World Cup 70 - RP Thread

[Equestrian States]

The first match day is here, and every team to have reached this stage will be looking to get their group stage campaigns off to a good start. Who will start on the right hoof and who will diggy diggy dig themselves into an early hole?

MATCH DAY 1 RP CUTOFF FOR GROUPS E-H

RESULTS

[Nephara]

It had been a rough ride, but they'd made it.
Jess Mortlock had the luxury hotel room all to herself, though Auburn Bywater was in the adjoining flat. It was a place she could relax for the first time since the end of qualifying, make her home for a while. And she had a balcony - it was a small thing, but the air was good and fresh in the States, and she felt rejuvenated every time she opened that glass door and stepped out into the sunlight.
Two years ago she'd been drafting a resignation that the FA had rejected. This brought her back to better times.
Not that she didn't still have things to plan out, videos to watch, training to marshal. Though Bywater was helping more on that front than she'd ever done before, and showing a remarkable ability with it as well - she'd evidently been shaken into shape more than she cared to admit after those accusations of worthlessness. Belfast had matured into a true leader on and off the pitch, which helped as well. There was a good atmosphere around, youths learning from veterans, mutual trust. That was all so important. It's what had been missing two years ago, when she'd been desperately holding together a fractured vase - good enough for the Cup of Harmony, not enough on the world stage - rather than leading a cohesive unit. That was what they needed.
And now they were favourites to progress from their group, by a distance.
Bring it on, Mortlock was thinking. We're ready for anything.

A few days later, most of the staff and almost all of the squad was clustered around a television in the main hotel's lounge. They were wincing.
"Fuck," muttered Tosca Marlowe near the end, "they're just tearing Sargossa apart. Imagine if they'd been in this form in the Confederations Cup..."
Hadrian Belfast grunted. "No excuse to be defeatist, Tosca. No matter how good they are, we'll be better." There were murmurs of agreement throughout the group.
"Yeah, alright..." Tosca said reluctantly. She was occasionally guilty of a defeatist attitude, and sometimes that attitude needed to be talked out of her. Peer pressure helped. "I'm sure we'll be ready for them. Still, this isn't easy viewing."
"It's fine," said Michael Brandon firmly. "Think of the Sarian."
"That's right," said Mortlock, striding through the door. "Though I can't blame you for watching - it'll help in the matches ahead, and from how my own stream is going it looks like there's plenty of Equestrian strengths and Sargossan weaknesses to think about. But don't overestimate the States, and don't rule the Corsairs out."
Rookie stuff, for a seasoned professional like Michael or Reece - but they were accepting the message, since they knew the likes of Tosca or Markus needed to hear those words. That was a good sign in itself.
"You're all ready for training, right? The team bus has arrived." Mortlock smirked. "You're all starting to look a little too comfortable here, but we'll beat that out of you with a few laps."

Michael Brandon had one job - track down and destroy Horacio Lopez.
Everything else was just extra. When he had possession, he could use his fantastic passing range to great effect, releasing the dynamic fullbacks on the wings, bombing it forward to Locke or simply giving the other central midfielders some service. And that was all good, all essential, and all expected. But number one was to break Lopez. Break Lopez and the supply to Yap and Janssen would dry up, they'd be left with crosses, and Coleman, Belfast and Marlowe could all deal with crosses more than easily.
It was strange. For a player with a more or less static career trajectory, something had changed this year. He'd started to rethink his place in the team, in the Cormorants themselves - yes, he was a bulwark in midfield, just hovering around the edges of world-class and definitely proven against the best, but what else did he have to offer? He was Directus captain, and he'd done all the role demanded, but surely there had to be something more?
So he'd taken Rachael Loxley under his wing, shown her everything he knew. Rae was a good player, destined to be a great one, and why shouldn't Brandon help her with that? And Stockinger, too... she and Brandon had become close over the course of qualifying. They were both distant, sometimes cold, but she'd still sought Brandon as almost an older brother. She told him her secrets that were too much to bear alone.
And that had felt good, too.
He walked onto the pitch - out into the breezy afternoon at a packed Grand Regal Stadium. Plenty of green and black shirts up there - of course, plenty of green and white, too. Strong, iconic Hadrian Belfast, one of the best centrebacks in the world and the player who seemed to bear all Nephara's hope on his broad, powerful shoulders, stood at the head of the line as captain, and then they were ordered by number - Coleman behind, then Rhein, then Brandon himself. He heard Marlowe - the number six - tapping her chest rhythmically before kissing. Crossing herself, presumably.
The anthems came first, then handshakes. The match started here, for Brandon. Walking alongside the green and white shirts, he took everyone's hand firmly and powerfully. Lopez got some special, crushing attention, and a death stare. There was no time for sportsmanship on the world stage.
And he jogged back into position with the rest. All the pressure, the chanting crowds... it all felt so good. There was a challenge here on the pitch for ninety minutes. All he had to do was rise to it.

Forty minutes played, and it was all going to plan. The defence was pressed up, Coleman lurked behind to prey on long balls, and the compact midfield was dominant. They just needed a goal to show for it.
Rutger Locke had decidedly been part of the problem, and he knew it. He couldn't keep his frustration hidden any longer - as Reis stole the ball from right under his feet yet again and dashed away, he spitefully tripped the defensive midfielder up with a stray boot.
He muttered a curse under his breath when the referee whistled, booked him and signalled a free kick. But he accepted it. What else could he do?
Reis took it quickly, knocking it forward to the talismanic Meeuwessen, but Murdoch came flying along that end of the pitch to deny him with a sliding tackle. From there, Penrith took possession neatly and cut a great pass across the face of Reis to Locke.
Well... no need to look this gift horse in the mouth.
Locke took it gratefully, and easily beat a wrong-footed Reis for sheer pace. Rowland's broad shoulders loomed ahead, promising much, but it was Rook Cathar begging for that forward pass, making that diagonal run...
The pass was perfect, and the shot couldn't have been easier for Cathar to make as the ball rolled smoothly into the natural arc of his shooting boot. Acting dynamically, Lorde made a brilliant save at full stretch, palming it onto the upright - but from that range it was all Rowland's ball, and he could hardly screw that up, smashing the ball into the roof of the net.
It was a massive boost to the team, and they badly needed it - the mixture of joy and relief was writ clear on everyone's faces.
"Hell," Rowland had told Locke as they headed back into the tunnel at the half-time break. "It was about time."

The first half had been low on quality, but high in intensity. In the second half, the bruises began to show.
Logan Murdoch took a yellow card in the 48th for a high boot on Nittenpepper. After that, he had to ease off his commanding presence in the centre of the pitch, but it cost the team as a whole, and the Sarian were suddenly able to actually retain possession again.
But it also meant Murdoch had comparitively more freedom going forward, especially once Mortlock decided to take Penrith off for the more muscular Carragher - she'd been put on the left to keep tabs on Meeuwassen, the number 11 allowed to range out on the right. And he definitely had the technical ability to do so, sending confident passes all over the pitch.
But even though it was a quality that hadn't yet shone through for the national team, anyone who knew Murdoch as a player knew he could score. And as Carragher's pass released Stockinger, Stockinger's cross found Murdoch's chest as he ran dangerously into space, and from there he took one touch and struck the second beautifully past Lorde.
From there, it was smooth enough sailing. All they had to do was keep the pressure on, stop the Bustards getting too confident, too comfortable.
They almost did.
It was in the 86th minute when young Sargon Garrard, with ample time and space on the right, saw Marlowe lagging a little - and Yap spotting the room, hanging off her shoulder. It looked onside, and he pegged it forward before the Cormorants could close the gap. It was a more than decent ball in, and Marlowe realised her mistake just in time to try and atone for it, desperately sticking out a foot to try and clear it. But it slid low, and it was Janssen who managed to get a boot on it, seeing Coleman backpedalling onto a more respectable position six yards out from goal, advancing with pace, and...
2-1.

They didn't manage an equaliser. And it was still a good win. But that little moment of complacency had cost them.
It was a good win. But they couldn't stop until they had a perfect one.

[The Inevitable Syndicate]

Sports :: World Cup 70 :: Finals
Tags: Atlantian Oceania, Calanian Union, World Cup 70, Felix, Legalese, Brenecia
Single Point Showdown: Calanian Union Nabs A Draw From Sorthern Neighbours
Legalese Unable to Triumph Over Calanian Union - Strong Start For National Team

19th June 2194

by Harvey Harding

---

Manehattan, EQUESTRIAN STATES---- Legalese is in a very odd spot in relation to the Calanian Union. It, like all of the other Bekkside nations, is both south and north of the country. While the Mertian Government is keen to see that change, putting in place staunch evacuation plans that call for everyone to up sticks and move, the Legalites seem happy enough to remain right where they are. And that's exactly what they did two nights ago in the first of Group B's games in the World Cup finals, against a plucky Calanian Union side that were out to make an impact in one of the most important stages of the tournament.

The game was a tense one - the Legalites, who are typically amicable to any Syndicatians or Mertians that they meet (and they do meet often, thanks to Legalese's place in the higher reaches of the LigAnaia) had an odd look on their faces as twenty-three Calanian players stepped onto the pitch for the opening of the game. I chalked it to be Legalite competitiveness, but maybe they were analysing the looks on the faces of our players, which seemed to be nervousness from the younger ones, and steely determination from the veterans such as Pratt and Tavel.

The Union kicked off the game, and opted for a more defensive approach than their Legalite counterparts. The Legalite game is mainly one of possesion - if they don't have the ball, they'll try their hardest to get it, and if they have it, they're sure as hell not letting it go. The short passes exhibited by the Calanina side locked out opportunities for attack from the opponents, and within ten minutes, shots on target were being made from the Calanians. Of course, with every opportunity, the Legalites bit back hard, and it was Jake Detzler who scored the first goal of the match with an expertly timed header into the top right corner of the net. Legalese's first goal of the finals was celebrated in style, as fans from both side of the stadium roared (with appreciation or disappointment) at Detzler.

Now 1-0 down, just sixteen minutes into the match, the Union searched for opportunities to push the ball further up the field. One such opportunity came roughly twenty minutes in, when defender Gnaeus Shoobridge pushed the ball a little bit too far out field and gave the Union a corner. The corner was taken by Joel Hurst, who curved the ball right into the mass of players in the box. A squabbling of feet ended up with Fletcher receiving the ball, and he booted the ball Farf style right past Evan Swales to equalise.

Everyone thought that the Calanians would pull ahead just short of the second half, when Spencer Fox made an amazing run down the pitch, but he was cut short by Damhan. Fox responded to this with a tackle that connected at the wrong angle, and resulted in the 25 year old Forward getting the yellow card. This put a damper on the events of the first half, and by the time it had ended, the Union were still sat at 1-1.

The second half began with a flash - this time with a Legalite kick-off, and this saw the opponents ripping through our defence with accuracy and speed. It took three attempts to try and stop Xavier Boyle's mad dash down the pitch, and still the attempt to score wasn't shut down completely as Slade Brahm slid in to take the ball and put it past D'Sauviterre to poke the score up to 2-1. This was a blow to the Calanian side, who were looking to at least come out of the game with a single point in order to drag the first seed down and cling on to the advancing position.

The Calanian side kept to their defensive tactics, hoping the opponents would do the work for them and they could steal the ball while the Legalites were in their own turf. This tactic worked, and Spencer Fox once again took the charge, this time finally succeeding after being on the receiving end of a fantastic cross from Pratt. 2-2, and the Calanians could have relaxed once again. But they didn't, and just past the hour mark, they pulled ahead, with Lionel Ott snaking his way past the now shaky Legalite defence to place another ball in the back of the net. Now with the score at 3-2, the Calanians just had to hold for another half an hour, and three points would be theirs against their toughest opponent.

Alas, it just wasn't meant to be. The Eagles were on the warpath, and they bought hell upon the Calanian team in the last ten minutes of the match. D'Sauviterre had his work cut out for him, as six Legalite shots made their way on target. He was able to save five of them, as Chance Cloman of Bob's Towing fame make a last-chance shot from outside the box that wormed its way into the goal. The stadium was ablaze with the noise of cheering from the Legalite side, and the Calanian side were so shocked they just applauded. Ninety minutes rolled around far too quickly, but the Calanian side had just managed to accomplish what they'd set out to do - secure a point. While there was a bitterness in the air from both sides after the match, it didn't linger for long, and fans from both sides were congratulating each other on a game well played when I saw them as I exited the stadium.

This tie has put us joint second on the table of Group B, as Brenecia pipped Felix to the post in a 4-3 win last night at Whitehall. We'll be playing the Felixian side next week, and this loss could send them one of two ways - wounded, which would allow us to capitalise on their possible mistakes, or out for blood, which could mean a very difficult game indeed. One thing's for sure, though - there ain't no rest for the wicked, and the Calanian Union has been very wicked indeed.

[Valanora]

... The Marauders really are struggling this afternoon, they seem completely bogged down and unable to get into the gear. There is still time for the side to turn the game around and into their favor, but they will need to get out of this funk that they are experiencing right now.

The sounds of the radio provided a distraction for Tobias Raynor as he tried to decide how to navigate the situation arising in the nation. There was a growing sentiment among the older generations that all of the continent belonged to the elves and that the Kishreal presence in Arrosia was blasphemous. This was the lands promised to them by the Goddess herself, there was no room in them for foolish and foreign invaders who would look to destroy these precious lands. Unlike those who lived in Valanora, they were not in harmony with nature, not in balance with the world. Where Vanorians lived together with nature, these fools took down the forests that gave them their oxygen, burned the lands that provided them food, and polluted the seas and rivers that gave them water. They were a danger not only to themselves, but the entirety of the world, as they refused to take steps to mitigate their fouling of the world, where Starblaydia and others in Calania had done with conversion to solar and hydro power.

... Laborious Hawk nearly puts the side ahead, alas the shot hits the woodwork and bounces out for a goal kick. Just a few inches on the inside there and the side would have been ahead after this decent spell of possession. With ten minutes left in the match, it looks like the sides are going to split the points unless one of the sides can pick a moment of magic. All the signs point to the Marauders being that side, but I suspect it will be all even, especially with a light drizzle starting.

Tobias knew that that faction was just a minority but it was such a loud minority that there had some sort of response. A dismissal of their concerns could lead to friction within the empire, which had been at peace and in tranquility for several decades now. This was a decision full of peril, as they had some valid concerns with the pollution, but the more zealot part of the faction were so dedicated to the idea that Elune had intended for the entire continent be only for Vanorians. It was not as if he could get the entire nation of Kishreal to convert to Elunism, even if he was Elune's chosen during this cycle. A lot of good that did him with dealing with that faction, one wrong move and they would declare him a false hero despite all the work he had done on behalf of the Empire, on behalf of the Goddess herself. It was not as if he could call on the Goddess to appear and quiet them either, that would just be too easy, she was too whimsical and the whole only appearing to her chosen, what a silly rule.

... Oh no! A defensive lapse and HopNation has taken advantage of it, nicking the lead. Can the Marauders take it back with precious few minutes left to go? It sure doesn't look like it with their heads hung low, though the captain looks as determined as ever. If only the entire squad could have that sort of belief, Hawk never thinks there is defeat until that final whistle does he? Shame that the rules wont allow for a team of Hawk clones to play... though that's not a bad idea...

Tobias frowned, the Marauders losing to HopNation was a bad omen when coupled with this faction rising. Perhaps Elune had turned her vision away from her children or perhaps there was another war in the Havens? Whatever the cause, it trouble Tobias greatly, and this decision weighed heavily on him. An invasion and occupation could bring the wrath of the entire region down upon Valanora's head. Even with all their technological advancements and unique city layouts, they had an advantage. Yet the combined might of AO would be even too much for the Vanorian military machine to take on without resorting to drastic measures, making the entire basis for such an occupation mute. Perhaps merely a strongly worded letter and false threats would do...

.. And that's the final whistle, the Marauders falling to HopNation by a score of two to one. The side has it all to do now, needing to defeat The Holy Empire and Eura for any chance to advance. It may well be that the side takes no points at all from this Finals, with Eura and THE both looking like they are a class above the Marauders right now. To think that just a few years ago this side won the title and now they are looking at the wooden spoon. Where is the favor of Elune now?

[Pasarga]

Torgos Tribune ~ Off On The Right Foot

These will be the treasured memories for Tobias Möller as his wonderful career as a player starts to come to a close, on the field with his younger cousin helping clinch a victory for the Wanderers in the Finals. It was Tobias' cross that found Müller in stride and allowed the young Tanrısal striker to slot in the fourth and final goal for the Wanders in the dying minutes, establishing a two goal lead that Buyan was not able to overcome with a handful of minutes at their disposal. No one would have expected twelve years ago that Möller would come onto the scene with such effect, winning the DBC with the Young Wanderers, leading CA Paulinthal into a regional resurgence, moving on to dominate the Polarian league, and all the while be the pivotal point of attack as the Wanderers rose from languishing underperformers of medicority to an established power in the world of international football. Well worth the mantle of being one of Pasarga's greatest stars, right beside Ausilo Calibrese, the first journeyman and top class footballer Pasarga produced all those years ago.

Möller finished with a brace and the assist on his younger cousin's clinching goal, while Császár Mór also netted a goal on a corner just before the halftime whistle to let the Wanderers head into the half with a two to one advantage. Buyan to their credit did their best to try and play with the Wanderers rather than attempting to clog up the middle and take away the attack from our side. Ultimately they may have wished to opt into that sort of strategy as the midfield and forward connection was superb, though with the skill of the side, it may ultimately have been a futile strategy as well. Credit though for them trying to play attractive and attacking football, the way the game should be played especially in these big tournaments where so many teams are trying not to lose rather than trying to actually win.

All is not right and well though in the Wanderer camp heading into the pivotal second matchday, with the defense conceding two goals and not looking quite up to their usual standard. Antonio Jukić is going to need to lead his line more effectively as they head into the showdown with the cohosts, who with their four to one romp over Rüntenbach are looking all the dangerous home side that we thought they could be. A lapse in judgement could be devastating against them with their lethality in attack and this is a team we can not afford to get behind, as the home field advantage then definitely would make things quite difficult for a comeback. This side has advanced quite far and in theory should be able to handle such difficulties, yet as the first matchday results have shown in this World Cup, even the most resolute of sides can find themselves falling with just one simple mistake.

There is some call for Mezei Orbán to be benched ahead of the match with the cohosts, letting the cousins do their magic as they showed they could in those final thirty against Buyan. I think that is a fools thought though, with Orbán's hefty frame and ability to hold up the play is exactly the sort of forward that is needed in the game. Unlike against Buyan, where a freeflowing game was definitely in the cards, the danger of San José Guayabal will make possession and possession in the attacking third critical. While Müller is defintiely a promising talent and likely to be in the starting lineup soon, having two poaching forwards in the upcoming game just wont make sense tactically.

However there will be at least one change in the starting lineup for the squad as they prepare for the next match, with Lenka Randáková replacing Timár Bendegúz at leftback after Bendegúz appeared to strain his hamstring at the end of the Buyan match. Should the Wanderers get to the second round, Bendegúz will be able to return to the starting lineup, but he is done for the remainder of the groupstage. Lenka will have to show that her age is not a detriment and maybe her youthful exuberance will be the spark needed to get the defense in sync with the rest of the squad as they look to clinch their spot in the knockout rounds.

[Saintland]

Diamond Park, Stalliongrad, Equestrian States

A capacity crowd of 75 thousand had arrived at the stadium to watch the latest chapter in the Sanctii-Vilitan rivalry. While this match was technically being played at a neutral site, it might as well have been played in Vilita. Everypony in the Equestrian States hated Saintland with a passion and Prince Andreas had done everything possible to rile up the locals in the days leading up to the match. It had all started at the World Cup 70 Draw when Prince Andreas seized the microphone and announced to everybody else attending the draw that Saintland was winning the World Cup. Given that Saintland had never advanced past the Quarterfinals of any WCC-sanctioned tournament and had not looked all that impressive in Qualifying, considering the relative weakness of their qualifying group, most of the multiverse laughed at this prediction.

In the Equestrian States, where hatred of Saintland ran deep, however, that comment only served to rile up the Equestrian States. Over the following days leading up to the start of the World Cup, Prince Andreas was certain to refer to the locals as "talking horses" over and over again in the press and talk about how the ponies of the Equestrian States belong on the race track, not the soccer pitch. This was an intentional strategy, as the Prince of Saintland sought to anger the Equestrian fans as much as he could, although he made certain to be careful while in the vicinity of dragons.

Prior to the match, as the Sanctii National Team warmed up on the pitch, Tactical Consultant Petrus Fadius handed a microphone to the Sanctii Captain. Prince Andreas stopped for a moment and began insulting the crowd:

Talking Horses, Talking Mules, Talking Donkeys, Fallen Ladies and Wicked Men, Welcome to the first Saintland National Soccer Team match of World Cup 70!

I am Prince Andreas and I am a Prince of Saintland and the younger brother of King Petrus XX, the best quarterback to ever step on the gridiron field! I am the Captain of the Saintland National Soccer Team. Yes, the name of the sport is s-o-c-c-e-r, not Horseball or Hoofball or whatever you dimwitted talking animals call it!

I know that you think we're going out in the Group Stage again, but if you think that you're even dumber than the Royal Horses and none of them can talk! Well, that wouldn't surprise me since you worship some false pagan goddesses and are too stubborn to believe in the One True God and his True Church. But, they have always said that mules are the most stubborn animals! And if we run into your National Team at this tournament, we'll be certain to beat them like a government mule!

Well, I'm so hungry that I could eat a horse! Petrus, do you have anything that I could eat?

Petrus Fadius handed a hamburger to Prince Andreas. The rest of the team stopped what they were doing and Fadius handed burgers to them as well. The burger meat had been purchased from a Republican fast food chain and had been flown into the Equestrian States earlier that day by one of the reporters assigned to cover the World Cup for Sporting World magazine. That reporter, a former employee at that fast food chain, had placed the burgers into a cooler during his flight to the Equestrian States and prepared them for the Sanctii National Team after his arrival. The entire thing had been planned intentionally, to further rile up the crowd.

While Sporting World reporters were posing as neutral journalists, they were actually functioning as Sanctii scouts at the World Cup, under orders from Consul Kulseth. With Prince Andreas set to lose his captaincy, in the likely event that his team did not win the World Cup, Kulseth was willing to do whatever he could to protect Prince Andreas. Afterall, Prince Andreas, Sister Polus and the Patriarch were all close personal friends and allies of the Consul. With the Prince's political position in Saintland at stake, Consul Kulseth was not going to stand by without doing everything he could do to keep Prince Andreas's captaincy intact. Should that fail to remain intact, that would be a serious setback for the Plan, a setback that Kulseth would not allow.

On this day, the information obtained by Sporting World journalists on behalf of the Sanctii National Team proved to be the difference in the match. After the match kicked off, the Sanctii immediately threw all 10 men forward into an attack on the Vilitan goal. The Vilitan defense was caught completely off-guard, not expecting such a relentless attack in the opening minutes of the match. Although Zelkki Milake managed to block a rocket off of the foot of Prince Andreas, Lucas Aufidius was the first man to the rebound and the Sanctii defensive back applied the finish. Less than 2 minutes into the match, Saintland already had a 1 to nil lead.

Remarkably, the Sanctii attack would remain just as relentless, as all of the action early on took place deep inside Vilitan territory. While Milake and the Vilitan defense dodged a second bullet for nearly a quarter of an hour, Herakles Karoki would force a corner. Prince Andreas took his time to think about it before taking the kick. He kicked the ball from the left corner and, somehow, managed to bend it into the back of the net to put Saintland up 2 goals to nil. Moments later, the Sanctii would be back on the attack. The official called a foul just outside of the scoring box, awarding a free kick to the Sanctii. Prince Andreas took the free kick and took a shot at goal. The Prince Andreas shot hit off the bottom of the crossbar and ricocheted into the net to put Saintland up 3 goals to nil after less than 20 minutes.

The Sanctii continued to dominate for the rest of the first half, with the exception of a Vilitan counter-attack. However, neither team was able to score any goals in the final 25+ minutes of the first half. As the teams headed into the locker room, many sentient ponies headed for the exits, absolutely stunned. No one, not even Prince Andreas, would have predicted that scoreline. However, the second half of the match would be completely different from the first.

The second half started with another Sanctii attack, but this time around, the Jungle Cats were prepared for it. Amarini Baracelv intercepted a cross intended for Stephanus Vagionius and launched a long pass to the other side of the pitch. Kaivel Illatara broke past Aufidius and got under the pass. Illatara charged toward the scoring area, with nobody standing between him and Alessandro Seius. Seius ran forward, trying to grab the ball out from under Illatara's feet, but Illatara got a shot off and past Seius. The remaining fans erupted as the shot scored easily, with nobody left to contest it and Vilita took a goal back.

Afterwards, the momentum in the match had clearly shifted in favor of the higher ranked side. Suddenly, the Sanctii had to drop the Flaccus brothers back into defense to avoid conceding a second goal. Yet, for a while, they continued to believe that the momentum would swing back in their favor and they would get even more goals. Those delusions were shattered by a 67th minute rocket off the foot of Kiroki Mitaroka. The scoreline was now 3 goals to 2 and Vilita had plenty of time to equalize.

On the sideline, Petrus Fadius was in full panic mode. During the stoppage following the goal, Fadius called Prince Andreas and warned him that it was time to bring in some defenders and try to hold onto the 1 goal advantage, rather than attempting to add to it. Prince Andreas, reluctantly, agreed. Both Vagionius brothers left the pitch, to be replaced by the Jucundius brothers while Josephus Flaccus was replaced by the aging Georgius Catiotus. For the remainder of the match, the Sanctii focused on retaining possession and wasting as much of the clock as they could. This strategy, which the Sanctii had used to great effectness in the early days of their National Team, was as effective as ever. The minutes flew by, but the score remained the same. 3 goals for Saintland, 2 for Vilita. That would be the final margin.

Following the conclusion of the match, news reached the Sanctii National Team that the other match in their group had finished in a draw. They now needed merely a victory against Mizuyuki or Super-Llamaland to guarantee a spot in the Round of 16, regardless of the outcome of the other matches. With a win in their next match against Mizuyuki and a draw between Vilita and Super-Llamaland, they would be guaranteed to advance as the winner of their group. They couldn't help but look to the results in Group C, where the Holy Empire had defeated Eura and HopNation had continued their improbable run with a shocking upset of Valanora. No matter who they played, however, there could be no doubt that Saintland was the most hated team in the Equestrian States at the moment...

[Nova Anglicana]

A Chance For Lumberjacks FC, Yeoman Division Champion, To Show Its Quality

While much of the attention of Nova Anglicana has been focused on the men's national team now competing in the World Cup, there is a small section of people in New Brunswick whose attention has been completely elsewhere. Fans of Lumberjacks FC have been eagerly following their team's progress through the Series B Champions' Cup, a Union of International Club Associations competition that pits the best four teams from each nation's second division against each other. Lumberjacks won the Yeoman Division this year, their second Yeoman Division championship in five years and will compete in the Sovereign Division next year.

This achievement earned them direct advancement to the third preliminary round of the SBCC where they faced off against Omerica's Flove Santiago. The 'Jacks rallied late to hold Santiago to a 2-2 draw in New Brunswick and got a pair of goals from Cosumar's Tormas Aplulainen to defeat the Omericans 2-0 in the return leg. Aplulainen was a key cog for this team this year, as he racked up eleven goals and six assists in league play, and added two goals in their Nova Anglican Cup second round matchups with Shepherds FC. In the SBCC playoff round, the 'Jacks knocked off The Sarian's Roundway Down 1-0 at home, and then lost 2-1 on the return leg. However, it was Aplulainen's 63rd minute goal that got his team on the board and allowed them to advance via the away goals rule. Lumberjacks was now in the group stage, where they faced six matches against stiff competition from The Calanian Union, Omerica, and Eura.

FC Southern Ninestar from The Calanian Union took the top spot in the group, finishing 3-2-1 and defeating Lumberjacks 2-0 at home and drawing them 0-0 away. Lumberjacks split with Ballonpèt Secomina, losing 2-0 away but defeating them 3-2 at home. The last team, Eura's Bastion Lions, were able to draw 2-2 away, but lost on Aplulainen's late goal in Bastion 2-1. The 'Jacks 2-2-2 record qualified them for the Round of 16, where they will face Gornak Wladica, the champion of Buyan's Start Division, who managed a 3-2-1 record in their own group. It will certainly be a tough matchup for Lumberjacks, but they will show the quality of Nova Anglican football. Rumor has it that Wladica is engaged in negotiations with Olympique Sept-Iles to pry away Mathieu Garçon, their speedy young striker.

For the 'Jacks, this is the biggest deal in the history of their club. They have always been a solid team, but never one to challenge the upper echelons of the Sovereign Division. Five years ago, they captured their first Yeoman Division championship, winning by a full ten points over second-place Comrades FC. That year, they also made it to the Round of 16 in the NA Cup. Their first season in the Sovereign Division ended with a 9-4-9 record, good for sixth place. It was the best debut in the history of Nova Anglican football for a team moving up from the second division. That year, they also advanced to the NA Cup quarterfinals, which remains the best season in club history (except perhaps this one). They crashed out the following year, winning just one game, earning just 12 points and getting relegated. They somewhat made up for it by reaching the quarterfinals in the NA Cup once again, defeating Springs FC along the way. They added Aplulainen and veteran keeper Bikendi Tosell from Audioslavia in an attempt to regain their position in the Sovereign Division. Although they both played well, a 9-4-9 record and sixth place were the best they could do. They missed out on promotion and a chance at the SBCC, and were defeated in the NA Cup's first round by semi-pro team Bay Roberts.

Despite their previous struggles, Lumberjacks FC is really making some noise on the world stage, having done something no other Nova Anglican club has done in international play: make it to the knockout rounds of a UICA competition. In fact, no other team has even made a group stage. Archbishop had a chance this year, but they succumbed on 3-2 aggregate to Buyan's Bengtsmark IF in the Globe Cup qualifying round. Watch the Lions take on Valladares, but don't forget to see Lumberjacks FC represent Nova Anglican club football and take it to new heights.

[Brenecia]

Rowena Stamper sighed as she lay stretched out on her bed, and flicked on her smartphone. It was time to enter the #banterzone.
Kingsgrove hadn't been her first club - that had been Rosank Town, who she'd been an icon for and captained from an early age. But it was still her club, and she still felt a lot towards everyone who shared it with her.
But that was the thing. There'd never been A-League players in the World Cup before, ever! And now there were eight. And they were all in the same group. So to go against a teammate tomorrow? That felt strange. Even if the odds were fairly long, since neither was a regular starter, but still.
She sighed again. She didn't want to do this. But she had a duty.

@lbologna5 ... u better get ready for me tomorrow!! dont expect mercy XD XD XD #banterzone #sickbantz #alpha #patriots

And she flicked it off, turned over, and tried to get some sleep.

The next day was a good day for Catherine Bardsley.
She loved the World Cup, the sheer spectacle of it. She loved the glamour, the attention, but right now she was experiencing something very different to what she was used to.
She loved being there.
Conrad Keane was almost suspicious. "... You alright, guv'nor?"
"Hm?" She glanced back at him, away from the team bus' window.
"Only you're, ah, smiling. Like, a lot. Doesn't seem natural."
"It's good to be here, Conrad," she said, coldly. "That's all it comes down to."
He smirked. "Don't let the novelty get to you. One day we're gonna be here every couple years."
"Hmph. Yeah, yeah, ambition and all that shit. But c'mon, I'm enjoying this moment, and I'd bet the players are, too."
"They can sniff the roses later," said Keane pointedly. "They're gonna have to face reality sooner or later - and the reality is we're playing Felix in a couple hours. A match we're backed to lose."
"It's all about the journey, Conrad, not the destination."
"Yeah. Right. Know who said that? Losers."
"You're a real ray of sunshine, aren't you... ?"
Catherine looked back down at her notes. They were simple, but direct. There were a lot of up-arrows on the sheet. Smash them, went the logic, and don't let them up for a second. Because when they go on the front foot, we're going to break first.
It was risky, of course. But it was a matter of facing facts - if they didn't shake things up, they were going to lose. It was that simple.

THE ROZELLE OBSERVER
Heroic Fightback Sees Patriots Come Back To Win
by Derek Mackan
FELIX K. Nuremberg; A Garcia, F Gottlieb, M Provenza, L Urbina (U Kaestner 57'); Ji I K, M Martell; G Jenaro (F Cleto 80'), S Krister, C Alvarez; F Montero (Bellerose 80')
Goals: Krister 21', Alvarez 59'
BRENECIA J Pence; F Berenger (A Kilcane 84'), O Faulkner, S Greig, M Portadown; C Purrington, A Breton (K Armstrong 71'), E Camden (c); I Cullen, C Scherzer, M Spitfire (L Connolly 63')
Goals: Cullen 35', Scherzer 74', Connolly 78'

It wasn't comfortable. But it was convincing. And now, for however long or brief a time, Brenecia sit at the top of a World Cup group.

Both sides set up in exactly the same manner they always have, the Patriots in an aggressive 4-3-3, their opponents in an even more aggressive 4-2-3-1. And in the early stages, it was Felix who stamped down their boots as favourites. Their play might not have been quick at first, but it was smooth and flowing, the influences of the young Mizuyukan manager clear. Mercifully for the neutrals, this was no mere passenaccio, heading off in pretty little triangles forever - they were simply picking the Brenecian defence apart. The first warning sign came as Sieburg striker Montero (deputising for the seriously injured Mikel Araboa) was played past a tight but ill-disciplined Brenecian defence by the talismanic Krister. But his lack of composure cost him, and he smashed his shot onto the crossbar as Pence came dashing out with her arms raised. That put the Patriots on further guard, and the Felixians were forced to shoot from outside the box as drives from Krister and Jenaro sorely tested Pence's reach. Brenecia at last managed a shot on target 18 minutes in, Camden's great pass finding Cullen on the right who shot low and hard, but Nuremberg was able to scramble it away and then pounce on the rebound. Soon afterwards, the Felixians were firmly back on the front foot, and it was a bad error from Augustine Breton as he allowed the masterful Krister to dispossess him. He played a neat little one-two with Alvarez that put him through with only the pressure of Greig to beat, before outwitting him with some fancy footwork and smashing past Pence.

The Patriots shaped up from then on. They had to, or they faced a massacre - though they couldn't seem to find a scapegoat at first, Breton, Greig and Pence all shouting at each other for the goal. Camden was forced to jog back and stop the squabbling, but if anything, it put them all on edge. And they needed it - they performed better from that point on.

Just four minutes after kickoff, anyone could see the momentum of the match had evened out. Some great play from the Felixians culminated in a feeble shot by Alvarez that Pence smothered with ease, and it was followed by a typically direct movement - Breton to Spitfire, Spitfire along to Cullen, Cullen to the corner flag cutting it back to Purrington whose shot scorched Nuremberg's palms - and while the corner was wasted with a poor header from Breton, the intent was clear. But it took a moment of brilliance for Cheney Scherzer to put that into reality. It was, of course, Miriam Spitfire who enabled that with the forward pass, but it was Scherzer who pounced on it, left Provenza in the dust as he tried to cover, evaded Garcia and passed it forward for Cullen to sidefoot it into the net. Efficient. Effective. The Felixians slowly worked their way back onto the front foot, though not as dominant as in the first 25 minutes, but their momentum (after a dangerous Montero shot that Pence fumbled but Greig managed to clear) was halted by the interval.

Whatever was said during the half-time break is a mystery. Whatever it was sent the Felixians into a frenzy, and they went ruthlessly for the throat. The Patriots found themselves overrun in midfield, Breton forced back to practically babysit Krister - a job he was not quite equal to - and that in turn left so much space open. Here, Pence atoned for the fact that she should have done better with the first goal, first saving a Jenaro strike at full stretch then desperately clawing a Krister shot away from goal. But despite some quality defending from Brenecia, some solid, some simply desperate, it was all cancelled out by ninety seconds of constant pressure and one moment of class from Alvarez - poor up to then, but a beautiful strike bent over Pence's outstretched hands and into the goal.

Things looked desperate - and while Larissa Connolly was brought on in the 63rd minute for the tiring Spitfire, the decision to bring the more defensively stalwart Armstrong on for Breton had a touch of damage control about it. Still, he did clamp down Krister, and that seemed to give the Patriots a lift. Cullen put a dangerous strike high and wide, Purrington looked threatening every time she had possession and Scherzer was champing at the bit to get another shot at a World Cup goal. Sadly, a terrible header he should've scored from a Connolly cross gave him nothing, but this only made him more determined, and a scorching run to get on the end of Berenger's diagonal ball allowed him to slot the ball neatly into the bottom-right corner of the net with his first touch. Game on, one might think, but the Patriots were the only ones who seemed to take notice, hammering and pounding on the Felixians until something broke. It took a shot from Purrington that smashed into Gottlieb, bounced to Camden for her to cut it across for Connolly, finding a gap in the defence that none of the central players could in the tightly-packed box, waiting perhaps a little too long to shoot but bundling the ball just fine into the net by the end. Not pretty, but they all counted.

Thus followed a rare even period in this game of extremes, both teams desperate for that extra goal but Brenecia just taking that extra precaution in defence. And it mattered a lot, in the end - Felix had brought on Cleto on the right of midfield and Bellerose at centreforward to try and get that edge, and after a scrappy corner Armstrong ended up clearing powerfully off the line. But that was the only real clear chance left, and in fact there were no other shots on target in the last ten minutes - no matter what Felix did, there was always that one defender too many. And by the full-time whistle?

The Patriots had come to their first World Cup, and won their first match against a regional powerhouse 3-2.

Immense plaudits must go to the entire team, but Cullen was deservedly voted player of the match, and Kurtis Armstrong surely deserves a start with the sheer improvement he brought to a team on the defensive. At the end of the day, though, this victory belongs to the whole team, no one above the others - a sentiment echoed by an exhausted Erin Camden at the full-time interview. "No matter what you have to say about any of the players here, no matter what," she said, drenched in sweat, "all of us played our hearts out. All of us, for every minute. That's what made the difference tonight."

[Buyan]

Seventy Stars For World Cup Seventy

The journalists of our magazine did a tremendous effort to rank the stars of the ongoing World Cup. Most obviously, they failed. But in the meanwhile, they at least tried. The result is the list below with a few simple rules. Number one - a player has to be present at the World Cup. Sounds a bit silly, but while of course people like Lucas Cable, Kyle Bolton or Tolgus Tregajorran should be in any top-list, they’re not in the Equestrian States or San Jose Guayabal. Number two - a maximum of four players for each nation. It was the cause of a series of heated arguments on the floor, especially if it lead to excluding guys with the calibre of a Kungas-Vaga, but we still did stick to it.

Nonetheless, as hard as it was to determine who was part of this list - and even more, which position each one deserved... They still failed to determine who will be the top ten. Ten names are written on paper, but ten question marks appear in front of their names where digits should be. Who should be named the top player of this World Cup - and by extension, of the multiverse - will be determined by you, the fans.

Please send your TGs with a top ten of the names below to the nation of Ministerio. I’ll make a list of them for my next RP, which I hopefully can base on the votes from all of you. Don’t hesitate to include IC or OOC reasons for your order, complaints about non-included players, comments on the shortlist, ... Many thanks in advance!

Before we’ll give you an inside on the positions eleven up to seventy, we’ll give you the list of players to choose from. Each and every one of them is a star of World Class in their own right. But which one is truly the greatest? Vote and read it all in the next edition of our magazine!

Top ten listed in alphabetical order.

Craig Sinclair (Eura)
Cyrus Damhan (Legalese)
Friekder Dandalleion (Farfadillis)
Gustaf Kolehmainen (Polar Islandstates)
Laborous Hawk (Valanora)
Prince Andreas (Saintland)
Ronda Jude Styrn (Audioslavia)
Tobias Möller (Pasarga)
Toby Drummond (Osarius)
Viela Lianksa (Vilita)

70. Kyle Sturgeon (Super-Llamaland)

Part of the line-up of the Tigers since the WC68, Sturgeon forms one of the keys of the Llamanean side that has moved up in the footballing world so steadily lately. His foreign spell for Nagelti Rovers has allowed him to shake off the ‘lazy’ print left on him and demonstrate his excellent passing and more than average dribbling. Became the playmaker Bogdan Antonescu had dreamed about for so long.

69. Felipe Maniche (Unified Sunrise Islands)

Including him could be seen as a skewed result due to Bengtsmark IF fans voting in their star striker, but he is rightfully considered a striker of international composure. Multiple topscorer of the Top Division, he spearheads the offense of the Arceus’ Eleven along with Alcouin. Almost a veteran in a young squad, his goal-orientedness makes him a dangerous fellow even against international opponents.

68. Pedrinho (Valladares)

Catching the attention for the first time as sole beacon of light for a relegating Dynamo Metropolis, Pedrinho. He caught the eye of the Alligators and with a golden boot in the backpack, he moved to SK Franz Josef City, where he went on to do what he does best: form an assurance on goals. Pedrinho might be slightly underestimated standing in the shadow of his teammate Kohlemainen, but continues to be a threat for any defence.

67. Jeff Donaldson (Legalese)

Broke into the scene when he made the move from Myre Town to Vilitan superstars Turoki Tide at age twenty and replacing Dwight Marcus in the Legalese backline at once. Scores quite often for a defender but is most importantly a pillar in the backline of the Lawyers, who are rightfully considered an top squad. Adds something to the squad with his rushes down the wing, which fits the style of his national team.

66. Kazimieras Zemaitis (Buyan)

Still playing for his youth squad, Kazimieras Zemaitis was part of the complete rise to power of Viztourzys - and unfortunately of their fall of late as well. It does not halt him to remain one of their strongholds, a true wingback who has a dangerous rush, but has become defensively impeccable as well with the years. Cornerstone of the Buyanese squad and one who can make the balance turn the other ways.

65. Rikso Kâí (Farfadillis)

The dribbles of this man have been driving defenders nuts domestically and internationally now for almost a decade. Hit the stage the first time when captaining his DBC squad to a title, starred for Urbanizia Wanderers and does likewise these days for the only Farf side with consistency. Is more than a pure technical whiz kid due to his capacity to both cut in or pick the wing and create danger. Might be vital for the Farfs.

64. Emanuele Riviello (Osarius)

Admittedly less infamous than plenty of his teammates at the Firebirds, Riviello has been the lead defender of the squad that last won the AOCAF and that should give you an idea of his capacities. His experience over at Kitzbuhel and Violence Chariots made him the anchor for the Osarian defence and we’re certain he’ll form the rock on which Jermain Lewis can build his squad for this cycle again.

63. Ásbjörn Tachibana (Falcus)

Even without a multitude of stars, the Falcons managed to make their way to the World Cup and such a feat could be thanked to their attentive defenders. Tachibana is the epitome of these, combining a couple of quick legs with the positioning required once playing with only three in the back line. No wonder she was picked up by a side such as AFC Treason where she is a steady starter.

62. Purapal Eskiiy (Vilita)

Coming from the breeding ground for talent known as Alikki-Corra, Eskiiy quickly caught the attention for the Jungle Cats. The international attention followed as he came in during the WC68 final and scored the goal that altered the match. Combines a nose for vital goals with the excellent overview so typical for Vilitan players. If he adds consistency to his skillset, he’ll continue to rise in this type of ranks.

61. Fabio Montero (Felix)

Has made his trade of scoring and answers to that with dangerous precision. Previously, playing for Universidad de Santander, he was not always deadly enough but now he has made the move to Sieberg, we’re seeing his capacity as serial killer. Carrying his golden boot around, he forms the striker that might bring Felix that much-hoped for silverware. A man in great form for the Cup.

60. Bradley Lancaster (Nova Anglicana)

Lancaster has been vital for the renaissance of the Nova Anglican national team after the retiring of the Three Wise Men. Originally a substitute for the Lions, playing for a less respected side, Lancaster made his way abroad to Quebec and the new, more offensive style of manager Lee fits him like a glove. As such, Lancaster showcases himself as the kind of wingback Buyanese tend to love: with some risk, a lot of guts and a real addition.

59. Andreij Tal (Audioslavia)

‘He’s not as good as he used to be’, some of you will cry, but Tals current form for 1830 Cathair demonstrates we haven’t seen the last of him yet. Sturdy defender with that little bit extra, he was a key figure in both the Tropicorp FC and 1830 Cathair back lines and continues to do so up to today for the Bulls as well. Wouldn’t mind lifting a World Cup this year around and it he continues to be the block of concrete he is, why not?

58. Taiji Moto (Kandorith)

Less infamous than many others at his position, this central midfield is quite underrated as he’s been the linchpin of the Red Dragons for nearly eight cycles now - vital in their slow yet steady rise to the crop of international football. El Commandante creates the balance in the team, not letting go of his defensive tasks whilst always able to create danger out of nowhere. On the daily also captain of his side Nagato Goya, a natural leader.

57. Katanmak Juliasterinthen (Ko-oren)

Already in his seventh cycle, the man with the inexplicable name has become the natural successor of the infamous Sobek Dehenat and fulfils said destiny with flair. Once a left back, he is known for his splendid passing, combined with physical courage. Has completely blossomed as leader of the back, no matter what system Ko-oren plays in. Should be able to make that transfer to a big club league, caught Buyanese attention.

56. Emmanuel Moga (Nova Anglicana)

A position that might be influenced by the presence of Moga in the Top Division, yet it is a proof to his class and talent. Once just another talent with a splendid dribble, this still young player with Sudanese roots has evolved into a much more complete number ten who combines his marvellous technique with an augmented vision. This continues as well for the Lions with whom he can showcase his skills at the World Cup.

55. Rainbow Blitz (Equestrian States)

Until recently in the shadows of Fire Dash, Rainbow Blitz has evolved to the undisputed on-pitch star of the hoofballers. Stronghold of a quick and agile type of football, who demonstrated his capacities already for the Young Ponies with two back-to-back DBC victories. Wants to showcase this with the senior team as he does every seven days for Makosile United, where he is a consistent assurance on goals.

54. Mattías Passarelli (San Jose Guayabal)

Has lived through the whole rise of Guayabalan football in the international scene, first as a part of the domestic stronghold Alianza FC and currently for Delare Minnon. Reliable and experienced, he is vital in the young squad from Paatelainen as a sweeper and combines such with good infiltrations - not seldom leading to a header. Will certainly look forth to excel once again in his own nation.

53. Frederic Beauchemin (Royal Kingdom of Quebec)

It’s not entirely clear whether the fans of the Grim Reapers just started to love him more over the years, or that he’s just an eternal presence of Quebecqois football, but it would be an insult to consider him merely a cult figure. Even when dropped to the midfield, he is an assurance for goals for both his national team and Alianza FC and makes up for his speed with excellent vision and marvellous passing.

52. Pech Schytaing (HopNation)

Despite his young age, Schytaing is the linchpin in attack for the Hops as he is an assurance for goals. Has remarkable physical capacities already and is capable to excel both as target man as in a system with two strikers. Disciplined on and outgoing off the pitch, he’s also an important name in the dressing room for both the Hops and Zorg FC Phynix. If he continues his steady rise, we see him as a interesting target for any club side out there.

51. Antonio Jukic (Pasarga)

Jukic made his breakthrough abroad as a key player in the Mytanar formation of Preussen Kitzbuhel and since three cycles, he is also the pillar of the backline of the Wanderers. Despite being one of the younger elements in this experienced Pasargan squad, he is already the captain and this showcases his natural charisma and style. Leads the squad through tougher moments as he does for Real Ile Perrot.

50. Kane Harrison (Blouman Empire)

Impressive in terms of physical skills, this striker can stay in control of the ball, looking for the perfect place to place one of his marvellous strikes. Key man in the successful Bloumany DBC 26 and from that moment onwards also a key forward for the Eagles. Hasn’t caught the eye of the international scene as oft as he deserves and in that respect, this tournament might be vital - his right foot might but the Bloumany another step forward.

49. Pedro Pedretti (Valladares)

Although he might not catch the public eye as oft as his teammates Coupet, Reyes, Fuentes or Gignac, Pedro Pedretti is a crucial part in the machinery from Les Gones. For already half a dozen of cycles, the silent midfield of Nacional makes his squad excel to the top of the KPB ranking. Reliable and crucial to the system, Pedretti will quite probably never become the star player merchandising dreams of, but his raw quality goes appreciated.

48. Spencer Fox (The Calanian Union)

Starring already for the U15 and U21 squads, Fox quickly picked up a spot at Dí Maozöxê. It took him a bit longer to barge into the starting eleven of the Inevitables, but with a reformed 3-4-3 by Montier, Fox finally shines at the international stage as well. Fancy footwork and a mindblowing kick, this lad has the potential to rise on in the future. Makes the difference with his focus in front of goal.

47. Hans Wippenbeck (Ruentenbach)

The striker quickly came to the surface during the WC 67 but it isn’t only his series of goals that caught the attention, off the pitch he’s quite a threat as well. Addictions, escapades, suspensions, ... But besides of being a fan favourite, he has a splendid right foot and forms a danger even after the retirement of Baumgartner. Might have gone past his heights, but we sense that the Alle-Laender striker is up for one last trick.

46. Jesús Metochites (The Holy Empire)

Jesús saves. There, we said it. Admittedly, we could have positioned Apocapes at this spot, the admirable back, or the crafty Palaeologo, quite possibly the talented striker Taronities or his loyal wingman Bardas Phocaso. The one true star of the imperial squad is Juan Tzimisces and no regular football player can come out of the shadow of such a manager. Well, apart from Metochites. Cause Jesus saves.

45. Orson Faulkner (Brenecia)

If even the Brenecian press considers him as a top-class fullback, he must be rather impressive. Only earned his spot in the starting line-up of the Patriots lately but his fame certainly has been appreciated for AC Izotz Zubia, where he scored a league-winning goal. Capable of both sticking to his mark and eliminating him from the game or inspiring his side to a new attack. Brenecia is good for years with this guy.

44. Rodrigo Defederico (Sargossa)

Quite renounced for his off-field antics, but loaded with talent. Splendid with the assisting passes and capable to unlock a difficult game, he’s a fan favourite Corsair going into his seventh cycle with Sargossa. Starred for Oyardo FC, now back at his youth equipe Dunas Del Sol. Defederico has aged but the constant stream of through passes and decisive screamers hasn’t died out yet. Last trick of this Corsair? Might be, but it will be a beaut.

43. Alex Cartwright (Super Llamaland)

Cartwright hardly matched capacities in the box - scoring and passing by the dozen - made him break all records for the youth squads. Made it into the squad of the Tigers already at the age of nineteen but made a new evolution. Even if he didn’t score as often as much as previously, he made the step from a goal machine to a more complete striker. Will show what he does for Kingston FC to the world, we presume.

42. Skorji Oslograd (Eura)

We’ve given up how many times he scored this time around as Skorji Oslograd is an assurance on goals. Over eighty in an international career larded with international tournaments. We’ve put him a tad lower than he might deserve and certainly lower than he once would have ranked. After great spells for Bastion and FC Axel Heiburg, he’s back home with Revolutionaries. Skorji’s last stand at this World Cup?

41. Methuselah Meeuwessen (The Sarian)

One day just another young prospect of Beckwith City, a few days later he’s the rising star of the Bustards. Broke through to the XI with the style of the greaths, class act with clinical passing and splendid vision. Midfield for whom the sky is the limit, especially after his remarked transfer to North Spire HC - there to become the high profile star his talent promises. The Sarian stands a chance to be this WC’s surprise and Meeuwessen is part of that.

40. Zelkki Milake (Vilita)

Debuted at age fifteen for Kionao Locals, quickly made it to Eastal Lunar and despite under age, he made it to the revelation between the stakes. As a clean sheet star, he moved up to the Jungle Cats where he continued to display his exceptional talent. After his Lonngeylin Coast time, he’s now starring for Eastal Lunar. Only time keeps him away from the position of best goalie of the world, we feel.

39. Josephus Flaccus (Saintland)

Often in the shadow of the more infamous Prince Andreas, Josephus Flaccus is a seldom case of a Sancti sportsman who has earned the sympathy of the foreign audience. Not in the least due to his consistent quality and energy for AFC Treason, where he has been a pillar in their return to the throne of Nepharim football. His return, after defection, to the Sanctii national team offered new chances at glory in the unstoppable rise of the Saintland national team.

38. Gaizka Omaexevarria (Audioslavia)

Part of the particularly talented Cazadores Cathair generation, Omaexevarria quickly made his way into the national team of the Bulls as holding midfielder. Not the sexiest of positions, but the skill with which he fulfils this position is tremendous. Sidekick of Styrn off the pitch, reliable shield of her along with Kirk on the grass. Convinces for Bastion as well and still with a decade in front of him, this is not the end of his story.

37. Flitter (Equestrian States)

An anchor for both the Ponies and Jan Mayen Islanders, the pegasus has that unique combination of speed and fancy hoofwork. Already for over a decade a certainty in the defensive line of the Equestrian States and still she doesn’t seem to drop in terms of quality. Manages to fit in splendid with the idea of high-quality hoofball and makes the most out of any situation. Key player and world class.

36. Méng Zeijí (Kandorith)

His left foot a goal cannon, the star of the Red Dragons is a surprisingly agile dribbles who has the accuracy and calm of an accountant. For already eight cycles, he is the face of the squad from Huangzhé Stadium. Xi-tiang knows that he can count on this man as an undying source of goals. Few have his composure in front of goal. It’s a shame we see so little of him apart from international football, because he’s a treat for the football fan.

35. Mikoto Tsuchimikado (Mizuyuki)

As many great talents, she emerged already at a young age and had leadership written all over her. Excellent right foot, quick on the counter and with impeccable vision - she adds a marvellous dribble and flair to that. Lived up to the expectations and is a goal machine with the versatility and anticipation of a midfield. Linchpin of the squad from the Celestial Empire, the captain makes the difference between success and failure for them.

34. Hadrian Belfast (Nephara)

Central backs are seldom chosen in popularity contests, so this guy must have something special over him. Strong and powerful, he adds to the skillset of the regular Nepharim defender - solid, muscle - a dominance in the air and on his mark. Direct opponents almost never escape him, being it for Dwile Warriors or for the Cormorants, where he has picked up the captains ribbon. The reliable rock who will bring his side to a new height.

33. Roque Acosta (Osarius)

Grown from the school of Firewood City with a saucy backstory, Roque Acosta became a starter for the Firebirds during the AOCAF 42. Nicknamed the Dynamo for his endless supply of energy, he added a special vibe to the World Cup semi-finalists, popping up wherever he could alter the balance. Earned the Iron Ball in Nephara for Treason, the aging captain of Osarius still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

32. Iulian Kirilaunen (Polar Islandstates)

After a strong season for Marussia Viking, he was picked up by Surtsey Island Gulls and quickly developed to a complete goalie - and as quickly being a starter for the Terns. Reliable stronghold for five cycles already, with impeccable speed off his line and massive natural authority. Part of a World Cup winning team which has earned from his capable positioning. Impressive career already behind him but not too old for more yet.

31. Csáczár Mór (Pasarga)

Might be a surprise inclusion to some, but one of the youngest starting members of the Wanderers, Mór has to offer more than meets the eye. After tremendous performances for Spartangrad, he barged into the line-up at the start of the previous cycle and has been key in the great round of the Pasargans. Ensures the balance of the squad and caused no one to miss the Dottirs. Crucial for his side and capable to score as well.

30. Sverre Devold (Buyan)

Of course it is blatant nationalism to put him up at spot number thirty, but he’s still been the key figure in the slow rise of the Hedgehogs. After growing above domestic grounds during his time at Kallsmudden, he became a rugged central midfield in Barbury Town. The high quality ANL added presence and overview to his splendid technical skillset. Surprisingly defensive for a number ten, he scores less than you’ld expect, but gives the whole team a good vibe.

29. Sebastian Krister (Felix)

That which is good, comes young, is a Buyanese proverb and that certainly goes for Krister. Only twenty years of age, he was the general at the Santa Maria midfield and he has picked up that role for both the national team and Bjarnarey Flotilla these days. Combines excellent passing with the capacity to score the odd goal. Has been vital for the steady rise of Felix in the ranks of international football.

28. Lionel Ott (The Calanian Union)

Ott managed a breakthrough as part of Tout-Puissant Hasiera and barged into the starting eleven straight after his transfer to Felixian Sporting Volker. For a more defensively oriented, he assembles an impressive amount of goals and certainly assists. It has contributed to the splendid series The Calanian Union has showcased. His importance to the midfield makes Ott the kind of player any coach would want in his squad.

27. Konrad Meisenthal (Ruentenbach)

Less problematic than his infamous counterpart Wippenbeck, but that’s not that hard. To the contrary, he’s a much more reliable source of goals and showcases this on the daily in the Felixian competition for Universidad de Santander. Key player and devout catholic for Die Adlerschaft who can score from out of any angle and has that bit of class that makes a striker rise above the masses. Top quality player.

26. Pheir Droimpol (HopNation)

Admittedly, these sort of lists are filled with number tens, but this guy has enough to endanger the top positions one day. Spiffing ball control, excellent passing both with left and right and the capacity to score more than often. Has the natural authority and intelligence to be a captain, even at his young age. A poster boy as well for the Hops, but one that might allow them to continue their steady rise in the international ranks.

25. Moses Luc Bjerregaard (Polar Islandstates)

Filled to the top with talent, Bjerregaard was a Tern before he had reached 18. He’s quick as water, able to pluck a ball out of the air with his splendid right and not afraid to dive in headfirst. Starred for SK Franz Josef City and currently for Endeavour FC. Has something quite unique in the football world and forms as such one of the many assets of the Polarian squad. And the sky still is the limit for this fellow...

24. Esolywend Eregrent (Ko-oren)

Star player for an often overlooked side, Eregrent is an attacking midfield at heart who can appear on both wings and in the centre. Has that special, seldom, touch which allows him to steer the ball to any teammate, straight on the tie. Fifth cycle as a starter and we sense that he could be one of the unexpected sensations of the Cup. If you’re looking for that someone that makes the Dragonflies fly, here is your man.

23. Mellody Sioux (Unified Sunrise Islands)

Depending on the day and form of a Kirilaunen, Gentle Breeze or Milake, considered to be the safest pair of hands in the multiverse. Nekonian of birth, she signed with Ponyville United and quickly rose to the rank of a starting Vaporeon already for four cycles now. With this young squad, she’s the reliable lass at the wheel. At the summit of her career, she wants to bring silverware to the Arceus’ Eleven and if they stand the ’70 Test’, it will be due to her gloves.

22. Gentle Breeze (Equestrian States)

Not just another pegasus, this quality goalie who has showcased her exceptional talent for Astograth University and Northbrook Diamonds. Has a golden glove at every hoof and only just entered her prime years, so further domination of the international scene is certainly an option. Exceptionally quick, unique reaction speed and dominant in the air, she is all you’re looking for in a reliable number one.

21. William Peters (The Sarian)

Replacing Ross Horn as the face of Sariani football? Impressive. Doing so as a centre back? Massive. Received a call-up at age fourteen for the Bustards and continued to break all sorts of records. Probably the best there is in the business in that position, but even more so due to the way he lifts up his team Beckwith City and the Sariani national side - as a captain at the age of 23. Afraid of no world class strikers - they’re afraid of him.

20. Rodolfo Zelaya (San Jose Guayabal)

Notorious for his remarkable dribbling skill and astonishing capacity for a mid-distance shot, this quick and agile player is one of the Guayabalans that lived through their whole rise to glory. Starring for Alianza FC and Lac-Drouin first and currently for Polarian Northbrook Diamonds, he scored for any team he played in, including his national squad. Capacity to score from any corner or distance makes him a threatening fellow.

19. Zachary Fortin (Royal Kingdom of Quebec)

Already the star of the U15 side that made the final of their WC, Fortin debuted at age 15 for the Grim Reapers. He’s quick and has a tremendous left foot and is a goal machine for over a decade now, first for Gaspe Patriots and Montreal Koreana, currently for the Valladar side Real Campo Grande. The only sportsmen in Quebec who can duel with the hockey players when it comes to popularity, that deserves a plus.

18. Ezio Grassi (Osarius)

The third and not the last member of the reigning AOCAF champs in this parade, Grassi is of a similar breed as the above: a striker who scores out of any corner. Grassi doesn’t know what giving up is, a ruthless attacker who will continue to prey on that one chance for the Firebirds. An assassin with the ball, this Cloudsdale forward does have a tad of selfishness over him, but as his inhuman physical condition and work-rate lead to goals, who cares?

17. Aitor Jovellanos (Audioslavia)

This technically skilled left foot was only 17 when he appeared for the first time in the magical shirt of the Bulls and the winger has continued to rise ever since. First for Izotz Zubia, currently for Dwile Warriors, he grew from a teenage sensation to a player with the full skillset - and a little bit more. Exceptional touch of the ball, marvellous style, continuous source of havoc. If he ups his stats a bit, he’ll be one of the greats of the game.

16. Espy va Drake (Valanora)

The advantage of being Vanor is that it appears that time goes a tad slower to you. Or who else of this lot can say he’s got up to twenty World Cup appearances to his name and still be one of the game’s most attractive wingers? Key in the victorious World Cup 53, he’s currently working his magic for Yuba United and does so with the elegance of an 18-year old and the vision and brilliance of someone... Well, his age.

15. Yurpá Mêndêlöíndçêl (Farfadillis)

Apart from being a bloody nightmare to commentators multiversewide, Yurpa is the conductor of a star-filled Farf national team and the feared captain of Mâ Âlâmëómë. Marvellous positioning, excellent passing and above anything exceptional in terms of recuperation of the ball and leading it into attack. Apart from that, he’s a classy lad on and off the pitch and more of a role figure than someone would expect from a Rulandian.

14. Rutger Locke (Nephara)

Part of the excellent generation of Raven River, he was noted by bringing Marque a Brenecian title on loan and at once moving to Royal Rumiatzi. Enough reasons for Mortlock to drop him in the starting team of the Cormorants and she hasn’t regretted it. Displays his superb passing and intelligence - combined with a high work rate for Tannenberg FC as well. Stronghold and playmaker for a nation that hasn’t reached its limit yet.

13. Alexis Zeljeznicar (Polar Islandstates)

At first a striker - for Astograthian South Factory - Zeljeznicar evolved into a more supportive role and has blossomed at once. A career for powerhouse Ituraitz has only reinforced his impressive skillset. Was benched for a second, but an exceptional season for East Franz sees him return with the historical Ten of the Terns on his back. Now he seems to have calmed - off, not on the pitch - we might witness him at the peak of his capacities.

12. Ivan Coupet (Valladares)

In a sort of popularity contest that generally only features strikers and scoring number tens, we have a special spot reserved for this man. Coupet wasn’t a star right away and as a defensive midfield, he’s not having that sexy role on the pitch. But the skill with which he conducts his position for Valladares and FC1. Surtsey Island Gulls is marvellous and as such, a high position to do honour to players of his trade, but most to the class of Ivan Coupet himself.

11. Nili Ylimaiina (Vilita)

Striker of an unmatched class and member of the World Cup winning Jungle Cats, he quickly rose to glory as Kiiarana City and Arcticala Inlet prodigy. Notorious for his impressive goalscoring stats, the current Eastal Lunar star has two great feet that make him a danger on any opponent. Beloved for the way he can turn a difficult match into another victory for Vilita, Nili Ylimaiina has that consistency that makes him rise to the level of ‘exceptional’.

[Sargossa]

SSM | Sargossan State Media

International Edition - Sport


Blaydis Blunted As Ponies Pounce


Mario Najar reports;

Though the golden days (or perhaps imperial purple days would be more accurate) of Starblaydi football may be slowly vanishing into the sunset any fixture against the men in mauve still comes with more than a hint of apprehension. Then multiply that apprehension a few times when the fixtures in question are a winner take all encounter with a place at the World Cup itself at stake.

Sargossa’s sporting history with Starblaydia dates back to the 47th edition of the greatest show on turf in which the Corsairs, chastened by a dire Baptism of Fire showing, fell just two points shy of making the Finals at the very first attempt despite home and away defeats to the top seeded Purple Peril. The two nations wouldn’t meet again until the revived Draggonnii Inviyatii, in a not so glamorous encounter in Andossa Se Mitrin Vega to avoid lifting the tournament’s wooden spoon. A 2 – 0 Sargossan win left the much vaunted Blaydis with that unfortunate accolade. The final match between the nations still rankles back in the archipelago as football aficionados ponder what might have been. The setting was World Cup 63 and Martín Tejera’s side had scythed through the group stage, knocking over Atlantians galore as host nation Turori, United Gordonopia and the Sea Dragons of Andossa Se Mitrin Vega tasted defeat against the resurgent Corsairs. Starblaydia awaited in the second round, the Men in Mauve having slipped alarmingly in the rankings and having ridden a tremendous wave of luck to advance so far. Sargossa had every conceivable advantage so, with the last eight of the World Cup in touching distance, the subsequent 3 – 0 defeat is still regarded as the nation’s most galling sporting moment.

And it may well have been that gall that inspired the men in darker blue as they ripped into their opposition in Jhanna. On turf that had seen some of the genuine legends of the beautiful game strut their stuff the Corsairs silenced the Atlantian crowd with a searing display that saw them rake up four goals to the home side’s single effort. But Elías Carrasco refused to concede the tie was over despite the hefty lead. Sure enough the Men in Mauve did what no other side has managed in five years, they came to Soluca and won. But the 2 – 1 victory wasn’t enough to overturn the aggregate deficit and as the final whistle blew Sargossa’s World Cup playoff hoodoo came to an end.

The reward for that qualification is a group that represents Esportiva’s apotheosis as a genuine producer of World Cup talent. So often ridiculed (not by us you understand, it was probably those Polarians) as a sporting backwater, long in the shadow of Rushmore and (to a much lesser extent) Atlantian Oceania, the third region of the sportiverse is suddenly all grown up. And arguably the heaviest hitter of them all is Nephara. Sargossa and Nephara have a small but dramatic slice of shared history when, back before they rebranded and got new stationary, the Corsairs piped the Cormorants to a place at World Cup 66 by a single point. Given the Nepharan were comfortably the best team in the qualification group that result probably carries the same weight of gall as our own Starblaydi surrender. Certainly they will soon have a chance to right the balance.

Behind Nephara, but only marginally less dangerous, are The Sarian. The Bustards might not carry the same pathos as their Esportivan rivals but on the back of a hugely impressive qualification campaign (winning forty five points from a possible forty eight) The Sarian will be entering this tournament chock full of confidence. Which is a world away from the last encounters between our two nations, when The Sarian were first embarking on their sporting quest for glory. Back then the Bustards put up a creditable, albeit ultimately fruitless, fight during the qualification campaign for World Cup 68. They fought hard for a point in Soluca but were comfortably turned over by the Corsairs in their own backyard. Several years on the playing field has levelled. Making up the group, but by no means the numbers, are the Equestrian States. The Ponies are to be feared for two reasons, they’re the host nation and they’re very, very good. And cheered on by their vocal home support they opened their account in the best possible fashion, by tearing the Corsairs apart. Things can only get better.

Or not.

[Northern Sunrise Islands]

Season 5, Chapter 15: The Blackout

KABROOM

Sunrise: Oh, damn it. A power shortage during a storm?
Mikoto: Shouldn't our backup generator restart?
Sunrise: Arceus is probably sleeping.
Mikoto: So?
Sarian: He's our backup generator, silly.

Arceus would wake up, turning the lights back on, revealing Sarian sleeping on the border of the bed with the couple.

Sarian: There is a perfect justification for this.
Sunrise: Do tell.
Sarian: It's too hot.
Mikoto: You don't say.
Sunrise: He is referring to the weather.
Sarian: That too...
Sunrise: This is unconfortable.
Sarian: Look, our room doesn't have an air conditioner and Ytt got to GAS room first.

Meanwhile, at GAS room.

GAS: Why are you with that damn notebook on?
Ytt: Why wouldn't I?
GAS: Just turn it off.

Back at Sunrise and Mikoto's room.

Mikoto: It's just we planned to do something alone.
Sarian: ... I thought this was a kids' fic.
Sunrise: It is. We were going to watch Christmas movies.
Sarian: That's boring. I will go sleep then.
Mikoto: Night.
Sunrise: Sarian.
Sarian: Yeah?
Sunrise: Get your hand out of there.
Sarian: That's not mine.
Sindy: Open up some space, you two.

[Vilita]

VILITA DOWNED BY SAINTLAND

Vilitan League Scheduling Issues Linger

Nycflala Kater's Vilita Jungle Cats were clearly still suffering a bit of a hangover due to the scheduling delays in the Vilitan Stellar Division season as they arrived late in their return to the Equestrian States, having just 24 hours to prepare for their opening match at Diamond Park at Stalliongrad.

To make matters worse, the Jungle Cats opening opponents would be their toughest of the group stage - at least in terms of ranking: Saintland.

Zelkki Milake was handed the start in goal for Vilita but he certainly wouldn't have been expecting the pure System Takil tactics employed by Saintland from the start - an All Out Attack with 10 players sprinting up the pitch, catching the Jungle Cats off guard. Prince Andreas fired the first shot of the game which Milake was able to parry but with his defense outnumbered in the box, it was Lucas Aufidius who got the rebound and tucked it in to give the Sanctii the early 1-0 lead.

Kater and his staff struggled with adapting to the unexpected Sanctii attacking lines - and contemplated if substitutions would be needed to change their own formation, or, if Saintland would eventually settle into a more traditional look.

Saintland would double their lead off a corner kick within 10 minutes on a fluke goal from Prince Andreas, who stepped up to take the corner and bent it straight inside the post, with many of the players on the pitch stunned, some unaware that the ball had even been played in.

Andreas would score a third Sanctii goal from a free kick in the 20th minute, at which point Kater decided to slow the game down with a substitution.

Whether it was the tactical change, the change of pace or just a normalization of circumstances, the match slowed from that point and the attacking chances yielded no further goals through the half.

At half time, Kater emphasized to his side that if their opponents could score 3 goals in 45 minutes, so could they. The second half would be a new game, and he would be right.

Lonngeylin Coast's Kaivel Illatara reduced the deficit for the Jungle Cats collecting a long pass from Amarini Baracelv and speeding past the Sanctii defense, leaving him alone with Saintland's Alessandro Seius. As the Saintland #1 came out to try to smother the ball, Illatara poked it through the sliding netminder and into the back of the net.

The early goal gave the Jungle Cats the confidence they needed to take control of the match. Nycflala Kater's side bgan to control the possession and this produced space for some of their talented midfielders to shoot from range. 23 minutes from time, the deficit was reduced by one when Kiroki Mitaroka fired a rocket that skipped once before finding its way into the back of the net, pulling the Jungle Cats to within one.

That would be as close as they would get, however, despite some late pressure it would end up that the 3 goals in the opening ten minutes would be the difference that would allow Saintland to steal 3 points from the favored Vilitan's and give Nycflala Kater's side the worst possible start to their World Cup 70.

However, all was not lost for the Jungle Cats, with games against the groups two lowest side nations still to come - victories against Super-Llamaland and Mizuyuki would still see Vilita through to the quarterfinals in an Equestrian section that many pundits had predicted Vilita to be favored in across the four groups.

Any other sequence of results would make the Jungle Cats task far more difficult, however, and a defeat on Matchday 2 to Super-Llamaland would all but send the Jungle Cats packing with a one way ticket home after the Group Stage.

Nycflala Kater is not expected to make wholesale changes to his side, but no announcement about the starting lineup for Matchday 2 has been made.

[Kandorith]

Defeat, But Kept Composure


Kandorith 2-4 Ko-oren

A dream match. The Red Dragons had to face their long time heroes, Ko-oren. Even though the fans expected a narrow draw or even a win, Kandorith was no match for the experienced World Cup attendee, Ko-oren. No bitter feelings were felt during the Kandorese defending of their honour and pride. A solid 2 - 4 loss, but not a painful loss as many explained. Kandorith has held themselves against a way more experienced team very effectively, but they came short of performing and attacking. Will the team make any last changes? Most likely not. Xí-tiang seems happy the way Kandorith is performing, even though they lost their opening match in the World Cup.


Xí-tiang already explained Kandorith is no World Cup material originally. A lot needs to change in the core of the domestic football according to him, only if Kandorith takes football more serious, they will advance in the World Cup and the entire world ranking. According to him, Kandorith has huge potential, just not the experience nor composure to keep itself alive during the group stages of the World Cup. In all honestly, also according to the fans, it has been luck which made Kandorith get trough the qualification round during the entire World Cup campaign. "To see Kandorith advance to actually compete in the group stage of the World Cup is basically a miracle." Xí-tiang exclaimed. "Not all that many times have we had the honour to see players in our national colours compete on the international stage. We have been here before, but many reforms are needed before we can create a world class team." Xí-tiang continued during yesterday's press conference. "I see a bright future ahead for the Kandorese football, and we have laid the first bricks for the pavement towards success. It will take time to adapt to the international stage and standards of football; but our domestic league is becoming more successful and more noticeable in talent and style. I am sure I can give Kandorith their own style in the coming months and make the most successful team we have ever had in Kandorese sports history. I shall build on this team, even if it means to let some players go." A clearly undefeated and proud Xí-tiang said.


After the press conference no one seemed to drop their morale. The entire Kandorese team and the fans still believe they can bring a balance of power to the table. Kandorith is facing a very heavy group with way higher and more frequently playing teams leading the group and even standing against Kandorith. The next match the Red Dragons will face Audioslavia, current number one in the world. Perhaps the toughest match up the national team has ever faced in it's entire history. Yet, the spirit of the Dragons remains unbroken. Surely Kandorith will step on that field filled with confidence, they are here to prove themselves as a team, as a power in the world of football. Win or lose, to lose in the World Cup after qualifying is no shame. No matter what the strength of the opponent brings, the Red Dragons are ready for the challenge and will play with pride and honour. All they have to lose is the love of their motherland, and with the fans cheering for the team; the motherland shows her love for her true heroes of sports.

Jiayou Kanyúo!

[Ko-oren]

In a rural city in Esportiva, the Ko-orenite offence scored four goals (which is surprisingly common for a Ko-oren game in a World Cup! It's the fourth time it happens, while this is 'only' the fifth time the Dragonflies make it to the finals) while the defence conceded two goals. It's a win, and to most national teams a two-goal win is great news, but in the Ko-orenite camp they would have rather seen a 1-0 win. Still a win, but without all the nasty goals conceded. The Dragonflies had the best defence of the qualifying stage, and that honour was to be kept up, but it's hard to maintain that title now.

Still in Estadio Central Loma Chata, the three coaches just left the dressing room to complement the team with the good win and especially with the three points in game one of the World Cup. Erik Koning was asked to appear immediately on a tv show via live feed, while Yekaterina Nikitin could talk to some local press in Russian, still spoken somewhere in San Jose Guayabal, while Guillaume Riou spoke to local press in poor Portuñol.

Yekaterina sounded much more positive about the game than Guillaume, but then again, she was in charge of the attack and that was exactly Ko-oren's strong side versus Kandorith. She spoke of how the Kandorese respect was 'humbling, in a sense' and that 'it's a tough group, with local rivals Quebec, international rivals Kandorith and Audioslavia who ousted us from last World Cup in the second round' and that the drawing 'could have been better, with Audioslavia in our group and Osarius one group over, so playing the #1 and #2 of the world is not unthinkable'. Guillaume was a lot more bitter: 'should've shut them out... I mean if only the Kandorese weren't so gentle', 'this seriously needs to improve if we want to destroy Quebec' were quotes coming from his side. The duo went to the team bus, waiting for Erik to come back from his interviews, and waiting for the players to come out of the dressing room, make it through the press area, and then get to the bus. It had to be said that getting to the bus was the easy part of the way - on the way to the stadium the bus driver pulled some moves from somewhere that would have resulted in a crash if it weren't for some sort of miracle.

Meanwhile, Koning was asked for his opinion on today's opponent ('if it wasn't for my substitutions, we surely would have lost today. So it was for my subs... and also because the Kandorese were a little too polite. This is the World Cup after all'), the list of 70 best players of this World Cup that surfaced in Buyan ('solid choices: Katanmak and Esolywend. At least they left that witch Katherine out. But really I'm waiting for a list of best head coaches over here') and the Florican's expectations ('They, uh, underestimated us. Well, they underestimated me. But with a defence that concedes two goals on day one... yeah, they might be right').

Back in the bus, the assistant coach duo caught a feed of the interview, and decided that while Erik Koning was toxic, at least the guy was doing fine. That was, as long as the team kept performing well.

[Super-Llamaland]

Tigers 1, Mizuyuki 1 - Rapid Response

SUPER-LLAMALAND (Double-Diamond)
GK Jared Finch
SW Ryan Reagan
LB Sebastian Myers
RB Derrick Nelson (C)
DM Alex Bale
LM Kyle Sturgeon
RM Anthony Player
AM Alex Ford
LW Eden Powell
ST Alex Cartwright
RW Kristopher Nilssen

MIZUYUKI (4 - 2 - 3 - 1)
GK Takanasi Kiyoko
LB Natsume Rin
LCB Ishio Mifune
RCB Mikasa Natsumi
RB Satō Mana
LDM Saten Ruiko
RDM Ishibashi Tomoe
LW Uryū Kaori
CAM Tsuchimikado Mikoto (C)
RW Isshiki Mika

SUPER-LLAMALAND - MIZUYUKI
11 - SHOTS - 9
8 - SHOTS ON TARGET - 6
1 - GOALS - 1
0 - YELLOW CARDS - 0
48% - POSSESSION - 52%

Two creative attack teams went up against each other and creatively attacked. They both creatively attacked in roughly equal amounts, so it was a draw. Um, that's nice, I guess.
In reality, the game was far more interesting. But not because of nothing that happened during the match. It was because of the flaming Emperor of Bostopia collectible plushies that the helicopter dropped onto the pitch at halftime. But more on that later.

The two squads threw out their best eleven to fight each other, knowing that a loss for either side could, with Vilita and Saintland both exceptionally strong teams, knock them out of the cup. As such, both started, despite their coaches' warnings, at a blistering offensive pace. Still, despite a few chancy affairs (Nilssen and Cartwright both hit the crossbar within twenty minutes, while Mika missed a one-on-one and Kaori on a set piece), the score remained nil-nil early on.

Then, in the thirty-second, Eden Powell got the ball taken away from him by Ishio Mifune, who instantly cleared it, the ball flying quickly and landing thirty yards away near the corner. The time the ball spent in the air was enough for Uryū Kaori to get underneath it, and her cross to Isshiki Mika was perfectly on target, the right-winger slamming her shot by a diving Jared Finch.

Halftime came, and when the players were off the pitch, something strange happened - a shadow was cast overhead, then two and three - the unmistakable whine of helicopters filled the stadium as they descended from the top. The crowd broke into nervous tittering, then stopped, seeing, as if as one, the helicopter-pilots opening the passenger doors and setting great big buckets of Emperor of Bostopia collectible plushies (TM) on fire with matches and petrol, then dumping them onto the pitch. The cute miniaturized plushies tumbled onto the pitch, still burning and charred beyond recognition, whereupon they were doused by confused groundskeepers with large buckets.

There was a twenty-five-minute delay as the grounds crew cleaned up the hot mess, and whoever had the idea of dumping flaming plushies onto a football pitch used this to their advantage. The helicopter pilots dropped thousands of pamphlets reading THREE AND A HALF REASONS WHY LLAMANEAN GUN CONTROL IS WRONG - BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LLAMANEAN-INTERNATIONALLY AUGMENTED RIFLE SOCIETY (LIARS) and flew off, whereupon they were all caught and the pilots taken under custody.

The grounds crew continued to put out the fire and sweep up the LIARS pamphlets. When play resumed, the Tigers managed to score - Nilssen, by virtue of a great Eden Powell cross - and the game ended in a confused, energetic draw. Nobody really cared, they were either a.) laughing at the pamphlets' absurdity (Gun Control is wrong because it controls guns. FREE THE GUNS, was reason number five.) or b.) glancing nervously at the sky.

The team will play former World Champions and world top-five team Vilita next, with the hope of taking points off the Jungle Cats for their quest to make the Round of Sixteen.

Chapter Three

Thirty-one years later

The trail stretched for endless miles ahead of them, and Alaric knew that if he managed to, so heavily burdened, turn and look at the other side, it would appear the exact same - hot July sun beating down on desolate dirt path, striking down any feeble attempt to grow the surrounding vegetation made. Even Camdyn, for once, was quiet - his normal talkativeness beaten down by the dry Yvesian sun.

They’d been adrift in the Kingdom of Yves for a few years now. Ever since Alaric had left Jaegensten at his father’s death two years ago, they had wandered across the Western Realms in a perpetual search for employment. The romance of the road, what seemed like a never-ending quest, had beckoned to him, and now that they were firmly in its grasp, it had no intention of letting go.

The planting season was over in the plains behind them, and Alaric figured that they could join the armed forces of the war-torn nations to their north. In such places, anybody who could march reasonably well (and most of the nations there had low standards) was held in high regard.

So they walked forwards. In wealthier times, they would have rode, but the money they had earned from planting the fields of Yves-Gascony was already nearly gone.
“We’ll be in South Paleis any minute now!” Camdyn said by his side.

“If you can call that a good thing,” Alaric replied. South Paleis had been embroiled in war - both civil war and bloody border skirmishes with all of their neighbors - since they had first split from Paleis, to the north. Good for employment, sure, especially if you were an advanced swordsman, but not good if you were trying to feed a family.

“Do you think they’ll let us in?” Camdyn asked. “Their borders are a bit, uhmmm, fortified.” This was true - South Paleis, for fear of terrified emigrants leaving and snarling Yvesian infantryman entering, had some of the most strengthened borders in the Western Realms.

They continued to walk down the road.

“What do you think we’ll do after South Paleis?” Alaric turned to Camdyn, who snorted in reply. “I don’t think they’ll let us out, and even if they did we’d be killed in skirmishes within days.”

Camdyn wasn’t a big fan of the idea. They’d had the argument several times over. Alaric sighed. “What else should we do, then?”

His friend thought for a bit. “I don’t know, as long as it’s not so hot. Maybe we could give the Northern Realms a try?”

“A few days in Salzhölm or Åvsland,” Alaric retorted, “and you’ll be begging to come back here. Besides, we’re nearly out of money. How will we get there?”

Camdyn rolled his eyes. “Not that far north. There’s plenty of options besides South Paleis. Besides, I’m tired.”

“You’re always tired,” Alaric said, “anyone who walks for this long down one road is tired.” Camdyn yawned sardonically, then curled up on the short grass by the side of the road. Sighing, Alaric joined him there - he really was tired. As he closed his eyes, he wondered what his future might hold - but at the moment, all of his options seemed hopeless.

[San Jose Guayabal]

OOC: I took the liberty of using Rüntenbach WC 69 Roster and RP permissions in order to RP the match, considering that he hasn't posted one on this WC.

www.elnacional.gu/sjg/world_cup_fever_radio

You are in: El nacional > SJG > Radio Nacional 104.7 FM > World Cup Fever.

Host: Luis Armando Muñoz & Johanna Lundqvist
Date: 28/12/2014, 19:57. San Salvador time

*Introduction song*

Welcome to World Cup Fever program, this time we have a special guest, Johanna Lindqvist who will accompany us on the show to talk about the style of counterattacks that our national team uses, but right now the important things first. The good game that made the national team yesterday against the national team of Rüntenbach, very few ventured to say that would be a win of those proportions, which certainly was a party at the opening game in every way. From joy to goals. Certainly the national team must maintain this step, considering that has very strong rivals such as Pasarga and Buyan, a good game against them will be useful if they want to reach the Round of 16.

As previously mentioned, with goals made mainly of counterattack, the selected managed to impose local status by winning 4-1 Rüntenbach, who made a game much lower than expected in much of the match, annotations made before the twenty five minutes, plus the use of spaces created by midfielders, SJG wore his typical version of score as many goals as possible, but we must emphasize that the defense looked good compared to other games which made a disastrous game. The scorers were:

Minute 16: Jonathan Faña, through a pass from Sean Fraser. (1-0)

Minute 23: James Moreira in a header through a freekick from the Árbol Saucedo. (2-0)

Minute 47: Rodolfo Zelaya in a weak shot towards the left corner of the goal through a filtered pass throughout the defense of Rüntenbach, made by Leónidas Bregoo. (3-0)

Minute 59: Konrad Meisenhal, through a pass between two defenders of SJG, made by Mike Tremmel. (3-1)

Minute 82: Árbol Saucedo, through a shot of Rudy Valencia, which was deflected by Friedrich Rommelwald, that Saucedo was found with the ball and just finish off. (4-1)

The stadium was completely full, there was a lot of fans from Rüntenbach to support your team, as the history of both teams, the story is slightly tilted to the side of Die Maschine with three wins and one loss, plus the rankings gave it a little harder to betting persoans saying that Rüntenbach would win the game. Now we decided to interview a couple of fans before the game start.

"Good evening friends, we are just outside the stadium in order to interview a couple of fans who came from a little further in this time. From where do you come?"

"We come from San Ignacio, across the country in order to support the national team"

"That's a great sign of love we put to the football, no matter the distance, we want to see what do you think about the game of tonight."

"I honestly think it will be a tight match, is the World Cup and we know that there won't be gifts from the rivals, is to seize every opportunity in order to win."

"What do you think about the atmosphere around the stadium?"

"It's very entertaining, many activities can be done here, from a small roast up to play in the demonstrations of games that have brought certain companies. The security police is strong enough, there are good records, but I think they are doing too much body checkup. "

"What do you think will be the result of the game?"

"It will be a two-nil, I'm more than sure it will be for SJG"

"Who will score the goals?"

"Zelaya and Valencia"

"I hope you enjoy the game. Goodbye!"

"Bye!"

And that were the opinion of the couple of fans that visited the stadum after traveling such a long distance, as we can see here, the number of fans present in the stadium was increasing just before the expected time of the kick off, who was scheduled to be at 20:30 just after the protocolary issues of both teams before entering into World Cup action.

After past eight in the evening and that teams finished their respective muscle warm, there was a pause in the action in the field, except for the appearance of the referees to check the status of goal nets, after a couple of minutes, the anthem of the World Cup started ringing and the teams took the field for formal events before the game, the respective photo and national anthems, which incidentally were sung three anthem of Rüntenbach was the first sound, with a loud cry of fans who made the long journey to support their national team, and then the old hymn of San Jose Guayabal, which was sung by fans like the new anthem . The interpretation of both anthems was through a symphony orchestra from El Roblar. After that, the sharing of memories between the two captains and the official photo. The draw was won by Peter Kamp, Rüntenbach captain, who decided to choose to stay in goal this, while SJG continue on the west goal, so Rüntenbach rip the ball.

And yes it was, the game started and the cheers from the fans did not take long, though Die Maschine have the ball, the guayabalenses along with the visitors shouted in euphoria the beginning of a new World Cup, after a couple of seconds, the whistles against Die Maschine started sounding at the Estadio Cuscatlán, Rüntenbach started the game with a good transfer of the ball from side to side looking for an opportunity to attack the defense of SJG. At the fourth minute, they achieved the first chance of the game via Erik Rogalski, who entered in the left side defended by James Moreira who reacted slowly and facilitated the move by Rogalski, reaching the area to give a centering pass to Hans Wippenback the goalkeeper of SJG, Henry Hernández decided not to trust, so he left his comfort zone to catch the ball.

After the clearance of Hernandez, Rudy Valencia took the ball, taking time to calm that kind of momentum shown by Die Maschine at first, giving passes between Sebastián Núñez and Leónidas Bregoo, before returning to Valencia, rhetoric remained Game cautious during the first minutes of this, until he reached the first opportunity of SJG, generated by a pass from Valencia to Árbol Saucedo, who decided to give a pass to Sean Fraser, who made a counterattack to reach the area where he finished into the hands of Friedrich Rommelwald from that point game of the same rhetoric changed, was becoming a little more dynamic than it had been in the beginning.

In fifteen minutes Rüntenbach initiated an attack of short passes, starting from Klaus Weinberger to Mike Tremmel who reached the defensive third of of SJG, at that time an anticipation of Meyson Salume was enough to stop him, Salume gave a pass to Rudy Valencia who started a typical move of counterattacking and then give a pass to Árbol Saucedo, he made a series of dribbles until he met with Sean Fraser without risks of being caught offside, giving the pass to Fraser who arrived at great speed near the left area corner, from that moment he dribbled Shaka Okboah and Karl Strauber to go to the edge of the area where he found Jonahan Faña in a privileged position and without hesitation Fraser gave the pass to Faña in order to define with his left foot gently and a well placed shot this was the first goal of SJG, in just sixteen minutes, the much-rehearsed move of counter attack paid off by putting the Selecta ahead in the score at a key moment of the game, before the first twenty minutes, now leading 1-0 the momentum can be used in their favour.

SJG still in good shape after having made the goal that put them ahead, surely that was a key for a more vertical game with the purpose of collecting more goals factor, following the typical philosophy of football old school in San Jose Guayabal is bscaba crush the opponent as fast, at twenty minute long distance shot of Rodolfo Zelaya showed that not be the only goal in the first half, and so seemed that way to give.

Twenty-two minutes, Leónidas Bregoo took the ball in the middle of the field, made a counterattack on the right side of the midfield and reached the beginning of the defensive third of Rüntenbach until Marcus Holz came and tried to stop it with a clear obstruction to a potential scoring play, at the discretion of the referee Horatio Long, from The Sarian decided to look through his pockets as would clearly be to get the yellow card to Holz by obstruction, being a potentially dangerous freekick, Árbol Saucedo decided to take the ball to later make a shot looking for someone to do a header to the ball, that someone was James Moreira, who despite not being as high as some of his peers, was able to jump and head the ball, putting it in the background the goal of Friedrich Rommelwald, this being the 2-0 SJG at twenty-three minutes, the game seemed to lean far to the side in a earlier way but there was still plenty of game ahead.

With a good lead of goals just having been twenty-five minutes, SJG remained faithful to the style of attack constantly, just after five minutes the goal, a small error Rudy Wakefeld in midfield provided to Rudy Valencia took the undertake a ball shot went aside from the goal of Rommelwald, SJG generated chances of danger but not enough to increase the count on the scoreboard.

Thirty-six minutes, Die Maschine beginning to look a little more prodding the ball, I had proposed prevent undertake them a third goal before halftime, but they planned to make a goal too, and almost succeeded when Konrad Meisenhal is he put together with veteran Erik Rogalski for damage in the defense of SJG, Rogalski approached the area and then return the pass to Meisenhal in order to finish off towards the gatehouse of Henry Hernandez, who deflected the ball improperly sending him to the upper crossbar its goal being the loose ball to Mike Tremmel who arrived to the ball but the lineman raised the banner declaring invalid due to the move was at offside.

After that play a passive game appeared by both sides, and looking at halftime was reached, a couple of minutes later, the referee ended the first part of the game, SJG was with a two goal advantage, very comfortable but must be cautious to avoid problems in the second half, extending the lead would be great to play in securing the best way and to obtain three vital points to go ahead in the group and avoid problems later.

During halftime, both teams decided to make changes in their ranks, an unusual occurrence was by the side of SJG, Marcos Pérez player who made his debut in national team came on for Sebastián Núñez while Rüntenbach made two changes, Xhaká came on for Erik Rogalski while Kristian Warkaiser came on for Shaka Okboah. With these substitutions was sought to perform the consolidation of a stronger team in the second half to seek to reduce the deficit of two goals that Rüntenbach had against.

The second half started, SJG had the ball, vertical moves were the common denominator of the first seconds of the second half saw the entry of Marcos Pérez was being cooled useful for SJG because it the midfield and gave more opportunities attack to seek to obtain the third goal. Forty-seven minutes, Marcos Pérez took the ball and made a counterattack through the middle of the field, dribbling down Xhaká and then give a pass to Leónidas Bregoo, who went to the front of the box and then give a pass through the middle of defense to Rodolfo Zelaya, who managed to clear the opponent's pressure finally going to able to follow the play, alone against Friederich Rommelwald, Zelaya knew how to define, definin as he does usually, sent the ball violently between the legs of Rommelwald and placed the 3-0 SJG, the party broke out in the stands of the Estadio Cuscatlán, SJG was giving an excellent game through verticality and aggression, while maintaining a solid defense avoiding problems in it.

The game started and SJG still keeping pressure on the opponent through more counterattacks which were detained by interventions Rommelwald or Warkaiser, who seemed to have given new life to the defense of Die Maschine, fifty seven minutes and Marcos Pérez decided to venture into the offensive of SJG and almost scores a goal, because it in a play of counter attack, managed to approach the defensive area of Rüntenbach to shoot from the edge of the area, sending the shot into the right corner of the goal of Rommelwald, who managed to get the ball in order to clear. Sending the ball to Xhaká, who tried to keep possession of it to calm the attacking revolutions of SJG.

Again, Xhaká began a potentially dangerous move fifty eight minutes, taking a while to find a player without pressure in the surrounding area, finding Mike Tremmel, who followed with a solid step imposing their physical qualities to advance further in the third defense of SJG, he found Konrad Meisenhal, in the perfect location, Meisenhal, looking for a little redemption for his team, he kicked the ball violently as if it were a cannonball from 25 meters to the goal of Hernández, sending the ball into the bottom of the goal, on the left side, while Henry Hernández was immobile like a spectator and saw the goal of Meisenhal, was the discount of difference and the score was 3-1 and fifty-nine minutes, Meisenhal ran to the bottom of the goal to get the ball and take it to the center of the pitch to restart the actions.

Rüntenbach had achieved the objective of at least score a goal to reduce the differences between the two teams on the scoreboard, which is quite good for their interests, but SJG would have to make more on defense to prevent further problems in the background, for that Herbert Sosa came on for Meyson Salume the minute, giving a more experienced defensive to SJG, at a time that would be required.

After reaching the mark of sixty-five minutes, Rüntenbach began attacking more than you thought you could do with versatile movements of Xhaká and Meisenhal,, Die Maschine was attacking with more fluency, then a shot of Xhaká crashed against the crossbar of the goal of Hernandez, who could not stop the shot despite the flight made. Thinking more attack than defend, Rüntenbach saw how a counterattack from SJG almost ended in the 4-1 at seventy-three minutes, with another participation of Marcos Pérez, who was showing that incorporation was worth to expand the score, failing in the hand to hand against Rommelwald, who covered the shot of Pérez.

Die Maschine sought to score the second goal through plays touch between defenders or the wow factor of a long pass to shoot at goal, resulting in the opportunity generated by Tremmel at eighty minutes, when he decided to try a shot of long distance but Hernández knew how to stop the ball on time.

Having arrived near the end of the game and the chances of rescuing Rüntenbach the game progressed decreased formed every minute, SJG sought to have the ball in order to start delighting fans, who began chanting "ole" while players of SJG did a pass, but like any party, the cake should have a cherry, which reached at eighty-two minutes when in a play of passes slowly for some football pundits, the ball reached Rudy Valencia who decided to finish towards the goal of Rommelwald, he deflected the ball sideways but Árbol Saucedo took the ball to finish with the left leg and place the cherry on the cake, SJG won the game 4-1, it certainly was an unexpected victory margin, but that wasn't all, SJG decided to keep the festival passes up the end when Horatio Long blew the final whistle, the Estadio Cuscatlán erupted in joy, making clear that SJG will possibly going to be a very dangerous team in the following games, of course. As long as they maintain their offensive ideas and good defense.

Stats

Score: San José Guayabal 4-1 Rüntenbach
Goals:(1-0) 16': Faña
(2-0) 23': Moreira
(3-0) 47': Zelaya
(3-1) 59': Meisenhal
(4-1) 82': Saucedo
Possession: San José Guayabal 55% - Rüntenbach 45%
Shots (on target): San José Guayabal 20 (11) - Rüntenbach 9 (4)
Yellow Cards: Holz (22')
Red Cards: -
Man of the Match: Leónidas Bregoo (SJG)

Well, after the narrative of the game, what do you think Johanna? you liked the game, something you have to say?

Yes, the game was pretty good by SJG honestly impressed me the technique they have to counterattack,they  are tall and it is very interesting to see how they take advantage of their stride,they  also spring back when they jump is good art in every way. As was the game tactically, I would say it was easier than expected, but I think that they should go prepared since the real challenge comes next, and that has a crescent shape with an arrow in the middle, and his name is Pasarga.

Well regarding Pasarga, we can say that will be a very strong rival, with tradition and usually performs very good WC's, well that comes from having defeated Buyan with a resounding 4-2 and we must consider that Buyan is an excellent team, this gives us an idea of how hard it can be Pasarga, this is undoubtedly a clash of two offensive trains, both come to score four goals to their rivals, and interestingly be in play a friendly rivalry here, I mean Tobias Möller vs Rodolfo Zelaya, the two players of the Northbrook Diamonds, who play in the same position and will be a show you can see them in action both playing against.

As for how play teams, we are confident that SJG will start with Marcos Pérez as the new guy in the starting lineup in place of Leónidas Bregoo, but that might change throughout the game, it all depends on the actions are developed and how it can play Pasarga in the game. As for them, it's safe to secure that will be a change, incorporating a young defense in their starting lineup, in order to give a little more balance to the team in terms of age, have experience and will be useful, but SJG has the home advantage and fans in his favor, let's see how the match result, which will start at 9.00 PM when El Roblar, 11:00 PM San Salvador. That's all for today, we are waiting for the game to start, as always expect a good game and win of SJG. Goodbye!

[Mizuyuki]

If ever there was a bad result in the World Cup finals, then a 1-1 draw against Super-Llamaland would be it.

If one were to look at it from an entirely objective standpoint, then one point was by no means a dreadful result. The World Cup finals was, after all, the showpiece to end them all, the most prestigious footballing stage in the multiverse. Any self-respecting manager would be well aware of the fact that there were no easy matches in the finals; for all those who had managed to wrest qualification were, without a doubt, fully deserving of their success - and as a result, even those of inferior rank and pedigree could not be taken lightly.

Shirakiin hadn't set out her stall for a draw. No, a draw would be a singularly difficult result for the Nova. Given the presence of relatively highly-ranked sides in the form of Vilita and Saintland in the group, going for a draw against the likes of Super-Llamaland would have been folly of the highest order, for it left the Nova's chances of advancement singularly dependent on theirs being able to achieve favourable results against the Jungle Cats and the Sanctii.

And thus, there could be no suggestion that the team Shirakiin set out was a weak one. Choosing not to rest her regulars for their remaining matches, the Nova's manager fielded the strongest XI available to her. Takanashi, that safe, confident pair of hands, in goal; the effervescent Natsume, key defensive totem Ishio, the defensively adept Mikasa and the energetic Satō forming a sound defensive line; energy bunny Saten and the languidly creative Ishibashi sitting in the pivot; while Mizuyuki's most exciting attacking talents - Uryū, Tsuchimikado, Isshiki and Kurugaya - led the line for the Nova.

It was more than evident; the Nova were going all out for the three points.

Contrary to reports in the Llamanean media, Shirakiin's orders were for her players to attack straight from the kick-off. A cherished philosophy of hers was that effective attack yielded the best results; a stout defence helped to a certain extent, but attack would ultimately win the day for her sides. Therefore, the positioning of her double pivot was perhaps the clearest hint of all that her team would be going for the jugular - Shirakiin moved her deep-lying playmaker, Ishibashi, much further upfield; to the extent that she was regularly bypassing Tsuchimikado in the hole.

Granted, the move was perhaps not the most tactically obvious, nor was it conventional by any stretch of the imagination; but as a tactical curveball, it certainly worked wonders against the Llamaneans. The Nova enjoyed the lion's share of possession for most of the opening stages of the match, patiently probing away at the Llamanean defensive line as they looked to open their account in the World Cup finals. However, the Llamaneans were no slouches themselves; while they were perhaps caught unawares by Ishibashi's unusually adventurous positioning in the final third, the Nova's opponents on the day managed to fashion several credible chances in the opening exchanges.

In the seventh minute, a missed Isshiki chance saw Super-Llamaland break at pace; winger Kristopher Nilssen, receiving a cute delivery from teammate Eden Powell, hit a peach of a shot that curled beyond Takanashi and pinged off the crossbar. Several minutes later, a flighted Isshiki corner was headed across goal by Ishio, and the loose ball was duly smashed towards goal by the alert Uryū. However, the ball took a heavy deflection off Kurugaya, who was unable to get out of the way in time, and fell to Derrick Nelson, who reacted swiftly to clear and initiate a counter attack. This time, it was Alex Cartwright who was guilty of missing a gilt-edged chance; put under intense pressure by the retreating Natsume, the Llamanean forward could only place a tame shot onto the crossbar, where Takanashi was able to collect with a minimum of fuss.

For all their effort, the teams would remain deadlocked until just after the half-hour mark. And even then, the breakthrough came in the most un-Mizuyukian manner possible - a heavy touch from Llamanean winger Powell allowed Ishio to steal the ball away. A quick flighted clearance saw the ball drop perfectly for Uryū in the left channel; and the winger duly did her bit, dancing past Nelson's weak challenge with a cute dip of her shoulder before curling in a cross for Isshiki to finish with aplomb. One-nil, and as the diminutive winger reeled away in celebration, the Nova's manager punched the air in triumphant delight on the touchline. The score would remain unchanged until half time - when the most unexpected of occurrences graced the stadium. As the teams were trooping off the pitch for half time, several helicopters descended from the skies and began raining down burning collectible plushies on the bemused players; although no players were injured by a stray plushie, Saten had a close shave, a plushie narrowly missing her ponytail as it descended in a blazing, fiery haze of flame.

From the restart, play was noticeably more ponderous; the Nova, holding an one-goal advantage, were intent on preserving their hard-earned lead, and were perhaps less adventurous in their buildup play than they otherwise might have been. The Llamaneans, meanwhile, worked hard all around the pitch in their attempts to regain a foothold in the match - an attitude best exemplified by the Llamanean defensive midfielder Bale, whose tireless efforts in the centre of the park contributed enormously to his team's defensive solidity. The only other occurrence of note for the remainder of the match came late in the second half; the Nova, understandably with one eye on their next match against Saintland, had let their foot off the gas somewhat, and were accordingly dealt a stunning blow; Eden Powell atoned for his earlier mistake by slaloming past a largely static Mizuyukian defence before crossing to set Nilssen up; from ten yards, the Llamanean winger made no mistake, duly burying his powerful shot past Takanashi.

The game would remain deadlocked at one-all for the remainder of the match; and the Nova will perhaps regret theirs not being able to finish the job. One point from what appears to have been a must-win game is not the most ideal of results; and consequently, Shirakiin must find a way to outmanoeuvre both the Sanctii and the Jungle Cats in their remaining group D games. If there is some small comfort to be gleaned from this state of affairs, it is the fact that Mizuyuki have been somewhat of a difficult opponent for Vilita, taking four points from the World Cup 68 champions en route to qualification.

The takeaway from this match against Super-Llamaland is this - the players have not been playing at an acceptable standard. The World Cup proper is an altogether different prospect than qualification. If the Nova are ever to stand toe-to-toe with the biggest names in the multiverse, they must be able dig deep and find that extra ounce of performance when it matters; and if they are to progress to the latter stages of this World Cup, they need to start doing that starting next match versus Saintland.

[Osarius]

The hospital room was almost frighteningly clinical in appearance. Stark white, everywhere. If not for the flowers and fruit baskets, and open blinds allowing a glimpse of blue sky above the barely visible green trees, there may not have been any colour in the room at all.

This didn't bother Ezio in the slightest. What was gnawing at him, buzzing incessantly inside his skull, was the knowledge he could not play football. Doctors couldn't give him a timeframe, not even an estimate. This kind of injury was complicated, apparently.

"Mister Grassi," they had told him, "while we don't believe you are in any serious danger of developing complications, there are aspects to your profession that are cause for alarm." They went on to explain that years of heading the ball could have caused an accumulation of damage to his brain, and the last incident -- being particularly nasty -- might be something of a trigger, and cause this damage to manifest itself more overtly.

The irony amused Ezio. Years of scoring goals with his head might have actively contributed to shortening his career. It was the kind of thing his mother would have fretted about, she wanted him to play as a goalkeeper as a child, thinking he would be less at risk of injury. 'Mother, you would take this as proof that your well-intentioned, yet misguided advice was correct...' Ezio mused.

The room was silent, but for the low hum of the equipment monitoring his condition, and the faint sounds of the city outside the window, several stories below. He closed his eyes and willed himself onto a football pitch, with a ball at his feet and the goal in front of him. As he moved to strike the ball, he noticed something was wrong. The goal began to shrink, and the ball moved away from his boot. He hesitated. In that briefest of moments, a defender he had not willed into being stole the ball off his toe. He turned to give chase, but a voice called him back.

"Ezio. Ezio?" A familiar voice. "Ezio?"

He snapped back to reality and opened his eyes. Squinting, he made out the face looming over him. The boss.

"Did I wake you?" Lewis asked, with a wolfish grin.

"Something like that."

"Just wanted to check on you. See how you were doing."

"Been better." Ezio replied glumly.

"Yeah. I can see that." Lewis paused. "Do you... you're not in any pain, right?"

"No. Why would I be?" Ezio seemed confused.

"Good. Good. I just... I... Because of how it happened. You know?"

"Why? What happened?"

Lewis shifted awkwardly. "We'll talk later, Ezio. I need to check with the docs, they said you might have some memory trouble."

* * * * *

Despite an injury to star striker Ezio Grassi, and a sending off for Emanuele Riviello in the aftermath of that incident, Osarius were still able to emerge as winners against Falcus in the opening game of the World Cup. However, the world number two side made what should have been a relatively simple win into a tricky task by losing focus yet again, in a series of events that will infuriate manager Jermain Lewis.

After huffing and puffing against a seemingly brick wall of nine defending Falcus players to no avail throughout the first half, Osarius were already frustrated. Lewis' half-time team talk fired them up further, but seemingly failed to focus their anger to a fine enough point. Ezio Grassi, in his typical, terminator-like determination to score, challenged for an aerial ball in the box, only to collide with the goalkeeper in mid-air, losing consciousness immediately. The impact was violent enough to send his now lifeless body into a one-eighty flip before spiralling toward the ground face first.

Medical personnel were seemingly on their way toward the Cloudsdale Flyers forward before he hit the ground with a sickening crunch -- imagined or not -- and several of his teammates had converged on his location. First to reach him was Darell Marshall, who immediately put two fingers into Grassi's mouth to prevent him choking on his own tongue. An agonizing six minutes passed while medics worked with the Osarian hitman, and his teammates mostly looked on in concern. Emanuele Riviello, however, made his feelings on the matter known. As the referee was showing the Falcus goalkeeper a red card, the Violence Chariots defender was shouting angrily in his direction. When the goalkeeper failed to leave the field immediately, and appeared to suggest his challenge had been fair, Riviello lost it. In a moment of madness he grabbed the custodian, and half-dragged, half-hurled him toward the dugout. Rodriguez and Acosta were quick to quell tempers this time, and prevented an all out brawl, with Rodriguez restraining Riviello, and Acosta, talking down others who sought to get involved.

Predictably, Riviello was shown a straight red for his actions, though the referee allowed that the penalty awarded to Osarius would still stand. After the six minutes had passed, and Grassi was gingerly moved off the field -- and into an ambulance en route to the nearest hospital -- substitutions made, Roque Acosta stepped up to take the penalty... and missed.

The Osarian midfield had to dig deep after failing to take that opportunity, being reduced to two men -- Sergio Mora had been the sacrifice to bring on Fabian Padron in order to avoid being a man short at centre back -- but Fabio Mancini seemed to be equal to the task, shuttling box-to-box alongside captain Roque Acosta. It was only a matter of time before they made a breakthrough, Mancini taking the ball past two players before playing a chipped through ball for Salvatore Laccona. The big man controlled on his chest and volleyed into the roof of the net for an emphatic finish.

Having taken the lead, Osarius needed to protect it against the Falcus fightback, which meant Acosta sitting deeper in midfield behind Mancini, with Wesley Kane and Darell Marshall needing to drop deeper to assist defensively on the flanks. Mancini responded fantastically to the increased responsibility, though, holding his own alone against two opposing midfielders (Acosta's man-marking rendered the most advanced player redundant). When Osarius cracked, it wasn't the fault of the teenage midfielder, but Theodore Prince getting caught out of position. Darell Marshall was preoccupied with the opposing fullback, tracking the run, and Falcus were in behind. Fletcher turned the header over for a corner, but when Padron lost his man on the set piece, she was helpless to prevent the equaliser.

Falcus, seemingly happy with a draw against an Osarius side heavily favoured to win not just the match, but the whole tournament, sat back and returned to their brick wall defending that had been effective in the first half. Darell Marshall's frustration at the partial blame he accepted for the equaliser, and being unable to get beyond his marker on the wing threatened to boil over after he picked up a yellow for a petulant foul on seventy minutes, so Lewis withdrew him and sent on Nathaniel Doherty. The Ponyville winger made an immediate impact, receiving Wesley Kane's cross-field pass, and firing across goal. Just wide.

The winning goal came minutes later, when Fabio Mancini picked up a short ball from Rodriguez deep inside his own half. A short dribble, and a series of short passes over the next seven seconds saw Mancini on the edge of the Falcus box. With no opening to drive into, he ripped off a shot straight into the top right corner.

Post-match, Lewis would acknowledge the teenager's contribution. "Fabio was brilliant today, he really stepped up when we needed him to. Roque dropped deep because he's got more experience, and I know he's done that for Treason at times, you know? Fabio is younger, more legs in him. So we let him run. All the space he had today, really benefited him." Lewis said. "Should be interesting to see if he can build on this as we go forward."

The boss had much less to say about Riviello's red mist, though he acknowledged that his anger was perhaps understandable. "Manu was angry, and I can see why. His friend has just been taken out, possibly seriously injured. I'm not condoning his behaviour, but I won't be going back there to give him a rollicking either. He knows he messed up, I don't need to rub it in." On the topic of Grassi, Lewis was much more cautious. "It's too early to say, but it's a massive blow to lose him."

Despite the impressive performances from Acosta, Laccona and especially Mancini, the sight of Ezio Grassi's unconscious body crashing face first into the turf will be the lasting memory of the game, one suspects. And many will also be hoping that it's not the last time they see him on the pitch.

[San Jose Guayabal]

www.elnacional.gu/sjg/general_elections_2014

You are in: El nacional > SJG > Politics > General Elections 2014: The gate to the future

Written by: Eyvindur Janssen.
Date: 28/12/2014, 19:57. San Salvador time

A new period in the history of the country is about to happen in a couple of hours, I mean the general elections this year, which will be the first since the nation returned to the path of democracy and respect for the freedom and the popular will. Enthusiasm is very strong and is something that can be perceived by the Guayabalenses, who are living a new era of innovation and progress in the nation. Therefore it is considered that the elections to be held tomorrow will be vital to mark the address to the nation politically directed.

In elections are seven political parties, among which are:

Social Democratic Party.
Green Alliance.
Moderate Alternative.
National Coalition Party.
Patriotic Front.
Communist Party.
Pirate Party.

Although national surveys seem to lean more three political parties: the Social Democrats, Moderate Alternative and Patriotic Front, in terms of preferences, social democrats are the ones who are leading the way with 34% of preferences nationally, although we can say that its strength lies mainly in the West, while the Moderate Alternative has forces in the East and the Patriots in much of the country's center.

Preferences have been more volatile than expected due to a choice that presents political parties with political ideologies never raised except for the Communist Party, who plans to implement a more moderate compared to its ancient predecessor agenda.

As for how the election will be held, the process is simple: Introduce yourself to the nearest vote center, verify your name in the electoral roll, then head to sign the ballot assistance then go to the voting booth, where you choose the option you want in the processing machine of votes, then goes to the polling station to tarnish your index finger in indelible ink.

this will certainly be a historic moment, which is expected to start in good shape, whoever wins, we hope that knows how to handle the country's direction properly, without problems whatsoever. So there is nothing more to ask you, dear reader please exercise your vote, the homeland will thank you. Help to build a new country, united, because in that way we will succeed!

[Mytannion]

(OOC: Well, if I'm ever going to come back, I feel this needed explaining).

Let me tell you a little bit about Mytannion. It’s not really a nation, it never really has been and I highly doubt it ever will be. At times it gives the illusion that it is, when one powerful leader comes to the forefront with some impressive rhetoric and says that it is, it seems like it, to outsiders and those that are easily persuaded. But, if you dig a little deeper, things are never really how they seem. Mytannion is a mess. It’s stuck in an era that is long bygone, the whole ‘nation’ is an anachronism, and it belongs in a different time, with different people and a different way of doing things.

The problem with Mytannion is the inherent nationalism that has a home in the heart of every single ‘Mytanar’. The main issue with it is that it isn’t really even nationalism, it’s a loyalty to the region from which they are born in. Regionalism is the problem with Mytannion. Nenad from Zentrelstra would rather that Zentrelstra was its own nation, running its own affairs and that the resource draining Thessians would have to fund their own welfare programmes rather than utilising the wealth of his region. Of course, the Thessians would think pretty much the same about those resource hoarding Zentrelstrans and don’t even get them started on those Rauchik gypsies.

Not that they are gypsies, or that there is anything wrong with gypsies. That’s just how many Thessians see them.

Mytannion can basically be broken up into eight separate countries, all with their different ethnic groups and with their different social norms. Zentrelstra is the capital region and is the economic powerhouse of the nation, Thessia is a left-wing haven, devoted to liberal laws and socialism, Rauchigen is the smallest and traditionally a far-right region, though left-wing militants have made it a dangerous place of late. Then we have the cultural hub of the nation, Vojovitica; the northern tundra of Hochland and the island regions, Magevskaya, Nasto and Avnalaren. All bringing their own cultures to the national table and all with very different ethnic groups.

It’s a hard place to live, that much is for sure. Even Thessia, with its liberal laws is a hard place to live for say, a Rauchik student or someone from Hochland. There’s just a deep seated hatred and mistrust, partially based on ancient religions whose major tenets are long forgotten, leaving behind just a long-standing dislike for those that may be of a different religion. It’s partially based on good old-fashioned racism and ethnic nationalism. This ethnic nationalism is why Mytannion isn’t really a nation and why it never really will be.

Who can forget the Civil Wars? Who can forget the various revolts and the dictators toppled? It’s happened on more than one occasion, so perhaps it is time for people to realise that the multiculturalism of Mytannion as one all-encompassing state is impossible to achieve, it’s impossible to have a united Mytannion which includes all these ethnic groups in their current form. They just can’t coexist alongside one another, it’s always impossible. A few years may be managed before something happens again, throwing everything out of kilter once again.

Tolik, Kalinina, Zweig… All the same, different names. They’re political leaders who were at one point seen as uniting a nation, all in slightly different situations. Their actions all resulting in vastly different situations. Tolik’s fall actually led to the longest period of peace in recent history, Kalinina’s fall simply led to Zweig’s tenure as Premier and finally Zweig’s fall, in such mysterious circumstances, well that has led to the situation we currently find ourselves in. A Mytannion where the eight different states basically run themselves, with the Zentrelstran leader Dimitrij Vukovic trying to portray an outward façade that he is still in charge of the whole Mytanar nation.

But it can’t last for much longer, Mytanar history dictates that that can’t happen. Everything about the country points to the fact that even if someone tries to put a brave face on things, it can’t end well. Rumours say that the security services got fed up of Zweig, the KGB got someone to bump him off, that sort of thing. He believed in Mytannion as a united nation, but got power hungry and had to go. It makes sense. Kalinina believed in a united Mytannion too, just one without those she considered undesirable. The Thessians, the Rauchiks, even the Vojoviticans. She wanted rid of them and that was what the numerous camps were for. They haven’t even been fully investigated until this day, journalists are too busy documenting present day things, and historians too scared of what they may find if they do go. The KGB hide what they need to and many believe the remnants of the SZGN still exist, still cover up what they need to.

How people see Mytannion lasting as a united state is beyond me, even in its greatest successes the signs of falling apart were already there. There was a time when the Mytanar football team was the scourge of all-Rushmore. On the football pitch, the team were an analogy for the ‘nation’ as a whole. Self-doubt suppressing imagination and bringing to the surface the cynicism that was always underlying, beneath the technical ability and the physical excellence. Self-doubt was a defining characteristic of Mytanar football teams, but also a defining part of the national psyche. People choke, when something looks like it could be successful, it goes wrong because of people’s actions and it falls apart. Zweig, uniting the nation behind him after the terror of Kalinina, then he got too greedy, he wanted too much and it fell apart. Maybe it isn’t choking in the form you’d expect, but it certain is a variety thereof. Something goes wrong every time, Zweig doubted his own position, got paranoid and closed off the links he needed and he ended up dead… Or so the rumours go.

When you speak to those footballers that were a part of what remains Mytannion’s greatest sporting success, winning the Copa Rushmori, the story bucks the trend of Mytanars choking at the vital moment – but it shows the road down which Mytannion was heading before it actually did so, before the Zweig regime fell and before we went down this road we’re currently on, with merely the idea of Mytannion still existing. With the reality being more like what Mytannion has always been.

The captain and full back for Mytannion’s Copa Rushmori team had been Lev Repin. I met him in Severyan, his home town, as he did some scouting for a Euran scouting agency at a game between FC Ararat and Lok. Cassia. Repin is a man who projects an aura of calmness, which was welcome given that only five minutes into half-time some local schoolchildren lobbed a smoke bomb canister into the home end, which led to a panicked evacuation. Mytannion retains that kind of feel – a place that just isn’t at peace with itself, on edge. There are still scars of bombing from the Eurans and of the Civil War. Thessia is a place still largely in tatters and when I went to Severyan, it was still only accessible by a temporary bridge, with the original lying in ruins across the river, a victim of the brutal war.

In the larger context of things, it made Repin’s next comment quite disconcerting. He leant forward and told me, “The tragedy is that we will never know how good Mytanar football could have been.” In a land that was the scene for what was arguably the bloodiest conflict in Rushmori history, the word ‘tragedy’ seemed quite exaggerated. But the fact we never got to see this Mytanar side in its peak perhaps was a tragedy. They combined all the attributes a fan would want in a team: technical brilliance, fluidity, no little staggering flair, excellent organisation, cynicism and an all-pervading sense of mental fragility.

They scored some excellent goals on the counter, something I mentioned in an interview with the recently retired Thorkil Bechinie von Lazan and he was frustratingly dismissive about this fact. “We scored lots of goals like that,” he said. “We were a quick team, so we played on the counter.” The speed was key, Bechinie von Lazan was keen to stress, perhaps because that was the part that involved him the most. He was enormously voluble about himself, the only thing that saved him from being insufferable was the suggestion that his self-aggrandisement might have been ironic in its intent. “I was the fastest player in Mytannion.” He told me, flourishing his cigarette. “I was the fastest player in the world and I’d still be a whole lot quicker despite the fact I’ve smoked throughout my career.” But we never really got to see this speed in full flow because of how things happened, with the regime falling and Mytannion withdrawing itself from sport because well, the teams from different regions couldn’t agree to play in a ‘Mytanar’ league.

Bechinie von Lazan reminded many of Ismet van Huijgevoort, both descendants of Germanic émigrés who arrived in Mytannion perhaps centuries ago and made our Slavic nation their home. Ismet van Huijgevoort is perhaps the best example of a footballer who mimicked Mytannion. He was excellent, perhaps the most technically gifted Mytanar footballer ever. He mixed it with the best and he often came out on top. He was, however, a complete mess mentally. He committed suicide just as he was in his peak and we never got to see him as a part of that Mytanar team that won the Copa Rushmori and could have gone on to win the World Cup after it, if it hadn’t been for such trouble back home.

Mytannion has the potential to be something a lot better internationally than it is, it could be a powerhouse, economically speaking. It could also be a pioneer for civil rights, it has often managed to do that in the intervening periods between dictatorships and culture-wise it is far beyond much of the rest of the globe. But the pervading sense of ethnic nationalism lying below everything else prevents that from being possible.

The ethnic nationalism ran so deep in Kalinina’s time that somehow the national team survived, but it searched for a role. It was meant to represent the nation, but of course, Kalinina was half-Zentrelstran, half-Magev and her armies clashed with Thessians, Rauchiks, and the Hochs from the north, even the Vojoviticans. With Kalinina in power, the national team, instead of representing the ideal of a united Mytannion was a symbol of suppression to the Thessians, to the Vojoviticans and others.

When it comes to the Copa Rushmori win though, the team was made up of much more than just Zentrelstran, Magev, Nastan and Avnalaren players. Repin himself was a Rauchik player, Stojanovic a Thessian, Kohlemainen a Hoch and Haugen a Vojovitican. That said, in the famed photo of the Mytanar team celebrating the Copa Rushmori win, it is only the Zentrelstrans that are extending the two fingers and thumb salute to the cameras (the salute signifying the Trinity, an affiliation to the Zentrelstran Orthodox Church and Zentrelstra itself). Stojanovic, a Thessian, pointedly isn’t.

The cracks were clear even then, the different ethnic groups, religions and cultures of the eight different regions just aren’t compatible. It’s only a matter of time before the nation falls apart, I hope I’ve just explained a little about why.

[Eura]

Mayhem in Manehattan as Eura's unholy Holy Empire curse continues
Blue and gold once again unable to defeat those bloody monks
Simon Banning reports from Manehattan Industrial Park, Manehattan, Equestrian States

EURA - 3
Ashtree 46+1
Oslograd 85, 87

THE HOLY EMPIRE - 4
Phocaso 10
Gabraso 19, 47
Rogers 30 (og)

Louis Watson and Eura must be wondering what it is that Eura will have to do to beat the Holy Empire after they lost to them once again, leaving them needing at least a win and a draw against HopNation and Valanora to have any hope of making the next round.

Eura were playing in blue tonight due to the Holy Empire's insistence on playing in their own red and gold strip, a permanent fixture of one of the World Cup's most illustrious teams, and Eura's lineup had required alteration too. Louis Watson had been forced by training ground injuries to relegate Skorji Oslograd to the bench and drop Andrew Watson entirely as Eura went out in their standard 4-3-2-1 formation, with Ashtree leading the line while Lee McKray came in for the injured Watson. The Holy Empire fielded a full strength side, playing their usual attacking 3-5-2. Eura have been much more cautious during this cycle under their caretaker manager, who has done a good job of improving their defensive solidity without sacrificing their ability to score goals. However their ability to deal with very attacking teams has subsided noticeably, as has their mental strength when defending a lead. Tonight it was the former issue and not the latter that was apparent, as Eura failed to take the lead in the first place and gave themselves too much to do after a dreadful opening half an hour. They started sloppily and were unusually careless in holding possession. The opposition took full advantage and should have taken the lead in the fourth minute, only for Jose Taronities finish from a Isaac Curcuaso cutback to be saved brilliantly by Chris Waller.

Waller is a top class goalkeeper and usually his defence is quite good too, and he certainly did not deserve to be on the receiving end of four goals tonight. However a combination of some superb Holy Empire attacking play and poor control of the game by Eura's midfield permitted the floodgates to open early on. Gareth Blackthorn was quite understandably boiling with rage in the 10th minute when Glenn Anderson, under virtually no pressure from the other team, passed the ball straight to Taronities 30 yards from his own goal. Taronities reacted quickly and poked a through ball past Gilbert into the path of Bardas Phocaso, and the theologian trequartista finished with great aplomb past Waller. To their credit Eura reacted quickly, seeming to take a shot in the arm from conceding and nearly equalising straight away. Mike Adams darted into the box, seeing off challenges from Nicephorus Scleruso and Jorge Apocapes, only to then get the ball caught between his legs. It bobbled free off his left heel to Sam Ashtree, who connected with the ball sweetly 8 yards from goal only for it to hit the post and cannon straight back out of the box. Nonetheless, Eura found the prospect of a victory to be almost certainly gone in the 19th minute when they conceded a free kick about 20 yards from goal directly down the middle of the pitch, which Manuel Gabraso curled into the top right hand corner with impeccable technical skill.

The Monks seemed to lose some impetus after the second goal and once again Eura went forward on the counter, and John Spartan perhaps should have done better with a header from a Sinclair cross, only six yards out, which sailed over the bar. Yet Eura found themselves 3-0 down after 30 minutes, something that no-one had predicted even against the Holy Empire, thanks to the sort of defensive calamity that they had thought they had put behind them. It was a pretty innocuous passage of play that lead to the goal, actually. The opposition bombed forward with that rapid 3-5-2 to 3-3-4 transformation they do once again, but the cross from the right by Gabraso was poorly directed despite its power. Yet Mark Rogers, who had been so flawless in qualifying, was caught unawares and didn't clear. Instead he let the ball ricochet off his left boot as he made a hesitant attempt to drag it back and let the ball run to Gilbert. It pinged towards goal and Waller could do little about it, diving to the left - the right way - but being unable to keep the ball out of the net as it darted under him. The Holy Empire's players almost didn't celebrate the goal and instead retreated, likely in thankful prayer, while Waller gave Rogers the dressing down of a lifetime and the Euran's heads dropped. It was, in all honesty, a pathetic way to kill the game and if Eura fail to make it out of this group, even if it is a group of death, this half an hour of fairly gutless play and two horribly wasted chances may well cost Louis Watson his job.

The next 10 minutes of the game were almost a procession, as Eura recovered from the shock and finally seemed to gain some defensive common sense, while the Holy Empire seemed content to let Eura take most of the possession. This was perhaps a mistake, because just before half time Eura built up some sustained pressure, and Craig Sinclair put a shot just wide of the post with his first real opportunity after an anonymous first half performance. Then, in first half stoppage time, Eura were given a glimmer of hope as Ashtree stabbed in from 8 yards after Anderson had managed to find him with an incisive pass from an angle. Watson had no choice but to ring the changes at half time, withdrawing McKray after a dire 45 minutes and bringing on Spartangrad's Rhys Gibbons. Gibbon's is inexperienced at international level despite having a few seasons of first team club football under his belt at a young age, but his ability to competently play at left back made him the obvious, albeit risky, choice. Meanwhile Gareth Blackthorn was brought off for the more attacking option of Ryan King, who slotted in behind Ashtree. Any serious hope of a comeback thought was ended just two minutes after half time by a bit of world class skill from Gabraso, the undisputed man of the match. The Imperial midfielder let fly from 30 yards after being given too much space by Anderson, beating Waller at his far post with a low shot that bounced twice but still had a fair bit of power behind it.

After this goal the result seemed set in stone, but at least Eura did themselves proud by taking control of the game for the last half an hour after a dull period following that fourth Holy Empire goal. Spartan threatened twice with two shots from the edge of the box before Ashtree headed into the side netting. Craig Sinclair then caused chaos in their box in the 70th minute when he cut all three of their defenders out of the game with a cheeky rabona just inside the left hand edge of the box. The monks blushes were saved though; Ashtree missed the header and Adams volleyed over acrobatically at the back post. It would take the return of the grand old man Skorji Oslograd to finally put some of these chances away. He was brought on for Anderson with just ten minutes on the clock, arguably twenty minutes too late. His impact was immediate. Craig Sinclair delivered an excellent cross into the near post in the 85th minute which Oslograd duly headed in, beating Jesús in goal who was too busy over committing, one might even say being pinned, to the cross. It was only two minutes later on that Oslograd scored again, sending the Euran fans wild as they were given hope of a dramatic late comeback to rescue a vital point. The Revolutionaries striker got on the end of a brilliant one touch interception by John Spartan of a Bryennio clearance, which diverted the ball straight to Oslograd. He might be getting on, but he finishes just as well as he did in his twenties and that was made clear on this occasion as he dispatched the ball into the net with one swing of his right boot ten yards from goal.

However the Holy Empire locked up after that third goal, and only a couple of wild shots from Oslograd came close to breaking their defensive wall. Eura looked justifiably dejected as the final whistle blew, and they face an uphill struggle now to get out of the group stage like they used to. They face a daunting tie against Valanora on the third match day, but even that key fixture - a must win - comes after they play bottom seeds HopNation, who shocked the Marauders with a 2-1 win on the opening day and who will certainly not be pushovers. Eura will have to address their defensive issues and use their raw talent to overcome their next opposition. If they do not, it will be a long flight home for the entire squad, and especially so for Louis Watson.

Player Ratings

Eura - Waller 7, Churchilli 6, Gilbert 6, Rogers 5, McKray 4 (Gibbons 6), Adams 6, Anderson 5 (Oslograd 9), Spartan 7, Blackthorn 5 (King 6), Sinclair 5, Ashtree 6

The Holy Empire - Jesús Metochites 6, Scleruso 7, Apocapes 6, Bryennio 6, Gabraso 9, Malenuso 7, Curcuaso 6, Aspietes 7, Palaeologo 6, Taronities 7, Phocaso 8

Match Stats

Shots - EUR 16 - 15 THE
Shots on Target - EUR 8 - 10 THE
Possession - EUR 49% - 51% THE
Fouls - EUR 12 - 18 THE
Attendance - 47,007
Man of the Match - Manuel Gabraso (The Holy Empire)

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

@Coco|WritersCraft
@ERF
@Mikalev
+MVT
+Danverige
+Johan|GrimReapers
+Michel
+Petrupital
+Regrribia
Aventuraway
Dani|RP
Murderville
Reginald-FAS
RougeGris
Pilonmark|QUE2-2AUD
Pirri|Shower
Svatova
Tsula
Vikoaway

 
Status | #teenangst |#avalaria | Reginald-FAS | Vikovice | Regribbia
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
[Welcome to #teenangst, where we cry, drink and have fun talking of our sufferings and livelihoods! 
| C.D FAS declared #teenangst's official football team on Friday, July 7. 2017 | Mikalev will be collecting all of your taxes for usage of the channel on the 11th of July. Deadline closes at 7 PM QST on that day, so pay up! |Whoever refuses to pay his/her taxes will be kickbanned starting from July. 11]
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
[08:43] == Wenger [webchat@71-54-837-669.cable.quebecom.que] has joined #teenangstprobs
[08:43] == mode/#sanernssport [+o Wenger] by Chatzy
[08:44] <Ragnath> Woah, no mention of A/N,FAS,Alianza or Deportivo the past 18 hours
[08:44] <Saachi|RP> Boo mobocracy! 
[08:44] <Ragnath> This is impressive
[08:44] <Wenger> Hey all.
[08:44] <ERF> Hey Wenger.
[08:45] <Michel> So, in four years.
[08:45] == Wenger changed the topic of #sanernssport to: Welcome to #teenangst, where we cry, drink and have fun talking of our sufferings and livelihoods! | C.D FAS declared #teenangst's official football team on Friday, July 7. 2017 | Mikalev will be collecting all of your taxes for usage of the channel on the 11th of July. Deadline closes at 7 PM QST on that day, so pay up!  | Poll of the Day: Should Barbs merge FAS and Alianza together? Y/N - Vote NOW!
[08:46] <Mikalev> <Ragnath> Woah, no mention of A/N,FAS,Alianza or Deportivo the past 18 hours <--- Actually, FAS was mentioned last night 
[08:46] <RougeGris> Wooooooo
[08:47] <RougeGris> All hail the Alianza FAShionista de Montreal! Viva la FAS!
[08:47] == Petrubbia has changed nick to Petrupital
[08:47] <Vikovicek> So excited for my new President :3
[08:47] <Andreas|MVT> Ew
[08:47] <ERF> FASucks
[08:47] <Wenger> Really, Mikalev?
[08:47] <Murderville> Alianza > FAS
[08:47] <ERF> I'll RP elections today
[08:47] <Ragnath> Such a shame I missed out on that one
[08:48] <ERF> #ERFranVEX69
[08:48] <ERF> Get hyped!
[08:48] == Ragnath [webchat@c-27-209-118-14.hsdr.giquik.avian.que] has quit [See you guys in about 2 hours. Gotta nom some brekkie]
[08:49] <RougeGris> With FAS you'll never walk alone
[08:48] <Mikalev> How much money is Trojana throwing for Alianza, btw? 
[08:48] <Wenger> Not much yet Mikalev
[08:49] == DrCocoPorn [webchat@78-32-111-294.cable.telehavn.nhv] has joined #teenangstprobs
[08:49] <DrCocoPorn> Time to drink, guys
[08:49] == mode/#sanernssport [+o DrCocoPorn] by Chatzy
[08:49]  * Andreas|MVT gives DrCocoPorn some drink
[08:49]  * DrCocoPorn drinks
[08:49] <Vikovicek> agh sorry
[08:50] <DrCocoPorn> We'll start with 150 mill
[08:50] <DrCocoPorn> Andreas- I hope I'll not burn some people soon......Right now I'm pissed at this one fucker for his actions years ago that ruined it for me right now.
[08:50] <ERF> Samedov would laugh at watching that
[08:50] == Vikovicek has changed nick to Vikoaway
[08:50] <Andres|MVT> Oh shit
[08:50] <Mikalev> 1 billion, ERF?
[08:50] <Ragnath> That sucks
[08:50] <Andreas|MVT> years ago actions with consequences now...
[08:50] <Andreas|MVT> horrible
[08:51] <Tsula> Wait, Trojana bought Alianza?
[08:52] <Wenger> Yes, Tsula
[08:53] <Tsula> Dayum
[08:53] <Wenger> 
[08:54] <Andreas|MVT> You can always burn Mika
[08:54] <Andreas|MVT> 
[08:54] <Mikalev> Brace yourself, and get ready for Alianza Condoms F.C. 
[08:54] <Wenger> PREACH
[08:55] == Mikalev burns Andreas|MVT's face
[08:55] <RougeGris> FAS the biggest in SJG
[08:56] == Parros [webchat@c-81-992-241-11.hsdr.sl.telus.que.net] has quit [Ping timeout: 281 seconds]
[08:56] <Wenger> Mikalev- When FAS is back in Top Division, I shall pour 1 billion
[08:56] <ERF> Alianza Condoms won't happen - Koleshov
[08:57] <Wenger> FAS is Alianza Condoms -Lord Magnumus Ultra-
[08:57] <RougeGris> Trojana will never walk alone
[08:57] <Tsula> Oooooooof
[08:58] == Mikalev has changed nick to Mikalev|Breakfast
[08:58] == ERF has changed nick to Kalashnikov
[08:58] <DrCocoPorn> I'm not burning Mikalev nor wearing FAS jerseys
[08:59] <DrCocoPorn> MVT, I'm being serious right now
[08:59] <Andreas|MVT> Okay
[08:59] <RougeGris> So for the baseball league I have DrCoCoporn, Murderville, Catz, and Aventura
[08:59] == Andreas|MVT has changed nick to MVT
[08:59] == Aventura has changed nick to Aventuraway
[09:00] <Andreas|MVT> that's bad
[09:00] <RougeGris> Did I miss anybody for that?
[09:00] <Saachi|RP> Anyone have a domestic basketball league that would want some players
[09:01] <Tsula> Alianza still won't be relevant in UGCA competitions
[09:01]  * Kalashnikov locks Loik de Rouge-X and Lord Preservatif on a Dacha
[09:01] <DrCocoPorn> And the novel I'm writing is just as depressing as this
[09:01] == mode/#sanernssport [+o Mikalev] by DrCocoPorn
[09:01] == DrCocoPorn has changed nick to Coconutstan
[09:01] <Coconutstan> MVT- She dated a guy, but she was facing personal problems of her own. So they broke up. As much as I know, the guy was heartbroken and really dislikes her now. Anna was pretty hurt by this.
[09:01]  * Tsula scratches Rasa's ears
[09:01]  * Rasa whines
[09:01]  * Tsula bites Cata's ears off
[09:01]  * Cata whines more
[09:02] <MVT> oh
[09:02]  * Tsula rides Rasa
[09:02] == Kalashnikov has changed nick to ERF
[09:02]  * ERF turns Mikalev into a car.
[09:02]  * Mikalev kills ERF
[09:02] <Coconutstan> This had her shut the doors and while she had other admirers in past, she just dealt with them with politeness and still kept it shut.
[09:02]  * Coconutstan curses Clark Muller for fucking things up for Henrik*
[09:02] <Rasa> Tsula pls
[09:02] <Coconutstan> That's why, MVT.
[09:02] <MVT> That's harf
[09:03] <MVT> *hard
[09:04]  * Tsula noms Rasa in entirety
[09:04] <Tsula> Yum. Cat meat
[09:04] <MVT> He tried to attack her phisically?
[09:05] <Coconutstan> I wish I could mend the wounds, but good friend of both me and her told me to wait.
[09:05] <Coconutstan> No.
[09:05] <Coconutstan> Not that.
[09:06] <MVT> That's good to hear
[09:06] <Rasa> Tsula pls
[19:06] <Tsula> You're dead. You can't talk, Rasa.
[09:07] <Murderville> That's too uncivilised of anyone of his calibre really, despite how lowly I think of that fucker now.
[09:07] <Coconutstan> If that was the case then I'm going to Downtown to deal with this matter right now
[09:08] <MVT> oh
[09:08]  * Coconutstan curses the world
[09:08]  * Coconutstan wears Alianza shirt since he's out of his mind
[09:08]  * Petrupital slaps Tsula around with a pair of headphones
[09:09]  * MVT chokes Mikalev with vodka
[09:09]  * Mikalev drowns MVT in the sea of fire
[09:09] == Pierrot [~chattychat@host-81-79-23-881.deltanet.gu] has left #teenangstprobs []
[09:09] == Mikalev changed the topic of #sanernssport to: Welcome to #teenangst, where we cry, drink and have fun talking of our sufferings and livelihoods! |
 C.D FAS declared #teenangst's official football team on Friday, July 7. 2017 | 
Mikalev will be collecting all of your taxes for usage of the channel on the 11th of July. Deadline closes at 7 PM QST on that day, so pay up!|
Whoever refuses to pay his/her taxes will be kickbanned starting from July. 11 
[09:09] == Coconutstan has changed nick to Coco|WritersCraft
[09:09] <MVT> 
[09:09] <Ragnath> You shocked 
[09:09]  * Petrupital sues Wenger on Mikalev's behalf
[09:09]  * Wenger drowns Svatova in a sea of Bazalonian plushies
[09:09]  * Wenger burns the lawsuits
[09:09] <Svatova> OBJECTION!
[09:09] <Svatova> I am Wenger's lawyer!
[09:10] <Regrribia> You're no Vince Attorney
[09:10] <Petrupital> You ... you have failed me for the last time.
[09:10]  * Petrupital defenestrates Svatova
[09:10]  * Wenger rides both Regrribia and Petrupital
[09:11]  * Mikalev drowns everyone talking in the most recent 10 lines in a sea of corrosive acid
[09:11] == Danverige [~aircom@host-12-81-91-993.quebecomairtel.que] has joined #teenangstprobs
[09:12] == mode/#teenangstprobs [+v Danverige] by Coco|WritersCraft
[09:13] <RougeGris> wb Danverige
[09:12] <Danverige> Hey guys
[09:12] <Coco|WritersCraft> Hey child
[09:12] <Coco|WritersCraft> Danverige- I guess I'll have to go long run now....There's a reason behind that.
[09:12] == Ragnath has changed nick to Korner
[09:12] == Korner has changed nick to Ragnath
[09:12]  * Ragnath begs for Mikalevian mercy
[09:12]  * Ragnath then realizes "Mikalevian mercy" is an oxymoron
[09:13]  * Mikalev blindfolds Petrupital and Wenger and puts both of them on opposite sides of a minefield
[09:13] <Coco|WritersCraft> Things turned out, for the worse.
[09:13] <Bunbury> MVT how long we got
[09:13]  * Petrupital refuses to move at all
[09:14]  * Wenger refuses to move as well
[09:14]  * Mikalev activates the movable mines >:D
[09:14] <MVT> Hour fifteen
[09:15] <Danverige> What?
[09:15] <Bunbury> wait, an hour and fifteen?
[09:15] <Bunbury> oh that's great
[09:15] <Bunbury> means i can add a lot of depth to my rp
[09:16]  * Wenger runs
[09:16]  * Wenger gets out of the minefield
[09:16] <Coco|WritersCraft> http://www.irczone.que/chatlog/7887904 <- That's what happened, Danverige
[09:16] <Mikalev> The minefield is closed, dude 
[09:16]  * Petrupital digs a ten foot deep hole and hides in it
[09:17] <Mikalev> You cannot escape
[09:17]  * Wenger activates his jetpack and flies away
[09:17] <Danverige> I see
[09:17]  * Coco|WritersCraft cries
[09:17] <Coco|WritersCraft> Well I guess I could wait until September
[09:18] <Mikalev> Which part of 'closed' did you not get, eh? 
[09:18] <Danverige> So she's emotionally unavailable?
[09:18] <Coco|WritersCraft> Danverige- What happened back then kinda shut her door, and her workload in uni as well as work once in T Dot's quite hard to balance with...
[09:19]  * Petrupital snoozes away in the hole
[09:19] <Danverige> I see
[09:19]  * Wenger hands Coco|WritersCraft some tissues
[09:19] <Coco|WritersCraft> That's why I'm in a bit of sigh
[09:19] <Coco|WritersCraft> Because I won't be available in July and August, until like the week before I'm off to Carleton or uOttawa
[09:19] <Danverige> Well, what can you do?
[09:19] <Coco|WritersCraft> Good friend of both her and I told me that time is her best friend, for that'll make her feel guilty eventually.
[09:19] <Coco|WritersCraft> The key part is that she has had other admirers, and she responded to them in a very gentle manner but never reciprocated for anything more than that.
[09:19] <Dani|RP> 8:02 PM — •Michel THWACKS Rasa with a piano <--- Animal abuse! Why do you hit a pony?
[09:20] <Danverige> ah I see
[09:20]  * Michel drowns Dani|RP in a sea of corrosive acids and showering coconuts

[Equestrian States]

Ponies Trample Corsairs in Triumphant Return to World Cup
by Steve McNotapony

Equestrian States 3-0 Sargossa
at Royal Equestria Stadium in Canterlot
Attendance: 114,728
Scoring:
Pristina Shine '18 (Thunderlane)
Rainbow Blitz '34 (Cloudchaser)
Pristina Shine '69 (Rosie Tyler)

CANTERLOT - Yesterday's highly-anticipated World Cup-opening match between the Equestrian States and Sargossa was hailed as a must win for the Ponies in their quest to prove to the multiverse that the struggles of the past two years are not an accurate reflection of Equestrian hoofball, and win the hosts did. In front of a record crowd at Royal Equestria Stadium the Ponies put together arguably their best performance at the finals since their stunning upset of then-11th-ranked Yesopalitha at the 64th World Cup, annihilating a Sargossan team that the rankings would suggest is around the same quality as the Equestrian States. With the victory, the Equestrians put themselves in excellent position to advance to the second round and are looking less like the team that disappointingly crashed out at the qualifying playoffs in their last two campaigns and more like the one which was ranked 15th in the multiverse just a few years ago.

In the hours before the start of the game, the air at Royal Equestria Stadium was thick with excitement as throngs of Equestrian supporters flocked to the venue by the thousands, turning the roads and pathways down the mountain from Canterlot's iconic old town into a sea of purple and orange. Around the edges of the stadium's crystal roof, pegasi and griffon fans set up temporary cloud seating in such numbers that officials were forced to intervene and regulate their positioning in fear that the density of clouds might accidentally spark an unscheduled downpour during the match. Having missed out on the last two World Cups, the Ponies' supporters were delighted to be able to watch the Equestrian States again compete on hoofball's grandest stage, creating an extremely excited atmosphere at Royal Equestria Stadium which only grew louder as the final minutes before the match ticked away, exploding when their heroes and heroines exited the tunnel for the pre-game ceremonies.

As the players took their positions on the pitch in preparation for the kickoff, the primary question racing through the minds of fans in the stands and throughout the country, and the one voiced by the commentators, was how the Equestrian States would handle the enormous pressure to succeed in front of their own supporters. After all, the last time the Ponies had played an official WCC match at home, they'd been torn to shreds by New Montreal States and even a desperate away victory in the second leg of that qualifying playoff hadn't been enough to reverse the damage done by the humiliating loss.

It took under 90 seconds for the Equestrians to prove that they were up to the task. Shortly after the Corsairs started the match, a well-timed tackle by Apple Jack freed the ball from a Sargossan midfielder and Cloudchaser pounced on it, hitting a long pass towards Thunderlane that the pegasus striker controlled with his head. Driving into the box, Thunderlane unleashed a powerful shot that only a tremendous one-handed effort from Sargossan goalkeeper Armando Abad kept from finding the back of the net. Though unsuccessful, that shot set the tone for the next 15 minutes as the Ponies pushed the Corsairs hard, dominating the battle in midfield and snuffing out each of Sargossa's counterattacks before they could pose any real threat.

With the purple and orange-dominated crowd behind them and the Sargossans on the defensive, an Equestrian goal seemed inevitable; then, in the 18th minute, came the breakthrough. After an Equestrian corner was cleared, Flitter claimed the ball near midfield and sent it right back into Sargossa's third of the field where Thunderlane brought it down not far from the box. Spotting a run by Pristina Shine just a few yards out, the Makosile striker evaded a Corsair defender before chipping the ball in to the leaping Red Star Severny unicorn who daintily redirected it beyond the reach of Armando Abad into the corner of the goal. The stadium exploded as jubilant locals celebrated in the stands while Pristina Shine and Thunderlane were mobbed by their teammates, happy to finally have broken through the Sargossan defense.

Following Pristina Shine's goal, some might have expected the Ponies to relax a little and let the Corsairs tire themselves out trying to equalize, but manager Pearly White wasn't among that crowd, urging her players to resume battering at the opposing goal once the match restarted. The Sargossans held back the relentless Equestrian assault for around 15 minutes against a hail of shots, the crossbar and post denying Thunderlane and Apple Cobbler respectively. When a Sargossa counterattack was halted in the 34th minute by Gentle Breeze after the Equestrian goalkeeper made a comfortable save, the Ponies sprung back on the offensive. Flitter found her twin sister with a quick pass, and Cloudchaser raced down the right side of the pitch, with Rainbow Blitz, Pristina Shine, and Thunderlane all making matching runs on goal. A crisp cross followed, just ahead of Rainbow Blitz, and the midfielder slammed it home to put the Ponies up 2-0.

Now holding a comfortable two-goal lead, the Equestrian States eased up a little, more than happy to waste time passing around the midfield to get to halftime. Both sides would have a chance before the break, with Gentle Breeze flying to the upper left corner of her net to make a spectacular save against Federico Noyola, while Thunderlane's added time strike was cleared off the goal line by defender Matías Sosa. When the whistle finally did blow, the Equestrians went into their locker room with the crowd cheering their first half performance. The half had been thoroughly dominated by the Ponies, who appeared to completely outclass the Corsairs at almost every position and could just as easily entered the break up by four or five had a couple shots taken different bounces.

Knowing they desperately needed a goal, the Sargossans went on the offensive early in the second half, pressuring the Equestrian defense and trying to find a weak spot to exploit; but as the clock neared the hour mark there still didn't appear to be one, as Gentle Breeze and the Ponies' back line stopped every attempt dead in its tracks. With Rosie Tyler already swapped in after the break, Pearly White chose to bring on Stardust in the 62nd minute, refreshing an Equestrian midfield that had already been outplaying their Sargossan counterparts for much of the match; it was a move which was proven wise less than 10 minutes later.

After Brix Hamilton intercepted a pass from Rodrigo Defederico that was intended for Stefano Bustos outside the Ponies' box, the defender dumped it off to Stardust, who took it into the Sargossan half of the field. As the Corsairs moved to halt Stardust's advance, Rosie Tyler found herself open on the left flank and a quick through-ball left her in excellent position to make a run of her own. Closing in on the Sargossan box, the midfielder appeared to ready herself for a shot, but instead tapped it behind her, where a charging Pristina Shine met the ball with her hoof, launching a lightning bolt by the helpless Armando Abad.

Now leading by three, the Ponies weren't going to let the Corsairs back into the match. With an ecstatic crowd roaring them on, the Equestrian States searched for another goal, showing no quarter to the reeling Sargossans. Though the Equestrians were denied a fourth goal in the end, it ultimately wouldn't matter, and by the time the match was over, it was clear that the Ponies' ranking didn't tell the entire story. Though the Equestrian States had struggled mightily in high-profile games over the previous two years, this team was nearly flawless against an opponent of reasonable quality. While it remains to be seen if the return of the "old" Ponies is premature, there can no longer be any doubt that the Equestrians are still capable of playing like a top 20 team when at their best.

  GROUP A                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts        MD1 Results:
1  Equestrian States           1   1  0  0    3   0  +3    3         Equestrian States 3-0 Sargossa 
2  Nephara                     1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3        @ Royal Equestria Stadium in Canterlot
3  The Sarian                  1   0  0  1    1   2  -1    0         The Sarian 1-2 Nephara 
4  Sargossa                    1   0  0  1    0   3  −3    0        @ Grand Regal Stadium in Canterlot

In the other Group A fixture, favorites Nephara took on The Sarian in a clash between the group's two highest-ranked teams and won by a relatively comfortable 2-1 margin which leaves them in position to clinch a second round spot with a victory against Sargossa. Meanwhile, the result means that the Bustards match against the Ponies next week will likely decide which team will advance to the knockouts. For the Equestrians, a win would more than likely clinch their spot in the next round, though a draw would also be an acceptable result, given their current advantage in goal differential. For the Sarians, it will almost certainly be viewed as a must-win game and the Ponies will need to be wary of their desperate opponents who were almost unbeatable during qualifying.

---

Match Report :: Match Day 1

 EQUESTRIAN STATES 3-0 SARGOSSA 
Royal Equestria Stadium (cap. 98,625) in Canterlot, Equestrian States

Scoring:
 Pristina Shine '18 (Thunderlane)
 Rainbow Blitz '34 (Cloudchaser)
 Pristina Shine '69 (Rosie Tyler)

Starting XI:
GK - Gentle Breeze
LCB - Brix Hamilton
CB - Flitter
RCB - Andrea Molovi
LCM - Apple Jack
RCM - Cloudchaser
LM - Krystal
CAM - Rainbow Blitz
RM - Apple Cobbler
ST - Pristina Shine
ST - Thunderlane

Substitutions:
 Rosie Tyler in for Krystal '45
 Stardust in for Apple Cobbler '62
 Sunlight in for Andrea Molovi '70

[San Jose Guayabal]

Matchday two is here, and we will see the first teams to get their qualification to Round of Sixteen today probably and someones will have to suffer the pain of going to home back according to the maths, let's see your luck on this day.

MATCHDAY TWO RP CUTOFF FOR GROUPS A-D

[Farfadillis]

The first match of the World Cup was a curse for the Farf team. In five World Cups they'd attended, never had they managed to win on the opening matchday (despite getting to the knock-out stage three times). Best they'd managed had been ties to the Licentian Isles and Eura (the latter would later become world champions). So, maybe, the sixth time was the charm? The opponent sure looked less threatening than usual, but they were in the World Cup for a reason, and soon enough they'd prove it.

Pekarik surprised everyone by fielding José Torino Fuego from the very beginning, instead of Roga, believing the young striker's faster pace would be better than Roga's superior opportunism in this match. He also fielded Bârr instead of Fakkotti, as he wanted to play with a safer line-up than usual. The Rulandese defender would bring some much-needed cohesiveness to the defense, though he'd not be as good on the offensive as Fakkotti. The midfield was left intact, with Delafuente, as always, a likely substitution for the second half, as Pekarik had been wanting to ease him into the starting line-up for the following cycle (or the other, it wasn't very clear how much longer Tuzzio could last).

Farfadillis kicked off. The game was fast-paced from the very beginning. Nova Anglicana would definitely no longer be 'that boring defensive team we beat twice in qualifiers' for the Farves. No, they would be a fun team to play against from then on for the Farves. In the first ten minutes, both teams apparently started looking for the opener rather desperately, which lead to a great save by Lisdiren in the fourth minute and Terán missing the crossbar by a few centimetres in the seventh.

The first goal arrived soon after, when Nova Anglicana's striker Chris Hodges was stripped from the ball by Alaminos, who promptly passed the ball to Tuzzio, starting a deadly counterattack. Tuzzio passed the ball to Dandalleion, who outran Lancaster, arrived at the box and, with the goalkeeper approaching him, connected a though pass to Fuego, who scored the opener without ever stopping his long run. The youngster had scored his first international goal in a World Cup, and only fifteen minutes into the first game. Impressive.

But happiness would not last for the Farf team, as Nova Anglicana would very quickly retaliate. The very same Chris Hodges dribbled Alaminos in a true act of revenge and entered the box with just enough time to shoot with the appropriate precision and potence to make Lisdiren's presence unimportant. Only one minute later, back to square one. One-one.

The two goals seemed to make both teams calm down a bit. But just a bit. There were still many attacks and counterattacks untill, in the thirtieth minute, Farfadillis would once again take the lead thanks to a great play inside the box by Risko Kâí.

Terán got the ball from Mêndêlóíndçêl after the Farf captain completed a successful sliding tackle. Terán then passed the ball to Fôx, who ran down the flank and crossed. Dandalleion headed the ball but Klein's reflexes were sharp. However, the Anglicanan goalkeeper couldn't avoid giving Kâí a rebound that would prove to be lethal. The left midfielder got the ball and soon faced two players. He dribbled the first one with a nutmeg and dribbled the second one with a quick change of pace before unleashing a shot too potent for Klein to stop too. All had been done within a second or two and a metre or two. Even the smallest of opportunities could decide the match, evidently.

But once again joy could not last long, as it would only take ten minutes for the Lions to retaliate again. Moga, the talented Anglicanan midfielder, soon equalized with a eye-catchingly well executed free kick. Half time would arrive before further goals could be scored, but both teams sure tried.

No substitutions were made after half time. Both teams seemed rather pleased by how they'd been doing, though the result were certainly benefiting the Lions.

The second half started just like the first, with constant chances for both teams. Farfadillis scored a third goal fifteen minutes into the second half.

Mêndêlöíndçêl was given enough space to shoot from afar, and he did just that. Klein managed to punch the shot out, but that meant a corner kick for the Farves. That was all they needed to score. Dandalleion crossed and Fôx managed to jump above everyone else to head the ball to the upper-right corner of the Anglicanan goal.

This time, it would take Nova Anglicana some time to equalize again... just kidding. They equalized three minutes later. It sure was getting repetitive.

Fleming managed to outrun Bârr and cross before running our of space. Moga managed to enter the box and beat Mata to the header. Lisdiren reacted belatedly, and the balance was once again not tipped in anyone's favour.

The game started to speed up (which means quite a lot), as Farfadillis started getting increasingly desperate. Tuzzio was replaced by Delafuente, and Bârr by Cayfú. Nova Anglicana also made one substitution. Cayfú's fast pace soon started to be noticed, as both teams started getting close and closer to scoring yet again. Farfadillis would be the first one to get a fourth goal.

Dandalleion, who'd not been playing at the top of his game but still helping the team a lot, got a long pass from Alaminos after a failed attack by Nova Anglicana, and that was all he needed to score. He dribbled Martinez and started a long run towards the goal. He then outrun Lancaster as well and, as Jordan was approaching him, let a missile take off his left foot. The shot wasn't too precise, but it was fast enough for precision to be irrelevant.

With just ten minutes to go, Hodges scored a second goal just as his teammate Moga. A corner kick for Nova Anglicana was poorly defended by the Farf team and, though initially the Lions failed to score, Hodges managed to get a lucky rebound with enough space to shoot randomly and hope for the best. And the best happened. It was a rather messy goal, but all goals are worth one point in the end.

With the score tied at four, the match sure reached its climax. Both teams started very relentlessly looking for a goal. In the end, Fôx had to be replaced by Tôr because he was exhausted. He left amidst heavy clapping by both the Farves and the neutral fans, as he sure had done well. Nova Anglicana blew off the two substitutions they had left, as well. With three new players on the pitch, the match regained some vitality. However, even the players that had been running for more than eighty minutes were still running, hungry for the three points.

The ninth and final goal arrived with only four minutes to go before injury time, when Nova Anglicana was once again caught off-guard and counterattacked by the Farves. This time, Kâí was the one to steal the spotlight as he managed an impressive run down the flank, which was all the more impressive considering just how much he'd already run. He dribbled two Anglicanans before connecting a through pass to Dandalleion, who was now only lightly marked, and managed to outrun the last Anglicanan defender before dribbling the goalkeeper and sentencing the Lions. Farfadillis held the lead for the fifth time, and they were now absolutely determined to keep it.

For the first time in a while, Farfadillis actually focused more on defending than attacking (ok, that's an exaggeration, but they clearly cared about defending). Nova Anglicana got a few chances, but the defense was for once rock solid, and Lisdiren would not be bested for a fifth time. Three vital points had been won in one of the most epic matches in the history of both teams.

And, funnily enough, Nova Anglicana was considered the worst team of the World Cup. Now, just how hard would the Polar Islandstates be?