World Cup 85 || RP Thread

[Northwest Kalactin]

Northwest Kalactin 2-2 Eura
It seems that lately the Kalactanians have started up fast after a dissatisfying qualifying campaign last cycle. They are now 1-1-0 and now will be playing Eshan in their next game. The 2-2 tie against Eura showed how this team could go up and play with the big boys. The Kalactanian team also hopes that this proves true against an Eshan team that has struggled lately, the first time the Kalactanians played them they where a pot 2 team now they are a pot 5 team.

The Kalactanians put out their regular starting eleven with McCarthy, Dillan and Sanders up top, Owens, Flemister and Gilbert in the middle and finally down back they put in Grebv, Anderson, Hall and Dakota with Jakerein sitting back in goal. The Eurans also put out their regular lineup.

As the game started the Kalactanians seemed shell shocked, they where amazed by the Eurans smooth play and didn’t know how to beat them. Monica Rowland made a smooth pass to Frank Bevan and the Euran team broke through the line just 7 minutes into the game. The Kalactanians got lucky however, when the athletic defender, Matt Hall was able to catch up with Bevan and force a bad shot it was a close one though. The Kalactanians where now determined to strike back, and they didn’t take very long to do it. Jimmy McCarthy grabbed the ball in the corner and took a second until he passed it into the middle where it was deflected out by Kevin Belgrave. The Kalactanians got a corner kick and they took it with Frank Owens. Owens made a perfect pass right to Luke Dillan in the middle who was able to trap it and take a shot on Belgrave, Belgrave saved the shot but he gave up and rebound and was sitting on his knees. Will Sanders stormed into the gap and went up in the air to make an attempt on the ball, Sanders beat Brian Bond to the ball and made an easy header to put the Kalactanians up by one.

The Kalactanians who where now riding high with their 1-0 lead started to get overconfident and allow more chances, the first one came in the 33rd minute for the Eurans. Rhys Griffiths saw Bond almost past the high Kalactanian line and decided to make a long pass to reach Bond. By the time the pass reached Bond it was aged over, the Kalactanian defense had absolutely no chance of catching up with Bond and he was now on a 1-1 with Kalactanian keeper Wendell Jakerein. Jakerein rushed out at Bond hoping to force a bad pass but it didn’t work one bit as Bond just shot it over Jakerein into the Kalactanians goal. 1-1.

Going into halftime the Kalactanians wanted to retake a lead over the Eurans or at least hold onto a time. Eura was by far the strongest and most difficult team in the group and they hoped that they could grab some points on them. Eura however, wanted to win because you can’t go into a World Cup proper saying that you tied Northwest Kalactin that’s just sad.

Eura would be able t strike back and take the lead quickly as they go another chance in the 53rd minute for another goal. Damion Bowman was sitting on the back shoulder of Matt Hall ready to get a pass from a midfielder so he could get a shot on Jakerein. That pass came quickly as Frank Bevan fed a pass to Bowman that was a bit out of his reach. He was just barely in the goalie box at the time, Bowman fell over as he tried to get the pass but the referee thought that Hall pushed him and gave hall a Yellow card. Hall was furious not only did he get a yellow card, Bond would also get a penalty kick on Jakerein, who struggled from the penalty line. On the shot Jakerein jumped out on it and tried to stop it however, Bond made an unstoppable shot into the top corner where no goalie could save it. 2-1.

The Kalactanians where mad that the ref had screwed them on the last call and wanted to do something about it so they scored a goal. In the 83rd minute with the game starting to wind down Jimmy McCarthy was desperate for a goal, and decided to go get one for his team. McCartney received a pass from Frank Owens near the corner of the box when the Kalactanians where working the ball around trying to find some chances. McCarthy concludes that they probably weren’t going to get any good chances at this point so he decided to shoot on sight. McCarthy blasted a shot against the post but it was deflected out, again the ball was out of Belgraves reach and openly bouncing around in the box, and there was someone right there for the Kalactanians that time, Jack Flemister. Flemister jumped right at the chance for another goal and decided to take a shot right then and there, and it went in past Belgrave. 2-2.

As the final whistle blew to an end the Kalactanian where pretty happy, they had just tied the number 3 team in the world and it felt great for a team that had been struggling so much before. The team now looks to use that magic against Eshan who will now try to grab some points against the Kalactanians.

[Zwangzug]

The visitors' clubhouse was, if not a treasure trove, at least a pleasant surprise to the players more familiar with the "home" side. (Of course, they were usually more familiar with the "home" clubhouse, scare quotes and all, of many other stadiums around the country.) Josephine Tell-Diri, the center-back, had fortuitiously stumbled upon a bag of pads left by a visiting side, and the first-aid kit Ryan found, while meager, was enough to provide a thermometer for Samuel, who had been feverish overnight.

"It might not be that high," Samuel pointed out, "I mean, everyone has different averages, the specificity comes from like a significant digits error in converting from Celsius--"

"Uh-huh," said Ryan, unimpressed. "And what's your average, then?"

"Well, I have no idea, I'm just saying--"

"Yeah, yeah. You stay here and take it easy."

"Just because I'm sick now I'm the visiting side? Harsh."

"We might need a--a sick bay," said Ryan, "and this looks more hospitable than the Peak'n'Break booth."

"True. Also Mimmo would be angry if he had to climb over me to get his breakfast muffins," said Samuel, forcing a smile.

If Samuel's attempts at wryness were the only thing Ryan had to worry about, that would have been fine. But it wasn't just Niels who was acting stir-crazy. Elena Drys-Weller, the club's lead scorer, had taken to packing and unpacking equipment bags as if she was going to lead a mountaineering expedition out. And Jill had gotten locked out of the laptops in the press box after trying, and repeatedly failing, to guess the password of the e-Lipogram reporter who followed the Rovers. (Hallam Vengor, the starting keeper, had pointed out that it shouldn't have been that difficult, as there were a bunch of common passwords it wouldn't occur to them to try; this did not help matters.)

"Tessie," said Ryan, "I need a favor."

"Of course," said Tessie.

"Don't agree until I've said what it is," he said, and explained his idea.

He'd declared a "Team Meeting" after dinner, which was fairly redundant; everything was a team meeting, with the exception of Samuel and Bridget. "Okay," said Ryan. "I, uh, know it's not easy, and it's not going to be fun being cooped up for the next while. I still think some of us, most of us, will need to stay put. I mean, we don't want Samuel walking around with a fever, or Bridget with a cough. Someone's going to have to stay here with them and hold the fort. But, that being said, most of you guys are in pretty good condition, I mean, you're athletes, right? So, Tessie and I have talked it over, and she's going to lead a group to the rail depot, just follow the tracks. Then you can get transportation back. You're still probably going to need to quarantine once you're there, until we know what the virus is looking like, but you won't be stuck in the middle of nowhere. I, uh, don't want to pressure anyone, so don't feel like you need to decide now. But if you think that's something you want to be a part of, talk to her, let's say in the next day, and day after tomorrow you'll set out. Sounds good?"

There were nods and m-hms.

Tim was the first one to approach Ryan. "Can I, uh, steal the clipboard for a while?"

Ryan blinked. "What are you gonna do, draw up tactics for against Bassabook?"

"Ha-ha. I want blank writing paper, if that's not too much to ask."

"Press box," Hallam called, "the big printer's unplugged, just go into the drawers."

"What were you doing in the press box?"

"Journalism," said Hallam, before Ryan could groan.

Shortly after, Tim made his way to speak with Tessie. "Uh, once you get out, mind sending this to Coach Hernandez? Just so he has some idea what's going on."

"You should come," said Tessie. "I mean, if you want."

"Even assuming this works, what are the odds I'll be able to get home any time soon? Not only is there your health care bureaucracy to get through, I don't want to have to fly to Newmanistan and get stuck waiting over there too. Until this is sorted out, I'd rather stay where I know the ropes. I mean, it's not my first choice, but at least we know we're not infecting anyone else this way, yeah?"

"Yeah," said Tessie, and pocketed the note.

(McCollins 48)

[Kandorith]

Shinonome Kyoai - International
News From The Empire

---

Five Goal Spectacle

Group 11                                  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Equestria                               3    3   0   0    12    4   +8     9
 2 Xanneria                                3    3   0   0    11    7   +4     9
 3 HUElavia                                3    2   0   1     9    7   +2     6
 4 Lo Santano                              3    1   1   1     5    4   +1     4
 5 Kandorith                               3    1   1   1     5    5    0     4
   Nooooooooooooooo                        3    1   1   1     5    5    0     4
 7 South Concepthuania                     3    1   0   2     5    7   −2     3
   Vdara                                   3    1   0   2     5    7   −2     3
 9 Blouman Empire                          2    0   2   0     2    2    0     2
   Monglechabagd                           2    0   2   0     3    3    0     2
11 Ancherion                               3    0   1   2     8   10   −2     1
12 Jamestownnnn                            3    0   1   2     3    6   −3     1
13 Fujai                                   2    0   1   1     2    8   −6     1

Tenkyo,The much anticipated match against Xanneria, a packed stadium and an atmosphere most teams can only dream of; what went wrong as Kandorith slumped into another defeat by one goal in a 2 - 3 clash for the Lotus Warriors. The night was magical and the Kandorese fans were donned in both Kandorese and Xanneria jerseys to celebrate the match and of course Kandorith's run during the Cup of Harmony hosted in Xanneria. Even though the game was balanced in the first half, eventually even a glimpse of a Kandorese comeback was cut short. However, to the fans the match was magical and was the most talked about topic on social media and will most likely be for a long time. For the first time the Empress Masumi Stadium was completely filled and sold out, which build an amazing atmosphere of cheers and celebration. As the voices of 90,000 people echoed through the stadium even the players were somewhat awestruck. The game however turned into a defeat for the Kandorese homeside, their second disappointment when playing at home during this campaign.

Hayabusa carefully cheering as Katano scores

Hayabusa seemed delighted though and was smiling as ever. "I think we did very will and of course there are point we need to improve. Playing against Xanneria is tough, they are a very spirited and tough team from which we can learn a lot still." Hayabusa said calmly. "I think our weakest points are still on being too careful. The players need to take more risks and play more fluently and I think we can get it down. I do not see the result as a defeat necessarily, but more as a learning moment for us. We could have at least drawn the match but we held back too much. This has become a common thing with the team and is something we need to learn to cope with. When we have the ball we should attack, not try to look at the obvious but get creative and get into the box.

I fully believe in this team's ability and I do hope the Kandorese fans have the patience to let me build it further. The team is partially inexperienced and from looking at them tonight it seemed some were quite uncomfortable with the large amount of spectators during the match. I get it, there is a lot of pressure on our shoulders but we should not succumb to pressure. In the end every national match has pressure like this on it as everyone, their family and friends, are watching us play these matches. The thing is, we need to build this together and all these players have huge potential to perform even better than they already did. The atmosphere among the players is great, now we just need the composure of a possible world champion.

"Is it realistic to think like that? Many say not but I think to succeed in a tournament you need a winners mentality. We have the mentality, but not the prowess yet. This is also something we need to build towards. The match itself even left me somewhat speechless at the end. Sadly we could not convert our chance to draw and I think I should have called for a substitute earlier than I did eventually. In the end we learned a great deal from this match and we once again were faced with how tough a football match can be. I think a penalty is always seen as a controversial decision and I am not going to comment on the decision itself either, the referee saw it that way and that's that. For us it was almost like a gift from the gods. It was a beautiful shot but sadly it could not turn the match around.

"Xanneria played amazing and a lot of people have already asked me to respond to how their coach was acting. Some even deemed it disrespectful but I see it differently, Rhule is very passionate about his game and team and of course deserves to be that. To be fair I found it rather amusing in a good way. The way they show national pride is a beautiful sight to see and to the people saying it offends them I also tell them I even think Her Majesty herself can appreciate someone like Rhule. We are often too careful with showing emotions or even national pride because of our past, I honestly believe we can learn more than just football from Xanneria. As a final note I would really like to extend congratulations to Rhule on winning the game and from what I have read, Carlton Brower for scoring his first international goal. I can't wait until we meet again on the football field as honestly, Xanneria is one of the more interesting sides we have played against."

The game against Xanneria was a rollercoaster for most fans, where Kandorith slipped up in the 9th minute allowing Peralta to score in absolute style with less than 15 minutes later Hoshi finding the goal for Kandorith. Although the even score would not hold for long as the second half started and Brower found his way passed the capable hands of Kiyotada who has been excellent throughout the game, yet fell short. Later in the 59th minute a gift from the gods arrived, a penalty was awarded and Katano made sure to take the opportunity with a 2 - 3 score things were looking up again with only thirty minutes to play yet it luck would not be on the side of the Kandorese home team. Mishap after mishap came for the players as they just could not connect and could not find the back of the net. With a very hopeful last minute corner Kandorith still had a chance, Hisakane Hayashi shot the corner with the last energy he had and as Tanaka went up in the air so did Evan Jefferson to catch the ball in safe hands. The final whistle sounded and even though there was a whiff of disappointment in the air, the Kandorese side did look better than they did in the previous matches.

Eyebrows Raised on Empress Comment

The Empress herself was a much spoken about topic as she visited the stadium during the game, though it was uncommon before for people to comment on the monarchs of the Kandorese nation this time social media was filled with comments about her. The reaction from the Imperial Household itself was a single statement that Empress Masumi enjoyed the match and does indeed enjoy the fact the Kandorese people are more interested in talking about the Imperial household more casually. Controversially the Empress herself responded to a bit from the Xannerian media from their coach, Myrone Rhule; "I do believe every coach should strive for a win like this. The best games are the ones where people in power get to watch you win. Especially the opponents leaders. I do hope the empress comes to Xanneria" Which was extensively quoted on social media too. "I think it would be a lovely opportunity and maybe even I will have to time to see some tourist or historical sights when we get to play them again. I am looking forward to a rematch in which we have learned from playing against Xanneria and I wish them all the best in the rest of the tournament." The Empress shared on her social media account.

It is not uncommon for the Empress to appear at sports events around the Empire, especially football, although mostly the Imperial Household was not seen until the last stages of tournaments. Empress Masumi breaks this tradition. She insists on joining almost every home match when possible. Not only as an inspiration to the national team but also as an icon for younger generations of Kandorith. Where mostly Imperial households are seen as dusty, outdated and simply boring the Empress makes sure she is engaged with the youth of the nation. Joining in on social media, visiting high schools and speaking to various leaders of youth programs across the nation. The Empress pursues a policy of coming closer to the common people in showing that she is like any other Kandorese person and she is there to comfort and support the nation when needed; but also cheers for the nation when international achievements can be gained.

It was after the Cup of Harmony Empress Masumi ensured a fun would be set up as an initiative from the imperial household to promote women's football in Kandorith and to ensure all children can pursue their dreams of becoming stars and examples for the Empire. In an agreement with the Kandorese Football Association Empress Masumi has also encouraged the KFA to build extensive youth facilities and schooling programs to educate and build the next generation of Kandorese football players. Currently, completely funded by the imperial house a new stadium is being built for the newly established Women's Football Association of Kandorith and will be completed somewhere in the coming months, a massive project and envisioned to house at least 50,000 people the "Blossom Stadium" will be one of the most modern stadiums across the nation.

As Kandorith is getting ready to face the nation of Nooooooooooooooo, football is becoming the most talked about topic within the nation. Most people on social media commenting on the Kandorese football are young-adults and high school students who are finding their way and their love for the most international sport in the world. Where previously most Kandorese schools mostly had a track-field, they are slowly and surely being replaced by football fields for the students to enjoy playing football and other field sports. With Kandorith seemingly performing way better during away matches and Hayabusa knowing where the problems in the team are, looking forward is the only way for the Kandorese team.

[Garifunya]

Handicapping the vice presidential race, Prins' next move

Antwaan Niewmeijer, De Frederykvil Dagblad

After much debate, discussion, and a lengthy campaign, the constitutional amendment creating the position of Vice President has passed. It earned 73 votes in the House of Freeholders, with the Patriotic Union, National Party, and scattered left-wing elements opposing, while it squeaked by in the Senaat with the two-thirds minimum of 20 votes for. The referendum saw two different campaigns: those who supported the amendment pitched it as a way to ensure continuity of government and more effective leadership, while those who opposed it mainly attacked President Immanuel Prins and said that this was a power grab and a way to consolidate his people at the top of the government. It eventually passed by a margin of 69.2% for to 30.8% against, a healthy victory.

Now Prins will have to turn to the choice of Vice President and what to do next. We've shortlisted five candidates that we think could be picked. Below is a description of each of them and reasons for and against. Whichever individual Prins nominates will demonstrate what direction he wants the country to go in. While Prins' jobs and public works program has reduced unemployment and lifted individuals out of poverty, it has come at the expense of higher taxes on the rich, more debt, and a gradual but troubling rise in inflation. Democratic Revival, the party that supports Prins despite his nominal independent status, is divided on it. While some in his party and most of the Social Democratic Party, their centre-left allies want the program to continue as-is, the majority of the DR caucus favors devolving the program to depaaman-level governments to reduce spending. They argue that education is the way forward for Garifunya, and so propose a massive teacher recruitment and training drive.

Those on the left are still arguing for expropriation of land, and they have a point: government data shows that many of the poorest Garifunyans are tenant farmers and that 18% of individuals own 58% of the land in the country. But such a move might spark capital flight and discourage foreign investment. Some on the right of DR and the right-wing opposition are arguing that the time is now to cut taxes; they say that a reduction in taxes and a simultaneous program to invest in small businesses would cut unemployment and create true prosperity. We will see what Prins decides to do.

Simone Lunenborg



Description: Lunenborg is the Deputy Leader of the Social Democrats in the House of Freeholders. She has been a vocal advocate of co-operation with Prins and DR, as well as supporting the jobs and infrastructure program. Sitting in the centre of her party, she has good relations with everyone in her party, winning Deputy Leader by a caucus vote of 16-2. She would be a solid choice to continue Prins' current path, would cement the good relationship with the SDP, and can even be seen as somewhat of an olive branch to more left-wing elements. She is our current odds-on favorite.

Odds: 3-1

Aaliya Pilon



Description: Pilon is the chair of the Senaat Anti-Corruption Committee and the head of Women's Policy for Democratic Revival. She made her bones as an anti-Gillaat and anti-corruption activist during the dictatorship, even serving time in prison. She has massive respect in Democratic Revival and would be a popular choice in the press because of her anti-Gillaat bona fides. Picking her might signal a renewed focus on women's issues, an area of criticism for Prins' government. However, she won't win any votes from the right, and she has been linked to those advocating more centrist economic policy, which won't endear her to the left. Picking her might signal a renewed emphasis on women's issues, an area of criticism for Prins' government, as well as a diversified policy agenda instead of a single-minded focus on pocketbook issues.

Odds: 5-1

Dirk Voordenhout



Odds: 10-1

Description: Voordenhout is an independent Senaator from Vrijport and the former mayor of that city after Prins. He has close ties to Prins from their work in city government together, and would probably create a lively policy debate inside the government. He is well-respected by blacks and whites alike. He is seen as more of a conservative liberal, mildly critical of the jobs program, and favoring an agenda of education, a streamlined tax code, and environmental preservation. He does bring business experience and good relations with foreign trading partners to the table. His selection would represent somewhat of an olive branch to the right and to white voters, but would send the left into an apoplectic rage, which might undermine future co-operation.

Hanneke Hulter



Odds: 30-1

Description: Hulter is a young activist turned member of the House of Freeholders. She played a key role in the Frederykvil uprising against Gillaat and is a member of the Bright Future party. She has not been afraid to be critical of the Prins government, especially on women's issues and corruption. She is also supportive of land reform, government-funded late-term abortion, and a higher minimum wage. Choosing her would be a strong signal that Prins is committed to governing from the left, and she would bring on youth and women voters in a way that others might not. Cynics claim that bringing her into the government is a way for Prins to neutralize criticism from the left and to shut her up. She would be a controversial choice, however, as the right reviles her almost as much as Prins, and she could spark a revolt among the more centrist elements of Democratic Revival. She also might not accept if offered the job.

François Celestin



Description: This is the wild-card candidate. Celestin currently serves as Prins' chief of staff and top political advisor, a role he has held for many years. Some see him as an éminence grise or "the power behind the throne"; these people take a sinister view of his relationship with Prins. Others see a long-standing mentor with a desire to serve his president and his country. This would be a tough choice to get through Parliament, but if Prins can pull it off, there would certainly be an excellent working relationship and co-ordination between the two. There are only rumors of his candidacy right now, but it's well-known how much Prins admires and respects him, and senior DR figures have praised him in recent weeks. A dark-horse candidacy to be sure, but one we cannot discount.

Odds: 100-1

Who do you think Prins should pick as VP? What should he do next? Take our survey!

[Maccian]

by Micheal Goated

Maccian 2-3 Taeshan: Damned By The Nutjob Pitch Invader!

In New Lambridge, Maccian and Taeshan played a thrilling 2-3 match where Maccian eventually succumbed to a 77th-minute goal from substitute Abriel Torres. It was an expected defeat yet an incredibly close game which showed how far this team has come since

Amiensha Kiyle bagged the first goal in a spectacular fashion in the 16th minute as she dribbled past Yoshimi Hirahito before she cooly curled the ball into the net, with Florian Wagner at full stretch to save the ball but it went beyond his fingertips. Taeshan was taking a notably more defensive approach to our team, giving up possession of the ball and allowing Maccian to build up its attack. Just one minute later, Angelina Aurelix caught the Taeshan defence off guard and slotted a through ball to Kiyle, who looked like she would net a brace inside only 20 minutes. But the flag went up for offside before Kiyle could shoot, with disappointment from her shown by her facial expression.

In hindsight, Maccian should have realised that Taeshan was parking the bus and waiting for an opportunity for Maccian to slip up and provide a counter-attack which would then lead to a goal. Eztelle Zeyla was absolutely murdered (calm down, she didn't die or anything. Just bodied) by defensive midfielder Alson Figueroa as he then retrieved the ball and led the counter-attack. It only took one through ball to 22-year-old Wilhelm Nkitilina before he smashed the ball past a bewildered Roma Senozen who stood as still as a statue as the ball rocketed past him.

The ball went back and forth in possession, with both sides not providing any real threatening attacks. However, Taeshan would bag the next goal thanks to newcomer Ten-Ten Saseirein mistiming his tackle on their captain Shiloh Morgenstern inside the box. In a rather controversial decision which angered the Riflemen as well as the fans, the referee who we paid specifically to favour us, what a fucking waste of money! sent him straight off. Benjamin Moriarty stepped up to the spot and struck it to make it 2-1 for Taeshan heading into halftime.

The Riflemen took off Zeyla at the last kick of the half as she hobbled off the pitch and replaced her with Liga Koiu. In the second half, Maccian were seeking another goal which would level the game. A freekick by Espede Luftboltzen hit the crossbar before Koiu brought it down and struck it at Florian Wagner who made a fairly easy save as the ball went out for a corner kick. Angelina Aurellix took a short corner, as Kiyle crossed the ball into the box hoping to find a fellow teammate. Liga Koiu snuck between Santiago Santiago and Alson Figueroa and headed the ball home to make it 2-2 for Maccian. The team looked increasingly dominant with the Taeshanis desperately searching for an answer to gain the upper hand.

A wildly over-hit corner from Nycolas Jackson in the 63rd minute practically gifted the ball to Kiyle who was almost certainly going to score considering the fact that the two centre-halves were the only players close to her. She sped away from the defenders pursuing her and was rapidly approaching the box when a pitch invader suddenly lept out of the stands holding up the flag of the Maccian right-wing political party, the Maccian New Order. The match had to be stopped as the nutjob was escorted off the pitch by stewards, much to the dismay of excited Maccian fans who were hoping to slay the Purple Knights. Deafening jeers and insults towards the pitch invader and the Maccian New Order seemed to be the only sounds filling the stadium, and rightfully so as he robbed Maccian of the chance to put the game to bed.

It all went downhill from the incident with the pitch invader as the Riflemen were being put back into their place by the Purple Knights who had their turn at dominating the game for the next 15 minutes. Taeshan slowly passed the ball around the Riflemen before they found themselves in a possible goal scoring position. Swisse Kadune stuck a foot in to take the ball but it deflected off him. Of course, the hero of the day, Miller Rupio-Yakezeid or at least in Taeshan's eyes secured the 3 points for the Purple Knights as he attempted to clear the ball yet kicked it backwards. The ball fell in front of Abriel Torres who clinically struck it first-time into the back of the net.

The rest of the match, Maccian struggled to offer any attack which could have equalised the game and salvaged a point. Taeshan stifled any creativity the midfield had just like Zeta Reka did in the 72nd edition of the Baptism of Fire. The park-the-bus tactic used in the early stages of the match was being used again to close the game out. The whistle soon blew at fulltime, handing Taeshan the victory.

Maccian performed well against the top-ranked team in Pot 2, but ultimately lost thanks to that stupid pitch invader who stole a surefire goal away from us. I think that it's safe to say the Maccian New Order won't be getting a lot of votes as it fucked the Riflemen. Maccian can only look ahead to the next match against North Quadana who are on 3 points and had a bye the last match. The Riflemen will be travelling to Arhundrede Stadion where they hope they can get a decent result.

---

Chapter 3: Big Fuckup

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Ruitawa and Timofeé froze still like statues in complete disbelief. Why the fuck did this absolute wanker piss off not just the tens of thousands in the stadium, but Maccians everywhere spectating the game at home? This action by the fool ruined any chances of the Maccian New Order getting even 1% of the vote as if their policies weren't enough!

Timofeé sunk his eyes deep into his hand in embarrassment while Ruitawa was fuming with rage. Angrily, he tossed a glass which was half-full of wine across the room, as it shattered into millions of shards of glass that inflicted pain just by looking at it. Red wine splashed all over the wall, dripping down whilst resembling blood.

"For fuck's sake, these uncivilised dogs can't keep still for 90 minutes and watch a game of football?!" bellowed Ruitawa. Timofeé was startled by his sudden outburst and attempted to calm him down but Ruitawa quickly shrugged him away.

"Look calm down, it's a big fuck-up and I can only imagine what the papers will be saying but it's not that bad. Look, we're resilient right? A little incident like this is not the end of the line for us, we can bounce back from this," assured Timofeé.

"Bounce back? How exactly are we supposed to do that when the party we are supposed to take over has ruined any chances of being elected even by those old rednecks who want 'Maccian to stay Maccian'? I knew I should've gone for the nationalist party, at least their supporters aren't complete idiots who jeopardise our very plan! We need a new party to pump money into, inform that agent James Knight that we're not funding that party and that we're finding an alternative"

"You're overreacting. We're sticking with the Maccian New Order," replied Timofeé. Ruitawa was about to reply back before the door swung open. Polished black shoes shone in the light, with a fashionable suit to go with them. A tall muscular man with dreadlocks and a large bushy beard which concealed the lower portion of his face stood in the doorway with his arms crossed and a bewildered expression in his eyes. The boss was here. He was the one who was organising the whole movement to depose the Maccian government and establish a South Toronton one.

"I overheard your entire conversation. This is an issue, sure. But we can overcome this simply through endorsing the most moderate and agreeable candidate. Charlie Rightwell. He'd be in the Maccian Centrist Party but is running for the Maccian New Order to bring them out of the 19th century and into the 21st. Instead of the puppet Julie Hyde who most people despise, we'll go for Rightwell. He'll shift the party more to the left and make it more appealing to Maccians like we're doing now," lectured the boss.

"Alright boss, I'll notify James Knight about the change in plans," said Timofeé as he left the room. The boss stared at Ruitawa who was reluctant to return the gaze.

"After tomorrows' game, talk to that Kizerain kid. Tell him his dad is not going to let go of the power and he should do anything possible to destabilise his rule," said the boss before he walked out.

[Port Ember]

Port Emberian Times

The Road to World Cup 85 Edition

MATCHDAY 3 MATCH REPORT

Port Ember 6 - 1 Indusse

The Port Emberian National Football Team, nicknamed the Dragons pulled off an absolute steamrolling, smashing victory against the Indusse National Team during Match Day 3 of the World Cup 85 Qualifier Campaign.

This match was the first encounter between these two teams in history, and took place within the Lilly Black Memorial Stadium, situated within the capital city of the Republic - Port Ember Megalopolis.

This was only the second time a game was played within this magnificent and brand new stadium, nicknamed the "Dragon's Lair" - and again the opening of the match was a entertaing spectacle. The match was opened with a fireworks display which could be seen and heard from all angles of the tropical island. The Indusse team entered the pitch soon after - immediately followed by the entrance of our own national team, accompanied by a wall of bursting fire along the entrance pathway. Both national anthems were observed after, with the Port Emberian anthem being sung so loudly that it could be heard within the deepest cracks of the ocean floor. Once the anthems were completed, the Port Emberian fans in attendance of this capacity filled stadium burst into the loudest cheer imaginable (The author is still getting goosebumps from thinking of it).

The Match

The match commenced with a Indusse kickoff, attempting to establish a solid possessive foundation within the midfield, but this was quickly put to an end when rising star midfielder Eric Tosaír stole possession from Alexis Budtedjson, quite unexpectedly, and burst through downfield, catching the Defense offgaurd, and eventually Keeper Steve leghourn sleeping - slotting the ball home in minute 4. The crowd exploded in passion and excitement.

Once kick off restarted, the opposition once again attempted to maintain a solid midfield, which came under constant attack from the Port Emberian offence, placing immense pressure on the midfield - forcing the backline to reinforce the under pressure midfield. This led to disaster in minute 15 as "Golden Child" Danny Nicovic snarled through the created gaps with a brilliant display of pace and agility, slotting the ball into the net as Keeper Steve leghourn misread the intention, jumping left instead of right. The crowd again whipped into a frenzy - the stadium organizers helping to amp up the passion by firing off walls of fire, fireworks, victory song and cheerleader dances.

The remaining first half firmly belonged to the Dragons as they continued to smash into the midfield, exposing weaknesses and gaps, allowing Nicovic to seize the opportunity to score twice more in minutes 31 and 40 - earning his hat-trick, ending the half with a 4-0 lead for the home squad.

The second half commenced with another Dragon lightning attack, this time pressuring the flanks, which quickly snapped against the pressure, allowing Captain Reddington to score in minute 47.

At this point in the game, it was not only the insanity levels of excitement and joy which could be felt eminating from the stands - the Indusse fans also let their mood be known - and it was not a good mood. These fans started loudly booing their team, cussing, swearing and loudly displaying their anger. This anger culminated with the fans peppering their own team with the plastic cups which once held their beverages, but now only held contempt. The match was temporarily suspended in order to clean the pitch. The match resumed soon after, with the Port Emberians immediately slowing down with their high octane offense- opting to play more defensively. Many are speculating that the Dragons did this merely to ease the angry Indusse supporters. None the less, the Indusse national team capitalised on this break of momentum when Antonio Mersias scored in minute 54.

This break in pace was not met with feelings of acceptance however, as the Port Emberians again started to press the opposition hard, dominating play completely. The last goal of the day came in minute 76 when a corner was taken, defender Jason Lee pulling off the best goal hitting flying scissor kick of his career to date.

When the closing whistle in minute 90 blared, the crowds cheers drowned out the sounds of the fireworks display - commencing a nation wide party which continued until the sun rose the following day.

Player Scores For The Match:

(GK)(#1) Peter Smith: 6/10
(CB)(#2) Josh Richards: 6/10
(CB)(#3) Jason Lee: 6/10
(LB)(#4)Alex Kuhn: 7/10
(RB)(#5)Russel Pierce: 6/10
(AM)(#10): Ray Reddington: 8/10
(DM)(#6): Steven Packard: 8/10
(LM)(#8): Jason Chamberlain: 8/10
(RM)(#11): Eric Tosaír of the Tribe of Waterford: 8/10
(CF)(#7) Leon Moult: 8/10
(CF)(#9)Danny Nicovic: 9/10

Substitutes:

(CF)(#22)Steven Packard: 7/10

Match Stats
Match: Port Ember Vs Indusse
Location: Lilly Black Memorial Stadium; Port Ember Megalopolis.
Result: 6 - 1 Win for Port Ember
Goals - Port Ember: Eric Tosaír; Danny Nicovic x 3; Ray Reddington; Jason Lee
Goals - Indusse: Antonio Mersias
Man of the Match - Port Ember: Danny Nicovic

Aftermatch word from the Coach

"Well I will admit that I am certainly happier today when compared to my feelings during our previous match day. Today was proof of what happens if we put in the hard work and stick to the basics. We can be an unstoppable force as long as we remain focused on our gameplan." - Coach Stuart Baxter

Article by Erica Davies
Port Ember Times

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Port Emberian Times

The Road to World Cup 85 Edition

MATCHDAY 4 WIND UP

Match Day 2: Tequilio vs Port Ember

It's the fourth match for our national team as part of the World Cup 85 Qualifiers, Group 8.

Location: The match is to be played at the Estadio Pablo Invocador, situated within the Santa Léa district of the capital city Tapalupé, Allied Homelands of Tequilo. This will be the first encounter between these two teams and is predicted to be in front of a fully packed stadium.

Team Breakdown: Port Ember

- International Ranking: 40.
- Current Standing in Group 8: 3
- Momentum: W,L,W
- Formation: 4-4-2
- Playstyle High Octane Offensive Play
- Kit to be used for next match: Main Kit (White & Blue)

What can be said about the Dragons which was not allready said before? Our team is young, hungry and talented. They have tasted qualification during the previous cycle, and have just tasted bronze during the IAC9. They will be looking to steamroll from early on in this competition to build momentum. The first match day win was a good start, although they performed quite terrible and picked up a loss as result during Match Day 2. During Match Day 3 however, they smashed their opponents 6-1.

Starting XI
- Goalkeeper (GK)(#1): Peter Smith.
- Center Back (CB)(#2): Josh Richards.
- Center Back (CB)(#3): Jason Lee.
- Full Back (LB)(#4): Alex Kuhn.
- Full Back (RB)(#5): Russel Pierce.
- Attacking Midfield (AM)(#10): Ray Reddington. (C)
- Defensive Midfield (DM)(#6): Steven Packard.
- Wide Midfield (LM)(#8): Jason Chamberlain.
- Wide Midfield (RM)(#11): Eric Tosaír of the Tribe of Waterford
- Central Forward (CF)(#7): Leon Moult.
- Central Forward (CF)(#9): Danny Nicovic.

Team Breakdown: Tequilo

- International Ranking: 185
- Current Standing in Group 8: 7
- Momentum: L,D,W
- Formation: Unknown
- Playstyle Completely Balanced Gameplay (Equal focus on Offense/Defense)

The Allied Homelands of Tequilo National Football Team is quite new on the international scene - having competed in only one international tournament - the prestigious Baptism of Fire. During this tournament they did impressively well - blasting through the tournament - kicking ass and taking names - before eventually getting knocked out during the semifinals, but grabbing bronze in the end (exactly what happened to our team 3 Baptism of Fire leagues ago!).

Even though this team is new on the international scene, they are not new to the game, as they have an impressive and well developed history and infrastructure on the club level back home, active for many generations.

During this active Qualifiers, they have had mixed successes, one loss, one draw and one win - against none other than Heavyweights Ko-oren during their last match day.

Starting XI
- GK Ferran Teixidó
- DL Patrick Zambo
- DC Noxochinoch
- DC Chicchan
- DR Callañaupa
- DMC Isidoro Artechevarria
- AML Tutayan
- AMC Mateo Tafalla (C)
- ST Tlacolotl
- ST Cora
- Tutayan

An Analyst's Input - How do we win this one?!?

"Honestly our opponents reminds me a bit of our own national team - 3 seasons ago. They are talented passionate and hungry to make a name for themselves - all the hallmarks it needs to make a splash on the international scene. Luckily for us, we still possess the exact same hallmarks, with the added advantage of international experience and momentum. We need to ensure that we enter this game focused - and as always, remember the basics!" - Gerhard Black, Football Analyst and Journalist for Port Ember Times.

With that all said - I personally wish our lads the best of luck for the upcoming match - Make us Proud!!!

Article By Erica Davies
Port Ember Times

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Sweat, Blood & Glory
Part 1

Two Weeks Before Match Day 1

Ray Reddington

Ray Reddington, captain and overnight hero of the Port Emberian national football team awoke slowly and painfully otop his plush king plus size bed. His eyes was rebelling against the notion of opening - the bright tropical sunlight bursting through the 40th floor penthouse's massive bay windows combined with the demonic, head splitting headache was not something the 22 year old eyes were in the mood for. Still Ray was adamant that they should open, and finally managed to do so, unfortunately only tripling the pain caused by the headache. Despite the death defying headache, he could not help but smile when his painfull eyes observed the three naked beauties laying scattered and asleep across his bed, in a mixture of next to and atop him. The burning tropical sun beaming in the bay windows illuminated the two dozen strewn about empty alcohol bottles and empty plates with mere traces of cocaine left within. Despite the aftermath pain Ray was suffering through now, the night before was worth it indeed. Perks of being bloody awesome he thought to himself. After a painstaking process of forcing himself off the bed he continued to throw a pair of Jean's, tshirt and sneaks onto his once naked and perfectly sculpted body, each item more difficult to dress than the last. He limped over to the bathroom where he did not bother to comb his hair into anything resembling neat, and neither did he bother to brush his teeth, instead opting with a quick and lazy mouthwash routine. He finally grabbed his blue and white kit bag lying in waiting next to the penthouse elevator door and offcourse the keys to his new Lamborghini hanging from the wall. The elevator door opened after the button was pushed and entered with a sigh. As the doors closed he caught a final glimpse of his penthouse and the chaotic state it was in, caused by the entertainment of last night. He shrugged and mumbled to himself "That's why I pay for room service".

Fraser Murray

The moment the tropical sun reared his face lazily upon the island's horizon, Fraser Murray returned home from a grueling 20 kilometer run. As the midfield reserve entered the suburban home which he shared with his parents and siblings, he looked over at his smart watch attached to his right wrist, forming a soft smile as the time keeper informed him unceremoniously that he once again broke his personal best. Once Fraser exited the bathroom after his shower and personal hygiene routine he found his mother awake in the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee awaiting him on the blue kitchen table. Fraser greeted his mother with a kiss on her wrinkled cheeks and took a seat, starting to sip on the strong fluid presented to him. Whilst Fraser was enjoying his beverage immensely, he stared at his dear mother whilst she was preparing breakfast for the family of five. The aroma of the eggs, bacon, mushrooms, toast, cheese, tomato and coffee filled the small antique looking room. The long and hard years of economic struggle, stress and hard work was visible on his mother, responsibly for a slightly arched back, wrinkled face, grey hair and leathery skin. Fraser felt a flash of anger shoot through his heart, anger at the world and anger at the situation. Fraser's parents have had always worked their fingers to the bone during multiple jobs at once just to ensure food and education was taken care off for Fraser and his younger sister and brother, with debts piling high like the Blacklake Mountain itself. When Fraser was selected to become the reserve midfielder for the Port Emberian national team, he thought that all problems could be resolved, as he was earning quite a pretty penny. Unfortunately for the Murray family the debt was just too high from all the years of interest and snowballing loans. Fraser pumped almost his entire salary into the family's affairs in an attempt to pay of the debts and offcourse to keep them all fed and his younger siblings in school, but it was just never enough. What Fraser needed desperately was to make it onto the starting bench. That would be accompanied with a large pay rise, enough to finally break the vicious debt cycle, and give some reprieve to his deserving parents. He was absolutely hell bend on achieving this goal - has been for the last two world cup cycles, and continues to be to this day. He trains on fitness before he starts practice days with the team, waking up at 3am daily for this purpose whilst his team mates are asleep. After practice he would hit extra hours at the local gym when his team mates would be spending time with loved ones or are out partying. During off seasons his teammates would travel the world as tourists, whilst Fraser would remain home and train. Day in day out, hour after hour. Despite Frazer being the hardest worker on the team - he lacked the raw talent most other lads on the team were born with. It was unfair, but it did not discourage Fraser - it only made him work harder. One of these days he would make the start squad. He could feel it in his bones.

Later in the morning - Lilly Black Memorial Stadium - Team Pracrice

Fraser was seated on one of the bright red padded benches in the locker room, already sweating from a pre workout as his team members filed in sporadically. They were all in good spirits and were laughing and joking with one another, no care in the world. They were rising superstars after all, no problem could not be fixed with sufficient fame and fortune. The players shot only a quick nod or soft "howdy brother" towards Fraser upon entry. Sure they have been together for the last eight years since they were all 14, but Fraser has always been the introvert of the group. He was always practicing or training whilst the rest went out to enjoy their new game and fortune. They labeled him a loner and 'try to hard type' - but that still did not earn him a spot on the starting line up - a fact which they mocked him for, though never to his face. When Captain Reddington entered the room everyone stopped their chatter or dressing routines and simultaneously greeted their friend, which almost sounded like a cheer. He was by far the most popular and well liked player on the team - a true superstar. A few minutes later Coach Stuart Baxter entered the locker room to address the team, normal motivational stuff, normal layout of plans stuff, normal berate and beshout Ray Reddington for looking like absolute shit stuff. The shooting lecture lasted a whilst longer than normal, clearly the Coach has had enough of the terrible attitude and poor life choices of the golden child. Ray remained seated without saying a word, displaying much of his normal 'whatever' attitude. He would never dare speak up against the Coach, there was simply too much respect for that.

Fraser felt motivated and determined when they finally graced the field for practical, the Coach was angrier than usual at Ray and Ray himself was obviously nearly broken by the after effects of what ever he did the night before. Today was Fraser's chance to make a massive impact and catch the Coach's eye. He went all out and gave it his everything, pulling in more effort than ever before. He was absolutely marvelous, he felt like a deity gracing the field - performing at his own personal best ever. All this mattered naught offcourse since even with Ray's terrible attitude and even worse hangover, he still outperformed Fraser, knocking him on his arse and outplaying him with absolute ease during the friendly starters vs subs match. Raw talent for the win once again.

Once the day on the pitch had come to an end Coach Baxter pulled Frazer aside and gave a soft but fleeting compliment "You did good today. Keep putting in more effort and you will be looking good in the long run". Those words was meant as a compliment but it was as if a demon spoke it. Fraser could feel his blood boil inside of him, ready to murder all in sight. How much more must he put in!?!? How much more sacrifice is needed!?!? Biting his tongue till he could taste blood and fighting back the tears forming with his entire being, Fraser offered a silent nod as reply before walking off. Back inside the locker room Fraser observed Sally Jones standing in the room, scribbling notes on a clipboard. She was looking absolutely stunning today, her long Auburn hair split into two ponytails, her grey top and tight Jean's accentuating all the perfections which was Sally Jones. Sally was the massage therapist of the team and have been in this position since the inception of the team and Fraser was utterly and completely in love with her. Sadly in the eight years they have known each other, they barely have exchanged more than a hundred words with one another, he simply could not scrape by enough courage to approach her. He loved her from afar. After Sally put her pen away she looked up at the room filled with mostly naked or half naked players and smiled, her kind green eyes sparkling in the dimly lit room. "Anyone needs a massage?" Her voice sounded like Rose's on a early spring morning. Fraser was at boiling and breaking point - his life was nearing the point of holding no purpose- and felt that nothing could go wrong more than it allready did, thus deciding to scrape by all his remaining will power - today he will tell Sally he loves her! He cleared his throat and rose to his feet, forcing them, reluctancy be dammed, to walk over to the love of his life. Meters before reaching her, Ray stepped in between them and started engaging in conversation. This quickly led to Ray taking Sally by the hand and led her to the massage room. For some reason incomprehensible to Fraser, Sally smiled slyly whilst forming a soft blush on her cheeks. Fraser ran out of the locker room to ensure that the first human being in range was not slaughtered by himself.

[Newmanistan]

Through the first two matchdays, the Dover City Sportsbook had made a sizeable amount of money that was in line with their expectations. Everything was smooth sailing for the operation, and in its infancy there would be no one suspecting that there was anything dishonest going on with it. Alexei Komissarov spent a lot of these early profits on more advertising, so that more people would be able to sign up for the website. After the third matchday, he was confident enough to make a large advertising purchase for the matchday 6 home game in Jessicaville. That was a good market for the Sportsbook to obtain, since the cost of living in that city is higher then anywhere else in Newmanistan. The purchase would be a large advertisement on the end boards during the match. For now, the advertising for the website was smaller, mainly appearing as banner ads on quality websites, and even the nation simulation game, RLStates. Komissarov added some wagering lines on more international sporting competitions that could appeal to a wider audience then just Newmanistanians.

Matchday 2 was a planned poor day in advance for the Sportsbook, as it was designed to have their staff members pick poorly as to give the real players a false sense of security. Pretty much all fans that had success in both matchdays 1 and 2 were going to keep on playing, because why would you just stop at this point. Sascha Nikolayeva and the rest of the staff members continued to happily do their duties.

For Nick Sheldon, he had to leave to the house due to lying about having a job interview to his wife. He would do so, and drove by his old place of employment, the financial firm that fired him for poor investment decisions. In his mind, he could not help but laugh, feeling that he was going to make a ton of money off of this website. Sheldon was aware of the other contests on the website, and he was ready to make his living doing this. The days that let up to the matchday three contests were fairly routine, but when that day came, he would sit himself on the couch and watch. His wife only thought this was weird because Nick had never seemed to be this much of a soccer fan. She would want to watch the Newmanistan match again Qasden, a pivotal contest for both nations, with him, but could not understand why he was so interested in streaming the game between ZSeparatists and Appalachian Nation. And why was he so upset over Appalachian Nation losing the game? When she inquired, he didn’t really answer other then to say he wanted Appalachia to win. For her, it seemed weird to continue to nag him about why, so she went about her day. Towards the end of the day, his loud scream of, “WTF Chromatika?!” got her attention. The excuses piled up, but he would not say anything about gambling. She was thinking something was weird, but couldn’t put it all together quite yet.

Sheldon was concerned after Chromatika inexplicably lost to Adyatin. How could they do that? He thought the Chromatiks would be a safe pick after they had a bad loss to Sanctanus and surely they would recover. That result really annoyed him. Time to check the results:

Your Picks Of: Audioslavia (3), Drawkland (3), Chromatika (-2), Taeshan (3), Baker Park (3), Mercedini (1), Sarzonia (3), Devonta (1), Cassadaigua (3), Appalachian Nation (-2), Xanneria (3), 95X (3), Pasarga (3), Oberour Ar Moro (1), and I.A. from Quebec (3) earned 29 points!

Sascha’s Picks of: Audioslavia (3), Lochario (1), Eura (3), Eastfield Lodge (3), Valladares (3), Hapilopper (3), Darmen (3), Barunia (3), Free Republics (3), HUElavia (-2), Kandorith (-2), Cosumar (1), Pasarga (3), Legalese (3), and Filindostan (3) earned 31 points!

Sorry, Sascha has won this duel and has been awarded the $1,500.

“Fking Chromatika!” Nick shouted over and over, making his wife come down.

“Why do you keep saying that?” she asked.

“I just hate Chromatika, sorry!” he replied.

“What’s wrong with Chromatika? I have never heard you say anything bad about them, ever.” she asked.

“Sorry, just was something on the news about them. Not a big deal.” he replied. His wife accepted the answer, for now.

Nick was annoyed. He wins this match if not for the stupid losses of Chromatika and Appalachian Nation. He was better then this!

He looked back at the screen.

“You’re account has zero funds. Would you like to add some, and continue playing?”

Nick, thinking on emotion, added another $1,500 from his credit card.

“Thank you. Would you like a different opponent, or would you like to see if Sascha wants to play you again?”

Nick was annoyed by this Sascha beating him. He felt his picks each were better, and challenged her again. Like last time, Sascha did not reply right away, but would eventually accept.

[Hapilopper]

(OOC: Information concerning Floyssauu’s team is from that nation’s Baptism of Fire 72 roster. Just so you know I’m not making up names or anything.)
Equilibrium Park, North Equilibrium, Floyssauu
World Cup 85 Qualifying Match 3: Hapilopper v. Floyssauu

FLOYSSAUU 0-2 HAPILOPPER (Randall 23’, Ellis 57’ (PEN))
Yellow Cards: Spenson (FLO) 57’, Ellis (HAP) 57’

This was the kind of momentum shifter the Haps needed. After a frustrating draw to Sankt Konrad and a hard-fought loss to Mercedini, the Hapilopper National Football Team needed a win and needed it badly. They got it in their third match, having travelled to the far-away land of Floyssauu for their third match to take on FC Equilibrium, the team representing the Allied States in World Cup 85. But the win did not come without some kind of controversy, and what would you know, it involved everyone’s favorite defenseman, Nathan Ellis.

It happened in the 57th minute when Ellis, playing out of position, had just gotten the ball from Beautiful Bobby East in FC Equilibrium’s 18-yard box. The forwards, Ernie Stevenson and Claire Randall, were tied up with defenders and weren’t open, but Ellis sure was. Nate got the ball and was about to fire one into the goal when he was tripped up by midfielder Evan Spenson in a challenge. It wasn’t the dirtiest of plays, but it was enough for the referee to issue a yellow card and a penalty kick to Hapilopper.

But the controversy got going when Nate got up after being tripped. Most footballers would gesture to the referee in a pathetic way to say “You see what that guy just did to me? You going to give him a penalty?” Not Nathan. He got right up, walked over to Spenson and gave him an open-hand slap to the left ear. The referee saw that and gave Nate his second yellow card of the qualifiers, but he was still able to go in for a penalty kick, which he did, scoring a rare goal for him and putting the Haps ahead 2-0.

It was one of the few notable moments of the match, which aside from a brilliant track meet-style goal from Claire Randall that saw her break away from the pack and fire a line drive over the head of goalkeeper Mario Levenden, wasn’t really all that exciting. But at least the Haps had finally gotten a win, putting them into 4th place, tied with their good friends from the wonderful world of Valentine Z.

But for the third straight match, Buddy Martinez had someone to get pissed off at. He was incensed that Nate Ellis had lost his temper, yet again, and had gotten himself a needless yellow card. It was one thing if he had been carded in the heat of battle, trying to get the ball away from the other team. But this was so needless. There was no need for him to pop someone in the face like that.

“You keep pulling stunts like that, Ellis, and I’m going to bench you!” Buddy snapped at the defenseman. “I’m not going to have you doing that!”

“But he cheap-shotted me,” Nate shot back. “If someone takes a god damn cheap shot at me, I’m going to fire back. I don’t care who it is.”

“That wasn’t a cheap shot,” Buddy replied. “You need to calm down. He was trying to get the ball away from you. Anyone could see that. You’re lucky you weren’t red-carded for that slap.”

Throughout the week, leading up to Hapilopper’s next match, a home match against Gopnikea, the talking heads on Hapiloppian sporting television questioned whether or not the HNFT should sit down Ellis for a couple of matches for his own good, and maybe encourage him to seek anger management courses in an attempt to calm him down. Some suggested it would be the best thing to ever happen to him – to help him become more disciplined on the pitch while maintaining that competitive fire that everyone agreed he had. Others, however, suggested that temper helped fuel that drive of his, and while he was prone to violent incidents on the pitch (like suplexing a player in a Nepharim domestic match, or clotheslining Alexis Fotellis), he was also one of the single best defensemen that Hapilopper had put out because of that fire.

That debate would rage on, even as Match Day 4 got going.

[Torisakia]

Welcome back to Sports with Bort. I'm your humble host, Bort Stevens. We're continuing our special report on Torisakia at World Cup 85. Before we begin, I'd like to let you know that this blog is brought to you by SwiftShave®. SwiftShave is absolutely essential when it comes to shaving like a pro. Why? So versatile. With its 1011-blade, never dull razor, you can get a clean, smooth, burn free shave every time no matter where it's at. On your face? No problem. Your chest? Easy breezy. Anywhere lower? Should work just fine. Your feet? Eh, maybe. Wife complaining of your hairy back but can't shave it cause you're not quadruple jointed and can't reach? No problem! The SwiftShave Swiftly Shave Kit comes with a razor extension handle that allows you to reach the hardest nooks and crannies on your body. The SwiftShave Swiftly Shave Kit also comes with their patented SwiftShave Weed Mint shave cream for a cool and irritation free shave. It also includes the Wild Mangalica Hair shave brush for a quick, smooth, seamless application. You get all this PLUS 4 packs of 5 stainless steel 1011-blade never dull razors for just T$19.95 24.95. But wait, there's more! Order right now from their website http://www.swiftshave.tor using the code "BORT" and they'll send you a second kit, absolutely free (just pay double shipping and handling and a separate processing fee). But I'm still not done!

4-3-3 Formation used by Torisakia against Jantor

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Yes I'm selling out again. Me and Grassnolewddick Media Networks worked out a deal to where I can sell myself out if they promise not to sell anyone's information to the highest bidder. It took a long time of heated arguments, hundreds of lawyers, and several broken chairs and large fisticuffs but we finally got everything worked out. And yes I know that SwiftShave message is almost word for word as the last time I was sponsored by them. I gotta make it easy for myself somehow. Anyway, we're here today to go over Torisakia's 5-1 win over Jantor yesterday. Now I don't want to say anything to disappoint you, but anything to disappoint you. But I do want to say something to please you, the new formation we used in this match worked to perfection. Now there were a lot of questions going into this match. First, what would Manager Sanders do with Sweetcloud sitting out this match due to the bogus red card he got against Drawkland? Two, why does "Jantor" sound like "Janitor"? And three, who slashed the tires on the team bus? Lets answer these one at a time.

First, Andy Sanders decided "to hell with the 4-4-2 we're going full 4-3-3 this match". Indeed, the Ice Birds switched up their formation against Jantor from their standard 4-4-2 to a 4-3-2, basically adding in a third striker. This meant that Aristide "The Tide" Wallace would get to start, essentially, in place of Syarhey Sweetcloud. The back 4 basically stayed the same with Brantley and Mikita on the wings and Serafin and Ehud inside, although Brantley and Mikita were also used as extra help in the midfield if the need arose. Speaking of the midfield, it saw some slight changes. Instead of the usual 2 wing-2 inside, we went with 2 inside-1 back. Gregory Franklyn remained in his usual position on the pitch, but Derek Lovel was moved inside and Faron James was moved back behind the center circle, possibly due to the fact that Brantley and Mikita were being used as extra help in the midfield from the backfield and we needed coverage on the wings in case of emergency. The front also saw some changes. Jordan Kallian and Johnny Kelso remained as strikers with Wallace joining them, but Kallian and Wallace were situated on the sides and back from Kelso while Kelso sat in the middle a few yards ahead. Interestingly, Sanders put Kallian on Kelso's left side, which is his weak side given that he is right footed. This apparently played to Torisakia's advantage as the two goals Kelso scored were on crosses from Kallian. Wallace had a more direct role: when in doubt, pass to Kelso. He also provided a few crosses, but given the Jantor defense's tendency to stack the right side it didn't turn out as well as Kallian's did. Overall this formation seemed to help offensively as Torisakia scored a whopping 5 goals to rout Jantor in their own backyard.

Torisakia scored 3 goals in the first half alone. The first goal came from Johnny Kelso at the 17th minute on a cross from Jordan Kallian. The cross was a bit overdone and Kelso had to extend pretty far to kick it, nearly flying sideways 6 feet off the ground. The ball just barely made it past the left goalpost and in to give Torisakia the 1-nil lead. Torisakia's next score came quickly in the 24th minute off a goal by Jordan Kallian himself. It was a simple turn-and-shoot that just happened to go by the Jantor goalkeeper. The Ice Birds' final score of the half came in the 40th minute on a corner header by Derek Lovel that beamed the Jantor goalkeeper right in the face and into the net. He had a great big bruise right on the end of his nose. He lived though. Torisakia went to the half up 3-0 in a fantastic showing of both offense and defense. Jantor produced much of nothing on offense, only crossing mid-pitch a handful of times and only reeling off 7 shots. All hope was lost for them basically. Even their fans had given up as most were heading for the exits before half time. Damn fair-weather fans. Don't you know you're only supposed to start leaving in the final 20 minutes if your team is down big? I swear the people in the world today.

The second half was much less eventful. Some back-and-forth opportunities arose but no one managed to score. It seemed like every time Jantor tried to shoot it went either wide left or wide right. They just couldn't catch a break. This was evident in the 67th minute when one of their defenders hard tackled Aristide "The Tide" Wallace as he was driving to their end and received a red card for it. Wallace got up immediately and limped a bit but eventually walked it off and was able to continue playing. The red card did occur in the penalty area which led to a penalty kick by Wallace which he was able to make to give Torisakia the 4-0 lead. That'll teach you to mess with "The Tide", you ragamuffin. More boringness would follow until the 86th minute when Torisakia scored once again on another cross from Kallian to Kelso, albeit not as overdone as the first. You may wonder why Kallian and Kelso were still in so late in a blowout match. Well apparently Sanders didn't expect to be up by so much so when he put Wallace in the starting lineup that basically removed our one substitute at striker. We could've put any of the other subs in there but we used all three of our substitutions for Faron James, Kanta Serafin, and Mitch Issacson so we had no choice but to keep them in. The substitution at goalkeeper however did lead to us giving up the shutout as Jantor scored in added time at the 93rd minute. Not sure who it was that scored but they probably weren't important just like the guy who scored the last goal for Squorn in the first match. At the final whistle Torisakia emerged victorious 5-1 in one of the more lopsided wins in their past few World Cup qualifying appearances.

TORISAKIA 5-1 JANTOR

Torisakia:
Kelso 17', 86'
Kallian 24'
Lovel 40'
Wallace 67' (pen.)

Jantor:
Unimportant Guy 93'

Torisakia is now 2-0-1 in Group 2 and sitting tied for 2nd, but again group standings don't matter all that much right now. Although they do have one of the most productive offenses in the competition so far. The Ice Birds' next match is against Gyatso-kai at home in the Vinewood Bowl. Gyatso-kai is a special character in that they're 0-3-0 right now, meaning they've tied three straight matches. But given how things go, their first win is liable to come against us. We've apparently played Gyatso-kai in the World Cup before. According to a reliable source (not my unreliable source. I know for a fact this one is reliable) we played them in World Cup 63. I don't know when that was and I don't remember it but apparently we did pretty bad in it (shocker) so it's not worth remembering. But I do seem to remember one of our players from another national team having something to do with a Gyatso-kai player on another national team. It's been a few years but I think it had something to do with Facebook and ice hockey. Meh I'm probably just remembering some dream I had. Everyone knows that we haven't had a national ice hockey team for years and the chances of anyone remembering any players we used to have is very slim. Although it would be fun to look into. I'll ask my reliable source for more information.

But that's all for today. Next time we'll review Torisakia's match against Gyatso-kai and try and find out about that Torisakia-Gyatso-kai hockey player relationship thing. It'll take a lot of digging and privacy invasion, but we'll get to the bottom of it. I'm taking my internet service provider to small claims court for that bullshit 'franchise fee' of T$4.62 a month because they won't give me a full refund, so my internet won't be shut off until that gets resolved. I told them I would sue the pants of them, but they didn't believe me. They just sent me something called a "cease & desist order". Looked like junk mail to me so I fed it to my dog Chuggles. He's had a bad stomach virus lately and has to stay in the doggie hospital for a few days. Poor Chuggles.

[Flavovespia]

Stanmorn

The First Kit

Stanmorn FC formed in 69BU to contest the Waldster League. They were separate to Stanmorn Miners, who had contested the Gold Cup since its inception and were also founders of the Waldster League. Stanmorn would begin in an all white kit, unlike their current colours. The all white kit would be worn for 6 seasons, until the adoption of blue shirts. The kit itself is very plain, as were the vast majority of the era, with the typical long shorts associated at the time.

Celebrated Classic

When Stanmorn moved from the Waldster League to the United Football League in 30BU, they did so with the addition of yellow to their blue and white kit palette. Exactly why this occurred is still never truly confirmed, but many believe it was a combination of still identifying with the outer Waldster area and their Waldster League roots, and to give themselves a newer identity with more kit design freedom. The design chosen was a white and yellow stripe running down the centre of the kit, topped off with blue shorts and socks to replace the white they used to wear. A look that broke decades of convention for the club, but was memorable. It was worn for 5 seasons, and saw 2 United Football League titles, a 2nd place and 2 3rd place finishes. The S on the shirt was part of United Football League rules to make clubs identifiable on TV, especially in black and white. Combining it with a blue circle however was a smart touch and formed the basis for the teams first crest.

Modern Marvel

Stanmorn’s 13AU effort wins here. It’s to some degree based on the old vertical kit design mentioned above, but moves it over the left shoulder (from the wearer’s perspective), as was the trend in the classic era. It’s a kit that blends retro with modern well, and was very popular with the fans and neutrals at the time. It’s a shame they were relegated wearing this kit, as it was considered a good design all around. The navy blue, chosen at the start of the modern era, was inspired by that of Stanmorn Miners.

Colour of Success

26AU, the year of their first Super League title, modern or classic era is chosen. This is one of the kits with the more bolder blue than the navy they chose to wear in the modern era for the first two decades or so. The asymmetric band across the chest divided opinion, along with a similar one on the shorts. However this as the kit that was worn when Stanmorn became the champions, so one day a revival of that is probably likely.

Fashion Disaster

As will be a trend, the classic era from just after 20BU to near it’s end was known for some, shall we say “bold” design choices. Some worked well, others did not. Stanmorn, already now with an unusual colour palette of a brighter yellow and white made some striking choices with their kits. This one from 12BU, really didn’t work well. The diagonal S may have been a clever idea in theory, but the application of their “custard cream” yellow and white is all over the place, the sleeves and shorts are far too busy, and it looks an absolute mess. To top it off, the team got relegated wearing this kit, which just about sums it up.

[South Newlandia]

ELEPHANT VALLEY MAIL
Sports -> Soccer
South Newlandia achieves awesome draw against Eraman

The Elephant Dome is a shiny, new building in the middle of Elephant Valley, built specifically to be the main ground for South Newlandia in the World Cup. With all the regulations and environmental protocols, it is basically impossible to get permission to build anything, but for sports and culture, exceptions are made sometimes. The Dome seats 21500 people, which may be small by international standards, but is rather large for a South Newlandian stadium. The only place that could rival the Elephant Dome would be Jecken Arena at 16250 seats. For context, the South Newlandian baseball team faced the then-world number three Ko-oren in front of just 8000 people.
It was time now for the new Dome to see its very first match. Eraman, the world-number 63, would be visiting for the game, and it did not disappoint. A 2-2 draw can be counted as a success for the Elephants, but the problems on defense seem persistent with 8 conceded goals in three games.

South Newlandia 2-2 Eraman

The home team started slowly, as the basically all-new squad with 6 new players, including the international debut for Abdurahman Bishop, seemed to need time to get used to each other. Alas, it was Eraman taking the first chance in the 8th minute. A quick play down the right side by Lipas Kudung allowed him to get a flank in to Buisan Buayan, but his header went above the crossbar.

Eraman controlled the opening minutes fully, and they got another chance in the 17th minute. Mano Bosa played a beautiful pass from midfield, and Kilat Supatra was way too fast for Dhruv Roy. Supatra was now running toward Mikhail Trischuk, but at the last moment, he passed the ball to his twin brother Kudrat Supatra, how had no trouble scoring into the empty goal.

This certainly wasn’t the start the Elephants had imagined for this game, but they managed to slow the Eramanian offense down at this point. In fact, the strategies of both teams seemed to work well at this point, and the game was not very interesting for the remainder of the first half. In fact, there was only one more chance before half-time, a half-heated longshot by Ricardo Rayner. The ball came quite close, but missed by about half a metre in the end.

At half-time, the game wasn’t looking great for the Elephants. In addition to the problems in defense, the offense wasn’t performing now either. Coach Robert Wolverine decided to take Corban Green out of the game and Donald Lancaster into it.

The second half started more smoothly for South Newlandia. In the 56th minute, they had a good chance after a nice play by Abdurahman Bishop. The 20-year-old played a solid first game and will give Finnley Wallis, the regular starter for his position, some work to do. Bishop managed to dribble through midfield and gave the ball to Patrick McMora, who played a strong pass at the right moment perfectly for Simon McCabe. He managed to dribble around Dundang Bayan to score the equalizer, his fourth goal in only three games.

With the game now being equalized, both teams were hopeful to score another, potentially winning, goal. South Newlandia had a chance first. After 62 minutes, Patrick McMora had the ball on the right side. Instead of passing, he decided to shoot for the goal himself, and the ball almost made it in, hitting the post instead.

The game remained close, and in the 68th minute, Eraman was having another attempt to score. Putra Daulapura Suara Petara had the ball in midfield, and dribbled through the Elephants’ defense, outplaying Faisal Harworth beautifully. He got in a good position, and Trischuk made one of his rare mistakes. He misjudged where the ball would go, and Eraman was up 2-1.

After ten more minutes, Robert Wolverine had to do something, and he decided to get Bjorn Cohen going. Cohen was injured all the way back in the game against Twicetagria in the Baptism of Fire, and he was going to be back on the pitch for the first time since then. Faisal Harworth left the pitch, and South Newlandia was playing 4-3-3 now, just as Eraman did.

Just one minute after the change, the Elephants had a corner. As Green wasn’t on the field anymore, Abdurahman Bishop decided to flank the ball close to the goal. At the distant post, Bjorn Cohen was waiting, and he got a foot on the ball to score another equalizer with his very first contact.

For the last minutes, neither of the teams managed another goal, and both sides have to settle on one point. It was the first ever draw for South Newlandia, not counting the BoF Quarterfinal that went to penalties, while it was the first game Eraman couldn’t win in this qualification. With the draw, South Newlandia remains comfortably in the middle of the standings.

Player Rankings

Mikhail Trischuk (GK, Captain) 6
The second goal was a mistake by him, and he didn’t look good on the first one either. Otherwise, he played solid.

Dhruv Roy (LB) 5
Once again, he didn’t catch his best game.

Manuel O’Moore (LCB) 7

Karl Meyer (RCB) 6

Barnaby Hastings (RB) 7

Faisal Harworth (DM) 5
He isn’t looking good on this position. He is a regular Central Midfield.

Corban Green (LM) 6

Patrick McMora (RM) 8

Abdurahman Bishop (OM) 9
He played a fantastic debut.

Ricardo Rayner (ST) 6

Simon McCabe (ST) 8
4 goals in 3 games are very impressive.

Donald Lancaster (LM) 6

Bjorn Cohen (ST) –
He did not receive a ranking due to playing fewer than 15 minutes.

Starters against Ottoman Syldavia

Again, we see quite a few changes in South Newlandias team. While Wolverine trusts in Mikhail Trischuk, we see three changes on defense again. Marcos Pit will get the start as Left Back, while Anderson returns to his old position. Surprisingly, Wolverine trusts in Raphael Moreno as Right Back again. Roy, Meyer and Hastings will not get a start.

In midfield, the changes from last time are reversed. Kevin Mohamed will get the start again, replacing Harworth. Wolverine also sits Bishop out again, despite his performance, trusting in Finnley Wallis.

Brandon Irving will also receive another chance as striker, while Ricardo Rayner will be on the bench again.

Results from Matchday 3, Group 13

The Kytler Peninsulae (UR) 2-4 Bliuji (99)
Bliuji got their first win against their unranked opponents.

Kuriko (330) 0-2 Valanora (15)
No surprises here. Valanora remains on 100%.

Pangurstan (311) 2-1 Plane of Possibility (148)
Plane of Possibility isn’t getting lucky at the moment.

Mavinet (218) 1-3 Ottoman Syldavia (338)
Ottoman Syldavia won their game against the BoF-Champions surprisingly, and they stay at 100% as well.

Tamgu (79) 0-1 Pasarga (25)
No surprises here either.

South Newlandia (228) 2-2 Eraman (63)
Juvencus had a bye day.

Current standings

P   Group 13                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Valanora                                3    3   0   0     8    1   +7     9
 2 Ottoman Syldavia                        3    3   0   0     8    3   +5     9
 3 Eraman                                  3    2   1   0    10    8   +2     7
 4 Pasarga                                 3    2   0   1     4    2   +2     6
 5 South Newlandia                         3    1   1   1     7    8   −1     4
 6 Bliuji                                  2    1   0   1     7    6   +1     3
 7 Juvencus                                2    1   0   1     4    4    0     3
 8 Pangurstan                              3    1   0   2     5    6   −1     3
 9 Mavinet                                 3    1   0   2     5    7   −2     3
10 Plane of Possibility                    3    0   2   1     4    5   −1     2
11 Kuriko                                  3    0   1   2     2    6   −4     1
12 The Kytler Peninsulae                   3    0   1   2     6   12   −6     1
13 Tamgu                                   2    0   0   2     3    5   −2     0

Schedule for Group 13, Matchday 4

Eraman (63) vs. Tamgu (79)
This is an interesting matchup. Will Tamgu finally score their first points?

Plane of Possibility (148) vs. Mavinet (218)
This is another interesting game. No team is really a big favourite here.

Valanora (15) vs. Pangurstan (311)
The 1st seed should have an easy time again.

Bliuji (99) vs. Kuriko (330)
Bliuji gets another easy matchup.

Juvencus (39) vs. The Kytler Peninsulae (UR)
Juvencus has an easy game as well.

Pasarga has their bye day.

Ottoman Syldavia (338) vs. South Newlandia (228)
South Newlandia will visit the pot 12 team that is surprisingly second in the standings with three straight wins. The Elephants don’t really know what to expect here.

[Ancherion]

In the first three matches we something that is common in all, the matches are within a goal difference, there is a team scoring 3 goals each time and Ancherion are yet to win a match. In another close match, first seeds Equestria came out as the victors as they take their first win on Paradisian/Ancherite soil with a scoreline of 3-4. Goals from the opposing striker early on gave them the lead in the first half and then right before Asad De Longi headed one into the net from a corner kick. De Longi was able to clamber to the top of pack inside the box as he was marked by two defenders and reached for the ball. He barely had an impact on the ball but it was enough for it to go into the back post and in. I expect that the words spoken by the manager during the half time break were of encouragement and determination. With some slight changes of tactics and a good first half, it was time to take back the game now and get a point for the team.

Second half began as you can see that the Ancherion team were being more aggressive, the formation were shifted up and the defense were playing for the offside more regularly. In the 54th minute, it was Aydin who got the ball from a intercept and ran down the wing skillfully passing the full back. He was clear on the side and crossed the ball into the centre box where Taylor was waiting, Taylor received the ball and took the shot on the second touch. The ball rebounded off the keeper into the air and came into the feet of Roberts at the edge of the box and struck the ball into the net for the equalizer. This style of play really spurred on the supporters as you could hear them from far outside the stadium in Paradisia.

The momentum of the match was taken away from the Ancherites as both sides had been playing this match as if everything was on the line and eventually led to a stalemate as no teams could get a chance to score. This deadlock was broken in the 79th minute with Taylor taking the glory this time as he got one past the keeper after a through ball from Moon after he got a clean tackle off the Equestrian midfielder. We were holding onto the one goal advantage but soon after, the Equestrian players found a way around our defense and it wasn't long for the equalizer to come after that in the 84th minute. The fans got silent, as kick off continued the match, the momentum was in Equestria's favour all the way and they didn't take it lightly, they were dominating, controlling the flow of the game. The Ancherite defence let a error slip as a ball got past them in what they thought was going to be offside, which it wasn't. The striker ran with the ball and slotted it into the net to claim the three points for Equestria in the 93rd minute of the game. The fans were distraught, the players tired and defeated, the manager disappointed. Ancherion could not claim a point and remain at one point after three games, a very bad start to qualifying.

Opponent			Home	Away
Nooooooooooooooo		3-3	MD14
HUElavia			MD15	2-3
Equestria			3-4	MD16
Blouman Empire			MD17	MD4
Fujai				MD5	MD18
Jamestownnnn			MD19	MD6

South Concepthuania		MD21	MD8
Vdara				MD9	MD22
Kandorith			MD23	MD10
Monglechabagd			MD11	MD24
Lo Santano			MD25	MD12
Xanneria			MD13	MD26

[Ziwana]

Ziwana held to surprise draw by Patistan in World Cup Qualifiers

By Chosadziwa Botolo

The match against Patistan will truly remain in Ziwani players minds for years to come. It was an exciting and dangerous encounter, the Patistani players were aggressive and after losing their fans had the Ziwani squad dressed as bears running away with their tails between their legs. The next match was against an unknown team, once again from the backwaters of the multiverse. The name of that nation being The Mann Clan, an uncreative name that would be used for gamers on an online platform. Were the founders of The Mann Clan that uncreative. Everyone in Ziwana hopped that the uncreativeness of The Mann Clans name would also translate to how they played. Furthermore all Akambuku fans hoped that they would not play aggressive football as the national team had to be fit to face the stronger teams of Group 9. After the escape from Patistan, the Ziwani team had a retreat to the beaches of Zote were they recuperated and had friendly beach soccer match against local side Zote Malicky who they beat 5-0.

As the matchday approached, talks of the line up filled online discussions. What would happed to the rouge Gopaul would he serve his match ban and return, what about the Jean Wilder the Captain of the Akambuku would he return. These worries were put to bed in the pre-match interview with the Ziwani manager, Ngonamo. In the interview Ngonamo said that Gopaul would be fined by the RZFA and would return after his match ban, however if he continued to cause trouble he would be permanently banned from featuring for the national team. As for Captain Jean Wilder, Ngonamo said that he was slowly recovering from his injury and would be back by Matchday 5. The lineup against the Mann Clan featured players considered team B material, probably to rest the first Eleven after the trip in Patistan.

When matchday arrived it was a breath of fresh air for the Akambuku players and fans. The game was at home and not in some shithole country. The atmosphere was lively, babies with the Ziwani flag painted on their faces, the drop dead gorgeous Wags encouraging the players with their hardware and software assests and our glorious spiritualist asking Magaletta to help the boys win. The game started slow, with Ziwani players recycling the ball. It was dull really with not a lot of actions, both teams seemed to cancel each other out in the midfield. However in the final minutes of the first half a misplaced tackle by the Mann of Clan defenders brought down Dimanche earning Ziwana a penalty kick. Dimanche walked out limping, worrying Ziwani supporters. Bayaram moved to strike position and Casimir came on. Bayaram took the penalty and easily put it into the net to put Ziwana 1 up. After the first half break a horrible back pass from Rainovoson ended up in the Ziwani goal, he had scored an own goal. He however made up for his 57th minute by scoring from a freekick from 25 yards out to put Ziwana one goal up again in the 59th minute. The game was put to bed in the 79th minute by a Bayaram bicycle kick that went past the keeper to put Ziwana 2 goals up. This goal had the stadium shouting Bayaram's name.

After the match, Ngonamo was bombarded with questions regarding Dimanche, he was the second striker to get injured, however he assured the press and fans that the injury was not serious and the Complet Forward would be back in action the following match. The next match is an away game against unknown team Grodd Islands. The match will be streamed on www.ZCOMMSports.com on the Zplayer.

[Bliuji]

Bliuji vs Kuriko

Bliuji has played well in the qualifiers thus far. They've showed that they're good enough to hold their own against high ranked teams, their forwards and midfielders have been able to create good scoring opportunities. However they have only played two games, so the real question is, can they keep up this performance. High ranked teams like Valanora and Pasarga are no joke; their players are better in every way you can think of - and if Bliuji's defense doesn't step up their game sometime soon, it's not gonna be good.

The Match

Of course against a low ranked team like Kuriko, your expecting Bliuji to win. Bliuji is the better team in every aspect of the field. But that doesn't matter, what matters is performance, too many times Bliuji has lost to bad teams because of underestimating their opponent and playing sloppy. This is the world cup qualifiers, what Bliuji does on the field matters. Mistakes such as bad passes, shots off target or turnovers is the difference between victory and defeat, between qualifying or not.

Tonight's match will be taking place at Domitia Stadium one of two home stadiums that Bliuji plays at. And home stadium of North Field in the BSL. For this game there is an expected attendance of 43,118 and thousands more watching at home.

Downtown Prussia, Bliuji's Practice Field

"Common boys my grandmother can run faster than you guys... and she's fat and old! give me 15 more laps around the field at full speed" Andriy Shouted

"Coach I don't think I can make it, your intense drills are killing me" Xanderikek said

"Shutup rookie, don't you ever question my drills again" Andriy screamed "Now give me 25 pushups"

Reporter Volodymyr Onyshchenko had just pulled up in what seemed to be an old dirt parking lot that belonged to the field, stepped out of his car and proceeded to walk across the run down field, avoiding snakes, rocks and dog shit just to get to head coach Andriy Shevchenko.

"Excuse me coacher can I have a minute with you" Volodymyr shouted

"What do you wanna know" Andriy replied

"I want to ask you some questions about tonights game" Volodymyr said

"Ah well I suppose" Andriy replied

"How confident are you in your players ability to win this game?"

"Our team has the skill, but if they play like how today's practice went, they're going to get destroyed by this low ranked team. Hell some of these guys on the other team are falling over just trying to shoot and pass the ball, so if that answers your question, I'm not that confident."

"And how do you feel about Andriy Pyatovs performance in the last two games"

"Andriy is a good goalkeeper but his defense has been playing like shit, giving up turnover after turnover, leaving guys wide open and having trouble clearing the ball, as far as I'm concerned Andriy is playing great. First match against Juvencus he made some amazing saves. And last match against The Kytler Peninsulae his defense just let him down completely"

"Thanks coach"

Tonight's Starting 11

GK: Philip Tretiakov
DF: Lawrence Biryukov
DF: Leonid Ozerov
DF: Roman Aksakov
DF: Tim Kolesnikov
MF: Kyle Gordon
MF: Erast Bezrukov
MF: Vitaly Aksakov
MF: Nikon Kotov
FW: Spartacus Yuriev
FW: Philemon Yefremov

[West Pocono]

THUNDER KNOCK OFF FREEPORT

Let’s make one thing clear right from the start: no one is going to get too excited about the way that the Thunder have began this qualifying campaign. However, you must admit, it is pretty cool. After playing South Covello, the top seed in the group to a scoreless draw in the opener, the Poconi have won their next two games, downing Melbergia on the road before returning home to Bartonsville and beating Freeport, 3-0. The team has yet to concede a goal, and are tied for first in the group with Main Nation Ministry, who is also the next opponent.

What should we take from this start? After all, it is not as if they have played their fellow group minnows. Obviously, the draw against the Rebels of South Covello made an impression, but Freeport is not a pushover. I think the main thing we are learning from this is that the team is well coached and disciplined. They have a method of focusing on defense first and foremost, and perhaps the opponents are expecting the Thunder to be too ambitious and break from the plan. So far, they have not been doing that, being content to restrain themselves from pushing the flow of the game, showing a commitment to the system. For that, it is the coaching which must take a lot of credit, so kudos to Nathan Ruddy and his staff for that. However, the plan must be executed well, and we are seeing that from the players. Once again in the match against Freeport, the Thunder played their positions flawlessly, maintaining good angles, and always being sure that goalkeeper Jeremy Burgess could see the shots well when they came at him. Each of the goals that the Thunder scored were a product of the counter attack, taking advantage of when the opponents brought numbers. Garrett Conroy’s 23rd minute goal gave the Thunder the lead, something that allows them to prioritize defense even more.

Conroy’s goal would become the first goal scored on West Pocono soil since the World Cup 51 qualifiers, and it would bring us to half time. The second half followed a script much like what we saw against Melbergia, with the Poconi doing well in the back end, like usual. They would score twice in the final twenty minutes of the match as Freeport pushed to respond. Lonnie Rice, who plays here in Bartonsville professionally scored in the 73rd minute, leading to extra rowdy celebration from the fans, and in the 84th, Felipe Menendez, who plays professionally for the Penthoria Rivermen in Newmanistan, made it 3-0 to finish up the scoring.

It is a great win, and like I have said, we realize that we should not get too excited. Traveling next to Main Nation Ministry is a massive challenge. Will the good fortune continue, or will the reminders prevail that there is still a lot more work this team needs to do to be considered even a respectable team?

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

OOC: Permission to use Jeremy Jaffacake granted by Audioslavia; Audio also kindly provided the six questions used in the interview.

The Dreamed Realm Mundy Interview
Tonight with Jeremy Jaffacake

Hello, I'm Jeremy Jaffacake, recent winner of the 'World Assembly Commendation for Services to Altruism and Journalistic Integrity'. I'm honoured to have been invited to the Dreamed Realm as part of their new series of - what's this word... - mundy interviews with famous imperial sports personalities. Tonight, or however you define time round these parts, we have in the studio Holy Empire World Cup 84 & 85 team captain Sir Barsanuphius the Bold. Sir Barsanuphius.

Mr Jaffacake.

Nice suit of armour; shame this tuxedo they've forced me to wear doesn't fit.

<mutual chuckle>

If I can begin by asking you, what's your perfect afternoon?

Thank you, Jeremy. A perfect Sunday afternoon for me consists of piously going to a morning liturgy, winning at football - and wasn't last night's 5–3 victory over Mattijana a bit of a barnstormer? - and then finishing the day off with several hours of campaigning against the evils of Cocoa-bo. And let me be very clear about how vital it is to get that message out. Vilita's recent World Cup success is a fraud while millions of lives are being put at risk as families sink their savings into buying more and more Cocoa-bo, threatening the destruction of several weaker multiverse economies. I ask you this... is it a coincidence that Turori spent much of the last World Cup ranking nations on the basis of their Cocoa-bo consumption? I think not; this puppet narcostate's cynicism is breathtaking... their belief that they could just parade the insidious Cocoa-bo trade without anyone caring that the Vilita-Turori cartel was hiding in plain sight staggering. Well, one sentient being did care; which is why I invite the multiverse to join me in just saying no to Cocoa-bo.

Who did you look up to when you were a young squire?

A misunderstanding there, Jeremy. I'm an imperial citizen from the Dreamed Realm; I was never young, and cataphractii are a fully professional military force. We don't have squires. That said, I'll tell you what makes me feel young.... campaigning against Cocoa-bo. And never has that campaign been more necessary. Why, just overnight we've received news that the Filindostan team's manager actively dopes his squad with Cocoa-bo. The parents of the Cheergirls squad seem to actively promote Cocoa-bo consumption by their daughters. And the chief-editor-in-chief of The Turnip, the self-proclaimed 'standard bearer of the best news in the multiverse' has openly gone on record as 'promoting the many performance enhancing benefits of the Cocoa-bo' - the latter the first unambiguous admission from a national news medium that Cocoa-bo can have 'performance-enhancing benefits'. That they failed to use a hyphen in a compound adjective before a noun is no reason to ignore this confession.

The Holy Empire have slowly been regaining their form in recent years, but you've started this cycle with a minor setback already. As a knight, do you feel you've gone two steps forward and one step sideways?

The Devonta result is already behind us, Jeremy; we followed that up with two robust wins, and the loss to Devonta can be easily put down to their abuse of Cocoa-bo. As to 'two steps forward and one step sideways', I think you've neatly described my on-field feint before setting up our fourth goal last night.

<both chuckle>

If brass knuckles were made for two-toed ungulates, Sir Barsanuphius, they'd look like those four things on your flag. If you had four pairs of brass knuckles, what would you do with them?

Brass knuckles? And these are....? Ah, I see. Well, I'd hand them out to my fellow anti-Cocoa-bo crusaders - purely as self-defence, of course. Mine is a peaceful crusade based on persuasion, not on violence. That said, who knows what lengths the Vilita and Turori cartels might go to once my crusade builds steam, and their profits start to fall. I mean, I have no real evidence that they're violent - though their bizarre and possibly sexual obsession with eels, jungle cats, and flightless birds is obviously a point of concern to many - but you can't be too careful, can you? If I give my supporters brass knuckles, I wouldn't expect them to use them; only to use them to frighten off narco-criminals.

What's your second least favourite thing in the world apart from Cocoa-Bo, Sir Barsanuphius?

Oh that's easy..... people who abuse Cocoa-bo.

This has been a fascinating interview; in closing I have one final question.... how would you describe the word 'tide' to an alien using only mime?

Can I use interpretive dance instead, Jeremy?

Be my guest....

<long, complicated interpretive dance describing 'tide' to aliens ensues; camera pans back to Jeremy as Sir Barsanuphius continues his dance>

Well, there you have it.... Sir Barsanuphius the Bold, who was very keen to tell us about the evils of Cocoa-bo, and has shown an unexpected talent for the medium of interpretive dance. We're done? Yes? You want me to use my catchphrase? Right now? Or the deal involving the three.... You don't want me to mention that while we're still live on air? Fine..... I've been Jeremy Jaffacake; g'nite bitches

[Oberour Ar Moro]

Dr. Caterine Forestier knew deep in her heart of hearts that serving as Director of the Institute for Particle Research would mean way less particle research and more serving as director. At one level it is a fair trade. To go from obscure Sericia University of Science and Technology professor to the head of a massive and expensive scientific undertaking is a great accomplishment. That being said, being at the head of massive and expensive scientific undertakings means you're constantly having to deal with politicians.

Caterine thought that dealing with the dean of the science department was enough of a hassle. At least the dean seemed to grasp what she did. Minister des Paveillons clearly did not, but he very sincere feelings about what needs to be done, most of the "do this now/why is this not done yet" type, which also had the extra benefit of not being able to answer to his satisfaction. But as long as he was responsible for their budget and independence from the rest of the regime, she was dependent on him.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose. How long had they be running experiments? How long had HIERATIC even been operational? She was counting the days until something broke on it. The breakthroughs would come in their own time, des Paveillons couldn't snap his fingers and make them happen. But they would come.

She closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. She heard a voice to her left. "I hope the Minister isn't causing you too much hassle."

Caterine opened her eyes and leaned forward, to see the Comte de Brumes sitting in a chair, smiling warmly.

"Oh, Comte. I didn't hear you come in." The Comte had an uncanny ability to appear without warning, though it was usually welcome.

The man laughed, then uncrossed his breeched legs and leaned forward. "You have enough unwelcome intrusions to your time. I hope I am not one of them..." He made a show of starting to rise from the chair. Caterine waved at him to stop.

"Never. You usually make my life easier."

"Unlike the Minister?"

Caterine nodded. The Comte hadn't been in the office during the call, but he knows how the Minister of Research is.

"We've only just completed our first real test. And I tried to explain how aggressive that test was. You know I wanted to start with something smaller." The Comte nodded with the greatest sympathy. "And that was due to the Minister's requests. And he wants those requests, and to move on to the next tests, even while we need to understand the first test's results..." Caterine sighed and slumped in her chair.

The Comte shook his head and lifted his palms. "Fools shouldn't be permitted to see unfinished work," he said with a chuckle. But then he looked back up with a sweet smile. "But Dr. Forestier. My dear sweet Caterine. You can rest easy tonight with the knowledge that your accomplishments will overwhelm his enfeebled mind. And sooner than you might realize. In fact..."

The Comte theatrically paused as Caterine's computer informed her she had an e-mail with a ding. She opened it and read it. The results from their earliest tests were in. Her eyes widened as the meaning of the numbers on her screen became clear.

Across the room, the smile on Comte de Brumes face displayed more teeth.

[The Jovannic]

The Jovannic with Miraculous comeback against The Sarian

The Jovannic has drawn with The Sarian, after 3 wonderful goals by Rivilia Yunsala, Jovan Ilohil and Raye Eng completed a miraculous comeback from 3 goals down. “We just didn’t give up. We pressed on and eventually it showed us results.” Gothal Mathee says.

The Sarian dominated early proceedings and they led 2-0 in the first half. Playing away didn’t help either and it looked like the same was going to happen in the second half and The Jovannic were in for a trashing when The Sarian scored a third. however, something clicked when Rivilia Yunsala managed to get behind the defence and slot the ball home. Just 3 Minutes after, Jovan blasted a shot into the back of the net from considerable distance and Raye Eng towered over the Sarian Defence to head home the Equaliser.

Ratings
Joshua Li 5/10
Shaky performance, could have done better

Mauro Mulchaio 6/10
Quiet game today, stable in defence

Raye Eng 6/10
Had trouble coping with the Sarian Attack in the first half but came out alright to head home.

Kallis Yustat 5/10
Non-Exsitent in the first half. Did better in the next but still Subed.

Huhigal Sliversti 6/10
Stable. Got some good crosses in.

Stockain Lelop 7/10
Good performance. One of the few that played well in the first half

Jin Tze 8/10
Commanded play extremely well, assisted Rivilia’s and Raye’s goals

Huigen Lirviti 6/10
Decent performance in both attacking and defence

Rivilia Yunsala 8/10
Weaved in and out, Jovannic MVP for this match.

Ianu Fathe 6/10
Another “shaky but not ah shaky performance”

Jovan Ilohil 7/10
Good goal but otherwise quite out of place.

Subs
Gavin Simoli 6/10
Subbed in for Attack, played decent

Santi Clafus 7/10
Good performance today. May challenge Ianu’s spot.

Feckhim Tee NA
Came on for a few minutes

The Jovannic’s next match is against Chromochitkia who have lost all their games. “We cannot be complacent. We are unbranded and need to play well to stand a chance. We will come back stronger and better.” Gotham Mathee says.

Starting Eleven against Chromchatkia
Joshua Li, Maruo Mulchaio, Raye Eng, Huhigal Sliversti, Miri Belli, Stockain Lelop, Jin Tze, Gavon Simoli, Rivilia Yunsala, Santi Clafus, Jovan Ilohil

[Balqia]

— It wasn’t that bad.
Riviera really did well there, she spoke english and spanish with perfect grammatic. Mary, in the other hand had a hard time with balqese, all those ‘q’s and consonants were a nightmare.
— I didn’t even watched the match, how do they expect us to do a press conference one minute after the end of the match?
That was a little surprise, they were only aware of that because one of the bodyguards told them they were going a bit earlier. The entire conference was marked by vague words and the most abrangent answers possible.
— So, how was the match? Did we won?
— I dunno, turn on the TV.
And so she did. After passing through various channels she found one that was covering the match, the narrator’s accent was very hard, barely understandable, but they managed to catch a thing or other.
The match started normally, both teams tried to advance without any considerable development. Balqis’s team managed to break into the enemy’s field, but Zay ended up missing the shot. Another five minutes of impasse until Dostalok breached through the defenses accompanied by Chillotov, the players entered the goal area and scored the first goal of the match.
The National Team harshened their offense, Zay lost his place to Hajdu, who played his first match in the Cup. A successful advance in the mercedinian field resulted in a goal for Balqia, making both teams even. The first half ended with Chillotov scoring the golden eagles’ second goal.
Starting the second half with a new strategy the balqese focused on defense, tyring the enemy with random attacks and fake breaches on their defense. The strategy paid off when Torviq scored a goal after passing through a tired mercedinian defense. The game stood tied until the end, with neither team being able to score again.
— The next one is Floyssauu, right?
— Yeah, they just got out of the BoF, but the boys ‘re training like crazy.
— At least we will not have another press conference.
— No, but we’re goin’ to interview the players.
— What?!— She almost fell of her bed, nobody warned her about that. — I didn’t knew.
— Yeah. But took your eyes away from Zay, he is mine!
Now they were competing because of the players, another thing no one warned Mary about.
— Okay, but why are we doing that?
— We’re goin’ to give an interview to some TV channel about our job and how the team love us.
Rockwell didn’t knew more things than she thought, what’s next, she is married?
— Oh well, at least we are going to meet new people.
— Hot people!
She preferred to ignore that and search for information about the next match. Just to be up on date for the interview.
— So, they are above us in the ranking.
— Who?
— Floyssauu.
It took sometime to Riviera to understand what she was talking about.
— Oh, right, the guys from the next match. Yes, they won one match and lost two.
— And where do they come from? I’m not finding anything.
— Some island.
— Just that?
— Go check Wikipedia if you want somethin’.
That wasn’t very helpful, maybe Erna could help. Mary sent a message asking about the next match. She was answered immediately with: “Top secret.”
Maybe sleeping was a better idea than searching for information.

[95X]

During World Cup 85 Qualifying, Katelynn State flipped a two-sided-object before every match. A coin? Not really, physical currency hasn't existed in 95X for decades, and anything that might be stashed away somewhere has no value, it isn't legal tender any longer. Today, we found out why.

95X 4–2 Jerauuk

95X played the nation tied for lowest-ranked in the multiverse (342nd) and struggled to a 2-2 tie in the first half. The 95X defensive line and forwards played well, and 95X was quick to the goal column on an elementary school goal by Roisin Dart. It was the midfield that slacked and gave the opponents a 2-1 lead early on. Zedex Sinclair hit a lucky trick goal late in the half.

Katelynn State subbed Tammy Westward in at goalkeeper going into the second half and 95X trudged on. With both possible ridicule and fate facing her, State walked up to Sarah Foureleven and said, "you won the toss, get ready to go in." A trip to the substitution table made it official, and "70 11" appeared on the substitution board.

Foureleven fans screamed in excitement. Antara Northtown's fans and family groaned in agony, they thought Northtown was just as good if not better, why should Foureleven get the nod?

As Sarah Foureleven ran onto the field, a rush ran down her spine and it was as if the sights and sounds around her quieted just as they in fact did the opposite. She'd never felt this before. Minutes later, she split the defense and sent the ball home.

3-2, 95X.

Later in the second half, she scored on a throw-in as fast as lightning strikes.

4-2, 95X, which would be the final score.

Fans of the Foureleven family felt it meant she's for real, maybe even a better player than her mother. Northtown's supporters thought it was just a good one-off performance. Critics noted the young Foureleven performed in limited minutes, saw limited action, and all against a low-ranked opponent.

(95X: Dart :7, Sinclair :38, Foureleven :57 :72; Jerauuk :19, :28)

[Trolleborg]

Previous parts of the story: 1 – 2 – 3

Through airbridge, Trolleborg's guests moved inside the terminal. The familiar gray frame was already waiting for them at the exit, and as soon as the visitors passed it...
“Hello dear Wesley and Naomi!” - a woman voice said out of air. - “I am Keith and I am very glad that you are ready to use my services. If suddenly you want to get rid of me, then say “Thank you, don’t need more”, and if you change your mind then the password will be “Kate, we are glad to see you”. In any case, you can also contact a travel agency, the characteristic feature of which is the figure of a saber-toothed cat ... And now I kindly ask you to take five steps to the right. "

The guests take these five steps and just open their mouths to ask what was the matter, but then a whole bunch of schoolchildren who had just arrive from somewhere passed through the place where they had just stood. Only then Wesley noticed some more people standing and talking with emptiness here and there, and each time aside from the passing groups.

“Do you already have a hotel?” - the robot kindly inquired.
"There is. The name is... errr... “Troghil’s tail” ”
“Great choice, and a name with meaning, I must said. But we can talk about it along the way, if you want. Will you choose a shorter path, but without special views, or more authentic, but more beautiful? And please note that sunset is coming soon. Do you have any allergies to rail or road transport? ”
"Eeee" - tourists hesitated, overwhelmed with the pressure. Then Wesley took the initiative to answer: “It seems we haven’t. Is there is a shorter way but with views? ”
“It’s possible to find such a route, but only with change of transport. But in general, judging by your appearance and distance travelled, I would recommend getting to the hotel as soon as possible, and then buying a multi-day ticket and starting in the morning to head off to explore the area. It make you no good if you go a long way and fall asleep! ”
“Yes, perhaps so,” agreed the guests of Trolleborg.
“Well then, let's go, grab your luggage over there, and we'll buy tickets on the way online. It’s cost 0.5 florin, 0.9 your native currency, you agree to pay? Done. Now this way down, here is the train. You must get out in two stops, in about 10 minutes, if you want to talk on the road, just let me know, I'm here, nearby”.

So Wesley and Naomi got into the train almost without delay. Quite a lot of people traveled from somewhere to somewhere and conducted their affairs, it seems, not even noticing anything around. And something strange, just incomprehensible in the air ... Oh yes, no one is talking loudly, only some kind of a slight noise comes from all those present. With such a many people there was almost no noise at all. But where there is a fierce Trolleborgian, which was very well known to everyone playing any sport with Trolleborg teams? Those who were seen in the Zwangzug during the BoF-71 were like these in the train in their appearance, but their behavior was not at all resemble theirs. Did they just have button switched them from one mode to other?

The trip itself proceeded, as far as Naomi and Wesley could judge by the available data, on a high-speed route from the south-eastern suburbs of the capital through the airport to the city center, and mostly underground, almost nothing was visible, but they arrive at the end stop even before they managed to decide what question they want to ask Keith.

Before the station itself, she reminded by sending a message to smartphones, and it contained instructions in which direction to go and where then given. And it turned out to be very useful, since right now tiredness began to take its toll. Guests from Zwangzug realized how much they wanted to sleep and did not want to go anywhere at all.

Already half asleep, they reached the hotel, not even paying attention to the everything around, and checked-in, introducing themselves to the next robot, now with a male voice. The human ability to be surprised also has its limitations, and for Wesley with Naomi this limit was already reached when they got to their room and quickly went to bed. Ahead they have a four days, a lot of time, and it will take a lot of strength.

[The Grearish Union]

"We're starting to get used to getting handed defeats. Yet maybe this is how all beginnings must be. Maybe this is what all of the pioneers have to endure."

"Ain't that a load of shit-" said Allman, as he laughed rather obnoxiously while he sipped away at his energy drink. "It's only been three games, yo, chill!" The silence was eerie, and the tension could be cut with a knife in the hotel lobby following that statement.

The rest of the team quite visibly did not share his opinions. They kept their eyes glued on to the television screen, where the national media was still taking their side in regular talk shows and news and everywhere that they could. The reporters were never caught saying one negative word about the footballers, although the praises were flowing in for the cricket team, who made it in to the top 22 after a gruelling first round in the GCF World Trophy being held at Liventia. While there was no direct negativity, the comparative criticism with the cricket team infuriated the natural overthinker in Mateo. "How could you compare two different sports like this?!" You'd have to concede that he had a point. Cricket saw one of it's most participated tournaments at 38 entrants, while the NSWCC World Cup Qualifiers 85 stoof at a mammoth 200 odd nations all vying for a spot in the final 32. It was beyond unrealistic to compare them, but the comparisons were on, and you could hardly do anything to stop them.

The Grearish football community suddenly saw a surge when the Black Dolphins suddenly found their feet at their 'welcoming' tournament, dubbed the Baptism of Fire, the 72nd edition. The national team steamrolled through most opposition in the large 56-team tournament, until they faced the Riennic Isles in a quarterfinal that handed Grearia the most painful of low-margin losses.A defeat in penalty shootouts. A wound that would stay with them for years into the future.

The World Cup Qualifiers campaign hasn't gone well yet for the Grearish football team, with one away win against Qvardax and a home loss to Damukuni before getting trumped by a superior Recuecn 3-2. This round of matches will see Grearia sit out, but only regrouping, for a better string of future results. After all, local folklore say, that the Grearish never learn to lose!

[Huayramarca]

OOC: Sorry for the short RP, this week has a lot of personal stuff to do.

Solid victory on the road, still a lot of matches to go.

A 4-1 victory against Welzat on the road is something that managed to keep the pressure low for the Condors in its game. Bryan Tello’s quick hat-trick put things quite comfortable for the last minutes of the game, considering that Welzat was risking it all to attack and earn some goal that might had put them on the lead. Caicedo’s praises Tello’s astonishing performance “That’s the striker I planned to have in this team!”

Written by: Josimar Legorreta
01/03/1980 - 14:20

Yellow-red vs purple, the kits for yesterday’s match of Welzat against Huayramarca were easily deductive from a logical point of view, our full red wouldn’t have a chance to be used at said game. Curiously enough, seems that purple is suiting better for this team than red, although, we’re only three matches in and there are only 23 more in the agenda, Huayramarca lost its last game at Guayaquil while Welzat won at Great Lausitz, two opposite realities were clashing at the Sir. James Tretol stadium at Doverton. Almost 20,000 people were eager to watch their home side against the Condors, those two realities were reflected at the local side, which was confident that a win could be something achievable, while the Huayramarcan side was reserved about it, little to no declarations were provided by them to the press services, perhaps concentration was at it’s top at that moment or it was a clear reflex of nerves being high inside the national team.

Omar Caicedo wasn’t receptive to questions, perhaps, he had an idea and didn’t wanted to leave some traces that would help to identify it or leak it to the rival side. Caicedo’s that kind of person that doesn’t likes interaction with press due to that possibility of informative leaks, quite paranoid though something that should be respected from all of us, at the end, he knows what he does and he has the best considerations possible in order to keep that information safe. Anyways, the Huayramarcan side was training without the presence of Kevin Quispe after being injured at the last match by a harsh foul from a Simpralian player. Despite all of that, Luis Mamani was able to cover that side perfectly, since he had to play at least 80 minutes the last match, so, he had enough knowledge to make himself a spot into the team and try to convince Omar Caicedo that he’s the man for that position.

No other modifications were made to the starting XI, since he considered that there weren’t enough reasons to do it, despite some considerable mistakes made by Carlos Vilca at said match. The trainings were held at the secondary stadium of James Tretol sporting complex, with little to no press being allowed by command of Caicedo’s to the Welzat Football Federation, which coordinated itself among with the local police office of Doverton to turn his request into a reality. It was visible enough that the idea would morph a bit, the 4-2-3-1 would mutate into a 4-1-4-1, since Nicolás Allauca was now being moved from his usual position as defending midfielder to creative mid fielder along with Ian Mamani, this was made in order to prevent some probable issues that the Welzatian national team would take into advantage, like suffocating Mamani into high pressure mark and vanish him from the game, which would be a devastating hit to Caicedo’s original idea. Aside from that, no more changes would be made to the national team, and that’d be enough to keep them set for the match.

Both teams jumped off to the field at 6:50 PM, ready for the 7:00 PM kick off, it was sunset, sun would disturb a bit one goalkeeper for a while, hence, the coin tossing would be decisive for the first 45 minutes. Ian Mamani lost the coin toss, and his brother Juan had to go to the goal where sun was hitting the most, hence he had to ask for a cap in order to get some extra help for the first half. Mamani kicked off the ball to the beginning of the match, Huayramarca decided to keep the ball and try from the first minute to launch attacks and try to get an early goal that would help in a mood lifting for the Condors. Ian tried to give some passes to Nicolás Allauca, they found quick chemistry between them and that turned into some fast-favorable results, generating some chances in the last third of the pitch. Gabriel Sayritupac received one of those passes at the 9th minute, Allauca gave him a quick pass and he received, then moved some five meters and awaited Allauca to give him the ball back, he sent a cross to Bryan Tello, who failed to nod the ball, it seemed like a wasted chance since John Bitterton was arriving to the ball, Abraham Mendoza swept to fight for it and won the duel, he recovered it and shot to the goal, the ball went a bit wide but not enough to cause some danger since Grant Overton was keeping an eye on it.

Omar Caicedo was asking their players to keep calm and stop wasting chances, instead, the petition was to play smart and keep the ball for some time, avoiding long-range shots. Overton cleared the ball and sent the ball right to Orlando Mina, who took advantage of his height and recovered the divided ball, then he sent it back and a monologue of Huayramarca began possession-wise, since it was a time lapse from minute 10 to the 20th where Welzat didn’t had major chances, until Esquire of Brynstown took the ball away from Ian Mamani, then he gave a pass to Isaac Little who managed to run all across the right wing until he reached the corner flag, then he saw Vilca arriving and smashed the ball against his legs to force a corner kick. The corner kick came and it was made by Julian Oposto, who searched for Brynstown to nod the ball, he did it but Orlando Mina deflected it and forced another corner; that last corner didn’t turned into a dangerous play, since Juan Mamani took the ball with his hands easily while being protected by Mina on his side.

25th minutes in, Huayramarca slowed its dominance a bit in the field as the sun was fading away and the lights started to artificially illuminate the field, Lautaro Huamán passed some notes to Caicedo in order to promote some idea changes for the team, which seemed to relax a bit, but it was in order to avoid some fatigue caused by the trip, which was a 6 hours one from Huayramarca. Mina was having a bright game, he was managing well the recoveries and causing nice offensive plays at the time, Ian Mamani and Allauca were understanding themselves well despite not being usually so close one to other due to their normal roles. Possession kept at 55% for Huayramarca, still, some incursions to the box were made by Tello, who tried to use his physical force to get into the box instead of dribbling, as he did at the 30th minute, when he left behind Hudson Days and shot to goal, only to find Bitterton on the right position to send the ball to the corner. Orlando Mina was on the box, his height might be useful for a corner, and it was a nice try for the Huayramarcan side in what it looked to be a trained play. Mendoza kicked the corner and found Mina, who acted as a post and served the ball to Allauca, who smashed it at the post and left the ball rebounding in the area only to be desperately cleared by Sir. Preston Stones.

Perhaps, Huayramarca was making some merits enough to score a goal, but football isn’t a matter of deserving it or not, it’s a pragmatistic game. Mina made a quick throw-in and gave the ball to Ian Mamani, he did a cross searching for Tello who nodded the ball but sent it above Overton’s goal. Caicedo was asking the players to go up and keep some high pressure, literally, doing what he loves to do in his beloved “El Huayco” strategy, suffocating teams enough to made them unable to attack and then having favorable chances to score. Time moved on more and more, it was the 39th minute of the match, Bryan Tello had the ball and was fouled by Stones, yellow card for him and free kick for Huayramarca; Ian Mamani was set to kick the foul, he awaited to the referee and kicked it far away from the goal, turning that chance into a sea of boos and laughter for the local fans.

Those who persevere, always reaches their goals, Huayramarca would not prove to be an exception to the rule by the hands of Sebastián Chumacero at the 43rd minute. Nicolás Allauca gave a pass to Sayritupac, the Tulcán-born player dribbled Stones and gave a backward pass to Sebastián Chumacero, who was waiting outside the box, he kicked the ball strongly enough to put it inside the net, and it was that moment when Huayramarca burst in happiness for that goal, Caicedo threw away his water bottle and hugged with Chumacero after the goal. It was a quite clever play to be honest, since the ball was a backwards pass with enough vision for Chumacero who was without mark at all. Chumacero had enough time to decide where he would aim at and he did it, an upper left side shot that left Overton chanceless. The referee gave one minute more to the first half, only to see how Ian Mamani tested once again Overton with a long range shot that was deflected by him, with that, the first half finished and Huayramarca was topping up the scoreboard with a somewhat solid 0-1.

Modifications weren’t something at Caicedo’s thought at that moment, he was ready enough in order to decide to keep the players on the pitch for the second half, despite it’d have been a great idea to rest some players for the match against Nephara at the District. Still, 0-1 wasn’t something to relax on, it could be easily reverted at any moment in case the team decided to abuse in relaxation or stopping their dominance on the Welzatian side. The local team decided to pull some substitutions in order to seek for a tie and rescue a valuable point, Damian Sleeping-Fox honored his surname, he was “asleep” on the match with little to no interventions in it, it was the first choice for Ulysses Doverton, Lord of Doverton in order to fix the midfield, instead of Sleeping-Fox, Arcadius Minno would enter as a midfielder for the Royals.

It was Minno itself who did the initial kick-off for the second half, the Royals of Welzat started to play more conservatively, long possessions would be their try in order to keep the ball with them more time than Huayramarca, since the Condors proved to be dangerous with the ball in their possession. Ambrose Fanwich the Baron of Normanport took the ball at the 51st minute of the match, he considered that it was enough of being chanceless and that’s why he sent a large cross to Isaac Little, who was heavily fouled by Luis Mamani while receiving the ball, then Mamani screamed at Little by apparently “simulating a foul” He was yellow-carded after that elbow impact on Little’s face. Abraham Smith would take the set-pieces, he awaited the referee and threw a cross searching for Bois, Esquire of Brynstown, Juan Mamani missed the ball when trying to punch it, the ball found Bois and he nodded, it was Carlos Vilca who took the ball out the goal line by a meter or so, clearing it and sending the ball to the throw-in line. Some oxygen was needed, hence they killed some time while doing some juggling with the ball, Minno pushed Mendoza and he fell to the ground, Mina tried to punch Minno and a brawl started, a brawl that was quickly dissolved since Sebastián Chumacero appeared to calm down people’s nerves together with Ulysses Doverton, who apparently is the ruler of the nation also.

After the brawl was dissolved, at the 57th minute, Caicedo decided to pull out his first substitution. Jonathan Espinoza was sent into the pitch instead of a heated-up Orlando Mina, in order to prevent him being expelled from the match. Espinoza would prove to be decisive for the rest of the match, contrary to other thoughts that may have appeared at some fans. The game restarted, Minno made the throw in and searched Isaac Little, he did a backwards pass for Abraham Smith, who tried a shot and failed in said attempt, since he sent it wide. It wouldn’t be any fails at the chance the Welzatians had at the 61st minute. Isaac Little received a pass in the box by Julian Oposto, Little awaited for Bois who slammed the ball well deep into Juan Mamani’s goal to settle down the equalizer.

Huayramarca was looking like it was drowning up into the Royals game, since desperation appeared all of a sudden in a team that was having a quite serene first half. Omar Caicedo and Lautaro Huamán gave some instructions to Jonathan Espinoza, who would change his position with Nicolás Allauca, who was being strongly pressed by a physically stronger Daman Bagg, and the changes were done, Huayramarca would once again appeal to ball control as they did in the first minutes of the match and it proved to be right, but this time, with quite more effectivity than expected.

At the 68th minute, Jonathan Espinoza took rid of Arcadius Minno’s suffocating mark and gave a pass to Gabriel Sayritupac, this one dribbled once again Julian Oposto and Daman Bagg in quick succession and crossed the ball to Abraham Mendoza, who wasn’t able to shot, hence he had to control it and sent a lofty pass to Bryan Tello, who didn’t awaited for the ball and performed a volley shot, he was surgical in the shot despite not having some appropriated time to control the ball. And it was like that how Huayramarca found itself a way to take advantage into the match with that 1-2 made by Tello. No one would expect that it would actually be the beginning for a more offensive game from the Huayramarcans, since they only appeared to score low quantities of goals or no one per game, although, rivals may see how their mindset crumbles harshly in matter of seconds, 120 seconds specifically.

Huayramarca found a highway (figurately speaking) on the left wing of the pitch after that, Abraham Mendoza was roaming freely on that part of the pitch, he was running at his own will since John Bitterton wasn’t able to chase him. That’s how at the 70th minute he received a long cross from Carlos Vilca, Mendoza decided to run fast near the box, he dribbled Hudson Days and served a pass to Bryan Tello, who only had the duty to push it into the goal, Tello now had some time to control and sent it to the left post, the opposite one where Overton was waiting for the shot, Huayramarca now found themselves comfortably with a 3-1 lead with two goals in quick succession one after the other. Caicedo was doing some gestures, trying to indicate the players to remain calm and focused into the match, 20 minutes left but matter to control the game more in order to keep the difference in our favor for the remainder of that time. Ian Mamani seemed to be exhausted, he asked for substitution and Félix Huamán entered to the field.

In a wise move, Huamán would prove to be useful for Caicedo’s purpose of being hard to predict, the idea wasn’t to defend the result, it was to make the gap wider if possible, for the last minutes. Huamán provided the team more equilibrium on the middle of the field, a quite more creative and less impulsive midfielder than Mamani, but a bit slower compared to him, now the situation would be to take control of the match. At the 73rd minute, Espinoza would receive a ball from Felipe Fernández, the right back, Fernández would run through the wing with some ease and provided the ball to Espinoza, the latter controlled the ball to sent a cross to Tello, the forward spotted the ball and waited for it, received it and turned on to the goal to shot, it was a strong shot going at the middle of the goal defended by Overton, who stood chanceless against Tello’s effort, which made the 1-4 for Huayramarca in the game. Three goals in five minutes is something that’s not usual (OOC: Goal assignments are made randomly, timings as well) and may say two things: Tello’s on fire or the Royals morale was killed with the second goal and the third, fourth ones turned to be the last nails in the coffin.

A euphoric Caicedo was asking the players to retain the ball and keep the control of it for the remainder of the game, no more need to score goals, a three goals difference would be enough for Huayramarca, considering that three of those came in a gap of five minutes. The Welzatian fans were shocked after such devastating five minutes where their team passed from being tied and having a shot that would break the equalizer to being behind by three goals. Bryan Tello was happy and tried to provide some more chances, but he would be unable, since the mark on him would turn to be more aggressive than it was before, leaving little to no chances of maneuvering in the field to seek some space available to shoot. Félix Huaman was giving crosses to the sides, the Condors opted to kill some time and avoid fatigue a bit more, considering that they have an important duel against Nephara at the Huayramarcan Metropolitan District the next week. For some minutes, Welzat tried to push more with some run attempts made by Abraham Smith, which were blocked by Carlos Vilca in well-timed sweepings.

At the 92nd minute, Carlos Vilca decided to gave a pass to Abraham Mendoza, the latter controlled the ball and passed it to Tello, who aimed for his poker but missed the goal narrowly. A desperate Overton kicked the ball far away while the referee finished the game with his whistle, Caicedo shook hands with Ulysses Doverton and said some words to the press: “That’s the striker I wanted for this team, Tello reacted as high as my expectations about him were at the beginning. Now, we shall focus and try to compete every game, since this qualifier is a learning process for us, so we can achieve improvements by playing against anybody.” Then added “11 vs 11, the Sierra might not favor or may do, but we have to do our best” in reference to the next week duel against Nephara.

[Vilitia]

You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Wormhole!" - If you are a fan of the hit podshow 'The Wormhole' then those words will likely instill excitement and anticipation for what is to come. On this mini-pod we will explore one of those tall tales that may not be so tall when you peek through the wormhole.

Long throughout the history of the multiverse there have been implications of an alternate universe that exists - or perhaps an universe alternativia of sorts - an area of time and space whereby nations not unlike those in our multiverse exist - but exist with an extra "I".

Such nations include Pasargia, Banijia, Valanoria, Mattijania, Sargossia, Savojarnia Lovisia and, of course, Vilitia.

While in our dimension the Vilitans have separated themselves from their Colonial Turorian partners, there may be at least one dimension where they never once split. The alternate land which might call itself Vilitias would have at its disposal all of the things that our dimension might consider Turorian.

One such thing would be the Cocoabo. Long a symbol of life and nature in the Island Emirate of Turori, there may be a dimension out there where the Cocoabo don't need to be preserved because they were never in danger. Roaming free on an Island between Vilitia and the Calanian mainland, the Cocoabo have long been a fascination in the eyes of the Vilitians - for better or for worse.

While in our dimension, Cocoa-bo is a moderately prepared chocolatey delectable sold to the masses along with other sweet drinks, desserts and in some locations even a full offering off full service cafe selections; there may be a dimension out there where Cocoa-bo is an underground product free of regulations, no set ingredients and no associated marketing gimmicks. Overburdened parents might have a Cocoa-bo after finally getting their twins to sleep at four o clock in the morning - downing an alcoholic concoction with a chaser to help sooth their mind. Athletic trainers have found the perfect compilation of performance enhancing drugs to mix into their Cocoa-bo concoctions and any athlete found to have failed a drug test can simply refer back to the unregulated Cocoa-bo concoction industry to get off without penalty.

How long could it continue unmonitored? Would Vilitia allow Cocoa-bo to permanently permeate its culture or would it step up and introduce regulations against the Cocoa-bo industry and begin to prosecute those who had been using the Cocoa-bo lifestyle to circumvent laws, intake otherwise prohibited substances and gain unfair competitive advantages. Find out next time on... the Wormhole.

---

[Jeckland]

SPUDS STALL TO THROW AWAY FIRST WIN

Two goals in the last twelve minutes helped Natianians and Nosts come back from 3-1 down to draw with Jeckland at the newly renamed Jecken Stadium.

The stadium, which was renamed after a sponsorship deal with Jekish Chicken providers Jecken, was at full capacity for the long awaited return of international football to Jeckland. Hype had built during the team’s underdog run in the Campionato Esportiva and the atmosphere was at fever pitch from kick off.

The hosts started quickly, taking the energy from the crowd onto the pitch. Martel, who had been underwhelming in the opening game, beat two men with a dribble only for his shot to go straight at Foster in goal. Despite being the higher ranked nation, many pundits were backing Jeckland to pull off the victory on home soil and the Spuds played like a team who expected to win, moving the ball around to try to exploit spaces in their opponents defences. Gibbs shot wide from the edge of the box before turning provider for the opening goal of the game, a lofted pass through to the onrushing Dane who slotted home from ten yards.

Dane would continue to cause problems down the left, squaring a ball for Sanderson to clip over the bar. The away side soon found their equaliser though, captain Ninnian Goncalo scoring at the second attempt after his initial effort rebounded back to him off the post.

The team in blue took this as inspirtaiton, pushing forward more. The midfield became the key battleground of the game, as the 2-1 shape of the Natanians and Nosts trio faced off with the flatter 3 of Jeckland. Lucius Vit was finding space between the Jeckish lines and he fed the ball to Apio Silva, whose shot was blocked by Lovell. However it would be Jeckland who struck before half time, Dane again impressing down the left before finding the underlapping run of left-back Pain, who nearly took the roof of the net off with a typically scorching drive into the near top corner. Pain turned provider for the final chance before the interval, whipping in a free kick that Lovell couldn’t quite connect with.

The tempo of the game, which had been lively in the first half, dropped for the first ten minutes after the interval, with both teams struggling to find the zip that had made the first half such an enthralling encounter. This probably suited the Spuds being in the lead, but it was far too early in the game to be resting on their laurels, so Ross brought in Blanchard for Gibbs to give some fresh impetus to the midfield. It seemed to gee the other players up, with Sanderson and Stack playing a one two before the former’s shot was blocked. Sanderson fed Stack again five minutes later, and this time the diving centre back Caius Foster watched the ball sail between his outstretched legs, past his goalkeeper, and into the net behind him to roars from the Jeckish crowd.

With less than thirty minutes left on the clock and a two goal cushion, Jeckland went into counter attacking mode, soaking up pressure from the onrushing Natanians and Nosts. Lucius Vit looked the most dangerous player for the opposition, popping up everywhere on the pitch and sending two long shots past the goal. And it was him that would bring what proved to be the turning point with twelve minutes left. Picking the ball up on the left, he beat Grey before floating in a ball which Ninnon Goncalo headed home for his second. Ross opted to replace Sanderson with Deadman, a clear indication of the Jeckish mindset following that second goal. Camped in their own half and sticking to their shape, the Jeckish side had to handle an opposition coming at them with full force, and with just two minutes of regulation time left, Chaz Grey buckled in more than one sense of the word. Turning to try to stop the run of Tralfto, the Jeckland right back twisted his leg and fell to the ground, allowing his opponent to cross the ball into the box where that man Lucius Vit was waiting to bury Jeckland’s hopes of a first WCQ win, at least for now.

Jeckland now face a trip to Villablanca, Baptism of Fire graduates with a medicore record on the international scene. Despite their unbeaten record in Group 1 so far, the pressure is on for the Spuds after their failure to win this match. Anything less than three points and questions will start to be asked about whether this team is as capable as previously thought.

Kayden Ross: “Obviously I’m disappointed. Eight goals conceded in two games is poor, there’s no sugar-coating it. But let’s remember that this is two games out of twenty-four. We go to Villablanca, we put in an improved performance, and things look up again. We will have to go without Chaz [Grey], but Hodson is more than capable of stepping up in his absence.”

OOC: Hodson will replace Grey for this match, otherwise the team is as in my roster.

ELSEWHERE IN GROUP 1

The most surprising result saw unfancied Porticalia defeat TJUN-ia, who are yet to register a win. Sajnur were held at home by Jeckland’s next opponents Villablanca in another turn up for the books. New Lusitana managed the impressive feat of keeping a clean sheet in the Euran Oceanic Territories on their way to a victory, whilst Turori and Audioslavia kept their 100% records at the expense of Murdadil and Necosia respectively.

RESULTS

Muradil 1–3 Turori
Audioslavia 2–0 Necosia
Euran Oceania Territories 0–1 New Lusitania
Porticalia 1–0 TJUN-ia
Sajnur 0–0 Villablanca
Jeckland 3–3 Natanians and Nosts

TABLE

-  Group 1                                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Audioslavia                                   3    3   0   0     5    1   +4     9
 2 Turori                                        2    2   0   0     6    3   +3     6
 3 Sajnur                                        3    1   2   0     9    7   +2     5
 4 Porticalia                                    3    1   2   0     2    1   +1     5
   Villablanca                                   3    1   2   0     5    4   +1     5
 6 New Lusitania                                 3    1   1   1     2    2    0     4
 7 Muradil                                       3    1   1   1     4    5   −1     4
 8 Astograth                                     2    1   0   1     5    3   +2     3
 9 Natanians and Nosts                           3    0   3   0     7    7    0     3
10 Euran Oceania Territories                     3    0   1   2     5    7   −2     1
   TJUN-ia                                       3    0   1   2     3    5   −2     1
12 Jeckland                                      2    0   1   1     6    8   −2     1
13 Necosia                                       3    0   0   3     1    7   −6     0

Audioslavia and Turori have as expected stamped their mark on this group and remain odds on favourites to qualify for the tournament proper. Below them the picture looks far more uncertain, with no other team having recorded more than one win and five still to register their first. Jeckland sit second from bottom, but only by virtue of Euran Oceania Territories and TJUN-ia winning on head to head having played each other. With a game in hand on most teams above them, the Spuds don’t have to worry about their position too much at this stage.

MATCHDAY 4 FIXTURES

Villablanca vs. Jeckland
TJUN-ia vs. Sajnur
New Lusitania vs. Porticalia
Necosia vs. Euran Oceania Territories
Turori vs. Audioslavia
Astograth vs. Muradil

---

Three

In my first week at uni, I pissed. A lot.

That may sound weird, but it was down to the beer. I’d never been drunk before. Not that I was against it at all, but the time where most Jeckish kids started to sneak into pubs with fake IDs coincided with my Dad dying. I wasn’t stuck in the house alone crying, to be clear, but I thought that getting into alcohol at that time could potentially lead me down a bad path. So I steered clear, but the change of setting felt like the right time to move past that fear and join in.

My assigned halls had five other members, all guys. That wasn’t a policy, just a coincidence thrown up the the computer program that gave us our rooms. The chirpy woman who gave me my keys let me know that it was the only single gender halls in the entire campus.

I got on with them all pretty well at first. Whilst not having been drunk before set me apart, they seemed happy enough to take me under their wing and pour beers down my throat. I enjoyed the buzz, but not the pissing - two pints seemed to be the limit before I had to ‘break the seal’ and then I was in and out of the toilet for the rest of the night.

The first week of uni didn’t consist of any classes, but was a chance to socialise with my new roommates. Every night events would be held at the nightclub on campus as well as pubs and clubs in Lingham. Cheap booze and nothing to wake up for in the morning led to some crazy nights with the lads, which I grew to enjoy.

There were of course moments of pure embarrassment, as there are for everyone having their first experiences with alcohol. My personal low point was when I was trying to impress a girl with my dance moves. I was both an overenthusiastic and incompetent dancer - I had rhythm at least, but no sense of what to actually do with my limbs. Add to that the fact I’d only kissed a girl on a few occasions and this seemed a recipe for disaster. But my drunken bravado caused me to give it a go anyway. Predictably, and to the amusement of everyone around me, my feet got tangled and I fell face first onto the floor. Unhurt but embarrassed, I was escorted out of the club by a bouncer to ironic cheers.

The partying was fun, and would continue to a lesser degree throughout the term, but soon the first week came to an end, and with a lecture early on Monday I finally decided to get a good night’s sleep. The time for study was soon to begin.