IFC1 Everything Thread

[Sylestone]

Eurasies 1–2 Tikariot
Megistos 1–3 The Jovannic
Sylestone 2–0 Liberal Democratic Socialist States

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Tikariot                                  9    7   2   0    30    9  +21    23
2 Sylestone                                 9    5   2   2    10    6   +4    17
3 The Jovannic                              9    4   0   5    14   21   −7    12
4 Megistos                                  9    3   2   4    18   14   +4    11
5 Liberal Democratic Socialist States       9    3   0   6    20   36  −16     9
6 Eurasies                                  9    1   2   6     8   14   −6     5

[Sylestone]

OOC: Would anyone mind if I post the results 8 hours earlier than usual tomorrow?

[Megistos]

OOC: Would anyone mind if I post the results 8 hours earlier than usual tomorrow?

OOC: No, I wouldn't mind

[Tikariot]

OOC: no problem from my end.

[Megistos]

Guys, this is just poor! We lost to The Jovannic, a team that we crushed 7-0 in the first leg! We need to stay more focused! Becks, you've got to be making better dives and saves. Attack, what were you doing! You only scored one goal! We need to win against LDSS, or if you guys can't manage that, a draw!

Yes sir, we played bad, we'll make you proud

You better!

[Tikariot]

Tikariot Sports Gazette
reported by Simon Nighthorse

"The ninth round of the IFC1 group stage brought a few decisions within its three games. The Jovannic beat Megistos 3-1, keeping both teams in play-off contention, while the 2-0 win of Sylestone over the Liberal Democratic Socialist States guaranteed the hosts second spot in the group. Now this leads us to the last game, where Tikariot was facing Eurasies at The Bay Reserve in Betham.

Knowing that the top spot in the group was practically guaranteed, coach Stuart Ekstrom's formation was a clear sign at preparing the team for the play-offs. The line-up was: Harding - McIlroy, Jovanovski, Kovalchuk, Hernandez - Hancock, Usher, Thorniley - Yarbrough, Del Rosso, Ekpetita.

In the heat of Betham the game overall displayed a low level of energy throughout, with chances rare. The first half saw a total of four shots on goal, three by Tikariot with Oliver del Rosso squandering two excellent chances, one hitting the goal post, the other masterfully saved by Yoseph Perez. But the third shot found its way in, even though not in a very conventional way. Thorniley whipped in a corner right onto the head of Jovanovski, whose header hit the post. From there it went onto the back of Alphonse de Stoskyu, bounced off Perez' knee and fell to Callum Usher. He tried to take it volley, but did not hit it right and it went sideways, glancing off Kevin Sabaneta and finally reaching a Damian Hernandez in full steam, who rifled a cannon of a shot that hit Yarbrough in the side of the head and from there into goal. Unfortunately Yarbrough had to be substituted after the shot with the suspicion of a concussion, with Gaizka Iribarren taking his place.

The second half saw about as much action as the first, with Ekstrom keeping the same team on the pitch. After 60 minutes a long cross from Marvin Thorniley found Iribarren on the right, who then chipped the ball directly over the central defenders of Eurasies, finding Oliver del Rosso free in front of Perez and he had no issues doubling the lead for Tikariot. In the wake of this, gameplay lulled more and more and a cheap giveaway by Aaron Jovanovski left James Moore in acres of space and a quick lob over Stu Harding allowed them to pull back one goal, but it was not enough and sealed Eurasies' elimination from the competition.

Now one game is left, against hosts Sylestone. The Jovannic or Megistos are the two possible semi-final opponents for Tikariot, with the Liberal Democratic Socialist States basically all but eliminated due to their abysmal goal difference."

[Sylestone]

Tikariot 0–0 Sylestone
Liberal Democratic Socialist States 3–5 Megistos
The Jovannic 2–1 Eurasies

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Tikariot                                 10    7   3   0    30    9  +21    24
2 Sylestone                                10    5   3   2    10    6   +4    18
3 The Jovannic                             10    5   0   5    16   22   −6    15
4 Megistos                                 10    4   2   4    23   17   +6    14
5 Liberal Democratic Socialist States      10    3   0   7    23   41  −18     9
6 Eurasies                                 10    1   2   7     9   16   −7     5

Semi-finals:
Tikariot - Megistos @ The Bay Reserve, Betham
Sylestone - The Jovannic @ Avondale International Sports Stadium, Avondale

[The Jovannic]

In a local tavern in Jovannica

Brilliant victory by the reserves!

Yes. Denigh Kian really showed that he was still the white lion of Jovannica!

Two brilliant goals. Age is not a factor in his play!

Now we have to face Slyestone.

Lets just hope for the best!

Yes.

[Megistos]

Megistian Scorers
Robertson 29 & 48' & 51' | Lukovic 67' & 90+3'

29' Robertson did a flick up and volleyed hom
48' Robertson dived in for the header and scored.
51' Robertson finessed from the edge of the box
67' Lukovic converted his penalty in the middle
90+3' Lukovic won a free kick and scored.

Megistian Cards
Yellows: Callimolo 78', Lukovic 79'

LDSSian Scorers:
Olnod 18' & 56' & 81'

18' Olnod did a cross and it got deflected to him, he dribbled up into the edge of the box and spinned this one in
56' Olnod headered from 16 yards
81' Olnod won a penalty and converted

[Tikariot]

The design of the mobile studio of TSG TV has changed a bit, with the colours and crests of the four remaining teams dominating the background.

Alistair McIntosh: Hello football fans, welcome back to the studio. With me are, as usual, Duncan Haldane and Martin Seagrave. So Megistos it is, gentlemen, in the semi-finals of the IFC1. What is your take on the upcoming game?

Duncan Haldane: Well, we won both games of the group stage with 4-0 and 3-1, so I think that our chances to not look that bad, but we obviously should never underestimate them.

McIntosh: No, but you also have to see that have a positive record against any of the other nations, so I think anybody is going to see us as a favourite at this point.

Martin Seagrave: Yes, that is true, but this now is the playoffs, a one-off game, where any mistake could spell desaster for either team. But to get back to your question, Duncan, I think that we stand a more than decent chance to make it to the finals. With the excecption of those two draws at the end of the first half, we have not really felt any huge pressure and the biggest pressure we faced was against the Liberal Democratic Socialist States and, let's be honest, I've seen Swiss cheeses with less holes than their defense.

Haldane: Hahaha, true that, they averaged 4.1 goals against per game, so I think we can let that one slide. Now before we turn towards our team, let's have a look at our opponent, Megistos. They finished the group in fourth position with a 4-2-4 record and a goal difference of 23 to 17 and what a rollercoaster ride they had. After three games they found themselves in last position, one point, no goals scored, so basically a nightmare opening into the tournament. They more than redeemed themselves, though, in the remaining two match days of the first half, thrashing The Jovannic 7-0 and the LDSS 5-3 and suddenly were second in the table.

McIntosh: The second half was just as adventurous, goalless draw against Sylestone, then 1-3 against us, down to fifth. Win against Eurasies, loss against The Jovannic and another 5-3 against the LDSS and they were in fourth, five points ahead of the LDSS and now, well, they have us.

Haldane: So to us we go and a completely different tale there. The only game day that we have not been first in the table was after the first, where we ironically were behind Eurasies, who had won 5-1 against the LDSS and after that managed to only score two more points and four more goals in the remaining nine games.

McIntosh: Funny how things sometimes go.

Seagrave: Yes, honestly, if anybody would have told me that Eurasies would go in a straight nosedive after that, I'd have thought them nuts, but enough of them, back to our team. I really think that we did really, really well and I think that one reason why we in a way overachieved here so far is how wide our scoring threat is. We have 13 different goal scorers, plus three that only gave assists, so 16 our of a total of 21 players have been involved in goals, 16 out of 19 if you don't count our goalies, so opposing defenses can't just focus on taking out one or two players to neutralize our side, but if they double up on, say, Graydon or Giovanni, we have other players that will use that additional space and go in and score or at least set up.

Haldane: It is really important to be unpredictable, and so far we've been doing a great job there, but it goes without saying that our defense also has been in tremendous form. Sure, we allowed three more goals than Sylestone, but scoring three times as many definitely made up for that and given our pretty offensive and aggressive style it does mean that we are more open in the back, so only conceding nine goals really is a good record.

McIntosh: So for the semis, who do we expect to be in the starting eleven?

Seagrave: Given that we have such a broad squad it might be hard to make decisions, but my expectation is pretty close to the eleven that had started game 1, so Heinrich, Farnham, Kovalchuk, Coronello, Liniack, Goulan, McNair, Vacarese, Epketita, Sheffield and Iribarren.

Haldane: Close to what I would pick, I'd have Jovanovski instead of Kovalchuk and del Rosso for Iribarren. Randy has been a bit shaky after that head injury, so I'd rather have Aaron be in the back four and have Randy as back-up instead of risking anything.

McIntosh: Good point. So which players would you see as the biggest surprises so far? For me definitely Nathan Ekpetita. Four goals, three assists, that is pretty impressive.

Seagrave: I'm with you, he's really come into his own and given how young he still is, he really has a bright future ahead of him.

McIntosh: To wrap things up, what's your pick for tonight, Duncan?

Haldane: 2-0.

McIntosh: Martin?

Seagrave: 3-1. Yourself?

McIntosh: 2-1 for me. So we are in agreeance that we will make it to the finals, but against who? Sylestone and The Jovannic will be facing each other tonight to battle out who is going to be our opponent for the win of the first IFC ever, we will keep you updated on that score during our live coverage of our game against Megistos and hopefully we will see each other again tomorrow in preparation for the final! Until then stay safe and have a good day!

[Sylestone]

After an intense draw against ladder-leaders Tikariot, Sylestone now is playing The Jovannic in the semifinal of the IFC. The Appliances are training themselves up for the big game, knowing The Jovannic will provide a very good challenge for them. Whether they can actually win the game remains unforeseen. They have a 1-0-1 record with them, so it promises to be one of those Avondale classics.

The undefeated Tikariot are playing Megistos in Betham in the first semi tomorrow, too. Megistos are goign to have to work their arses off to get a result, but it's still well and truly possible for them. We shall wait and see what happens there.

P.S. We are the only team to take points off Tikariot twice!

[Megistos]

Welcome back to the MegiExpress, the halftime show and the show which coverages your favorite matches. Today we are in Sylestone, and seeing that Megistos have finished at 4th, they will face Tikariot. Dunham?

Dunham: "Megistos is starting Becks in goal, despite only having 3 clean sheets out of 10 games. Megistos opted for a 4-1-2-1-2, so you'll be seeing Kellingrad, Callimolo, Jackson and Williams in the back, with Lam playing CDM. Lukovic and Cringan are playing the LM and RM respective of their positions, with Jorgenson at CAM. Obviously, Robertson is in front, with the role of actually CF. The coach said that he was on free roam, so this a new perspective."

Aball: "It is new, but new gets us better. Look at the Jovannic thrashing. There was some new tactics in that game, and look how it paid off. Anyway, let's switch to Tikariot's perspective."

Dunham: "Tikariot come in this game as the clear favorites. Top of the group, undefeated, a smooth 24 out of 30 possible points. They finished 10 points above Megistos, with 30 goals scored. In the group stage, they beat Megistos 4-0 and 3-1, so Megistos will have to play a new game against Tikariot if they want to get to the finals. And that is what Megistos has done."

Aball: "Exactly. But will it pay off? We'll figure out in the game. The only risk Megistos is playing is a new formation and that 10 players in the Starting XI are under 21.

Dunham: "That is a major risk. But look at teams in the world. Megistos' players have talent. We can only wait and see."

Aball: "So now for the predictions. I'm predicting a 3-2 win for Tikariot, seeing as they've averaged 3 goals per match, with Megistos averaging 2.3. Round that out, you have 3-2. However, Megistos can take this into extra time, seeing as they are rounded down."

Dunham: "However, if you look on the defensive side of view, I'd say 2-1 win for Tikariot, seeing as they've averaged .9 allowed goals per game, and Megistos have averaged 1.7 allowed goals per game."

Aball: "So we agree that Megistos will have a tough time against Tikariot"

Dunham: "Yes. See us next time, where we hope to have a Megistos in the final."

---

OOC: We'll be playing with a +4.75 style mod against tikariot

[Sylestone]

Megistos 0–5 Tikariot

Sylestone 0–0 The Jovannic (1–0 AET)

*As this is a very minor tournament, I thought it would OK to scorinate my own finals. I did ask Tikariot as it is of my knowledge that Megistos and The Jovannic, the other two active users do not have Xkoranate.

Final:
Tikariot - Sylestone

[Megistos]

Megistos 0–5 Tikariot

Sylestone 0–0 The Jovannic (1–0 AET)

*As this is a very minor tournament, I thought it would OK to scorinate my own finals. I did ask Tikariot as it is of my knowledge that Megistos and The Jovannic, the other two active users do not have Xkoranate.

Final:
Tikariot - Sylestone

OOC: yes, you are correct, I don't have Xkoranate

[Tikariot]

The studio of TSG TV in Sylestone is all black and purple, with jerseys, photos and more adorning the desk and the screens behind.

Alistair McIntosh: It is done, ladies and gentlemen, Tikariot is in the finals of the IFC1 after a commanding victory over Megistos, meeting up with Sylestone, who managed to get past The Jovannic in extra time. First off, though, let us have a look at the semi-final, over to Duncan Haldane.

Duncan Haldane: Thanks Alistair. First of all kudos to Mr Seagrave over here, because he had correctly predicted the starting XI with Heinrich in goal, the back four of Farnham, Kovalchuk, Coronello and Liniack, Goulan, McNair and Vacarese in midfield and finally upfront Epketita, Sheffield and Iribarren.

Martin Seagrave: Thank you, thank you.

Haldane: Don't get used to it. Anyways, The Bay Reserve in Betham was filled to the brim with 49000 spectators and the wet weather did not do anything to douse the spirit of the fans, especially the Tikariotians, who had a memorable start when the team exited the cabins and ran into the black and purple corner and initiated the Thunder Clap, which I will admit was a bit of a goosebump moment to see thousands of fans in perfect sync. But back to the game itself. Megistos switched their tactics to a 4-1-2-1-2, so going for a narrow game, which should have suited our team that likes to utilize the flanks. They had Becks in goal, then a back four of Kellingrad, Callimolo, Jackson and Williams and before them a diamond formation with Lam in the back, Lukovic and Cringan taking the left and right corners and Jorgenson in the front with Robertson as sole attacker.

It took the teams a little to get used to the treacherous pitch conditions with a lot of slips and falls and also very unpredictable balls that would not bounce as usual, but instead gain speed as they rolled, so it was not until the 13th minute before the first chance materialized and it was Megistos that had it, when Callimolo played a quick ball forwards to Jorgenson, who then found Cringan out on the right, sneaking past Farnham and putting the ball into the centre and Robertson just managed to get the tip of his foot in the way of the ball, forcing Heinrich to go full stretch and push the ball past the goal post. And it was a bit of a wakeup call for Tikariot because they started to push forward more after this utilizing the extra space on the wings and three minutes after that first chance, Farnham redeemed himself with a perfect long ball out the back to Nathan Ekpetita, who benefitted from Kellingrad slipping and his high ball just missed the goal post.

Both teams still struggled with the pitch conditions and had to adjust their tactics a bit, opting for higher balls and trying to avoid the ball hitting the ground due to the accumulating water. The first goal came out of one of these situations, where a ball out of the back by Kovalchuk came to Rory McNair, who figured he'd take a chance with a shot from the distance and due to the treacherously wet grass gained speed as it went, avoiding all defenders and fellow attackers, sliding right in next to the goal post. At this point half an hour had passed and constructive play became harder and harder, instead chains of headers and shots from afar began to take over. Still nothing countable happened in the remainder of the first half.

During half time a whole crew of people tried to push the water off the field and there had been some rumours of a shark sighting in one of the corners, but the pitch was in a better condition at the beginning of the second half, even though not for very long. Megistos tried to make use of this and play a higher line, an effort that backfired as the now very direct play by Tikariot bridged their midfield with two quick passes and a laser-precise ball from Ekpetita into the centre found Graydon Sheffield and his header went right through Becks' leg, doubling the lead in the 52nd minute. As already mentioned, it did not take very long for the deluge of rain causing the same issues again, best illustrated with a free-kick for Tikariot where Rory McNair tried a direct kick from over 20 metres out, but the ball managed to advance about three metres until it got stuck in one of the growing puddles.

The Tikariotian fans took this opportunity to simulate synchronized rowing in the seats, which seemed fitting for the pitch conditions and truly was a sign to behold. Coach Stuart Ekstrom then ordered McNair to come to the sidelines to get new instructions and they showed some great success in the remaining 20 minutes, where Tikariot managed to avoid the ball touching the ground at times for more than ten consecutive headers and putting pressure on the Megistian defense. In quick succession Tristan Nancarrow, who had come on for Iribarren, after a corner by Goulan and Nathan Ekpetita with a spectacular bicycle kick thanks to a powerful header by Aaron Jovanovski, who had come on for Kovalchuk, made it 4-0, breaking down the last resistance of Megistos in the 81st and 83rd minute, so that the final goal did not matter much anymore, if it was not the way it happened.

A long freekick by McNair came into the Megistian box, but when it hit the ground it did not bounce or slide as everybody had anticipated, but just stayed right there. Jackson attempted to kick the ball away, but it barely moved forward, leading to Vacarese to play the ball out towards the sideline, where Lam and Nancarrow sprinted towards the ball. Nancarrow got to it first, tipped it back a little, letting the tackling Lam slide right past the ball and off the field. His quick cross attempt slipped off his foot a bit, surprising friend and foe and Becks tried to catch the ball, but slipped right through his hands onto the head of Michael Yarbrough, who had been the last substitution for Ekpetita, who had no choice or chance to avoid the ball, making it 5-0 in the end.

After the game was over and the Megistian team trudged off the field in defeat, the players went into the Tikariotian corner of the stadium and sat on the ground, doing the same rowing motion as the fans earlier in celebration.

McIntosh: You can accuse our fans of a lot of things, but not of not being creative.

Haldane: Definitely not. So the weather forecast for the final in Chamberley does not call for any rain, so while this was definitely highly entertaining, it would not really be worthy of a tournament final.

McIntosh: So had there been any calls for the match to be stopped at any time?

Haldane: That is the kind of funny thing. Some officials did approach the referee, but since he was from an island nation that sees frequent flooding he didn't see that much wrong with it and told the coaches that the teams would just have to figure things out. A somewhat weird approach, but it's the ref's word that goes.

Seagrave: Well, in the end it all ended well and we advanced. Now Sylestone is the one exception to the rule at the IFC so far, because both games against them so far ended up being draws. However while the one day off today is going to help them recover from the additional 30 minutes they had to play against The Jovannic, I think that the momentum we've built and the prospect of winning the tournament are big enough for us to prevail.

McIntosh: This will be the first match of Tikariot in Chamberley, which seats more than 109,000 people, is that going to affect our team in any way?

Seagrave: It should not. I use the modal expression, because you never know, especially since we will be facing the hosts, but I think that our team has shown by now that their nerves are strong and the fans have really proven that they can take over any stadium in terms of atmosphere.

McIntosh: So what is everybody's pick for the final? Martin?

Seagrave: 2-0.

McIntosh: Duncan?

Haldane: 2-1 after extra time.

McIntosh: My guess is 1-0, maybe extra time. So at least we are unanimous that Tikariot will win the IFC1.

Seagrave: Indeed we are.

McIntosh: Alright, we already went over our allotted time a bit, so we'll have to cut this short, make sure to tune in for our full final coverage from Chamberley and hopefully a second international tournament win for Tikariot after the surprise victory in the International Baseball Slam!

[Sylestone]

Sylestone 0-1 Tikariot

Congratulations Tikariot!

[Megistos]

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=489512

discussion thread is up =D