Three ThingsJust call us Rejistania. Over the past two matches, the Black-and-Reds have put up a positively Karelan display, smothering Fevhader and Najaf, the two lowest ranked teams in the group for a pair of one-goal, clean sheet victories. One might have wished to see them put up more goals against this level of opposition, but in the end the full points are all that matters, and critics will have to work very hard to find fault with the defensive performance.
One Nil at HomeThe first home match of qualifying took place far from the predictable venues in the big cities of Megabrantis and Algolia. In the more intimate setting of the Civic Arena in Brasta, Sivolvia, 37,500 gathered to watch the Black-and-Reds take on unranked Fevhader, who were defeated in their opening match at Gutulia. Temperature at kickoff was a balmy 75 degrees with a light breeze: a perfect evening for football.
There was definitely a feeling out period early on. The Black-and-Reds appeared content to maintain possession as much as possible, trying to draw their opponents out and to discern their tactics. Defensively, Donnell's players were very quick to react and close down Fevhader possessions, seeking to deny them the ball as much as possible. Gradually, the Black-and-Reds began to press further forward, moving the ball around the exterior of the Fevhader defense looking for openings.
The opening (and as it turned out, only) goal came most of the way through the first half. After running onto a lead pass down line from Damot, Zonde launched a massive aerial switch with his first touch, finding Vladcik near the far corner flag. Vladcik sent the opposing right back the wrong way and made a run inside along the end line. As a center back approached to close him down, and the rest of the defense adjusted their positions in reaction to this new angle of attack, Vladcik found Damot in space at the top of the box, and fed him a low cross. Damot's shot was back to the left, against the grain, and caught the goalkeeper wrong footed as he was adjusting his position to the right.
The second half was a story of missed opportunities, as the Black-and-Reds twice hit the woodwork, and tested the Fevhader keeper on more than a few occasions. Breaking loose just a few minutes after the second-half kickoff, Vladcik hammered a shot that rebounded off the crossbar and high into the crowd. The other post hit was late in the match, when Przemors Dzetker, who came on for Ajao in the 80th, fired a low shot across the face of goal only to see it rebound off the far post and eventually over the touchline for a defensive throw-in. The Fevhader keeper would probably argue that he'd have made the save if the shot were on target though. Overall, the match was certainly not the snoozefest the scoreline might suggest, and the crowd (away fans excepted) went home with smiles on their faces.
Squornshelan Remnant States 1 - 0 Fevhader
Damot (Vladcik) 32'
Venue: Civic Arena, (cap. 37,500), Brasta, Sivolvia, SRS
SRS: Munib; Dzarkhin, Raktsov, Oleb, Ulcviecel (Delu 71'); Djanetic, Damot, Zonde; Vladcik, Ajao (Dzetker 80'), Jzvanic
One Nil AwayFollowing the win, the Black-and-Reds set out to try for their first road win of qualifying in Najaf. Najaf are not quite the unknown that Fevhader were, having participated in the most recent Baptism of Fire Cup. Since they were eliminated in the first round, however, there was limited information available about their tactics and players, and Donnell and her staff had to make do. She did introduce one change to the lineup, starting Ozol Gebara in place of Gezan Djanetic at left midfield. While some will interpret this to mean Djanetic is on his way out of favor with a second manager, it is probably unwise to read too much into things at this early stage of qualifying.
Perhaps as a result of unfamiliarity, the match began similarly to the previous one, with the Black-and-Reds testing out the Najafi side, trying to glean a few details about their tactics and players' capabilities, while keeping their own cards close to the chest. As the home crowd grew restless, hoping their team was capable of the upset, the Black-and-Reds settled into a rhythm of probing forward, mostly along the wings, and then falling back to regather possession before carefully bring the ball upfield again. Najaf by this time had begun to closely mark the forwards, so it was left more to the three midfielders to create opportunities. Damot did just that in the 27th, launching a shot from well outside the box that dipped, swerved, and nearly fooled the Najafi keeper, who made an excellent adjustment to parry it wide of the net. The ensuing corner kick saw Zoban Ajao gain enough space from his marker to get his head on the ball, but the shot went high, leaving him shaking his head.
It would not be until the first half was nearly spent that the Black-and-Reds would break the deadlock. Damot's service on a 44th minute corner soared over the heads of everyone in the box, and was gathered up near the far touchline by Zonde. The winger wasted no time in pressing back toward goal as Najaf tried to quickly reestablish their defensive lines. In the end, the left back was overeager in charging out to challenge Zonde, and allowed the winger to slip by him. Zonde's attempt to fire the ball past the keeper on the short side struck the post and rebounded out into the penalty area, striking Jzvanic firmly in the chest. Keeping his wits, and his balance well, the striker sidefooted the ball on the volley, sending it into the net before anyone else had much chance to react.
Weathering a storm of Najafi attacks to begin the second half (full credit to their manager for an excellent pep talk), the Black-and-Reds fairly quickly settled into a defensive posture, with Donnell sending Strepol on to patrol the midfield in place of Damot after less than 20 minutes. She also brought on Vrenz Tambura for Ajao, rearranging the forward line slightly. Jzvanic moved to the center, while Zonde slid forward to mirror Vladcik on the other wing, with both playing somewhat lower down than Jzvanic. Tambura took Zonde's place at right mid alongside Strepol and Gebara to leave the formation looking more or less the same, but decidedly more defensive in nature. Gebara and Tambura being much more centrally inclined players than Vladcik and Zonde, they played a more interior defensive role, while the wingers dropped back much further than they normally would to add themselves to the defensive formation, with only Jzvanic remaining upfield. The home fans were not particularly entertained by this course of events, or pleased with their sides inability to break through, but it worked, and the Black-and-Reds took full points away from home, which is an accomplishment no matter who the opponent is.
Najaf 0 - 1 Squornshelan Remnant States
Jzvanic (Zonde) 44'
SRS: Munib; Dzarkhin, Raktsov, Oleb, Ulcviecel; Gebara, Damot (Strepol 63'), Zonde; Vladcik, Ajao (Tambura 71'), Jzvanic
Coming Up NextThe next match is a crucial one, with 74th ranked North Prarie coming to visit. If the Black-and-Reds want to keep a hope of overachieving alive, they need to steal a point at the very least. North Prarie, on the other hand, will also be regarding this as a crucial game for their own hopes regarding final group position, as we are undoubtedly the biggest threat to their chances of finishing in the top four.
Following that, the Black-and-Reds head to Sorrentopia for an important away match. While the Sorrentopians are definitely the weaker team on paper, it will be crucial for the Black-and-Reds to keep their good form and focus, and not allow themselves to look past the match to the looming Matchday 6 showdown with Sargossa at the Lutenstaad. These early matches are all the more important given the backloaded schedule the Confederacy must play, facing Pasarga and Sargossa away, and Crystalline Caverns at home as three of their last four matches. They'll need to pack away the points now, as they might be hard to come by later on.
Matchday Schedule and ResultsMD1: Devonta 2-2 SRS
MD2: SRS 1-0 Fevhader @ Civic Arena (cap. 37,500), Brasta, Sivolvia, SRS
MD3: Najaf 0-1 SRS
MD4: SRS v North Prarie @ Ralph Wilson Memorial Stadium (cap. 48,700), Han Dold City, Han Dold, SRS
MD5: Sorrentopia v SRS
MD6: SRS v Sargossa @ The Lutenstaad (cap. 75,000), Lutenblag, Molvania, SRS
MD7: Crystalline Caverns v SRS
MD8: SRS v Pasarga @ Megabrantid Financial Field (cap. 64,275), Brantisvogan, Megabrantis, SRS
MD9: Gutulia v SRS
MD10: SRS v Devonta @ Albrechtsson Park (cap. 65,400), Damogran, Algolia, SRS
MD11: Fevhader v SRS
MD12: SRS v Najaf @ Westflanarena (cap. 31,200), Zarss, West Flania, SRS
MD13: North Prarie v SRS
MD14: SRS v Sorrentopia @ Flanoil Arena (cap 50,350), Traal, East Flania, SRS
MD15: Sargossa v SRS @ Estadio Generalissimo Joaquín Delgado (cap. 108,879), Soluca, Sargossa
MD16: SRS v Crystalline Caverns @ Chernov Stadium (cap. 57,600) Viltvodle, Megabrantis, SRS
MD17: Pasarga v SRS
MD18: SRS v Gutulia @ Sunergy Field (cap 37,550) Hunian, Algolia, SRS