Gold & Silver: Baptism of Fire 75

[Recuecn]

Reçuecian cutoff for matchday 2!

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Matchday 2 Results

Group A
Central Antarctic Peninsula 0–0 Shreekaristan
Brookstation 3–2 Qzvarkian Qaz

  Group A                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Brookstation                  1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
  Innovative                    1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Qzvarkian Qaz                 2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
4 Central Antarctic Peninsula   2   0  1  1    0   1  −1    1
  Shreekaristan                 2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1

Group B
Talkasa 0–1 Atheara
Kannap 0–1 Revlona

  Group B                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Atheara                       2   1  1  0    1   0  +1    4
2 Talkasa                       2   1  0  1    4   2  +2    3
3 Revlona                       2   1  0  1    2   4  −2    3
4 Galeanna                      1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
5 Kannap                        1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0

Group C
Bukaiia 1–1 Sendhang
Marigred 1–0 Gergary

  Group C                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Marigred                      1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
  Tolanka                       1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Gergary                       2   1  0  1    1   1   0    3
4 Bukaiia                       2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
  Sendhang                      2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1

[Le Choix]

Part 1 - Saisons 1-10

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Histoire du football au Choix, Partie 2 - Saison 11-20

On the name of Ligue Légère - the "Light League", except the word light here means in terms of weight, not by luminosity. This is a purposeful play on words - the purpose of the football league is to lighten the load on the everyday Chosen citizen.

Ailes - Team overseen by the military elite
Aube - Team overseen by monks that exist outside the influence of the Grand Brillante - Team overseen by the Church's holy warriors
Bishop of the Church
Chevalier - Team overseen by the First Army
Croiser - Grand Bishop of the Church's Team
Étoile - Grand Bishop of the Military's Team
Lumière - Grand Bishop of Communication's Team
Fidèle - The Pontifax's Personal Team
Glacée - Grand Bishop of the Interior's Team
Marquée - Team overseen by a group of communications specialists that work with the Grand Bishop of Communication

---

Sasion 11

Ligue Légère             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Glacée                 36   20   6  10    25   13  +12    66 Champions
 2 Croiser                36   19   7  10    24   13  +11    64
 3 Fidèle                 36   18   9   9    29   19  +10    63
 4 Lumière                36   18   7  11    42   36   +6    61 Cup Champions
 5 Étoile                 36   17   6  13    19   16   +3    57
 6 Marquée                36   12  11  13    18   21   −3    47
 7 Brillante              36   13   7  16    19   25   −6    46
 8 Chevalier              36   13   6  17    28   26   +2    45
 9 Ailes                  36    8  10  18    14   27  −13    34
10 Aube                   36    4   7  25     7   29  −22    19

Coupe des Élus 11
First Round
Brillante 0-1 Aube
Chevalier 1-0 Ailes

Quarterfinals
Glacée 1-0 Aube
Croiser 3-0 Chevalier
Fidèle 2-1 Marquée
Lumière 1-1 (2-1 AET) Étoile

Semifinals
Glacée 0-1 Lumière
Croiser 1-3 Fidèle

Final
Lumière 2-0 Fidèle

Awards
Botte Dorée: ST Annette Crux, Lumière (24 Goals)
Gant Doré: GK Justin Malle, Glacée (13 Goals), GK Beatrice Agnes, Croiser (13 Goals)
Ballon d'Or: CB Brenice Guillome, Glacée

---

With Justin Malle leaving Aube for Glacée, Aube fell all the way to tenth while the team of the Grand Bishop of the Interior won for the first time ever, a triumphant moment for one Martin Dumont. Later, others of The Five would see that it was a bit of a coerced move that Malle didn't want to do himself; though this puts an asterisk next to the title, it's still one that the team has won. Also notable is Lumière winning the cup rom fourth position, winning a defensive slugfest in the semifinals. Per Manager Vince Castreaux, one of the most aggressive Managers of the league: "They were soft, and we got through them like a hot knife through butter. We deserve this, not them."

Season 12

Ligue Légère             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Ailes                  36   18   7  11    24   17   +7    61 Champions
 2 Croiser                36   16   8  12    19   15   +4    56
 3 Aube                   36   16   8  12    18   19   −1    56
 4 Lumière                36   15   9  12    34   29   +5    54
 5 Fidèle                 36   14  11  11    28   23   +5    53
 6 Glacée                 36   13  11  12    18   17   +1    50
 7 Étoile                 36   13   8  15    17   19   −2    47 Cup Champions
 8 Marquée                36   12   8  16    20   22   −2    44
 9 Chevalier              36    8  12  16    19   28   −9    36
10 Brillante              36    6  16  14    14   22   −8    34

Coupe des Élus 12
First Round
Étoile 1-0 Brillante
Marquée 2-0 Chevalier

Quarterfinals
Ailes 0-0 (0-1 AET) Marquée
Croiser 0-1 Étoile
Aube 1-2 Glacée
Lumière 0-1 Fidèle

Semifinals
Fidèle 1-0 Marquée
Glacée 0-1 Étoile

Final
Fidèle 0-1 Étoile

Awards
Botte Dorée: ST Annette Crux, Lumière (18 Goals)
Gant Doré: GK Beatrice Agnes, Croiser (15 Goals)
Ballon d'Or: CM Carrie Arnes, Ailes

---

A bit of a chaotic season with no less than a fourth of the players being out for the season due to an outbreak that went across the country. Ailes, the military commandos' club, survived the plague in better shape than anyone else, and with the stable leadership of Carrie Arnes, they prevailed. The Cup would be won by Étoile, though, after Arnes mysteriously disappeared. Carrie Arnes was never found, her disappearance later described as a divine happenstance with no cause nor meaning.

Saison 13

Ligue Légère             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Chevalier              36   19   7  10    34   20  +14    64 Champions, Cup Champions
 2 Croiser                36   19   7  10    19   10   +9    64
 3 Ailes                  36   16  10  10    23   19   +4    58
 4 Fidèle                 36   16   9  11    29   20   +9    57
 5 Glacée                 36   15   8  13    18   17   +1    53
 6 Lumière                36   15   6  15    38   43   −5    51
 7 Brillante              36   11   9  16    24   28   −4    42
 8 Aube                   36   12   5  19    17   23   −6    41
 9 Étoile                 36   10  10  16    13   19   −6    40
10 Marquée                36    8   7  21    17   33  −16    31

Coupe des Élus 13
First Round
Brillante 1-0 Marquée
Aube 0-2 Étoile

Quarterfinals
Chevalier 4-0 Étoile
Croiser 2-1 Brillante
Ailes 0-1 Lumière
Fidèle 0-0 (1-0 AET) Glacée

Semifinals
Chevalier 1-0 Lumière
Croiser 2-1 Fidèle

Final
Chevalier 1-1 (2-2 AET, 5-4 pen.) Croiser

Awards
Botte Dorée: LW Sallie Maille, Chevalier (20 Goals)
Gant Doré: GK Beatrice Agnes, Croiser (10 Goals)
Ballon d'Or: CM Clémence Noir, Chevalier

---

This age of Chosen Football can be described by a few key goalscorers: Sallie Maille, Annette Crux,, and Angélique Gigot. Sallie Maille was the first player to really play the wing position, knifing through the edges of defenses and getting to the net no less than twenty times in Season 13. Though the Knights ended up with the exact same record as the Church, it was their superior goal differential that would hand them their second title. The two teams would face each other once again in the Final of the Cup, where Beatrice Agnes could not stop the final shot taken by Clémence Noir, Chevaliers' best player and Captain who led from the front. Tensions often grew high between the two clubs, which persist to this day.

Saison 14

Ligue Légère             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Glacée                 36   18  10   8    31   19  +12    64 Champions
 2 Lumière                36   18   9   9    43   26  +17    63
 3 Chevalier              36   18   9   9    31   24   +7    63
 4 Croiser                36   15  12   9    17   10   +7    57 Cup Champions
 5 Fidèle                 36   15   9  12    31   30   +1    54
 6 Ailes                  36   12   9  15    27   31   −4    45
 7 Étoile                 36   12   8  16    17   20   −3    44
 8 Brillante              36   12   6  18    26   34   −8    42
 9 Marquée                36   10   6  20    15   26  −11    36
10 Aube                   36    8   6  22    15   33  −18    30

Coupe des Élus 14
First Round
Étoile 1-0 Aube
Brillante 2-1 Marquée

Quarterfinals
Glacée 1-0 Brillante
Lumière 0-0 (0-1 AET) Étoile
Chevalier 2-1 Ailes
Croiser 1-0 Fidèle

Semifinals
Glacée 1-0 Étoile
Chevalier 0-1 Croiser

Final
Glacée 1-1 (1-2 AET) Croiser

Awards
Botte Dorée: ST Annette Crux, Lumière (25 Goals)
Gant Doré: GK Beatrice Agnes, Croiser (10 Goals)
Ballon d'Or: RM Adélaïde Trémaux, Glacée

---

When Annette Crux first entered the Ligue at the tender age of sixteen, everyone thought she was too young; her stature at 5 feet 9 inches and her emphatic playstyle of driving at people only served to confirm people's suspicions early. However, by Saison 13, she was making waves; her breakout season was Saison 14, where she found the back of the net no less than twenty-five times, a feat unheard of in such a defensive league. Unfortunately, she can't play defense, and with the leadership of one Adélaïde Trémaux, it was Glacée that would win their second title in four years; Croiser cashed in the brilliance of Beatrice Agnes in front of the net for a Coupe victory.

Saison 15

Ligue Légère             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Croiser                36   17  11   8    17    8   +9    62 Champions, Cup Champions
 2 Chevalier              36   18   7  11    33   27   +6    61
 3 Marquée                36   15  10  11    25   24   +1    55
 4 Lumière                36   13  13  10    37   25  +12    52
 5 Étoile                 36   12  13  11    16   17   −1    49
 6 Ailes                  36   12  11  13    17   19   −2    47
 7 Fidèle                 36   13   6  17    29   34   −5    45
 8 Glacée                 36   11  11  14    17   16   +1    44
 9 Aube                   36   11  10  15    16   25   −9    43
10 Brillante              36    8   8  20    18   30  −12    32

Coupe des Élus 15
First Round
Fidèle 0-1 Brillante
Glacée 2-0 Aube

Quarterfinals
Croiser 2-0 Brillante
Chevalier 1-0 Glacée
Marquée 0-0 (1-0 AET) Ailes
Lumière 1-0 Étoile

Semifinals
Croiser 1-0 Lumière
Chevalier 2-0 Marquée

Final
Croiser 1-0 Chevalier

Awards
Botte Dorée: ST Annette Crux, Lumière (20 Goals)
Gant Doré: GK Beatrice Agnes, Croiser (8 Goals)
Ballon d'Or: GK Beatrice Agnes, Croiser

---

In an era where Annette Crux was the best striker out there, her equivalent among goalkeepers was Beatrice Agnes, a four-time Gant Doré winner. Beatrice was the type to be hyperactive in front of the goal while also having a good awareness of what was going on. In this season, Saison 15, she conceded eight goals all season long, correlating to the eight losses the team had during the regular season. She then went a perfect three for three in the Coupe to have Croiser be the second team ever to achieve the domestic double.

Saison 16

Ligue Légère             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Étoile                 36   18   9   9    24   13  +11    63 Champions
 2 Lumière                36   19   5  12    41   27  +14    62
 3 Ailes                  36   17   6  13    23   16   +7    57
 4 Croiser                36   15   8  13    19   14   +5    53
 5 Brillante              36   15   6  15    26   31   −5    51 Cup Champions
 6 Aube                   36   15   5  16    18   20   −2    50
 7 Chevalier              36   14   5  17    24   29   −5    47
 8 Glacée                 36   11  11  14    17   20   −3    44
 9 Fidèle                 36   10  10  16    19   31  −12    40
10 Marquée                36   10   7  19    21   31  −10    37

Coupe des Élus 16
First Round
Chevalier 1-0 Marquée
Glacée 1-0 Fidèle

Quarterfinals
Étoile 2-1 Glacée
Lumière 1-3 Chevalier
Ailes 0-1 Aube
Croiser 0-2 Brillante

Semifinals
Étoile 1-0 Chevalier
Brillante 2-0 Aube

Final
Étoile 1-3 Brillante

Awards
Botte Dorée: ST Annette Crux, Lumière (22 Goals)
Gant Doré: GK Hervé Lozé, Étoile (13 Goals)
Ballon d'Or: AM Aymeric Lussier, Lumière

---

The Ballon d'Or being on a non-winning team? Understandable given how many goals Lumière scored. The combination of Annette Crux and Aymeric Lussier was too good for the league, except when facing Étoile. Hervé Lozé, a twenty-year old, 7 foot tall keeper who is almost like a robot in his mannerisms, was brilliant in conceding only thirteen goals in the season; a lower leg injury meant that little-known Brillante would win the Coupe, however.

Saison 17

Ligue Légère             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Glacée                 36   18  11   7    28   13  +15    65 Champions
 2 Ailes                  36   18  10   8    27   12  +15    64
 3 Lumière                36   17   7  12    35   23  +12    58
 4 Étoile                 36   16   7  13    18   16   +2    55
 5 Croiser                36   15   6  15    16   16    0    51 Cup Champions
 6 Brillante              36   13  11  12    25   28   −3    50
 7 Marquée                36   12   6  18    18   25   −7    42
 8 Chevalier              36    9  13  14    19   24   −5    40
 9 Aube                   36   12   3  21    14   24  −10    39
10 Fidèle                 36    9   8  19    24   43  −19    35

Coupe des Élus 17
First Round
Marquée 2-0 Fidèle
Chevalier 1-0 Aube

Quarterterfinals
Glacée 1-2 Chevalier
Ailes 3-0 Marquée
Lumière 2-1 Brillante
Étoile 1-2 Croiser

Semifinals
Ailes 1-0 Chevalier
Lumière 1-2 Croiser

Final
Ailes 1-3 Croiser

Awards
Botte Dorée: ST Annette Crux, Lumière (18 Goals)
Gant Doré: GK Régine De Villiers, Ailes (12 Goals)
Ballon d'Or: CM Ophélie Bombelles, Glacée

---

Glacée neither had the best offense (that was Lumière) nor the best defense (that was Ailes) this season. Instead, they had two of the league's best midfielders - Ophélie Bombelles and Gilbert Cordonnier. Their combination dictated many of the matches for Glacée including a bevvy of narrow victories and draws that handed them the victory. In the Coupe, however, they'd fall in the Quarterfinals and see Croiser take it instead.

Saison 18

Ligue Légère             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Fidèle                 36   19   7  10    32   21  +11    64 Champions
 2 Étoile                 36   19   6  11    22   13   +9    63
 3 Marquée                36   17   9  10    22   15   +7    60
 4 Lumière                36   17   7  12    40   34   +6    58
 5 Ailes                  36   16   8  12    23   18   +5    56
 6 Croiser                36   12   8  16    15   17   −2    44 Cup Champions
 7 Chevalier              36   12   8  16    25   30   −5    44
 8 Glacée                 36   11   9  16    18   23   −5    42
 9 Brillante              36   10   8  18    21   35  −14    38
10 Aube                   36    8   8  20    17   29  −12    32

Coupe des Élus 18
First Round
Chevalier 1-0 Aube
Glacée 0-1 Brillante

Quarterfinals
Fidèle 0-1 Brillante
Étoile 1-1 (1-2 AET) Chevalier
Marquée 0-1 Croiser
Lumière 0-1 Ailes

Semifinals
Ailes 1-0 Brillante
Chevalier 0-1 Croiser

Final
Ailes 1-1 (1-2 AET) Croiser

Awards
Botte Dorée: ST Annette Crux, Lumière (21 Goals)
Gant Doré: GK Hervé Lozé, Étoile (13 Goals)
Ballon d'Or: CM Emilie Pretre, Fidèle

---

Fidèle is a bit of an odd squad. The Pontifax's personal team, they're made mostly of prospects that are then taken by all the other teams almost immediately. The Pontifax at this time was okay with that model of play. In this magical season, Eight players under the age of 23 had their best season ever, Emillie Pretre provided the leadership, and the little known squad won the league. They'd lose in the Coupe to Brillante, but it was a testament to the truth that anything was, indeed, possible.

Saison 19

Ligue Légère             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Chevalier              36   22   8   6    38   15  +23    74 Champions
 2 Étoile                 36   20   5  11    23   13  +10    65
 3 Glacée                 36   17  11   8    27   14  +13    62 Cup Champions
 4 Lumière                36   14  11  11    33   29   +4    53
 5 Ailes                  36   13   8  15    25   28   −3    47
 6 Marquée                36   12   9  15    20   22   −2    45
 7 Croiser                36   12   7  17    17   22   −5    43
 8 Brillante              36   12   5  19    17   27  −10    41
 9 Fidèle                 36   11   6  19    25   37  −12    39
10 Aube                   36    8   8  20    10   28  −18    32

Coupe des Élus 19
First Round
Croiser 1-0 Aube
Brillante 0-1 Fidèle

Quarterfinals
Chevalier 2-1 Fidèle
Étoile 0-1 Fidèle
Glacée 2-0 Marquée
Lumière 0-1Ailes

Semifinals
Chevalier 1-0 Fidèle
Glacée 2-0 Ailes

Final
Chevalier 1-1 (1-2 AET) Glacée

Awards
Botte Dorée: ST Angélique Gigot, Chevalier (20 Goals)
Gant Doré: GK Hervé Lozé, Étoile (13 Goals)
Ballon d'Or: ST Angélique Gigot, Chevailier

---

As expected, many of Fidèle's best players were immediately poached by more established clubs after their miracle season, and Angélique Gigot ended up in Chevalier with the military elite. They would lose in the Coupe final to Glacée, and then lose Gigot almost immediately to a career-ending injury, but for this magical snapshot of a season, things were perfect. Six losses is tied for the third least in a season.

Saison 20

Ligue Légère             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Croiser                36   20   6  10    20   10  +10    66 Champions
 2 Lumière                36   15  12   9    45   29  +16    57
 3 Glacée                 36   15   9  12    20   20    0    54
 4 Fidèle                 36   14   8  14    27   31   −4    50
 5 Ailes                  36   12  13  11    17   19   −2    49
 6 Étoile                 36   13   7  16    17   20   −3    46 Cup Champions
 7 Chevalier              36   12   9  15    22   21   +1    45
 8 Marquée                36   12   9  15    17   26   −9    45
 9 Aube                   36   10  11  15    17   21   −4    41
10 Brillante              36    8  14  14    18   23   −5    38

Coupe des Élus 20
First Round
Chevalier 1-0 Brillante
Marquée 2-1 Aube

Quarterfinals
Croiser 2-0 Marquée
Lumière 1-0 Chevalier
Glacée 1-2 Étoile
Fidèle 0-1 Ailes

Semifinals
Croiser 0-1 Étoile
Lumière 2-0 Ailes

Final
Lumière 1-1 (1-1 AET, 4-5 pen.) Étoile

Awards
Botte Dorée: ST Annette Crux, Lumière (21 Goals)
Gant Doré: GK Aliénor Dumont, Croiser (10 Goals)
Ballon d'Or: GK Aliénor Dumont, Croiser

---

With Gigot injured and Chevalier being taken down to earth, Croiser retook the title behind the brilliance of Aliénor Dumont, who only conceded ten goals for the extremely defensive squad of the Church. It would be the start of a period of dominance yet seen in Chosen Football - that of Dumont, of the Church, the three-peat of all three-peats.

[Eshialand]

As the Eshian team arrived in Prescott, they were half-ready to fall asleep. Between an exhausting game against Aut-Ves-Nat and waking up at 5 a.m. to get on the plane, a comfy bed was all the Owls needed.

So, the team made their way to the hotel, found their rooms, and collapsed on their beds, knowing that, unless there was an avalanche or something of the like, they would finally be able to get some well-deserved sleep...

Not George Habisbrauer though. All he could think about was what Coach Morgan said on the plane: he was being benched after only 43 minutes of play time. He thought he was a wash-out, a failure, a disappointment to the entire country and to himself...

A few hours later, the team woke up to start studying up on their next opponents, Islands of Ventro. They all gathered around a large flat-screen TV, with the Sonindia-Ventro game recorded and ready to watch.

At half-time of that game, the recording was paused so the team could analyze the first half. What went wrong for Ventro? How did Sonindia take a 2-0 lead? Everything was perfectly normal, until Dominique LaPlante noticed a flaw in Ventro's offense, and decided to ask "Hey George, what do you think?"

"George?"

"Uhh.... I think George is missing!"

The team looked all around the city for Habisbrauer. They visited the shops, a few local restaurants, and a local ski resort (totally not because they themselves wanted an excuse to go skiing), but they couldn't find him.

That was, until Coach Morgan received a strange call from a blocked number.
"Coaach...?"
"George? Is that you?"
"I'm in jail..."
"What do you mean you're in jail?"
"I got arrested... can you post... post... uh, pay them to let me out of here?"
"I'm on my way!!"

As it turns out, Habisbrauer had been in the Blue District, day-drinking in a local bar. One beer turned to two, two to three, and three to drinking straight tequila. Before he knew it, he was running shirtless through the streets and being arrested for public intoxication.

However, that wasn't why he was in jail. The police officer recognized him from the game, and was fully willing to take him back to his hotel and release him into the team's custody... until Habisbrauer punched him right in the nose.

"Okay Mr. Habisbrauer, your coach posted your bail, so you're free to go."
"Coach!"
"Hey George... so, what happened back there?" He was trying his best to be gentle, knowing full well that yelling at a drunk guy who just punched a cop was a very bad idea.
"I was upset... you cut me from the team... I'm such a dis... dis... I'm bad at soccer!"
"What? You're not bad! You're one of the best Center Backs Eshialand has to offer!"
"Then why is Dominique playing and not me?"
"To be honest... I was too worried about your ankle. I didn't want you trying to play before you were ready..."
"THEN WHY DID YOU SAY WHAT YOU SAID ON THE PLANE??" He was about to blow a gasket, if indeed it wasn't already too late to calm him down.
"I said what I said because... because... well, I didn't want the team thinking I was soft. That I cared about anything other than winning. Was I being a jerk? Absolutely. Feel free to make fun of me, or punch me, or just leave the team and fly home. I just want you to know that I really do care about you."
"I thought we weren't here to win... aren't we here to make Eshialand proud?"
"Well, to be honest...I didn't think you guys actually believed that. I thought that you would want to win, no matter why we were actually here... you guys, every single one of you, are like family to me... I'm sorry I had to throw you under the bus for no reason other than my personal pride..."
"That's... that's... one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to me... do you mean it? Are we really a family?"
"Of course, and you're the best family I've ever had... c'mon, let's get you back to the hotel..."

[Sahuarita]

Starting XI MD2, v. Suimede Espinar-Galán-Espiga-Guillén-Gallo-Cortés-Quesada-Morillo-Dávalos-Sáez-Covarrubias

Sahuarita:
 Quesada 56’, Sáez 87’
 Dávalos 64’
 None
 Morillo 78’, Galán 83’
 Alarcòn 78’, Sánchez 83’

Montana Verde:
 Ana-Ximena 16’
 None
 None
 Bregmann 89’
 Christo Diaz 89’

Hola! And Gracias for reading today’s version of Sahuarita Deportivo, the premier sporting news outlet of Sahuarita. Well, we were able to grab an extremely important win to advancing out of the group stages. Coming in, Montana Verde seemed like they would be our largest competitor in the tough Group F. We were able to seal the deal against them with a 2-1 win that put us in a great position to set up a first place finish in Group F, which would be so important to getting a good seed in the playoffs.

The game started out badly for us, as Montanan Vice-captain Ana-Ximena Pareja Carvallo was able to sneak a goal in from a back door pass from Teodosio “Osito” Orellana Cerda, who was able to breakthrough the Sahuaritan defense just seconds before Ana-Ximena came with the unexpected goal. As we fell behind 1-0, our play started to smoothen out a bit, as many Montanan attacks started to be stopped by players like Martin Galan and Carlos Guillén, who took it upon themselves to help control the key players and stop them from getting behind the defense.

In the 56th minute, Christian Quesada was able to get his first goal of the tournament, and it was a solid one, as he snuck it into the top corner over the shoulder of Leiva. The game would be quiet, outside of Sebastian Dávalos getting a yellow card on a questionable tackle, which made Sahuaritan players a bit antsy, however they stay focused for the game. Anthony Sáez, in the 87th minute was finally able to get that goal that he had wanted so much, the crowd roared as he sent it flying past Leiva, his first international goal, hopefully first of many to come.

The Sahuaritan’s would hold on to win the game, which is a huge step in the direction of a high placing finish his tournament. Being one of the top teams out of the Baptism of Fire would be a huge confidence boost for anyone in the Sahuaritan FA, and especially for the players of the team. Overall, it was a solid game, despite a slow start, the Sahuaritan’s showed what they were made of, and what they could be, the tournament is now up for grabs.

Betting Odds Post MD 1
Srednjaci : +450
Sahuarita: +500
Eshialand: +900
Montana Verde: +1200
Qzvarkian Qaz: +1300
Innovative: +1400
Gergary: +1450
Tolanka: +1500
Le Choix: +1600
St. Trinans: +1800

Tejedor’s Corner
Reporter: “Coach, despite the slow start, are you happy about their performance today.”
Tejedor: “Obviously yes, this was a huge win for our team to get, and this game shows we can punch with the best teams in the tournament.”

Reporter: “Anthony Sáez finally got his first international goal, how did the team respond to this.”
Tejedor: “Well, they were obviously happy for him. Our assistant captain getting his first international goal ever is a huge confident booster for us.”

¡Politica!
Breaking: Conservative Alliance Brings Forward Amendment to Ban Communism and Socialism
The 3 Conservative Parties of Sahuarita have brought forward a constitutional amendment that would ban Communism and Socialism in the nation. This includes all communist parties, all communist laws and all communist influences in the nation. The amendment directly states “All Sahuaritan Citizens Shall Have the Right to Keep Money Earned without interference from the state”. This law would make it impossible for any socialism in the nation to exist. For this law to pass, the congress must approve it in a 3/4s vote, which should be easy for the conservative parties to do.

[Marigred]

AMFA OFFICIAL

Marigred Senior Press Conference
End of day 2 Baptism of Fire 79
Attended by:
Mordel Clay(46 y.o)-manager
Jashana Bailey(28 y.o)-MD1 vs Gergary PoTM

Hello and greeting to everyone. Take you very much for being here today. We will start our post match press in a few minute. As always, an advice and warning from me, dont talk or ask about something that may lead to racism, or unpleasant situation here. We appreciate all of you here and hope you can tolerate with that. The manager and player have arrived, we will begin the press in a minute.

...

Hello and good morning everyone. Once again, representing AMFA,i would like to show our greatest gratitude to all of you here. So before i leave for all the media to ask them a question, let me give you a short stastic about today match first.

MRG	Match stats	GGY
		
11	Shot	        6
6	on target	4
12	Fouls	        6
6	Yellow Card	1
55%	Possesion	45%

	Match event	
		
Marigred	1 - 0	Gergary
		
G:Damarco pen		YC:Breisacher
YC:Deana		
YC:Rakeem		
YC:Jashana		
YC:Tevoris		
YC:Wakee		
YC:Anjawon

So that all from me, you can continue with a question, thank you.

Q 1: First match in charge, first win. Can you describe how are you feeling after this match?

Mordel: Happy, joy. That was my feeling right now. What more i hope than have a good start. I really happy for this occasion. But it not the place we can start a party yet. More match to come next.

Q 2: Given how happy you are today, how can you describe about the match? Like the way this team play?

Mordel: Marigred play this match with attacking mentality. From what i saw in this match, its not hood yet. First time they played with me, so i will not set my expectation for them to coop with this tactic fast. Let them know one by one and it will give a better understanding. That my aim. Overall, i really happy with them. Even sometime they not be what i want, still they show that they understand a bit what i want. Ofcourse next match we will make it more perfect.

Q 3: You say last time, mistake make you stronger. So how is it in this match?

Mordel: I glad for my team, they minimize the mistake today. I not too worry if they make mistake because it common, but a. bit i afraid. Like you said last time, the mistake may lead to worse them. But today in this match they have done great. Other that minimize the mistake, they fastly come down and be in suitable position to prevent opponent from scoring.

Q 4: Quite a lot of yellow card today for your team. Are you applying aggressive style?

Mordel: No, and not even once. I have advice my player to minimize the foul but i guess they are nervous when opponent come to our side. I and all the management will take a good look and think the best solution as fast as possible.

Q 5: So, Jashana, player of the match performance, look at your stat,

LB:Jashana-28 y.o(7.6)
90 m, 49/51 pass.c, 2/2 tackle.w, 3/9 cross.c, 3 int.[/b]

what do you think of your performance today?

Jashana: Thank you for all. I really appreciate to be named player of the match today. It give me a boost to do more well in the next game. I not sure if i good enough for this but if ask me whether i think i deserve or not, i will say no. Thanks to all Marigred back four, we prevent Gergary from scoring. Our attacking side keep attacking their goalpost. Everyone in this them, thank you for all the hard work and teamwork.

Q 6: What your thought of this match may bring to Marigred squad?

Jashana: A good start for us. I not to sure. I also dont want to make a prediction just based on my feeling and looking down to our opponents. So, we will take one match at one time and see how we progress. That what we will do.

Ok, that will wrap up our post match press for today. Once again, thank you and apologize for any weakness or unpleasant thing from our side. That all from us. Good bye.

[Electrum]

Matchday 2 Results

Group D
Islands of Ventro 0–1 Aut-Ves-Nat
Naufre 0–1 The united states of sonindia

  Group D                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Eshialand                          1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
2 Islands of Ventro                  2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
3 The united states of sonindia      2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
4 Aut-Ves-Nat                        2   1  0  1    2   3  −1    3
5 Naufre                             1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0

Group E
Le Choix 0–1 Srednjaci
Deniria 2–6 St Trinians

  Group E                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Srednjaci                          2   2  0  0    3   0  +3    6
2 St Trinians                        2   1  1  0    6   2  +4    4
3 Le Choix                           2   0  1  1    0   1  −1    1
4 Istoreya                           1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0
5 Deniria                            1   0  0  1    2   6  −4    0

Group F
Suimede 1–4 Sahuarita
Grandistania 2–0 Bigtopian Isles

  Group F                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sahuarita                          2   2  0  0    6   2  +4    6
2 Grandistania                       1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
3 Suimede                            2   1  0  1    3   5  −2    3
4 Montaña Verde                      1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
5 Bigtopian Isles                    2   0  0  2    1   4  −3    0

[Sendhang]

---

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DAY 9 - MONTH 1 - YEAR 6

---

---

Gusti is a special player

There were so many great players born in Sendhang but doesn't have the opportunity to represent the country because there was no national team before. Gusti Sing Nggawe is lucky that the national team was formed at his peak. Gusti has so far continued to prove that he is a special player for Sendhang.

In the action at the Siegstadion, Gusti managed to score the goal for Sendhang which was very deserved after a spirited performance all night long. Placed as the lone striker, Gusti often presents threats to the Bunkaiaa defense with his movement with or without the ball.

He was full of confidence in all of his 7 appearances for Sendhang scoring 6 goals in the process. Although Sendhang failed to get good results so far, Gusti has shown that he is a player to keep a close eye on.

Sendhang was the first to open the scoring in the 56th minute through Gusti who shot neatly from outside the penalty box.

Bunkaiia actually started the match well. But in the second half, they allowed Sendhang to grow and play their way. The Watermelon Warriors posed a threat through the lone striker, Krutos. But unfortunately, they failed to convert chances despite creating a lot.

After Gusti's goal, Sendhang seems to be struggling with their game because they don't seem to be sure whether they want to hold on with the lead or find the second goal.

Sendhang finally conceded the equalizer through Krutos' goal in the last minute of the match.

Every goal late in the game like this will be very disappointing to concede especially from a dead ball situation. Sendhang failed to mark Bunkaiia's target man and allowed Krutos to connect with the ball from a corner kick.

With the draw, Sendhang is now bottom of Group C with only a point to show after 2 matches. Qualifying to the knock-out stage seems like an impossible mission now with the next 2 opponents are deemed better than the previous 2 opponents.

---

---

[Atheara]

Simplicity On The Field

We analyze what happened before and during the game with Atheara winning against Talkasa with a simple score of 1 - 0

Before The Match
Athearan National Team Coach Kristian Johansson decided to gather up the players for a ted talk before the match with Talkasa. A Draw was not a bad result for a first time team, but he knew these players had more potential, something better for them of they can take their chances. This was the world stage, even though not as major as the World Cup, they are going to participate in it after this Baptism of Fire.

He knew he had to get the boys ready. There was nothing that can be expected.
Kristian was able to gather the Players around in the locker room before the match.

He asks "You all want to know why we are here? Why we are playing? And why all of you are chosen to play?" The team is silent. They know the answer, but they know what to do when Kristian is going serious, he has a charm to encourage people.

"You are all here because you are the best. You are playing because your country thinks you are the best. And you are chosen because, each and every single person in the management team, thinks you are the best. This game right here? We should win it, no. We have to win it. You all spent countless hours training, and all of those hours brought you all here. Is everybody ready?"

The team replies "Yes sir."
"IS EVERYBODY READY?"

"YES SIR!"
"THEN LET'S WIN THIS GAME RIGHT HERE!"
The team screams in excitement. The captain of the team, Mugel Krygorf knew these were just words of encouragement. Kristian was a man whom does not look for anything glorious, even if Atheara wins by 1 goal, Kristian still counts it as a win.

No matter how boring a match may seem.

Before Kick-off
Both of the teams Strikers, Luis Frawning and Cain Horthy met at the center of the field, waiting for the coin flip. If heads, Talkasa starts with the ball. If tails, Atheara. It lands on heads, Talkasa starts with the ball.

And the Kick-off begins.

During the Game
The game was more or less of a stand-off much like the match between Atheara and Galeanna. The major difference however is that Talkasa was attacking more often. Atheara only put 6 shots in the first half, while Talkasa gave 12 shots. However Atheara had a much higher passing rate, at around 78% compared to Talkasa's 69%

The only goal of the match, which was scored for Atheara, happened in the second half of the game on Minute 82, where Toriff springbeamed through Talkasan Defenders Jan Bronte and Victor Arnolds and immediately made a Top Left Corner Shot, the precision was golden, as the Goalkeeper, Feodor Williamson was not able to save the shot, giving Atheara's first win in the Baptism of Fire.

Tomorrow is Atheara vs Kannap, whom is yet to give public information about their roster.
Keep an eye on that match up.

[Srednjaci]

Baptism of Fire

Prescott -Northcote Oval Stadium
Fans from Srednjaci 12 650

Le Choix 0–1 Srednjaci

Great continuation of the BoF tournament!
Srednjacians footballers beat the chosen team Le Choix with 1: 0!
The only goal of the match was scored by Li Peng in the 49th minute of the game on a pass from Davida Zimmer.

GK Jure Iveša - 26 y - NK Čelik Raduč

LB Danijela Majić - 23 y - NK Bistua Nuova
CB Ivan Kušić - 26 y - NK Dinamo Katanija, from 48th min.Ivana Žimić In
CB Franko Rušković - 27 y - NK Mladost Melarit - Captain
RB Zoran Šutić - 25 y - NK Archer Kula

CDM Heong Min Ho - 25 y- NK Dinamo Katanija

LW Davida Zimmer - 24 y - NK Bistua Nuova ( 1 .assist)
RW Takanobu Tavano - 23 y- NK Dinamo Katanija from 52nd min. Vjeran Tukić In

CF Ante Tomljanović - 25 y - NK Čelik Raduč

ST Isidor Matković - 24 y - NK Torpedo Melarit 
ST Li Peng - 25 y - NK Mladost Melarit ( 1 goal in 49th min)

SREDNJACI TEAM

SCORERS

Isidor Matković - 2 goals
Li Peng - 1 goal

ASSISTS 

Takanobu Tavano - 1 
Li Peng - 1
Davida Zimmer - 1

GROUP E Standings

For now, the situation in the group is very good for us.
Two games and two wins, 6 points.

Le Choix 0–1 Srednjaci
Deniria 2–6 St Trinians

  Group E                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Srednjaci                          2   2  0  0    3   0  +3    6
2 St Trinians                        2   1  1  0    6   2  +4    4
3 Le Choix                           2   0  1  1    0   1  −1    1
4 Istoreya                           1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0
5 Deniria                            1   0  0  1    2   6  −4    0

Li Peng

We played everything as we imagined. Le Choix is ​​a tough opponent and it was really hard for me to break through their defense which played tight. We had to change tactics and play on counters or semi-counters when their defense was a little sparse. We did that and scored a goal. Congratulations to all and thanks to our fans who came in such large numbers. Thank you.

FACTS ABOUT SREDNJACI

ECONOMY

Investment in infrastructure across the country is ongoing.
Large investments come from domestic and foreign companies.
This is how a large railway infrastructure called "Spider Web" is built.
The capital Katnija is in the middle as a major traffic railway hub.
The rest of the network runs along cities on land borders and to the coast, connecting the railway with major port cities.
The investment is worth billions of Dalats, over 35,000 workers are working on the construction and about 200 companies are involved.
Accordingly, GDP grew by 3.2% compared to the previous quarter.
Although most is currently being invested in railway infrastructure, Katanija will also get another new airport to relieve the existing one.
The new airport will have a capacity of 5 million passengers with a possible upgrade to 7 million and the existing airport has a capacity of 11 million passengers.
However, it will have to rehabilitate and expand CARGO terminals as well as passenger terminals.

RETAIL

Retail is on a steady rise and is following GDP growth.
Most goes to personal consumption of retail consumer goods, food.
But service activities are also growing rapidly.
Namely, with the establishment of relations and the democratization of society and the liberalization of the market, tourism is flourishing more than ever.
Restaurants and bars compete in their gastronomic offerings to be as original as possible. Along with them, hotels, resorts and private renters are also recording large upward figures.
There are two big hits when it comes to tourism and these are rural tourism and medical tourism.

[Sendhang]

I - II - III - IV - V

VI
ROTATION?

The head coach opted for the same 11 players that have played in all the previous Sendhang matches for their second match in the 75th Baptism of Fire. Sendhang almost won the match at Siegstadion, Zimmerich but conceded a very late equalizer to Bunkaiia and had to settle with a point.

The same first 11 had played 7 matches in less than 2 months. The last two matches were played within the span of 4 days and the next one would be in another 4 days. That is 3 matches in 9 days. Factor in all the traveling, the players were jaded.

Bottom of the group after 2 matches, the situation presented a headache to the head coach. The next match was a big one. It was a do-or-die situation for Sendhang. If they win, they will still have a chance but if they lose, they will have to take the early flight home.

And most importantly, pride was at stake. Their opponent in the third match was Marigred. Yes, a Melayu Archipelago derby in the 75th Baptism of Fire.

On the other hand, Syarkawi would like to field his best 11 to play against Marigred. But on the other hand, he would like to introduce fresh legs into the starting eleven.

Syarkawi seemed to have opted for the latter. He began experimenting with the starting line-up in training. Three players were picked to play alongside the regulars during training matches. Wedhus Geni replaced Teuku Hassan Al Qari, Ramon Kalbasi replaced Temiar Kintak and Teuku Salahuddin replaced Keylar Samoi.

Salahuddin was excited. He thought we would be able to make his international debut against Marigred. They trained with that line-up for 3 days. But then came matchday, Salahuddin was again listed as one of the substitutes. The same 11 players were again selected to face Marigred in their third match.

The starting line was announced during a motivational talk at a meeting room in the hotel they were staying at in Zimmerich on the evening of the matchday. Syarkawi announced the line-up one by one with the help of a projector. He started with the goalkeeper, defenders and midfielders.

When Teuku Hassan Al Qari was announced, Salahuddin was shocked. He thought Wedhus Geni would play since he has been prepared to play in that position in the last 3 days. Something was not right.

Salahuddin even thought that the head coach opened the wrong slideshow. Maybe this slideshow was meant to be for against Bunkaiia. But no, a quick glance to the top of the screen in front of the meeting room, it clearly shows "Sendhang v Marigred".

Syarkawi then announced the next 3 players that will start against Marigred, Temiar on the right, Keylar on the left, and Gusti upfront. No Wedhus, no Ramon, no Salahuddin.

Salahuddin was even more confused. What were they doing in the past 3 days? That question haunted him for the rest of the evening.

[Eshialand]

Ventro's loss to Aut-Ves-Nat gave Eshialand a decent amount of breathing room. Yes, Group D had four separate teams at three points apiece, but Eshialand had that total with one game while the rest had played two. They also had a +2 goal differential while the other teams were either at 0 or -1. They were a game ahead of everyone else, and they just had to figure out how to use that advantage.

The Owls were far from complacent though. They legitimately didn't care about winning or losing, but they were going to give it their all no matter what. While they may have had an advantage in the standings, making Eshialand proud was the real thing they cared about, and that would require doing their absolute best, win or lose, in any game whether it mattered or not.

Coach Morgan didn't tell the team about Habisbrauer winding up in jail or punching a cop. He wanted to protect his dignity, so he tried to explain away his drunkenness the day after the Aut-Ves-Nat match by saying he just didn't get any sleep and was tired out of his mind. He explained the hangover the next morning by saying that he was having a stress-induced migraine. Not everybody bought it, but there seemed to be no better story, and those who saw through it were going to find out somehow no matter what.

Habisbrauer only directly told one other person about what had happened: Jacob Harran, his best friend on the team. Harran decided that this game, whether the rest of the team would know or not, would be for his friend George. He was going to give it 110%, and make his friend proud.

Training went rather well for the Owls. Knowing how Ventro did the previous day, Coach Morgan made sure to train the Owls to pierce through their armor, directly attacking their weaknesses, and defending against their strengths. Would it work? There was no way of knowing, but judging by how everyone was playing, it looked promising. Alyssa Longfield played like a second striker, almost as if she was trying to replace Harran... but Harran seemed unusually fired up, at least unusually from Coach's perspective, scoring goals left and right. Harriet Copeland continued to play aggressively, including a couple of plays that almost certainly would've drawn yellow cards in an actual game. Perhaps he'd have to tell her to tone it down for the match. Dominique LaPlante was once again a shining star in the defense, playing almost as if she was trying to prove herself a worthy replacement for Habisbrauer...

The day before the match, Coach decided to surprise his team with a ski trip. Habisbrauer even insisted on going, despite his ankle (don't worry, he didn't wind up aggravating his injury). Given how well they did in training, they more than earned it.

(OOC: Good luck Ventro. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.)

[Talkasa]

MATCHDAY 3: PREPARATION
For Matchday 3, second in the table Talksa will be facing Galeanna, who sits at fourth. So far, the tournament has been in our favour, but not fully.
The tournament started swimmingly, with a 4-1 victory to Revlona, earning us 3 points and a nice goal difference.
Matchday 2 saw a different outcome. A disappointing outcome as Talkasa lost 1-0 to Atheara, who were dominant in passes.

Looking at statistics for the second game, chances were wasted from Cain Horthy and Hamish Lorenzo, who missed 7 shots between them, 3 of them being on target. A late goal saw Atheara take 3 points and make their way to the top of the table. Toriff Hicosia Algeer was the goalscorer for Atheara.

The coach has been using balanced tactics and aggressive marking during games, and says he will continue doing so for the rest of the competition. Here are his quotes from yesterday's press conference:

"The players have been doing well and coping well in their first BoF which may be a very good sign for things to come. On the matter of Matchday 2, Atheara were just more dominant in their key passes which ultimately lead to a goal from Algeer. I've been trying to balance the offensive/defensive style throughout the first matchdays. Even getting draws for the rest of the group stage would be fine as we are in a qualifying position. Revlona is a team we need to look out for, as they are on the same points as us. We just need to keep grafting and training and hopefully we can get some vital wins."

That is all from Talkasa's sports centre.

[Islands Of Ventro]

Islands of Ventro 0-1 Aut-Ves-Nat

Today Islands of Ventro suffered a tragic loss today. After allowing a early score in the game and thinking that they could answer it quickly, Islands of Ventro was not able to score the entire game in a 1-0 shutout loss. Henson was mostly to blame, taking many unwarranted shots and basically ball-hogging the entire game, he was almost ejected to with 2 yellow cards to his name. Fellow teams Mathis Vera stated,

“We all go through this at some point in our career, let’s hope that Greg’s is shorter, we can’t be losing and more games. We only get one chance with tournaments so we are going to take it and run with it”

We hope that to Mathis. On other news team caption Mitchell Manning played his first Game today and boy was it good, after starting off low rusty and allowing a goal in the first couple minutes of the game he then let it shut up now all the things don’t just go to him the defense was great to only allowing six shots on goal on Mitchell.

A subscriber of ours that wanted to remain anyonmus stated what we think is a newsworthy comment to our page,

“Our defense was good our goalie was good and our offense was good so why do we lose, I think that we lost because we pass the ball way too much and they were matching up way too easily I think our team needs to move more and be more active on the goal this was a game of defenses and coming in we are a team that plays offense“

More news after the next match day!

[Aut-Ves-Nat]

Aut-Ves-National Report Madatory reading.

---

"It takes more than an Island to stop a boat!" Juan James Marcozy said before his makeshift podium after defeating the Islanders. The goal of the game came early from Martin Kaarinasen's header off a corner from the tree trunk legs of Maria Roxas. Roxas, who was the player of the match, almost scored in the second half, but was stopped by a class dive from Mitchell Manning. One small incident saw Vik Hamton try to rough up a very unhappy Quan Ding. The ensuing fire that erupted from Ding's mouth missed its target by around two meters.

After winning the match, a poor goal difference sees the Autonomous Vessel Nation second to last, but there's still two matches left against teams at the bottom of the standings. "Our victory is certain" Admiral Marcozy said in his wrinkled shirt, "Now that we have ironed out all kinks, we cannot be stopped by other teams. Our 4-3-3 is so good. We will use a 3-3-4 in the next match!" That next game? Well, it's against Naufre, who lost by a single goal to Sonindia. We're not sure how Marcozy's side will adjust, but our Grand Admiral's wisdom is enough to give faith to all who believe in a seafaring society!

[Recuecn]

Matchday 3 cutoff for groups A-C!

---

Group A
Shreekaristan 0–1 Brookstation
Innovative 2–2 Central Antarctic Peninsula

  Group A                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Brookstation                  2   2  0  0    4   2  +2    6
2 Innovative                    2   1  1  0    4   3  +1    4
3 Qzvarkian Qaz                 2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
4 Central Antarctic Peninsula   3   0  2  1    2   3  −1    2
5 Shreekaristan                 3   0  1  2    1   3  −2    1

Group B
Atheara 4–0 Kannap
Galeanna 3–2 Talkasa

  Group B                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Atheara                       3   2  1  0    5   0  +5    7
2 Galeanna                      2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
3 Talkasa                       3   1  0  2    6   5  +1    3
4 Revlona                       2   1  0  1    2   4  −2    3
5 Kannap                        2   0  0  2    0   5  −5    0

Group C
Sendhang 1–0 Marigred
Tolanka 0–1 Bukaiia

  Group C                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Bukaiia                       3   1  1  1    2   2   0    4
  Sendhang                      3   1  1  1    2   2   0    4
3 Marigred                      2   1  0  1    1   1   0    3
4 Gergary                       2   1  0  1    1   1   0    3
  Tolanka                       2   1  0  1    1   1   0    3

[Eshialand]

ESHIALAND NEWS NETWORK
"Hello, I'm Alana Markai, live from Eshialand City, and welcome to ENN, Eshialand's most reliable TV news. In both Reçueçn and Electrum, the Baptism of Fire soccer tournament has been bringing nations from around the world together in a shared love for the beautiful game. Six games recently wrapped up in Reçueçn, so let's look at the scores and see what they mean for each team's championship hopes."

Shreekaristan 0 - 1 Brookstation
"Sadly, this result effectively dashes Shreekaristan's hopes in the Baptism of Fire, with only one point after three games. The soccer gods will have to really smile on Shreekaristan if they are to have any hopes of moving to the knockout rounds. Brookstation, however, have won both of their first two games, and with two more to go, they look like they've punched their ticket to the round of 16."

Innovative 2 - 2 Central Antarctic Peninsula
"Central Antarctic Pensinsula also looks doomed to languish in the bottom half of the standings, only having two draws and a loss to their name. Innovative, on the other hand, looks to grab Group A's second playoff spot, but Qzvarkian Qaz has a serious chance of changing that."

Atheara 4 - 0 Kannap
"Atheara continues their absolute dominance over Group B with an exciting 4-0 win over Kannap. The chances are so slim of Atheara not moving on that they are all but guaranteed to make it to the round of 16. Kannap, however, weren't so lucky. They sit at two losses in as many games, with their dreams of Baptism of Fire glory being effectively over. However, soccer is weird, and anything can happen."

Galeanna 3 - 2 Talkasa
"Since Talkasa's 4-1 opening game against Revlona, the team has absolutely floundered, losing their last two games. They still have a chance at winning a playoff spot, however, and their last game is against Kannap, so don't count them out just yet. As for Galeanna, they have four points over only two games, so their chances of making it to the knockout rounds seem pretty good."

Sendhang 1 - 0 Marigred
"Sendhang finally catches a break! Despite being a favorite among the Eshian people early on, they only had one point over their first two games, so this win was absolutely necessary for them. Marigred's loss doesn't knock them out, however; they still have two games left and Group C is perhaps the most closely contested in the tournament right now, with only Eshialand's own Group D coming close."

Tolanka 0 - 1 Bunkaiia
"Bunkaiia has matched Sendhang win-for-win, loss-for-loss, draw-for-draw, and even goal-for-goal. Their statistics are exactly the same, with even their head-to-head game being a draw; if this keeps up, we may need a coin flip. As for Tolanka, they're again far from out. They have three points over two games instead of four points over three games, so one win will put them in the lead."

"Well, that about wraps it up for the games from Reçueçn. We'll be right back later to report the games from Electrum, including the one between the Ventro Islanders and our very own Eshialand Owls!"

[Suimede]

Suimeder national (association) football team
Futboll Eměvt Nasional am-Suimede
Equipa Nacional Suimedês de Futebol
Equipo Nacional de Fútbol de Suimede
المنتخب الكندي شمواه السلة

Nickname: Chavet’ųmush (the Knights), Uliga-Peștěp (Red-Violet), Uligaș (the Reds), Peștěpege (the Violets)
Stadium: Estadio am-Capital (Capital Stadium) - Sąu Agustin, Sąu Agustin
Primary Kit:
- Front: https://imgur.com/04bxNNa
- Back: https://imgur.com/vgKLPaL
Secondary Kit:
- Front: https://imgur.com/aMj0Cr9
- Back: https://imgur.com/P3kkSpz

Manager: Somayeh Tayfur, age 37 [F]
Assistant Manager: Daněli Telafim, age 40 [F]
Formation: 4-1-4-1 WB
Style Rating: -2
Playstyle: Counter-attacking, width in attack, deep defensive line, cross early & often
(Bold = Starting XI unless noted as otherwise)
GK - Carmelo Peko, age 32 [Captain]
Longtime Suimede captain and no. 1, Carmelo Peko, has long established himself as one of the best shot stoppers (and players) in the history of Suimeder football. A modern day sweeper-keeper whose plied his trade overseas for 8 years now, Peko is a noted distributor of the ball who fits well with this counter-attacking side.
GK - Cale Silloe, age 26
Cale Silloe is possibly the best backup goalkeeper Somayeh Tayfur could’ve asked for. The Nebicel Kec̦igh standout is a more conservative player than Peko, but still is noted for his catlike reflexes and ability at point-blank range.
GK - Iman am-Lili, age 20
Iman am-Lili was considered to be somwehat of a surprise selection for this team, as he only started hitting form towards the back end of this season. However, am-Lili is a brave, flamboyant, and agile keeper who, if he gets a chance, may make critics rewatch his 15-save performance against Ejais Eces late last season.
RB - Božidar Pavlović, age 25
A more traditional fullback (despite the nature of this team), Pavlović is a strong, 194cm no-nonsense type of player who took the plunge abroad last season, after making his second consecutive Futbolligę TOTS.
RB - Rese am-Krogos, age 28
Rese am-Krogos is the classic winger-turned-fullback type of player. Generally an inverted wingback, am-Krogos’s speed and crossing ability will be difficult for opposition to handle.
CB - Dani Sepúlveda, age 22
Having burst onto the scene with New Rockets Capolel a short 2 seasons ago, the offensive-minded centerback & set piece specialist is a defender for the modern era. Sepúlveda may have to prove his worth to supporters, however, as he has big shoes to fill, Suimede sporting icon Laliș Vedǐf having just retired.
CB - Sǔnage am-Gouf, age 34 [Vice Captain]
Sǔnage am-Gouf has long been the best defender from the country. Having played overseas for a dozen years now, am-Gouf is as versatile a centerback as you’ll get. He can distribute the ball, is competent in the air (despite only being 175cm) and can intercept even the best passes.
CB - Ilija Branković, age 31
Ilija Branković is certainly a late bloomer, having been tossed around the first and second divisions of Suimede like a basketball. However, Branković signed for the (then) recently promoted Stadio Hega a couple seasons ago, and has since shown off his aerial ability and composure do a degree where he makes this squad.
LB - Fabią Mulikhede, age 27
Fabią Mulikhede is a true jack-of-all-trades at left back. The Mohammedan Mostar regular is noted for his ability to link up with the left wing, and his quality in the long ball. The Futbolligę TOTS left back will be looking to make his mark in this cup.
LB - Kapuej Sįn, age 23
Dinamo Dadęm’s Kapuej Sįn is a small, mobile, and very technical player on the left. Troubling opposition with his speed and positioning, the 172cm defender will be battling Mulikhede for the starting spot here.
DM - Mehdi Benyamina, age 21
Mehdi Benyamina is a technical midfielder who dictates the tempo of play, and has the ability to play every type of pass in the book. The Futbolligę Young Player of the Year nominee currently captains his Traktor Sǒnash side, a team that finished in the top 4 last season.
DM/CM - Jąi Koveshic̦, age 26
Sporting Capital academy product Jąi Koveshic̦ is a regista of sorts with his technical ability and vision. However, Koveshic̦ is still a physical presence in defense, muscling opposition off the ball and using his positional instincts to cut out passes, something scouts noticed abroad, as Koveshic̦ is now in his second season outside Suimede.
RW - Vudǒ Cuakhede, age 24
Ayogh Londres’s Vudǒ Cuakhede had a breakout season last year, using his terrorizing pace and ability to cut inside to score 21 goals last season. Cuakhede is one of the best players here, and is hoping to show that in this cup.
RW - Ýusup am-Niyaz (Niyazov), age 19
The son of Central Asian parents, Ýusup am-Niyaz is one of the most promising names in Suimeder football as of late. The New Rockets winger put up a career-best 13 goals and 7 assists last season, destroying defenses with his ball control and finishing ability.
AM - Maurinho (Mauro Henriques de Freitas), age 23
Maurinho is your classic no. 10 for both LCCS Sąu Agustin and the Chavet’ųmush. The 23-year-old in skillful in between the lines, and knows how to find the final pass in any given sequence, having been the assist leader in the Futbolligę twice in a row.
AM/CM - Ladislau de Matos, age 29
Ladislau de Matos spent the vast majority of his career in the lower divisions of Suimede, but in the past couple of years finally cemented his spot in both the Futbolligę and in the Chavet’ųmush, being the main man for relegation battlers CF Ejais Eces with his large frame and quick passing.
AM/RW - Feliș am-Hepej, age 33 [Third Captain]
Futbolligę lifer Feliș am-Hepej is a very unique footballer, in a way that’s supremely helpful to this team. While often deployed at attacking mid, am-Hepej has a tendency to drift out wide and cut inside or make runs in on goal. Combined with his crossing ability, quickness, and ability to curl the football, am-Hepej will be a perfect spark in attack for the Chavet’ųmush.
ST - Jamal Blev, age 22
The star man of the team, Jamal Blev is a rapid, 188cm striker for Sporting Capital with a tireless work ethic and brilliant positioning that let to him becoming the youngest goalscorer in Futbolligę history 7 years ago. Backlines lose sleep over the Futbolligę Golden Boot winner.
ST - Aleșe Esǔ, age 25
Esǔ is unfortunate not to be starting in this side, as he is an outstanding striker who’s been brilliant overseas since the age of 20. The impact sub is a masterful header of the ball, and lures defenses asleep with his foxlike positioning. The wide players in this team will have a blast with Aleșe Esǔ.
LW - Flavio Guerrero, age 27
One-club man Flavio Guerrero is the type of winger you want to defend a lead. While being an attacking player by name, the Sąu Agustin FC legend is acclaimed for his ability to play in a defensive setting, oftentimes dropping back, and being able to affect the game without needing many touches.
LW - Juangél Ureña, age 18
Wonderkid Juangél Ureña just turned 18 a couple weeks before this tournament, and has been on fire leading into the cup. Having scored 6 goals and nabbing 4 assists in the final 5 games for Red Star Capolel before the end of the season a couple months ago, Ureña will be looking to utilize his Raumdeuter-style, tireless play out on the left to be a contributor to this team for a very long time.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Godmod scoring events: Keep it semi-realistic
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
Godmod other events: TG me

[Le Choix]

Match Recap: St Trinians 0–0 Le Choix
Player of the Game: GK Francine Pellier

The Captain of this squad, Francine Pellier was needed time and time again in the first match in Les Élus's history. In a game that saw Gavin Lavigne miss all four shots on goal and Les Élus's midfield struggle to possess the ball for most of the match, Pellier's brilliance was needed. She stopped all eleven attempts on goal including four one-on-one situations and yielded Le Choix their very first point in international football history.

The bigger issue at hand was the utter futility of Gavin Lavigne. The Lumière striker struggled in his debut, missing all four shots on St. Trinians' goal. It wasn't Henry Grant nor Aurélie Dior's fault as they were the ones to give Gavin his chances; the other three scoring chances for Le Choix came off of set pieces with Henry Grant narrowly missing on one.

Manager Hélène Monet was apologetic after the match, saying that the intensity of the moment really got to the squad. Despite La Lumière doing very well in the recent World Baseball Classic, football is a completely different beast; it was still a disappointing result for the fans of the Ligue Légère that had been going on for forty years.

Unfortunately, it would pale in comparison to what would come next.

Match Recap: Le Choix 0-1 Srednajaci
Player of the Game: CB Éloi Bouthillier

A Davida Zimmer strike four minutes into second half was the only goal that was needed for Srednajaci to take down Les Élus by a score of 0-1 as Le Choix fell to 0-1-1 in Matchday 2 of Group E in Baptism of Fire 75 action.

The Chosen were thoroughly contained by the far more effective Srednjaci midfield as Srednjaci controlled the ball for 70% of the match. Keeping the trio of Élise Lacan, Aurélie Dior, and HEnry Grant at bay meant that Gavin Lavigne only had two attempts, and with their four most likely scorers stonewalled, Le Chox was lucky to only have conceded one goal to their far superior opponents.

If it wasn't for Francine Pellier stopping seven shots and Éloi Bouthillier helping clear away three others, the outcome would've been far worse.

The good news for Les Élus at this point is that they've played the two teams ahead of them in the standings, and the format of this Baptism of Fire means that the four best third placed finishers will get to qualify for the knockout rounds. That means that as long as Les Élus take down Istoreya and Deniria and the duo of Srednjaci and St. Trinians defeat the teams below them, Le Choix should have a decent chance of advancing still.

Manager Hélène Monet isn't interested in looking that far ahead, however; she'd just love to see this team score a goal.

"We're having no flow in our play," she admitted, "Without flow, there is no chance for goals, and without scoring, there is no way to win."

It's a philosophical aspect of the game that members of The Chosen have been struggling with for forty years. The country is more defensive in nature and wishes to be left alone; the sport demands that goals be scored to win.

Will The Chosen be able to solve this conundrum? Or will their journey in their first foray into the sport be cut short?

[Qzvarkian Qaz]

Bryan's Song: A Faustian Tale

previous installment

Bryan decided to take a gamble on himself. He'd heard many stories about people who did that and succeeded. Getting to Qzvarkian Qaz was a trip and included flights from Xanneria's Hawthorne Airport to the airfield in Hamilton, near the Eura, Electrum border, from Hamilton he flew into Qzvarkian Qaz' main airport in Qariq, General Vorbauer field. There he met with his ol' friend from the phone call. Ol' Vitaly introduced him to the man as they went to find their car.

"Bryan, welcome, I hope this isn't to much of a culture shock to you."

"Yeah that's weird seeing a military base on the other side of the airport"

"Heh, it's traditional here, sadly. It was a culture shock to me when I came from Olymnysk to work here"

"You worked with Olymnysk? I thought they were a backwater aside of Valladares?"

"They were until I got there. id bet you casually noticed those four years a bit back when they were good?"

"Eh sorta, who did they have?"

"Me, Bryan, just me at the GM position. Sadly the folks in Qariq don't really care for us out in Olymnysk. so they brought me to lowly Qariq 1000. They were garbage a few years ago, then I went out and did what I do and all of a sudden. Kid Let me warn you ahead of schedule, be careful out there, you will get yourself into a mess. I hope you enjoy it here, but I really want to warn you about the culture shock mate."

"I got it, man why though? They did they want you out at Olymnysk?"

"I said it, they didn't care. We're consider the backwaters, backwater. Olymnysk is not a popular place amongst the jet set here. No one at the QQZ Footy league cared till I got there, when they realized the backwater was getting good they shuffled me off to Qariq in hopes I'd get drug down with them, but this is Qariq 1000 not some backwater! I have tried my best to keep afloat here but you never know. I hope to hell this talk hasn't completely scared you off."

"No you haven't, I still want to sign. I figured it isn't all those white marble and gold hewn building that shine in the downtown, every nation has its slums man"

"Well there's going to be one more surprise then, It wasn't my idea either"

"Heh?"

"Just sign."

"Okay okay!"

"Sorry I hope you don't mind this but they wanted me to wait till after you signed this, sorry but you probably should have read the fine print, you're now part of the Qzvarkian Qaz national team!"

"Good! Wait what....?"

[Sahuarita]

OOC: Very Short RP today, in-person school starts up for the first time since March 11th, 2020 tomorrow, so I don’t have much time right now.

Starting XI MD3, v. Grandstania Espinar-Galán-Espiga-Guillén-Gallo-Cortés-Quesada-Morillo-Dávalos-Sáez-Covarrubias

Sahuarita:
 Quesada 25’, Sáez 44’ + 76’, Covarrubias 65’
 None
 None
 Galán 67’
 Sanchez 67’

Suimede:
 Guerrero 87’
 Pavlovic 65’
 None
 Krogos 67’
 Urena 67’

Well, that was certainly a good game. The Sahuaritan national team displayed their dominance against a weak Suimedian team, who really struggled with stopping the Sahuaritan team on the offensive side of the ball, along with being shut down on the defensive side, excluding a late game goal. Anthony Sáez has continued to show his newfound dominance at the striker position, as he added on 2 more goals today to his total of 5 on the tournament.

Tejedor’s Corner
Reporter: Hi Coach, how do you think this performance by Anthony Sáez have proved wrong his Campionato struggles?
Tejedor: Well, it’s hard to even say if those are a major concern now, Anthony has been playing very well, however this is still a very small sample size of games.

Reporter: Hey Coach, how do you think your chances of winning the group are?
Tejedor: Well, we are halfway there right now. We just need to close out these games well.

[Electrum]

Matchday 3 Results

Group D
Aut-Ves-Nat 2–0 Naufre
Eshialand 2–3 Islands of Ventro

  Group D                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Islands of Ventro                  3   2  0  1    6   5  +1    6
2 Aut-Ves-Nat                        3   2  0  1    4   3  +1    6
3 Eshialand                          2   1  0  1    5   4  +1    3
4 The united states of sonindia      2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
5 Naufre                             2   0  0  2    0   3  −3    0

Group E
Srednjaci 4–2 Deniria
Istoreya 0–1 Le Choix

  Group E                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Srednjaci                          3   3  0  0    7   2  +5    9
2 St Trinians                        2   1  1  0    6   2  +4    4
3 Le Choix                           3   1  1  1    1   1   0    4
4 Istoreya                           2   0  0  2    0   3  −3    0
5 Deniria                            2   0  0  2    4  10  −6    0

Group F
Sahuarita 1–0 Grandistania
Montaña Verde 5–1 Suimede

  Group F                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sahuarita                          3   3  0  0    7   2  +5    9
2 Montaña Verde                      2   1  0  1    6   3  +3    3
3 Grandistania                       2   1  0  1    2   1  +1    3
4 Suimede                            3   1  0  2    4  10  −6    3
5 Bigtopian Isles                    2   0  0  2    1   4  −3    0

[Atheara]

Just, Just Absolute Domination

Today we review a significant victory where Atheara defeats Kannap with a fantastic score of 4 - 0, and an a small pep talk by asking questions about the team with the Captain, Mugel Krygorf.

Alright, let's see the information here... since Kannap did not post any information about their roster, i, the narrator, Nazer Ohwel, will be using general references of positions, conditions, and events during the match. Based on statistics alone Atheara was already dominating, with 8 shots in the first half compared to Kannap's 5 shots. Atheara adds another 6 while Kannap only adds 3.

Passing was also an imminent threat, with 84% of passes completed for Atheara, while only 73% for Kannap. Some may ask, "What's with the high shot rate? Isn't Atheara a defensive team?" Well... it's yes and no. Yes Atheara is more suitable to be a defensive team, No because Atheara can adapt to enemy playstyles quite well. Kannap did not punish our defensive playstyle, so we attacked them.

Now for the goals! Man of the Match is Luis Frawning with his 2 goals in the first half. Minute 17, Urusov has the ball, he passes to Toriff whom was already at the right side, and he charges down the wing. Long cross to Luis near the corner, and finishes it off with a sick header past the Goalkeeper. Minute 38, a tackle from one of Kannap's defenders in the box, a penalty and a yellow card! Luis takes the penalty and shoots at the center, not what the Goalkeeper expected.

Second Half now, Minute 49, Kannap on the attack but a very harsh tackle from Alexei Murov, he gets a warning! Kannap Players looking pissed right now. Minute 50, Atheara replaces Murov for Mikhael Linegard and replaces Kanton Oliver Gruschev for Paul Barbados. Minute 67, Urusov has a freekick, dangerous position here, he shoots with a curved shot! Very nice goal from Urusov. Minute 73, Toriff passes the ball to Luis, Luis passes it back, tricking and passing through Kannap's Defense and Toriff shoots to the bottom corner. Sleek goal.

Now for the few questions we can ask Mugel Krygorf himself!

"How is the team doing in your opinion?"

Mugel: "I would say the team is improving well. After the first match against Galeanna, Zimmerman literally smashed a glass bottle because we were not able to put up a first impression. But this changed from Match 2 until now, where our performance has increased significantly. Overall i think the team is doing great."

"Do you think you can go in this BoF unbeaten?"

Mugel: "Maybe, maybe not. The Gods of Luck and Fortune only smile among the bold, and we are bold. Last Group match is against Revlona, no matter result will give us a guaranteed pass to the Round of 16. I want to end the group stage for Atheara with a win. Don't expect me to play perfectly though, i'm not a robot."

"Any tips on becoming a good Goalkeeper?"

Mugel: "Train, Think, Track. Train your skills, Think your decisions, and Track your statistics, these helped me often during my career back in my Dark Age."

Well, that's it folks. Await the final Athearan Matchday against Revlona tomorrow.

[Eshialand]

Alas!
Eshialand 2 - 3 Islands of Ventro

The Eshian national team just couldn't connect today, losing their game to Islands of Ventro despite being the heavy favorites.

Their problems started as early as the 12th minute, when Lysander Moore messed up a dribble and kicked the ball directly to Islander Grayson Greer. Greer passed it to Kevin Hate, who cleanly shot it past Alexander Kolek for the goal. 0-1.

In the 35th minute, the Owls had their own opportunity when a corner kick from Alyssa Longfield went directly to Jacob Harran, who sent it flying past Shadow Chesterfield for his second goal of the tournament. 1-1.

In the second half, however, is when things really started going wrong. 53rd minute: Harriet Copeland hogs the ball again, thinking she had a chance to score. Instead, the ball was stolen by Vik Hamton, who passed it to Collin Bear. Bear evaded David Gorman before passing to Kevin Hate, who scored his second goal of the game. 1-2.

61st minute: a pass from Melissa Carey gets intercepted by Gilbert Franc, who then passes it to Collin Bear, who goes all the way to the goal, beating Kolek. 1-3.

At this point, Coach Morgan made the calculated decision to remove Kolek from the game, replacing him with Christian Meers to stop the bleeding. While Meers didn't allow any goals, it proved to be all too late for the Owls.

76th minute: Morgan also pulls Copeland from the game, perhaps as a disciplinary action to punish her for hogging the ball. In her place is Avery MacDougall.

MacDougall would prove herself in the 87th minute, when she assisted Steven Lachey in one of Eshialand's only truly clean plays, but it was all too little too late. The final score: 2-3.

Coach Morgan: "It was all just too sloppy. We didn't play well, and for that, I blame myself more than anyone else. Nothing clicked, I should've trained them better."

Jacob Harran: "Something just didn't feel right, I'm not really sure what it was. It was almost as if all of the parts were there but they weren't working right together."

Alexander Kolek: "I think I might have tweaked my back last night while we were skiing... I've asked Coach to start Christian tonight, he's done really well, a lot better than I did."

---

"Hello and welcome back to ENN, I'm Alana Markai. As you just heard, Eshialand lost their game to Islands of Ventro last night. I'll tell you all about what that at night's other games held in Electrum mean for everyone's playoff chances in our next edition of Tournament Report."

Aut-Ves-Nat 2 - 0 Naufre
"Aut-Ves-Nat is looking extremely good after their game against Naufre, with two wins to their name with one game to go, that being against Sonindia. As for Naufre, with games against Eshialand and Islands of Ventro on the docket, they're most certainly on the outside looking in, barring a deus ex machina."

Eshialand 2 - 3 Islands of Ventro
"The only of the six games whose results were incorrectly predicted by our oddsmakers (OOC: I really did predict every game except for my own... F in the chat for me), this puts Ventro in a wonderful position to take Group D's second playoff spot, with only a game against Naufre remaining. As for the Owls, while their remaining games are against Naufre and Sonindia, they may well have to hope for a wild-card slot."

Srednjaci 4 - 2 Deniria
"With this win, Srednjaci move to 3-0-0, and since St. Trinian's is the only remaining team in Group E with enough points and enough remaining games to tie them or pass them, we at ENN are happy to report that they will be moving on to the round of 16. As for Deniria, two heartbreaking losses and a goal differential of -6 have all but ended their hopes, but if everything goes right for them, they may still have a chance."

Istoreya 0 - 1 Le Choix
"Despite the win, les Élus are in a dangerous position, a whole game behind St. Trinian's. On the bright side, their last game will be against Deniria, so don't count them out just yet. Istoreya's loss puts them on the chopping block, with zero points and zero goals after two games, but anything can happen."

Sahuarita 1 - 0 Grandistania
"Sahuarita continue their perfect run by blanking Grandistania, but that isn't the headline. Like Srednjaci, we can now report that they will advance to the round of 16. The only teams that could tie them are Montana Verde and Grandistania, but their game against each other next matchday make the two mutually exclusive, so Sahuarita will be moving on. Grandistania is also in a good position to make it to the playoffs, and their game against Montana Verde will likely decide whether they move on with second place or a wild card slot."

Montana Verde 5 - 1 Suimede
"We've already talked about Montana Verde's playoff hopes, so let's talk about Suimede. The Suimeder side is in an awkward position where they look fine on paper, until you look at the fact that they only have one game left instead of two. They may well still move on, but their fate looks to no longer be in their hands, which is always a scary position."

"Thank you for watching Tournament Report here on ENN, I've been Alana Markai."

(OOC: Congrats Ventro. If I was going to lose to anyone, I'm genuinely happy it was you.)

[Islands Of Ventro]

Islands of Ventro 3-2 Eshialand


What a game this one was coming down to the last second. Those last three min were the most stressful of the entire season, luckily islands off Ventro held onto the lead just long enough for us to take the victory

What a game for Kevin Hate who scored two goals and was one of the main reason the Islanders won today. Kilkenny could do nothing against his powerful leg, he at times even seemed unstoppable.

The midfielders were the ones who put in the work today, the weird formation having confused the opponent strategy coach they took it and ran. Both Grayson Greer and Collin Bear picking up assists in the game. And Franc putting in a game sealing pass in the last couple min of the game.

Here is a interview we had with player Collin Bear who scored and got a assist this game,


Reporter: You had a great game, do you think this is your doing or the teams?

Bear: Well bit to sound egocentric but yes it was all me and my midfield boys.

Reporter: This was your first goal of the tournament, do you think you will get more?

Bear: We will see, I mean I am just happy I scored one!

Reporter: Okay that’s all the time we have, any closing statements?

Bear: Yes, we played a pinpoint game and it payed off, passing did not work out against Aut but it worked against this team. It really just depends who we face. Though we should be able to clinch this last game to secure the 1 seed in the QA. If we could win this tournament it would be great pride for Islands of Ventro.

[Srednjaci]

Baptism of Fire

Centralis
Olympic Stadium
Srednjaci Fans : 26 200

Srednjaci 4–2 Deniria

15th min 0:1 Fernando Coserría ( Alberto del Prado)
40th min 1:1 Isidor Matković ( Takanobu Tavano) 
51st min 2:1 Takanobu Tavano ( Heong Min Ho ) 
57th min 3:1 Davida Zimmer (Takanobu Tavano) 
82nd min 4:1 Li Peng  (Takanobu Tavano) 
88th min 4:2 Fabio Moranco penalty

What a match, what a rhapsody of goals at the Olympic Stadium in Centralis. An amazing performance by Takanobu Tavano. A man who scored 1 goal and assisted for three.
The footballers of Srednjaci simply know that the victory leads to the second round of the competition and they were determined in that.
However, Deniria is the one who takes the lead after 15 minutes of play.
Fernando Coserría, in the 14th minute, runs with the ball towards the goal. He shoots, Jure Iveša turns the ball into a corner with his fingertips!
Alberto del Prado took the corner from the left, and Fernando Coserría was the highest in the jump and scored a great header for 1: 0! Goooal !Deniria - Srednjaci 1: 0!
However, there is only one team on the field since then. Davida Zimmer first hit the post in the 37th minute of the game.
Then the goal, Tomljanović in the middle of the field wins a high ball, cheats his keeper and with a long pass plays Takanabu Tavano on the left wing.
Tavano runs into the empty space, enters the edge of 16 meters, Eric Fellet runs on him late and leaves Matković undefended. Tavano's fast and short pass towards Matković and Matković doesn't miss it! Gooooooal, 1: 1! Isidor Matkoviiiiić scores for the equalizer! Great Takanobu's assistance, Matković scored goal in 40th minute of the game !!
The first half ends 1: 1. In the second half, again Deniria was the first to get a chance. Fabio Moranco mixes the defensive players of Srednjaci but misses by a millimeter next to the right post. The sequel though only one team plays, Srednjaci. Heong Min Ho pulls the ball forward, passes it to Tomljanović and runs forward, Tomljanović plays forward again towards Min Ho. Two players from Deniria, Sergio Castilla and Eric Fellet, run to Min Ho, leaving the space undefended. Takanobu Tavano runs into the space at the right moment, Min Ho plays forward towards Tavano, Tavano enters from 16 meters, shoots the ball towards the goal and goooooooooal! Domingo Ramirez was helpless, he stretched as much as he could but the shot was great! Takanobu Tavano scored for 2: 1 in the 51st minute of the game. In the 57th minute of the game, Srednjaci's attack, Li Peng pushed the ball to the right side of Tavano, Tavano dribbled to get rid of the keeper and ran towards the center of the 16-meter edge. Davida Zimmer ran from the left wing to that position, Tavano left the ball and Davida Zimmer with hers left foot hit the right corner of the goal with a powerful shot! Goooal! Davidaaaaa Zimmeeeeeer! The score on the scoreboard is 3: 1 for Srednjaci!
The fourth goal was scored by Li Peng in the 82nd minute of the game. Zoran Šutić takes a short corner from the right towards Takanobu Tavano. Tavano takes the ball, dribbles into the 16-meter range and assists Li Peng, who stood alone at 12 meters, Li Peng shoots hard and hits! Goooooal! Liiii Peeeng ! The score on the scoreboard is 4: 1!
In the 88th minute, carelessness in the 16-meter in front goal of Srednjaci. Franko Rušković plays with his hand in his 16 meters, the referee points to the white spot! Penalty for Deniria! A penalty kick is taken by Fabio Moranco. Gooooal for Deniria! The result is 4: 2 and so it remained until the end.

GK Jure Iveša - 26 y - NK Čelik Raduč

LB Danijela Majić - 23 y - NK Bistua Nuova
CB Ivana Žimić - 26 y - NK Dinamo Katanija, from 58th min.Ivan Kušić In
CB Franko Rušković - 27 y - NK Mladost Melarit - Captain
RB Zoran Šutić - 25 y - NK Archer Kula

CDM Heong Min Ho - 25 y- NK Dinamo Katanija ( 1 assist) from 81st min Olga Vuković in

LW Davida Zimmer - 24 y - NK Bistua Nuova ( 1 goal )
RW Takanobu Tavano - 23 y- NK Dinamo Katanija ( 1 goal, 3 assist)

CF Ante Tomljanović - 25 y - NK Čelik Raduč

ST Isidor Matković - 24 y - NK Torpedo Melarit ( 1 goal)
ST Li Peng - 25 y - NK Mladost Melarit ( 1 goal )

TEAM SREDNJACI AT BOF

SCORERS

Isidor Matković - 3 goals
Li Peng - 2 goals
Takanobu Tavano - 1 goal
Davida Zimmer - 1 goal

ASSISTS 

Takanobu Tavano - 4 assists
Li Peng - 1 assist
Davida Zimmer - 1 assis
Heong Min Ho - 1 Assist

TAKANOBU TAVANO

What to say except that we provided a great game to the fans and deservedly won dominantly. I am very happy that we are playing better and more harmoniously and we feel that we can do a miracle here. This tournament is strong, there are a lot of strong teams but we have faith in our football, in our individual quality. We play fast and attractive football and that’s what attracts spectators. The atmosphere at the stadium was like a dream. We had great support from our fans and thank them for that.

FANS POPULI

Daniel 34 - We came on a flight from Catania to Centralis. We will stay here for 4 days. We have tickets for two more games. Ours play great and we are very happy that they won. My voice cracked so I apologize.
Svjetlana 29 - I came to Centralis with my relatives yesterday. I really liked the city and the people are great, kind to all and are always willing to have a chat and talk sports. The capital offers a lot of possibilities, there are many things to see, but shopping is also indispensable. The best player? Isidor Matković
Andrej 22 - I came with friends, we watched two games. If we go further and now we know we have passed, we stay at Electrum to follow our players. There are eight of us and our parents send us finances hahaha The best player? Tavanoooo
Tomislav 45 - there are only four friends and me. We also took families. We came to support our players but also to visit Electrum. Centralis is an Olympic city and has a great heritage. We are very happy that our guys finally lost the way they are expected to. We also have a ticket for the match against St Trinians. The best player? Hmm, listen, everyone is really great in their positions, but Matković is a goal machine. He’s always there for a chance or to score.

The situation in the group is actually clear. Our footballers are in the second round of the competition at the moment.
The only thing left for us is the fight for the first place in the group and the best possible position in the playoffs.

Group E
Srednjaci 4–2 Deniria
Istoreya 0–1 Le Choix

  Group E                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Srednjaci                          3   3  0  0    7   2  +5    9
2 St Trinians                        2   1  1  0    6   2  +4    4
3 Le Choix                           3   1  1  1    1   1   0    4
4 Istoreya                           2   0  0  2    0   3  −3    0
5 Deniria                            2   0  0  2    4  10  −6    0