Baptism of Fire LXVII(IC, Everything)

[Dalmat]

Bwubanza City Park


" Bwubanza City Park is the stadium where Dalmat's football representation will face against Columberra in the third leg of the group stage. Dalmat is sitting firmly at second place due to goal difference tieing with Baker Park with 4 points. Let's see if the group will be shooked at the end of the matchday. "

It was a real joy getting to Bwubanza for the players. After landing in Busukuma International airport, the team got onto a train in order to get to Bwubanza. The train ride itself was a unique experience which relaxed the entire team and prepared them for the upcoming game. When they reached their destination, they drove to the stadium with a bus. The stadium was small by surface, cozy and intimate, although tightly packed with many stands. The fans also felt closer together. This evening 12 000 Dalmatian fans seated themselves on the stands, mostly covering the south. Just as the sun started to set, rain drops came down. The players were chatting in the locker room. When they exited, the rain was only getting stronger.

" Hello, Dalmat! It's Benjo from D3. Today, I'm bringing you a game between our boys and the Columbertan team! Let's hope our boys can stay 'dry'. The players are currently lining up on the pitch. The anthems will soon be played. "

After a few moments of unity and compassion the notes of the anthems displayed, the commentary resumed.


" The captains are shaking hands. Nikašin is looking relaxed today, his hairstyle seems also different. And the coin has gives Columberra the ball! The whistle blows... Game on! "

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Toyland & Mordovia 0-1 Commowealth: Smash and Grab raid

Frank Armitage
Mail on Sunday Chief Soccer Writer

Reporting from Busukuma, NCT, Kingdom of Banija:

The Baker Park National team put in a workman's shift against Greater Toyland & Mordovia here at the Stadium of The Restoration in Banijan capital city, Valerie Agahambri's second goal of the competition the difference between the sides.

Wholesale changes were the order of the day for BP, as manager Pamela Scott brought on an entirely new midfield combination and a change in the forward line as well; Faith Enzikomibo was the only holdover at the back as she partnered with Derrick Briggs and Tracey Vasillias in front of Jarret Wyatt, who earned his first cap along with his fellow U21 teammates Jamari Bozeman, Tyrek Jones, Lorenzo Taborn and Trent Yeomans, along with women's U21 alumna Veronica Navarro.

T&M started with defensive alignment, and the young midfield of the Commonwealth kept their shape as they intermittently pressed forward. There was no sense of urgency in the opening 20 minutes as both sides settled in, although BP gained control of the possession numbers as the half progressed.

Navarro created havoc on the right side of the midfield with subtle and instinctive forays which ate up space in front of the fullback. Taborn showed excellent composure with the ball, his passes finding their target almost without fail. Alex Sandoval had a good look at goal following a pass from Bozeman, but his slight hesitation allowed the defender to get a piece of the shot and the deflection was scrambled away.

Toyland made only a couple of attacks that caused the Baker Park defense to give any serious attention; Wyatt handling a cross with a confident charge off the line and Vasillias breaking up a potential scoring chance with a well timed tackle.

The sides went to the dressing rooms without having provided much in the way of entertainment for the 64,000.

The Bees stepped up their pressure in the first several minutes of the second half, and Declan Mason came on to replace Yeomans on 57 minutes. Though not a natural left sided player, Mason began to assert himself on the wing in concert with Navarro on the opposite side and the pair harried the T&M fullbacks into several unforced errors with the ball in their defensive third.

The breakthrough came on 64 minutes; Jones breaking loose from his marker and taking a pass from Bozeman, then exchanging passes with Taborn before laying off for Agahambri in the box. The Jamestown City Ladies striker made a clinical finish, and the lead was well deserved, although the reality was BP could've imposed their will on the Mordovian side had they been inclined.

On 70 minutes, Nathan Ohler replaced Taborn, and the midfield squeezed into a narrower profile, frustrating the Toyland & Mordovia attack as they sought to find an equalizer.

Sandoval came off with 5 minutes to go, after having put on an excellent display of forward presence and grit, replaced by Jackie Thomas and the game ground to a halt after just 2 added minutes to the 90. Not a classic display of Commonwealth skill and pace, but a vital three points gained as Group F heads to Bwubanza City, where they conditions are expected to far less hospitable than they have been in the capital.

[Beepee]

Beepee striker Sam Veera is hoping to keep the pressure on Silver Beach and Yezur with the next .

The striker grabbed a goal in the 1-1 draw with Silver Beach - his 1st goal of the tournament - and he was just relieved to break his duck however without a victory in that match the group is still too close to call. Veera said: "As much as you want the performance, it was all about getting the points.

"I thought we started the game really well, came flying out the traps and scored an early goal.

 "It was a bit unfortunate to concede a goal, it was the opposite of what we wanted to do, but that's football sometimes, and we dug in and got a point.

"We had a few chances to put the game to bed just after they scored, but couldn't capitalise."

 Veera was delighted to partner Malade in attack. "It's a small man, big man partnership and I thought we linked up very well," he said. "Niklaus was very unfortunate not to score as well. "That's where I want to play, I'm a striker, but whoever I'm up there with, or whether I play wide or up front, I'll give 100 per cent and hopefully we can push on until the last game of the group.

"We have three games left and we just have to win as many as we can to keep the pressure on the others."

Beepee boss Michael Forsberg is genetally delighted with his team's results so far.

 "The boys were excellent. They stood up when they had to and possibly could have scored another couple of goals going forward." When asked if the qualification race will go to the wire, Forsberg added: "We'll just keep plugging away, trying to  get three points, and see what happens after that."

[Competitive Solitaire]

In the heart of Competitive Solitaire, the people of Zagreb rejoice as posters starring the national team plaster the city in an array of blue and white.

The channel CompSports 1 plays

"Good morning Competitors, I'm Jurgen van Damme and today I'm joined by Alyssa Kapcha. Let's hop right into it with a bit of talk about our cup run so far."

"That's right Jurgen, so far our national team has sprung straight out of the box into the top of Group A, having won 3-nil in the first match against Euran Oceania Territories and then smashing American Eastern States 2-1."

"Keeping that clean sheet would've been ideal for the upcoming goalkeeper Nestor Jäger, but their forward's strike was too much for him to handle."

"The team are absolutely buzzing right now and they'll be taking that mentality in with them in their next matchup against North New South Wales who sit fourth in the table."

"Yeah Alyssa, and you always worry about how their current run might have them a bit complacent. I mean, take a look at their first appearance in an international match! 3-nil! We'll be keeping an eye on them for a while."

"Yes, of course, the head coach is gonna want to make sure the lads are in the right mindset in the locker room before sending them out onto the pitch. We will definitely be keeping an eye on those three in front as they try to take the team past the group stage and into the knockout rounds."

"We'll also be watching Leo Sokolov who in the past few matches has shown his class. A real star defender right there."

"I agree, some great performances from the young defender. That's all for the Baptism of Fire, with Competitive Solitaire sitting as group leaders we are definitely hoping for some more fantastic performances from our team. We'll see you next time."

[Qasden]

Qasdonian Side

---

We're at the half way point of our expedition into the cat-filled jungle of the group stages! Will you keep fighting and stay? Or will you choose to run away?

---

Group A

Competitive Solitaire 4–0 North New South Wales
North Prarie 1–2 American Eastern States
The Frozen Forest 2–2 Euran Oceania Territories

Group A                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Competitive Solitaire               3   3  0  0    9   1  +8    9
2 North Prarie                        3   1  1  1    5   5   0    4
3 American Eastern States             3   1  1  1    3   3   0    4
4 The Frozen Forest                   3   0  3  0    8   8   0    3
5 North New South Wales               3   0  2  1    3   7  −4    2
6 Euran Oceania Territories           3   0  1  2    2   6  −4    1

Group B

Nacaltora 0–1 The Liamese Empire
Valborne 0–2 The Fourth Northern Federation
Molonia 0–1 The Sherpa Empire

Group B                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Sherpa Empire                   3   2  0  1    4   2  +2    6
2 The Fourth Northern Federation      3   1  2  0    4   2  +2    5
3 The Liamese Empire                  3   1  2  0    2   1  +1    5
4 Valborne                            3   1  1  1    3   3   0    4
5 Molonia                             3   0  2  1    1   2  −1    2
6 Nacaltora                           3   0  1  2    1   5  −4    1

Group C

Tomure 1–2 Wolves Clans
Beepee 1–0 Yezur
Sevmenika 1–0 Silver Beach

Group C                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Beepee                              3   2  1  0    3   1  +2    7
2 Yezur                               3   1  1  1    3   2  +1    4
3 Silver Beach                        3   1  1  1    2   2   0    4
4 Sevmenika                           3   1  1  1    1   1   0    4
5 Wolves Clans                        3   1  1  1    2   3  −1    4
6 Tomure                              3   0  1  2    2   4  −2    1

-Cannot win group, but could still advance

[Beepee]

Beepee 1, Yezur 0
85' Patterson

Beepee gained a late reward for steady second-half attacking pressure on a rain-spattered afternoon. It was largely a game to forget in the difficult conditions and seemed to be heading for a scoreless draw, as Yezur looked as if they might keep their hosts contained and pick up a point away from home. But a goal by captain Chris Patterson  five minutes from time made victory pretty much safe for Beepee

Manager Michael Forsberg said the most pleasing aspect of the performance was that Beepee kept going, while they knew they would have to be patient after failing to score early on. “We have been in matches before and we’ve had to dig out results, and today was another day like that,” he added. “We scored our goal near the death but that’s all down to the boys’ fitness and their willingness to get forward and win the game.” Both sides tried to master the heavy conditions early on and, as a consequence, the first half was fairly even.

Now top placed Beepee looked a little unconvincing in defence at times against Yezur, and Goalkeeper Fancois Shep did will to tip away an angled drive in the 14th minute from the Yezur attack.

The Yezur side relied heavily on the offside trap to quell Beepees moves, while some of referee decisions got both sets of players frustrated.

In 21 minutes, Sam Veera missed a great chance after he had cut in skilfully from the right, and got a fortunate bounce of the ball, but hit his shot into the side netting from near the six-yard box. Veera and also Carlo Bannan made attempts on goal after a long clearance from Shep had floated into the Yezur area, but the ball was headed off the line without too much panic in the Yezurian rearguard.

Impatience among sections of the Bush fire following was growing by this stage, as they badly wanted a victory to see the Beepeean side keep up with the likes of Silver Beach.

Yezur enjoyed a small flurry of chances just before the interval. An offside-looking  Yezur attack looked almost certain to score after collecting a flick forward but an attempt to lob Shep went embarrasingly wide.

Yezur looked a little more menacing at the start of the second half but Beepee gradually gained possession and tried to inject a bit more urgency into their game. They embarked on a regular series of forward moves and the introduction of Chang for Bannan after 55 minutes gave the attacks an added edge.

A shot well saved by Yezur ‘keeper looked like perhaps the most hopeful attempt - but then another move by the home side finally paid dividends. Beepee carried the ball into the box with a skilful passage of play and Veera laid off to Chris Patterson, who kept calm and slammed it into the roof of the net.

The victory moves Beepee to the top of the group table with only 2 matches remaining.  The win is also Beepees ninth international match without a loss (6 wins, 3 draws).

[Euran Oceania Territories]

EURAN OCEANIA TERRITORIES
"The Underdogs"

Baptism of Fire LXVII Squad

National Introduction

Kit: Blue with combination livery of Euran gold and Syndicatian white. Alternative kit is the same colours are Syndicatian or "Revolutionaries" green.
Stadium: Flynn Arena, 96,500
Style Mod: +2

The Incorporated States of Euran Oceania Territories is a parliamentary federal dominion of Eura, formed of the Euran zone of the former Inevitable Syndicate and the Whittorian Islands. It has a population of just under ten million people which is quickly rising, making it a beacon of diversity home to Syndicatians, Whittorian refugees, Euran migrants and others. It has possibly the world's largest artificial crater, which dominates the landscape west of what is now New Fligsive, the capital of this new entity. Its home stadium is the The Flynn Arena, where Eura beat Polar Islandstates 4-2 in the famous 66th World Cup final. Few would have predicted that the colours of red, blue and gold would become permanent there but its happened, and the stadium is now back in good condition after an expensive refit to return it to the 96,500 capacity it held previously. Previously a wooden stadium, the current iteration of the Flynn Arena was rebuilt after a great fire destroyed the stadium during a game between Fligsive FC and Magnaeus City. Nowadays, it's a little more robust, having been the subject of many refurbishment projects over the years. The stadium was easily reachable on the Fligsive Metro before the violent overthrow of the Corvidae regime and the associated disaster in Fligsive. It now sports a combination of the old paint job as well as Euran blue and gold while the local club Fligsive FC are still in existence despite drawing lower crowds after the Mertagne exodus, though they do not play in the hastily cobbled together amateur EOTLeague.

Euran Oceania Territories formed a national football team not long after the founding of the political entity, a project conjured up by the Euran government Ministry of Sport to imbue a sense of cohesion among the diverse population of EOT. They played a series of friendlies against other "Eurasphere" sides from Endemia and Rushmore in a lengthy state subsidised tour. Their first games were defeats against Daera, Itor and the Ferguson Islands, before an unexpected 4-3 victory against Helving, despite their Euraleague star Scott Barnes scoring a hattrick. They then entered the 50th AOCAF full of excitement despite having a mostly amateur team, including serving military personnel, but were promptly demolished in the group stages by several teams. Now, with the citizenship laws relaxed to allow the growth of the Territories, the "Underdogs" as they have come to call themselves are suddenly confident that they might be able to pull off a shock or two. They've got some top class management too in the form of manager Tolgus Tregajorran, a footballing icon in Apox who is also well known on the international scene.
Tregajorran has managed to persuade some former Apoxian internationals, playing in Eura and with no international allegieance following the dismemberment of Apoxian professional football, to sign the relevant papers and make the surprise switch to EOT, as well as Euran's and other international exiles. After several years of bit part competition EOT have decided to put themselves forward for World Cup qualifiers for the first time and in turn the Baptism of Fire, after the Sameban national team withdrew from the Endemian International Sporting Agreement and international football.

The Squad
Shirt number. Name - Age - Position - Caps - Goals - Club (Nation)

Goalkeepers

1. David Cooke - 34 - GK - Unioneers (Eura)
13. Bart Jones - 30 - GK - Burdoc Ridge (Audioslavia)

Starting goalkeeper Cooke remains a stalwart of the side with Bart Jones still on the bench five years after EOT's competitive debut at the AOCAF.

Defenders

2. Timwise Gerduns - 23 - RB - Revolutionaries (Eura)
5. Kurt Strong - 24 - CB - Revolutionaries (Eura)
6. Alex Charlton - 29 - CB - Brigham (Eura)
3. Ewan May - 29 - LB - Lemmitania State FC (Audioslavia)
15. Jack Ream - 22 - RB - Fligsive FC
19. Danny Lawrence - 25 - CB - Ulsa Rovers (Eura)
21. Jesus Moreno - 23 - LB - Arrowsmith (Eura)
23. Kyle Bird - 31 - CB - Baton Island

When EOT started out their weakest area was defence. Now that is not the case thanks to a back line that includes the starting right back and a starting centreback from Revolutionaries and Brigham respectively, as well as a Revolutionaries squad player at centreback. Beyond that they lack strength in depth but at least they have some professionals from a high level going into their first competitive non-regional campaigns.

Midfielders

4. Samuel Freeman - 27 - CM - Farrenton Athletic (Eura)
7. Peter Chadwick - 26 - CAM - Holdenberg City (Eura)
8. Willem Ajax - 28 - CM - Bastion (Eura)
11. Edward Pollard - 27 - LM - Lajuno (Eura)
16. Louie McKenzie - 25 - AM - Bastion Lions (Eura)
17. Mark Little - 20 - RW - Fligsive FC
18. Brandon Browton - 30 - CDM - Eastice (Daera)
20. Callum Sauvage - 28 - AM - Jericho
22. Peter Brooks - 23 - CM - AFC Whittorians

Their starting midfield has barely changed for several years. Freeman, Chadwick, Ajax and Pollard remain the crucial players. McKenzie and Brooks are probably the best of a weak bunch of squad players.

Forwards

9. Ulysses Zimmer - 24 - ST - Hornchurch (Eura)
10. Tom Duffy - 24 - CF - RGS Athletic (Eastfield Lodge)
12. Paul Hooper - 20 - ST - Fligsive FC
14. Leigh Oswald - 30 - ST - Wanda Island Wanderers (Abanhfleft)

In the years since EOT started playing international football Leigh Oswald's star has fallen considerably, while erstwhile target man Tom Duffy has become a successful striker at one of Eastfield Lodge's top clubs. Zimmer is a reliable poacher although his goalscoring ability at international level is not exactly exceptional. Paul Hooper is a promising youngster with sensational pace.

Preferred starting lineup
Formation is 4-4-2, however they can also switch to 4-1-2-1-2 and 4-3-3 quite easily. If they are losing and need to score, they tend to go for 4-3-3, withdrawing Pollard, pushing Chadwick into the centre and throwing Oswald up front. Either that or 3-4-3, taking May off, going to three at the back and putting Oswald up front.

GK - 1. D Cooke
RB - 2. T Gerduns
RCB - 5. K Strong
LCB - 6. A Charlton
LB - 3. E May
RAM - 7. P Chadwick
RCM - 4. S Freeman
LCM - 8. W Ajax
LAM - 11. E Pollard
CF - 10. T Duffy
ST - 9. U Zimmer

Responsibilities

Captain: Alex Charlton
Vice captain: Tom Duffy
Free kicks: Peter Chadwick (Direct right foot), Willem Ajax (DIrect left foot), Samuel Freeman (Indirect)
Corners: Peter Chadwick (Right inswinging), Willem Ajax (Left inswinging)
Penalties: 1. Peter Chadwick 2. Tom Duffy 3. Ulysses Zimmer 4. Samuel Freeman 5. Willem Ajax

I Give To My Opponent The Permission To:
=================================
Choose My Goalscorers: Y
Godmod Goalscoring Events: Y
Injure Players: Y, however I'll decide the severity.
Godmod Injury Events: Y, however I'll decide the severity.
Red Card Players: Y (within reason)
Yellow Card Players: Y
Godmod Other Events: Yes, but give me some warning/ask for advice. This is an unorthodox team who are not wholly professional, so feel free to be creative.
=================================

[Banija]

---

You have set them all on fire! They think they've found the new Messiah... And they'll hurt you at cutoff!

Group D
Lazhal 1–1 Crystalline Caverns
Austenesia 3–1 Great Chota
Spaceania 0–0 Humaliwo

Nation Name              Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD    Pts 
1 Austenesia              3    2   0   1     4    2   +2     6
2 Crystalline Caverns     3    1   2   0     5    4   +1     5
3 Lazhal                  3    1   1   1     4    4    0     4
4 Humaliwo                3    1   1   1     1    2   −1     4
5 Great Chota             3    1   0   2     5    6   −1     3
6 Spaceania               3    0   2   1     2    3   −1     2

Group E
Stegosauristan 1–2 Siovanija and Teusland
North Dajao 1–1 The Cereal Isle
Tzerinn 0–0 Lionsguard

Nation Name               Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Siovanija and Teusland    3    3   0   0     9    3   +6     9
2 Lionsguard                3    1   1   1     4    2   +2     4
3 The Cereal Isle           3    1   1   1     4    5   −1     4
  Tzerinn                   3    1   1   1     4    5   −1     4
5 Stegosauristan            3    1   0   2     3    4   −1     3
6 North Dajao               3    0   1   2     3    8   −5     1

Group F
Colunberra 0–1 Dalmat
Commonwealth of Baker Park 4–3 Free Territory of Makhnovia
Norcambria 4–4 Greater Toyland and Mordovia

Nation Name                      Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD    Pts 
1 Commonwealth of Baker Park      3    2   1   0     8    6   +2     7
2 Dalmat                          3    2   1   0     4    2   +2     7
3 Free Territory of Makhnovia     3    1   0   2     7    7    0     3
4 Norcambria                      3    0   3   0     8    8    0     3
5 Colunberra                      3    1   0   2     3    5   −2     3
6 Greater Toyland and Mordovia    3    0   1   2     5    7   −2     1

[Dalmat]

Dalmat 1 : 0 Columberra - Matchday 3



Bwubanza City Park

D3 Live

(OOC : D3 is a more laid-back and fun programme unlike the other. D1 is the official one while D2 handles most of the 'people' aspects such as interviews and culture. )

'0
" The anthems have finished. What a dearing moment it was. The rain is currently getting stronger and stronger, most of the players are already wet. You gotta love these Bwubanzan rainfalls. Mhm. This'll be a muddy evening. No player is injured in the Dalmat team.  "

'1
" It was a great pass to Dinor from Baleta. Dinor struck it down the middle but their goalkeeper was ready. "

'3
" Beriloy is through after a nice pass from Dinor. It is extremely slippery. He slides with the ball and GETS IT IN! BERILOY SLIDED IT IN! DALMAT IS LEADING!

'7
" Handplay from Dalmat! Columberra was awarded a free kick. And it goes wide. "

'9
" Some fans have started a few torches and smoke bombs. They couldn't get them on or set them off. Haha. "

'13
" The ball is stuck in the midfield. Neither of the teams have succeeded to get an opportunity for a shot. "

'22
" Nikašin, Dalmat's goalkeeper, has entered the field to assist the team in the play. Fortunately, they did well and landed a shot near the goal. Nikašin sprinted towards his goal when they lost the ball, but, luckily, noone scored. "

'27'
" And it's a yellow card for Kapulin. He went in on a Norcambrian player too hard while he was penetrating the left wing. "

'33
" A Norcambrian striker had a great opportity, but Kajor intercepted the ball and sent it out. "

'39
" Dinor is in a great position to strike... But it hits the post as the crowd aws. "

'45
" The judge has awarded a minute of extra time. "

HALFTIME

'52
" The stadium has soaked during the break. Now the mud is covering a lot of the pitch. Every slide tackle and fall will result in a mud bath haha! "

'56
" By now you almost can't tell what color are the national kits. "

'57
" It's a foul from a Columberrian player. He tackled Šumarov. Free kick for Dalmat. Dinor lands it, but their goalie saved it. "

'64
" Dalmat had a great opportunity when Beriloy shot from his wing. It curved and flew away... "

'70
" Columberrian team has dominated this last several minutes. Dalmat cannot steal the ball. "

'78
" Franks has got himself a yellow card. He elbowed a Columberran player.

'83
" Đevad is looking prepped. He just has to hold onto the result. He calls for a substitution. Barilik is coming in for Franks. "

'87
" Dinor is off for the young hope of Dalmat - Sutro Maleze. "

'90
" Columberra has a few seconds to score. They take a shot from the half-way line. They miss. The referee awards 3 additional minutes of extra time. "

FINAL WHISTLE

" And THE REFEREE HAS BLOWN THE FINAL WHISTLE! Dalmat has won 1-nill! The players are celebrating! Dalmat is undefeated in international competitions with 2 wins and a draw. The players and fans are now on the pitch, celebrating together all muddy. This is a very adorable moment. Oh. Unfortunately, security had to send the fans back to their seats for secutity measures. Still, it was fun until it lasted. There we go folks, as the players are grouping up in a mud pit for a group photo, we have to close this live programme. Stay tuned to Dalmat TV stations, D1 and D2, where the official analyses of the game and of the entire tournament will be broadcasted. I'll see y'all tomorrow when Dalmat goes against Greater Toyland and Mordovia in Bwubanza. It will be hectic. G' night! "



Beriloy celebrating





Fans celebrating




Fans celebrating at home



Goals and assists tally :

Dinor - 3G, 1A
Beriloy - 1G
Baleta - 1A
Glutić - 1A

Cards tally :

Kapulin - Y
Franks - Y

[The Free Territory of Makhnovia]

The game between The Free Territory of Makhnovia and Commonwealth of Baker Park was played in conditionsof heavy rainfall that had obstructed the game significantly. Despite this, it turned out to be a tense game, with seven goals scored and numerous other opportunities. Unfortunately, the Boys in Black lost. Free Sports Television is here with manager Viktor Kavlik-Merigold who will answer some questions about the match.

Kavlik-Merigold's face is shown on the screen. He's wearing a suit and a tie and he looks a bit down in the dumps.

Q: This loss sees your chances of reaching second leg of the competition drop significantly. How do you feel at present?

A: Honestly, this feels like a downer. We played well but the other team outplayed us. There's no one to blame for this loss then ourselvesand luck.

Q: It was still an interesting game, with some prime football and Hector Yazi scored a beautiful goal again?

A: It was, I wished I had watched it from the stands instead of being on the losing part of it. And Yazi played great and this goal was really a bit for the highlight reel, all the way from 25 meters and into the upper corner.

Q:Commonwealth of Baker Park fielded a mixed male/female team for this competition. This is somewhat controversial move considering Banija's stance on it?

A: I personally see no controversy. There should be no gender discrimination in sports if you ask me.

Q: Do you see this happening in the Free Territory?

A: Preparations for that is being made. As you probably know, The Workers and Peasants Committee for Sports has convened on the issue and from the next year, mixed teams will be eligible to enter Football League of Free Territories. Same will be with our selection. There are same great female football players in Makhnovia and they should have equal opportunity to play in prestigious competitions.

Q: Will you be changing anything in the upcoming matches?

A: Me and the backroom staff will hold a couple of meetings. It is important that we win in the next too matches at any cost.

Q: Thank you and good luck, manager.

[North Prarie]

Francis at his college choosing conference
Bradley Francis shocks sports fans, announces he will not look to be signed by a Prarie Premier team
By Liz Carlson, Head of Sports Publishing | @lizsbt

(CARVILLE, CEDAR) High school senior and 18-year old soccer prodigy Bradley Francis announced today that he will not go into the Prarie Premier, shocking many. Francis instead opted to play at Abbey City University, who are the defending PACA Soccer champions and boast U-21 CAM and prodigy Louis Owens. Francis, along with East High School right back Dominic Henderson, are the two best league-aged high school players in North Prarie. Henderson, on the other hand, announced he is declaring for the Premier, so bidding will open at the end of the season. The supposed frontrunners for the Henderson sweepstakes are Durham City FC, Loon City Rising SC, and his hometown club, Riverbay United.
Francis' decision to pursue his education is a controversial topic in sports, as many say that players should put school first, while many fans say that they should look for money and make a good career.
Another topic to consider is that with this decision, Francis puts himself right in a place to be snapped up by newly announced expansion club FC Volaworand. In 2 years, Francis will be in the right position to go in the Premier, and with the '2 national team players for expansion sides' rule, he would be a great fit in Volaworand.
However, at Carville High Francis' departure for college is not the end of their dominance. 16 year-old U-18 player and Sporting World Cup all-star Coby Katsner plays for the Cardinals, along with rising star Fredric Maier. They are still coached by U-18 assistant Lenz Lawrenz. Carville will prosper even without Francis.
Bradley and the Prarieans head into a heated match against North New South Wales, where, should they lose, they will be out of the Baptism of Fire. So...
LET'S. GO. LOONS.

[Austenesia]

Wolf's Den - Busembe, Banija

The stadium lighting glared down on Ezra Wardens as he took his place as the head of the team. Inside, he was still also furious that some of the members of his team decided it would be a good idea to violate the sanctity of the Sabatday by playing on it. Sure, not all Austenesians observed the Sabatday to the extent that devout Moronians like he did but even those who didn't still showed enough respect to take the day off. Of course, their loss on Sabatday to Humaliwo already caused a rumor to spread that their team had now been cursed by Moroni. Wardens of course refused to believe that and thought that they would do better, especially because they only had players today on their team who observed Sabatday and he intentionally benched the seven players from two days before.

He snapped back to attention however at the sound of a whistle and the games began. Facing off against them was the green uniformed team of the Confederation of Great Chota and quickly, they began a fierce contest for the ball. Chota had the ball first and pushed it down to their side, trying to get a shot before it was stopped by a great block from Trent Barclay, the goal keeper. Gaining possession, Team Austenesia began to advance downfield in a much more aggressive 3-4-2-1 position with Wardens serving as the striker. This formation had its effects but they faced some dissappointment within eight minutes into the game.

When Great Chota had possession, two of their midfielders maintained possession of the ball until they passed it off to a right forward. This forward however had camped significantly inside their side of the line and with a straight shot at the goal, he instead charged straight for it and suddenly, WHAM, he kicked it in. Barclay tried his best to stop it but he was hundredths of a second too slow and Great Chota had already scored the first point of the game.

Wardens felt a sinking feeling and began to wonder if all the sports commentators back home where right. Perhaps their team was cursed. Suddenly, he felt a pat on the back from Lyle Nugent, their team's left forward.

"Got this, Rez?", he said, referring to Wardens by popular nickname. Wardens couldn't think of anything good to respond with so he just nodded. Starring downfield, he was tempted to change their formation to adopt a defensive strategy and try to wear out Great Chota's team, hoping to wait until they were tired and then try to launch an aggressive charge to at least tie the game. But his gut told him to keep on going. The ball turned over twice after that. They got the ball and made it pretty far into Great Chota's zone only to have it stolen by one of Great Chota's center backs. They then gained possession again and Wardens saw an opening. Nugent had moved forward and taken position a little beyond him on the Great Chota side and Trey Ferd was sending the ball up the field to him. Wardens got the ball and moved across the field as deftly as he could, avoiding two different attempts by Great Chota players to steal the ball. He glanced at Nugent who looked ready and quickly shot him the ball. Not expecting this, the Great Chota defense quickly spun around to place their pressure on Nugent but it was too late. Nugent shot and a sudden whistle signified they had scored a goal, effectively tying the match right before halftime.

During half-time, Wardens gave a pep talk to his team. They were within reach he said and certainly, the thinner atmosphere would be to their advantage, he added. Although he wasn't one hundred percent certain about where exactly the Great Chota players trained, he knew many of his fellow teammates including himself did high altitude training since most of the national football tournaments in Austenesia were held in Devana City which was high in the mountains. And based off of how exhausted some of Great Chota's players seemed, he told his team this is the moment they could erase their horrific failure a few days ago on Sabatday.

Sure enough as they came back out onto the field, they seemed like a different team. Sticking to the same offensive formation as during the first half, Wardens and his teammates hammered Great Chota constantly and kept rotating players on and off the benches with the exception of the seven they had banned. With ten minutes, Wardens scored the second goal of the game. Getting the ball from Jones, he made his way right past a center back and kicked the ball straight between the goal keeper's legs. The Great Chota goal keeper got so made he threw a punch at the goal post and uttered a foreign curse word. Great Chota had possession for a bit and made three close attempts to score but were stopped usually by Esau Kennedy or Trevor Farnsworth with Charles Berkins helping some as he constantly rotated in and out with the others.

Thirty five minutes into the game, Jones had possession of the ball and attempted to score. He kicked what looked like a good shot but the goalie stretched out his foot and made contact with the ball, sending it out of the goal - right in Wardens' direction. Time seemed to stop for Wardens as he wanted the ball fly above the grass straight at him. He instinctively kicked and the ball bounded straight back, so high that the goalie tried jumping up to block it but wasn't fast enough and the ball flew in, scoring a third point.

Down by two, Great Chota attempted to make a final comeback by trying to rush the ball downfield and they took aim and shot the ball - too far. It flew over the net and gaining possession of the ball, Berkins passed it up to Jones but by then, the timer buzzed and the game concluded. Seeing their score on the board, the entire team quickly fell on their knees, bowed their heads, and crossed their arms across their chests as they thanked Moroni for their victory.

[Siovanija and Teusland]

STELBURGER ZEITUNG

SPECIAL EDITION -- BAPTISM OF FIRE

'DIMITROV SCORES....BUT WHICH ONE?'

Siovanija and Teusland’s national football team continued a great start at the Baptism of Fire, defeating Stegosauristan by a 2-1 score.

The sides entered the match having taken different paths through the first two matches. Siovanija and Teusland remained unbeaten with comfortable 3-1 and 4-1 victories over the Cereal Isle and Tzerinn, while Stegosauristan defeated Lionsguard 1-0 but found themselves defeated by the Cereal Isle 2-1. “They showed their quality on that first day of the tournament, but perhaps couldn’t carry it on against the Cereal Isle. Our task is clear, we want to play quality football and stay consistent, and hopefully at the end of 90 3 points will be ours,” said the manager Apostol Manevski.

Manevski’s side for the match saw several changes from the Tzerinn match. Ole Sauer donned the goalkeeper’s shirt for the first time, and other names getting starts included Krum Kynev, Detimar Tsvetkov, Evgeni Antonov, Jurgen Stern and Anton Dimitrov. “We’ve just played two big games and we’ve got more coming, so I wanted to give some of our guys a chance to rest and some of our guys a chance to find their stride for when we need them in the future. It’s a short tournament and we don’t want to burn out,” Manevski said regarding his decision. Ole Sauer, wearing the captain’s armband as Miroslav Dinev was out of the lineup, said “It’s an honour for all of us to go out, and we’re going to play our hearts out.”

The Goldhorns, in their black-gold kits for the match, took to the field for the first time at Star Field in Banija. The players in the lineup for the first time seemed a little nervy early on, and took time to settle into the game. That gave the opponent several good chances early on thanks to little errors. Krum Kynev misplayed a header straight out to the Stegosauristan winger, who blasted a shot that was saved by Ole Sauer. The FC St. Jakob keeper showed his class early on, and it was really thanks to him the score remained 0-0 in the opening minutes.

Eventually of course, the Goldhorns would lose those nerves and played much better. The opening 15 or so minutes of Stegosauristan domination were quickly replaced by fast-paced attacking play from the Goldhorns, who looked solid going forward. Just as Sauer had done for his team earlier in the game, now it was the Stegosauri keeper keeping his team in the match. Incredible reflexes denied Detimar Tsvetkov’s header off a corner, and the sides remained in a deadlock. As the minutes drew on, half-time approached, and the sides would head into the break in a 0-0 draw.

Coming out of the break, the Goldhorns looked deadly, however, and they quickly changed the scoreline. Lyubomir Dimitrov began a run down his side of the park, and a pass found Jurgen Stern in the midfield. Stern held onto the ball before threading a pass to Georgi Lukanov who appeared open. Lukanov’s run towards goal was stopped, however, by quick defending and he was forced to look for a pass. Finding a lane, he got the ball to Anton Dimitrov who could not be denied, and turned the ball home. Dimitrov, on his first cap, is expected to have a long career for this team and fans of the Goldhorns hope this goal was the first of many. The Goldhorns now led 1-0.

Despite some mistakes early on, the Goldhorns’ backline had put together an overall solid display in the match. For players on their first match, some nerves were to be expected. The backline only had one last lapse in focus in the match, and unfortunately it was a lapse that led to a goal for the opponent. Stegosauristan pressed forwards on the attack after going behind, and caused the defenders lots of problems. It was Thorsten Helmke who was caught just a little out of position on the play, and in an attempt to compensate he went in for a tackle judged illegal by the referee. Helmke saw a yellow card, and Stegosauristan had a penalty opportunity. Stepping up for the penalty, the confident striker blasted his spot kick to the top right. Sauer guessed the right direction, but could not get a hand to it and the score was level.

The Goldhorns still wanted to get a win out of this one, and drove forward with even more intensity than before. Stegosauristan’s keeper made several great saves, and had luck on his side as well when Jurgen Stern’s drive hit the post. Apostol Manevski sensed the need for added creativity on the pitch, and subbed on Viktor Dimitrov in place of Stern. That meant 3 players named Dimitrov on the pitch for the Goldhorns, none of them related. That certainly caused quite the confusion for announcers covering the match, and certainly also for the viewer at home. Ivo Romanov also joined the fray, replacing Rupert Holz, while Thorsten Kramer would replace Evgeni Antonov with 15 to play.

Finally, with just 10 minutes on the clock, the Goldhorns struck. Thorsten Helmke moved the ball up the right side, and sensing an opportunity to make up for his previous error, made a brilliant move to beat his man before sending the ball to Viktor Dimitrov in the middle of the park. This was one of those times Viktor sensed a goal on the way, and he turned and immediately fired a shot. His drive was just out of the reach of the keeper, and he found the net. The Goldhorns led 2-1. That score would hold for the remainder of the match, as the backline gave a very solid performance to preserve the lead and the all-important 3 points. The answer to the question of which Dimitrov scored, then, would be 2 of the 3, Anton and Viktor.

Coming off the pitch, a few players granted time for an interview, as did the manager. “I’m happy to have done my part, I think the team played a wonderful game in front of me and I did my best to help them out. We’re all proud to have won this one,” said the keeper Ole Sauer. “It’s a solid win, a tough game obviously but we pulled it out,” said the manager. Asked about any psychological effect on Thorsten Helmke after giving up the penalty, he said “I think that’s not an issue….Thorsten showed that through the play he made on the goal, and really he played a solid 89 minutes. It’s a shame one mistake changes the game, but this is football, and he’ll know better next time.”

Next up for the Goldhorns is Lionsguard, who come into the match off a 0-0 draw with Tzerinn. Other results include a 1-0 loss to Stegosauristan and a 4-1 victory over North Dajao. Lionsguard are known for playing a heavily defensive style. Asked if he’d be making any tactical adjustments, Apostol Manevski said “Well, if I do, you’ll be the last to know….no, seriously though, they obviously have a system that works well for them and we’re going to try to beat it, we know that they also have offensive quality from that win over North Dajao, and it should be an interesting game.” The question of alteration still remains in the air, and likely will until the lineup is released. Two matches remain for the Goldhorns in the group stage, and they hope to continue winning ways against Lionsguard.

Siovanija and Teusland XI (4-2-3-1) Sauer; L. Dimitrov, Kynev, Tsvetkov, Helmke; Antonov (Kramer 75’), Brotzmann; Lukonov, Stern (V. Dimitrov 64’), Holz (Romanov 70’); A. Dimitrov
Goals: Anton Dimitrov 48’, Stegosauristan #10 57’ (pen.), Viktor Dimitrov 81’

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Lowell Friedman: "Back here on CommSports One with Sport News at Six, and let's get a preview ahead of the Baker Park versus Colunberra match coming up later here on CommSports One, for that we bring in Jeff Logan who'll be calling the match. Jeff, what's the latest?"

Jeff Logan: "Lowell, I suppose we should start with a weather report. It's a rare day here in Bwubanza City as there is only a 30% chance of rain forecast and the humidity is much lower than normal. This will be good news for two reasons, the most important being the state of the pitch. The groundskeeping crew worked for 36 hours to get the field into a playable condition after the heavy rain and the damage that 3 matches inflicted on the surface on the last match day. Hopefully by the time National team kickoff the evening match, the pitch won't have deteriorated too much. Manager Pam Scott was here yesterday afternoon and again this morning to inspect the field and she told me about 90 minutes ago, just before we left to come to the stadium, that she's satisfied with the work that's been done."

LF: "The pitch seemed extremely heavy during the Mahknovia game, even as the rain eased up considerably after halftime, so will a dry field play a bigger advantage against Colunberra?

JL: "You'd think so, but I don't think it is going to a huge difference. The grass here is much more lush and thick in comparison to the field in Busukama, so I think that even under ideal conditions it would still play heavy. This is the other positive takeaway from the lower humidity, in that conditioning will probably not play as much of a factor. The combination of the pitch and the atmospheric conditions, and the relative intensity of the match last time contributed to some of the inconsistent play we saw from Baker Park."

LF: "So, will we see changes to the lineup as we did after the first match?"

JL: "Oh definitely, as that is the other major issue Scott is dealing with. She was perplexed by the defensive breakdowns that had nothing to do with the weather, and is trying to get a sense of the right balance in the starting lineup. I know that Veronica Navarro and Trent Yeomans will be inserted back into the lineup on the wings and Brandon Ponscak with be given his first senior cap in place of Faith Enzikomibo in defense."

LF: "thanks Jeff, we'll see you later tonight with the call of the match."

JL: "thanks Lowell."

[Qasden]

Qasdonian Side

---

Mayday! Mayday! It's the 4th cutoff here in the cat-filled country of Qasden! Will your team survive one of the most decisive days yet?

---

Group A

North New South Wales 3–1 Euran Oceania Territories
American Eastern States 0–1 The Frozen Forest
Competitive Solitaire 1–4 North Prarie

Group A                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Competitive Solitaire               4   3  0  1   10   5  +5    9
2 North Prarie                        4   2  1  1    9   6  +3    7
3 The Frozen Forest                   4   1  3  0    9   8  +1    6
4 North New South Wales               4   1  2  1    6   8  −2    5
5 American Eastern States             4   1  1  2    3   4  −1    4
6 Euran Oceania Territories           4   0  1  3    3   9  −6    1

Group B

The Liamese Empire 1–1 The Sherpa Empire
The Fourth Northern Federation 1–0 Molonia
Nacaltora 1–0 Valborne

Group B                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Fourth Northern Federation      4   2  2  0    5   2  +3    8
2 The Sherpa Empire                   4   2  1  1    5   3  +2    7
3 The Liamese Empire                  4   1  3  0    3   2  +1    6
4 Valborne                            4   1  1  2    3   4  −1    4
5 Nacaltora                           4   1  1  2    2   5  −3    4
6 Molonia                             4   0  2  2    1   3  −2    2

Group C

Wolves Clans 1–1 Silver Beach
Yezur 0–0 Sevmenika
Tomure 0–1 Beepee

Group C                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Beepee                              4   3  1  0    4   1  +3   10
2 Yezur                               4   1  2  1    3   2  +1    5
3 Silver Beach                        4   1  2  1    3   3   0    5
4 Sevmenika                           4   1  2  1    1   1   0    5
5 Wolves Clans                        4   1  2  1    3   4  −1    5
6 Tomure                              4   0  1  3    2   5  −3    1

-Guaranteed Advancement (Congrats!)
-Cannot Win Group, but Could Still Advance
-Eliminated from Advancement

[Banija]

---

But you didn't have to go to cutoff! Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing!

Group D
Crystalline Caverns 2–2 Humaliwo
Great Chota 1–0 Spaceania
Lazhal 0–5 Austenesia

Nation Name              Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD    Pts 
1 Austenesia              4    3   0   1     9    2   +7     9
2 Crystalline Caverns     4    1   3   0     7    6   +1     6
3 Great Chota             4    2   0   2     6    6    0     6
4 Humaliwo                4    1   2   1     3    4   −1     5
5 Lazhal                  4    1   1   2     4    9   −5     4
6 Spaceania               4    0   2   2     2    4   −2     2

Group E
Siovanija and Teusland 0–0 Lionsguard
The Cereal Isle 3–1 Tzerinn
Stegosauristan 0–1 North Dajao

Nation Name                Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Siovanija and Teusland    4    3   1   0     9    3   +6    10
2 The Cereal Isle           4    2   1   1     7    6   +1     7
3 Lionsguard                4    1   2   1     4    2   +2     5
4 Tzerinn                   4    1   1   2     5    8   −3     4
5 North Dajao               4    1   1   2     4    8   −4     4
6 Stegosauristan            4    1   0   3     3    5   −2     3

Group F
Dalmat 3–1 Greater Toyland and Mordovia
Free Territory of Makhnovia 2–1 Norcambria
Colunberra 2–4 Commonwealth of Baker Park

Nation Name                      Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Commonwealth of Baker Park      4    3   1   0    12    8   +4    10
2 Dalmat                          4    3   1   0     7    3   +4    10
3 Free Territory of Makhnovia     4    2   0   2     9    8   +1     6
4 Norcambria                      4    0   3   1     9   10   −1     3
5 Colunberra                      4    1   0   3     5    9   −4     3
6 Greater Toyland and Mordovia    4    0   1   3     6   10   −4     1

Key
Group already won
Advancement clinched
Still Possible to Advance
Cannot Advance

[Beepee]

BEEPEE 1  - TOMURE 0
St. Pier 75'

The huge roar from the South Stand at full-time said everything about the enormity of this victory as Beepee defeated Tomure qualified from group C.

Beepees unbeaten record was under serious threat as the Tomure, having been the better side for the majority of the first half, had a goal disallowed in the 2nd minute . Not for the first time this tournament, Beepee were struggling to come to grips with a well-drilled opposition, but a tactical change early in the second half made all the difference, with the introduction of Aaron st Pier from the bench, for Max Christian proving a match-winning decision.

St Pier showed he had goal-scoring prowess following an extended spell in the dugout as he grabbed the winner with 15 minutes left, shortly after Sam Veera, impressive once again, had struck against the post afer a deflected block.

The win means Beepee have now collected 10 points from this group and the strong team character has allowed them to open up some breathing space at the top of the standings.  Following other results, Beepee qualifies for the next phase as group winners.

For Michael Forsberg that will mean continuing to take it one game at a time. "It's a great win, but there's a long way to go," he said. "The fans saw in the second half the resilience and character that this team has got, and I think that's why they got clapped off the park, because they saw so much effort throughout the games, and how much the players were wanting to win.

"We now look to get three points in the next game, and that's it."

Beepee could have got a second with Dirk Bolt's 30-yard effort looping high into the air off a defender and forcing a back-pedalling Tomure GoalKeeper to tip over, while Veera also went on a mesmerising run past three defenders before seeing his shot blocked at close range.

Tomure had all but disappeared as an attacking force, thanks mainly to a more solid second half from Beepee, but they did throw bodies forward in injury-time, and hearts were in mouths as the ball fizzed across the box in injury-time only for Claude Boles to coolly chest it back to his goalkeeper in a superb piece of defending.

The full-time roar from the 6500 Beepean fans was as loud as it's been all tournament in recognition of the achievement.

[Dalmat]

Matchday 4 - Dalmat 3 : 1 Greater Toyland and Mordovia



Bwubanza City Park


D1 Live

" Hello, Dalmat! I'm Bretko Poponium on commentary. Today I'm covering the 4th Matchday of the 67th Baptism of Fire group stage - Dalmat is going against Greater Toyland and Mordovia. Dalmat's players seem prepared and full of spirit. Will they continue their streak in the tournament without any matches lost? They're currently sitting at second place tied with Baker Park with 10 points and with the same goal difference. Toyland and Mordovia is hoping to get a win out of this to have a chance of advancing to the knock-out round. Both teams have a purpose in this match and now it is time to play the anthems. "

There were 10 000 Dalmatian fans left on the stadium since the day before. They sang their heart out with the anthem and prepared a great coreography. Sprinklers and banners covered them while the drums were playing after the anthem finished. Nikašin proudly went to the T&M captain and shook his hand firmly making chit-chat on the way. The referee approached them and flip the coin, awarding T&M with the ball.


'1
" Dalmat steals the ball, but they couldn't get it to the danger zone. "

'5
" A T&M player took the ball and passed it to the attacker. The attacker shot it on first contact and the ball was blocked by Dalmat's defense. "

'9
" Baleta took the ball to the out. T&M has a corner to take. The ball is headed away. "

'11
" T&M is through on goal. Šumarov goes with a slide tackle, but the T&M player jumps over him! Incredible scenes here... He readies his shot... And takes the net! Toyland and Mordovia is leading 1:0 in the 11th minute! "

'13
" Marujin Đevad is already calling for a time-out. His players aren't looking well. He's giving them some additional instructions. "

'18
" T&M has another chance of scoring, but Kapulin takes him out on the edge of the box. T&M has been awarded a penalty! As the player readies to take the shot... Nikašin saves it which causes celebration in the crowd! "

'28
" For the last 10 minutes it was a duller, more defensive game. Both teams are careful of any opportunities from the other. "

'29
" Glutić with some nice skills there. He passed their midfielder and now he's running down the middle. He passes to ball to the Dinor in the box. Dinor is up for the header AND SCORES! DALMAT HAS TIED WITH TOYLAND AND MORDOVIA IN THE 29TH MINUTE! "

'36
" A free kick for Dalmat. It's too high. "

'42
" It's a yellow card for Kadija. His push was too hard on the T&M midfielder. "

'45
"The referee extended the first half for 3 more minutes. "

HALFTIME

'48
" Right at the start, Dalmat seems to be much more offensive with 3 decent opportunities. Baleta did a nice rainbow flick before passing it down. The pass was off to the side and while T&M wasn't expecting, Dinor sprinted down the right wing to catch the ball... He takes a stance and hits it... IT PASSES NEXT TO THEIR GOALKEEPER! DALMAT IS LEADING 2:1! "

'51
" T&M is trying to work something out with this attack. Long passes and long shots don't seem to work in this instance. "

'64
" Beriloy passes the ball to Baleta. Baleta passes it back to Beriloy. Beriloy takes a shot 22 meter from the goal... AND SCORES! IT IS 3:1! WHAT A SHOT... "

'71
" Dinor is going out for Maleze, the young Dalmatian star. "

'78
" Bever is coming in for Glutić. Đevad wants to test out his alternate formation. "

'82
" Dalmat is taking the corner. Baleta curves the ball to Franks.

'89
" Dinor tried to score and get his first hat-trick, but he was clearly offside.

'90
" The referee has awarded an additional minute of extra time. "

FINAL WHISTLE!

" And that is it! Dalmat has secured advancement to the knockout stage! The entire squad is celebrating with the staff and the crowd. Dinor took his shirt off and threw it into the crowd to a young boy. Ecstatic atmosphere after a peculiar, intense game of opportunities. The rain has not yet started falling which made the pitch safer, although the field was soggy from yesterday. With these happy scenes, we're ending our adventure in Bwubanza and off to Jinja City for the final game of the group stage with, seemably, the most succesful team in the group - Baker Park. The game will settle the group victor once and for all. Stay tuned to Dalmat Networks as the post-game analyses will now air. Goodbye! This is Bretko Poponium, signing off "




The stadium's northern stands filled with Dalmatian supporters



Goals and assists tally :

Dinor - 5G, 1A
Beriloy - 2G
Baleta - 3A
Glutić - 2A

Cards tally :

Kapulin - Y
Franks - Y
Kadija - Y

[Siovanija and Teusland]

STELBURGER ZEITUNG

SPECIAL EDITION -- BAPTISM OF FIRE

DEFENCES SHINE IN 0-0 DRAW

The match put many fans across the nation to sleep, but Siovanija and Teusland secured advancement to the Baptism of Fire play-off rounds with a 0-0 draw with Lionsguard.

The goal was clear for Siovanija and Teusland: with a draw or win they would secure advancement from Group E, a massive achievement for the team. A string of wins, including 3-1, 4-1 and 2-1 scores led up to the match with Lionsguard. Lionsguard had, through the first three matches of the tournament, found mixed resutls. Dropping the opener 1-0 to Stegosauristan, they came out firing to defeat North Dajao 4-1 before playing a scoreless draw with Tzerinn. “They’ve settled into this tournament, and of course we know they have a lot of quality at the back, it’s up to us to break that down,” said the manager. Manevski also announced a few changes to the lineup for the match.

Ole Sauer remained in the lineup as keeper, while several players returned to the lineup, including Stefan Licht, Raphael Klopfer, Paulus Leistner and Miroslav Dinev up front. “These guys got some time to rest so they’re coming back in, but also put in some of the top performers from the last match with them to hopefully continue their good play and build more chemistry throughout the lineup,” said Apostol Manevski regarding his decisions. “It was great to see the boys get the win last time, but there’s always a part of you that wants to be out there with them, and I’m really happy to be back for this match,” said centre back Raphael Klopfer. “I think this one will come down to which backline has the better day, and I want it to be ours.”

From the opening minutes, two things were made very clear. Klopfer’s idea that the contest would come down to the defending of each side was probably correct, and at the same time fans who enjoyed exciting games probably turned the channel within 15 minutes. Deploying an extremely defensive 5-4-1 formation, credit must go to the side from Lionsguard, as they completely shut down a Goldhorns offence that had been averaging 3 goals a match prior to this one. No Goldhorn could get anywhere near the inside of the box early on in the match, and wingers Romanov and Leistner were made to look foolish several times, losing possession of the ball.

Lionsguard did press forwards a few times in the half, and in fact almost caught the Goldhorns off guard. Daan Atkins recovered the ball in his own end, and launched a long ball forwards that was chased down by Rorik Hursey. The 16-year-old striker used his youthful energy and got onto the ball first. Now only Raphael Klopfer stood between him and a duel with Ole Sauer. Hursey made a play to get himself an open shot, and blasted one that was tipped just over the net by Sauer.

Siovanija and Teusland did dominate possession numbers in the match, however, and controlled much of the flow of play. It was the solid defending of the team from Lionsguard that prevented a goal. The best chance for the Goldhorns in the first half came off a corner. The sides were about even in the air on the day, and it was Miroslav Dinev who rose high in the air and connected with the ball. However, his header went high over the net and it was a poor effort which Dinev should have converted.

The sides entered the half-time break 0-0, and a Goldhorns side that made several changes came out for the second half. Thorsten Kramer and Viktor Dimitrov switched positions again, Dimitrov dropping back into central midfield while Kramer played higher up just behind Miroslav Dinev. Deciding a more defensive central midfielder wasn’t necessary, Dennis Brotzmann was subbed off and replaced by Theodor Aberbach. Aberbach, a threat in the air, went up front with Miro Dinev.

It took the Goldhorns some time to adjust to these changes, and they had to be much more precise on the ball due to the subtraction of Brotzmann. In fact, while more chances were created up front thanks to the pair of centre forwards, there was also more opportunity for Lionsguard to come back the other way on the break. Hursey would get another good chance due to this, again finding the end of a long ball from his back line and working his way into the box. His final product this time, however, was poor, and caught by Sauer.

It wasn’t the best day at the office up front for the Goldhorns, and even with the addition of Aberbach they found their opportunities in the air declining. Aberbach would get one really good contact that was blocked by Waynard Stonnell brilliantly, denying him again. It was simply a frustrating day for the offence, and there was nothing that could be done to alleviate that.

More alterations were made as the game wore on, as Rupert Holz entered the match on the 70th minute and Evgeni Antonov was on for Viktor Dimitrov in the 74th. Antonov’s inclusion brought more of a link between the back and front lines, and really stopped any chance of Lionsguard going forward, but of course sacrificed the creativity of Dimitrov. Holz put in some solid crosses, but again they were defended well. The Goldhorns tried hard to put together something, anything, near the end of the match, but couldn’t do it and the match ended 0-0.

“It was like taking on Vrnovo Mesto (a famously defensive team in the Republikaliga) out there….they played really solid defensively, and credit to them, because Theo and I couldn’t get anything going,” said Miroslav Dinev. “Honestly, I’ll take some of the blame for this draw, because some of my tactics and changes didn’t really work out the way I had wanted them to. That’s the great thing about international football, because the next time we come up against a great defensive team we’ll know what not to do,” said manager Apostol Manevski.

Despite the dropped points, the Goldhorns secured qualification out of Group E at the tournament. Other group results saw The Cereal Isle defeat Tzerinn 3-1 and North Dajao beat Stegosauristan 1-0. Perched on top of the group with 10 points, the Goldhorns are followed by the Cereal Isle with 7 points and Lionsguard with 5. Many outcomes can occur on the final day of the group stage then, with each team in the group still theoretically being able to advance from the group.

Next up for Siovanija and Teusland is North Dajao, who will be coming in motivated by their 1-0 victory over Stegosauristan, the first of the tournament for the team. Other results from North Dajao include a 1-1 draw with the Cereal Isle, and 3-1 and 4-1 losses to Tzerinn and Lionsguard. The last match before the play-offs for Siovanija and Teusland, the Goldhorns will certainly want to get back on track with a win at Star Field.

Siovanija and Teusland XI (4-2-3-1): Sauer; Kleinmann, Licht, Klopfer, Daschner; Kramer, Brotzmann (Aberbach 46’); Leistner, Dimitrov (Antonov 74’), Romanov (Holz 70’); Dinev
Goals: N/A

[Molonia]

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: No
Choose my scoring events: No
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: No
Godmod Injuries to my players: No
Give Yellow Cards to my players: No
Give Red Cards to my players: No
Godmod other events: No

It was time for the rebirth of the former United States. 23 men will represent their nation with pride and courage, trying to prove to the world that Americans can, in fact play soccer.

Goalkeepers:
GK- Benjamin Buckwis
S8- Bradley Davis-King
S12- Eric Jordan

Defenders:
LB- Langford Williamson
CB- David Brandon
CB- Tyler Zachary
RB- Demetrius Johnson
S2- Jason Laverghetta
S10- Alvaro Jimenez

Midfielders:
LM- Peter Chan
RM- Abraham Al-Magreb
AM- Toni Mattizimo (C)
S1- Corey Cavender
S3- Fredrick Aulenbacher
S5- Rupert Ginzburg
S6- Patricio Trejo
S9- Dennis Dickerson

Forwards:
LF- Pete Gunner
ST- Shane Route
RF- Sage Thompson
S11- Anderson McCain

Molonia will feature their greatest player ever, Shane Route, who is known for frequently using tricks to beat goalkeepers and is a fan favorite across the nation. Toni Mattizimo was known for his ruthless defense, to the point of almost killing a fellow player in a Fire League match.

[Austenesia]

Wolf's Den - Busembe, Banija

Ezra Wardens starred in surprise and permanent awe at the scoreboard as it flashed the final score: "5-0." As his teammates remained on their knees, finishing up their prayers of thanksgiving, he could hear the wails from Lazhal's team and could see their blue-clad fans slowly filing out of the stadium dejected. Wardens entered this game with high hopes but he never expected a blow out. As he made his way to the edge of the field, he suddenly heard a voice call his name. He spun around and saw Anisha Holt, a sports anchor for CBN News for recently made her debut covering the Winter Olympics in Prescott earlier in the year.

"Hi Wardens, may I have a quick interview with you?" Typically Wardens avoided reporters but today was a special day and the high of his victory overrode his typical aversion to speaking with reporters.

"Sure, how are you doing?"

"Very well, Mr Wardens, very well. How do you feel right now, especially after your stunning victory?"

"I'm overwhelmed to be honest with you. I mean, we hoped for a win after last night's showing but I at least never expected a blowout quite like this."

"It certainly was a blow out this time. How did you guys play differently though and what made the difference?"

"Well, Anisha, we first tried a different strategy. While our offensive strategy got us a victory last night against Great Chota, I didn't want to chance getting scored on again so we adopted a much more standard 3-4-3 formation for the first half."

"And on your first half, you scored two goals and almost got scored on by Lazhal's team."

"Yes, we did. It wasn't easy penetrating their defense and I have to give it to Lazhal, they were a great team. I mean, they were well coordinated and very fast on their execution of the ball and their passes. To be honest, it wasn't for Trent Barclay, it could've very well been at least a tie between our two teams by half time."

"Indeed and in the second half, you guys were literally on fire. I mean, three goals in twenty minutes. That sounds like a record."

"Honestly only one of those goals were planned. Ten minutes into the game and with possession of the ball, we executed the offensive formation that worked so well for us the night before and were able to quite deftly penetrate the defense. I had scored the first two goals during the first half so I let Jones be the point man here and after tricking the Lazhal defense, Jones shot a beautiful shot that landed home. But within five minutes, we got possession of the ball during one of the Lazhal forwards tripping and one of our midfielders, I believe it was Ferguson, passed it up to me and I saw an opening so I took the shot and scored.

"And the third shot is going viral on the webnet. Your midfielder, Jarvis Walters, actually scored a goal with a head hit, knocking the ball into the goal with his head. That was certainly impressive."

"Yes it was an amazing feat. Hey, Jarvis, get over here." As Wardens beckoned, one of the large swarthy guys game running up, sporting a full beard. "This is Anisha Holt of CBN News, tell her about that amazing shot you made."

"Yes, Jarvis. How did you execute it?"

"Well, um, it was not exactly a plan of mine, you see, I was basically just staying to the left flank of Jones and keeping an eye on the ball. I mean, we had entered the other side and were just putting pressure on Lazhal to keep them on edge when suddenly, one of the players kicked, er, the ball directly in my direction and I saw it coming and was like, I mean, I didn't even think, I just jumped up and hit it with my head. I must have hit it harder than I thought because it sailed right over the kicker and completely caught the goalie of guard, scoring a point for us."

"Impressive, do you have anything you want to say to all the folks back home in Austenesia."

"Sure, um, I'd just like to say what an honor it is to be out here in Banija at the Baptism of Fire representing my home country. I love football and it is great to be able to use my love make my country proud. And all thanks goes to Moroni. He is greatest."

"Well thank you very much," said Anisha as Jarvis sheepishly bowed and then scurried off to join a group of his teammates. "So Wardens, besides blind luck, what else do you think gave you guys the advantage in the second half?"

"Well first, I wouldn't say blind luck because I clearly believe Moroni was with us the entire time we' were out there on the field. But in addition to His help, I'd say that the Lazhal team's defense really seemed much weaker in the second half. Much like the night before, it seemed the thinner air was taking a toll on them as well and I guess our high altitude training in Austenesia paid off."

"So you guys clearly got the upper hand in the second half?"

"Absolutely."

"Your team's morale was probably much higher this time around for sure?"

"Yes, yesterday's win really helped restore our confidence and made us realize Moroni was on our side."

"Do you believe you guys were defeated during your Sabatday play simply because you were playing on the Sabatday?"

"I can only speak for myself and I didn't play that day out of respect for Moroni's holy day but I won't speak for my teammates and really won't comment on that further."

"You guys are still ranked top in your group at the Baptism of Fire for the second day in a row meaning if you do well tomorrow night, you may have a significant chance of advancing to the knockout round. What do you think your chances are?"

"I can't predict the future but I guarantee you that come tomorrow night, we'll give it our best our there on the field, you can be sure of that. And regardless of if we win or lose, advance or don't advance, it has been a great honor representing Austenesia at the Baptism of Fire and I hope we can continue to do so well at the upcoming World Cup."

"Alright Wardens, thanks for your time and best of luck tomorrow."

"Thank you, Anisha. Praise be to Moroni!"

[Molonia]

Sadly, we will have to announcet th at Molonia will have to withdraw from the upcoming World Cup and all proceeding World Cup events and BoFs. I feel that the pace of the RP is way too fast and that NSSA World Cup will work out much better in this regard. If someone wants to take our place, they are welcome.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Major BP company to have naming rights

Special to the Mercantile & Exchange Gazette
(CPA)Jinja City, Banija--Prior to the kickoff of the Commonwealth versus Dalmat match in the BoF 67 here, there was a ceremony to mark the official renaming of the newly constructed Kizza IX Stadium, which will now carry the name BCEL Stadium. A 10 year, NS$88 million agreement will see the Ezriquay based beverage company also have access to the Banijan market in addition to the naming rights. CEO Georgina Flowers and Secretary of State for Trade Jay Craddock presented the officials from Jinja City Council and the Jinja City FC with a check to mark the agreement.

(BCEL CEO Georgina Flowers left and Secretary of State Jay Craddock third from right present the check to the leaders of Jinja City Council and representatives of Jinja City FC)

"We are delighted to be able to come and see this fantastic architectural achievement for ourselves", stated Flowers. "It is with great pride that we are able to associate our company with a symbol of civic accomplishment and focus for the people of Jinja City". Craddock also commented upon the newly established relationship between the two nations, "we are excited to be able to mark the beginning of closer economic and cultural ties between Baker Park and Banija through this partnership. Our Commonwealth is a strong proponent of fair trade and mutually beneficial commercial relationships with other nations, and we hope that this is the first of many opportunities to encourage investment and growth for companies in both countries."

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Colunberra 2-4 Baker Park

Frank Armitage
The Daily Mail Chief Soccer Writer

Reporting from Bwubanza City, Kingdom of Banija:

The Commonwealth National team booked a place in the knockout stages of the Baptism of Fire tournament with a convincing 4-2 victory over Colunberra at the Bwubanza City Park in front of 38,000. The victory means Baker Park can win the group outright with a win or a draw against Dalmat in the final Group F match, as both sides sit atop the table with 10 points from 4 matches.

BP started out with an aggressive opening 10 minutes, punctuated by Erica Shaw scoring her second goal in two matches just 8 minutes in, after taking a pass from Trent Yeomans and finding the top corner.

Shaw could've had a brace when 6 minutes later she saw a gap and fired from 15 yards, but the shot grazed the post and went wide. Tyrek Jones doubled the lead on 29 minutes with his first senior team goal, a tidy crossover on the dribble giving him space to fire low past the keeper.

Manager Pamela Scott has been troubled by the defensive breakdowns at set pieces and these came to the front again just before the half, when an indirect free kick from 28 yards which should have been handled easily by Moyer turned into a Colunberra goal after D Tracey Vasillias' header fell to the Colunberra striker, who poked it beyond the reach of Moyer.
"Bad communication. Kyle was a bit late in calling her off, so she was already moving to the ball while he was out of position," Scott said after the game. "You've got two players who have senior experience, but not enough to be totally confident in each other. That's why we're here, to get issues ironed out."

Six minutes after the break, Valerie Agahambri restored the 2 goal advantage with her 3rd of the competition, a sublime finish set up by Shaw. The B's continued to push the pace and the pressure in midfield, closing down the Colunberrian attack and putting the defense under sustained pressure.

Lorenzo Taborn replaced Shaw on 66 minutes and soon after, it was Taborn who set up Nathan Ohler for the fourth BP goal, an intricate passing combination along with Jamari Bozeman that Ohler finished with a shot that took an unusual bounce off the turf just in front of goal that fooled the keeper.

Declan Mason replace Veronica Navarro on right wing with 12 minutes left and Leslie Monaghan made her first appearance for the national team 3 minutes later when she came on for Bozeman and took up a defensive midfield position in front of the back 3.

However, the shift to a 5 player midfield upset the defensive assignments on an ensuing Colunberra corner, a second chance was headed home after a poor initial clearance from D Terrence Stephens, and the lead was cut to 4-2 with 7 minutes left.

Baker Park then slowed the tempo and saw out the remainder of the match without further threat, and now own the tournament's highest goal total.

[Qasden]

Qasdonian Side

---

It's the final day in the Baptism of Fire for most people here! Will you go home now, or will you go to boogie wonderland for the knockouts?

---

Group A

North Prarie 5–2 North New South Wales
The Frozen Forest 0–5 Competitive Solitaire
Euran Oceania Territories 2–2 American Eastern States

Group A                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Competitive Solitaire               5   4  0  1   15   5 +10   12
2 North Prarie                        5   3  1  1   14   8  +6   10
3 The Frozen Forest                   5   1  3  1    9  13  −4    6
4 American Eastern States             5   1  2  2    5   6  −1    5
5 North New South Wales               5   1  2  2    8  13  −5    5
6 Euran Oceania Territories           5   0  2  3    5  11  −6    2

Group B

Valborne 2–1 The Liamese Empire
Molonia 0–0 Nacaltora
The Sherpa Empire 0–2 The Fourth Northern Federation

Group B                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Fourth Northern Federation      5   3  2  0    7   2  +5   11
2 Valborne                            5   2  1  2    5   5   0    7*
3 The Sherpa Empire                   5   2  1  2    5   5   0    7*
4 The Liamese Empire                  5   1  3  1    4   4   0    6
5 Nacaltora                           5   1  2  2    2   5  −3    5
6 Molonia                             5   0  3  2    1   3  −2    3
*- Valborne ahead of The Sherpa Empire via H2H Result

Group C

Beepee 1–0 Wolves Clans
Sevmenika 3–0 Tomure
Silver Beach 1–3 Yezur

Group C                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Beepee                              5   4  1  0    5   1  +4   13
2 Yezur                               5   2  2  1    6   3  +3    8
3 Sevmenika                           5   2  2  1    4   1  +3    8
4 Silver Beach                        5   1  2  2    4   6  −2    5
5 Wolves Clans                        5   1  2  2    3   5  −2    5
6 Tomure                              5   0  1  4    2   8  −6    1

-Guaranteed Advancement
-Potential Advancement (TBD via Banija's cutoff)
-Eliminated from Advancement

Congrats to those who advanced to the 67th Baptism of Fire Knockouts! Seedings and such shall be announced by my lovely co-host, Banjo Ninja Banija! Good luck, and see you in 48 hours!