was at an end.

Luuk Aart played excellently, marking his opponent every time the ball ended up into the final third. It was indeed a shame that the Chromatiks had to lose the match, as their play was much more inspired and spirited. It was as if they knew that their whole nation was hanging onto their every move; it was such an effort that the netizens of Chromatika responded with a hearty amount of "that was great play", "a great game that the Chromatiks lost fair and square", and "the defense is great, perhaps switch things to be a little more open during the World Cup?". Whether Larriet will change her scheme for the actual tournament with the hopes of scoring more often or not, it seems that the country has rallied around them, at least a little bit.

However, monstrous news hit the team. After the loss to the Nosts, Luuk Aart announced that he would be holding a press conference after the Chromatiks' last match against Scottopian Isles, regardless of the result, and that it would have a major impact on the squad. There are speculations as to what he could be alluding to - from a family medical emergency to a secret romance - but it does seem to put a cloud over the Chromatik squad. If it is something serious, perhaps they could lighten the mood by attaining three points with a win?

Nevertheless, the next game seems to be an important one, as to be expected. All beginning games in a nation's history is bound to leave an impact, and this Baptism of Fire is definitely doing that.

From the Diary of Meagan Kelly, Chromatik Midfielder

[Scottopian Isles]

The energy from the crowd struck Dr. Jamie McCalvin as both awesome & terrifying. A majority of the spectators were neutrals who happened to pick one team over the other, but at opposite ends of the pitch were the Scottopian supporters & the Minecraft Miners fans. It had been a heated game so far, with both sides having plenty of chances, but nothing hit the back of the net in the first half. As the players & coaches emerged from the tunnel, the crowd erupted into a deafening roar that he was sure could be heard a couple miles away in the city center of Spartangrad. The new formation that had been selected has showed its value, but also the players having just 2 days to adjust to the new tactic was a bit overwhelming, but the 'Boys in Royal Blue' had done the men proud.

The referee blew the whistle to begin the second half when the doctor took his seat next to a few of the subsitutes as they began to watch the battle between both forces. The 5-4-1 formation of the Miners had shown its worth in their first game, but was begining to show weakness against the Scottopians who took the ball to the far ends of the pitch, widening their oppositisons positioning, then cut back the ball into the center of the pitch for an attempt on goal to which Christer, the Minecraft Miners goalkeeper saved with ease. The ball was again put into play, and crossed the halfway line after a long punt from the ball. Most of the miners rushed forward to take advantage of the breakaway and were soon outnumbering the Scottopians who were downfield.

The Scottopians watched in horror as the Miners 1-2 passed the ball between the final defenders and brought Rimados out from his goal box in an attempt to stop the play. Just as he approached, the Miner slotted the ball passed the Scottopian Goalie, to which he attempted to kick it in a failed effort, which found an unmarked Boback with a wide open net. Time slowed down as he took his shot hitting the back of the net to put the Minecrafters 1-nil up with 30 minutes to go. Additional tragedy occured when it was apperant that Rimandos, the first string keeper for the national squad was gripping his leg in pain, and had yet to stand up. White was the first Defender to approach the keeper, to which he quickly looked at the management and began waving at them to enter the field. The stadium, with exception to the Miners support, fell deathly quiet.

Docter McCalvin grabbed his bag in a hurry and sprinted onto the pitch, knocking over water bottles in the process. Without a thought, he sped past the other players making their way back to the starting positions who turned and realized the keeper was down what brought a large hush over the stadium.

"Castle! Warm Up!" spoke the Manager. Andy Castle, of Rangers FC was the countries 2nd best keeper. He had declined numerous attempts to bring him to a Premiership team so he could play for his boyhood team. A decision, that although made him get onto the national squad, left him as the 2nd pick although he was just as good as Rimandos. Gloves on Andy! They're bringing him off..." continued Rafferty.

The 4th official held up the sign indicating Rimandos-Castle exchange what was met by appluase from both sides of the engagement in respect to the efforts put forth by the now injured keeper. The manager wrapped his arm around Castle one last time. "Andy, listen son. We're islanders, so I know your father taught you to fish. I want you to pretend your fishing. Just imagine the water, forget the noises, the colors, the distractions. Just focus on that wee bouncing ball out there. That's your life, keep your eye on it as it approaches and as its cast out to sea pal. It's just you & the ball. Go fishing"

"Aye Gaffa, will do, I won't let you down." replied the player as he ran into the pitch to loud cheers from the Scottopian support. Once in goal, the game resumed & the team did their best to retain the possession before moving into the attacking half in case of another break away. For the next quarter hour a battle in the middle third of the field took place as players were cautioned & fouls given away as Scottopian Isles fought to salvage any attempt to keep their hopes alive as a loss today would mean the end of their Cup run.

With less than 10 minutes to go, and Minecraft Miners settling into defense to hold onto their small lead, Rafferty made 2 new subs. Replacing the stroking duo up front, he determined to allow 2 players yet to make an appearance off the bench their shot at glory. Baxters & Peterson were taken off with Clint Kingsbury of MacKenzie City & Chris MacKenzie, whom played abroad in the Cenian League I began their own Baptism of Fire with roughly 5 minutes to make their impact, and impact they did as within minutes, the fresh legs were noticed.

The defensive style of the Axemen were growing tired & pressured by the continual pursuit by the Scottopians. Their efforts bore fruit in the 86th minute when a McCulloch cross to MacKenzie was chested down giving him a shot at goal. The ball curled past the diving keeper to bounce off the woodwork and back into play. The ball came to the feet of Kingsbury who one-timed it into the back of the net.

The Scottopians rushed forward to dogpile the forwards and celebrate the goal. With minutes remaining, they have saved their chances to press on in the tournament. The players collected themselves & played out the dying moments to which after the whistle, erupted into madness from the Scottopian Isles fans who threw confetti & streamers in their own celebration. A few bagpipers played our national anthems tune while others sang it loud & proud. The team walked over to the majority of the fans to began clapping and bowing to them to thank them for their own efforts to back up the team. Each of them left with a smile on their faces ready to tackle the next game & push forward into the Round of 16.

[Valladares]

It's Judgement Day. Cutoff.

Group Stage - Matchday 3 Results
Valladar Region (Groups E - H)

Group E

Damukuni 4-1 The Lee Islands
Stade de la Frontière, Fontvielle, Foix

Shtiar Bakal 0-2 Dreamplanet
Arena Junín, City of Junín

Team                    P  W  D  L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 Damukuni             3  2  1  0   7  3  +4   7  Q
 2 Dreamplanet          3  2  0  1   4  2  +2   6  Q
 3 Shtiar Bakal         3  1  1  1   3  4  -1   4
 4 The Lee Islands      3  0  0  3   2  7  -5   0

Group F

Wazekia 1-3 Armeia
Estadio Parque Armenia, Columbus, Mountbatten

Banguela 0-1 Eshan
Estádio do Maldonado, Maldonado, Chiquito

Team             P  W  D  L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 Eshan         3  2  0  1   5  1  +4   6  Q
 2 Banguela      3  1  1  1   3  3  +0   4  Q
 3 Armeia        3  1  1  1   3  5  -2   4
 4 Wazekia       3  1  0  2   4  6  -2   3

Group G

Freedom Utopia 100 3-0 Transpadana
Estadio de la Montaña, Pradera, Antioquia

Fluvique 2-2 Copper Cuprum
Estadio Tricentenario, Valencia, Antioquia

Team                       P  W  D  L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 Fluvique                3  2  1  0   5  2  +3   7  Q
 2 Copper Cuprum           3  1  2  0   5  3  +2   5  Q
 3 Freedom Utopia 100      3  1  1  1   4  3  +1   4
 4 Transpadana             3  0  0  3   0  6  -6   0

Group H

Gim 1-0 Herberland
Albert Field, Edmonton, Westlands

Knalland 1-1 Warbern
Westlands Stadium, Hoxford, Westlands

Team               P  W  D  L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 Gim             3  3  0  0   3  0  +3   9  Q
 2 Knalland        3  1  1  1   2  2  +0   4  Q
 3 Herberland      3  1  0  2   3  3  +0   3
 4 Warbern         3  0  1  2   2  5  -3   1

---

Round of 16 Matches
Valladar Region

Match R5
(E1) Damukuni vs. Banguela (F2)
Arena Junín, City of Junín

Match R6
(G1) Fluvique vs. Knalland (H2)
Estadio Tricentenario, Valencia, Antioquia

Match R7
(F1) Eshan vs. Dreamplanet (E2)
Estádio do Maldonado, Maldonado, Chiquito

Match R8
(H1) Gim vs. Copper Cuprum (G2)
Albert Field, Edmonton, Westlands

As a reminder, the Round of 16 will be scorinated in roughly 48 hours after this post.

[Vers-Gelderland]

The scene seemed to be right out of the popular series "You are the Ref." At the seventy-ninth minute, Louis Rhodes sent a great pass to striker Ben Griffin after running around Lammert Muller and the infamous Arend Bokori, who only added to his reputation by giving Rhodes an ugly tackle, before which Rhodes had given a pass to the sublimely positioned Ben Griffin. The tough choice - in a heart-thumpingly quick few seconds - for Farf referee Amancio Rui Ortega was whether play should continue, seeing that it was an obvious serious foul play for Bokori and that Griffin had an excellent opportunity to play on.

What would it be? The outcome of the game could reside on this one decision.

The rules clearly state that the ref must send a player off immediately if the offence warrants expulsion - which it did. But there's an exception, an all important one: play can continue if there's an opportunity to score a goal right after the offense. Griffin had the opportunity - therefore the show must go on.

The show did go on, and Griffin made good use of his opportunity, scoring the goal. And Ortega awarded a red card to Bokori for good measure.

Googolsia - in an unexpected turn of events - challenged the continuation of play on the grounds that the red card should have merited stoppage of play then and there. In normal circumstances, that would have been a solid argument: the rules do specify clearly that a player should be sent off immediately after an offense, but Ortega overruled their objections - because Griffin had the ball and had an excellent goalscoring opportunity, it was all right to play advantage. Law 5 also stated that it was OK to continue play when there was a subsequent opportunity to score - which there was. The decision left Googolsia grumpy, though.

Sullen, and now with only ten men on their team, Googolsia tried to mount a last-ditch effort for the last eleven minutes of the game, but it was ultimately unsuccessful. New Gelderland - again - had prevailed, thanks to some good defensive efforts, especially from Eliot Horn in the goalkeeper's gloves, who stopped several shots from Googolsia, as well as Louis Rhodes, who was instrumental in securing the lone goal for New Gelderland with his assist. Luke Virgo and Ben Griffin also performed well, scoring New Gelderland's two goals between them after exploiting good positioning.

The team will now play fourth-placed Witty Penguins, who must win and hope for Googolsia to lose in order to have any chance of advancing to the next round. Meanwhile, New Gelderland is guaranteed to advance with its two wins in the group setting it three points ahead of second-place Googolsia.

---

New Gelderland Football Federation
Press Release - 9/30/2015

Louis Rhodes, the valuable captain of the New Gelderland national team in the Baptism of Fire, has been injured by the Googolsian player Armend Bokori. After this action, the Googolsian Football Federation has offered its condolences to our manager and team, which they have accepted. After looking over the injured Mr. Rhodes, the team doctor, Janet Spisak, has determined that the injury consists of a severe contusion to the leg and its resulting hematoma. In layman's terms, that is a fancy name for a bruise and blood outside the body.

Upon further examination, the contusion and hematoma appear to be treatable and will require some recovery time. Dr. Spisak has recommended a treatment of compression, ice, and most importantly, rest. This, unfortunately, led to the unfortunate decision to leave Mr. Rhodes out of the Witty Penguins game in the Baptism of Fire and he will be replaced by center midfielder Steve Achilles. However, Dr. Spisak has informed manager David Ross that Mr. Rhodes will be able to participate in New Gelderland's Round of 16 match. Goalkeeper Eliot Horn will replace Rhodes as captain.

Louis Rhodes has been a valuable member of the New Gelderland national team and has contributed excellently to the success of the team. Two assists have been credited to his name and his passing and playmaking abilities will be much missed on the team as they try to win the Baptism of Fire.

In other news, the New Gelderland Football Federation gives its condolences and commiserations to the nation of Burthnas and the next of kin of Leonard Pierce, the President of the nation of Burthnas, and his wife. This is an unfortunate turn of events for the country and the family, and we wish them the best of luck in their Baptism of Fire as well as in finding a new leader for their country. We can imagine that this will hit the family especially hard, and we give our sympathy and empathy to the family.

[Burthnas]

Preparing for the Worst
by: Tilly Tally

It's only minutes before Burthnas', and many other nations', final match in the group stage. This could be the deciding factor for many nations. Even though Burthnas has been going strong throughout this stage, the team is still all very anxious. Each member is unique in how they like to calm themselves.

Off in the distance, the Quinn and Att are playing some video games. They've been doing so for quite some time, with only a tie between them. Decem now joins.

Otto is stress eating. I guess old habits die hard. Or maybe the Euran food is just too irresistible?

Octo is doing some finger exercises.

Sehk, Mr. Elk, Dicey, and Duo are all getting massages from Mr. Rump, his hair, and all the Valarie clones.

Novem, Decem, and Deck are showering in the lavish showers in Castle Road.

Quindecim is just listening to the murmurs of the awaiting crowd, staring at them with her dark brown eyes.

Tres and Nihil are rocking the karaoke.

Tredecim offered to be interviewed, but all he ever talked about has how great Tredent was.

Code: Select all

 Q: So, how has your stay been in Eura?
A: Tredent gum is so great! It has over 50 unique flavors!

Q: Are you nervous at all?
A: Have you tried the victory falvor? It's [i]free[/i] AND delicious.

Q: What do your game plan?
A: T-R-E-D-E-N-T What does that spell? Tredent!

Q: Can you stop talking about Tredent?
A: There's a party in my tummy. Of gummies, Tredent-mies!

Q: Do you even like soccer?
A: No, but I like Tredent Gum.

Q: Any bonding activities since you arrival?
A: Oh yes, we all shared from the same pack of Tredent Victory gum. It was delicious!

Q: How has practice been going?
A: Extremely hardcore we've been training extra hard to try and beat those Akbarstani's. They're tough... just like the Tredent Hardcore Flavors!

Q: What? that makes no sense!
A: Your mom makes no sense.

[Eura]

Cuttoff for Euran region, Matchday 3.

Offices of the Euran Football Association
Fletcher House
78 Evergreen Maw
Bastion
BAS-372
http://www.eurfa.eur

EURAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OFFICIAL STATEMENT

This is an official statement by the EFA concerning events during the match in Group B between Estelar and Witty Penguins, at the Workers Athletic Achievement Stadia in Callodown, and subsequent statements made by the media in Estelar.

During the aforementioned group match, Estelar goalkeeper Dani Abate brought an alcoholic beverage onto the field and was intoxicated during the match. The officials at the time were not expecting such an event and had not noticed it until late on, and due to its unorthodox nature, did not sanction any punishments. However, in the view of the Euran Football Association, as well as our Valladar colleagues and WCC advisors, this is unacceptable behaviour. It is especially unacceptable at a tournament as prestigious as the Baptism of Fire, and displays a lack of respect on the part of the Estelar team and the individual towards their gracious hosts, one of the worlds top footballing nations. It is also unacceptable in the eye of the Euran government, Workers Union Football Club and the organisers of the tournament. Moreover it violates a number of protocols regarding substance usage, regardless of whether or not any competitive advantage was provided. Therefore the EFA has come to two conclusions:

1. Any similar behaviour in future sanctioned by the EFA, especially for a WCC ranked tournament on Euran soil, will result in an immediate sending off and a three match ban, and a formal warning to the responsible team.
2. In this case, Dani Abate will be retroactively punished with a three match ban (in other words, until the final if Estelar are not out before then) as the officials were not in a position to issue a sanction during the game. Additionally, Estelar and its FA are warned that this is not to happen again, or they may face harsher measures.

Adam Wilson
Chairman, Euran Football Association

---

Group Stage - Matchday 3 Results
Euran Region (Groups A - D)

Group A

Thaldor 1-0 Aeqamustopia
Pignot Stadium, Farrenton

Cruenatia 2-0 Hot Skitty on Wailord Action
Benedict Lane, Holdenberg

Group A Standings

   Team                              P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 Thaldor                           3 3 0 0  4  1 +3  9  Q
 2 Cruenatia                         3 1 1 1  3  2 +1  4  Q
 3 Hot Skitty on Wailord Action      3 1 0 2  1  3 -2  3
 4 Aeqamustopia                      3 0 1 2  0  2 -2  1

Group B

Estelar 2-2 Googolsia
Troutbridge, Ulsa

Witty Penguins 2-1 New Gelderland
Workers Athletic Achievement Stadia, Callodown

Group B Standings

   Team                P  W D L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 New Gelderland      3  2 0 1  3  2  +1  6  Q
 2 Googolsia           3  1 1 1  3  3   0  4  Q*
 3 Witty Penguins      3  1 1 1  2  2   0  4*
 4 Estelar             3  0 2 1  2  3  -1  2

Googolsia finish ahead of Witty Penguins on H2H record.

Group C

Emirate of Akbarstan 1-0 Burthnas
Castle Road, Directus

Saaksvala 1-1 Banija
The Oak House, Oakstone

Group C Standings

   Team                      P  W D  L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 Emirate of Akbarstan      3  3 0  0  6  1  +5  9  Q
 2 Burthnas                  3  2 0  1  5  3  +2  6  Q
 3 Saaksvala                 3  0 1  2  3  6  -3  1
 4 Banija                    3  0 1  2  2  6  -4  1

Group D

Minecraft Miners 1-0 Natanians and Nosts
Sasky Rising Memorial Stadium, Brigham

Scottopian Isles 1-1 Chromatika
Olympic Stadium, Spartangrad

Group D Standings

   Team                     P  W D L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 Minecraft Miners         3  2 1 0  4  1  +3  7  Q
 2 Natanians and Nosts      3  2 0 1  3  2  +1  6  Q
 3 Scottopian Isles         3  0 2 1  3  4  -1  2
 4 Chromatika               3  0 1 2  1  4  -3  1

---

Round of 16 Draw
Euran Region

Match R1
(A1) Thaldor vs. Googolsia (B2)
Workers Athletic Achievement Stadia, Callodown

Match R2
(C1) Emirate of Akbarstan vs. Natanians and Nosts (D2)
Benedict Lane, Holdenberg

Match R3
(A2) Cruenatia vs. New Gelderland (B1)
Castle Road, Directus

Match R4
(C2) Burthnas vs. Minecraft Miners (D1)
The Oak House, Oakstone

[Gim]

"Watchers of WATV 8 News, this is the end of our current affairs news. We will now turn you towards WATV Sports."


Camera switches to WATV Sports with Anchorwoman Jo Jin Ri standing in the center of the WAT Sports platform.


Jo Jin Ri speaks:

"Hello, I'm Jo Jin Ri and this is WATV 8 News Sports. All of the round robin games have been played, and Gim has had miraculous moments, where, at the very end of each game, they managed to score the lone goal, gaining two victories over tough opponents. This is the third and final match, and Head Coach Kang Soo Jong has made some adjustments in formation to fortify our defensive unit. Let's see what the change beholds: Here we go to Edmonton!"

Camera switches to the helicam(Helicopter Camera), which shows an aerial view of the 20,000-capacity Albert Field. Then, the camera turns over to Gimian and Herberlandian players entering the football field from opposite sides.

"First things first: Goalkeeper Lim Dong Yeop using a backscratcher to scratch his back, because his back is itchy. Well, that should certainly help him concentrate during the match.

3rd minute. Herberlandian forward making a cross from the right side of Gimian zone, but before the ball reaches any player, Gimian Defenseman Kim Dong Jin accidentally pushes the opposition forward down to the ground. Referee calls that a penalty and issues a penalty kick. Kim Dong Jin covers his face and walks back and forth behind the referee. Will the Gim clean sheet streak come to an end? Herberian forward kicks the ball after the whistle blows and beats the goalkeeper, but hits the post and the ball stays out! Kim Dong Jin clears the ball safely out of bounds. Gim received an enormous break on that chance by the opposition.

Half time whistle blows, and the game remains 0-0 after the first half.

77th minute. Herberlandian forward trips after Gimian defenseman Jeon Geon Tae slides to try and deflect the ball away from his opposition. A free kick is awarded in the penalty zone. This has to be the most unusual free kick in this tournament. Now, we see eleven Gimian players standing right on the goal line and the goalkeeper is in his stance in front of them. Herberland kicks the ball. Blocked by the chest of one of the Gimian players on the goal line. Rebound comes to Herberland and they shoot, and their shot is blocked once again! Gim survives yet another adversity and keeps the game scoreless.

The match reaches its 90th minute mark and this time the stoppage time is only a single minute, and Herberland has ball possession in their zone, so it is likely their offensive breakout will be the last play of this game. Herberlandian defenseman has a chance to throw the ball, after the ball went out of bounds by Gim. The defenseman throws the ball to the goalkeeper, and oh! The ball gets past the foot of the goalkeeper and into the net. 91:56 and Gim has been awarded a goal! 1-0 Gim, and yet again, Murphy's law does not exist; Gim gets its third consecutive miraculous goal and this has to be the moment of the tournament so far.

Gim 1 - Herberland 0. Final. Gim advances to Round of 16!"

[Googolsia]

Congratulations to the Gooolsian National Team!, who have tied with Estelar to retain their position as 2nd in the group, getting the edge over Witty Penguins in the rankings due to a previous win with them. The team played a great game, and will now face Thaldor, currently undefeated, in the Round of 16.

Both sides played some good football, with Googolsia taking part in their highest-scoring game yet, however it certainly wasn't the cleanest. The game started amazingly, with Googolsia instantly putting pressure on Estelar, with Albertas Ignácz scoring a header in the 17^th minute, then Filip Sovány booting a great kick downfield to Gerard Zoltánfi, who managed to out-pace Imogene Gallacher and get it in the corner of the goal in the 38^th minute. In the second half however, things went downhill for Googolsia, with defender Raimondas Messner yellow-carded in the 53^rd minute after accidentally tripping Vesta Robles while trying to kick the ball away from her, resulting in a penalty, which Robles scored in the 54^th minute. Messner's substitute, Otto Spannagel, who played in the first two games, couldn't keep up with the Estelarian attackers, resulting in Robles scoring an easy goal in the 62^nd minute, just before Messner was due to return. With Messner back, the Googolsian defence managed to keep up, while the attackers kept pressure on Estelar, however nothing amounted from their attempts, and the score remained at 2-2 at full time.

[Googolsia]

via channelabcah.ggl/bof/update/oct/1.php >> Baptism of Fire Daily Update for October 1
Kelly: Good evening everyone, and welcome to our daily Baptism of Fire update for the First of October, with me is fellow sports anchor Freddie Quicksilver.
Freddie: Good evening to you to... *looks at camera* we've got a great show for you today, with Googolsia advancing to the round of 16, we will be live from Eura with Kasper Draganov and the Googolsian National Team, and we'll also have some general updates on the tournament.
Kelly: But first we're off to Eura, where Kasper is standing by with striker and captain Albertas Ignácz.
*view swaps to live feed from Eura

Kasper: Yes good evening to everyone at home, I'm here at the Googolsian training camp, where the team are getting ready for their next game against Thaldor. With me is captain Albertas Ignácz, who also scored one of the goals. So Albertas, how are you feeling about getting through to the round of 16?
Albertas: Well, me and the boys are obviously ecstatic, we never expected to get this far in our first tournament, but it's great for the guys, it really puts us on the world stage if we can do well in an well known event like this.
Kasper: And how did you feel about the game itself?
Albertas: Well, it didn't go too well in my opinion, we didn't win, but I'm still glad that we at least got through to the next round.
Kasper: Before today's game coach Schult changed around the defenders, how did you feel when you found out about this?
Albertas: Well, it wasn't just his decision, I discussed the defence with Elias after the second game, and we both agreed that we only have great players with us, so it can't hurt to try something different, and give those who haven't played a chance to go on and show their skills.
Kasper: So your opponents in the Round of 16, Thaldor, how do you feel going up against them?
Albertas: I am a bit nervous, they haven't lost a single game, compared to us, where we only have one win so far, but I'm confident in my team, hopefully we will be able to pull through and get into the finals for everyone back home!
Kasper: Unfortunately that's all we have time for right now, so thanks Albertas, and good luck for your next game!
*camera pans back to Kelly, who is in the middle of having her makeup touched-up*

Kelly: Oh! *pushes away makeup artist* Well now it's time for our general round up of news from the Baptism of Fire
Freddie: First of all, the 15 other nations who made it through are *lists nations, image below is on screen*

Kelly: We have yet to hear more news about the Burthnasian President's disappearance, although it has been confirmed that Googolsian aircraft are in the area, and are searching for the aircraft
Freddie: And Estelarian goalkeeper Dani Abate has been slapped with a 3 match ban, after it was revealed that he brought an 'alcoholic beverage' on to the field in their game against Witty Penguins, some Estelarian news sources have even said Dani spent more time drinking than at the goal posts! *laughs*
Kelly: *chuckles* The Euran Football Association expressed outrage at the incident, and said that any similar behaviour would also result in a 3 match ban, and formal warning to the team, adding that they have zero tolerance for substance abuse, whether or not it provides any competitive advantage.
Freddie: That's all for tonight, thanks for watching, and we hope to see you tomorrow for more updates on the 60th Baptism of Fire.
*transmission ends with a fancy credits screen*

For more visit channelabcah.ggl/bof >> Channel Abcah, the home of the 60^th Baptism of Fire in Googolsia

[Burthnas]

A great cheer of triumph erupted from Castle Road Stadium on September 30th, 2015. The cheers, however, were for Akbarstan. After putting up a great fight, the Akbarstani managed to slipped pass the worn down defenders before scoring a goal right before the clock rang in the second half of the game. The final score was 1-0.

"We tried hard, we tried our best, and, hey, we still managed to make it to the next round," comments manager Rump after the match. Although defeated, the team still went out to celebrate in the beautiful town center of Directus, signing autographs, giving out free Tredent gum, and parkouring atop the roofs of nearby buildings before eating a hardy dinner at a local restaurant.

"I told you we sucked," says Buffalo Elk with a cocky grin on his face.

The Blue-Gold Buffaloes are set to compete the undefeated Minecraft Miners from group D once again in the Oakhouse the next couple days.

EDIT: A previous version of this article unintentionally included the duration of the break in the final match time.

[Dreamplanet]

DTV.com - Baptism of Fire News

Filipe Vaz selebrates after his clean sheet against Shtiar Bakal.

1st October 2015/1st October 2001 (Dreamplanet years)
Game Review

90'+3 THAT'S IT! FINAL WHISTLE! DREAMPLANET ARE TROUGH
90' Referee says 3 added minutes
87' Dreamplanet almost conceded but Filipe Vaz had other ideas
80' What a great goal by Dreamplanet, i think this one seals it!
50' Dreamplanet score their first goal but did it cross the line ?

In the 50th minute, Sporting CD and recently Dreamplanet Captain scored a goal which many still ask themselves, did it pass the line? Apparently, according to Goal-Line Technology it did.
In a post match intreview, Luis Silva said "I was certain that it would always be a goal, but even i had my doubts"
Finally, in the 80th minute, from a amazing free kick, Aaron Hungar does what he always do best, it hit the crossbar and went in, even though it rebounced back, it was a clear goal. Dreamplanet's fans were never sure that if they could make it.
Dreamplanet Record:
Losses-1 Draws-0 Wins-2
Damukuni 1-0 Dreamplanet
Dreamplanet 2-1 Lee Islands
Shtiar Bakal 0-2 Dreamplanet
Shtiar Bakal has been knocked out by Dreamplanet and i guess that will raise some eyebrows around the world.
After a 2-0 win, Dreamplanet are trough to the next round, they face Eshan. If Dreamplanet were to be eliminated here, it would've been a remarkable escape from the group stage.

[Cruenatia]

David West:Welcome ladies and gentlemen to your one stop shop for everything Cruenatian Football. My name is David West, and beside me is my partner Lance Finnegan. The group stages of play have ended, so let's recap the events that happened so far.

Debut Match

Aeqamustopia 0-0 Cruenatia

Lance Finnegan: The opening match may not have been a victory for the Wolf pack, but they definitely showed their ability to get scoring opportunities. Freddie Chavez and Damien Wilkson had a great game getting the ball into dangerous territory, and Jones had an even better game dancing through defenders, but nobody could find the net. Late in the Second half, what was believed to be a beautiful Pass from Chavez to Jones which led to their first international goal, was controversially ruled offside. As a result, The game ended, 0-0.
-
Interview with Freddie Chavez:

Freddie Chavez:I'm not upset, i'm not angry. I do wish we could have found the back of the net tonight and made our first game our first win, but things don't always play out that way. We will take the draw and just have to do better in later matches.

Match day 2

Cruenatia 1-2 Thaldor

David West:Now this was a tough pill to swallow. The match started out in such a good fashion for Cruenatia. The first 20 minutes of play seemed to be all Cruenatia, as they corrected the wrongs that happened during the last game. 10 minutes into the match Jones puts the first points on the board for Cruenatia. But as time went on, Thaldor seemed to be able to find their bearings and started to play like themselves again. Right before the end of the First half, in the 44th minute, Jakub Svoboda gets the equalizer. Because of this goal the fight to break the tie was on. Both teams giving their all and having dangerous opportunities until Alonso Gardora, The savior for Thaldor, puts the nail in the coffin in the 89th minute. It was heartbreaking for the Cruenatian side. So much so that we could hardly get any words out of the Manager

Interview with Franklin Auguste,

Franklin Auguste:We tried our best, but they were the better team today. This loss has knocked us down to third place, so if we want to stay in this, we need to win our next match. Nothing else will save us but a win. Thank you.

Final Match of Group stage

Cruenatia 2-0 Hot Skitty on Wailord Action

Lance Finnegan:Perhaps his managers words really melted into his heart, because Jones kicked it into high gear in the game where they really needed his leadership. The First goal came, once again in the first few minutes of the match. Jones had a back n forth with Lucas Drakston, sharing the ball once or twice with Freddie Chavez, before getting a nutmeg on the last defender and putting it in the top right corner. He is just someone you can't allow to get a sight on net. Freddie Chavez also turned up his play as he set up several shots on goal in the first half. Louie Davidson, GK, had one of the best highlights in the tournament thus far. Early on in the Second Half, Hot Skitty on Wailord Action had a breakaway and fired one home from inside the box. Davidson was able to get their and deflect it, but right into the path of another shooter who almost immediately takes a shot but he dives once more to barely get it out of the net, and then deflect it a third time with his foot after the ball find one last Hot skitty player. Damien Wilkson finishes off the scoring for the match after a nice through ball past the back line from Jones. Wilkson easily just fakes out the goalkeeper and slides on in the bottom right corner. It was great day for Cruenatia as their warriors of the pitch make it on to the Knockout stage.

Interview with Justin Jones

Justin Jones:This is a great day for us. We rallied together and we got the win we needed to stay alive. I'm really proud of my team for playing as well as they did. Hot Skitty wasn't an easy opponent in anyway, so to get a win like this is a great feeling, thank you.

David West: And So, Cruenatia makes it on to the Knockout stages of the Baptism of Fire Tournament. Hopefully they have found their footing here and will be able to continue their winning ways as they step onto the pitch again. This has been Cruenatian Sports Tonight, see you next time!

[Estelar]

OOC: didn't write this in my first RP where it should be, but my nominee for the Terranean Challenge is my goalkeeper Dani Abate, as she should be available to play since it is a friendly match

Estelar is eliminated; Dani comments on her suspension, then changes opinion as a true Gemini
news brought to you by the Daily Predictor, in association with Astrology Today/Past/Forever

Horoscope of the day - Leo: "Avoid imposing opinions, cultivate your diplomacy as an antidote for problems. With Sun and Mercury Retrograde together in Libra, you have many opportunities to review old concepts, analyze proposals and to rethink ideas, philosophies and questions. Today the Moon still stays out of its normal path until evening which indicates indefinitions. Try to keep yourself open to notice the necessities of people close to you."

Comment of the Leo player - Leona Ferran: "In this sad day, I don't think I can grab many things from the horoscope... it is true that this combination of planets, soon and moon indicate lack of stability, which is what hurt our team the most, with we not being able to follow correctly the strategies set by the coach and made too many mistakes. I think it is time to review some strategies, I guess, but probably the team will remain the same for the World Cup qualifiers. And, as for the necessities of people around me, I guess that we know are really looking to take care of each other here in the team. Curious that during the competition we argued a lot and had many problems, but now is the time for us to give each other support... to Beatrix who got her calculations wrong, to Nicole who had a bad game yesterday, to Vesta who wasn't able to fulfill the expectations around her, and to Dani who is receiving a lot of critics and who is feeling very sad and guilty."


In the end, after three matches on group stage, Estelar ended not winning a single match, but can claim that the performance during the last game was the best one, free of controversies and one in which the team managed to produce some interesting offensive moves and more team organization, even though the beginning of the match seemed to show that things would only get worse. Close to the first third of the first half, Googolsia found a real opportunity to score when Müller passed the ball to Sovany thanks to the bad positioning of Nicole, who was too late at challenging the winger who invaded the area and just sent a short lob pass to Ignácz to score with a header. Vênus, the substitute for the suspended Dani who came under a lot of pressure, as much pressure as the one over the substitute captain Beatrix, did well and nothing she could do could stop the two goals, which happened thanks to a creative exchange of passes taking advantage of the poor positioned left side of Estelar. In the second goal, Imogene had to cover the left side for Nicole who went attacking, but didn't have enough defensive abilities to stop Zoltánfi. In the second half, with Adele receiving a chance as left-back, Estelar could fix the spaces and perform better, and it was only a matter of time for the goals to come. Vesta finally shone, suffering a weird penalty in which both she and her opponent Messner falling on the ground, a situation which slightly injured Messner who had to leave the field for several minutes to receive some medical assistance. Vesta scored, and taking the advantage of having one extra player for some minutes, scored once more after a beautiful dribble over Spannagel. But in the end this didn't help Estelar much. One more goal and Estelar would be qualified, but the goal didn't come.

After the match, some people tried to avoid the negative comments, praising Vesta's performance and the good second half of the squad, however there was too much to discuss about the problems faced by Estelar during this competition. The first questions involved Dani, who was suspended after it was discovered that she drank brandy during the previous match against Witty Penguins. At first, her comments were defensive: "In Estelar we have a culture pretty open about drugs in general, and by being drunk I wasn't really improving my performance... it was immature, but an innocent move, I didn't know there would be such a controversy", then the substitute captain Beatrix took the microphone to complain about her team mate: "Dani is childish, selfish, a spoiled girl and terrible to deal with. It must be something about her triple-Gemini on her astral map, but let's not get too deep on this... point is that she deserved to be punished for that and should focus more on the team instead of trying to show herself to the cameras. I really can't understand know how I was able to date her for so many months, she always got drunk and started shouting that she loved me at the same time she was doing something stupid which would hurt me. Now the whole world knows how tough it was." Dani only kept her head down and said "Okay, sorry, you're my friend and I have to listen at least to you. So I want to take this opportunity to change my comment, my opinion... now I realize that I have to be more respectful and drink only on leisure moments. I apologize and say that I was naive about the implications of my attitudes. I hope the punishment can be overturned, but if not I hope that I can at least have a place in the special team that will play at the end of the competition. Father Luke the Fair, the legendary monk referee who has a name in the history of football, defended forgiveness for the naive and pure of heart, after all." After that, Beatrix only replied "I think I deserve it more, or at least Vesta does... just saying. And, after all, tomorrow you'll probably say that you regret nothing again, as you never know what you want."

With the Dani Abate controversy discussed, other players and the coach were able to focus on other issues, and leaving that theme behind. Vesta lamented the final result and decided to not comment on her good performance. "We lost, so I don't think we should be commemorating that I scored twice and most people saw me as the best player of the match." Imogene tried to be more positive, commenting "I think that when you are down you can also drink to forget the problems and to cry with your friends... so let's go to a party, relax and try to be more positive about the future of the team... I'll pay the first round of tequila!" Coach Jupiter Lynx even said that she would ask the National Federation if they are willing to sack her after the bad results in the competition. "Just received a call that I am going to stay for the qualifiers. I left the decision for them as I know that I have disappointed the country, but it seems that I am going to have a second chance. Well, the director of the Federation is a Pisces, and you know that they are sensitive so I guess that she understand my feelings and had a soft spot because of that." Estelarians all around the country are looking at the positioning of the planets during the time set for the World Cup qualifiers, to see how the team can be affected this time. Many people say that the team wasn't really ready for a difficult competition, or that the team played under extreme astral conditions, or that the team simply had to many players who thought they were stars, or that the tactics were horrible... well, people seem to not agree on anything.

After all, this is a period of Mercury Retrograde.

ESTELAR - 2						GOOGOLSIA - 2

12- Vênus Camacho					GK- Sascho Tschida
2-  Sidonie Belini (subbed out 78')			RB- Hristofor Antal
6-  Nicole Luna	(subbed out 45')			LB- Udo Brandt
3-  Leona Ferran					CB- Oliver Messmann
4-  Ariana Pacheco					CB- Raimondas Messner (yellow card 53')
7-  Chrissie Hacker (subbed out 61')			LM- Filip Sovány (subbed out 69')
5-  Éris Dezon						RM- Engel Kárpáthy
10- Beatrix July					CM- Lammert Müller
9-  Augusta Dreher					CM- Johan Horn (subbed out 56')
11- Imogene Gallacher					FW- Albertas Ignácz (GOAL 17')
8-  Vesta Robles (GOALS 54'/62')			FW- Gerard Zoltánfi (GOAL 38'/subbed out 80')

Subs:							Subs:

13- Adele Manzano (subbed in 45')			CB- Otto Spannagel (subbed in 56')
17- Ceres Vlindmann (subbed in 61')			LM- Jenci Budny (subbed in 69')
18- Gia Cruzeiro (subbed in 78')			FW- Cord Pasternack (subbed in 80')


Coach: Jupiter Lynx					Coach: Elias Schult

[Thaldor]

Third victory in a row, Thaldor Dragons make the confederacy proud !

Londra, 1.10.2015
In a magnificient game the team of Thaldor beat the national team of Aeqamustopia with 1-0, marking it the third victory in the cup.
Man of the Match was a man that suffered much critic in the last games. Andre Cassionetta showed his brilliance in the 30th minute scoring the only goal of the evening and showing the presence we know from him. With this third victory the stars seems to stand right for the Dragons to continue their winning streak, beating the expectations of the Thaldorian population allready.
The next opponent however is a team not to be underestimated, the national team of Googolsia, playing a decent tourney within a hard group.
The game from the Workers Athletic Achievement Stadia in Callodown, Eura will be broadcasted on Saturday by Channel one (preliminary reports starts at 6 pm.)
Sarah Bergmann for Sportmania.th

[Fluvique]

Fluvique defeated Freedom Utopia 100 and reached the last sixteen

Stunning. Tons of confetti was thrown to the pitch when Fluvique emerged from the players entrance.[/align]

The foxes gave another step in his dream to won this competition. At Estadio de la Montaña won 2-0 over Freedom Utopia 100 with goals of Paul Di Angello and Adam Wilde and reached the top of his group, with six points and an unbeaten goal.

From the start, the tricolours insisted on attack the right-side. And, precisely by that side came the first goal of the match: Lucas Topolsky received the ball from FEDE and shot a center to Wilde who tried a volley in the air, but failed to connect it. The ball, deflected by the forward, reached the foot of Di Angello, and he does not missed the chance and scored his first goal at the BoF.

Fluvique dominate the ball after the goal and passing it with patience, in order of find holes in the contrary defence. In that search, the foxes almost increased the advantage at 23 minutes when Sam Gonza ran with the ball, eluded two rivals and near the area, gave a pass to FEDE, leaving him alone with the goal keeper. The forward does not ended the attack well and the goalkeeper saved the 2-0.

The same FEDE also missed another chance when, at 36, Wilde led a counter attack and gave an assistance, but the number 20, when the goalkeeper ran to him, threw himself to the grass. The referee does not buy it and cautioned FEDE with a yellow card, for trying to create a penalty.

It was hard for Freedom Utopia 100 to get ball possession in the first half. The team, with a lot of distance between the forwards and the midfielders, only had one chance in the initial 45 minutes: a long-shot from outside the area, blocked with security by Andy Paribas.

Fluvique retook the domination in the second half and had, since the start, many chances to score again. The goalkeper saved two shots of Mhago and Wilde and even Gonza sended the ball wide of the goal in the rebound. Another shot by FEDE was blockaded by the defence and the post. Was Wilde who scored the second after a corner kick. The ball came to area heart, near the penalty point, and the forward sended it to the goal.

That goal was the end of the match. Freedom Utopia 100 searched the Fluviquean goal without ideas and the white foxes managed the advantage without problems.

With the triumph, the Cook boys reached the last sixteen stage, with 6 points over 6, two more than Copper Cuprum, with one more match to complete. A victory or a draw will keep the Fluviquean team at the top. The party with the fans at the stands was longer than the last: now all the Fluviqueans were celebrating the victory and the classification. A couple of thousands were in front of us, jumping over the seats and waving flags. Later, waited until the team left the stadium and a mass of people walked with the bus several blocks. A spectacle of fireworks and flares was mounted in a square near the stadium. We express our apologies to all the friendly neighbours for the noise and for enlighten the night with red, white and yellow. Drink a beer in the bar close to the square. We pay.


Fluvique
1: Andy Paribas
4: Paul Kelly
2: Rodrigo De La Mesea
15: Mark Augsburg
3: Gabriel Varelovsky
5: Henry Mhago
8: Lucas Topolsky
7: Paul Di Angello 3´
10: Sam Gonza (C)
9: Adam Wilde 73´
20: FEDE
Venue: Estadio de la Montaña (32.164 spectators)
Goals: Di Angello (3´), Wilde (73´)
Cautions: FEDE
Man of the Match: Paul Di Angello

[Emirate of Akbarstan]

The entire nation is rocked with joy as two major victories are won, one against our major rival Burthnas. We now go into another match as we battle Natanians and Nosts. Excitement is building, and Akbarstan will prevail! Long Live the Emir!