Di Bradini Cup 47/U21WC68 Everything Thread

by **Bears Armed** » Mon Feb 17, 2020 11:32 am

Bears Armed vs. Taeshan
Venue: The White Fortress, Gladerial, Valanora.
Score: 4-2. (Bears Armed wins.)

Goals
Bears Armed (4): Charpentaye (#11) @ 04’ (assist: Thunderbolt [#10]); Grearh’hratch (#7) @ 15’ (assist: Lightning [#06]); NorthWalker (#12) @ 24’ (assist: Norr-Vurra [#5]); Tahrra (#22) @ 52’ (assist: Lightning [#6]).
Taeshan (2): Lafayette (#11) @ 37’ (assist: Sneijder [#9]); Swanson (#11) @ 90+5’ (assist: Sneijder [#9]).

Penalties
Bears Armed (0): (none)
Taeshan (1): Swanson (#11) @ 54’ (saved…)

Red Cards
(none)

Substitutions due to Injury
Bears Armed (1): Bears Armed (1): Thunderbolt (#10, @ 39’ (possible hamstring; replaced by Tahrra [#22]…)
Taeshan (0): (none)

(Jammy Urrsen [reporter’s notes…])
Taeshan have a long history in international football, possibly began even before the Belles’ first attempts — Fleas and Fur-loss! Why did whatever cosmic effect apparently re-set the dates for “the old days” have to scramble so many of our records from that period along the way?! ⁽¹⁾ Anyhows, they seem to be among the nations whose teams played against the Belles a few times but without any special friendship or rivalry developing. Not sure how much knowledge about those encounters their current squad & staff would have, though…
Both teams are out on the pitch. Our girls have had it explained that their opponents’ purple kits do not indicate any affinity with the ‘Purple Empire’ of our own land’s history, just maybeso a symbolic or aesthetic choice based on their own culture’s values.
Belles do the harrdiharr, while Karra — in her role as a member of the coaching staff now, as well as because she played in last time’s winning squad, holds the Cup itself proudly up high: The organisers have said that we can hold onto it unless & until we get knocked out of the contest, they’ll only re-claim it then.⁽²⁾
Taeshan ‘Lil’ Purple Knights’ are using a more defensively-styled formation than the Belles: Apparently this is normal for them, admittedly they “only” have a win and a draw as against the Belles’ two wins so far here, but they’re on a total of 3 goals scored and a DG of +2 against the Belles’ 8 & +6… while letting in 2, the same as urrs. Hr’rmm…
Belles win the toss, Thunderbolt takes the kick and passes to Grearh’hratch, front row charges upfield while not only ourr Midfielders but — in a return to “old style” play for the Belles, rather than the slightly more cautious style favoured during DBC45 — also ourr ‘lynchpin’ Karrchrra’s-daughter advance into that end of the field. Could be a little bit tricky getting enough people back in time if the Knights manage a counter-attack… “If”, they do… but maybeso their own focus on defending their half makes this seem a risk worth taking. (Or maybeso it’s just the players getting keener than the coaches had planned? But I’d have expected Norr-Vurra, at least, to follow the pre-match instructions…). Anyhows, O TrustyHand — who’s been selected as the Belles’ starting goalie, this time around is pretty fast on her feet herself and doesn’t seem worried.
Belles press forwards, as seems so natural, and dominate possession although the sheer number of defensive players makes getting a clear shot at the goal difficult. Thunderbolt powers the ball in, but it bounces off of Garrett — the Knights’ LB — and goes out for a B-A corner. Thunderbolt takes that shot, and sends the ball arching high over the crowd in front of goalmouth to Charpentaye who’s “lurking” by the far post and head it down & in while Knight’s goalie Leyton is heading for the right side of the goal but guesses that she’d head it high instead. 1-0 to urrs.
Play continues, similar patterns.
Knights’ first serious counter-attack attempt: Swanson has the ball, and is racing into the Belles’ half with Lafayette scrambling to catch up as support, but a pincer move by Norr-Vurra & Lightning smells him dispossessed and Lightning sends a long pass to Grearh’hratch who’s currently out on the wing. Maybeso the Knights expect her to pass to either Thunderbolt or Charpentaye instead of going for goal herself, because that’s what they’re mainly concentrating to block, but she spots an opening and uses an off-pawed tap to slide it quickly & smoothly — right between two sets of purple feet! — into the bottom of the net while the defence itself makes it hard for Leyton to smell what’s coming. Only ten moments⁽³⁾ into the game, and already the Belles have a 2-goal lead.
And then, only six — hokay, just closer to seven — moments later, the Belles score again! This time it starts within the main “crowd” right in front of Taeshan’s goal: Norr-Vurra has closed right up there and manages to intercept a pass between Marchand (one of their two ‘Centre Backs’) and their captain Sneijder (a ‘Central Attacking Midfielder’, that is in sort-of the same role that Norr-Vurra herself fills except that she’s started less “central”…), which might otherwise have been the start of another counter-attack. NV decides to that the best way to get the ball out from among the Knights before they re-claim it is by booting it strongly over to NorthWalker, who’s out to her right and just outside the 18-yard line at what seems too tight an angle to score… but Northwalker volleys it back, managing to put just enough swerve on that shot to take it into the far corner of the net! 3-0!!!
The Knights are playing it very defensively now… The Knights are playing it verrry defensively now…
Leyton punches away a shot on target by Thunderbolt (and then starts feeling that hand carefully with his other one, with a look of pain on his face), and it goes to Benjamin; He heads it to Sneijder, who’s currently just on “our” side of the press; Sneijder catches the ball on his chest, and grounds it, then pirouettes quickly and sends it on a long shot into the Belles’ half; and how did Lafayette get there without being noticed & marked?! Lafayette runs for goal, our Backs close in on him but he slips past both of them, he reaches the 18-yard line, he’s still running, O TrustyHand comes forwards slightly to “meet” him,,, and he slips past her as well! The Belles’ goal is temporarily wide open and, before O Trustyhand can get back onto her line, Lafayette taps the ball neatly “straight down the middle” to claw back a goal for the Knights! 3-1, now, still smelling good for the Belles but maybeso a sign that they need to be maybeso a bit warier themselves?
Shortly after that, Thunderbolt launches a shot at the Knights’ goal after charging forwards in such a determined way that the defenders seem to me to have been trying harder to get out of her way than to stop her. Leyton manages to smother it, because the sheer number of other players around the box meant that she just didn’t have room to manoeuver onto a line further from his reach. She stops suddenly, clutches her right calf, and sits down. The referee stops play, Chiarroya Cook⁽⁴⁾ and her assistants come across from the side-line… They’re talking with Thunderbolt, and checking her leg. They’re helping her off of the pitch… Word is that she might have a hamstring problem, caused by having to make a sudden jerk sideways to avoid running straight into one of the defenders, but hopefully it’s just a less serious pulled muscle instead.
M.U.NV.⁽⁵⁾ is sending Tahrra [#22] on as a replacement Forward, giving this promising novice her debut for the Belles. The Knights see this and start complaining to the referee because what they smell is one player being replaced by tow, but he has been briefed properly in advance of the game and points out the NSWCC rule about Ursine identical twins… Sneijder argues on, until he’s shown a yellow card for it, even so.
Nothing else significant before half-time.
Again, I’d really like to know what the other side’s boss told their players during the break. Anyhows, they come out looking more determined — as well as less, some of them, less exhausted — than when they went in. He’s just made all three of his changes at this point, Wagner [#24] for Leyton in goal, and Martin [#12] & Cortizon [#14] replacing Benjamin & Marchand — both of whom presumably had had too much facing the belles’ attacks to continue, too — in their back row.
Within moments the pattern from the first half, with most of the Belles pressing up into the last third of the pitch while the Knights focus desperately on defence, is back in place. That concentration around their own goal doesn’t let the Knights keep the Belles from opening the score back up to a four-goal advantage for urrs, though, because less than five moments later a high kick from Lightning (all that she could manage in that crowd, where there wasn’t enough clearance for anything closer to the ground) takes the ball onto one of Tahrra’s heads, she flicks it sideways onto her other head, and from there it goes straight over Wagner’s head into — and through! — the back of the net. Now, that’s POWER!
Wagner shows some power himself at this point, kicking the ball way into the Belles’ half where Swanson and Lafayette are running with renewed vigour to catch up. Lafayette gets it, and continues into the box where he’s tackled “too high” by Greerh, daughter of Tuwoloh — who’s the first of her people to play for the Belles since the return to international competition — in a way that the referee decides is worth a penalty) and, for Greerh, a yellow card). Lafayette, who still seems a bit shaken, cedes the shot to Swanson.. who sends the ball straight into O TrustyHand’s grasp.

After that, though, the Knights’ defence seems to find a rhythm and keeps the ball safely away from our girls… although that’s at the expense of no further counter-attacks for them, neither... right through until the last moment of added time. By that point the Belles have maybeso stopped expecting the Knights to try anything more, because somehow Sneijder and Swanson manage to repeat Sneijder & Lafayette’s moves from their only goal so far well enough to score — this time with O TrustyHand staying on her line, but fumbling the catch — again.
Final score, 4-2 in the Belles’ favour.
And so, as top in this group, the Belles head over to the ‘Miner’s Haven’[/b[] stadium at [b]Goldsan —the site of their first modern line-up’s 2nd 7 3rd group-stage games during DBC45 (lost to Cosumar, 2-3; beat Lochario, 3-1) for their ‘Round of Sixteen’ match… which is against?
(Haven’t got the Group ‘E’ final results yet…)⁽⁶⁾

_______________________________________

OOC Footnotes

1. Most of my notes from those days were on a memory-stick that stopped working properly, and I haven’t been able to find the time for searching through all of the archived threads (if I could even find all of them, that is: Some were back on Jolt…) to re-collect them. As time has been re-set for the Bears, in between their earlier run of entries into international competition and this current run [DBC#45 onwards], blaming whatever caused that in this way seems the simplest solution both OOC and IC…

2. Presumption on my part, based on the fact that nothing’s been said to the contrary: Feel free to correct me, of course, if this is wrong.

3. Remember the standard Ursine system for measuring time? One day = sixteen ‘watches’ (so a football match’s 90 minutes of ‘normal time’, over both halves, coincidentally works out as one ‘watch’…), one ‘watch’ = sixty-four ‘moments’ (so one ‘moment’ is fractionally under 1.5 minutes), and one ‘moment’ = sixty-four ‘instants’.

4. This squad’s Chief Physiotherapist, replacing Krrystal Bruin who held that post during DBC45 & DBC46 but now works with the Belles’ senior team instead.

5. “Mu.U.NV.” = Marra Urrth’hrra Norr-Vurra, the Chief Coach for this version of the Belles. She is only very distantly related to their captain Beorrana Norr-Vurra [#5]>

6. Yes, I have… but Jammy hasn’t.

by **Sarzonia** » Mon Feb 17, 2020 2:39 pm

Glen Baker was feeling especially reflective the morning of the Sarzonian Under 21 national team's match against Cassadaigua in the Round of 16 of the Di Bradini Cup.

He wasn't thinking about the history of the competition or Sarzonia's place in it. After all, the Stars lifted this particular trophy once in the long history of the tournament. He wasn't thinking about football much at all, to be perfectly honest.

He looked in the mirror at the hotel room he shared with reserve defender Brett Mabry and thought back to months before the Stars even signed up for the current Di Bradini Cup. He reflected on the Under 21 national team's time in the AOCAF. The Stars bore the record of typical cannon fodder, winning just twice from 10 matches and earning a lone draw. The Stars lost seven of the 10 matches they played, albeit against senior national teams. They hardly embarrassed themselves at all; in fact, they even pushed highly ranked Banija in both matches.

Baker's thoughts wandered back to Bryan Ostrom, the manager who got the Junior Stars prepared as well as you could expect an Under 21 football side to be against senior teams that had pedigree. The fact the Stars simply played like an outmatched side rather than one as hideously overmatched as they by all rights should have been was a terrific credit to Ostrom. He wondered what demons wrestled with a man who was the toast of Sarzonian football supporters to make him commit suicide on the eve of the Stars competing in a World Cup. He also thought back to what he'd referred to in conversations with close friends as "The Incident."

Even though he'd more than made amends for using a homophobic slur, and even though the victim of said slur had long since forgiven him for it, Baker was having a difficult time forgiving himself. The guilt stayed in the back of his mind long after he'd uttered the word he came to regret as soon as it left his lips. He'd drawn a three-match suspension that did little except entrench Carlton Sandt as the starting goalkeeper for the Under 21 national team and consign Baker to street clothes and even kept him out of the team's dressing room for those days. He came back to the room changed. He wasn't as jovial as he was at the beginning of AOCAF. He was more guarded, more reserved. But he also came back with a renewed understanding of why words he'd so thoughtlessly spat out during the heat of battle hurt.

He'd always known the "f-word," as he so often called it, making it clear from his liberal use of the word beginning with the same letter that signified copulation that he clearly meant the word so often used to denigrate members of the LGBTQIA+ community was one he ordinarily refused to use. And he still beat himself up over the fact he'd allowed that word to escape his lips even once. He also saw one or two of his teammates eyeing him with a glint of anger as he addressed the team. One player who did was openly pansexual. Another player was straight, but he had close LGBTQIA+ friends and was both angry at and disappointed in Baker.

By now, they'd smoothed things over, but the fact that he'd shown such poor judgment in the first place still haunted him to a certain extent. He'd been able to put enough of the past where it belonged in the three matches of the group stage to earn a result against Terre Septentrionale, becoming the first Stars team to walk off a pitch in triumph against a team representing the Northmen or Northwomen. He'd played well enough against Trolleborg and Mrinn to earn the Stars the second Group D berth and the date with Cassadaigua, but his reserve after matches was most noticeable for his teammates who played on the AOCAF side. They noticed Baker was less likely to join in on celebratory outings after matches. They noticed his reticence with people, in particular one of Rick Hadley's friends who self-identified as gay. Hadley confronted Baker after he learned which word resulted in the three-match suspension and was quick to point out how angry he'd made his friend.

The night before the team's match with the Dagans, Hadley and his friend knocked on the hotel room door. Mabry opened it.

"Is Glen here?"

"Yes," Mabry said. "Glen? Someone here wants to see you."

Baker turned from the mirror to look at the visitor and stopped short.

"Oh, hey," he said with a halting voice.

"Hey," the man said. He looked at Hadley and Mabry. "Can we talk in private for a minute or two?" Mabry looked at Baker and saw a flash of fear and saw him swallow hard, but then Baker nodded. Mabry then nodded at Hadley. The two made their way to the door, then Mabry said. "We'll be in the lounge." They left and then the door shut behind Mabry's friend.

"Hey," the friend said.

"Hey."

"Um, I know you're not comfortable with me right now, so I'll get right to it," he said.

Baker glanced quickly at the floor as his head lowered. It stayed that way for a minute, then he looked back up.

"I just want to start with a question. Do you have a problem with gay people?"

"No," Baker said quickly. Too quickly, he thought. Almost defensively. He drew in his breath and exhaled slowly.

"I don't have any problem with gay people," he said. "In fact, the word I used is," before Hadley's friend cut him off.

"The word you used is highly offensive," he said. "But you knew that. You also were embarrassed by it. I could tell by your press conference. You did everything you could to make amends. I just wanted you to know I -- forgive you."

Baker smiled, but Hadley's friend could tell straight away it was a sad smile. "This is hard for me, the friend said, but I've seen how much it bothers you. If you really hated gay people, it wouldn't have eaten away at your conscience the way it has. Just remember not every gay person is going to hate you forever because of one mistake. Forgive yourself. If I can do it, you should be able to."

Baker looked at Hadley's friend with eyes that soon showed gratitude toward a man who was clearly lifting a massive burden off Baker. Baker hesitated for a moment because he didn't usually initiate hugs, but he got the sense that Hadley's friend wouldn't offer a hug first, thinking Baker might be uncomfortable with showing affection toward a gay man.

"Thank you," Baker said, stretching out his arms to offer a hug. Hadley's friend looked for a couple of beats, then willingly joined in. The hug lasted at least 15 seconds before the weight of an intemperate remark began to fall by the wayside.

It may not be enough to make Baker think exclusively about how to deal with the Dagans, but it was a step in the right direction.

by **Banija** » Mon Feb 17, 2020 2:55 pm

Vijana Kadongo Kamu's early successes at Di Bradini Cup overshadowed by Idi Mboge abandoning side for Mriin

CAPRI, VALANORA- 32 teams entered the Di Bradini Cup. All of them were guaranteed at least three games at the multiverse's premier regularly scheduled youth competition. And exactly 16 of those teams would not get another match more- 16 different team planes were sent flying home to various countries, alongside sets of fans and travelling family members and media members and whoever else. And that left only 16 teams remaining. Nothing is promised when you get to the knockouts- it is either four games and won(aka, winning four in a row), or it is one and done. it's exciting. It's high pressure. Every game played from here on out could be your last. It is why associations spend millions of NSDs sending their teams out here to Valanora, investing in youth programs, youth managers, flights, hotels, and all that, to send their squads here. Not because they get big TV rights deals selling these back home. It's for these games, specifically. Not even the group stage games- but particularly, for the knockout stages. The pressure of an international knockout match, no matter what you do, simply cannot be simulated. That's why the Banijans were so disappointed to lose the coin flip in DBC 44. They didn't get the chance to see their youngsters compete in those do-or-die matches, where the margin for error shrinks a lot at once, and only continues to go down from there.

Robel Ezera told reporters, before the tournament, that he considers the tournament a key part of Banijan development- it's precisely the reason why the Banijans do not sign up for it every single World Cup cycle. "This tournament, so far, shows the value of getting your youngsters out there, and getting them ready to play." He told reporters. "And our infrequent appearances ensure that the players on the squad realize the magnitude of what we're doing here. Make them realize exactly how important this is. Make them understand that a tournament like this is truly a one time shot. It's a good lesson to teach young athletes in general, that life rarely offers second chances, and you have to make the most of the chance that is in front of you." And for now, the Vijana Kadongo Kamu find themselves in the knockout stages. There were two goals wins over both Chromatika and Huelavia by scores of 4-2 and 2-0 respectively, each bookending a 3-2 loss to the Junior Haps. It was a performance good enough for second place in Group G, and setting them up for a rather entertaining knockout stage game against the Young Wanderers of Pasarga.

But a lot of that has been overshadowed over recent days. Tyrone Barrett slicing through Banijan defenders, or Ogunsola's overhead kick stunner against HUElavia even, a lot of it has slid under the radar. Why? Well, there's only one story that anybody's interested in right now- the story of Idi Mboge. Here is the background on the central midfielder. Idi Mboge is a 19 year old central midfielder, and was on the Di Bradini Cup roster. Last season, he starred in the Banijan Youth League at the Moravica Regional Academy, and he was rated by this very magazine as the #1 overall prospect in the Banijan Youth League after that season. Of course, it gets more interesting than that- there are plenty of starlets out there. Idi Mboge's name, of course, is very Banijan. His parents were immigrants to Maal shortly before he was born. His father is a civil engineer for the City of Maal, and has been for almost 21 years now. So while his older brothers were born in Banija, he himself was born in Maal, Mriin's largest city, and their capitol.

And he was not just born there- he grew up there. While, of course, he was raised close to his Banijan roots, living in Little Istria and attending temple every week, and of course speaking fluent Olusanke, he was still raised in Mriin. He grew up playing on the streets of Mriin. He toughened up playing against all sorts of species living in Maal, from other Mrii-Banijans to Mrii humans and against satyrs. And he got noticed- not, of course, by Mriin footballing authorities but back home, in Banija. The Moravica Regional Academy had heard of him, as the RBSA had given the academies instructions to seek out potential dual-nationals earlier in their careers. The Moravica Regional Academy convinced him to come back to Banija, and there you have it. He came to the Banijan Youth League, and he starred. He legitimately had a future. Could he be the heir to players like Kizza Okafor and/or Amadi Uche, and eventually play alongside Mzukisi Nzo?

But many always felt that he preferred to play for Mriin. It was telling when, Mriin had a game against the Busoga Islands, and Mboge flew out to the game, in the stands, and sat alongside the Mriin travelling faithful. So him getting a call-up for the U21 national team was not very surprising. What was surprising, was maybe the fact that he had accepted. Mriin's football association is not known for allowing humans on their team- in fact, according to their official roster, this is the first time humans have ever been called up to play for Mriin's national team. Right here. In this tournament. So him not thinking an invite would come is probably understandable. But one came. Albeit, incredibly late. Albeit, while Mboge was already in Valanora preparing to be with the national team.

The entire event was surreal. The RBSA had just released a short statement that Mboge's release from the national team, effectively immediately, had been granted, and that it was mutually agreed between the national team and the player. Many had naturally assumed that there were concerns around his eligibility to play for the Vijana Kadongo Kamu- but then, something shocking happened. He suddenly appeared on the Mriin bench for their first game. No warning, no nothing- and then, even more stunningly, came off the bench to head in the equalizer in Mriin's first DBC match. Then, of course, there was a media scramble. We found out that DBC officials, reluctantly, allowed the switch, with RBSA(Royal Banijan Soccer Association) officials signing off.

The reactions from Banija's players, were interesting. "Let's be clear here- he abandoned us." Said Momodou Sene. "Who ditches their team, two days before the start of a major tournament, to go play for another country? Where's his loyalty? Look at him. He's as Banijan as anyone on this team. He's got no business playing for Mriin. Who cares if he was born there? His blood is Banijan, and that's what matters."

Another player, Kausu Dione, also commented. "Ditching the national team at a major tournament is bad enough." Said Dione. "But then to leave, and then play for another country at the same tournament? Despicdable. It can be a hard decision, I get it. But if you aren't committed, then why did he come in the first place? I hope he doesn't expect to come back into the national team setup- he'll have a lot of explaining to do. We thought we were his brothers and sisters in arms, but maybe not."

George Wangolo, the manager, said the following. "There is never an ideal moment to switch teams, especially national teams. But you have to follow your heart." He told us. "But Idi is growing into a man, and he knows this- there are consequences for his actions. It'll generate backlash. It's not ideal certainly to have a player walk out like that, but he's made his choice. We're all adults here- we have to deal with it and move on." Wangolo refused to say whether he'd characterize Mboge's actions as abandoning the team.

There were a number of critical Banijan commenters on twii.tur today. Here, of course, is a sample of this own magazine's twii.tur feed.

@AllBanijaSportsMagazine
Breaking- Idi Mboge switches paperwork at Di Bradini Cup- suits in Mriin sky blue
     @AnwarJirobi202049
    Screw you Idi! Does blood mean anything to you man?
     @ChibuzoMavuto29
    Someone needs to remind this guy that he's Banijan. Being born in Maal doesn't erase your roots mate. #ComeHomeIdi
     @AllanBavata
    Who wants somebody whose willing to abandon us at first sight, like that, right before the tournament starts? Disrespect. He should be banned from ever switching back to the Kadongo Kamu after this stunt. 
     @KellyAnneKelzy
    There's no such thing as loyalty in club soccer- that's always been true. But you thought there was on the national side. But to see this overpaid athlete spit on our flag like that? Get him the heck out of here. #Overrated

He's quickly become one of the stories of the tournament, and now is an easy target for Banijans to hate. Who knows what his future holds for him? His academy eligibility is expired as he has reached his 19th birthday, and he is expected to have a number of suitors. A Baker Park squad is being rumored to put a big money offer behind this guy. Who knows what'll happen? We do know this- this is a controversy that likely won't go away anytime soon.

by **Pasarga** » Mon Feb 17, 2020 7:35 pm

The Young Wanderers had seen off with a highly impressive offensive showing the challenges of all the group stage, putting The Free Republics and Oberour Ar Moro to the sword in a far more comfortable fashion than their opening match against The Golden Lotus. As many had hoped, the team seemed to get stronger as the group stage continued, looking the most complete in their demolition of their Rushmori rivals to win the group. The opening game has been something of a stumble for the Young Wanderers in recent memory and it really should not have been that much of a surprise that the team did not look their best for that opening match, yet made their presence felt quite heavily in the next two matches. Péter Csorba shook off his nerves from the opening match and grabbed himself a brace against the Free Republics, while Olivia Garza Rosales finished the group stage with four goals and has delivered on the promise that she showed during the training camp, as well as the experience of having been part of the team that finished second two years ago here in the Eternal Empire.

Two goals conceded in every match does mean however that the backline and keeper position have a bit of work to do and as the knockout are now upon us, very little way in the time to fix those issues that have become apparent. With this young of a squad and not a single keeper who had been part of that runner's up squad, it was perhaps natural to expect the side to have a bit of a wobble in the defensive end. Yet with the offense managing to get its act together for the second and third matches of the group stage, one would have been quite naturally have assumed that the defensive unit would have seen improvement as well. Yet that has obviously not been the case with the side still conceding those two goals each game, where even only holding Oberour Ar Moro to a single goal could have been seen as a measure of improvement, especially with the matches now about to get infinitely more difficult than they were in the group stages and the measure of pressure being put upon the squad ratcheting up to ten from where it was upon entering into the Empire.

That is especially true given winning the group has done the Young Wanderers absolutely no favors with their draw pitting them against Banija, who somehow managed their way into second place instead of group winners in their group. It is the type of match that before the group games had been played that you would have expected to play out during the tournament's semifinal stage, but unfortunately for both teams and sets of fans they will be meeting in the Round of Sixteen instead. While the Young Wanderers will be having the problem of merely trying to better their defensive line and play from the keeper position, the Banija comes into the fixture in the middle of what seems national angst, with a dual national switching their allegiance from Banija to Mriin days before the tournament was set to begin. Apparently the DBC officials here in the Eternal Empire were relcutant to approve the transfer but with the Banija FA giving the clear for it to transpire, they decided not to stand in the way and let the player complete the move and represent Mriin in the tournament. Needless to say, as evidenced by the social media coming from Banija, it has stirred quite the controversy and one has to wonder how it is effecting their team's mentality and cohesiveness.

That question is apt, considering that most would have picked Banija to easily have won their group, regardless of how good that group might have appeared on paper. The world over has been seeing the rise of the Banija athlete and national leagues have taken note, with the clubs here in our host country making big bids on talented Bainja national teamers, with their domestic league not even up to the SuperLiga standard. With a talented youth program, this Banija team on paper should have walked their group and have had an easier tie to show for their efforts here in the Eternal Empire, a far better fate than that of four years ago when poor luck saw their campaign end prematurely. That mental fragility and lack of togetherness is not something that the Young Wanderers need worry about, especially with the amount of players that have played together in youth leagues and academies since they were young children and the national pride and spirit that is ever present in those who don the arrow and crescent moon crest. It is a hairline of an edge but it is one that can be exploited and used to send our team into the ascendancy or it might bring the Banija squad closer together with an us versus the World mentality.

The side will be leaving the comforts of Mar Sara and heading to the Empire's national stadium on the island of Capri, in the city of the same name. It is expected that Banija will have the better of the fan support, being part of the same subregion as the hosts, having not that far too travel as compared to our fans who have had traverse thousands of miles and expend small fortunes to secure their tickets to this event. Can the resurgent attack that has found life anew in the latter two matches of the group stage be able to undo the defensive unit of Banija the same way that the Junior Haps did en route to taking the group title from Banija or will our opposition find their team spirit and exploit a young defensive unit that has looked like the weak point of this squad?

by **Valanora** » Mon Feb 17, 2020 7:47 pm

Round of Sixteen
Cassadaigua 2–2(3–3 AET)[3–4 PKs] Sarzonia
Filindostan 0–1 Schottia
Kita-Hinode 0–2 Nephara
Mriin 2–0 Starblaydia
Imperial Joseon 2–0 Taeshan
Pasarga 2-2(2-3 AET) Banija*
Hapilopper 1–2 Free Republics
Bears Armed 3–3(3–3 AET)[2–3 PKs] Mavinet
*Scorinated by Farfadillis

Quarterfinal Fixtures
Sarzonia v Schottia @ Hellgate, Raynor City
Nephara v Mriin @ Aranfield Bridge, Everlin
Imperial Joseon v Banija @ Rose Gardens, Kareen
Free Republics v Mavinet @ Turmondale Grounds, Raynor City

by **Imperial Joseon** » Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:38 pm

Joseon 2 - Taeshan 0

Bae Hyun Jae 16'
Ki Koo Seok 29'

Imperial Joseon faced Taeshan today with extreme nervousness, as Taeshan is a veteran team in the Di Bradini U-21 World Cup. However, the former used a 3-3-4 formation to consolidate their defense and allow for active counterattacks. Fortuitously, two goals were scored in the first half, and the morale in the Taeshan team decreased significantly. The fact that no shots were made by the Taeshanis made Joseon's advance to the Quarterfinals much easier.

However, there is a significant concern with the quarterfinals machup. Banija is a highly physical and a high-scoring team that defeated Pasarga, a veteran team. Although the victory was made in the penalty kicks, Banija has a good chance of scoring many times on Joseon. The latter will have to be cautious of their intimidating offense. However, Joseon will overcome their strikes, as they are exceptional in defense, having allowed only two goals in the tournament so far.

by **Sarzonia** » Mon Feb 17, 2020 9:12 pm

Sarzonia's Under 21 national team have now only won a single match from four matches they've played in the 47th edition of the Di Bradini Cup, also known as the 68th Under 21 World Cup.

Fortunately, the knockout rounds include two 15-minute extra time periods and penalties, as any Krytenian might cringe upon being reminded of the latter.

Even after a lengthy absence from the competition, the Stars still found a way to advance to the knockout rounds. They somehow found a way to win, knocking out Cassadaigua 4-3 in penalties after regulation saw the two teams level at 2-2 and stoppage time saw each team score once.

The Stars battled back twice, including a 56th minute tally from Suzi Calderon where she worked her way through traffic and fired an off balance shot from a difficult angle to cut Cassadaigua's lead to 2-1. In the 79th minute, she sent a beautiful cross that found the forehead of reserve forward Nick Raiden and he dealt a clinical finish to draw the Stars level.

In the fourth minute of the first extra time session, the Fillies regained a one-goal lead through Jessi Stewart, who beat Glen Baker with a cheeky bicycle kick. She celebrated the goal too demonstratively for Baker's liking and the Stars goalkeeper drew a caution for pushing Stewart.

In the 118th minute, it was Sarzonia who would get the next laugh as Calderon fired a shot that Danielle Cotter was fortunate to save, but Raiden found himself in the perfect position and banged home the rebound to draw the score level once more.

Finally, it was time for the penalty round. Raiden shot first for the Stars and fired high over the crossbar and Cotter's outstretched glove. Kelci Whitman was up first for the Dagans and beat the right side-guessing Baker to give the Dagans the lead. Calderon got Cotter to guess she would fire to Cotter's right and blasted a shot into the area Cotter's dive took her away from.

Then it was time for Baker to get the next laugh as he guessed correctly and slammed Stewart's shot away on the Dagans second attempt. Joanie Rhys converted for the Stars, then Heather Barrick did the same for the Fillies. Edwin Campbell buried his shot for the Stars, then Cheryl Zeccola did the honours for Cassadaigua.

Next up for Sarzonia was Rick Hadley. He fired a shot that just nicked off Cotter's glove and into the net for the fourth Stars goal of the round. Nicole Kirkpatrick was up next and she fired, but Baker guessed correctly that she would fire to the middle of the goal and he easily cradled the shot. At that, the Stars finally could celebrate what had been a hard fought contest.

Jessica Curran made a beeline to Stars manager Nathan Hanifer and congratulated him on the match. Other than Stewart's gamesmanship and Baker's yellow card as a result, it was an epic battle between two worthy opponents.

"First of all, I've got to hand it to the Fillies, Coach Curran, all of them," Hanifer said. "That was a great match, very well played. It's a shame only one of these sides can go through."

The Stars will face Schottia in the quarterfinals at Hellgate in Raynor City. For now, though, the Junior Stars will thank the fates that they could advance after a long absence.

by **Schottia** » Tue Feb 18, 2020 5:04 am

Before the Filindostan match...

Since the “Golden Generation” lifted the trophy back at DBC-33, Schottia had only been past the round of sixteen twice in their other twelve attempts. It kind of threw cold water on the idea that the nation was some sort of youth football powerhouse (which was a notion that had taken hold back home). When you compared their record to that of Kita-Hinode, Pasarga, or even Ceni back in the day, you had to conclude that Schottia were sorely lacking consistency at this level. This was why the players were taking none of this for granted, as they prepared to face Filindostan at the Duran Palace.

Tess had been predictably dropped back to the bench to make way for a fit and rested Lewis Nicholson. She wasn’t over the moon about it, but she’d seen it coming. Actually she was a little pissed off, if truth be told, but no amount of her sitting, sulking with her arms folded, was going to make a blind bit of difference.

‘And Michael, when you get the ball, I want you looking up!’

Tess was watching the gaffer, rather than listening to him. Grey Holden was a man who spoke with his hand. He made these quick, expressive hand gestures, which seemed to sign-out everything he said. His feet were never still either, as he paced the room at speed, his words seeming to excite him more than they did the players. Schottic footballers, by nature, were a dour bunch. Not all of them of course, but for the most part.

’You’ve got Wiwi on the left side of the Filindostani back three. If she tries to get tight to you, then look for Enrico’s run through the middle. If she holds back, then, to be honest, I’d just cut in and have a pop… Have a pop! Do that a couple of times, and you’ll hopefully draw her out of position, open up those gaps.

Tess was in a trance. If you dubbed some musical theatre number over what he was saying, you could have mistaken it for a sort of dace routine. However, there was a earnestness to him also, an intensity, some anxiety rippling under the surface. She knew a few players who had trained under Holden while he had been at the PCR branch office of the Performance Academy, and they had seen him reduce young players to tears when angered. Tess had never seen it, but she could imagine it.

’Tessa.’

Shit, that was her.

’You, and Lewis really, really need to listen to this next bit because it’s important.’

Important was good. Tess could do important.

’I don’t want to let them close in on us. The way we’re going to stop that is by moving the ball quickly. Keep the ball moving, keep them at arm’s length. Quick passing, move the ball on. That might mean that Mike or Lucy need to come forward and make another option available, likewise Freja and Enrico. If we are in possession, one of you falls a couple of metres back, set up the one-two, the other one tried to beat the offside trap.’

The players were nodding along for the time being, in full knowledge that game plans could easily go out of the window minutes after setting foot on the pitch.

’We can afford to roll the dice on this, gamble a bit.’

It occurred to Tess just how important these next couple of matches would be for the gaffer. Holden was a young manager, just starting in his career. A decent run here, in front of the cameras, and he’d be guaranteed a club job next season. This was his third cycle with the under-twenty-ones (second as manager) and he would be looking to move on. It’s crazy how fine the margin for error was. Going out in the group stages as opposed to a the later rounds, could spell the difference between getting a job in one of the top ranked associations, or having to settle for the lower tiers of Schottic football. A couple of goals could mean life or a slow, slow death for his career as a coach….

Filindostan 0–1 Schottia @ Duran Palace, Valanari
Line-up: Prichard, Del Dunuin, Ayoub, Hellhauer, Christie, Robb, Ùisge (Ramsey), Arniston (Maitfield), Nicholson, Simonsen, Enrico (Hunter)
Goals: Ramsey

Grey Holden had his preferred starting XI all present and correct as he prepared to face Filindostan. Several of those players were feeling the benefit of a rest in the previous match, and there was little argument that this was as strong a side he had available in the age bracket.

The difference it makes when Jojo Ayoub plays, on the left side of defence, is like night and day. Schottia like to play the ball out from the wingback areas, and having someone with his strength and composure is vital. It was, in fact, the Pirates teenager who created the side’s first chance, at the end of a surging run into the box. The young left-back was looking to pass it, but the defence seemed to open up in front of him, and in the end, he was unlucky to see his shot fizz past Louise Sabiniano’s far post. Schottia were moving the ball well, but there was always a danger whenever Alfian Salma’s side came forward, and Michael Christie had to prevent a Wati Rumba goal with a sliding block-tackle.

Schottia stayed patient, and continued to press for a goal in the second half, with the introduction of Kinnel Hunter and Kendra Ramsey giving them some fresh impetus. With the final whistle approaching it was indeed Ramsey who had the final say, as Freya Simonsen’s blocked shot fell kindly for her. After a good save from Sabiniano, it looked as if Filindostan were going to live to fight another day, before the winger - on loan at Port Patrick from Chenoworth Rovers - hammered the ball high into the net.

by **Imperial Joseon** » Tue Feb 18, 2020 5:13 am

Imperial Joseon (조선황국)
Rose Gardens, Kareen (장미화원, 카린)

==============================================================

To prepare for the quarterfinals matchup against Banija, the Joseon players have been practicing set pieces, which can give them opportunities to bring the ball closer to the opposition net ans score. Free kicks, corner kicks, and throw-ins were practiced. For the next match, the head coach is considering making active lineup changes to bring out a fresh form of Joseon offense. They believe Banija is a highly offensive team that can penetrate the Joseon defense, so they thought: Why not fight fire with fire?

Joseon reporters and spectators expect the match to be a high-scoring game, possibly going to extra time, and, with low probability, to the penalties. Penalty kicks have been practiced, and it has been reported some players' legs are sore from the profuse number of kicks; however, the coaches say the pain will subside quite quickly within a couple of hours.

by **Nephara** » Tue Feb 18, 2020 7:59 am

Anders Sonnett sighed, for the seventeenth time that day. He was in the glorious position of the Herald's Di Bradini Cup correspondent, a role he became more and more convinced with every passing day was an elaborate haze from his co-workers. He was young, fresh, had spent a fair time free-lancing, and couldn't hold his drink. That meant a lot of menial tasks in the workplace, at least until they hired the next sap he could get to fetch his coffee.
Some nations took youth football very seriously. Nephara was not particularly one of them. He was writing to a fairly tight wordcount, constrained further by the need to summarise the other knockout matches towards the end.
Still, you'd think they could at least be hyped for this. Nephara against Kita-Hinode? The old rivals? Going head-to-head for a place in the last eight, a potential golden generation in Nepharim hands, hot on the heels of the strong World Cup performance the country had been praying for... ! Oh, it was just filled with narrative, fit to burst!
So many young talents, and not just on the pitch, either. Koji Kagoname cutting a calm, dignified figure. Ivy Herrick, gesturing everywhere at everything at once. Particular intrigue around Lukas Stonemoore, one of Nephara's key strikers, reared in the Hinodejin university system. And the effervescent Latona Basilisk alongside him, cutting her teeth in the unforgiving tightness of Taeshan. A showcase, perhaps, of the value in sending talent abroad? Perhaps you could add Kendra Ramsey to that?
Sonnett got comfortable, set up his laptop, and tried to carve out some space in the press box.

The match kicked off at a good pace, the Hinodejin trying to dominate the centre of the park, the Nepharim trying to overload the flanks. Chantal Kalevi made the first shot just a minute in, but a speculative effort at best, making the most of a loose ball but easy enough for Yamaguchi to claim. Kazuya Mishima and Chikako Mori made a better fist of it at the other end - Mori forcing Provost into a scrambling save that needn't have been so hard, hearts in mouths, but the Otters keeper springing forward to defy Mishima on the follow-up.
Battles played out all over the pitch, same as in any senior game. Just... slightly slower, slightly worse. Lothaire Cromwell tried to control a simple pass from Rostock and toebashed it out for a throw-in. Basilisk got on the end of a Kalevi cross only to accidentally get it trapped under her knee, thigh and arse before it bounced off from under her.
She would not make the same mistake twice. Same cross from Kalevi, same late slide towards the far post, but this time hooked back across the face of goal. Stonemoore, following in like any good striker, ungainly shin-bashing the ball into the net.
Hostilities continued. The game went on. The Nepharim got more cynical - Herrick was teaching them well, Sonnett figured. And it was working. Half-time came and went without the scoreline being threatened, though both Yamaguchi and Provost had one further good save to make apiece.
The second half continued the theme. Quiet competence, apart from the occasional rash blunder, missed tackle, whatever. But as time wore on, Nephara went from edging an even contest through, essentially, Provost's double save, to gently easing in front and from there to, by the end, quietly snuffing out the Hinodejin chances. It was a professional and authoritative performance... all it needed was that goal to clinch it. And the hold began to waver in the eightieth minute or so, Hattanda fiercely driving across Provost, fingertips alone taking it past the upright. Sixteen-year old rightback Shirokawa sprang out from the flank, nipped in ahead of Muscadin and flashed a shot into the side netting.
It needed something like... well, it needed a screamer from Lothaire Cromwell, evidently. A simple reception from a Rostock pass, but instead of sending it hurtling into touch, he glided past Mori, then Mishima, bore down on goal with all the instincts of his more natural box-to-box role, and before anyone could close him down he just... smashed it.
Sonnett could swear he closed his eyes when he made contact.
The shot didn't suffer for it. Yamaguchi was rooted to the spot as the net rippled over her shoulder. And that was what Sonnett had been waiting for - for more than patriotic reasons.
Youth football had that stardust, too. Amplified by the fact that, well... this was only the beginning. Judging by this, the beginning of something special.

by **Mavinet** » Tue Feb 18, 2020 10:18 pm

Miner's Haven, Goldsan
Valanora

The long whistle brings the extra time to an end. Both teams now gather near their respective technical areas to rest and get ready for the dreaded penalty kicks, where nerves are tested and fortune is a fickle mistress.

"We just ended the extra time's 2nd half with no change in the scoreline. It's still 3-3 after what has been a roller coaster of emotion for all Mavinese football fans." Tran Hai Long keeps a close watch on his screen while he speaks in the recording room. The MBC decided to broadcast live Mavinet U21's first (and could be the only) knockout match in the 47th Di Bradini Cup, and senior sport commentator Tran Hai Long was picked to be the voice of the station on this match. Such a historic moment for Mavinet, a team as unknown to the football world as it can be, to reach the knockout stage of this prestigious youth tournament. Before the match, critics and casual football fans alike joked about Mavinet's appearance in the last 16 teams as an elephant on a tree. No one, not even the most fanatical supporters, believed the U21 boys of Mavinet can stand the might of defending champions Bears Armed. The Belles topped their group with the maximum 9 points and a whopping 12 goals scored against other teams, the joint highest of the group stage. With the might of the Ursines and the experience of a seasoned conqueror, surely beating Mavinet is as easy as swatting a fly. Well, as anyone who have tried swatting flies knows, it's actually not that easy. Here we are, end of extra time, and Mavinet is still in the game as much as their opponents.

The score 3-3 may mislead people into thinking that it has been a close match. In fact, the score was 3-0 to Bears Arm at the half time whistle. 3 goals from Urrth’hra Thunderbolt, Urrth’hra Fairbearrn and Karra Lightning in the 25th, 30th and 39th minute, respectively, crushed almost all hope for the young Mavinese boys. The differences in physical strength and mental experience were clear. But somehow a miracle happened in the 2nd half. With only 3 counter attacks from a pressed position, 2 shots from Chau Minh Tuan and 1 from Ly The Kiet found the back of net. With only 3 minutes to full time, the 3rd goal from Minh Tuan was the most incredible equalizer in the history of Mavinet's football. Mavinet really did come back from the dead.

"Here we go. The penalty shootout will commence in a moment. It seems Bears Armed will go first. They will definite try to claim an early mental advantage here. Who is the shooter? Uhhh...I can't say the whole name, but it's Thunderbolt. A prolific striker. She is stepping up to the spot. Can she scoreee? Yes she did. A powerful strike to the upper right corner. Both good and bad that Manh Cuong didn't even move, otherwise his arm probably wouldn't be straight after that.

It's going to be Minh Tuan for Mavinet. Very nervous for him. It's the shot! Blocked by the keeper! Unbelievable. Serranna Orchards guessed it right and jumped to the left. It's 1-0 for Bears Armed.

Zaa... Charpentaye is stepping up next. Pressure is off a bit but she still needs to score to make it safe for Bears Armed. She's looking to the left... Could it be... Here goes... Hit the post and stayed out! What a miss. Manh Cuong was defeated again but the post saved him. There is still hope. Still 1-0 for Bears Armed.

Van Dai's up for Mavinet. He has to make it, otherwis... Oh my, it's in. I haven't even finished my sentence. A nice shot to the right defeated the keeper. I guess taking it fast makes it less stressful. Well, makes my work a bit easier too. One-all.

It's True. Yes that's the name. She is taking it quickly as welllll.... Excellent block from Manh Cuong to give Mavinet a chance. The shot was a bit weak but still, credits to the keeper's composure to keep it out with the tip of his fingers.

Can Trung Anh give us a lead for the first time in this match? I'm so nervous. Come onnn... GOAL! Right in the middle. Very cheeky, very risky, but he succeeded. It's 2-1 for Mavinet. The table has turned.

Fairbearrn's turn. Quite stressful now for the Ursines. That's a long run-up...and it's in. Goalkeeper cleanly beaten. No surprise there. 2-2.

Mavinet's fourth taker is The Kiet. He is holding a bit, taking deep breath there. We're winding down to a few last kicks now. Any miss would be detrimental. Here we go... IN OFF THE CROSSBAR! Oh my poor heart! I believe everyone thought that was out, but the ball bounced pass the line for a very near-miss. 3-2 for Mavinet.

It's down to the last round now. Sarra Grear... My apologies to any Ursines hearing me but I just can't. Number 7 of Bear Arms is ready. It's a must-score. If she misses then Mavinet will be through. It's time. Oh I can't watch... She is taking itttt... OHHH! RIGHT IN THE FACE OF THE KEEPER AND OUT! WE'VE DONE IT! WE'VE MADE IT TO THE QUARTERFINAL. Unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen. I couldn't have thought of a more dramatic and, well, comedic ending to tonight's match. Manh Cuong's face will be remembered throughout the country after today, quite literally. It's quite a celebration the team are having on the field right now. Mavinet will be one of the last 8 teams of this year's Di Bradini Cup.

With this victory, we will play Free Republics in the next match after they won 2-1 against Hapilopper in a match ended just over an hour ago. Another former champion, another challenge for the boys, and another chance to continue the fairytale. Some of the young players are consoling the Ursines. It must have hurted to go out in this manner, but as young players, both the winners and losers will have much to learn from one another in a match like this.

That will be all from me for tonight. Please stay tuned for our post-match comments and analysis. Thank you for watching and I'll see you again in Raynor City."

---------------------
BEARS ARMED - 3
25' Urrth’hra Thunderbolt
30' Urrth’hra Fairbearrn
39' Karra Lightning

MAVINET - 3
56' Chau Minh Tuan
72' Ly The Kiet
87' Chau Minh Tuan

3-3 After Extra Time. Mavinet won on PKs.

---------------------
Lineup against Free Republics

by **Banija** » Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:43 am

Setting is Banijan Round of 16 match against Pasarga

This game was tight, and 90 minutes would not be enough to separate the two sides here at the 47th Di Bradini Cup. IT was always going to be a clash of large proportions when the Young Wanderers were drawn against the Vijana Kadongo Kamu. It had promised to be an entertaining and excellent match for both supporters and neutrals alike, and while there were plenty of quality matches in the Round of 16, at least on paper, this was one of the most anticipated going into the knockout stages. Now, of course, there were plenty of mouthwatering matchups- Cassadaigua v. Sarzonia was enticing as Sarzonia's U21 side, who have AOCAF experience, looked to reclimb that ladder.

But an entertaining match it was. And as the referee blew the full-time whistle, with the score tied at 2 goals a piece, both teams got ready for another 30 minutes. George Wangolo went through all four of the goals that had gotten them to this point, that had failed to prove decisive or deliver the knockout blow. It had actually been his side who had taken the lead originally in the match, taking the lead before halftime, right into the break. It had been an unfortunate break for the Pasargan side, but a break, of course, that the Banijans would most certainly take. This Pasargan side is an incredibly young team. Of course, it is the Di Bradini Cup, so that is to be expected, but it is an incredibly young team even for the DBC. The team is mostly teenagers. In fact, if they had decided to enter the Sporting World Cup in Taeshan instead of flying out here to Valanora, all but 5 players on this roster would have been eligible to play for a Pasargan squad in that tournament.

With that youthfulness comes energy, but some mistakes can come as well. If you're 18 or 17, as quite a few of these players are, the spotlight can shine very brightly. That's why countries send their teams to tournaments like this, and Wangolo knew that. While the goalkeepers were incredibly experienced, the same was not true of the back four, and he wanted to put as much pressure as he could on them. Particularly, Erik Klein. It was a stout back line, but Klein was the weak link, and when the Banijans got a corner kick, it would be Immaculate Kaba swinging it in towards goal. He had told her before the match to look for whomever Klein was marking, and it was their best aerial man, Kausu Dione. Dione started his run from the top of the box- went one way, and like he was playing a different code of football, juked the other way, towards the far post. The ball delivered was perfect, and Klein was a step behind. Dione rose up and essentially had a free header at the back post, which he used to powerfully head the ball home. The keeper didn't have a chance, as the Capitol City FC striker ran to celebrate amongst the Banijan faithful. 1-0, to the Banijans, at halftime.

But the Young Wanderers were far from done. They weren't one of the early tournament favorites for nothing. There was a reason this game was so highly anticipated- many thought that the Banijans and Pasargans could easily be meeting in the tournament's semifinals. So to think Pasarga was going to take that halftime deficit and just lie down was fanciful at best, but more realistically, downright foolish. They may be young, but they have an incredible amount of fight and heart. So the Young Wanderers, instead of being deflated, came out firing in the second half. They came out with their best foot forward, and were prepared to disappoint the majority Banijan crowd and equalize. It would not take them long to find that equalizer. A Gillen Madrigal López cross towards the penalty spot was punched away by Wanda Kouyaté, though her fist was no where near decisive. SHe popped the ball in the air, and it went back only like 6 yards. Csorba chested the ball, brought it down, took one step to the right, and blasted the ball to the corner. Wanda Kouyaté was out of position of course, and it was a solid finish. Just like that, the score was 1-1 50 minutes in, and the Young Wanderers had the momentum.

That was when George Wangolo decided to make his first substitution of the match. Try to stem the tide. Abigail Admassu in at attacking midfielder, coming on for Momodou Sene. Try to get some energy going forward. But it didn't matter. The Young Wanderers were in a grove, and they'd control the match for the next 25 or so minutes. The Banijans didn't even manage a single shot on goal in the second half until the 79th minute. The Pasargans were dominant, but could not finish. Wanda Kouyaté, seemingly determined to make up for her error that led to the first goal, was playing like a woman on a mission. Certainly more than can be said for anybody else on the team. She made a save against Elvar Konráðsson at point blank range. She had a diving save against a free header from Olivia Garza Rosales. But she couldn't stop the flood forever, and Pasarga eventually took a lead in the 82nd minute. A corner kick bent in, and Rosales rose above everybody, heading it towards the near post. It hit the post, and bounced back to her. She hit the bouncing ball one time, and connected perfectly, rocketing the ball into the back of the net. Banija's goalkeeper had no prayer. It was 2-1, and Wangolo all of a sudden needed to find his team a response to the goal that everybody could tell was coming.

Wangolo then made his second subsitution. Cyper Corr in for Musa Gaye. And that seemed to spark something in the Banijans. The Pasargans were on their back heels, and the Banijans were desperate to try and get that equalizer. It was the type of test that you'd want to give your young players, and they passed it perfectly, with Anwar Dawit, the team's captain, scoring in the 88th minute. And now, of course, they were between full time. They got the extra substitution. Wangolo gave his instructions. "Ok guys, we're in extra time." He said. "I don't want to go to penalties. You don't want to go to penalties. Let's go out and win this now, on the field. We can do it, eh? Push forward. Go out and get the goal- we have no desire for a shootout today." And he decided to give his players some help back in the back, using his third subsitution then. . Kawsu Mboge came in at center back, for Petros Obi Joas. But while the Banijans pushed, they were tiring as well.

Of course, new rules allowed the fourth subsitution in extra time. And so, it was used. Okechukwu Jelani came in at right back at halftime of extra time. And he made all the difference. All these players, on both teams, so young- they were huffing and puffing playing to 120 minutes. And Jelani, with the freshest legs of everybody, just tearing through the back line. He had three great runs to deliver crosses, getting up and down the field. In the 112th minute, he was all the difference. He had a long run towards the back post, where he was unmarked, and a perfect cross by Zebenjo gave the running defender a free header. Jelani headed the ball towards the far post, and the goalkeeper didn't have a chance. It delighted the fans, and even Wangolo ran all the way down to the corner.

And that was the game. After the match, Wangolo hugged Zebenjo and Jelani. What a win! And beating a team as good as the Young Wanderers as well. IN his post match press conference, he praised the Pasarga side. "They are an extremely talented side, and to get eliminated this early in such a tournament is truly heart-wrenching." He told reporters. "But they are going to be good for a while. I watched their senior team be a step above the competition in the Cup of Harmony, and they've got quite a group of talented youngsters right here. Pasarga's going to be back, and be back very quickly. This generation coming up is great. But look at what our team has done. We've taken on the early tournament favorites, Pasarga, and we knocked them out in extra time. What heart was shown. On both sides. A fantastic match."

He was then asked about Banija's upcoming opponent, Imperial Joseon. "Well, when you say our youth program is on a high, their youth program is on an even greater high. These guys literally came from nowhere, having never entered major international competition before, and had their U18 side win the Sporting World Cup. And now, they've gotten their U21s into the Di Bradini Cup Quarterfinals! It shows the SWC win wasn't luck- they haven't been in this level of international competition, but they've sure got the talent to succeed here. Don't underestimate a nation just because we haven't played them before- they're a talented team, with a suffocating back line. I need to watch more film on them, of course. They've only conceded a couple of times in four games. They're incredibly talented, and will certainly be a tough opponent to overcome in the next round."

After that, of course, George Wangolo went back to the team hotel, and immediately popped in film that he had on the Imperial Joseon. Where were the gaps in their defense? How could the Vijana Kadongo Kamu open up the upstarts and punch a ticket to the semifinals? Wangolo studied, and they would see if he could find a way...

by **Sarzonia** » Wed Feb 19, 2020 6:40 pm

The day after the Cassadaigua match was going to be a day of rest for the Sarzonian Under 21 national team.

Manager Nathan Hanifer decided his charges had little left in the tank after 120 minutes of football and five penalty rounds against the Fillies and they needed to preserve their physical strength. He'd decided he and his coaching staff would do mental reps to prepare the team for Schottia.

But when Hanifer arrived at the stadium at 0700 hours local time, he saw the entire team waiting for him in the lobby.

"They didn't give us keys to the dressing room," Rick Hadley said. "They said only you or one of the assistant managers had access to open the door."

Of course, Hanifer thought. He'd told the stadium staff to not expect his team to go in for training and left instructions that only the coaching staff could access the dressing room or the training facility. If he hadn't canceled the training session, he would have designated Hadley as the player able to get the doors opened.

"Rick, I thought I told you not to come in for training," Hanifer said. "After last night, you need all the rest you can get. Let us worry about Enrico Hanson-Conavavio and Freja Simonsen. You worry about rest and getting rid of some of that lactic acid."

"You did tell us that," Hadley said. "But we want to get out here and get the work in. We know about Hanson-Conaviavio and Simonsen. And you forgot to mention Michael Robb taking the right-booted corners. There's only so much mental prep we can do for that. We want to see how we handle things against live competition."

You'll get that soon enough, Hanifer thought and was about to tell Hadley, but he saw the looks on the faces of his players, in particular Glen Baker, whom he suspected wanted the time more to distract himself from his own head. He may have thought Baker was somewhat rueful over allowing two goals in regulation and one in stoppage time against the Fillies, even though the Junior Stars offence picked him up with a three-goal output of their own, plus a 4-3 margin during penalties. He was right. At least partly. He knew of Baker's tendency to beat himself up, but he didn't realise that he still had "The Incident" in the back of his mind. Even though Hadley told him his friend forgave him, and even though several people told him the same.

His personal redemption was going to be the story for Baker if the Junior Stars were to somehow pull off the miracle result and win the Di Bradini Cup, but the news that two-time defending champions Bears Armed had crashed out at the Round of 16 themselves sent an excited jolt through the team. The fact the Junior Stars were facing Schottia and not Filindostan wasn't lost on the team either. Pasarga and Hapilooper, both unbeaten and undrawn during the groups stage, were both ousted in the Round of 16, by Banija in extra time and by Free Republics in regulation respectively.

That meant, technically, that Group D mates Mrinn and Schottia joined the Junior Stars as the only three teams remaining in the quarterfinals round who have not lost a match. Schottia had a mark of 2-1-0 with their only blemish a 1-1 draw against Group C winners Kita-Hurode, who themselves fell to Nephara 2-0. Both Mrinn and Sarzonia had marks of 1-2-0 coming in, with a 1-1 draw against each other in among two draws and each team's lone victory of the group stage. Mrinn knocked out traditional football powerhouse and longtime Sarzonian nemesis Starblaydia 2-0.

Regardless of whether the Stars extend their stay for two more matches or pack up and leave after tonight's fixture against Schottia, one thing is clear. These Junior Stars have definitely assembled some memories to take with them into the future. And that may be the biggest victory of them all.

by **Valanora** » Wed Feb 19, 2020 7:25 pm

Quarterfinals
Sarzonia 1–1(1–2 AET) Schottia
Nephara 0–0(0–0 AET)[4–3 PKs] Mriin
Imperial Joseon 1–2 Banija
Free Republics 2–4 Mavinet

Semifinal Fixtures
Schottia v Nephara @ The White Fortress, Gladerial
Banija v Mavinet @ Angelotic Temple, Longview

by **Mriin** » Wed Feb 19, 2020 7:29 pm

Älita wandered over to Geraard on the sidelines as they waited for the Starblaydi to finish their 'war dance.' "You don't seem too intimidated."

"Seen it. Beat 'em after."

"And lost, too."

"Don't rub it in." He let out a chuckle. "They don't got it quite down yet, too. Burns nearly tripped himself up there."

"Maybe that's our key." She let a wry grin crack through her facade. "We can focus on the game, while they have to try and look pristine to live up to their glorious heritage."

"I like what you're thinking. Just try and keep their shins intact, y'know? Humans ain't got the same bone density we do."

"If only they had some dwarves on this squad. Now THAT would be a screwy matchup to learn."

"Fuckin' shit." Tobiáš mumbled into his hands as he turned away from the goal, having sent a souvenir straight into the stands. Floyd hadn't even flinched in goal. But he felt someone tug his arm back down.

"Hey now," Idi said, "there's no time for that. We have this, plenty of match left."

Tobiáš knew those were just Sporty Platitudes, but it was enough to get his focus back. And that focus was just enough for him to react to a weirdly off-kilter pass from Wolffe, which shot right past Filho and was juuuust in range to knock down. His initial sprint had always been stellar--something that set him apart in the satyr-dominated track events at school--so he was past Filho and back into the redzone with alarmingly alacrity, this time keeping things low and... getting his shot deflected by a stellar reaction from Floyd.

Thank goodness Manahaal had reacted just a hair slower and came in hot to pump the rebound in.

A great roar erupted from the purple-clad crowd as Filia cleaned out Williams for the third time with nary a glance from the ref. Ryyl was more than happy to see it; she'd hardly been tested between that and Älita marauding on the other wing.

Even happier was Geraard, as it meant his efforts hadn't been for naught. It was easy for satyrs--both disciplined and not--to throw their weight around and call it "defending." Lord knows he'd done years of that in his early years with the Skewers, when their leash was non-existent and getting sent off often came with a hearty clap on the back and a compliment on how brutal the hit was. But moving on from that raw blood thirst was his grand plan when he was suddenly saddled with player-managership. You wouldn't want to go to war with an untempered sword. So he set about honing that bloodthirst, tuning the aggression of himself and his teammates, and learning the art of the clean kill. You know where that got him? To the top tier of the MNL, and eventually to the title. Goddamn if he was going to let these kids out of his care without passing that along.

Another roar snapped him out of his reverie, this time from the blue section behind him. Apparently that counterattack had ended up with Älita blasting one in from just outside the box. At least, he presumed that's where it was from, seeing as she was currently getting dogpiled there.

He liked these kids.

by **Banija** » Thu Feb 20, 2020 11:49 am

A pair of early goals put the Vijana Kadongo Kamu in the Di Bradini Cup Semifinals

Banijan players celebrate the opening goal of their U21 World Cup quarterfinal with the Imperial Joseon

ROSE GARDENS, KAREEN, VALANORA- The quarterfinals of the Di Bradini Cup have finally arrived. Banija survived a truly heavyweight fight against Pasarga, and won, in extra time, by a score of 3-2. Pasarga, who have won this competition multiple times and were the runners-up last year, certainly were quite an opponent for the Banijans. But the Banijans survived, and advanced to the quarterfinals. Not to play against a nation as well known as Pasarga- however, they played against the nation almost precisely the opposite of Pasarga, at least in terms of reputation. Everyone knows who Pasarga is. But the Imperial Joseon- fresh blood, nobody's ever seen their senior side play. Nobody knows who they are. They have burst onto the national team in the youth tournament cycle. But boy, they have come here, and showed in style. Nobody had ever heard of them, and they came thundering into the Sporting World Cup, and thundered all the way to a trophy that nobody saw coming. They didn't need a soft opening- no, they kicked the door straight open, with their physical style providing a new fresh face to the world of youth football, and soon enough, international football in general.

How did the Imperial Joseon win? They weren't trying to do anything fancy- they played hard, fierce, and physical defense, and did not get intimidated by anybody. Their knockout stage run in the U18s was incredible- a stunning five consecutive 1-0 victories in the knockout stage to win the tournament in Taeshan. They always talk about, in a league, you have to be able to win 1-0 in a tournament. IT's different for a short tournament, but it shows you the Joseon way- their fighting spirit, their focus, their drive. And now, coming to the Di Bradini Cup, they threatened to truly upend the world of international youth football and do the exact same thing at this tournament. A 2-0 win over Equestria on Matchday 2, followed by a 1-0 win against Baker Park on Matchday 3, saw the two Atlantian Oceania favorites(Baker Park and Equestria) get knocked out in favor of the newcomers, Mavinet and the Imperial Joseon. You just gotta love the U21 World Cup, right? They followed that up with a 2-0 win over Taeshan. Could they do it again? Riding a fiercely talented defense, three consecutive victories with a clean sheet, this looked to be the place where their young players would peak once again.

It was always going to be tough here. The Banijans were probably not going to be able to out defensive the Imperial Joseon. That's how they wanted the match to be played- they were excellent at making the most of just a few opportunities. So the Banijans had a novel strategy. Try to force them out of their preferred strategy early. Getting that early goal against a team that is renowned for their defensive efforts would force them to expose themselves, would force them to break out of their shell, and start getting forward. Of course, that was easier said than done- every team wants an early goal, right? But it would be the Banijans that would get one. After a brief spell of possesion for the Imperial Joseon, an interception in the midfield saw the Banijans break for it. A great pass down the right sideline, which saw Samba Ogunsola dribble down the sideline and then towards goal. He laid the ball off for Immaculate Kaba, who powered the ball, low and away, towards the far corner. It was a perfect shot. An outstretched Lee Ki Cheol could not reach it. Just like that, in only the 4th minute, it was 1-0 to the Banijans.

Exactly where the Vijana Kadongo Kamu wanted to be. But not where the Imperial Joseon wanted to find themselves. Of course, there was still plenty of time left in the match. It was 1-0, yes, but the game was extremely early, still plenty of time left. The Banijans were maintaining possession, and really wanted to go for it. In the 11th minute, they had their opportunity. With the Banijans passing the ball around about 30 or so yards from goal, Samba Ogunsola tried to swing the ball across the 18 yard box. He did so successfully, with Anwar Dawit chesting the ball and bringing it down. There was then a running Momodou Sene, who was making the diagonal run. He looked to be a step offside when the ball was played. However, the ball deflected off of the Imperial Joseon defender, and therefore, he was played onside. He got the ball one on one with the goalkeeper, and chipped it into the back of the net to make the score 2-0. Only 11 minutes gone, and the Banijans were up 2-0.

It was at that point where many people figured that the quality of the Vijana Kadongo Kamu would be enough to send them to the semifinal. NO disrespect to the Imperial Joseon, of course, but they were built to sit on leads and fiercely defend them, not to come back from multiple goal deficits. They did not have the firepower to climb out of this hole, and that was shown on full display. The Banijans adjusted their play style after the early goals, seeing the semifinals within their reach- sit back, don't unnecessarily expose yourself, and try to counter. The Imperial Joseon defense, of course, did not allow any truly productive counters- anytime there was space for a Banijan going forward, they'd close down quickly. Crosses didn't reach their marks, or anything like that. But still- the Banijans were essentially having 6 players sitting back, and they suffocated any hope of an Imperial Joseon comeback.

The Imperial Joseon did make a game of it with a late goal, when Kim Seong Jin headed home a goal in the 85th minute on a corner kick. But it was too little, too late- the Banijans didn't allow really anymore truly quality chances, and though Lee Kang had quite a speculative effort from distance, Wanda Kouyaté made a great diving save, tracking the ball all the way. And when the final whistle blew, the fans of Banija, who had the majority of the fans in this building, applauded loudly. It didn't have the late goal drama of their last match, but they played well enough to thoroughly earn a trip to the Di Bradini Cup semifinals, their first since Gitonga Kahara himself was leading the side.

George Wangolo praised the Imperial Joseon side. "What they've done, across two youth tournaments, over the past few months is extremely impressive... You have to applaud the Imperial Joseon FA(or equivalent) for getting their players ready. Your first foray into international football can always be done very wrong. I mean, look at us- everybody knows how poorly we did in our first cycle, at the senior level. It's not easy to come out firing. But there are certain nations who can do it. You saw Baker Park, who came out and had immediate success across all levels. You saw Recuecn, who came back and has had some great success. Even Drawkland, in their heyday. But there are countless nations who came out, thought they'd do well, and then got crushed. But not the Imperial Joseon. They were ready. They belong at this level. Their teams played against big names, and played without fear, without care for what was on the other jersey. Full credit to their player, and their coach especially, Hwang Yong Geun, for a wonderful run here. And congratulations to them on their U18 World Cup title."

"Of course, our tournament goes on. Our team had a tough task today- we had to break down probably the most organized defense left in this tournament. But to go out there, and get those early goals- it put us in the right place. We approached this game correctly- we had plenty of self-belief, and we did what we needed to do. The first goal, particularly, was sublime- instead of trying to force the ball across, to where the goalkeeper could intercept it or where a sprinting Anwar Dawit was draped by a defender, he did a simple layoff. A fantastic finish for Kaba, who found the space she needed to put the ball into the back of the net. That early goal gave us the advantage. We knew we wanted to play ahead- that would create the type of spacing we would want, to get into a semifinal. And the second goal, too- a bit fortunate, of course, but everybody gets a little bit of luck. Cannot complain."

Now, of course, the Vijana Kadongo Kamu are really starting to attract attention. The other half of this bracket has all the big teams- Sarzonia v. Schottia in one semifinal, and Mriin against Nephara in the other. Four big sides, three of whom have each won a World Cup at the senior level. Plus, of course, Idi Mboge, the former member of this Banijan U21 team. And the sparks were flying there- Nephara and Mriin were level at 0-0 after 90 and 120 minutes, and Nephara advanced on penalties. Sarzonia's experienced U21 side, who spent the last cycle not at the U21 World Cup, but competing at the AOCAF LVIII, fought against a talented Schottian side, and were level after 90 minutes, but fell on penalties. Mavinet, of course, continued their own miracle run by defeating the Free Republics to make the semifinal.

Of course, two eligible players for Banija for this team play in Schottia- Idai Uster and Demba Kinteh. Of course, both are getting minutes for the senior side, so Marcus Waters declined to call them up for the Di Bradini Cup. But we're getting to the end stages now. We'll preview Mavinet v. Banija in its own article. But who wins Schottia v. Nephara? But while those two big names, those two former World champions, will probably get the lion's share of the attention at the White Fortress, we are sure that the Vijana Kadongo Kamu and Mavinet will put on a thriller at the Angelotic Temple as well.

by **Mavinet** » Thu Feb 20, 2020 9:25 pm

Mavinet Broadcasting Company (MBC)
Studio 3A
After the match with Free Republics

Quoc Anh: "Welcome back everyone for the post-match commentary. I am Commentator Bui Quoc Anh and sitting right here with me in the studio now are Mr. Lam Manh Hai, Senior Sports Editor at the Dai Hoa Times and Ms. Tran Ngoc Hoa, current U21 Coach at Vinh An Dai Hoa FC. Thank you again for joining us today."

"Thank you for inviting us." Ms. Hoa politely replies as Mr. Hai nods lightly.

Quoc Anh: "So, the quarterfinal match between Mavinet and Free Republics just ended only a few minutes ago, with Mavinet proceeded on a 4-2 win. How do you feel right now and what do you think of the match?"

"It's incredible. There are a lot going on in me right now, but I think the strongest sense must be pride." Mr. Hai opens up. "In my 20 years working as a sports editor, I've never seen a match where Mavinese players played with such confidence and determination. I'm very pleased with the progress that our youth programs are making and even more so with the efforts the U18 and U21 national teams have put in for their first international tournaments. Free Republics is a country with a long history of sports development and achievement on all levels of their national team. Going up against them in any settings is never easy even for experienced teams. I think our boys did exceptionally well today and for me, the match probably ranks among the most exciting ones we have played."

"Likewise." Ms. Hoa nods in agreement. "As a coach for young players, I'm obviously very, very proud that Mavinet's youth teams are doing well beyond expectations in their very first international participation. To see a group of our talented and promising kids playing head to head against some of best football teams in the multiverse is nothing short of amazing. Beating Free Republics was a enormous task, almost insurmountable, but the boys did it in the most convincing way."

Quoc Anh: "Thank you for sharing. I too feel very privileged to be able to see these moments that can be considered historic in our country's sporting endeavors. Ms. Hoa, is there anything about Mavinet's tactics and goals today that stood out for you?"

Ngoc Hoa: "There are 2 things. The first is the mentality looked totally different from the match against Bears Armed. The second is the higher fluidity. Although Mavinet played with the same 4-2-3-1 formation, the way they approached the match was a lot more on the offensive. With an attack-minded opponent like Free Republics, the tactic usually is to stay back and look for counter attack opportunities. But Head Coach Quang instructed his players to press higher up and push the tempo to take advantage of the opponent's thinner back line. I believe FR must have been surprised by this approach, so much that they conceded 2 goals in the first 15 minutes. Mavinet also play less rigid than prior matches. The players moves fluidly to cover each other while doing the high press. The pressure forced FR to lose possession and we can see the goals in the 7th and 13th minutes came after 2 such mistakes. Our 3rd goal was scored after FR pulled back a goal from a corner, so I think it was because they were too focus on trying to equalize and neglect their defense. It was a beautiful finish from Quang Phuoc as well. 3-1 at half time was a safe scoreline for Head Coach Quang to revert back to the old tactic in the 2nd half, although I think that helped FR to pull back and regain dominance on the field. When it was 3-2 the situation got scary for a while, but I'm glad Chau Minh Tuan played the super sub and scored our last goal to seal the match. Overall, I think this match showcased the tactical vision of Head Coach Quang and the flexibility of our team that helped us reach the semifinals."

Quoc Anh: "Thank you very much. Mr. Hai, what do you think our team need to do better?"

Manh Hai: "Our defense still make quite a lot of mistakes. Today's was a better performance than in the quarterfinal match, but aside from the 2 goals conceded, there were moments of confusion and disorganization. This is due to inexperience and the players haven't got a lot of time to play with each other. They need more communication, spatial awareness and anticipation to become more solid. Also the technical side of defending needs to be improved as well. Tackles like what we saw in the 2nd were rash and give away set pieces unnecessarily. FR were unlucky not being able to capitalize on some of our defensive mistakes."

Quoc Anh: "Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, our correspondent have just now established connection with the studio. Let's turn our attention briefly to Turmondale Grounds in Raynor City to hear what our Head Coach say after this famous win."

The big screen behind them start showing live scenes at the stadium, where Mavinet U21 team are celebrating in the dressing room after a round of bowing to the travelling fans out on the field.

"Mr. Quang [Mavinet U21's head coach], what do you think of your team's performance today?" the correspondent asks.

"They played superbly. Usually we approach these important knockout matches a lot more conservatively, but today we decided to switch things up a bit. We attacked more aggressively and pressed a lot more higher up. It seems this change caught our opponents off-guard for much of the first half, where we did most of the damage. They got back in the game in the second half but we kept our composure and finished the game well. I think our plans went almost flawlessly, although defensive-wise we could have done better in some situations. Free Republics are a powerful team and we were very lucky to get away with our defensive mistakes today."

"Do you think it is fair to say Mavinet now has a reputation of defeating big teams?"

"No, I don't think that's true. Our team always try the best to get good results against any team. There is also luck that determines how far one can go in these tournaments. We have been lucky, yes, but doesn't mean we can pull it off every time. Also I want the kids to focus on professional development rather than short-term "titles".

"Our next opponent will be Banija after they defeated another newcomer to the Di Bradini Cup, Imperial Joseon. What do you think about this?"

"I think no matter who we play, we have to put in everything we have, even more than that. That has always been our approach and that has helped us reach this far. Banija are as strong as any other big names we have faced, if not more when they reached this stage while others didn't. The fact that they haven't won this cup or the World Cup doesn't mean anything. This may be their year as much as it may be ours. We will study them and we will prove we deserve to be among the last 4 teams this year."

"Thank you and congratulations once more."

Back in the studio, the commentator and the two guests give the head coach a standing applause. Can Mavinet create another shockwave the way Imperial Joseon did in the Sporting World Cup? Anything is possible - Mavinet should understand this more than anyone else. Just a few weeks ago, reaching the semifinals of the Di Bradini Cup was beyond even the wildest dreams of Mavineses across the country.

"Well, that's all of our time for tonight's post-match commentary. I, Commentator Bui Quoc Anh, along with Senior Editor Lam Manh Hai and Coach Tran Ngoc Hoa, wish everyone a very good night and we'll see each other again in the next match."

-----------------------
MAVINET - 4
7' Truong Cong Linh
13' Nguyen Hoang Trung Anh
39' Mai Quang Phuoc
80' Nguyen Phuoc Long

FREE REPUBLICS - 2
31' Risae Kan
64' Archie White

-----------------------
Lineup against Banija

by **Nephara** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 3:44 am

It's enough, as a striker, to score. But one really does have to score.
Latona Basilisk hadn't scored. To that backdrop, the fact that she hadn't done a lot else was conspicuous. Her role was to squirrel through gaps in the defence, but what gaps? A back five of the tallest timber there was, Kalabaan would have been breathing down her neck had there not been a gap of maybe a foot and a half... and pace wasn't enough when all she seemed able to do was run into people. This was a more robust, defensive-minded Mriin outfit than usual.
It was also a Mriin outfit with a human starting - Tobiash Chance, the youngest man on the pitch - and another on the bench, in the half-Banijan Mboge. Just like buses, you waited decades and then two came at once. Fittingly, Nephara were also bringing out the first half-breeds-- sorry, meta-hum-- sorry, people of satyr descent, whatever, with Reniira at the back and Shiida making a well-timed first appearance of the tournament. She was a little in the shit with the latter - some ill-advised joke about "hey, so when your kind talk about 'getting some tail' they really mean--" that hadn't gone down so amazing, but hey, they were all professionals here. She totally trusted Roesler to get over it and play the perfect pass to her feet any time now.
Aaaaany time now...
She got one, late in the first half, and if she was honest to herself panicked and squandered it and slammed it into the side netting. It wasn't a glaring chance, but it felt like the chance. Everyone felt it, everyone knew it, judging by the howls of agony from the green in the crowd.

Fortunately, the Nepharim defence was in no more giving mood than that of Mriin. Miska Brabanzon was the great natural talent of their back line but Reniira Clevinger was, perhaps unsurprisingly, playing with a real point to prove. Time and again, Mriin's wingers hoofed (heh) in crosses counting on the tall timber up front to easily plant a header on target. Time and again that turned out to be Chance bouncing off Clevinger, making absolutely no headway against the half-satyr. Once, as Clevinger once again dominated him in the air, a Nepharim in the crowd bellowed "Yeah! That's how it feels!"
Honestly the game was pretty wretched viewing. Both boxes felt off-limits, and neither side had a player with the ability to change the game single-handed from outside it. A third clean sheet for Aranea Provost, beleagured by the end - a third match without a goal for Latona Basilisk, who had had one chance and done nothing with it.
Would extra time, perhaps, bring a more open game? Yes, in the event. Thankfully. Neither side wasted their time with crosses - hell, Herrick yanked Kalevi for their only pure destroyer in Sander Moritz, told Koerner to shift in from the right wing and formed a diamond, and there finally the Cormorants had a platform from which to build something. Basilisk sniffed blood, a chance to hunt, a chance to unleash the eyes which she was trying to make her brand on an unsuspecting goalkeeper, and Flaxwood - who had earlier replaced Roesler - did find her, a perfectly weighted ball, but... the angles weren't quite right, she didn't quite have the space, she fired low and hard and Draenor did well but hardly spectacularly to push it around the post.
Obviously, the corner went nowhere.
At the other end, Provost made similarly respectable saves from Aelita Nomii and Manahaal Brimorii, the latter of whom had actually done things besides score, which she hadn't. She'd been lively and defended from the front and won headers and shit. Basilisk had just loitered, it felt like.
She got the ball to her feet for the penultimate touch of the game, and thundered it over the bar with the last.

So then to penalties. Basilisk's redemption. Stone gaze, et cetera. And certainly that reptilian cold blood in front of goal. She'd make no mistake here, and that was why she was... fffffourth? Fourth. Okay. Because Herrick had read some fucking thinkpiece about that being the highest-pressure moment, apparently, and anyway, shut up and get in line. Hardly the best motivation. Everyone just seemed angry and bitter and frustrated, which didn't portend well either.
They had Provost, though. The small-town girl from Brookford was slowly starting to buy her own hype as the next big thing, and that sort of confidence was good for a shoot-out. She didn't swagger, she didn't try and get in anyone's face. She just dusted off her gloves, took a deep breath, and looked confident and in control. And then proved it, guessing right for Brimorii but not, not quite, getting it around the post. Fingertips brushed, a low strike clanked against the inside of the upright and rolled fair, Provost indulged in one despairing look back before getting to her feet.
Lothaire Cromwell would be Nephara's first, and had absolutely no hesitation, hammering it into the corner with violence.
Nomii stepped up. Deep breath. "Nine isn't a fucking midfielder's number, anyway," Basilisk heckled, and got a glare for her trouble. But maybe it did something. Pretty much the same placement as Brimorii's, but this time Provost got just a little more on her leap, and did, brilliantly, tip it wide. Everyone cheered, but then it was all business again.
Stonemoore answered with flourish to put Nephara ahead. Then Paala and Koerner traded blows; 2-3.
Mboge had rocked up off the bench at some point. "Zero's even fucking worse!" Basilisk shouted, but it apparently didn't put him off so much.
And then it was her fourth. The pressure penalty. The one which meant, with just two left to go, that they were overwhelmingly likely to win.
She set down the ball. Gave Draenor the eyes. Stepped back, hunched her shoulders, took a deep breath. Shut her eyes. Visualised her boot smashing through the centre of the ball, following through as it sped into the far... yes, high and left of the net, right in the corner. Unstoppable.
Narrative would shift. She'd go from having been marked out of the game - why did Herrick persist with her? Surely it was time to bring more bodies into midfield late on? The game could have turned - to being there where needed, her flawless finishing proving her value in the squad, a foundation of goals she could build on again on Nephara's way to winning the final, yes, just knowing where the goal is and proving it under the highest-pressure situation of all, what threats could open play offer after that and the whistle blew and her eyes shot open and she sprinted forward and opened her posture, swung back her boot and swept it through the ball near but not quite centre-mass and ohhh God that didn't quite get hit right and it's going too high and it's-- CLANK
But then Kleveir's was saved and Clevinger's wasn't, Nephara won anyway and it worked out okay in the end.

by **Schottia** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 4:59 am

Sarzonia 1–1 Schottia (1–2 AET) @ Hellgate, Raynor City
Line-up: Prichard, Del Dunuin, Ayoub, Hellhauer, Christie, Robb (Palermo), Ùisge, Arniston (Holstad), Nicholson, Simonsen (Enrico), Hunter
Goals: Simonsen, Holstad

Schottia and Sarzonia are certainly no strangers. The two sides met in both the Cup of Harmony, and Sporting World Cup, with the WC-22 champs victorious on both occasions. It seemed, up until this point, that AO nation had the philological edge over their Rushmori opponents. This was the challenge facing Grey Holden, as his boys and girls looked to reverse the trend and book a coveted spot in the DBC semi finals.

Schottia made one change to the side that beat Filindostan, with Kinnel Hunter getting the nod ahead of Enrico in attack. After a cagey start to the game, Sarzonia were the first to threaten, with Suzi Calderon firing just wide of John Prichard’s near post. The Portland Pride attacker did well to hold off Lucy Hellhauer, but failed to get enough on her shot to really test the keeper. It was a let off for Schottia, and one that their opponents would live to regret, as Holden’s side drew first blood just minutes later. Rachael Arniston found Úisge in space on the left, allowing the young kelpie time to angle a cross in towards the back post. Freja Simonsen jumped with John Taylor, and while it’s unclear whether the ball hit her head or her shoulder, it was enough to deflect it past Glen Baker for 1-0.

It’s been a feature of Schottia’s tournament so far, that they have failed to put teams to the sword and close out matches when they’ve been winning. While they haven’t been punished too much up until now, on this occasion Sarzonia capitolised to take the match to extra time. Calderon’s 84th minute goal certainly got a response from Schottia. There was suddenly a desperate urgency to their play, and Grey Holden – who, up until that point, had been a sedentary spectator – was hopping around the technical area like a scolded animal. Neither side wanted this to go to penalties, and you could see the relief in the Schottic players and coaches when the winning goal went in. A Simon Palermo cross from the right side of the box found the head of Manechester City striker, Enrico, who was able to lay the ball off for Ingrid Holstad to drill home from close range.

It’s been an incredible twelve months for Soessch midfielder, Holstad, whose 109th minute goal set up a semi-final with Nephara.

The morning after...

Grey Holden paced back and forth outside the entrance to the training complex, trying to finish his cigarette quickly. The players were enjoying a morning off back at the hotel, but he was keen to get going. He checked the time on his pone, before dropping it back into his shoulder bag. Half eight, he’d have a chance to watch the video of last night’s match before Lewis, Tommy, and Duncan got here.

Holden caught a glimpse of his reflection in the glass doors. The way the light was catching his scalp, served to remind him how thin the hair was getting on top. He could have sworn the hair-loss had accelerated since the start of the tournament, and it had been accompanied by a twitch in his left eye that just wouldn’t shift.

He stubbed out his cigarette and dropped it in the bin, before taking a closer look at the product in his hair. It was definitely getting thin… Too thin to keep gelling up like that..? ‘Maybe just about.’ He conceded out loud, before pulling open the door and heading inside.

Holden marched, back straight, with real purpose, as he headed up the corridor. He sat himself down at the back of the canteen, not bothering to put the lights on. He pulled his laptop from his shoulder bag, sat it on the table, and switched it on. While he was waiting, he went to the kettle, and made himself an instant coffee; shacking the granules loose before tipping two sachets into a spare mug. He would drink it black, with no sugar. Holden frowned deeply, looking out at the training pitch, already draped in warm Vanorian summer sun. He couldn’t decide whether to give the players a full rest day, or to give them some light training later.

Anxiety and hyper analysis: that was Holden’s life – it always had been, and it always would be. It’s what had made him a shitty player, but an excellent coach. He’d packed it all in aged just twenty, after a series of bust ups with coaches, and nervous breakdowns. Holden thought that was it for him, before he found a new lease of life as a sports analyst. He’d carried out work for the National Performance Academy, and even Lionel Mah and the National Team. During the Hiatus he accepted a job at the Academy on Port Christopher, and that had been his route into coaching.

Holden took the DVD from his bag and inserted it into the disc drive, drinking his coffee while he waited for it to load up. He hadn’t actually seen a replay of the Sarzonia goal yet, and his knees were bouncing with anticipation. He hit the fast-forward key, going straight to the incident.

‘Knew it! Fucking knew it!’ He muttered, shaking his head, before opening a separate tab in which to take notes. His suspicions had been confirmed; Michael Robb had indeed not been tight enough. He’d given the fullback too much time, an opportunity to think, and the ability to pick a long ball forward. This was what it was all about, painstaking work, eliminating the mistakes. If you didn’t make any mistakes, you won the game, simple as that.

Holden wanted this trophy with every fibre of his being. After two years ago, and the criticism he’d received in the press. The bastards would be laughing on the other sides of their faces after this. That fucking draw with Mriin in the last group game two years ago… He got back home after that tournament and first thing he did after closing the front door was break down in tears. Thank god his husband, Erik, had helped talk him down, because otherwise he would have packed it in there and then. That was suddenly in the distant past, and two years later, he was on the verge of erasing those memories completely.

This Nephara team looked good. They’d beaten the Hinodejin, and their senior side were ranked fourth in the world. Holden should have been nervous, but instead he was excited. He wanted to beat one of the big teams so badly. He was still annoyed that they hadn’t shown a little more composure against Hinode, just seen the game out somehow. His hand was shaking as he put the coffee mug back on the table. He wanted this trophy so badly it was hurting him…

by **Valanora** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 7:22 pm

Semifinals
Schottia 0–1 Nephara
Banija 1–0 Mavinet

3rd Placed Playoff
Schottia v Mavinet @ Hatire Memorial, Capri

Final
Nephara v Banija @ The Battleground, Raynor City

by **Banija** » Sat Feb 22, 2020 9:54 pm

Fortune favors the Vijana Kadongo Kamu's as they reach the Di Bradini Cup Final

ANGELOTIC TEMPLE, LONGVIEW, VALANORA- The biggest game of the lives of some of these young men. The U21 World Cup semifinals at hand. Of course, most eyes were over for the much more highly anticipated Schottia v. Nephara match. Two big names, two former world champions, two nations that were fixtures in both the international and the club game. And what a tournament this had been for the Rushmore region- three of the four semifinalists were from Rushmore. But that meant the last Atlantian Oceania side, Banija, had a slight advantage. Being not only from AO, but from the GSW, they'd have a slight crowd advantage travelling here for the youth tournament. And the nerves for what come with a semifinal, they are always high.

It is even a different dynamic when you're at a youth tournament, like the U21 World Cup. Of course, there's a certain sense of finality- there won't be an opportunity for these guys to get back to this point. Or, at least, not many opportunities. To sustain success at the U21 level, when you're constantly changing in and out players is almost impossible, so even more credits to nations who have done so, like Pasarga and Cosumar. But these tournaments, especially the late rounds, are the valuable growth opportunities that associations crave when they enter their teams into tournaments like these. The high-stakes, high pressure value of a semifinal, without all the distractions and ceremony of a final- desperation football in its purest and finest form. Getting to see how players react in these situations. These growth opportunities, especially these young players playing together, pay dividends down the road. The DBC 42 bronze medal team formed the core of the Banijan squad during the World Cup 83 cycle, that got a bronze medal at World Cup 83 right after winning a silver medal at AOCAF LVIII.

And heck, a lot of these guys have done this before. Just think back to the 8th Sporting World Cup. A number of the players on this team, just a few years ago, were playing for the U18s, winning that World Cup. And even two players from that side- Demba Kinteh and Idai Uster, both leveraged strong performances there to joining the senior national team and professional contracts in Schottia, therefore avoiding a callup to this tournament altogether. They're already contributing to the senior side. These other players, they'll have to wait, but they'll get their chance at the senior level. But this is their moment- to show that they can keep their nerve, that they are capable of getting stronger as the challenges of a tournament grow more and more intense.

Of course, Mavinet was a team that played slightly defensively, but always willing and able to counter. And while the Banijans held the lion's share of possession in the early going, it would be Mavinet that would create the first chance. They counter well- when they repossess the ball in midfield, their players are well trained to start looking forward, rather than passing back to establish possession. Make the opposing team scramble on defense, hopefully catch them in an unorganized fashion, and start heading towards goal. Lam Van Dai tested the Banijan goalkeeper early on, as they hoped an early goal would put them ahead, like it did against the Free Republics. Wanda Kouyaté met the challenge, however, as she firmly pushed the ball over the crossbar for an early corner kick.

And that was the story of much of the first half. Banijan possession in the Mavinet half- but nothing truly inspired. They were struggling to find their way past Mavinet's disciplined defense, and Mavinet, to their credit, were doing all they could to pounce on their opportunities. Ly The Kiet, leading a counter-attack, pushed a great left footed shot just barely over the top of the crossbar, as fans of the Banijans breathed a large, and loud, collective sigh of relief. Mavinet kept on the pressure, as yet another counter-attack ended in a huge save from Wanda Kouyaté. The Banijans were holding on by the skin of their teeth, but Mavinet could not hammer the nail into the Banijan coffin just yet. IT was 0-0 heading into halftime, and George Wangolo knew he needed a subsitution.

"We had kept getting burned, repeatedly, in the first half down the flanks." He told reporters. "I wanted to make an adjustment that would close down those spaces when they tried to counter, as if we kept allowing them to expose that space, they'd eventually score." Anyone schooled under Marcus Waters is never afraid to make the bold halftime adjustment, and he did so right here- Abigal Admassu came onto the pitch for Momodou Sene to play in the number 10 role, and Kawsu Mboge came in for Petros Obi Joas at center back. It was a bold move- but more than just fresh legs. Mboge would be more aggressive, upfield, trying to break up at least the timing on counter-attacks. Admassu was a bit more of a precise passer than Sene, and quicker, although she was smaller in stature.

These changes in the middle of the pitch helped turned the tide. The Banijans had a lot of essentially useless possesion in the first half- all they could do was float super low percentage balls into the box, and just wait until they were caught. But now, that they were killing the threat of the counter-attack, they were able to press and try to punish Mavinet for not scoring what would have been a crucial goal in the game's first half, when they had the Vijana Kadongo Kamu on our heels. In the 51st minute, Banija's first true scoring opportunity came when Anwar Dawit whipped a cross in that Kausu Dione got a head to. While DIone headed the ball well wide, the fact that he was streaking open in the middle of the field showed that things were finally opening up for the Banijans.

The Banijans continued to create chances. One particularly creative one was in the 59th minute. Ogunsola lined up with a free kick about 30 yards from goal. A hard pass to Admassu at the 18, and the defense converges on her. She then made another passage forward, towards the middle. Kausu Dione was onside, and of course, he was in on goal. He took a step, and fired the ball with his left foot. However, he was one on one with the goalkeeper. Do Manh Cuong was the captain for a reason, and came sliding at the feet of Dione and made a massive save. It was the best chance either side had so far, and yet the Rushmori goalkeeper was called upon to make perhaps the biggest save of his life, and he did just that.

And so the teams marched on, with the score tied at 0-0 and the fans on the edge of their seats. For a 0-0 game, there had been quite a few opportunities created, and the match could really go to either side at this point. But of course, in sports, sometimes you need that little push. You need that little something to go your way. Luck. Chance. Fortune. Whatever you want to call it. A stroke of glory, but what your opponent would call an absolutely awful moment. In the 81st minute, Ogunsola had bent in a dangerous cross to Dione. Nguyen Phuoc Long was doing all he could to catch up to the ball, as it was on the far post and so far forward. Deciding that he could not get his head around in time to head the ball away from net, he tried to head the ball goalwards, but of course above the goal. But he got the header all wrong. It can happen to young defenders, of course. But rarely so on a stage as grand as a (although it's certainly not the) World Cup.

Phouc Long headed the ball straight into the back of his own net. A truly heartwrenching moment for the kid. Absolutely tragic. But as they say- one man's tragedy is another man's glory. The Banijans celebrated anyways, knowing that could be the goal to send them to the DBC 47 Final. And as they defended for the final 10-15 minutes, everything was in front of them. They defended frantically. Seemingly everybody was back, any pretense of attacking, gone. The Banijans knew that could be the goal to send them to the Final, that it might be enough. After seemingly an endless amount of crosses, the referee blew his whistle three times. And the Banijans celebrated. Fans celebrated, players hugging each other, all of that good stuff. The Banijans were in a final. Soak it up. Drink it in.

Phuoc Long was in tears after the match. Many players on his own team, and quite a few Banijans, tried to console him. George Wangolo spoke about the goal after the match. "Well, it was quite unlucky for Phouc Long. For young defenders, it is tough to learn how to deal with a cross like that- Ogunsola deserves credit for giving the defense such a difficult ball to deal with. But my heart goes out to him. He's had an excellent tournament, alongside all of Mavinet. Coming from nowhere, competing at this level, reach the semifinal- a big accomplishment. A tragic way to go out, but that's football for you. I'm sure Phouc Long will have an excellent career."

And that leaves us facing the 47th Di Bradini Cup Final. Banija v. Nephara. Nephara also won 1-0, and it will be a titantic clash. We've never met in international competition. But Nephara has a huge influence in Banijan football(as it does in quite a few countries). The BSL is littered with Nepharims. Nepharim managers, Nepharim players, everywhere. There are big Banijan players playing in Nephara- particularly Kizza Okafor and Chibuzo Afolayan. So while there's no history, all of that background and those connections make for a very intriguing Di Bradini Cup FInal.

We'll talk more about that matchup, of course, in the next edition. As always, go Banija!

OOC: Own goal details and reaction approved by Mavinet

by **Nephara** » Sun Feb 23, 2020 2:44 am

Ivy Herrick's boot tapped on the grass. Her teeth closed around a nail, which snapped inside her mouth and down her throat, never to be seen again. "What the hell is wrong with them?"
"It's a composed performance," said Lorelei Redruth, calm and austere. "They're feeling their way into the game."
"Yeah? Well, can they stop feeling their way into the game and start fucking scoring?"
Mostly, the team just looked jaded. Left winger Sonya Latimore, making her first start of the tournament, contrasted by looking rusty. There was deftness and skill in the way that she brought down a beautiful diagonal ball from Flaxwood with a high boot, but not much in the way she let Del Duniun get too close to her before rifling a cross into his ankle and out of play. On the other wing, Jojo Ayoub was keeping Anselm Koerner honest. Behind Herrick, Latona Basilisk seethed palpably on the bench, watching Ruby Gjasula loiter gamely in and around the box. The River striker hadn't done a lot with a little, though. But then, Basilisk was fresh off a poor match against Mriin, and Ivy Herrick was of the school that considered missing a penalty to be a hanging offense.
'Composed'. Sure, they'd looked composed in defence. Miska Brabanzon was doing a good job refusing to be sucked into Enrico Hanson's antics, responding only with laughter and mockery, which was in turn infuriating Hanson. She'd recently pulled away a leg just in time for Hanson to go diving over... nothing. The first booking of the game, for simulation, and hundreds of hardened Schottic grognards in the crowd with names like 'Barry' and 'Dave' shaking their heads in grim disappointment.
Freja Simonsen had come closest of anyone to a goal. Uisge to Arniston, pushed wide and forced to flick vaguely into the centre, Simonsen sensing the ball behind her and spectacularly flicking a heel over her back to force a frankly spectacular save from Aranea Provost. Frankly, at this point, Herrick was prepared to name one child after Brabanzon and sacrifice the other to Provost.
But that was the first half. Frustration. Repression. Disappointment.
'Composure'.
Enough of that. Bring on the big guns.

58th minute, and time for both sides to bring out an X-Factor.
After a short, aggressive warmup, Basilisk could look across to a sight many Nepharim would consider a dream - the granddaughter of Gethin Ramsey, suited up in green.
The awkward part was that it wasn't Nepharim emerald, but Schottic mint.
"Hey. You. You're backing the wrong horse, you know that?" Basilisk sneered, and jerked her head at the kelpie sidling off the pitch. "Or ought I say backing up the wrong horse."
Ramsey ignored her, with effort. She bit her lower lip.
"Face it, kid. Nephara's your destiny. The sooner you wake up to that--"
"The Cormorants drag around a big rock and claim it's the residual spirit of my adoptive grandfather. How do you not get that's fucking bizarre?"
"If the Schottics cared about you, they'd do the same!"
"Why the hell would I want them to?"
Some time later, after the fourth official had forcibly hauled in and broken them up, Basilisk was free to prowl.
She knew the issue last time had been pressure, and her failing to deal with same. She'd snatched at chances, tried to rush things, force things. That just wasn't how football worked. Slice at something too eagerly and you'd drive it wide.
No, you had to be comfortable. You had to be ready. Because from the very moment you entered the pitch, any time could, especially as the freshest legs on the pitch, be your time to expend your energy into a dash and let yourself glide into well-practiced form. Any possible time, Cromwell could dispossess Arniston, play a neat one-two with Latimore, glide past Nicholson and drive a low shot towards Pichard, Pichard reacting well if unconventionally to hook it away with a boot, and suddenly the defensive line is racing back to cover but you're ahead of them, using your pace and guile and anticipation and ruthlessness, rewarded this time, the ball bobbling innocently into the path of your forceful right boot...
Oh, hello.

Herrick, or more precisely a bunch of the social media guys under orders from Herrick, put together a little montage for viewing after the last training session before the final. It was pretty straightfoward, lasting maybe three minutes or so, fit for viewing on a big screen usually reserved for scouting opponents or scanning the footage of previous games. And technically, this was match footage, only... it started somewhat grainier. Started over forty years ago. The first of many victories in many finals over the years.
BoF51 - Grant Beardsley bombing down the wing, doing his one signature move to cut inside and fire past Nenets Autonomug Okrug. CE6 - Lucia Oakwood, drilling an extra time free kick into the top corner with a frictionless sweep of the boot. CE8 - Yolanda McFlemming's decisive penalty, fired hard but caught clean by Kieron Riordan. CE10 - Harper to Shrike to Rook Cathar to thunder home against the Islanders once again, before a brutally cynical challenge from Belfast to preserve it at the other end. CoH61 - Reece Coleman, going the right way for five perfect penalties without success before saving the sixth with his feet. EC5 - Catheline Stockinger, breaking from cover to loose a lethal strike from leftback. CE15 - Amokachi, Amokachi, Cawdor, Covenant, Ashdown. WC74 - Amokachi's goal, racing down the touchline, Scylla Vyntra's decisive penalty, glory in front of the world. CE18 - the Islanders, yet again; a red card, yet again; extra time, yet again, and goals from Rainsford and Cautcher to settle it. CR30 - Monako Saroszi, the ball at their feet, the wind at their back, scything down the left before a deft little flick with the outside of the boot to kill Sargossa off for good.
Ivy Herrick didn't say anything, and didn't need to. Winning was what Nepharim did. Standing up to pressure and coming out the other side to lift a trophy was what Nepharim did.
And if these young ones - already being painted as a potential golden generation - were going to live up to that example, then that would start here. And maybe someday the public would realise that, and a win here could get put in the montage with the others.

by **Mavinet** » Sun Feb 23, 2020 5:27 pm

Mavinet Broadcasting Company (MBC)
Nightly news

....

"Coming up last in 24/7 Sports News: Mavinet U21 fell in the semifinal of Di Bradini Cup 47.

Good evening and welcome back to the last piece of news for today. The semifinal match between Mavinet and Banija in the 47th Di Bradini Cup ended yesterday with a defeat for the young Mavineses. As with every match before, Mavinet were coming up against a big team that have seen more action in international football. Banija previously defeated another newcomer to the cup, Imperial Joseon, so there was no surprise when they approached the match with Mavinet with caution. Similar to the match against the Free Republics, Head Coach Nguyen Phuc Quang tried to gain some early advantage by playing at high tempo and high pressing. The element of surprise was a big factor in our previous victory, so Banija must surely have made every attempt to avoid being caught off-guard in this important match. Banija players dealt with the high pressing very effectively and retained the majority of possession throughout the match.

Mavinet, however, did not succumb to the superior possession of Banija, for what they lack in quantity, they made up with quality counter attacks that continuously threatened Banija's goal in the first half. Lam Van Dai and Ly The Kiet both saw their efforts barely missed, blocked only by the excellence of Wanda Kouyaté. The second half saw a much improved quality of possession from Banija, resulted in several clear-cut chances that Do Manh Cuong, mirroring the outstanding performance of his peer on the other side, impressively diverted. The scoreline 0-0 up to the 81st minute did not do the actual match justice when both teams provided plenty of actions on both halves of the pitch. Fortune simply hadn't favored any particular side, yet.

The fateful incident happened in the 81st minute. As the game wound down to the last minutes, Banija mounted increasingly dangerous attacks from the flanks. One particular cross from Samba Ogunsola was met by Nguyen Phuoc Long, but a mistimed and misjudged header sent the ball flying above the reach of a rushing out Do Manh Cuong into the back the net. An own goal in the closing minutes of a knock-out match put Mavinet in an uphill battle to equalize. And that was simply a battle that Banija would do anything to prevent a comeback. The match ended 1-0 to Banija and the young Mavineses, sadly, had to end their fairy tale on the Angelotic Temple.

Speaking to the media after the match, Nguyen Phuoc Long, who was in tears after the final whistle, was apologetic: "I feel terribly sorry for the mistake I made. It costed our team the game and the chance to make history. We all worked hard for today's match, and we deserved to at least go out on a better ending. I want to thank all of my teammates and the Banija's players who consoled me after the match. That meant a lot to me. I will learn from my mistake and become a better player."

Head Coach Nguyen Phuc Quang also spoke to us: "I'd be lying if I say this result doesn't hurt, but I will be optimistic and say we have tried our best. The fact that we stand here today is proof that despite our lack of experience, we were prepared and we fought to the last drops of our sweat. I love a good underdog story as much as anyone else, but the reality is not all stories like that have a happy ending. As for Phuoc Long, I will not blame him for this loss. That will be a disrespect to all of his contributions so far and to the Banijans as well. They worked hard to get a goal and we made a mistake, simple as that. He will be critical of himself, but it's easy to forget that even seasoned players make mistakes; that's part of the game, as painful as it is. He and all other players are still young and will have many chances to achieve even greater things. I believe the boys have had plenty of invaluable experience for their professional development, and we have had the privilege to stay here in Valanora until the end, so I don't think this is a sad ending either. We still have one final shot at bronzeware, and we will put all of our effort into that one as well."

The story of Mavinet's miracle run in the 47th Di Bradini Cup is not over yet. No matter what the result of the 3rd place match against Schottia is, our U21 national team's first international participation has already been a success, for the players, for the country, and for the supporters who put their faith in the budding team. Together with the U18 crop, these young players will be the future of Mavinet's football. Several of them have attracted the attention of clubs abroad, and we will eagerly wait to hear more about them as they develop.

That's the last news for tonight's 24/7 Sports News. Coming up is the weather forecast for the next 7 days. Thank you for watching and good night. Pham Minh Nhat, MBC's news anchor."

-----------------------
MAVINET - 0

BANIJA - 1
81' Nguyen Phuoc Long (OG)

-----------------------
Lineup against Schottia

by **Valanora** » Sun Feb 23, 2020 7:26 pm

3PPo
Schottia 0–1 Mavinet

Final
@ The Battleground, Raynor City
Nephara 2–2(2–4 AET) Banija

by **Banija** » Mon Feb 24, 2020 1:52 pm

Setting is a suite at the Battleground in Raynor City, at the 47th Di Bradini Cup Final

Once again, for the second time this tournament, 90 minutes was not enough to seperate Banija's U21s from their big name opponent. Instead of Pasarga, however, the opponent was Nephara. It was an interesting battle. The first 45 minutes was the Vijana Kadongo Kamu's best half of the entire tournament. THe offense was flowing, and they had certainly kept Nephara on their heels for the vast majority of the half. The offense was moving the ball seemingly at will all over the pitch, and Aranea Provost was doing all she could to keep the score just at 2-0. The Banijans seemed to be rolling, but it was the kind of performance that was always going to be unsustainable for the course of the entire 90 minutes, especially if they could not deliver the knockout blow. And they could not.

Now, of course, don't get it wrong- 2-0 after the first half was not a bad place to be, at all. Especially the way that the Banijans were playing. They were creating chance after chance, and were converting. But the Banijans were not exactly being clinical. Provost made a number of good saves in the game, the 20 year old, in the pressure of a(though certainly not the) World Cup Final, was stepping up in numerous ways for the benefit of her squad. In the 8th minute, a wide open Ogunsola got the ball about 10 yards from goal, and essentially had a one on one with the goalkeeper. Most assumed that he would score to give his team a one goal lead. He went for the far post, but incredibly quick reactions from Provost saw her push the ball wide of the net and out for a corner kick, which was subsequently cleared by the Nephara defense. Banija would have the upper hand early, but they'd need to be excellent to put the ball into the back of the net.

She had a number of diving saves on the day. But Banija's first goal they took her out of the equation entirely. It would be Ogunsola, once again, getting the ball on the left wing, and getting in behind Nephara's defense to go in on goal. But instead of taking the shot himself on a goalkeeper who was quickly closing in on him, he sent the ball across the pitch, as Anwar Dawit was sprinting to make his run to the open space. Dawit had an easy tap-in to essentially an empty net. Omugaba Immaculate, the second child and only daughter of the Kabaka and who was here with her husband, Omulangira Muteesa, on behalf of the Royal Family, naturally jumped up and celebrated. She was happy to watch the team win. She was in a suite with a number of people- her and her husband were the only royals, but plenty of important people were in the room. Robel Ezera, the RBSA Chairman. WCC Vice President Adama Sowe. Gitonga Kahara, the captain of the senior national team. Marcus Waters, the manager of the senior national team. And, of course, Nzo, Kinteh, and Uster were here- the three national team players who were age-eligible to play for this team, but did not because they played in World Cup 84.

The second goal was much more conventional. A simple corner kick, and it would be Chioke Uchie who would break free from his man and head the ball into the back of the net. Omugaba Immaculate was extremely excited. She might be able to watch the U21s come out of this with a trophy! But then, of course, the second half came. She talked to her husband. "Muteesa, we're gonna win this- champions, again!" She exclaimed. Her husband, warned her not to get too excited.

"Nothing has been won yet, my love." He responded. "There's still plenty of game to go. Look at everyone else in here- Adama, Gitonga, etc... They're all on the edge of their seats. We've got quite a game ahead of us." And sure enough, the tide started to turn. What was said by Ivy Herrick at halftime was unclear- of course, the Omugaba and her husband were not in the Nephara locker room. But it seemed to have worked. The nerves of a final seemingly finally behind them, they started to get forward and try to make the goals back. They continued to push, and it would be the Banijan defense on their back heels. The first substitute, of course, was Cyper Corr coming in for Musa Gaye. But Nephara continued to have the better of the play, although they hadn't scored yet. But that would soon change. Lukas Stonemoore headed home in the 65th minute, and all of a sudden, it was on.

The pressure of a final. A World Cup Final. The suite became silent. The two royals, and all these men in the room alongside their wives, were getting nervous. The room was getting silent. Their suite was behind the Banijan fan section, which of course was quiet. But the Nephara fan section on the other side was certainly getting extremely loud. They were excited, their players were feeling the momentum. That's the thing about youth sports- momentum matters at the highest level, of course, but even more so at the youth level. When it's a bunch of young players, emotions can be all over the place. The highest of highs can make players do things they never thought possible, and yet, the lowest of lows could kill the drive of players. And the momentum had shifted. You could see the energy flowing from Nephara's players. And who would equalize? None other than the hero of the semifinal, Basilisk. A 77th minute header brought them right back to where the game had started- with Banija and Nephara level. 2 goals per team.

Nephara kept pushing- they weren't here to go for the tie, they wanted the win. But the Banijans, making substitutions at both wing back spots, were able to regain their composure. They settled down in the back, and started looking for a winner of their own. The good thing about youth sports, of course, was that sense of belief- young players always had a belief that they could do the impossible. None of them knew their limitations. Sometimes a bad thing, as they'd try to do too much. But sometimes, it was a good thing. They were pushing forward against all odds, and all of a sudden, Nephara were on their heels again. These fresh wing backs were getting forward, putting immense pressure on NEphara. If Nephara was able to counter, the Banijans would be in massive trouble, but fortunately for Wangolo's men, they were not. The chance finally came, 2nd minute of stoppage time, for the winner.

A cross from Sarjo Diene. Anwar Dawit went up for the ball, and it would be Brabanzon who woudl make the challenge. His arms stuck out, the referee blew the whistle, pointed to the spot, and the whole box cheered. "Penalty!" Omugaba Immaculate screamed. Everyone was excited. And of course, nervous as well. Considering the stakes and the magnitude of the moment, the referee of course was forced to check with the Video Assistant Referee. It wasn't a long check, but still- one that built tension. A yellow card was given, and it was very clearly a penalty kick. Everyone in the room was nervous as Kausu Dione picked up the ball, kissed it, and then placed the ball down on the spot. Immaculate took one look around the suite, and thought it was a fascinating sight. Waters was standing right at the window. Ezera had his hands over his head. Kahara was kneeling, seemingly in prayer. Kinteh said that he couldn't watch, and buried his face into his girlfriend's shoulder.

What a moment this was. A penalty, in the dying moments, to win the Di Bradini Cup? Immaculate was watching intently. Dione ran up and blasted his foot through the ball. The ball went up, and simply kept rising. He had skied it. The referee blew his whistle to mark full time. He put his hands on his head, as Nephara ran to their benches, celebrating and high-fiving each other. The atmosphere in their suite was predictable- the mood awful. Silence. Kahara hitting his fist softly against the table. Robel simply staring into space. Nzo just shaking his head. A disappointing moment. Immaculate then turned and looked at her husband.

"Don't look somber!" She said. "We can still win this." Her husband simply grunted in response. It seemed as if everyone in the suite had lost faith. In the first half of extra time, Nephara did everything they could to try and take a goal advantage themselves. Wanda Kouyaté mirrored the play of her Nephara counterpart, making multiple big saves in the first half of extra time. And in the second half, Nephara could feel an equalizer coming. But in the 113th minute, disaster struck for those who had clawed back from 2-0 down to get to this point. An interception in the midfield by Abigal Admassu, who had come on just moments earlier, saw the counter-attack brought on. SHe raced up the center of the field, as Dawit adn Ogunsola, both with one last wind of energy, flew up the sidelines. Her fresh legs carrying her against the weary legs of the Nephara defenders, she sent the ball towards the corner and flew up the field. Dawit sent the ball back, a perfect one. She leaned forward and slammed her forehead perfectly into the ball, and the ball flew into the back of the net. Provost didn't have a prayer.

The suite turned into jubilation. What scenes. Adama Sowe, an old man he was, jumping around. Kahara and Kinteh hugging. Nzo on his knees, screaming. Immaculate, for herself, grabbed the flag they had in the room and ran up to the window, just waving it. What a moment it was. And they were barely done celebrating when the Vijana Kadongo Kamu put the game to bed, with Kausu Dione walking in essentially an easy one after a well cleared corner kick turned into a counter for the Banijans. That sweet, word. Something Banijans had only been able to say a handful of times- world champions. She looked at Adama Sowe, who was applauding vigorously.

"Adama, congratulations." Immaculate coolly said. "Aren't you supposed to be a neutral? WCC official and all that?"

"Your highness, I'm a Banijan." He replied. "That's all there is to that." And what a day it was. The same generation winning two youth trophies- the U18 World Cup, and following that up with the U21 World Cup. And, of course, players who weren't even on the team- Nzo, Kinteh, and Uster. And as they were led onto the field by DBC organizing officials, to join the celebrating players and coaches, Immaculate though to herself. This next generation had already brought home two trophies- the U18 World Cup and the U21 World Cup. Already golden. And yet, would there be more to write for their story?

Di Bradini Cup 47/U21WC68 Everything Thread

Who is online