World Cup 85 || RP Thread

[Barunia]

The Scarlet Standard

Another victory for the Suns at Sam Garcia, this time against small fry the Mann Clan. Now, I don't know if anyone on the team or in management reads this blog, but I was bitching about their defence after the last game, and what happens? They flip it on it's head, score a goal, and park the bus. Goal, btw, courtesy of Rachel Cross, an excellent left foot rocket, across the goalkeeper's body.

So, what did they do right? Well, firstly, the big difference was the players. With the status of the opponent, much of the first string team were rested. No Faulkner, so Obando had the captain's armband. Instead it was Adlington, Stevenson, Bentley, and Thomas, and quite frankly they did better then their supposedly more skilled counterparts. Perhaps it is time to rethink the team structure? Give the youngsters a chance, they're doing well. Add Elwin, Swan, and Moorhouse up the front, we could have a really strong team.

Grod Island are our next opponents, but then it's Sargossa. That is going to be an awesome game, not just because they're currently tied with us on points (although that could change by the next game), but because it will be the Sargossans against the Sargossan-led Suns. Barrios will get to play against his former team at the national stadium in Porthaven, and there's no better venue for what will be an amazing match.

I could talk more, but I have to be somewhere else. Catch you all later, and until next time, stay safe and Go Suns!

Troggs out.

[Krytenia]

What's The Time? Part II
By Rami Niblick in Yeaddin

"WHAT'S the time? Eight Past Ibanez." It's a long-standing joke for the men and women across the Beck to taunt Krytenian fans with. After yesterday, though, our friends across the Turoki Channel have their own version - "What's the time? Eight Past Varela." For only the second time in their history - and the first in a competitive game - the Dragons conceded an octet of goals in a nightmare performance against next door neighbours Vilita.

In all fairness, this result was largely not Stephen Varela's fault. The goalkeeper's first - and possibly last - start was one to forget as the Jungle Cats rode roughshod over their opponents, leaving him horribly exposed. Yes, he perhaps should have done better and yes, by the time the sixth went in you could almost see the confidence bleeding out of him, but the fact remains that blaming poor Varela for this atrocity is a tad unfair. Elliot Schumann, especially, seemed a yard off place at all times.

There are, at least, a few positives to take from this. On the few occasions where the Dragons had attacking opportunities, they were pretty clinical. Owls man Mako Canopii may feel a little hard done by with Neil Smith's goal, which he got a hand to but couldn't keep out of the net, but he could do nothing about Selly Kennedy's volley or Stephen Mariner's twenty-five yard thunderbolt.

With a quarter of qualifying now behind us, and just five points to show for it, there have been a few isolated calls for a change at the top. Given the barely disguised anger of Jerome Jaffacake-Phillips at the post-match press conference, where he promised to "rip into the team and start again if I have to", the gaffer feels it hasn't been good enough either. There are fifty-four points still up for grabs; there simply has to be three taken against Riena, else JJP might become JJP45. Onward!

VILITA - 8
Cjinder 11
Alabonni 18, 29, 68
Aquafek 51, 62
Milaaso 59, 81


KRYTENIA - 3
Smith 33
Mariner 76
Kennedy 84

[Emastalia]

Independent Athletes from Quebec 2-1 Emastalia

Scorers: IAQ-Michel Fillion(35), IAQ-Marco Hertel(45+2), EMA-Elijah Obinna(71)

Another sad loss has devastated the Emastalian team, bringing it from a safe position in 5th to a concerning position in 8th. The game was hosted in Quebec as both teams played valiantly. Unfortunately. the Quebecers outplayed the Emastalians throughout the entirety of the first half. Multiple plays were made by the Quebecer offense, and despite the Emastalian defenses best efforts, the Quebecer striker Fillion made a wonderful breakthrough and scored a rather breathtaking goal. Only over 10 minutes later did another Quebecer player capitalize on the weak spots the defense had and scored yet another goal.

The Emastalian manager switched up a few things in halftime, and despite the fact most fans thought he would switch to a more defensive and passive style of play, he instead did the opposite and made the team more aggressive and constantly on the attack. This proved to be a smart gamble as most of the match was played on the home side, yet the execution of most plays the EDmastalians attempted was rather very poor and unprepared. Finally, after a nice chip from Alexandre Phillips, Elijah Obinna volleyed the ball into the net, and the screams from the Emastalian fans were absolutely defeaning. Unfortunately, after that goal neither side made any breakthroughs and the game ended on a 2-1 loss for the Emastalians

One thing is clear however, in order for Emastalia to return to its former glory before the loss to Brenecia they need to desperately change up their style of play. Ever since Alden pulled a hamstring in Brenecia, his substitute Jamus Aaldenburg proved to be a great player. Emastalia also plans to be more on the attack and have an aggressive style of play.

[Flavovespia]

Sporting Towerhaite

The First Kit

71BU was when Towerhaite Sports Society formed. Their first kit was a much darker shade of the ecru they’re currently associated with. The choice of these colours has largely been considered a simple desire to try and choose a colour that few other teams had. That said there's no official confirmation that this was the case. The shade has varied over the years, but the relatively unique colour choice for the team stays on. Of course, as with many teams who formed at the time, the kit is very basic in terms of design.

Celebrated Classic

Not a team with a huge variety in their kits in the classic era past, this one is chosen as the favourite of that time period. Worn in 25BU-23BU, this was the last kit of Towerhaite Sports Society, before their name change to Sporting Towerhaite. Like many of the good kits of this era, it contains a horizontal stripe across the chest, just under the arms. This time however, it uses black and white in a two-tone pattern. A simple design by today’s standards, but combined with a better shade of ecru, it’s considered a classic look by the Sporting Towerhaite fans. The two-tone collar, a relatively new style at the time, also tops off the design well.

Modern Marvel

Their current kit, for 28AU-29AU won this vote. The kit contains limited detailing, but the detailing it has works well. Along the top of the sleeves, a white stripe flanked by black on either side flows from the edge of the shirt, all the way to the collar. The stripe then cleverly splits along the collar, to create a two tone collar. The black shorts and socks also contain a similar stripe pattern on the edges. It’s not a complex design, but that in some ways is its success, alongside it’s somewhat old school feel. Although not included in this series, the all white alternative is also very well liked.

Colour of Success

This kit was won in 5AU, the season Sporting Towerhaite lifted the GWFA Cup and came 5th in the Super League. It’s a somewhat divisive kit amongst the fan base, some do like the black patches with the white piping. Others think it’s too much, and the kit becomes untidy and cluttered. However there’s an almost unanimous verdict that the colour of the ecru wasn’t right on this design, much like many of the early modern era kits. Nevertheless, it will always be remembered as the cup winning kit.

Fashion Disaster

Sporting Towerhaite’s kit for the first 2 seasons of the modern era, 1AU to 2AU wins. For whatever reason, a frankly bizarre and disliked version of their ecru was chosen, supposedly based on their original colours. Add to that, as well as the black sleeves and trim down the sides, an odd pattern of swirls was included on the main body of the kit. Nobody could quite fathom why that design was chosen for the start of the modern era. It looked messy, it looked dated, and with many teams going back to basics as the new era of football in the nation began, this was a bold but bad choice.

[Banija]

Banija v. West Angola, late second half, Gitonga Kahara

It was 2-2 in the 82nd minute of this tight World Cup Qualifier. Banija had been extremely successful throughout the Qualifying campaign up to thsi point. Six wins from six matchdays, all by at least three goals. They had been cruising. Mostly against the lower ranked teams in their group, to be sure, but they had an emphatic win at the (empty) Sports City Stadium in Zoloroni on Matchday 1 that had set the tone for the Kadongo Kamu. Even against Hampton Island, another team with a fighting chance to Qualify for the Finals, they had cruised 5-2 just a few days ago in Hoima. But this game, all the way out here in West Angola, saw the Banijans get their first real challenge in the form of a close match.

These road matches could always be tricky in World Cup Qualifying. Picking up points at home as the Pot 1 side was key, of course, but the key to a stress-free Qualifying campaign would be winning on the road. They've certainly shown an ability to do that so far, picking up away victories against Mercedini, Gopnikea, and Bunkaiia. But in these away games, when you were in Pot 1, everybody always reserved their best shot for you. You played in great stadiums, those stadiums would be a little bit fuller, a little bit louder. Everyone wanted their chance to take something off of you. And sometimes, they'd come close.

To get to this point, the two teams had a wild ride. It had been West Angola who had open the goal scoring on the day, when a center back on their team headed home a corner just a quarter of an hour into the game. The Banijans were not rattled, however- they stayed relaxed, they were not worried about falling behind early on. The Kadongo Kamu were not going to panic. It would be Ilman Jawara who would score the equalizer, when he headed home a perfectly weighted cross from Gitonga Kahara in the 22nd minute, and then Amadi Uche gave the Banijan squad the lead by striking from about 6 yards away in the 31st minute.

There you go. Just over half an hour in, and balance was restored again, at least briefly- the Banijans were leading. But West Angola didn't take an early lead just to squander it and then fold. No, they were in this one to fight- they would really do their best to take points against the Banijans. Shortly before halftime, a foul from Kawsu Kaba earned the center back a yellow card, and gave West Angola free kick from about 25 yards out. One of their players stood over the ball, and brilliantly bent the ball into the back of the net. Absolutely nothing that Jumu Sanneh could do about it. The ball had some wicked bend on it, and it landed in the back of the net to make the game 2-2. They had made a game of it, eh?

The Banijans started to pour on the pressure in the second half- but to no avail. Gitonga Kahara himself had a one on one chance with the goalkeeper, and actually beat the goalkeeper with a chip in the 50th minute, only to hit the outside of the post and have the ball bounce harmlessly out of play for a goal kick. He had sent in a cross in the 57th minute to Kuma Bultum, who had a step on his man and the ability to head it towards goal. He headed one hard towards goal, but straight at the goalkeeper, who had parried the ball away. Other chances from Ilman Jawara and Kizza Okafor(who had come on for Nzo in the 61st minute) were turned away by the West Angolan goalkeeper.

So in this moment, the captain had a throw in for the Banijans in the 82nd minute. He had wanted a long throw- he could float one into the box. Ilman Jawara ran towards him to receive the ball. "No, to the box!" Gitonga yelled. He backed up- he wanted to get a running start to float one in. Kahara ran up with the ball, and just before he was going to let go, he slipped. "Ah!" He yelled, as he lost his footing. His arms still going over his head, he let go of the ball, but it weakly floated out of his hands, barely getting to the box with any distance on it. The West Angola outside back got the ball, and then raced up field.

All West Angola was looking for was a chance to counter. And there they were, blitzing up field, with the Banijans who were stretched too far forward now trying to race back. "Oh fucking shit." Kahara muttered to himself. He started to sprint back too, but was way too behind the play after he had gotten up. That wing back played himself up the sideline, and ended up throwing a beautiful cross towards the middle. The West Angola #9 was there, and headed the ball towards the corner. The crowd lost its mind. A 3-2 lead for West Angola! Kahara slapped his hands together in frustration, and walked towards the touchline to grab some water.

The manager walked up to him. "Gitonga!" Said Marcus Waters. "Hey, we need a goal." He then signaled for his team to push everyone forward, to try and at least get an equalizer. "Gitonga, we can do this. This team is more than capable. Go out there and get it." Gitonga simply nodded as Waters continued to give him instructions. And then, of course, West Angola would put all 11 behind the ball as they tried to desperately cling to their 3-2 lead as the Banijans wanted to ferociously hack at it. In about the 86th minute, the Banijans had their opportunity to equalize.

Gitonga Kahara, having the ball on the outside of the edge of the box. He beat his man on the dribble, and looking up, saw Okafor slicing space through the defense. He hit it hard on the ground, and it made its way to the center of the box, towards Okafor. He was about 9 yards away from goal- would never miss from there. Okafor hit it first time into the bottom corner, and that made the score 3-3. "Yes!" Kahara yelled, pumping his fist. "Hey, c'mon guys, let's get the winner!" He also said. He raced into the back of the net as the goal was scored, to go up and pick the ball and race it back to the center of the pitch.

The Banijans were really piling on the pressure now. The goal they were attacking at was the away end, so they were right in front of the traveling Banijan fans as they were really going for a winner. All thoughts of attacking for West Angola were out the window- the home side were trying to earn a point. Ilman Jawara had an opportunity, finding space inside the 18, but skied one in the 87th minute. In the 90th minute, Namakula Kawesa took a chance from distance, on a self-volley, but although she got it through the defensive line, a diving save by the goalkeeper denied her the winner.

Gitonga Kahara, in the 3rd minute of stoppage time, had what he thought to be the last chance. He faced up against his defender, and tried to dribble towards the middle of the pitch. He saw an opening, and he saw Ugonna on the other side of the pitch. There, a perfect opportunity to chip the ball. Just as he was about to chip it, a defender knocked straight into him. "Ah!" He yelled, as he was knocked to the ground. Of course, players surrounded the referee from both sides at that moment. Once he had sorted the chaos, a yellow card was given, and a free kick was given.

"How far is this?" Kahara asked his teammate, Kizza Okafor, who was also standing over the ball.

"Eh, 23, 25 yards?" Okafor said. "Something like that. Not terribly far."

"Yea, that's what I thought." Kahara replied. "Here, you stand like you'll take it with your right. I'm taking it with my left." And as Kahara placed the ball, they both took a few steps back. Just trying to keep Okafor in the goalkeeper's head just a little. Kahara stared at the net. The wall was formed. But he could get it over them. That upper corner was a small window, but it'd be impossible to save if he put it there. The referee blew his whistle. Kahara focused. Blocked out the noise, didn't look at the Banijan fans behind the goal. He looked at his corner.

HE ran up to the ball, and hit it with his left foot. The ball was curling. He got it up and over the wall, and while it was going towards the center, it was bending back towards the corner. It continued to bend, and got just past the outstretched arms of the goalkeeper and into the inside side netting. "YES!!!" Kahara screamed as he knew he had scored an extremely late winner. The traveling faithful behind the net went absolutely crazy. Kahara saw his teammates sprinting up the touchline, and he sprinted behind the goal as well to celebrate the winner. He leaped straight into the fan section, and celebrated with some of those fans.

Once the game restarted, the final whistle quickly blew. What a moment that was! Kahara exchanged his jersey with the West Angolan captain, and congratulated him on a job well done. What a goal, what a moment for Kahara and the Banijans. The late, exciting winner on the road. He was all smiles as he applauded the visiting fans after the game. Scoring a late winner never got old. Tomorrow, of course, he'd start worrying about Lisander. But today? He would enjoy this moment.

[Sharktail]

GROUP 5 MATCHDAY 7

Sharktail-0

Lineup
Ahmad
Harold
Azmi
Hidawi
Irfan Danial
Azaim (sub m '65)
Hadi ayah
Fikri
Azmer Ishak
Gaby
Sulimani (sub m '70)

Sub
Nik akif (m '65)
Shakir (m '70)

---

The Macabees-0

The match against Macabees just end.Both team failed to score any goal.After 6 game,Sharktail just get 1 win,draw 2 time and lose 3 game.Total 5 point collected by this team.Badhri turn the tv off.He continue doing some like warm up.He will make sure he ready to play next game against Bushkrub.After being subbed of in the match against Drawkland,he miss three game against Zwangzug,Valladeras and The Macabees.He just got a message from Sahami tell he may be in starting line up if his stamina is ok.He surely fired up to help Sharktail get the second win.He is happy still get chance to stay in the team.If his injury worse,he may be replaced by other player.So now Sahami still choosing to keep him,he will give it all next game.Suddenly his phone pop up notification non stop.He open his phone.he got the message from his teammate from Nt and his friend in the league.

Wan"Good luck budds.Go all out"

Imran"Good luck next game.If you injury against next time i ready to replace you".

Maxi"Hey boy,crash all bushkrub boy.Get the win".

Gaby"Welcome back.Glad you can play again"

Azmi"Just hury up join the training or you will miss one more game".

Nik akif"Hey,I will play next game.Look forward to play with you again.

Badhri read all the message from them.He then read the message by fans in Sharktail NT official page.

"Let win next game"

"Keep fighting you all.We will fly to bushkrub and cheer for you"

"Wake up guys.Forget the past.Let win next time."

"Gaby,score more goal.Win next game"

"Go go Sharktail.Defeat Bushkrub"

He smiled and laughed reading the comment from the fans.He now feel more motivated for the next game.He touch the typing box.He write the message and send to the group.

"Let keep our morale high,forget the past and win next game.Let play and give our all for the ourselves,for fans and for our nation.Wait for me".

[Nephara]

Nephara 4 - 0 South Charlia
(4-4-2) 20 - Provost; 18 - Longship, 5 - Verlander, 6 - Brosch, 3 - Close (c, 19 - Muscadin 70'); 7 - Westerveld, 4 - Rauch, 8 - Chalk, 16 - Deventer (11 - Caracole 59'); 14 - Tzorvas (9 - Laiota 76'), 23 - Lovelace
Goals: Lovelace 26', Chalk 52', Deventer 60', Tzorvas 70'

THE HERALD
HISTORY OF THE PREMIERSHIP PART 4: SABREFELL STRIKES BACK
Leonora Fischer

After title five of the modern era, Catheline Stokes hangs up her boots. Along with her accomplishments for the national team, the formative leftback of that early era, she has become a legendary figure for the Stags, the only club she has ever played for. But this is also, in part, because she was never considered by the big-hitters abroad, and the tragic reality is that she has seen her hometown club outgrow her. She retires at 34. She has the legs to go on a couple of years, but her contract at Treason is up; she is far enough behind Esther Cardiff in the depth chart to have entered a different postcode.

The effect has not been confined to her. Darek Norgen is one of the casualties at Brinemouth, with Aries Chariots picking him up for a pricey six million. Larissa Garrotte, the manager of the treble, has lost the dressing room, failed to reinvent the side and been shown the door, with Stephen Frew arriving from Dwile Warriors, arguably the world's premier club side. The duopoly now have the Baptism of Fire managers of Nephara and Apox. He brings the enigmatic young Juquinho with him, a tricky technician who will win the Iron Fist in his first season. Damian Arragne, once the league's most expensive signing, is just another striker now and not even a particularly good one; he will hit 14 from 38 appearances as the Spiders hover in midtable.

The expectation is that Treason and Brinemouth will rise to the top once again, perhaps with Crisisbless playing spoiler. The Heelers, by this point, are desperate enough for short-term results that they end up spending seven million to bring 33-year old veteran Sur Arora to the club. The Stags get off to a flying start, not only dominant in the league but achieving the two greatest results in the league's history; 4-0 over Northbrook Diamonds, and 4-0 over Northbrook Diamonds. If Dwile aren't the best club in the world, it might be Northbrook, and yet the Stags play like titans at home and daemons away. Ultimately, no side will quite reach the quarterfinals, but they've done enough. Next season, the top three will become Champions Cup qualifiers for the first time.

The league season is quietly bizarre. Chatswood are the early front-runners, unbeaten in their first 13 games, while obscure Cranequin City striker Bruce Shea is the early leading scorer. He manages ten from his first fourteen and will coast on that glory for the rest of his largely terrible seasons in the Premiership. The Rooks will fail to make the most of last season's reprieve, while the Moths will mark their ninth season without qualifying for UICA... while also winning the Cup, edging out a relegated Chenoworth Rovers side that score just thirty goals all season and only go down on goal difference. Owing to just three draws, Goodfeather come sixth despite losing the same number of games as 18th-placed Stahlburg Rovers, who started the season with Catheline Harper as their captain and ended it with her as their manager, the outspoken winger taking command shortly after a season- and thus career-ending ACL injury and guiding them to safety.

Despite all preseason predictions, Sabrefell Athletic become champions to break the six-year duopoly. It is the vindication of Miriam Aragon, who oversaw the club's infamous 17th-placed finish but survived it to rebuild. Athletic are a sly, ruthless and oddly diminutive side of journeymen, with Rowan Gawain and Ole Oehman pulling the strings, evergreen holding midfielder Yupanqui Sarracena keeping it together and the thorny, bristling striker Coalan Bray up front. Underlining their intent, Athletic go on a record spending spree in the final hour of the deadline, opportunistically signing up a world-class defender in Brix Hamilton - who will later deny all knowledge and evidence of her arrival here - and a 33-year old playmaker. One of the best ones in the world. Armando Quillisi. It is a desperate gamble. Across town, the luckless Moths lose centre-forward Kellard, fail to re-sign Rook Cathar to replace him, miss out on Gaizka Urrunaga and Harald Matheson and finally land 26-year old Curio. It bankrupts them, but will prove a blessing in disguise.

The other side catching the attention are Starling, promoted to the Premiership for the first time in their history. It seems as though they are almost fated to be here. The Passerines smash ninety goals past the First Division and nearly crest a century of points, to which a 31-year old manager, Amethyst Fegelein - still by far the youngest in Premiership history, here after three ACL injuries cruelled her career as a winger - has added a 35-year old Cormorants international Karl Finnan and journeyman striker, Maxine Lynwood, the epitome of a lower-midtable striker in this era. A documentary, Rise Like A Phoenix, is commissioned to chart their first journey in the Premiership. And so, without fanfare, they come 23rd. Only Vermillion Wanderers are bottom, having made in Anderson Sandro the worst signing in Premiership history. He arrives at his press showing two hours late, somehow gets just two touches in his first match off the bench, and scores just two goals all season - their first and last. After the latter, the home fans greet his goal celebration by hurling coins, bottles and chips at him from close range. Raven River equalise a minute later through future Cormorants manager Daniella Strauss; they will go on to win 4-1.

The top clubs set a vicious pace, Vermillion the early leaders only to burn out down the track, Brinemouth top of the league on 50 points by the halfway mark but overhauled towards the end by Reinhard Shale's Crisisbless, who become the second side to crest the hundred-points mark. Having already won the title with the Stags, Shale becomes the first manager to win the title with two different clubs. Treason are dreadful, finishing just 9th; Ramsey is 'allowed to look for other opportunities' at the close of the season, with his protege, Escher Speare, becoming the Manager of the Year for her work with North Laithland. He still has one trick left in him, though; he will rehabilitate the sleeping giant of Cosumar.

The Moths stun everyone by rising to third to seize the final CC place, with Curio taking the league by storm. Sabrefell Athletic are scarcely in the league fight at all. They drift to sixth, but their focus is elsewhere, and vindicated. First, they win the CEDC on penalties, against a brutal, cynical Northern Union side that is their opposite in so many ways. Exhausted, they drag themselves to the Globe Cup final, facing the giants Raynor City United. It's cagey. It is a brutal, difficult affair, and Athletic put all their grit and needle into surviving until, in the 117th minute, Bree Montreal drags Corbijn out of position before finding Laxenburg down the left, the leftback skims a low cross down the face of goal, Coalan Bray can't quite get to it... but the slightest of curves is enough to curl it into the path of Merry Reiter. One touch to trap it. One to drive it past Celelothina. For the first time, a Nepharan side can lift UICA silverware.

The theme before next season appears to be a consolidation at the top, with Brinemouth and the Sabrefell sides all focusing on transfers within the league. Treason have an odd window, yet again buying South Laithland's best player - Allbeck, Flaccus, Connact, Ashdown and Schwarzer make five, the last three wingers - losing Tanith Rainsford and allowing Southfell to reunite Elior Schneider and Lily Schindler, their slightly subpar strike partnership from years gone by linking up again. Schwarzer comes in to replace Olenna Carrick, sold to Brinemouth; Carrick will repay them by scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win early in the season. Stahlburg City lose Elsa Layland to Sabrefell Athletic and Durgan Pryor to Sabrefell Moths. With the retirement of dour 38-year old Didier Bernard, they have lost their final link to the glory days, and are truly by this point a midtable club. While Anders Engstroem catches the headlines, the Mallox striker succeeding OAS Royal rival Arora at Crisisbless, the most significant signing is Drê Röènôùjýâ to Aries Chariots. The Farfish - no, really - 'defender' will become the league's premier attacking fullback in the years to come.

Crisisbless United have already got a reputation for overachieving, but a quarter of the way into the sasonseason they sit at the top. North Laithland lead at halfway. But it seems inevitable that a truly big side overtakes them, and one does; Sabrefell Moths burst through the centre, ultimately winning in decisive fashion with time to spare. Jesper Lee Coleman, at first considered an underachiever, has the season of his life to drag the Moths over the line. Despite a disappointing start where all four clubs in the UICA group stages come third, Crisisbless almost defend Nephara's honour in the Globe Cup, undone only by Oceanside on penalties, while Southfell's attempt to bring the band back together ends in relegation.

By the end of the season, Sabrefell sides sit first, second and seventh. The odd one out, River, win the Cup after a 5-4 shootout over South Laithland. Without a doubt, the then-capital had managed to re-establish themselves at the top, while it was finally Treason's turn to experience a mediocre spell out of the spotlight. The top six took another step towards truly establishing itself... and then another, as Amethyst Fegelein's Starling get promoted and this time are determined to make it stick. The Premiership has its first UICA silverware and, thanks to Crisisbless' heroics, four CC places at last. They had arrived and they would never look back.

NEPHARAN NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 4
Goalkeepers: 1 - Hesterine Mercator (Eastweald, COS), 12 - Acatha Feldman (AFC Corvistone), 20 - Fasolt Senninger (Creed United)
Defenders: 2 - Rovena Stride (AFC Treason), 3 - Marcin Close (Brinemouth, c), 5 - Roxelana Thorn (Revolutionaries, EUR), 6 - Ilyana Brosch (Brinemouth), 18 - Valeri Longship (Crisisbless), 19 - Sander Katarec (Starling), 22 - Gabriel Lockheed (AFC Treason)
Midfielders: 4 - Tawny Shone (Sabrefell Moths), 7 - Marica Kuepper (Jungle Strike, VIL), 8 - Malachi Chalk (Falourr, EUR), 11 - Rowena Strongbow (Directus, EUR), 13 - Monako Saroszi (Ulsa, EUR), 15 - Mercurio Kastriot (Crisisbless), 16 - Morena Deventer (Brinemouth), 21 - Chimera Moxham (Crawford City FC, COS)
Forwards: 9 - Kurtis Bastable (Ulsa, EUR), 10 - Aristide Metzger (AFC Treason), 14 - Arista Tzorvas (CA Paulinthal, PAS), 17 - Voska Avetisyan (Cornellians, SCT), 23 - Konrad Lovelace (Revolutionaries, EUR)

SCHEDULE
Welzat 0 - 3 Nephara
[Bye]
Nephara 2 - 0 Great Lausitz @ Godswatch (Crisisbless)
Huayramarca 2 - 2 Nephara
Nephara 4 - 1 Sarzonia @ Farham Arena (Sabrefell)
Competitive Solitaire 0 - 7 Nephara
Nephara 4 - 0 South Charlia @ Eagle's Club (Brinemouth)
Darmen vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Aimena @ Ludd's Hammer (Stahlburg)
Jeruselem vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Delaclava @ The Gauntlet (Treason)
Acronius vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Simpralia @ The Iron Hill (Vermillion)
Nephara vs. Welzat @ Ebony Lane (Cranequin)
[Bye]
Great Lausitz vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Huayramarca @ Phoenix Rise (Corvistone)
Sarzonia vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Competitive Solitaire @ Ludd's Hammer (Stahlburg)
South Charlia vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Darmen @ Farham Arena (Sabrefell)
Aimena vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Jeruselem @ Eagle's Club (Brinemouth)
Delaclava vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Acronius @ Godswatch (Crisisbless)
Simpralia vs. Nephara

[PotatoFarmers]

Filindostan 1
Herawan 87'
Poafmersia 0

Starting 11: Sandi Jaliaha; Alex Pickford, Pasits Rikachz, Danzik Hoboson (c), Denise Pickford; Gisiik Moonar, Goon Figsh, Daas Taisg; Joel Haodao, Shakira Handris, Pete Carisa
Substitutes: Donk Mason (Gisiik Moonar 63')

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Another loss is what everyone dread
Especially when the opponents are not new

San Macro, Filindostan
Poafmersia ended the first half of the first round of matches with a 0-1 loss to Filindostan. Despite Poafmersia performing well, they still fell to a goal from young substitute Muhammad Herawan, who came on to finish the match.
Both sides kicked off playing 4-3-3, and for the first 70 minutes or so, the match was rather balanced between both sides. Though both sides had many good chances, such as San Lupe's attempt in the 24th minute and Tisang's 49th minute long range shot for the hosts, as well as Handris' 35 minute attempt when he failed to beat the keeper in a one-on-one, both Poafmersia and Filindostan wasn't able to break the deadlock. Probably it was the lack of fans, since the match was played behind closed doors, that causes both sides to be unable to find the finishing touch to their shots.
Substitutes came for both sides to spice up the match. In the end, it was Herawan who found the finisher, scoring a goal in the 87th minute after heading in the goal from the corner. Poafmersia put forward even more people, but in the end, it was too late for the Red Panjias who had to take in their 3rd loss of the camapaign.
Head Coach Adnan Suliaha is upset at the result. "The lack of fans probably contributed to the lack of energy throughout the game. The players' finishing became a really big headache, despite the players performing quite well. I can see improvements in terms of defense, for instance, the man-to-man marking has become more coordinated. Though we lost due to a failure to defend that set piece, I believe the team could do better in the future, and we would work on that to ensure that we can do better for the remainder of the campaign."

---

Extracted from Sporting Daily
Trip down memory lane: WCQ84 at Matchday 7
Commentary by Roisig Hana and Jabik Henderson
Poafmersia would be having a bye for Matchday 8, which represents the perfect opportunity for the team to regroup, reflect on their performances, and ensure that they head into the remainder of the first stage refreshed and ready to grab maximum points. With nothing on the minds of fans and players alike, we take this time to take this trip down memory lane, looking at what happened after 7 rounds of matches exactly 2 years ago, at the qualifiers for the 84th edition of the World Cup.
The first question we had in our minds was simple - did Poafmersia improve from then to now? The answer is difficult to tell. The opponents then were different from the opponents today, and so clearly it is a different basis of comparison.

WCQ84, Group 5 - as at Matchday 7
   Group 5                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Nephara                           6    5   1   0    17    6  +11    16
 2 Siovanija & Teusland              7    5   0   2    17   10   +7    15
 3 The Macabees                      7    5   0   2    17   13   +4    15
 4 Squornshelous                     6    3   1   2    17   19   −2    10
 5 Poafmersia                        7    2   3   2    14   11   +3     9
 6 Euran Oceania Territories         6    2   2   2    11    7   +4     8

WCQ84 Fixture List
MD1: Squornshelous (UR) Win (6-2)
MD2: Aquitlita (308) @ Libira National Stadium, Fiskadaha, Poafmersia Draw (1-1)
MD3: The Macabees (25) Loss (1-2)
MD4: Siovanija & Teusland (51) @ Dreamers Park, Fiskadaha, Poafmersia Loss (1-3)
MD5: Euran Oceania Territories (82) Draw (1-1)
MD6: Anthor (100) @ Libira National Stadium, Fiskadaha, Poafmersia Win (2-0)
MD7: Lochario (73) Draw (2-2)

Jabik also would like to point out that then, Matchday 8 was Poafmersia's bye day, which is why we believe this comparison is fair after all. As the 8th seed out of 11 teams, Poafmersia kicked off the campaign against Squornshelous, which was unranked then, then played the 9th seed Aquitlita at home. A trip to 2nd seed The Macabees, followed by a home match against 3rd seeds Siovanija & Teusland both ended in losses, before a trip to 5th seeds Euran Oceania Territories ended in a draw. It was followed by matches against the 4th and 6th seeds. This ended in a W-D-L record of 2-3-2, or 1.29 points per game.
In comparison, Poafmersia's fixture list was a little more hectic this time round

WCQ85, Group 15 - as at Matchday 7
    Group 15                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Independent Athletes from Quebec        7    5   2   0    17    9   +8    17
 2 Reçueçn                                 6    5   1   0    12    3   +9    16
 3 Brenecia                                6    5   0   1    18    9   +9    15
 4 Filindostan                             6    4   0   2    15    8   +7    12
 5 Damukuni                                7    3   2   2    17   21   −4    11
 6 Poafmersia                              7    3   1   3    12   13   −1    10
 7 Qvardax                                 7    3   0   4     9   10   −1     9

WCQ85 Fixture List
Matchday 1 - Brenecia (13) @ Kingsgarden, Rozelle, Brenecia (cap. 58,000) Win (3-2)
Matchday 2 - Independent Athletes from Quebec (311) @ Camp of Power (cap. 61,000) Loss (0-2)
Matchday 3 - Qvardax (264) Win (4-2)
Matchday 4 - Damukuni (44) @ Libira National Stadium (cap. 68,000) Loss (1-3)
Matchday 5 - Reçueçn (28) @ The National Stadium, Reçueçn City, Reçueçn Draw (1-1)
Matchday 6 - The Grearish Union (212) @ Libira National Stadium (cap. 68,000) Win (3-2)
Matchday 7 - Filindostan (50) @ Gelora Sepakbola Nasional Pilindo, San Marco, Filindostan (cap. 80,000) Loss (0-1)

We have only improved slightly with a 3-1-3 record, having 10 points, or 1.43 points per game. Poafmersia, this time as 5th seed out of 13 teams, started with a trip to top seeds Brenecia, coming out winners in a shock victory. Then they lost at home to Quebec, the 10th seed who are returning from a hiatus, before a trip to 9th seed Qvardax which ended in a win. The next 4 matches featured trips to 2nd seed Reçueçn and 4th seed Filindostan, where the team drew against the former and narrowly lost against the latter, while a home visit by 3rd seeds Damukuni and 8th seeds The Grearish Union ended in a loss and win respectively. Maybe the fixture list isn't much harder then we thought. (Last time round, we played the 2nd till 6th seeds. This time round, we played the 1st-4th seeds, a returning World Cup semi-finalists, and the 8th/9th seeds.) However, with the hardest matches out of the way, Poafmersia this time round would have a much easier run in the second half. Not to forget that there are more matches to gain.
However, positives aside, it seems that the overall performance may not be as fantastic as we think it to be. We are still 6 points off the 2nd spot, have more teams ahead this time round, and performed even worse if Goals are a factor of consideration (scored less and conceding more). This time round, the big matches are mostly over for the first half, save for Brenecia's matches against the 2nd to 4th seeds. Yes, the teams this time may be slightly stronger, with Filindostan the top team in the 4th pot and Damukuni known to pose strong performances, but from then to now, Poafmersia should have improved in terms of the way we deal with the other teams. Upping 3 pots cannot possibly translate to a drop in position, right?
The second question is probably the more important one - only 30 teams qualify for the World Cup proper, but how much points do they have at this point? Yes, again, different groups have different standards, as seen by how Reçueçn took 36 points out of Group 13 to qualify as 2nd, but Juvencus in Group 10 managed 44 points but lost out to Kita-Hinode in 2nd place, who had 48 points. Nevertheless, here we go:

WCQ84 Tables, as at Matchday 7
(Eventual qualifiers in bold)
   Group 1                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Audioslavia                       6    6   0   0    14    5   +9    18
 2 Newmanistan                       6    5   0   1    16    7   +9    15
 3 Sargossa                          6    5   0   1    15    6   +9    15

   Group 2                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Banija                            7    6   1   0    25    9  +16    19
 2 Brenecia                          7    4   3   0    17    6  +11    15

   Group 3                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Starblaydia                       6    6   0   0    25    9  +16    18
 2 HUElavia                          7    5   0   2    18   13   +5    15

   Group 4                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 95X                               7    5   0   2    13    9   +4    15
 2 Sajnur                            6    4   1   1    16    9   +7    13
 3 Turori                            6    4   0   2    14    5   +9    12

   Group 5                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Nephara                           6    5   1   0    17    6  +11    16
 2 Siovanija & Teusland              7    5   0   2    17   10   +7    15

   Group 6                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Darmen                            7    5   1   1    19   11   +8    16
 2 Equestria                         6    5   0   1    21    7  +14    15

   Group 7                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Mriin                             7    6   0   1    27    8  +19    18
 2 Chromatika                        7    5   1   1    16   11   +5    16

   Group 8                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 South Covello                     7    6   0   1    13    5   +8    18
 2 Ziwana                            7    3   3   1    20   18   +2    12
 3 Bliuji                            6    3   2   1    16   12   +4    11
 4 Qasden                            6    2   3   1    13   12   +1     9

   Group 9                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Valanora                          6    6   0   0    26    4  +22    18
 2 Ethane                            6    5   0   1    17   10   +7    15
 3 Port Ember                        7    4   0   3    12   14   −2    12

   Group 10                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 The Holy Empire                   6    5   1   0    23    9  +14    16
 2 Juvencus                          6    5   0   1    16    9   +7    15
 3 Kita-Hinode                       7    4   2   1    17   10   +7    14

   Group 11                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Taeshan                           6    5   1   0    13    4   +9    16
 2 Free Republics                    6    5   0   1    15    7   +8    15

   Group 12                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Drawkland                         6    5   1   0    15    5  +10    16
 2 Farfadillis                       6    5   0   1    23    6  +17    15

   Group 13                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Eura                              7    7   0   0    28    6  +22    21
 2 Damukuni                          6    4   0   2    15    7   +8    12
 3 Tornado Queendom                  7    4   0   3    13   10   +3    12
 4 Gor Kebab                         6    3   2   1     8   10   −2    11
 5 Reçueçn                           7    3   1   3    10    8   +2    10

   Group 14                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Vilita                            6    5   1   0    19    8  +11    16
 2 Krytenia                          6    3   2   1     9    4   +5    11
 3 Ancherion                         7    3   1   3    13   12   +1    10
 4 Mattijana                         6    3   1   2     8    8    0    10
 5 Gopnikea                          7    3   1   3    12   14   −2    10
 6 Zwangzug                          6    3   1   2     5    8   −3    10

   Group 15                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Ko-oren                           7    5   2   0    10    3   +7    17
 2 New Lusitania                     7    4   2   1    16    7   +9    14
 3 Apox                              6    4   2   0    14    8   +6    14

Looks like we found our answer. The lowest would be Reçueçn, at 10 points from 7 games (1.43 per game), followed by Qasden, at 9 points from 6 games (1.5 per game). Apart from that, seems like the position does not mean anything much, since Zwangzug was at 6th before they rose to 2nd. So Poafmersia does have a chance if we improve and perform out better for the remainder of the qualifiers.

Roisig Hana is the chief editor for Sporting Daily’s Football Team, while Jabik Henderson is a former national team player who is now the guest columnist for the Sporting Daily

[HUElavia]

HUElavian B-Team Obliterates Lo Santano!

Lo Santano 1-5 HUElavia
(REDACTED 85'| Moutinho 7', 45', Conti 19', Acosta 30', Almeida 40')

HUElavia came into Matchday 7 with their confidence boosted after winning 3-1 over Monglechabagd with the B-Team, and retaking 2nd Place in Group 11 over Xanneria, who had a "bye week." This time around, Los Amarillos were playing against debutants Lo Santano, with HUElavia being heavily favored to win. So favored, that Coach Mendieta-Martinez decided to field the same eleven players of the B-Team against Monglechabagd for this very match. HUElavia played with their Away Alternative uniform for the match.

The first half kicked off, and Los Amarillos had total control of the first half. The opening goal came in 7th minute, when a low pass by Leblanc went past two defenders while Moutinho ran past them to get one-on-one with REDACTED, where he chipped it over the goalie and into the goal to make it 0-1, with the team celebrating with him for the cheeky goal. The second goal would come in the 19th minute, when a foul by REDACTED over Sissoko gave a free-kick to be taken from the edge of the box, allowing Conti to chip the ball over the wall and past REDACTED to make it 0-2. Lo Santano tried to come back but HUElavia snuffed out their attempts, eventually leading to a corner kick in the 30th minute being taken by Almeida, which met the head of Acosta, who headed between the legs of REDACTED as it went into the goal to make it 0-3. Later, in the 40th minute, a counterattack saw a pass from Conti meet the right foot of Almeida, who slotted it past REDACTED to make it 0-4. Once again, HUElavia took control and in a corner kick taken by Conti, it met the head of Moutinho and in the ball went into the goal, making it 0-5, where the referee ended the first half to have some mercy on Lo Santano.

The second half came and HUElavia went off the gas a little in order to not play so dominant over Lo Santano. The home team began to attack some more and would try to get shots in, only to be saved or blocked by Ricardo or get snuffed out by the defense. Eventually, a counterattack in the 85th minute would have REDACTED send in a cross into the box, being met by the head of REDACTED and in the ball went past Ricardo and into the goal to make it 1-5. HUElavia would then just possessively hold onto the ball and pass around as they wasted out the clock to end the match at 1-5, taking another 3 points and keeping 2nd Place.

HUElavia's next match is a highly anticipated one: Against Xanneria in Estadio Nacional in Curumba. The most anticipated match of Group 11 will be played in a sold-out crowd of 100,000 fans, with the main XI being used for the match and the Home uniform being used. Amaru returns from a bruised knee ready to play, thus the team will have a full strength squad. The match is viewed as an "Evens," given the good record both teams have put up heading into this match. A big Tifo has been prepared to welcome the players for tonight's match, one that is projected to be an exciting encounter. Both the team and fans have faith they can get a favorable result against Xanneria, the 49th ranked team in the World Rankings and lowest ranked team from Pot 3.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Sargossa]

Football is a delightful game. Generally. A lot of the time. Ok, occasionally. This was not one of those occasional moments. Instead for Sargossan fans who had made the trip to Concord Heights it held about the amount of pleasure as a trip to the dentist. Not since the Corsairs were dismantled so readily by Somewherestonia in the final of the inaugural Copa Rushmori has a national side match been quite so harrowing.

The opposition were not exactly strangers, this being the tenth meeting between the Rushmori nations. Prior to this fixture Sargossa had held a narrow lead in the head-to-head record. On the pitch they never looked like they had a prayer of taking any kind of lead, narrow or otherwise. The Dagans were just that good and the Concord Heights crowd were revelling in the performance of their heroines and the odd hero as they established a three goal lead before the Corsairs had managed anything even approaching an attacking intent. Even when the visitor’s strength from set pieces gave them hope, thanks to Valentín Alarcón’s bullet header, the Dagans merely further emphasised their dominance by restoring their three goal cushion almost immediately. The cushion became four before substitute Fabián Guzmán pulled another back but a sixth for The Fillies ended a thoroughly miserable night for Sargossa.

Defeat in Cassadaigua is not something that ultimately should have rang too many alarm bells, nature of that defeat notwithstanding. The Dagans are a formidable force whose status as the top seeded in this group is no accident. What made that defeat particularly costly was the fixture that proceeded it. A shock smash-and-grab visit to Jucaro by unheralded Xuzaqiy that now leaves Sargossa languishing nine points behind Cassadaigua and Kelssek, who both still sit on perfect records. This patch of games could prove crucial with Kelssek visiting Soluca next before coach Juan José Barreto faces a showdown with one of his predecessors. Rafael Barrios has enjoyed a solid start in charge of Barunia, only behind his former employers on goal difference. He’d surely like a chance to remind them of his quality.

[The Jovannic]

At a Local tavern in Jovannica

Another loss...

We played well against a higher ranked team!

We still lost...

At least Jovan Ilohil looked back in form with that goal. Sami Ning broke his goal drought and Jin Tze scored a wonder! At 4-0 down at half time, we outplayed them in the second!

This is frustrating. We can't win.

We are against Spartacus next, a winnable team!

Are we? That's good I guess.

Yes!

That 4-2-4 formation looked good.

Yeah! the first half they looked hopeless, but the second they really pounded them good!

they turn around as man shouts "Those who bet on Gothal Mathee on the time he starts dancing yesterday please come here. He danced in the 61th minute."

Some people are just so weird.

Starting Eleven
Mavin Tsuniki, Maruo Mulchaio, Raye Eng, Kallin Yustat, Nivario Wesh, Stocktain Lelop, Jin Tze, Rivilia Yunsala, Sami Ning, Ianu Fathe, Jovan Ilohil

---

The Dilemma: Who at Right Back?
In the latest qualifying campaign, The Jovannic has had a big problem in defence. The right back position has been contested, making it very hard to defend properly. Let's review the candidates for this position.

Miri Belli
The starter. The first match against Eshan he had a shaky performance, and was dropped Until the match against Chromichatika, where he played well and scored a goal. A horrible performance against Sabalonia got him dropped again.
Our vote: 5/10

Huhigal Sliversti
The Veteran. Was called after Miri's dropping, and played well. Gothal chose to replace Miri, and Huhigal served as a reliable sub.
Our Vote: 6/10

Nivario Wesh
Played against Sarvodaya, did okay. Played as left back in some matches too.
Our Vote: 8/10

Io Castra
Played against Terre Sapolane, did okay. Also played as left back.
Our Vote: 4/10

[Brenecia]

Emastalia 0 - 3 Brenecia
(4-3-3) 20 - Wright; 18 - Lonergan, 22 - Leadbetter, 6 - Mathers, 19 - Prentice; 8 - Matheson (14 - Caitiff 75'), 4 - Townsend, 13 - Wheeler; 7 - Cheney (15 - Speaker 54'), 10 - Ciogach, 11 - Pace
Goals: Wheeler 20', Cheney 34', Caitiff 86'

The atmosphere in Rozelle was one of cautious optimism. It wasn't the sexiest atmosphere to have but, under the circumstances, was the most realistic.
Nephara's ambassador, Jade Horvath, was ending her exile and returning. With her would be a big, flashy entourage - the only kind of entourage the shags knew - and the Margravine herself.
"This isn't a charm offensive." Diadora Bright was the Brenecian Ambassador to Nephara, and had never been formally ejected like Horvath had, though her job had obviously been quiet for the past few years. Now, she bore a warning. "Corvistone want to be big and generous, and make it clear again how crucial they are."
"It's unnecessary," muttered Eloise Pennant, a hardened ex-military cabinet minister and one of Bardsley's inner circle. "They'll inflame tensions."
"It's a test of our security," Bardsley reasoned. "Like it or not, they have faith in us to clamp down on dissent. So long as they keep to Westpike and Rozelle, I don't imagine they'll be in any danger..."
"Imagine we'll have to keep the Queen under wraps, too," said Rhea Lockhart drily, to chuckles all around. Lockhart was a former professional footballer, another loyalist from the early days, and currently a cabinet minister herself.
Bardsley smiled, wryly. "Yeah. Well. She'll have to deal with it, won't she. Look, it's fine, we always expected there'd need to be a big spectacle made of the de-escalation of hostilities. We'll have the reception in Westpike, we'll bring them here... we'll treat one another as equals."
The treasurer, a slender, nervy man by the name of Fallon Locksmith, nodded. He might not have cut the most impressive figure, but quietly behind the scenes was working miracles to keep Brenecia halfway solvent. "A respectful distance between two nations with an economic symbiosis. Nothing more."
The brawny figure of Morraine Herrick snorted. "As it if would ever be nothing more. Don't roll out the red carpet, boss. Don't bloody kowtow."
Bardsley's fingers drummed her desk as she thought. "Mm." She shook her head. "No, I need them. I do. We do. It's a big win for us in all the ways we need, right now. The trade war is very vocally over. We're shaking hands again. And if that gets Eura onside, well, that's the real prize. Maybe others, too."
"Ah, but what about pride--"
"Pride can fuck itself for the next few years," said Bardsley. An ugly truth, but trust nonetheless. "We get their reps here, to a controlled situation in Rozelle. Security will have to be tight."
"They've got security guys that helped with--"
"Hush, Rhea. No, this is about standing on our own, remember? Put Cass on it, make sure she has everything and anyone she needs. Rozelle can go under bloody lockdown if it has to to stop any mentalist going at the Margravine with a knife. I'll await them here for their photo opportunities, we can get Horvath to cut a ribbon or something. We'll shove the Queen in storage for the duration. Hell, get the Directorate looking into cooperating with NSIA, if they can swallow their damn pride for a moment. Got that?"
"Understood," they seemed almost to murmur as one. Her word was final, and there was no room for dissent. At such a time of discord, everyone seeks reassurance under their strong leader, even if libterty has to take a back seat...
Christ. Three weeks on the bloody chair and already you start to think like Ward. Focus, Cathy, focus! We have to be better, that starts with fixing the economy, that starts with fixing it with the shags. But... how?

BRENECIAN NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 4
Goalkeepers: 1 - Cass Farrell (Northern Union), 12 - Opal Cairncross (Marketville, EUR), 20 - Scathach Wright (Raynor City United, VAL)
Defenders: 2 - Caithe Shepherd (Northern Stallions), 3 - Deimne Watermark (Northern Stallions), 5 - Garrett Horgan (Northern Union), 6 - Keane Mathers (Northern Stallions), 18 - Sorcha Lonergan (Northern Union), 19 - Morwen Prentice (Farrenton Athletic, EUR), 22 - Finn Leadbetter (Holdenberg, EUR)
Midfielders: 4 - Finn Townsend (North Hall), 8 - Elysse Matheson (Hornchurch, EUR), 13 - Corby Wheeler (Goldstaff City, COS), 14 - Esther Caitiff (Southern Star), 21 - Riona Parker (Galatica, PAS), 23 - Ronan Fallon (Newrook City, NPH)
Forwards: 7 - Lauren Cheney (Spartangrad, EUR), 9 - Mhacha White (Farrenton Athletic, EUR), 10 - Kara Ciogach (Lajuno, EUR), 11 - Tricia Pace (Northern Union), 15 - Nuada Speaker (North Hall), 16 - Ceridwen Fletcher (Holdenberg, EUR), 17 - Creidne Lindauer (Cazadores Cathair, AUD)

SCHEDULE
Brenecia 2 - 3 Poafmersia
Shokpos 1 - 2 Brenecia
Brenecia 5 - 2 Andromeda Island Group
Revatnagar 2 - 3 Brenecia
Brenecia 3 - 1 Crystalline Caverns
Emastalia 0 - 3 Brenecia
[Bye]
Brenecia vs. IA Quebec
Qvardax vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Damukuni
Recuecn vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Grearish Union
Filindostan vs. Brenecia
Poafmersia vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Shokpos
Andromeda Island Group vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Revatnagar
Crystalline Caverns vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Emastalia
[Bye]
IA Quebec vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Qvardax
Damukuni vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Recuecn
Grearish Union vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Filindostan

[TJUN-ia]

Roses are Red
Does the return to form start now?
We now have a bye to address
Before we face "A Selecção".

Hey there, Peter Davis here. The last post on this magazine, concerning the game against Natanians and Nosts, was made by an intern from TJUN-ia Media. You've seen the reports that I...didn't take the result well, as did many across the land. It was embarrassing for the CSTO Zone Government to host your first game in Szensky and for it to become a massacre for the national team. But I'm back, and it would appear the Jags are too.

The feel before this game at Villablanca was interesting - David Seems was under pressure to do well for the first time in the history of TJUN-ian football. Many at home expected a fiery response to the game in Szensky, anything that would suggest that this team's campaign in this marathon cup isn't dead just yet.

To the surprise of no one, Villablanca scored first. An unknown player, apparently number 9, scoring the goal in the 13th minute. But after that, the Jaguars woke up. REALLY woke up, as in "metaphorically throwing Villablanca out of their own stadium" woke up.
All three of TJUN-ia's strikers scored before the half time whistle: Joe Green in the 16th minute, Kepo Ulawaya in the 21st and Vladimir Podolov in the 39th. It was what many expected by a "fiery response" but what they didn't expect was for the TJUN-ian scoring to continue in the 2nd half. Podolov added his 2nd to make it 4-1 in the 47th, then Prince Carter scored off the bench again in the 71st. 5-1 was crazy enough but one more was scored, by Carlos Pique in the 82nd.

Winning this game was expected, but not by the scoreline of "Villablanca 1-6 TJUN-ia". I believe that is the most scored ever scored by a TJUN-ia in any football tournament, and we didn't even need Cocoa-Bo...apparently. Isn't Cocao-Bo just an energy drink? Why is this knight from The Holy Empire getting so obsessed over a drink the looks like piss but give you a boost when you needed? TJUN-ia has energy drinks, but we don't have Cocoa-Bo. How harmful is it supposed to be, o Sir...Whatever You're Named?

Anyway, TJUN-ia enters its bye next. This means Seems can watch the action and study the opponents. Especially New Lusitania and the Algarves, who we will play in Szensky on MD9. After the embarrassment of a few days ago, Krasnaya Stena (the Red Wall, the CSTO-based fan group that is TJUN-ia's closest thing to Ultras) is expected to be fired up for this crucial game against the team that knocked us out of IAC9. This match will be interesting and might get fiery in Beregozera...

---

SCHEDULE (Updates on stadiums will occur as soon as we get them)
MD1: @Audioslavia (22) - Arena Kirola, Cathair L 1-2 (T-9th)
MD2: vs Euran Oceania Territories (84) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City D 2-2 (T-9th)
MD3: @Porticalia (330) L 0-1 (T-10th)
MD4: vs Sajnur (57) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong L 2-3 (12th)
MD5: @Jeckland (UR) - Jecken Stadium, Rack City W 2-0 (10th)
MD6: vs Natanians and Nosts (131) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky L 0-4 (11th)
MD7: @Villablanca (235) W 6-1 (9th)
MD8: BYE
MD9: vs New Lusitania and the Algarves (42) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
MD10: @Necosia (341)
MD11: vs Turori (12) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
MD12: @Astograth (303) - Castle Hill, Gesterlake
MD13: vs Muradil (212) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
-----------------------Off Day---------------------------
MD14: vs Audioslavia (22) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
MD15: @Euran Oceania Territories (84) - Flynn Arena, Fligsive
MD16: vs Porticalia (330) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
MD17: @Sajnur (57) - ?
MD18: vs Jeckland (UR) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
MD19: @Natanians and Nosts (131) - Stadion Nacional (?)
MD20: vs Villablanca (235) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
MD21: BYE
MD22: @New Lusitania and the Algarves (42) - Estádio da Anta do Dragão, Porto
MD23: vs Necosia (341) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
MD24: @Turori (12)
MD25: vs Astograth (303) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
MD26: @Muradil (212)

[Kelssek]

KELSSEK 6 – Maçon-Petrault (10’), Custworth (pen. 17’, 48, 76’), Blueman (55’), Demetriev (82’)
GROD ISLAND 1 – [redacted] (49’)
Kelssek: Poirier, Bowler, Halliger, Fourtin, Green, Demetriev, Blueman (Greenwood 81’), Ó Tuathail (Champetier 62’), Douglass, Maçon-Petrault, Custworth (Torshen 79’)
Player of the match: Brayden Custworth
Exhibition Place, Kirkenes (attendance: 33,189)

THE MANN CLAN 1 – [redacted] (16’)
KELSSEK 2 – Champetier (13’), Wylten (37’)
Kelssek: Gallagher, Bowler, Curtin, Fourtin, Green, Corvin, Lapierre (Blueman 71’), Dionne, Champetier, Wylten, Langelier (Torshen 70’).
Player of the match: Patrice Champetier

KELSSEK 1 – Tremblay-Fillon (64’)
PATISTAN 0
Kelssek: Gallagher, Bowler, Curtin, Fourtin, Green, Bogdanor (Blueman 57’), Tremblay-Fillon, Champetier, Dionne (Douglass 72’), Torshen, Taleb (Wylten 82’).
Player of the match: Patrice Champetier
Exhibition Place, Kirkenes (attendance: 31,359)

“...in Soluca to face Sargossa after a 6-1 win against Grod Island. Was that the best performance they’ve had under Andrea Crowe?”

“Well, it was certainly excellent work, and definitely one of the best so far. Sometimes things just click, and it had that feeling where they got into gear and there was no stopping them. To be fair, I was really surprised Grod Island didn’t put up more of a fight. But you still have to take your chances and you still have to do your part. So well done to the team for that.”

“We saw Loïc Maçon-Petrault score 10 minutes into his first start for the senior national team. A highly touted young player, 22 years old, who has just signed this season for Unioneers in the Euraleague.”

“What a brilliant moment for that young man. A classy finish, too, he’s a great talent with a bright future. We’ve seen what he can do in the KFL. You remember he was starting regularly for CF Outineau in their title winning season as a teenager? And playing in the Champions League group stage, too. I think he made the move at the right time for his development, and it’s a new challenge playing in a top-level league. That really was a moment to savour and I sure hope we’ll see a lot more of him.”

“Alright, we’ve got Michelle Rana in the stadium with Kelssek manager Andrea Crowe outside the team room. Let’s go downstairs at the Estadio Generalissimo Joaquín Delgado.”

“Thanks, Gerry. Andrea, Kelssek goes into this match with six straight wins, is that the momentum they need for this match?”

“We’ve done really well to get here, now this is the chance for us to make it count. We know that Sargossa are going to come at us hard, they’re going to be a determined team, a hungry team, and we have to keep our heads and play smart football.”

“Playing against the second seed, is this going to be the most important match of the qualifiers for Kelssek?”

“I don’t want to put too much focus on the result here. We know the quality of this Sargossa team, we know that we’ve never won against them. There’s a long road ahead no matter the result and we have to put in the hard yards against every team because it’s no use beating the top seeds and then dropping points to lower-ranked sides. So it’s important we rise to the occasion and it’s important we keep up our level because there’s a lot of football to be played.”

”Andrea Crowe, thanks for this. Back to the studio.”

“Thank you Michelle. Somewhat cagey, I thought, she’s keeping things really finely balanced there.”

“Yeah, I think in terms of mentality, she wants to keep the players’ heads on the ground, certainly true that it’s this match and of course the match against Cassadaigua next month that will really show us what this team’s made of.”

“The wings are going to be where this match is won or lost. Sargossa rely on wing-backs and launch a lot of counter-attacks that way. Of course, it’s also where Kelssek will be trying to create through Colm O’Tuathail and Thamior Liadon. It’s also a question of whether you play Ashley Douglass as a midfielder or defender, she definitely offers more going forward, but then you’d probably have to play Liadon on the right side and then have Tim Bowler on the left. I don’t like the idea of Gabriel Farahani as a right-back against Sargossa, so there are important tactical choices to be made even though we know more or less who will be in the lineup.“

“Sargossa are a difficult team to break down. Do you think we’ll see a straight 4-4-2 or will Andrea Crowe try something different?”

“They do run a defence-first gameplan. They’re very structured, they pack the midfield, and they come at you hard. Kelssek’s got to be prepared for that, you need good passing and you need good movement, and it’s players like Shaheen Taleb and Gabriel Lapierre who have the ability to find that ball who I think will be key to getting chances here. I wonder if Crowe will let the players off the leash a bit, you know she’s implemented a more defined positional setup. But one way to create a bit of chaos in the defence is to switch things around and surprise them a bit.”

“The teams are in the tunnel in Soluca, so let’s go to the commentary booth now...”

[Audioslavia]

Part 1 (Sue)
Part 2 (Sue)
Part 3 (Emanuel)
Part 4 (Sue)
Part 5 (Emanuel)
Part 6 (Emanuel)

There’s a tap in Emanuel’s bathroom that used to leak, ever so slightly. Emanuel had found the sound of it quite pleasing for a while before a pang of guilt over wasted water lead him to fixing it. The sound had been a constant pap pap pap working out to a shade under sixty-six beats per minute, the only deviation being when the droplet hit the metal of the plug hole rather than the porcelain of the basin, in which case the ‘pap’ became a ‘plink’. He'd listen to it as he was dozing off to sleep.

Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Plink. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Plink. Plink.

The Saturday after having met Dolores and Yusuf in heat three of the Printworks’ poker tournament, Emanuel was settling into bed after having knocked off work early ‘just because he could’. He listened to the pap-pap-plink of his own sink, and drifted off to sleep.

Three minutes later, he was sat straight up.

No. No way.

But…

How else?

---

End Of Times
Patterick Told: 'Beat EOT or Eura Goner'

Months ago, the Audioslavia national team took to their second-round game AOCAF Cup game against Euran Oceania Territories full of confidence, unbeaten in the group stage, boasting a perfect defensive record. Played four, conceded four. Nobody was under any illusions about this being some kind of classic Audioslavia line-up, but equally so, nobody expected the side to be sent crashing out of the tournament to a bunch of plucky colonisers.

And yet crash out they did.

The mindgames of Skorji Oslograd, EOT's charismatic and controversial manager, won the day, with Patterick's men ending the match chasing shadows despite having initially taken the lead. The story of the game was of Audioslavia being out-Audioslavia'd by the ghost of a nation, The Inevitable Syndicate, who'd had close ties to Audioslavian football for decades. The match finished 4-3, and the bulls would leave Farfadillis amidst the sound of jeers from their own fans.

Patterick felt the pressure on his shoulders after that game. He'd been expected to step down from his then temporary role as Audioslavia manager, but the defeat supposedly lit a fire in the former Itzalovalle and Bombarralense manager, who set about trying to prove that the defeat hadn't permanently broken his judgement forever.

And then he picked a side with no strikers that lost twice in their first five qualifiers.

Had Audioslavia not soundly defeated Muradil last month, Patterick would have been out on his ear. Failure to beat EOT this evening would have the same consequence.

Perhaps most galling for Patterick is the fact that this team, who had defeated the Bulls so publicly, are languishing at the bottom of the table on only four points, further outlining exactly how much of a failure that AOCAF Cup match had been for the stricken Audioslavia manager. And it's not just Patterick's job on the line, either. With Turori sauntering away at the top, there appears to be only one space left available on the World Cup boat, with twelve teams vying for it. Sajnur, Astograth, Jeckland, TJUN-ia and New Lusitania all have a pedigree at this level, and will be expecting to push to the end for that final spot. If Audioslavia want to make a fight of it, three losses in seven games is not the way to do it.

Fans all over the country have to be hoping Patterick doesn't blow it tonight.

[Cassadaigua]

The Royal Family- Princess Cassie III
by Hannah McCarthy, Concord Heights Times

We are going to move into the current generation a little bit now to talk about the children of Queen Cassie II. She has four, Cassandra (Cassie III), Chelsea, Caspian, and Chester. At the current time, the kids are 26, 24, 22, and 21. Cassandra, as the oldest, is first in line to become Queen after her month, although the looming controversy of succession concerning Princess Brianna is going to become something for the nation address at some point. For this article, we are going to focus on Cassandra, and then choose to get into the issue of succession concerning Princess Brianna when she is our focal point later in this series.

Growing up, Princess Cassie III insisted on never wanting to be called Cassie, and to stick with Cassandra, but she is beginning to learn that people are never going to stop wanting to call her Cassie III, so she is going to have to accept that. Up to this point in her life, Cassie III has followed the lead of her mother, and has been excellent child that has refused to get in trouble while showing an interest in helping people along the way. In her elementary years, at the same school used by all of the Royal Family, Cassie III was seen as one of the most studious pupils in the classroom, tuning out all of the distractions and showing an eagerness to learn. Her third grade teacher, Mary O’Hara, told the Concord Heights Times that, “The Princess showed the greatest reading comprehension ability of anyone in the class, and while I had her, she was able to read on a fifth grade level. She was also a math whiz. Whenever I gave any kind of math assignment, Princess Cassie would be the first one to complete it, and place the assignment on desk, with all answers proving to be 100% correct pretty much all of the time.” O’Hara went on to say, “It is not unusual to have kids like that in the class, especially in this school, but knowing she is next in line to be our Queen, it was really exciting for me to see how excited she was to learn, and to be able to take in all of the material that was being given to her.” The Princess, despite her academic prowess, was also bale to make friends easily and was quite sociable. In fifth grade, she expressed a desire to her mother to play in a youth baseball league, but did not want to play on the team with privileged kids. King Charles told the story, “She insisted on wanting to play with the kids who play in the what she said, the real part of Concord Heights where the real people live. I thought that, for her age, that was a big step for her, and it really showed how she was smarter then her years showed.” Unfortunately, her parents did not want to do that, because it would cause too much of a security headache and it would really infringe on the enjoyment of the all of the kids involved, or so they thought. Instead, they let Cassie III be the leader of several charity drives for the less fortunate in the city.

Cassie III continued to excel beyond her years in middle school, and as she moved into high school, she was remarkable for wanting to play three different sports for the school: soccer, baseball, and volleyball. She proved to be pretty good in baseball, and would be the starting first baseman for the team, and even won all-region honors at the position for her all-around play. No, she didn’t just win them because she was going to be the Queen, either. Reporters asked many people that were close to her in high school if she ever tried to use her being first in line to the crown to her advantage, and not a single person could recall there ever being a time. In fact, they said when Cassie III would mention that she would be the Queen one day, she talked about it as being an honor and was inquisitive to learn about people from all walks of life.

After high school, she would move on to the University of Concord Heights, where she would also play on the baseball team, and at first base. In fact, she was briefly a teammate of Sierra Ogletree, who competes as a relief pitcher on the national baseball team in the World Baseball Classic while playing professionally in Winchester. Ogletree was a year ahead of her in college and reflect on the times she was a teammate of the Princess, “She was a walk on at UCH, be we all knew she has the ability to play pretty well. On the team, she just wanted to be considered as just another player. That took some time for us more then it took for her. We got used to talking to her as just another one of us, and I can’t ever think of a time where she really talked about being Queen much. She just wanted to talk about baseball.” As the team is a co-ed squad, there were some men on the team, and it was there that she met Daniel, who was a starting outfielder for the team. They would not meet until she was a senior and he was a freshman, but they would hit it off very well, and began dating. They would have an off-and-on relationship for a couple years as Daniel broke it off a couple times after Princess Cassie III, only for them to get back together. As for Princess Cassie III’s baseball ability, a professional scout said of it, “The Princess, if she pursued a professional baseball career and was not a royal figure, was good enough to play in the minor leagues. I don’t think she would have ever cracked the major league level, but she was a good player, and seemed to be very knowledgeable of the details of the game.” At the present time, Cassie III and Daniel are dating, but have not become engaged. Cassie III does not yet have a child.

Once she graduated college, it was very important for the Princess to move into a governing role, and she does so from the Royal Palace in Concord Heights, keeping a close eye on the region. She is in frequent contact with her mother now, and they commonly discuss with one another why the Queen makes certain decisions that she does. All reports see Cassie III as being the right person to lead the nation, and will be fully qualified when the time comes. That time is not imminent, barring unforeseen events, so she will continue to be able to learn the ways of her mother. Of her siblings, Cassie III is particularly close to her younger brother, Prince Caspian, and is playing a major role in helping the young Prince in his thriving relationship with Princess Christine, from Quebec. She is also close to her other brother, Chester, and not as close to her sister, Chelsea, who we will talk about in our next article.

There is the looming succession controversy with Princess Brianna, the oldest child of Princess Caitlyn, who is likely to assert a claim to the crown then the time comes. Right now, with Queen Cassie II in good health, this is something that is just looming in the background as a potential future situation. Brianna is five years older then Cassie III, and since she was born prior to the incident that saw Queen Courtney I legally move up her second daughter, the current Cassie II, ahead of her first born child, Caitlyn, there are those who believe, including Caitlyn, that Princess Brianna should not be punished for the actions of her mother and is the rightful next in line. Cassie III and Brianna are not seen together all that much but are said to get along on a respectful manner. When they are seen together, no animosity appears to be present between them.

We’ll talk more about that a little later, as I have said, and we’ll move next to Princess Chelsea, who will be an interesting one for us to talk about, and then talk about her two brothers, each separately, before talking about Princess Brianna. That’s all for now, and I must admit I am still pumped up from watching that 6-2 win over the Corsairs of Sargossa. Our Rushmori brethren are a better team then they showed last night, and will be looking to bounce back quickly. Chelsea Dufresne has complete details of the game elsewhere on this website.

Cassadagan goal scorers: Zack Pierce (9'), Shelby Mayer (15'), Rachel Schanke (19'), Rachel Schanke (40'), Ashley Dahlin (68'), Preston Newfeld (82')

[Cheergirls]

Prior to the match against Quakmybush, Meghan Banks was getting really excited about things. She had loved the way that the team had defeated Tequilo. They had really come together nicely, perhaps learning from their mistakes in the beginning games, and really taking it to them. After that game, she went online to look for some passionate speeches that she would not directly copy, but try to imitate and relate that to their effort. Her teammates were focused, probably knowing that at this point in qualifying there is no turning back, yet the novelty of the whole situation had worn off.

Meghan had read that Quakmybush was a long time nation in this competition, but they had not had any noteworthy success at any recent time. It is not a nation that is known for talking to the international media much, as they are content to just do their own thing. Maybe then, her team would be able to sneak up on them too, much in the same way that she felt that they did against Tequilo. Of course, prior to the game, Tara Milford’s mom had to prepare the team with a batch of cocoa-bo milkshakes again. Ever since this had started, they had won their first two games. Meghan thought to herself that if they won again, going 3-0-0 since the pre-game Cocoa-bo milkshakes started, and if Sir Barsanuphius The Bold ever figured that out, then he would certainly use that in his campaign to ban the yummy dessert.

Cheergirls were the better team on the field against Quakmybush from start to finish, but it didn’t show on the scoreboard quite as much. Daniella Catti did score in the 15th minute, and that would be all the would need. They had plenty of opportunities but the finishing was not the greatest. Towards the end of the second half, they elected to work harder on defense to preserve the shutout, and would do just that.

Cheergirls had won, making the team a perfect 3-for-3 since the pre-game cocoa-bo milkshakes began! Surely, that was just a coincidence. Right? Meghan began to wonder a little bit.

[Sarzonia]

Brady Reynolds doesn't wear the captain's armband, except when Sarzonian national football team manager Kevin Connelly takes out the team captain.

However, Reynolds has become a leader on the team even without formal acknowledgement from Connelly or the rest of the team. A prime example of this was last night's 4-2 victory over Huayramarca in front of a disappointed home crowd that was hoping to see their heroes earn three points against a maddeningly inconsistent Sarzonia.

Reynolds noticed a couple of defensive players who were slow to respond when midfielder Clayton Wilson, now wearing the armband instructed them to move into a position for the home side's indirect free kick in the 33rd minute.

"You heard him!" Reynolds said in a low, even tone that still made it clear he was irritated with the defenders. If the voice inflections didn't do the trick, the flash of anger in his eyes certainly did. The two defenders then got into position. Moments later, Carlton Sandt harmlessly caught the ball and cradled it in his arms.

At halftime, the match was level at 1-1, but instead of Connelly addressing the team, it was Reynolds.

"Clay is our captain," he said. "Like it or not, he's wearing the armband. I'm not asking anyone to like that or like the way Coach decided to name him captain, but when he instructs you to do something, you do it." Reynolds then turned his attention to Russ Howard, the 30-something defender who was the deposed captain. Howard immediately moved into the position Wilson called for, but he'd clearly taken a back seat in his role as a leader.

"Russ, I know you're still upset about the armband being taken away from you, and I would feel the same if I were you," Reynolds said, before Howard cut him off.

"What the fuck has that kid done to earn the armband besides be lucky enough to have great bloodlines?" Howard said.

"He's busted his ass," Reynolds said, "just like the rest of us. He may be Kevin Wilson's grandnephew and Brian Wilson's grandson, but he's doing the grunt work in training and on the pitch. He's not a vocal leader, but he knows the game. You can't be a Wilson and not know the game.

"Armband or not, we're supposed to play as one team. To be perfectly honest, you haven't been living up to your end of the bargain, and Coach has noticed." Reynolds saw Howard's eyes flash, first with rage at being called out, but then recognition. Connelly noticed. Reynolds noticed. And Reynolds was working harder than ever. That made the next statement he would make to the team resonate further.

"We all need to work harder," he said. "Incl- no, especially me. I promise all of you that I will recommit myself to each and every one of you and to Stars football and do everything I can to ensure that we're one of the two teams to make it to the proper."

The usual assorted banter, laughter, and teasing associated with a football team suddenly stopped. Anyone in the away dressing room could hear a pin drop as the players all looked at Reynolds askance.

If the hardest-working Stars player just challenged himself to the team and promised to work harder, the least any of them could do is to follow his example. The team gathered on the pitch to start the second half with a fire in their eyes and played inspired football, scoring the next three goals in a 20-minute span that quickly turned a tight match that slightly favoured the home side into a dominating victory for the Stars. Huayramarca notched a goal in the second minute of stoppage time to avoid a complete embarrassment.

The victory improved the team's position in the table to fourth after its second consecutive victory. This followed two straight defeats, though one was away to No. 4 Nephara. Sarzonia would get their first half bye before they faced Competitive Solitaire at Dave Wilson Stadium.

It would be a welcome rest for the Stars, who would get to spend time working on improving their shaky defence and would get to watch SSPN cover Delaclava's match with the fervour usually associated with Stars football.

Time will tell if the team turned an important corner against a spirited opponent, but for one night, at least, the feeling in the post-match dressing room was an optimistic one.

SCHEDULE:
MD 1: @ Delaclava^ W, 6-4
MD 2: v. Acronius L, 0-2
MD 3: @ Simpralia (Glory Park, capacity 122,000) W, 5-3
MD 4: v. Welzat L, 2-4
MD 5: @ Nephara L, 1-4 (Farham Arena, Sabrefell, capacity 88,046)
MD 6: v. Great Lausitz W, 1-0
MD 7: @ Huayamarca (Estadio Olímpico del Oriente, Sechura, capacity 26,000) W, 4-2
MD 8: BYE
MD 9: v. Competitive Solitaire W, 1-0
MD 10: @ South Charlia
MD 11: v. Darmen
MD 12: @ Aimena
MD 13: v. Jeruselem
OFF DAY
MD 14: v. Delaclava (game played at Pride of Manchester, capacity 110,000)
MD 15: @ Acronius
MD 16: v. Simpalia
MD 17: @ Welzat (Sir James Tretol Memorial Stadium, capacity 19,595)
MD 18: v. Nephara
MD 19: @ Great Lausitz
MD 20: v. Huayramarca
MD 21: BYE
MD 22: @ Competitive Solitaire
MD 23: v. South Charlia
MD 24: @ Darmen (Stadio Rushmore, Johnho, capacity 70,000)
MD 25: v. Aimena
MD 26: @ Jeruselem (Dazza Dallas Stadium)

^Match was played at Dave Wilson Stadium in Woodstock.

Note: Except for the match in Manchester, Delaclava, all of Sarzonia's home matches will be played at Dave Wilson Stadium in Woodstock, capacity 105,900.

[Filindostan]

Filindostan's crop of forwards have been a selection headache for most of the coaches. This is in part of having multiple prolific scorers in the domestic leagues, particularly those from the so-called Big Three: San Marco clubs Fortunas and Venividicci, and then Perokojak from Jakulta. There are a few cases where the forward spot is not from either one of the three clubs, or from international clubs.

Case in point - Muha Herawan, when he was just 20, and was playing for Perodos Bandariyan before a Taeshani club inquired for his services after a hattrick in the previous Campionato Esportiva tournament helped Filindostan beat The Golden Lotus with a 3-0 scoreline to scrape past through the group stages. Muha had just made the roster of the senior squad after playing for the last under-21 squad sent for the Di Bradini Cup, where Muha scored one of the five goals, with other options being preferred over him in the next lineups of the squad against Nephara and Schottia, where the latter eliminated them from the Round of 16.

Muha would be Perodos' top scorer in the FFL last season after their go-to-guy for past season, Lazarus Simarmata retired from football. It was in the league and in the Golden Lotus match that Knightspurs made an inquiry for the striker. At around 2 million NS dollars, the Taeshani club were able to get Perodos' prized striker, who was also scouted by the big three, in which they had to go for alternate options once Herawan was already off the market.

Muha didn't mind the empty crowd at the usually filled up national stadium, when he came off the bench in the 81st minute to replace Yish Sta. Lucia, who had been largely disappointing as a target man, playing the role usually played by their preferred striker, Ina Teterissa, who was even not fielded in the lineup by Krisna Hendra Sudirman. Late in the match, Filindostan were able to pressure Timothy Gausun to a mistake in the 86th minute, and Yakob's corner found the head of Muha, just enough to beat Sandi Jaliaha, who was equally as impressive as the set custodian for the match, Venividicci's Billy Abdi Amo. The goal was enough to see off Poafmersia who kept them winless against the Pula Garuda, but more importantly keep pace with the three leaders in Group 15 - Quebec and Recuecn, who won their matches, and Brenecia, which had their bye in this matchday.

The next match will be in Shokpos, where Cahya will be given another opportunity behind the sticks to prove that she would not be the one who will not be selected as the three goalkeepers for the 23-person squad Sudirman will be finalizing at the end of the qualifying campaign. The ex-Venividicci manager will likely not call-up all the players playing abroad, which gives ample opportunity for fringe squad members to prove their worth to the team. In addition, Shai Escobido will captain this side with both King Tisang and Yakob Rivas not in the called-up squad to give way for Mordecai Sitindaon and Daneilo Amomonpon to earn their starting caps.

Despite fielding a weaker lineup against their next opponent, they are still expected to come away with three points, and given how they have embarrassed their opponents in front of their home crowds, Filindostan could be continuing that momentum and score loads of goals away from home. The matchday is also important as Brenecia faces Quebec where any slip-up from either side will not be taken lightly by both the Unicorns and the Pula Garudas.

[Riennic Isles]

Cocoa Haneda was used to being underestimated.

She quickly learned, early on in her eighteen years, that it came with the territory. She was short for her age, had a slender build, and kept mostly to herself - which meant that anyone meeting her for the first time tended not to think much of the quiet little mouse of a girl. Hell, even the likes of her classmates and teachers would easily miss her if they weren't paying attention. But Cocoa didn't mind that in the slightest. She wasn't the flashy type. Not for her the harsh glare of the spotlight - Cocoa was at her most content whenever she was left to her own devices. Whenever she didn't have eyes on her, she would silently melt into the shadows, leaving no trace of her presence behind.

It was the same when it came to football. Back when she was still in middle school, Cocoa showed no aptitude for football, or for any other sport. She was the girl who was usually sat to the side, hugging her knees to her chest as she watched her classmates dashing around the pitch, hurling themselves into challenges and dribbling down cul-de-sacs with all the exuberance and immaturity that came with youth. Nobody was too bothered by this state of affairs, least of all Cocoa herself, and she could very well have spent her entire life without kicking a ball in anger - had it not been for a batch of bad lasagna. Long story short, several of her classmates called in sick with food poisoning on the morning of her school's sports festival, and a reluctant Cocoa found herself roped in at the last minute to play for her class. No one actually expected her to do anything but make up the numbers, but Cocoa surprised everyone by ghosting in and out of the opposition defence almost at will, tearing them to shreds with her movement. By the end of the first match, a thoroughly nonplussed Cocoa found herself with two goals to her name and a bunch of astonished classmates who gleefully mobbed their new hero.

By a stroke of immense luck, a man named Tamaki Oda just so happened to be at Cocoa's sports festival to watch his own daughter compete. The RFA head scout, his eye for talent as keen as always, immediately picked up on Cocoa's ability. One head-spinning week later, Cocoa found herself walking into the RFA's headquarters in Nagato to join the country's elite talent development programme.

That batch of bad lasagna was the catalyst that had changed Cocoa's life forever. Cocoa the middle school student could never have imagined herself as a professional athlete of any kind, not even in her wildest dreams. And yet here she was, standing on the pitch, in front of a stadium packed to the rafters, her hand across her heart as the national anthem reverberated within the arena. Ever since Cocoa's life had began to revolve around football, she had worked hard, so very hard, for this moment - and at long last, her perseverance was about to be repaid. No longer someone else's understudy, Cocoa was starting Riena's home match against Qasden as her country's first choice left winger in her own right.

As soon as the referee's whistle sounded, Cocoa hared forwards into the opposition half, getting into position as Riena began to work the ball down the opposite flank. Out from wide, Minami fizzed a low cross into the area. Cocoa tried to get on the end of the delivery, but found herself smashing into the ripped back of a burly Qasden defender, who hooked the ball out for a corner. No matter. Cocoa picked herself up, none the worse for her encounter, and got ready for the set-piece. Kaede swung it in with menace, someone in the area got a head to it, and it fell to Cocoa just outside the area. Contorting her body, she connected sweetly with a volley that felt like it was destined for the back of the net. Cocoa landed on her feet and looked; her shot screamed past the Qasden goal and nearly took the head off a fan in the stands. Cocoa bit her lip in annoyance as she scrambled back into position for the goal kick. She had wasted one chance; she was determined not to waste a second.

For the next half-an-hour of the match, Riena rolled with the punches. They had to, considering the quality of the opponent they were facing. Qasden was the second seed in the group. They had had a perfect record up till the previous matchday, when they had lost to an all-conquering Vilita at home. That loss must have stung for Qasden. Desperate for three points to salve the wounds of defeat and jumpstart their bid for qualification, they came at Riena with all they could muster. Riena pulled up the drawbridge and battened down the hatches as they tried to hold the Qasden menace at bay. For her part, Cocoa had her hands full helping out in defence, getting stuck in as best as a player of her stature could against bigger, stronger opponents. On the rare occasions Riena managed to wrest the ball from their opponents, Cocoa dashed forward with hope in her heart, but the team's attacks always broke down before they could even get anywhere near the Qasden goal.

And then it happened. A long clearance from Miho dropped kindly for Cocoa, who needed no second invitation to bring the ball forwards. As she barrelled forward, with a Qasden defender looming ahead of her, Cocoa saw her captain Aya sprinting alongside her, hollering for the pass. Cocoa flicked it on, Aya brought it under control, and might have gotten off a shot had she not been crunched by one of the Qasden midfielders as she turned. The referee blew for a free kick to the left of the Qasden goal, barely five yards from the edge of the area. Kaede placed the ball down and raised two fingers at Cocoa, who simply nodded in response. They had gone through this routine hundreds of times on the training ground; Cocoa knew what she had to do. She ran up to the ball, making as though to hit it at goal - but Cocoa hurdled the ball at the last second and touched it ever so slightly back towards Kaede, whose shot fizzed beneath the jumping wall and rippled the net.

The goal, coming as it had against the run of play, infuriated their opponents, who redoubled their efforts to break down their hosts with fresh vigour. But they found the Riena defence a far cry from the one that had been so fragile, so prone to collapse. With all hands on deck, and the crowd roaring them on as one, Riena battled furiously to repel the invaders and protect their slender one-goal advantage. Somehow, despite Qasden throwing the kitchen sink at them, Riena managed to hold out for the better part of an hour. The Qasden equaliser, when it came, was down to the inventiveness of their attack rather than a defensive lapse on the part of their hosts. A delicate passing combination down the Qasden right flank took half of the Riena backline out of the equation, and the Qasden forward had no trouble tucking the ball home from twelve yards out.

The game ticked towards the end of the ninety minutes. Qasden were still hammering away at the door, trying to get that second goal which would surely wrap up three points for them. Having fought with everything they had, Riena were clinging onto their point by the skin of their teeth. The Qasden artillery shelled Riena's dilapidated castle with merciless ferocity, and it looked a matter of time before one well-placed shell would hit a weak spot in the mortar and send the whole structure crashing down on itself. But in bringing all their heavy artillery to bear, Qasden had forgotten that Riena had an elite platoon of soldiers they could call upon in their time of need.

With less than a couple of minutes on the clock, Miho claimed the ball from a poorly-hit cross into the area and sent Flare running down the right. The manager bellowed hoarsely from the touchline - get it by the corner flag and keep it there! Cocoa sprinted as hard as she could down the opposite flank, gritting her teeth as she felt her lungs burn, and made a beeline towards the penalty area just as Flare reached the corner. She didn't need to shout for the ball. Flare looked up, sized up the situation in a heartbeat, and scooped the ball into the Qasden area. As the defenders watched the ball sail through the air, Cocoa scraped together one last burst of speed from her screaming muscles. And just like she had done all those years ago, on that fateful morning of the sports festival, Cocoa ghosted between the central defenders, catching them flat-footed with her sudden appearance out of nowhere.

The cross was inch-perfect, with just the right amount of momentum. One light touch was all Cocoa needed to send the ball spinning off her left boot and past the rooted 'keeper.

Cocoa stumbled onto the ground and lay there, blood thundering in her ears and an exhausted grin on her face, and listened as the home crowd erupted around her in unreserved joy.

This was her life now. And she wouldn't trade the world for it.

[Hampton Island]

(From his suite, the Stafford City Stadium CEO and his Assistant observe the action)

CEO: Look on the bright side, the fans had fun with the running of the bears before the match. Chicken suit contest seemed to go over well.

Assistant: Thanks to the sponsor on that, we don’t have to pay a dollar, but I don’t know why you have to root against this team now.

CEO: I am not rooting against the team, I am rooting against that monster that I created as the coach. I can’t fire her and she knows that.

Assistant: So, don’t worry about it.

CEO: That’s the problem with women. You think they are your friends, and they stab you behind the back. I can’t believe that she actually thought all of that out in advance. Who the hell is teaching her these things? Other then me.

Assistant: What about the email? To bring back the models on the team to be assistants?

CEO: Not going to happen unless I fund it. At least with that, I can still have something on the conniving witch that she has become. The models would have to work for free, or she would have to find a way to compensate them. Fortunately, I still pay her pitiful salary.

Assistant: What if word gets out about how severely underpaid she is?

CEO: She probably will bring that up eventually. I am not worried about that, we can just say it was a bonus laden contract, which in all honesty it is. The bonuses will not reasonably be attained. She knows what she signed, and if she is as smart as she seems to be right now, then she knows I can mention the bonuses.

Assistant: Still, it can be brought up.

CEO: I doubt she brings it up now unless one of the older guys starts talking her into it. That might have been one of my bigger mistakes in this Cup, surrounding her with the older players and not realizing that since they retired that they actually have a lot of good connections in the business world and otherwise.

Assistant: Don’t yell at me for asking, but have you thought about going to your wife and telling her about what happens so that Hannah cannot hold this over your head?

CEO: I can’t. I have thought about it for a few seconds, but that’s all it needs. There is no way she will take it well. She completely trusts me, and if she found out, I would be lucky to make it out of the house without being stabbed. If I did, then she’s in divorce court the very next morning.

Assistant: I see.

CEO: We have, or I have, to find a way to get to that tape, which is probably on a flash drive somewhere. Who the hell knows what she did with it or where it is. I wouldn’t know the first place to pay someone to break into.

Assistant: What if it doesn’t exist at all, and this is all a bluff to get you to back off and get what she wants?

CEO: I doubt that. She is too confident with what she is doing right now.

Assistant: And there’s the final whistle. You can’t say you don’t enjoy beating Hapilopper.

CEO: Don’t worry, I enjoy beating them. Only rooting against her, not the team. By the way, I have to look smart right now in putting this team together. Just keep making sure I get all of the credit for that and that she does not start trying to take credit.

[Torisakia]

TORISAKIA DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF TOKAI

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF TORISAKIA

Criminal No. 375-98-4-B
Violation: 18 TOR. Code § 798 (Disclosure of classified information)

v.

BORTMORVIUS STEVENS,

Defendant.

STATEMENT OF THE OFFENSE

Pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 13, the Federal Republic of Torisakia and the defendant, Bortmorvius Stevens, stipulate and agree that the following facts are true and super cereal accurate. These facts do not constitute all of the facts known to the defendant but do constitute those known by the prosecution concerning the charged offense; they are being submitted to demonstrate that indisputable facts exist that the defendant committed the offense to which he is pleading not guilty.

I.Overview
1.The defendant, BORTMORVIUS STEVENS, who serves as a sports writer for torisakiasports.tor, owned by Grassnolewddick Media Networks, and primary author of the "Sports with Bort" blog, sought out classified information without acquiring the necessary clearance from the Torisakia Bureau of Investigation ("TBI") to do so on May 17, 2020. Moreover, STEVENS knowingly and willingly disclosed this information on his website sportswithbort.tor, which is host to the "Sports with Bort" blog, without acquiring the necessary clearance from the TBI on May 18, 2020. The classified information that STEVENS had in their possession related to the TBI investigation into the Kiraism cult in January 2015, and was designated as "classified" at the time of STEVENS' discovery of it. According to STEVENS and his attorney, who was present with him during questioning, he found the information on a Portable Document Format ("PDF") file found on the last page of a Boogle search for "Cassidy McKenzie Kiraism government b1atch35" (sic). STEVENS and his attorney also stated that he did not know the host website of the PDF. On May 19, 2020, the TBI was made aware of the classified information on STEVENS' blog through an anonymous source. On May 24, 2020, a search warrant issued by the Torisakia District Court for the Central District of Tokai under the authority of 18 TOR. Code § 798(i)(3)(A) for STEVENS' home. The search warrant was carried out on May 25, 2020. TBI authorities detained STEVENS and, pursuant to the warrant, seized STEVENS' computer and laptop. The computer and laptop were sent to the Data Forensics Lab at the TBI field office in Tokai, where authorities were able to extract the PDF file and records from the "Sports with Bort" blog. STEVENS' blog and domain were also seized by the TBI pursuant to the warrant, and are no longer accessible to any outside of this criminal case.

2.STEVENS is currently being held at Tokai Penitentiary. On May 26, 2020, STEVENS appeared before Judge Lorraine Debuchy at the Tokai Supreme Courthouse where his bail was set at T$35,000. Under 18 TOR. Code § 798(i)(4)(A), STEVENS shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

3.According to records recovered by the Data Forensics Lab, STEVENS worked with accomplices named This information is only available to subscribers of AffidavitDaily. To continue, please pay T$19.95 plus a separate processing fee of T$39.99 and a handling fee of T$9.99.

[The Sarian]

De Telegraaf Sport presents...

ON LEFT FLANK
The Rolling Football Blog

The Sarian 0-1 Eshan: three thoughts
Stefan Struik, Football Writer

They blew it... I guess?
This was a crunch match. Eshan were the slightly better team on paper. But only slightly. And The Sarian were at home. With wind in the sails. They were looking good. There was confidence in the dressing room. Eshan, by contrast, had been looking tired. The unseasonably cold Bondstad weather seemed to be getting to them. The partisan crowd was packed, there was expectation in the air, and The Sarian dominated the first half. And then Eshan won. In reality, it shouldn't have felt so crushing. The second sentence was the most crucial one - Eshan were the better team on paper, the rest was just bluster. But in the three days since the expert demolishing of Northwest Kalactin, the 'this is where the campaign really starts' had evolved into a rigid dogma. People believed it, were sure that the national team would do them proud. If it were not for the disastrous start to the qualifiers, this game might have been seen in a different light. A eminently winnable one, yes - the home match against the next seed up - but one in which a good performance constituted a moral victory. Because the performance was good - Hugo Sint Lo and Jodi Lauri continued to boss the midfield whilst Mohammad Islam and Maeri Beniut constantly supplied Lach Houten. But unlike Wendell Jakerein of Northwest Kalactin, the Eshan keeper was adept at stopping Houten. Whenever a fabulous through-ball was played to the Saari striker, the Eshan shot-stopper was able to narrow the angle and pile on the pressure. Beniut, still the best Saari talent on the pitch, was more expertly snuffled out. And though she did manage some amazing runs at the defense, Houten was unable to convert.

Oodel Duoztiun is back...?
Notice how I hedged there? That's the direct result of how the comeback narrative ruined the perception of this game. I didn't want to do the same to Oodel Duoztiun. But he was looking much better than his collapse in form at the start of qualifiers. Making a number of good saves, he kept The Sarian in the game for much of the second half after the defensive partnership of Jaxon Pieuz and Criuzi Siwaad was once again found lacking. Although not a natural leader, he had good command of his box and arranged his defence well - a tall order given the large personalities he's forced to deal with in the national set-up. Still, he was bested - a relatively cheap goal, given the ones he kept out. Really, the blame should go to Randoel Raedmaeceu - he missed an easy interception, allowing the Eshan frontman plenty of space and time on the ball to best Duoztiun. If this truly is a recovery of form, it is nothing but good news for the national team. No other Saari keeper comes close to the quality and presence of the De Commons number one - and previous national team games where they've been handed the mantle show that their average game is about equivalent to Duoztiun's disasters. So in conclusion: Duoztiun being back? Huge, if true.

What next?
I get flack the last time I said this, but it was always an open secret that The Sarian weren't even gonna come close to qualifying. That wasn't a prediction of them getting just one win from four opponents ranked below two hundred, but a prediction that the five teams seeded ahead of them were a mighty large obstacle to overcome. Indeed, I'm as shocked as anyone that the campaign has been just this bad thus far. The goal Miccal Druiven must have been striving for is fourth or fifth. Without sounding overly dramatic, that looks very unlikely to happen. If the Bustards were going to leapfrog some better sides, they would have gone a cleansweep of victories over their weaker opponents and at least nicked points when their closest opponent - Eshan - came visiting. That hasn't happened. Druiven and his backroom team now need to reconfigure their priorities. Where do the national team go from here? At the minimum, anything less than retaining the seeded position of sixth must be considered a failure. But how realistic a proposition is that? Yes, there are still plenty of games to go - but they're disproportionately against higher ranked opponents whilst The Sarian has yet to have it's first bye. With the results out of the sides hands, planning should be made on the basis of their rivals winning their game in hand. The strategy is therefore thus: play spoiler, where possible, against higher ranked sides. Hosting the out-of-form Chromatika is a good way to test this - The Sarian should be more defensive and happy to run out with a point. Savojarna, also at De Stadionnational, is another side where this could pay fruit. The next match, against Alba and Cymru, is a must win. As are the the return fixtures against the four low ranked sides which knee-capped the start of the Saari qualifying campaign. A corollary to that statement is that The Sarian must not lose focus if one of these games goes astray. The draw against Sanctanus directly led to the less in Adyatin. This can't happen again. Know your goals, but don't lose sight if you stray off course. To the extent that qualification was ever on the table; it is no longer, even in the deepest partisan's wet dream. But coming out of the qualifiers a better team with heads held high is. That is the aim, the pathway has been laid out. Only the players can make it happen.

Line-up versus Alba and Cymru (4-5-1): Oodel Duoztiun / Walt Beunaad, Jaxon Pieuz, Bruux Ziebruux, Diemer Haum / Wictor Buul, Jodi Lauri, Hugo Sint Lo, Adell Alba, Maeri Beniut / Lach Houten

[Timuria]

Red Wolves See Off Olastor

Timuria 3–1 Olastor
Vatan Ercetin (19), Ismail Burhan (69), Ertan Renda (81);Olastor #8 (39)

by Tufan Nursultan

The Red Wolves took their second win in a row, as they have begun to build momentum in Group 9 with a comfortable, if slightly underwhelming 3-1 win over Olastor. The Red Wolves looked in danger of dropping points as they went into half time level with their opponents, but a re-energised and refocused performance in the second half ensured that they saw off their plucky opponents who came out of the encounter with a lot of credit.

The early chances fell the Red Wolves' way, as many would have expected, the best effort early on came in the 8th minute as Caner Turan found himself clean through on goal, but couldn't apply the finishing touch sending the ball wide. The deadlock would be broken, as the ball was poorly cleared from a corner by the visitor's centre back allow Vatan Ercetin to get a sweet strike on the ball coming through the crowd and into the back of the net.

The chances would continue to fall largely to the Red Wolves, this time Volkan Ayhan would squander a chance after an excellent pass from Vatan Ercetin unlocked the defence, he didn't quite get control of the shot and sent it well over into the stands. The visitors would get a goal back from a counter attack and an unfortunate mistake from Ozbek Sarikaya, misjudging the flight of the ball allowing the visitors to score after Iskender Nur's save failed to send the ball wide. The sides would go in level, which flattered Olastor a little, but they had fought hard and punched above their weight.

The Red Wolves would get an early chance, Vatan Ercetin, unfortunately, couldn't get his touch right and sent the ball slightly wide. Ismail Burhan would get the Red Wolves their much coveted lead, with a header as he was unmarked in the box and placed it just out of the reach of the visitor's goalkeeper. The visitors would get a good chance from a counter attack, but Iskender would deny the with a strong hand sending the ball wide.

Tekin Yavuz would get a good chance from the bench, a long range effort that clipped the underside of the bar having beaten the keeper and bounced clear. Substitute Zeynel Abidin Birkan had a fantastic spell on the pitch, shutting down the visitors in a way that Ozbek Sarikaya had been unable to. The scoring would be wrapped up by an astonishing volley from Ertan Renda, from a cross that had missed the mark from Tekin Yavuz.

The result means the Red Wolves have won two in a row and have begun to build up momentum in the group, which will be essential if the team is to have any chance of resurrecting their slim chances of any kind of advancement. They sit in sixth place and will now go on to face Patistan who sit in ninth after a bore draw with group bottom feeders Audiaslania.

What They Said After The Match:

Bekir Altingunes: "Firstly I have to congratulate our guests, they gave us an amazing match and they deserved better for how hard they fought. That being said we need to start getting out of our own way and we'll be assessing some personnel choices especially in the attack figuring out whether there's some kind of systemic problem or we need to start shifting players in and out of the starting XI."

Player Ratings:

Iskender Nur 6/10 - Made a critical save in an otherwise pedestrian day.

Ozbek Sarikaya 5/10 - Made an uncharacteristic error and had to be taken off as he never got going properly.

Kemal Colak 6/10 - Had a solid enough day, where he didn't do much wrong.

Berker Balkan 6/10 - Shepherded the defence well as he didn't make any mistakes.

Gokdeniz Dag 6/10 - A solid day for a player who is typically very reliable.

Ertan Renda 7/10 - Got a stunning goal and played very nicely through the day.

Reza Karaduman 6/10 - Did well enough in his defensive duties to allow Ertan to do his thing.

Caner Turan 6/10 - A slightly quiet and dull day that saw him subbed off for Tekin.

Vatan Ercetin 8/10 - The best player on the pitch and it showed statistically and in his play.

Volkan Ayhan 6/10 - A quiet day for the winger who will be regretting his inability to score today.

Ismail Burhan 7/10 - Got his goal and was threatening all day.

Substitutes:

Tekin Yavuz 7/10 - Came off the bench and caused trouble, including a good assist.

Zeynel Abidin Birkan 7/10 - Showed off why he was included, bringing stability and a bit of extra energy to the defence.

Sabah Tanriseven 6/10 - Had a quiet day and took care of the defence when he needed to.

Person of the Match: Vatan Ercetin - Got a good goal and an assist in an all round decent and good outing.

Schedule and Results:

Home stadiums will have capacity in brackets

MD1: @ Xuzaqiy W 5-3
MD2: vs Cassadaigua, Dev Halk Stadium (30,000), Demir L 3-2
MD3: @ Kelssek L 2-1
MD4: vs Barunia, Tashkent Belediye Isci Stadium (18,500), Tashkent L 4-1
MD5: @ Audiasania W 3-2
MD6: Bye
MD7: vs Olastor, Belediye Park (5,800), Demir W 3-1
MD8: @ Patistan
MD9: vs The Mann Clan, Belediye Park (5,800), Demir
MD10: @ Grod Island
MD11: vs Sargossa, Hisar Belediye Sendika Stadium (27,500), Demir
MD12: @ Res Publica Nova Roma
MD13: vs Ziwana, Halkın Güneş Çiftliği Stadium (27,000), Elektriklestirme
MD14: vs Xuzaqiy, Demir-Is Stadium (5,500), Demir
MD15: @ Cassadaigua
MD16: vs Kelssek, Madenci Stadium (27,000), Uryan
MD17: @Barunia
MD18: vs Audiasania, Maden-Is Stadium (3,400), Uryan
MD19: Bye
MD20: @ Olastor
MD21: vs Patistan, Almat Jimnasyum (3,000), Demir
MD22: @ The Mann Clan
MD23: vs Grod Island, Tasova Belediye Stadium (2,000), Tasova
MD24: @Sargossa
MD25: vs Res Public Nova Roma, Dev Halk Stadium (30,000), Demir
MD26: @ Ziwana

[Balqia]

The small space in the room was enough to make someone feel claustrophobic, Berka’s presence, reinforced by his heavy breathing, only made it worse. The manager was working in his computer, when three o’clock arrived he started to speak.
— So, you two had beer.
— I didn’t!
He looked to the coach, who nodded with his head confirming Mary’s claim.
— Fine, don’t do that anymore then.
— You can count on me.
— I didn’t do anything to begin with.
She started to get up, but Markus signaled her to sit down again.
— You said someone called Riviera and asked her if she had it, right?
— Yes, is that important?
— No, no… I just wanted to make things clear. But, now that you are here.— He opened a drawer and got some paper sheets. — So, you are going to give an interview after the next match. Go to Erna’s office, she will give your instructions.
With that she was authorized to leave. The corridors were empty, as always, she navigated them, trying to remember in which section the said office was. As the doors and employees passed through someone stopped her to chat a bit, it was Soletz.
— Hey, what are you doing here?
— I work here.
— Well, you must work somewhere.
He laughed from his own joke.
— I’m in a hurry right now, so…
— Oh, okay, where are you going?
— I’m searching for Erna’s office, do you know where is she?
— Huh, she isn’t there, she has a meeting or something like that.
— Great!
— I can show you where it is, so you can wait there.
Not a bad idea.
— Don’t you have anything to do?
— No, I had to talk with someone because of some documentation I’ve forgot to deliver, but now I’m just killing time.
Both of them left out to the office, after walking for five minutes they were there. In section five of the administrative block. It was empty and the door locked, the only thing they could see from the small window was a desk and a computer. Fortunately there was a little bench next to the wall.
— So… have you seen the match?
— Oh, I did. I thought it would be an easy victory, guess I was wrong.
— Everyone was, I could’ve done better, but ended up in the bench for second half.
— Why?
— They said I was ‘too ineffective’. Well, no one scored against us when I was there.
During the first half a balqese victory was almost sure, the score was 1-0 and the team was successfully holding any advancement. However, after Torviq injured his leg during the first minute of the second half and Soletz was substituted by Anuzius things started to went bad. In the end Bunkaiia went from zero to two goals in only twenty minutes.
— What are you going to do next match?
— We’re going to play more defensive in the beginning, even though the entire team is a bunch of guys in their forties we can’t risk another defeat. They are very defensive too, so it will be a very boring match, I hope Berka goes full on offensive during the second half.
— And it’s another island nation!
— I think it’s some kind of curse. But we can’t give up, island or archipelago we are going do our best.
They talked for some minutes, but when Erna arrived Soletz headed home.
— He really likes you at what it seems.
— Yup, most of you guys are very cold, at least he talks with me.
— So sweet, now let’s go to business.
And for the next hour she kept hearing about a interview, she missed the player’s company so much.