Di Bradini Cup 48/U21WC69 Everything Thread

[Pasarga]

If there was any doubt as to who the three best players for the Young Wanderers were going into the tournament, that question has been answered in emphatic fashion as Salas, Salai, and López put on quite a performance to steal a victory away from the clutches of Starblaydia and have the Young Wanderers secure the group title. It was by no means an easy affair to do so and required the entire team to put in a masterclass performance, but it was those three individuals who stood out the most on a night of night, taking the three points from their group rivals in a game which probably should have ended in a draw on the balance of the occasion. With the victory and the group title in hand, the squad can look forward to the knockout competition with full focus and what should be an easier first round fixture than what they had been dreading the last few nights before they sprung their victory over their Starblaydi counterparts.

The Young Wanderers will be taking on a fellow Rushmori nation in the Round of Sixteen, as they have been drawn to play against Oberour Ar Moro in the first knockout round. There is some talk among foreign media that this is something of a walkover of a match, that the Young Wanderers should walk the match with little problem and should perhaps even be considered among the favorites to win the tournament outright. While we appreciate the flattery, to underestimate any opponent at this stage of the competition as it is likely to lead to your downfall. No, the Young Wanderers will not be taking anything for granted as they prepare for this upcoming tie and hopefully the first of four elimination matches in a row. With Salai getting a brace against the Starblaydia squad, including that late game winning goal that so drastically changed the fortunes of both squads, it is fair to say that the young striker has definitely hit a rich vein of form that has helped propel the squad forward into these knockout stages. The question on the minds of all the fans, and potentially any would be suitors, is can the young attacker get the job done in such a pressure cooker of a situation?

Fortunately Salai does not have to do it alone, as Salas has solidified that defensive unit that had been such a huge question mark for the squad heading into this tournament. The strike force situation has been reasonably strong for both the senior national team as well as the youth side for quite a few years now, yet it has been the defensive miscues at exactly the wrong moments that have kept both sides from really fulfilling the potential that they have had. Salas has been seen as perhaps a changing force for both for three years now, ever since he graduated out of the academy system but was quickly snatched up by his club over in Eura. That move alone spoke volumes about the potential that the fullback has and that he was able to display it in such a complete display against the Starblaydi will do wonders for his chances of emerging into the senior squad a year or two down the line. However the squad is run by a maestro in the middle of the park and that is López, who seems to be emerging as perhaps the central figure of this generation of Pasargans. Could both CA Paulinthal and the national team have finally found a replacement for Jorg?

As the side prepares to travel to Vyinta, they will know that they are indeed the favorites for the match but not to take on their regional rivals with a bit of fear that they could be pulled into a tight affair. Youth football is generally quite unpredictable at the best of times and when one dashes in a bit of regional rivalry on top of that, it leads to a tricky situation. It should be one that this side should manage but it will prove a solid testing ground for the team, a test of their mettle and if they know how to stay level headed after both disappointments as well as elated times. One must never get too high on ones self nor should one ever get too harsh either, maintaining a nice even keel disposition is the way to keep ones self in check. That is the test for the side now after their huge defeat of Starblaydia and ahead of a match that should be one to dominate on paper. Can the Young Wanderers pass this test and reach the pretournament ambitions of reaching the quarterfinals of this illustrious competition or will the curse of inconsistency and lack of mental discipline rear its ugly head at the most inopportune of times?

[Valanora]

Time to start the elimination dance! Round of Sixteen cutoff!

Round of Sixteen
Siovanija and Teusland 4–2 Darmen
Pasarga 3–2 Oberour Ar Moro
Springmont 3–4 Starblaydia
Geektopia 0–2 Lochario
Sarzonia 2–4 Nephara
The Jovannic 1–1(1–3 AET) Kohnhead
Poafmersia 7–2 Eraman
Valladares 2–2(4–2 AET) Baker Park

Quarterfinal Fixtures
Siovanija and Teusland v Pasarga @ Donna Cathedral, Mar Sara
Starblaydia v Lochario @ Hellgate, Raynor City
Nephara v Kohnhead @ Castle de Mot, Wexax
Poafmersia v Valladares @ Hatire Memorial, Capri

[Starblaydia]

Into the Quarters
Best Starblaydia performance in 7 editions

The last time Starblaydia reached the last eight of the Under-21 World Cup was seven editions ago, where they fell 5-3 to Pasarga. Before that? Another twelve editions further back, where Starblaydia managed to beat Northern Sunrise Islands to take 3rd place, followed by a 4th place in AOCAF Cup 43, then immediately managing to not qualify for the World Cup for practically a whole generation between World Cup 68 and 72. To put it mildly, it's been a while since the Under-21 side was performing quite like this.

Project Lion, Springmont's youth football team initiative, is managed by Dillon Matsumoto, a player who was part of his nation's first attempt to qualify for the World Cup in - wait for it - the 68th edition. As Starblaydia have traveled from the ranks of fairly-terrible up to the heady heights of the Top Ten in the world at senior level, Springmont appeared, disappeared and have only recently rejoined the sporting community of nations again. Bursting into the Under-21 scene, they conquered almost all before them, other than a draw with Oberour Ar Moro. Starblaydia, meanwhile, have a single loss to Pasarga in the group stages before coming to the Raynor Memorial ground in Hondo. With two attack-minded teams, one fresh and new and the other under the constant burden of history, was this going to be a high-scoring match?

You bet it was.

It only took around 100 seconds for the action to really start, as Prince Reyes - who we're not sure if they're actually a member of royalty or that's just their name - took a gift worthy of any heir to a throne, as Vadaparthy's entirely misplaced pass out to the defence went straight to the feet of Reyes, who only needed two touches to slot the ball down low and past the Starblaydi goalie. The game had barely begun but Starblaydia were already behind. They started time and again to set themselves to really begin the match but they just couldn't get their game plan going. A half hour later, they fell further behind, when Parax latched on to a through ball from Hicks, then laid it off for James Meija, who slammed the ball into the back of the net.

Starblaydia only finally got their act together in the final moments of the half, and they managed to score just before going in at half time, giving themselves half of a job done along with the psychological advantage of finishing the first forty-five in top form. It was a flowing team move of eleven passes that finished with Erik Romaine sweeping the ball home from inside the six yard box. It was the perfect response to being two goals down and the team in white and purple jogged off with a spring in their step. They came out for the second half fired up and ready to take the game to the Lion Project, but disaster struck when Vincenzo Bernini was red carded for scything down Reyes in the area, and the striker stepped up and drilled the ball into the net from the resulting penalty to restore Springmont's two goal advantage.

With only ten on the field, Ázëwyn Fëanáro made a couple of changes to switch the team around. On came Andvar Galdarhim and Omar Al Qubaisi for Nicholas Stanton and Donald Royce as Starblaydia switched to a 4-3-2. They didn't change their attacking focus, however, as they attacked with width - Galdarhim and Lamont down the wings. It was a risky proposition, but soon paid dividends as they managed to slice through the team with superior numbers. It took a daring bit of play, but by flooding numbers forward, Hayden Shepherd managed to sidefoot the ball into the top right corner. Dempsey managed to get his fingertips to it, but couldn't push it far enough to get it outside of the post. 3-2 and one player down, but Starblaydia had the momentum. It was another twenty five nervous minutes, tense for both sides, as Starblaydia chased the game. Romaine had ran his legs out and, to everyone's surprise, instead of the obvious Isiah Tinkerson it was the Iskara Daii youth team member Lucian Damocles who came on for his first appearance. Betanni Jetvanna, however, was the one who brought the sides level, as she burst into the box with the ball and shot low across the body of Art Dempsey to make it 3-3.

There were just minutes left in the game, but it took less than sixty seconds.

Straight from the kick-off, Jetvanna and Damocles pressed forward, supported by Maddison and Al Qubaisi. The ball came back to Roman Park, trapped against the touchline with no passing lanes and only the corner flag behind him. His attempt at a pass was immediately cut out by Al Qubaisi, and the loose ball fell to Maddison. Without even taking the time to get it under control, she launched one through-ball that bisected the two centre-backs perfectly. The roar from the Starblaydi crowd told the whole story. Wearing the 23 shirt, the fifteen year old Lucian Damocles was sprinting into the gap as fast as his legs would take him. One stinging, precise shot later, and the roof just about came off.

Incredible comeback, incredible performance and incredible scoreline.

When all was said and done, it was only a short trip to Hondo. As the team return to Raynor City and the familiar surroundings of Hellgate, they prepare to face Lochario, the team squeezed out of top spot by Siovanija and Teusland from Group A. The Locharians mirror Starblaydia not only in their choice of kitmakers, but also in another aggressive 4-3-3 setup. It has long been said that 'styles make for matches', so to see the two sides line up with the same strategy will be tactically interesting, if perhaps not visually so for the spectators. You never know quite what Ázëwyn Fëanáro or Riq Krunsmann have in store, though, as the Quarter-Final match could see some last-minute tactical switch-ups to try and outfox their opponents.

Final score from Raynor Memorial, Hondo (39,782):
Springmont 3 - 4 Starblaydia
(Reyes 2 & 56 (P), Mejia 38) - (Romaine 44, Shepherd 62, Jetvanna 86, Damocles 87)

[Springmont]

[Siovanija and Teusland]

”This one’s winding down now, the young Goldhorns are leading Darmen 3-2 thanks to goals from Bastian Boltzmann, Denis Dezelac and Ludmil Georgiev, and with just under 5 minutes left plus stoppage time, it seems Siovanija & Teusland are on their way to the Di Bradini Cup Quarterfinals”

Bastian Boltzmann picked up his mark as Darmen prepared to take a corner. The inswinger went high and was caught cleanly by Julijan Koprvic, setting up the Goldhorns to start a new attack. Koprvic distributed the ball out wide to the full back Hausseger, and the entire Goldhorns’ attack began to move forward, as they had done so well throughout this tournament.

Boltzmann saw Hausseger moving ahead, and looking forward, he noticed that the Darmeni defender Mattheus Freeman was looking a bit susceptible to a run. Darmen were throwing everything forward to try and get the equalizer, and thus Freeman was just a bit out of position. Boltzmann stormed forward, beating his man, and calling for the pass. Hausseger was happy to oblige, with a long ball over the top that found the surging Boltzmann. Now the Goldhorns could really try and make something happen.

”Hausseger with a beautiful ball that finds Bastian Boltzmann. Here’s Boltzmann now, the FC Teussen Stelburg winner with lots of grass in front of him. He works his way down the sideline as Denis Dezelac and the rest of the Goldhorns find their way into positions”

It was looking like this was going to be another great move between Boltzmann and Dezelac, as the two had discussed throughout the tournament. Boltzmann wasn’t sure what to expect the first time he met Dezelac for real. He’d seen the interviews, the boasts - the red card incident, too, in a game Boltzmann was involved in.

So when he shook hands with Denis Dezelac as the squad met up for training, Boltzmann tried hard to pin down the man who had been hyped up so much - the ‘great successor’ to Michael Ribbeck, the ‘greatest prospect in our country’s history’. Combined with Dezelac’s own pride, he seemed a larger than life figure even at 19.

Even now Boltzmann couldn’t quite describe him. He certainly was… angry? There was always something to set him off - the pizza didn’t get to the hotel within 15 minutes, the Goldhorns’ flight to Valanora was delayed by a few minutes. All of these things seemed to trace back to impatience - something common in youth, certainly, but taken to the extreme in Dezelac. Then there was the cockiness - there wasn’t a thing in the world Denis didn’t think he could do. He might lose a game of cards, or a game of Ehrenliga 103 on the gaming system - but even then, Dezelac knew he was still better than his challenger on the football pitch, and wasn’t afraid to share that opinion.

But people are more complex than they appear, and Denis was no exception. The coaching staff had decided that Boltzmann and Dezelac would be rooming together in Valanora - the two best players on the team being given a chance to connect. And they’d taken to each other quickly, despite their opposing personalities. Dezelac truly respected Boltzmann - especially on the pitch. At night, they would stay up into the late hours talking about football, strategies, moves they could try in the next game. Dezelac’s thirst for… glory, was it? Perhaps, although Boltzmann couldn’t quite figure out what exactly it was that drove the man. His thirst seemed quenchable only on the football pitch, only at the thing he knew he was the best at, only when he was scoring goals.

”Boltzmann has a lot of time as he cuts inside closer to the box, and Denis Dezelac is trying to make some space for himself. Dezelac already has one tonight, might he make it more here?”

It was just as they’d drawn up, seemingly, the night before. Boltzmann pinged in a perfect cross, Dezelac took it down off his chest, and then…

”Dezelac on the volley! Denis Dezelac! It’s there! A great goal from the star of this team, that’s a 4-2 lead for the Goldhorns, and Denis Dezelac has secured himself and the Goldhorns a date with Pasarga in the Quarterfinals!”

Boltzmann had to laugh as he saw Dezelac immediately charge towards the closest television camera and give the ‘shhh’ gesture - was it to the media back home that had criticized him for looking disappointed after being subbed off? To all the pundits who called him a loudmouth, or too cocky? Or maybe to some long-forgotten classmate years before who had doubted him when they were schoolboys? The thing about Denis Dezelac, Boltzmann knew, was that the answer could quite easily be all of the above.

For the quiet, reserved, humble Bastian Boltzmann - very much a representative of the average player on this team - Dezelac was quite the character. In fact, as Dezelac continued to celebrate with the Goldhorns fans, there were some interesting looks exchanged between the players - ‘this guy can’t be serious, right?’. Boltzmann knew, however, that he was serious: he was what he was, and nothing could change it. And sometimes, to win in football - and life - you needed a bit of that character.

For all unknown about Denis Dezelac by the players and fans of this Goldhorns’ squad, there was one thing they all most certainly knew: they were glad he was going to be on their side against Pasarga.

Siovanija & Teusland 4-2 Darmen @ The Tar Pit, Valanora

Starting XI: Koprvic; Hausseger, Scherwey (Polak 89’), Listner, Hartleben; Martin, Breuer, Georgiev (Viermetz 67’); Boltzmann, Peiper (Ambros 67’), Dezelac
Goals: Bastian Boltzmann 26’, Denis Dezelac 37’, 86’, Ludmil Georgiev 60’
Man of the Match: Denis Dezelac

[Kohnhead]

Kohnhead break the curse to beat The Jovannic in extra time



We all knew about the round of 16 curse for Kohnhead. It was broken last night, by our moderately sized brains. Coming in as underdogs against a very good side we will be advancing to play Nephara in the next round.

They started off the scoring in the 18th minute as Juyt Dersa scored a goal for our opponent The Jovannic. Nothing Sanders could do on this one, and just like that we were down and it looked like our fate was sealed. But no the defense played well the rest of the game against the well powered Jovannic offense.

It took until the 66th minute for our offense to arrive and they did so in style. Taylor Rodar slipped a pass to George Finley who has been our best player in the turn around of form and fired a strike at the top corner to tie the game at 1.

The Jovannic would have a good chance in the 84th minute but their free kick from just outside the box would be easily caught by Bertha Sanders to send the game to extra time. Fans were on the edge of their seats at this point.

It was Graham Chase (pictured above) who in the 96th minute off of a Sophie Johnson corner was able to score a brilliant header as a bench player to give Kohnhead the 2-1 lead and with a great chance at finally breaking the curse.

The Jovannic was going on all out attack by the second period of extra time and due to this we were able to score the game clinching goal in the 118th minute as Yunbet would score this one on a 2 on 1 counter attack as he and George Finley were the 2 and Finley got the assist.

As I stated earlier we will be taking on Nephara who are coming off of a 4-2 win against Sarzonia in the round of 16. The lineup will obviously remain the same as our injury luck continues to have been very good. Here we go!

[PotatoFarmers]

Poafmersia 7
Nero Wood 6', 21'
Aleka Dufour 14', 27'
Makana Tuft 38', 64', 76'

Eraman 2
Putra Daulapura Wikra Petara 44', 88'

Starting 11: Suzanne Trengove; Ariel Casey, Erin Vance, Hollis Stephenson, Natalia Abbott; Woden Sweet; Zelda McKenna, Lucia Stuart; Nero Wood; Aleka Dufour, Makana Tuft (c)
Substitutes: Sharlene Beltran (Wood 71'); Harriet Buck (Stuart 80')

If this was the finals of the tournament, Wood would probably party like crazy and get drunk that very night. Unfortunately, this was just the Round of 16.
A whooping 3 assists and 2 goals was what Nero Wood came up with today, as the team defied the odds to bash 7 goals past a sorry Eraman side, unable to deal with the strong offence that the Young Panjias produced.
Sanchez told the team of the importance to press really high. Knowing that the opposition's weakness was in defence, the players played a really high-line of defence, with around 6 to 7 players in the opposition half at one time. Both fullbacks played like wingers, with the midfielders moving inwards to make it look like some 2-3-3-2 formation. Within 6 minutes, the high pressing was rewarded as Nero Wood found a break in the defence to make a really nice trick shot, past a stunned Alza Perdana who did not see it coming. Just 8 minutes later, McKenna did a nice build-up with Stuart, found Wood unmarked, and passed it to Wood. As the opposition defence started to crowd around him, Wood made a nice skill move upwards, headed it to Dufour, and Dufour made a nice bicycle kick to find the post and the ball bounced off the post to give Poafmersia a 2-0 lead. 7 minutes later, it was a free kick after Ali Aji fouled Tuft just outside the box, and Nero Wood just took the kick easily past the 4-men wall, as the shot found the top right corner.
Sanchez was outright ecstatic. 3 goals in 21 minutes just meant that there was no way back. But the players showed no signs of pulling the breaks. Tuft made a nice shot into goal 4 minutes later, but it was ruled out for offside. At the 27th minute, it would be Dufour who got a solo goal past Perdana. Meanwhile, Wood's brilliance didn't stop there. Getting a cross from Abott, he ran into empty space, dribbled the ball past 2 defenders, and found Tuft waiting in the box to allow Poafmersia to gain a 5-0 lead in the 38th minute. Star striker Putra Daulapura Wikra Petara scored one for Eraman close to the end of the half, but it was too little and too late.
Second half came, and obviously the opposition became more bonded together. It took a long while before Poafmersia got hold of the opposition's plan, and Wood delivered a fine through pass to Tuft to complete his hat-trick of assists in the 64th minute. By then, Sanchez thought it was enough. Wood was substituted off for Beltran, and Beltran took 5 minutes before being able to make a really close shot. Tuft caught the rebound as Perdana pushed the ball out, and Tuft scored his hat-trick.
For the game, it was 100% domination by Poafmersia, as the high-pressing strategy worked. It may not work against Valladares, however. They had just gotten a tough match against Baker Park, needing extra time to break the opponents, and will travel back from Sabine & Caddonia to play against our Young Panjias. Hopefully, the 7 goals tonight will give our players confidence to go even further in this tournament.

Starting 11 against Valladares: Suzanne Trengove; Ariel Casey, Erin Vance, Hollis Stephenson, Natalia Abbott; Woden Sweet; Zelda McKenna, Harriet Buck; Nero Wood; Aleka Dufour, Makana Tuft (c)

[Pasarga]

Too close for comfort but a result that ultimately means that regardless of whatever happens from here on out, the Young Wanderers were able to meet the goals that the team had set out before themselves prior to the group draw. While making the knockouts is never a for sure thing in the youth tournaments, with the wild inconsistency that youth players do have, much less a national team that maybe plays two games together every six to eight weeks, it is usually something to be expected from the Young Wanderers. The side has a handful of DBC victories under its belt and the domestic academies are among the best not just in the region but in the entire footballing world. It then comes as a natural progression that the team and the association expect to be in the knockouts every two years when the Di Bradini Cup does come knocking and when there is a sufficient amount of skill in the right places in the team, perhaps to even have the aim be a bit beyond that mark and to either the quarterfinals or semifinals as well. It is a bit of a bold approach but one that comes with the territory of having such a well run and respected youth setup.

For the match itself, the Young Wanderers were dominant for large spells of the game, making the most of the two groups of four moving in unison to stifle the opponents attack and to retain possession themselves. Yet at this level, every little mistake that a player or squad makes can be the difference in winning and dropping points, as the two errors that the Oberour Ar Moro squad made the Young Wanderers produce were capitalized by them. That allowed them to come into the match and start to edge away at the possession style dominance that the Young Wanderers had been attempting to employ to see out the fixture. Yet down two goals at halftime, things had to change, and so the squad reverted to a more counter attacking position, allowing their foes to blindly send their players forward. While Salai might have been the star of the show against Starblaydia, the change in tactics called upon a different skill set to succeed, and luckily for the Young Wanderers, they had that skillset already present on the pitch. Eustacio Corral Magana turned on the afterburners and started to torch defenders and within the first fifteen minutes of the second half had brought the teams level once more. Ásmundur Jónatansson would put in a stunning freekick with just four minutes left on the clock and seal a victory and progression.

When one examines how the rest of the teams in the Quarterfinals fared in their first elimination match, a single team sticks out with their effort, and that is Poafmersia with their complete drubbing of Eraman by an astonishing seven to two scoreline. The five goal difference was the largest in the Round of Sixteen and really sends a message to the other seven squads left in the tournament that no match can be taken for granted, as any team can hit a vein of form at the right moment. However if one was a betting sort, there is a distinct feeling of destiny around two sides, that being Siovanija and Teusland as well as Starblaydia. Though the tournament is named for one of the greatest Starblaydi to ever play the game, it has been some time since they have been competitive on the youth level, this being the best performance of theirs in quite some time. There is an air around that Purple and White side that speaks of a will and desire to set the record straight, that Starblaydia is still capable of producing game changing talents at the youth level that can also transition into the senior level.

The former is unfortunately the team that the Young Wanderers will be vying with in their Quarterfinal tie and one that feels like it could be over before the first whistle is blown. While Starblaydia might be looking to reestablish themselves, this is Siovanija's chance to emerge fully as a star of the footballing world, with their domestic league also seeing giant leaps in quality over the last two or so years. Football is progressing at such an quick rate there that it was inevitable that it would also infiltrate and improve their national teams and it seems now that they are seeing the fruits of their labors coming to fruition. The Young Wanderers are talented, sure, but they do not have that same sort of air of confidence and ascendancy that their foes for the tie have. It may even be a case of an emotional hangover after peaking so high against Starblaydia themselves at the end of the group stage that they are now tailing off while their foes ascend. Regardless, Mar Sara will be treated to a show of Pasargan technique and with a bit of luck, composure, to at least be competitive with their foes or if truly lucky, find a way to break through their goes and the seemingly roadblock their foes look to be and once more reach the last four of this magnificent showpiece of youth football.

[Valanora]

Time to see who has two more games to play and who is going home. Quarterfinal Cutoff

Quarterfinals
Siovanija and Teusland 1–0 Pasarga
Starblaydia 5–4 Lochario
Nephara 1–3 Kohnhead
Poafmersia 2–3 Valladares

Semifinal Fixtures
Siovanija and Teusland v Starblaydia @ Angelotic Temple, Longview
Kohnhead v Valladares @ The White Fortress, Gladerial

[Starblaydia]

'Hellgate' Not So Hellish
Starblaydia edge nine goal thriller to move into Last Four

Starblaydia have been to Semi-Finals before, several of them, in fact. It's been awhile in the Di Bradini Cup, though, despite a World Cup, an AOCAF Cup and two Under-18 semi-finals in fairly recent memory, the last time Starblaydia hit the fabulous four of an Under-21 tournament was eighteen editions ago, when they took Third Place on home soil over the Northern Sunrise Islands. This is already the best performance by any Fëanáro Under-21 side, and word is there's a distinct desire within the SFA to capitalise on this relative success. Of course it's down to the players on the field as to whether Starblaydia take home a medal from these championships.

The staff and players have done everything in their power so far to see the team through, with six wins in seven matches coming into the Semi-Final with Siovanija and Teusland, although since moving into the knockout stages the team has seen a remarkable change in the scorelines. After conceding just three goals in five matches, Starblaydia have shipped seven in two games, along with scoring 13 in the five group stage matches, they've already hit nine in the rounds of 16 and eight. When you're letting in three or four goals a match, you've got to be scoring four or five if you want to progress, and Starblaydia have been doing just that. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all.

The subtle red shades of the Authoritarian Republic of Lochario lined up against the while with purple trim of the Protectorate of Starblaydia, and we were soon in for a goal every ten minutes, on average, in a thriller of an attacking match that really lived up to the excitement that the Di Bradini Cup has produced over its history. The Hellgate stadium has been friendly enough for Starblaydia in this tournament, as they've played there three times and come away winners on all occasions.

Starblaydia raced into a two goal lead against the Ginger Tigers within a quarter of an hour, driven forward to excel by their captain, Jewel Maddion. It was her long range firecracker from outside the area that shot past Koghan in the blink of an eye to put Starblaydia in front. Mere minutes later, Maddison's cutback was perfectly placed for leading scorer Betanni Jetvanna to make it two, as she steered a snapshot between the legs of defenders and forwards alike to score through a crowded penalty area. With the system seemingly working against its mirror, Starblaydia eased off the gas a little bit, but that only ended up inviting pressure and a goal ten minutes later.

Lochario's more withdrawn midfielders were able to counter the Starblaydi midfield trio, nullifying most of the link-up play and leaving their three forwards free to run against Starblaydia's back line. Just before the half hour mark, it was Roy-Flinston's clever switch of the play that found Waddah in acres of space down the left, free to take all the time in the world to cut inside the block of Bernini and stroke the ball home with relative ease. Ten minutes later, however, Starblaydia restored their two goal advantage, as Rocye and Lamont combined down the left hand side to get some free space to pass into Jetvanna's feet, who turned on the afterburners to breeze past Qerity and chip over the goalkeeper's shoulder for her second of the game. The first half still had a fifth goal in it, however, when Quides, playing in what will be their last Under-21 match, was played in by Roy-Flinston's through ball, getting enough space to just sneak the ball inside the near post, with Vadaparthy fuming at himself for not providing the cover against the quick, low shot. 3-2 at the half.

There were four further goals in the second half and, thankfully, it proved to be two for each side. Although Starblaydia were pegged back to 3-3 by a second from Waddah - Orvalee somewhat at fault for letting the striker loose with the ball - it wasn't long before they re-took the lead and never let it back. First it was Betanni Jetvanna completing her hat trick, the first Starblaydi to do so since Sutter McCloud against Kita-Hinode in the 45th edition and only the second since Starblaydi re-entered the international game in World Cup 61. It really has been a while.

The lead was increased to 5-3 by April Hoyt, as she snuck a yard ahead of her marker at a corner and perfectly deflected the ball into the net with a powerful header. Two goals in ten minutes was too much to ask of the Ginger Tigers, although they did manage one final consolation goal from subtsitute forward Worruk, the final few minutes were fairly easily controlled by the side in white and purple to edge themselves into the Semi-Final with the cheers of thousands of traveling Starblaydi fans behind them.

Moving forward, Starblaydia have been denied the chance for revenge over Pasarga, as the Young Wanderers were beaten 1-0 by their next opponents: Siovanija and Teusland. With only a single draw to their name so far, they've managed to eliminate not only Starblaydia's Group B rivals, but also the boys from across the Bekk in a 7-4 thrashing of Krytenia. The somewhat controversial - in Siovanija and Teusland, at least - young star Denis Dezelac is the foremost attacking threat the team has to offer, but every Starblaydi knows that when you combine a hard working ethic with a brash flair in the same side, then some real magic can happen. Starblaydia have tended to have that combination too, present in the workrate of the likes of Donald Royce and Nicholas Stanton and the exciting style of players like Betanni Jetvanna and Jewel Maddison.

The Goldhorns match at the Angelotic Temple will doubtless draw a capacity crowd, in particular as more Starblaydi fans flock to Valanora to try and take in the atmosphere as they hope to see their team succeed in lifting an international level trophy at for the first time in fourteen years. There are two tough, important and nervewracking matches they have to come through first, however, and the highly fancied Siovanija and Teusland are the first of those challenges.

Final score from Hellgate, Raynor City (52,692):
Starblaydia 5 - 4 Lochario
(Maddison 12, Jetvanna 15, 38 & 61, Hoyt 77) - (Waddah 28 & 57, Quides 42, Worruk 84)

[Siovanija and Teusland]

”What a game it’s been here at Donna Cathedral between Siovanija & Teusland and Pasarga. Today we’ve been treated to a defensive masterclass by both sides as we sit level at 0-0, 73 minutes played.”

Reinhard Listner stood at the halfway line, watching the play develop ahead of him. The centre back was one of the youngest players on this team at 18 years old, but was trusted by the coaching staff, and his teammates, to go head-to-head with the best players at this tournament and be an impact player for this team.

He’d rewarded that trust, for the most part. He’d played key minutes in a clean sheet against Pemecutan, and while the defence had looked a little less strong against Abanhfleft and Krytenia - they didn’t have to be. 5 goals against Abanhfleft, and 7 against Krytenia, meant that even if 4 goals were shipped and some mistakes were made, the team came away from the win. Talking points after the game were about the great connection between Bastian Boltzmann and Denis Dezelac, or Ludmil Georgiev’s impact on the team - not the slight mistake Listner had made on the second Krytenian goal.

In the Round of 16, too, it had been the attack that won the game for the Goldhorns - Dezelac with two, Boltzmann one and Georgiev one. Here, however, Listner had to learn some of the mentality that it takes to win games at the international level. Darmen didn’t quit, down 3-2 in the late stage of the game, and Listner and his partner Gregory Scherwey had to be near-perfect in those final minutes. When Denis Dezelac scored to make it 4-2, Listner could relax a bit again. He didn’t mind letting the big guns up front have the stardom, but going into the Quarterfinal against Pasarga, he knew that the attack couldn’t win every game on their own.

The game was billed as a great showdown of two of the best teams in the tournament. The Young Wanderers came into the game 6-0-0, having conceded only 6 goals in the entire tournament, as winners of Group B. The Goldhorns were 5-1-0, scoring 24 goals in total in those games. A great offensive record against a great defensive record. On this day, it would have to be the Goldhorns’ defence putting in their performance of the tournament to get a result.

Reinhard Listner was proud to say it had certainly been his best game of the tournament. The Pasargans were doing an excellent job of taking away space for the Goldhorns’ strong attacking players - Denis Dezelac hadn’t really had any opportunities all night, and the best chance for the Goldhorns came off the boot of Samuel Ambros back in the first half. The Goldhorns back line had matched them, however, perfectly: the two big strikers, Salai and Magana, were also afforded no room. Listner had made an excellent tackle earlier in the half on Magana to take away a brilliant scoring opportunity. At 0-0 with such little time left, you got the feeling that it would be luck that would win the day.

”Dezelac hasn’t had any space all evening as he gets the ball and fires a shot in, it’s tipped just high over the bar by Sedillo. Dezelac looks frustrated, he’s been marked so well by the Pasargans tonight, but the Goldhorns now have a corner.”

Listner glanced over to the Goldhorns’ touchline, and saw the arm of assistant manager Jiri Zak, waving him forward. Listner nodded and quickly ran up into the fray of the corner. It was Ambros to take, and the Goldhorns crowded into the box. All the options available to him - Dezelac, Boltzmann, Martin, Georgiev, the taller head of Gregory Scherwey. Listner was eager just to move about and create some space, let someone else move in for the ball.

”Ambros swings it in, it’s over the head of Scherwey but Dezelac is there! Dezelac heads it - oh my! What a save! Sedillo met it with a great save thanks to those quick reflexes, but she can’t get control of it, and the ball is up for grabs in front of the net as both sides scramble for it!”

Listner watched as a mass of those in gold clashed with a mass of those in green, both desperate to get the ball and make something happen for their team. He saw Bastian Boltzmann notice him at the side of the fray, and when Boltzmann managed to get just a second on the ball, he immediately tapped it over for his FC Teussen Stelburg teammate.

”Boltzmann wins it, sends it over to Listner who shoots - it’s in! Reinhard Listner! It was the perfect storm - so quickly done by both Boltzmann and Listner, and it was just beyond Sedillo’s reach! A goal comes out of that mad scramble, and it’s 1-0 for the Goldhorns!”

The defensive performance had to go into even higher gear now, as Pasarga pushed forward, hunting the equalizer. Just 15 minutes to go, 15 minutes to continue their great performance in this game, 15 minutes to secure a spot in the semifinals. It was difficult - Elek Salai created an excellent chance that was only just stopped by Julijan Koprvic, Magana managed to free himself up for just a second from Listner’s mark to record a shot that was just off the target with moments to go. But when the final whistle blew, it was the Goldhorns who had come out on top on this gritty night in Mar Sara.

There were celebrations all around, the rest of the Goldhorns patting Listner on the back, knowing that he’d managed to grind out a goal in a game they’d had to grind out the win. The focus for the team, however, quickly shifted as they filed out of the dressing room that night.

Next up was Starblaydia. 5 time World Champions, 2 time Di Bradini Cup winners. The tournament was named after a Starblaydi, one of the world’s most famous-ever footballers. The path to Goldhorn glory would be blocked by a team already so covered in glory through its history. As the players filed back into the hotel and prepared to travel to Longview for the semifinal, each sunk into his thoughts for the next game. For those like Dezelac and Boltzmann, it was how to get back on the scoresheet against a Starblaydi side that had such a good defensive record in the group stage, but had then conceded 7 goals in 2 knockout round games. For Listner, however, the focus was clear - how to shut down Betanni Jetvanna, who’d scored a hat-trick in Starblaydia’s Quarterfinal win.

When you reach the semi final stage of a tournament, you start to dream a bit about just what it might be like to lift the trophy. But before you get too ahead of yourself, there’s 90 minutes to leave everything on the pitch to prove why you should get the chance to play for it. Reinhard Listner was ready.

Siovanija & Teusland 1-0 Pasarga @ Donna Cathedral, Valanora

Starting XI: Koprvic; Hausseger, Scherwey, Listner, Hartleben (Zupanie 79’); Martin, Breuer (Traeger 64’), Georgiev (Viermetz 85’); Boltzmann, Ambros, Dezelac
Goals: Reinhard Listner 74’
Man of the Match: Gregory Scherwey

[Kohnhead]

Moderately Sized Brains win fifth in a row



Taking on a good Nephara we would get the 3-1 win and are now advancing to the semis of the Di Bradini (U-21 World Cup). For a team that looked awful losing 4-1 to now eliminated Poafmersia to sit in last of their group at 0 points in 2 games this is shocking to say the least.

For us the first goal were scored by Sophie Johnson who got a lucky rebound off of a clearance by Reniira Clevinger. Wanda Warter had sent in a cross but it went just over the head of Nathan Jarrus where Clevinger headed it right at Johnson's feet in fact.

Nephara missed a very close chance shortly thereafter as Catheline Matthias was only able to muster a tap at Bertha Sander's when a goal really should have been scored. Nephara would regret that one.

We also got an extremely controversial penalty kick in the 39th minute. Isabelle Bradford had the ball at midfield. She sent a long ball to Finley who was making a run, and he beat Reina Turnbull on his run. Turnbull caught him up just inside or just outside the penalty area. It was a clear foul but the question was if it was a penalty or simply a very close range free kick. The referee (rightly or wrongly) determined that it was indeed a penalty and Finley easily converted it.

Nephara weren't simply going to surrender down two goals and after getting some close chances in the 55th and 59th minutes they scored in the 62nd. Catheline Matthias had the redemption goal to put the game within one, and it gave Nephara a lot of momentum.

Fortunately our defense held and in the 85th minute we got an insurance goal from John Smith with the assist being given to Ofofor. As the whistle blew Barber and the whole team went out to celebrate a semifinals birth.

Our next opponent will be Valladares and the game will be played at The White Fortress. The thing with the semfinals is that all the teams deserve to be there as you don't just accidentally get yourself into the semis. Valladares won their group (group H) on goal differential and has beaten Baker Park in extra time, and Poafmersia (the team that beat us by three) by one goal.

The lineup will be the same as normal. Here we go!

[Valladares]

THE METROPOLIS HERALD
Metropolis, Monday, August 3^rd, 2020

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DI BRADINI CUP | Valladares in top four of the DBC following dramatic win vs. Poafmersia

CAPRI, VALANORA (VAP) — The Valladar national U21 team has advanced to the semifinals of the 48th Di Bradini Cup following a hard-fought 3-2 win over its counterparts from Poafmersia, with goals by Iván Valenzuela, Aldo Pereira and Thiago Pizzutti. This performance by the Mininacional is already the best one in the history of Valladares in the tournament, with no Valladar team having been able to at least make it to the quarterfinal round, barrier that has been broken by the squad lead by manager Claudio Londero which has managed to ensure their stay in Valanora for the final two games of the competition.

The quarterfinal match played on the field of Hatire Memorial pitted the Valladar side, which was coming from eliminating Baker Park with a couple of goals in extra time, against a Poafmerian side brimming with confidence after having destroyed Eraman in the previous round, and which had managed to extend said performance to this match in its first minutes. After 13 minutes of early domination and aggresive offensive play by Poafmersia the Young Panijas were able to take the lead following a combination between Nero Wood and Aleka Dufour that ended with the latter eluding Valladar keeper Steven Piatti with a feint and sending the ball to the back of the net. This goal caused the Mininacional to react and both sides ensued in an interesting exchange, with both teams replying immediately to any attempts from the other side with a chance of their own. The Valladars would eventually be able to find an equalizer with a powerful shot by Iván Valenzuela, who received the ball unmarked, in the 27th minute, and then increased the pressure on their Poafmerian rivals for the remaining minutes of the first half. Valladar top scorer Gabriel Riveros, had two chances to give the Mininacional the lead before halftime, but Suzanne Trengove managed to keep her goal safe and deflected both shots.

The first minutes of the second half saw another wave of Poafmerian attacks and high-pressing. The Red Panjias moved their lines forward in order to counter the Valladar midfield with their four players in the middle and give their attackers the chance to bypass the Valladar defense. Claudio Londero soon noticed that his midfield was being overpowered and decided to replace Fabio Cardetti, who was underperforming, with fellow left mid Aldo Pereira at the 60th minute of play. It would not be enough to prevent Poafmersia from taking the lead once again a couple of minutes later, with Makana Tuft easily running past Daniel Martin and scoring the 2-1 for the Red Panjias. However, the entry of Pereira began to take the intended effect when the Marinos Metropolis player joined fellow midfielder William Alonso in countering Poafmersia's midfielders and cutting the circuits between them and both strikers, mainly between Wood and Dufour. With both Dufour and Tuft already isolated from the rest of the team, the Mininacional stepped up the pressure on the Poafmerian defense and quickly cornered the Red Panjias in their half of the field. The second equalizer for Valladares was born in a corner kick executed by Marcelo Escobar in the 70th minute, which initially found Gabriel Riveros' head but then also found Ariel Casey's leg deflecting it on the line. The rebound, however, was caught by Pereira, whose shot found no opposition and went into the Poafmerian net to make the score 2-2. This goal encouraged the Valladar side to keep going, with the Mininacional being eventually able to score the winning goal with six minutes to go thanks to striker Thiago Pizzutti, who had replaced Riveros. The AD Cerro striker managed to take advantage of a failed attack by Poafmersia by finishing a counterattack to make the score 3-2 and hand Valladares a ticket to the semifinals of the Di Bradini Cup for the first time ever.

The victory over Poafmersia put the Valladars one step closer to a spot in the podium of this edition of the Di Bradini Cup, ensuring a semifinal meeting with one of the tournament's surprise packages, Kohnhead, at The White Fortress in Gladerial. The Moderately Sized Brains, who finished as runners-up of their group behind Poafmersia, have managed to register their name in the last four of the competition by eliminating The Jovannic on extra time and Nephara in the knockout stage, while also holding a winning streak now extended to five games. Kohnhead will pose an interesting tactical challenge for Claudio Londero and his coaching staff, with their 3-5-2 formation and a crowded midfield which will be hard to trespass by the Valladar players. Valladares' DBC campaign is now two matches away from being over, a couple of tense matches which could well be the most important ones in the history of the U21 national team which is facing a historic opportunity to win their first international trophy. But first, they will have to overcome the obstacle named Kohnhead, which has also deservedly reached the semifinals with its own tools and has the same thirst for victory as the Mininacional.

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[Valanora]

Who wants the chance at the dance the most? Semifinal cutoff!

Semifinals
Siovanija and Teusland 3–4 Starblaydia
Kohnhead 0–0(0–0 AET)[3–5 PKs] Valladares

3PPo
Siovanija and Teusland v Kohnhead @ Artani, Mar Sara

Final
Starblaydia v Valladares @ The Battleground, Raynor City

[Starblaydia]

(OOC: If the news out of Raynor City before the opening match of the 61st AOCAF Cup hasn't happened yet [thank you, fluid RP time] then please ignore the final paragraph of this piece)

They Can Be Heroes
Starblaydia into Under 21 World Cup Final

Starblaydia's Starting XI from DBC48/U21WC69
Orvalee is incorrectly noted as captain, instead of Maddison
Royce also does not have a ghost number, to our knowledge

Another ninety minutes full of action and heartache, another high scoring barnstormer that the team in white and purple just managed to fall on the right side of. The march to the Final first seemed inexorable for Ázëwyn Fëanáro's side, then became tenuous, a now has an air of wondrous confusion about it. How can a team that has let in ten goals in its last three matches be making it to the Final? How does this team keep managing to pull the irons out of the fire, dig deep, mix their metaphors and score just enough goals to see them through as winners each time? Siovanija and Teusland looked almost unbeatable coming into this match, having an undefeated record and rolling over pretty much every side they came into contact with, including Pasarga.

Starblaydia have come from behind before in this tournament, but not quite as far behind as the Goldhorns put them. After a nervy opener, Bastian Boltzmann's cross-come-shot from out wide on the left could only be tipped on by Onish Vadaparthy in the Starblaydi goal, and when the ball dropped it fell most kindly for Denis Dezelac. All he needed was the slightest tap to force the ball home, with Starblaydi defenders flatfooted and the on-loan forward at Haligonian, RK Quebec, already on his toes. The lead doubled before half time, as the two 4-3-3 formations worked each other out. Hard work from Martin and Georgiev in the middle of the park paid dividends as they began to get a hold of the ball with ease, playing it out wide to their pushed up wing backs. Starblaydia likes to both attack and defend wide, but the surges through the middle, then sent out wide, dragged their counter-press defence all over the place, giving all the time and space needed for Siovanija and Teusland, even at such a fast pace.

Dezelac again got on the end of the ball, and with no central defenders nearby through some clever blocks and drags from the rest of the team, had enough time to pick his spot when one-on-one with Vadaparthy, faking left but slotting the ball in to the right. Oleg Zveskal and his staff looked particularly pleased in the technical area, as Starblaydia were being taken apart piece by piece. Then things got worse for Starblaydia, as Shireen Orvalee went over on her ankle and had to be substituted of Andvar Galdarhim, the only Dwarf in the side,as a direct replacement. Faced by a new player to mark him, Bastian Boltzmann switched things up and dropped inside, using Dieter Hartleben as a distraction out wide and leaving Galdarhim having to make the decision as to who to go for. Choosing the option to pass block out wide and let Bernini cover the winger, Galdarhim managed to take himself out of the play. As Bernini strode forward from defence to block the run and try and force Boltzmann further onto his weaker foot, the Teussen Stelburg winger chipped the ball in to striker Dezelac.

Usually, at this point, we'd see Dezelac try and take on the whole team himself, or try some kind of outrageous shot or trick to wow the TV cameras and the fans. Not this time. While holding off April Hoyt, all he needed was a simple, side-footed pass into the path of the sprinting Boltzmann, who'd breezed past Bernini. Into the penalty area with the one-two in a blink of an eye, Boltzmann slid the ball under Vadaparthy's dive, and Starblaydia were three goals down in a single half, torn apart for a second time by industrious and crafty play, seemingly deservedly out of the game already. If there's one thing we know about Ázëwyn Fëanáro and her assistant Aaron Cole, though, it's that giving up is not an option.

Coming back out for the second half, Erik Romaine was gone and replaced by Omar Al Qubaisi, as Starblaydia switched their formation ever so slightly. In the debates between 4-3-3 and the 4-4-2 Diamond of old, this was something of a hybrid. Shepherd still held the midfield centrally, with Royce and Maddison pushed slightly wider to cover their fullbacks better. Romaine and his lonely role as the target man and offensive pivot was now gone, but in his place Al Qubaisi stood, taking up a more withdrawn role. It was difficult for onlookers to tell whether he was part of a midfield four or a forward three, and that lack of distinction translated to the pitch as well. With this positional change, Stanton and Jetvanna were suddenly unleashed laterally, as well as vertically, causing all sorts of chaos as they popped up in hitherto unexpected places. The knock-on effect was to allow Galdarhim and Lamont to take more advantage of being able to press forward, and suddenly Starblaydia's attacking unit looked much more dangerous for the Goldhorns.

It started slowly, but the pressure was ratcheted up on the Siovanija and Teusland defence as the second half ticked on. When the goals did come for Starblaydia, they came thick and fast. Jetvanna was, predictable, the first as she got onto a pass from Omar Al Qubaisi and just smashed it into the top corner. It was only one goal, from long range, that 99 times out of 100 wouldn't come off, or be as accurate, or the goalie could have ccovered it, defender blocked it, or a dozen other things that wouldn't result in a goal. But it was still 3-1, wasn't it? Starblaydia couldn't possibly overturn that in a single half, especially when they hadn't been dominating the play for long periods of time, as the Goldhorns were still hard working athletes who were not prepared to give up what they'd spent 45 minutes working so hard for.

When the ball popped loose in a crowded penalty area and Jewel Maddison managed to stick out a leg first, the ball only just crossed the line before Koprvic scopped it out of the net between the tangling legs and bodies. Still, 'all of the ball, all of the line' is how the saying goes, and Starblaydia had clawed yet another goal back. They were still one down, though. Less than two minutes of game time later, however, they were no longer behind, as it seemed the wind had been taken out of the Siovanijan sails by the second goal, and Starblaydia immediately capitalised. Direct from the kick-off, a surge of pressing by Starblaydia forced the ball out for a corner, and as the Goldhorns were on the back foot and marshalling the defence, Galdarhim immediately swung the ball in and it was met by the head of April Hoyt, sprinting up on a gamble. As the ball thundered into the goal, immediately a minor scuffle between Starblaydi players eager to grab it and kick off again and Siovanijan players trying to set the tempo of the game themselves, slowing down the restart and not letting Starblaydia stay hyped and on the front foot. It worked, but only for about eight minutes.

When Starblaydia managed to get an overload with the ball down the right-hand side, it was from Odell Lamont's inch-perfect crossfield ball, switching the play at speed. As the Goldhorns came across to try and cover, Galdarhim slipped the ball into to crowded central area, but between Maddison and Al Qubaisi, they were able to draw in the defenders and, crucially, keep the ball. Having not had the time to reset the defence, when Jetvanna and Galdarhim both popped up on the right wing, it was a simple numbers game. With the extra body, Starblaydia were able to slip Galdarhim into the box and his shot across the face of goal was able to beat Koprvic and deflect in off the back post. 4-3 up, comeback complete, less than five minutes remaining.

Siovanija and Teusland tried everything in the next four-plus-stoppage-time minutes to pull the scores level, but Starblaydia's counter-press was able to take the ball off them and keep it safely in the corner away from any danger. At the final whistle, players from both sides fell to their knees in equal amounts of elation and despair. For one side, it's Kohnhead and the Third-Place Playoff, as striving to finish on a high note and get a medal. For the other, it's the final and the mighty Valladares, fighting for glory and the ability to match up with the teams who have accomplished this feat in the past. The two Under-21 titles that Starblaydia have in the trophy cabinet, however, have almost nothing to do with each other, bar the quirk of coming in the 14th Under-21 World Cup and the 14th Di Bradini Cup. The history behind the two winning sides may seem obvious, but they had vastly different paths to victory, and vastly different outcomes:

Under-21 World Cup 14

Twenty-eight years after Starblaydia first entered the international football scene in the 3rd U21WC, they arrived with dreams of making it to the senior side, who were at the time reigning champions of Atlantian Oceania, in their second stint. The side were managed by Simeone Di Bradini, then a fresh-faced, newly-retired player in his mid-40s (he's still a fresh-faced man in his mid-40s - Ed.) who had been in co-charge of the team with Starblaydia's other legendary striker from the era, Nikola "Laser" Lazerevski. The side had finished 3rd in the 12th Championships, 2nd in the 13th Championships, then finally made the big moment count in the 14th Championships, when they were first seeds for the tournament.

To get to that Final, it was a fairly solid, workmanlike side with a few flashes of genuine creativity. Starting at the back with the goalkeeper, Corominas, who was either referred to as "eccentric" or downright "crazy", depending on who you were talking to. Nunzio Gre, the captain, was the stand-out defender and a real leader, even at that age, while in the midfield was highlighted by (as the entirely incorrect chant described) "his name's too long, he's got no song" Surachai Buathiang, who Di Bradini had earlier made him the youngest senior cap winner ever, at the 2nd Four Nations Invitational. Jhanna City stalwart and main attacking threat Itechton Matranga was Starblaydia's first second generation player, his father Aiden having named him after the city in Pedriana where Starblaydia contested their first Final match in the 3rd AOCAF Cup. Up front were two largely workmanlike forwards in Zaragoza and Macia, but even then sitting on the bench was a 14 year old who would later score the winning goal in a World Cup Final, and become El Prezidente of the WCC: Giovanni Lopez.

As can be seen from the results, however, the creative side of things really took over, with Starblaydia flying through the group stage with high-scoring ease, but only managing to keep one clean sheet all tournament. 18 year old Matranga led the scoring with five, followed by Floencio Zaragoza and Buathiang on four, with Christian Macia and substitute striker Michalis Mitrofanis on two each. Ultimately, the winning goal would be scored by Buathiang, paying SDB back for having included him in the FNI squad as a 15 year old three years before.

Starblaydia's Starting XI from U21WC14

Under-21 World Cup 14 - Total n Utter Insanity
Group A, Matchday 1: Starblaydia 5-1 Fimble Loving Peoples
Group A, Matchday 2: East Lithuania 1-4 Starblaydia
Group A, Matchday 3: Starblaydia 4-1 Stumperia
Second Round: Starblaydia 2-0 Giant Zucchini
Quarter-Final: Starblaydia 2-1 Vilita
Semi-Final: Starblaydia 2-1 Jeruselem
Final: Starblaydia 2-1 Nedalia

This side immediately became known as the Golden Generation of Starblaydi football. The players soon traveled all across the major leagues of the time, with destinations including the top divisions in Rejistania, Vilita and Bedistan, along with Fmjphoenix, Cockbill Street, Hypocria and Spruitland. Nunzio Gre would be the most famous of the team, going on to captain Starblaydia to their first World Cup victory and be the only Starblaydi to lift both junior and senior trophies in his glittering career, before being nominated immediately in the World Cup Hall of Fame. Starters from this U21 side Corominas, Matranga, Buathiang and Alejo Cuevo, along with squad players Raymundo Hernandez, Alex Vidal, defender Leopoldo Lopez and striker Giovanni Lopez, would all taste that glory in World Cup 25.

This era of Starblaydi football was exciting, challenging, and full of players who have now become legendary, laying early foundations that the history of Starblaydi football is built upon. If it wasn't for this side, this manager and this era, it's not even certain that Starblaydia would be in the international scene at all, just another nation consigned to the dustbin of history. Thanks to these players, who took the great leap to international glory, the country's football system was set up for another century of successes and record-breaking. Exactly 119 years later, however, it was an entirely different story.

Di Bradini Cup 14 / Under-21 World Cup 35

The Di Bradini Cup had taken a few editions before it was able to truly claim the title of successor tournament to the Under-21 World Cup. Originally starting out as an Under-21 tournament, the SFA's regular hosting of the championship eventually made it synonymous with the previous iterations of the U21WC, and so the weird offset of 21 began to take place and, even if it isn't possible to be officially-official, it's seen as the de facto world title.

Oddly enough, for a nation so invested in the running of the tournament, Starblaydia had not been able to put together a winning side in over 40 years. Try as they might, there had only ever been one 'Golden Generation'. Even worse was that group of players had actually lived up to their name, winning World, Regional and minor tournaments to truly put their country on the footballing map. No only did young players and their coaches have the pressure of trying to win the U21WC, they also would then have to live up to a legacy of glory that the previous generation had won themselves.

By the time the tournament rolled around, Starblaydia were the only footballing nation to have won five World Championships at senior level but the Under-21 side were full of players who had been, at most, toddlers when this happened. This was the first side who didn't remember anything of those days, with a good percentage of the squad having not even been born. By World Cup 50 and 51, it was all going horribly, horribly wrong for the national team. Having been dumped out of their first attempt at a 6th title by champions-to-be Candelaria and Marquez in the Second Round, World Cups 50 and 51 saw Starblaydia not even get out of the Group Stage.

The enormous highs that Starblaydi football had seen were now clearly the summit of the emotional rollercoaster, and after every soaring high on one of those, there must be a terrifying low. Other than the bump of sneaking into the AOCAF Cup 29 Final on home soil, managing to avoid almost every major challenger before being defeated by Sarzonia, Starblaydia's trajectory was very much downward. They lined up for this fresh attempt at the Under-21 tournament across the Bekk in Krytenia with hope and fresh faces. Alberto Diaz, of Nethertopian side Tenderville United, led them out from his defensive midfield role, with Jeremy Reid (later Starblaydi senior manager) a notable name in the midfield and the attack going through Ben Lutwidge, of Montepool Waves. They were managed by World Cup 47 Winner Franciso Martinez, fresh from managing Nethertopia to Third Place at the World Cup, with Simeone Di Bradini 'borrowed' from the Dreamed Realm to try and inspire his young charges.

Starblaydia's Starting XI from DBC14/U21WC35

Di Bradini Cup 14 / Under-21 World Cup 35 - Krytenia
Group C, Matchday 1: Starblaydia 2-1 Verldinium
Group C, Matchday 2: Balida 1-4 Starblaydia
Group C, Matchday 3: Lithatrius 0-1 Starblaydia
Second Round: Starblaydia 3-2 Sarzonia
Quarter-Final: Starblaydia 2-1 Vaalnordhavn
Semi-Final: Starblaydia 2-1 The Han Empire
Final: Osarius 0-1 Starblaydia (AET, FT 0-0)

The team, inspired and hard working, overcame all before them, although they did require Extra Time to beat the Flying Sparks of Osarius. Ben Lutwidge managed to score in every single match as Starblaydia took the title, seven goals in seven games. With their manager then promoted to the senior national team, the world was there for the taking, with this promise of a new, exciting era dawning for the country and a resurgence in footballing power and supremacy. So what happened next?

Most of these players couldn't manage even 20 caps for their country. For some, like defender Paulo Trinestina and forward Estee Lapolla, there would be no appearances at senior level whatsoever, with most of the others barely getting a handful. None of them, even the great talent of Ben Lutwidge, would break the magic tally of fifteen goals for their country, a benchmark set almost a century and a half previously by Nikola Lazerevski, the goalscoring measuring stick upon whom all subsequent Starblaydi strikers are judged.

Dumped out of the Group Stage in World Cup 52 in Nethertopia, because of a 2-1 loss to Pays de Horreur. Losing the 'Weenie Match' in a Casaran-format experiment of the 5th Dragonni Inviyatti in Andossa Se Mitrin Vega, having lost four games in a row. Sneaking into World Cup 53 and 54's Quarter Finals, on the back of ever-increasing numbers of Starblaydi Elves being brought back into the side because the existing players just weren't good enough. Finally, slowly petering out until the 'last straw' of World Cup 57 where Starblaydia failed to qualify for Cafundeu and Sarzonia, having been pipped at the post by Pays de Horreur (them again!), who beat Starblaydia in the final Qualifying game to leapfrog them into the Play-off position, when two Matchdays earlier they held a 4 point lead over third place Horreur side.

None of these DBC14-winning players are celebrated, revered or - frankly - even recognised by their own team's fans, save perhaps Jeremy Reid for his later stint in charge of the national team, or maybe - at a stretch - Alberto Diaz for winning 85 caps. When history looks back, if it does at all, on this side, on Ázëwyn Fëanáro's young charges of Maddison, Jetvanna and the rest, what will be written about them? Will this be just another side that happened to fail at the final hurdle, or will this team be Starblaydia's third group of Under-21 World Champions? And if they are, the trajectory of Starblaydi football built on the back of this young side, as has been demonstrated, can go either up or down.

This tournament's Final will take place at The Battleground in Raynor City. It will be hosted in a city and a country, perhaps even a region, in mourning for their lost Emperor Hector Manuel Zevala. The Sabine and Caddonia native was elected to the position a number of years ago after the departure of, among many others, Tobias Raynor and the hereditary monarchy. There is no clarity yet as to what the political situation will look like going forward, however Starblaydi players and staff will be wearing black armbands for the championship game.

Final score from Angelotic Temple, Longview (70,825):
Siovanija and Teusland 3 - 4 Starblaydia
(Dezelac 26 & 34, Boltzmann 42) - (Jetvanna 62, Maddison 76, Hoyt 78, Galdarhim 86)

[Valladares]

THE METROPOLIS HERALD
Metropolis, Wednesday, August 5^th, 2020

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DI BRADINI CUP | Mininacional only one step away from the biggest goal

GLADERIAL, VALANORA (VAP) — For the Valladar national U21 football team, the semifinal match against Kohnhead was more of a coldly calculated chess game as the defenses of both teams excelled throughout the 120 minutes of play at The White Fortress and less of a scintillating goalfest as the likes of Gabriel Riveros, Iván Valenzuela, Adrien Trolli and others have accustomed the Valladar fans to during this last month. Although the Moderately Sized Brains were decent enough to endure the Valladar offensive waves for 90 minutes of regular time and 30 minutes of extra time, they lacked luck at one crucial time: the penalty shootout. And thus this history-making Mininacional, whose previous participations at the Di Bradini Cup had been rather uneventful and gone largely unnoticed, is just one match away from the biggest multiversal trophy a young player can win with only former champions Starblaydia standing between them and glory.

According to the rich and storied history of the Eternal Empire, the building in Gladerial nowadays known as The White Fortress had, at some point in time, served as an actual fortress. And the two teams playing this decisive DBC semifinal at this place now used as a stadium seemed to have effectively decided to honor and pay homage to said fact from the very first moment the ball started rolling by turning their match into a master class on how to defend despite what the starting lineups of both Valladares and Kohnhead could have indicated, with the former featuring a formation designed for fluid game through the wings and a designated man for creation of play and the latter having a 3-player defense and five other players up from the middle of the field. The first half became a contest for the midfield as Kohnhead's five midfielders and Valladares' sturdy line of three in the middle countered each other efficiently. The Moderately Sized Brains took note of how important playmaker Trolli was to Valladar generation of offensive play and kept a strong man-to-man marking on him, isolating him from both Riveros and Valenzuela and depriving both strikers from having chances to score. At the same time, the pair of Kohnhead strikers struggled to pass through the Valladar midfield, with William Alonso playing one of his best games with the Mininacional and moving from side to side of the field to assist his fellow teammates with marking. In the first 45 minutes of the match there were a couple of chances to score for each team, but neither of them were capitalized and therefore, the stalemate remained at halftime.

Things for the second half did not change a lot, although this time both sides decided to take more risks in order to clinch their ticket to the final at The Battleground in regular time. Valladar manager Claudio Londero chose to switch from a 4-3-1-2 to a 4-3-3, by replacing the pace of Adrien Trolli for the speed and unpredictability of Caleb Bentley. Ultimately, that move allowed Valladares to get the lion's share of ball possession and that enabled them to threaten the goal defended by Bertha Sanders more often, but the Kohnhead goalie had her chance to shine by saving her goal from conceding. Kohnhead also had an important chance to score when the clock marked the 71st minute, but the shot by George Finley was deflected by Steven Piatti. With the score after regular time still nil-nil, the match went to extra time. Both sides had already had their experiences with playing 30 additional minutes to win their matches in the Round of 16, scoring two goals in that period to knock The Jovannic (Kohnhead) and Baker Park (Valladares) out of the competition.

At that point, and with most of the 22 players on the pitch already exhausted, the key to win was to sit down and wait for the other side to make a mistake that could be capitalized on with a counter or some surprise tactic...but neither side seemed to want to allow that and extra time thus seemed to have turned into a replay of the first half, with both teams entrenched in the middle of the field and not willing to give up a single inch that could lead to an opening for their rival. 120 minutes of football ended with the match still goalless, meaning that the defensive battle between Valladares and Kohnhead would be finally decided by a penalty shootout and, possibly, luck. The Mininacional did a good job with their first four kicks, with Riveros, Bentley, Fabio Cardetti, and Andrés Abrigo (the latter also entering the match as a substitution) all scoring. As for the Moderately Sized Brains, everything seemed to be going fine until the fateful fourth kick was deflected by the Valladar goalie Piatti. Striker Thiago Pizzutti would then have, in his feet, a match point for Valladares. The Cerro player, who also entered as a substitution, did not hesitate and scored to give Valladares the victory and a historic ticket to the team's first-ever Di Bradini Cup final.

The final match of the tournament, to be played at The Battleground, Raynor City will be a date with history as the ambitious, title-hungry Valladar U21 squad will be taking on a former two-time champion in the form of Starblaydia, who ensured their presence at the decision by beating Siovanija and Teusland in the other semifinal match and will want to keep decorating their cabinet with yet another trophy. While Starblaydia might be already used to this kind of occasions, for the Valladar players this match will be a unique chance to inscribe their names in the history books and confirm themselves as the future of Valladar football, and what a better way for these brave players to start their careers than with a trophy such as the DBC. This will be, undoubtedly, the chance for the Mininacional to finally become big, the start of a big legend.

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[Valanora]

Who will be the victorious team? Final Cutoff

3PPo
Siovanija and Teusland 2–1 Kohnhead

Final
@ The Battleground, Raynor City
Starblaydia 1–1(1–1 AET)[4–5 PKs] Valladares