PRESENTED BY
FIFTY-EIGHTH SEASON (PART IV OF V) Round 30 (September 26-27)The final stretch of this Liga-1 season has already started, and the 3-horse race for the title remained heated with Eterna Stars, Fontvielle Impact, and Metropolis Alligators all earning wins this weekend: the Stars beat Columbus with a goal by Valentin Germain and kept the
Yellow-Greens in the relegation zone, l'Impact won the last
Derby du Foix of the season and dented Bezieres' international aspirations, and the Alligators came from behind to defeat another IFCF hopeful in the form of Junín. With
Rouges and
Granates both losing their matches, as well as Marinos being defeated in Cerro thanks to a goal by former
Marinero Pablo Scotti, Tannenberg took fourth place as well as the lead in the race for the last Challengers' Cup berth with a hard-fought win against the relegation-threatened Bulls at White Meadow Arena. Nord Energie's and Canalave's IFCF bids got somewhat derailed with the northern sides both dropping points: the former tying with Pradera at home, and the latter rescuing a point from Metropolis against Bohemians. Nacional also had the chance to snatch fourth place with a win against Edmonton at home, however, the side coached by Jean Camacho botched it as the
Monties cruised to victory at the City of Metropolis Stadium with goals by Jimmy Turnbull and Kevin Pfeiffer and opened a 4-point lead on Slateport and Columbus in the relegation front. Speaking of which, just like Columbus, Defensores de Villafuerte were left stuck in the relegation zone with a loss in a six-pointer against Olympique de Fontvielle, who are now 8 points clear of 17th placed Slateport and got closer to the goal of reaching salvation. Meanwhile in Valencia, the
Púrpura side and Real Campo Grande played to a scoreless stalemate, which seems to benefit the
Verdolagas more than Valencia as it brought them within striking distance of
Bulls,
Yellow-Greens, and Auriverdes and gives more fuel to their hopes of avoiding the drop.
Nord Energie FC 2–2 Pradera FC
Bohemians Metropolis 1–1 Canalave Dragons
AD Cerro 1–0 Marinos Metropolis
Olympique de Fontvielle 2–1 Defensores de Villafuerte
Tannenberg FC 3–2 Slateport Bulls
AS Bezieres 1–2 Fontvielle Impact
Eterna Stars[/b] 1–0 FC Columbus
Valencia FC 0–0 Real Campo Grande
Nacional 0–2 Edmonton United
Deportivo Junín 1–3 Metropolis AlligatorsRound 31 (October 3-4)With seven matches left in this Liga-1 season, the top spot has changed hands one more time. In Campo Grande, the Stars suffered a defeat that might cost them the championship against a Real Campo Grande side with a renewed fighting spark, which was greatly capitalized by both Fontvielle Impact and Metropolis Alligators, with
Les Bleus becoming sole leaders after denting TFC's IFCF aspirations with a brace by Alexandre, and the Alligators moving into second place following their victory in the rematch of the
Derby Añejo against Nacional, thus sending the Yellow side down to third place. Bezieres took a big step towards the Challengers' Cup by beating Columbus at Estadio Parque Armenia, while also watching Junín and Nord Energie taking points off each other, Marinos being held to a draw by Bohemians at home, and the Dragons losing to Pradera, all of those scores hugely benefiting
Les Rouges as they open up a 3-point lead on Nord Energie and TFC. Meanwhile, the relegation struggle is getting more exciting, especially with Real Campo Grande's big win over the Stars helping them move out of the cellar and Slateport beating Olympique at the Estadio de la Riviera, results which combined with Edmonton's loss to Valencia in the Westlands, have these sides separated by just 3 points with the
Monties being the ones saving their skins from the fire. Columbus sank further into the basement with their defeat, while Defensores are now rock-bottom after losing at home to Cerro while also seeing the
Verdolagas win their match.
Deportivo Junín 2–2 Nord Energie FC
Metropolis Alligators 1–0 Nacional
Edmonton United 0–2 Valencia FC
Real Campo Grande 3–2 Eterna Stars
FC Columbus 0–2 AS Bezieres
Fontvielle Impact 2–0 Tannenberg FC
Slateport Bulls 3–1 Olympique de Fontvielle
Defensores de Villafuerte 1–2 AD Cerro
Marinos Metropolis 0–0 Bohemians Metropolis
Canalave Dragons 1–3 Pradera FCRound 32 (October 8)The special Independence Day matchday, when there's non-stop Liga-1 action all day with kickoffs every hour between 10 AM and 8 PM opened action in Fontvielle with the last
Derby de Fontvielle of the season between Olympique and Impact at the Stade de l'Amitié, with the latter strenghtening their grip on top spot and taking a big step towards a new championship by beating a brave crosstown rival which isn't safe from relegation yet. Meanwhile, a big match for the relegation race was played in Cerro an hour later, with the hosts getting closer to salvation with a clear victory over the Bulls, who missed a great chance to escape from the red zone. There was another derby played on this day at noon, the
Illirian Derby between Bezieres and Real Campo Grande at Bezieres' Stade de Foix, which ended with both sides sharing the spoils and the
Verdolaga side still unable to leave the relegation zone. Two matches were played in Metropolis, with Nacional beating Junín with a brace by Mario Ovalle in a make-or-die showdown for IFCF contention and Bohemians pushing Defensores closer to the drop after beating them at Chosroes Stadium. Nord Energie and Canalave Dragons also played for the defending champions with their draw in Toril which might have been a lethal blow to the Dragons' chances of international qualification, and the Stars kept losing more ground in the title race with a defeat at home against a revitalized Edmonton side that managed to open up a 4-point cushion on the Bulls with their win at Alain Tramontin Stadium. The Alligators were also unable to keep the pressure on Fontvielle Impact and suffered a painful last-minute defeat in Valencia which leaves them trailing
Les Bleus by 4 points now. Another 7-goal match was played at White Meadow Arena, with Tannenberg beating Columbus by a 4-3 score in order to get back on track in the IFCF race while also putting another nail on Columbus' cross in the process, and this action-packed day of football was closed in Pradera, with the Zelaya-Fortin society propelling Marinos to victory in a six-pointer against the
Verdiblancos and keeping them in hot pursuit of Bezieres for the last Challengers' Cup berth, and also denting Pradera's own aspirations.
Olympique de Fontvielle 2–3 Fontvielle Impact
AD Cerro 2–0 Slateport Bulls
AS Bezieres 1–1 Real Campo Grande
Nacional 2–0 Deportivo Junín
Bohemians Metropolis 5–3 Defensores de Villafuerte
Nord Energie FC 2–2 Canalave Dragons
Eterna Stars 2–3 Edmonton United
Valencia FC 4–3 Metropolis Alligators
Tannenberg FC 4–3 FC Columbus
Pradera FC 0–2 Marinos MetropolisRound 33 (October 10-11)Fontvielle Impact are marching towards their thirteenth title and have also secured their presence in IFCF competition the next season with a 4-0 trouncing of Cerro at the Stade de la Frontière, with all their front three players plus Mateo Padilla scoring. And to further glee for
l'Impact, their two rivals in the title contention, Metropolis Alligators and Eterna Stars, cancelled each other out at Swangard with a 1-1 draw which does nothing other than pushing both sides away from the title: the Alligators are now 6 points adrift and the Stars 8 points behind. The race for fourth place rages on with Nacional capitalizing Bezieres' 1-1 draw against Edmonton in Albert Field with a 2-0 win over direct rivals Nord Energie which puts
La Academia tied in points for fourth with
Les Rouges but ahead on H2H. Tannenberg missed a great chance to return to fourth place by losing in Campo Grande, while the Dragons and Junín returned to the fight after the former earned a big win in Metropolis against Marinos and the latter beat Valencia in dramatic fashion with a late goal by Andy Navarro. As for the relegation struggle, Frank Boern's Columbus got closer to confirm a swift return to Liga-2 with their failure to beat the equally struggling Olympique de Fontvielle, while Defensores keep fighting for their survival after beating Pradera in Villafuerte. And Victor Anigo's Bulls are also willing to fight until the end to avoid both direct relegation and the play-off, beating the
Gallo in Slateport and cutting the gap with Edmonton to just 2 points.
Nacional 2–0 Nord Energie FC
Deportivo Junín 1–0 Valencia FC
Metropolis Alligators 1–1 Eterna Stars
Edmonton United 1–1 AS Bezieres
Real Campo Grande 2–1 Tannenberg FC
FC Columbus 0–0 Olympique de Fontvielle
Fontvielle Impact 4–0 AD Cerro
Slateport Bulls 2–0 Bohemians Metropolis
Defensores de Villafuerte 2–1 Pradera FC
Marinos Metropolis 2–4 Canalave DragonsKings' Shield Semi-finals (October 14-15)And this cup competition reaches its penultimate round with three Liga-1 sides (Marinos, Nacional, and Junín) and one Liga-2 outfit (Mont-Blanc) as the final four battling for two berths to the final match in Swangard on November 29th. The first semi-final had the
White-Blacks facing the
Granates, while the other one had the flagship teams of south Metropolis duking it out for the remaining berth to the final.
The first semi-final was a tougher match than the side coached by Martin Boyle could have expected, since a priori underdogs Mont-Blanc surprised everyone with their high pressure in midfield and the mobility of their wingers, who were constantly a trouble for Federico Castrillón and Camilo Molina. Despite this, Junín were able to hit first thanks to Eduardo Valencia, who scored the opener for the
Granates just before the halftime whistle at Carloburgo's Olympic Stadium. However, the Eternan side was able to equalize in the start of the second half courtesy of playmaker Robert Rennie and also created some good chances to take the lead, which were not materialized thanks to the intervention of Junín goalie Darío Fernández. Eventually, the eastern side would prove to be the strongest side and scored the winning goal thanks to substitute striker Andrés Morelo, thus clinching their ticket to the final against either of Metropolis' Hispanic giants. Speaking of which, the second semi-final in Eterna City was a much tighter issue, with few chances to score created by either
Albos or
Marineros and a couple of strong defenses. Both sides were unable to separate from each other until the 80th minute, when Marinos were finally able to take full advantage of a defensive blink for Nacional and scored through Lisandro Craviotto. Although this goal made Nacional go firing on all cylinders for the equalizer, the side from Parque Rushmore was able to hold on their small advantage to secure a meeting with Junín in the final.
AS Mont-Blanc 1-2 Deportivo Junín @ Olympic Stadium, Carloburgo, Mountbatten
Nacional 0-1 Marinos Metropolis @ Alain Tramontin Stadium, Eterna City, Eterna
Round 34 (October 17-18)With 4 matches to go, the status quo at the top of the table remained in place as the three sides with chances to win the Liga-1 at this point all drew their matches. Bohemians once again became a big nuisance for Fontvielle Impact and prevented the leaders from claiming a win on the pitch of Chosroes Stadium that would have put them quite close to their thirteenth league crown, however, neither the Alligators nor the Stars capitalized on this to cut the gap with
Les Bleus, with the former tying in Bezieres and the latter being held to a draw by Shield finalists Junín. With that aforementioned draw for
Les Rouges, Nacional have taken the lead in the fight for the last IFCF berth with a victory in Valencia, whilst Canalave Dragons kept their hopes alive thanks to striker Daniel Costa, who scored the winning goal for the Dragons against relegation-threatened Defensores. Both Nord Energie and Marinos torpedoed their chances of IFCF qualification with their scoreless stalemate in Toril, while TFC were held by Edmonton to a draw in a goalfest at White Meadow Arena. The race to avoid relegation is also reaching its climax, with Cerro dealing a hard blow to Columbus' chances of survival and leaving them buried in the basement with their victory over the
Yellow-Greens at Estadio Marcus Trent, Slateport Bulls suffering another setback with their defeat in Pradera, and Real Campo Grande botching another chance to escape the relegation zone after letting direct rivals Olympique rescue a draw at home.
Nord Energie FC 0–0 Marinos Metropolis
Canalave Dragons 1–0 Defensores de Villafuerte
Pradera FC 2–1 Slateport Bulls
Bohemians Metropolis 0–0 Fontvielle Impact
AD Cerro 4–3 FC Columbus
Olympique de Fontvielle 2–2 Real Campo Grande
Tannenberg FC 4–4 Edmonton United
AS Bezieres 1–1 Metropolis Alligators
Eterna Stars 1–1 Deportivo Junín
Valencia FC 2–3 NacionalRound 35 (October 31 - November 1)With their defeat at the hands of Nacional at the City of Metropolis Stadium, the dream of that elusive third championship for Fabien Torrente's Eterna Stars has officially come to an end, leaving the two traditional Valladar powerhouses as the only teams still in contention for the
Stargoal. Fontvielle Impact are still on top thanks to their 4-0 thrashing of Pradera at the Stade de la Frontière which helps them reach 71 points, and will clinch the title if they win in Canalave the next week. However, the Alligators remained in contention after a tight win over TFC and will have to win their remaining three games while also hoping for
l'Impact to collect only a draw in their last three. Nacional's win over the Stars, coupled with Junín's 4-3 victory over Bezieres, means that
La Academia have taken a big step towards IFCF qualification, having now opened a 5-point gap on both
Granates and
Rouges, while Canalave Dragons, Marinos, and Tannenberg are all but out of contention following their negative results in this round, and Nord Energie are already out thanks to their large defeat at the hands of Valencia. The relegation fight had some movement as well, with both Slateport Bulls and Real Campo Grande capitalizing on Edmonton's defeat to Olympique de Fontvielle to tie the
Monties on points and push them from safety zone to the relegation one with wins for both sides. The Bulls dented Canalave's IFCF bid by beating them at home, and the
Verdolagas prevented Cerro from celebrating safety from relegation on this round. On the other hand, Marinos and Bohemians opened the gates of hell for both Defensores and Columbus and the panorama for those two sides is quite difficult, now finding themselves trailing their 3 rivals by 6 and 8 points, respectively, and waiting for a miracle to avoid the drop this season.
Valencia FC 4–0 Nord Energie FC
Nacional 2–0 Eterna Stars
Deportivo Junín 4–3 AS Bezieres
Metropolis Alligators 3–2 Tannenberg FC
Edmonton United 0–1 Olympique de Fontvielle
Real Campo Grande 1–0 AD Cerro
FC Columbus 2–3 Bohemians Metropolis
Fontvielle Impact 4–0 Pradera FC
Slateport Bulls 3–1 Canalave Dragons
Defensores de Villafuerte 0–0 Marinos MetropolisRound 36 (November 7-8)At the end of the day, that goal by Izzat Patton that helped Metropolis Alligators beat Olympique in Fontvielle was futile to keep the Alligators' title chances intact, since at the same time Fontvielle Impact beat Canalave Dragons at Dragon Stadium with a brace by Thibault Benezet and clinched their lucky 13th league title with two matches in hand, a 6-point gap and the H2H tiebreaker favoring them. Although the Alligators are pretty close to claim the silver medals of this season, the Stars still have an outside chance to snatch second place (and the second Champions League berth) off them thanks to their win over Valencia, which also helped the side coached by Fabien Torrente clinch IFCF qualification. The race for fourth place and the last Challengers' Cup berth is now officially reduced to just three teams: Nacional, Bezieres, and Junín, with the
Albo side on the verge of ending this fight for good as they held
Les Rouges to a scoreless draw in Bezieres and now have a 5-point cushion on both of their rivals, while Junín's hopes of qualifying for the Challengers' Cup through the league were dealt a blow with their draw with TFC in Carloburgo. In the lower half of the table, with Columbus being thumped by Pradera and Defensores failing to beat Nord Energie, we now know the first teams that will be going down to the second tier for the next season, since both Edmonton and Real Campo Grande are now out of reach for the two yellow-green clad sides. Meanwhile, the Bulls' inability to beat Marinos in the final
Blue Derby of the season has put Victor Anigo's side at a disadvantage against both Real Campo Grande and Edmonton for the final sprint, trailing both sides by two points.
Verdolagas and
Monties fueled their hopes to continue in the top tier by beating Bohemians and Cerro, respectively, while the
Celeste side, along with Olympique and Valencia, are still far from being really relieved.
Nord Energie FC 2–2 Defensores de Villafuerte
Marinos Metropolis 0–0 Slateport Bulls
Canalave Dragons 1–2 Fontvielle Impact
Pradera FC 3–0 FC Columbus
Bohemians Metropolis 1–3 Real Campo Grande
AD Cerro 1–2 Edmonton United
Olympique de Fontvielle 0–1 Metropolis Alligators
Tannenberg FC 1–1 Deportivo Junín
AS Bezieres 0–0 Nacional
Eterna Stars 2–0 Valencia FCRound 37 (November 14-15)A 3-1 victory over Marinos was the icing in the cake to top Fontvielle Impact's glorious last home match of the season, in which the new Valladar champions received their 13th
Stargoal and performed the victory lap in front of a packed and exultant Stade de la Frontière. However, there are still some unfinished businesses, such as the remaining international berths with Metropolis Alligators and Eterna Stars still vying for the last Champions' League berth. The Alligators had the chance to settle this matter once and for all but were held to a draw by an enormous Jacob Descombes, who saved Cerro from defeat and helped them steal a useful point from Swangard, which allowed the Stars to keep a chance to edge the Titan for second place after they beat Nord Energie in Eterna City. With Deportivo Junín and Marinos already set to decide one Challengers' Cup berth at the Kings' Shield final, Nacional and Bezieres are now the only two sides still in contention for the remaining ChC berth.
La Academia also missed a valuable chance to clinch it with a loss to TFC in front of their faithful, giving
Les Rouges a final chance to snatch fourth place off Nacional's hands on the last matchday after their victory in Valencia. With Colombus and Defensores already relegated, the relegation struggle will come down to the wire with six teams still battling to avoid the drop: Olympique's victory in Junín brought
Les Jaune-et-Bleus closer to salvation, but they'll need at least one more point on the last matchday, Valencia's and Cerro's failures to win left both
Púrpuras and
Celestes walking on thin ice, while Slateport Bulls, Real Campo Grande, and Edmonton United will reach the last matchday tied at 42 points, and trailing both Valencia and Cerro by only 2, and Olympique by 3 points, which means...
there could be a six-way tie for the remaining relegation berths at the end of the last matchday! Tasty, tasty!
Eterna Stars 4–2 Nord Energie FC
Valencia FC 2–4 AS Bezieres
Nacional 0–1 Tannenberg FC
Deportivo Junín 3–4 Olympique de Fontvielle
Metropolis Alligators 0–0 AD Cerro
Edmonton United 3–3 Bohemians Metropolis
Real Campo Grande 0–0 Pradera FC
FC Columbus 0–0 Canalave Dragons
Fontvielle Impact 3–1 Marinos Metropolis
Slateport Bulls 2–1 Defensores de VillafuerteRound 38 (November 21-22)And welcome one and all to the matchday that will bring this exciting Liga-1 season to its end. With the champions already known, now's the time to know how the remaining international berths will end up being distributed, especially who will be the last team to hop on the international qualification train, as well as the unfortunate one that will join Defensores de Villafuerte and FC Columbus in their trip to Liga-2 and the one going on to play the relegation playoff against a Liga-2 outfit. And now, without any further ado, here we go with a brief preview of the 10 games to be played on this last matchday, most of them with something at stake:
Nord Energie FC vs. Slateport Bulls - The
Electric Boys are already sure to end the season in the safety of mid-table, but the side coached by Victor Anigo will arrive to Toril looking to scare the relegation ghost away for good. Despite totally owning the H2H tiebreaker against both Real Campo Grande and Edmonton United, the Bulls know that victory in this match is the most useful outcome for them. A draw or a defeat are potentially harmful for the Bulls and might send them down the abyss should both of their rivals manage to better their result against Nord Energie.
Defensores de Villafuerte vs. Fontvielle Impact - The newly crowned champions will be witness to Defensores' farewell from the top flight with nothing at stake other than the contenders' pride.
Marinos Metropolis vs. FC Columbus - The other relegated outfit will travel to Metropolis to bid farewell to the season and Liga-1 against a Marinos team that has nothing left to fight for in the league and is expected to send a B-squad for this match, considering next week's final vs. Junín.
Canalave Dragons vs. Real Campo Grande - The Dragons will be judges to a
Verdolaga side with no more chances left. The team coached by former Slateport coach Arthur Bogden must win and hope for at least one team out of Valencia, Cerro, and the Bulls to lose in order to at least qualify for the relegation play-off. Real Campo Grande have missed several chances to get out of the red zone in the final stretch of the season, and now they have no margin of error as a result. It's do-or-die at the Dragon's Den for the visitors.
Pradera FC vs. Edmonton United - Edmonton will also have to fight for their survival in hostile territory, visiting the Estadio de la Montaña to face Pradera. The
Monties will start the day in the relegation zone, and besides beating the
Verdiblancos they will need extra help from Nord Energie and the Dragons in their matches against their direct rivals in order to save themselves. A draw will leave them in serious trouble unless both Slateport and Real Campo Grande lose, and a defeat will likely relegate them to Liga-2. There's no tomorrow for the
Monties either.
Bohemians Metropolis vs. Metropolis Alligators - The Alligators will make their first visit to Chosroes Stadium hoping to earn the point they need in order to join champions Fontvielle Impact in the Champions' League. A loss against their fellow North Metropolis rivals will leave the
Titan exposed to a win for the Stars and a third place finish with qualification for the Challengers' Cup instead.
AD Cerro vs. Deportivo Junín - The side coached by Marcelo Castellón is threatened by relegation after losing so many points in the final stretch of the season, and will be looking to beat an alternate Junín side in order to fulfill their goal of staying in Liga-1 for at least one more season. A draw or a defeat against the
Granate will put Cerro in serious risk of being leapfrogged by any of Slateport, Real Campo Grande, or Edmonton, and might send them back down if all three sides win. Therefore, Cerro have no choice but to win. On the other hand, the Juninese have their minds set on another match to be played not too far away from there.
Olympique de Fontvielle vs. Nacional - The Stade de l'Amitié will open its doors to receive two teams with opposite goals. The hosts still need one single point to avoid every risk of relegation, while Nacional will need that point to clinch their berth to the Challengers' Cup and possibly leave Bezieres out of it on H2H. They might just agree to a tie in this match since it does benefit the both of them...
Tannenberg FC vs. Valencia FC - The
Púrpura are not saved yet and will be required to do the difficult task of winning at White Meadow Arena in order to reach safety. They're prettty much in the same situation as Cerro: the win will save them, and a draw or a defeat will force them to wait for outside help. The
Citizens on the other hand are sure to finish in the top 10 of the league and will want to reach a higher placement at the end of the season.
AS Bezieres vs. Eterna Stars - Both sides will be fighting to get to an international competition: the Challengers' Cup in Bezieres' case, the Champions' League in the Stars' case and are forced to win in order to fulfill their respective goals. However, neither of them depend solely on their own effort and will also require Nacional (the home side) or Metropolis Alligators (the visitors) to lose their matches in order to qualify. The Stars will access the Challengers' Cup at worst, Bezieres will be left empty-handed if they don't win.
And now, without any further ado, here we go with the final and decisive matchday in this Liga-1 season:
16:55 - Matchday 38 kicked off with two matches being played on Saturday: champions Fontvielle Impact defeated Defensores in Villafuerte by a 2-1 score, and Marinos' alternate squad was too good for Columbus, beating them 3-0 at Estadio Zachary Fortin. Meanwhile, the remaining 16 teams are entering the pitches for their final games. Time for the anthems, greetings, and pre-match photos!
17:00 - The eight remaining matches, involving the teams in the IFCF and relegation battles, will then be Sunday's highlight, so here we go with the continuation and outcome of this Liga-1 season. And we begin with the match between Tannenberg and Valencia kicking off at White Meadow Arena, with the rest of games being underway as well! Game on!
17:04 - PRA 0-1 EDM. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Edmonton! The Westlanders score the first goal of the day thanks to Nicolás Arrú and cling on to life! Edmonton are now in the lead in Pradera, 1-0 the score!
17:05 - With that goal for the
Monties, here's how things currently stand at the relegation zone:
Olympique 46
Valencia 45*
Edmonton 45*
Cerro 45*
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Slateport 43**
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Real 43**
Defensores 33 REL
Columbus 31 REL
* Head-to-head: Valencia 8 pts, Edmonton 4 pts, Cerro 3 pts.
** Head-to-head: Slateport 2-0 Real, Real 1-1 Slateport.
With that goal in Pradera, Edmonton are heading towards safety, while the rest of teams need to get moving quickly if they want to avoid the fate of Defensores and Columbus...
17:10 - PRA 1-1 EDM. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Pradera! Mauricio Salgado quickly equalizes for Frédéric Galletti's side against Edmonton, and things are just like they started: Slateport safe, Real Campo Grande in play-offs, and the
Monties relegated!
17:11 - BOH 0-1 MA. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Metropolis Alligators! Cristian Bogarín puts the Alligators ahead against Bohemians and 79 minutes closer to the Champions' League! At Chosroes Stadium, MA lead 1-0 after 11 minutes!
17:13 - OF 1-0 NAC. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Olympique de Fontvielle! Striker Jeffrey Verne heads home a cross from Matthew Spiro and scores the opener for
Les Jaune-et-Bleu at the Stade de l'Amitié! Nacional are losing in Fontvielle and hoping that Bezieres don't score!
17:14 - CAN 0-1 RCG. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Real Campo Grande! Mathieu Corgnet surprises everyone at Dragon Stadium with a mid-range shot and puts the
Verdolagas ahead in the scoreboard, and best of all safe! Real Campo Grande are now winning in Canalave 1-0!
17:15 - Relegation zone after 15 minutes of play and 4 goals:
Valencia 45*
Cerro 45*
Real 45*
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Slateport 43**
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Edmonton 43**
Defensores 33 REL
Columbus 31 REL
* Head-to-head: Valencia 6 pts, Cerro 5 pts, Real 4 pts.
** Head-to-head: Slateport 1-1 Edmonton, Edmonton 0-1 Slateport.
Olympique's win against Nacional has Damián Trolli's team out of this issue. Should the Bulls and Edmonton score goals next, this fight is going to turn into a real clusterfuck!
17:17 - NE 0-0 SLB. In Toril we're having a pretty rough game right now between Nord Energie and the Bulls! The team coached by Victor Anigo are trying to score by all means possible, however, the host team's defense has excelled at spreading kicks and fouls all over the field in their attempts to keep the visitors at bay! After 15 minutes, two players have already been booked in Gustavo Franco's team! Besides, the rain falling right now in northern Valladares has affected the field and isn't helping either side to display their best football. Still nil-nil at the Municipal Stadium!
17:19 - TFC 1-0 VAL. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Tannenberg! A goal by Nick Mariner for the
Citizens before the 20th-minute mark adds more spice to the relegation hotpot as the
Púrpura are now losing in Carloburgo to TFC and are praying for help from Pradera, Canalave or Toril!
17:22 - ADC 1-0 DJU. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL FOR CERRO! After a poor defensive decision made by Éder Bustos, Pablo Scotti capitalizes on the mistake and scores for the
Celeste against the
Granate (who are wearing white in this match considering the animadversion of Cerro fans towards claret)! The team from the south of the District of Metropolis are reaching salvation with this goal!
17:24 - ASB 1-0 ETS. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL FOR BEZIERES!
Les Rouges take the lead against the Stars courtesy of a goal by Daniel Mendoza, and are also taking home the last Challengers' Cup berth owing to Nacional's defeat in Fontvielle!
17:29 - PRA 1-2 EDM. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL FOR EDMONTON! Kevin Pfeiffer finishes a masterful counterattack just when the
Verdiblancos were firing on all cylinders against the goal defended by Mauro Herner! The Monties have taken the lead once again, and left the relegation zone!
17:31 - Time for a cooling break in all matches, and we're going to use this break to check the current situation in the relegation struggle!
Cerro 47
Real 45*
Edmonton 45*
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Valencia 44
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Slateport 43
Defensores 33 REL
Columbus 31 REL
* Overall goal difference: Real −7, Edmonton −12.
With the current scores, Cerro, Real Campo Grande and Edmonton are all safe, and Valencia and Slateport are the biggest victims of the day: the
Púrpura will have to play the relegation play-off if things end this way, while the Bulls are being relegated!
17:32 - And here we go, back to action!
17:34 - BOH 0-2 MA. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for the Alligators! The Alligators increase their lead over the
Gallo at Chosroes Stadium and further strenghten their grip on the last Champions' League berth, thanks to Brayan Borja!
17:37 - CAN 1-1 RCG. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for the Dragons! Good news for everyone in the relegation race other than Real Campo Grande! Chris Willis equalizes for the Canalese side at Dragon Stadium, and the team coached by Arthur Bogden are back into the red zone, Slateport move into the relegation play-off, and Valencia are still safe!
17:38 - NE 0-0 SLB. That goal by Canalave Dragons is celebrated by, ironically one of the Dragons' biggest rivals, the Bulls, whose fans flocked en masse to Toril's small stadium and have already lost half of their nails due to the offensive unproductiveness of their team. The match in Toril is still unattractive, the rain has not subsided yet, and the visitors have felt the pressure exerted by the scores of the matches involving their rivals. Coach Victor Anigo will have to find a way to turn the match around, and will have to do it quickly!
17:41 - OF 2-0 NAC. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Olympique de Fontvielle! L'OF increased their advantage over Nacional to two goals thanks to Mareibatian striker Richard Armada! Olympique are winning 2-0, and Bezieres are winning as well!
17:43 - ASB 2-0 ETS. Speaking of
Les Rouges...GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Bezieres! Christian Núñez doubles the lead for Bezieres against the Stars!
Les Rouges are now winning 2-0 and confirming their presence in the next Challengers' Cup, as well as the Stars, who see their hopes of leapfrogging the Alligators for second place shattered by this score!
17:48 - The first half of this decisive final matchday ends with the following scores: Nord Energie 0-0 Slateport, Canalave 1-1 Real, Pradera 1-2 Edmonton, Bohemians 0-2 Alligators, Cerro 1-0 Junín, Olympique 2-0 Nacional, Tannenberg 1-0 Valencia, Bezieres 2-0 Stars. And here is how things stand with 45 minutes to go:
IFCF:
Impact 80 CHAMPIONS - CL
Alligators 72 CL
Stars 66 ChC
Bezieres 58 ChC
----------------
Nacional 57
Relegation:
Cerro 47
Edmonton 45
Valencia 44
----------------
Slateport 43*
----------------
Real 43*
Defensores 33
Columbus 31
* Head-to-head: Slateport 2-0 Real, Real 1-1 Slateport.
To sum it up, the Alligators are confirming themselves as season runners-up and joining the champions in the Champions' League, Bezieres are kicking Nacional out of international competition, and in the relegation zone, Edmonton are saving themselves from the drop with their win, and draws for both Slateport and Real Campo Grande mean that the former are qualifying for the play-off and the latter are going down.
18:06 - The second halves in the eight matches of the day are now underway!
18:10 - PRA 1-3 EDM. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL FOR EDMONTON! In Pradera, Jimmy Turnbull puts the
Monties closer to salvation as they are now beating the
Verdiblancos 3-1!
18:13 - PRA 2-3 EDM. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Pradera! And the
Verdiblancos just needed three minutes to strike back, with Alexander Izquierdo restoring the gap between both teams back to just one goal! However, that's still not enough to kill the
Monties' joy!
18:15 - NE 0-0 SLB. A handball by Felipe Martins causes the referee to award a PENALTY to Nord Energie! The Bulls were already in trouble since the second half kicked off, with the hosts taking the game to their half of the field and cornering them...and now they have this call against them! Richard Gervais will be in charge of the kick. Gervais shots AND IT'S A...
18:17 - NE 1-0 SLB. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL FOR NORD ENERGIE! Richard Gervais puts the Electric Boys in the lead and gets the Bulls closer to the abyss! The previously boisterous and hopeful Slateport fans are now looking silent and dejected as they see their team getting relegated with this defeat!
Cerro 47
Edmonton 45
Valencia 44
----------------
Real 43
----------------
Slateport 42
Defensores 33 REL
Columbus 31 REL
18:21 - BOH 1-2 MA. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Bohemians Metropolis! The
Gallo pull one back through substitute striker Mitchell Pastor, however, the Alligators are still winning the North Metropolis derby and confirming their qualification for the Champions' League!
18:23 - TFC 2-0 VAL. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Tannenberg! Paulo Figueiredo scores the second goal for the
Citizens against Valencia at White Meadow Arena! The host side are rounding up a decent campaign in a respectable sixth place, while the visitors are now cheering on the Dragons and Nord Energie to be safe from relegation!
18:24 - CAN 2-1 RCG. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Canalave Dragons! The Dragons are now on the lead at Dragon Stadium thanks to a goal by Ronald Vieira, and put Arthur Bogden's Real Campo Grande in serious trouble!
18:25 - This goal in Canalave is also wildly celebrated in Slateport and by Slateport fans in Toril, as it moves the relegation scenario and lifts the Bulls out of the bottom three:
Cerro 47
Edmonton 45
Valencia 44
----------------
Slateport 42*
----------------
Real 42*
Defensores 33 REL
Columbus 31 REL
* Head-to-head: Slateport 2-0 Real, Real 1-1 Slateport.
18:28 - OF 2-1 NAC. GOAL for Nacional in Fontvielle! Fabio Betancourt scores for
La Academia, who will now be looking for that equalizer that sends them back into the Challengers' Cup!
18:30 - ADC 1-1 DJU. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Deportivo Junín! Striker Gabriel Riveros suprises Cerro with a quick counterattack to equalize for the
Granate! The match at Estadio Marcus Trent is now tied, but Cerro are still safe from relegation.
18:32 - BOH 1-3 MA. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Metropolis Alligators! The Alligators now have this derby all but wrapped up with Marcelo Zamudio entering the pitch to score the third goal for the
Titan against the
Gallo! The Alligators fans at Chosroes Stadium are satisfied with the performance of their team, 3-1 the score to MA!
18:34 - ASB 3-0 ETS. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Bezieres! Daniel Mendoza scores again for
Les Rouges, confirming their victory over a Stars side that looks worn out and tired! Bezieres are hoping for Olympique to keep holding Nacional back like they're doing it at the moment at the Stade de l'Amitié!
18:35 - TFC 2-1 VAL. GOAL for Valencia in Carloburgo! A fully deserved goal for the
Púrpura, who have controlled the match for some minutes and finally managed to pull one back thanks to Fabio Coimbra! Valencia are back into the game and still safe thanks to those defeats for Real Campo Grande and Slateport!
18:37 - OF 2-2 NAC. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL FOR NACIONAL! The furious reaction by
La Academia in the second half has finally paid off with a goal by Nicolás Lucchetti! And it's really BAD news for Bezieres since the
Albo side are getting the point they need to leapfrog them for the last Challengers' Cup berth on H2H!
18:38 - And this is how things currently stand at the top:
Impact 80 CHAMPIONS - CL
Alligators 72 CL
Stars 66 ChC
Nacional 58* ChC
----------------
Bezieres 58*
* Head-to-head: Nacional 3-2 Bezieres, Bezieres 0-0 Nacional.
18:40 - CAN 3-1 RCG. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Canalave Dragons! And just when Real Campo Grande seemed to be closer to the equalizer, the Dragons kill the match off in a quick counter finished by Aaron Oliveira! The team coached by Arthur Bogden are losing 3-1 at Dragon Stadium and just a few minutes away from relegation!
18:43 - BOH 2-3 MA. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Bohemians! Orlando Perozo cuts the disadvantage back to one for the
Gallo, and the Alligators are now winning 3-2 at Atlético Nápoles' stadium.
18:44 - OF 3-2 NAC. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Olympique de Fontvielle!
Les Jaune-et-Bleu confirm their Liga-1 status for next season with a spectacular volley by Aldo Gonckalev, and kick Nacional out of international football in the process! Olympique 3, Nacional 2 at the Stade de l'Amitié, and Bezieres are qualifying for the Challengers' Cup with this score!
18:47 - PRA 3-3 EDM. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL for Pradera! And this could be a decisive moment for the relegation fight, with Jonathan Fernández equalizing against Edmonton! The match in Pradera is now tied 3-3 with 5 minutes to go!
18:48 - While that goal conceded by Edmonton was not enough to send them back to either the play-off or the relegation zone, the
Monties might be in serious trouble with little time to react if Slateport manage to equalize in Toril...or, if they concede again (which Real Campo Grande is hoping for at this moment):
Cerro 45
Valencia 44
Edmonton 43
----------------
Slateport 42*
----------------
Real 42*
Defensores 33 REL
Columbus 31 REL
* Head-to-head: Slateport 2-0 Real, Real 1-1 Slateport.
18:51 - ASB 3-1 ETS. GOAL for Eterna Stars! Striker Adrián Santa scores for the Stars in injury time, however, it's a little too late for them already to try and rescue something out of this match at the Stade de Foix!
18:52 - BOH 2-3 MA. Full time in Metropolis. Metropolis Alligators won the
North Metropolis derby against Bohemians and finished as season runners-up, clinching their berth to the Champions' League in the process.
18:53 - Full time in Cerro and Carloburgo. Cerro and Valencia reached safety from relegation despite failing to win their matches: the
Celeste shared the spoils with Junín's alternate squad, while the
Púrpura lost to Tannenberg, who finished the season in a decent sixth place. Meanwhile a fight breaks out in the Pradera-Edmonton match, causing the game to be temporarily delayed.
18:54 - Full time in Bezieres and Fontvielle. Bezieres did what they needed to do and beat the Stars at home, and at the same time, Nacional's loss to Olympique in Fontvielle helped
Les Rouges finish in fourth place and claim the last Challengers' Cup berth, leapfrogging the
Albo side. The match between Pradera and Edmonton resumes, with both teams down to 8 players, and a dangerous setpiece awarded to the
Verdiblancos.
18:55 - Full time in Toril and Canalave! Losses for both Slateport Bulls and Real Campo Grande force both sides to wait for the outcome of the Pradera-Edmonton match. The Verdolaga side already know they won't be able to avoid the relegation play-off, but the Bulls can still be saved from every relegation danger if Pradera scores.
18:56 - PRA 4-3 EDM. GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL FOR PRADERA! Striker Iván Valenzuela completed Pradera's comeback by regaining possession of the ball after a failed setpiece for his team and fired a powerful shot at the upper left corner of the goal defended by Herner, who was unable to deflect it! Pradera won it at the last second, and all the Edmonton players collapse in the field, some of them in tears, because they know they've become the third team relegated to Liga-2! The opposite is happening in Toril, where the tears are of happiness with the Slateport Bulls players and staff engulfing in an emotional group hug in the middle of the pitch! At the same time, in Canalave, the Real Campo Grande faithful are thanking their players for their effort as they slowly withdraw from the pitch of Dragon Stadium, knowing there's one last battle waiting for them. What a heartbreaking end for the
Monties, who once knew what it felt being Valladar champions and multiversal runners-up, but now are tasting the bitter gulp of relegation!
19:00 - The results after this decisive last matchday in Liga-1 were the following ones:
Nord Energie FC 1–0 Slateport Bulls
Defensores de Villafuerte 1–2 Fontvielle Impact
Marinos Metropolis 3–0 FC Columbus
Canalave Dragons 3–1 Real Campo Grande
Pradera FC 4–3 Edmonton United
Bohemians Metropolis 2–3 Metropolis Alligators
AD Cerro 1–1 Deportivo Junín
Olympique de Fontvielle 3–2 Nacional
Tannenberg FC 2–1 Valencia FC
AS Bezieres 3–1 Eterna StarsKings' Shield Final (November 29)And this is the final game of the season, the Kings' Shield Final, which will be played by two teams with outstanding recent performances: Marinos Metropolis and Deportivo Junín. 82,303 people (most of those being Marinos fans) were present to watch the final match of the season, which was played at its traditional venue: Alexander I National Stadium in Swangard, a week after the Liga-1 finale and with a berth to both the Challengers' Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup at stake.
With both Angelo Gelinas and Martin Boyle having elected to rest their main players for this match, considering neither team had something to fight for on the last Liga-1 day, both sides offered the fans an entertaining and back-and-forth game with Marinos being the most dominating and aggressive team on the pitch, taking advantage of the huge partisan support present at the National Stadium. The
Granates, however, had their own weapons to hurt their rivals, with a couple of sharp forwards in Andy Navarro and Eduardo Valencia, and a winger with high mobility such as Marco Rouillard. Eventually, the pression exerted by Marinos would pay off with the
Marineros scoring the opener in the 33rd minute, born from a combination by Sajnurian leftback Cristiano Karaji and Cosumarite winger Tamer Yilmaz, who assisted Aymeric Fortin to put their team ahead on the scoreboard. However, the joy for the
Marineros would not last long, with Andy Navarro equalizing for the Eastern side four minutes later. The Juninese would have a chance to put themselves ahead on the scoreboard before halftime, however, Xannerian goalie Markus Portsman was able to deflect Valencia's shot with ease.
The second half started with the same intensity of the first half, with both teams going for the second goal. However, in the 55th minute, Angelo Gelinas would make a substitution that would change the fate of the match, sending the young playmaker Fabio Bozzo to replace Jorge García. Bozzo's mission was providing more support to Marcos Zelaya and Aymeric Fortin, and later to Lisandro Craviotto, and the young player amply fulfilled the task. Marinos' offensive volume increased greatly and that, coupled with Junín's physical wear, helped them corner the Granate side. Seeing this, Martin Boyle also ordered some changes, trying to refresh the midfield with the entry of Leonardo Escalante and Danilo Ballesteros, but those moves didn't seem to work. On the other hand, Bozzo would help Marinos confirm their victory by providing assists in both of their goals in the second half. The
Marineros only needed five minutes to sentence the match, with Zelaya scoring in the 72nd minute and Craviotto reporting himself with Marinos' third and final goal in the 77th minute. After that, Junín tried to keep the game close and score a goal that would put them back into the game, but Marinos held on to victory until the final whistle, winning the first trophy in the Gelinas era and making up for a season that seemed to be very good, but ultimately ended with a poor outcome.
THE FORTY-EIGHTH KINGS' SHIELD
@ Alexander I National Stadium, Swangard, District of Metropolis
Attendance: 82,303
Referee: Jorge Cabal (Alto Danubio)
Marinos Metropolis 3-1 Deportivo Junín
(Fortin 33', Zelaya 72', Craviotto 77'; Navarro 37')
Marinos Metropolis: Portsman - Zarama, Rivas (Aquino 84'), Ariza, Karaji - Cáceres (C), Santini, García (Bozzo 55'), Yilmaz - Zelaya, Fortin (Craviotto 69'). Manager: Angelo Gelinas
Deportivo Junín: Fernández (C) - Castrillón, Marín, Rojas, Molina - Pasquel, Otero (Ballesteros 66'), Padilla (Escalante 66'), Rouillard - Navarro, Valencia (Romero 81'). Manager: Martin Boyle
Marinos Metropolis won their sixth Kings' Shield and qualified for both the
IFCF Challengers' Cup and the
Cup Winners' Cup.
Liga-1 Final Standings: Valladar Liga-1 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Fontvielle Impact 38 23 11 4 66 34 +32 80 CH - CL
2 Metropolis Alligators 38 22 6 10 60 41 +19 72 CL
3 Eterna Stars 38 19 9 10 58 39 +19 66 ChC
4 AS Bezieres 38 15 13 10 51 38 +13 58 ChC
5 Nacional 38 16 9 13 60 45 +15 57
6 Tannenberg FC 38 16 8 14 60 58 +2 56
7 Pradera FC 38 15 9 14 50 60 −10 54
8 Canalave Dragons 38 14 12 12 59 54 +5 54
9 Marinos Metropolis 38 14 11 13 46 37 +9 53 ChC/CWC
10 Deportivo Junín 38 14 11 13 58 57 +1 53
11 Nord Energie FC 38 12 15 11 48 51 −3 51
12 Olympique de Fontvielle 38 13 9 16 48 55 −7 48
13 Bohemians Metropolis 38 12 11 15 52 62 −10 47
14 AD Cerro 38 11 12 15 42 51 −9 45
15 Valencia FC 38 10 14 14 48 51 −3 44
16 Slateport Bulls 38 10 12 16 49 55 −6 42
17 Real Campo Grande 38 9 15 14 42 52 −10 42 RPO
18 Edmonton United 38 10 12 16 49 63 −14 42 REL
19 Defensores de Villafuerte 38 8 9 21 39 58 −19 33 REL
20 FC Columbus 38 5 16 17 33 57 −24 31 REL
CHAMPIONS
Fontvielle Impact (13th title)
Liga-2 Final StandingsValladar Liga-2 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Universitario de Maldonado 38 20 6 12 62 44 +18 66 CH - LBCT
2 FC Maritime Westporte 38 21 3 14 75 59 +16 66 P - LBCT
3 Servette FC 38 18 10 10 75 66 +9 64 FPO
4 FC Townsville 38 19 6 13 67 60 +7 63 FPO
5 Hamanos Athletic Club 38 18 7 13 62 53 +9 61 FPO
6 Étoile Verte 38 18 6 14 56 53 +3 60 FPO
7 Ajax Carloburgo 38 16 7 15 57 43 +14 55 FPO
8 Hoxford Rovers 38 14 11 13 55 50 +5 53 FPO
9 AS Mont-Blanc 38 14 10 14 58 56 +2 52 FPO
10 Canalave Rangers 38 14 9 15 69 75 −6 51 FPO
11 Stanford United 38 15 6 17 48 50 −2 51
12 FC Fauxham 38 14 9 15 69 74 −5 51
13 Atlético Nápoles 38 13 11 14 60 58 +2 50
14 Pumas Maldonado 38 12 13 13 62 68 −6 49
15 Real Pradera 38 12 12 14 60 62 −2 48
16 AS Montreux 38 12 11 15 58 65 −7 47
17 CAP 38 13 7 18 48 56 −8 46 RPO
18 Dynamo Metropolis 38 10 15 13 47 49 −2 45 REL
19 Bretford Royals 38 11 10 17 55 63 −8 43 REL
20 Bellavista Jets 38 8 7 23 50 89 −39 31 REL
Valladar Liga-2 Final Play-offsQuarter-Finals:The first listed team is at home in the first listed score.(10) Canalave Rangers 0-3 Servette FC (3) 0-1 0-2
(9) AS Mont-Blanc 1-5 FC Townsville (4) 1-2 0-3
(8) Hoxford Rovers 4-2 Hamanos Athletic Club (5) 2-1 2-1
(7) Ajax Carloburgo a 1-1 Étoile Verte (6) 0-0 1-1
Semi-Finals:(7) Ajax Carloburgo 3-4 Servette FC (3) 2-1 1-3
(8) Hoxford Rovers 3-0 FC Townsville (4) 1-0 2-0
Final:Played at Alexander I National Stadium, Swangard, District of Metropolis.(3) Servette FC 2-0 Hoxford Rovers (8)
Liga-1/Liga-2 Promotion-Relegation Play-off: Real Campo Grande vs. Hoxford RoversHoxford Rovers 2-0 Real Campo Grande
Real Campo Grande 0-0 Hoxford Rovers (0-2 agg)
With two superb performances, Hoxford Rovers clinched the last berth into the next Liga-1 season and doomed Real Campo Grande to a vacation in Liga-2 despite the
Verdolagas' late heroics to avoid direct relegation this season.