Baptism of Fire LXV - SPAWK!

[Karelo-Finland]

Finland Football Team - Match Report:

Soltsteed upsets Finland with a last minute goal

Match Overview: Finland 0 - 1 Soltsteed (Hilton 89')

Soltsteed fans left stadium delighted tonight when Soltsteed defeated Finland after their dominant 5-1 victory over Heif.

The match was surprisingly even, with both sides controlling the ball equally. Marvin Hilton scored his team's only goal at 89th minute. Finland's manager said that "the match was not a disaster, but we need to play better in next match".

Finland is set to face Loynn in their next match. Loynn currently leads Group F with six points. Finland and Soltsteed both have 3 points, so Finland has to win the next match, otherwise they could be facing elimination from Round of 16.

[Loynn]

LBC Sports News

Goals Galore as Loynn Hammer Heif!

Match Overview
Heif 2–5 Loynn (Nash 20', 22', 82' (pen); Waterson 49', Watson 78')

Hopes were high on this windy afternoon at the Pitch of Plains following Loynn's 2-0 victory over Soltsteed. Loynnian supporters were cheering praise of the team before they had entered the pitch and Patrick Day seemed to display a rare moment of pure happiness before the whistle blew. But no one could have predicted the absolute spectacle on display today.

Loynn's start was strong, a confident, patient build-up in midfield, with Mark Wilson and Ben Rich proving how capable they are with the ball at their feet. Loynn's first clear chance came at 16 minutes in, when a sublime cross from left winger Miles Blair met a confident shot from Wilson from just inside the box, however the goal was not to be as Wilson was caught offside by a cunning defender. The following counter-attack was cut short by defender Haydn Sands, who used his strength to muscle the Heif striker off the ball and cleared the ball to midfield. Here Loynn's counter-counter-attack would take place. Jonny Nash picked up the ball from midfield, and in a rare display of pure brilliance he made a clean run towards goal, coasting past two defenders leading to a very simple chip over the keeper. Nash wasn't quite done after this goal however, and two minutes later he scored another goal, this time following a beautiful pass from midfielder Ben Rich. After this goal Heif were determined to strike back, scoring one goal at 35 minutes, following a blunder from James Owen, and another at 41 minutes after Ben Rich was booked for a dangerous tackle. It was all to play for now.

The team set foot on the ground once more, determined to prove to Heif that they would not go down this easily. The second half opened with Steven Hughs intercepting a low cross, passing the ball up to James Owens who used his incredible pace to put pressure on Heif's defence. With 2 defenders closing down on his position Owens lofted a cross to Jonny Nash. Unable to take the ball past the defence Nash passed the ball to Miles Blair, who fed a cross to Ace Waterson who had just arrived at the penalty box. One touch was all Waterson needed, and Loynn were 2-3 up. Heif had made a few offensive moves to try to level the playing field, but they could not make it past Loynn's defence, and soon they were on the back foot, holding back waves of attacks from Nash and Waterson. The highlight of the day however came as a surprise to everyone, when Adam Watson silenced the opposition with an incredible strike from the left wing, beating Heif's keeper on the far post bringing the score up to 2-4. This goal caused panic in the opposition defence who tried desperately to stop another goal. This was not enough to stop another goal however, as Nash was taken down by a bad tackle inside the penalty box. The crowd fell silent as Nash placed the ball on the penalty spot, and not a moment was wasted as he placed the ball directly in the top corner, awarding him with his first international hat-trick. The boys tried to get a 6th goal in the last few minutes of the match, but everyone could see that their job was done. Heif 2, Loynn 5.

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As It Stands

Loynn now find themselves in the top spot of Group F with 6 points following Finland's 1-0 defeat against Soltsteed. All eyes will be on the team to keep this good run going, and everyone at home will hope that they can qualify for the Round of 16.

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Post Match Press Conference
Below is a transcript of the press conference held by Patrick Day after the match.

Harry Passman - LBC Sports News 1:- "So Loynn beat Heif 5-2, how happy are you with the result?"
Patrick Day - "I am delighted with the result, the lads played amazingly today and we deserved the win"

Jeremy Sann - Vircon Today:- "Watson silenced fans and opposition alike with his goal, what did you think of it?"
Patrick Day - "That was a really special goal, he'll remember that for years to come. I'm not unlike everyone else though, I was speechless after the goal, but you could see it in him as soon as he hit the ball, he wanted it and he got it."

Charles Antonia - Football Today:- "So you're at the top of the table now, do you think you can take Loynn all the way to the top?"
Patrick Day - "I think we can make it to the next round at least, but we're going to take it one game at a time."

Harry Passman - LBC Sports News 1:- "Is there a single player you think stood out today?"
Patrick Day - "I've been blessed with the greatest football talent Loynn has to offer, and I think singling one player out is unfair. That being said however I'm incredibly proud of Nash for his hat-trick and Waterson for his dominance in both games."

[Kel Assuk]

The Baptism of Fire
Chapter 2: A Visit to the Night Markets

Eric stuck his earbuds in and whirred through his iPhone looking for a song that would catch his mood. He finally settled on a Paul Simon song, "Late in the Evening," and started humming to the tune; he looked up at the night sky and saw only the outline of the Big Dipper, but that was okay, as he let himself fall into the mood and rhythm of the music. Then he felt a hard object - he looked down from the stars and saw a short Spaamanian woman walking away from him, cursing. "Sorry," he muttered to the woman, and only quickened his pace into the metropolis of Paatukar. The team was back in the hotel, not the seediest place in Spaam's capital but definitely not the Queen Oruzaadov either, supposedly enjoying their rest. Everyone knew that they were probably chatting in their hotel rooms, but Eric really didn't care that much - he was concentrating too much on his night errand to relieve his stress, so he didn't want to spend the night worrying about his team. He had already worried too much that day.

Despite Eric's original excitement about his team salvaging a draw from being 3-0 down, and his optimism about how far the team could go with their second half performance, worry had set in overnight, and he fretted about what would happen if the team played like that first half in their next few matches. As a result, he had decided to take a walk to the famous Paatukar Night Markets - and not only because walking took his mind off the stress, but also because he was hungry for something, and he didn't want to eat trashy chain Chinese food. The Night Markets, home to one of the widest varities of food in the multiverse (or so the Paatukar tourist guide claimed), beckoned. Eric reasoned that there ought to be something at least halfway decent there, and he could at least have a sampler of foods from all over. Eric hurried his stride as he began to get into heavier pedestrian traffic.

Eric's mouth started to water, and he took in the savory scent of roasting kebabs wafting up from one of the stands on the right. He closed his eyes for a moment and then walked in to admire the variety of foods on offer (and, of course, find a couple to eat). The first stall he came across offered traditional Spaamanian food, including Paatukar's specialty waffles on waffles, but Eric had enough of waffles; the next item on the menu was something called the "Surprise Soup," and, curious as he was, Eric asked what was in the Surprise Soup. "That's a question you just don't ask here, mister," the bearded shopkeeper replied, with a hint of frustration in his voice as it took on the qualities of a wolf's growl. "It's called surprise soup for a reason," he huffed. "Sorry! Sorry!" Eric said as he took a step backwards. "I'm not from around here." "That much is obvious," muttered the shopkeeper.

Eric shuffled past the stand and saw that the Night Markets' advertising truly was accurate - they had street food from all over the multiverse. They had Racaoan mofo gasy and menakely (sweetbread and doughnuts), Tharsatican goulash, traditional gyros, teriyaki chicken, various types of pizza, anything you could name, the Night Markets had it. Eric stopped by a stall selling various types of quiches and sampled some savory ham and beef quiches, which hit his savory tooth, and he tried some interesting fusion recipes, one of them being kimchi fish tacos (his mouth felt like someone set it on fire, but the sour cream helped to put the fire out, and the crunch of the fish simply was outstanding). He tried some Chinese jian dui, crisp and chewy sesame rice balls with a delightfully sweet lotus paste filling. That hit the spot, especially after all his savory samplings, and he washed it all down with a glass of locally made cream soda, sweet and refreshing.

Then Eric saw something that absolutely repulsed him, his least favorite food of all time. Live octopus, wriggling and all. Eric couldn't fathom how someone could put that into their mouth, much less eat it at all. It totally grossed him out; he grew nauseous inside, and almost threw up, yet held it inside him. Eric had always fundamentally disliked eating live food; he couldn't imagine someone eating him live, and he didn't want to inflict that on another creature. But he also hated the fact that live octopus wriggled in your mouth as you ate it, and plus, it was slimy. Eric just had a visceral reaction to the octopus; plus, his mother had once served him live octopus as a kid, and he had almost choked. He just couldn't stomach the sight of live octopus, and when he saw that in the Night Markets, he just tried to muscle through the crowd and avoid the stand, never looking back as he made his way through the crowded markets to get far, far away from the octopus seller.

Once Eric had his fill in the Night Markets, and successfully avoided the wrath of the wriggling octopus, he meandered through the streets of Paatukar, looking at the sights of the city before the sun totally set and the city descended into full darkness. He visited the ornate Queen Oruzaadov Hotel and stared at its fancy furnishings, its gleaming chandeliers, its finely-clothed employees and wished, for a moment, he could stay there, but seeing that he was overwhelmed simply by the lobby, he didn't think he could take two weeks of staying in the hotel. He next wandered past the Royal Palace of Spaam and the national parliament building, but unfortunately, both were closed for tours by the time Eric arrived, so he had to settle for marvelling at their exteriors. Eric walked around the city some more before finding himself at the waterfront as the sun was setting. The tableau looked as if Monet himself had painted the brushstrokes on the canvas of the Paatukar sky as the sun displayed its rich hues of red, orange, and purple out on the Paatukar waterfront, with the lights of the buildings glistening on the surface of the water.

Eric stood on the waterfront, leaning on a railing, as he let the wind run in his hair. He thought about his football team as he stood there, pondering about the team's future. He had his doubts, especially with the draw against New Danican; in particular, he worried about his team's luck. They had been unlucky in the Independents Cup, they had been a tad unlucky in this first match of the Baptism of Fire... they needed a win against a strong team to turn them around, and a win against Elgenstad could do that, but then again, a loss against the team could doom their campaign... Eric needed to turn the team around, especially against a team as defensive against Elgenstad. Aha. An idea hit him, and he returned to the hotel with a glimmer of an idea in his head. He was aching to present it to his team and refine it, but first, he had to get back to the hotel, and it would be hard with all the food he had just eaten in the Night Markets...

[Kecrazia]

TWO SLIM WINS FOR KECRAZIA PROVE ENOUGH FOR PROGRESSION - AND THE END FOR ALLAHAKBARIUM

The entire nation of Kecrazia were ready for their second game in the Baptism of Fire, but they knew that the match would not be the easy. So many Kecrazians flooded the streets of Skaganes ahead of the game.

As soon as the whistle blew, Kecrazia gained the ball for a few minutes but failed to take advantage, and in the 4th minute one of the Allahakbariumian defenders brutally tackled Aleksandr Chovaluch. No card was given, though, only a warning, and the match continued. The Allahakbariumian number 9 took a shot from the half way line as soon as he got the ball, but Philip Jonas caught it without much difficulty. One of the Allahakbariumian midfielders then ran down the pitch in the 11th minute, and after bending awkwardly around Robert Sousa took the shot but it went just wide. The match was even, but Kecrazians were still hopeful. 19 minutes in now, and Zernbafex Walej lost the ball to the man marking him, who burst through the box and shot, but Ithimian Klevan headed it back to Robert Sousa, who passed it back up the field - well, half way, before the number 5 for Allahakbarium hacked into Stefan Grebinguch's shin. A yellow card was given, along with a throw in. On the end of such throw in was Kasper Mhentazec, who volleyed it into the box and Naven Xelafen tried his hardest to head it in, but hit the bar, after 22 minutes. The match got increasingly boring from then, and nothing much happened except a few throw ins and corners for the next 20 minutes. Then, the Allahakbariumian left winger delivered the ball into the number 10, or at least tried. But Robert Sousa was there, and the ball was passed to Abu Zuzeth, who in turn passed it to Marko Sela, who passed it to Naven Xelafen... and there it was. Naven Xelafen transferred the ball to his left foot and it rolled into the bottom left corner. Half the stands exploded, and talking of halves, it was over almost immediately after they restarted.

The second half had less action, except one shot from Allahakbarium and one card. The shot, from the number 10, was result of an embarassing nutmeg, and it was kicked up the pitch rapidly, and into the box it went. Allahakbarium's right winger appeared out of nowhere, and crashed into the ball. It went at an impressive speed, but hit the post and smashed almost into Robert Sousa's face, but he headed it away. The card, however, was given to Robin de Valenfil in the 68th minute after one of the Allahakbariumian defenders failed to give him enough room, and ended up "pushing" him away. The referee called him over, and a yellow card was given. Allahakbarium continued to have chances, in the form of free kicks, mainly, but none of them got past Philip Jonas. Kecrazia had one final shot, after Abu Zuzeth floated the ball into the box and Naven Xelafen tried to hit the ball, but missed. Luckily, Stefan Grebinguch didn't miss it, but he did miss the shot. One more throw in, and the match went into 3 minutes of injury time. Allahakbarium had their 3rd corner, but Walej impressively hit it directly to Marko Sela. But as soon as Sela had got hold of it, the referee blew his whistle. That was it. Kecrazia one, Allahakbarium nil. The Kecrazian fans, who had been celebrating the entire half, continued to do so, as that was enough for them to proceed. Allahakbarium, however, were out. Many Kecrazians felt sorry, but they didn't really care that much, as this was the first football tournament they had got out of the group stage of.

"It's an amazing day for me" said Kecrazia manager, Charles Grevfrehn. "It's hard, doing a job like this. But we were able to pull it off this time. Of course, we'll focus on our third group stage game, against the hardest team in our group on paper. But there are going to be celebrations drowning our country, and even our region. And even if it's not much, that's something we can be proud of, because we've achieved something. Something. I do feel sad for Allahakbarium though, it's always depressing when you go out of something, I know that feeling, but we've just got to focus on ourselves."

As it stands, Kecrazia have done enough to get into the round of 16, but they have yet to complete their toughest game against San Regada.

[Acapais]

Camille's Diary:
Entry 6/6/17,
I was so happy for my team on Tuesday for the first national win in a long time. However, what gives David Harper the right to put grapes in my locker. Everyone knows I fucking hate grapes. Asshole! Whatever. Team earned a win. One more to go. Need a win to advance. It was a big one. Matt scored twice. I'm proud of him. But, O Captain My Captain was a jerk to me again just before kickoff. Pressure of the game, I guess, but I'm getting tired of it. Off to afternoon training.

[Frejo]

Manager :John Reed

First Team:

1: Peter Mil

2: Diego Hawk
3: Maria Terring
4: David Abel
5: Sergi Molotov

6: Kim Park
7: Amil Martin
8: Elon Grunt
9: Edan Moore

10: Diego Cisneros
11: Lam Hilt Johnson

Subs:
12: Peter Zumwalt
13: Caffrey Eel
14: Don Paul
15: Zhao Hua
16: Roberto Caballero
17: Pablo Mamari
18: Tampa Flo

Reserves:
19: Emo Ghao
20: Xavier Meelduncan
21: Dong Mao
22: Rodrigo Terri
23: Fido Maria

---

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes, 2 per game
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes, 2 per game
Hand out red cards to my players: No
Godmod other events: No

[Kolmya]

The Löptsegl Saga
”Parakos BTFO in BoF”
June 7th, 2017
Written by: Herjolf Kjotvisson

Goal Scorers:
‘62 Æiriksson (LOP)
‘87 Ragnvaldsson(LOP)


‘20 Player 1* (PAR)

The 3rd game of Group B was played last night at 8:00 Spaam time, and it was quite the close game. It ended 2-1 in favour of Löptsegl, their first win in an official International tournament. Owing to the later time of this game, even more people were filling the local restaurants and pubs. However, back in Löptsegl, it was even later into the night, but many had again stayed up late to watch the game on their television sets. Many Löpt people were happy to have tied the last game, because it could have gone much worse.

The match started with a banger of a rush from Parakos’ forwards. This break came to naught though, and the match continued on rather boring for a good 20 minutes or so. For about 65% of these 20 minutes, Parakos had possession, but the stout Löptsegl defenders stopped any real opportunities from developing. However, at the 20 minute mark, a stellar cross from one of Parakos’ players resulted in a headed one timer that made it past Thorstar Thormodsson. The rest of the first half played out no different than the first 20 minutes.

The Löptsegl team returned to the pitch with a different attitude it seemed. They pushed their formation up the pitch slightly, and in the 60th minute the tiring forward Halldorsson was subbed out for #29 Eldgrim Hragnelfsson. Two minutes later Eldgrim would get an assist off a pass to Æiriksson. The score was now tied at 1-1, and a very tense back and forth game ensued. This was until 3 minutes before the end of regulation time, when a nice through pass by Bankisson resulted in Ragnvaldsson scoring. For the last couple of minutes of the game, the Löptsegl team was just focused on keeping the ball off of their half of the pitch. Thus ended their second game.

[Aggrey-Fynn Land]

LANDER SPORTS NETWORK

Your plug for all things sport.

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AGGREY-FYNN LAND FALLS TO LEGATORUM ON CONTROVERSIAL LAST-GASP GOAL

GOAL: Whitlick (26')
YELLOW CARD: Strong (33')
GOAL: Legatorum (penalty, 33')
GOAL: Legatorum (42')
GOAL: Duval (68')
GOAL: Legatorum (90+4')

(Nilemas, SPAAM) Aggrey-Fynn Land clashed with Legatorum in their second group match. Coming into the game, Aggrey-Fynn Land was in second with one point. Legatorum found themselves in last with no points. Despite Aggrey-Fynn Land's last performance, an underwhelming 0-0 draw with the Furbish Islands, the fans who traveled to Spaam still seemed unfazed. "Win, lose, or tie, I will stick behind my boys through thick and thin" said one fan. The fans at home also seemed to share this sentiment; the TV ratings for this game were around the same amount as the first. The sense of optimism that the Aggrey-Fynn Landers had carried into their first tournament had not disappeared.

Disaster strikes

Aggrey-Fynn Land's captain is known to be lactose intolerant. Whenever he consumes too much dairy, he swells up all over. As a result, he hates dairy products, especially gorgonzola cheese, with a passion. Over the past few days, the team has been touring West Spaam. They have toured the many museums and temples on the island. The day before the game, the team ditched their pre-packaged meals and went to get some authentic food. They ate at a communal food hall. As they made their way to the table, they were mobbed by their fans. After signing autographs and taking pictures, they settled down to eat.

They had a rich and creamy vegetable stew for dinner. As this was their first taste of Spaamian cuisine, they were taken by surprise. The team enjoyed the food and even went for seconds! However, the next morning, as they started to prepare for the game, they discovered that the broth of the soup was made from melted gorgonzola cheese. When Roman Kendrick came to training that day, his arms and legs were starting to swell as he limped up to his manager. "Jerry", he croaked, "I don't feel too good." He then hobbled over to the bench and took a seat. He was inactive for that game; Pierre Hanes took the skipper's spot.

Moment to remember

Despite the loss of their captain, the Aggrey-Fynn Landers started out their game surprisingly well. Taking motivation from the results of the last game, they put more men forward and put more pressure on their opponents. Although they had quite a few shots on target, they were unable to snag a goal at first. However, in the 26th minute, Aggrey-Fynn Land received a moment they would not soon forget. Tanner Grammy had the ball and flicked it to Gordon Whitlick. Whitlick breezed past two defenders, and when he got into the box, he got off a hard ground shot that sailed into the bottom right corner. As he scored the goal, the crowd burst into pure euphoria. Gordon himself did a backflip to celebrate. The fans were jumping and screaming, and there were strangers hugging in the stands. After the goal, there were loud songs being sang by the proud Aggrey-Fynn Lander fans.

This happy atmosphere, however, was broken when Jones Strong tackled a Legatorum attacker from the back in the box in the 33rd minute. He got a yellow card, and Legatorum got a penalty, which they masterfully chipped over Jahseh Twins. The quick reversal of fortunes seemed to unnerve the Aggrey-Fynn Landers, who lost their grip on the game. Legatorum controlled the flow of play for the rest of the half, quickly snagging themselves another goal in the 42nd minute. The teams went to the half 2-1, with Legatorum holding the advantage.

A photo finish

The Aggrey-Fynn Landers came out of the half fighting, hoping to get back on level pegging. Like the beginning of the game, they were more aggressive, attempting more tackles and taking more chances. The payoff came in the 68th minute. Grammy again dished the ball to Whitlick, who backheeled it to R.J. Duval at the top of the box. He hit the ball on the first touch, launching a strong, curling shot into the top left corner. The screamer brought the Aggrey-Fynn Lander fans into a frenzy; some were crying tears of joy. Those watching on TV back home had to watch the replay to be sure whether they were seeing what they thought they did. The goal brought the Aggrey-Fynn Landers back on even terms, 2-2.

The rest of the game was a back-and-forth battle. Neither team had a full advantage, and the ball made its way up and down the pitch. Both teams shots on goal and possession was about even. The go-ahead goal came very late in the game. In stoppage time, Legatorum had a corner. They curled the ball in, and one of their defenders met it with his head. It rocketed past Twins, giving Legatorum the game-winner. Their players and fans wildly celebrated, while the Aggrey-Fynn Landers were shocked into silence. Legatorum took the win, 3-2.

Aftermath

Fans leaving the pubs and the stadium were unusually glum. Not many wanted to talk with us, but the ones who did still didn't seem to get over the shock. Even the players were equally shocked. "I really couldn't believe it", said Gordon Whitlick. "It was a crazy finish, and props to Legatorum for getting the win, but honestly, I didn't think it would end this way". "I think the blame rests solely on my shoulders", somberly said Jahseh Twins, a far cry from his swagger filled comments after last game. "There were a few times where the team needed me, and I wasn't able to come up big. Everyone else played their part as well as I could; I want to do the same."

The manager also shared his thoughts. "We played hard, and fought as hard as we could, but at the end of the day, Legatorum found the net more than us, that is why they won. You can argue that we were the better team or we played better, but they get the points today, points that we also sorely needed." The calm assessment of the game by the manager contrasted with the hot-headed remarks made by his assistant. "That game was the BIGGEST PIECE OF GARBAGE I HAVE EVER SEEN! THEIR SECOND GOAL WAS CLEARLY OFFSIDE! THE REFS WERE CLEARLY GIVING THEM AN EASY TIME!", he roared. "WHY, IF I WERE OUT THERE, THEY WOULD..." We did not get to hear what he would have done, as his players pulled him away from the mic.

With one game left, the Aggrey-Fynn Landers find themselves in dead last, with only one point. However, this does not mean anything. With a win, it would still be possible to advance to the Round of 16. The Aggrey-Fynn Landers are still winless, and will likely come into the clash against Miloscia with a large chip on their shoulder. Will Aggrey-Fynn Land clinch a spot in the Round of 16 in dramatic style? Or will they be denied a spot by Miloscia? These questions will be answered tomorrow as Aggrey-Fynn Land faces off against Miloscia. See you then.

[Kyrjasmark]

Hello, I'm Dr Freya Torvaldsonn, and in this series we'll be looking at the story of the Kyrjasmarkian crown. We'll trace the crown through over 1000 years of politics, conflict, and nation-building.

The story begins here, in the early years of the 8th century. This is Ginnmar, in west Thundvangr. Here, archaeologists have discovered artefacts which date back to the earliest settlements in Kyrjasmark, bar those of the Alvrangir people.

This pot dates from about 720, and it was found here, in what was probably a moderate settlement of timber frame buildings. Nothing survives now but a few post-holes in the ground, the remains of the great pillars which would have held up these buildings. It's easy to imagine that at least one of these would have belonged to the nation's first king, Harald of the Mark.

Harald's father Leif had brought his people into this valley, seeking refuge from the place they called the Deadlands. Leif's tribe themselves were called the Kyr, or honoured slain. They believed themselves to be the Heroes chosen by Odin, released back into the world upon Ragnarok. They were mostly warriors who came here looking for riches. What they found was a wide, fertile, and uninhabited land. They called it the Mark.

They settled here and became farmers and hunters. The small nation was already established when Leif died, and his son Harald became chieftain in around 722. We think Harald was about 20 years old when he became, essentially, king. ad he was very keen to expand his territory. He takes a group of men and heads east.

This is what he discovers - Lake Gall in Thundvangr, the biggest body of water in the Kyrjasmark. For Harald and his people, this was an incredible discovery. Not only did the waters of the lake provide fish in abundance, but the many rivers that feed the lake meant they'd discovered a rapid transit network across the whole of West Kyrjasmark.

This replica boat is what archaeologists think the 8th-century boats of the Mark would have been like. Using these, the people of the Mark were able to travel quickly around the lake, and expand their territory. New settlements spring up, and Ginnmar is largely abandoned. By about 850, it's completely empty. Most of its residents have moved to our next destination.

Legend says that Harald was on the middle of the lake, and he threw in a valuable band of gold as a sacrifice, asking the god Njorn to guide him to a safe harbour. At once, a great wind blew up and guided him here, to the city of Ust.

Ust is a very different picture today then what it would have looked like 1400 years ago. Back then, the skyline would have been dominated by one building, the Great Hall. This was the building Harald had built as the seat of his new kingdom.
It was probably here, at Ustgard. The current castle dates from the 14th-century, and has obliterated any trace of previous structures. What we do know about it was that it was the grandest building around, fit for a king. The sagas of the Ulfingkide dynasty describe it as a "great room, with the furs of strong beasts on the floor, and the walls lined with spears. The great banquet table rivalled that of Valhalla for weight of meat and other food, and mead flowed freely by the grace of the king."

Mead played an important part in the life of the Mark. While today it is commonly drunk only in religious ceremonies, back then it was drunk as a safe alternative to water. The first mead distilleries were built on the fens of Jalor, the water meadows here providing an ample supply of flowers, which in turn attracts the bees from whose honey the drink is made. That helped to build up the area as a major industrial centre of the time, as people followed the Jalor river down through the fens to the sea, and a new town was built here, Kon. The people of Kon began to build ships, not just river boats but actual sea-going craft. Within the space of a hundred years, these craft would be the most feared vessels in the region, as they took warriors on the raids that would drive the economy of the Valmark. But before that, Kon would play another vital role, in the country's first civil war. That battle, and the conflicts that came after, are the subject of our next episode on The Crown.

[Spaam]

Matchday 3 Cutoff! (Spoon)

https://youtu.be/beTsDOBRs8I

[Frejo]

Frejo's Win

FNN News Sports

First Win of the Season!


Match Overview
Colonial Australia 1–3 Frejo

Being the first time that Frejo has competed in a Major soccer tournament, Nobody had expected the regional players forming up the team to win on this fateful day.

Frejo's start was Confident, with the top player, Sergi Molotov, moving the game towards the opposing side, with player Diego Hawk supporting him all the way. Frejo's first clear chance to score came at 22 minutes in, when a gap in the defense showed a way to score. He ran in, and passed it to Diego Hawk, who kicked it past the goalie. The Frejo supporters cheered loudly for about 16 more seconds, while social media posts flowed in. Colonial Australia's goalie kicked the ball out and Sergi Molotov had a lot of help from most of the offence, and he scored it in once more, barely missing the arms of the goalie.

The Australian team started to mobilize, and they managed to push the ball out towards Frejo's Goal. Frejo's defense was moving with the ball, and the australian team couldn't score the ball at that time. The first opening was at 42 minutes, after a failed pass, and they took advantage of it, Scoring a goal. The Frejo team got back and running, with Midfielder Elon Grunt passing the ball to Attacker David Abel, and he kicked it to Maria Terring, and she was past most of the defense, so she took a shot, however, it did not score. The goalie threw it back out and it was around the middle. Midfielder Idan Moore went on the trail of the ball, battling two offenders for it. He managed to kick it out towards Kim Park (Mid) and she dribbled it towards the goal. She then passed it to Diego Hawk, and he scored it in to the goal, barely missing the edges of the goal.
The offense tried to score another goal, however, it was to late, and the couldn't score.

[Spaam]

Group A
Elgenstad 0–0 New Danican
Achesznya 2–3 Kel Assuk

  Group A              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kel Assuk              3   2  1  0    8   5  +3    7
2 Elgenstad              3   1  1  1    1   2  −1    4
3 Achesznya              3   1  0  2    5   5   0    3
4 New Danican            3   0  2  1    4   6  −2    2

Group B
Parakos 0–0 Goluta
Tveidalen 3–2 Löptsegl

  Group B              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tveidalen              3   1  2  0    7   6  +1    5
2 Löptsegl               3   1  1  1    8   8   0    4
3 Goluta                 3   0  3  0    6   6   0    3
4 Parakos                3   0  2  1    3   4  −1    2

Group C
Legatorum 1–2 Furbish Islands
Miloscia 2–5 Aggrey-Fynn Land

  Group C              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Furbish Islands        3   2  1  0    3   1  +2    7
2 Aggrey-Fynn Land       3   1  1  1    7   5  +2    4
3 Legatorum              3   1  0  2    4   5  −1    3
4 Miloscia               3   1  0  2    3   6  −3    3

Group D
AllahAkbarium 0–1 Islana Lunigo
San Regada 1–1 Kecrazia

  Group D              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kecrazia               3   2  1  0    3   1  +2    7
2 San Regada             3   1  2  0    3   2  +1    5
3 Islana Lunigo          3   1  1  1    1   1   0    4
4 AllahAkbarium          3   0  0  3    1   4  −3    0

Round of 16 (Spoon)
Kel Assuk vs Löptsegl (Paatukar)
Tveidalen vs Elgenstad (Highbay)
Furbish Islands vs San Regada (Nilmenas)
Kecrazia vs Aggrey-Fynn Land (Skaganes)

[Soltsteed]

Lesson learned: post a brief RP with stats immediately after results come in or else… >_>

The Walland Daily Press
Northern Soltsteed’s premier news source

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VOL. 117 NO. 112

11 SHILLINGS & 0

Proudly printed in Cherrygrove

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Finland 0-1 Soltsteed: Anglophones star as the Stallions claw back into SPAWK
Soltsteed redeem selves after wasted opening opportunity, as Loynn knock Heif out of the running

Bellator, Drawkland — If anyone had everything to prove, it was the Anglo-Soltsteeders. After suffering abuse for their poor performances in far-right press outlets and a literal sausage roll assault, Wallanders played a key role in shutting Finland down and putting Soltsteed back on the Baptism of Fire map, though much earlier than the news outlets in Finland claim.

Of course, the two games were very similar on the surface: much like the doomed effort against Loynn, Soltsteed were the better team in the first half, while floundering in the second. The difference was that Soltsteed, rather than being only marginally better in the first half and capitulating in the second, capitalised on an early chance and adequately dealt with major threats in the second half, shutting Finland out despite their superiority in the last forty-five minutes.

Kicking off the match, Soltsteed quickly put the classic "keep possession at all costs" strategy into play, frustrating Finnish efforts to pry the ball away from the Stallions and quickly regaining control when Finland were able to gain the ball. An early chance came as Juhani Ojala put the ball out for a corner twelve minutes in. Joanna Morris, who had been criticised for ceding possession to Ben Rich and setting off the chain of events that doubled the Stallions’ deficit, nearly broke the ice with a skillfully-placed header, only to be denied by a quick move from keeper Lukas Hradecky.

But Hradecky’s efforts to get Finland would be for naught. Finland and Soltsteed would trade possession back and forth for the next nine minutes before Soltsteed fell back and laid in wait around the 21st minute. In possession for ten of the next twelve minutes, Finland would attempt to find an opening to attack, but were choked out at every opportunity.

Finland’s longest stretch in possession to that point was broken by a slide tackle from Camille Daley, costing Eero Markkanen Finland’s first opportunity of the game and crossing the ball over Lily Webb. Dodging Markkanen’s colleague Joel Pohjanpalo and midfielder Kasper Hämäläinen, Webb quickly passed off to Marvin Hilton, who freely ran the ball up to the box and, in an unlikely turn of events, made himself Soltsteed’s first goalscorer in SPAWK in the 39th minute. (As a disclaimer, we at the Daily Press believe that someone in Finland misread “39” as “89” and assumed that the game was won in the last minute, though we may never know for sure.)

With Finland kicking off, Morris and Cobus Brygge dropped back into more defensive positions to keep Soltsteed’s fragile lead alive. Finland were able to keep possession for most of the rest of the half, but found one point of attack after another choked off as Stallions fell back to hold the line, putting Soltsteed up at the half.

But the demons of Loynn were to quickly reemerge when Mehmet Hetemaj nearly levelled the score in the 49th minute but for a save by Ferdinand.

Ferdinand’s hoofing of the ball would only compound the problem: Robin Lod was in possession and Finland in firm control, looking to make a comeback. Manoeuvring past a bloated midfield, Markkanen and Pohjanpalo would face little resistance in the box, leading Daley to trip Markkanen. It would thus be up to Ferdinand to save a penalty in the 55th minute.

But whether through divine providence or sheer luck, Ferdinand dived the right way, putting the ball out for a corner, which Soltsteed’s midfielders were able to defuse. The Stallions would regain control of the match, but would get their last solid chance in the 52nd minute, when Rosie Foley found an opening down the side of the field, passing off to Soltsteed’s lone striker Emma Gryndhout, who would put the ball—and Soltsteed’s hope of doubling their lead—just wide of Hradecky’s net.

After the goal kick, Riku Riski, in a bid to make something happen and put Finland back in the game, sent a wayward shot wide of the goal, barely bothering Emmet Ferdinand, who lobbed the ball far downfield to Brygge, who immediately passed off to Morris and started a juggling act between the four-man midfield, occasionally passing back to one of the defenders.

Finnish players swarmed any Soltsteeder who could get close to the ball. Numerous attempts to get the ball to Gryndhout were quickly shut down, leaving the Stallions no room to breathe. By the 69th minute, Soltsteed were firmly on the back pedal once again.

The next ten minutes were characterised by an increasingly deep midfield line attempting to blockade Finnish players, while making limited effort to win back possession. But Finland’s next chance was to come in the 81st minute, when Clement Kolen left his flank susceptible. Needing to make an effort to keep hope alive, McBride successfully cleared Markkanen’s pass from the box.

Though the drama wouldn’t end quite yet. Pohjanpalo found the net in the 89th minute, but was met with a raised flag from the assistant referee, denied for an offside. With just stoppage time to go, Soltsteed opted to park the bus and happily walk off with the win.

The final whistle stood in sharp contrast to the match against Loynn, when pastry-wrapped sausages descended upon the field. It had been a rollercoaster, but the visiting Stallions supporters finally had something to cheer about.

“We got lucky against Finland and unlucky against Loynn,” manager Jan-Peter Wietdal told press after the match. “We need to make sure we don’t give Heif that same opportunity. We can’t just control the first half, but rather, we need to control the entire game.”

“The second half wasn’t our proudest moment," captain Änderssen told reporters, “and I think Finland definitely adapted well and Soltsteed could have done better. But we have a back line who have been training together for months and know each other inside out. This was no upset, but all in all, these were a tough three points.”

Looking ahead to Heif
Heif are all but on their way out of the tournament after a 5–2 drubbing by Loynn. The only question is if they will have the resolve to play on.

There is a theoretical path for them to advance, but it would require a Finnish defeat at the hands of Loynn (likely) and a massive drubbing of the defensively-oriented Soltsteed (not likely). Meanwhile, Soltsteed could theoretically win the group if Finland narrowly defeat Loynn, which is not outside the realm of possibility, and Soltsteed effectively murder Heif, which probably is outside said realm.

Soltsteed will thus be looking to go through in second place and a Finnish win would be tantamount to elimination, while a Loynnian win would require the Stallions to merely avoid losing against a flimsy Heif. If Loynn and Finland draw, nothing but a win will suffice to see Soltsteed through.

Of course, Heif has proven to be the most incompetent team in SPAWK thus far, losing both their matches in blowouts and conceding five times as many goals as Soltsteed. In comparison, Goluta and New Danican, joint second-highest conceders, have let in four fewer goals than Heif; Heif’s opponents have collectively conceded four fewer goals than Group F’s last place team and scored more than four times as many as Heif has bagged.

The Stallions, currently sitting on a −1 goal difference and holding the status of one of the lowest-scoring nations thus far, look to have a golden opportunity to turn their goal difference around. A loss wouldn’t just be humiliating, it would be catastrophic. ❧

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Streets of Bellator
7 June

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“Well that went brilliantly…”

The sarcasm was proverbially dripping off Jan-Peter’s mental tongue. The games against Finland and Loynn were disasters and a third cop-out against Heif would likely put Wietdal into cardiac arrest.

Some fresh air would certainly get his mind off the shit-show known as SPAWK. That is, until the pudding attacked…

A giant pile of chocolate pudding spilled out in the middle of the sidewalk stopped Jan-Peter in his tracks. The flashback to his childhood and his older brother pushing his head into any bowl of pudding he could get his hands on was potent.

Wietdal gritted his teeth as the pictures flowed forth in his head. “Alexandre…”

A shopkeeper came out to a strange man from a foreign land stopped in front of the mess and turned on her hose with no regard for Jan-Peter’s presence.

Wietdal snapped back into reality. “Heif will rue the day they learned of Soltsteed.” His then voice began to bellow out a curse against his brother, the eternal critic of Jan-Peter’s ambitions and skeptic of Soltsteed’s chances.

Turning the water off, the shopkeeper simply muttered to herself: “What kind of fantasy world is he living in?”

The game was now afoot.

[Drawkland]

Matchday 3 Cutoff (Fork)!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc

[Drawkland]

Group E
New Lusitania 0–3 Abisa
Chailanka 1–0 Thesi Erevnah

  Group E              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Chailanka              3   2  1  0    3   1  +2    7
2 Thesi Erevnah          3   2  0  1    5   3  +2    6
3 Abisa                  3   1  0  2    3   2  +1    3
4 New Lusitania          3   0  1  2    3   8  −5    1

Group F
Soltsteed 2–0 Heif
Loynn 4–3 Finland

  Group F              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Loynn                  3   3  0  0   11   5  +6    9
2 Soltsteed              3   2  0  1    3   2  +1    6
3 Finland                3   1  0  2    8   6  +2    3
4 Heif                   3   0  0  3    3  12  −9    0

Group G
CoraSpia 2–4 Acapais
Gegernia 2–0 Kaidō

  Group G              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Acapais                3   2  0  1    7   4  +3    6
2 Gegernia               3   2  0  1    5   3  +2    6
3 Kaidō                  3   2  0  1    2   2   0    6
4 CoraSpia               3   0  0  3    2   7  −5    0

Group H
Frejo 4–2 Kebec
Kyrjasmark 2–1 Colonial Australia

  Group H              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kyrjasmark             3   3  0  0    6   2  +4    9
2 Frejo                  3   2  0  1    7   5  +2    6
3 Kebec                  3   1  0  2    5   6  −1    3
4 Colonial Australia     3   0  0  3    2   7  −5    0

Round of 16 (Fork)
Chailanka vs Soltsteed (Kayo)
Loynn vs Thesi Erevnah (Bellator)
Acapais vs Frejo (Archifel)
Kyrjasmark vs Gegernia (Cove Port)

RP Challenge #4
Each city in the Baptism of Fire has their own unique flavors.
Some teams progressing have moved on to different cities while some have stayed right at "home."
Do your players enjoy the food(s) of their host cities? Have they ever had that kind of food before? Is this food available in your home nation?

[Kyrjasmark]

Hello, I'm Freya Torvaldsonn, and welcome to The Crown. This week, our story starts here, in the city of Kon in modern-day Fensjalor.

In the 8th century, Kon was an important township, a centre of industry. The nearby woods supplied timber for housing and ships, and the fens provided peat for burning. It was so important, that it was the first town in the Mark to have its own lord.

King Frokk, the son of Harald of the Mark, appointed his brother, Thorkelg Ulfingkide, to the position of Jarl of Kon, in about the year 760. Thorkelg was a bold leader who encouraged the shipbuilding efforts of his people. For several years, he led several expeditions to far-flung lands in search of treasure. He even discovered the islands of Barjye and Lafjye. The ships he brought back, laden down with precious metals, rare foods, and slaves, helped transform this region. However, disaster was about to strike.

In 775, Thorkelg set out for another expedition. He never returned. His son Osvald the Elder inherited the title. Osvald was a much different man from his father. He was shrewd, politically cunning, and he'd set his eyes on the throne.

Five years before Thorkelg's death, King Frokk had died. He left behind only one child, a daughter by the name of Asta. Despite her sex, the nobility were happy to declare the 14-year-old Queen of the Mark.
This is a fragment of the "Rules of the Kings of the Mark." It's probably the most important document on early political life in the Mark. It dates from around the yar 800, well into Asta's reign, and for the first time formally establishes absolute primogeniture as the right of succession. This meant that the first born would inherit the crown, regardless of their gender. For the time, this was a radical idea.

Not everyone was happy though. Osvald was an outspoken critic of the new queen. He instead advocated for the nearest male descendant of Harald to be king: in other words, himself.

Asta wielded a lot of power though. Ust was larger than Kon, and they were well supplied with iron from the mines to the north. Rather than direct confrontation, Osvald played a political game. He brought other lords into his cause, and began to build up Kon as a rival seat to Ust. Kon essentially becomes its own city-state. By 790, Asta knew something had to be done. The queen comes to Kon in force to demand the city pay its tribute. Osvald opened the gates and invited the queen to his hall, where he threw a banquet in her honour. Osvald serves Asta exotic dishes from lands his people raided. To Asta, these would have been new foods, and would have been seen as an honour appropriate for a lord to bestow upon is queen. Osvald also made her a personal gift of gold, weighing nearly half a kilogram, and paid the city's tribute. Asta goes away thinking she's won.

Osvald however, is just biding his time. In 792, his son, also called Osvald, is born. It's a sign to Osvald that his bloodline is now secure, and he begins to plan to take the throne in earnest. In 803, ships from Kon sail down the Jalor river into Lake Gall, and raid farmland just east of Ust. That triggers a period of raid and counter-raid, as well as running land battles across the fens. Iron became a vital commodity, and raids on mines were common. It was used for armour, and weapons such as this axe. Soldiers on both sides would have wielded these in one hand, with a shield in the other, and they would try to hook the underside of the axe onto their opponent's shield so they could pull it away and strike a deadly blow.

So important was iron to the struggle that it is now known as the Iron War. While both sides had stockpiled weapons, neither could have anticipated how long the conflict would drag out for. After seven years of conflict, Osvald decides to end it once and for all. He loads seven vessels up with his best warriors, and sails them straight to Ust.

The shoreline here at Ust has seen many conflicts, but perhaps none so disastrous as this. Osvald came ashore with 150 or more warriors. Asta's army was waiting for him, and they met here on the shore in a bloody and decisive combat. Osvald was killed, and his invasion crushed. His men flee for their lives, but only one ship returns to Kon. They bring the news of Osvald's death to his 18-year-old son.

Osvald the Elder died in 810, but Osvald the Younger would carry on the fight. The end of the Iron War, as well as the reign of a king who was famous for being fat, ugly, and still sired 12 children, is the subject of our next episode of the Crown.

[Gegernia]

/Kaidō 0-2 Gegernia

You could cut the tension with a knife as the Gegernian away fans travelled to the beautiful Archifel stadium for the third time. After a strong opening performance against CoraSpia, the Gegernian team had lost a difficult game against Acapais 3-1, with Alice Freyell scoring a beautifully worked bicycle kick. To progress to the round of 16, a win was needed against Kaidō - currently top of group G.

Could Gegernia make it? An opening answer to the question came after 17 minutes, when John Garraweald sliced through the Kaidõ midfield and defense to score. Skeggan was in danger of forfeiting Gegernian chances with a reckless kick to Shūsaku Sato, but only a yellow card was dealt. Soon he was substituted for bright young striker Elisa Oganihu, in need of a bag of oats.
The second half was on a knife edge, with Sato making blistering runs through to Bathsheba Benzene and Barnabas Lightfinger's brick wall of defense. Soon it was Elisa's turn to shine, scoring from 30 yards out with a curling kick on 80 minutes.
Sadly Kaidō could not overcome the two goal margin, and have gone out of the tournament on goal difference after Acapais' 4-2 win at CoraSpia, whipping boys of G.
Acapais +3
Gegernia +2
Kaidō 0 all on six points.

Congratulations to Spawk for an excellent tournament, Gegernia face a tough match against unbeaten Kyrjasmark at Cove Point. The Drawklandian cuisine is excellent, and Skeggan says their oats are beyond compare.

[Tveidalen]

TVEIDALEN 3-2 LÖPTSEGL

TVEIDALEN GOES THROUGH!

The 3rd matchday saw Tveidalen go head to head with group lead favourites, Löptsegl, who had just beaten Parakos with a 2-1 scoreline. The national team of Tveidalen on the other hand had just previously tied with Goluta with a 2-2 scoreline. Both sides were unbeaten so they were going on this game with their heads up.

GK:Asgeir Olhouser
CB:Ola Spillum
CB:Peter Årud
LB:Stig Oliversen
RB:Lauritz Strand
DM:Severin Ostberg
RM:Haakon Hummel
LM:Valter Frank
AM:Petter Solberg
CF:Per Strand (Goal: 44')
CF:Josef Rasmussen (Goals: 77',81')

GK: Thorstar Thormodsson
FB: Saksi Bollisson
FB: Ulfljot Glamsson
CB: Kormak Svartlingrsson
CB: Einar Valthjofsson
SW: Kar Ragnvaldsson
MF: Kætilmund Sigurdsson
MF: Steinbjorn Bankisson
MF: Grjotgard Thidrandisson
RF: Leidolf Æiriksson (Goals: 73',84')
LF: Reinn Halldorsson

Löptsegl had the most possession of the ball during the first few minutes of the game. Sigurdsson was generally the person that controlled most of the game for the islanders.
However Tveidalen pushed forward and got most of the possession of the ball in the middle of the first half and pushed forward in an effort to score a goal or 2 to secure an advantadge by the end of the first half. A barrage of shots by Strand and Rasmussen went missing though, with a Strand crossbar being the most important chance of the first half of the game. The game relaxed a little bit for a few more minutes, as the tired Tveidalener got pushed back by an effective Löptsegl squad. A Reinn Halldorsson chance was saved by Olhouser though. During the closing stages of the first half, Tveidalen pushed forward with Ostberg's throughball finding an excited Per Strand 1 on 1 with the opposing goalkeeper, all Strand did was kick the ball as hard as he could to leave Thormodsson unable to react, making the score 1-0 in the end of the first half.

In the second half, a more excited Tveidalener squad immediately starting making tons of chances towards the Löptsegl side, but to no avail. Löptsegl's defence was really effective, as if that break had made them stronger. Löptsegl got a little bit more offensive in the 2nd half, with Æiriksson missing 2 chances to score a goal, both of which went wide. Tveidalen pushed forward once more with Rasmussen missing a lot of chances, easy or hard. In the 73rd minute Æiriksson scored the equaliser with an amazing outside of the box shot which left Olhouser unable to react. Tveidalen's immediate response were 2 Rasmussen goals, which gave a 3-1 lead for Tveidalen. A chance to score the 4th was missed in the 83rd minute by Rasmussen. In the 84th minute, Æiriksson scored another one to make the score 3-2. However it seemed like no more goals were to be scored after this, as both sides were exhausted. Tveidalener players immediately celebrated qualification to the Round of 16, whereas Löptsegl players had to wait for the Parakos-Goluta game which ended in a goalless draw, meaning Löptsegl had qualified as well.

The next matchday for Tveidalen is against Group A runnerups Elgenstad, which are coming against a goalless draw against Group A 4th placed team New Danican. However they must not be underrated. The qualification to the round of 16 also means that Tobias Horn can keep his job for another day. With his job in jeopardy, every matchday is a final for Tveidalen.

TVEIDALENER TELEVISION HOST TOBIAS ERIKSEN DIES AT 82!
TVEIDALENER AND JUVEN RELATIONS IN JEOPARDY, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
TESLO PORT REACHES 14 MILLION ANNUAL VISITORS!

[Ediraf]

OOC: This is Starblaydia, butting in to the BoF thread because now's an appropriate time to launch this, with Acapais reaching the knockout rounds, and I need an IC thread to post in as an announcement.

Home.

The word 'Home' conjures up an infinite amount of images, thoughts and feelings to every single person on the planet. A person travels the world over in search of what they need, and returns home to find it. It's the safest place of comfort and love. It's your most comfortable bed, your quiet place of contemplation, the place to invite your friends over to watch the game, the place to hide when it all gets too much. It's the place where your mother cooked the meals that define your taste, with all the flavour, love and passion that only a crowd of tens of thousands can match as their team comes out to play.

Home is your base, your foundation, your trusty companion and the most natural place in the world; the secret ingredient, the special sauce and the world-famous creation.

It is with that in mind that ediraf truly comes home, back to where it all began. Five generations since the very beginning, it has all come back to the point at the start of the path, the beginning of the journey. Back to the World Cup, back to the lofty, competitive and oft-changing heights of the world's premier sportswear manufacturer.

ediraf has come home.

Designed with every inch of a player's body, from torso to toes, in mind for the ultimate performance, Generation Five features unparalleled levels of support, cooling, comfort and fluidity. Wearing Generation Five for ediraf, players will feel like the superheroes they are to the trillions of fans across the globe. Crafted from fibers up, every single atom of a Generation Five kit has been designed, sculpted, molded and arranged to the optimum in football excellence.

Optiyarn technology increases both supporting structure and dynamic stretch ability according to the wearer's requirements, isolating body parts and muscle groups for maximum integrity of material. Aerodynamix design improves airflow over the material in a natural, ergonomic pattern, because even microseconds can be the different between victory and defeat on the grandest stages of sporting endeavour. Transpacool Three improves and evolves on the breathability features of previous ediraf creations, dispersing sweat into the atmosphere faster than ever before, siphoning cooling air in with more efficiency than any kit the company has produced previously. A Generation Five kit is more comfortable, better fitting and provides a greater enabler to a player's natural talent than at any point in history, and ediraf is proud to debut this at the SPAWK Baptism of Fire with a team that has stuck to the ediraf styling ever since their debut in World Cup 33.

Acapais, former Cup of Harmony champions, will be the first to wear this next revolution in sportswear, equally as comfortable for the passion of the fans in the stands as for the determination of the players on the pitch. It retains all the classic hallmarks of the Acapais kit - from white and green halves at home to the sleek obsidian change kit, all including the heart motif that marks out the love the Acapaisians have for their team - in a throwback to where it all began, contraposed with the futuristic, world-leading style that ediraf has always been famous for.

Acapais World Cup 78 Home And Away Kits
Designed and made in Starblaydia by:

Now get out there, give it everything you've got and bring it home.

[Kel Assuk]

The Baptism of Fire
Chapter 3: Two Wins Improve the Mood

Eric breathed a sigh of relief as the whistle blew against Achesznya. The Kel Assuk national team had made it through a number of obstacles to advance to the Round of 16 of the Baptism of Fire, and Eric was especially happy with this accomplishment because you only go through the Baptism of Fire once - Eric wanted to make the most of this opportunity to inject some life into the team heading into World Cup qualifiers. Achesznya had been a tougher nut to crack than Eric expected; the rosterless team had scored two goals on a perhaps too-leaky Kel Assuk defense, and although the team's young attacking force, helped by key team playmaker Seyni Ait Ahmed, had scored three goals, Eric wanted to make that defense even better, and lock down on those defensive mistakes that had cost them precious goals. In the previous match against Elgenstad, Kel Assuk had fortunately avoided too many defensive errors, although Eric attributed that to the fact that Elgenstad didn't really do a lot of attacking; they appeared content to park the bus and sit on the ball, although that didn't appear to help them all that much as they found themselves in a 2-0 deficit after the first half, thanks to some creative play by Ait Ahmed and attacking midfielder Saden Khalej exploiting space around Elgenstad's defense. Eric gave himself a big fistpump for that win; it was an important victory.

With the pair of wins, the team felt more confident about their chances of success as they found out who they would face in the Round of 16, and where they would face them. Löptsegl would be next... in a familiar venue, the Paatukar Football Stadium. Saden Khalej groaned. "More Paatukar? Don't get me wrong, this is a nice city and all, but I'd like to see another city, another place. If we aren't going to be sightseeing, I'd at least like to get some diversity in surrounds." Anaruz M'Hidi chimed in. "I don't mind Paatukar all that much, but I would like to go sightseeing. To be honest, this hotel is not the most compelling location, and we'd rather be out than in." There were general murmurs of agreement to M'Hidi's statement. "Guys just want to have fun," Isula Azellay interjected, to which the Eric chuckled, getting the Cyndi Lauper reference. Isula continued, "This trip isn't just about football. We want to experience Spaam, and experience Paatukar. This hotel is not the way to do it."

Eric finally gave in to the team's request, and took them to the city center of Paatukar, where he had gone the night before. They first made a trip to the Temple of Margaret, where some of the more religiously inclined made a donation to preserve the team's good luck, and Eric cracked a grin. Once the team arrived at the Night Markets, active during the early evening, Eric set them loose to try whatever they wanted, from the omnipresent local specialty waffles on waffles to delicacies from all over the world. He gave everyone some local currency, saying it was his treat for all the training he'd made them do. The only conditions: receipts and a report on how they liked the food: what was good, what was bad, what was mediocre. They all scattered off in every which way while Eric sat on a bench to ponder his strategy against Löptsegl. The team was fairly defensive, but maybe not as defensive as Elgenstad's; Löptsegl had four defenders and a defensive midfielder, while Elgenstad had a sweeper in addition to Löptsegl's defensive base. Eric therefore decided to adopt the same strategy he had used against Elgenstad, with Azellay and Ashur Ben Hassi out wide, with Khalej in the center.

When everyone returned to Eric's bench, they were abuzz about the variety of food contained within the market. The three younger guys had of course tried to satisfy their sweet tooth; Isula, Saden, and Ashur emerged from the market with smiles on their faces and chocolate mustaches, having bought cotton candy, sodas, chocolate shakes, and any other sweet thing they could find. They were walking in a group and laughing about something, but Eric couldn't discern what they were laughing about. "How was the food?" asked Eric. "Wonderful," replied Saden. "We're really enjoying these Paatukar sweets, although I'm not sure we can take in any more." Ashur chimed in just then. "I had never heard of cotton candy before this trip - I don't think it's available in Kel Assuk." "Indeed, I haven't seen any there either," said Eric. Anaruz had tried several meat and rice dishes at the Night Markets, some similar to various dishes available in Kel Assuk, but rice wasn't that much of a common dish in the team's native country; Karim Khattabi tried the local specialty of waffles on waffles, but couldn't say that they were his favorite. He did admit that they were something new, not regularly served in the few cities and many nomadic villages of Kel Assuk.

Once everyone had arrived at the bench and given Eric their reports and receipts, he collected the team and gave them the lowdown about the team's plan for Löptsegl, one that would require the team to adapt to a strategy they didn't normally use, one that would require them to go out in the wings. The strategy would take some getting used to, but considering that they used it to great effect against Elgenstad a couple of days ago, Eric really wasn't worried that he was pushing his team out of their comfort zone; all he did was prescribe some extra practice for Isula and Ashur, who could inject the team with pace and energy against a particularly defensive team, so that they could more effectively use the wings to help attack. He spent a little while talking to the team about space and strategy, using the recent match against Achesznya as an example to try and bolster the team's defense a little bit. Eric then told the team to get some sleep, and briefly considered getting a bottle of champagne or two to celebrate the team's advance. He remembered that most of the team was Muslim and realized that they couldn't drink alcohol. Eric just shrugged and got a bottle for himself and poured himself a glass. This job wasn't going to be so bad after all, with the team doing alright for now... Just wait until World Cup qualifiers, he told himself. That's when the going would get tough.

[Frejo]

FNN News Sports

FREJO WINS AGAIN, WILL BE MOVING TO ARCHIFEL

Cove Port, Drawkland- Today Frejo is cheering as the nation team wins again, 4-2 vs. Kebec.

The game started at 5:00 PM [UTC]. Diego Cisneros, the leading offender, dribbled the ball to the goal, and scored the first goal with very few problems. The Kebec Midfielders brought the ball back to Frejo's Goal and scored, making it a tie, 1-1. A Frejo midfielder then brought it back up to the Kebec goal and scored with moderate defense.
Over the next 45 Minutes Diego Cisneros scored 2 more goals. It was 4 more minutes on the clock, as the Kebec offenders tried to get another goal in. It was 1:24 more minutes left, and they scored the ending goal. They barely scored it, missing the goalkeepers arms by just a few feet. An estimated 2,000,000 Frejo fans cheered all throughout the world. After the game, The team was hungry and tired, so Coach Peter Mil went out with them for seafood. They went to get some food at a classic restaurant near the bay. Most of the team liked the food, chattering about how the bread and soup is good, with a couple of grubles about this or that, butoverall pretty good.

[Aggrey-Fynn Land]

LANDER SPORTS NETWORK

Your plug for all things sport.

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GRAMMY SCORES A HATTY AS AGGREY-FYNN LAND THRASHES MILOSCIA 5-2; PUNCHES TICKET TO ROUND OF 16

GOAL: Miloscia (6')
GOAL: Grammy (34')
GOAL: Miloscia (45 + 2')
GOAL: Grammy (51')
GOAL: Kendrick (59')
GOAL: Grammy (66') HAT TRICK
GOAL: Strong (87')

(Nilemas, SPAAM) Aggrey-Fynn Land played Miloscia in their third and final group matchup. Aggrey-Fynn​ Land found themselves in last place with 1 point after two unfortunate results. Miloscia were in third, with 3 points. There was a nervous atmosphere surrounding this game, with the Aggrey-Fynn Lander fans still keeping a positive outlook, but realizing that unless they got a win today, they would be heading home. "I wholeheartedly believe in my boys today", said the manager Simmons. "We have been working very hard and have the quality to beat Miloscia." The fans had a similar view. "I've seen these guys play in the domestic league. They are no joke", said one man entering a pub. "If they play well, we'll probably win. If the chip on their shoulder is as big as mine, there's no way we can lose." Nervous but determined, the Aggrey-Fynn Lander contingent of fans came in numbers to watch.

A taste of Nilemas

A product of the Aggrey-Fynn Lander team's campaign in Spaam is that there has been a Spaamian culture craze as of late. Some communal food halls have popped up in the capital Samueltown, and some people have even bought wizard costumes in an attempt to look like a Spaamian. But nowhere has this culture craze been felt more than in the food industry. After the team had dinner at a food hall a couple of days ago, the whole country seems to be in love with fresh vegetable stew. "We loved the food!", chirped Gordon Whitlick when we asked him about his experience. "Although we have vegetables in Aggrey-Fynn Land, fresh vegetables are a somewhat rare commodity because of our underdeveloped agricultural sector. It was nice having some fresh and authentic- not to mention delicious!- stew. We'd go there again, but we don't want Roman to be sick again!", he said with a chuckle. Back in Aggrey-Fynn Land, there has been a surge in demand for vegetable stew, and more people are starting gardens of their own so they can have some fresh stew for themselves.

Battle ready

Miloscia definitely came out swinging. They got to start with the ball, and they definitely were at their best. The passing was on point, and easily beat the Aggrey-Fynn Lander back line. Before they knew it, Miloscia was already up, 1-0, in the 6th minute. Aggrey-Fynn Land had a sluggish start in general, and Miloscia had control of the game for a good 20 minutes or so. At that point, Aggrey-Fynn Land started to wake up. They started to take the ball away from Miloscia, and putting men forward. This culminated in the 34th minute, when an overhead ball plopped right in front of Tanner Grammy, who ran past one player and hit the ball hard and fast down the middle to equalize. The first half from that point on was a struggle, with both teams fighting for an advantage. Miloscia gained this advantage when they scored of a counter attack in stoppage time. They took the lead into half time 2-1.

Aggrey-Fynn Land fires back

It appears that it was the second half when Aggrey-Fynn Land really started to realize what was on the line. From that whistle, the goals started to come quickly and steadily. Wasting no time, in the 51st minute Grammy got his second goal of the day when he did a one-two pass with Ronald Johnson. This created some space for Grammy, and he was able to get off a beautiful curling shot which landed in the top left corner. One of the notable moments of the game, the crowd was actually dead quiet after the goal; it was so skillful that it had literally taken their breath away. The captain Kendrick also made his presence felt on his return, stringing together passes and plays like usual. He took it a step further in the 59th minute, shooting a screamer from beyond the box that was so strong that the goalie had no chance at stopping it. He definitely was a key factor in the win. Grammy completed the hat trick in the 66th minute, mercilessly taking Miloscia's back fours ankles with some sweet moves. He finished the job with a deft chip over the goalie to make the score 4-2. At this point, the crowd went bananas. They were screaming, and with good reason; a game which had seemed like a lost cause only an hour ago now was firmly in their hands. From that point on, it was Aggrey-Fynn Land's day; they controlled possession and play. The icing on the cake was when Jones Strong hit a powerful header into the back of the net in the 87th minute to give Aggrey-Fynn Land another goal. The game ended soon after this; Aggrey-Fynn Land finished the game with a huge win: 5-2.

Aftermath

Nobody wanted to leave the stadium. After the win, the fans sang and danced and cheered the players. Even after the players left, the fans stayed, taking pictures and waving their flags; after all, this was a day nobody would soon forget. However, the fans watching the game inside the country couldn't wait to leave, so they could celebrate in the streets. The loud and proud fans blocked roads and sang until their throats were sore. Many stayed out partying all night. We caught up with Tanner Grammy after the game. "This is honestly one of the best days of my life. I scored a hat trick for my country which got us through the group stage." He then let out a whoop and did a backflip before running away in jubilation. "This was a statement game if I've ever seen one," said the captain Roman Kendrick. It took a while to show, but all this time we have been gelling and practicing new tactics. I guess it all came together today, and for that I am grateful."

With this win, Aggrey-Fynn Land accomplished the improbable: going from last to second place and securing their place in the Round of 16. They are traveling to Skagenes to play Kecrazia, who finished atop Group D. These are two quality teams, and we are expecting a close game. Will Aggrey-Fynn Land continue their journey in the Baptism of Fire? Or will they be journeying home after tomorrow's game? Tune in to the game tomorrow to find out. See you then.

[Spaam]

Round of 16 Cutoff (Spoon)!

https://youtu.be/wvAnQqVJ3XQ

[Loynn]

LBC Sports News

Loynn Qualify!

Match Overview
Loynn 4–3 Finland (Nash 23', 76', Waterson 44', Wilson 64' || Markkanen 18', 68', Pohjanpalo 33')

Loynn proved their dominance over Group F continuing their undefeated streak for another game, securing qualification for the Round of 16.

Another windy day at the Pitch of Plains, the boys walked out full of confidence, hoping for a repeat of the 5-2 result against Heif. The Finnish team seemed determined to clinch a victory following a 1-0 defeat to Soltsteed, today being their only chance to qualify. The determination from both teams was apparent from the first whistle, the ball didn't want to be controlled by only one team it seemed as at around 15 minutes in each team had equal possession. However Finland soon found themselves on the attack after a botched pass from defender Steven Hughs found its way to Finnish striker Eero Markkanen who expertly placed the ball in the top corner, just outside Karl Weir's reach. Unwilling to go down without a fight Loynn hit back with an incredible move from midfielder Ben Rich, tricking the Finnish opposition before passing the ball to Jonny Nash, who managed to place a shot just past Lukas Hradecky. Finland responded by pressuring Loyyn's defence, forcing Adam Watson and Eliott Leavitt to hang further back, limiting Loynn's attacking force. A brilliant cross from winger Mehmet Hetemaj led to another Finnish goal, this time coming from Joel Pohjanpalo. Loynn had obviously been frustrated by the play and their performance was starting to suffer. The next 10 minutes saw Nash caught offside twice, and winger Miles Blair booked for a mistimed slide tackle, but youngster Ace Waterson seemed destined to beat fate, and scored an equaliser at 44 minutes in. With only a minute of stoppage time, the deadlock would not be broken yet.

The teams got back on the pitch, eager to break the deadlock and put themselves up for qualification. Again possession was shared equally between the sides for a while, with both teams trying to break down the other's defence. Loynn adopted a slightly more aggressive stance than normal in the hopes of clinching a win. The deadlock would finally be broken at the 64th minute with a powerful strike by Mark Wilson from outside the penalty box following an attempted clearance by defender Juhani Ojala The aggressive stance had worked, the boys were pushing much higher up the field than before, allowing for more attempts at goal.
Pushing too hard has its problems however, as the back line was left exposed to a counter-attack. Loynn's lead didn't last as a wonderful strike from Markkanen in the 68th minute levelled the playing field after an expertly crafted counter-attacking move surprised the defence, who were left wide open. At this point a draw seemed certain, but neither team were giving up. Attacks came in from both sides, Loynn resumed their normal tactics, trying to stop any more goals from reaching their net, and the Finnish defence were holding back any attacks from Loynn's men. However a final clear cut chance came at the 75th minute, when a controversial decision by the referee gave Loynn a free kick from the final third. Ben Rich took the kick which curled into the box directly to the head of Waterson, who instead of directing the ball towards the goal, headed it to the feet of Jonny Nash, who fired it straight to the back of the net. Loynn had finally broken the deadlock, and despite more Finnish efforts to equalise again the final whistle closed the curtains on what was possibly the most exciting game in Group F with Loynn in front.

The win secured Loynn's qualification to the Round of 16, and the streets of Bellator and Loynn ran wild with fans praising the team for their efforts. The boys now face Thesi Erevnah, and will be hoping to stay in the tournament for as long as possible.

--------------------

Post Match Press Conference

Harry Passman - LBC Sports News 1:- "Your victory today secures qualification to the Round of 16, how are you feeling about it?"
Patrick Day:- "I'm absolutely over the moon, the boys have played wonderfully throughout the group stages and they totally deserve to go through."

Charles Antonia - Football Today:- "With the performances you've put in during the group stages you must be feeling confident about the next match, do you think you can take Loynn all the way?"
Patrick Day:- "Again we're going to take it one game at a time, but I have total confidence in the boys to play well and to take us as far as they can"

Jamie Hynne - VTN Sports:- "People are rather surprised that you chose a 4-4-1-1 formation, and are just as surprised that it's working, can you tell us the thinking behind this?"
Patrick Day:- "I've experimented with a few formations throughout my managerial career, but 4-4-1-1 hasn't been one of them. I was given the advice by Antonia Dominus [Tristinia manager] when he saw my teamsheet. It allows us to take real control of the midfield without losing our attacking abilities."

[Spaam]

Round of 16

Kel Assuk 1–0 Löptsegl (Paatukar)
Tveidalen 2–2 Elgenstad (3–4 AET) (Highbay)
Furbish Islands 3–3 San Regada (3–3 AET) (6–5 pen.) (Nilmenas)
Kecrazia 0–1 Aggrey-Fynn Land (Skaganes)

Quarterfinals

Kel Assuk vs Elgenstad (Paatukar)
Aggrey-Fynn Land vs Furbish Islands (Skaganes)

RP Challenge #5

Oh no! Some of your players have come down with food poisoning!
What did they eat? What will you do?