Cup of Harmony 76 - Everything Thread

[Timuria]

Somehow The Red Wolves March On

by Tufan Nursultan

Ancherion 1–4 Timuria
Sameer Jaklim Jr (82);Vatan Ercetin (21), Ismail Burhan (39, 55), Kartal Unal (77)

The injury bug, difficult opposition and virtually impossible odds have not stopped the Red Wolves from somehow taking the second spot in Group C to automatically advance to the Round of Sixteen as the Red Wolves held up their end of the deal with a big win against Ancherion, while Squornshelous fell in an intense affair against Gyatso-Kai 3-2 and Pasarga got a routine win against Geektopia. The Red Wolves have now set up an unexpected Round of Sixteen match up with Newmanistan, Group E winners with 10 points from their five matches and coming off a thumping 4-0 win over our neighbours the Busoga Islands.

The first chance of the match would come from Tekin Yavuz whipping in a powerful shot from the edge of the box, saved well by Morgan Benly who tipped the ball safely wide. Vatan Ercetin would draw first blood, playing in the number 10 role instead of Ertan Renda who missed this match through injury, he placed his shot well into the corner from just outside the box on a counter attack from a corner.

Caner Turan would see his shot cleared off the line after beating Benly, Amara Copeland hacked the ball just off the line as his slightly awkwardly struck effort didn't have the velocity to hit the back of the net. Ismail Burhan was put through on goal by a fantastic pass from Vatan Ercetin, unlocking the defence and leading to an excellently placed shot that Benly was unable to prevent from hitting the back of the net. The Red Wolves would go into halftime with a solid 2-0 lead.

The second half began with a rare attack from Ancherion that managed to get past the Red Wolves defence, leading to Sameer Jaklim Jr's shot being tipped onto the post by Murat Yigithan before Eyup Mustafa cleared the ball to safety. Ismail Burhan would see himself put through on goal again by an excellent pass from Vatan, leading to him comfortably chipping the ball over the goalkeeper.

The Red Wolves scoring would be complete with Kartal Unal given a run out with Vatan yet again providing the service as he chipped the ball through for Kartal who volleyed home in the 77th minute. There would be a consolation for Ancherion as Jaklim Jr would fire home past Murat in the 82nd minute, too little too late for them.

What They Said After The Match:

Bekir Altingunes: "Honestly, we had resigned ourselves to going home after this match, so for everything to have fallen the way it did is a pleasant surprise. Every match from now on is a bonus for us so we'll enjoy ourselves and keep trying to learn as we go. If I'm recalling correctly this is the second time at a Cup of Harmony where we've conceded that we aren't advancing and we managed it at the last possible opportunity when everything went our way so it's a case of preferring to be lucky rather than good."

Player Ratings:

Murat Yigithan 7/10

Izzet Timur 6/10

Eyup Mustafa 7/10

Metin Boz 6/10

Gokdeniz Dag 7/10

Atilla Acar 7/10

Yusuf Ihsanoglu 6/10

Tekin Yavuz 7/10

Caner Turan 7/10

Vatan Ercetin 9/10

Ismail Burhan 8/10

Substitutes:

Kartal Unal 7/10

Oztekin Timur 6/10

Man of the Match: Vatan Ercetin - He looked unleashed in the number 10 role filling in for the injured Ertan Renda, his three assists and excellent goal mean he had a hand in every goal as well as in every offensive move, Bekir Altingunes may well consider making the move permanent.

Schedule and Results:

MD 1: Squornshelous W 4-2
MD 2: Pasarga L 4-2
MD 3: Gyatso-Kai D 1-1
MD 4: Geektopia L 4-2
MD 5: Ancherion W 4-1
Ro16: Newmanistan

[Filindostan]

Golden Gopher Casino - Palace City Stadium
Palace City, Xanneria
CoH 76 Matchday 5 - Xanneria vs Filindostan

Tensions were running high between the two teams when they stepped into the pitch for the crucial match at Palace City, a pitch where some days ago, multiple teams playing in Xanneria complained with baseball mounds being left unattended, causing a myriad of game changing moments and injuries. It was already beyond them, so both the teams would not have to worry about it. Fans flocked the stadium, with Xannerians completely outnumbering their fellow Esportivans by a large margin, around 80 to 20 percent ratio. The loud and proud ultras of the Filindos' favorite national team, though, did not let the numbers game affect their spirit, making rousing chants and rallies with their megaphones and large banners, though several of those would not make past Xannerian security as some of them contained hate messages to Steve Stevenson. Several others though were able to smuggle them into the arena, but were thrown out during the match when the cameras focused on them during the match.

It was not the only match which were going on simultaneously. There were also other Group A matches, with Terre Septentrionale and Bears Armed also playing their last group matches against already eliminated teams, so it was an added pressure for both teams to get the result they needed. Filindostani coach Krisna Hendra Sudirman relied on his three up front lineup - with Lizzie Sampaga, Shai Escobido, and Ina Teterissa in the forward line, and it was a four in the back, with Graci Tessin and Casimir Likumahuwa joining Kartio Weici and Kadek Darmali protecting the defense with Tonyo Vera at the goal. King Tisang captains the team from the center of midfield with Mohd Safri and Yakob Rivas alongside him on a 4-3-3 formation.

Xanneria made their intentions known right at the start of the whistle, when Glenn Hailey, potentially playing for his nation for the final time, fired the first warning shot, just a little bit wide for his liking on his first shot at goal. The Maroons pushed further forward, and would have been rewarded with the opening goal, not only for the bar to deny Henry Clayton-Thorn. Xanneria had eleven shots on goal in the first half compared to Filindostan's three, and the physicality of both teams quickly escalated with both teams accruing four yellow cards each.

The Filindos watching at the stands were frantically looking at their smartphones for the latest results on the other matches around Xanneria, but the players would not mind them, playing all out until the final whistle. It was during the introduction of Dian Dimara and Juanda Weici, replacing Darmali and Safri respectively, which kept the three at the front strategy and a 3-4-3 formation, that Filindostan started to match the aggression of the Xannerians and bring it to the hosts, with a flurry of chances in the 75th minute, Shai, then Lizzie, the Ina, but Varg Miller were equal to the threats and performed a triple save to deny the three girls up front.

However, eight minutes later, the home crowd went silence, and cheers started to become jeers, when Seto Tuhuteru, who replaced Shai, found an opening to advance the ball to the penalty box, making the hosts scrambling back to defend, and passed the ball squarely to Lizzie, who tapped the ball past Miller and into the back of the net to put Filindostan in the drivers' seat with seven minutes plus injury time to play. The Pula Garuda would have to hold on a final set of attack from the Maroons, but a fingertip save from Tonyo denied Hailey's best chance to have the scores level.

As the final whistle deafened the stadium, results elsewhere would mean that the hosts have been eliminated from the Cup of Harmony. The Filindo players celebrated in front of their fans and threw some of their shirts and gear to the crowd as part of their appreciation. Filindostan would go on to become group winners from the hosts' group, and continue their streak of progressing from the group stage of every Cup of Harmony they participated in.

Next for Filindostan is Brusseldorf, a familiar opponent from last edition's World Cup qualifying group. Los Alrededores, as they are known, made the previous World Cup earlier than the Baptism of Fire 66 winners, and have never lost a match against the Pula Garuda. Another advantage for them is that the venue for their match, the Electra Stadium in Mynda, Banija, have already been visited by the #38 team in the multiverse.

Time will tell if Filindostan would fail to beat Brusseldorf again, or if they will break the duck and progress further in their quest for another silverware.

[Hapilopper]

Hangaza Unified Stadium, Aissa, Banija
Leading up to Cup of Harmony Match 5: Hapilopper v. TJUN-ia
Thom Perkins sat in the locker room by himself. Members of the Hapilopper National Football Team were in the middle of their final training just before the final match of the group stage. Thom was writing a note to the team and to the Hapilopper Football Association. Whenever anyone would come in, Thom would move his note away from the view of others. He didn’t want anyone else to see what he was writing, for some reason.

Since Dom Probst had taken a leave of absence from the Hapilopper Football Association, Thom had felt very withdrawn from everyone, and didn’t speak a whole lot to anyone from the public. It had not been a good past few days. Training had not gone well. Everything Dom had told him was true. The team was unmotivated. The team went into training as if they didn’t give a shit. In a few days they’d be back to their domestic teams, getting ready for the upcoming season.

It had been just one of several bumps the Hapiloppians had gone through. Dom Probst had tried to get an exploratory committee together to host a major international tournament, but that went by the wayside as soon as an intrepid investigative reporter from the Hapilopper City Herald overheard a conversation between Dom and Thom. Multiple governments came to Banija to demand an explanation and left unimpressed with what they had heard. The standing of the Hapilopper Football Association had eroded pretty badly in the eyes of the public, and the HNFT lost a lot of goodwill with the public.

There had also been an incident where Ernie Stevenson’s replacement at Soldiers abandoned the team and went home without informing the team or even giving the team a chance to sign off on it, and Soldiers was given a check as compensation. Soldiers went on twii.tur and posted a video of them burning the check, informing the world that, in their eyes, that player had burned his bridges with Soldiers.

That unfortunate situation was another black eye for Hapiloppian football. One of the nation’s most famous sports teams had its star player just desert them without giving any advance notice. It was a bad situation, and nobody looked good coming out of it.

It was a far cry from this time two years ago, when the HNFT sat in the locker room of CoCoCo Stadium, getting ready for the Baptism of Fire finals. At that time, everyone in Hapilopper had been enamored by this group of footballers that were making the Dominion proud. At that time, the HNFT and the HFA could do no wrong. The success at the Baptism of Fire led to record crowds and record TV ratings for the HFA’s domestic football matches.

Now, it seemed like the HNFT and the HFA could do no right. The team wasn’t getting the results they needed to get. In the eyes of many, there was no excuse for the team failing to qualify for the World Cup, and there was even less excuse for the team potentially getting knocked out in the group stage of a tournament that Dom Probst had loudly claimed was a mere “consolation prize.”

Hapilopper should have beaten Kelssek. They should have beaten Sajnur. They should have beaten Schottia. But they didn’t. Fans wanted to know why. The media wanted to know why. Everyone wanted to know why, and “because we just weren’t the better team” wasn’t going to pass muster with fans who had seen this team explode out of the blocks only to stumble into Cup of Harmony Hell. There was no excuse for this kind of performance, and if the Haps couldn’t even beat TJUN-ia, they would probably be demanding changes.

Thom finished his note and stuck it in his suit jacket. At the end of 90 minutes, if the Haps couldn’t even beat the Jaguars from TJUN-ia, or if the Haps didn’t make it to the knockout stage, he would circulate that note to everyone that wanted to read it.

It was time for the match. As he walked through the tunnel at Hangaza Unified Stadium, Thom thought back to a song that was popular back when he was a child, a song that played on the radio all the time.

So put me on a highway
And show me a sign
And take it to the limit
One more time

Several hours later, after the match – Hapilopper 4-2 TJUN-ia
The Haps had played their best game of the Cup of Harmony, but as luck would have it, it was not enough. It was over. The Haps had been eliminated from the Cup of Harmony in the group stage. As the team walked back to the locker room, Thom walked past reporters, not even acknowledging their questions, and pulled the note out of his coat pocket.

As the team relaxed after the match, Thom read the note to his players. Many of them sat there in shock. There was emotion, to say the least. Many of the players who had been there since day one had tears in their eyes. When Thom was finished, he had an assistant send the note up to the press box for the media to check out.

Within five minutes, every news media outlet in Hapilopper had stopped the presses with the news that Thom Perkins had resigned as head coach of the Hapilopper National Football Team. In the note, Perkins had explained that he felt management had lost confidence in his abilities, and that he felt he had lost confidence in his own abilities to lead a national team to success, following what had been two very disappointing tournaments that the Haps should have been more competitive in.

The run for Hapilopper had ended for this World Cup cycle. It was time to go home and get ready for the domestic season. Questions would be asked about just what had happened. The Haps had come in vowing to raise hell. At times, they did. But for the most part, their vow to raise hell fell flat. This team should have qualified for the World Cup, but they didn’t. This team should have gotten out of the group stages of the Cup of Harmony, but they didn’t.

The HFA offices, Hapilopper City
Two days later
Thom Perkins handed in his notice to the interim president of the Hapilopper Football Association and cleaned out his office. As he walked past the office of Dominic Probst, to his surprise, he found the office completely empty. He walked in, and to his sadness, everything had been removed, even that trophy case complete with the extra-large space for a World Cup trophy. The walls were bare. Dom’s old desk was empty. There was a computer there, but that was it.

The interim HFA president walked by to see Thom taking in the emptiness of the office.

“Mr. Perkins, uh, Dom resigned too,” he said. “He decided his leave of absence would be permanent. After y’all got eliminated in Banija, he turned in his notice and cleaned out his office yesterday.”

“But, the trophy case?” Thom asked.

“We’re going to be building a new one,” the interim president responded. “I never liked that design, looked like it was made out of cheap particle wood or something. We’ve commissioned a new one, we’ll put the Baptism of Fire trophy in it as well as our 2nd and 3rd place trophies from the Sporting World Cup and the Di Bradini Cup. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I saw that trophy case gone and I was scared we were just quitting right here,” Thom replied.

“Us? Oh hell no. We’ve got a good team, and honestly, I’d like you to reconsider your decision to resign,” the interim president said. “I mean, Thom, you are a big reason we got to where we are today. You were put in to coach this team because you can guide a team to new heights. You’ve helped build this team from the ground up. We wouldn’t have had the success we had without you.”

“Look, I can’t take back what’s already been said,” Thom protested.

“Maybe, but I’d like you to take a few months to reconsider your stance on this,” the interim president calmly responded. “Just think about your future and get back to me when you’ve made a final decision. I don’t want your final decision today. Let me know later.”

“Alright.”

Regardless, Thom cleaned out his office and drove home to his house on the southside of Hapilopper City. He had no intention of returning and no desire to go through a World Cup cycle like what he had just gone through. The team had come within one point of qualifying for the 84th World Cup. They had been eliminated in the group stage of the Cup of Harmony. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Haps, and for the time being, it looked like the Haps would indeed be stuck in Cup of Harmony Hell for years to come.

In several months, the Haps would get their response. But that response would come as the team converged again, looking somewhat different, for the World Cup 85 cycle. That cycle would prove to be pivotal in the history of Hapiloppian sport.

TO BE CONTINUED.

[Kelssek]

Matt Lister was having a frustrating year. The season started with all the promise of a title challenge for CS Saint-Rémy, only for the team to sink to the bottom of the table with fans baying for blood and battering Lister for not scoring more. They'd barely escaped relegation in the end, and the new manager was already muttering about a clear-out and needing to bring in five, no, at least six players. The writing was on the wall, so while it was a relief that the transfer to Blue Strike Zoloroni was signed, sealed, and Tweeted, it also meant more uncertainty ahead in everything from the obvious football side of things to the Mercedini visas, finding a house, daycare for the kids...

He’d been a little scared that he might be dropped from the final squad for the Cup of Harmony. That would have unleashed a whole new wave of media debating very publicly if he was any good at his job or not. So it was good that he’d made it, but then he’d been practically nailed to the bench. That meant snide and also very public comments about him not being that good. Okay. I can live with that.

Finally given a chance, albeit in a match that was pretty low-stakes with advancement to the next round already assured, he was determined to show he could in fact perform when called upon. Thumping the ball into the net on practically the first attacking chance was just the tonic he needed. Classic target man stuff, too – chesting down a high pass, a gentle touch to put the ball into the right place as he used his body to hold off his marker, put the laces of his boot into it, and goal. With his weaker foot. Winning.

"...Sajnur, remember, needs this more than Kelssek do. Now Tremblay-Fillon lofts it into the penalty box... and Lister with the header!!.... Kelssek have the lead!"

Even better was scoring what probably would be the winning goal. If the defence would hold up for six minutes or so, and as poor as they’d been, they probably could do that. I’ll even track back like a motherfucker, he told himself.

The players were all back in their half. The Sajnur players pointedly grabbed the ball, put it at the centre spot, and formed back up while the Kelssekians were still drifting back after celebrating. The lone Sajnur player made a shrugging gesture, antsy to get going and push for the equalizer. Then the referee jogged over to the VAR screen on the touchline and a collective groan could be heard.

”...is that really offside though? We are practically looking at his toenails here.”
“This is one of those rules that are black and white. You’re offside or you’re not. But the flag didn’t go up, no one appealed for it... everyone on the field thought that was a legitimate goal. Even on the replay it still isn’t that clear.... remember, it’s also at the moment the ball is kicked....”
“Well... this is taking a while, but I’m not surprised the referee’s taking this time with this... and... here we are, it is offside! No goal! It remains 2-2!”

Matt Lister was furious. “How in the fuck’s name was that offside?”

“Half your left foot was forward of the defender...” the referee tried to explain, but Matt was in full flow.

“...a total fucking joke. Are you off your goddamn head?”

“Okay, Matt. Calm down. I’m sure you understand that all I hear is just a nice friendly dissent, and not abusive language, right.”

There was, technically, a question mark there, but the referee’s tone was clearly that of a full stop. Indeed, written down that punctuation mark was so acidic it’d have burned right through the paper.

Matt Lister was too angry to notice. “Just eat shit. Fuck’s sake,” he declared, as he stomped off.

The referee gritted his teeth. The Laws of the Game are unequivocal, as written. A player is sent off if he or she uses offensive, insulting, or abusive language and/or gestures. But in practice, it was extremely rare to actually apply that, when players inevitably dropped F-bombs and C-bombs in the normal course of a rough contest. Especially in the professional game, and in the final minutes of a major international tournament?... Where a red card would mean the player was suspended for a knockout match?

Well, on TV, everyone would’ve seen Matt yelling at him, so the solution was simple and had already been hinted at. He blew his whistle, pointed at Matt, and raised the yellow card. As he extended his arm, he suddenly remembered. The first half seemed like such a long time ago now, but he’d already booked Lister for stopping a counterattack by clattering into Sajnur’s Dario Tule.

He glanced at his notebook to be sure. Yes. Well. That problem solved itself.

”...and that second yellow card means Lister is off to the showers!”
“Well, that was ridiculous. This VAR decision is a travesty, but you’ve got to keep your head. He’s already on a yellow so confronting the ref like that, well, you’re asking for it.”

SAJNUR – 2 Siafik 16’; Tule 74’
Line-up: Laghiev, Haji, Vuierev, Jana, Hajat, Hasan, Siafik, Tule, Levici (Kiral 70’), Naulo (Maktar 63’), Lazar

KELSSEK – 2 Lister 3’; Tremblay-Fillon 47’
Line-up: Gallagher, Liadon, Curtin, Arbour, Farahani, Tremblay-Fillon, Lapierre (Bogdanor 78’), Champetier, Taleb (McDonagh 81’), Lister, Langelier
Player of the match: Stefan Jana
Attendance: 46,518

[Bears Armed]

Material in grey is purely OOC notes during the basically-IC portions of the post.
Material in blue is the character's handwritten notes, rather than either speech or [IC] "printed" material.

_______________________________________

Bears Armed vs. The Sarian
Venue: City of Hawthorne Stadium, Hawthorne, Denalia, Xanneria.
Score: 1-0. (Bears Armed win.)

Goals
Bears Armed (1): Brent (#11) @ 53’ (assist: O Sarrndale #5]).
The Sarian (0): (none)

Attempts
Bears Armed: 20
The Sarian: 3

Shots On Target
Bears Armed: 12
The Sarian: 1

Red Cards
(none)

Substitutions due to Injury
(none)

(reporter’s notes…)
The Sarian: ranked at One-EightSquared-and-fourEights’th in the worlds — or in base-ten, at ‘ninety-sixth’. Were around for at least some of the Bear-Belles’ previous run in international competition, having taken part in the ‘Baptism of Fire’ eight-plus-one cycles after the Belles’ triumphant entry onto the stage. Can’t find any records of them ever facing the Belles back then, though. Haven’t faced the Belles between then and now, either at ‘main team’ level or “U21s”, neither. Currently placed sixth & last in this group, with only one draw (against ) — and thus only one point — on their tally. Favour a highly defensive style.

They win the toss and take the kick-off, Pauweiz passes it back to Buul; Belles surge forwards; Buul passes ball back to Pieuz, latter sees Kuthbearrh (#10) advancing on him and passes ball back [again!] to their goalie Duoztian; who just manages to pick it up at 6-yard line before O Redbank (#23) gets there; Duoztian throws ball back out to Pieuz.
It smells as through they’re basically trying to play keep-way, passing the ball between themselves while studying our girls and waiting for one to make a mistake… but they slip up first, when an attempted pass between Beunaad & Koemanz in the seventh moment goes just over O Redbank’s head and she’s able to jump up high enough to nod it down onto her feet: she arches the ball over a mixed mess of players to Kuthbearrh, who has a clear line on the goal… but is also clearly offside. These opponents’ chosen style seems self-defeating, because not only does it not give them chances to shoot at our goal it leaves most of our players free to concentrate on trying to shoot at theirs. Then again, even if they were to win this game they would have no hope of a place in the next round, so maybeso by this stage they’re just trying to minimise the number of goals that they let in…

(a couple of pages later…)
changed goalies during the break, presumably because Duoztian was worn out after having to do so much for them in the first half. His replacement Ajeuesh is promptly tested too, in only the second moment of the second half, when she has to stretch to push a shot from Brent (#11) a couple of inches higher so that it goes over the crossbar rather than into the ‘ceiling’ of the net…
And so it’s back into the passing & tackling game, with The Sarian’s players concentrated around their own goal and most of our girls right up there as well. The defence is stubborn, and skilled, but in this half’s fifth moment Ziebrux knocks the ball back over the goal-line for a Bears Armed corner. O Sarrndale (#5) takes the shot, curving it around outside the mixed clump of players inside the 6-yard line to reach Brent (#11) who’s just outside that box on the far side, and just a couple of yards in from the goal-line herself… and, instead of laying the ball off to any team-mate who is more directly in front of the goal — but who has more defending opponents close to them, too — Brent shoots! The angle is tricky, and the ball has to pass very close to several players’ feet, but evidently Ajeuesh expected Brent to pass rather than shoot because she is looking mostly out into that crowd… and when she realises that the ball has just passed right in front of her on its path towards the far post that very crowd’s presence makes it impossible for her to throw herself down fast & far enough to “smother” it: The ball strikes the inside of the post, and rebounds into the back of the net! 1-0 in our favour!
This wasn’t the first goal that Karra’s scored like that since she joined the Belles’ neither. I hear that some of our fans are actually referring to shots that take the ball from one side into the net via the inside of the far post as “Brent Bounces”…
Still more of the same defence-heavy style from The Sarian, now.
They didn’t have many of their own fans watching this match anyhows, and by this stage even the ones who did turn up have gone quiet. Our fans are cheering the Belles on, and drumming, I can hear some of them singing “Green is the Colour” again.

(later…)
It’s twenty moments into the second half, and The Sarian still haven’t got the ball anywhere near our goal again since play re-started. Over in the technical area Urrsarra Northgate seems to be arguing about something with Karra’harrna Thunder, her chief assistant. Eventually K-T nods in agreement, and starts signalling to the Belles. Brent is taken off, and replaced not by another forward but by Marra Lightning (#32) who’s a mainly-‘defensive’ player instead. It’s soon apparent that Urrsarra has decided the risk of an equaliser is so low the Belles can afford to slow down, and just defend their existing lead instead of keeping on with attempts at widening it… Not their usual style, but maybeso she thinks that if our girls do progress into the next round then even the little bit of extra ‘rest’ that this change could give them — if it works — would be worthwhile?

_______________________________________________________________________________

Location: at the Belles’ hotel, in the ‘lounge’ area of Urrsarra Northgate’s suite.
Time: late evening, on the same day as the game reported above.

_______________________________________

Urrsarra and the team’s other coaches are watching the television, on which the match-ups for this Cup’s ‘Round of Sixteen’ are now being announced. They have already received confirmation that the Belles’ win over ‘The Sarian’ this day was enough to take them through into that round as one of the two best third-placed teams from the group stage, even though the results of their group’s other two matches today meant that they didn’t quite get up into its top two [and automatically progressing] places.

(a Xannerian sports reporter)“ Match Seven: Lisander versus Terre Septentrionale, at the EEUFCU McAnally Stadium, in East End.
“Match Eight: Kandorith versus Bears Armed, at the Air Force Veterans Memorial Stadium, in Houston, Tacoma.
“The winners of these two matches will then meet each other in Quarterfinal number Four, at the Cunningham Family Stadium, in Delano City, Delano.”

( Karra’harrna Thunder) “Kandorith?”

(Urrsarra) “Around for quite a while, maybeso even played against the Belles a time or two back then but hwhithout any significant ‘history’ developing between them and urrs. Currently ranked one place below ‘The Sarian’, Played their earlier matches over in Banija hrrather than here, and came top in their group… on Eight-plus-four points.”

(Karra’harrna) “Hokay, so they seem good — as we’d expect at this point — but demonstrably can be beaten.”

(Urrsarra) “Ayyuh.
“They’re another all-Human line-up, like so many other teams are too. The Ravens say that they’re fairly strong on attack, although prrobably a bit less so than urrs.”

( Greenfinch O Barrdenn) “And if we defeat them, then next it’s either Terre Septetrionale again — giving our girls a chance to even the score after our group-stage meeting, or Lisander hwhom we faced twice — and beat twice, too — back in the World Cup Qualifiers…
“Hr’rmm…”

(Urrsarra) “Ayyuh, that’s about the smell of it. Tough, but not impossible.”

(Your view of this discussion, as an observer from beyond the ‘Fourth Wall’, fades to black…)

[TJUN-ia]

CYCLE 1 Complete

FA TJUN-ia would like congratulate everyone for a great 1st cycle in NSFootball. The Jaguars have certainly made their mark.

We'll see you all next time, as we now focus our attention to football of a different kind, something more.....American

GO JAGS!

[Mercedini]

76th Cup of Harmony
Get That Dub!
@ MetroCom Deluxe City Stadium - Alexandria City, Xanneria

Good morning and welcome back to Xanneria for the conclusion of the 76th Cup of Harmony Group Stage, we're up early today thanks to the time differance between Mercedini and the two host nations, so it will be a morning match in Mercedini as the night begins to fall in Xanneria with matches taking place across the country as the final round of matches kick off across the country. Mercedini have only had a short period of time to acclimatise to that difference and the climate of the nation, but they could be heading home after only five games in the tournament, they must beat Balqia to stand a chance of making it to the round of sixteen. Three draws in a row have put their campaign in doubt, but a 1-0 win over Mkabia could be the spark that the team and the fans were waiting for to ignite their tournament. Let's see if Dini could top their group and advance to the knockout rounds with their all important match under the lights of Xanneria.

Cup Of Harmony: Safety In Numbers

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FINAL SCORE

COH | MD5

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BALQIA 1
Koinoviq 38'
MERCEDINI 4
Chillotov 21' Garzallo 56', Karlovic 90+1', Dostalok 90+3'

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Velstin Point, Xanneria
Attendance - 30,729

Phew... after a monumental struggle with the rest of their group, Mercedini came good in the end against top of the group Balqia, scoring twice in second half added time to run up the score and come out at 4-1 winners in Velstin Point, sealing their passage through to the knockout rounds and sealing top spot in the group with an unbeaten 2-3-0 record. Three draws in a row had cast doubt on the group's top seeds, with four teams out of six going into their final match unbeaten. However, a full strength side ultimately paid dividends as he sees his side through to the final sixteen, and a potential second title if Mercedini can get their next four games right. In a tough draw for the Round of 16, Dini will face Jeruselem in Alexandra City for the side's first meeting against each other. We know they have a big wall, but only one side will be wailing when the just settles.

When it came to the match, youth shone through in the end with Karlovic and Di Sansev all pulling the strings in their respective departments, with the former netting his first goal of the campaign in the first minute of added time after Balqia committed too many men forward to get themselves back into the game. Their enthusiasm and resiliance beyond their years were the ultimate match winner for Lyndainium, with Chillotov and Dostalok able to feed off their exuberant passing and create chances for themselves. The U18 side has twice made the Sporting World Cup Final, with one title to boot, many of the graduates from those teams are now seeing themselves elevated to the next level in the senior team. With regionals coming up, we could see a more experimental side from Mercedini as they aim to build for the future once again and showcase why they are the breeding ground for future talent, home and abroad.

Defence has been a main issue for the team in recent cycles, with the Golden Eagles typically bottling it under pressure and ruing many mistakes left by the attackers at previous points in the match. Once again, Mercedini did not take their chances in the first half which left the match in the balance as both sides went in for the half-time interval. One chance was all it took for Balqia to equalise through Koinoviq, a flicked on header bouncing in off the bar, prompting wild celebrations from the travelling Balqian fans. Thankfully in the second half, the front pairing of Chillotov and Dostalok combined to create chances for themselves and each other, with the two wingers in support to add another dimension. Garzallo was on hand to slide home a second goal to retake the lead not long into the second half with Dostalok rolling the ball back to Garzallo on the edge of the box to allow the Zoloroni Met winger the smash the ball into the bottom corner.

It gave Dini a breakthrough, but they weren't out of the woods just yet. With a one goal difference that could evaporate in front of them, just like how it had in previous games. As stated previously, Karlovic broke forward with Chollotov in possession, but he didn't need the seasoned striker as the Spartangrad midfielder curled it low to put the game beyond Balqia. Dini knew they had done it at the point, it was a giant relief off the shoulders of the team, the fans could stick around for a little while longer.

The icing on the cake was added just two minutes later when Dostalok was unleashed by a long ball by Presic. The former Handon United, now Starling player rounded the sprawling goalkeeper and ran towards the goal for a simple tap in. Two goals at the end of the match certainly looked kind on the Mercedinians, they turned it on at the very very end on the team that sat top of the group. We needed a little more of that in the World Cup Qualifiers. In the end it finished Balqia 1, Mercedini 4.

First place in the group normally means an easier draw for the next round, but that certainly isn't the case here. Jeruselem awaits in what will be one of the most sought after match for tickets. Two teams that have been to the World Cup before, two teams that have been around for a little while. Both teams will lay it all on the turf tomorrow night in Xanneria, with a match against either Newmanistan or Timuria in the quarter-final. Mercedini have made out alive tonight, by the skin of their teeth.

[Kandorith]

Shinonome Kyoai - International
_________________________________

Stunned Nation Watches Kandorith Seize Top Spot

Group G
Savojarna 2–3 Squornshelous Remnant States
Euran Oceanian Territories 1–2 Kandorith
Potato Farmers 5–3 Hampton Island

  Group G                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kandorith                         5   4  0  1   12  10  +2   12
2 Hampton Island                    5   3  1  1   14  10  +4   10
3 Potato Farmers                    5   2  1  2   14  12  +2    7
4 Savojarna                         5   2  0  3    7   9  −2    6
5 Euran Oceanian Territories        5   1  1  3    9  12  −3    4
6 Squornshelous Remnant States      5   1  1  3   11  14  −3    4

Istria, Moravica, In total awe and shock the Kandorese populace watches the match against Euran Oceanian Territories unfurl, The Kandorese side quite certain of qualification for the round of 16 already. The Kandorese side turned silent for a brief moment after the final whistle. For the first time since the Cup of Harmony 60 Kandorith advanced beyond the qualifications. The scenes unfurled as manager Hayabusa just stood at the sideline completely stunned and was eventually moved to tears as the team's celebration started. The roar of the Kandorese fans eventually broke the silence as the squad walked towards the fans to bow before them as custom. But this time it was not the painful and uncomfortable bow of defeat to ask for forgiveness, but celebratory as the team held their heads up high.

Looking around the Eastern Stadium there was a mix of people uncontrollably sobbing from happiness as well as fans taking of their shirt in complete euforia. Manager Hayabusa was not even fully recovered when we spoke to him after the match as the red-eyed manager greeted us and we asked how he felt. "Indestructible" He awkwardly chuckled and wiped his still tear filled eyes. "This moment is indestructable for the Kandorese fans. I think I will be sleeping very well tonight after this, I still can't believe it to be fair." We asked about the moment it became clear Potato Farmers was in front of Hampton Island. "I did not believe it and I did not heed any attention to it to be fair. My mind was in the game and I simply did not believe we would finish top of the group." He chuckled once again, "I was hellbent on securing at least a draw and we won this game, which is amazing. But I really want to take some time to rest now after this." We thanked him for the interview as he walked away, still emotional and seemingly trying to grasp the situation.

To notice the impact; the win over the EOT this match had Empress Masumi, who was once again attending the match, after the second goal even Her Imperial Majesty seemingly just froze and watched the game in a trance.

Empress Masumi proudly watching the game.

After the final whistle in complete non-imperial fashion she cheered without a single care in the world, joining the ever louder Kandoresse crowd cheering for their team. With the love of the game at an all-time high the fans are beyond ecstatic on Kandorith advancing to the next round. A milestone for the modern Kandorese football as it is the first time of such a successful attempt at any football tournament ever since the restoration of the Imperial Mandate. With the nation going into a completely new era of politics and geo-politics, the Kandorese people are also experiencing the nation advancing into a whole new era of sports. With Hayabusa at the helm and a young, yet very driven and passionate team at their disposal everyone is looking forward to the next match.

The next match is a familiar one albeit scary, Bears Armed, a name very well known in world football. Of course the team and also analyst have been keeping an eye on most other teams yet this match is a very unpredictable one. Bears Armes is a very well known name for their previous ventures in both World Cup and Cup of Harmony but have been awkwardly absent in a few. But they say they are a very powerful and offensive side is an understatement. Their team is known for their attack heavy play and physical strength, the coming match for Kandorith will be one about playing smart and not relying on attack too much to try and maintain possession. Giving away anything against them could prove fatal according to most analysts. The only thing left to determine now is; will the extremely motivated Kandorese said pull off another stunt and continue their best run in over a decade? It will all come down to the decisions and wisdom of manager Hayabusa and his coaching team, who we know, is quite harsh and honest with the players in his team. We expect the Warriors to hold back slightly to maintain possession, yet keep their very smooth attacking midfield play to push the ball forwards to the very talented young wingers and strikers.

With the latest win and finishing at the top of their group one thing is clear, football is very much alive in Kandorith and certainly the imperial house supports it too. From reliable sources we already know the Empress herself will be attending more matches and supposedly even domestic matches in the future as the imperial rule seems to stabilize after the initial reinstatement period. Her Imperial Majesty, The Empress, Empress Masumi is a very welcome sight in the Kandorese nation, spearheading culture and the Kandorese way of life for the people. She was voted person of the year shortly after coronation and is often invited to multiple talk shows and even game shows to not only show her personality, but connect with the people of the Empire. Football becoming a craze lately, is no exception to the Empress; who is a known lover of the beautiful game.

The true test for the nation begins this year, but before politics will test the population, sports will be the main focus of the Empire. The Cup of Harmony already being a great success for Kandorith after the early exit in the World Cup Qualifiers. No matter the outcome of the next match, the Kandorese nation is back on the world stage of sports.

[Terre Septentrionale]

Terre Septentrionale blanks Razneta and advances to the round of 16

Catalan City, Catalina, Xanneria - For the final matchday of the Cup of Harmony, Terre septentrionale faced newcomers Razneta who participated in their first World Cup qualificatons this year. They probably discovered it won't be easy to win against all these nations partitipating in the World Cup and Cup of Harmony, well that's how we felt last year, but my advice is just keep trying, you will climb the ranks and one day you'll be good enough to be one of the 32 teams participating in the World Cup. Anyway, yesterday's game was played in Air Catalina Dwight Stadium, the same baseball stadium where we palyed against Filindostan on matchday 3.

When Terre Septentrionale arrived at the stadium, all baseball bases and the pitcher's mound were removed and it looked more a soccer stadium than a baseball park. It was pretty much a defensive game between both teams, and the Nordiques controlled the ball 57% of the time and shot 8 times with 5 of them were on target. Razneta shot only 3 times with only one of them on target. The only goal of the game happened at the 55th minute when Élisabeth Normandin passed to Wlodzimierz Waclawczyk, who played as a side midfielder. Waclawczyk dribbled with the ball and made a short pass backwards to Sandrine Fontaine who'se about to shoot but Suzne Valiyoda trips her just outside the penalty area, Valiyoda recieves a yellow card and Roksana Kolodziejczyk takes the free kick. She kicks the ball and it goes direclty into the net, the Reprezentacja Nordycki are leading 1-0 and this is the final score!

BOXSCORE

55th minute: Roksana Kolodziejczyk (free kick)

YELLOW CARDS

11th minute: Sandrine Fontaine
33rd minute: Élisabeth Normandin
55th minute: Suzne Valiyoda
77th minute: Weronika Zubrowska

RED CARDS

None

Round of 16

Terre Septentrionale finishes the group stage tied with Filindostan in first place, but because the Pula Garuda has a better goal difference they're in 1st place and we're in 2nd place. Filindostan beat Xanneria 1-0 on the final matchday, which grants them the 1st place. Bears Armed beat The Sarian and finishes in 3rd place with 9 points, which is enough to qualify for the round of 16 as one of the two best 3rd place teams. So here's the qualified teams per groups:

Numbers in parenthesis are the seeding. For example (1) plays against (16) ands so on.

Group A: Filindostan (5), Terre Septentrionale (10) and Bears Armed (15)
Group B: Lisander (7), Jeruselem (11) and New Lusitania (16)
Group C: Pasarga (1) and Timuria (14)
Group D: Mercedini (6) and Balqia (13)
Group E: Newmanistan (3) and Brusseldorf (12)
Group F: Sarzonia (4) and Kelssek (9)
Group G: Kandorith (2) and Hampton Island (8)

Terre Septentrionale, having the 10th seed, will play against the #7, Lisander, who won group B ahead of Jeruselem, New Lusitania, Ziwana and Saintland. Then the winner between Terre Septentrionale and Lisander will play against the winner between Kandorith and Bears Armed. Yes, we might play again against Bears Armed if we both wins.

Lisander is currently ranked 101st and finished in 7th place in group 9 at the World Cup Qualifications. Then at the Cup of Harmony they won group B with a 2-3-0 record. They're using a 4-3-3 formation and relies pretty much on offense. Their top forwards are Milo Somerville and the AC Kasandora duo Victor Potenza and Cyril Amati.

Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz, who missed matchdays 4 and 5 because of a nose injury, will be back in the starting XI.

Wlodzimierz Pietruszewski,
Senior writer, La tribune Septentrionale

[Jeruselem]

Princess Katherine Annabelle Dallas dressed as Bat Girl in Xanneria ...

This is Princess Katherine Annabelle Dallas for Naked News Jeruselem.
I'm covering the Cup of Harmony 76 in Xanneria.
It's time to look at the teams who have qualified and the matchups.
16 teams who qualified playing 8 games in 2nd round to determine who gets to the quarter finals.

Match 1 is Pasarga vs New Lusitania. Yes New Lusitania managed to qualify, well just.
Pasarga had a 4-1-0 record, the best in this cup so far.
New Lusitania managed 2-2-1, the one loss was to Jeruselem.
Well, I have to pick Pasarga. Kinda obvious why.
They also happen to be the highest seed in the cup.

Match 2 is Hampton Island vs Kelssek.
Both have 3-1-1 record from their qualification group.
Hampton are ranked 148 vs Kelssek 41, which makes this an interesting game.
OK Kelssek because they have more experience but Hampton have shown they can play.

Match 3 is Sarzonia vs Balqia, yes that Balqia from the World Cup we played.
Sarzonia have a 3-1-1 record while Balqia managed 2-2-1.
Sarzonia have rank of 110 compared to Balqia's 72.
Not much difference really at that level.

Match 4 is Filindostan vs Brusseldorf.
Brusseldorf is the third highest ranking team in the cup, 38th but have underperformed. Mercedini and Pasarga are ranked higher.
Filindostan knocked out the hosts and ranked 64.
Filindostan have a better 3-1-1 vs Brusseldorf 2-2-1.
So an underperfomer vs an overperfomer, can Brusseldorf get their act together now?

Match 5, err I've leave that for last. It's our game.

Match 6, Newmanistan vs Timuria!
Newmanistan well 3-1-1 which is good while Timuria have one of worst records for a qualified team 2-1-2.
Timuria ranked 59 vs Newmanistan 57 so pretty much these teams are even except one's playing better.
Newmanistan yeah.

Match 7, Lisander vs Terre Septentrionale. Lisander won Group B ahead of us 2-3-0 while Terre Septentrionale helped boot out the host 3-1-1.
Lisander did have two 50s ranked teams against them while Terre Septentrionale also had a difficult group with hosts Xanneria and Filindostan, and the Bears.
I think Terre Septentrionale will win because they impressed against difficult opponents.

Match 8, Kandorith vs Bears Armed. Well the Bears made it but have to face a team with 4-0-1 record.
Bears did somehow qualify from a tricky Group A with 3-0-2 record, yes the group where hosts didn't qualify.
Bears are ranked like 119 compared 97 for Kandorith. At that level, you don't see a difference.
Go Bears!

Match 5, Mercedini vs Jeruselem. Both have a dismal 2-3-0 record compared to other teams but both suffered no losses.
Saying that it also means they trouble converting draws to wins.
Mercedini are ranked 30 and us 54, so on paper they are better in paper but they are on CoH so they have not played to their rank I guess.
I think we can win. Because I'm biased and I love my team.

That's it from me, I'll be back when we take on Mercedini!

[Sarzonia]

It was a late night at the hotel after the Stars players finally arrived.

The team's curfew was typically 11 p.m. before a match and the team didn't get to the front desk until 1 a.m. after the train carrying the team to Rukunbi broke down. A bus driver who was on her way back to the garage after her shift picked up the Sarzonians and drove the hour to the hotel.

"Mr. Connelly?" the hotel's front desk clerk said with a halting voice.

"Yes?" Kevin Connelly wasn't usually the one responsible for dealing with accomodations, but traveling secretary Ben Parsons was back in Portland attending a funeral. It was her uncle's funeral so she was in no position to make these arrangements.

"I'm afraid I don't see a reservation here. We're all booked up."

Connelly's eyes widened for a moment, then his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth inched downward. He was trying to restrain himself from flashing that too infamous Sarzonian temper when Brady Reynolds piped in.

"Try under Parsons," the midfielder said. The clerk complied.

"Benjamin Parsons?"

"Yes," Reynolds said ignoring the what the FUCK are you doing?" look he knew he was getting from Connelly.

The clerk's face didn't change expression, but Clayton Wilson noticed a flash of what clearly looked like relief in her eyes.

"It's right here," she said.

Connelly's annoyance and anger began to melt away as the clerk began the process needed to activate the 24 key fobs for the third floor rooms at the hotel. Once all the players got to their rooms, even unpacking for the night felt like it required excessive effort.

Connelly and assistant manager Kevin Wilson both decided to give the team an extra hour to sleep in after the transport and hotel debacles. Instead of the tactical meeting at 6 a.m., the team would eat breakfast at 8:30 after the pushed back wake up call.

The team really didn't have much time to scout Balqia, but they knew the team played a more attacking style than the Stars do. Whether they would come out with a 4-4-2 or play an aggressive 4-3-3 in the hopes of taking advantage of the suddenly leakey Stars defence was anyone's guess.

Connelly turned the light off on the nightstand next to his bed. He tried to call for Bryan Ostrom to appear and offer advice, but his former boss apparently decided not to pull a Jacob Marley. He would have to go on instinct. His instinct was that Balqia would play aggressively and try to force the Stars to make mistakes, particularly in the Sarzonian defensive end of the pitch.

He decided that following any of the other matches was a fool's errand since he and his team were all too tired to even entertain anything other than catching up on sleep.

[Pasarga]

The stage had been set, though it had not been all to pretty to watch the show from beginning to end, yet at the end of it, the Wanderers had prevailed as the group winners and advanced into the knockout rounds. Somewhat impressively, despite having the draw against Squornshelous and not looking particularly impressive in their last two matches, the Wanderers still sported the best record in the tournament's group stage and secured the top seed going into the knockout round. That securement of the seed also sees the side on a plane, departing the shores of Xanneria and heading into Atlantian Oceania and the southwest of that region, a part of the world many footballers already are accustomed to with the Wanderers and the DBC competition that takes places in Banija's neighbor of Valanora. In addition to going to a place that the side, most of whom played in a Young Wanderers team that participated in the DBC, the side will also feel confident having been matched up against the lowest seed to have made it into the knockouts, providing what should be on paper an easier route to the Final than had they fallen but a few points fewer.

Yes, the Banija half of the draw is very favorable to a Wanderers' run into the Final, with most of the other highly ranked nations whom missed out on the Finals being located in the Xanneria half of the knockouts. For a team that had been lacking confidence coming into the tournament, their wins in the opening two matches definitely brought the squad together and they showed the sort of resilience that was needed in the second half of qualifying after the disappointing draw against Squornshelous, to come back and get two wins from two even if they were not overly convincing in doing so. The side is riding high with the wind in their sails and for all intents and purposes, has looked a much more relaxed group of players who are enjoying their football rather than the stressed out group that seemed to be laboring after the halfway mark of qualifying. The two seem to go hand in hand, as teams doing well seem to enjoy their game and thus do even better while those who are laboring in the game seem to not enjoy it as much as their peers who are having success.

The team that the Wanderers will be vying with in Banija will be New Lusitania, who only just managed to scrape into the knockout stages as one of the two best third placed teams that were granted passage into the knockouts, alongside the group winners and runners up. New Lusitania had to get a victory over Saintland on the last matchday to get into the knockout stages, beating our regional rivals to the punch and eliminating Saintland from a chance to progress with their narrow one to nil victory. Looking at their record, the New Lusitania side is one that seems in flux, able to score a lot of goals but also concede a lot of goals with their eight goals for and eight goals conceded through the group stages, which is even more alarming when you see that their last game only had a single goal. That they were able to best Saintland however to get into this position, a side who had been fighting for advancement and has their own storied history in the game, is a testament that there is a bit of moxy in this New Lusitania group. A team that squeaks its way into the knockouts can be one of the most dangerous teams there are, having nothing to lose and everything to gain by being a part of something that perhaps they didn't deserve to, playing with the house's money in poker.

For the Wanderers', the attack has been absolutely dynamite and showed a lot of the power that people had expected of it before the Qualifiers had began, with Jager leading the line and all the other strikers putting in their shifts as well. The defense had some trouble in the first two games but managed to find its feet in the last three, with Berg and Bader starting to live up to all the accolades that they have garnered. If there was a weakness to the squad, it might be Gerber, who is starting to show a few cracks here and there that age might be starting to get to him or perhaps playing too many games in too short of time. That being said, if one of the best keepers in a generation is the team's weakness, then the squad is in a good shape to try to make a run at the Final. New Lusitania will be a challenge, with their likely nothing to fear attitude that one can expect, yet the Wanderers came into this tournament as the heavy favorites to win it and have thus far not shown a reason why they should be stripped of that honor. If all goes to form, the side should be able to overcome this first hurdle and be preparing tomorrow for a Quarterfinal fixture.

[Banija]

If at first you don't succeed- dust yourself off and try again!

I can't think of a song that would be exemplify the spirit of the Cup of Harmony than this cutoff

Round of 16
Pasarga 4–2 New Lusitania  @ Albert III Stadium in Dodoma, Bunyoro
Hampton Island 5–7 Kelssek @ Tiones Lumber Field at the Wolf's Den in Busembe, Kitara
Sarzonia 2–0 Balqia @ Eastern Stadium in Rukunbi, Istria, Moravica
Filindostan 4–4 Brusseldorf (5–4 AET)  @ Electra Stadium in Mynda, Aksum

Quarterfinals
Pasarga v. Kelssek @ BCEL Stadium in Jinja City, Hangaza

Sarzonia v. Filindostan @ Hangaza Unified Stadium in Aissa, Hangaza

[Xanneria]

Cutoff for the Xannerian Ro16 matches

Here's a song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy2MqQ_uNIY

Round of 16 - Match held at MetroCom Deluxe City Stadium in Alexandria City, York

Mercedini 1–0 Jeruselem

Round of 16 - Match held at Steelworkers Memorial Stadium in Dursten, Hampton

Newmanistan 1–1 Timuria (2–2 AET) (3–2 pen.)

Round of 16 - Match held at EEUFCU McAnally Stadium in East End, Xannerian Capital Territory

Lisander 6–8 Terre Septentrionale

Round of 16 - Match Held at Air Force Veterans Memorial Stadium in Houston, Tacoma

Kandorith 1–1 Bears Armed (1–1 AET) (5–4 pen.)

Xannerian Quarterfinal Matchups -

Mercedini vs Newmanistan - Golden Gopher Casino - Palace City Stadium in Palace City, West Troy

Terre Septentoriale vs Kandorith - Cunningham Family Stadium in Delano City, Delano

[Sarzonia]

The other results pouring in all showed lots of balls flying into the backs of nets.

As for the matchup between Sarzonia's national football team and Balqia, a match between a higher seed, but a lower ranked side and a more highly ranked, but lower seed in the Cup of Harmony Round of 16 proved to be the only one in Banija seeing a clean sheet.

It was Sarzonia and goalkeeper Mateo Sandoval who walked out of Eastern Stadium with the 2-0 victory over Balqia and a date with the fifth seed Filindostan in Aissa. They defeated Brusseldorf after extra time 5-4.

The turmoil in the latter country led Sarzonia's Office of External Affairs to issue travel warnings for Sarzonian citizens to avoid Brusseldorf or South Brusseldorf. Senior Vice President and External Affairs Officer Bryan Conway offered citizens barred from returning home a chance to stay in Sarzonia.

"We realise that many supporters, their families, their friends, and others are dealing with trauma and uncertainty during these difficult times," External Affairs spokesman Alan Webster said. "We would like to offer anyone from Brusseldorf affected by this a chance to stay in Sarzonia until things have sorted out."

For his part, manager Kevin Connelly made it a point to not discuss the politics.

"We're here for football reasons," he said. "We've had enough of politics to last a long time." Turning his attention back to football, he said he was pleased with the team's dominant performance defensively.

"We limited them to four shots with three on goal," he said. "We won the possession battle 58 percent to 42 percent. Everyone was on the same page."

It was a far cry from a group stage that saw the Stars concede 13 goals in five matches, a troubling total only surpassed by Group F runners up and its highest ranked side Kelssek.

Top seed and the highest ranked Cup of Harmony team Pasarga defeated New Lusitania 4-2 while fellow Group F side and newly minted rivals Kelssek defeated Hampton Island 7-5. Those two teams will face each other in the other quarterfinal in Banija.

In the Xannerian bracket, Newmanistan needed penalties to knock out Timuria, while the other pre-World Cup 84 unranked side still in the knockouts Bears Armed lost to Kandorith 5-4 on penalties after regulation and extra time ended level at 1-1. The Rockets and Timuria played to a 1-1 draw through regulation and both scored goals in extra time before Newmanistan prevailed 3-2 in the penalty shootout.

The other two Xannerian bracket matches couldn't have been more different from each other. Mercedini defeated Jeruselem 1-0 in one match, while Terre Septentrionale pushed out Lisander in a goal scoring slugfest 8-6. The Xanneria bracket quarterfinals will be Newmanistan v. Mrecedini and Kandorith v. Terre Septentrionale.

[Xanneria]

Controversies Determine Xannerias Fate
By Steve Stevenson

PALACE CITY - Xanneria lost 1-0 to FIlindostan, knocking them out of the CoH earlier than reality should have dictated. The game between Filindostan and Xanneria was a typical chippy afair with lots pf physical play. Nothing out of the ordinary for the Maroons and it was dicreed that refs who worked games in Xanneria should go light on players who make contact as to adapt to the Xannerian style of play. TO know Xannarian football is to know that while the game was brought over by Tonissians in the early 1900s when the Tonissians dissapeared from the Xannerian sphere of influence, that the game developed almost exclusively internally, developing its own distinct flavor. The flavor of which is a more violent aggressive game, a style that came to a head in a 3-0 loss to Apox 4 years ago. A game that ended up having a massive brawl and a shutout by a fourth string goalkeeper.

So while most refs did work well we did have a few slip through the cracks. Most noticeably the Tamguan ref who sent off several Raznetian players. But as for this match we don't know. Obviously Jeb Gyjorko didn't say much as he's not in a position too and frankly it's not like the Maroons play helped the cause either with several shots going off way wide. Four yellow cards in a Xannarian match just for tackling is unexceptible, it's not like Ricky Bryan was on the team still (In fact his team in Abhenfleft recently got demoted so there's that and we laugh in unison at it). So upon further investigation we did find something. the ref who kept calling the yellow cards was a Hinodijan. Apprently he was disgusted at the Qualifiers last year in which several fans put up anti-hinodijan banners, but even though it was later learned that they were Dreamplanet-Xannerians who were against the occupation, there was no need for this referee to go rouge in this situation.

Also It didn't help that the Marooons shot terribly, As hard Glenn Hailey tried he couldn't res t the team on his back and the Filindostani defense and goalkeeper Antonio Rafael Vera did amirably against the Maroons potent offense, it takes a lot to shutout a high octane offense and to this I tip my hat to the Filindostanis

XANNERIA - 0

FILINDOSTAN - 1
Sampaga 83'

[Timuria]

Bitter End For The Red Wolves - Short Summary

Newmanistan 1–1 Timuria (2–2 AET) (3–2 pen.)
Jerome Beyer (38), Derek Schaefer (101);Vatan Ercetin (61), Kartal Unal (118)

by Tufan Nursultan

The Red Wolves crashed out of the Cup of Harmony after a grinding affair against Newmanistan, where both sides threw everything they had at each other.

Jerome Beyer opened the scoring in the 38th minute with an excellently placed shot that just escaped the fingertips of Murat Yigithan.

Vatan Ercetin would equalise, with a fantastic freekick showing off a new dimension to his game that he hadn't shown at international level before.

The match would go into extra time, 1-1 being the score both sides would score either side of half time in extra time, with Kartal Unal's borderline last second volley sparking euphoria across the country, however, he would quickly turn into the villain, his missed penalty being the difference between sudden death and elimination.

What They Said After The Match:

Bekir Altingunes: "I'm very very proud of the team today, they left it all on the field and it wasn't quite enough. Kartal will learn from that moment and so will the rest of us, the blame never lies with one player because, if we were good enough to win today, we wouldn't have needed penalties.

Player Ratings:

Murat Yigithan 6/10

Izzet Timur 6/10

Eyup Mustafa 6/10

Metin Boz 6/10

Gokdeniz Dag 6/10

Atilla Acar 6/10

Yusuf Ihsanoglu 6/10

Tekin Yavuz 6/10

Caner Turan 6/10

Vatan Ercetin 6/10

Ismail Burhan 6/10

Substitutes:

Kartal Unal 7/10

Berker Balkan 6/10

Altan Seyfi 6/10

Man of the Match: Derek Schaefer - Played by far the most complete match of any of the players on the pitch.

Schedule and Results:

MD 1: Squornshelous W 4-2
MD 2: Pasarga L 4-2
MD 3: Gyatso-Kai D 1-1
MD 4: Geektopia L 4-2
MD 5: Ancherion W 4-1
Ro16: Newmanistan L 2-2 aet (3-2 pen.)

[Terre Septentrionale]

Terre Septentrionale wins a goal galore game

East End, Xannerian Capital Territory, Xanneria - Terre Septentrionale played against Lisander in the round of 16 of the Cup of Harmony and the Nordiques won 8-6. Yes, 8-6! Terre Septentrionale scored a try but they failed to convert it and they made a drop goal while Lisander made two drop goals! Nah seriously it wasn't a rugby game, it was soccer! The Reprezentacja Nordycki controlled the ball 52% of the time and shot 15 times with 11 of them were on target. Lisander shot 13 times with 10 on target.

Terre Septentrionale attacked at the 4th minute when Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz passed the ball to Roksana Kolodziejczyk who dribbled with the ball and made a cross to Sandrine Fontaine who kicks the ball and it's a goal! 1-0 Northmen. Lisander tied the game at the 17th minute when Afonso Heretier passed to Victor Potenza who dribbled with the ball and made a cross to Cyril Amati who shoots and scores. 1-1. Terre Septentrionale attacked again at the 22nd minute when Élisabeth Normandin passed forward to Sandrine Fontaine who dribbled and made a short pass to Sandie McCracken who shoots. Anders Michaelichen deflects the ball which goes wide right and it's a corner kick. Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz takes the corner kick, he kicks the ball and it goes right into the net without touching anyone, it's a goal and Terre Septentrionale is leading 2-1. Lisander scored three unanswered goals, Milo Somerville at the 29th, Luís Ávila at the 33rd and Cyril Amati, his 2nd of the game, at the 40th minutes and they're leading 4-2. Terre Septentrionale attacked in added time when Roksana Kolodziejczyk dribbled with the ball and passed to Sandie McCracken who also dribbled and made a cross to Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa who kicks the ball and it's in! Lisander's lead is cut to 4-3 and this is the score at the halftime.

Lisander attacked at the 51st minute when Luís Rosell passed to Tássio Camden who tried to pass to Milo Somerville but the ball is intercepted by Franciszek Niedzwiecki who dribbles with the ball and decides to shoot from 50 meters and it's a goal! The score is tied at 4-4. Lisander attacked again at the 60th minute when Afonso Heretier passed to Victor Potenza who made a cross to Milo Somerville in the penalty area but he's tripped by Franciszek Niedzwiecki who recieves a yellow card and it's a penalty for Lisander. Cyril Amati kicks the ball and it's in, Lisander takes a 5-4 lead. The Nordiques attacked at the 66th minute when Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz passed to Élisabeth Normandin who made a forward pass to Sandrine Fontaine who made a header pass to Sandie McCracken who heads the ball right into the net and it's a goal. The game is tied again, at 5-5! Terre Septentrionale attacked again at the 69th minute when Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz passed to Sandrine Fontaine who dribbled with the ball and made a short pass to Roksana Kolodziejczyk who passes the ball back to Sandrine Fontaine who shoots and it's another goal! Terre Septentrionale takes the 6-5 lead!

Well, there's too much scores so let's do another paragraph, actually it is Terre Septentrionale's highest scoring game ever. So, at the 76th minute, Lisander attacked when Tássio Camden passed to Luís Ávila who dribbled and passed forward to Cyril Amati who made a short pass to Victor Potenza who shoots and shores. The game is tied at 6-6. The Reprezentacja Nordycki attacked at the 88th minute when Slawomir Skrzeszewski made a long pass to Roksana Kolodziejczyk who dribbled with the ball and passed to Sandrine Fontaine who kicks the ball. She hits the post and the ball is loose, Amelia Zalwowska, who subbed in at the 81st minute, takes the loose ball and passes to Jedrzej Kosciukiewicz, who also subbed in at the 81st minute. Kosciukiewicz kicks the ball and it's a goal! Terre Septentrionale is leading 7-6! Lisander attacked at the 90+3 minute when Tássio Camden dribbled with the ball and passed to Victor Potenza who kicks it but the ball goes wide left and it'sa goal kick. Zofia Kwietniewska kicks the ball, Sandrine Fontaine jumps higher than anyone and heards the ball to Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa who catches the ball with her foot and kicks it right into the net, it's another goal! The Northmen are leading 8-6 and this is the final score!

BOXSCORE

4th minute: Sandrine Fontaine assisted by Roksana Kolodziejczyk
17th minute: Cyril Amati assisted by Victor Potenza
22nd minute: Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz (corner kick)
29th minute: Milo Somerville assisted by Tássio Camden
33rd miute: Luís Ávila assisted by Milo Somerville
40th minute: Cyril Amati assisted by Tássio Camden
45th + 1 minute: Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa assisted by Sandie McCracken
51st minute: Franciszek Niedzwiecki (unassisted)
60th minute: Cyril Amati (penalty)
66th minute: Sandie McCracken assisted by Sandrine Fontaine
69th minute: Sandrine Fontaine assisted by Roksana Kolodziejczyk
76th minute: Victor Potenza assisted by Cyril Amati
88th minute: Jedrzej Kosciukiewicz assisted by Amelia Zalwowska
90 +3 minute: Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa assisted by Sandrine Fontaine

YELLOW CARDS

10th minute: Élisabeth Normandin
24th minute: Milen Kaplanoski
37th minute: Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz
60th minute: Franciszek Niedzwiecki
81st minute: Vero Garmin

RED CARDS

None

Quarter finals

On the Xanneria side, Kandorith defeated Bears Armed 1-1 (1-1 AET) (5-4 Pen.) and we're playing against them in quarter finals. Mercedini beat Jeruselem 1-0 and Newmanistan beat Tumuria in penalties, both will face each other. On the Banija side, Pasarga will play against Kelssek and sarzonia will face Filindostan. The Nordiques game against Kandorith will be played at Cunningham Family Stadium in Delano City. Kandorith is also an offense based team and their top forwards are Toki Matsuda, Masada Katano and Arihiro Hoshi.

[Sarzonia]

The idea that Sarzonia's first appearance in World Cup qualifying since their failed attempt to advance to the World Cup 56 proper nearly a decade ago ended as soon as a gun fired in Bryan Ostrom's hotel room.

In the time since the team have participated in several tributes to his memory in Sarzonia and in other parts of the world. The team found itself embroiled in controversy both on and off the pitch and found new rivals among longtime names in the world's sporting history.

Now the team abruptly sent home starting goalkeeper Mateo Sandoval after a routine review of his playing bio revealed his age as 36 instead of the 31 years he reported to the team.

Manager Kevin Connelly said it was "a mutual decision by all levels" of the Incorporated Football Federation to release Sandoval from the national team.

"We found out Mateo falsified his birth certificate," Connelly said. This wasn't a little white lie. This was fraud." The Woodstock Wild also released Sandoval from his contract. Sandoval declined to comment on the news, citing the opening of a criminal investigation into the case.

That didn't stop other Stars players from commenting.

"It's disappointing," reserve goalkeeper Carlton Sandt said. "As great as he's been for us and Woodstock, there's no need to lie about his age."

Defender and team captain Russ Howard added that even if he weren't released by the team, his standing on the team would have been "destroyed.

"You can't have someone lie like that and still respect him as a person, let alone a teammate," he said. "Today is the first time I heard he was 36."

Connelly said Woodstock Police and the Sarzonian Federal Bureau of Investigations are both looking into the possibility of criminal charges against Sandoval.

Paolo Gomes will start for the Stars against Filindostan in the quarterfinals of the Cup of Harmony. He said through an interpreter that he was happy for the opportunity to start, but he was "disappointed for the reason" he became the starter.

"You hate to win the job like that," he said. "We have to play our game, but it becomes more difficult."

The decision to expel Sandoval from the team caused "great dissension" among Stars supporters, with some arguing that Sandoval's play and the team's recent run of form should allow him to remain on the team. However, other fans are supporting the team's decision to banish Sandoval from the team, saying that the team should want no part of anyone who committed fraud.

"The team's played phenomenal so far," said supporter Cameron Davies, 25, a warehouse processing clerk from Portsmouth. "Taking Sandoval out now is going to wreck the team's chemistry. He's too good at getting the defence in position on set pieces. They're gonna lose that."

"He forged his birth certificate so he wouldn't lose his starting job," said Joshua Klein, 38, a human resources generalist at Cullen and Baker, an accounting firm in Portland. "It'd be one thing if it was a year off or a month off, but five years? That's deceptive. He'd lose his job in an office if he did that."

Connelly said the team would not call up a third goalkeeper, so Sandt becomes the backup. However, he said the team was trying out keepers in the event they would need to bring one in to back up Sandt or Gomes if either got injured.

"We don' t want Russ to put on goalie gloves," Connelly said of Howard, whom he identified as the emergency goalkeeper in the event all three were unavailable. "We'll have somebody here if we absolutely need to."

The Stars (4-1-1) are the lowest ranked team remaining in the Cup of Harmony with a rank of 110th coming in after beginning World Cup 84 qualifying as an unranked side for the second time in national history, but midfielder Clayton Wilson said the team would not be intimidated by higher ranked opponents.

"We've only played one match against a team ranked lower than us really since World Cup qualifying began," he said. "We're not taking anything for granted, but we also know we're going to put our best effort out there and what happens happens."

The Stars may see the clock strike midnight on their unlikely run through the Cup of Harmony and their incredible stretch of football with a mark of 11-5-2 in their last 18 matches, but no one should accuse this Stars team of not being memorable.

"We have much to build on for the future," Connelly said. "It's a shame that Mateo won't be part of the foreseeable future for this team."

[Kelssek]

THE FOOTBALL ZINE ALL THE COOL KIDS ARE READING
RELEGATION RELEASE CLAUSE SINCE 2006

Our mother Chaos rules all

One day in the future, some historian may turn to this moment and draw some kind of parallel to ongoing evolutions in society, culture, or politics, invisible to us who inhabit this present time. What might Kelssek’s 7-5 win over Hampton Island reflect about the times in which we lived? What meaning did we make out of it? Did it reinforce a dominant narrative or contribute to undermining hegemony?Are postmodernists to blame?

Astonishingly, and what prompts all the talk of epochal shifts and the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, this was not even the highest-scoring match of the Cup of Harmony’s second round. It came a day after Terre Septentrionale and Lisander fought out a 14-goal bonanza that finished with an 8-6 scoreline. Filindostan’s 5-4 win in extra time the following day seemed tame in comparison. Still, it takes the general pattern of Kelssek’s play at this tournament to its inevitable conclusion: trying to make up for chronically inept defending with high-octane attack.

Wild is a word that might describe this match, but it is woefully insufficient to tell a story which would not be believed if it had not actually happened. “Roller coaster” is an apt analogy, too, with Kelssek taking the lead but Hampton Island keeping pace and pegging the Voyagers back twice. Then taking the lead themselves, conceding three in fifteen minutes, levelling the score again, and then Kelssek scoring two goals in injury time just as spectators were girding themselves for extra time.

Turn the perspective around and you can also talk about Hampton Island’s elation at finding the equalizer in the 90th minute to level the score at 5-5, only to turn to cruel desolation as they immediately conceded the winning goal. Brayden Custworth probably couldn’t believe they’d let him dribble towards the goal in a straight line, but they did. And then the turn of the knife as goalkeeper Jason Martin tried a desperate long pass that was intercepted by Mats Bogdanor and returned with interest. In the end the professionals got the job done and the underdogs simply lost concentration when they thought they’d earned a reprieve and the chance to decide things in extra time.

Some of the goals were beauties. The opening goal, for a start, with Damien Halliger picking out Colm Ó Tuathail with a 60-yard diagonal pass to which the winger applied a clinical finish. Dean Greene surprising both himself and Kai Poirier with his effort from 25 yards that came off the upright and into the net. Ashley Douglass volleying a poor clearing header into the net from the corner of the penalty box. Hampton Island taking the lead when 18-year old striker Brittany Carter sold Kassel Pokorný on a step-over and shot the ball through his legs and into the bottom right corner.

And there were goals that spoke of the fickleness of fate and divine comedy. Blake McDonagh’s 50th-minute free kick coming off the crossbar and the back of Cameron Allwine’s head before dribbling across the goal line as Hampton Island’s keeper Jason Martin desperately flailed for it. Folk drawing Hampton Island level with a close-range shot that shanked off his shin and spun past Kai Poirier's outreached glove. Of course, the madness would not be complete without VAR, which entered the scene to award Kelssek a penalty after forensic analysis of the ball’s contact with Daquan Carney’s forearm, and also to chalk off Brayden Custworth’s 66th-minute strike when it revealed his nose (apparently) was offside. The all-seeing eye giveth, and taketh away.

This goes down as Kelssek’s highest-scoring game ever, beating out the 5-5 draw against Olastor played out by the previous generation. Yet it is not the strangest, although it is hard to believe the veracity of records from Kelssek’s first match against Valanora (then known as Elves Security Forces) which claim a wormhole abruptly sucked up the ESF team and deposited them in a different country late in the match, when they were leading 4-0 against a Kelssek team then fresh out of the Baptism of Fire who then went on to win 5-4 with the referee apparently having forgotten that thing about abandoning a match if one team has less than seven players.

KELSSEK 7 | O’Tuathail 9’; Taleb (pen.) 22’; Allwine (o.g.) 50’; Dionne 59’; Douglass 65'; Custworth 90+2’; Bogdanor 90+5’
Poirier, Liadon, Halliger, Pokorný, Douglass, Demetriev (Bogdanor 79’) Dionne, Ó Tuathail, McDonagh (Champetier 73’), Custworth, Taleb (Tremblay-Fillon 83’).

HAMPTON ISLAND 5 | Greene 19’; Folk 40’; Brittany Carter 48’; Sullivan 60’; Johnson 90’
Martin, Ortiz, Gonzalez, Carney, Sullivan, Allwine, Prosser (Smith 55’), Brianna Carter, Folk (Tenney 75’), Greene (Johnson 84’), Brittany Carter.

Player of the match: Rémy Dionne
Attendance: 43,113

*[OOC] Headline references this comic: https://the-toast.net/2013/08/05/a-cart ... ut-sports/

---

Kelssek Rugby Federation - @rugbyKSK

Well done to our friends at @FootballKelssek on 7-5 win at Cup of Harmony. Kicking your conversions can be so important!

---

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

TEAM ROLLING AGAIN?

By Brianne Henry,

I have been a broken record in saying this, but it has to be done. After starting very well in World Cup qualifying and giving Audioslavia and Sargossa a scare, the Rockets did limp home in the final matches, leading to the final group table not really being indicative of how close we were for most of the qualifying period. That carried on into the Cup of Harmony, with a win over a team we were expected by everyone to beat, therefore not really intimidating anyone. That said, I have to give Vdara some props. They did end up being a gritty opponent towards everyone, and if they continue to play with that kind of heart and dedication then more positive results will follow. Regardless, at the time, beating Vdara was not much to get excited about, and as this was followed by a draw to Brusseldorf, in which the team, other then goalkeeper Aaron Scarpa, actually played horribly in that 0-0 result. Then, a loss to Bolgano. However, the team seemed to find their rhythm after the Bolgano loss, with a good looking win over Baptism of Fire champion Trolleborg before thoroughly dominating Busoga Islands in an unofficial road game, by the score of 4-0.

The mojo is returning. At the end of the group stage, Newmanistan finished with a 3-1-1 record, and were looking like that team that looked to play spoiler in Group 1 of qualifying. The way the Rockets knocked off Busoga was pretty impressive as well, considering that each of the four goals came from a different scorer. Each of the three strikers, Brent Chapman, Jerome Beyer, and Derek Schaefer found the net once, and in the 84th minute, regular substitute Antonio Cruz got one. It was good to see Cruz pick up his first of the Cup of Harmony, since he played such an important role for us off the bench during qualifying. His playing time and overall opportunities have been more limited thus far. Following the match, manager Miguel Hernandez told me that, “I don’t think were as bad at the beginning of this tournament as we were made out to be, for starters. We had one bad game, in my opinion, and that was the draw to Brusseldorf where Aaron Scarpa saved us from embarrassment. The loss to Bolgano was not a bad game on our end, you have to give credit to Bolgano as that is an up and coming team. I know that they did not do particularly well during qualifying, but that is a squad to watch. Beating the reigning Baptism of Fire champion, and then a nation like Busoga Islands in the way that we did, that shows that we have got it back together. Having said that, I like our chances with everyone. Everyone thinks the winner of the tournament is going to come out of the other side of the bracket. Don’t be so quick to say that, there are great squads on this half as well.”

The next quality squad that Newmanistan would face was the team from Timuria. During qualifying, the Red Wolves had an 8-4-8 campaign. A rather bland record that is not poor nor something to get particularly excited about. They were in the group that saw Farfadillis and Drawkland advance, and send Pasarga to this tournament. Prior to the qualifying period, they were ranked #75 in the world, so it is up to them if they consider that a decent record or not. Perhaps it can just be used to build off of, and to have success in tournaments like this. While Timuria in itself is not a nation terribly known to us as they do not seem to participate in the other tournaments that we do, they made their name by co-hosting the most recent Baptism of Fire with a nation that is well known to us in Zwangzug. I sure have talked a lot about the Baptism of Fire tournament in the last two paragraphs. Wouldn’t it be ironic, if way back in the day, in a very old Baptism of Fire, two teams.... well, I won’t go there. On to this game!

Both teams played this match quite well, and having a particularly strong game was Derek Schaefer, who seemed to be the most determined to get the sky blue through to the next round. In the 38th minute, that effort was rewarded when he telegraphed a pass between two defenders to Jerome Beyer perfectly, and the member of the Southport Tigers, as he so often does, placed his shot just narrowly by the outstretched arm of Murat Yigithan, a player who had done quite well up to that point. This gave the Rockets the lead at halftime, but not surprisingly, one goal was not going to be enough, and a well placed free kick by Vatan Ercetin was the equalizer. Miguel Hernandez admitted in his interview that, “That type of ability of Ercetin was not in our scouting tape of him. It was great execution on the free kick, and once we saw it for the first time, we were not going to be caught off guard by it again. Sometimes you got to pick your spots if you are going to feature something uncommon in your game, and that was well done. He’s a young kid who got picked up by a squad in Banija, so he will definitely be able to refine his talents there.” After ninety minutes and a few extra, we will were all tied at one, and heading to extra time.

The first fifteen minutes were played with each team getting a few chances, and like they did in the first half of the match, the Rockets got a goal in towards the end of the first part of extra time, thanks to the work of Derek Schaefer, in minute #101. Schaefer used Jerome Beyer, to his left side as a decoy, and fake pass to Beyer, got Yigithan to lean to his right just slightly enough for Schaefer to take advantage of it and put it in the postage stamp, giving the Rockets a 2-1 lead. We had hoped that would be the difference maker, but Kartal Unal would temporarily be the hero of the nation, and getting the 118th minute goal, which would ultimately send us to the skills competition.

Matches decided on penalties are fun if you win them, but if you lose them, you are sure to question why games are decided in this fashion. There was really no way to determine which team would have more of an advantage here. Each team had equally talented forwards capable of capitalizing, and a goalkeeper capable of making the big stop. Neither squad had much recent history in these type of matches, so today it was all about execution and maybe a little bit of luck. Newmanistan executed well on the penalties, with the big three strikers, Beyer, Schaefer, and Brent Chapman all scoring goals. This advantage put pressure on 23-year old Kartal Unal to deliver once again for his country. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be here, and the Rockets celebration would already be taking place in the locker room. However, here we were, and it needed to be him, again. This time, his shot sailed just wide of the left post, with Scarpa having dived in the wrong direction. This miss cemented the Rockets win and sent them to the quarterfinals. On the field, the dejection of Unal could be seen, and a couple Rockets players offered support on social media after the game, with Derek Schaefer posting, “Kartal Unal, I didn’t know you much before this game but I know now you are one hell of a player. You showed that during the game. Missing the penalty can and will make you stronger as a player. Learn from the good, learn from the not as good.”

The Rockets now continue to advance, and will take on Mercedini, who no one is talking about, other then their own press, but may be the team to beat in this entire tournament. Many have penciled in Pasarga vs Mercedini for the title, but don’t be so quick to assume that will be the game. Sure, if I was not biased towards the Rockets, that would have been my prediction, too. Mercedini is a well-established team in soccer, though our paths have not crossed in international sports to my knowledge. After winning Cup of Harmony 72, they took that momentum and qualified for World Cups 81-83, before failing to do so this year. In Group 3, they went 11-5-4, and lost out on the second spot in that group, won by Starblaydia, to one of the Cinderella qualifiers of HUElavia. That squad, by the way, ended up going 2-0-1 in the World Cup group stage, too, before missing out on tiebreakers to advance further. Starblaydia is one of the remaining quarterfinalists, so it shows that Mercedini was simply in a tough group. Newmanistan is one of the better teams in the tournament, but in this match, they are the underdog. It’s a hat they wore well in qualifying, almost being just like HUElavia, but in Group 1. We’ll see how this goes, I’ll be in West Troy for the action, but may spend some time at Golden Gopher Casino beforehand.

[Kandorith]

Shinonome Kyoai - International
_________________________________

One For The History Books

Kandorith 1–1 Bears Armed (1–1 AET) (5–4 pen.)

Houston, Tacoma, Tough does not even describe the absolutely nerve wrecking match. Kandorith stood on the verge of the most successful campaign in her history. Bears Armed is one of the toughest opponents they could get when it comes to physical prowess, but this did not waver the young Kandorese side. Before the match Hayabusa spoke carefully about the match and did not want to go into too much details, the match ended in tears of joy for the Kandorese fans and players.

The match was a very even-sided one as both teams tried to make their tactics count; for Kandorith it was the technically and physically strong gifted side of Bears Armed which was troubling for them to get passed. For Bears Armed it was the Kandorese midfield playing in their compactness and swiftness which caused most of the trouble. The match was a thin 1 - 1 stalemate as both teams tried, and failed, to push the match to their advantage. For Kandorith a small chance appeared in the 87th minute but was run aground by the safe hands of Karramarrsar, the Bears Armed goalkeeper. It was clear, the game would go into overtime. Hayabusa has always said he wants to avoid overtime at all costs due to the pressure and stress it puts on teams, or if it is unavoidable, to score a quick goal in the first half of overtime and defend the game at all costs.

Not many chances decorated the overtime with both teams seemingly playing more defensive than usual, avoiding the chance to concede a goal. The Kandorese fans watched in awe as the tension around the stadium heightend. More and more the match was headed towards the dreaded and feared penalty shoot-out. When the last whistle of overtime sounded the fans of Kandorith seemed dismayed, scared for what was about to happen. The team has never gotten this far in a competitive tournament and now they would be facing penalties. Everyone will agree that losing in the round of 16 is in no way a disgrace for the Kandorese side, but losing in a penalty shoot-out always has an extra sting to it. The ball was put on the penalty spot and the goalkeepers readied themselves and goal after goal went in with the tension rising. The question was, will Kiyotada be as efficient in this match as he was for Hayazawa Vissel in the Lotus Cup where he held three penalties throughout the entire tournament. The score stood at 4 - 4 in penalties as captain Tanaka took to the spot. A very hard and robust kick rocketed towards the upper left corner in unstoppable fashion, Bears Armed Karramarrsar came dangerously close to the ball but was just a fraction to slow. 5 - 4 was now the score as Kiyotada walked towards the goal the Kandorese fans were afraid to watch, some even covering their eyes and/or praying to the gods. The whistle blew and a powerful shot went low towards the left goalpost and Kiyotada was just able to punch the ball out of it's original direction and away from the goal.

The crowd completely exploded in cheers as the realisation kicked in. Some of the Kandorese players even collapsed, in tears from joy. Kandorith had made it to the quarter finals for the first time in her history. Social media erupted with images of people crying from joy and praying to the skies as the festivities started in Tenkyo and other cities. Many people were still in shock and disbelief. We asked a widely smiling, yet exhausted, Tanaka how he experienced it. "I'm still shaking" He said with a chuckle. "Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable. We worked very hard and wanted to avoid penalties at all cost. But, eventually we realised it would take way too much prowess to tackle the Bears Armed team, I decided with the coach that it would be better to save our energy and save our strength. The happiness in the stadium, on the field is beyond anything I have ever seen. I seriously can't even imagine what it's like at home." We urged him to join the party on the field and thanked him for the short words.

In the capital and fan zones the parties started with displays of the Kandorese flag being paraded in the streets, plenty of music, beer and recaps from the match. This team has written history with a legacy which started with Saitou Moriyase and handed to Ken Hayabusa to take over. Hayabusa will now be immortalized as the manager who took the team to the highest result ever and leading the most efficient team ever.

The quarter final will be played at the Cunningham Stadium in Delano City against Terre Septentoriale. A highly efficient side will await Kandorith here and it's expected to be a tough match where accuracy and possession will be crucial. They played against Lisander to place themselves in the quarter finals with an insane match when it comes to goals scored with Terre Septentoriale winning by 8 goals to 6 for Lisander. In contrast to Lisander the Kandorese defense is more the focus of their gameplay which builds a more robust midfield which is more defense minded and relies on absorbing break-out attacks. The Kandorese team will be focusing on holding possession and waiting for swift chances to tire out the opposition. A style they have mastered throughout the tournament. The Kandorese attack will rely on speed and athleticism to play evasive and with strong counter-attacks. The fans and team will go into this match refreshed and euphoric as for them the tournament is a win already. Being backed by a fan-base who see them as heroes in the sporting world of Kandorith, the team will play their most successful season ever.

[Hampton Island]

Scenario: Phone Call between Stafford City Stadium CEO and manager Hannah Sanders before the ream heads home

CEO: Congratulations, Hannah! Simply an amazing job you guys did.

Sanders: Thank you.

CEO: No one expected this team to do anything in the Cup of Harmony, and you got them into the playoffs. Then you scored five goals against Kelssek.

Sanders: I know like it was really cool and everything. I am like so proud of everyone even the people that like didn’t me.

CEO: We have sold a total of 67,000 bobbleheads of you. I expect more when we get home, so that’s a little over $200,000 for you on that sale alone.

Sanders: Oh my God like wow! And then my pay for doing this too! This is so amazing.

CEO: Well yes, we’ll talk about your contract later. You know NSSCRA is coming up, maybe we can get a role on the race team somehow. Or with my staff.

Sanders: That would be like totally awesome.

CEO: By the way what got into Brittany Carter on that 48th minute goal. She looked like she actually plays soccer there.

Sanders: Well I guess like you keep playing it then you like learn some moves and stuff.

CEO: Alright well the chartered flight home is arranged to leave at 9:30, good job once again.

Sanders: Thank you.

[Mercedini]

76th Cup of Harmony
The Great Eight
@ Golden Gopher Casino Palace City Stadium - Palace City, Xanneria

Good morning and welcome back to Xanneria for the commencement of the 76th Cup of Harmony Knockout Rounds. We are beginning to get down to it in terms of the challengers and the false presenters. With nearly two-third of the entire field being whittled down in a long and arduous group stage for everyone involved. The Golden Eagles had a slow start to their group, starting their campaign with three consecutive draws, which may have lead to the team slipping from everyone's radar with so much action going on between the two host nations. They finally got their act together to finish the group stage with two wins to claim the top spot and give themselves the best possible chance to advance deep into the tournament. For their Round of 16 match, they were given one of the more difficult fixtures against a resurgent Jeruselem side who are making a return to international football after a small hiatus from the World Cup Scene. As stated before, both sides have made it to the World Cup before, with the pedigree between the two ensuring it was one of the more fancied matches for the locals. Now that the hosts were eliminated from contention, it was time for a new team to support, with the majority of the spectators in Alexandra City being local neutrals.

For both sides, this would be their first major test of each other's metals, as nations who survive matches like these generally go on to success, even if not in the immediate future. A match-up against either Timuria or Newmanistan would greet the winner, with that match taking place at the same time over in Dursten. For their first knockout match in five editions, it would be a return to form for the Mercedinian side who regularly experience going three-and-out against teams at the top table. Let's see if Dini would make it to the final eight, and push on in one of their best chances to claim silverware for the cycle:

Cup Of Harmony: For The Dini, Not The Jew

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FINAL SCORE

COH | R16

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MERCEDINI 1
Alva 82'
JERUSELEM 0

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Alexandra City, Xanneria
Attendance - 26,792

It was another tight squeeze against established side, but you simply cannot keep Dini down when they're on their day. Super-sub Feliks Alva came on and scored within ten minutes to net the only goal of the game in a 1-0 smash-and-grab in Xanneria. Jeruselem were steadfast in their defending and threatened numerous occasions in the second half, but it was the Elspachia striker who proved to be the difference in the end, slotting home from a long ball forward. The match sends them through to the final eight, where the Golden Eagles will face Newmanistan for a spot in the final four. Newmanistan are yet another upcoming nation who have certainly got gathered momentum throughout this tournament, and could be the ones to knock Dini out and lift the title. The match will take place in Palace City, located behind me, with another big turnout expected from both sets of travelling fans. With Dini now close to the business end of the tournament, interest in their upcoming games has risen, with several million expected to be watching tomorrow night.

The match in Alexandra City bought to an end a night of football and festivity in the nation, with the match delayed by a couple of minutes as the teams made their final preparations. Several results had already been confirmed by an earlier set of matches, it was left up to the remaining two matches from Dini's and Jeruselem's bracket to finalise the quarter-final line-up for the Xannerian half. Another strong squad was put out by Lyndainium who had gathered more support for his cause with that clinical 4-1 win over Balqia on the previous match day. Chillotov and Dostalok went out searching for goals once again, but they would be pushed all the way by an opposition with a stingy defensive line, rarely giving up chances and goals thus far in the tournament. That was a cause for concern for the fans in the stadium, as that same stingy nature couldn't be said for our own defenders, who had let in a cascade of necessary goals to put their tournament lives at risk.

The black and blue Mercedinian kit looked as pristine as it always does in moments like this, with the Cup of Harmony tournament logo placed between the ediraf kit maker's logo and the MFA logo. It wasn't the tournament that they wanted to be in, but they were welcomed with open arms into this tournament. It is hoped that they can now stick it for the long haul and, once again, put Mercedinian football back on the proverbial map.

The whistle blew for kick-off, and the final Round of 16 match-up was up and running with the passion and furore you would expect from a match featuring two sides past their prime, but eager to climb back up the heights of the World Cup. There was also a tentative aspect to the match as well, with neither side wanting to commit to something early on, leaving them exposed for a counter attack at the back. Jeruselem claimed the first half-chance of the match, Cersei Lancaster flashing the ball just wide. The chance got some of the Jeruselem fans on their feet, even if the play was bought back for an elbow from Lancaster in the build up. Following that chance it was all Dini, with the strikers and wingers combining to form a series of chances for each other, momentum was certainly shifting the other way as half-time approached in the game.

Garzallo was once again the stand out performer for the starting eleven in the first half, with the versatile winger also moving inside to act as an attacking mid, and at some times, a third striker. He crafted the chance by wrong-footing his marker and working the ball into the free space that was left in their wake. The Zoloroni Met winger made it to the by-line before pulling the ball back to a waiting Chillotov, who took a touch but was brilliantly blocked by a second Jeruselem defender. The opposition were really putting their bodies on the line as the ball ricocheted off the player and out for a corner. Said corner ultimately came to nothing.

Several chance that were lashed at goal by the front pairing were held well by Paolo PUBG in the Jeruselem goal, keeping the match goalless as the match ticked into stoppage time. Jeruselem pushed forward for one final attack in the half, but the clock ultimately ran out on them as the crossed the half-way line. Both teams were cancelling each other out in terms of defence and attack, with the sixteen-place gulf in the world rankings sufficiently bridged by the Jeruselem so far. Either team could have gone on to win at this rate.

Following the fifteen minute interval, the teams were back out with Mercedini taking their sweet time making their way out of the tunnel. Lyndainium was making sure every player had their orders before the second half started, adding yet another delay to proceedings which the Jeruselem delegation and the neutral fans weren't happy about. The second half kicked off with some of the spectators still making their way back to their seats as the Jeruselem players passed it around the back. The next three-quarters of an hour would likely define the tournament for many of these players. From the evidence of the first-half, extra time and penalties were certainly in the offing.

Jeruselem were in it much more in the second half, the Lancasters seemed to be ruling the roost in Xanneria, their dogged mentality was causing come problems for the Mercedinian back line as they lost possession to the duo, or they had to punt the ball up-field to reset, hoping that there was a player in black and blue at the other end of it. The Golden Eagles just had to cope with this drastic change of tactics and hope that they didn't concede before the Reece and Cersei ran out of energy. With twenty minutes to go, Lyndainium gambled on a double change, bringing Alva and Santa-Corvani on in place of Chillotov and Karlovic, who had been instrumental in getting the team this far. That new injection of energy seemed to awaken the side, as they pushed for an opening goal this deep into the game.

The chance came in the final ten minutes with Mercedini committed up field. Garzallo stuck at the corner flag and going nowhere, passed it to Catessic and launched it into the box, not at anyone in particular. Dostalok to a punt on getting his head into the mix and dived towards the ball as he was going down and the goalkeeper was coming out. A deft flick from the quiff of Dostalok was enough to divert the ball from the safe hands of the goalkeeper and onto the hip of the goalkeeper. It took all the venom out of the cross as the ball rolled free inside the six-yard box. An alert Alva was there to roll the ball into the empty net for what looked to be a late winner for the youngster and his team. It could be the first of many at major tournaments like this. The gamble had paid off, 1-0!

For Jeruselem, the potential of extra-time looked to have slammed shut in their faces. They committed everyone forward for one final roll of the dice. The ball was sent with what seemed like twenty bodies in the Mercedinian box, a flick on at the edge of the box carried it further even still, but the everyone in black and blue breathed an audible sigh of relief when Hosset was there and got two strong two the hands. cheers rang around the stadium as Hosset went to ground, the whistle was blown somewhere in the middle of all of that noise, and Mercedini had came through a struggle, something which has been commonplace in the tournament thus far. They will now face Newmanistan in the quarter-finals, what a match that will be. It finished in Alexandra City; Mercedini 1, Jeruselem 0.

[Pasarga]

Júlia Müller was starting to get nervous that after all her work of coming to terms with her move away from Equestria, that her move was going to not happen after all. She had it confirmed to her that at least five clubs had officially tabled bids for her and yet her club was dragging its feat on accepting any of the offers. How was she supposed to move on with her footballing career if her club was going to stymie her move. It had taken so much emotional turmoil on her to finally accept that this was something that could truly happen to her and that she was ready to embrace that sort of challenge, now to think that it might all have been for nothing if Cloudesdale was going to just stand pat and not accept the offers coming in for her. It was incredibly vexing and frustrating, she was not sure how she would be able to handle it if this was really the case, if the Equestrian club was going to hold her career hostage because they had decided that they were not willing to let her leave after all, despite having taken them to as the greatest heights that she could given their stature in the domestic game.

Luckily she still had international football to keep her distracted from all of the nonsense that was taking place with her domestic career and she had taken a wonderful chance at getting the start against New Lusitania in the Wanderers' Round of Sixteen fixture in the Cup of Harmony. Not once, not twice, but thrice did she find a way to penetrate the New Lusitania's defense and prod home a goal. It was not her first international hattrick but it was the first one that had happened with so much riding on the result, advancement into the Quarterfinals of a major international tournament is quite a bit of pressure. This was not some friendly or early qualifier, this was a win or go home match and she had been able to embrace the moment and strike out at her detractors with a sublime display, scoring both with her pace and with soft deft use of technique that many said was beyond her skill. Taking down a cross from Gere off her chest and letting it fall so she could volley it into the top corner was going to be a moment that was going to be shown on television across the footballing world for the next few nights.

Jan Gersten was also able to get on the scoresheet, coming on as a second half substitute as minor precaution after Berecz seemed to twisted his ankle. Thankfully the physio had said it was just a bad bruise and he would be ready for the Wanderers' Quarterfinal match, though if Gersten was going to get a goal when given the chance, she thought maybe the manager should rest their star man to be on the safe side. If it was not a game where he needed to be present, then it surely would be better to let Berecz rest an extra few days and be completely healthy for a potential semifinal fixture, while also giving Gersten the confidence booster of being able to be named as a starter for the squad in such a high pressure situation. If Gersten was not up to the task, well then that is when you bring Berecz back in and let him try to do his magic, but she thought her idea was a win win situation for everything. And given that the side was able to confidently deal with the New Lusitania challenge, doing as they had done much of the tournament in their bend but do not break style, then they were well positioned.

She had seen the news coming from Kelssek on the bus from the training pitch to the hotel, their opponents in the Quarterfinals had media that thought that chaos was the champion of the tournament, as well as a few other media outlets thinking that there would be a lot of upheaval in the latter rounds of the tournament. It seemed a bit of wishful thinking, thinking that would enable their sides to believe that it was still their tournament to be won, though stranger things have happened in football. Kelssek was a team that had performed absolutely dreadfully in the Qualifiers she knew, having seen their reports while watching the football analysts try to figure out her move situation. They had stormed a bit in the second half of the qualifiers to get close but had ultimately been tripped up by Valanora and had been invited to the Cup of Harmony instead. The two sides had seemingly opposite fates in the qualifiers and yet had both ended up in Banija instead of Cassadaigua or Baker Park, funny how the game worked out that way. Perhaps it would be the tonic needed to cure her of her frustration, a game against another one of the higher ranked teams and would be favorites to win the tournament, alongside Mercedini, and maybe just yet get a few more suitors in for her services and really put the pressure on Cloudesdale to make a move.