World Cup 86: Roleplay Thread

[Newmanistan]

WORLD CUP 86 - NEWMANISTAN/DRAWKLAND

Amazing how far we've gone! Time to cut off the quarterfinals!

[Valanora]

A match of football was played in Newmanistan, two high caliber teams took the field in the Round of Sixteen and unfortunately one was forced to return back to their home and the other was granted the reward of moving on in the tournament. Favor, skill, and a bit of luck that happened to be on the Vanorian side meant that it was the Marauders who had progressed through the fixture with Eura, sending the Rushmore squad back to their region empty handed. As a matter of fact, the Marauders match against the Eurans was the last match of the first knockout round not only in Newmanistan to be played, but the last match in the entirety of the Round of Sixteen. The triumph of the Marauders over Eura was the continuation of two trends of the knockout stage, the first of which is that the favorites for all the matches (even if they were but slight favorites as the Marauders were) bar one were the team to advance out of the tie, while the other was the domination of Atlantian Oceania nations in their ties, barring one match and it happens to be the same match where the favorite did not win, being Baker Park being bested by Cassadaigua.

In Olympia, the crowd was being treated to the most closely contested contest of the Round of Sixteen, by virtue of the WCC rankings, and a titanic clash of two top five teams in an early stage of the tournament. It was a contest of wills, a contest of two sides who are very similar in the way that they view the game and how they are viewed by the footballing community. Both Eura and the Empire are seen as massive forces of the game, even when either side seems to be struggling or in a rough bit of form, their names are etched in history as winners of the tournament multiple times each as well as having reached the Final on several occasions. Both have technical squads who seem to combine pace and power in an interesting blend and could play a possession game with a dominant midfield to keep their opponents from overrunning them. In addition, both nations have respected domestic leagues that are judged not only among the best in their regions but among the best in the entire world and have seen their clubs win the top level international club competition on numerous occasions as well a regional championships both with club and country. Legacy and ferocity are the watchwords of those who come to vie with these juggernauts of sport.

In accordance with the above, the match started out much like you would expected, a few probing attacks by either side met with quick and stern resistance by the respective backlines, much akin to two heavyweight fighters feeling each other out at the start of a boxing match, trying to discern any possible weakness. Eura got the first clear opportunity, however Bond was not able to fully lift his effort over Sean Smørdal, with the Vanorian keeper pawing and grabbing the ball with his outstretched left hand twenty minutes into the match. However the keeper was not able to deny Bond again when eight minutes later he was free on the Vanorian net and the shot was past his right shoulder before the keeper had ample time to react and attempt the save. Eura had scored first but the celebrations were not enthusiastic, there was still over an hour to go in the match. An hour is a long time in football to try and nurse a one goal lead, Eura knew there was still quite a bit of work to do if they were going to be the victors of this clash and this goal had merely given them the early advantage, they still had to keep attacking and not try to merely nurse this lead to the final whistle.

Saxstrom thought she had tied the match up in the thirty-seventh minute, however the goal was whistled back as the striker had been caught a step offside and replays confirmed that it was the right call much to the striker's dismay, having thought she had timed her run perfectly and brought the match level before half time. Instead Eura would go into the break with the advantage and held it quite sternly for sixteen minutes into the second half, yet the feisty Pánfilo Veliz put Burns and Steele to the sword in a mouth dropping dribbling display and chipped Belgrave, with the keeper having been caught about a foot too far off their line. The field was not titled completely in Vanorian favor in the second half, but it was the Marauders who had the momentum and Eura who was being caught doing a lot of defending. Hawk was brought down by Roberts just inside the box, though the Eura team was arguing it was outside the area. The referee was not hearing their complaints and even VAR had a hard time deciding if the foul was inside or outside the box, yet the referee was pointing to the spot. Thor Møller calmly placed down the ball on the spot, took his three step dropback, and waited for the whistle. The whistle came, the lenses of thousands of cameras were flashing, and the Vanorian striker had given the Marauders the lead with ten minutes to play. Ten minutes of Eura thrusting forward only to be denied at every attack, Bond twice having his effort saved and a third time having the shot hit the crossbar and fly out. It was a resilient attempt at defiance and effort to send the match to extra time, yet it was futile as the final whistle brought the match to the end and the Empire had achieved victory.

The reward for being the victor of the spectacle of Olympia is a date with another top five team, it is a date with the currently number one team in the footballing world in fact, subregional neighbors of Banija. In fact, it is an all Atlantian Oceania quartet in Newmanistan, with fellow Southwesterner Farfadillis taking on Mriin in the other Quarterfinal here in Newmanistan, making the count be six Atlantian Oceania teams and two Rushmore teams left in the tournament, with former champions Nephara and Cassadaigua in with fellow five time World Cup Champions Starblaydia and Vilita respectively. Two teams left in the tournament do not have a title to their name, another three are looking to become the first ever to six Finals won, and three more are looking to merely add another to their collections. Banija may be described by many as the best team currently not to win the title and they have risen highly in the footballing world, with strong connections to the Vanorian game. Like Eura, Banija will employ a variant of a 4-2-1-3 or 4-3-3 against the Marauders and will quite know exactly how the Marauders are going to line up and play themselves. Banija has the pace, they have the strength, and they have the skill. What they lack is the experience of latter rounds of the World Cup. The Marauders have that in spades, they have a drive that Banija can not currently understand, and with both Starblaydia and Vilita still on the prowl, they have rivals to try and best.

Come what may, the last few games of this World Cup look to be historic for someone, the Marauders hoping it is their time to return to the spotlight and adding a sixth star, while Banija hunts for their first.

[Farfadillis]

Improbable events are not foreign to Farves: they may not know it, but their very existence rests upon not just improbable events, but extremely improbable events. The reason the country had descended to anarchy was that these improbable events had stopped happening, and things had recently started getting better only because they had started happening again.

Farves were, in a sense, great at guiding these improbable events, gently nudging them towards desired outcomes. Subconsciously, of course, and imperceptibly, and only when there was something to manipulate: they could not change their fate without fortunatium, or without some virus from the Dreamed Realm. Facing the Holy Empire now, they were in perfect conditions to unknowingly utilize this power.

Unlike fortunatium, the Frostican virus MARG-20 only made mildly improbable events happen. No matter. Their luck would only have to be mild, as the two teams were evenly matched. In the fifteenth minute, Alán Belmores - a name that not a single Farf would be able to recognize because it is a callback to something ridiculous like World Cup 15 - hit the post after dribbling past Ibrelaná, despite having the entire goal at his disposition. Tough luck, Alán.

Twenty minutes later, Röémün Çídh - who'd been lucky to have been handed a one-match suspension after the game against Eura - went for an audacious shot from outside the box. It touched Metochites' shoulder, though you would've had to watch the replay a couple of times to notice. The ball changed its path only slightly, but enough for Comneno to only be able to graze it with his fingers. A brilliant goal from the Rulandese striker, the newspapers would no doubt claim, blissfully unaware of just how close to being saved the shot was.

With just one minute left before half time, a great shot from afar by Alán Belmores turned out to be impossible for Ibrelaná to save. A fantastic goal, by all accounts.

Unfortunately, ending the first half on a high note left the Frosticans slightly overconfident, and it showed in the first few minutes of the second half, when Çí Xôrí caught them napping in defense. He dribbled past two, then, when he reached the edge of the box, went for the shot. A brilliant one at that, Comneno stood no chance. Where was the luck, you might ask? Nowhere; Ígnîgo's just a very good player.

Faragó rue Cazade had been having a fantastic World Cup until this match, in which he had been invincible until this point. Çí Xôri's goal seemed to wake him up, however: he started dominating the Frosticans. His role of takilante meant he'd go for risky tackles often, but he somehow always seemed to come out on top, always just shy of committing an atrocious foul and possibly getting sent off.

When Faragó steals the ball from one of your players while close to the final third, you'd better believe you're in trouble. The Frosticans found this out the hard way: an impressive brace from the Szoirsian.

In the sixty-second minute, after a fantastic tackle, he looked up and saw Comneno slightly out of position. Mercilessly, he quickly unleashed a shot that surprise the entire Holy Empire, blasting the ball past the keeper in a flash. The shot wasn't that precise, but it didn't have to be.

Fifteen minutes later, with the Holy Empire now looking desperately for an opening - any opening - Faragó struck for the second time. In a hurry to carry the ball to the Farf half, Mouzalono committed the mistake of coming within two meters of a possessed rue Cazade, who promptly stole the ball from him and kept running at full stride. He dribbled past Metochites and quickly found himself facing Vatatzes, as a result of the Frosticans' complete disregard for defense. Not one for elegance, Faragó once again just smashed it past Comnenos, caring only about placing the ball just well enough for it to go in, and go in it did.

The Holy Empire had a few good chances after that. However, they were not able to capitalize on a single one. This was fortunate for the Farves, who are no strangers to getting decimated in the final minutes in an unlikely comeback. Hell, the Holy Empire had once turned a 3-1 into a 4-3 just twelve years before... in a semifinal. Most of those on the pitch had watched it on the telly that day, but none of them had been thinking of anything else before kick-off.

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Now back in print after a brief ten-year hiatus!

Gargantuan Uranium Deposit Discovered In Induja

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Two days later

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Now back in print after a brief ten-year hiatus!

Megacorporation BOOM! Uranium Mining Buy All Indujan Land, Declares Induja Independent

[Mriin]

OOC: This blog is a less reputable--though not tabloid--source than other Mrii media, so any glibness can be attributed to it being written by a professional internet edgelord.
aroundthehorn.mrn

Nomanistan’s Land

In Empress Jessica I Stadium, Jessicaville (original!), the Reavers were tasked with doing to the Rockets as the Cormorants did to them two years ago. Ousting the hosts on their own turf. Don’t let the idea that it was the easiest second round match on paper mislead you--home field advantage is a very real phenomenon, especially as the World Cup progresses and the fans get ever more frenzied (or desperate).

Arguably there’s even more on the line for the Newmanistanians this cycle than there was for us back then. There was never an “it’s coming home” movement in Mriin; the footballing fanbase isn’t nearly so rabid as to have that level of entitlement. The loss to Nephara was a disappointment, no doubt--nothing would have been better to see a deep run in our tourney. But it wasn’t some grave miscarriage of justice. They were the better team on the day (and probably in general), and they won because of it. Simple as that. View every win as a gift and the losses will roll off your back that much easier.

The Mrii never shared the fate of the Rockets, nor that of groupmates and fuckers Ko-oren--that of being trapped in the second round. After five cycles of barely not progressing out of the group stage from World Cups 78 to 82, our first second round appearance was immediately levied into a quarterfinal appearance with a triumph over Baker Park in Equestria. That glass ceiling had been broken before we could even bump against it. While the Rockets have been chafing against it for nearly a half-century. Their stretch of qualifications in the late 40s to early 50s never managed to break through. That they had a chance on their very first return to the finals? It was a setup for a magical moment, one the history books and internet blogs would rave about for years to come. But then the Newmanistanians lost their magic.

Many outlets described their surprise at Newmanistan topping Group A, thwarting the efforts of Brenecia to secure the top spot of the softball group. Also surprised by this result? The organizers of the tournament. The second round venues had been announced ahead of time, naturally, and placed the A2 vs B1 matchup--the one everyone expected the Rockets to play in, if they progressed at all--to take place at Tundra Falls, the de facto national stadium for the nation across a ludicrous multitude of sports that also serves as a sacred holy site for the nation. It’s sort of like if you took a few stadiums and made a burrito, where the wrap is the racetrack that surrounds them. And also it’s a haunted burrito. It’s said that Spirits (capitalized) inhabit the complex and improve the luck of any Newmanistanian team that plays there. Understandably, this is why the organizers attempted to predict the knockout pairings in such a fashion that the rockets would play there, only to be thwarted by the Rockets doing even better than expected (or Brenecia choking). Though getting to not face Banija is a pretty good consolation prize all things considered.

So that’s how we found ourselves in Jessicaville. A very wealthy city, reminiscent of Kaalen back home. Just gives you the itch to polish your guillotine blade. The Rockets rolled out with their anticipated starting lineup, the consus strongest eleven that younger (contiguously) national teams with less prominent domestic leagues tend to have an easier time identifying. For the Reavers, there were two notable inclusions: Äzyr Fæwin over Tali’raia, intending to give a stronger frontline that could deal with the Newmanistanian bruisers, and Paraise Haart who could prove more useful exploiting their relatively narrow formation with her faster breakaway speed compared to Popo Tevainen.

The match flowed back and forth surprisingly smoothly. It seemed as though each side were carefully scoping each other out for a good fifteen minutes, alien cultures clashing and trying to understand the other with the end goal of brutally dismantling them. The first breakthrough would come via a stagnated Newmanistanian possession leading to a somewhat off-kilter pass from Neil McFerran intended for Paul Lombardi. For their parts, both immediately realized the mistake.

Lombardi immediately put on the afterburners to try and salvage it while McFerran drew a line to take should Malia Yonen get to it first and dive forward. Malia did in deep with the hoofrace, but rather than plunging forward as the Reavers are oft wont to do in such an opportunity, merely turned and sent it back to Pia Levaani. Pia made use of the space opened by the scramble to bring things forward, and there was enough momentum to carry several passes through the midfield until finally Äzyr found the ball near the penalty area and deftly cut past Shannon Stefansson--who seemed unfazed by the satyr’s height advantage and motioned as though she were going to turn and bash the striker from behind, but held up when it was obvious that’d lead to a red card. It was up to keeper Matthew Costner to charge forward and try to make something happen, but too late--he’d taken no more than a step when Äzyr buried it in the opposite side netting. 1-0 for Mriin at 17’.

Much of the rest of the half would see Mrii drives putter out earlier, with a few wild strikes being converted into empty corners where Stefansson made up for before with resounding clearances to the surprise of the satyrs towering around her. On the other end Allister Levy and Vinny Donaldson regularly tested Dun Mekeus, Donaldson in particular finding lines that took advantage of Pia’s aggressive tendencies, but Dun was rock-solid in goal and repelled each attempt.

There would be one last gasp of the half, wherein Paraise found a lick of space to take off down the touchline. The play developed rapidly with the Reavers crushing down into the Newmanistanian half while the Rockets marshalled their defense; Paraise was able to find Otalia Kasmiir through all the noise, who then was able to complete the cross-pitch transaction to Tia Mor. It’d be a booming cross from Tia that’d meet Istria Saara’s horns in the box to deliver a crushing blow that missed Costner’s hand by centimeters on its way into the goal. Halftime came with the hosts at a two-nothing deficit.

Newmanistanian gaffer Michael Starre did whatever he deemed necessary to keep his team together and composed over the break, and it worked. The Rockets came out with vigour, and a creative mixup in Ashley Norton replacing Parnell Addington. The latter was having trouble connecting with Tyrone Baxter up front, and wasn’t controlling space very well with either Malia or Karii Bruun bearing down on him. Norton was a pipsqueak on the field, but sometimes what you need is the mouse to squeak past the big clumsy cat.

Results were immediate with the pair of Norton and Lombardi proving much more dynamic on offense, as well as helping even out the possession numbers with tighter control of the match’s flow. It wouldn’t be until eighteen minutes into the half that this translated into their opening goal, but it did finally come. Madison Desalvo launched a veritable salvo of a shot that scythed through the defense and caught Dun flat-hooved, his jilted dive not coming close to contesting the ball. The game was back on.

An equalizer was in the air, and everyone in Jessicaville could feel it coming. But first there was a scare at a corner where Istria nearly looped her second horner in; Costner’s reaction was just a hair faster this time and he was able to punch it away. Not long afterwards a prolonged session of kick-about for the Rockets in the Mrii half--Tailtiu Brennan shouting the entire time to turn things around by any means necessary--lead to a rushed tackle on Norton courtesy of Karii. The free kick was delivered spectacularly by Lombardi, setting up Desalvo for a slick one-touch to Allister Levy who’d beat Paarismer Jaan one-on-one and shunt it past Mekeus. Twenty minutes left. Back to square one.

And I don’t mean back to square on figuratively. Both teams reverted to the poking and prodding and analysing that the match started with. They’d both played out their hands, and Alcaantra Tine--nowhere near the complete player Pia is, but a much more defensively-minded taskmaster--came on to ensure Donaldson’s funny business wouldn’t catch them by surprise anymore.

Ten minutes pass. There hasn’t been a shot on goal the entire time. Then out of the blue, Istria was making an unusual solo run and bearing down on the box. She’d been fed with aplomb by Otalia, a brilliant throughball that very well might live on in infamy among Newmanistanian sports media. The play evolved into a showdown between Istria and Eric Trotman, and… my guess is Trotman expected a little more fancy hoofwork to be coming, because the tackle that actually came ploughed directly through her in a very unsubtle way. They both collapsed into a pile in front of the goalmouth. A little help from nearby teammates got them untangled and upright, mostly none the worse for wear--save the yellow card being shown to Trotman, and the penalty being awarded to Istria.

She went left. Costner went (stage) right.

To honor the memory of 95X, who recently announced their retirement from all international football--including the AOCAF--the Reavers promptly parked the fuck outta their bus. Out goes a gassed Malia who’s run a marathon this game, and can’t quite handle it like she could two years ago. In comes Yngriit Kalabaan, the well-oiled partner for Alcaantra. Otalia falls back and plays a more traditional central role, closer to what she does for Brinemouth than her nominal NT role. And yet.

And yet the Rockets get one more breakthrough.

It’s not until three minutes of added time are signalled, but McFerran finally gets his opportunity to sneak forward. The imminent threat of a counterattack was both lessened and made largely irrelevant. They need this goal far more than the Reavers need a fourth. Desalvo turns on the ball and serves it up to him on the wing, and he’s got space to run. So he runs. And runs. A desperately backtracking Paraise finally contests him only for him to immediately unload a cross that lasers onto Tyrone Baxter’s chest, and it’s the first clear opportunity he’s had the entire match.

He mashes the ball. Didn’t dribble at all, so it’s still a ways out, and Maas Halder had a few beats to react while he knocked the cross down. The veteran centreback takes a short forward hop and hurls himself forward, in the path of the ball, spinning through the air after pushing off hard with his right hoof.

He yelps as the bullet of a shot smashes into his back. The ball pings high into the air, off to the side. Paasrimer and Levy scramble for it, but it’s arcing towards a no-man’s land in front of a post. Donaldson is bearing down from the wing to bash it back in if bounces backwards; Dun pivots to focus on him.
Ball meets ground. The crowd goes from deafening to utter madness.

The ball bounces pops forwards and to the side, out of bounds and well clear of the post. The corner goes nowhere. The whistle sounds.

Mriin are through to their second quarter-final, and the internet floods with cries that the ball would have bounced differently in Tundra Falls.

[Drawkland]

WORLD CUP 86 - NEWMANISTAN/DRAWKLAND

Cutoff for World Cup Quarterfinals

Some teams left tonight have seemed Invincible so far. Will that hold after this half of quarterfinals?

[Banija]

Banijan offense roars to life in thrilling 4-3 victory over Valanora to make the World Cup 86 Semifinals


Banijans celebrate late winner at The Jungle against Valanora

LOUDON, NEWMANISTAN- This game at The Jungle was always going to be a fun one. Two talented squads- Banija and Valanora, duking it out in the final quarterfinal to determine which team would take a flight home, and which team would take a flight to Pocono City. Valanora, the five time World Cup champions going for their sixth star, against Banija, the world''s #1 ranked squad vying for their first World Cup trophy. Both teams located just across the water from each other, in Southwestern Atlantian Oceania. Stars all over the place on these top 5 squads, featuring quite possibly the most decorated player in World Cup History- Laborious Hawk. And you throw in some high stakes- a trip to the semifinals on the line? It was always going to be an instant classic.

The lights were bright. And as the game kicked off, it would be Valanora who would outplay the Banijans for the early part of the game. Now, there was an unspoken undercurrent for Banija's run at this tournament so far- the Banijan attack, which had been lights out for World Cup Qualifying, scoring a nearly record-setting 86 goals in their perfect 18-0-0 Qualifying campaign, instead of roaring to life, has been extremely silent at these World Cup Finals. Just four goals across their first four games, two wins and a pair of draws. A 1-0 win against a Ko-oren side that's admittedly tough to break down. A 2-2 draw against Chromatika in the most open game of this tournament that we've played in. And then a 0-0 draw against Mriin. We had a few chances against Brenecia, but we were generally wasteful in front of goal. Fortunately, the skipper volleyed home in the 71st minute for our lone goal in that game.

You know what that means, of course? In the last 180 minutes, we've only scored once. Of course, we've paid only scoring 4 times in four matches with only conceding twice, both goals in the same match. But how to unleash the Banijans going forward? Well, with our offense struggling, Valanora decided to come out of the gates swinging, and trying to take the game directly at us. Just in the fourth minute, a beautiful Simon Kvaal cross found the head of Harlex Saxstrom, who headed the ball over the crossbar. It was a good look- not a chance you'd want to concede early. But Saxstrom wasn't in rhythm yet, so early in the match- the Banijans were fortunate.

Valanora continued to push forward, searching for that goal. It was an indicator of how this match would be- a wide open one between two fierce rivals. The Banijans had a great counter-attacking opportunity in the 10th minute. A pass to Laborious Hawk was intercepted by Mzukisi Nzo, whose team started flying forward. Their strategy was to stretch the Vanorian back three wide, and that they did, with the outlet pass to Madu Okparra. Okparra was able to dribble in close enough for a shot, but he did not have much of an angle as Sean Smørdal parried it away for a corner kick, a corner that would be swung straight into his gloves by Namakula Kawesa.

The game's first goal was scored in the 15th minute. Jakob Larsen, the bruising central midfielder, was dribbling forward when Namakula Kawesa got him from behind with a tackle. It was a clear card- she went through the body, missed a lot of the ball. The card was yellow, and the free kick was given. The distance would officially be 27 yards, a distance that was quite far, but from an angle where scoring was certainly possible. And with Laborious Hawk certainly going to stand over the ball, the Banijans would have to be ready. A wall was created, and Tantoh positioned them. Tantoh was ready as well to make an impact on this game, to try and make a good save. But Laborious Hawk was ready before anyone else. Hawk bent the ball up and over the wall, and into the bottom corner of the net. A diving Francois Tantoh didn't have a chance- and just like that, the score was 1-0 to Valanora.

Their chase for 6 was on. And for Banija, that was what it took to really kick them into gear. They needed something to get their attack going, anything- and from that point forward, the first half was ours. We ended up equalizing in the 26th minute. After some sustained pressure, a long distance shot came in from Madu Okparra. It was too hot to handle, and it was punched back into the field of play. A mishit on the clearance saw the ball bounce right to Namakula Kawesa, who took one touch and buried the ball into the back of the net. The score was level at 1, but the Banijans would be coming back for more. Not long after that, in the 31st minute, we'd score again.

Valanora was on the attack, but it would be Demba Kinteh stepping up and intercepting the pass. Looking toward the attack, he found the goalscorer, Namakula Kawesa, as Banijans raced up field. She turned and hit a long through ball to Gitonga Kahara. As the goalkeeper came out to challenge Kahara one on one, Banija's all-time leading goalscorer simply lifted the ball up and over the head of the helpless goalkeeper, and the ball landed in the back of the net to give the Banijans a 2-1 lead. The crowd was simply roaring- a 1-0 lead for the five-time world champions undone. Both teams had chances to score, as everybody's hearts were racing, but that would be the score as the headed into the break- 2-1, in favor of the Banijans.

Neither side made any changes to start the second half. And it would be the Banijans again, who would score to start the half. Just 3 minutes into the half, the Kadongo Kamu would look to double their lead over Valanora. Some good pieces of play led to a clearance off the back line from Martin Gundersen gave a corner kick to the Banijans. And with Namakula Kawesa taking this corner kick, you expected that the Banijans would be able to make an opportunity out of it. She swung it across, but it was just a little bit too long, as Kahara was on the receiving end of it. The veteran put the ball back into the middle. Jawara flicked it on with his head towards the far post, and Kizza Okafor was there, sliding in to smash the finish home and make the score 3-1 to the Banijans in the 49th minute. The lion was roaring- they had to be the favorites to make the semifinals now.

But this is Valanora. They don't quit- they've a long and proud history, five time world champions, and you do not reach those kinds of peaks by being a quitter. No- Valanora is a team that, no matter the situation, never plays scared, and always has an undying belief in themselves. Down 3 goals to 1 with 41 minutes left in a World Cup Quarterfinal? No problem. The pressure would be on Banija now to hold. And Marcus Waters made his first substitution of the match, when he took off Kizza Okafor and brought Wexax United player Amadi Uche onto the pitch. Try to hold position a little bit better, and try to keep everything in front of them.

But then Valanora starting coming in waves. Attack after attack after attack- it was clear that they were not going down without a fight, and the Banijans would need to find a way to weather this storm. In the 63rd minute, Waters made his second of three substitutions, taking Namakula Kawesa off and bringing on Kiggwe Basamula, to try and stem the tide. But soon after that, Valanora cut Banija's lead in half. A 65th minute pass from Laborious Hawk found the feet of Saxstrom, who was not going to miss a one on one with the goalkeeper. He struck hard and true, finding the far corner to make the score 3-2, with plenty of time remaining to find an equalizer.

The pressure, all of a sudden, was all on Banija. And Valanora was going to push them to their breaking point in the back. The Banijan backline had done so well all tournament- 3 clean sheets in their first four matches. But Valanora was another beast entirely. With Laborious Hawk stringing together the attacks, Tantoh was doing all he could do to keep Banija's adversaries out of the back of the net. He could not succeed entirely, however. Fekati Abdi, who was a bit late, brought down Pánfilo Veliz inside the box. A clear foul. The referee was not as harsh as he could have been, as he did not even brandish a card. But the decision was clear and correct- a penalty awarded to Valanora.

Thor Møller would be the man asked to equalize for Valanora. And he would not throw away his shot- there was no doubt about this one, as he buried it with pace and power into the top corner, a position no goalkeeper in the multiverse could have reached. And in 28 minutes, Banija's lead was gone. Marcus Waters knew he needed to change the flow of the game again. Off came Ilman Jawara, and on came Idai Uster. It'll be interesting, these two going forward. We play a lone #9 with two wingers, but both strikers are starring in big leagues- Ilman Jawara has finished in the team of the season, while in the most recent season of the Nepharim Premiership Idai Uster scored 24 goals, as well as a hat trick in the CdC Final. She's also bagged a game winner in this very tournament, in Banija's opening match against Ko-oren, so Waters was hoping for some more of that magic.

Even though Valanora had the momentum, the game had essentially been reset. An early 1-0 lead for Valanora, then three goals in a row by Banija to take a 3-1 lead, and now, the scores level again at 3. The next goal would win it- and the way the game had been played, surely there would be another. And there was. With Valanora playing a high line after a corner kick, on the counter-attack, a long through ball was sent to Madu Okparra, who plays club football in Valanora. He was able to send his cross on the ground, where Idai Uster made a brilliant play. She got the ball, and as defenders collapsed on her, she made a back heel, no-look pass to Kiggwe Basamula. The Timberwolves attacking midfielder was wide open, 12 yards from goal.

Basamula would not miss. Here in the 86th minute, he buried the ball into the back of the net to give the Kadongo Kamu a 4-3 lead, and to turn the nerves of Banijan fans into pure joy. The final few minutes were nervewracking- and the fourth referee's decision to give 6 minutes of stoppage time much criticized on the Banijan side. But they made it through, and the Banijans celebrated. A 4-3 win over Valanora, and a date with one of their fiercest rivals, Farfadillis, in Pocono City for a berth in the World Cup Final.

That would be discussed later. But what a match. What a day. Banija would make its third World Cup semifinal in four tournaments. As the team celebrated though, they did declare celebrations would be short. "This was a great match." Said the captain, Gitonga Kahara. "Beating an opponent like this, at this stage- it's a fantastic feeling. Every last one of us have grown up watching Laborious Hawk, wanting to be like him. The chance to play against him at a World Cup is a dream come true. The chance to play a team as storied as Valanora, with all those stars on their crest, is a dream."

"You know, we have a job to do while we are here." Said team veteran Kizza Okafor. "We all know the goal- that's why celebrations will be cut short tonight. It's a good win, a strong win. But the Quarterfinals are not the goal. We know where we want to be. We've got to have the mental fortitude to get there. And part of that is the willingness to make those sacrifices. We've got to sleep early tonight, and then tomorrow we'll wake up, watch some film, and prepare for Farfadillis."

The preview for that one will come soon enough. But what a game for Banija, against quite an opponent. Their semifinal matchup against Farfadillis is a mouthwatering one- these two usually combine for lots of goals, but the first two times they've met in the World Cup Finals, Farfadillis came on top both times, once at World Cup 82 and again at World Cup 84. It's a rivalry that will only grow fiercer as the two countries will now share a domestic league. On the other side, Nephara will take on Cassadaigua, ensuring that we will have an Atlantian Oceania v. Rushmore matchup in the final. Who's ready for these semifinals?

[Nephara]

Starblaydia 2 - 2 Nephara (2-2 AET, 3-4 pens)
(4-4-2) 20 - Provost; 18 - Rostock, 5 - Thorn (c), 6 - Brosch, 19 - Strassman; 7 - Kuepper (13 - Belgrade 80'), 4 - Shone (15 - Kastriot 67'), 21 - Moxham, 16 - Caracole; 9 - Bastable, 10 - Lovelace (17 - Basilisk 63')
Goals: Thorn 36', Basilisk 76'

Aranea Provost shifted her shoulders. All of a sudden, that indigo shirt seemed a little too heavy on her, conspicuously-branded gloves somehow a little too tight.
... Again.
God, she was going to have to do something about getting into these pressure situations! But Hesterine was injured again. Or injured still, rather. Fit enough for the bench, and maybe if they hadn't had two great goalkeepers champing at the bit to replace her, she'd have played anyway. But no, Provost was here instead.
It had been a long night. Particularly for her, and she'd done more than she wished she'd have to.
She remembered what came a couple hours before. Felt like longer. All she could do was close her eyes and remember the men in white planting their stances, beating their chests, slamming their thighs...

Huhti se kalonii!
Huhti se vega!

It was always going to be a fantastic day for the ediraf marketing team, that was for sure.
The Oceanic champions against the Rushmori champions. Classy all-whites with understated purple and black trim on one side, a menacing block of green darkening to black on the other. The captains came up for the coin toss; rainbow laces on Cosmo Leopoldi's boots, a rainbow of tattoos down Roxelana Thorn's sleeves.
Leopoldi won the toss. Thorn nodded gravely - as captain, it was her duty to take the flip with good grace and argue vehemently with every subsequent call that went against them for the duration of the game. And for now, she had a job to do. Leopoldi rallied his lads. Thorn rallied hers. Caracole, fresh-faced and coltish, suggested something about turning their backs or deliberately blanking their opponents, but Thorn cut him off.
"We got our rituals, lad, they got theirs. Same purpose, right? Their people were warriors, too. Just like us. Gotta respect people who remember that, in this world of suits we find ourselves in."
She licked her lips, thoughtfully. Nobody else spoke up. But of course the Annalist had a respect for tradition, helping revive a tradition of her own that went all the way back to the free companies.
Thorn picked back up. "Then we kick the shit out of them and win, alright?"

Kalonii se vega!
Ati huhth draki!

It hit all the cliches. Brutally firm and mostly fair Nephara crashed into Starblaydia; scrupulously fair and mostly firm Starblaydia held their own, including an early reducer from Arn Renatovic that sent Lovelace tumbling, sent a boot flying. The referee could hardly do more than caution him. The game was forty seconds old.
Renatovic just chuckled as Lovelace gingerly rose from the ground. He'd made his point, and the Revolutionaries striker wouldn't quite play right all game.
The fault lines in both sides were obvious. Renatovic's bloodthirstiness aside, Starblaydia were open at the back, while Nephara were down to their backup left winger through suspension and leftback through tournament-stopping injury. Moxham would rip the Starblaydi apart if given space, so Shepherd had been given the duty to destroy her, nip at her with niggling little fouls and, ideally, make use of that famous temper to try and make Moxham lash back and get sent off.
Moxham was already feeling irritated, but largely because her roommate, Caracole, had spent last night helpfully telling her about the wonders of meditation and anger management and whatever a 'zen' was. But she sure as hell wasn't about to let him be proven right. She would, remarkably, take the pressure without biting throughout the game, which was only undermined a little when she immediately went to the press after the match to crow about how restrained she'd been.
She'd also crow about her assist. The first half-hour was remarkably short on goalmouth action, with no shots on target from inside the box taken by either side. Pretty play from both sides, for a couple seconds at a time, before someone interrupted things. Bastable did finally find a sliver of space in the box, spin with alarming pace beyond Renatovic and fire a snap-shot across goal that Nick Conway, acting with remarkable alacrity, slid across in time to block with Leopoldi otherwise exposed. A corner, then. Moxham's corner.
There wasn't really much to say. She just aimed for the captain's head, and as usual, hit the target. Not even a centre-half could miss, after doing the hard work of throwing off the pressure of Roshanak.
Set pieces were always going to be a massive advantage for Nephara, with a literal dwarf standing forlornly on the far post, but the Starblaydi weapons were subtler. Hard work backed by technique, chemistry sharpened by shared pace. From a certain perspective, Starblaydia's leveller had much the same simple energy as Thorn's opener; all it was was a beautiful pass through the lines from Jewel Maddison, making fools of those who dismissed her as merely Not Calindra Apelles.
Provost knew she was fucked. Roshanak wasn't just one-on-one; all she had to do was make a show of fronting up to Provost before sliding the ball over to her right.
She didn't even have to look. She knew Jetvanna would be right there to slot the ball home into the open net.
In her head, Daniella Strauss tore up her half-time notes and ate the shredded paper. It was fine. It was cool. It was... zen.

Huhti kamarti;
Va ni harmuhi tuhl;
Ko pape ni fam
NeHuhti daii votar!

Strauss didn't have to be creative. Rather than the rote old message of 'keep tight lads, treat it as 0-0 and the result will come', her bloody-minded stream of consciousness was enough to get across the new message, something along the lines of 'use the overlap' but with a great deal more swearing.
This wasn't really in Linde Rostock's wheelhouse. Obviously, yes, she was a high-class modern fullback. She ran a lot, she could hit a decent cross. But Rovena Stride was arguably the premier attacking fullback in the game.
Stride was somewhere between being rested and dropped, however. Which was to say Strauss had couched Rostock's inclusion as 'tactical'. She wanted, most of all, her rightback to shut down Jetvanna, which she'd mostly done aside from the goal.
Rostock would still go down as having a good game, but Jetvanna could still thrash her for pace if given the chance. Faced down by the winger, Rostock tried to simply pin her in place, but a white shirt came before help in green and the give-and-go with Maddison was simple and effective. Suddenly, the Nepharan defence were exposed again, but Rostock caught up - almost - with Jetvanna, and the goalline was catching up too. Jetvanna raked a cross over the box...
... well over the box. Rostock, who had hauled Jetvanna down into a shared tangle of limbs, breathed a sigh of relief.
Jimenez picked it up on the opposite flank and sent it in again. Not to worry, Provost would--
Oh, shit.
The young goalkeeper was probably on course to be among the world's best two or three. She was not, it turned out, invincible. And in a confused mass of bodies, she got lost, flapped feebly at the cross after getting sandwiched between Brosch and Rostanak. Slapped it away into no-man's-land in the box.
Hey, where'd Maddison come from?
Anyway, it was 2-1, and Rostock had some work to do to get back in Strauss' good books. Her side of the pitch was the side the management could shout at her, and Ivy Herrick had several choice words, it turned out, about a thing she'd stubbornly maintain wasn't her fault.
Just four minutes later, she'd have her chance. Kuepper right up in Wolffe's grille, the leftback glancing up as Rostock raced past him, the moment of hesitation allowing Kuepper to dip a shoulder and go past his other side before sliding the ball to Rostock - just onside! - who had a moment, just a moment, to place a sharp cross in on goal...
It wasn't a beauty. Bastable and Renatovic both went for it, and neither convincingly got it. But as it headed towards the back post, Cosmo Leopoldi stranded, there was Latona Basilisk, fresh and vibrant and so, so vindicated in her overpowering self-belief. She stooped to convert the header, momentum carried her into the net and she celebrated blithely from there, pointing through the webbing at the green and black bloc as her teammates mobbed her from behind.
Exhausted, Linde Rostock just mopped her brow, and began trotting back to her position.

Kalonii se vega!
Ati huhth draki!
Harmuh, harmuh!
Kamar!

The 90 minutes were over and then so too were the 120. Extra time was a matter of tired, wary sides, and the closest either side came to breaking the deadlock was a Chimera Moxham free kick that smashed into the crossbar hard enough to leave a thin crack. It had been a ruthless match. A lot of great passes, a lot of good defending, and utterly nerveless finishing; this meant that neither goalkeeper had exactly made many saves, and Provost had the error to atone for. This, then, was their chance to be a hero.
Kurtis Bastable was first and-- wow. Already? Just one step in his run-up before powering the ball into the top corner, Leopoldi floundering.
Hope Roshanak's was equally convincing, though with different flavour. Her run-up was slow, languid, and Provost's knees buckled, she committed reluctantly out of sheer momentum and saw the ball simply lofted overhead.
Chimera Moxham was exactly the kind of player who would lob a 'keeper in a crucial penalty shootout, too... except she never did like to chip. Always made her look too stupid if it didn't work. Instead, she backed herself. Bottom corner. Nerveless.
Jewel Maddison had played brilliantly, and strode up to the ball with confidence. Perhaps too much confidence. She hit the ball well enough, but her eyes never left her target, and Provost leapt left the moment she could and clawed away the penalty with a powerful hand.
Roxelana Thorn had also played brilliantly. She was also a centre-half. Like Bastable, she went for power. Unlike Bastable, she could only look on as her strike sailed into the sky, and was reportedly later found on the Cosumarite lunar colony of Fevelo and taken as a passive-aggressive invitation to sign up for IFCF competition.
Donald Royce had come on late in the 90 minutes for the excellent water-carrier Shepherd, the kind of player who would give you a 7/10 performance every day. The kind of player who wasn't going to miss a penalty. It might have been saved had Provost known where he'd placed it, not quite in the corner, but she went the wrong way regardless. 2-2, with three taken apiece.
Mercurio Kastriot was another who perhaps surprised fans by being there. A defensive midfielder, yes, but steady. Cool-headed. And fresh, having relayed in for Tawny Shone when it had looked inevitable she'd pick up a caution that'd rule her out of the semifinal if they got that far, and would certainly cripple her in the here and now. His penalty was cool enough, though perhaps if Leopoldi had gone the right way, at a somewhat comfortable height...
Carmine Velasquez had an almost memetic inability to hit the target. Starblaydi fans sucked their teeth. But the diligent all-round forward gave her best shot at redemption today, sending a low, hard strike that feathered under Provost's fingers with too much force to be parried. Provost cried out in frustration. 3-3.
Latona Basilisk was next up. She certainly backed herself. There was a smug self-assurance on her face, borne of youth and arrogance, the kind of look Cosmo Leopoldi would have loved to wipe off her face. He wouldn't get the chance. Basilisk found the ceiling of the net with vicious power.
That left Betanni Jetvanna. All the pressure was on. She had scored, yes, but so had Maddison and Thorn and where had it got them? No room for doubt. No room for thinking what would happen if she failed.
There'd be room for that later, after Provost leapt to her right, saw the ball at pace but a comfortable height and double-handed parried it back where it came from, the sort of scrambling save that in a real game would have Jetvanna simply fire it back into the net but here, no, here there were no second chances. And Provost leapt to her feet, threw off her gloves, viciously kicked a permanent dent in the already-beleagured post - the same goal already marked by Moxham - and bellowed out her own, ancient paean in the finest tradition of the Marcher people...

Nephara, cunts!
It's coming home!

SHOOTOUT
Bastable ✔ Moxham ✔ Thorn - Kastriot ✔ Basilisk ✔
Roshanak ✔ Maddison - Royce ✔ Velasquez ✔ Jetvanna -

[Cassadaigua]

Fillies Take Checkered Over Vilita,
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

Cassadaigua entered World Cup 83, hosted by Equestria and Banija, ranked #19 in the World. After qualifying for that World Cup, they moved up to #16. Up to that point, Cassadaigua had not had an extended run since returning to international play, and it would be then that they would make it to the semifinals. The Fillies would open up that Cup with a 4-1 over Chromatika, and then they would defeat Brenecia, 3-2, to officially clinch their round of sixteen berth after two days. They did not have much to prove against Farfadillis, but would play the Farves to draw, winning Group C. From there, they met up with upstart Reçueçn, who had their surprise run in their first ever attempt to qualify. Cassadaigua was expected to win, and win they would, setting up a match against storied Valanora. They’d win again, continuing their undefeated history against the Marauders in the World Cup, a streak that still lives today. That was an upset, and now in the way would be Equestria. They would lose to that host, and then the other host in the third place game to set up their fourth place finish.

After being named a co-host, Cassadaigua seemed to have plenty of momentum in World Cup 84, and they fared well enough in the Group Stage, but met up with Eura in the round of sixteen and could not advance. Then, we know what happened in the last one. The end result of all that left Cassadaigua ranked in the teens once again for World Cup 86, but perhaps this is where they do their best work? Still good enough to be a threat and get the job done, but somewhat under the radar, enough for others to be considered the bigger challengers. In the Group, Cassadaigua went 2-0-1, winning the games they were supposed to, before losing to Nephara. It was a good campaign, and set the team up with the showdown with Baker Park. Baker Park now boasted the better rank, but most people saw the match as even on paper. The teams had some familiarity with one another, so when the Fillies won that much, no one was really surprised. Perhaps, it wasn’t the way most people would have predicted the game to go too, but it would not go into the category of “upset”. Awaiting next, would be Vilita. This “V”, perhaps much like the “V” we met in World Cup 83, a storied five time World Cup champion that the Fillies have had success against. They have a winning record against Vilita all-time (if Vilita fans wonder and think they have beat us more often, they are probably thinking of nearby Turori, who owns us).

As I looked at the players in their warm up before the game, they did not seem to be any different then you would normally see. They appeared sharp, but how often has anyone watched a warm up where a team looked ready to roll only to fall flat in the actual game (or vice versa?) Each of these teams were hoping for two wins, and if they were to do that, they would go to the Proving Grounds in Tundra Falls. Sounds like that final elimination round of the NSSCRA Chase doesn’t it? On Sonnel, there would be no Stacie Houston or River Suzgar. Maybe they were watching, and they probably were. On the other side of the field, the Vilitans are still hoping to be the first team to win six championships, and in a round of eight that saw three of the five-time champions still alive, this seemed like it might be a good Cup for that. The Çídh brothers, Edmün and Röémün, the starting forwards for the, wait, that was Farfadillis. Let me get that Vilita roster. The experienced Sipke Tarala was hoping to lead the Jungle Cats to the big win for the fourth time on a personal level. They were confident and hungry, just like you would expect out of anything from Vilita.

The green flag would wave for the game, and the first of five 18-minute segments (unofficially, of course) was played mostly in the midfield, not because the teams were afraid to use up their proverbial tires too early, but because both sides were strong in that third of the field, and chances would be limited. At times, there was a chance or two, but neither of the goalkeepers, Tiffany Nelson and Mako Canopii, were tested greatly. However, the second segment would be won by Vilita, as Polaox Torerun, the veteran 33-year old midfielder outmuscled Zack Pierce for a loose ball and sent it forward for Sipke Tarala. Nelson would make the save on Tarala’s shot, however the rebound went to Nii’arala Milaaso, a player who has only won two World Cups, and Milaaso made no mistake to give the Jungle Cats the 1-0 lead, officially coming in the 29th minute.

The third segment of the game was split up with an intermission at 45 minutes, but it would see the Fillies get the equalizer, officially, from Meghan Wolcott, who made a nice run down the left wing, and was found by Rachel Schanke along the way. At times, this play results in the pink and black being offsides, but they were good here by a few feet. Meghan got the 39th minute goal, with a well struck shot that scraped the bottom of the crossbar on its way into the net. All tied at one, and after the competition intermission at 45 minutes, the third segment ended a few minutes after with the still tied at one. Segment four would be evenly played, with neither team getting a goal, but each having quality chances.

In the final segment, Madison McClain, boasting her #27, would be the hero on the day, getting the game winner in the 76th minute. That was not the end of the excitement, and the Jungle Cats had some good chances, but would not be able to tie the game back up, and all the numbers averaged out to a 2-1 Cassadaigua win. They’ll get a top ten for World Cup 86, but won’t make that final four. Cassadaigua will meet Nephara next. Remember when the statisticians called Group G the group of death? Well, I guess they were on to something. Now, unlike last time when the game did not mean anything except for pride, this one means absolutely everything. Both the Fillies and the Cormorants sent a five time champion home, and the match assures that Rushmore will be represented in the Final.

[Farfadillis]

It takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get to a World Cup quarterfinal. Relatively few national teams can count themselves skilled enough—or, sometimes, let’s face it, lucky enough—to have made it that far. Most of the twenty-two players taking the pitch on that day had worked hard their whole life for moments like this. This made rue Cazade’s early goal that much harder to swallow for the Mrii.

They had no doubt planned out everything in advance, carefully analyzing tape after tape, figuring out the Szoirsian midfielder’s movement patterns. No amount of preparation will help you if he can just thundercunt it into the corner from twenty yards out, mind you. Lucky, yes. Nobody can pull those off often, and rue Cazade was no exception. But the latter stages of the World Cup are all about how each team can react to setbacks like that. La Vherderoja was the more experienced team, and it showed for the rest of the first half.

With the Mrii reeling from the shock, Farfadillis took hold of the midfield. With a surprisingly restrained approach, the Farves kept slowly battering their opponents, figuring they would eventually crack. Slick passing play and good dribbling ensured the Mrii had to run and keep running, chasing the ball far too long at times. A few good chances popped up here and there, although Farfadillis only managed to turn one of them into a goal. t’Öéséné lobbed the ball in Röémün Çídh’s direction, the Rulandese striker chested it down for Çí Xôrí, Çí Xôrí passed it to Edmün Çídh, who did not waste time to fire it past Dun Mekeus.

For a World Cup quarterfinal, the Farves were having a remarkably easy time, effectively sailing through. The Mrii were quick to adapt for the second half, however. They took off Tali’raia, who had been quite lethargic and had effectively snuffed out any chances at an attack they might’ve had. In came Äzyr Fæwin, a player that was ready-made to tear apart the Farf defense. Fast and good at getting into spaces? The Farf version of kryptonite.

As if suddenly realizing that they indeed were in a quarterfinal, Mriin started taking control of the game. The Farves were surprised to find themselves getting utterly dominated the first few minutes, presumably having expected their opponents to continue rolling over. They paid for it dearly, as Mriin scored fifteen minutes into the second half. A great long pass from Ÿya Tuuvyr found Äzyr running at full speed, having snuck past Ànáxímane. With Ûsêtêrníx about to close her down, she passed the ball to an incoming Malia Yonen, who took advantage of the state of disarray the Farf defense was at by controlling, entering the box unmarked, then taking a second to place the ball beyond Ibrelaná’s reach.

Awakened by the goal, Farfadillis got back into the game, though they only managed to go from being dominated to making the match just about even. Chances came and went, a few tackles heated up the game, and Wìjìnì arguably should’ve seen a red card at one point. Mriin equalizing seemed about as likely as Farfadillis putting another past them and sealing the game.

With only six minutes to go before injury time, Mriin struck again. A low pass from Malia found—you guessed it—Äzyr running at full speed, having snuck past Ànáxímane. Pam Scott could be seen grabbing her hair by the sidelines. The Mrii striker sent a low cross. Ûsêtêrnìx grazed it, but it found Istria Saara, who’d beaten Fermández to the cross. The Nephara-based striker managed only to hit it, not quite place it. No matter, it’s hard to miss from up close. Two-two and the game was likely heading towards extra time.

A heroic late equalizer, especially when you were two goals down at half time, is a curious thing. Yes, it will energize your team and make them believe that they can do it. It is a double-edged sword, however: the first couple of minutes after it, they’ll struggle to focus. If you’re unlucky, your team will become overconfident.

Perhaps it was lack of experience. The Mrii team was definitely good enough to get past the quarterfinals, but they had no experience doing so, and no tradition of getting past the quarterfinals to lean on, either. Just two minutes after the equalizer, Farfadillis started a lethal counterattack, product of the Mrii chasing an unlikely winner.

Çí Xôrí, who’d tracked back, nipped the ball from Istria just as she was about to shoot from the edge of the box. Ûsêtêrnìx passed it to rue Cazade. The Szoirsian surged past the Mrii, deftly dribbling past Popo Teivanen. He then went for a long pass towards Tôsgo Alxíkí, who was going for the tit-for-tat approach after having snuck past Pia Levaani. The winger left the Brenecia-based fullback biting the dust, cut in, then curled the ball past Dun before Maas Halder could get to it. The ball caressed the netting beautifully. Alxíkí had truly outdone himself.

Farfadillis' third goal made the Mrii go from exhilaration to desperation, and it showed in the last few minutes. They tried and tried to break through. They were extremely unlucky: for whatever reason, the Farves started following Pam Scott’s defensive instructions for once in their lives and became remarkably restrained in attack, only really looking to punish their opponents for overextending themselves.

Farfadillis had two good chances from counterattacks, but Röémün Çídh wasted them. The striker must’ve been extremely relieved when Ibrelaná pulled a rather miraculous save to stop a shot from Malia Yonen, who’d only gone for it out of frustration. In the end, neither team scored any more goals, and Farfadillis made it through to the next round. It had been a very close game, however, and they would no doubt have to play better if they wanted to get past whichever southwestern neighbor they’d be facing in the semifinals.

Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ

“Retruco.”

“Vale Cuatro.”

“Quiero.”

“Fuck,” hissed Archard as Faragó laid down his espadilla—the ace of swords, for you and me. The shit-eating grin was expected, but it still made the play sting all the more.

Faragó gathered the cards and passed them to Lőrensz, who was sitting to his left. The young man started shuffling absent-mindedly. Faragó poured some more beer into his glass. Archard bit his lips. Berény just sat there, satisfied. The kids were so easy to swindle.

“What say you, Beré? Do we put the lads out of their misery?”

“Yeah, sure, let’s draw one flor each and be done with this.” Both cackled. Lőrensz and Archard didn't seem nearly as amused.

Lőrensz handed out the cards. Faragó looked at his hand, and it was terrible. So did Berény, and it was similarly terrible. The kids had each drawn a very good hand, by the looks of it. They had the least convincing truco faces ever, full stop. By closing his eyes, Berény signaled to his teammate that he had a shit hand. Faragó nodded.

“So, where were we anyway?”

“I’d just asked you if you regretted the move to Brinemouth,” Archard asked with a deflated tone.

“And whether you missed Szoirsia.” Lőrensz chipped in, sounding much more lively.

Faragó gulped down half the beer in his glass. “Ahh… good questions.” He brought his hand to his chin and began stroking the beard he didn’t have. “The answers are no and yes, respectively.”

Both Archard and Lőrensz kept staring at Faragó, awaiting a more detailed answer. Berény reached out for his own deck of cards, grabbed it, then began searching for three golds.

“I don’t regret the move cause I was getting bored.” Faragó continued. “Plus the Premiership will up anyone’s play. Not like mine really needed it, but it was nice. You guys have no idea how mind-numbingly boring running riot in Farfadillis was. You can only score so many goals against Sent 01 before wanting to shoot yourself^[1].”

“Well, I can’t relate…” Archard complained. Berény finished changing hands.

“As for missing Szoirsia,” Faragó carried on, ignoring Archard. “It’s kind of inevitable, isn’t it? It’s home, flawed as it may be.” He downed the rest of his beer. “Plus the food in Nephara is shit.”

“Do you miss your family?”

“They’re dead, so that doesn’t factor into it. Honestly, what I miss are the most random things. Giant scorpion meat, the wilder nightclubs, the scorching heat…” He chuckled. “And nostalgia’s hard! The other day I remembered my first kiss, right by the town hall.”

“The what?”

“Ah, right, you’re too young to know what that is.” He looked at Berény, then scratches his nose. “Anyway, yeah, I miss Szoirsia a lot. I even have my wife at home at the moment so she can give birth to our daughter there. Make her a true Szoirsian, you know.”

“That’s, uh, pretty unsafe. And a load of bollocks.” Lőrensz argued.

Faragó just shrugged. “It is what it is. You’ll get it if you ever leave Szoirsia.” He turned towards Archard. “But really, kid, you should be asking Beré over there about his experience. You’re only getting one half of the story here. I can’t tell you what it’s like to stay.”

The two switched their attention to the other side of the table. “It’s nice if you ignore the total collapse of society.” Berény seemed very uninterested. “I may not have had the most illustrious career, but I’ve enjoyed myself and been close to my family. I guess it helps that they’re alive.” Faragó briefly interrupted his search for new cards to stare daggers at him. “You don’t have to be the best player you can be, you know. Sometimes other things take priority.”

“But can’t they take priority after retirement?” Archard countered

Berény laughed. “I guess they can, kid. It’s just not how I roll. Who knows, maybe that’s why I’m third-choice here.” He smiled as his teammate finished grabbing his cards. “Anyway, let’s get on with it, shall we?”

Archard made a few funny faces to indicate that he had a very good hand. Not a flor, sure, but a very good hand nonetheless. Lőrensz smiled, for he had another good hand.

“I have a flor here. What about you, Fara?” Berény announced.

“So do I, my friend, so do I.” They showed their hands simultaneously. Archard was seething, Lőrensz shrugged. “Tough luck, kids. Guess you have to do the laundry tomorrow.” He got up and stretched a bit. “We should hire somebody to do it, really,” he said, pensively.

“Yeah, we should.” Archard agreed, deflated.

Faragó walked towards the door, Berény quickly followed. “Ah, by the way,” he added. “Don’t tell Pam about the beer.”

Both nodded apathetically.

^[1]: This expression does not sound nearly as harsh in Szoirsian, the language in which this exchange is happening.

[Newmanistan]

WORLD CUP 86 - NEWMANISTAN/DRAWKLAND

It's time for one team to head to Newmanistan, while another gets to stay in Drawkland a little longer.

[Drawkland]

WORLD CUP 86 - NEWMANISTAN/DRAWKLAND

Cutoff for World Cup Semifinals

Two teams are on their way To Glory, but which one will actually make the journey to Tundra Falls?

Results

[Nephara]

Nephara 3 - 3 Cassadaigua (5-4 AET)
(4-4-2) 20 - Provost; 2 - Stride (18 - Rostock 73'), 5 - Thorn (c), 22 - Lockheed, 19 - Strassman; 7 - Kuepper, 4 - Shone (15 - Kastriot 59'), 21 - Moxham, 11 - Deventer; 9 - Bastable, 10 - Lovelace (17 - Basilisk 79')
Goals: Moxham 18', Bastable 34' 71' 113' pen, Basilisk 96'

Sometimes it could be a lonely job, this.
Daniella Strauss couldn't quite rouse herself to turn on enough lights in her gloomy office. Just stuck on her own...
Okay, not on her own. She had this lovely, eerily cold bottle of premium chardonnay* that some sponsor had sent over, and the two of them looked to be seeing the night through.
It wasn't that she wasn't... fatigued. Fatigued, yes. Tired, no. Fatigued was what you got when you saw... well...

... and it's Moxham with a curling, dipping strike from outside the box! From nothing! Nelson without a chance...
... Bastable at the near post! Yes! The Cormorants two goals up, deceptively simple assist from Deventer, and he really can ghost in on you, can't he, Catheline...
... the Dagans pull one back! Schanke with a peach of a volley, Provost's arms outstretched, no chance...
... calling for the whistle, now calling for the flag! But it's not coming! And that's 2-2, and it's Rachel Schanke again destroying Strauss' half-time talk...
... and finally, the breakthrough! Cormorants back ahead, Deventer so unlucky to hit the post but that's why you follow in...
... Graham trips and the referee points straight to the spot, Strassman beating the ground with frustration but, yeah, nobody's arguing with the call for once...
... Schanke secures her hat-trick! Unbelievable! Single-handedly, she's clawed the Dagans back level, and the Cormorants defence looks shattered...
... and that's Basilisk breaking clear! Offside? No, the flag stays down, and she's rounded the 'keeper! She rolls the ball into the empty net...
... lasts all of three minutes? Towering header from the veteran substitute Dahlin, but where was the marking? Ah, but it was a true top corner effort, Provost without a chance...
... and Kuepper's brought down! Another penalty! The Cormorants' special relationship with six yards comes to the fore again, and of course it will be Kurtis Bastable...
... never in doubt, thrashed past Nelson, that's Bastable's hat-trick now - is there time for one, final comeback?

There wasn't. Thank God there wasn't, Strauss would've ritually killed herself in the changing room with the aid of her pet sorceress and left her ghost to haunt her defence forever. It was a shitshow of a match thankfully overshadowed by whatever the hell happened in Pocono City.
Hrm. She swirled her authentic chardonnay around in her glass, then drained it. Too weak. She needed something ... stronger, for her nerves, tonight, if she was ever going to settle down.
Almost involuntarily, she found herself opening a drawer, opening a tiny safe** and pulling out a hermetically sealed, black-lacquered jar. There was no label. There needed to be no label.
This was the fabled Old Sideburn's No. 10.
Some thought it a myth, including Daniella Strauss two years ago, until after the lost final to the Free Republics where the FA president had, not unkindly, told her the keycode to the safe. She'd weathered two shots of it then, no more. Only seventy-five jars had ever been produced, a single run from forty years ago. Seventy had been sold, five passed out to the most notable Nepharim of the period. One of whom was Gethin Ramsey. This was that. Supposedly, at their darkest hour of doubt, every manager had turned to it at least once***, deepening the energy within the liquid. Or... something, she was pretty sure that's what her sorceress would tell her.
This was a strange darkest hour, on the verge of a second final. Strauss had managed Nephara to their worst-ever World Cup finish, a single bloody point, and almost gone one step worse the cycle after. But somehow, nothing compared to this. Last time, she'd stuck to her guns, and they'd fallen silent at the worst time. Her talisman had been sent off. The Free Republics had taken the ball and gone home, apparently forever. And now, things still seemed imperfect.
Was her system flawed without its core parts? Her leftback, who really only had half a season of regular starts for Crisisbless, too raw? Her midfield too exposed? She was sure they'd been defensively solid before, but now they hadn't a single clean sheet to their name. Was it Aranea Provost's fault? It didn't seem to be, but she had conceded a lot of goals. And Mercator was fit again now, probably. What about Tawny Shone? She was just the sort to get sent off ludicrously in a World Cup final and ruin everything, and if cards weren't wiped after the quarterfinals she'd have been suspended. Basilisk or Lovelace with Bastable up front? Or something different? Did they move to 4-3-3? Stick or twist?
No wonder she couldn't bloody sleep!
Nothing for it then. Out went the cork. She didn't have a shot-glass. That's fine. What harm could it do to just give it a sip straight from the bottle?

It went down like roast chestnuts and molten tar.

She blinked. She was out on the street, now. It was freezing. Fortunately, she'd had the forethought to bring a scarf.
How exactly had she gone unnoticed?
She leaned back and clonked her head on a stone.
"Shit. What... ?"
She turned, to be confronted with the alarming sight of the Godhead, the giant boulder from a vale near Kensey that looked uncannily like Gethin Ramsey (maybe. If you squinted) and was believed by some of the more fanatical to carry his essence. The burlier ultras hauled it from stadium to stadium. Its stony, thick-jawed visage appeared somehow sterner than usual. Somehow like it wouldn't tolerate any messing about...
Its eyes seemed to glint green in the night.
"Fuck, you're creepy up close." Strauss laughed, nervously. She patted it on the forehead, with a touch of a tipsy stumble in her feet.
"Mm. I can see how it adds pressure," someone murmured. Her voice was crisp, almost delicate, with a brusque undertone of a northwestern accent.
"Yeah. Hey, wait." Strauss squinted at the figure, tall and sharp. And old, though gracefully so. "Why haven't you asked for an autograph?"
The northwesterner chuckled. "I could ask you the same question, Daniella. There'll be time for that."
"... Wait. There's no way... Theresa Riether?"
Riether looked over, a slight twinkle in her pale blue eyes. And, yes, it was unmistakably her - the only manager to ever win the World Cup for Nephara. "Ah, so you did pay some attention to the past. Good."
"I thought you'd be out at Eastweald, still..."
"Hngh. HaerlighetLigan's a thing of the past, as far as I'm concerned. All the uncertainty..." She shrugged. "I took it as my cue to retire. Live properly, again. Maybe even attend a football match as an honest-to-God fan. Ah, I see you found the No. 10..."
"Huh?" Strauss looked down and, yes, it was still in her hand. "Oh... yeah."
"Powerful stuff, hm? You came down here almost in a reverie, like your head wasn't quite guiding your steps. Can safely say that didn't happen to me when I tried it."
"You tried it?" Strauss plonked herself down next to the Godhead, leaning on it. "When was your darkest hour."
"Before my Final. When else?" There was something solemn in her smile. "That whole tournament, I never quite believed what I was seeing. It was meant to be a transitional year. We didn't even really have a bloody defence, it was just Callia running around madly kicking people... Tanith and Elaine carried it all, and Penumbra Amokachi scored the goals. All I did was try and give the midfielders a framework and the strikers a way to use their pace. So we gashed team after team after team, and we had the spirit to come back from setback after setback. Saw a little of that a few days back. Wasn't pretty, but you outlasted Cassadaigua... and you can be sure you'll need to call upon that tomorrow. Banija will score. You can't go in like you did against the Free Republics, all stunned and shell-shocked that they had the temerity to fight back."
Strauss sat back and absorbed Riether's wisdom. Sometimes, even a Nephar had to respect their elders, when they'd done what the new generation strived to replicate.
Riether sighed, and stubbed out her cigarette on a wall. "Ah, but that was a different era. Do you even still remember the LigAnaia? Half our players came from that abomination..."
Something thrummed against Strauss' back. The cobblestones shook gently.
Trust Oceanic foreigners to overcomplicate things with their 'structures' and 'metrics'. Football's a simple game. The ball is round; kick it in their net more than they kick it in ours. Then WIN.
And then it was silent.
Strauss' breathing was ragged. She glanced down at the No. 10, then up at Riether, who just chuckled again.
"Was that..."
The cool night breeze sighed heavily, then rasped into life once more. They let me have a little influence, still. I cling to it. Hard to die, when so many people still remember me so clearly. By all rights, Tess should've been able to step out of my shadow... she won it all, after all. And winning's all that matters.
Riether inclined her head towards the Godhead. "You're too kind, boss. I was standing on the shoulders of giants."
The ... presence harrumphed. Modesty doesn't suit you. Doesn't suit any of us. Doesn't matter that your players were crap, you turned them into a battering ram and you punched down everyone in your way. I won things unironically having to rely on Dale fucking Brightley. And this one... God, did the lower lip almost seem to sneer? This one doubts herself over an injured leftback. As if fullbacks even matter.
"It's the modern game, boss," said Riether, apologetically. "Things evolved."
Yeah, maybe. Never evolved past the point where I could beat them into submission. But the lass is tough. I know she is, she actually bloody played back when we were managing. So many cold nights, so many big bastards out to smash her to a pulp... oh, but I can feel it within her. She has the spirit of someone who used to lash back. She just needs to remember what she used to know... winning is all that matters. Trust your gut to get there. And then she'll have the trophy. And she'll have the hunger for more! And, God above, Nephara will rule the world again...
The thrumming faded into the night breeze. Strauss blinked. She stared at the inert Godhead. She stared back at the No. 10. She stared at Riether. She stared back at the No. 10. She stared at the Godhead.
She had another swig--

Strauss' eyes flashed open just in time to see Ivy Herrick, her loyal and only slightly homicidal assistant, opening the door and striding into the room.
"Oh, good, you're awake. Glad I decided to give you your beauty sleep."
Herrick's face gave the lie to that statement. The scuffmarks and scratches clearly indicating she'd kicked the door for some time underlined it. Strauss decided that sometimes it was better to let things slip.
She sat up in bed, and rubbed her temple. "Nngh, my head, it's..."
"What? What's the matter?"
"It's... fine?" Somehow, she knew that was a final gift from the patriarch. Or maybe she'd just been blackout drunk for long enough to properly hydrate, stumble back to bed and get eight good hours. Sure, that... sounded possible...
"Ehm." Herrick glanced at her clipboard. "Anyway, got some things to sort out. The Margravine wants to give the lads a bit of a rally before the game, tell 'em the nation's depending on 'em and so forth..."
"Tell her to fuck off, I voted Pro Dem."
"Sure, but you can't really tell the Margravine to fuck off, can you, boss. So she'll be calling the lads when they're on the bus coming into the stadium, but she doesn't want to step on your toes."
"Brilliant."
"The witch--"
"She prefers sorceress."
"Whatever. The witch reckons she's made peace with the spirits of Tundra Falls, given 'em an offering on our behalf. They won't be fucking with us in the game today, apparently."
Strauss blinked gormlessly at Herrick. "Hunh. Is this one of those, ah... liminal spaces, or whatever?"
"Shit, I dunno. Pro'lly. Why d'you ask?"
"Ah, don't worry about it. Just... something happened last night. I feel a lot more... sure of myself, I guess. Felt my doubts melting away. I guess." She scratched her neck. "I don't know. Fuck it. I'll be down in a few minutes."
"Sure, boss."
"What time is it, anyway?"
"Past time, boss," said Herrick, pointedly. "But still fashionably so."
"Mm."
Herrick started back towards the door, but Strauss called out again just as she reached it. "Hey, Ivy?"
"Yeah?"
"We finally got a clean bill of health and suspensions?"
"Yeah. Physio gave Hesterine the all-clear last night."
"Great. She's back in the team. Everything else is the same. We're gonna be playing four-four-fucking-two."

* A white from outside the region of Chardonnay isn't genuine chardonnay, it's just flat wine.

** The keycode was '51-64', Nephara's debut Baptism of Fire and World Cup and, effectively, the birthyear of football worldwide.

*** This meant that about a third of the bottle had been drained by Amethyst Fegelein over the course of her eight months in charge.

[Cassadaigua]

Fillies Fall; Final Foe Features Farfadillis,
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights

It was an emotional roller coaster ride in Drawk City as Cassadaigua went head to head with Nephara. If you were a neutral fan, you loved the result. In time, we will look back at this game and realize how much we were entertained even if we were left unsatisfied with the ending. However, let us keep it in perspective, and that is Cassadaigua was the underdog in this match and that winning World Cup 86 was a tremendous expectation. Reasonable? Yes, you could say that Cassadaigua was and still is part of that group of teams that has a very good shot every two years at winning the World Cup, but we are not alone in that. Losing 5-4 has its highs and lows. You will see all of the goals, but then wonder about the ones we let in. Do the Cormorants get one less in regular time if Lupe Enriquez was still in the back? As much as we ask those questions, do realize that Nephara would then be asking the same thing. At the end of the day we were beaten again by this team that we had not crossed paths with much in the World Cup, but the all-around effort by our team was there, and it was great.

The Fillies fell behind 2-0 after 34 minutes, but then the resiliency of this team began to show up. Cassadaigua had not played badly in that period of time, and likely Daniella Strauss was going to remind her team of that if they maintained the two goal lead into the break, but Rachel Schanke had other ideas. She would score not once, but twice, before halftime, and suddenly the game was all tied up at two. You could see her grandmother, Jessica, in her then. This player who has gone through her whole life with the expectation of being a great goal scorer like her World Cup winning relative did looked like she was in the zone now, and ready to do whatever it took, but the leadership that she was showing was incredible. That is not to say she has not been that before, as certainly that was on display, but when you get to this point, you never know if you will be back and Rachel was here, at a younger age, in World Cup 83. She was not asked to have as big of a role then, like she is now.

During intermission, two of the best coaches going today in international soccer, Strauss and Sweeney, looked to make the needed adjustments to break the tie. The early moments of the second half were like a chess match, and when so many goals end up getting scored, it can be easily to overlook the key defensive plays that get made over the course of the match, but they were on display early in the second half. Nephara broke through in the 71st minute, on the second of the game by Kurtis Bastable, and perhaps that would be the difference maker. But the Fillies kept on coming, and in the 80th minute, after a good rush forward by Courtney Graham that saw her be brought down, a penalty was awarded to the pink and black. Taking it would be Rachel Schanke, and as she approached the ball you could see it in her eyes that there was no way that the 23-year old Aranea Provost was going to get in her way. A head nod to her teammates is all she would give, but clearly she was deep in thought. The strike was perfect, and once again, we were all level. Not too long after, we were at full time, all square at three.

Extra time would be upon us, and both teams knew what was on the line and believed they had the answer for how to get through. Little did anyone know, is that one goal would not be enough. In the 99th minute, it looked like 22-year old Latona Basilisk was going to be the hero for her team, making a great play to elude Tiffany Nelson, who herself was now in the biggest match and situation of her professional career, and Basilisk made no mistake. Nephara was now up 4-3, but just as their fans were beginning to tone down their cheering of the goal, Ashley Dahlin silenced that noise and made the Dagan fans now erupt with another equalizer. Once again, Cassadaigua drew level, continuing to fight back and do all that they could.

Unfortunately for us, the deciding moment occurred in the 113th minute when Bastable was awarded a penalty after being brought down by a likely tiring Brooke Sutter. The penalty was the right call and other then some, “Oh come on” groaning from the players and the sidelines, everyone knew that it was the right call, it was just more of a plea to not let it end like this. But, Cassadaigua had their penalty too, earlier, and capitalized. Bastable would do the same, and there was nothing that Tiffany Nelson could do. Again, the Dagans did not go quietly, with Provost needing to make a big stop on Meghan Wolcott in the 119th minute, but in the long run you didn’t feel like the Fillies were completely beaten, they had just run out of time to come back from this hole, much like they had the prior deficits. Still, time had expired, and the 5-4 defeat goes in the books. Cassadagan players seemed frustrated at the result but also seemed to realize that they had done all that they could here.

When you lose in the semifinal, there is always that third place game. So, no going home, and the team prepares to play World Cup 84 champion Farfadillis. Perhaps, they will be space lagged when they get here after their own wild loss, a 7-6 defeat at the hands of Banija. That final will be good, and Cassadagan fans will likely be split in their rooting preference there, but first there is the matter of this third place game. Then, they go home, back to their own planet. Back to Rushmore, and back to their families. World Cup 86 will be a success in the long run, even if on this day it feels unfulfilling.

[Banija]

Setting- RBSA headquarters, day after the completion of World Cup 73 Qualifying

Kizza Kabila was the Executive Chairman of the RBSA. He loved the game of football- and was one of its foremost proponents. This was a time period for Banija when they generally, outside of the quadrennial Quebecois Commonwealth Games, stuck to themselves in terms of sports. With the Olympic Committee of Banija scorning efforts to join international sport in favor of developing inter-Banijan and regional competition, and Kabila trying desperately to get the RBSA to allow him to take a national team to the World Cup Committee and World Cup Qualifying.

He had tried desperately for the last two tournaments- World Cup 71 and World Cup 72. But the old-timers who ran the Executive Committee of the RBSA were adamantly opposed to change. Many old men, well connected men, who liked the way things were. When Kabila had proposed that they modernize the game, and create an actual nation wide league, instead of strictly sticking with the state leagues, he had gotten laughed out of the room. It was not Banija's way, it was not Banija's games, Kabila was told.

But, to be brutally honest about it, those old men had died off. World Cup 73- enough of those old men had died off, and been replaced with their adult sons who were more willing to try something new. Why not? And it would be at that point, the day after the World Cup 72 Final, when permission had been granted. Kabila's dream could come to fruition. Banija. Being a household name. Travelling across the multiverse, playing highly competitive matches against the best the multiverse had to offer. As Executive Chairman, he hired himself to be the team's manager- pulling some double duty.

It was disastrous. The team got 1 point from 3 games in the Baptism of Fire, being forgettable. The team got 0 points from 12 qualifiers, which was extremely embarrassing. Kizza Kabila had spent the entire hourlong session getting lambasted. The Executive Committee fired him from both of his roles- as manager and as Executive Chairman. Although they said that they'd be committed fully to success in the future, they said Kabila clearly wasn't the man for the Job. Kabila knew he was getting a raw deal.

"You know, structurally, the game is not set up for national team success!" Kabila said. "Without a national league, how in the world am I supposed to scout? Too many games to watch, too little time. Look what's happening abroad- scouts flying all across Atlantian Oceania for clubs. We can do that! Improve our club football, and the national team will follow." But the Executive Committee threw him out. Kabila, frustrated, let loose expletives. He spit on the ground. "You will never see my face again." Nearly to tears, being fired just like that after finally achieving his lifelong goal of getting the national team to the international game, he swore off the RBSA and collected his severance check. He would never return.

Fast-forward- Setting is now the village of Kyankwanzi, in the Moravica Region, about 90 minutes northeast of Istria, during the Banija v. Farfadillis

Kizza Kabila was now 93 years old. An old man, who had been walking around with a cane for years. Even all these years later, still, to this day, it gave him pain to watch the Kadongo Kamu. Did he deserve to get fired as a manager? Quite possibly. But to be ousted from the RBSA altogether? Lose his role as Executive Chairman? It made him bitter. He never coached professionally another day again, going into the college ranks and finding success at Northern Moravica University, Banija's largest public school.

What was the irony? Eventually, over the years, the RBSA ended up taking every last one of his suggestions. Establish a regional academy system that could be a youth league- making it easier for BSL clubs, and therefore the national team, to unearth young talent. Get rid of these state leagues, professionalize the game, and create a true, multi-tiered, national pyramid that competed in international club competitions. And obviously, continue to support the national team. He had full support behind him back when he coached- the players back then simply weren't up to the task.

But now, after many years, especially since after Adama Sowe, the now WCC Vice President, took charge of the RBSA, the national team was truly an international powerhouse. Kabila had this vision so many years ago- but it took Adama Sowe for them to really get this into high gear. And now they were playing in their third semifinal in the last four World Cups. Kabila watched sometimes- but as an old man, who had his twin great-granddaughters over at the moment, he knew his priorities. He hadn't gotten the little ones to become football fans just yet. So at halftime, with the game tied at a ridiculous four goals a piece- "fucking Farves", he muttered at halftime, he had taken his granddaughters on a walk.

It had taken longer than expected. He had wanted to get back to the game at the start of the second half, but it was difficult for this old man with a cane to keep up with his young great-granddaughters. By the time they had gotten back to the house, and he settled into the "Dad Chair" of the house, he had to get his bearings onto what was going in with the game. "It's 5-5 Dad!" Kizza's daughter called from the kitchen.

"Who scored?"

"I missed the Farfadillis goal, I'm not sure." She replied. "But it was Bultum who scored for us- headed in a corner kick."

"Oh, good." Kabila said. And he sat back on the couch to watch the game. He had sat down at the wrong time. 74th minute, the Farfadillis attackers pressing forward with yet another attack. For a game that had seen an astonishing 10 goals scored between the two teams, the fact that neither had seperated themselves after all those goals scored was quite crazy. And there would be yet another for the Farfadillis national team. It would be a long ball down the right side, to Tôsgo Alxíkí. He blitzed down the field, and flew past Fekati Abdi. He was also able to beat Demba Kinteh on the dribble, and blasted one into the top hand corner of the goal, near post. Francois Tantoh helplessly threw an arm up, as he didn't have time for anything else.

Brilliant finish. 15 minutes left, Farfadillis led by a score of 6-5. "Oh, for fuck's sake Abdi, get it together!" He yelled.

"Grandpa!" His grand-daughter yelled from the kitchen. "The kids?"

"Oh, sorry." He grumpily replied. The two kids jumped on him.

"Did you say a bad word mzee?" One of his great-granddaughters asked. The other giggled, as they started to tease him for it. He laughed it off, and his mind went to the game. He had a coach's mind- he wondered what tactical move Marcus Waters would go for here? It was a World Cup semifinal- you've got to manage it like your hair's on fire. Breathe that desperation into your players- everything is on the line. There's a fine line, of course, between that sense of urgency and desperation, and that bleeding into panic and despair that will cost you a game before it's over.

Marcus Waters then made a bold move. He used all three of his substitutions at once. First, he took off Fekati Abdi, and put Lama Nyang in his place at left back. Clearly, Waters wasn't happy with the way Abdi had just gotten beat for the sixth goal. Then, it would be Ablie Kah, the 33 year old central midfielder who had just captained his club to a victory in the Atlantian Oceania Champions League, who would enter the game for Kizza Okafor. And lastly, Demba Kinteh, the center back, exited the pitch, in favor of Idai Uster, a striker. He had brought on fresh legs, but the last move was the biggest move. Waters essentially turning the back 4 into a back 3, and the front 3 into a front 4, with Jawara and Uster pairing. Not something Banija would usually do- but what's a more desperate time than being down a goal in the 75th minute of a World Cup semifinal?

It was a bold one. Of course, the Banijans would be incredibly exposed to the counter-attack. But at this point, Waters didn't seem to care. Kabila clapped. He loved aggressive managers, ones who were not afraid to take risks in the biggest moments. And the way the Farf attack could fly up the field- he risked a much higher chance of Farfadillis putting Banija to the sword. But this also gave Banija their best chance to score, putting all their best goalscorers onto the pitch at once. Idai Uster had exploded onto the scene this past season at AFC Treason in Nephara- she's impossible to keep off the pitch in the biggest games.

But it was a move that would pay off. The Banijans started pushing, the Farves, for the first time, trying desperately to follow Pam Scott's managerial instructions to defend. Every moment tense. One could not keep their eyes off of the television. And in the 81st minute, Gitonga Kahara was fouled just outside the box, on the side edge. A free kick- not a good angle to put one on goal, but at least something could be lofted into the box. The captain lifted one into the box, and a powerful header from Ablie Kah hit the hands of Dieje Ibrelaná. The ball rebounded to the feet of Idai Uster, who calmly finished and got the crowd to go wild. Uster had scored her 2nd goal in this tournament. A match winning goal in the tournament's opening game, a match-winning assist in the quarterfinal, and now a late equalizer in the semifinal, all off the bench? What a tournament for Uster.

It was 6-6. The Banijans, having no more substitutes left, and playing a front 4, had no choice but to go for it. With just 3 defenders, there was no way they'd be able to keep Farfadillis out of the back of the net if they sat back, defended, and tried to stall to extra time. There was enough firepower to keep the efforts on goal. Uster almost had the winner herself, rocketing a shot past Dieje Ibrelaná in the 83rd minute, but one that was about 6 inches above the crossbar. Wijini, the Busukuma AC player who is a winger for Farfadillis, almost had the go-ahead goal in the 87th when he hit a brilliant left-footed volley, but it was brilliantly saved by Tantoh.

There was 6 minutes of stoppage time- not an unreasonable amount considering the fact the game had seen 12 goals. But it would be the first minute of stoppage where the game would be ended. An interception at midfield by Mzukisi Nzo saw the Banijans able to press, once more. Idai Uster turned, and got the ball. She played the ball forward to her temporary strike partner, Ilman Jawara. Jawara then hit a left footed cross to Madu Okparra, the Raynor City United winger. Okparra got the ball at his feet, and played it to a trailing Ablie Kah. Kah hit the ball, first time, and got every bit of that ball. It went with power and pace directly to the upper corner of the net.

"YESSSSSS!" Kabila yelled. His granddaughter came rushing from the kitchen, and high-fived Kabila. "We're gonna fucking win!" His granddaughter glared at him, but he had no thoughts about language right now. The World Cup Final was within reach. All they had to do was figure out the last five minutes. And with all these attackers on the pitch for Banija, it would not be easy. But everyone dug deep inside themselves. Farf had a great chance right at the death, in the last minute of stoppage time, when they seemingly had broken through to goal, but a game saving slide tackle by Gitonga Kahara on Edmün Çídh clinched the game.

The final whistle blew. Kizza Kabila had nearly broken down. This was the vision he had for Banija, all those years ago, when he had presented his plan to the RBSA's stakeholders. Banija. Making the climb. Competing for championships. Internationally respected. And then, almost immediately, Kabila's wife walked into the room. "Kizza, you've got a phone call." She said.

"From who?" Kizza replied. And then his wife tossed him the phone. He caught it, and as soon as he did, the instantly recognizable deep voice spoke- the voice of the current RBSA Executive Chairman, Robel Ezera. They spoke briefly. Robel Ezera said that with the high capacity at the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, their ability for a larger travelling party had expanded. He was a former NT manager- he'd of course get invited.

Kizza Kabila had not been at a RBSA event since he had been fired. But this would be too large- the World Cup Final? He could not miss this for the world. He hung up the phone. "Pack your bags guys!" Kizza Kabila yelled. "At this time tomorrow, we're flying first class to Tundra Falls!"

World Cup 86 Semifinal

Farfadillis 6               -                7 Banija
Faragó rue Cazade   4'                   Ilman Jawara    10'  (penalty)
Vínseslâdís Wìjìnì 11'                  Namakula Kawesa  19'
Röémün Çídh        15'                  Gitonga Kahara   25'
Edmün Çídh(1)     45+2'                 Madu Okparra     37'
Edmün Çídh(2)      61'                   Kuma Bultum     48'
Tôsgo Alxíkí       74'                     Idai Uster    81'
                                           Ablie Kah    90+1'
                                        
Played at the Emperor Michael IV Stadium in Pocono City, Newmanistan
Attendance: 88,500
Banijan Starting XI: 35 - Francois Tantoh; 27 - Uzoma Iruka, 3 - Bultum, 5 - Kinteh, 13 - Abdi; 6 - Nzo, 8 - Okafor, 10 - Kawesa; 22 - Okparra, 17 - Jawara, 11 - Kahara (c)
Banijan Substitutions: Nyang -> Abdi (74'), Kah -> Okafor (74'), Uster -> Kinteh (74')

[Newmanistan]

WORLD CUP 86 - NEWMANISTAN/DRAWKLAND

This cutoff for the 3rd place game will be the final time I cutoff for the World Cup. Thank you for allowing me to be one of your hosts and for all of the entertaining reads during the competition.

[Banija]

Game of the Century- #1 v #2 as Banija and Nephara will play in the World Cup Final at the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds


Banijan fans during their World Cup Semifinal against Farfadillis in Pocono City

TUNDRA FALLS, NEWMANISTAN- As the saying goes, "third time's the charm." The Kadongo Kamu won one of the craziest World Cup semifinals in history, coming out on the positive end of a back and forth, chaotic, and absolutely wild 7-6 game against a squad that thrives in the chaos- Farfadillis. Even Marcus Waters said that there wasn't much to draw from that game- other than the fact that two excellent rivals gave it everything they had and left it all on the field. Except there is still another game to be played, yet an even bigger one than that- Banija's win over Farfadillis, with the go-ahead goal happening courtesy of Ablie Kah in the 1st minute of stoppage time, put our squad in our first ever World Cup Final.

One versus two. In college gridiron football, an extremely popular sport in Banija, when the #1 and #2 ranked teams play each other, it is called a "game of the century." It is called that, of course, because it is a rare occurrence in the sport, with the way the season is set up in the NSCF. And surprisingly, it is a rare occurrence for a World Cup Final. It can be hard for both the #1 and #2 team to reach a Final- with the competitiveness at a World Cup, they can easily be knocked out before. Or they can be drawn on the same side of the bracket. Even last time, world #2 Farfadillis, the defending champions, were knocked out in the group stages, while #1 Vilita was knocked out in the Round of 16(by Banija!). Indeed, in World Cups 81-85, the only time the #2 team in the KPB rankings made it out of the group stages was World Cup 84, when #2 Nephara got themselves a bronze medal.

Now, think bigger than that. When was the last time the #1 and #2 teams in the KPBs played each other in the World Cup? It almost happened in World Cup 79, when #1 Schottia and #2 Farfadillis both reached the semifinals, although on opposite sides of the bracket. While Schottia won their semifinal, Bonesea drove then #2 Farfadillis to the sword, by a score of 4-1. The last time the #1 and #2 teams in the KPBs met at a World Cup was World Cup 74, when #2 Eura beat defending World Cup champions and world #1 Pasarga in a wild game, by a score of 6-5 in the Round of 16. That was the final part of a three-part epic rivalry between World Cup 72 and 74 for the two Rushmori nations. World Cup 72 Final, they played each other, with Pasarga beating Eura. Then in the World Cup 73 Final, Eura beat Pasarga. Then, in the World Cup 74 Round of 16, they played again. Far and away the two best teams in the multiverse for three cycles- diving into that is deserving of its own full-length article. Interestingly, World Cup 74 was where that duopoly fell and Nephara won the World Cup, the third in a row for Rushmore.

So for the first time since World Cup 74, the top two teams by rank will play in a World Cup, and the first time since 73 that it will occur in a World Cup Final. And both teams have proven that they are well-deserving of their rank. Neither team has lost a competitive match since the regionals. The two went a combined 35-1-0(W-D-L) during World Cup Qualifying, and neither team losing a match at these World Cup Finals. Both teams have spent the last few cycles building towards this moment as well. Banija, with bronze medals in World Cup 83 and 85, looking to finally finish the job, while Nephara got a bronze at 84 alongside a silver at 85. Both sets of fans would passionately argue that after having been so close for the past few tournaments, this is their time, and their turn, to reach the mountaintop. It is abundantly clear that the Kadongo Kamu and The Cormorants are the two best teams in the multiverse, and this match, built up over the years as the two countries play for the first time ever, will determine three things at once- who is the better squad, who will be the world #1, and most importantly, who will be able to call themselves world champions.

This is a special edition preview. Our first ever World Cup Final, Nephara's third. We'll dive into all sorts of aspects of this match, everything you wanted to know.

Where's the Party?

Of course, as a fan, you want to know where the party is. Obviously, the final will be played at the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, in Newmanistan. This will be Banija's third match of the tournament there- we drew Mriin 0-0 there on Matchday 3 of the group stages, and then stayed in the city and beat Brenecia 1-0 there in the Round of 16. And, of course, with the gargantuan stadium capacity due to the place being surrounded by a racing track, so many tickets are available that these are the cheapest World Cup Final tickets in a number of years. Of course, they aren't cheap- two sets of fan bases, hungry and burned by close opportunities in recent years, will fill the stadium, alongside locals who want to witness history.

Banijans and Nepharims will be taking over Tundra Falls. As far as we know, every bar will be packed, and street parties will be everywhere. All across Banija, there will be massive viewing parties for this matchup. Basically every town and every bar will have some sort of viewing party. The game, of course, is occurring Sunday night Banija time. The Premier of the Moravica Region has already shut down schools on Monday, saying kids should watch this 'once in a lifetime event'. Numerous school districts across the country will do the same. Big screens are being set up, town squares are being cleared so they can be filled tonight. This will, for obvious reasons, be the highest rated sporting event in Banijan history.

The party doesn't' stop there. The RBSA has had a great allocation of tickets, and have ensured a number of VIPs will be there. Essentially the entire Royal Family is travelling to Tundra Falls, with Kabaka(King) Mwanga himself leading the charge. Every former national team player has been invited(although they'll have to buy their ticket, they will be seated together in an upper corner of the stadium). Even Kizza Kabila and Jan Cassallerus, the first two managers of the Banijan NT, have been invited. Ousman Kaba, the Co-Chairman of the XIV Olympic Istria/Orean Host Committee, has been invited. Adama Sowe, the WCC Vice President, will obviously be there. Anybody who is anybody will be there.

And, of course, look to Corvistone. There is a small Banijan community in Nephara's capitol city, numbering around 6,000. But one of our correspondents will be reporting from there, and has said that there are Banijan flags up everywhere in that corner of the capitol. The local LDS temple has both Banijan flags and Nephara flags hanging from it, and they expect 1 or 2 bars to be evenly mixed between Nephara and Banija supporters. To be quite honest, that might be the most fun place in the multiverse, outside of Tundra Falls itself, to watch the game- watching everybody react to each moment in real time.

Is this the peak for both teams?

Like we've said earlier, both teams have spent years building up to this moment. The Banijans, who qualified for the Finals in World Cup 80, have already had a number of deep runs. This isn't luck- we've spent years building towards this moment. World Cup 83 semifinals, was admittedly out of nowhere. But we made sure it wasn't a flash in the pan. The quarterfinals the next tournament. Back into the semifinals for World Cup 85, where we suffered a devastating loss to the Free Republics. And then, World Cup 86. We managed to win our semifinal. Nephara has had the same sort of thing. A run to the semifinals in World Cup 84, to medal. They went to the World Cup 85 Final, only, just like Banija, to be upset by the Free Republics. And now, in World Cup 86, this Banija v. Nephara matchup is finally happening.

Of course, while both are building quite a gap away from the rest of the KPB rankings, looking at their squads, teams that may be set to dominate World football will see change soon. Look at Banija- a lot of the younger players on the peripheries of the squad will force their way into the 23 next cycle. Players like Kizza Okafor and Gitonga Kahara, both key contributors for many years, those links to the World Cup 80 squad, will almost certainly be playing their final competitive match for the national team at the World Cup Final. And Nephara as well. Banija has two starters aged 26 or younger. Nephara just has 4. Will their current setups have another crack at it? Or will this be their last gasps, as these players exit their primes and younger national teams, like Farfadillis or Siovanija & Teusland, step up and take their place? You never know how many opportunities you will have at a trophy like this- you've got to take them.

Club Connection

There are plenty of Nephara nationals who have had quite an impact on the Banijan Soccer League, although no BSL clubs have quite been able to grab themselves a Nephara national teamer yet. The biggest one, of course, is Mark Grayson. A manager who came to the BSL so many years ago, just when it was beginning its rise in international football, he bet on both himself and the league. He bet that he could succeed in this extremely young league, even one with all the then limitations on Banijan football. And, of course, he bet that the league would grow and become more competitive.

A pair of excellent seasons at the Herzegovina Phoenix, where he took a middling club to punch above its weight and earn UICA berths, gave him the job for the Hoima Warriors. A team that had its spirit broken by years of missing out on the top 5, he took the big club back to where it belonged. It took some time, but he changed the culture, got the players, and built the team the right way. And when the opportunity came for the final piece, Gitonga Kahara suddenly available, he was ready. This manager took the Warriors to the top, winning the BSL in style and putting the Ankole squad into the group stages of the upcoming IFCF Champions League. There are always been more Nephara nationals in this league than any other(although that is true for many countries), and one cannot deny the impact that Nepharim talent has had on the rise of Banijan football.

But it goes the other way around as well. While not nearly as many Banijans have played in Nephara, there are two specifically where the impact has been outsized. First, let's go to Chibuzo Afolayan. All those years ago, leaving Askatasuna FC for a then BSL record $5.5 million fee to go to AFC Corvistone. The new big club, who at that point wasn't even in the Premiership. But in all those years, he's become a club legend at AFC Corvistone, helping leading them to becoming a consistency Premiership fixture that can even compete for Challenger's Cup places. And it helped the national team. Afolayan showing that he could thrive in the multiverse's most competitive league paved the way for Banijans after him. He wasn't the first to go abroad, but his signing was the first to really bring attention. Would players like Kuma Bultum, or Mzukisi Nzo, or Namakula Kawesa, to name a few, have gotten those big money foreign contracts if Afolayan had bombed out in Nephara? Probably not.

So the connections are deep. Nephara has more footballing connections with more countries than almost anywhere in the world, thanks to their love of the game. They produce a crazy number of professional footballers, and they are willing to play in almost any country. In turn, they go abroad, players and managers, and thrive basically everywhere they go. So what does that Banijan connection mean to Nephara? Not much, we'd presume, although we'd have to ask. But that Banija-Nephara football connection has been invaluable in the rise of Banijan football, from afterthoughts and also-rans almost to the top of the global game.

That also brings you to club teammates who will be playing in this game. Kizza Okafor and Latona Basilisk both play for the Coret Hawks, and will both probably play in this Final. A trio of AFC Treason players, Gabriel Lockheed, Lothaire Cromwell, and Rovena Stride play for their national team. Idai Uster, who led AFC Treason in goalscoring as they won the Nepharim Premiership, will almost surely feature. While she normally comes off the bench, thanks to her sizzling form from the club season, our analysts say "she's in too good form to not play in this Final." She's arguably playing better than Ilman Jawara, the nominal starter at the position. While Marcus Waters is unlikely to change a starting lineup that has gotten him this far, analysts expect Uster to play an important role in this game, and the chances of her club teammates in Nephara's back line getting to face their club striker teammate are quite high.

X-Factors

Who will be the X-Factors in this game? Both teams have shown that they are capable of winning all sorts of ways. Neither will be easy to beat- obviously, as neither team has lost in this tournament, or in qualifying. The X-Factor for Banija, naturally, has to be the captain, Gitonga Kahara. The heart and soul of the national team, the man who has played in every single World Cup game Banija has ever played in, bar one(World Cup 84, group stage, Matchday 3), and that was due to suspension. The all-time leading goalscorer, the man who has come with such expectation in his career.

People said he would be the man to lead Banija to glory. And since his youth, when he rocketed us to the DBC 42 semifinals, he arguably has done his job. In those days, Banija wasn't qualifying. Now, we are ranked #1 and find ourselves in the World Cup Final for the first time. This is his second major final, starting on the team that reached the AOCAF LVIII Final(and lost to archrivals Equestria). He's had himself a sterling club career. He just led the Hoima Warriors to their first league title in forever domestically, and won the BSL MVP to boot. He's captained the side to an Eagle's Cup victory. But he's been desperate to win a major tournament with the national team.

It's something we've never done. We've only gotten past the AOCAF Quarterfinals one time. 1-4 all-time in those quarterfinals. How does it make any sort of sense that we have reached three World Cup semifinals but only one regional semifinal? We have no idea. But to captain the side to a World Cup victory? It would be unlike anything we've ever seen. His legacy would not be missing anything. He'd go into the Hall of Fame, undisputed stake as the greatest Banijan player of all time. But he's gotta produce. He's 35 years old, how much does he have left? He's gotta empty the tank here- there are no more games left to rest for.

For Nephara, we'll have to say the obvious- Kurtis Bastable. Bastable had a hat trick in the semifinal to eliminated Cassadaigua, including both of Nephara's goals in extra time. He did not get tired after 120 minutes of football, that had followed another 120 minutes in the quarterfinal. He stepped up and thrived anyways. Some players could have been tired and run ragged after two straight extra time games, but Bastable simply saw his moment and took it. Both teams could be emotionally drained- but Bastable clearly has boundless energy. He could beat the Banijans at any point and time.

Who will win?

Who knows? It's hard to say. The only loss either side has had since the start of Qualifying is Banija's 3-1 friendly loss to Siovanija & Teusland before the Finals. Banija has won all sorts of games. We've gritted out 1-0 wins this tournament over Brenecia and Ko-oren. We've won spectacular shootouts, downing Valanora 4-3 before beating Farfadillis 7-6. Any style, up and down, or tight and organized, and we are ready to meet the challenge. Same with Nephara. Their offense has been unlocked the whole tournament, scoring multiple goals each game, while even having the nerve to win on penalties against Starblaydia.

We, of course, won't predict a winner. But you know who we're rooting for. Hopefully, the Proving Grounds will go down in Banijan lore as the site of our greatest ever victory. As always, go Banija!

[Drawkland]

WORLD CUP 86 - NEWMANISTAN/DRAWKLAND

Cutoff for World Cup Championship.

It's time for the championship.

The #1 vs the #2. Both teams, technically undefeated through this cycle. They've beaten all in their path.

There is only one match left. Thousands, perhaps millions of fans, will be watching. Tens of thousands flow into the Proving Grounds to see a future World Cup champion prove their worth. Hundreds of thousands flow into the outerlying Proving Grounds venues to watch the action as close as possible to where it's happening. Banijans, Nepharim, Newmanistanis, Drawkians, people from every sporting nation in the multiverse. They're all here, on the edges of their seats.

85 matches have been contested to determine the official World Champions (just ignore whatever Jeremy Jaffacake and Defecating Daffodil say about who the World Champion is). Now, we add another match to the most hallowed hall of matches in NationStates history.

The Spirits are alive.

The fans are alive.

The teams are here.

Who etches their name into history?

They do.

[Banija]

Gitonga Kahara, World Cup 86 Final

Banija's captain had it's hands on his head, in the surrender cobra position. Oh, how this game was slipping away from the Kadongo Kamu. He knew he should have demanded to take that penalty. But with Banija's primary penalty taker, Ilman Jawara, off the pitch, the manager had given the responsibility to Idai Uster. And despite the terrific tournament she's been having, three goals off the bench during these Finals, after her leading AFC Treason's front line on their way to a Nepharim Premiership title, the movement had proven too big for her.

How did they get to this point? It was hyped up as a battle for the ages, this World Cup Final- Banija v. Nephara. The gargantuan stadium that they were playing at in Newmanistan was filled to the absolute brim. Even Gitonga Kahara, who had never played in a match of this caliber before(very few people had) was surprised with all the pomp and circumstance that came with a World Cup Final. Recording a hype video for Banijan fans. The entrance. The five days between their semifinal and this Final, he had gotten more media attention in those five days than ever before.

It had to have been a spectacular Final to watch from a neutral's point of view. Often times, nerves can set in quickly when you get into a Final. Both teams will try to defend, the game will not be an open one, as everyone plays with the fear of losing rather than playing to win. But with these two teams, two teams who were both in sizzling form, the urge was strong to go out and get the win. Neither team sat back, playing not to lose- they both went for it straight from the get go. Nephara had been here before. Banija had not been here before, but they had spent so many years getting here, they did not want to let this opportunity go to waste. Both sides knew nothing was guaranteed in this life- if you don't take this opportunity now, when would you ever have it again?

It would be the Nephara national team that would strike first. In a game where the first few minutes already had both goalkeepers make sprawling saves, with Ilman Jawara and Bastable both testing the opposing team's goalkeepers early on. But it would be a moment of brilliance from one of Nephara's many playmakers that would give the Banijans an early lead. There was buildup play happening for Nephara, as they had a few sustained moments of possession. They would not fail here. Chimera Moxham was dribbling up the edge of the box, and then pulled it back to send a nice, little bouncing chip across the face of the box. Not powerful and bending- just a small one. But it was perfectly placed, as the play was timed perfectly to release Morena Deventer. Deventer was onside, and on the receiving end of the cross, she blasted the ball into the back of the net. Tantoh didn't have a chance in hell of getting back in time, and Nephara would have the early lead in the 9th minute, by a score of 1-0.

"C'mon guys, it's still early!" Yelled Kahara as half the stadium erupted and Nephara's bench sprinted down towards the corner. He clapped his hands and his teammates looked at him, seeing the determined look on his face. Kahara had not decided his future- but he knew how few chances he had left to win the big one for his country. Yes, they had taken an early hit, but that would not be the final story. Banija pressed on after the restart, and had created a few chances. A free Ilman Jawara header in the 14th minute went straight into the chest of Mercator. An 18th minute volley from 6 yards out beat the keeper, but was cleared off the line by the Nephara captain, Roxelana Thorn. Banija's goal would come from the most unexpected of sources.

They had players up around the box, the team pressing high, trying to search for an equalizer. A Kahara cross had been punched away by Mercator, but not very powerfully. It landed at the feet of Fekati Abdi. The left back who rarely scores, he took a step to his left. Kahara was almost screaming at him to pass the ball left. But Abdi look up and struck his dominant left foot through the ball. It rocketed towards the top corner. A brilliant finish, Kahara could only yell "Fekati!" as the Banijan left back was mobbed by his teammates in the corner. The score was 1-1, and it was the unlikeliest of goalscorers- Fekati Abdi, who hadn't scored the entire cycle, even during Qualifying, scoring his first goal of the cycle in the World Cup Final.

Both teams went back and forth from that point forward. Each side attempting to create chances, but neither able to do much with them. Everybody was on high alert. But Gitonga Kahara himself would get his chance to make his mark on the game. In the 43rd minute, an Ilman Jawara shot from outside the box went to the hand of Ilyana Brosch, and it was called a handball and a free kick. It was a harsh call- it seemed as if it went ball to hand, as Brosch's arms were at her side, but the Banijans were not complaining. Kahara would naturally stand over it. He thought back to all the times he had taken this free kick.

He thought back, specifically, to the favorite free kick of his life. All the way back to his times as a boy. Playing in the city tournament, in Herzegovina City. That was a final. Not much of a crowd, of course, for U12 soccer back in the day. But he had been marked for superstardom seemingly from berth- he was not going to be denied. One of his cousins was the goalkeeper for the other team. He had put the ball up and over the wall, bending into the bottom corner. A kick that he'd always remember. His late Father had taken him out for steak that night as a reward. And now, 23 years later, on a much bigger stage, he'd have a chance to repeat the feat.

He whispered, "this one's for you Dad", and made the sign of the cross. When the referee blew his whistle, Kahara stepped up and struck hard and true. Mercator didn't have a chance in the net, as she simply watched the ball go into the corner. "YESSS!!" Kahara yelled as he sprinted to the corner. Banija led for the first time all match, by a score of 2-1. Kahara had done it, the dream of every child- scoring a goal in the World Cup Final. He was buried under a pile of bodies as the Nephara fans simply looked at him, while the Banijan fans on the other side of the stadium were losing their minds.

They quickly went into halftime. Marcus Waters had given them his speech. "Remember, we are 45 minutes from achieving our goals. But don't think about the pressure! We have to see out this match. Our opponent will pounce on every single mistake. You must play smart, you must play with your heads. Imagine the opportunity to get your hands on that trophy. Think about all this time we've spent together. We've had the same squad largely since AOCAF 60. Four major tournaments together. Think about your sacrifices you've made, before you got here and since you've got here. Giving up drinking. The time you could've spent with your friends that you are spending watching film. This is what it's for. The opportunity to call yourself a world champion is one that rarely comes along. But it's got to be earned. Are you ready?"

Banijans came out in the second half like gangbusters. Putting Nephara on the back heel, Nephara was forced to defend and counter. Of course, Nephara certainly has the ability to coutner-attack, but for the first 15 minutes of the second half, it seemed all the more likely that Banija would score. And when Ilman Jawara came up limping with a cramp in his right leg, Waters took off his striker and put Uster long. Daniella Strauss also made a striker change, although it was a tactical one, with Lovelace coming off for Basilisk. It wouldn't take long for Idai Uster to make an impact- an almost perfect cross from Madu Okparra found the head of a streaking Idai Uster, who slammed her head forward and blasted the ball into the back of the net.

With a half hour plus stoppage time left, the Banijans led, 3-1. All of a sudden, they could see their path clear up, just a little bit, towards that trophy. Wandering minds in the stands as Banijans started to truly believe that the glory they had come to Tundra Falls to seek was achievable. But Daniella Strauss was never going to simply let her squad roll over. Remember, this exact same lead against Valanora didn't last at all. Nephara came forward with everything they had, throwing players and numbers forward in search of a goal to get them back into the game. It would not take them long to find it. A free kick saw Kizza Okafor marking his club teammate for the Coret Hawks, Latona Basilisk. Basilisk blew by him and powerfully slammed a header home. The lead was cut in half, and Nephara had life. The Nephara fans behind the Banijan goal roared, and the Banijan fans started biting their nails nervously. A flare was put into the Godhead's mouth as Nephara's ultras celebrated. Basilisk flexed her right arm muscle and stared directly at Tantoh. A taunt, of course, that the referee missed. Bastable fished the ball out of the net, and got her sprinting back to the center line, urging a quick restart.

The Banijans had 25 minutes to defend. This was their final test of the World Cup- could they hold onto a lead for a long time? They had late winners against Farfadillis, Ko-oren, Brenecia, and Valanora, scoring winners in all four of those games after the 70th minute. They held on for a 0-0 draw against Mriin. They had a draw against Chromatika. But now they'd be asked to hold onto this lead for the rest of the half. Both managers made changes after the Basilisk goal. Belgrade came on for Kuepper for Nephara, while Starling defender Kawsu Kaba came on for Banija to turn the back four into a back five, and the front three into a front 2, with Idai Uster and Gitonga Kahara playing those striker spots. And the Banijans defended desperately. Nephara was in their end, doing everything possible to try and score. Uche came onto the pitch for Kizza Okafor, seemingly to no avail. Numbers forward, crosses floated in, long distance, short distance, name it- they could not break through.

In the 80th minute, we had a chance to bury the game. After a corner kick was caught by Tantoh, instead of falling on it, he sprinted up and sent a booming punt downfield. Kahara was sprinting down the pitch. At this point, Nephara was only really playing two defenders on the back line. So it was a 3 on 2, with Kawesa dribbling down the center of the pitch, with Okparra and Kahara ahead of her. Kawesa played it through to Kahara, and even at 35 years old, the Banijan captain had a burst of energy at this late hour. Nephara, who had played two straight games that had gone to 120 minutes, were just a little bit worn out. Roxelana Thorn was sprinting to catch up to Kahara. Captain on captain. As Kahara was in on goal, Thorn came sliding in from behind.

"FUCK!" Kahara yelled as the crunching tackle came in from behind. He grabbed his leg, feeling the temporary pain that came with every tackle. Thorn, of course, didn't have a chance, given the time and place. The referee blew his whistle, and immediately pointed to the spot. He pointed at Thorn, and brandished a yellow card. Kahara was incredulous. "Yellow? That was a clear goalscoring opportunity!" He screamed at the referee. The referee waved off his concerns, and emphasized that he had given the penalty. The referee wasn't going to give a red card in the World Cup Final unless he absolutely had to. Which was reasonable.

With Jawara off the pitch, they didn't know who would take it. They both looked at Marcus Waters, who was trying to be heard. Ultimately, Waters made the #19 signal- Idai Uster's number. Kahara gave her the ball. "Bury it for me." He said. He could see the stress in the star striker's eyes. But she was determined. Giving Banija a 4-2 lead with 10 minutes left? Surely that would end it. The Banijan fans behind the goal were in near silence as Uster stepped up. They were doing the trademark spirit fingers. The Nephara fans, across the pitch, making as much noise as possible. The referee gave his signal. Uster stepped up and blasted it to the goalkeeper's left. But Hesterine Mercator was ready. She dove left, and got a hand on the ball. The Banijans looked dejected. Nephara fans roared. Idai Uster hung her head. And after briefly putting his hands on his head in shock, he ran over to the team's striker. "Idai, keep your head up. We can still win this, we're still winning. We've got to go back and defend and grind thi sout."

"C'mon guys, we've got a job to do, we can win this!" Kahara yelled. They'd need to get over the sorrow of their miss, and quickly. 11 behind the ball, for the rest of the match. Nephara was stifled. They'd try to get the ball into the box, get themselves a clear opportunity, but Banijan bodies everywhere. Defending like their lives depended on it. The attempts at counter-attacking were over- a rarity for a Banijan squad that loved to put teams to the sword via the counter. And Nephara simply could not take advantage of the penalty save. And after the longest 6 minutes of stoppage time of his entire life, the referee finally blew the whistle three times.

"OH MY GOD!" Kahara yelled as half the stadium roared. The Nephara players hit the ground, suffering their first loss since the group stages of the Copa Rushmori XXV. Banijan players started sprinting everywhere. Tears ran down Gitonga Kahara's face as he hit his knees. He had finally done it. One of his coaches came to hug him, he wasn't even sure who at this point. All those years, everything he had done, his whole life leading to this moment. Almost storybook.

He thought back to the moments in his life that brought him here. When he went as a young boy to Project Olimpo, as one of only a few black kids at the world's most prestigious youth academy. When he starred in that league. When he got name recognition at DBC 42, the U21 World Cup. When he first put on the green jersey. When Banija qualified for their first World Cup, in World Cup 80. All those caps for Banija. All those goals for Banija. The risks he took. Leaving Project Olimpo early to go to Ceni. Going from Ceni to Cosumar. Going back to Banija this past season, and winning the Banijan Soccer League. He was overwhelmed emotionally.

Eventually, he was told to get up. He exchanged jerseys with the Nephara captain, Roxelana Thorn. And then, shirtless, went up to receive his winner's medal. And then, the greatest moment of a lifetime- the WCC President, Princess Candace, handed him the trophy as he rose it into the air. Gitonga Kahara, the poor kid from Herzegovina City, a place when he was a kid that nobody had ever heard of, a country when he was a kid that had never come close to qualifying for the World Cup, was atop the footballing world. And he was wearing the armband while they did it. He was able to call himself something that so many aspired to, and yet so few could achieve- a world champion.

World Cup 86 Final

Nephara 2               -               3 Banija
Morena Deventer  9'                    Fekati Abdi   22'
Latona Basilisk 64'                 Gitonga Kahara   43'
                                        Idai Uster   59'

Played at the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds in Tundra Falls, Newmanistan
Attendance: ?? (RBSA estimates total well into the 6 figures, but no official numbers due to lack of official total seating capacity)
Banijan Starting XI: 35 - Francois Tantoh; 27 - Uzoma Iruka, 3 - Bultum, 5 - Kinteh, 13 - Abdi; 6 - Nzo, 8 - Okafor, 10 - Kawesa; 22 - Okparra, 17 - Jawara, 11 - Kahara (c)
Banijan Substitutions: Uster -> Jawara (55'), Kaba -> Okparra (65'), Uche -> Okafor (72')
Nephara Starting XI: 1 - Mercator ; 2 - Stride, 5- Thorn (c), 6- Brosch, 19 - Strassman; 7 - Kuepper, 4- Shone, 21- Moxham, 11- Deventer; 9- Bastable, 10 - Lovelace
Nephara Substitutions: Basilisk -> Lovelace (55'), Belgrade -> Kuepper (65')