World Cup 83 - Roleplay Thread

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Die Stelburger Zeitung

Sport

Interview: Catching Up with Karl-Heinz Jager

At the age of 21, FC Teussen Stelburg and Siovanija and Teusland national team centre-back Karl-Heinz Jager has already earned many achievements. The President’s Cup winner with FC Teussen Stelburg, and last season’s Republikaliga Player of the Year, however, has his heights set a little higher: “I want to lift the Republikaliga trophy, and after that play in our first World Cup.”

Stepping into the home of Jager’s parents in suburban Stelburg, you get a sense that not much has changed for the star defender. “Yeah, I still live at home. Some of the lads laugh at me, of course, but it’s convenient anyway. And I’m not the type that’s downtown every weekend or that, so it’s fine by me.” The wall in his room is adorned with football shirts: his first international cap and President’s Cup final shirt being neighbours to one from the Stelburg Eagles U12. Medals from youth tournaments sit alongside his Cup winner’s medal. “Haven’t done much redecorating! I like it though, it reminds me of where I came from.”

Jager’s road to the top is the near-cliche story of many footballers. His father, Paul, tells us that “You could see from when he was only maybe 9 playing that he was just on a different level. He actually played in midfield at first, but when he went to the Teussen academy they moved him to centre back.” Jager quickly became a rising star at that position, playing with players 2 years older than himself. The Stelburg Sun ran a profile on him at the age of 15, calling him ‘Teussen’s Next Hope’. Fans flocked to the Teussen U-17 matches just to see him. “It was surreal, you know, and there was definitely a bit of pressure. The guys at the academy did a really good job of keeping me focused though, and of course I have to credit my parents for that as well. At the age of 18, the call came from the senior side.

What was his reaction to getting the call? “Haha, well, I was obviously excited! I knew I’d get my chance at some point, but I didn’t expect it to come so early. The lads made me feel at home immediately though, and it was nice to have a few other young guys around the team at the same time like Ewald (Heuser) and Lukas (Tauscher). Then of course there’s Thorsten (Kramer), he did a lot for me that first season.” Jager’s play was stellar, and fans and coaches quickly realized he was the real deal. A series of poor results against other top teams, however, consigned Teussen to a 6th placed finish. “That was tough. You grow up watching Teussen, and really, you expect us to be challenging for the title every year. It felt horrible to be so far off the mark, we all felt like we were letting the fans down a bit.” Another call, however, would soon come for Jager.

“It was probably only about a week or so after the last game of that season that Gavin called,” says Jager about his first senior national team call-up. “That one was even more unexpected! Again, I felt that my chance was going to come, but you never really expect it still. Not too long after that, I was on the plane to Mriin for the AOCAF.” Jager didn’t begin the tournament as a starter, but he ended it as a key part of the national team’s starting XI, where he’s been ever since. “I just got lucky enough to get a chance, and I took it as far as I knew I could.” The Quarterfinal run was a brilliant start for the young centre back’s international career.

Last season, Jager and Teussen recovered to put in a strong title challenge. “Yeah, it was a lot of fun. We were actually dark horses for the first time I can think of, and we put up a great fight. Obviously it hurt to lose it in the end, especially to local rivals, but we’ll be stronger for it.” Teussen finished just 1 point adrift of crosstown rivals 1912 Stelburg. 2nd was much higher than anyone expected for the black and gold, especially after the departure of Thorsten Kramer. “That almost helped us in a way, you know, because everyone wanted to prove themselves. Thorsten was sending us messages all year too, wishing us luck and congratulating us and all that.” The Goldhorns, with Jager in the lineup, also reached the Quarterfinal of another AOCAF, this time losing to Cosumar by a disappointing result of 6-2. “I felt we could’ve played better in that match. It was disappointing to go out that way. Cosumar are a great side, of course, but there is some regret about that match in particular: we didn’t help ourselves at all, and in matches like that you have to.”

It wasn’t all disappointment, however, for Jager. He was named Republikaliga Player of the Year after a close vote between himself and 1912 Stelburg and Mytanija star Jasno Odonelec. “It’s a great honour, for sure. I’ve had the pleasure of talking to Jasno a bit, and the displeasure of playing against him as well! He’s an exceptional player, and he would’ve been every bit deserving of the award. I didn’t really think I had much of a chance, you know, those awards often go to forward players but obviously the voters recognized the work I was doing and that of my teammates.” Jager led Teussen to finishing with the best defensive record in the top flight, and was seen as playing a massive part in Teussen’s 2nd place finish.

There was also the President’s Cup win for Jager and Teussen, earned through a 2-1 extra time win over FC St. Jakob. The road to the final also included an exceptional win on penalties over 1912 Stelburg in the Stelburg Derby. “It was a memorable campaign for us all, and that trophy meant a lot for us. This was the first real season for the new generation of Teussen, and with a start like that I’m sure there’s more to come for us.”

With World Cup 83 Qualifiers also in full swing, many of our questions turned to the national team. What’s it like to play with players like Thorsten Kramer, Viktor Dimitrov and Michael Ribbeck? “When you get to that level, everyone brings something unique and everyone is obviously exceptionally talented. I have to say, Michael is one of the best players I’ve seen, the way he shoots the ball and his skill on it. I hate defending against him in the league, haha, so it’s nice to be able to watch him work for me instead! Viktor, you just feel so confident anytime he has the ball, and Thorsten obviously is one of my best mates so it’s great to play with him again.” How has centre back partner Raphael Klopfer helped you? “More than I could ever say in an interview. Rafa’s been amazing, on the pitch and off the pitch. He’s taught me a lot, and you learn something from him every day. He’s our captain, and he’s like a general out there. Knows so much about the game. I’m sure you’ll see him on the touchline one day.”

The Qualifying campaign has seen a mix of results so far: solid wins from the Goldhorns, but a few draws as well that perhaps the team would like to take back. The recent 1-1 with New North Carolina would be an example of that: “You can’t blame anyone for that, but it was not a day we’re proud of.” The Goldhorns sit 2nd in Group H, tied with the Squornshelan Remnant States on points but ahead on head to head result. What do the Goldhorns need to hold onto that second spot and reach the playoff? “Perfection. We can’t ask for anything less. There’s 3 games left, 2 of them at home, and everyone needs to bring their absolute best for all of them.” Is it too much to ask for perfection when an away date with The Holy Empire remains? “That one’s going to be tough, but anything can happen in football. Like I said, we need to bring our best for each and every game. We can’t pick and choose, ‘oh this one’s more winnable than that one’. No. They’re all winnable if we give everything.”

The final, and most important question of all: Can Siovanija and Teusland qualify for its first World Cup? “Well, that’s the million tolar question isn’t it? Obviously there’s still 3, possibly more if we reach the playoffs, matches to go before we have the final answer. What I can tell you is that there’s definitely a belief in the room that we can go as far as we want.” Hopefully that ‘far’ is a short flight over to Banija or the Equestrian States.

Karl-Heinz Jager is a centre back for FC Teussen Stelburg and the Siovanija and Teusland national team. He’s been a top performer for the Goldhorns throughout World Cup 83 Qualifiers, and was chosen as the STFA’s nomination for the Team of the Tournament. The Goldhorns’ next match is at home, as they take on Anollasia at the Energija-Arena. It is sure to be an important match in the race for World Cup dreams. Come on you Goldhorns!

Match Report
Siovanija and Teusland 1-1 New North Carolina, @ New North Carolina

Lineup: Sveteikov; Karapetrov, Thierse, Klopfer, Daschner (Helmke 85’); Tauscher, Ivancic (Kramer 75’), V. Dimitrov, Kruger; Reichwein, Kynev (Ribbeck 60’)
Goals: Ludwig Reichwein 63’
Stelburger Zeitung Man of the Match: Ludwig Reichwein

[Flavovespia]

Torisakia 2–2 Flavovespia

A draw away at Torisakia will feel like somewhat of a missed opportunity for Flavovespia, despite managing to equalise twice during the course of the game. The result confirms that, predictably, Flavovespia won't win Group M, and realistically, even 2nd to 4th place are now slipping away.

Some squad rotation was deployed in the starting line-up, Ramon Martin came in for Andrew Mason, and Neil Wright returned in the place of Reece James in defence. Nick Cole was keen to try and get some more players minutes in the national team, ahead of a run of what he called "winnable" qualifying games.

It took just 2 minutes however, for the hosts to take the lead. An overhit cross look like it was going to roll safely out of play, but Jordan Kallian hooked the ball into the box as it was on the goal line. With the Flavovespian defence caught napping, Johnny Kelso had an easy one-on-one to score past Harrington. 1-0 to the hosts, in a somewhat fortuitous goal for them to score.

Flavovespia found themselves in a tough position, now trying to equalise against a team they expected to match up to well. Thankfully the 17th minute saw them get an equaliser with their first big chance. In the centre of the field, Steven Hall played a great give and go with Scott Coleman, and carved open the defence of Torisakia. Hall was well positioned to place a shot into the net, beating Mitch Issacson with a skilful finish. 1-1 now, with everything to play for.

Both teams looked motivated to attack, but the goalkeepers were doing well in their respective nets, and helped to keep the game at 1-1 at the end of the first half. The game seemed finely balanced, and both teams felt like it was there to be won.

The breakthrough in the second half came to Torisakia. 54th minute, and Jordan Kallian was taken down in the box by Neil Wright. The Flavovespia defender was adamant he got a foot on the ball, but on the balance of probability, it looked like a foul from all angles. Jordan Kallian was the penalty taker, and his well hit penalty went the other side to Harrington, and gave the hosts the lead again.

Neil Wright himself was subbed off for Mark James, the former looking increasingly more frustrated and clumsy in defence now, after conceding the penalty. The former looked more assured in the defence, and Torisakia were struggling to create anything, although they were leading.

66 minutes in, and Flavovespia got a 2nd equaliser. This time from a James King corner, Ramon Martin had his header deflected away. Scott Coleman then hit a volley that was blocked, but that fell into the path of John Calvert. Even the ageing centre back couldn't miss from just a few metres out, and got his first ever international goal. The equaliser put more life into the game now.

The anticipation of a thrilling finale began to quickly fade, as both teams struggled to create anything, and a growing number of fouls and general dissent became apparent on the field. Henrik Jensen and James King both got yellow cards for fouls in the centre of the mark, and Andrew Mason was also accused of diving to try and win a penalty in injury time. It wasn't a foul or a dive, just a fair tackle, but it didn't stop multiple players getting involved in the ensuing argument.

2-2 it finished, somewhat of a missed opportunity for both sides to get some points. Ko-oren now lead on 24, only needing another win to book their tickets at the World Cup. Dreamplanet edge Eura on 14 points by goals scored. The Pot 1 team seem to be faltering, and risk crashing out of the World Cup even without going through the qualifiers. Freeport (12), Torisakia (10) and Flavovespia (7) follow up, all in a battle for 4th it would seem, and then at the bottom remains Western Bjornaic.

Domestic News

Today the FFA announced the biggest change to the Flavovespia Gold Cup format for a while, it will now be open to all teams in Flavovespia affiliated with an official league. Previously only the 64 League teams, and 96 “non-league” Alliance teams, making up the top 5 tiers of Flavovespian football were eligible to compete. However the competition will return to it’s classical roots, opening up to all teams.

The format will see the preliminary rounds decide 4 lots of 16 teams to enter Qualifying Round 1. These 4 lots, distributed by geography will be drawn randomly in regional pots containing the 16 teams of the Alliance Division 2 of the same geographical region. 2 rounds follow before the 8 Northern and 8 Western teams join the 16 Western Alliance Division 1 teams in Qualifying Round 3, and the same in the South and East. After that, the 32 teams left enter Round 1 with the 16 Western League and 16 Eastern League sides, and the 32 who win in Round 1 enter Round 2 with the 16 Super League and 16 Challenge League sides.

Many were pleased to hear the news, and felt it finally showed that the FFA was reconnecting with grassroots football. The Alliance Division 2 was, and still is seen as an artificial barrier between the top amateur and non-affiliated clubs and the bottom of the Tier 5 sides, and soon the proverbial gate could be open, removing the biggest barrier left in the pyramid.

[Xanneria]

The Maroon Streak!
by Steve Stevenson

ACRONIUS - When Apox and Xanneria decided on a mid-match round of boxing, it was thought to have doomed the Maroons. They said the sloppy play of traditional Xannerian football was exposed to the masses. But instead all Xanneria has done is win. A five game wins streak has propelled the Maroons to scary heights as they are now in a qualifying spot. A 3-2 thriller over Acronius has put the Maroons up next to new rivals Apox. Glenn Hailey once again proved why he is the biggest star in Xannerian football as he got three assists in this game one on each goal. Marques Trenton scored two goals and Richard Presentino got a PK score midway through the game. As per the usual writings of late, it was the constant speed out of the five man Xannerian front that wore down the Acronian defense.

Mo Goddard giving an Acronian a hard time

Up next is the first huge test for Xanneria. Apox, the instigators of the fight that started the streak are coming to play Xanneria. The game is being played once again in Wolfram, as the National Stadium is essentially finished and a new smaller stadium proposal has been accepted by FLOX President Jeb Gyjorko and the government of the Capital Territory. With the streak on the line and ground to make up on Apox and gap Acronius with, this game is essential to Xannaria's fight for a Cup qualifying spot.

Xanneria - 3
Trenton (44' 71')
Presentino (64')

Acronius - 2
??? MF (34')
??? F (58')

[Taeshan]

This matchup was not just a regular matchup on the docket for the Purple Knights as they took on Senayan for the second time in the campaign. This time the Knights came into the game looking to push for goals, but also to get revenge for the lone blemish on their first half of qualifying, a 0-0 draw with their opponents at home. The Knights faced the team with the worst amount of points in the group on the road knowing this matchup had two big stories, getting their revenge, and continuing on the path to keep them hopefully headed towards at least a playoff. If they could win out, and hope that Mytanija lost a game, or ended with a lower goal differential the Knights could be back in the World Cup for the first time in almost four decades.

The Knights again found themselves ahead early in their game against Senayan with Wilhelm Nkitilina proving the scorer with a 9th minute opener. Pushing himself towards a hopeful inclusion in a team of the tournament, Nkitilina basically took on the entire Senayan back four weaving between the center backs, sashaying past the right back, and spinning the covering left back all before literally dunking on the goalie by chipping him running around him and heading the ball into the net from close range. The Knights did not let up from their as Nkitilina reminded himself it was a team game finding Shiloh Morgenstern with a through ball after a nifty bit of hold up play. The Al Haxire midfielder made it 2-0 shortly before the half with a hesitant, if purposeful finish. The Knights were kept scoreless for the rest of the game, but it was enough to keep them, at least for now, on top of the table.

Knights fans would have had one eye on the rest of the group. Most importantly their next opponents West Phoenicia, and Mytanija. Mytanija was able to do what Darmen could not and win in Penguinland, but only with a 2-1 victory. For their part West Phoenicia fell to Darmen at home, but stayed in with a chance to qualify. The Knights will face a fiery matchup with them, with their lives on the line, and as they say "Never go in against a West Phoenician when death is on the line". The Knights other remaining opponents before Darmen, Saint Émelie, had a bye but manage to find themselves only at best able to make a playoff. The Knights will look to keep steady in their next three matchups and hopefully get three wins, and force the onus on Mytanija not to fail.

[Krytenia]

Dini's In The Oven
By Rami Niblick in Emberton

SAY it quietly, lest you jinx it, but Krytenia might just have secured their return to the top table. It's not just the fact that the Dragons finally managed to notch a win over Mercedini, it was the nature of the thing. Krytenia were smart and ruthless in equal measure, displaying the tactical nous and swagger of some of the great teams of the past from this nation.

From the opening whistle, Krytenia set out their gameplan and executed well. Possession was the name of the game, with Stephen Mariner and the Hansen twins moving the ball around the centre of the park, drawing players out of position and leaving Mercedini chasing shadows. As the visitors' discipline began to waver, it left more space for the front three to get into dangerous positions, and Chris Naismith was unlucky not to open the scoring on fifteen minutes when his low shot brushed the outside of the post with Daniel Hosset left flailing at air in the Mercedini goal. Josh Coquelin, too, came close, flashing a powerful shot too close to the Golden Eagles' custodian, and it seemed inevitable that the Dragons would take the lead. They were proved right in this regard when Joe Hansen's whipped cross was only half cleared by Liam Toivonen; Mariner connected well with the dropping ball, thumping a volley between two Mercedini defenders and leaving the unsighted Hosset with no chance.

One would become two before the break, cementing the Dragons' dominance. Again, Mariner was the danger man, spotting Selly Kennedy with running room in front of him and weighting a beautiful lobbed pass. Kennedy brought it down well, and left poor Hosset clutching at air with a beautifully weighted chip that beat the 'keeper before dipping under the bar and giving the net a soft yet satisfying ripple.

The beginning of the second half would see a breif respite from Krytenia's total control of the game thanks to a clumsy Will Vasser challenge. Ross Presic curled the free kick into the danger zone, where Lawrence Garzallo had timed his run to perfection and made no mistake with the free header he'd been given. Miguel Torres' protestations earned him a yellow card; besides, he was wrong anyway, as the replays showed Garzallo clearly onside when the kick was taken.

Krytenia, slightly deflated by the goal, took a little time to get back on top of the game, but get back on top they did. When Kennedy's shot hit the arm of Toivonen just after the hour, and Naismith buried the resulting penalty, the jig was up for the visitors. It could have been even worse for Mercedini as substitute Callum Quiroga almost added a fourth late on; the Avidia United man, though, dragged his shot wide.

What all this means, then, is that qualification is now very much in Krytenia's own hands. A trip to third-placed HUElavia is next on the cards; a win there would guarantee at least a spot in the playoffs...and from there the sky, and white, is the limit. Onward!

KRYTENIA - 3
Kennedy 31
Mariner 42
Naismith (p) 63

MERCEDINI - 1
Garzallo 47

[Busoga Islands]

The Busoga Chronicle
The Islands #1 News Source!

Busoga Islander fan culture- A primer


Busoga Islander fans at Orange Field on Matchday 9 against Saintland

DUKUMA, NORTH ISLAND- The Cinderella story of World Cup 83 Qualifying keeps going on, as the star gazed Islanders continue their stunning run throughout the World Cup 83 Qualification campaign with a home victory over Saintland, by the same score that the away fixture between these two sides was played- by a score of 1-0. But the Busoga Islanders, on the whole, looked much better and more confident in this matchup with Saintland, than their previous one. While there was a lot of counter-attacking on Matchday 2 from a team that was particularly defensive minded, the side on display today at home was a much different one in terms of style. Being supported by just over 17,000 extremely loud fans, in the last match of the campaign to be played in the country's largest city, they wanted to put on a show for the people of Dukuma, here on the North Island. They were always going to go after it, and in just the 9th minute, the Islanders broke through for an early goal. It was Berihu Abeselome who launched an excellent cross towards the center, for the ball to be chested by Ikshu Amitabh, brought down, and immediately fired towards the net. He went for the corner, the goalkeeper didn't have a chance, and just like that, it was 1-0 as the crowd was sent into an early frenzy.

From that point, it was largely a sort of boring game for the rest of the match. Not the most entertaining, or the most exciting, but it was deadly efficient- they picked up all three points. Saintland is a team that is very focused on defense, and, to put it bluntly, they aren't that comfortable trying to go forward. They are physical and methodical on defense, not allowing many holes and ensuring that it most certainly does take some time to try and break them down. But the early goal threw them off, threw them out of sync and out of sorts. The Islanders would try to press their advantage, for an early 1 goal lead is never safe. But it was then when Saintland was able to weather the storm, and a couple of excellent saves from Alessandro Suedius prevented the home side from growing their advantage. In the second half, however, it was a pretty boring one. The Islanders sat back and were confident that they could hold onto their 1-0 lead, while the visitors simply did not have the creativity to break down the Islanders. al-Shareef was only seriously tested once, when he was forced to make a diving save off of a long shot by Iacobus Sosia.

But now that we've talked about that, we're going to talk about something that does not get that much attention- the Busoga Islands fan culture. What is the fan culture like in this country? A country that does not have its own domestic league, and 6 clubs- with only 1 in the top flight, and none of whom have ever reached UICA competition. We're going to dive, today, into the football fan culture at both the club level and the domestic level, and what it's like to be a football supporter in this nation.

Club Level

First, of course, we should talk about the domestic football situation within the Busoga Islands. When the country got its independence from the Kingdom of Banija just over a decade ago, and the Busoga Islands Soccer Association was quickly established, there was six professional clubs on the islands who looked like they'd have trouble finding a future. They were Lakiska Sporting Club, Dukuma Sporting Club, Jaribga Soccer Club, the Tezirbu Foxes, the Nezrouch Rovers, and the Tripoli Foresters. This league covers the territory of the Busoga Islands and the Moravica Region. The latter 4(now latter 5) at the time were participating in the Northwestern League, on the second level of the Banijan soccer pyramid. Lakiska Sporting Club and Dukuma Sporting Club were participating on the top of the soccer pyramid, and all of a sudden, with independence they needed a league. Executives at BISA(the Busoga Islands Soccer Association) quickly understood that a viable league, in a country as small as this one, with only 6 clubs, would be unlikely to be created. And with many Banijans understanding that kicking out 6 members would be bad for business, BISA and the RBSA(Royal Banijan Soccer Association) quickly came to an agreement where the 6 Busoga Islander clubs woudl participate exclusively in Banijan competition, as if they never left, and those 6 clubs would be members of both BISA and the RBSA. Keep their leagues, keep their schedules, at the price of not having an exclusive Islander competition.

Of course, Islander club fan culture must be understood through the lenses of the country's two biggest clubs- Dukuma Sporting Club and Lakiska Sporting Club. They've both been around for many years, and when the Banijan Soccer League was originally formed, they were both easy choices to join the competition. While Dukuma Sporting Club is now owned by Al Qurijan investors, the club is the most recent champions of the RBSA Cup, which is the domestic knockout cup for clubs within the Banijan pyramid. The Dukuma Sporting Club fan base is known for their left-wing slogans, and their avowedly secular stance. The Laïcité chant is heard in Dukuma SC supporter's sections at least 2-3 times per game. They are known for lots of flares, and they are a fan group that travels well. They've had recent struggles, as shown by their relegation to the Northwestern League, but this is a passionate fan base. They still sell their games out and travel well, and they are known for doing a lot of chants in English, rather than the native Turkish language of the Islanders.

As for Lakiska SC, their fans are more cut from a different cloth. To say that their fans are 'conservative' or 'right-leaning' would be to stretch the truth to the point of absurdity. But they are not very much like their counterparts on the North Island. The fans in the national capitol are also a very energetic group, but the similarities largely end there. Lakiska was a hotbed for support for independence, even before Matthias Mutebi- while the views weren't really mainstream in the country until Mutebi accelerated the process, the greater Lakiska area was the only area of the country that sent pro-independence representative to the then regional Parliament of the Busoga Islands. With Lakiska being the heartbeat of Islam on the islands, and such an important cultural center, you are far less likely to hear chants in English, and are more likely to see unique cultural things at these games. Local instruments, drums, etc.. if you're not an Islander, there's a high learning curve to be a supporter of this club.

National Team

Those are the two main supporters cultures that mesh when it comes to the national team. But it comes with a different twist- the small town supporters coming as well. Supporters from the Tripoli Forester, Jaribga Soccer Club, the Nezrouch Rovers, and the Tezirbu Foxes. While those fan groups, of those smaller clubs, don't really get talked about much in terms of fan culture, and international travel, they sure show up to support the national team. The supporters group for the national team is called The Island Radicals. Creative? We'll leave that up for you to decide. But the Island Radicals have fans not only from Dukuma and Lakiska, but from all over the country. All those cities with teams, and even cities without them.

In terms of away support, Islanders are known for travelling in large numbers for competitive matches(though for friendlies that does not hold as true). And in World Cup 83 Qualifying, that has certainly held true. The Busoga Islands exploded straight out of the gate- winning their first 3 games across the first four matchdays, with two of them at home. The nation quickly fell in love with the team at that point, and ever since then, they have been travelling in exceptionally large numbers to away games. Of course, rules dictate that 5% of stadium capacity is allotted to the visiting team, and that's generally how many tickets that they get allocated. But while the Islanders could not sell out their allocation going to Saintland(which, of course, is also effected by the fact that we are an Islamic country travelling to a Christian theocracy), they've traveled in excellent numbers since then. They traveled well to Jeruselem, and it is even estimated that about 4,000 fans travelled to Vilita without tickets, which is a tradition around these parts.

Now, with just four games left, the Busoga Islands are in a tight position. They are fighting for second place and what would be a berth in the playoffs. Now, of course, the playoffs are going to be extremely difficult. They could feature historic powers like Eura and Brenecia. But they'll be held in the Glorious Southwest- less travel. And between now and then, Islander fan support is expected to go through the roof, as we've never had this sort of success at a World Cup Qualifying tournament before. They travel to Asdia, a side that has been eliminated from World Cup Qualifying for their next one, and Islander fans are buying tickets in droves. They beat the multiverse's 310th ranked side by a score of 7-1 at home, and so they'll be heavy favorites. This game is absolutely seen as a must-win, considering the opponents that they have left.

After that, it'll be a massive home game at Lakiska City Field for this national team, as they take on Pot 2 side Jeruselem. An unlucky side, Jeruselem- they were in Banija's group when they qualified for their first World Cup, will they be there when we make our own history as well? And then, they go to Vartugia before welcoming the two-time defending World Champions on the final matchday. Who knows what the standings will look like then? Here's what we do know- they'll want to have everything wrapped up before then. Nobody wants to be required to take points against the two-time defending world champions on the final matchday to move onto the next round. With that large looming matchup looking to happen on the final matchday of group play, especially considering the opponent, Islander fan demand has been so great, that BISA is in intense discussions with the Busoga Islands Cricket Board to move that match to Lakiska City Cricket Park. Considering how this group is looking right now, that match has quite the chance to be the biggest in Islander history, and demand for tickets is certainly sky-high. We imagine, of course, that they'll reach an agreement easily.

If you're a fan, of course, go ahead and get tickets to Asdia! Take a vacation there, and join other Islander fans in taking over bars around Asdia's stadium. Enjoy your travels, paint that town red and white, and get ready to come back to Lakiska City Field and cheer your heart against the only team that's beaten us during this World Cup Qualification campaign- Jeruselem. But first, of course, we've gotta get all three of those points away from home if we can hold off a Mattijana side that is storming up the table to try and take what is currently our ticket to the World Cup Qualification Playoffs.

[Mattijana]

Vital Lorenzič Goal Sets Up Tense Run-in

MFO SPORT

Mattijana 3-2 Jeruselem
-Illicic (32)

-Mazzoni (44)

-Jakupovic (67)

-Dallas (80)

-Lorenzič (88)

Striker Kara Lorenzič scored again as Mattijana beat Group X rivals Jeruselem in a tense encounter at the Stadijo Nasinal, moving them within two points of the Busoga Islands in the fight for qualification.

The Matbirjke forward made the most of a melee in the Princesses' penalty area to seal a crucial three points after Katya Dallas appeared to have claimed a point for Jeruselem with her 80th minute strike from the edge of the box.

Rikard Illicic opened the scoring from a loosely defended corner after a cagey opening half-hour that was very much indicative of a match that could see one or both teams as good as eliminated. Despite that, Jeruselem worked hard and effectively to get themselves back in the match and despite a good Handanovic save from Dallas' fierce half volley, they would equalise minutes later when Vera Verge fed the ball into Mazzoni, who beat Katija Burnisovic's suspiciously weak tackle to tuck the ball past Handanovic, much to the frustration of (still) under-pressure coach Dusan Vukoja.

Another cagey 15 minutes would start the second half, but the introduction of Sofiane Bisrali for Sophia Velezia added some extra spark to the Marmots attack and they once again piled on the pressure. Marko Hojbjerg had a header parried onto the bar by Pablo PUBG before Lorenzič fired wide from a tight angle. They would eventually make the pressure tell through sheer weight of shots however as Katarina Jakupovic's thunderbolt beat PUBG from 25 yards out and arrowed its way into the top corner of the goal.

It was a goal worthy of the match, but there would be another cruel and distinctly Mattijanan twist to come with just 10 minutes of normal time to go. Veteran Vera Verge would once again turn provider, this time with a lofted chip over the top of the defence that beat the Mattijanan offside trap. Winger Denny Dash got onto the end of it, squaring perfectly for the ever-present Dallas to bundle home despite the best efforts of a sliding Burnisevic, who could only get a toe on the ball on its way to the bottom corner.

Mattijana teams of the previous few years would have been forced to settle for yet another disappointing draw, but there have been ever-louder whispers that this team might have an extra edge and this was proven with only two minutes of normal time to go, albeit by one of the scrappiest goals they have ever scored.

Jakupovic's corner was headed towards goal by Illicic, but well cleared off the line by Princesses defender Karlie Simon, in a way that no-one else could do better. The rebound came back with interest though, pinballing around the box until Kara Lorenzič's swipe deflected into the goal via the thigh of Arum Nuxon.

That sparked bedlam in the Nasinal and this time Mattijana managed to hold on despite a nervy moment where Mazzoni headed over the bar from a good position moments before the final whistle.

Mattijana's Qualifying Run-in

Vartugia (A)
Vilita (H)
Bye
Saintland (A)

Mattijana's run-in contains two of the bottom teams in group X, but also the group leaders, favourites, world champions, number one seeds and indeed every other scary sounding label in Vilita. Six points could be enough to see them through and there may be hope of more after the Marmots somehow beat Vilita in the reverse fixture.

The Busoga islands meanwhile face Asdia, Jeruselem, Vartugia and Vilita in their final four matches having had a bye for this weekend's fixtures. Mattijana may still need favours from less-fancied teams in order to make the playoffs, but they are still at least in the hunt.

[Bliuji]

And that's it yesterday's match is history. Bliuji had plenty of offensive opertunitys but came up emtyhanded. Both goalkeepers played to the best of their ability with 0 goals against. Yet again fans were disapointed with Bliuji's preformance, 5 draws in the world cup is too many and could be the reason why Bliuji wont qualify. Staff was interviewed after the game.

"What could of you done better this game?" said reporter Angela Zealindi

"We need to work on capitalizing chances in the offensive zone, everyone knew that our team work was on point this game but we cant finish chances when we really needed it. There were multiple times in the game were we should of scored but didn't." said striker Daniel Lyskov

"What will you do now coach?" said reporter Angela Zealindi

"We will be watching previous games in the bof and the wc back at the hotel room to see our mistakes and what we can do better, as well as a light practice to work on offensive opertunity." said Head coach Andriy Shevchenko

[Cassadaigua]

Companies Refraining From World Cup Sponsorship,
by Meghan Prosser, Concord Heights Times Business Analyst

Any sports fan will be able to tell you that World Cup 83 will be beginning pretty soon from the nations of Equestrian States and Banija. You don’t really need to be a sports fan to know that, as if you are living in Cassadaigua, it is something that you will not be able to escape even if you tried. I consider myself a casual sports fan. I would much rather monitor stock prices and debate the merits of increasing or decreasing interest rates rather then discuss whether or not Cassadaigua should be using a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 for the World Cup. I would not be able to discuss that with you, I just read a piece from Chelsea Dufresne earlier in the World Cup qualifiers that mentioned that. At the same time, I am not oblivious to sports. I respect what it takes to succeed at that level, and will be rooting on our nation. However, I’d rather check the score online, then to sit through the game.

Sports create amazing opportunities for businesses, and the World Cup, in theory, is out there to the biggest audience in sports, so they say. Companies from across the world are looking to sponsor the World Cup, but there has been an absence of Cassadagan companies looking to get involved. At first glance, that could seem a little unusual. Why would our companies, such as Dagan Airways or Five Star Mobile not want a piece of this market? I put out this question to many different companies, and the answers I got were strikingly, very similar.

Tara Sherman, a spokesperson from Five Star Mobile, told me that, “The World Cup is the biggest competition in the world, when it comes to qualifying. However, once you get to the World Cup Proper, that audience shrinks. It will be watched by many, but the value would be having our logo in all of the qualifying matches and obviously that is not realistic. Nations that do not qualify for the World Cup are not as likely to have their fans traveling to the World Cup. Therefore, you start cutting down on the visibility of your product. Sixteen nations play three games, go home, and then their fans lose interest. In the World Baseball Classic, you get sixteen or more playoff teams, but they are playing a series, and thus their fans are at the host nation longer. We feel that is a better way to advertise the product. We have also put a lot of money into NSSCRA, both in sponsoring the reigning champion of the series, Stacie Houston, and the Five Star Clash, which as you know, continues this weekend at Tropicorp.”

Lauren Pelley, a spokesperson for Dagan Airways, replied, “If there is one industry that is overloaded in advertising for the World Cup, it is the airline industry. Think about it, how often do you watch a game at home, or any kind of program, and two-thirds of all the commercials you see are car commercials? They all look the same. When the game or program is over, is there one brand of car that you think was better then the other brands, assuming they were all the traditional prices and sales you normally see for a car? In the World Cup, the airline industry is like that. It’s not the best use of our resources. We’d love it if it was, but at the end of the day, fans won’t distinguish between the airlines they saw advertised.”

Shannon Meriden, a Pink Love spokesperson had a simple answer, “Our first focus is on the Cassadagan consumer. Any international sales we get is a bonus. We are proud to be a sponsor for domestic games, and for World Cup qualifying. We get an international presence by sponsoring Jenna Logan in NSSCRA. We’re happy with our advertising budget.”

One institution that I am told considered a World Cup sponsorship was Concord Heights Beauty School, looking to be the official beauty school of the World Cup. However, CHBS decided not to do that because they did not feel that outside of Cassadaigua that there was a huge overlap between soccer fans, and those looking to enroll in beauty school. Overall then, I think we can see that Cassadagan companies just don’t see it being the best use of their advertising funds to be considered a “Partner of the World Cup”, regardless of whether it’s considered global or national. They will still be advertising during World Cup games on Cassadagan television in front of Cassadagan audiences, and that seems to be just fine for them.

[Timuria]

Under Qualified Chapter 9:

The team assembled for their pre-match training, there was an atmosphere of anticipation, with the team seemingly finding a sense of togetherness. Even Saban who had been upset, while not an enthusiastic participant in the teams social activities since being relegated to the bench ensured he wasn't seen as the problem. Iskender filed into the room, which resembled a lecture theatre and tapped Caner on the shoulder, "Hey. You seemed out of it just then?"

Caner shook his head and let out a slight laugh as he acknowledged his teammate, "No, just thinking about the big match is all."

Iskender sat next to him as Ozbek interjected from behind them, "We're going to win I just know it."

Caner sighed, "Let's just... you know win the match first then talk about it." He shifted nervously, "We haven't exactly covered ourselves in glory in big matches. Oh. No offence Iskender."

"None was taken, until you said 'no offence.'" Iskender said as the background noise of conversations slowly silenced itself as Bekir walked in.

"Okay everyone." He began as he set down a bunch of notes on the table. "I know that I've been very lax about letting you guys bring your family and friends to visit you in the facility while we're together, but we have to consider that we're the cutting edge of professionalising sport in this country and we need to start treating this like a place of work." The team looked at each other wondering where he was going with his statement. "That's why we need to start treating this much more like a place of work instead of a gym or a social club. So with the fact that we're in for our most essential matches of the qualification I'm instituting a rule: no more significant others or family allowed in the team facility." A slightly disgruntled atmosphere began to build as Bekir continued trying to be convincing as his eyes scanned the room, "I know it's not how we've done things, but we really need to be at the top of our game and I understand that it may not be ideal for some of you, so I'm relaxing our rules about leaving the facility to go visit people. Just don't bring them here. Okay?"

The team nodded more out of politeness, than enthusiasm.

He spun around and began to draw on a white board showing the teams they would have to play, "Guys I know that we didn't expect to be in this position, but now that we're here we need to start talking much more seriously about what we can achieve." He started to write the predicted results that each newspaper had predicted for the team, "This is what the press think is going to happen. They think we can't do it. Well how much fun would it be to make each and every one of those journalists who think they can do this job better than us, eat a pile of shit." The teams seemed to collectively flinch at the swearing, Bekir had never been one to curse in front of the team. "I want you all to think of every person who ever told you that you weren't good enough that you weren't going to make something of yourself and then imagine that winning each of these games is like kicking the crap out of them. What do you say guys, shall we kick the crap out of everyone who didn't believe in us?"

"Yes coach." The team mumbled.

"I didn't hear you!" He called out forcefully, shocking the team.

"Yes coach!" The team replied reciprocating his forcefulness.

"Now get out on the pitch and start warming up, we've got a lot of work to do today."

The team started to walk out with a spring in their step and an electric atmosphere permeated the room as the team would now confront the final stretch of qualification.

***

Iskender knocked on the door, he took advantage of the team's laxer policy on leaving the facility almost immediately. Carrying a rucksack full of food ready to cook a veritable feast for the woman he had been spending so much time with. Esin opened the door, adjusting her glasses before she smiled at him and called out "Hey, how are you?"

He stepped in and sighed, "I've had better days, the coach is riding us hard for the big match against 95X. I suppose that's only fair, but still." He padded to the kitchen and began to unpack the rucksack, removing celery, onions, garlic, and tins of crushed tomatoes and tubes of tomato puree. "You have the mince right?"

"Of course." She kissed him on the cheek before sitting down at the kitchen bar she had in her sleek apartment.

He smiled as he got out the chopping board and a knife, "Are you going to help?"

She hummed in thought, "No. I want to watch you cook, I still can't believe you know how to cook.`Spoiled brat like you."

"Me? Spoiled? Which of us is the one refusing to help cook?"

She laughed as she noticed his smile seemed forced, "What's wrong."

He set down the knife and sighed deeply, "Just some stupid rule the coach put in."

"Oh? What rule?"

"It's just that. I know I promised that we'd go to the facility together, but we're not allowed to bring anyone into the facility anymore. Some nonsense about being 'professional' which I get, but it's really annoying. I'm sorry."

Esin clenched her jaw, this was at best inconvenient, but she had an act to maintain. If it was even an act anymore. She stood up and kissed him on the cheek, "It's okay, we can find something else to do." She paused for a moment, "I need to step out for a second, are you okay taking care of the dinner on your own?"

"Yes, I'm not a child I can cook." He joked, "Well I guess we'll find out. You go do what you need to do."

Esin stepped out of her building and took her phone, dialed the number of her editor. "Yes. This better be important."

"I've reached a dead end, I can't get into the team's facility with Iskender anymore."

"Well, what do you want me to do about it? I told you to get that information. Bribe the guard, smuggle yourself in his kit bag. Hell break in if you have to." He hung up suddenly. Esin sighed, none of the options ahead suited her, but she decided to see it through.

***

Esin had been spying the team's complex the night before, it wasn't especially well guarded, but she knew that a player's key card could get her all hours access. She knew that the computer system would record Iskender as entering, but she figured him explaining that to the staff wasn't her problem. She also knew that sporting facilities didn't have any security cameras due in part to the absurdly low levels of crime.

She walked up to the facility and noticed the guard at the gate had fallen asleep, fortunate for her as she swiped the card and entered the grounds of the national team's facility. The deafening silence of the Demir night did little to settle her intense unease at what she was doing. Was this really what she wanted to be doing? She thought as she checked her bag for the bug. An almost transparent device that would stick to the wall.

She slowly stepped into the building, she had never been in the locker room for too long, but she had an idea of where the managers office would be. As she walked through the building the automatic lights suddenly flashed to life, brightening the corridor, ruining any chance of sneaking around if anyone were in the building. "Shit." She whispered to herself as she began to move a bit faster.

She entered the changing room and looked around, the players had left some of their bags behind. She rolled her eyes and looked at the door labeled "Manager" she smiled, she could leave soon. She opened the door slowly, still trying to make some kind of effort to be stealthy. She slowly made her way around the office, trying to find a spot to stick the bug when she heard the door shut. She suddenly jumped as she heard a feminine voice, "Are you lost?"

Esin stammered, "I-I-I-I I'm n-not sure." She had completely lost her composure.

"Hands up and turn around." Esin slowly turned and saw a red-haired woman, one who matched the description that Iskender had given him for the "personal security" staff member who was unaccounted for. More surprising for Esin was the fact a gun was pointed at her. "Why did you have to come here?" She said lamentation in her tone, "Now I have to take care of this." She sighed as Esin's muscles completely froze.

[Free Republics]

OOC: This is based on a real hashtag that trended on Twitter a few days ago.

Sister Polus's Thoughts

Welcome back to tonight's edition of Sister Polus's Thoughts. There is exciting news today on the Internet that I have decided to share with my viewers. One of my excellent researchers here at WOLF News informed me that a wonderful hashtag has been trending on Chatter today which may truly be a sign that Revival is on the way. I speak, of course, of the hashtag #ChristianGirlAutumn!

The hashtag, which was started by some fashion influencers on Chatter, is encouraging fashionable young ladies to dress modestly like Christian girls. It is a long overdue correction and, in a society where a harlot is the leader of the country, is a form of rebellion against our wicked society. While I usually am not one to condone rebellion, as Epistula ad Romanos chapter 13 says we should obey authority, but in this case the rebellion is against the God of this World, that wretched snake Satanas. I wholeheartedly approve of any rebellion against Satanas and I urge young ladies who find this fashion trend appealing to reach out to a local Ecumenical Coalition for Morality affiliated church for a welcoming community where you can make wonderful people and become a better person by following our Lord and Savior Iesus Christus. Anybody looking for a local church to join is welcome to contact this program. Our email address is SisterPolus@wolfnews.co.republica and we read every single one of your emails. We also urge any women interested in finding fashionable and modest clothing for autumn to contact us. We can point you in the direction of stores that sell authentic clothes for Christian young ladies.

On a related note, the school year recently started at Barjavel Academy. This year, I've had higher enrollment than usual in my classes, particularly among young ladies but also among young gentlemen as well. From talking to the students, I've found that many of our incoming freshmen, even those who did not go through the Junior Academy, specifically chose to attend Barjavel Academy to take my classes. This is a truly wonderful development and I have to say that I feel personally vindicated to receive such support from students. I truly believe that we are in the early days of a Revival.

During the coming Revival, it is our duty as Christians to spread the Word of God to as many people as possible. Right now, hundreds of millions of people here in the Free Republics are tiring of the incompetence of the current government and the rampant wickedness in this country. The polls now show the Liberty Party polling in the single digits for the upcoming Assembly elections and also headed for heavy losses in the Republic elections. Just before this program came on the air, a new WOLF News poll showed Common Good and Golden Age leading in the polls by a wide margin. All of these trends we are seeing are signs that a political earthquake awaits us on election day this year. People tire of the political establishment's incompetence, depravity and corruption but the problems that ail this land cannot be solved by politics alone. They must be solved by culture as well and there are signs that cultural change is coming. I am Sister Maria Polus and I thank you for watching tonight's broadcast. We will be back tomorrow where you will hear from the Reverend Delmar Lavallee of the Salvation Circle...

[South Covello]

Trial of Jacob Brackers, Part 3:

Prosecutor Daxter McLean had called all his other witnesses and now it was time for the final witness, Melanoma Redwin, wife of the late Carter Redwin.

Lucinda Pringle: Court is in session at 9:11 AM. Let the record reflect that the start of today's portion of the trial was delayed for approximately 10 minutes due to heavy, bumper to bumper traffic due to an accident. This Court thanks the jurors for duing their dilligence in getting here as quickly as safely possible. Mr. McLean, call your witness.

Daxter McLean: The Prosecution calls Melanoma Redwin.

The court officer escorts Melanoma to the stand

Lucinda Pringle: Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

Melanoma Redwin: I do.

Lucinda Pringle: Proceed, Mr. McLean.

Daxter McLean: Could you please state your name for the record?

Melanoma Redwin: My name is Melanoma Redwin.

Daxter McLean: What, if anything, was your relationship to the deceased, Ms. Redwin?

Melanoma Redwin: I was his wife.

Daxter McLean: Now, Ms. Redwin, where were you born?

Melanoma Redwin: I was born in Nordernius.

Daxter McLean: So you're an immigrant, correct?

Melanoma Redwin: Yes.

Daxter McLean: And how did your husband feel about that?

Melanoma Redwin: He loved me, he loved me very much.

Daxter McLean: So did he care that you were an immigrant, then?

Melanoma Redwin: No, not at all, he loved me very much.

Daxter McLean: So then, would it be accurate to say Mr. Redwin didn't hate all immigrants?

Melanoma Redwin: Obviously.

McLean would question Melanoma more about her husband's personality for about an hour. At 10:15, he concluded and Judge Pringle declared a 15-minute recess before Dalia Scottson could cross examine her.

15 minutes later....

Lucinda Pringle: Court is back in session at 10:30. Ms. Scottson, are you ready to proceed?

Dalia Scottson: Yes, Your Honor.

Lucinda Pringle: Then do so. Ms. Redwin, I remind you, you're still under oath.

Dalia Scottson: Your Honor, I wish to introduce this catalogue as Defense's Exhibit 3.

Daxter McLean: Your Honor, I wish to renew my objection to this!

Lucinda Pringle: So noted. Overruled again. Ms. Scottson, you may proceed.

Dalia Scottson: Ms. Redwin, could you read what's on the cover of this catalogue?

Melanoma Redwin: It says "Nordernius's Hottest Brides."

Dalia Scottson: And what is the address on the label?

Melanoma Redwin: It's addressed to Carter Redwin.

Dalia Scottson: And is that indeed Carter Redwin's address?

Melanoma Redwin: And mine, yes.

Dalia Scottson: But it wasn't at the time of the catalogue, correct?

Melanoma Redwin: I suppose not.

Dalia Scottson: Now, can you please turn to the page with the post-it? While you do that, Your Honor, I wish to distribute copies of the cover page and the page in question to the jury.

Lucinda Pringle: Court officer, please take these pages and distribute them.

Dalia Scottson: Thank you, Your Honor. Now, Ms. Redwin, what is the name of the person who is circled?

Melanoma Redwin: It says Melanoma Krausse.

Dalia Scottson: And that's your maiden name, isn't it?

Melanoma Redwin: Yes.

Dalia Scottson: And that's a picture of you, isn't it?

Melanoma Redwin: Yes.

Dalia Scottson: For what purpose did you appear in this catalogue?

Melanoma Redwin: I invoke my right against self-incrimination.

Lucinda Pringle: Ms. Redwin, Mr. McLean, Ms. Scottson, I want the three of you in my chambers now. The jury is in recess for two hours, they may go to an early lunch at, what is it, 11:15? But of course we'll need time for lunch once we're done in my chambers, so we'll be back in session at 1:15.

The Chambers of Judge Lucinda Pringle:

Dalia Scottson: Your Honor, it is our position that Ms. Redwin was a mail-order bride. If that is the case, her husband may have violated our laws, but she didn't.

There is a knock on the door

Lucinda Pringle: Come in.

Jordan Herr: Your Honor, my name is Jordan Herr, I represent Ms. Redwin in this matter.

Lucinda Pringle: Ms. Scottson has just asserted that Ms. Redwin has no right against self-incrimination because she violated none of South Covello's laws.

Jordan Herr: She is concerned about prosecution in Nordernius.

Lucinda Pringle: Does Nordernius even exist anymore?

Jordan Herr: No, but it may come back. It's weird that way.

Dalia Scottson: Regadless, we can't be concerned about what may be the law in a foreign country. There are countries where homosexuality is illegal, or where certain religions are illegal, but we don't allow people to invoke their right against self-incrimination when those facts are pertinent to the case.

Jordan Herr: Those people are usually not citizens of such countries.

Dalia Scottson: Usually not, yes.

Lucinda Pringle: Mr. McLean, anything to say?

Daxter McLean: Your Honor, I need time to research this.

Dalia Scottson: Mr. McLean isn't a party to this issue, he can't try to argue on behalf of Ms. Redwin's supposed constitutional rights.

Lucinda Pringle: I agree. Ms. Redwin, you will answer Ms. Scottson's questions when we resume or you will go to jail for contempt. Rest assured, you will not face prosecution in this country. Understood?

Melanoma Redwin: Yes, Your Honor.

About 90 minutes later....

Lucinda Pringle: Court is back in session at 1:16. Clerk, could you please read the question back?

Clerk: For what purpose did you appear in this catalogue?

Lucinda Pringle: Please answer, I remind you you're still under oath.

Melanoma Redwin: I was, as they say, a mail-order bride.

Dalia Scottson: And Carter Redwin ordered you?

Melanoma Redwin: Yes, I suppose.

Dalia Scottson: So did he really love you, or did he view you, an immigrant, as his purchased property?

Melanoma Redwin: He loved me! Carter loved me!

Dalia Scottson: Is that why he had no less than 17 affairs in the three years he was married to you?

Melanoma Redwin: Um, aahhh, I don't know.

Dalia Scottson: So did he view you as his property or not?

Melanoma Redwin: Crying I don't know, I just don't know.

Dalia Scottson: No more questions.

Melanoma Redwin: Redirect, Mr. McLean?

Daxter McLean: No, Your Honor.

Lucinda Pringle: Please step down. Mr. McLean, any more witnesses?

Daxter McLean: The Prosecution rests.

Lucinda Pringle: Very well. Ms. Scottson, do you have your witness now?

Dalia Scottson: Your Honor, today's testimony went surprisingly quickly, we told our witnesses to be ready tomorrow, and both Your Honor and Mr. McLean agreed.

Lucinda Pringle: Very well, court is in recess until tomorrow morning.

[New Lusitania and the Algarves]

STL|Serviços de Transmissão Lusitana
Sport | Football|
World Cup 83 | 83º Mundial

SLOWLY KILLING THE DREAM
New Lusitania 1-2 Rakivland
@ Estádio da Anta do Dragão, Porto (Att: 51 354)

A Note The reporter behind these articles would like to partially take blame and apologise to all Lusitanians for the result at hand after saying "New Lusitania now hope on Rakivland not taking fourth as they play them at home, at the Estádio de Coimbra", which practically qualifies as curse of the commentator, or rather the reporter. To those who do believe in this, we apologise for any inconvenience on the bad result caused.

New Lusitania now returned home in hope of a change of form having to play Rakivland in Porto. It was a vital game for both if they were still to be in contention for the next phase. A few changes for New Lusitania as Cavalariça restarted with Silveira as well as Mário's return and Eustáquio in Nevais' place. New Lusitania dominated the first half but to no avail, with shots from Silveira, Fernando, Cavalariça, Veiga and Gama going all on target. Past halftime, Rakivland scored the first goal from a corner volleying it. On the hour mark, the Selecção managed to get their equaliser, Silveira managing to put it in the moment his foot touched the ball from a cross by Gama. Veiga had been injured in this match after an awful entry by the Rakivland player, which somehow got away with a yellow. It is still unknown how long he'll stay out but the Equipa de Todos Nós pulled a 4-3-3 team with Jota coming on. In the dying moments of the game, Rakivland managed to get the winner by a goal just barely onside that beat Patríce badly. As Rakivland celebrate a great victory, blame and questions have to be put on a team that was half absent from the pitch. Or is it already the coach, Victor Santa Cruz, coach for the last three cycles, showing he may not be what he once was. Questions will be asked but perhaps only future results will unveil any sort of answer. FULL TIME: 1-2

Here & Around the Grounds
Abaja's draw against New Karelograd at home (1-1) may of helped the others in closing or distancing the gap. For New Lusitania, it kept them minimally in the talk for second despite falling into fifth, but for Cassadaigua it signalled a ten point and one game advantage over second after they beat Bengaliana away (1-4). Meanwhile, the Crystalline Caverns took the day off. Now, New Lusitania travel to New Karelograd (in a game in which the reporter of this piece has no further comment) as Cassadaigua have the now "big one" against Abaja as the Crystalline Caverns play Rakivland in what can, too be a decisive game. Bengaliana take the day off.


THE HUB
GOALS: Silveira (6), Fernando (2), Gama (2), Cavalariça (1), Jota (1), Veiga (1), Nevais (1)
ASSISTS: Veiga (3), Fernando (3), Gama (3), Guerreiros (1), Silveira (1), Breu (1), Mário (1)
CARDS: Nevais (1Y), Cancela (1Y)

LATEST STATS
World Cup 82 Quals
Top Goalscorers: Silveira (9)
Assists: Fernando (8)
Cup of Harmony 74
Top Goalscorer: Silveira (4)
Assists: Fernando (3)
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MMXIX

[Geektopia]

Geektivities

Geektopia's WC Qualifying Run and Election News

Hello all, this is Gary Rozensweig and I am here to bring the news. First off, a friend of ours gave us at the studio some predictions based on the polls for this Geektopian election and by golly, they turned out right. Googondolda-dusudecex, the man with no political experience, the myth, the legend has up and done it and won the election. He strives to change our Vegetarianism, Prudism, and all depictions of civil rights in Geektopia. Sounds civil, but he does look pretty warmongering. At least the folk's campaign promise wasn't meant to scare the Geektopian populace out of their socks, as mine did accordingly.

*New King Googondolda-dusudecex

Now, the World Cup qualifying matches are fine, but I'd have to add a little criticism. STOP giving up 2-0 leads, STOP putting billionaires with virtually no talent on the NT, and STOP looking in your own past and being reassured to lose the very next day three nada. I believe our rank will go up, but only because we played more matches with less experienced teams. All in all, don’t play with a team carrier and a retired legend that nobody knows.

[Brigantii]

Conrad and Mercer stepped into a void and rushed through a tunnel of light and sound emerging on the other side where John fell, crashing to the ground. The motion of passing through parallel timelines caused John to throw up. He was already hunched on all fours and began spewing forth a fountain of vomit.

"Come on lad, get it up. You'll get used to the travel." Mercer crouched down and rubbed the teenager's back as John retched again.

"What's going on?" John asked between dry heaves, his eyes streaming.

"It's complicated John. I'll explain everything but we need to get moving."

John vomited again but that was becoming less of the issue, his new problem were his palms that he'd grazed falling through the portal. They were bleeding and raw and stung and suddenly he wasn't crying because he was throwing up, he was crying because his hands hurt.

"John, you need to get up." Mercer took hold of John under the armpit and helped him to his feet.

There was a noise in the distance, slowly getting closer. A metal clanking, moving in unison. The sound of metal boots marching towards John and Mercer's location. Mercer began to look a little panicked as the sound drew clearer. "John, come on." he set off at a quick walk dragging his new accomplice along with him lifting John's feet off the ground. They rounded a corner and John refused to go further, digging his heels in. "What's going on?" he asked again, his face red and puffy.

"You have nightmares, right?“

John nodded.

"They're not nightmares. You have a special gift and can see the alternate timelines that exist."

"What?"

Mercer inhaled and blew the air out of his nose. "We don't have time to talk about this right now. We have to find somewhere to hunker down." Mercer pressed. "Those things you can hear coming are bad news."

The two took off down a deserted street. Shops were boarded up, street lights were dimmed and some lampposts were crooked, trash lined the streets and there were no signs of life anywhere. They found an abandoned butcher's shop and went in through a broken window, crouching down inside behind the counter. There were remnants of the shop's past, a few hooks and sharp knives and a little white hat, discarded by the door.

"Are you going to tell me what the hell is happening?"

Mercer shushed John and leaned in. "After the event, time split into multiple, parallel lines, each one different, but space is not infinite, and we're reaching critical mass, at some point all the versions of the World we know will be crushed together, ending all life. In each of these realities there is a crystal and together we're going to find them and use them to prevent the end of life as we and every version of us knows it."

"What do you need me for?"

"You John, have a shine. You're dreams are of the realities we need to visit to collect the crystals."

"And how do we use the crystals?"

"Science"

…

[Zwangzug]

The Kerlagrad Courier

"Better take this one game at a time" says guy who obviously doesn't know the tiebreakers

Betraying his obvious ignorance of the World Cup 83 hosts' preferred tiebreakers, local fan Kyle Drey-Narth muttered some truisms after a quick glance at the Group C table. "Yeah, uh, Barunia are ahead of us at the moment, but we can only worry about the games we play," he said, indicating a complete apathy towards the relative merits of head-to-head record versus goal differential.

"You can't count Pasarga out either, I mean, uh, they have lots of depth," added Drey-Narth, who would struggle to name any member of the Wanderers even if provided with the appropriate diacritics. "But as long as we do our job and keep winning games, then we won't have to worry about it."

Sources: it fine not to read all the other groups

Experts in the world of international football have confirmed to fans that they are under no moral obligation to continue reading the results from groups that follow C in the Roman alphabet. "I mean, jeez, there are a whole lot of them," summarized Soraya Gupta. "If you're not rooting for one of those countries, why bother?"

Gupta went so far as to say that glazing briefly over groups A and B while one's eyes quickly scanned for Group C was an acceptable way of consuming results. "I know, I know, the conventional wisdom says you must scroll down slowly to avoid appearances of nationalistic bias," she said. "But like, back in the day, they didn't have a page down button, you know? It was just the papers and like, they probably reported the local results first."

"I know fans that have enjoyed success might feel existential burdens," Gupta noted, "such as an ethical responsibility to see if any first seeds are slumping or if the quantum states that may or may not determine macroscopic outcomes have produced particularly bizarre results. But let's face it, ain't nobody got time for dat."

Cherenkov-Nguyen replica jerseys still a thing

To the frustration of the local ethical sportswear company, football fans persist in a desire to wear #19 football jerseys with Edwin Cherenkov-Nguyen's surname on it. "At this point I think they're just doing it ironically," complained kit guy Jeromy McAwl. "Like, come on."

"Who even likes the number 19?" McAwl groused. "I mean, it'd be bad enough if they were honoring Jocelyn Fekapeu-Chara or Edward Ciaver-Maripov. I kinda sense a trend here."

Cherenkov-Nguyen, for his part, noted that "it's probably some kind of -ist to discriminate against people whose parents were from different cultures and both wanted to fight the patriarchy by handing down their names, but like, I don't think it's a mandate anyone wear my shirt or anything."

The nominal backup assisted on goals from Randal Saitta and Lucas Kukiseso in Zwangzug's defeat of Flardania.

[Main Nation Ministry]

Hearts of Ash

Chapter 6: Tea of Enlightment

"Charlie? What is it? I'm in the middle of something here." Alistair said to her, as she knocked on his door. "I want to make something for Jessica. Don't you have some tools?" Charlie asked him, where he raised an eyebrow. "What the hell you need tools for?"
"I just want to make something for Jessica. I mean, I know what I'm doing. I think she like it."

---

The next morning, Jessica awoke from her bed to the sounds of her alarm clock, where she got out of bed. "Charlie?" she called out for her, realizing she wasn't in bed with her. Charlie didn't really understand where she was, but she guessed she was giving her some breathing room from yesterday. Getting herself dressed, she went downstairs to have some breakfast. "It's been a bit empty. Everyone's probably watching the World Cup tonight." she thought, as she put some bread in the toaster.

Gerald didn't call me or anything. I figured everyone was focused on whatever was happening on TV or something. A lot of stuff have been happening in the other nations with some shit, but I don't go into politics, unlike everyone else. So after I'm just bored watching TV of some nature show, I got a knock on the door. I figured it was Gerald, wanting to discuss stuff about when we starting to record the song, but when I opened it, it was Keller.

"Keller? What are you doing here? Actually, I was wondering. Where is everyone? The whole morning has been quiet."
"The Leader is having a rally. Also, someone from the Truth News tried to leak the news about the Leader burning down the tower. It didn't end well." Keller said, nervous.
"You seen Charlie, anywhere? I'm nervous about her, because I might have scared her off by accident yesterday."
"I see that."
"Come in! Come in! We can still talk about...what the hell do you like to talk about? I really need Charlie now."
"Uhhh...boys?" Keller said, awkwardly.
"Jesus, you need some tea."

Jessica let Keller inside of the house, where Jessica brewed the both of them some tea. "What is this tea? It smells funky?" "It's a special blend that I store in the cabinet. Charlie hasn't tried this yet, but I might surprise her with it. Come on, give it a drink." Keller was given the cup of tea, where Keller observed it. The color didn't look presentable, but she wasn't a tea person. She noticed that Jessica was waiting for her to have some. She has a bit of no choice. Keller took a small sip of it and let it hang in her mouth. It had a particular flavor, where Keller can taste something sweet within the mix. "What did you put in this? I think my blood is starting to go warm?" Keller said, nervously.
"Relax, we're all warm blooded mammals. Your body is just adjusting to it."
"Ok..Why am I thinking about Jason now?"
"That will probably be the aphrodisiacs"

"The what?" Keller said, moving the cup away from her mouth."The blend is loaded with natural aphrodisiacs. Knowing people take blood thinners I had some guy do the research for me to make sure everyone can have it." Jessica Madden said, where Harrington immediately put the cup of tea on the coffee table. "Relax, you're not to end up numb!"
"I prefer to not get accidentally drugged, please."
"It's not drugs, it's herbs. There is a big difference. So how's Masami?"
"He's going out of the nation to attend a fan event or something. I hadn't heard yet. He is having some second chances, but I want him to stay, so we can watch a movie or something."
"Have you guys reached that point where you taking him out to see movies?"
"We're just friends, Madden!"
"Right..."
"I'm serious! We're just-"
"Keller, stop being a fucking tsundere. You don't have to say that you're dating Masami, so stay calm about it. You making it completely obvious." Madden reminded her, as Harrington started to fluster.

"Jessica, please!"
"Just calm down, the tea is making you sensitive."
"But-"
"Just sit down! I should probably lend you some of my sugar pills to get you off of this roller coaster."
"Ok.." Keller finally calmed down, where she was still tense from the tea.

Jessica decided to open up a bit towards Keller, thinking it will calm her down more. Seeing how she really to understand, Jessica lounged a bit back. "I know I'm not into boys, but as long as you be yourself you're fine." Jessica said, trying to make Keller feel happy. "Wait, Jessica? I don't see you around any boys that I know? You're friends with Masami, but the only person that I see you near is Gerald."
"He has a girlfriend already."
"What about you?" Keller asked, where Jessica gave her a bit of a smirk. "Wait, was that..?"
"Relax, Keller. I know you're not to rat me out for being into women. I know what you into and I make sure to not interfere in what stuff that interests you." Jessica said to her, as she sipped her tea. "So you and Charlie being in those costumes?"
"That's nothing! We told you, it's something from the internet we were trying out! If you want, I can give you this maid costume I think you look good on. It isn't revealing, it's supposed to make people look cute."
"I pass."
"Alright. It still been a while, but I still hadn't heard from Charlie." Jessica said, realizing it has been a couple of hours and Charlie hadn't showed up.

"How long has it been? I think I should head back home." Keller said, as they spent an evening with each other. "I know. I think I need to call Alistair. I don't want to think that I scared her." Jessica said, as she was about to call her. However, the door started to knock again, where Jessica went up to check who it was. "Finally! There she is!" Jessica said, opening the door for Charlie. However, Jessica saw something in her hands, where she was surprised. "I know you're worried, but I made this for you." Charlie said, holding a yellow birdhouse with her.

"A birdhouse? You made this? Charlie, I know you don't know my hobbies, but.." Jessica didn't know what to say. Charlie had probably spent all day trying to make this and if she declined, she probably break her heart. "I saw it as a symbol, you know?" Charlie said, giving Jessica that innocent smile that she knew and admired.

"Oh Charlie.." Jessica couldn't help, but want to hug her. She was getting worried after all.

[Bliuji]

Bliuji Analysis : Bliuji is heading into this match with a reccord of 2-5-2. Players are desperate to make something happen. Although it hasn't been a good preformance thus far in the wc; don't count them out yet. Tornado Queendom is a team Bliuji shouldn't have trouble beating, Bliuji has proven themself worthy of not being a bad team in the bof. Regardless of Bliuji's best players under preforming that can change that in upcoming matches.

Tornado Queendom Analysis : Tornado Queendom on the other hand has been dominating in the world cup. Coming in at 2nd in group b with a reccord of 4-3-1 things are looking good for them. Before heading into the world cup, Tornado Queendom was ranked at 327, nobody thought that they would be playing this well; and in this match they will try to keep things the same.

Bliuji roster

Starting 11
Andriy Pyatov GK
Karp Yuriev DF
Roman Aksakov DF
Lawrence Biryukov DF
Ruben Boholyubov DF
Erik Belov MF
Sidor Alexandrov MF
Vitaly Aksakov MF
Gabriel Kolesnikov MF
David Izmaylov ST
Daniel Lyskov ST

Subs
29 GK Philip Tretiakov
99 GK Derik Zueiv
70 DF Timothy Kolesnikov
62 DF Leonid Ozerov
40 DF Aaron Markov
71 MF Vitaly Aksakov
16 MF Leon Bocharov
88 MF Raymond Sebanochev
18 FW Porphyry Bulgakchuk
17 FW Wayne Yurikev
77 FW Ivan Gorshko

*At the hotel*

Back at the hotel, players and staff had just got done with team dinner; now it was time to review gameplay and talk about stratagy

General Manager Andriy Voronin walked into the conferance room with a smile on his face he knew what he had to do

"Everybody be quiet and listen up" said General Manager Andriy Voronin

Everybody stared at Andriy in confusion

"It's vod review time gentleman"

"Vod review are you serious, we had such an intense practice today and we are all tired couldn't we do this another time" David Izmaylov wisperd to Leon Bocharov

"Yeah right what is he thinking" Leon wisperd back

Every player had a shocked look on their face, they were all so tired from practice they couldn't beleive they had to do vod review at this time of night

"Look man I'm speaking for the team on this one, you literaly put us through a 2 hour practice today. Not to mention running a mile. And now you call us into the conferance room for vod review. You've gotta be kidding me" said Erik Belov

Andriy gave Erik a dirty look

"You understand why we put you through intense training, so you guys can develop as individual players. After all we have done for you guys you really say that to me. If you want to compete with the best football teams you need to do this"

"Jesus man why do you have to be such a pr*** all the time the least you could do is let us sleep, you are literaly ignoring the fact we have been working so hard all day" Leon said

"Did you really just call me a pr***" said Andriy

At this point Leon was furious

"Yes I did what are you gonna do about it cry?" Leon said

"I'll see you on the bench tomorrow" said Andriy

Andriy started walking to the door like he was going to leave

"You can't f****** do that man"

Leon got up from his sleep and took a swing at Andriy it hit him

Erik Belov and Roman Aksakov got up to hold him back while other team mates broke it up

What the hell were you thinking man you can't do that to your GM said Erik

"That's it man one more incident like that and your off the team for good you hear me? You know what you're benched for the rest of the world cup"

"Everyone just leave" Coach Andrea Maldera yelled

Everyone left the conferance room and headed to their hotel rooms to get some sleep

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

The Superior Court is the Federal Court of Origin in Baker Park (similar to US District Court or the High Court in the UK) which handles all civil & criminal cases where the Legal & Statutory Code of the Commonwealth (LSC) is at question. There are 12 Divisions and a case filed in one division may be shifted to another division based on case load or an expedited filing.

Robert S. Allison Federal Courthouse, Newmarket.

Court Clerk: "Case 3061-112, Nationwide TV Entertainment Network, Inc. et.al., vs Broadcast Media Regulatory Authority et.al. In re: an appeal under LSC Chapter 29, Section 16, the Communications & Broadcasting Act of 2011, to wit."

Judge Hugh Cavendish (Presiding Judge): "Now come forward the parties in the matter, Mr Pelphrey, for the plaintiffs."

Pelphrey: "Thank you, Your Honor. As briefed in the original complaint, Plaintiffs are on appeal of the administrative order from the Secretary of State for Broadcasting & Media via the BMRA, prohibiting the transmission of certain programming through satellite broadcasting originating in the Federation of Free Republics. The decision to prohibit re-transmission of broadcasts from the channel known as WOLF News is wholly without precedent and inconsistent with the guidelines laid down in Section I (D) under the Toleration Act, not to mention in violation of the regulations under LSC 29, Section 16, Paragraph 12, clause 22. The Plaintiff asks for the immediate relief by means of injunction from the Defendant's enforcement of the above mentioned order."

Judge: "Mr Drummond for the defendants"

Drummond: "Your Honor, the determination made by the Authority and sustained by the Secretary of State are consistent with prohibitions against broadcast of salacious and subversive material originating from outside of the borders of the Commonwealth, even if said material is not aimed directly at consumers within our nation. The programming at question is clearly aimed at fomenting subversive ideas against a democratically elected government in the Free Republics, and it does not need to be pointed out that such subversion is potentially harmful to citizens of the Commonwealth, in a direct manner as to cause unreasonable danger to Commonwealth citizens travelling in the Free Republics for business or recreation, and in an indirect manner as to cause persons within this country to attempt to aid and abet the subversion in another sovereign nation. In Edwards v. Commonwealth, the High Tribunal held that the government has a wide latitude to restrict dissemination of potentially subversive ideas and writings against third party states if such content could possibly threaten the safety of the Commonwealth or its citizens whether at home or abroad."

Judge: "There seems to be a great deal of conflicting statutory considerations, case law and regulatory language at issue here. I'm inclined at this point to see written arguments on all of these conflicts by a week from Thursday, and in the interest of fair judgement to stay the order pending further examination of the various issues. Let the record show that the case is held over until 10 am a week from Thursday with the original order held in abeyance. Thank you gentlemen."

[Chromatika]

Recap of Matchday 9: Competitive Solitaire 3–3 Chromatika
Goals: Vidal '24, Montague '62, '81
Starting XI: Williams; McBee - Will - Anderson - Damjana; Etienne - Montague (C) - Dias - Conrad; Vidal - Bird.
Substitutes: de Aea -> Anderson ('47), Kelly -> Etienne ('65), Kuzami -> Dias ('79)
Recap: Just when the Chromatiks were getting comfortable, they dropped a key match on the road against Competitive Solitaire, needing Alyss Montague to play the hero on a key set piece late in the match to salvage a draw. With the result, Qusmo leads the group by three points with both nations having four matches to go.

---

Preview of Matchday 10: San Jose Guayabal @ Chromatika
Starting XI: Ria; McBee - Will - Anderson - Damajana; Etienne - Dias - Limones - Conrad; Andisori, B. - Victoriane (C).
Preview: Should Parker be employing all his starters? Maybe. But bench experience is everything. Perhaps after the Qusmo match? Victoriane should score a lot here.

The adventures of Keira Andisori, Jordan Lawless, and the like will return.

[Sajnur]

WCQ83: Part 2

Sajnur v Astograth

The city of Echegoyan welcomed Sajnur to Silanes Park, and the hospitality proved to be excellent, with the Sajnuran players enjoying good food, mountain views, and most importantly three points. A second away win in front of a sell-out crowd packed into the steep sided stands helps Sajnur stay in contention to reach the World Cup proper, although The Olives, returning from a hiatus long enough to see them unranked before the qualifiers, put up an excellent fight. Sajnur released 17 shots at goal, with twelve on target, and scored three goals despite having just 37% possession, while the former Copa Rushmori champions held 63% possession and had 15 shots at goal, but only five were on target and they only scored two goals.

The first half started off mildly as the hosts kept possession and used it conservatively, with Sajnur unable to take the ball away from them for long periods, and Sajnuran counter attacks petering out like the creeks of Mersuq, and after many minutes frustration set in as Zain Hasan and debutant Salloah earned yellow cards. The travails were to be short lived, however, as Jessica Siafik came to the rescue and put the visitors ahead with a spectacular technical display, dispossessing Iraunkor Berdesagar weaving past four defenders to worm her way through the penalty box and looping the ball out of reach of Aratz Anzizar. Sadly, this lead wasn’t to last as Mogel Doyenard headed a Xefe Larribe corner past Piotr Laghiev late in the half to equalise.

The second half started much as the first half did, Astograth taking their sweet time to build themselves into the match, and progressed further in similarity to the first half as Taulant Haji got himself booked for a bad foul on Azeari Duarte, who was forced to come off for Emenon Ulibarri, although the following Larribe free kick went high and wide. The mirror image was developed further as it was once again Sajnur who would take the lead, with Siafik serving this time as provider. Sending a long pass to Basuli Maktar, the 6’9” target man used his first touch to loop the ball over Ilixo Paguape and hit a running volley on the turn for his second, shooting the ball into the top corner to the cheers of the several thousand away fans. Later on in the match, however, proceedings would turn violent as captain Siafik ploughed through Yasone Urdanibia’s legs as the striker was preparing to shoot. Urdanibia received a free shot from 12 yards for his troubles, which duly went past Laghiev to re-equalise, and for her troubles the Sajnuran captain would be sent off to the boos of the home crowd, leaving Sajnur to play 19 minutes plus stoppage time with ten players. Astograth, now finding it even easier to maintain possession, let loose on the Sajnuran goal as Laghiev was forced to make three saves, his only three saves in fact, in the space of five minutes, but the tide soon turned and it was Sajnur who peppered the Astograth goal, Anzizar making save after save before one finally slipped past his grasp, a Dario Tule corner curling on to Tomasi Vuierev’s head and proceeding to the back of the net. Sadly for Sajnur, Astograth put the pressure back on as the final four minutes of regulation ticked by. Stoppage time almost proved to be Sajnur’s undoing as the team conceded a second penalty. Kahala Murje, in her efforts to keep out yet another Olives attack, jockeyed Larribe to the ground, and the referee flashed yellow and pointed to the spot. Fate, however, would smile on Sajnur as Urdanibia would send the penalty high, and Sajnur would hold possession for the remainder of stoppage time and take victory from Silanes Park.

Sajnur v Tornado Queendom

Tornado Queendom. A country named for a type of destructive weather event and whose main ideology is named after a different type of destructive weather event. They were ranked 327th in the world before qualifying, did worse in Baptism of Fire 70 than we did in BoF 69, and didn’t even bother to submit an official roster, although that last one could be because there is no association that can. There might be an association, but we cannot find any information about one. Yet this team arrived on the hallowed turf of Queen Haqla stadium and won 2-1. And this was only the first of several wins in a row that saw them climb to second in Group B. How did such heresy occur?

The going was tough even before the match started, as Jessica Siafik, Kahala Murje, Taulant Haji, and Zain Hasan were all suspended for this fixture. Our best right back, our best defensive midfielder, our best left sided defender, and our captain and best player. This meant Stefan Jana had to partner Tomasi Vuierev, now wearing the armband for this match and Hatu Raglan got his senior debut. The absence of Hasan wasn’t too much of a problem as Kaori Hajat could take his place with little difference in ability and Siaka Munjari had the stamina to cover any ground Hajat couldn’t get to, but the creative responsibility was now on Sian Levici, and with him not as comfortable creating from deep, Hajat and David Kiral now had deep playmaking roles to fill as well.

It was found quickly that Sajnur were unable to break through a resolute Tornado defence, with interceptions and tackles made by their players with starting regularity. Even worse, their players seemed to have unnatural strength and vertical leaps while still having enough pace to avoid being simple rocks in a sea of grass. There is suspicion unnatural might be literal, here, a synonym for artificial, or enhanced. As in, and I must stress this is only for example, performance enhancing drugs. But I digress. Thanks to their enhanced physical abilities, Tornado Queendom thus had 71% possession in the first half. However, the Tornado team had just 62% passing accuracy and just two shots at goal from inside the box, both well high, and they had an unusual penchant for long shots, making fifteen (!) in the first half, of which a stunning zero were on target. Clearly their players’ physical prowess was not matched by any sort of technical ability, most obviously missing the distance shooting ability of Siafik and Murje, along with the passing ability of Siafik, and for that matter most of the Sajnuran first division. It seems you can’t produce ball skills in a laboratory.

The second half, however, had something different. And worse. A Tornado striker actually broke through the Sajnuran back line thanks to an aerial through ball and almost got around Piotr Laghiev. Annoyingly, almost was as good as actually getting through. Better, in fact, as Laghiev missed the ball and got sent off, leaving the Tornado striker to dispatch the penalty past Alek Khadur and put the “Queendom” up 1-0 to the deafening boos and plentiful flares of the Roskjepan home fans. With ten men (and no women due to the aforementioned suspensions) against eleven roided humanoids, scoring an equaliser proved impossible, and David Kiral conceded a free kick, which a Tornado player duly launched into the stands, and received a yellow card that meant he wouldn’t appear on the pitch against Bliuji. Indeed, the only things appearing for Sajnur anywhere were anger and melancholy, as the visitors actually started getting in the box and shooting on target, and out of five shots on target in the second half (albeit out of 23 total), one of them was simply too fast for Khadur to get to, and the match was blasted out of reach for Sajnur. A consolation appeared in the form of Silja Jorse, coming on for Hatu Raglan, as she proved that natural pace is superior to anabolic strength by running down the right wing, after dispossessing an opponent winger, and curled in a cross for Andre Naulo to tap in past a goalkeeper that had seen just four shots launched at him all game. Of course, Jorse then got sent off just before full time by snapping the knee of an opponent, with the whistle blowing after that free kick was launched to a spectator who duly stuck a flare into the ball.

Sajnur v Bliuji

Sajnur’s final match before the bye was away to the nation of Bliuji. Like Tornado Queendom, they appeared at the last Baptism of Fire. Unlike Tornado Queendom, they won five group matches out of six instead of one match out of seven, and having topped their group they made it all the way to the quarter finals where they were eliminated by San Felix. With this record, Bliuji were expected to prove difficult to beat, especially at home, and they lived up to these expectations, pushing the Sajnuran defence past its limits on the way to a 3-3 draw and becoming the first team to keep points away from a visiting Sajnuran side. Bliuji, with their typical defensive style, had 47% of conservatively kept possession and nine shots at goal, of which seven were on target. Sajnur, meanwhile, had 53% of possession, and peppered Andriy Pyatov’s goal with 18 attempts, of which 13 were on target.

The first half was a typical first half, with Bliuji holding possession and passing it around, and Sajnur holding possession and trying to get forward before being thwarted by the home defence. The first goal didn’t come until just before half time, and it was Sajnur with the first hit of the match as Ahmed Nazar sent a cross to Andre Naulo to tap past Pyatov for 1-0, and this remained the score going into the break. The second half, however, accelerated very quickly, and it was when the bulk of salvos from both team were launched, and Bliuji struck through early after the break when David Izmaylov found space in the box to hit a Sidor Alexandrov pass first time past Alek Khadur to equalise. Khadur’s troubles would continue as Leon Bocharov would send a corner to the leaping Roman Aksakov to head in goal to take the lead. The home fans would have yet more cheer as Bocharov got past Salloah to cross high for Izmaylov to score a second to the cheers of the home fans. Their joy would be short lived, however, as Jessica Siafik sent Naulo through on goal, the sprinting striker rounding Pyatov and feeding the ball into an open net. The home crowd was left very nervous for the rest of the second half as Pyatov and his back four kept out subsequent Sajnuran attempts. Those nerves were then shattered in the last minute of normal time as Nazar got clear on the left wing, leaving the Bliuji midfield in his dust, and fullback Karp Yuriev was obviated with a through pass to Naulo, who outran the home centre backs and curled the ball on the run past Pyatov to equalise. Neither team was able to get anything out of stoppage time, and the game ended all square, with Bliuji shattered after holding the lead for so long and Sajnur left somewhat empty, Naulo’s hat trick made bitter sweet by the subpar result.

[Tamgu]

HAN TEKRAN MYSTERY SOLVED

The reason behind sudden disappearance and death of Tamgu player Han Tekran has been solved. He had been found dead in Şansery, Pritoria, in the basement of an apartment building. His death was the cause of being shot in the head, with an attempt to make it look like suicide. The culprits, who have done this kind of kidnapping and murdering before, have been arrested and given life sentence in prison. They had tricked Tekran to use their "drugs", which was in fact a very dangerous narcotic that we are not allowed to write the name of. They kept demanding things from him, which was not always money. He had been ordered to do many things like sexually harassing women, starting fights in inappropriate places, shooting a gun in a hospital, completely stop communication with some of his friends and so on. His friends, ones he was still allowed to talk to, learned that he was being forced to do such things and started trying to get him to quit the "drug". The culprits, after learning this, have called him to meet them in an alleyway in Tamgouuspad, kidnapped him, took his clothes and car and split off. One of them pretended to be him and went to a local gas station. He then proceeded to drive the other way to Yasinin, the small city his mother is from. The other one took the mountain trail to not be spotted and drove Tekran's unconscious body all the way to Şansery, an outer municipality of Pritoria, very close to where he lived. He staged a suicide-like death to kill him.

Last Photo of Han Tekran

[Nephara]

THE HERALD
NEPHPOL CHEAT SHEET: WHO ARE THE PRINCIPAL PLAYERS IN THE COMING ELECTION?
Luna Giesler

This series is primarily targeted at the Herald's widespread foreign audience, offering an insider's view to the many idiosyncracies of Nepharim culture and politics.

The coming federal election is slated to be among the most competitive in memory. While traditionally, Nepharim politics have been a mostly two-party affair, more and more often these days it is third parties taking the limelight. with the current blue-yellow coalition perhaps a vision of the future.

incumbent Margrave is Florian Pritchard of the Nationals, Nephara's leading conservative party - though it's well-known that Nepharim 'conservatives' align with most nation's idea of a centre. Pritchard, who recently turned 54, has a background in Law and a long tradition of service within the party. Pritchard is seen by his supporters as a stable hand at the tiller, who has negotiated a difficult situation with dignity and poise. Few can deny that he's a thoughtful and intelligent man.

His detractors, on the other hand, say he lacks charisma; more specifically, the force of personality to get his unsteady coalition pulling the same direction, as well as the force of personality to attract votes. The common jab is to say that he combines the high-handedness of Aurelia Fern with the charmlessness of Casper Sands, the last two leaders of the Progressive Democrats.

Opposition Leader Althea Carrick of the Progressive Democrats on the other hand faces no such concerns; she's all people. She is perhaps an almost stereotypical Pro Dem leader; from the streets of Sabrefell through the ranks of union leadership, via charges of assault and theft. Carrick talks sincerely about her experience and her reform, and how Progressive Democrat-lead social works infinitely helped the rough streets of her upbringing - and talks in scathing terms about any cuts to that infrastructure.

Carrick has enacted a forceful pivot in the party, and not so much healed as cauterised the divides that once existed. Last election, the party was punished by its divisions; was it for or against the CRC and greater globalisation? Did it truly support the UBI that was its supposed flagship policy? Did these divides force out, in Aurelia Fern, one of its most successful leaders? Carrick has been brutal behind the scenes, and it's not infrequent to find columns attacking her leadership by former MPs who lost out to her. She's readily adopted her nickname of 'the Enforcer'.

Generally speaking, Nepharim elections have been a straightforward fight between the two major parties, but there have been five instances of coalition government in modern history. Pro Dem Rachael Kilgallon's second term as Margravine held together by an alliance of all the minor parties (chiefly the Libertarians), which warped economic policy in particular out of control, as well as delaying centralisation efforts.

Two of Pro Dem Kirsten Brookford's three governments, and the last of Aurelia Fern's, were also coalition governments, with the green-left Moving Forward party proving far more natural bedfellows. Currently lead by Louise Rishworth, they remain a small but respectable presence in the polls, and will probably take a smattering of seats with eco-friendly, cautiously globalist policies. They are unlikely to work with anyone but the Pro Dems again, this time or for the forseeable future.

This time, however, Sherry Garnett of the Liberal Alliance looks set to play a key role yet again. Last election, Garnett's small but significant party was in the position of keymaker, the sole path to government for either Pro Dems or Nationals, and picking the latter to work with. Many have seen them as having had the more influence in this government of the two parties, despite having far fewer numbers; but they've been gaining popularity ever since, and picked up the most seats of any party in the recent CRC elections.

But that in itself is unsurprising, as the Alliance stands as the most unapologetically pro-globalisation party, fairly economically and socially, well, liberal. Perhaps these differences were irreconcilable with the Pro Dems in the past, but not so now, under Carrick's vision. Garnett is herself more respected than liked - intelligent and cunning with a financial background, she is an unapologetic political animal who will grease whatever wheels she needs to push through her policies, working with whoever suits her best at the time.

Like many of those past, this election has been primarily framed around globalisation, with the Pro Dems finally confident of offering a coherent answer, the Nationals' position cemented and the Alliance more or less built around it. The Nationals have attempted to frame the debate around national security, but to limited success following a perceived weak response to tensions to the east, in northwest Esportiva. The narrative of a strong, assertive Nephara with a lot to offer the world has been seized by Carrick, and has proven popular.

So far, the polls are predicting a very strong showing from the Progressive Democrats, but they're still unlikely to produce an outright majority. For the incumbent Nationals, a majority is a pipe dream. This is in large part because of the Alliance taking a lot of their vote share in recent times. Most likely, the Alliance will have the luxury of playing kingmaker once again, and for all the tension in this coalition, one would imagine the Nationals would jump at the chance to take power. But their combined votes may well fall short of a majority; so too, potentially, another red-green coalition with Moving Forward performing weakly of late.

The fractured nature of the Assembly, then, implies that hands will have to be reached across partisan divides. Thanks to the influence of minor parties such as the Returners, Libertarians and Sex, it's harder than ever for one concrete faction to secure a true majority. Red-yellow appears the most likely bet, but odds of a 'grand coalition' between Progressive Democrats and Nationals seem... well, less impossible than they once were.

One thing is for certain; it's going to be neither easy, tidy nor straightforward. But there will be plenty of fodder for political analysts to pick through, no matter where the dice fall.

NEPHARIM NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 6
Goalkeepers: 1 - Andreas Swoboda (Holdenberg, EUR), 12 - Hesterine Mercator (Eastweald, COS), 20 - Apostolos Tsattalios (Falourr, EUR)
Defenders: 2 - Valeri Longship (Crisisbless), 3 - Marcin Close (Brinemouth), 5 - Roxelana Thorn (Revolutionaries, EUR), 6 - Dragora Steelhenge (Ramusok United, COS), 18 - Anita Sanger (Rammsissil, VIL), 19 - Nike Rouphos (Chenoworth Harriers), 22 - Ilyana Brosch (AFC Corvistone)
Midfielders: 4 - Tawny Shone (Sabrefell Moths), 7 - Ishtar Fanaiyan (Eastweald, COS), 8 - Rusalka Klein (Crawford City FC, COS), 11 - Rowena Strongbow (Directus, EUR), 13 - Monako Saroszi (Ulsa, EUR), 15 - Circe Rosenthal (Directus, EUR), 16 - Morena Deventer (Brinemouth), 21 - Chimera Moxham (Crawford City FC, COS)
Forwards: 9 - Estrella Hawke (Directus, EUR, c), 10 - Aristide Metzger (AFC Treason), 14 - Arista Tzorvas (Olympic Thessia, MYT), 17 - Kurtis Bastable (Hornchurch, EUR), 23 - Cheney Breremond (Vermillion Rage)

SCHEDULE
Nephara 5 - 3 Orion Islands @ Phoenix Rise (Corvistone)
Ethane 1 - 3 Nephara
[Bye] (Friendly: Ceyne Isles 1 - 3 Nephara)
Nephara 6 - 0 No @ Ludd's Hammer (Stahlburg)
Geisenfried 2 - 4 Nephara
Nephara 1 - 1 Kandonica @ Godswatch (Crisisbless)
Geektopia 3 - 6 Nephara
Orion Islands 0 - 3 Nephara
Nephara 9 - 3 Ethane @ Farham Arena (Sabrefell)
[Bye]
No vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Geisenfried @ The Gauntlet (Treason)
Kandonica vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Geektopia @ Eagle's Club (Brinemouth)

[Brenecia]

Polkopia 0 - 1 Brenecia
(4-3-3) 1 - Farrell; 2 - Broxham (18 - Weaver 87'), 5 - Horgan, 6 - Mathers, 3 - Quill (c); 8 - Matheson (21 - Case 78'), 4 - Locke, 13 - Wheeler; 7 - Cheney (15 - Garrard 70'), 10 - Ciogach, 16 - Fletcher
Goal: Ciogach 21'

Brenecia 4 - 1 Lepolanatnessffiria
(4-3-3) 20 - Pritchard; 18 - Weaver, 22 - Beath, 6 - Mathers, 3 - Quill (c, 19 - Prentice 75'); 21 - Case (vc), 4 - Locke (23 - Alweather 68'), 13 - Wheeler; 7 - Cheney, 14 - Lindauer, 16 - Fletcher (11 - Keynes 68')
Goals: Cheney 4', Lindauer 23', Wheeler 36', Keynes 79'

Some years past, now, in Felix...
They were going it slow, letting the Nepharim sloggers and local partisans take the heat; not that either needed much invitation. Nephara wanted the big wins, the glory, wanted to plant that new-fashioned saltire up on any scrap of dirt that would hold it. The partisans, well, they wanted to be martyred. Mercenaries kept their heads down.
But every now and then - usually because some more shrewd, businesslike Nepharim officer had shouldered their way to the fore for the time being - they'd leave a hard target to the PMCs. They'd earn their corn then.
Now was one such occasion. Their opponents were deeply entrenched to a small town, but had little to protect their rearguard. The 'real soldiers', as this one had put it derisively, would skirmish with that front, draw fire into the cover of their woodland. The mercs would arc around the back and slam into the exposed underbelly. In theory.
In practice, it was hard going, made harder by the expectations of their Nepharim commander. It was someone called Retta Stroud, this time. Sturdy, spiky, forceful of personality. Someone who could make bold pledges about territory and wave over the cost in blood. She was keeping the company's commander, Broad, busy enough just by talking her down. She didn't seem particularly interested in excuses, such as the defence being harder than expected.
The effect of this was that by the time Sergeant Clarisse Ward had made it to the arse-end of this shithole town, she was feeling about ready to kill someone. Fortunately, she was fairly sure she had - an accurate burst of fire had perforated a wall in a building that had been conspicuously silent ever since. She and her crew weren't taking chances. And things only got worse; not fierce, that wasn't how she experienced it. She went door-to-door with a cold fury, tight aim and a loose concept of trigger safety.
At some point, she turned and realised Corren wasn't there anymore. He hadn't shouted. She looked, questioning, at Briar, who shook her head grimly. Ward gritted her teeth. They had their target, they were still combat-effective.
Briar would be the only one in Ward's charge lost that day; it would be a good day for high command, by any metric. The enfillade was brutal, the crows caught in the crosshairs of Nepharim artillery with nowhere to run to. It wasn't long before Marvine spotted one halftrack driving like hell south anyway, past their hut. They fired back on Ward's command, a fluke shot took the driver through the head, and the damn thing slammed into another building down the street. Ward's boys clambered out of their improvised bunker, scythed down the crows who tried to resist; their leader, judging by his stripes, sensibly threw down his arms and put his hands up, white as a ghost.
The butt of Ward's rifle slammed into his temple.

They'd hauled him back to camp, thrown him in a room, let him think over his life decisions for a while in pitch black. War crime? Maybe so, but then, as their Nepharim handlers were fond of saying; 'laws are to protect people, not fascists'.
This one didn't break like the others. No shouting, no begging. Hell, maybe it was the concussion. By the time Ward reluctantly got up from her solitaire to go check on him, she wondered idly if he'd died, and felt a dull surprise to find him alive and seemingly lucid, smiling to himself as he lolled on the back wall.
He still flinched as Ward flashed her torch across his eyes, though. "Hands up, nice and high."
"No resistance from me, ma'am," he said, pleasantly. "I'm damn ready for this war to be over. My war to be over. I know you won't kill me-"
"Guess again."
"- no, because you need my information, don't you? That would be a waste. You're too clever for waste."
Ward grimaced. "You'd look a lot less smug if I broke your fucking jaw. Maybe I do that, come back again tomorrow, see if you're a bit more humble."
"Maybe. Would it make you feel better?"
"Yeah. We lost a man today. Eugene Briar. He was..." A good man? No, after all he had been in a mercenary force out far from home, but... "... a mate."
"Mm. Well, I imagine he knew what he was getting into. And if not..." He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'll tell you what you need to know, but... talk with me, first. I'd like that, I think. Contractors, no? Perhaps a more elastic mind than a soldier. Plenty of them crawling about, so it's my good fortune to be in your care, and I intend to take advantage."
Despite herself, despite everything, Ward... turned, and left him.
...
She came back a couple minutes later, with a small lantern and the tail end of a ration, tossing the latter at him. He caught it, went at it voraciously, and in the better light Ward could study him for the first time. He was a sturdy blond who perhaps had been a little overweight in better times, square jaw peppered with stubble, name of Ludolf on his badge. His voice had been clipped, but fluent. "So. Talk."
"Mm! Yeah. So. Why are you here, Sergeant Ward?"
She was startled for just a moment, before realising he could see just as much of her as she of him. "Which 'you'? My company, or me?"
"Either. We'll say both."
"The company's here for the money. There's good money in killing crows."
"The money's better killing the unified forces of freedom."
"Sure, but there's no prizes for being rich and dead."
"Ahh. Tough luck for your main Briar, then."
Ward smirked, and hated herself for it. "Maybe so."
"So, you picked the winning side. But why? They'll win without you, you know."
She licked her lips. "Needed money."
"There's easier ways. Why, really?"
"Needed... a purpose." Why the hell was this random fascist playing the shrink? "That's what it was about, I think. I barely even know how it happened. Chased some connections, some snippets... and here I was. And I was good at it. For maybe the first time, something I knew I could do. And the Brenecian military's a joke, shackled by-- it had to be here."
Ludolf nodded. "Purpose. And now you know. See, you were lucky. You were given purpose through money, not ideology. Ideology can't buy you bread, you know. We all learned that the hard way. Can't buy you guns, either."
Impulsively, Ward shook her head. "It wasn't the money. I'd-- hell, I think I'd do this for free."
Ludolf smirks. "Yeah. If the Corvidae had enough force in Brenecia, you'd have been marching their tune, too. And loving it. Until this moment, the moment it turns on you, and you're starving, and so far from home, and wondering what it's all for. It's funny, isn't it? If you get told to turn against the enemy, a shared enemy, a glorious struggle... maybe you forget how hungry you are. Maybe you don't notice things getting worse. And maybe you think you can take on the world."

That was the part that had stuck with her. Resonated through all the years. Resonated, today.
He never said that one could take on the world. Hell, he'd pretty much gone full out of his way to stress the opposite, before Stroud showed up with a couple burly tattooed goons, dragged him away. She'd never seen the officer again. It probably hadn't ended well.
The mistake of the Corvidae was their focus. Too wide. Too thin. So many of these regimes that people were, in Ward's mind, afraid to call transformative... all were just a couple branches off making something. And Ward had taken lessons from them all. From the parable of the Corvidae; aim small, concentrate focus. From the parable of South Covello; keep centred, never let ego take over. From the parable of Sameba, and the ongoing parable of Mareibat; ensure you had home secure and unified before going to war with an industrial megapower. In fact, preferably don't go to war with an industrial megapower at all.
Though it was a tempting focus. To go over their heads, land a punch on their lapdogs... ah, but they were flying close to the sun as it was. Brenecia was largely skimming under the radar, but foreign press had begun to pick up on them, and even Ward had to admit the posturing over Mareibat had been an error. They couldn't afford to fuck with Apox or Eura. Hell... maybe it was time to look for an olive branch.
She keyed into her intercom, got her receptionist to dial in Kerr.
"Madam Prime Minister?"
"This may not be possible, but..." Ward bit her lip. "Discretely - discretely - probe for remaining refugees from the Sameban regime. This Mareibat thing, too, when that crumbles apart. Find any ones already seeking asylum here, and get them to bring over their contacts, too. Anyone trying to evade justice in Terranea."
"And then, ma'am?"
"And then shove them in a cellar, lock the doors and await further instructions." She hung up. Just because she was finally on the side of the angels didn't mean she had to play nice, after all. If she did, what else was there left to put on the table?

BRENECIAN NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 6
Goalkeepers: 1 - Cass Farrell (Northern Union), 12 - Lachlan Kenway (Vidial Alchemists, MRN), 20 - Scanlan Pritchard (Marque)
Defenders: 2 - Keziah Broxham (Mallox, COS), 3 - Gethin Quill (Revolutionaries, EUR), 5 - Garrett Horgan (Northern Union), 6 - Keane Mathers (Northern Stallions), 18 - Erica Weaver (North Hall), 19 - Morwen Prentice (Crystal Fair HC, CRY), 22 - Chadwick Beath (CA Paulinthal, PAS)
Midfielders: 4 - Keziah Locke (Duke of the North, PAS), 8 - Elysse Matheson (Hornchurch, EUR), 13 - Corby Wheeler (Goldstaff City, COS), 14 - Claire Ruskin (Kingsgrove), 21 - Falcon Case (Barbury Town, APX), 23 - Catsidhe Alweather (Eastal Lunar, VIL)
Forwards: 7 - Lauren Cheney (Kingsgrove), 9 - Griffin Riordan (Klyde, COS), 10 - Kara Ciogach (Southern Star), 11 - Cathal Keynes (Lajuno, EUR), 15 - Cu Roi Garrard (Northern Union), 16 - Ceridwen Fletcher (North Hall), 17 - Creidne Lindauer (Kingsgrove)

SCHEDULE
Islas Aaland 0 - 4 Brenecia
Brenecia 0 - 1 Polkopia
Lepolanatnessffiria 0 - 3 Brenecia
[Bye] (Friendly: Ceyne Isles 0 - 3 Brenecia)
Brenecia 0 - 3 Hapilopper
Damukuni 6 - 3 Brenecia
Brenecia 3 - 2 Bolgano
Brenecia 4 - 1 Islas Aaland
Polkopia 0 - 1 Brenecia
Brenecia 4 - 1 Lepolanatnessffiria
[Bye]
Hapilopper vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Damukuni
Bolgano vs. Brenecia

[Dreamplanet]

SECOND PLACE IS YOUR AIM NOW

Ko-oren only need one more win to book their place in the World Cup, Dreamplanet need to hang on to second.

Dreamplanet's tender dreams were crushed once more by the ruthlessly efficient Ko-oren who are only 3 points away from World Cup qualification, with 3 matches to spare, Dreamplanet will fight hard to hang on to their World Cup hopes as the play-offs look like the only positive destination.

The first half was a goalfest to remember, it was a very tense and Luis Silva would score the fastest goal in Dreamplanetian football history, slotting the ball in the goal after 1 minute and 13 seconds, stunning the Dragonflies and putting Dreamplanetian hopes at a sky high level, but that didn't even last long when Mata Vaugrenard equalised in the 5th minute, volleying a deflected corner attempt into the back of the net and Ko-oren would go on to claim the lead before the clock hit 10 minutes of play as Tsuki Tsuchida was able to break through the defence, hitting a low shot past Filipe Vaz and turning the score around in just 8 minutes. The game threatened to go into double digits by half time at this rate, but the defence was more composed and was able to do vital interceptions, Dreamplanet weren't able to find the equaliser before half time and the score would be the same as it was in the first 10 minutes.

The second half would be more cautious as Ko-oren would put their effort in defence, trying to hold out against the rallying Tricores, however Mata Vaugrenard got his second of the game when he scored in the 57th minute following a defensive mistake that saw Jorge Cardozo's clearance hit Francisco Jorge in the back and into Vaugrenard's path, who was able to easily dispatch it. Despite this, Dreamplanet stayed composed and tried to find another goal to atleast try to force a needed point, and hope would come in the 74th minute when Luis Silva was able to get a brace from scoring a header, but Ko-oren held Dreamplanet behind the midfield, not able to find Aaron Hungar or Luis Silva and therefore, killing the attack completely.

Following this loss, Dreamplanet must recoup their losses and win the final 3 games, Os Tricores cannot underestimate the strength of Flavovespia and Torisakia and do their best to keep Freeport at bay, aswell as the behemoth that is Eura, but their misfortunes seem to be getting the best of them, and with no matches against Eura left, Os Tricores need to mind their own business and get the most out of the last 3 games.

Dreamplanet 2 - 3 Ko-oren
(Luis Silva 1', 74' - 5', 57' Mata Vaugrenard, 9' Tsuki Tsuchida)
Libon, Dreamplanet

Fixtures:
August 1st - MD1: Western Bjornaic 2-6 Dreamplanet
August 2nd - MD2: Dreamplanet 3-4 Eura 
August 4th - MD3: Ko-oren 3-2 Dreamplanet 
August 5th - MD4: Dreamplanet 1-1 Flavovespia
August 6th - MD5: Torisakia 1-1 Dreamplanet
August 9th - MD6: Bye
August 10th - MD7: Dreamplanet 4-2 Freeport
August 12th - MD8: Dreamplanet 3-2 Western Bjornaic
August 13th - MD9: Eura 1-2 Dreamplanet
August 14th - MD10: Dreamplanet 2-3 Ko-oren
August 16th - MD11: Flavovespia vs Dreamplanet
August 17th - MD12: Torisakia vs Dreamplanet
August 19th - MD13: Bye
August 21st - MD14: Freeport vs Dreamplanet

Group M                             Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ko-oren                            9    7   2   0    18    7  +11    23
2 Dreamplanet                        9    4   2   3    24   19   +5    14
3 Eura                               9    3   5   1    21   16   +5    14
4 Freeport                           8    3   3   2    22   16   +6    12
5 Torisakia                          9    2   4   3    16   21   −5    10
6 Flavovespia                        8    1   4   3    13   16   −3     7
7 Western Bjornaic                   8    0   0   8    10   29  −19     0

Qualified for World Cup
Qualified for Playoffs
Eliminated