Baptism of Fire 71

[Zwangzug]

Bassabook Baritone:
Point: gender-neutral pronouns will be the downfall of society
Counterpoint: did you know pronouns are an open lexical class in Japanese?! I was confused whether the function word/content word distinction was redundant given open and closedness. But then I was talking with this girl from Trink and she used some slang I'd never heard of. And then in Swedish--

Matchday Four, Groups A-D

I haven't taken tiebreakers into account, so colorings should be viewed as preliminary.

Group A
Mitra & Soma 0–2 Castanya
Five Cities 2–1 Greater Cebu

  Group A               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Castanya                4   3  1  0    8   3  +5   10 Q
2 Five Cities             4   2  2  0    7   5  +2    8
3 Greater Cebu            4   0  2  2    4   6  −2    2
4 Mitra & Soma            4   0  1  3    4   9  −5    1 E

Group B
Casta Marina 0–1 Trolleborg
Aimena 0–1 North Eastern Asia

  Group B               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Trolleborg              4   3  0  1   12   5  +7    9
2 Aimena                  4   2  0  2    9   9   0    6
3 North Eastern Asia      4   2  0  2    5   7  −2    6
4 Casta Marina            4   1  0  3    4   9  −5    3

Group C
Fujai 2–1 Ziwana
Volinovia 0–2 Welzat

  Group C               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Fujai                   4   3  0  1    9   5  +4    9
  Ziwana                  4   3  0  1   10   6  +4    9
3 Welzat                  4   1  1  2    7   8  −1    4
4 Volinovia               4   0  1  3    2   9  −7    1 E

Group D
ZSeparatists 0–1 Barfleur
Poafmersia 4–1 Barsland

  Group D               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Poafmersia              4   4  0  0   15   4 +11   12 Q
2 Barfleur                4   2  1  1    2   1  +1    7
3 ZSeparatists            4   1  0  3    2   4  −2    3
4 Barsland                4   0  1  3    3  13 −10    1 E

Q: qualified for the round of 16
E: eliminated from the round of 16

(OOC: Trolleborg--no worries! That's why we're here, to help you learn more about sports RP. )

[PotatoFarmers]

Note from the writer: When the non-Poafmersian readers read our articles, stories, etc., they often get themselves confused as they read about "The Red Panjias". The Red Panjias is the other name of the Poafmersian national football team. In no way does this refer to Banija, the country who happens to also have a national football team and is ranked quite highly (5th, for that matter) in the KPB rankings, unlike our Red Panjias.

Matchday 4 Result
Poafmersia 4
Joel Haodao 6'
Gisiik Moonar 11'
Nasir Hansir 39'
Shakira Handris 70'

Barsland 1
Player #6 89'

Eagles' Club, Forbridge, Zwangzug
The Red Panjias never dreamt of winning this one easily. After that trashing of Barsland the first time round, the opposition would have definitely prepared themselves and came back stronger to meet the resolute Poafmersian side aiming to get their 4th win on the trot.
As compared to Keppal City, the people here are much more welcoming, and you definitely can feel the difference in the atmosphere. For the first time, head coach Adnan Suliaha chose to stick with the same starting 11, waiting to see if they can do slightly better (which is very difficult) as compared to the last match they had here, against the same opponents. "We don't have to go and smash 8, just like last time round. Barsland would definitely be much stronger as their campaign is on the line, and they have had a taste of our team's depth and strength. All I want you guys to do is to go our and grab all 3 points for us to secure our progression. Ugly or beautiful, a win is still a win," said Adnan Suliaha.
Boy, what beautiful football the players played! Despite the opposition being much more organised as compared to the last time round (they were probably suffering from stage fright then?), Poafmersia and the team showed their goal scoring abilities. Barely 6 minutes into the match, it was Joel Haodao who flicked a nice shot into the bottom corner after receiving a through pass from Gisiik Moonar. Another 5 minutes later, Gisiik himself got a goal after heading in a beautiful corner taken by Alex Pickford to put Poafmersia 2-0 up. Everyone, however, knows that you can't take a 2-0 lead 11 minutes in and not expect a reaction. Barsland promptly reacted by pressing higher, and went after the ball very agressively. Unfortunately for them, it was Nasir Hansir, the Poafmersian right winger, who slotted in the third goal of the match in the 39th minute, after capitalising on a failed clearance by the Barsland defence and put in a powerful shot to open his international account.
At half time, head coach Adnan was talking to the players about not letting their guard down, and told the players that they should keep up the good work for the second half. After the restart, with both sides coming out more rejuvinated, more shots were found on both sides as attacks, counter-attacks, counter-counter-attacks and excellent end-to-end football delighted the neutral fans. Star striker Shakira Handris took home Poafmersia's fourth goal of the day after a powerful screamer 24 yards out that made the keeper dived the wrong way. 20 minutes left, and Poafmersia was 4-0 up.
Then what was a perfect match suddenly turned on its ugly head. With Barsland knowing that they are probably on their way out, they made really ugly tackles, resulting in 3 yellow cards for the Barsland team in the next 8 minutes. To make matters worse, captain Danzik Hoboson had to be substituted off after a tackle by a Barsland player caused him to fall in quite an awkward way. Although Danzik said he was fine, Adnan was having none of it, choosing not to take risks and brought on the young Alex Hoboson for Danzik, while giving the captain's armband to Shakira. Danille Trasal also came on for Jessie Mchargritta.
Give some credit to Barsland. Their ugly way of getting possession reaped some benefits as they managed to get a consolation goal after Poafmersia conceeded a corner as Jabik parried the ball out of the goal. The resulting corner was briliantly taken as the confusion in the box helped the Barsland players to find a break and score that consolation to end the game 4-1.
As the full time whistle blew, fans and players alike celebrated wildly. Having delivered their fourth win of the tournament (and maintaining their perfect record in their international career!), all eyes turned onto the other Group D match. The coaches and players knew very well that a draw between Barfleur and ZSeperatists would also secure their first place, giving the team ample breathing space to rotate players around for the last 2 matches. They asked the local translator, as local Zwangzug news would probably report on these events faster than Poafmersian media. The local translator went online, looked up the latest results around Zwangzug, and told them, "It seems like your team will have to wait for that first place of yours, Barfleur got that 1-0 victory and keep the gap at 5 points." He showed them the current Group D table.

Matchday 4 Results:
Poafmersia 4-1 Barsland
ZSeperatists 0-1 Barfleur

Group D               P   W  D  L   GF  GA   GD  Pts 
1 Poafmersia          4   4  0  0   15   4  +11   12
2 Barfleur            4   2  1  1    2   1   +1    7
3 ZSeparatists        4   1  0  3    2   4   −2    3
4 Barsland            3   0  1  2    3  13   −7    1

Celebrations would have to wait. They would return to their "base camp" in Keppal City, pray for good weather, and hope they can make a convincing victory over ZSeparatists to secure that first place and also keep their perfect record alive. The number of goals plundered out of Barsland here just showed one thing - that the fans have made the players feel like they are at home, and gave the players the motivation to do better and come back stronger. It is not that Barsland is weak or anything, but that the players enjoy it here, and hopefully, if this stadium is going to be used for the knockout stages, they can come back here and play another game of nice and entertaining football for the local fans and for the world to see Poafmersia's football.

[Plane of Possibility]

"How is it a point when we tied the game zero-zero and couldn't even get one past those guys?" inquired Krei Lyon to Hope Lamont after their latest game.

Lamont had been quite busy in their match, stopping all seven shots on goal, helped by a strong performance from Vi de Montefort and Sir Urael, who had contributed solid pieces of defending themselves.

"By Drizzt, who the hell cares," answered M'tok K'nen, sitting down with a refilled tankard of mead, "It's just a job. We play in these tournaments, we do our part, we get paid and get rich. Isn't that all you folks ever wanted from this anyways? It's why I signed up."

"Speak for yourself," replied Dravok Hammerhand in his thick Dwarven accent, "You play to win or you don't play at all. It's just like fighting in the pits, or fighting a full-fledged Orc for yer life or summat. Don't do things halfway, didn't yer tribe teach you that?"

Before tempers could flare further, Ember Rwi'tteh, who stood at eight foot seven, and was even larger than M'tok, put a hand on either of them.

"Now, now. No need to get testy. Save it for... The pitch."

And thus passed another day in the football camp for the Plane of Possibility.

[Trolleborg]

CASTA MARINA – TROLLEBORG 0-1

The second match against Casta Marina turned out to be much less simple. But our guys coped with the task and took three points.

Our team won second game with Casta Marina and after four games have a 9 points – and at last don’t concede goals. This is looking good, and right now our team have a good chances to take one of the tickets to the playoff, but not enough to have a worryless future, since next two teams can take us down. After North Eastern Asia won a game against Aimena, both our remaining games will be a victory-or-death affairs. How we fare, it’s remaining to be seen. Memory of the second match is very much alive, and cast a long shadow on the team performance.

Trolleborg: Kotsson, Laste, Troger, Dushegub (Tro, 46), Wolters, Magni, Mogrin, Valgren, Finnsnes, Gulbranden (Tjeerd,75), Skaloed.

Gulbranden,41 (0-1).

Our team didn’t play as flamboyant as in previous meetings, but there was order in defense, for the first time in the tournament we did not concede a single goal. Opponents needed a victory, and therefore the game went on a collision course for a long time, but still our team had a visible advantage and created much more dangerous moments. Skaloed had the most real chance, but hit the post, and at the end of the first half Finnsnes make a high cross into the box and Gulbranden jumped out everyone around, make a strong header and putting ball right into the far corner. At the beginning of the second half of the meeting after a hit by Gulbranden, the defender Casta Marina knocked the ball out of an empty net, and closer to the final whistle the goalkeeper made a mistake on the way out, but our forwards could not take the ball. Casta Marina try to equalize, but good shot from the dangerous foul kick was parried by Kotsson, and he also make a good save in the injury time.

[PotatoFarmers]

Team Hotel, Keppal City, Zwangzug
Adnan Suliaha sat with his entire team of coaches as they planned out their training schedule. With absolutely no idea where the knockout rounds will be held or how the draw is going to occur, they took the time instead to look at teams that have qualified or look like they will qualify.
They started with the second set of groups. These are the groups held in Timuria, and the coaches all agreed that if they had to travel to those teams, they would need advance preparation. A look at Group E where qualification was done and settled started the night.
Video replays of the highlights was all they could find, and other than a squad list which gave little away, nothing else was available. "These videos can wait. I guess all we could figure is that Magnaterrica is another attacking side playing 4-4-2, and that was it," said Adnan Suliaha. "Next!"

In Group F, only information about Pauh Janggi was heard. They are the winners of the 3rd Melayu Archipelago Cup, and seems to have a slightly defensive team style. The team statistician (Yes, you heard it, a statistician), Opserr Rizi, point out that they may be one of those teams looking to have a good run here in the BoF, and gave them quite a high chance of escaping from Group F through his fantastic simulations. One of the 3 main player coaches, Jazzly Aswer just looked at him. "You know, back in those days when we analyse opposition, we don't even have stats to rely on. Now we can utilise player and team statistics here to analyse opposition? Boy that would make us world beaters if we can use it to our advantage." Opserr chuckled. "You know statistics can't say everything, we could only estimate but we need your help to decide who is better and fitter."

Group G                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Appalachian Nation        4   3  1  0    6   2  +4   10
2 TJUN-ia                   4   1  2  1    5   4  +1    5
3 Bloing                    4   1  2  1    5   5   0    5
4 Plane of Possibility      4   0  1  3    2   7  −5    1

Ah, there is one interesting group here. The coaching staff had previously agreed that Appalachian Nation seems like one of the teams to beat, with their 9 points in 3 games. A draw here in matchday 4 didn't make a single difference, and they had already a good idea of how to prepare the Appy Boys. Everyone in the room had previously agreed that the offensive firepower of that team has not been shown to the fullest, and they would definitely be on the look out for it by improving the defensive capabilities of the team. The second team out, however, was a really tough question. TJUN-ia and Bloing drew the last time round, and yet the Plane of Possibility seems to have an outside chance if they could pull off some comeback. "Tough call. Maybe it might have to resort to a tiebreaker by goal difference? I don't know to be honest with their meeting in matchday 6 it would be really tough to tell before that," said Adnan. They keep the group in view and decided to move on.

As for Group H, they did not even bother guessing who came out of it. "First 2 teams on 6 points, and last placed team on 4 points? With absolutely no idea about team style and a complete lack of background information, let us not waste our time to analyse who will get out of there," said Adnan.

Then it was the first set. The official tables just came in, and they just had a look at it. Castanya in Group A is one of four teams to qualify for the Knockout stages. The coaches promptly noted that they are a team who are playing for a nation experiencing difficult times, and they know how such an emotional factor could play out in the hearts of the players.
Group B caught the eye of the coaches as they have all heard about Trolleborg, which was also a team similar to Poafmersia. A country coming out of isolation? Check. Huge fan base that is particularly loud and supportive? Check. Fans have huge say in team selection? In some ways you could say both teams have different ways of doing it. Fans in Poafmersia do have a huge say in their league clubs (so large that they can decide whether a manger should be fired or not), but Trolleborg's fans could do it on the national team! Whatever the case, both sides also play attacking football, and the coaches have listed that team as one of the contenders to watch. Aimena is another one which they took special notice of. A 3-2-5 is a formation unseen in Poafmerisa (the coaches, however have tried a modified 3-5-2, to varying effects)
The coaches also agreed that Fujai and Ziwana are the two teams that are likely to show up in the Round of 16 from Group C. Fujai had participated in international competitions before, so they would be of great interest to Poafmersia.

With the looking further discussion ended, they went to discussing the team for the 5th match against ZSeperatists. The player choice was debated and discussed, and Adnan Suliaha promptly released the squad list afterwards.

---

Matchday 5 Squad List
Squad

#12 Jabaik Henderson [GK]
#13 Gracia Warisian [LB]
#4 Danzik Hoboson [CB] - Captain
#5 Pasits Rikachz [CB]
#14 Timothy Gausun [RB]
#17 Gooh Figsh [DM]
#18 Matthew Tibrise [LM]
#10 Gisiik Moonar [AM]
#19 Danille Trasa [RM]
#9 Shakira Handris [CF]
#20 Santik Manson [CF]

Substitutes:

#23 Dikash Jahikas [GK]
#15 Alex Hoboson [CB]
#3 Denise Pickford [RB]
#6 Dargis Walshor [LM]
#8 Jessie Mchargrita [RM]
#7 Joel Haodao [LW/CF]
#21 Alexri Timson [LW/RW]

Formation: 4-1-2-1-2

[Appalachian Nation]

Applachia draws TJUN-ia

TIMURA - The first non-win for the Hillbillys occurred today as the team drew a well prepared TJUN-ia squad 1-1 in the bleak concrete jungles of Timura. the smog wasn't as abundant as the last two games as this one was schedule don a weekend, but that may have helped the TJUN-ian Jaguars out as they were able to play as efficiently and reliably as the Hillbillys. Tjun-ias defense was the real star of the show. Defender Aron McKenna kept pace with Bubba as he showed skills that could put him in any top-fight Appalchian team if he so chose. this lead tot he game going into the territory of a 0-0 draw for what seemed like it would be a full 90 minutes. But deep in the game a breakthrough was made.......by TJUN-ia. "Big Bad" Joe Green took a pass from Pedro dos Santos, who had been substituted in after a minor injury to Vijay Palalele, who then launched the ball to Peliniho who Bicycle kicked it into the goal!. This will certainly make it as a contender for goal of the tournament and it was evident that there needed to be a sense of urgency in the Hillbilly camp. But being urgent made it hard for the Hillbillys to concentrate and some sloppy attacks were made only for the defenders and midfielders to bail the team out.

But with 87 minutes down and three to go, Bubba finally got his revenge on the TJUN-ia defenders, he darted around them toying with them and showing off some of his dribbling skills. He then kick one right pass Gylfsson who looked stun and lets face it, a goalie giving up a goal so late would put a shocked look on more than just himself though. This made Bubba the first Appalachian two score two goals internationally! In the end it was a 1-1 draw between the two teams and a tough Bloing team is coming up. one thing the tie also brought up was the fact that the Hillbillys weren't able to secure first place. With a five point differential over TJUN-ia, there's a small chance that they could end with 11 points and us with 10, while unlikely to happen given the rate of the teams playing so far, thats still a possibility, but it could also end up with the Hillbillys secure their spot in the top of the group with the next game against Bloing. The Bloing game will be a wonderful match that will show case some of the berst talent in the group and will be interesting to see if Phillip Siroko's smog allergy is finally sedated.


Appalachian Nation - 2
Bubba 87'

TJUN-ia - 1
Pelinho 73'

[Timuria]

MD5 is here! As much as it feels like these group stages will never end we only have one match to go!

Group E
Galar 1–0 Magnaterrica
The Ross Isles 0–1 Kwangtzu Guānnán

Group E                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Galar                     5   4  1  0   10   3  +7   13
2 Magnaterrica              5   3  1  1   11   4  +7   10
3 Kwangtzu Guānnán          5   2  0  3    4   7  −3    6
4 The Ross Isles            5   0  0  5    4  15 −11    0

Group F
Nomoterra 0–1 Nirvacana
Pauh Janggi 3–0 Dragons & Bronies

Group F                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Pauh Janggi               5   4  1  0   11   2  +9   13
2 Nirvacana                 5   3  1  1    7   5  +2   10
3 Nomoterra                 5   1  1  3    3   7  −4    4
4 Dragons & Bronies         5   0  1  4    4  11  −7    1

Group G
Appalachian Nation 2–0 Bloing
TJUN-ia 0–0 Plane of Possibility

Group G                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Appalachian Nation        5   4  1  0    8   2  +6   13
2 TJUN-ia                   5   1  3  1    5   4  +1    6
3 Bloing                    5   1  2  2    5   7  −2    5
4 Plane of Possibility      5   0  2  3    2   7  −5    2

Group H
Aquitlia 0–1 Tara & Cambray
Fetra 2–0 Aldaveria

Group H                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Fetra                     5   2  3  0    6   2  +4    9
2 Tara & Cambray            5   2  1  2    7   8  −1    7
3 Aldaveria                 5   2  0  3    6   9  −3    6
4 Aquitlia                  5   1  2  2    7   7   0    5

Eliminations to be updated once I'm done having an existential crisis, sorry folks.

[Aimena]

III | Under the Wire | III

Game Report & Manager Titanic Hyperiol Post Match Interview
|0| - |1|
HT: |0| - |1|

---

[YC] 1': Player 9
[YC] 1': Attyllion
⚽25': Player 7 (Assisted by Player 9)
HT
FT

---

"We've been turned over, could this get any worse? Maybe because there's still two matches for us to keep our heads around. For now, I'll be giving the boys some stick, especially Attyllion, some poor defending for an Aimenan team. Also, why didn't Under the Wire interview me last game? Either they're consistent in their game reports now, or they just want themselves to look like good sports.

- Titanic Hyperiol, Senior Manager of Aimena

[Castanya]

The final whistle blew and the entire nation exploded in celebration. Final time showed Castanya 2, Mitra & Soma nil, and with that, qualification for the elimination stages of the Baptism of Fire was secured.

Four games with three wins and a pesky draw to show for it. Not bad, not bad at all. There were still two matches left in the group stage but since qualification was already secured, not really too much to worry about on that front. Indeed, it seemed practically guaranteed that most starters would be rested, with the rotation and youngsters getting a chance to take the stage and show the world what they’ve got. All eyes were on the Castanyan national team now as they were one of the hottest new teams on the block and now was the time for players to secure a lucrative move abroad and generally announce themselves to the world stage. Very, very cool.

Of course the nation of Castanya was nose diving into revolution and general civil war, so that was exactly a bright spot, but at least fighting would cease and people would generally get along with each other during those ninety minutes. After that though, all bets were off and the fighting would resume. Fun times to be alive in Castanya.

The national team went out against Mitra & Soma with our usual starters starting in our usual starting lineup for our starting starters who were indeed starting. Right. Honestly, this game was over the minute the first whistle blew, the Castanyan warlords were all over their Mitra & Soman prey, harassing them in defense, driving straight at them when attacking, it really was just a myahem filled slaughter. Well maybe not a slaughter as that would probably see a scoreline more than just 2-nil, but it really was incredibly one sided from a purely statistical point of view. And the eye test too. Good times.

We scored in the 7th minute when centerback Ezequiel Severiano rose up high to head home a nice floated corner to give the roaring start a deserved goal and really put the Castanyan national team in the driver’s seat for the rest of the match. Nothing like the opposing team pushing forward to score an equalizer to open up massive holes in their formation for quick counter attacks to take advantage of with precise passing and quick off the ball movements. Which is precisely how our second and final goal was scored.

The Mitra & Soman players pushed up desperately, a little too desperately considering it was only the 38th minute and there was a lotttttt of football yet to be played. A poor shot from distance was deflected out to the left wing, where left back Giorgi Stuprenza collected it and burst up the wing. He slid it to Ilaxbara in the center, who took a soft touch to control the ball before sweeping it to Francesc Fabregessi on the right wing. A first time ball whipped in found Malvolio and with a nice easy side footed finish, it was 2-nil to Castanya. Game over.

[Zwangzug]

Forbridge Compiler: The Zwangzug national team has no official home stadium at this time; earlier versions of the team had Wayr Stadium as their primary home, but in more recent years the team has hosted international visitors in many stadiums across the country. The stadiums used for this tournament will likely see further action during the World Cup qualifiers, but we'll need to await the draw for that...

Matchday Five, Groups A-D

Group A
Five Cities 1–1 Mitra & Soma
Greater Cebu 0–1 Castanya

  Group A               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Castanya                5   4  1  0    9   3  +6   13 Q
2 Five Cities             5   2  3  0    8   6  +2    9 Q
3 Greater Cebu            5   0  2  3    4   7  −3    2
4 Mitra & Soma            5   0  2  3    5  10  −5    2

Group B
Aimena 3–0 Casta Marina
North Eastern Asia 0–4 Trolleborg

  Group B               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Trolleborg              5   4  0  1   16   5 +11   12 Q
2 Aimena                  5   3  0  2   12   9  +3    9
3 North Eastern Asia      5   2  0  3    5  11  −6    6
4 Casta Marina            5   1  0  4    4  12  −8    3 E

Group C
Volinovia 0–1 Fujai
Welzat 2–5 Ziwana

  Group C               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ziwana                  5   4  0  1   15   8  +7   12 Q
2 Fujai                   5   4  0  1   10   5  +5   12 Q
3 Welzat                  5   1  1  3    9  13  −4    4
4 Volinovia               5   0  1  4    2  10  −8    1

Group D
Poafmersia 6–1 ZSeparatists
Barsland 0–2 Barfleur

  Group D               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Poafmersia              5   5  0  0   21   5 +16   15 Q
2 Barfleur                5   3  1  1    4   1  +3   10 Q
3 ZSeparatists            5   1  0  4    3  10  −7    3
4 Barsland                5   0  1  4    3  15 −12    1

[PotatoFarmers]

BoF 71 Group Stages - Who needs what and who is out?
Many readers, local or foreign, have asked around about what happens in Matchday 5 and who will continue their journey in the Round of 16. So, we decided to compile the list of "who needs what" to help viewers know what can or cannot happen in the last Matchday. We start here with whatever happened in the earlier matches, for Groups E to H.

As confirmed, GD will take precedence over Head 2 Head Records (Points before Goals)

Group E                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Galar                     5   4  1  0   10   3  +7   13
2 Magnaterrica              5   3  1  1   11   4  +7   10
3 Kwangtzu Guānnán          5   2  0  3    4   7  −3    6
4 The Ross Isles            5   0  0  5    4  15 −11    0

Group F                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Pauh Janggi               5   4  1  0   11   2  +9   13
2 Nirvacana                 5   3  1  1    7   5  +2   10
3 Nomoterra                 5   1  1  3    3   7  −4    4
4 Dragons & Bronies         5   0  1  4    4  11  −7    1

Group E and Group F have very similar tables, as the top 2 teams have qualified for the knockout stages. Galar took the advantage with a win over Magnaterrica in Group E in Matchday 1, and they would qualify as group winners if they do not lose against Kwangtzu. If they do lose, Magnaterrica would be first by beating The Ross Isles. In Group F, as Pauh Janggi faces Nirvacana in the final match, Nirvacana can only overhaul Pauh Janggi if they beat Pauh Janggi by 4 goals or more.

Group G                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Appalachian Nation        5   4  1  0    8   2  +6   13
2 TJUN-ia                   5   1  3  1    5   4  +1    6
3 Bloing                    5   1  2  2    5   7  −2    5
4 Plane of Possibility      5   0  2  3    2   7  −5    2

In Group G, Appalachian Nation qualified as first place, while Plane of Possibility is out of contention. As TJUN-ia play Bloing in the last round, TJUN-ia just needs to not lose to qualify for the knockout stages. If Bloing wins, Bloing would qualify instead.

Group H                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Fetra                     5   2  3  0    6   2  +4    9
2 Tara & Cambray            5   2  1  2    7   8  −1    7
3 Aldaveria                 5   2  0  3    6   9  −3    6
4 Aquitlia                  5   1  2  2    7   7   0    5

No one is out of contention mathematically, as all 4 teams have a chance of qualifing. On Matchday 6, as Fetra play Tara & Cambray, while Aldaveria play Aquitlia, the situation is a rather interesting one. If Fetra does not lose, they qualiy as group Champions. If they do lose, Tara & Cambray qualifies as group champions instead. For Aldaveria to qualify, they would need either of the three situations to occur: Aldaveria winning while Tara & Cambray does not beat Fetra (so they qualify wih Fetra); Tara winning and Aldaveria winning in such a way that they can overcome a -7 goal difference deficit (so Aldaveria qualifies as runners-up with Tara & Cambray); or that Aldaveria draws and Fetra beats Tara & Cambray by 3 or more goals (eliminating Tara & Cambray in the process). A 2 goal winning margin for Fetra when Aldaveria draw may be enough, but it would go further deeper into the tiebreakers to decide which of Aldaveria and Tara & Cambray qualifies (they would tie on Goal Difference, tie on head-to-head because Tara won the first time 3-1 but Aldaveria won the second time 2-0). For Aquitlia to qualify, they would need a win over Aldaveria, and hope Tara & Cambray does not win.

We move on Group A-D, which played later and the situations are less complicated than the ones above.

Group A          Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts 
1 Castanya        5  4 1 0  9  3 +6 13
2 Five Cities     5  2 3 0  8  6 +2  9
3 Greater Cebu    5  0 2 3  4  7 −3  2
4 Mitra & Soma    5  0 2 3  5 10 −5  2

No debates here, as Catanya secured their qualification as group winners while Five Cities qualify as group runners up.

Group B               Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts 
1 Trolleborg           5  4 0 1 16  5 +11 12
2 Aimena               5  3 0 2 12  9  +3  9
3 North Eastern Asia   5  2 0 3  5 11  −6  6
4 Casta Marina         5  1 0 4  4 12  −8  3

Trolleborg qualified from Group B, while Casta Marina is out. Trolleborg now just needs to not lose by 4 or more goals to get first place secured as they play Aimena in Matchday 6. (They only beat Aimena by 3 in Matchday 3, so 4 would be enough for Aimena to overtake on head-to-head record.) For North Eastern Asia to qualify, they need Trolleborg to win while they win against Casta Marina, and they need to overcome their -9 deficit in goal difference between them and Aimena. (With same goal difference, Aimena qualifies as they won 5-2 in Matchday 1 but only lost 0-1 in Matchday 4)

Group C     Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts 
1 Ziwana     5  4 0 1 15  8 +7 12
2 Fujai      5  4 0 1 10  5 +5 12
3 Welzat     5  1 1 3  9 13 −4  4
4 Volinovia  5  0 1 4  2 10 −8  1

With Ziwana and Fujai both already qualified for the knockout stages, whoever qualifies as group winners will be determined by goal difference or any other tiebreakers used if both teams brings home the same number of points in the last game. The Head-2-Head records would not be of any use as Ziwana won 3-2 in Matchday 1, but Fujai won 2-1 in Matchday 4's reverse.

Group D        Pld W D L GF GA  GD Pts 
1 Poafmersia    5  5 0 0 21  5 +16 15
2 Barfleur      5  3 1 1  4  1  +3 10
3 ZSeparatists  5  1 0 4  3 10  −7  3
4 Barsland      5  0 1 4  3 15 −12  1

In Group D, where our Poafmersian team is in, the group winners and group runners-up has been confirmed and fixed, so Matchday 6 would be a dead rubber for all 4 teams just like in Group A.

[Ziwana]

Welzat 2-5 Ziwana:Ziwana ripped apart Welzat in a brilliant display to qualify for the round of 16

Ziwana first eleven against Welzat

Ziwana came into this much with a lot of doubts having being outplayed by Fujai in the previous game. Fujai had been defeated 3-2 in the first game due to Ziwana's 'umodzi,umodzi' football and they were prepared for the Akambuku and prepared they were. They dominated the whole much in possession, successful passes made and shots on target. It was only through the brilliance of young Ziwani shot stopper, Jean Kane that Ziwana were saved from an embarrassing scoreline. The match did start with Ziwani brilliance but this all changed in the 5^th minute when Fujai scored, after this goal the Ziwani players seemed to lose composure and begun to play in the Ziwani 'Cheka,Cheka' football which is a style of football that relies on aggression and long balls up forward to win. The only goal of the game came in the last minutes from a penalty taken by Ziwani Captain, Jean Wilder. The results of the match lead to a scuffle in the locker room between the players which lead to Manu Chundunsing being seriously injured. With the morale and team cohesion at a low a lot of Akambuku fans did not expect much of the Welzat game in fact several netizens commented that the lose to Fujai was the beginning of a losing streak for Ziwana.

Well the loss against Fujai seemed to motivate the team who played some of the best football they have ever played. From the start of the game to the final whistle the Akambuku were brilliant and superior against Welzat. Most commentators could not comprehend the brilliant display that Ziwana put in the match. The Akambuku left everyone breathless with their quick counter-attacking 'umodzi,umodzi' football that gave them 5 goals in less than 40 minutes. Ziwana started with an early warning of what was to come with a Jean Wilder shot that was saved by the Welzat keeper after some fubbles. In the 6^th minute the first Ziwani goal came when Abdulaziz Haqawi cut inside into Welzat's high defensive line and fired the ball into the goal putting the Akambuku one up. The second goal came in the 12^th minute from 14 year old debutant, John Sangala from a close-range finish. The third came from Haqawi who was playing on the right wing from a header in the 21^st minute. The fourth goal came in the 32^nd minute when Jean Wilders shot from a Haqawi pass was denied by the Welzat Keeper who pushed it out before Haqawi got to the loose ball and delivered a glorious effort. The fifth goal came in the 38^th minute from a Haqawi scissor kick that put up Ziwana by 5 goals and gave the Al-Quasim Athletic player his fourth goal of the game.

In the second half the Ziwani players were literally dancing around the Welzat players but their lax attitude cost them a clean sheet as Welzat went 2 up from a penalty and an own goal from Jonathan Boi. With the final whistle Ziwana's place in the elimination round was confirmed to the sound of cheering fans. Back home in Ziwana, Akambuku fans partied all night in celebration of such a feet. The next match is the last game of the group stages and will determine if either Ziwana Fujai are top of the group. The next match is against Volinovia, we all wait to see if Ziwana carries this good performance into the next match.

[Trolleborg]

NORTH EASTERN ASIA – TROLLEBORG 0-4



We took a convincing revenge for the defeat in the first round and officially have a ticket to the playoff, although it is still unknown from the first place or the second one.

Our head coach, however, did not focus on the result, but made it possible for all players to play and tried their various combinations - the qualifying tournament for the World Cup is ahead, it will be extremely difficult, and it is important to understand the qualities and skills of all players. Football performed by the Trolleborg team turned out to be inspirational, beautiful, and, most importantly, effective.

Trolleborg: Vrommen (Windass,46), Levenkrands, Tro, Dushegub (Troger,52), Aldekamp, Kolding, Mogrin (Valgren,65), Troll, Finnsnes, Kerr, Gulbranden.

Levenkrands,22 (0-1), Kerr,45 (0-2), Troll,65(0-3). Kerr,67 (0-4).

We all wait for this match with some trepidation. But our players demonstrated the class and style of the game and won a landslide victory. As always, as the starting whistle barely sounded, the Trolleborg team rushed to besiege the gates of their opponents, but this time acted carefully and thoughtfully. Our guys obviously learned from the first game. The team attacked in a varied manner, and it is not surprising that the flank defender scored the first goal - during the high-speed multi-pass combination, Levenkrands crept closer to the penalty area, his comrades dragged the defenders everywhere with them and he shot from afar, but very accurately. Shortly thereafter, a serious commotion took place in the NEA penalty area after a corner, but after three hits our forwards failed to put the ball into the net. However, at the very end of the half, the goalkeeper of the opponents could not cope with the long-range shot of Troll, parrying the ball in front of him, but Kerr was the first to reach him and finished off. NEA players still fought back, repelled several beautiful attacks by our team and seriously threatened our goalkeeper a couple of times, but in the end, in the middle of the second half, Troll and Kerr scored a goal each. Troll performed a real miracle in general, having thrown the ball past three defenders and the goalkeeper from 20 meters, and Kerr responded to the pass from the depth of field, outplayed the goalkeeper and sent the ball into the empty net.

[PotatoFarmers]

(Note from the writer: After making clarification about Eagle's Club as a stadium, we have made corrections to our previous article.)

Keppal City, Zwangzug

ZSeperatists 1
Player #9 42'
Poafmersia 6
Handris 17', 31', 62'
Mason 22', 77', 88'

Nothing weird cropped up today, thank goodness.
Poafmersia had a nice regular match here at Keppal City, where 2 players got their hat tricks and kept Poafmersia's unbelievable international record of 5 wins in 5 matches.
Before the match, Adnan Suliaha was determined to see how the players could adapt to different formations, and with qualification out of the picture, he called many reserve players up and fielded a 4-1-2-1-2 formation. Gooh Figsh got his start for the first time, and he was very confident he could showcase some of his ball handling skills. "More defensive players doesn't mean we will score less. This means we can slowly push the ball forward and keep the ball out of their hands." Indeed, 17 minutes in, a brilliant dribble from the Poafmersian half to the opposition half, together with a nice pass to Shakira Handaris, meant that Poafmersia opened their account for the match. Having received the pass, Shakira promptly curved the ball in to give Poafmersia their first goal of the match.
Barely 5 minutes later, it was Santik Mason who got another goal. A nice cross from Matthew Tibrise allowed Santik to run into the penalty box and take the second goal.
Shakira added a routine goal in the 31st minute, but ZSeperatists got one back 4 minutes from time after a nice counterattack after a Poafmersian corner, as their striker beat the defenders to score after a one on one with Jabik.
Head Coach Adnan Suliaha was afraid that his players will implode. After all, arrogance is not helping his team do better. He told them to stay focused and give it their all, warning them that a team wanting to stay in the tournament will give anything to get their win. After the half, there were indeed problems as ZSeperatists pushed harder. However, a substitution as Dargis Walshor replaced Matthew Tibrise immediately reaped benefits as Shakira scored another goal. 4-1 up, Joel Haodao came on for Shakira, and he prmptly provided 2 assists to give Santik Mason 2 goals.
With the win in the bag and the roup winners secured, Adnan Suliaha announed a squad that is made up of players that played little in the cup thus far, to give them a run and to rest regulars for the Round of 16 match.

---

Squad List for Matchday 6:

#23 Dikash Jahikas [GK]
#13 Gracia Warisian [LB]
#15 Alex Hoboson [CB]
#16 Konile Trasa [CB]
#14 Timothy Gausun [RB]
#17 Gooh Figsh [DM]
#18 Matthew Tibrise [LM]
#19 Danille Trasa [RM]
#10 Gisiik Moonar [AM]
#9 Shakira Handris [CF] - Captain
#7 Joel Haodao [CF]

Substitutes:

#1 Sandi Jaliaha [GK]
#2 Alex Pickford [LB]
#3 Denise Pickford [RB]
#5 Pasits Rikachz [CB]
#6 Dargis Walshor [LM]
#11 Pete Carisa [RW/CF]
#20 Santik Manson [CF/ACM]

Formation: 4-1-2-1-2

[TJUN-ia]

TJUN-ia update: A simple result is required after draws galore!

TJUN-ia have their destiny with their hands after Matchdays 4 and 5 in Uryan.

Peliniho scored a bicycle kick stunner but the defence buckled late on as The Jaguars drew 1-1 against the group-leading Appalachian Nation on MD4.

But the side also has its struggles, as a 0-0 draw with the Plane of Possibility showed in MD5.

However, all is still in the Jaguars' hands (or paws..). With the Hillbillys beating Blonig yesterday, it sets up a winner-take-all showdown to decide who joins Appalachian in the next stage of the Baptism of Fire. If the Jaguars avoid defeat in Uryan, a knockout berth at the first attempt is secured.

But the team will not be underestimating their opponents tonight. Blonig must win this game to go through, so they will be fired up to play as well.

It all sets up for a cracker in Uryan, in what is the most important game in our history.

[Timuria]

Folks, this is your final cut off of the group stages, you might even think of it as the final episode.

Group E
Magnaterrica 4–0 The Ross Isles
Kwangtzu Guānnán 0–1 Galar

Group E                  Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Galar                   6    5   1   0    11    3   +8    16
2 Magnaterrica            6    4   1   1    15    4  +11    13
3 Kwangtzu Guānnán        6    2   0   4     4    8   −4     6
4 The Ross Isles          6    0   0   6     4   19  −15     0

Group F
Nirvacana 0–1 Pauh Janggi
Dragons & Bronies 3–2 Nomoterra

Group F                  Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Pauh Janggi             6    5   1   0    12    2  +10    16
2 Nirvacana               6    3   1   2     7    6   +1    10
3 Nomoterra               6    1   1   4     5   10   −5     4
4 Dragons & Bronies       6    1   1   4     7   13   −6     4

Group G
Bloing 1–1 TJUN-ia
Plane of Possibility 0–1 Appalachian Nation

Group G                  Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Appalachian Nation      6    5   1   0     9    2   +7    16
2 TJUN-ia                 6    1   4   1     6    5   +1     7
3 Bloing                  6    1   3   2     6    8   −2     6
4 Plane of Possibility    6    0   2   4     2    8   −6     2

Group H
Tara & Cambray 3–2 Fetra
Aldaveria 2–1 Aquitlia

Group H                 Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Tara & Cambray          6    3   1   2    10   10    0    10
2 Fetra                   6    2   3   1     8    5   +3     9
3 Aldaveria               6    3   0   3     8   10   −2     9
4 Aquitlia                6    1   2   3     8    9   −1     5

[Aimena]

IV | Under the Wire | IV

Game Report & Manager Titanic Hyperiol Post Match Interview
|3| - |0|
HT: |0| - |0|

---

1': [YC] Player 2
29': [SUB] Player 10 {Out} for Player 15 {In}
HT
⚽ 50': Tethriseptuagintitercubor (AIM) [Assisted by Graltopol]
⚽ 75': Tethriseptuagintitercubor (AIM)
⚽ 81': Sarantaeltothol (AIM) [Assisted by Triacontillion]
FT

---

"Do we have MOTM awards? If so, then I think all rights should be given to Tethri. He's made two goals - even running on his own with the ball to score! If North Eastern Asia plan to surmount us in the group, they're going to have to climb a mountain as if it were a molehill because this squad is a wonderful one that only will be made minor changes after this December. As it stands now, I think we could go miles ahead of Geektopia's performance. Why do I say this now? Because it's every red-blooded Aimenan Sunday League tactician's dream to be better in any statistic than Geektopia. Hell, we even have our own number system that the lazy Geektopian bastards stole from us when we were in our first months of independence from them."
- Titanic Hyperiol, Senior Manager of Aimena

[TJUN-ia]

TJUN-ia Update: 4th Draw In A Row Enough To Make History!

Usually draws are the cause of anger in the football world, but that couldn't be any more opposite here in Uryan. TJUN-ia drew 1-1 today with Bloing meaning the Jaguars have qualifies for the Knockout phase at the first time of asking.

It was Joe Green with his first, and most important, goal in the competition - beating Phillip Siroko during a corner in the 63rd minute. Alec Willems provided some hope for the opposition in the 78th, but it wasn't enough to save them from elimination.

The players collapsed on the field in tears at the final whistle, knowing how big of an achievement this was.

TJUN-ia will join the Appalachian Nation in the next round. Hallelujah!

[Zwangzug]

Matchday Six, Groups A-D

Group A
Mitra & Soma 1–0 Greater Cebu
Castanya 1–1 Five Cities

  Group A               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Castanya                6   4  2  0   10   4  +6   14
2 Five Cities             6   2  4  0    9   7  +2   10
3 Mitra & Soma            6   1  2  3    6  10  −4    5
4 Greater Cebu            6   0  2  4    4   8  −4    2

Group B
Casta Marina 1–0 North Eastern Asia
Trolleborg 6–3 Aimena

  Group B               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Trolleborg              6   5  0  1   22   8 +14   15
2 Aimena                  6   3  0  3   15  15   0    9
3 Casta Marina            6   2  0  4    5  12  −7    6
4 North Eastern Asia      6   2  0  4    5  12  −7    6

Group C
Fujai 1–0 Welzat
Ziwana 2–1 Volinovia

  Group C               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ziwana                  6   5  0  1   17   9  +8   15
2 Fujai                   6   5  0  1   11   5  +6   15
3 Welzat                  6   1  1  4    9  14  −5    4
4 Volinovia               6   0  1  5    3  12  −9    1

Group D
ZSeparatists 0–1 Barsland
Barfleur 0–3 Poafmersia

  Group D               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Poafmersia              6   6  0  0   24   5 +19   18
2 Barfleur                6   3  1  2    4   4   0   10
3 Barsland                6   1  1  4    4  15 −11    4
4 ZSeparatists            6   1  0  5    3  11  −8    3

Second Round Draw:

Timuria half:
Castanya vs. Magnaterrica (Dev Halk Stadium, Demir)
Trolleborg vs. Nirvacana (Halkın Güneş Çiftliği Stadium, Elektriklestirme)
Ziwana vs. TJUN-ia (Madenci Stadium, Uryan)
Poafmersia vs. Fetra (Genel Sendika Stadium, Demir)

Zwangzug half:
Galar vs. Five Cities (Palocci Pagoda Park, FTC)
Pauh Janggi vs. Aimena (City Athletic Venue, Arlington)
Appalachian Nation vs. Fujai (Ayathen Arena, Keppal City)
Tara & Cambray vs. Barfleur (Janaki Gardens, Guariday)

Timuria will confirm if there are any changes, but expect the bottom four games to be scorinated around my time on Friday night (so about 48 hours from now), and the first four to be scorinated around Timuria's usual time on Friday. To everyone celebrating US Thanksgiving, have a festive bye day!

[PotatoFarmers]

Ayathen Arena, Keppal City, Zwangzug

Barfleur 0

Poafmersia 3
A. Hoboson 49'
Mason 76'
Carisa 90'

Although this is a dead rubber, the Poafmerisan players are taking this seriously. After finding midfield power in switching to a 4-1-2-1-2 formation as they overran ZSeperatists the lat time out, head coach Adnan Suliaha stuck with the same formation, made 8 changes to the usual starting 11, and tried to see if it would indeed work out against a much more defensive side in Barfleur.
He figured that 4 midfielders might do a better job in retaining possession, and a control of the center of the park would be instrumental in getting a decent result out of Barfleur.
The first 45 minutes was a goalless affair. Despite efforts from both sides, no one was able to break the deadlock, as the midfielders fought for the ball and possession switched very quickly. The goals, however, came in right after the break. A quick corner taken by Matthew Tibrise, the left midfielder, found Alex Hoboson, the center back, and he headed in the first goal of his international career and a opened Poafmersia's account for the match. However, Barfleur kept their resolute defence, and frustrated the strikers by constantly cutting the feed between the midfielders and the two strikers. Whenever one of the strikers took the ball, they would crowd around him, and resort to all sort of tactics to take the ball.
At the 70th minute, Adnan Suliaha promptly decided to get some fresher legs into the match. He replaced Gisiik Moonar with Santik Mason, and played Santik in the Attacking Midfielder position, a position which Santik has played for his club on numerous occasions. The impact was immediate, as Santik displayed his ball control skills to dribble past the defenders to get a brilliant solo goal at the 76th minute.
Adding more firepower, he subbed off Joel for Pete Carisa, who hasn't played for quite some time. Together, Santik and Pete worked to overcome the tired defence as they were much fresher as compared to the opposition players who played for almost the entire length of the game. Pete managed to score a goal in the closing stages of the match to secure all 3 points, following a brilliant assist from Shakira, who selflessly passed the ball instead of attempting a goal on his own.
As the scoreline read 3-0, fans ran onto the push, aiming to come together and celebrate the conclusion of their magnificent group stage performance. Scoring 3 past one of the toughest defences in Barfleur was something to be very proud off, and it showed Poafmersia's capabilities on the international stage. Celebrations would, however, have to wait. The Round of 16 draw would be starting soon, and the players would be excited to find out who awaits them in their next match. In the meantime, it would be time for the press conference, as the reporters would be waiting to interview Adnan Suliaha to find out the secrets behind such a brilliant team.
********
"Could you rate the performance of your side?"
"Absolutely brilliant from many of the players, especially our midfielders who worked really hard to keep the ball and gain possession. It was really tough but we got the result we wanted, and I must say that I am really satisfied with them."
"Sir, many people have said that your team are the hot favourites to win the BoF. With your performance in the group stage, do you think your team has the ability to make it that far?"
Adnan Suliaha was very prepared for the question. "I believe in my players, they are an excellent bunch and are definitely well trained by their respective clubs back in Poafmersia. As for winning the BoF, maybe we could wait and see. We have 4 difficult matches ahead of us, and we would have to clear all of them one by one."
"Poafmersia scored more goals than the entire Group G combined, and many have drawn comparisons between your side and the Hapliopper side that won the last BoF. Do you think that this comparison is a valid comparison, and do you think your side's attacking abilities will carry your side to victory?"
Adnan knew very well that despite scoring 24 goals in 6 matchdays, which averages out to 4 a match, goals alone would not be enough to bring his team the distance, if they do not close out on the wins with a solid defence and keep the momentum. "Many people compare us to Hapliopper and believe we are able to reach the finals and win it, but I do not want to entertain those comparisons simply because it is too early to tell. If we end up winning the BoF, then maybe you could say we are like them, but before that, we will treat every match like a final, go and get those wins, and see how long we can last. Our opponents here are not the same as the teams in the last tournament, many of them are very strong and excellent teams. If you want to talk about a team who kept scoring goals, please look at Trolleborg, as they managed 22 in a relatively tougher group. If you want to talk about defence, then look at Pauh Janggi and Appalachian Nation, as they only let in 2 in 6 games as compared to our 5."
The press conference continued, but many questions were relatively similar questions about the side's ability, and the coach was having none of it. He wanted to switch his attention to the draw which was happening soon, and find out if they would need another long journey to Timuria, which he hoped will not occur.
********
Turns out the draw didn't exist. Apparently, they just announced that all the group champions would travel across to the other nation. The Group D champions have been scheduled to play the Group H runners-up, which would be Fetra after they lost to Tara & Cambray. Adnan was not happy at all. He told the physiotherapists to send the players back to the hotel room to pack after they were done with their ice bath. He also called the pilots for the charter plane and asked them to prepare to leave as soon as possible. They needed to get to Timuria as quickly as possible, to get use to the local conditions and have at least one training session there. "Well, I guess we should have done worse and get second place to avoid the travel... But how can that mentality be right for a team aiming high and looking to get to the finals?"
********
As they were on their way to the airport, Adnan finally took out his phone and called home. It would be early morning there in Poafmersia, but Adnan wanted to look for his wife, Kagita.
"Finally found the time to call me? Took you 6 matchdays to find the time."
"I was planning to call you today anyways. Surviving 6 matchdays and finally got the break I needed, but it is not the perfect break when you need a flight across to the other side."
"Well then, I guess I can say hello from the other side?" She chuckled. "Enjoy your rest and don't tire yourself out. I know very well that you are the kind of responsible person who would ensure everything is in place for your players, but for your sake and for the team's sake, don't fall sick. Everyone back here is rooting for the team and hope they can get back here with the trophy. That cannot be done without you staying healthy, just like how every one of the players cannot be injured."
"So even you are talking about winning the title? Gosh, don't count your chickens before they are hatched. As a former footballer yourself, you know how slip ups can happen if we are not careful."
"But you are the careful person. I don't want to give you anymore pressure since you give yourself the pressure in taking on this task of setting up the team and leading them. Really though, you should take a rest."

---

For the next match:

Starting 11 -

#1 Sandi Jaliaha [GK]
#2 Alex Pickford [LB]
#4 Danzik Hoboson [CB] - Captain
#5 Pasits Rikachz [CB]
#3 Denise Pickford [RB]
#6 Dargis Walshor [LM]
#10 Gisiik Moonar [CM]
#8 Jessie Mchargrita [RM]
#21 Alexri Timson [LW]
#9 Shakira Handris [CF]
#11 Pete Carisa [RW]

Substitutes:

#12 Jabaik Henderson [GK]
#13 Gracia Warisian [LB]
#15 Alex Hoboson [CB]
#17 Gooh Figsh [CM/DCM]
#19 Danille Trasa [RM]
#7 Joel Haodao [LW/CF]
#20 Santik Manson [CF/ACM]

4-3-3 formation

[Trolleborg]

TROLLEBORG - AIMENA 6-3

Winning their last match, our team finished first in the group, and will play Nirvacana. As hosts kept in secret every detail of how tournament playoff grid looked like, it’s all we can say.

Trolleborg: Vrommen, Laste, Dushegub (Koolen,63), Joos, Aldekamp, Magni, Valgren (Mogrin,59), Troll, Zhita, Kerr, Skaloed (Tjeerd,71).

Troll,15(1-1). Valgren,21 (2-1), Kerr,34 (3-1). Kerr,44 (4-1). Valgren,65 (5-2), Kerr,84 (6-3).

Our team, as always, try to overwhelm opponents from the first minutes, but it almost turned out exactly the opposite - only the game began when Aimena organized a quick attack and after an error by the defenders and Vrommen scored a goal. However, this event was not make our players breathless and they quickly leveled, Troll shot from just outside a box and the goalkeeper, although he caught the ball with his fingertips, could not stop it. Shortly after a flank attack, Magni, demonstrating his dribbling talent, make a diagonal pass, and Valgren put an accurate shot. Almost immediately Kerr could widen the gap, but could not get ball into the goal from a very favorable position, and then Aimena could equalize, but Vrommen parried a dangerous shot in a beautiful jump. At the end of the half, Kerr score his second goal, first responding to the flank feed and breaking his head, and then received an accurate pass from Troll. In the second half, Aimena narrowed the gap in the account from the penalty spot, but the same Valgren scored again in the middle of the half, now after striking a free kick into the far corner, the opponents closed the gap once again, but Kerr put in the final point, finishing the ball into the net after a shot by Tjeerd has been parried off by the goalkeeper.

And whole team is congratulate Rolf Valgren with his birthday, which was happened just at this day. Our magazine sent heartwarmth congratulations to the midfielder!


As there was no matches tomorrow, TTV will make a talk-show about football, national team, BoF and our “opening to the world policy”. It’s planned that head coach himself join in for a few minutes.
[If anyone from other countries wish to put a question, PM me].

[Ziwana]

Ziwana 2-1 Volinovia:Ziwana Ends Group Stages With A Bang By Coming Out On Top Of Group C

Ziwana first eleven against Volinovia

The Akambuku came into this game from brilliantly thrashing Welzat 5-2 and were expected to dominate this game and dominate they did. Their goals all came in the first half before they packed the bus in the second half to conserve energy and avoid injuries in preparation of the round of 16. The first goal of the game was from Volinovia when their striker saw an opening and launched a shot from 20 yards out to put them one goal up in the 5th minute however they did not celebrate long as 30 seconds later, Ziwana equalized when Captain Jean Wilder steered a low short 15 yards out past the Volinovian goalkeeper. The equalizers light up the stadium as Ziwani fans celebrated by beating on drums, dancing and singing praises for the team. The 2nd goal came in the 34th minute from a corner which Jean Wilder quickly headed into the right corner of the Volinovian goal.

The game brought to a close a fantastic performance in the group stages by the Ziwani team which has caught the attention of football lovers in the football universe. The 'umodzi, umodzi' direct passing counter attacking football has proven successful in winning matches and entertaining football matches although the Ziwani manager Ngonamo wants to move away from this tactical approach before the steam runs out. Captain Jean Wilder and young rising star Abdulaziz Haqawi have been ever present for the national team scoring 8 and 7 goals respectively. Every Ziwani fan hopes that these too will continue to show up with their goals for the Akambuku.

[Trolleborg]

Good evening, I’m Ternes Rieper, your host. This is Trolleborg TV and right now we meet with a FA chief executive Torben Mortensen.
TM: Good evening, Ternes. Good evening, dear viewers.

TR: Well, we will not waste time in vain, we will immediately ask the main question - how do you access the performance of the national team?
TM: Very good marks, i think. After the World Youth Championship, it became clear that, in principle, we won’t get lost in the international arena, but we must honestly say that we have a very long way to be one of world football giants.

TR:how much does the team live up to expectations?
TM: now I can tell you a secret: initially, since nothing is really known about the opponents, the leadership of the federation planned that we would win three or four matches, lose one or two and draw one. Draw conclusions yourself.

TR: Is something specific bothering you?
TM: We conceded too much. The head coach shares this concern and takes actions he see fit.

TR: And what do you think will help?
TM: We'll see this soon. The Federation invited the head coach to think about whether it was possible to strengthen the team with additional players, a proposal was voiced to send specialists in psychology or physical training. But Morten considered that this was not required.

TR: He was supposed to go on the air and answer some questions, but there are technical difficulties ...
TM: Don’t bother him for nothing. He already has enough problems on hand.

TR: Alright. What are your impressions of the championship?
TM: Compared to the youth championship, there is less carnival mood, songs, scarves, fraternization, and so on, and the stadiums themselves are smaller and the atmosphere is different.

TR: After this tournament, we will face the qualifiers for the World Cup. What secrets can you reveal to us in this regard?
TM: The Federation is intensively preparing for the qualifying tournament, in close alliance with other structures. An integrated payment system is already ready, allowing visiting fans to pay for goods and services in their familiar ways without changing moneys and so on; a multimedia platform is being finalized, allowing guests to develop a stay program that is as close as possible to their interests.

TR: There was a question from viewer. He wanted to know "is our national leader watching FA performance?"
TM: Yes, he did. He wanted to see at least one match in person, but his tight schedule do no allow this.

TR: Another question from viewer: whether playoff matches planned to be shown on the wide screens for a general public in biggest towns.
TM: Yes, but only if team made it throught to the quarter-finals. Four biggest cities will have a screens and fan-zones surely, and smaller one if give us a application in advance.

TR: And third question from the viewers: how much money our players receive for their exploits?
TM: FA pays usual salaries of the players, that is, they receive double salaries for the duration of the competition. There was a monetary awards for every point. And It is supposed to be quite generous payments from the federation and from sponsors. I can't make exact figures public right now.

TR: And, of course, the question of questions - what are our prospects?
TM: The answer will be unpleasant. The composition of the groups is determined by the rating of the national teams. Ours is zero, and no matter what the performance at BoF ends, we won’t get more than two or three points, which puts us somewhere between 170th and 190th places. This is approximately the fifth basket - i.e. in our group we will have four teams stronger and more experienced than ours. Judging by the results of the last two championships, one team usually goes to championship from ranking below 70 and above 90, three from the group 40-70, all the rest is from forty strongest. Fans will undoubtedly add us chances, it will be, probably, difficult to defeat us on our field with such support, but still we need to face the truth and realistically access our chances - we will most likely not jump above third place in the group under any circumstances.

TR: and the last question: this policy of “openness to the world”, what did it give?
TM: you know, I don’t really understand why this is said with such aspiration. We are the 13th country in region if counting the flow of tourists and the 400th in the world, we have extensive foreign trade, so the only thing we are behind is integration processes. But we quickly learn, and if nothing unusual happens, we will catch up with our neighbors in this aspect.

TR: Thank you very much for the interview, with the upcoming holidays we all!
TM: Happy Holidays, dear compatriots! Happy Victory Day!

[Timuria]

Welcome to the knockout stages. Farewell to those of you leaving us here, we'll see you at the World Cup. Meanwhile, those of you progressing should remember to give no quarter in the Quarter Finals.

Round of Sixteen
Castanya 7–2 Magnaterrica

Trolleborg 4–1 Nirvacana

Ziwana 2–2 TJUN-ia (3–2 AET)

Poafmersia 2–0 Fetra

Quarter Finals
Castanya vs Trolleborg (Halkın Güneş Çiftliği Stadium, Elektriklestirme)

Ziwana vs Poafmersia (Madenci Stadium, Uryan)

[Trolleborg]

TROLLEBORG - NIRVACANA 4-1

Our team did not live up to the skeptics' fears and in the first round the playoff won a landslide victory over the Nirvacana team that has more than a decent run in its group.

Trolleborg: Kotsson, Levenrkands, Troger, Tro, Wolters (Aldekamp,46), Kolding (Magni,65), Valgren, Troll, Finnsnes, Kerr (Gulbranden,75), Skaloed.

Valgren,24(1-0). Kerr,28(2-0). Finnsnes,55(3-0). Troll,77(4-1).

Opponents built a defensive redoubt in front of their box and quite successfully intercepted all passes on the flanks. However, in the middle of the first half, the Troll spun a beautiful combination in the middle of the field, twice gave and twice got the ball back, moving towards the box, and delivered a powerful blow. The defender of opponents threw himself under the shot, Kerr was the first to rebound, having struck the goal already from inside the penalty area. The goalkeeper parried this blow, but failed to stop the ball completely and Valgren finished off. Almost immediately after that, the same Troll made a graceful pass to Kerr and he skillfully shot past the goalkeeper. With a score of 2:0, the teams begin the second half, and shortly afterwards Finnsnes make a beautiful flying shot right into the net. The Nirvacana scored a prestige goal from the penalty awarded for the handball, but Trolleborg set the final score, the last goal scored again by the Troll, who make a cunning unexpected shot after a free-kick.

Now we have a duel with the Castanya team. Rumor has it that the team is preparing some sort of performance to help bring about peace in Castanya