Independents Cup 17

[Indusse]

Visiting Indiwood
PART I

Entertainment plays a major role in most of the nation's economy. Likewise taking the case of Indussean economy, entertainment contributes a large section of its worth. If you further consider the entertainment sector in Indusse, Cinemas and Films contributes about eighty six percentage of it's revenue. The Indusseans Film Sector is strengthened by it's multilingual, giant and excellent film industry known as the Indiwood. The Name, Indiwood has caused a lot of confusion to the public in the past due to its resemblance to Indusse's native plywood brand known by the same name. This was later fixed with the plyboard brand to be called IndiWood but with a capital "W". So, make sure to understand that Indiwood is the film industry and IndiWood is the plywood industry.

As mentioned before, Indiwood is a giant multilingual film industry with films being released from around twenty six languages. But while comparing the statistics of the industry we could categorise the movies into top five language industries and the rest. The Statistics released by the Indussean Film Makers Association (IFMA) who also controls Indiwood shows us that the top five languages in which films are released are English, Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil and French respectively.

This year, Indiwood saw the release of Three hundred and seventy one movies from English language alone making it the largest language industry of Indiwood. It gets followed by the largest Dravidian rooted language of the nation, Malayalam with a release of three hundred and twenty two movies. On the third place we've got the Hindi Film Industry of Indiwood with two hundred and sixty films released this year. On the fourth place we have another Dravidian language, Tamil releasing two hundred and eleven movies this year. The fifth largest language in Indiwood would be French, which is the the only non Indian language that tops the statistics other than English. There was a total release of one hundred and ninety one movies in the French language this year.

Making films are not just the need of filmmaker, they should make sure that the film is a success and make a notable profit in the Indiwood Box Office. The statistics released by the in-charge body known as IFMA shows that the top five languages that hit the box office is same as the top five languages that made movies in the industry. This shows that there is a related trend of success going on the Indussean Film Industry. One Hundred and twenty four films from English made into the box office followed by Malayalam in the second place with ninety eight box office hits. The third in the table is Hindi with sixty films headed to the box office hit list and Tamil following with thirty one films in the box office. The last in the top five is French with seventeen films that hit box office. There do exists languages with zero box office hits and three digit film released in the year.

[TJUN-ia]

By Peter Davis

After we came back to this sport with a comfortable 3-0 win over the Three Brothers of Toluiwa, the Jaguars of TJUN-ia knew that their final game here at The Pentagram Underworld would certainly be tougher than the 1st one. Both David Seems and Peter Ørberg knew that things will certainly be tough, despite the ranking advantage at play, but everyone knew that expectations would be high considering what they managed to do at the World Cup last year and that they had to fight to ensure that, no matter the result, they would do their homeland proud.

Our opponents were the group's co-host, West Barack and East Obama, who are managed by Buck Obamafinakis and their brothers Tuck and Chuck. With a large home contingent ready to support them, they hoped to be effective in their defensive ways and that is exactly how this game would end up playing out. Their captain, Trent Vobama and GK Dwayne Obama were certainly crucial pieces for the Obamen, putting up a defensive effort that we couldn't break for a very long time. It was the counter that would produce WEBO's 2 goals, with Sputnik Brykilawa unable to stop strikes from Lily Chobamya in the 1st half and Brett Pogama in the 2nd. We did end up getting a goal back late on thanks to a header from Regina McDuff (which I think is her first-ever senior goal), but it wasn't enough in the end. We will fly to Quintessence of Dust at 1-0-1 and 2nd in this group, with 2 games and a bye left to go.

That loss did suck, but we didn't exactly play like amateurs out there and the Obama Carers deserved the win. The rest of this group stage will go down at the lengthy-named Holy Immaculate Stadium of Saint Grapefruit the Anomic - and up first will be the debuting New Portland Republic, who were on a bye on MD2 after a debut 0-0 draw against WEBO. Many will hope this is our bounceback moment in the quest to reach the IAC knockouts...but stranger things have happened before. GO JAGS!

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SCHEDULE (Group 2)
MD1: vs Toluiwa (UR) - The Pentagram Underworld, West Barack and East Obama W 3-0 (1st)
MD2: vs West Barack and East Obama (32) - The Pentagram Underworld, West Barack and East Obama L 1-2 (2nd)
MD3: vs New Portland Republic (UR) - Holy Immaculate Stadium of Saint Grapefruit the Anomic, Quintessence of Dust
MD4: BYE
MD5: vs Abanhfleft (15) - Holy Immaculate Stadium of Saint Grapefruit the Anomic, Quintessence of Dust

[Elmyia]

The Overlap
5 Takeaways from Belnegau 0 - 0 Elmyia

1. Both sides could do with more pace - In contest where one team is content to sit back and the other plays in full armour, pace suddenly becomes a rare commodity. In the first twenty minutes we saw flashes of what Benedetti and Byng could do with their pace, with three big opportunities coming up early, then being spurned by two strikers who have always been streaky finishers. Perhaps confused by their modern surroundings, Belnegau then adapted well to the pace of the game and the opportunities to strike in behind dried up. Going the other way, Belnegau had plenty of possession, but at no point did their strikers seem to possess the burst of pace needed to generate the opportunity to score, with them relying on a stream of headers from crosses in (impressive given their vision must surely be constrained).
   
2. Maturity in defence pays off - With the rest of the team being incredibly young, the three centre-backs form a trio of experience and know-how at the back. Grosso, Freschi and Flewin all acquitted themselves well, each marshalling their respective centre-forward expertly. This wasn't easy. Barring the first twenty minutes, Elmyia spent most of the game thoroughly on the back-foot. A twenty minutes spell from the 60th minute onwards saw Elmyia pegged back, and the crosses raining in. All three dealt with this superbly, with only one cross receiving the connection required to go on target, which Butler did well to spoon over the top. It wasn't pretty, and none looked particularly refined, but it was blood and guts defending that marks this out as an area of strength.
   
3. Midfield balance still not there - It might not have been obvious, but the midfield configuration shifted three times during this contest. The beginning of the game saw Massi stick with his usual three of Speight, Simmons and Chapman. They allowed a degree of control in the middle of the park, and collectively they did plenty in terms of ball progression, setting up the early string of chances for the strikers. From here, though, they were bypassed as Lothar the Crusader started to dominate the middle of the park. After half-time it was clear that Chapman had been asked to push up towards the right-wing, and try and exploit the space outside the two centre-backs. This eventually backfired, with Belnegau having their best patch in the match. The decision to bring on Reid for Chapman and play him further forward but more centrally improved the balance, but Elmyia still couldn't find a way to cut through. This remains the weakest area of this Elmyian side, with Chapman and Speight lacking technicality or a specialism, they don't look like they will find a way to control games, at best doggedly chasing around the pitch.
   
4. Froggatt could bring some dynamism - Elmyia's shift to a front two was largely fueled by defensive concerns, creating a shape to offset some of the downside in midfield and give Elmyia a chance of defending counters. This is all well and good, until you realise this leaves Elmyia dependent on two young, incredibly streaky players, to score the goals. Byng and Benedetti have their merits, and surely one of them will evolve into a dependable presence up front. But, whilst that is yet to happen, Jackie Froggatt is a proven and mature goalscorer who could bring much needed dynamism up front. This would require a slight change of shape, either with her forming the left of a front three, or with Benedetti dropping to the number 10 position. With weaker opponents in Eerinphektia up next, Elmyia have a chance to try a new shape and see if the goals will come.
   
5. No room for error now - While the 0-0 is decent in the scheme of things - playing the group's second seed, opening game of a big tournament - it does leave little margin for error down the line. Vice-Captain Butler made this clear stating that "We need to press on now, one point in the bag is good, but to press forward we need wins. This is an excellent squad, high quality group, we've got the quality." Whether they have the quality remains to be seen, but he was right. With some spots open for third place teams performing well makes life a little easier, Elmyia will need to finish second to guarantee progression. This means two wins over unranked sides, and the need to take points off of Juvencus. Last time out in the IAC, Juvencus dispatched a weak Elmyian side 4-1 before making a run to the quarter-finals, this time Elmyia will, however, have home advantage and a qualification campaign under their belt for experience.

5 takeaways from the IAC so far

1. Can HUElavia make it three? - The two previous campaign have been the story of one team, and one team only. HUElavia. They defended their crown last time out in Drawkland, and have made easy work of the early running here to look like favourites. The Alezian Union were dispatched 4-1, but even more impressive was the solid 2-0 victory against Eshialand. Backed by exuberant travelling support their performance was clinical, with two second half goals wrapping up a statement win. Other perennial contenders have started well, Adab, Trolleborg and Drawkland have all made perfect starts as well. But, entering as favourites is difficult and HUElavia seem to thrive under the pressure.
   
2. Tough times for the hosts - On home soil you hope to put in a respectable display, and if not at least keep the margins down, but the Quintessence of Dust support must be chaffing after being dispatched 6-2 by Indusse. The hosts looked rusty, competing in their first tournament since IAC-15, and they will need to turn the ship around fast to have a chance of making the knockout stages. With all venues hosting the knockouts located in QoD it would be a shame to lose them at first hurdle, enthusiastic host by in is conducive to the atmosphere and things can become somewhat staid and boring without them present. If not, we must hope that the denzines of QoD are enthusiastic and interested neutral support.
   
3. Elmyia need a rival, but who? - "You have enemies? Good, that means you've stood up for something some time in your life" is a quote incorrectly ascribed to the well-respected and broadly liked eugenicist Winston Churchill. Now, he never said this, but it must be noted that Elmyia have failed to make an impression on anyone in more ways that one. Not only do we lack notable results, we have also failed to inspire enmity in others, or even some friendly banter with other nations. It must be said that rivalry improves football, Albion Italia in Mosfleet has an edge and entertainment factor in excess of other fixtures domestically. With this noted Elmyia need to find a team to build a rivalry with, but there remains few candidates. Being dispatched twice by Poafmersia hurt, sure, but they would make a poor rival as they likely do not think about us at all. West Barack and East Obama fill certain criteria, losing to them in the Baptism of Fire WAS a bit of a pisser, and we've been around for a similar length of time. But, barring an under-18s game, we've only played each other once, so it's unlikely anyone cares. Perhaps it's time to put an ad in the lonely hearts pages?
   
4. Burikinia provide the shock factor - Poor Hopal. They must surely have been banking that Burikinia would cough up some points, unranked and unfancied as they were. But no. It's not enough that they have to deal with a high profile corruption trial against a former Agricultural Minister, the back pages contain bad news as well. Burikinia's 3-4-3 formation was married with a slightly offensive style and has bagged them 6 points from two games so far, a blistering start. Elmyia look unlikely to make a dent, but it has been shown that underdogs can still flourish in the IAC.
   
5. Elmyia hosting goes off without a hitch (Mostly) - As fans from Oscioru and Eerinphektia filed out of Tollington Park it was clear that Elmyia have made decent work of hosting duties. Fans entered and left the city without issue, with some seen milling about tourist spots in the centre, and Portsquare being busy throughout the day. Fans of various nations seem to be mingling with each other and Elmyians without issue. Even Elmyia's slightly frosty service culture seems to be thawing, many restauranters and bar owners have expressed their hopes that some visitors might be tempted back for non-football reasons in future. The one glitch was found further afield, at a public screening of Elmyia's opening fixture in Plaza Nuevo in Mosfleet. Several men were reported to be excessively loud, throwing drinks and engaging in scuffles with each other. Eventually, one man was arrested whilst wearing a snorkel. He was charged with affray and public disorder offences after reportedly sticking a firework up his bum and lighting it, throwing cider at bystanders and repeatedly engaging in lewd chants. He has not been identified by name, but has repeatedly referred to himself as Scuba Dave. All members of the group involved have had travel, stadium and fan zone bans instated, and will be forced to watch the remainder of the tournament from home.

[Juvencus]

INDEPENDENTS CUP IS WELL ON ITS WAY, HOW DOES GLI ATTACCANTI FARE?


Scenes as gli attaccanti defeat Oscioru's national team in what is the most important official group stage football game in the history of Juvencus

Juvencus has picked up 2 really significant victories back-to-back, one being the 3rd place play off victory against Audioslavia to ensure a place in the podium with a 4-2 scoreline and a very impressive Martell hat-trick. The other, against a nation that has a very controversial position in Juven society and that is Oscioru. In a match that was filled with back and forth offensive play, an Urruchi header(due to Campana being put to rest by Madeiros) in the 90+4 minutes was enough to make the few Juven fans at the New Cleethorpes Municipal Sporting Ground erupt in celebrations, while the Osci fans proceeded to boo loudly. Intense offensive chants were exchanged between fans of the two teams and both Juven and Osci ultras brought banners with irrendentist maps of both Juvencus and Oscioru, which include part of each others' territories. Thankfully this did not erupt in violence on the pitch although reports of clashes between Juven and Osci fans back at home are alarming.

What this says about how the Juven team will fare in this competition is up for debate, but with the team currently being on a roll off the back of two important victories this indicates a dangerous side has already been brewed up by Madeiros. What exactly is the outlook for the team's performance in this version of the Independents Cup?

Gli attaccanti is confident: The first and perhaps most important thing to take out of this team is the sudden spark in its confidence. The cycle did not start so strongly and especially in games of importance the team did not perform up to part with its heavy expectations. However, as the Cup of Harmony came, the team not only performed, it exceeded every single expectation, playing great football in every single match after and taking home the bronze medal in an emotional bout well played for revenge for the past. Entering into the Independents Cup with a victory against the nation's biggest ethnic rival is yet more evidence as to how confident the team is playing. Aside from that, the past faults of the team do not dictate the flow of the game anymore, which is critical as the team is transitioning to a phase of strength.

Deepest attack pool in history: Speaking about gli attaccanti, there comes a massive dilemma that Madeiros will have to handle in the future and this is the uneven distribution of excellent players across positions on the pitch. While midfield, defence and goalkeeper are all clear with normal depths the attack pool is extremely deep with players duking it out in multiple foreign leagues. Just last season Julio Campana rocked it at the Cassadagan Premier League, while Giordano Limene has been dominant in Flavovespia. Urruchi has been AC Pomena's main striker for quite a while now(and now off to Gehrenna FC of Ko-Oren at the end of the cycle) and Adamantina Campana is Cordasfjord-bound after an impressive display last season. And this is just talking about the spot of striker, with pretty much wanted talent and lucrative deals for some of the world's fastest and most dangerous and clinical finishers by multiple teams all across the multiverse. With that said, an unstoppable offensive gives the team the much deserved title of an unstoppable force, which coupled with its new-found confidence will be its driving factor as the competition moves forward.

Respect for Madeiros: With the positive results stacking up, it is no surprise that Madeiros' name keeps getting brought up. He is the first coach to have been given enough time and space to reorganise the team and give it the push to the heights only reached under Toset's influence. For the most part that is something he has done, outdoing Mauro De Casio and Pau Porras by a long shot. A way he has managed to do this is by inspiring respect from his players, many are the comments of internationals praising his approach to the game through relatability since he has been in their shoes at some of the hardest situations any Juven player has had the chance to play in. The afforementioned approach coupled with the results on the pitch have given Madeiros a well-deserved position of respect which makes the players perform at the best of their abilities on their quest to the multiverse's elite. Compared to the Independents, this places the team at the upper echelons of the favorites.

The ultimate goal, vengeance: From the last cycle onward, the team has been mostly focused on delivering one of its ultimate goals, which is vengeance. Vengefulness has for a long time been one of the team's most major goals. Defeating the majority of past rivals(rivals they had not defeated ever) since the last cycle, rivals such as Savojarna, Turori, Adab, Audioslavia to name a few. If all goes well, a possible game against Drawkland in the knockout stages and particularly the final is likely. This serves as major goal for the team as it has not had the chance to finish the job with neither Drawkland or participated in any major final since Cup of Harmony 73. Defeating fellow Sonnelian rivals at the grandest final in all of the Independent World is the team's major goal. With a clear-cut goal in mind, the team is bound to perform better than it usually does.

But who are the favorites?: The answer is not clear as the competition is only 2 matchdays in. But several names pop up when you think of Independents Cup favorites. Specifically HUElavia and Drawkland most of all, teams which traditionally perform to the highest levels in the competition, especially HUElavia which has participated in half a dozen finals and won 2 in a row recently. While Drawkland is one of the multiverse's most significant teams regardless of competition. Other names that pop up are Indusse, Trolleborg, Geektopia and Adab, teams that must not be overlooked and are indeed threats to gli attaccanti's path to success. Outsiders and honorable mentions include are fellow Sonnelians in West Barrack and East Obama as well as fellow catholic nation and group-mate Belnegau.

It is clear that while Juvencus is a favorite, a stacked competition such as the Independents Cup is tough to predict but with gli attaccanti's recent form, everything is possible as long as Madeiros' system is put to work and with the current squad depth not many teams can put a tough competition against la squadra. It is good to keep a mature approach in each and every single game and moving forwards, treat every single game as the final. If la squadra performs as expected and does not become cocky with it, they have a genuine chance at bringing home the gold.

[Oscioru]

✣CANZARIA QUOTIDIANO✣

LA NAZIONALE'S RETURN IN FOOTBALL: IS IT GOOD OR IS IT A FAIRYTALE?


Celebrations following la nazionale's 4-3 victory against Eerinphektia

It is not mistake that football has had a long and storied tradition in Oscioru. Good players have come and gone since the team's last participation at any football competition since World Cup 81's qualifiers and the talent that seems to just have been thrown out the window since then is exponential and is considered quite sad considering the quality. An emphatic return to the world stage following a 4-3 to newcomers Eerinphektia was enough to signal the sirens for an extraordinary return by the Osci players. On the followup game against the much dreaded rivals in Juvencus, la nazionale showed a touch of its class and kept the scores even until the end, when a lucky head by Juven striker Urruchi finished what would otherwise have been a dream result.

But a series of questions still stand in many Osci's heads. What is the level of the team currently? Is its return good or is this all just a well-fabricated lie? A fairytale of sorts even? We have decided to give you, the Osci fan, several answers to answer your questions.

What is the level of the team currently?: Truthfully, with only two matches since its return to the international stage there is not much to say about the team. It seems to be well-rounded with good team synergy, sticking to the tactics of Roberto De Casio with ease. When dominant, they can do fast attacks, otherwise effective counter-attacks and off the ball play have been focal points of focus for the team. With Eerinphektia this was unnecessary as the team was better for the most part but with Juvencus, it worked wonders for the majority of the game. This shows some potential for the team for a respectable run.

Is its return good?: So far yes, but with Elmyia and Belnegau ahead, things are far from over and the team will have to prove itself against relatively tough opposition without much worrying about the large hurdle, since it is all past it now. Things could either take a turn for the best or worse depending on the team's performances in the upcoming games but with a stroke of luck, this could send shockwaves across the multiverse.

What is the outcome of this?: With the afforementioned, everything is up for a debate. A solid teamwork and a stroke of luck are what is needed for this team to progress far in this competition as well as others. Special attention should be given to its attack, playing in the stronger Juven Campionato and with significant international club time on their waists paired up with good quality finishing. Roberto De Casio will surely be looking to enforce his brother's plans in a more suitable and safe enviroment than his brother ever could. There is optimism in the horizon but it is highly suggested to remain vigilant as both Elmyia and Belnegau remain dangerous threats.

[Harry Islands]

Hotel in Quintessence of Dust
The players went to the restaurant inside the hotel to meet for dinner and talk, the players were already at the table, when Frederich Mendez decides to tell a story:

"Well... haha... Um, can someone turn on the mic?... Oh, thank you, well, I'd like to tell you a story, well, I was on a plane, with the whole team, going to play against Blue Birds in Stone City, and during the flight, they turned off the lights and offered us a hot towel rolled up, and, I looked at that, and I thought... It was a tapioca *everyone snickers* oh I I took it, it was really hot, and I bit into it... When I looked to the side, Bruno Phillips was putting that on his face" Soon after, everyone starts laughing out loud.
The Team talks a little more and finally they start to eat, the team is very well integrated, and certainly, they will give their all in the next games.

[Abanhfleft]

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independents sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

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Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Football Fallacies
with The Man from Markovsky

IT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER, BUT IT DEFINITELY COULD HAVE BEEN WAY WORSE

Hello and welcome to The Football Fallacies. Right, so the 17th Independent Associations Championships is finally well and truly underway. The Lady Revolutionaries of Abanhfleft had to wait for a few more days than most of the other teams in this competition because we had the bye day to start off the IAC, meaning that almost everyone else now has a head start on our lasses. However, getting the first bye day of a competition does have some advantages of its own. The girls get both a rest day and an extra day for training, and they also get live footage, hot off the press, of the teams they’re about to face. Also, getting the bye on the first matchday means that our team’s destiny is entirely in their hands. There’s no need for them to wait around for results in the other group games and hope that they’ve done just enough to make it into the next round. I always find that having your team’s destiny be completely in their own hands is a much better way of spending anxiety-ridden nights keeping up with football results than just watching them sit on their thumbs and hope and pray that the other teams mess up their own destinies. Not that it’s often worked out in our favor but a guy can hope. Also, one of these days, something has got to give. Abanhfleft will finally get past the Round of 16 one of these days if we just keep making it to the knockout rounds. It’s the law of averages, I believe. One of these days, the football gods will forget that they’re supposed to be tormenting us, and we’re going to take full advantage of it before they finally notice that they’re not being fed a constant diet of salty Fleftic tears.

All right, enough waffling about. Let’s get to talking about Abanhfleft’s first game in IAC 17. Our first opponent in Group B is some place called Toluiwa. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never seen or even heard of this place before, but it looks like they might have actually been doing something with their lives instead of just qualifying for one specific sporting tournament and then disappearing off into the ether once the whole thing is finished. And once again, I have been reminded of that fascistic abomination that is Nilrahrarfan. I’m pretty sure those bastards existed purely so the football gods could keep drinking from my own tear ducts to my dying day. Fucking Nilrahrarfan, man. They know that Abanhfleft is out for their blood so they haven’t even bothered to come back to the international stage since that fateful day in Valanora. And you all wonder why I hate Valanora with a passion despite us not having played against them in officially sanctioned competitions. Anyway, Toluiwa may be newcomers to the scene, but they’ve already proven themselves to be a thousand times better than all of the other “one-and-done” teams by putting up pertinent information regarding both their country and their players. For that, they have already earned my respect, though they did almost lose it when they decided that they were going to try to mount a comeback against us.

The start of Toluiwa’s life in the Independents Cup has not been an easy one, to say the least. They went up against the Jaguars of TJUN-ia, and they got spanked for their efforts. Toluiwa’s game plan for the IAC relies almost entirely on stalwart defending, but against TJUN-ia, I don’t think they did any defending at all, stalwart or otherwise. I’m looking at what match replays are available online and it kind of looks like the Jaguars simply tore Toluiwa to shreds. TJUN-ia had the upper hand for almost the whole match. Sure, Toluiwa managed to mount some decent counterattacking plays but their finishing, or lack thereof, was what betrayed them in the end. Meanwhile, West Barack and East Obama and the New Portland Republic played out a 0-0 draw, and from what I can tell, it went exactly as you would expect a 0-0 draw would go. I feel sad for the poor schmuck who had to put together even just two minutes of highlights for that particular game. They were definitely reaching for the definition of the word “highlight” throughout most of that video I watched, and I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to witness that particular game live. Thank goodness I can’t afford tickets to Quintessence of Dust and therefore can pick and choose the matches that I watch on these dodgy websites with advertisements claiming that there are hot and restless single mothers in your area.

But even with Toluiwa’s commitment to staying true to their defensive ideals, I knew that our match against them was going to be a crazy one as soon as the flags of both nations came out because, well, just take a look for yourself. You all remember that meme that went around in the old days in which someone asks if they can copy your homework, and you say yes so long as they make it just different enough to create some plausible deniability about the possibility of copying having happened. I would dare say that something similar might have happened with Abanhfleft’s and Toluiwa’s flags. You see, Abanhfleft’s flag is a horizontal tricolor with equal blue, orange, and green bands. For a short time between late 2008 and 2015, Abanhfleft’s flag had a hammer and sickle symbol in the middle to symbolize the coalition between the Democratic and Communist Parties in the aftermath of the Gullottist Revolution, but that symbol was removed when the Nacionalista Party returned to power via President Rako Novoire, so now Abanhfleft is back to a plain old tricolor. Meanwhile, Toluiwa’s flag is a vertical tricolor with equal bands of blue, red, and green. Now if that isn’t the definition of “just change it a little so it doesn’t look like you copied,” then I don’t even know what is anymore. I have to say that it was kind of trippy to see both flags side by side during the opening ceremony for this game, up to and including the singing of the national anthems.

Now that the pre-game ceremonies were over, it was finally time to get to the action. And despite what Toluiwa’s manager William Guntur said about them sticking to their defensive tactics against us, that plan of theirs lasted all of seven minutes before Lily Natividad found some space on the left side of the box and slotted home the ball after getting on the end of a Whitney Zilahi cutback. Now I don’t usually like to point fingers and assign blame in these kinds of situations, but it kind of is the fault of both the center back and right back for focusing too much on the threat that Hiroko Kellerman posed to them while ignoring Abanhfleft’s other players. Heck, Yusuf Alifian and Krisna Permana should have had Lily covered if they were indeed following their defensive tactic, but instead they both gravitated towards Hiroko and that gave Lily all the space that she needed to score the opening goal. But then again, what Hiroko just did with those two defenders was exactly the same thing that she had been doing for the Lady Revolutionaries when Kate Bernanos was still in charge of the team. Her primary purpose was to be the focal point of Abanhfleft’s attacks, thus attracting the opposition’s defenders to her like moths to a flame. However, if our other forward players weren’t as creative and effective as they are now, this tactic probably wouldn’t even work. We’re lucky that we’ve been blessed with such good forward players. I just hope we don’t end up squandering their talent like what happened to the likes of Adelaide Singh, Sohaila Magomedova, and Elene Liner.

Wait, what the fuck am I talking about with squandering the talent of this women’s side? This is literally the same side that’s already won the Women’s World Cup! Sure, it’s not the World Cup that we all want to win, but it’s still a trophy regardless, and these women are literally the first Flefts to lift some silverware in the sport of football. Asking them to win the World Cup might have been too much at the moment, but maybe they can redeem themselves by picking up the Independent Associations Championship. And if that’s what they want to do, they’ve certainly put themselves on the right track, at least if the game against Toluiwa is admissible as evidence. Toluiwa may be a defensive side, but Abanhfleft didn’t really care. If the Lady Revolutionaries had the ball then they were capable of making something happen with it. And that was exactly what happened, given the sheer volume of attempts that the girls were pumping into Toluiwa’s box. It was inevitable that one such chance was going to get converted into a goal, just as I feel that it’s going to be inevitable that there will be a time when Abanhfleft will once again be able to make it past the Round of 16 of a football tournament. In the meantime, Whitney Zilahi had a free kick attempt in the 21st minute that was parried by Eko Febriansyah (or more accurately, Febriansyah’s fingertip), but that only took the ball as far the forehead of an onrushing Tatiana Tos, and there was just no chance that she was going to miss from such a short distance. I can’t even find anything bad to say about this goal other than the fact that Febriansyah should have been a bit more decisive inside his own area.

Abanhfleft did look like they were in control of the result for the rest of the match. Toluiwa wasn’t really going anywhere, and what few counterattacks they could muster up, the Lady Revolutionaries took care of those quickly and decisively. Now there’s something that I never thought I would say to describe how Abanhfleft played a game of football. Maybe there is a first time for everything and all that. However, the sequence of events that I’m about to relate to all of you is something that has happened to this Abanhfleft team time and again and, to quote that chant that some football fans love to use time and time again, “it’s happened again!” Toluiwa was providing little if any in the way of threatening Ina Pendergraft and her goal. However, that all changed when Setya Putranto got a little too deep into the box and Rose Bane got a little too excited to chop down Putranto with both of her feet. Say what you will about Rose’s decision making at the moment but that was a clear and obvious penalty. No argument from me about that this time around. However, there was literally no need for Rose to go in on Putranto like that. Abanhfleft was literally in control of the whole game! Just 25 more minutes and the game would have been done and dusted and in the history books. But no, Rose Bane had to go down and two-foot some poor Toluiwan fool!

Reihan Maulana Putra stepped up to take the spot kick, and he made no mistake against Ina Pendergraft. No fancy short steps or stutters from this guy, just a straight run towards the ball and then smacking it into the top right corner. No fuss, no tricks, just a straight up power shot. And just like that, Toluiwa received a lifeline back into the game when they didn’t have any for the previous 68 minutes. Or at least that was what Toluiwa’s fans would have thought after Maulana Putra scored that penalty. But Abanhfleft was not really interested in being part of a Cinderella comeback story with Toluiwa as the protagonist, and Heinrich Wurzmann took steps to make sure that that wouldn’t happen. One of those steps was bringing on Mavis McGlamery for Mae Wilbanks, injecting fresh legs into a position which required pace to make it effective given the current Fleftic game plan. Now I don’t really remember what happened in the buildup to the goal as this was the part of the game where I zoned out due to the repetitive nature of late-game Wurzmann-ball. But what I do remember is seeing Mavis jump into the air, rotate her body 180 degrees, and then smash the ball into the goal via bicycle kick. The fact that I cannot even remember what happened in the buildup to the goal is a testament to the travesty that is Wurzmann-ball in the last fifteen to ten minutes of a football game, because while the bicycle kick goal is an impressive feat on its own, the buildup leading to it is just as important to telling the story of how the bicycle kick goal came about in the first place. At least I have the benefit of those highlight clips on the Internet to see for myself, but it’s still a different thing to witness the whole thing live. In fact, I would even say that seeing the whole thing unfold live is a vital component to understanding and appreciating the beauty of such a goal.

But Toluiwa, now that they’ve seen some light at the end of the bloody tunnel, were not going to go away without a fight. They thought that they were toothless against the Lady Revolutionaries, but that Maulana Putra penalty was enough to convince them that a comeback was still very much possible, even with the limited time remaining. That and Abanhfleft’s own reputation of bottling these kinds of matches. But even when armed with that knowledge, they still had to get more players into our half, our six-yard box, in order to make something happen. They couldn’t just stay in their own half if they wanted to mount the improbable comeback. And yet they still let us have possession and relied on counterattacks to see them through. Now such a strategy could work if the opponents were a bit more wayward with their passing, but our lasses have been drilled to take care of the ball, and as such, it’s kind of hard for anyone to get the ball off of the feet of someone like Josefine Vitagliano or Jordyn Bernardino. In fact, it would take until the dying minutes of the 90 for Toluiwa to finally get their hands (or rather feet) on the ball for an extended period of time, and it was at the end of such a long spell of possession (for them at least) that they finally got their second goal. It’s kind of a funny sight, seeing someone like Faturrachman Saleh running after the ball with the huge figure of Ashley Jaxson hot on his heels. Unfortunately, speed is not Ashley’s greatest asset, and not only did Saleh beat her to the ball, but Saleh also beat Ina Pendergraft by way of chipping the ball over the Fleftic goalkeeper’s head.

However, time was never going to be on Toluiwa’s side, and despite their best attempts to steal a point from this contest, in the end the Lady Revolutionaries held on to their lead and picked up their first points of the 17th Independent Associations Championship. Of course, it would have been better if the girls had managed to hang on to their 2-0 lead before conceding the penalty, or if they managed to add to that scoreline, but three points is three points. And now it’s time to look forward to our next opponent, who are none other than West Barack and East Obama. Abanhfleft has already played WB&EO before, having met in the Round of 24 of the previous Independents Cup, but that was with the men’s team. This time it’s the women of Abanhfleft who are squaring off against the Obamans, and though the men’s team will surely have shared their notes, observations, and tactics in order for the women to be able to replicate the result that the men’s team got two years ago, everyone knows that all plans never survive first contact. Also, now we’re playing the Obamans on their home turf, and as we all know, home advantage is almost as good as being one goal up already at the start of the match. But I wonder how all of this will play out. After all, the Obamans did get the victory over TJUN-ia, and nothing good ever happens to an Abanhfleft team going up against an opponent with momentum on their side. Anyway, that’s all that there is from me now. If you’ve got any comments or thoughts of your own about the game against Toluiwa or predictions against West Barack and East Obama then feel free to leave them down below. Until then, I’ve been the Man from Markovsky, hoping once again that I won’t be disappointed in my country again.

       ABANHFLEFT 3 - 2 TOLUIWA                  
   NATIVIDAD (7')       MAULANA PUTRA (68' pen)
        TOS (21')       SALEH (89')
  McGLAMERY (76')

[Ile de Richelieu]

Port Saint-Jean, Île de Richelieu - Île de Richelieu is taking on the international level by participating to the Independents Cup, a football tournament for nations located in non-sporting regions. The Cardinals aren't looking bad with two draws in two games. Really not bad for a nation only inhabited by 928 people. On the first matchday, Île de Richelieu played against Poafmersia in Quintessence of Dust but they were the home team. The match started well for Île de Richelieu, when, at the 11th minute Jean-Christophe Gouin was dribbling with the ball in the penalty area and Player #4 pushes him and he falls onto the ground. It's a penalty for the Cardinals! Rose-Émilie Bouthillette takes the penalty and she scores! 1-0 Île de Richelieu and that was the score at the halftime. At the 61st minute, Marc-Antoine Desgroseilliers dribbles with the ball and makes a cross to Jean-Christophe Gouin who kicks the ball and it's a goal! Île de Richelieu takes a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, Player #10 scored at the 84th and 85th minute for Poafmersia and the final result was a 2-2 draw.

Meanwhile on matchday 1, Fjalsherred and Britonisea had a 1-1 draw at Stade de la montagne de l'ours in Île de Richelieu.

On matchday 2, the Cardinals played in île de Richelieu against Britonisea, who stayed here for a full week. But Île de Richelieu was the away team. The match ended with a 0-0 draw. Île de Richelieu's best chance was at the 29th minute when Rose-Émilie Bouthillette kicks the ball on the goal post. Tristan Charbonneau had two yellow cards (and a red one) against Britonisea and will be suspended for one match. Gabrielle Champagne will replace him against Geektopia.

Jean-Guy Laframboise

[Cakranegara]

Cakranegara 2 – 0 St. Saratoga
Goal:
Syaifullah Fatah (1)
Harun Muftadi (1)

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Things Get Comfy with the Southern Neighbor

Cakranegara Staatspersbureau

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Bhagawanta - President Hambali is on a diplomatic tour following the signing of Mengwi Agreement. This move is made to normalize relationship with the neighboring countries especially country that have a high hostility status with Cakranegara. Their first stop is the southern neighbor, Rarungan. The country's relationship with Rarungan is ups and downs. Rarungan was established back in the 18th century as a refuge place for Sanatana Dharma and Boda believers after the spread of Watu Telu religion in Cakranegara. The kingdom eventually split with Rarungan establish as a separate kingdom. The relationship was normalize after that with trade agreement and royal inter marriage happened between the two kingdoms.

During the road to independence period, Cakranegara asked their colonial master to merge both Cakranegara and Rarungan into a single entity. But Rarungan government decline and sought a different independence path. Their relationship become worsen during Cakranegara Republic War. In the war, the coup lead by the military and republican depose their king. The king then fled to Rarungan and ask for protection. Rarungan government agreed. This fact which made the war spread into Rarungan and drag Pemecutan into the scene. As predicted, the war ended in Cakranegara lose. Gili Anakan was taken by Pemecutan. Cakranegara was barred from building an army. And Pemecutan took control of Cakranegaran international presence.

The end of Republican War also become the lowest point of Cakranegara relationship with Rarungan. After the establishment of Cakranegara new government, there is none Cakranegara President who set foot in Rarungan. Until this day. Hambali decision to visit Rarungan in his first diplomatic tour is a shocking news both for his colleagues and also his opponent. Many have thoughts that the President have made some unimaginable decision lately. Decision that the political expert said beyond his character. President Hambali is known as a hardline nationalist. His campaign speech always stated as such. He always highlighted that Cakranegara needs to stand up in its own feet. But in this few days, his actions have been heavily criticized.

Political expert, Lydia Mariani said that the President might be just realize that to achieve his goal for an independent Cakranegara, he needs the help of others first. Mariani actually praise Hambali's recent move about the Mengwi Agreement. That agreement will greatly help the country economically. Especially because Cakranegara main trading partner is Pemecutan. The agreement also open up a door to more opportunity. Lax of regulation for Cakranegaran to go into the signatory countries also give a better opportunity for the citizen to work and study abroad. She admit that Hambali has made a bold move. But that is necessary to builds the country's small economy power.

While about the diplomatic tour, she also give two thumbs up for the President. The tour will give an idea of what's and how's Cakranegara is today.

We've been technically isolated with all the embargoes and limitation. This is the way to tell the neighbors that we are ready to cooperate with them. We are ready to open up our border for them. To welcome them. And on the other hand, we can learn something about them.

Lydia Mariani
Political expert

Mariani statements is also supported by other political experts. However, negative comments are still wandering around. Especially from the President side itself. Some say that the President has losing his integrity and pride by doing so. Despite the pros and cons, President Hambali and his delegation is today arrived at Bhagawanta, Rarungani capital. This is a historic event. The first Cakranegara President to ever set foot in Rarungan. He is schedule to be in Rarungan for 3 days before heading to Toluiwa in his next stop. Aside from the capital, President Hambali is schedule to visit Senadwipa and Labuanjaya, Rarungani economic center.

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[Okoya]

Okoya's National Mens Football Team

Kits here
Code: OKO
Style mod: +1.4

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes, tg me first
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: No

3-1-4-2 formation

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Starting Lineup

Starters:
GK: #1 Makoto Saito - 20 - SC Kiwanaku
The young goalkeeper has exceeded everyone's expectations since leaving Sporting's youth academy, and joining the senior squad. A talented player with lots of potential, Saito has performed exceptionally well for his club, earning the starting job. After a lackluster performance in the 53rd Di Bradini Cup, many started to question the keeper's role in international football. However, the talent and extremely high ceiling of Saito has convinced mangaer Yasu Alfons to not only include the young goalkeeper onto the senior squad, but name him as the starter for the 17th Independents Cup.

CB: #3 Kuro Altena - 26 - Bokhoven FC
A very capable defender, Altena has won the last two Madeira Trophies for best defender in Okoya League One. Altena is best known for his physical style of play.

CB: #4 Theo Kuipers - 28 - Kayabuksa United
Kuipers has consistently performed for his club for years, but this tournament marks his first international starting job, a move which many fans call long overdue.

CB: #19 Sota Nogueira - 19 - Kayabuksa United
Nogueira is another highly praised prospect, known for his speed, and his explosive ability to clear the ball and make plays. Playing at Kayabuksa, and learning under Kuipers has given Okoya's defense unmatched chemistry.

CDM: #18 Raul Campos - 25 - AFC Cahaya
Most of his career, Campos has played in an attacking midfielder role, with his defensive abilities only coming out in flashes. Alfons wanted fully use Campos' skillset, thus making him a CDM.

LM: #15 Nobu Okazaki - 21 - Kiwanaku City
Okazaki was another member of the U21 team, Okazaki adds his playmaking ability, as well as his friendly personality.

CM: #6 Mick Medeiros [C] - 34 - Berteira 1907
Medeiros is a member of the national team, and is the team's captain due to his experience, as well as his leadership ability. Although not as impressive in club play, Medeiros is known to perform exceptionally well when representing Okoya.

CM: #24 Micha van Dalen - 20 - SC Kiwanaku
The last starter from the U21 team, Van Dalen's speed and passing makes him a constant threat on the field.

RM: #8 Alex Kaneko - 23 - Berteira 1907
Another capable midfielder, Kaneko also brings energy to the team, as well as his sniper-like shooting abilities.

LS: #12 Koki Delgado - 26 - Porto Vambra FC
Delgado was the face of Okoya's offense for the last few years, recently winning Okoya League One's golden boot. A constant threat to opposing defenses, Delgado is both quick, and accurate on his shots, which proves to be a deadly combination.

RS: #10 Ryan Izumi - 24 - Kiwanaku City
The new golden child of Okoya sports, Izumi has won the hearts of the nation after rallying his club to win both the league, and the Henriques-Capela Cup. Even though he narrowly lost the golden boot race to Delgado, some pundits have argued that Izumi is most talented between the two. With great accuracy, shot power, as well as a dramatic flair to his game, Izumi will be a fan favorite for years to come.

Substitutes
GK #16 Clemens Akkerman (25)
GK #40 Timo Koolen (33)
DF #23 Paul Arentz (18)
DF #31 Oscar van Alphen (27)
DF #37 Amir Nakano (28)
MD #22 Lucas Fujiwara (20)
MD #7 Manuel Pinheiro (21)
MD #27 Finn Smets (29)
MD #14 Wil Cuyler (31)
FW #5 Akari Tsukuda (32)
FW #13 Steffen Kamiya (22)
FW #26 António Ramires (23)

Player Roles:

Captain: Medeiros
Vice-Captains: Altena, Campos
Corner: Kaneko, Delgado, Izumi
Free Kick: Delgado, Izumi, Van Dalen
Penalty: Izumi, Delgado, Kaneko, Okazaki, Campos
Most likely to get a yellow card: Altena, Campos, Nogueira

[Sudilia]

Sudilia 2–2 Octapolis
(Ouiment 6', Lyle 58' | Motali 40', Ginseth 50')
Sniffit Football Stadium, Quintessence of Dust

Wanting More!

Sudilia gets a draw in their opening match feeling like there should have been more.

Sudilia open up IAC 17 with a draw after having plenty of chances throughout the match. A header from Ouiment and a deflected shot from Lyle gave Sudilia their goals, but two great shots from Motali and Ginseth kept the final score at 2-2.

After the match, Coach Thompson had this to say: "We fought hard, but with all those chances, we just could not close out the game. Octapolis knew how to exploit us on the counter and it led to those two goals we conceded. I'm glad we managed to survive, but if we wish to grow in this tournament, we need to train well and study the film to improve. We still got three other games to make the most out of it, and I'm optimistic we can get more favorable results moving foward."

Sudilia will play against Murphtannia on Matchday 3, and the team is still using the A-Team for this match, looking to pull out a good result.

Go Sudilia! Allez Sudile!

[Stevencousin]

NATIONAL ECHO

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National Super League season 03 is about to rock again

The challenge of the National Super League season 03 has opened with five matches taking place on match day 1. Among the focus matches is Cassaholm Confidential against Meldrum Fall in front of 22,155 supporters who almost filled the Confidential Warground stadium. The fierce competition between the two teams caused the match to end without a winner, Cassaholm Confidential and Meldrum Fall tied 1-1, Confidential's goal came in the 40th minute as a result of a goal by Rui Miguel Campos who received a pinpoint pass from Lee Byong-jun. The spirit of the home supporters who felt their victory that night was destroyed when the national striker, Gerard Kallstrom scored the equalizer at the end of the game, thanks to a beautiful pass from the national midfielder, Arnaud Zubar. Whatever the result, it is too early to predict, their match in the NSL is still far away. Holmdock Highlander could only draw with Spartak Wortheighton 2-2 in front of their 29,828 supporters at Waxwood Circle. Oldkamps Outlaw enjoyed their first game by beating Screaming Cleric 1-0 thanks to a penalty goal in the 58th minute by Svetozar Janoska. Reports were also received that there was a small fight between Outlaw supporters known as Outlaw Armies and Screaming Cleric supporters after the match, fortunately, it was stopped by the police Those who started the fight were detained at a nearby police station for further investigation.

[Toluiwa]

Is it the End of Us?

Another hard match was faced by Toluiwa national football team. In the continuation of IAC 17 group stage, Toluiwa received their second lost against Abhanfleft. The result put the team at the bottom of their group with 0 points from 2 matches. Despite the bad results, the player scored their first international goal. 2 international goals to be exact. But with 2 more matches, could Toluiwa make a surprise? Or is it already the end of us?

TVB as the association is really considering the real situation. A newcomer with little experience. How far would they go? It would be a very small chance for them to reverse the position. And TVB realize it. The association don't targeting any thing. This first competition is like a testing water for them. And also a place to measure how far their current training plan take them. It seems they wouldn't go too far. The 2 consecutive losses have affected them both physically and mentally. Fortunately, they got a bye day in the next match day. Although that means they couldn't change their position yet but it maybe a good time to take a break and evaluate the team in overall.

William Guntur's plan to use a defensive tactic is failed. This can be seen with a huge 6 conceded goals that the team get. 3 matches. That's a huge number of goals received by a defensive team. And this means that Guntur needs another plan for their last 2 matches. Will they reverse their tactics? In an interview after their 2-3 lose against Abhanfleft, Guntur confirmed that the defensive tactic will still be use. He is reconsidering about the playera he choose for the starting eleven. "I will conduct a thorough evaluation and see who will needs to be replaced. Our defense line surely messed up. And I don't want it to be happening again next match," say Guntur. He add that the new setlist of players will be announced immediately after the third matchday. Although his choice will be limited to the players that he brought to the event.

Sport expert and former footballer, Ahmad Badrawi said that Toluiwa needs more experience to be able to make any voice in the international stage. They are not ready yet, he added. Behind the pessimistic, Badrawi hopes that the team could at least gained points from the match against New Portland Republic. It might be their one and only chance to end the event without a nill points. And the fans can only watch and waited for a miracle. The IAC matches is officially broadcast by TBSsport, TBS (Toluiwa Broadcasting Service) sport channel.

[West Barack and East Obama]

TJUN-ia 1-2 West Barack and East Obama

Smith-Scott 62'

Vobama 13'
L. Chobamya (pen.) 44'

BBC OFFICIAL REPORT: Obamen Claim Surprise 2-1 Victory over TJUN-ians

By Football Correspondent Gary Obamaniker

Jakartington WB, West Barack - TJUN-ia's Jaguars, a team that reached the knockout stages of the most recent World Cup, must had been completely shellshocked when they walked back into the tunnel after losing 2-1 to West Barack and East Obama despite dominating in almost every area of the pitch during the match. Superhuman saves from Dwayne Obama secured the Obamen's first victory of the tournament, and now sit at the top of their group.

TJUN-ia had defeated minnows Toluiwa 3-0 in the previous match, whilst the Obamen were held to a 0-0 draw by tournament debutants New Portland Republic. In spite of the home advantage provided by the luxurious Pentagram Underworld, selected as a host stadium for this IAC edition, TJUN-ia were heavily favoured to sweep aside our valiant Obama Carers and consolidate their position at the top of the group table.

TJUN-ia kicked off their second match under the Pentagram's fluorescent lights with a similar attacking display that demolished Toluiwa, with Dwayne 'Destroyer of Planes' Obama already needing to make a stunningly acrobatic save to deny a Malhrani al-Kalhrani header in the 7th minute. The Obamen's best chance of scoring in the whole match came shortly afterwards, when a stupendous dribble from Jenny Barracki led to a one-on-one with Sputnik Brykilawa. The TJUN-ian goalkeeper swiped the ball away, but it led to a corner kick for the Obamen. Chobamya's expert cross landed right on Vobama's head, who headed it past the near post to make it 1-0 to the Obamen.

For perhaps the first time since the ban on team sports, a venue in West Barack and East Obama was lively. The goal led to cheers from the thousands of Obaman civil servants selected to attend the match. The tense atmosphere (not helped by the indoors factor) made the TJUN-ians even more frustrated, and they continued their barrage on Dwayne Obama's goal. Obama comtinued to deny every shot they took, but by now they were missing the target more times than they hit it. A lapse in concentration by Brykilawa led to him crashing into Fred Olibama, resulting in a penalty being awarded to the Obamen. The ever-reliable Lily Chobamya converted the penalty in the 44th minute, giving the Obamen a 2-0 lead at the break.

After the break, the Obamen moved to a 5-3-2 formation. Jenny Barracki moved into a much deeper role and Bogdan Obammus was substituted on for Brett Pogama. The Obamen kept up a strong defensive presence, which frustrated the TJUN-ian attempts of completing a comeback. In the 62nd minute, a poor attempt at a pass from Barack Denovitz landed at the feet of opposition striker Smith-Scott, who finally beat Dwayne Obama after 6 attempts on goal and scored a magnificent volley. With the Obaman lead much more precarious, the TJUN-ians tried to at least steal a draw, but the Obamen just parked the bus and prevented any more goals from coming in. The match ended 2-1 to the Obamen at full time, and loud rounds of applause were heard from the civil servants with tears in their eyes. Tears of joy at winning, tears of sadness at the poor performance which was only salvaged by set pieces and good goalkeepeing, or tears of wincing from the rancid taco bell? We'll never know.

[Adab]

KickTheBall.com
Bringing you the latest news and rumors in football, in Adab and abroad

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Sunday, June 15, 2042 | 26 Jumada al-Akhir 1464 | 27 Sivan 5802
Stevencousin 2-3 Adab
Mastroeni (41’), Klein (80’) | Akaptaha (68’), Yargab (87’, 90’+2)

NEWS | IAC
By: Saddam Abbas

Yargab still imperious even in his sunset

They had fallen behind twice in the match. Adab’s best young talent seemed to have no answer to Stevencousin’s barrage. A draw was likely the best result they could salvage, and Adab might not even achieve that. So Saad Kaykali sent in, of all people, his 43-year-old Methuselah. As the old saying goes: cometh the hour, cometh the man.

It speaks of how highly EnlilbanI Yargab is regarded, and how exalted his status is in Adabian football, that virtually no one questioned Kaykali’s decision to bring him into the match in the 83th minute, a late-stage, almost desperate substitution for an unusually listless Nadje Barzani. If anything, many wondered why the grand old man of the squad had not been introduced earlier.

From almost the first minute it was clear that it would not be a smooth ride for Adab, who ran into a resistance much stiffer than expected. Cutting in from the wings, Kastiliasu Akaptaha and Rebekah Yissakar found themselves continually blocked by a sturdy wall of Stevencousin players. Stranded somewhere between the midfield and the Stevencousin box, Barzani was reduced almost to an onlooker at times. Her biggest chance in the 27th minute she promptly squandered by sending the ball flying high above the net.

Having comprehensively outplayed their opponents, it was only natural that Stevencousin would score first, doing so in the 41st minute when Brian Mastroeni netted in a long ball from Alon Bernstein.

Such was Adab manager Kaykali’s anger at his own team’s performance that he pulled both Emma Arthur and Alulim Sinmuballit out at the half-time break, and deservedly so; outpaced, outmaneuvered, and at their wits’ end, the two giants of the midfield had been played like puppets on a string by Thanuka Jayamanna and company. Said Anwar and Naram-Sin Samanu were sent in to replace them.

Things got just a little better as Adab began to settle into the match, and Kastiliasu Akaptaha evened the scales with an angled shot in the 68th minute which roused his country’s supporters. Stevencousin acted to regain control of the midfield, replacing Válter Folha with Jochen Boi just two minutes later, and soon they were on a resurgence. Rusty Klein once again put Stevencousin in the lead in the 80th minute, and with the clock rapidly ticking down it appeared the lower-ranked side would come out with a famous victory over their tired, worn-out opponents.

And then he came.

What was supposed to be an off night turned into an emergency call for the 43-year-old Enlilbani Yargab, the master of Adabian football, the aging yet evergreen colossus of the game. His entrance in the 83th minute was greeted with the loudest cheers of the night from the Adabian supporters, a sign of just how much they yearned – demanded – to see him in action.

And he delivered.

Yargab can no longer sustain the energy he had for a full 90 minutes, but he can still put on a display in short bursts. Nominally placed at the front, he would nevertheless pull back to link up with the midfield, as he has constantly done in his later years. In the 87th minute Anwar delivered the all-important pass to him, and Yargab, with those wily old legs of his, promptly made a dash for the goal.

Akaptaha positioned himself just in front of the older man. Yargab, faced with that wall of Stevencousin defenders, turned his body and moved his feet in such a way so as to appear he would pass to Akaptaha to his left. The opposition defenders followed his cue.

But Yargab never passed.

Planting his feet just outside the penalty box line, he spotted a gap between Armando Correia and Bernstein and fired right through it. Caught off-guard, Ramiro Fernandes watched helplessly as the ball struck the back end of his net.

2-2.

Stevencousin quickly reacted, replacing Correia and Raymond Aas with Guilherme Fabian and Renato Miguel Boa-Morte.

If Adab had just held on at this point, they would at least have salvaged a draw. Only one point, yes, but better than zero and the ignominy of a defeat. But Enlilbani Yargab would never be satisfied with a draw.

In the 92nd minute, Yargab pushed forward, now positioning himself as a pure center-forward. His goal had reinvigorated the team, and with Anwar and Samanu firmly establishing dominance on the midfield, they could deliver the ball to Akaptaha and Yissakar on the wings with abandon. Akaptaha received the ball and cut in through the left wing, turning sharply for a high-flying cross into the box just as it seemed he was being run out of bounds by Boa-Morte.

To untrained eyes the ball appeared just a little too high – before Yargab leaped, rising above a sea of Adab and Stevencousin players in the box alike, heading the ball straight in.

As the scoreboard changed to show 2-3 and a chorus of celebratory noises reverberated across the Adabian crowd, Yargab – grabbed and hugged by his teammates – nodded in satisfaction.

So did Saad Kaykali on the dugout.

He knew Yargab would not fail him.

Adab lineup for IAC MD3 (June 18, 2042 vs. StrayaRoos Barrier Islands)

Starting lineup: Chandrasekar, Altun, Enmerkar, Akshak, Thomas, Anwar, Samanu, Emmita, Akaptaha, Yissakar, Barzani

Substitutes: Shulgi, al-Tikriti, Hadad, al-Maliki, Arthur, Sinmuballit, Orlev, Khoury, Sarsur, Abbas, al-Amin, Yargab

[Eshialand]

Forward, Onward
Eshialand 3 - 0 United Adaikes

A dominant victory over the United Adaikes was exactly what this team needed to get back on track.

Two goals from Alice Carroll and one from Jake Harran served to reset the Owls after their rocky start to the group stage, and fans at home were more than happy. However, this group stage was far from over.

Elsewhere in the group, HUElavia beat the Alezian Union which, while it made it near-impossible to ever catch up to los Amarillos for first in the group, it meant that Eshialand's last two opponents were sitting on a combined 0-0-2, one loss and a bye each for the Alezian Union and for the Owls' next opponents, the Harry Islands.

The Blue Sprinters were in their debut competition, and hungry for their first international win after losing to United Adaikes on the first matchday. The Harryano team was just coming off their bye day, giving them extra time to prepare for the big game. As for Eshialand, they may not have had as much time, but they were making the most of it, as Coach Morgan knew first place in this group would be next-to-impossible, so they'd have to try extra hard to be one of the top two second-place teams. Being on the lower half of Round of 24 seeding was not a pleasant prospect.

However, perhaps that prospect was unavoidable. With a format like this, a total of 10 groups of five, just two groups with two 4-1-0 teams apiece would force Eshialand into that play-in round, and those couldn't be that rare, right? Still, the Owls had to try. They had to go for the best seeding possible. Every point they took, every goal they got to pad their goal differential, would give them a better seeding and a lower opponent. Improving their odds was on them to do. Let's see how well they can perform.

[Britonisea]

Brityunik Vefecosoin Cairkovoin - NEWS
http://www.bvc.com/news

---

20th December 2022
Live from Electrum

---

Britonisea "forgot" to hit send on stadium submissions to co-host Independents Cup 17

Brityunik Futballen [BF], the association in charge of football within Britonisea, intended to submit two stadiums to host Independent Cup 17 matches, but in the end forgot to do so...

Football fans in Britonisea were left angered after it was announced that Brityunik Futballen had intended to submit two stadiums to host matches of the Independent Cup, including matches at Stadium Strata in Telm City. According to officials, BF had simply forgotten when the cut-off date was for stadium submissions, and missed the deadline, despite the two chosen stadiums preparing to potentially host matches at the current Independents Cup. Stadium Strata, seen as the most viable stadium for football in the country - ahead of the National Stadium which is more suited for athletics - in Telm City has had experience hosting matches at the Independents Cup, with the Telmian stadium hosting Independent Cup 15 group stage matches, and a quarterfinal match against Squidroidia and Trolleborg which saw that match excitedly go into extra time and also a RO-24 match, seeing Sannyamathland's extraordinary 7-1 win over Freeport Isles. Alongside Stadium Strata in Telm City, it was expected that Arena Aronyk which can hold up to 30,000 people would be added to the Britonish submissions. This will come as a blow to Britonish fans hoping that Brityunik Futballen would submit a bid to host an upcoming bid to host the Independents Cup which had been rumoured since the 14th edition. Sources say that while the football association are still interested, it's currently working on bettering the image of the team before rushing into hosting anything.

So far, Britonisea's campaign at the IAC17 looks a bit bleak. Britonisea is currently ranked 29th in the world of the IAC, and has two more matches to prove its worth - against Poafmersia (ranked 8th) and (ranked 12th) making it a tall order for Britonisea to win against these opponents. Britonisea is without a win after Fjalsherred and Ile de Richelieu - both unranked - drew with the Britonish team, a devastating blow which for the Britonish boys should've seen the team currently in first place had things gone how they would have expected. Currently, Britonisea is joint second in the table with Ile de Richelieu, but will be hoping for a win against either Geektopia or Poafmersia if they have any chance of making it through for a main spot in the knockouts. If Britonisea is knocked out in IAC, it means the nation will need to focus on the WC93 - for their fifteenth try to qualify World Cup.

---

Match against Poafmersia

---

#	POS	NAME                           AGE     BRITONISH CLUB

1	GK	Edward Parish                  29      AYSEAN CAMPIFUT   

7	FW	Caspar Hosseini                23      SPORTS FC
9	FW      Joseph Valentine [CAPTAIN]     28      KREST TOP FC
10	FW	Danny Small                    30      DOPORLIONS

4	MF	Drake Fly                      22      LUTON & CITY FC
8	MF	Luke Russell                   26      ALSHKAN FUTBALLEN
11	MF	Aaron Marcos                   28      AYSEAN CAMPIFUT

2	DF	Timothy Arones                 26      NORWAEGE CAMPIFUT
3	DF	Chris Dyson                    25      ALSHKAN FUTBALLEN
13	DF	Kilian Placid                  26      LUTON & CITY FC
18	DF	Ty Nicholas                    25      AYSEAN CAMPIFUT

[Harry Islands]

The crowd starts to organize outside the stadium, an amazing band was outside rehearsing, the fans were betting on how well Harry Islands would do for this game, the crowd had brought all kinds of equipment to liven up the party, and to distract the opponent, horns, flares, the grandiose flags, and any and all types of accessories for the national colors (Red, Blue, and White) and even, a huge mosaic with the image of coach John Balmer, without a doubt , the crowd would make a lot of noise, and support the team in all situations, there will be a huge party if the team wins today.

Confirming again the following lineup:

MOD STYLE: -2

[Trolleborg]

Greetings, compatriots!
It’s TTV from Quintessence of Dust, just before our team begins second game of group stage.
Debut game of Trolleborg national team give us all some reasons for both hope and worries, so we are look to this one with intention to understood trends (if they can be understood or exists at all).

Hopal team enters IAC with a clear ambitions to build on their recent successes, and revert not too much pleasant performance in the last World Cup Qualifying. We can fully share last part of their feelings. The game immediately went fast and combinational, both teams had the opportunity to open a score, but, nevertheless, the goals had to wait until the second half. The majority of experts in the half-time poll expressed the opinion that our players have some playing advantage, which comes from the experience of international matches, and just need to use it correctly and maybe a little bit of luck. Fortunately, their expectations were justified. In the 52nd minute, the Hopal defenders were somewhat carried away by supporting their own attack, Torben Kranforde received the ball with a long pass from Skrta, ran forward and was able to perfectly shoot past the goalkeeper who came forward

Seven minutes later, Gerard Reuzer received the ball in the penalty area and either shot it very inaccurately, or tried to pass to one of the partners at the far post, sending the ball strongly diagonally toward it, and one of the defenders put his foot up, as a result of which the ball change direction and was fly into the net

We didn’t have much time to celebrate, already after seven minutes our defenders seemed to have completely lost their understanding of what was happening, allowing the opponents to calmly move of the ball near the box, and, as a result, the young forwards of Hopal, who give our fans much reasons for worries for the whole match, organized a goal – Harris Frey made a good pass and Tommy Sanchez delivered a beautiful shot by head, for which our goalkeeper moved too late.

Fortunately, the team did not allow such inconsistencies anymore, and in just three minutes restored the distance. But this also happened in conditions when the pattern of the teamwork turned out to be blurred and broken: Skrta decided on his long-range shot since he didn’t have any clear options for how to use the ball to the team advantage, due to the fact that all attacking partners took places not conducive to the development of attacks. But he made up his mind – and scored.

All in all, the match ended 3:1 in our favor, but there are still many questions about quality and consistency of the game itself. Perhaps we will get answers to them in a couple of hours. Not sure if we like them though.

Our fans had another opportunity to experience strong emotions from international football, as two games of the group stage were played at the country's main stadium. And it was possible to observe a curious evolution of the preferences of the fans from Trolleborg, who made up the majority of the spectators, which speaks a lot about national psychology: during the game Aquatiand and Burikinia, at first they were divided approximately equally, then the fast and combinational game of Burikinia attracted most of them to their side, but when the score became devastating, part of the audience considered it necessary to support the distressed Aquatian team. Which, however, did not help much, game ended with a score 4:0 in favor of Burikinia. In the second match, the same team had an already established support group, who found the open high-speed football combined with the recklessness shown by the Azure Dragons to be quite captivating. This time the victory was much more difficult for them, but all neutral fans, whether they appreciate goals or the beauty of football, should have been satisfied with the score 4:3 and the content of football.

As we have a few minutes before game begins, let’s turn to the other news. The great and hard work of the governing bodies of world club football seems to be nearing completion and the opponents of our clubs have finally been determined. Incorrect information on this topic was disseminated several times through information channels, and with readers attitudes ranging from “what a horror beating we will have:(” to the “gung-ho” ones, but the list of pairs presented to us as a result of the most difficult and painstaking work at the first preliminary stage looks like this: our champion “Great March” will play with Acastanha's “Sporting Arrachai”, second strongest by rank of possible opponents. “Jesper Torbensen” will play with much experienced “Ivasiocastle United” of Boring Paradise, “Torquel Granittknuser ” have as opponents Yguazuan “Deportivo Amambay” and FTST goes to the duel with “Alameda Desperados” from Cardenao. Through, probably, this is not worst ever lot, teams obviously have not too much of bright spots on their way for our clubs in their position, starting their way into club football in the list of twenty teams with no rank at all. But much will depend on luck, hard work, dedication and the support of the fans. It will be difficult for many players whose services the national team needs to fight on two fronts, but the whole epic with international club football can open new stars for us.

[New Portland Republic]

New Portland Republic 0-0 West Barack and East Obama
New Portland:
 None
 Bush 23’, Padilla 57’
 Padilla 84’
 Mcbride 67’ Williamson 81’
 Tran 67’ Lucas 81’

West Barack and East Obama:
 None
 Denovitz 35’
 None
 Obama 54’
Barracks 54’

Ratings: 
Cooper: 8.3
Owens: 6.7
Blair: 6.3
Daniel: 6.7
Bush: 5.1
Shaw: 6.2
Padilla: 5.7
Hubbard: 5.7
McBride: 6.1
Williamson: 6.2
Lindsey: 5.1

Tran: 7.2
Lucas: 7.1

Group 2 Standings

 Group 2                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 West Barack and East Obama   2   1  1  0    2   1  +1    4
2 TJUN-ia                      2   1  0  1    4   2  +2    3
3 Abanhfleft                   1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
4 New Portland Republic        1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
5 Toluiwa                      2   0  0  2    2   6  −4    0

Klamath Casino Betting Odds (Group 2)
Abanhfleft 3-1
TJUN-ia: 5-1
West Barack and East Obama: 10-1
New Portland Republic: 10-1
Toluwia: 20-1

---

For a team like that of New Portland, a tie against a higher pot team gives nothing but enthusiasm to Guillermo Williams’ Starting XI, who had a uneventful, but nonetheless solid performance in the Quintessense of Dust, which was an arguably easier setting than having to trek out the the Pentagram Underworld to play in front of an already hostile crown in West Barack and East Obama.

Now, the Portlandian NT cannot expect a better crown anywhere else in the multiverse, especially considering that most Portlandians are not allowed to leave without government permission, which means the squad can forget about having a section of tens of thousands of fans on theyre backs. Even if they couldn’t make it to the games, a slew of enthusiastic supporters watched on television at home, and the upcoming games in Group 2 may yield some of the highest TV ratings in the history of Portlandia.

Williams came into the game expecting to run his high powered strikers through the Obamen defense, however the somewhat Karelan approach taken by Obamen coach Buck Obamafinakis set Williams’ high yield approach to the side, and forced Williams to play for a 0-0 draw in the end.

Goalkeeper Lester Cooper played a strong game, and was arguably the Man of the Match as he showed coaches what he could do with his strong play in the 18-yard box, and volleys that set up many opportunities on the goal of Dwayne Obama, who played an arguably good game at a ripe 36 years of age.

Bettors have enthusiasm for the coming games, and Williams hopes to bring the betting odds for Portlandia to better reaches as Portlandia has the bulk of Group Stage games coming soon.

---

[Sajnur]

Sajnur 0-2 Quintessence of Dust

Sajnur

Lineup
GK: Kirai
RB: Jorse
CB: Raglan
CB: Murje
LB: Isarghie [Karaji 53']
CDM: Latvala
CM: Pavlov [Levici 60']
CM: Siafik (c)
RW: Taylor [Parjazu 60']
ST: Naulo [Maktar 77']
LW: Ciuru

Quintessence of Dust

Goals
Chi: 19' (Rousseau), 60' (p)

Lineup
GK: Snaevarsson
RB: Reed
CB: Armannsson
CB: Muff
LB: Renard
CDM: Taintgrundler [Huang 71']
CDM: Okumura (c)
RM: Chi
LM: Royce [Hartzler 84']
CAM: Rousseau [Yu 71']
ST: Thurstan [Chapman 60']

[Quintessence of Dust]

MD3 cutoff.

MD3 results
Scorination of games involving QOD and MVE was observed by a third party (South Newlandia).

Group 1
Adab 0–1 Squidroidia
Srubnaya culture 0–4 Stevencousin

  Group 1                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Squidroidia                  2   2  0  0    3   0  +3    6
2 Adab                         3   2  0  1    7   5  +2    6
3 StrayaRoos Barrier Islands   2   1  0  1    4   2  +2    3
4 Stevencousin                 3   1  0  2    6   7  −1    3
5 Srubnaya culture             2   0  0  2    2   8  −6    0

Group 2
West Barack and East Obama 0–0 Abanhfleft
New Portland Republic 0–0 TJUN-ia

  Group 2                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 West Barack and East Obama   3   1  2  0    2   1  +1    5
2 TJUN-ia                      3   1  1  1    4   2  +2    4
3 Abanhfleft                   2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
4 New Portland Republic        2   0  2  0    0   0   0    2
5 Toluiwa                      2   0  0  2    2   6  −4    0

Group 3
Hopal 3–4 Space
Trolleborg 1–0 Burikinia

  Group 3                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Burikinia                    3   2  0  1    8   4  +4    6
2 Trolleborg                   2   2  0  0    4   1  +3    6
3 Space                        2   1  0  1    5   5   0    3
4 Aquatian                     2   1  0  1    2   5  −3    3
5 Hopal                        3   0  0  3    7  11  −4    0

Group 4
Belnegau 2–1 Juvencus
Elmyia 4–0 Eerinphektia

  Group 4                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Belnegau                     3   2  1  0    3   1  +2    7
2 Elmyia                       2   1  1  0    4   0  +4    4
3 Juvencus                     2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
4 Oscioru                      2   1  0  1    4   4   0    3
5 Eerinphektia                 3   0  0  3    3   9  −6    0

Group 5
Quintessence of Dust 3–1 Delaclava
Sajnur 1–4 Indusse

  Group 5                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Indusse                      3   3  0  0   14   5  +9    9
2 Quintessence of Dust         3   2  0  1    7   7   0    6
3 Nassovia                     2   1  0  1    4   4   0    3
4 Delaclava                    2   0  0  2    1   5  −4    0
5 Sajnur                       2   0  0  2    1   6  −5    0

Group 6
Ile de Richelieu 2–3 Geektopia
Poafmersia 1–1 Britonisea

  Group 6                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Geektopia                    2   2  0  0    4   2  +2    6
2 Britonisea                   3   0  3  0    2   2   0    3
3 Poafmersia                   2   0  2  0    3   3   0    2
4 Ile de Richelieu             3   0  2  1    4   5  −1    2
5 Fjalsherred                  2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1

Group 7
United Adaikes 1–1 Alezian Union
Harry Islands 4–3 Eshialand

  Group 7                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 HUElavia                     2   2  0  0    6   1  +5    6
2 United Adaikes               3   1  1  1    5   7  −2    4
3 Harry Islands                2   1  0  1    7   7   0    3
4 Eshialand                    3   1  0  2    6   6   0    3
5 Alezian Union                2   0  1  1    2   5  −3    1

Group 8
Valentine Z 1–0 Cakranegara
Arjunnagar 1–4 Drawkland

  Group 8                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Drawkland                    3   3  0  0   10   2  +8    9
2 Valentine Z                  3   1  1  1    3   4  −1    4
3 Cakranegara                  2   1  0  1    2   1  +1    3
4 Arjunnagar                   2   0  1  1    3   6  −3    1
5 St Saratoga                  2   0  0  2    1   6  −5    0

Group 9
Inkwellistan 0–1 Kriegiersien
Sannyamathland 3–4 Magnecia

  Group 9                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kriegiersien                 2   2  0  0    2   0  +2    6
2 Okoya                        2   1  0  1    2   1  +1    3
3 Sannyamathland               2   1  0  1    4   4   0    3
4 Inkwellistan                 3   1  0  2    3   3   0    3
5 Magnecia                     3   1  0  2    5   8  −3    3

Group 10
Murphtannia 1–2 Sudilia
Galician Counties 0–1 Montaña Verde

  Group 10                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Montaña Verde                3   2  1  0    5   2  +3    7
2 Sudilia                      2   1  1  0    4   3  +1    4
3 Murphtannia                  3   1  0  2    7   6  +1    3
4 Octapolis                    2   0  2  0    4   4   0    2
5 Galician Counties            2   0  0  2    2   7  −5    0

[Stevencousin]

STEVENCOUSIN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

Independents Cup 17 | MD 3
Formation

4 - 4 - 2
style modifier: +1
De Schutter
Aas - Fabian - Bernstein - Ali
Klein [Snajdr] - Zubar (C) - Jayamanna [Folha] - Peeters [Saifi]
Mastroeni - Voloshyn

Match Statistics
Srubnaya culture
TEAM
Stevencousin
0
Goal
4
3
Shots On Goal
10
5
Shots
22
9
Fouls
7
1
Corners
6
4
Free Kicks
13
7
Offsides
2
0
Own Goals
0
4
Yellow Cards
1
0
Red Cards
0


Srubnaya culture 0–4 Stevencousin
Stevencousin scorer: Leon Voloshyn '23 (assist by Mangea Ali); '60 (assist by Arnaud Zubar); Arnaud Zubar '44 & '79 (assist by Thanuka Jayamanna)

Line up
No.   Pos.  Nation   Age   Name

12     GK     SVI   26    Romain De Schutter [Winewater Wasp]
14     LB     SVI   29    Mangea Ali [Brigketh Bishop]
15     CB     SVI   23    Guilherme Fabian [Cassaholm Confidential]
04     CB     SVI   27    Alon Bernstein  [Brigketh Bishop]
05     RB     SVI   25    Raymond Aas  [Winewater Wasp]
18     LM     SVI   18    Jelle Peeters [Meldrum Fall] (Andre Saifi '88)
07     CM     SVI   28    Thanuka Jayamanna  [Fixmouth Firebolt] (Válter Folha '81)
08     CM     SVI   30    Arnaud Zubar  [Meldrum Fall]  
21     RM     SVI   33    Rusty Klein [Spartak Wortheighton] (Josef Snajdr '70)
09     FC     SVI   19    Brian Mastroeni  [Spartak Wortheigton] 
23     FC     SVI   28    Leon Voloshyn [Holmdock Highlander]  

---

Independents Cup 17 | MD 5

vs. Squidroidia

Formation

4 - 4 - 2
style modifier: +1
De Schutter
Aas - Fabian - Bernstein - Ali
Snajdr - Zubar (C) - Jayamanna - Peeters
Kallstrom - Voloshyn

Brought to you by

[Harry Islands]

The game begins, a terrifying atmosphere for the Eshialand players, the Harry Islands fans really try to make as much noise and discomfort as possible against Eshia, a beautiful party before... And after the game!

Goal at 38' - "The match begins! Let's go! The weather is beautiful for this great game, Eshialand starts with the ball... Look at this dangerous attack from Eshia, we need to be careful!... Harran advances from the right, he tries to cross... But they disarm the attack... Wow! Look at Hugo Núñez's run, Hugo passes the ball to Marcos Junior, Junior plays for Artur! He passes through the defense! Look at that Kick!... GOOOOOAL!! Masterpiece, what a art! He hits where the owl sleeps"

2nd Goal by Artur Santos at 46' - "Eduardo takes possession of the ball, Eduardo passes to Oliv, Oliv advances down the right wing, Oliv starts a dash towards the goal... He slows down and passes to Hugo Núñez... Hugo passes an amazing aerial ball to Artur! Artur dominates the ball in his chest, he risks a long shot... GOOOOOOAL!! Artur! Artur! Score the second goal paving the way for a hat-trick!"

Goal by Matt Wilson at 67'

Goal by Thomas Oliv at 75'

(OOC: I will detail the goals tomorrow, I will sleep now)

[Inkwellistan]

How many teams advance to the next/knockout stage?