Well.
Wow.
By the skin of our teeth, we've broken Euran hearts and sent the defending champions home. On penalties. Yeah, penalties. There but for the grace of Thor go we, right? We've got a terrible record from the spot, just like the Eurans have a fantastic one. I have no idea what happened for our roles to switch in that shoot-out just now, but whatever it was I am so, so, grateful.
Thank you, stars, for aligning. Or something.
Anyway, the match started with the startling news that Euran squad captain and Northbrook Diamonds rock Tom Riley would only be starting from the bench. I still don't know what happened, whether he was injured or had a falling out with the coaches or... well, whatever it was, I suppose the initial assumption was that his absence would be a blessing for the Terns. As it turns out, I'm not so sure that it was a blessing at all. I wouldn't say his absence was a blessing to the Eurans either, mind, let's just say that with Riley in the side their midfield would have been considerably less mobile than it turned out to be. Of course, with Villeneuve playing in a more advanced role than usual, Kirvesniemi and Einarsson behind him, and Lillehammer closing out the midfield, we ourselves had a much more mobile midfield than the last time we played them in the World Cup final, and I actually think it was our own agility and fleet of foot in the centre of the park that proved to be the edge in normal time, rather than their own absence of Riley.
The match started explosively with shots on target for both Oslograd and Saarinen within five minutes of the kickoff, but as the first few over-eager minutes faded away so did the rashness, and the first quarter of the match was a fairly cagey affair, with neither team willing to give up too much space behind them when in possession. Jean-Eric Villeneuve revelled in his advanced role, and showed Zeljeznicar how to do it when he played a quick one-two with Saarinen before pulling the ball back for Kolehmainen to take a swing at it. The ball cannoned back off the crossbar with almost as much force as it'd been hit in the first place, and with none of the Terns committing too far forwards, the Eurans were able to mop up nice and calmly.
Thus the first half passed, almost without major incident, as both teams got plenty of men behind the ball. Lillehammer did what he'd done twice during the league and kept Oslograd busy out of the hair of the central defenders, with Einarsson and Kirvesniemi mopping up and feeding the ball forwards to the front three. The match was tense without being nailbiting, with the atmosphere delicately balancing on the knife edge rather than being cut with one, as neither set of fans were able to out-sing the other or rouse their side into something special that would just send them beyond the capabilities of the opposition.
We had to wait until the fortieth minute for the only gilt-edged chance of the half, and when it came it was unusually as a result of a physical imbalance. Eurans are known for the stamina and athleticism, something that we Valhallans usually have the opposition quite comfortably beaten at, and so it was something of a surprise to see Bjerregaard open up the afterburners and skin Mickey Smith for nearly entire Euran half. He'd stumbled after initially being turned, but the Jan Mayen defender wasn't even close by the time Bjerregaard finally drilled the cross along the edge of the six yard box, and that was instantly picked on on the Terns' coaching staff. Fortunately for Smith, the ball eluded Kolehmainen's outstretched boot by a matter of centimetres, and the teams would later go in at half time with the score still at nil-nil.
The second half start in much the same way as the first had ended, with momentum and possession switching back and forth without any real hurry to it, as if both sides had been given instructions not to mess things up and to keep it tight. The partnership of Blackthorn and Spartan in the Euran midfield was starting to grab a hold on the game with a grim determination plastered all over their their faces, but when the game exploded into life at last, it would be in the favour of the Terns.
Lillehammer collected the ball from Lucic, turned, and went to dummy a pass to Einarsson but kept running. He then dummied a pass to Kirvesnimi and then kept on running, and was about to dummy a pass to Saarinen or Villeneuve when Spartan evidently decided he'd had enough of the defensive midfielder's tricks, and he swept him off his feet with a not particular dangerous. Certainly no attempt was made to hurt the player, but there was very little effort to play the ball either. Unfortunately for those involved, it looked a whole lot worse than it actually was, and the players of both sides were soon angrily surrounding the referee - who, to their credit, decided not to throw any cards around on the basis of that event alone.
Tails were up on both sides now though, and with the crowd noise levels getting just that bit higher once again, it was beginning to feel like it was only a matter of time until the first goal went in for either side. As it happens, it went our way. A long shot from Einarsson was expertly blocked and charged down by Robertson on the edge of the box, but as he struggled to regain his balance following the shot, Kolehmainen was able to turn on the spot, nick the ball away as he ran into the box, and let fly with all of his body weigh behind it. The ball hurtled satisfactorily into the top corner before Waller could react, and the Terns were one-nil up. Oh, happy day.
A lead in a World Cup Semi-Final is a hard thing to keep a hold of however, and didn't the Eurans know it. Within minutes of the goal going in, the Eurans were set amongst us, harrying the ball and chasing down every tackle. We still haven't finished celebrating the goal in the stands when we were shut up by a Blackthorn shot that almost snuck in at the far post beyond Kirilaunen. A real hearts in mouths moment as it deflected off Lucic's knee and wrong-footed the Surtsey keeper, and we all had to sit and watch it bounce past the post. Unpleasant, to say the least. But it wasn't the last of the threats - Ashtree and Spartan both drew saves from Kirilaunen, with the keeper being forced to palm away a stinging header from Oslograd as well. The pressure was notching up.
It was easy to fold our arms and sulk when we lost the final to Eura last cycle, easy to stick our bottom lip out and say it should have been us. And this is true, to some extent. Had we played to the best of our ability, we probably could have won, but the fact of the matter is the best team on the night won the match and won the World Cup, and only the fact we had suffered the same fate in the previous final as well was giving us this sense of entitlement. In this respect, it's easy to feel sorry for Eura and the way some fans have acted like we owe them one. The truth is of course that we do owe them one, but for not them. For us. Eura are a good side, and this sense that they fluked their way to the World Cup final is a damaging lie that paints our own performances in an unnecessarily flattering light.
Hence, when Eura did get the equaliser that their play had deserved, I wasn't as surprised as the fans sitting around me.
A pass from Blackthorn wrongfooted Lillehammer, and Oslograd ran between Lucic and Nordenberg to stick out a leg and stab the ball past Kirilaunen - the ball just being too quick for his dropping frame. It had been coming.
With ten minutes left, both managers made changes as it looked like extra time was fast approaching. Most notable amongst them, Riley coming on for Eura, and Cornelius replacing Einarsson. As the game slowed down and the legs inevitably got tired, it was Rasmussen's idea that a less mobile 'quarterback' style player with fresh legs would be able to have more impact than a box to box player like Einarsson - particularly with Kirvesniemi still on the pitch. Also significant was Vaaraniemi replacing Lillehammer. The Aasiaat midfielder had picked up a slight knock in the second half, and rather than have him running on it for any length of time, Kungas-Vaga was moved to defensive midfield, and Vaaraniemi brought on to provide a fresh pair of very fast legs on the left hand flank.
Those fresh legs did manage to cause problems for Feeney in the reamaining minutes of normal time, but the pull backs for Saarinen and Villeneuve in turn were not as accurate as they could have been, and the chances bobbled away. Kolehmainen also found time for a snapshot under pressure from Riley on the edge of the box but despite hitting a divotit was well saved by Waller, and the referee blew the whistle for the end of the match.
For the second time in two cups, Eura and Polar Islandstates were not to be separated in normal time. It had been a battle royale. Two of the Multiverse' in form teams playing at the top of their game against each other. It had ebbed, it had flowed, it had delighted and enthralled us all. A match that live up to it's billing and then some, unlike the last two Terns matches.
Extra time beckoned, and the Twitchers in the stands held their breath and muttered. Everyone was thinking the same thing - 'this was where it all went wrong in the final'. We'd gone in level, and then conceded twice in a tight period of extra time to let the Eurans pick up the cup at the end of the evening. Well, not this time. It wasn't clear from up in the stands what was being said to the players, but Pekarik and Rasmussen were as animated as I've ever seen them on the touchlines. There was plenty of clapping from Kungas-Vaga, and plenty of pointing to the stands. They looked pumped, and so it proved when extra time started. There was a tenacity and a fire to the game of the Terns, and for a while it looked like Eura were unable to cope with the onslaught. Kolehmainen, Saarinen, Villeneuve, Kungas-Vaga; all had shots or goalscoring opportunities that trouble the goalkeeper, and with Smith increasingly unable to deal with Bjerregaard's pace down our right hand side, we should really have got one in the back of the net with all of the crosses we were getting in the box.
This possession not going unnoticed, Rasmussen made his last change, swapping one veteran striker for another as Saarinen made way for Illich-Svitych, who almost immediately evade the attentions of the flagging Robertson in the box and headed just over from six yards. Head in hands, the Terns returned to the touchline for the turnaround believing that they could score.
They went out in the second half of extra time with the same fire as they'd finished the first, but were almost immediately given a scare when the uncharacteristically quiet Ashtree forced a good save from Kirilaunen. The game was tense, and each side were increasingly nervous in possession. Riley changed the balance of the game, slowing things down in possession and punching through the middle of the pitch when required. His fresh legs reminded us of the Euran stamina that we had largely been unable to break down once again as they matched us physically on the pitch. The game rapidly shifted into one similar to that which was played earlier in the match, and it because clear that with the creative players on the pitch strangling the life out of the the game, it was only headed in one direction.
Penalties.
The Eurans never lose shoot-outs.
We never win them. You have to go as far as World Cup 56 to find the last competitive penalty shoot-out that we were victorious in. Since then we've found the chances to lose to Astograth on them twice. Astograth. Twice. That's how far back this run stretched. So needless to say, we up in the stands weren't confident. I felt ill. I felt the bile rising in the back of my throat. I couldn't sit down and look away but nor could I stand up and watch. It was terrifying. I'm normally a glass half full kind of guy, but at that point, I was sure that Eura were going to beat us again.
And yet, we won.
We did it.
I'm still not entirely sure how or when or why or who. The whole thing passed in glorious blur of blue and white and green under the night sky. Or was it darkness? I'm not sure. I can't be certain how much I watched myself and how much I caught on the replays on the big screens after hiding my faces for the shots themselves.
All I know is that we did what was asked of us.
Up first was Robertson. He skied it. I don't think I have ever taken quite so much pleasure from watching a football go flying through the air as I have that one. Whether the Euran body language was shot or something else, I don't know, but it gave us a great start.
Gustaf Kolehmainen. Slotted it into the top corner nice and neatly, as he had been doing all season for Surtsey.
Skorji Oslograd. Sent Kirilaunen the wrong way, tucked into the bottom corner.
Aapo Nordenberg. Saved by Waller. A poor penalty. Back to even pegging again.
Riley. I couldn't watch. Scored. Emphatically so, coupled with some crowd baiting as well, apparently, casuing a great roar.
Bjerregaard. Young Bjerregaard. My head was in my hands. He only went and bloody chipped it over the line. Such astonihsing confidence for a young man.
Two-two after three penalties each.
Ashtree. The noise and the jeers from the Twitchers was deafening and got yet louder still as the Euran striker's penalty was saved by Kirilaunen, stabbing a hand out to the bottom corner as he guessed the right way. Advantage to the Terns.
Jean-Eric Villeneuve. Right in the corner. Never in any doubt.
Spartan, to keep Eura in it. Smashed it. Great penalty.
Kohev Kungas-Vaga then. It was all on him. All on the captain. And if you thought Spartan had hit it hard? Bloody hell, he nearly broke the net! When in doubt, attempt to smash the keeper's teeth in. The team mobbed him, and up in the stands we mobbed anyone not already being mobbed.
The Terns were through to the Semi-Final, and I lost my voice in all the shouting, misplaced my watch, and apparently bought drinks for half the city if my wallet and headache this morning are to be believed. What a match. What a night. What a team. Wight denied us revenge, Eura were much more obliging. All we need now is the title, and we'll call it square. Yeah?
Yeah.
I was going to produce for you that little chart of nations now, but as I'm pretty pushed for time on the computers here at the hotel, I'm going to have to give that to you before the final/third place playoff (delete as appropriate). Instead, we'll press straight on and get to the point with a little look at our next opponents.
Valladares
For a fellow Rushmori footballing powerhouse, Valladares and ourselve have relatively little history. Only three times have we met on the field, and only two of those were in competitive games. However, the names of teams like Fontvielle Impact, Olympique de Fontvielle, Eterna Stars, AS Bezieres, Metropolis Alligators et al are all synonymous with great football wherever you bring the topic up in the Federation, just as our teams will be well known and respected over there. We hope.
Two great leagues. Two great teams. But who will progress to the final?
Well, taking nothing for granted, history, form, and rank would all suggest ourselves, but that's not to say any of that sentence won't come without a hell of a lot of hardwork out there on the pitch at Diamond Park. Les Gones once had a rank that felt distinctly underwhelming, but in recent years they've begun to perform as well as any other nation out there, and their new advanced rank is no less than they deserve. They aren't semi finallists by accident, they'll be a mean opponent, even if we have gotten the better of them in both competitive meetings so far.
Some of our best players have featured for Valladar clubs in the past, Timo Skye and Alexandr van Sorensen, for example, and two of our squad currently ply their trade in Fontvielle as well; Kirvesniemi and Bosnjakovic for Impact and Olympique respectively. In return, SK Franz Josef CIty have been the club of Valladares' main attacking threat for the past four years, with defenders up and down the Federation wincing at the mere thought of trying to contain the enigmatic Pedrinho.
But containing Pedrinho is just what messrs Nordenberg and Lucic will be tasked with in this semi-final. Pedrinho and Rozenthal, more than anyone else, will be the threats to which we should pay the most attention, and that in itself won't be easy as the formation they like to play with makes use of fluid locations and no strict rows of four like we might be used to eeing in the Federation. They will aim to find the space between the player, and we'll have to get our guys fit and rested from the Euran epic if we're going to be at full fitness to face our next challenge.
And therein lies the answer, basically. Keep fit. Track them down. Deny them space, and utilise our own stamina and blunt brute force to prise an opening through their defence when we can. The game sounds so simple when you break it down like that, doesn't it? If only it really were. We've been in the Semi-Finals twice before, now, and we've won half of them. This is Valladares' first Semi-Final appearance, and they are going to be fighting just as hard as we will be to reach the Final. I don't know about you, I'm going to be approaching this one warily.
Prepare for the fight of your life.
As for the other tie, pft. Thor knows. I've been getting the AO half of this tournament wrong all cycle. Might as well jsut give up. Don't know who I'd prefer to face in either a final or a third place playoff anyway. Though, the idea that one bloke with a blog represents "The Polaria Press" is rather flattering...
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.
Two more matches.
Per Tenebras ad Lucem
Eff out.
xx
