World Cup 80 • EqueStar • Roleplay Thread

by **Sargossa** » Sat May 26, 2018 11:01 pm

SSM | Sargossan State Media
International Edition - Sport

Foes Old And New

Blanco Borrayo reports;

Traditionally playoffs are somewhat cagey affairs, between sides more focused on not losing than actively seeking to win. Someone clearly forgot to deliver the standard playoff script to the majority of the thirty nations that contested the World Cup 80 qualification playoffs. Fifteen two-legged encounters saw a mere 110 goals scored. The not particularly thrilling games between Sargossa and 95X contributed two of those. Rafael Bustamanté’s equaliser in Oceanside was certainly important but its significance ballooned massively following a frankly dire goalless draw in Soluca. The two results meant that the single strike from Bustamanté was enough to see Sargossa through to the Finals on the away goal rule.

It wasn’t quite the flawless qualification enjoyed by same nations, more a comedy stumble followed by a tripping over the line. But over the line is where we finished so who the hell cares. Sargossa are heading to a third successive World Cup Finals, for the very first time in our thirty cup history. So while other nations trudged unhappily towards the Cup of Harmony we were enjoying the much grander World Cup Finals draw and a mighty four place bump in the rankings. A bump that saw Sargossa appear in Pot 3 at that very draw. Which was nice.

The draw was about as kind as we could have expected. The top seeds are Chromatika, former World Cup semi-finalists who currently sit in the sportiverse’s top ten. Chromatika have had a somewhat turbulent end to the qualifying campaign, finishing second behind Mriin in Group 5, after being unable to capitalise on their rival's defeat at Cosneolta in the final round of matches. They went into the playoffs with the best record of any nation but then contrived to throw away a 4 – 2 lead going into their home game with Nova Anglicana. A home defeat by the same score saw an amazing 6 – 6 aggregate score before Chromatika scrapped through with two goals in extra time. But, despite these wobbles, Chromatika are favourites to top Group F. A battling 2 – 1 win over the Corsairs will certainly help.

Cosumar are in the mix too. Fourteenth in the world, the Group 15 winners eased into the Finals with eleven wins from their eighteen fixtures, finishing five points clear of Barunia and Valladares. The Sargossan record against The Azure Dragons isn’t actually too shabby. During the World Cup 52 qualifiers the Corsairs were held to a draw in Cosumar, before vanquishing the Vanquishers in San Marquez. And in the World Cup 63 campaign the roles were reversed, Sargossa putting six past their opponents in Ramusok before sharing the spoils of a six goal thriller in Soluca. The lone Cosumarite win came at the 62nd Cup of Harmony in San José Guayabal.

Completing the group are Cosumar’s qualification rivals Barunia. The Barunians finished a distance behind Cosumar, winning just eight of their eighteen matches. And their playoff was an even tighter affair than the Sargossa/95X classic, with just a single goal enough to see off Tumbra. Sargossa and Barunia have a similarly cagey World Cup history, with the only previous encounter being the playoff for a place at World Cup 72. Suns and Corsairs drew 1 – 1 in Barunia before Sargossa carried the day following a nervy 1 – 0 victory in Soluca. That World Cup, incidentally, was the last time Sargossa won a match at the Finals. Since then, in the seven games played, we've seen four draws and three defeats. The group fixture with Barunia represents the best opportunity to end that winless streak.

  Group F                               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Cosumar                                 1   1  0  0    4   3  +1    3
2 Chromatika                              1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Barunia                                 1   0  0  1    3   4  −1    0
4 Sargossa                                1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

by **Starblaydia** » Sun May 27, 2018 3:10 am

World Cup 78 Part One: Takeaway | Two: Duchess | Three: Fidget | Four: Torque | Five: Omen | Six: Leap | Seven: Screams | Eight: Iota | Nine: Death | Ten: Wrong | Eleven: Happy | Twelve: Together | Thirteen: Sweat | Fourteen: Taken | Fifteen Ice cream | Di Bradini Cup 41 Part Sixteen: Stunned | World Cup 79 Part Seventeen: Fame | Eighteen: Weird | Nineteen: Sheep | Twenty: Grave | Twenty-One: Gather | AOCAF Cup 55 Part Twenty-Two Device | Twenty-Three: Evil | World Cup 80 Part Twenty-Four: Sure

It was tough for both Simeone and Ázëwyn to get away from their respective duties at the same time. The endless rounds of training, preparations, video room work and media obligations made both of their lives extremely busy, but at least they were both in Starblaydia, and Corinth was only a short drive away from Jhanna after all, where the Dwarf's laboratory was to be found. They had never made a conscious effort to keep it secret, but a scientist Dwarf who fell out of a glowing portal while you're having ice cream and then claimed he could fix the future... well that was the sort of thing you didn't actively advertise, even to your closest friends.

"It's almost like we're sneaking off for a secret date," Ázëwyn joked, "like 'SDB spotted with mystery elf in downtown rendevous'."

"As if you're not known," Simeone said, completely missing the point until it popped into his mind with the power of a thunderbolt from the heavens the next evening.

"Right," She replied flatly, "here we are."

Simeone was getting strange vibrations from his Device. The Dreamed Realm technology that seemed to everyone else like a bleeding edge technology smartphone was making a nervous vibration in the inside pocket of his suit jacket. He wasn't entirely sure how he knew the mood of the Device - it seemed happy, lazy or insistent by turns - but there was something about this buzzing in his pocket that felt like it didn't really want to buzz with an update as new information was fed to it. As Simeone and Ázëwyn stepped out of the car and walked towards the ordinary-looking house with thick, drawn curtains on a quiet, ordinary street, the Device was buzzing at him like a child tugging at his sleeve and dragging its feet. Ázëwyn rang the bell and, as the door opened, the Device promptly stopped.

In the doorway stood a white-haired Dwarf. He was obviously old, even for a race as venerable as the Dwarves, but his grey-white hair shot up from his otherwise shaven head in a mohawk so high that punks would be jealous. It was matched by an equally white, braided beard that reached to his navel, though the moustache area of his upper lip was clean shaven. He wore a blue shirt and suit trousers, with a white science coat that had seen better days.

"Dalnir!" Ázëwyn exclaimed with a bright smile, "so good to see you again."

"M'Lady!," Dalnir beamed back, "And 'M'Lord too, what a surprise indeed. What ye dain here?"

Oh boy, Simeone thought, yet another barely comprehensible Dwarven accent. The Device gave him a half-hearted jab in the ribs. Before Ázëwyn could answer, though, the Dwarf continued.

"Nae, never mind tellin' me, I ken already," Dalnir said, opening the door wider and gesturing them to enter, "come in, come in, there's a wee spot o'tea brewin', or maybe a nip o'ale if ye fancy."

Ladies first, of course, as Simeone made way for Ázëwyn and the door shut behind them. It was a fairly ordinary house, with ordinary wallpaper and furnishings, all of them set at roughly a Dwarf's height with lower tables and shelves than Simeone was used to. Normal clock on the wall, normal place to hang up your keys, normal glowing blue fusion generator, normal kitchen sink, normal interdimensional gatewa- well, that wasn't entirely normal. Simeone realised the Device had been insistently buzzing at him all this time as Dalnir had been speaking.

"...so I wer tryin' t'build a contraption t'get me back to ma own time. Y'know, basic temporal mechanics n'that. But we just don't have the bits in this time! I'd sooner find a red squid in a tree than a tachyon distribution manifold! I tell ye, it's bare bones science 'ere and no mistake. So, I reckon I'm stuck here for the duration, like. Now, t'question of actually saving t'future. With a bit o'nouse though, I came up with a plan. I cannae send ye places, like a teleporter or whatever, but I can bring people 'ere. Useful people, y'know, who can 'elp us out. Quite whether it brings their entire person, corporeal form and immaterial soul, I dunno, that's more of ye gates of horn and ivory question., but nevertheless..."

"Woah, woah, wait," Simeone stammered, "you can bring people, through this thing, from anywhere-"

"And anywhen," Dalnir interrupted happily.

"From any time, and any place," Simeone corrected, "through this doorwa-"

"Morpheus Gate, it's called," Dalnir was evidently particularly proud of that name.

"Morpheus?" Ázëwyn raised her eyebrows with a look of disbelief, "that's what you're going with? That basic? You're kidding me."

"Does what it says on the tin," Dalnir frowned slightly and nodded, as if that was an end to the matter, "I can fetch whoever ye need from whenever. Now, it's not quite as spectacularly convenient as all that, M'Lady an' Lord, but when t'future is at stake, ye has to do it right, consider all the variables and balances of universal causality needing to be maintained an' such. Tell ye what, M'Lord, I make us all a brew while you 'ave a think on who we should bring in."

Simeone sunk, slightly dumbstruck, into a low and comfy chair in the Dwarf's living room. Ázëwyn sat across from him, on the other side of the lowest coffee table they'd ever seen, one that would be an ankle hazard in the dark to them, rather than the usual shin hazard that coffee tables were supposed to be.

"You're having a little trouble wrapping your mind around this one," Ázëwyn said, "I can see. Why don't you see if your Device can explain it better, and in less of a 'colloquial' accent."

"That's a good idea," Simeone said, reaching into his pocket for the Device. He brought it out, a slim, smooth and flawless black mirrored surface all around it, it was impossible to tell which way was up, and which was the front and the back. It never mattered, whenever Simeone held it, it displayed just fine for him. He tapped the screen before even considering what he was going to do with it.

3,572 notifications.

He dismissed them automatically. Then, after a pause long enough to fit in a frustrated sigh, another notification popped up at him and the Device vibrated angrily. This one he opened. He tried to read the opening sentence of fifteen pages, but couldn't get past the third word before he already didn't understand the meaning. Thankfully there was a 'Simplify' button in the top right of the screen in large, friendly letters. He tapped it. Then he tapped it again. And again. And again. Then he frowned, and hit the Undo button, because there are only so many times in one paragraph that the reader can be called several variations of 'a blithering idiot' before getting offended. The device read:

The 'Morpheus Gate', built by the Dwarf known as Dalnir,
is a one-way portal created using technology roughly similar
to that of the Dreamed Realm, only on a very small scale
due to the creator's closed-mindedness. The Morpheus Gate
can create a copy of any being from any time, and bring
them through the Gate as if they were in a dream.

Anyone can be brought through, but for matters of cosmic
importance a balance must be kept of the souls of the
individuals brought through. They cannot all be of the same
blood type, for instance, because personality matters.

Choose wisely, Simeone. Oneiritech is not to be messed with,
you blithering idiot.

"Does that make more sense to you?" Ázëwyn looked at him, concerned.

"Yes, it does," Simeone nodded, "but how do we choose a team to fight Kor-, I mean Viannor again? What even is she? Everything we've seen so far has been so convoluted, so specific, so well-laid out that there surely must be only one immensely complicated way of saving this future that Dalnir's talking about. And I don't know what it is, or even how we find out."

"Then we need to find someone who does."

by **Nephara** » Sun May 27, 2018 3:25 am

Free Republics 2 - 3 Nephara
(4-2-3-1) 1 - Tsattalios; 2 - Rafford (18 - Brymora 60'), 5 - Konoval, 6 - Bruyne, 3 - Lohengrin (vc); 4 - Rowland (23 - Misidjan 77'), 15 - Rosenthal; 13 - Fanaiyan, 21 - Gosforth (c, 14 - Webster 77'), 11 - Strongbow; 9 - Hawke
Goals: Gosforth 14', Strongbow 33', Hawke 45+1'

Theriault, Theodore and Bolton. Three of world football's pantomime villains.
The former had been a manager since before Michael Brandon's international career had begun, and he'd played against the latter two. Sent in some rougher tackles than were strictly necessary, too... but gotten away with them. He knew when to have a dig when the referee's back was turned.
But many years had passed since those days. Now presented a chance to let bygones be bygones, shake hands and smile in front of the cameras. Football, after all, was about building bridges. Not tearing them down. Right?
Yeah, right. He refused to shake their hands. No quarter would be given, none expected. Old, fierce rivals would clash again, for the first time in 24 years.

Unfortunately, nobody clued in the referee, who had rather unfairly decided to book players for blood-curdling sliding challenges.
Vicelich threw up her hands on the bench as they watched Fanaiyan, a player who hadn't even been born the last time the sides clashed, go in the book after elbowing Urbanek in the throat. The second yellow card in the first half-hour of the game. "Can you believe this amateur?" she vented. "Fuck's sake!"
"Cool it, Lux," said Brandon without turning. "We're going to win this."
But it hadn't gone off to the best start. Hawke had rattled the crossbar before Gosforth had rattled the back of the net with a snapshot from outside the box, but already it was becoming clear that the youthful Republican side was causing issues with pace. It was clear as day, even before Arsanukayev split the defence with an impeccable pass and Peltola ran through and slipped the ball beyond Tsattalios, Bruyne unable to catch up.
Brandon knew that they couldn't hold them back with brute force alone. He knew, more than that, that they were better than that, that they could use that technique. He cursed himself; he'd done his players a disservice, telling them to get stuck in and win every ball. Sure, that was great, but... pure anger? Pure frustration?
That was yesterday's Nephara. That way lay the humiliations of 78. He was not going to repeat the mistakes of the past.
"LINDE!" he bellowed as the play stalled in the Republics' half, and the leftback hustled over. "Pass it on - calm it down, stay compact, stay patient, for fuck's sake."
"Right, boss!"
"We don't need to kill them, sure as fuck not with this fucking referee. Just... calm down, mind the pace, use your technique.
"Got it, boss!"
She hustled away, and relayed the message. Brandon mopped his brow and prayed they'd get the message.

Mercifully, they did.
They'd slowed things down somewhat, relying on a technique that, quietly and subtly, had actually been drilled into them over the years. Decades of work to move football away from hucking it long over drenched pitches, careful balancing acts by technicians and coaches that history would forget to ensure that Nepharim could learn to play the damn game without losing that edge, that white-line fever, without honing all the personality out of their players. And they still weren't nice, they still played hard and to the whistle and still, by and large, were disliked by neutrals.
Fortunately for Nephara's international reputation, a fragile thing at the best of times, the second goal showed something more of the velvet glove than the iron fist within.
It started with Rowland, striding purposefully across the pitch to snap the ball away from Smith's toes, before a smooth, well-rehearsed passing move as she slipped it to Rosenthal in Klein's rested absence, who looked up, stepped forward and hit it to Gosforth, who held Izmailov off before slipping it across to Rafford, who hit it first-time to Fanaiyan who slung it forward, Eldarkhanov stumbled and Rafford raced past her, before cutting it back to Gosforth who cut it back to Strongbow who was suddenly in space none of the inexperienced Republican defenders had seen, and from there she slotted it low and hard beyond a sprawling Sergeyev.

The Cormorants sniffed blood. More muscle came into the equation - a robust challenge from Rowland was lucky not to collect a yellow card, before Rafford did collect a slightly harsh one for an admittedly harsh flick on Peltola, unable to convince the referee otherwise even with a plaintive shout of "Ahhh, c'monnnn, but he went down like a bitch!"
Still, the steel helped back the silk, and steadily the Cormorants began to dominate the centre through muscle and guile in equal measure. Not without some danger, however - a wayward Rosenthal pass let Eldarkhanov chip the ball over the top to Lydsson but thankfully Tsattalios came out bravely to snuff out the chance.
"Calm down, calm it the fuck down," Brandon muttered, grinding his jaw as Tsattalios hurled the ball with Olympic venom down the left to Rafford, but the makings of a killer third were already underway as Rafford slipped it to Fanaiyan, to Rosenthal who redeemed herself by skipping past two midfielders, before herself hitting one long and unerringly into the path of Hawke's run.
Hawke hadn't had much of a sniff, as the Republican defence had done a good job shutting her down. This could be, she knew, her first real presentable chance of the game... at least, if she made it one.
For the split second she was afforded, she contemplated letting herself fall back, swinging up a boot and hooking the ball into the net with an overhead kick from outside the box. Somehow, she suspected, this would come back into vogue.
But... no. Better instead... let it fall on the chest, then nudge it away from Josef before jackknifing outside of him, riding a shoulder from Schroder and easing the ball into the bottom corner, beyond a sprawling, stranded Sergeyev.
3-1. She went for the corner flag, as Brandon shouted at the defence to reset and hold on, just one minute from half-time.

From there, the Cormorants steered the ship to safety, the three points within their grasp. After an uneventful second half, with even the bloodletting fairly restrained, they secured them.
It wasn't the most convincing win - for one, their finishing was uncharacteristically poor, not helped by Sergeyev doing much to vindicate Theriault's faith in him. The mounting weight of cautions on the Cormorants meant they had to pull back a little, and that invited the Republicans to hold more confident possession in the middle of the park. And, late on, Republican substitutes Svendsen and Perkovic combined to deadly effect, the former setting up the latter to be crunched by Bruyne for a penalty that Peltola smashed convincingly home for his second.
It wasn't to be enough, though, though stoppage time was tense. The performance was nothing to write home about, and to be sure, Brandon would Have Words with people over the next training. For now, though, he would celebrate their resilience. First, though, the small matter of a little psychological warfare to conduct.
This time, he shook Theriault's hand, firm enough to hear knuckles crunch, and smiled for the cameras.
It wasn't the nicest smile. It never reached his eyes, cold and grey as the old steel.

by **Brenecia** » Sun May 27, 2018 4:00 am

Brenecia 2 - 0 Savojarna
(4-1-4-1) 1 - Woodgate; 2 - Carrack, 5 - Heneghan, 6 - Szubanski (vc), 3 - Quill; 4 - Gryphon (c, 23 - Alweather 85'); 7 - Crowther (15 - Garrard 68'), 14 - Drover, 8 - Hartsdown, 16 - Keohane; 9 - Riordan (17 - Bannion 73')
Goals: Drover 19', Crowther 43'

There's something to be said for the beauty of a second half in which absolutely fuck-all happens.

These things don't happen just anywhere. They're shaped by circumstances, truly emergent football. A perfect storm has to happen to enable such monotonous garbage.

Step one: the occasion. The pressure has to be either immense, suffocating both teams' creativity, or nonexistent, stifling intensity and motivation. It's hard to get bigger than a World Cup, close to fifty million packed into Elements Stadium watching blue and white contest white and blue in a tight-looking group.

Step two: the teams. Brenecia and Savojarna were a nice match in terms of both being physical, powerful teams. There was technique present in both, of course, but the best Savojar player was unfortunately their right winger, Jarkasjaervi, who had to contend with Gethin Quill, a legitimately world-class defensive fullback. When you took her creativity out of the equation, you had a side that liked to go hard and long, matched against a team that was entirely comfortable with that. Brenecia, on the other hand, was entirely happy to stand on a comfortable margin and lock down the fort.

But they needed that comfortable margin in the first place, which was step three: a workable state of play. The Patriots were two goals to the good by half-time, Elsie Drover pouncing on a scuffed Kjaer clearance to drive a lifting, powerful strike past Petrova, before neat interplay lead to a brilliant scything pass from Hartsdown which found Crowther on the corner of the box for her to skip by Ernberg and stab the ball home. They weren't inclined to push their luck and drive up the score, and had the right kind of defence and personnel to deal with the Savojar attack.

And it had been, step four, a decent first half. There had to be life in a game for it to be conspicuous by its absence, and there had definitely been a game there. Petrova had saved well from Keohane and Drover before while for ten tantalising minutes near the end, Jarkasjaervi finally got a lead on Quill, Haakonson was a constant thread running inside of Carrack and only a brilliant point-blank double save denied Sigurdsdottir in stoppage time. A techie wouldn't be too hard-pressed packing a standard two-point-five-minute highlight reel with at least moderately interesting material. The nightly recap of the day's games would smoothly integrate the match, and it would take a moderately attentive viewer to notice that every single moment was from the first half. They would gain some entertainment from it.

They would not have suffered like the neutrals did, for 45 stultifying minutes, as Savojar attacks would bog down in midfield or collapse in the final third or be snapped up by any of the exceptional defensive players in Brenecia's terminally backloaded squad. They would not have fallen out of love with the game as Mathis Woodgate was given a talking-to by the referee for needlessly delaying a goalkick in the fifty-fourth pissing minute. They would have missed the most thrilling moment of the second half, as a frustrated Reskilainen put paid to the memories of an otherwise excellent, solid performance by making a foul throw. They would not have fallen out of love with the game, staring into the void, the endless yawning morass of non-football, of non-event, of the untrod grass growing beneath the studs, both sides clearly trying but to what end when life was so finite, so fragile, so meaningless? What of goals when one was to observe the futility of existence, pondering the unknowable of that one final night where one shuts one's eyes for the last time and embraces the crushing void, sleep eternal, leaving nothing but memories behind, those memories themselves dissolving and fading and twisting and burning in time as crows pluck out the eyes and worms feed on the flesh and the very fabric of the universe plummets slowly but inexorably towards one final, dismal whimpering implosion?

The final whistle blew. Jim Reid breathed a sigh of relief, shook Asbeck's hand and those of her staff, and headed down the tunnel, a content man.

by **Eura** » Sun May 27, 2018 5:43 am

emplor.eur/main/sport/football
NO SWEAT FOR EURA IN OPENING WIN
Humid conditions and Harper injury fail to dampen performance
Report by our Euran international team correspondent Paul Falmer, and definitely not a pissed off intern

EURA – 4
Coltrane 33
Underwood 40, 71
Jones 87

DAMUKUNI – 1
Woods 62

The 80th World Cup began with a deserved victory for Eura, who overcame Damukuni in spite of a determined performance by their opponents, a nasty injury and very un-Euran weather.

The Euran team and fans alike arrived in Manehattan in good spirits in spite of the unusually balmy conditions that can really test the Euran physique. Despite the ramblings of the occasional conspiracy theorist on RushLeak, this journalist is sure that the heat and moisture could be put down to highly variable local weather patterns rather than “magic", and the fact that my hair turned green only once during the writing of this article is a pretty good sign that this is an ordinary country. Keeping in tune with that dedication to normality was Steve Thompson, fielding Eura's usual preferred 4-2-3-1 against Damukuni's 4-4-fucking-2.

Damukuni did play to win but looked short on ability in the first half, failing to threaten the Euran back four with the striker Leeds cutting a lone figure up front in particular. Eura were more assured, if a bit conservative. Not in the “I'm not racist but...” sense either like the erstwhile Paul Falmer who usually pens this column. They held back, took the foot off the gas, didn't go for the jugular – use whatever idiom you like. They were hit hard by a serious injury to Gabriel Harper who went off in a back brace after a tough fall. The suspected culprit was a particularly thuggish looking ray of light which blinded him temporarily when judging an aerial challenge against Doyle. He was replaced by Ben Hall.

Reacting well to adversity hasn't always been Eura's strong point. Today though, and quite unlike the editor who will realise I've published this online without running it by him, they did react well. All it took was for Oscar Coltrane to turn past Doyle at the edge of the box and smash a firm shot under the keeper. Before half time Eura had doubled their lead, Dion Underwood getting in on the act from all of three yards, a goal that will not live on in anyone's memory – except the cocaine addled brain of Paul, who texted me shortly after, convinced that it was a “goalazo" and pushing me one step closer to this kamikaze attack on his career.

As so often happens in World Cup football a side facing a damaging defeat rallied, and pulled a goal back with a Leeds header. The potential for a Euran calamity must have had the rest of our cynical, hackish writing team salivating at the thought of how they could fuck over Steve Thompson's career with the next day's headlines. Underwood would not accept this result and scored a classic counterattacking goal as Damukuni poured forward too early and too reckless in their adventurism. He buried his shot more decisively than I could ever hope to bury this office full of sycophants and con artists in a very basic, unloved grave.

Realising their time was up, Damukuni keeled over in a way people like me never will. Eura replied with a sensational fourth, Townsend looping in a beautiful floated cross for substitute Lofty Jones to powerfully head home. Damukuni had a decent chance to score another consolation in stoppage time but Noala’s inspired chip was acrobatically kept out by a backpedalling Robert Griffin. I can only hope that the Emplor won't be able to retreat from this article as quickly. I know what you're think. Why are you, the employee of a respected national newspaper, ruining this wonderful template match report? What happened to that lovely fellow who used the word “sensational" or “unfortunately" every time he exhaled? Sadly readers, he is off his face in a club somewhere in Brigham telling people exactly what he thinks of Valladars and Cenians. The biggest mistake he could make was asking me to cover for him. Fuck you readers. Steve Thompson is expected to play a similar system in Eura's next game, which you will be able to read all about in our paper edition and online.

by **Free Republics** » Sun May 27, 2018 5:44 am

Vaclav Urbanek was still feeling the effects of the elbow from Ishtar Fanaiyan. After the match, he decided to ask his coach why the players from Nephara had played so dirty.

Vaclav Urbanek - Sir Theodore, what was going on with those guys? I've never played against such a nasty bunch of thugs before in my life!

Sir Koby Theodore - That's just the way they are in Nephara. They absolutely hated our guts back in the day too but that was nothing compared to what they used to do to the Sanctii.

Vaclav Urbanek - What do you mean?

Sir Koby Theodore - You know King Andreas, the East Sanctii king who suddenly died right after that time warp a few months ago? Back in the day, he was the best soccer player in the multiverse and some thug named Strongnesse tried to break his leg, reportedly because his girlfriend didn't like Saintland's government or something.

Vaclav Urbanek - Why would people want to politicize sports? The people in the stands just want to have a good time and forget about all of the troubles of life. Nobody wants to hear us talk about politics and I certainly wouldn't want to be around anybody who would hate over political differences. I know I'm old enough to vote in next year's election for the Consul but I don't care who wins. Besides, who's even running aside from Mr. Trudeau?

Sir Koby Theodore - I don't know the answer to that but the Liberty Party was trying to talk me into running and they don't believe me when I tell them I don't want the headache of trying to run the most powerful nation in the multiverse. I don't want to be in a position where I have to actually learn about policy and come up with an agenda for the legislature to pass. All I want to do is coach soccer and help you guys become the best you can possibly be.

Vaclav Urbanek - I appreciate that coach. We need you.

Sir Koby Theodore - The whole team needs to play better against Starblaydia. If we don't get a result in that match, our hopes of making it out of the group stage might be over. If we lose that match and Abanhfleft does not beat Nephara, our hopes will be over. If you think Abanhfleft has any chance of beating Nephara, just look up their odds back home.

Love Holm just happened to hear this as he walked into the room.

Love Holm - Nephara's going to beat Abanhfleft and beat them big. You can take that to the bank.

Sir Koby Theodore - That's why our second game here in Starblaydia is so important. A loss here means we're probably going home as soon as we finish our match with those Fleftic dinosaurs. I mean, pretty much everybody on their team is older than I am!

Love Holm - Maybe they should be playing you guys in the Old Farts World Cup instead of playing us.

Sir Koby Theodore - True. It still feels weird to be an old man but I can't help it. I wish I could still be out there getting laid every night while being chased across the multiverse by prudish Esportivans who think that consensual sex with a drunk chick is rape.

Vaclav Urbanek - Coach, how many women did you sleep with back in the day?

Sir Koby Theodore - I lost count but it was definitely over a thousand. Its a miracle that I never picked up any diseases doing that shit and I don't want to see you kids follow in my footsteps. While fucking chicks is scientifically proven to improve your performance, it just isn't safe to put your balls in some random foreign pussy when you're outside of the FFR. Too many puritanical laws and shit.

Love Holm - True that. I don't want to spend my life running from foreign cops who don't understand that not saying no means yes.

Sir Koby Theodore - I'm glad to hear that. In the Free Republics, sex is assumed consensual unless a reasonable person would believe that their partner did not wish to consent to sex. That generally isn't the case elsewhere because other countries don't believe in the presumption of innocence anymore than they believe in the right to self-defense. Since having sex with random foreign chicks you meet in a bar is not safe, General Theriault introduced the cheerleading squad, whose real purpose is to provide players on our national team with a pool of hot young babes to fuck so you don't have to touch foreigners.

Fortunately, none of the 68 Republican cheerleaders were within earshot as Koby Theodore said that but Lecha Arsanukayev was.

Lecha Arsanukayev - Sir Theodore, I think we all already figured that out. Its always great to spend time with my girlfriend Elise.

Love Holm - Seriously? You're dating Elise Reinikainen? She's like the hottest girl on the cheer squad and she's a total ice queen.

Vaclav Urbanek - Yeah, she never paid any attention to me. How did you get her to thaw a little bit?

Lecha Arsanukayev - Actually, she asked me out after the second Apox match.

Love Holm - No way! When have you ever shown the slightest interest in girls?

Lecha Arsanukayev - I don't know where you got that idea from. I'm just not into sucking up to girls to get their attention like you guys seem to be.

Sir Koby Theodore - Lecha, that was uncalled for. We don't need any problems in our locker room right now with Starblaydia coming up.

Love Holm - I'm not offended. I just want Elise Reinikainen's boyfriend to teach me how to get a hot girlfriend.

Vaclav Urbanek - Me too! Me too!

Lecha Arsanukayev - OK, I'll teach you guys how to get a girl if you'll promise to work harder so that we can beat Starblaydia.

Love Holm - That sounds great. We'll see you on the practice field at dawn.

by **Barunia** » Sun May 27, 2018 9:10 am

Once again Cosumar was a thorn in the side of the Barunians. Hannah was seriously annoyed. What was it about the Cosumarites that made them such a bogey team for the Suns? It felt like every time the Barunians rocked up to play these days, Cosumar was in their pool. Even when Hannah's charges did manage to get the better of them, like the win and draw in the group stage, Cosumar still managed to find a way to get under their skins. In this case, winning the group, like they had at World Cup 79 when the Suns slumped to fourth in the group. With three goals on the board, Hannah felt like they should have been safe. But it wasn't to be, and it was a dejected Barunian team that entered the dressing room at full time.

Hannah had to remind them that there was plenty of time still left. There was plenty of time still left. She had to remind herself of that fact too. She addressed the team at length, talking about passion, about commitment, teamwork, inspiration - all the things a captain should say in these situations. She met their eyes as she talked. Lydia Hook's were red-rimmed, like she'd been crying. She might have been: it was her error that lead Cosumar's game-winning goal. McClelland's were stern as always, Kyrow showed disappointment. Hannah found herself looking into Sarah Brown's eyes. Unlike the rest of the team, they smiled. That was what caught Hannah's attention: how those gorgeous brown eyes lit up their owner's face. It was such a pretty face too, Hannah had never noticed before how pretty Sarah was...
Suddenly embarrassed, Hannah dropped her gaze. She finished the rest of her pep talk without meeting anyone's eye, and refused to look in Sarah's direction even after Adam took up the address.

The next day was awkward for Hannah. The team had a rest day and Adam had arranged a tour of the Equestrian States. It was a very bright and colourful place, much different from home, but Hannah found herself unable to concentrate. She was caught up in her own thoughts, and the focus of much of her mental unrest sat just a few metres ahead of her on the team bus. But Hannah couldn't bring herself to look at Sarah. Later when the team found a bar, she'd been happily chatting with Hook and Sam Miller over a pint of cider when Sarah tried to join them. Hannah had been unable to meet her in the eye and left the table, leaving her drink behind. When she finally did get to sleep that night, her dreams were filled with a pair of smiling brown eyes.

It didn't get better in the days that followed. Hannah found herself unable to concentrate at training, missing crosses or simply not watching the ball. It didn't help that Matt Vine had pulled up sore against Cosumar, so Sarah would be starting against Chromatika. After two days of struggling on the field, Hannah found herself practically dragged off the pitch by Adam and into the lockers.
"Right," he almost screamed, "I've had enough of this Hannah. You are not yourself. What's going on."
Hannah said nothing, just looked at the ground. Adam sighed.
"Is it something to do with Sarah? She says you've been avoiding her. If you two have had a fight you need to make up now."
He walked out, and returned shortly. Hannah looked up, and was met by the face that had haunted her dreams for the last three nights.

Adam spoke. "Alright you two, I don't know what's going on, but you need to make up."
He stood waiting patiently for someone to speak. Hannah finally found her voice. "Adam, it's kind of... personal. Do you mind leaving us to talk alone."
Adam nodded. "Whatever it takes But when you come out, I want you fully committed to football. This is the World Cup, not some summer holiday."
He left the room, leaving Hannah alone with Sarah. She spoke first.
"So, you going to tell me why you've been ignoring me?"
Hannah took a deep breath. "This isn't easy for me to say, but there is something I wanted to ask you..."
"Well? Just ask."
"Would you, maybe, like to go out...like a date?"
Sarah stared at her. "You want to go on a date with me? But I didn't think you were..."
"I'm bi. Or at least I think I am. I don't know really." Hannah shook her head. Sarah stepped and gave her a hug.
"Sure, I'll go out with you." she said quietly.

by **New Gazi** » Sun May 27, 2018 9:38 am

Gazilian Fighter Pilots Visit Cannoneers' Match

When the whistle blows to start Match 2 between Equestrian States and New Gazi, many Gazilians will be in the stands. A select few will be in military dress uniform. A group of 16 pilots from the Gazilian Air Force has flown in from the West African nation. Just six weeks ago, they returned from war in an East Asian land called Yanjin. Now they have returned and are reorienting to life outside of war.

Air Force General Kirabo Mhira planned the trip as a reward for the officers, coordinating with several government programs. It started with requesting what are known in the Gazilian government as 'War Bonuses'. The pilots met several important criteria, to be eligible for such a reward. For one, they represented New Gazi to an international alliance. They also held prominent roles in the fighting. Government funding generated over time through military surplus was round up to pay for the flight and tickets for the fighter pilots.

The group of pilots represented the spear of a small fighting force sent to assist Vangaziland and a handful of other allies. The Gazilians fit into an air strategy that saw them mostly flying air support. Fighting has been heavy, especially for the marines from Vangaziland. One of the Vangazi spoke on the African pilots while being interviewed on their rotation back home. "They were angels on our shoulder. There were days they kept us alive."

The pilots flew the Gripen fighter, produced under license in Vangaziland for export. The fighters are the workhorse of the African air force, joined by a smaller number of more advanced aircraft.

Each pilot will wear the Khaki uniform of the Gazilian Air Force. They'll wear the Dress-B variant, which comes without the jacket. Fresh Yanjin campaign medals will adorn their chest, along with their other ribbons.

The pilots will most likely not have war on their minds as they watch one of the most anticpated matches in Gazilian football history. The Cannoners were playing Equestrian States in their homeland, at a beautiful stadium. It would be an experience that would surely last in the minds of these pilots.

"It's just great to be able to see players like Diya and Contee play live. I've watched them for so many years", said Lieutenant First Class Umaru Shehu. "This is, like... Such a rare opportunity. This is the first time the last of the veteran group has qualified. To be here is surreal."

The players spoke on what it meant to them to have Gazilians fresh from war in attendance. "It puts everything in perspective", said defender Baako Iwu. "To us, soccer is everything. Sometimes we have to step back and remember people put their lives on the line to protect and represent us."

The Cannoneers will face the Ponies at Star Stadium in Canterlot.

by **Turori** » Sun May 27, 2018 11:16 am

twii.tur overload interrupts services
Turori fall to #3 ranked Farfadillis in Hallad Citye

Turori's short message communication service twii.tur got an unexpectedly large influx of of new members and message exchanges after digging deep into their operating budget to become an official Matchday sponsor of the EqueStar 80 World Cup in Equestrian States and Starblaydia.

The deal which has been dubbed the 'Official Feed for Angry Fans to Yell at Each Other' EqueStar World Cup 80 Partnership put the twii.tur name in front of fans throughout the multiverse as they tuned in from far and wide to watch their National Teams compete for the title of World Cup champion.

Getting ready for #EqueStar80 to kick off! Viewing party!

As the Partnership suggests, however, twii.tur's big victory will come most likely in the defeat of 31 of the 32 competing nations as fans of those teams begin to use their messaging service to complain about the quality of the officiating, the illegality of the play of the opposing players and to share animated clips of inauspcious moments captured in fleeting seconds of video.

By the time the opening kickoff came in Group A, twii.tur membership had more than tripled multiverse wide while the number of messages exchanged had increased ten-fold.

It all came to a fever pitch 24 minutes into the opening matchday with Turori leading 1-0 over Farfadillis thanks to Cocoabo #53's twelfth minute conversion on the header from a corner kick played by Cocoabo #71.

Gooooooooooallllllll! #Cocoabo 53!!!!!!!!!! DO IT TUROOOORRIIII!

But as the match approached the half hour mark, the officials became the talk with the decision to send off Cocoabo #58 for a claws up challenge on Fôrté Mâás Wínrôuge Çíânflöné. Çíânflöné would ultimately convert the spot kick as Farfadillis began their march to over power the 10-Cocoabo Turori team in a 3-1 victory but the moment proved to be equally troubling back at the headquarters of twii.tur as engineers and technicians struggled to keep the service running with the influx not only of an increased volume of 140-character messages, but of 140 character messages containing ridiculous characters like thosein the name of Farfazalian midfielder Fôrté Mâás Wínrôuge Çíânflöné. While twii.tur's userbase had expanded widely due to the World Cup, their core user base was still Turorian and around the 25th minute of the opening matchday, the number of insults being slung the way of both the match officials and Fôrté Mâás Wínrôuge Çíânflöné had reached a fever pitch with the servers crashing multiple times as twii.tur messages crashed due the overwhelming number of special characters being transmitted during the Turori v. Farfadillis matchup.

What bull! @FFFF and Çíâönííflöâáâá... in bed with the refs!

Fôrté Mâás Wínrôuge Çíânflöné. Is that even a name or a sound you make when constipated? #WC80

Ultimately they got the changes they needed to their backend databases to handle the Farfalamian characters but not before taking a fair bit of abuse from the users, ironically using their own messaging service to complain in 140 characters or less about the messaging service itself.

My twii isn't going through!! test test test who broke it

With Turori having lost their opening match of the World Cup by a 3-1 scoreline, many might have considered them to be out for the count. Contrarily, however, Turori were expecting the possibility of such an outcome and well aware of the fact that they would potentially be heading into their second matchday contest against Ethane in a must-win situation. As previously reported by the Turori National, Turori's National Cocoabo Squad is not only prepared for the challenge but fully confident in their ability to rebound from the opening matchday defeat and continue to build on the momentum they had built up with their Quarter Final appearance in World Cup 79.

The Matchday two fixture at the Hallad City Stadium will likely be the most important for the Cocoabo as they will face off against their biggest rivals of the campaign with an eye on at least securing the second spot in the group and a place in the Round of 16. That opponent will be Ethane - the very same team that topped Turori's Group 10 in World Cup Qualifying after the combined Citizen & Cocoabo squad effort faltered due to the plethora of points dropped by the Citizens.

While Ethane did finish ahead of Turori in the Group 10 table, the Cocoabo had their number winning both meetings against the World's #18 ranked side - a 2-1 victory at the Cednia Beach Center on Matchday four then an exciting 3-2 triumph in the reverse fixture away at Ethane. The Cocoabo will be familiar with Ethane and will know how to beat them. They'll certainly have to do it one more time if they are to have any hope at winning World Cup 80, but if they do, they will be able to march on to the Bekkside Stadium in complete control of their destiny, with only a victory against 38th ranked Juvencus standing between them and a return trip to the knockout rounds.

Turori [1] - [3] Farfadillis

:: Turori Goalscorers ::
:: 12' Cocoabo #53

:: Turori Statistics ::
:: Possession: 51%
:: Shots on Target: 5
:: Corner Kicks: 6

:: Farfadillis Statistics ::
:: Possession: 49%
:: Shots on Target: 7
:: Corner Kicks: 10

Turori Eels Lineup v. Farfadillis ::
[GK]Cocoabo #85, [D.]Cocoabo #57, [D.]Cocoabo #58, [D.]Cocoabo #53, [ML] Cocoabo #64, [MC] Cocoabo #61, [MC]Cocoabo #71, [MC] Cocoabo #62, [MR] Cocoabo #60, [FC]Cocoabo #94, [FC]Cocoabo #99
BENCH::
[FC]Cocoabo #91, [FC]Cocoabo #90, [M]Cocoabo #46, [M]Cocoabo #63, [U ]Cocoabo #97, [D]Cocoabo #59, [GK]Cocoabo #87

by **Mriin** » Sun May 27, 2018 11:29 am

Hilda saw it coming. She saw it coming from a mile away. It was an amateur's charge. It was an personal insult to her, and to any self-respecting enforcer. There is finesse to knocking someone on their ass, it's a finely-crafted art. You don't just fucking crash in with your shoulder.

Did she dive? Fuck yes she did. Maybe he'd have gotten a stumble out of her normally, but she wouldn't let something like that go standing up. And oh, how she sold it! Jinked just a bit to the left before impact, forcing Yachtwood to course-correct ever so slightly but making it that much more blatant. And lining it up so that Yachtwood would be just a bit more in the way of the ref's line of sight--something she keeps close tabs on at all times--to make the impact of the hit scale more off her reaction than the hit itself. It was a textbook con act, and it worked like a charm. When the red came out she wish she'd had a bridge to sell this ref. And now Yachtwood would have a nice, calm seat to see how a professional does it.

Something had to budge. They were down a player and had still killed the game for nearly twenty solid minutes. Don grumbled some expletives detailing his thoughts on defensive teams, and waved for Lasser to come on for Mari. A bit more width and bit more power to try and punch through, and they had to punch through. Failing to get a point from a squad handicapped for over half the game would be an embarrassment, even if they're third in the world. They'd taken a point off Bonesea and the Holy Empire in more even games, they were better than this.

The immediate payoff that sub had was a massive weight off Don's chest. How fucking hard had Lasser hit it that arguably the best keeper in the world had to bump it? From nearly forty metres? Lasser's shown his skills plenty of times terrorizing the MNL, but it never stops being shocking when he unleashes his left-hoof cannon. Getting to skip an entire third of the field is a solid tempo move, and suddenly the equalizer was tantalizingly close.

Eyebrows were raised as Joren decided not to take the corner himself. Perhaps because he'd been the one to convert the first goal? That sort of header has been getting rarer for him as the years go by, but sometimes the situation calls, and he'd gotten his playmaking-tunnel-vision beaten out of him two cycles ago. If he was in form in the box, might as well leave him there. So fellow Alchemist Vernan steps up to the corner--a technical lad, more than capable of handling a pass, and not all that adept in the scrum. Joren's holed up by the near post, Solara looming a bit off the far, Aldo lying a bit deeper with Joren's more aggressive stance... but the ball doesn't enter the scrum. Smart thinking on Vernan's part, considering how poorly that'd worked out on the other side of the pitch so far. Instead it sails over, far to the opposite wing--where Lasser is waiting, having swapped wings under the radar. Another absolute rifle shot cleaves diagonally through the box, burying itself in the top-left corner so neatly the teenage Tyler could only watch.

Don allowed himself a small fist pump. There was still another twenty minutes to go, but with the team finally getting into gear against a shorthanded opponent? Bringing things back to square was a fantastic spot.

by **Equestrian States** » Sun May 27, 2018 12:23 pm

Ponies Power Past Banija in Politically-Charged Opener
by Steve McNotapony

Equestrian States 2-1 Banija
at Royal Equestria Stadium in Canterlot
Attendance: 107,451
Scoring:

Rosewing '42 (Luminesce)

Toyuwa Okafor '64 (G. Kahara)

Pristina Shine '85 (A. Aiza)

CANTERLOT - In the World Cup, there is no such thing as a meaningless game. Even dead rubber matches between already-eliminated teams in the group stages carry significance as opponents play for national pride for the whole multiverse to see. Every win matters. Every point matters. Every goal matters. Every save, assist, tackle, and pass matters. A previously-unknown player can become a household name throughout the multiverse overnight, because billions are watching every single game on this stage.

However, some matches matter more than others. With only three games in the group stage it's crucial to start the tournament well as dropped points in the opener could doom your side to early elimination. Months of preparation and anticipation precede these first matches and they are frequently among the most-watched games in the tournament. Opening matches carry even more significance if one of the sides is making their World Cup debut or is one of the hosts playing in front of their own local fans. And, of course, any match against a rival nation (regardless of if it's a hoofball rivalry, a geopolitical rivalry, or even both) matters even more than ever on the multiverse's grandest stage.

As it so happens, every one of these factors was at play in the Ponies' opener against the Kadongo Kamu last night in Canterlot. Banija, making their World Cup debut and still harboring resentment over their previous two defeats at the Ponies' hooves, to say nothing of their ongoing conflict with the Equestrians over the Busoga Islands. The Equestrian States, meanwhile, making their first World Cup appearance in some time and opening the tournament on home soil as co-hosts, looking to maintain their unbeaten record against their Glorious Soutwestern neighbors, both on the hoofball pitch and on the battlefield.

The Ponies came out of the gate flying against the Kadongo Kamu, but perhaps flying a bit too high as they came across as far too eager early on in the match, frequently putting too much power behind shots and passes to give the Banijans an unwanted respite. However, the biggest takeaway from the first half hour of play has to be strategy employed by Banija's Equestrian-born manager Marcus Waters against the Ponies' highly-regarded striker Pristina Shine. In the Equestrian States' group stage match against the Banijans in the last Cup of Harmony, it was Pristina Shine who put the Kadongo Kamu to the sword, netting a brace in the Ponies' 2-0 victory that eliminated Banija from contention and put Equestria on the path that led them to their first ever WCC quarterfinal appearance. To counter Pristina Shine, Waters instructed his team to rough up the Ponies' star forward; and that they certainly did, tackling the unicorn striker seemingly every time she even so much as looked in the direction of the ball. Six Banijans earned yellow cards for fouls against Pristina Shine, and more than a few others went unpunished, much to the chagrin of the Equestrian bench who howled in the ear of the fourth official several times.

In her post-match interview, Ponies manager Pearly White had some choice words for the officials and her Banijan counterpart: "It was headhunting, plain and simple. Everypony could see it clear as day that they were targeting Pristina from the first whistle until the last, and I'm shocked that the refs let them get away with it. At least two of those defenders should have been sent off by my reckoning, and it's extremely upsetting that they weren't punished for it. I'm also disappointed that Marcus [Waters] would allow, much less encourage, these dangerous and reckless tactics. There's no place for it in today's game, none at all."

Despite the Banijans' questionable approach towards Pristina Shine, however, the rest of the Ponies eventually found their footing and started pushing the Kadongo Kamu hard towards the end of the first half. Rosewing, making her first World Cup start, was particularly effective at pushing Banijan goalkeeper Delbin Kasekende to his limits, forcing the Herzegovina City shot-stopper into a number of diving saves. Then, in the 42nd minute, Luminesce found Rosewing off the far post with a perfect cross and the pegasus headed it home to give the Ponies a 1-0 lead going into halftime.

Marcus Waters then made a halftime substitution, bringing on Elijah Riga for a fresh pair of legs, and it worked out perfectly for him. The Kadongo Kamu dominated the next 20 minutes, pushing Gentle Breeze to her own limits before Toyuwa Okafor found the back of the net after a terrific team effort. Okafor, for his part, earned the appreciation of the local crowd which included a healthy contingent of the Banijan-Equestrian immigrant community, ripping off his jersey to reveal a "MUTEBI MUST GO" shirt underneath, referring to the current Banijan head of government who has long been antagonistic towards the Equestrian States in general and the Banijan-Equestrian community in particular.

After Okafor's equalizer, however, the Ponies took control of the match. The Equestrians absolutely dominated possession in the final 25 minutes of play, hammering away at the Banijan defense with everything they had. Pristina Shine, meanwhile, continued to get roughed up from every direction by the Banijans whenever she touched the ball. But Pristina Shine is a world-class talent, and if you give her just one chance to score, odds are she's going to take it. With five minutes remaining until injury time, that chance arrived via an Aarón Aiza through ball which found Pristina Shine free 25 yards out. It might've been long-distance, but she was in acres of space and she took full advantage of it, burying the ball in the top corner as Kasekende watched, unable to do anything to stop the perfectly-placed shot.

Royal Equestria Stadium erupted as Pristina Shine and the Ponies celebrated what would prove to be the game-winning goal. Marcus Water's strategy of battering and bruising Pristina Shine was unquestionably effective, but it couldn't keep her quiet forever, and in the end she made them pay for it. Five minutes later, the whistle blew, bringing an end to the match and eliciting another round of raucous celebration in the stands and on the pitch as the Equestrian States claimed their third straight victory over their Southwest Altlantian Oceania rivals and a valuable three points to start the World Cup finals.

  Group E                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts        MD1 Results:
1  Equestrian States        1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3         Equestrian States 2−1 Banija 
   Vilita                   1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3        @ Royal Equestria Stadium in Canterlot
3  Banija                   1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0         New Gazi 1−2 Vilita 
   New Gazi                 1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0        @ Grand Regal Stadium in Canterlot

Meanwhile, across town at Grand Regal Stadium, Vilita and New Gazi squared off in their own fiercely-contested opener, both sides earning a heaping pile of yellow cards as the Vilitans came away with all three points. As such, Equestrian supporters can breathe a sigh of relief as New Gazi's perilous yellow card situation makes it unlikely that they will employ the same strategy as the Banijans to contain Pristina Shine, given that earning as many yellows as the Banijans did would leave half their team unable to play in their final group stage match. For the Equestrian States, a win against New Gazi would all but guarantee a berth in the second round of the tournament, mathematically sealing their advancement barring an improbable Banija win over Vilita. A draw or loss would leave the Ponies needing to earn a result against top-ranked Vilita in their own final match or rely on results elsewhere to secure a knockout stage spot, an unappealing prospect to say the least.

Match Report :: Match Day 1

 EQUESTRIAN STATES 2–1 BANIJA 
Royal Equestria Stadium (cap. 98,625) in Canterlot, Equestrian States

Scoring:
 Rosewing '42 (Luminesce)
 Toyuwa Okafor '64 (G. Kahara)
 Pristina Shine '85 (A. Aiza)

Starting XI:
GK - Gentle Breeze
CB - Brix Hamilton
CB - Andrea Molovi
CB - Krysia Bailey
LM - Luminesce
CM - Cloudchaser (C)
CM - Apple Cobbler
RM - Aarón Aiza
AM - Rainbow Blitz
ST - Pristina Shine
ST - Rosewing

Substitutions:
 Rosie Tyler in for Apple Cobbler '73
 Flitter in for Krysia Bailey '86
 Elaine Everdeen in for Luminesce '89

Last.fm · by **Cosumar** » Sun May 27, 2018 12:32 pm

Barunia finally bested 4-3, Tidesson & Sibučić shine in spotlight
Late Kit Kvanderwyk winner needed to stave off Suns comeback from 3-0 HT lead

WHITETAIL -- We Cosumarites always do our best to make things interesting.

Our national side kicked off Group F play with the huge relief of a full three points, just as they did in the World Cup 79 opener with that gritty clean sheet against Turori. This time, however, the menagerie of spectators gathered at Shady Grove were treated to a goalfest. Cosumar dominated the first half but Barunia came storming back in the second... only for some late dramatics to deliver the Vanquishers the vengeance they desired after falling short against Barunia twice in Qualifying.

All eyes were on the young faces of Cosumarite football, Bryger Tidesson and Isla Sibučić, coming into this momentous tournament, and they immediately lived up to the billing. And I mean immediately.

Tidesson gave Cosumar the lead just 45 seconds in! His brilliant solo effort blew the roof off of Shady Grove and every establishment tuned in to World Cup 80 multiverse-wide. After receiving a gentle pass from fullback Tevreness Bale just beyond the corner of the box, the right winger sensed that the Barunians were still lost in the gravity of the moment of a World Cup kickoff. He pounced, creating space for himself with a shimmy and whipping a curling shot all the way to the far corner with g l o r i o u s bend.

The second goal came after the half-hour mark, Bellerophon Serafino finding space in the middle of the box to put Sibučić's chipped cross past goalkeeper Ben Williams with a snap-header. Sibučić had had a driving shot from the top of the box saved just before. But the little magician wasn't done, sending Tidesson in with a perfect pass to round Williams and tap home a minute before half time.

The 3-0 score was a bit flattering (Na'Kefir having made an unlikely save on James Kennedy early in the half), but still... it was fair to assume the result was done and dusted. Nah. Since when do Cosumarites like to make anything easy?

Barunia got what most figured was a consolation goal near the hour mark, Kennedy outmuscling Torbjörn Jorgensen to stab an uncleared corner kick past Na'Kefir. But then, moments after Kit Kvanderwyk came on and missed a golden chance to put Cosumar up 4-1, Kennedy struck again courtesy of a fast break and precise Hannah Miller pass. 3-2. Was this really happening? Barunia sure looked confident of it running back to midfield to restart. Could the Vanquishers somehow manage to blow a three-goal lead?

Fortunately, no. Well, yes, we did blow the three-goal lead. But then we got it back.

Blue-grey-and-white nerves were badly exacerbated in the 88th minute when big d-mid Joel Greeves thundered home another of Barunia's 12 corners on the day. With Chromatika looking comfortable in the lead against Sargossa over in Manehattan, it seemed we were about to find ourselves in an early hole to kick off World Cup 80. Thankfully, this battle-tested squad held their nerve even when us fans were losing ours.

In the second minute of injury time, Sibučić slipped Romikk Valgard in through the lines on the right side of the box, cultured vision and explosive run syncing up perfectly. Unselfishly, Valgard kept his head up and - just when it seemed he would take the near post shot - fed the ball back into the middle. The trust! Barunia had failed to track Kvanderwyk's secondary run and the Northern Union man was able to edge James O'Shea to Valgard's layoff, jabbing it into the side-netting first-time with the outside of his boot! *Queue blast of static crowd noise*

Whew. What a way to start a World Cup.

With Chromatika also winning by the same margin but with fewer goals, this roller-coaster win we just experienced gives Cosumar first place in Group F... for now. While we're already close to the "4 points" rule of thumb for advancement, there's still a lot to do. Barunia was the lowest-ranked team in the group, after all. It's an uphill climb from here, with the always-dangerous Sargossans up next and arch-rivals Chromatika lurking further ahead for a potential epic showdown for all the marbles on MD3.

Keep your seats buckled people, ponies and other sentient beings. The roller-coaster has only just begun.
And stay focused, Vanquishers. There is work to be done.

Player of the Match: Tie between Tidesson (two goals) and Sibučić (two assists)

James D'lorio
Courier Sports Columnist

Romikk's Road To Recovery Vlog: Part 6
Seven months since the Tom Miah Incident, pre-WC80
(Continued from here)

*camera flips on in selfie-mode to reveal a facial close-up of a tattooed man with a black mohawk and goatee*

Hi guys, Romikk here.

I hope you're all having a great day, because I am! In fact, it's the day. The one I've had my sights on since I went down under Tom Miah's crunching tackle seven months ago.

If you can't tell by my surroundings...

*camera flips around to reveal Ulsa's practice facility dressing room, with Rook Branagh looking up from tying his boots to raise a chin in greeting at the live audience*

...I'm back in Eura, finally cleared to rejoin training. In a few moments I'll be back out on the pitch with the lads again for the first time - back to the normal routine of a footballer. Except - here's the weird thing - it doesn't feel normal anymore, guys. It almost feels alien to be suddenly thrust back into my old routine, doing the things I'd always done before and taken for granted.

It's actually kind of refreshing. I'm finding I have a new appreciation for the little things that come with being a professional footballer. And, with that, I think I'll have a newfound attention-to-detail in working on my game. You know, this lost season could end up making me a more dangerous striker in the long run.

Christ on a cracker, I sound like such an insufferable optimist saying that. That's totally not usually me, guys, but hey - why shouldn't I be optimistic? It took me seven months to make it back here - to training - when the docs said it would take eight to twelve. Nicky Martin was operating under the assumption he wouldn't have me at his disposal at all this season.

I talked to Geoffrey this morning and he called it a "remarkable recovery". That same term is starting to be bandied by the press now too.

Apparently, my muscles progressed through the final phase of healing at almost double the expected rate during my three weeks on Kalloroda. Maybe something to do with the lower gravity level on the planet and during space travel? Who knows, but Ulsa was sure surprised at the extent of the healing when I returned this week.

It was a good feeling. I like surprising people. I've been doing it my whole career. And now I'm ready to get back out there and start doing it again. You ready for me, Jude?

*camera flips in the opposite direction to show Ulsa defender Jude Skinner sitting on a bench, who makes a "bring it on" gesture with his hands

He's not ready for me, Romikk whispers while shaking his head.

Of course, I have no expectation of walking straight back into the starting eleven this weekend. That's just not how things work here at Ulsa.

Kris Campbell, bless the old codger, has had enough juice left in his legs to carry the club pretty well in my absence, so I'll have to work back up to match fitness and win my spot back if I want to play this season, which was the ambitious goal I set at the beginning of this process. Thanks in part to this vlog and all of you out there who watch, I've been able to put myself in position to do so. There's a month left in the season. Plenty of time to pick back up where I left off against Callodown and get my double-digit goals for the season! Well, that last part might be tough, but I'm not ruling anything out! That's just where my confidence is at right now.

Of course, Ulsa are still alive in the National Cup as well. I had a great 'welcome back' conversation with Nicky Martin this morning, and he straight-up told me that he wants the Romikk Valgard of last season available for the Final...

If I can complete a ten-month knee recovery in just seven months, you can bet all your bananas that I can get back amongst the goals in one whole month...

It starts today in training. Odin, how I missed training! Let's goooo.

*camera points down at his socks and cleats as Romikk begins jogging towards the dressing room exit, then shuts off*

...

by **Starblaydia** » Sun May 27, 2018 12:36 pm

Groups E-H Matchday 2 Cutoff

Sponsored by SPIREAM:

Official Matchday Program Provider and Sponsor of World Cup 80

There's nothing like getting a souvenir from your favourite World Cup match, whether it's the half-and-half scarf that you will never be allowed to wear again, the pin badge from some dodgy seller outside the the ground, or the ubiquitous Matchday Program. For the Official Matchday Program Provider, the EqueStar 80 committee have selected Spirearm of Zwangzug to produce and publish the Official EqueStar World Cup 80 Matchday Programs.

The commitment of both bid partners to the environment is something long-established in the histories of both Equestrian States and Starblaydia, and the sponsorship package from Spirearm was dedicated to protecting and preserving our natural forests across the globe, producing the finest paper from the most sustainable forest sources. With their long sporting history, too, Spirearm understands the nature of both sportmanship and competition, producing the best (arguably only, from a documented perspective) programs in the history of the World Cup.

As demonstrated by using the Stadii Di Bradini, a ground designed from scratch to be as environmentally friendly and green as possible, EqueStar World Cup 80 believes that forest sustainability and the protection of the environment is absolutely crucial, because otherwise our trees may all end up being fake and plastic.

And here are your responsibly sourced scores.

by **Juvencus** » Sun May 27, 2018 12:48 pm

The Commini Show

Giordano Commini is in Herona, he is about to make a short about Sunday league football in the same area for his show.

Giordano Commini: "National team's failures aside, has any of y'all lads actually looked at a Sunday league game in freaking... wait, lemme double check this. Aha! That's right, Herona. Has anyone of you pieces of cake seen a game on a Sunday league game before?"
Random kids passing by: "Who cares, old man?" *they keep on walking*
Commini: "Nobody asked for your opinions, little brats. COME OVER HERE!" *he proceeds to chase them*
Random kids: "Come at us, bro!" *they run away from him*
Commini: *is tired* "Oof! Oof! OOF! These brats got away from me... Whatever. Where was I? That's right! Sunday league game, in Herona, take a look!"

*Commini show effects* *Video of Sunday league game in Herona*

A young lad has the ball, he goes past one, then another one, then two lads together and proceeds to dribble past the goalkeeper and finds himself in front of an empty goal. He shoots the ball, just where you think the ball will get in, it goes wide. Small crowd gathered at the pitch bursts into laughter and starts clapping. Young lad is found on the ground, slamming it with all he has got.

*Later in the video*

Another young lad, a teamate of the afforementioned young lad proceeds to do the exact same steps, he dribbles through a bunch of defenders and the goalkeeper and is found in the exact same spot, empty goal, he shoots, the ball hits the crossbar and goes back to him, he tries again, the ball hits the post again. By this time the opponents have come to the rescue, the young lad has the ball again and he shoots it only for it to hit the crossbar again and go wide once more. Crowd had alreayd burst into laughing from the first failed attempt, the clapping was loud as well. The opponents go on a counter attack and proceed to score an easy one, the game ends 1-0. That is Sunday league for you.

*Video finishes*

Commini: "Hopefully they don't find it that hard finding net elsewhere, if you know what I mean." *Audio of laughter used in comedies is used* *Show ends*

by **Farfadillis** » Sun May 27, 2018 12:52 pm

"Täjó, I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're starting." The gaffer's tone sounded serious.

"I am?"

"Yes, thank Margaret that Alex Terán scribbled you in. Gosmo and Oskar are super constipated, and I'm not letting Siorrha'Asione anyone near any birds remotely simiar to flamingos. You wouldn't have anything to do with that, right?"

"No, no. Absolutely not, gaffer."

"I know you're not at 100% yet, and you've not played football for nine months. Do you really think you're up for the task? I can go for a slightly more defensive set-up if I'm left with no other option."

"No, no. I'm fine. Just wait and see."

Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ

Cocoabos were susprisingly easy to dribble for Fôrté. His confidence was no at its fullest once again. Ever since his cousins injury, he'd recovered the ability to seamlessly dribble past opponents and place defense-splitting passes at a moment's notice. He was once again the star. His times as the second-best player had turned him into a better playmaker, and he was now incredibly dangerous when he combined with both Eura-based wingers, Lázár Eleonóra and Lüí Wçêíl.

Lüí dribbled past one of those pesky birds, then, instead of crossing, went for a backpass towards him, at the edge of the box. He looked up, dribbled past two of those weirds birds, then somehow got tripped on his way to scoring the equalizer. How were they losing to a bunch of birds, again?

He picked up the ball. He was the designated penalty taker. He knew that he'd score if he were the one to take it. He lifted his head and began searching for one particular familiar face. They hadn't talked until one week before the World Cup. Things were very sour, but he was slightly - ever-so-slightly - glad that he was back. He walked towards Täjó and handed him the ball. The look on his face was indescribable.

As his cousin prepared to take the penalty, his cousin only smiled. He figured he'd not be the one on the headlines, for once.

Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ

"After thirty minutes on the pitch, Zsolgar Zsase will be replacing Täjó Çíânflöné to a standing ovation. The Rulandese striker isn't quite fit enough to play a full game yet. This substitution will make Farfadillis shift to a less offensive approach."

Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ

Zsolgar was nervous about his first World Cup match, but the ridiculousness of facing a bunch of swans of sorts made it less intimidating. Even if those swans were actually managing to tie against the allegedly-second-best team in the Multiverse.

Truth is, Farfadillis had looked very toothless up front with Çíânflöné not really recovered and Xíxì Êns not in his best day. They had struggled to keep possession cause these little birdies were proving tough. A lot tougher than you'd think, but in a Multiverse with ponies and jumping frijoles with sombreroes, nothing can surprise you too much. Somuele der Pros was doing what he could to keep them at bay in midfield and Bajnok was proving a rock, but Marchiondo and Básá were not able of joining attacks, while Wçêíl and Eleonóra were looking surprisingl silent.

However, with both Zsolgar and Groaré in midfield now, Farfadillis had the weapons to face a team that were completely taking control of the game possession-wise. Taking the ball from Groaré and Zsolgar was almost as hard as taking it from Fôrté, and they were very good playmakers. What's more, they combined very well. It took only twenty minutes. For them to help turn things around.

Somuele, a titan as always, recovered the ball in midfield and passes to Groaré Sasca. He rodeod his way past his marker and passed to Zsolgar Zsase. The Szoirsian stopped for a moment, looked up and saw an opportunity to pass the ball to a rushing Lázár Eleonóra. He took it. With a perfectly-placed pass, Lázár paced past the Cocoaboan defenders and smashed the ball past the keeper mercilessly.

For the rest of the game, with Groaré and Zsolgar at the helm of the midfield, Farfadillis controlled the game, but with a distinctly calm demeanor. The ones stealing the show were Groaré and Zsolgar, far less explosive than the usual Farves stealing the game. Fôrté was playing well, but he wasn't getting past three players again this game. Wçêíl and Eleonóra were looking dangerous, yes, but nothing extraordinary. No, the ones controlling the game were the two that could keep a calme head and take their time to orchestrte a lethal attack. The number of shots on target ended up being seven, but only because those seven were all very dangerous. Xíxì missed three clear opportunities, Winrôuge came close to surprising the goalkeeper with a lob from outside the box and Wçêíl almost managed to chip it over the Cocoaboan keeper after a perfect through pass by Sasca.

Eventually, in the twentieth minute of the second half, Farfadilis broke through again, and essentially put the game to bed. Zsolgar passed to Groaré and began to run towards the box. Groaré one-touch passed it to Winrôuge, who in turn used his heel to set up Zsolgar, who'd run past the defenders. When facing the goalkeeper, he passed the ball to the side. An incoming Xíxì Êns smashed it into an empty goal.

After that, Farfadillis dominated for the rest of the game, but with a different identity. They no longer seeked to score as many goals as possible, even if it was at their expense. No, they just made sure the Turorians barely got to the ball, just like they'd barely even seen it in the first half-hour, and then only rarely tried to break through their lines with some incisive pass by one of their playmakers. The set-up worked out, possibly a bit too well. It could get them very far in the World Cup.

But Tíbürçìó didn't just see Farfadillis smash Turori in the last sixty minutes of the game. He only saw them lose their identity as the kamikaze-est of kamikaze teams in the Multiverse, and he would never allow that.

by **Ceni** » Sun May 27, 2018 1:48 pm

To Brobdingnag We Go
Chapter Twelve: Infatuation and Eye Rolling in Sadeg

After touring Metropolon, the Arrowswords decide to start their journey out of the Metro district. Before they can do that and venture futher afield, however, Sarah insists that the group tour Sadeg, a historically important city nearby. After much argument, Seth and Andrew acquiesce to her request.

SADEG
Currently not the seat of Drawkian glory or grandeur, Sadeg instead found its role in the Drawkian historical canon as the birthplace of its glorious leader, Iarocav. After winning a tournament to replace his predecessor, Sirvatal, who vanished in a heavenly-ordained quest to the Valsum volcano in the center of Drawkland, Iarocav spearheaded the unification of Drawkland from his seat of power in the heartland of Sadeg. Before the creation of Drawk City, though, Sadeg did serve as the seat of power and the largest city in the country. The city itself sits in a lush valley; although it has steadily become more urbanized, it retains some of the charm of the original, pastoral setting, as well as several green spaces.

"This is a town entirely dedicated to the memory of Iarocav," says Andrew. "Haven't we had enough of him? I mean, we spent four, five days with him, went to plenty of museums glorifying him. The only things in this town worth seeing glorify him some more."

Sarah, who flirted with Iarocav back in Drawk City, shrugs off his criticisms. "Iarocav is the most distinguished citizen in Drawkland, and an integral part of our history. Learning about Iarocav is learning about Drawkland." She has hearts in her eyes; she can only think about Iarocav now, Iarocav later, Iarocav forever. The hearts in her eyes transmute into a swirling pattern of white and black stripes: hypnosis.

"You're just infatuated with him," says Andrew. "I see the way your eyes glisten when you say his name."

"My eyes don't glisten," Sarah says forcefully, her eyes glistening at the sight of the entrance to Iarocav's birthplace. "Let's get. I want to spend as much time as possible within those walls."

Andrew rolls his eyes.

IAROCAV'S BIRTHPLACE
Sadeg being Iarocav's birthplace, the Drawkians, understandably, had to install yet another monument to their leader there, and the museum surrounding his birthplace is yet another example of these monuments' ubiquity. Similar to the Drawkionel Museum back in Drawk City, the museum features artifacts surrounding Iarocav's early years, conquest of Drawkland, and later rule, albeit without many of the interactive dioramas from the Drawkionel Museum. The birthplace museum, however, does have the added bonus of Iarocav's actual birthplace, which visitors can peruse on a guided tour, and several reconstructed buildings replicate the actual conditions of the city at the time of Iarocav's birth.

A slight breeze blows the wind chimes, birds chatter among themselves, leaves flutter to the ground as the trio saunters through the exhibits. Sarah's eyes seem to widen every time they see a picture of Iarocav. Fortunately for her, there are many inside his birthplace. Andrew and Seth follow her warily, on their phones half the time. Uninterested in yet another rendition of Iarocav's life story, they trail Sarah as she peruses the extensive collections relating to her crush, although she would deny any romantic interest in the Drawkionel. Several hours pass as Sarah fawns over every seemingly artifact, every display, while Andrew and Seth trail her, bored. Finally, she finishes the exhibits and allows the trio to move forward to the next stop on their list, the Sirvatal Castle.

SIRVATAL CASTLE
Similar to Fort Drawk in the center of Drawk City, Sirvatal Castle once served as the literal center of power in Drawkland. In the case of Sirvatal Castle specifically, Iarocav himself used the castle as his administrative center in the early days of his rule, when people still called the country Valsumet. Today, the castle, named after Iarocav's predecessor as ruler of Sadeg, remains as a historical marker to the unification of Drawkland, like many historical markers in this country. Visitors can tour the castle in its entirety, including the dank dungeons belowground, various rooms that Iarocav once graced with his presence, and an interesting collection of antiquated arms and armor that seems to be the castle's most popular exhibit.

"Fort Drawk," says Andrew. "Remember it? It looked exactly like this."

Their tour guide, hearing Andrew's snide remark, decides to make an example out of Andrew. "I'm glad that you said that," he says, smiling. "A lot of tourists make that same mistake. In fact, the two places could hardly be more different. Sirvatal Castle, for instance, has the full gamut of living quarters for civilian staff, and functioned more as a bureaucratic center rather than a military outpost. On the other hand, Iarocav built Fort Drawk with a more strictly military purpose in mind. For instance, Fort Drawk..." The guide drones on and on about more technical distinctions, and Andrew wishes he could fall asleep. On the other hand, Sarah perks up every time she hears the word Iarocav. Seth's face betrays no indication of his emotional state.

Finally, the tour ends. "I was ready to write off this tour as a waste of time," says Andrew, "until the armor exhibit. I wish they had let us try on a suit of armor, though. I would have enjoyed that."

"I doubt it," says Seth. "Those suits of armor looked like they weigh more than you do. Plus, you barely would have fit in one. Remember that you're a midget to us?"

Andrew belatedly realizes this fact. "Oh."

Seth and Sarah exchange a chuckle. "I bet they'd let you try on a uniform at the Spartan Academy," Sarah says, mendaciously.

"What would that be? A Greek helmet, a loincloth, and a spear?"

"No, silly," says Sarah. "Spartans are the elite Drawkian training force, so it would be a bit more... modern than that. Besides, the Spartans never wore such a silly outfit."

"Well," replies Andrew, "at least it will be a break from swooning over Iarocav."

SPARTAN ACADEMY
Spartans, named after Iarocav's father Spartacav, are Drawkland's finest military forces, equivalent to the Seals or Army Rangers in RLStates. Now special forces who excel in hand-to-hand combat, firearms, and modern technological applications, they have evolved from the most elite divisions of Drawkian fighting forces, who protected Drawkionels and made the biggest inroads in the multiple conflicts that have defined Drawkian history. Although visitors cannot see the inner goings-on of this working military academy, which trains the next generation of Spartans, they can go on a tour of the old barracks and training grounds, which trained the newest members of the Spartans in years past. Built for functionality in mind, the old barracks also host a museum dedicated to military history.

As the cadets march past the group, Andrew admits that their masculinity attracts him: buzz cuts, immaculately white pants, wide red belts, black shirts with long collars, tall hats, white gloves. They parade past the balcony on which the Arrowswords stand, turning past them to enter the Academy itself and saluting before they enter it. One cadet, with particularly sculpted features that remind Andrew of a Michelangelo sculpture, stands out.

"Infatuated?" teases Sarah. "I see your eyes glistening!"

"Shut up," says Andrew. "Unlike you, I have a boyfriend to return to. I'm not searching for anyone, but if someone happens to attract me then it'll just happen."

"Ooh," coos Sarah. "Andrew's attracted to a Spartan!"

"And I bet you are, too," retorts Andrew. "Remember, you can't have Iarocav, but you can have a Spartan."

This time, Sarah rolls her eyes. "Please," she says. "I am not infatuated with Iarocav!"

"Really, you can't deny it. All of us can see it," says Andrew.

Seth interjects. "He's right."

All Sarah can do is roll her eyes, again.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

"Captain to the Command Center, message for the Captain".

Lt Commander Marie O'Brien had been working alone in the Captain's dining room, which was part of the CO's quarters. Although she had the right to have moved into the quarters, she had remained in her own cabin, and merely used the dining room as a makeshift office.

She gathered up her work and proceeded to the Command Center. Lieutenant Nicholls was the junior signals officer on duty in the ComCenter for this watch. "Captain on the deck!" "As you were, thank you, Mr Nicholls. What have you got for me?"

Nicholls had only transferred onto NSC Reliant from a stint on the smaller patrol cutter NSC Ural River within the last 3 months, so he was still getting used to the operation on the larger vessel. "Special orders from Fleet Command, Captain. Decoded and prepared, sir." Nicholls hadn't yet served aboard a ship with a woman CO in his first 3 years in the Navy, so this was a new experience; he had been impressed by the calm demeanor and friendly ease that this officer treated the officers and crew, bot as the Executive Officer and now as the CO.

"Carry on then Nicholls, thank you." Marie didn't want to kick up dust by going onto the bridge to read the orders so she walked down the gangway and pushed open the door to the Officer of the Deck's ward room. It was empty and she glanced at her watch; the OD was probably on rounds, so she knew she had a few minutes. She opened the message:

From: NOC/Fleet_Comm_Newport
To: CO/RELIANT B046/GRP B/BINGO SQ
FollowOn: Comm_GRP B/BINGO SQ
RE: OPERATIONAL_DIRECTIVE 75268/GROUP ALIGNMENT

EFF 0000 HRS ABOARD--RELIANT B046 TO DEPLOY TO GRP B/APPLE SQ REPLACING ARDENT B047--APPLE SQ EN ROUTE YOUR COORD ETA 0500 ABOARD--WITH AURORA A134 #Comm_GRP B/APPLE SQ/ OSPREY A136/EAGLE B041/DEFIANCE C63
MISSION NO CHANGE--RoE NO CHANGE.

CONFIRM ON RECPT--MSG TO NOC--FLAG TO Comm_GRP B/BINGO SQ

SANDERS_P (ADM)

end 75268

Marie's initial thought was that the situation was taking a much more serious turn. They were sending a much more powerful squadron to take up the presence off Banija. Osprey, Defiance and Eagle were 3 classes of amphibious assault ships and Aurora was a full size battleship with a much more lethal capability than Achilles could provide. She'd heard that there might be a realignment of squadrons at some point in the future as the newer ships completed their shake down cruises and came online for full duty. Reliant and Ardent were sister ships, the newest and most up to date guided missile frigates. She had wondered of one of them would be assigned to a new group in support of the newest crown jewel in the NSC fleet, the Commonwealth's first aircraft carrier Prince Frederick. Apparently Ardent was going to get that slot.

As she started to leave the OD wardroom, the said officer was returning. "Sir! I apologize." "At ease, I just needed your room for a private moment, I'm finished now. But standby, because I'll be needing you shortly."

Marie re-entered the ComCenter. "Attention!" "As you were, Mr Nicholls, a word please."
Nicholls followed her to the corner of the room. "I need you to get someone prepared to send a flag code signal to Achilles within the next 10 minutes. And I am instructing you to message Fleet Command that the Orders have been received and understood."

"Right away sir!"

"Nicholls?"

"Sir?"

"Have you ever sent a flag code before?" Nicholls felt a bit embarrassed, as he admitted that he had zero experience since Basic Officer Instruction at the Academy. "It was not my strongest area, sir."

Marie smiled. "You're about to have a refresher course then."

by **Valanora** » Sun May 27, 2018 7:37 pm

In the wake of the fall of the Eternal Empire's centralized government where action could be done quickly with the Emperor or Empress giving an order and knowing it would be carried out promptly, it seemed that the some nations were taken advantage of the situation. There was a war breaking out in the Southwest of Atlantian Oceania, a war which included Banija and Equestrian States, the latter of which was situated just a short distance off the Vanorian northwest coast. Before the fall of the government, the idea of war happening around the Vanorian sphere of influence was a crazy notion, as the threat of military interference by the mighty military machine that was the Vanorian armed forces was enough to deter most into solving problems through diplomatic means rather than measures of brute force. This was a very distressing development for Hector Manuel Zevala, as the Sabinal native surprised no one as he emerged as the favorite for the Emperor position and had been voted in with fifty-seven percent of the vote, while Lithalia Soldar received thirty-nine percent of the vote, and Brakken Vaigert, a dragonkin who emerged from deep within the Spine of Arrosia to submit the bid for the position, received the remaining four percent of the vote.

However the nearly elected Emperor was not ready to plunge the Eternal Empire into a full blown war, there was a large amount of pressing domestic issues to tackle, including the best way to integrate his home nation properly into the Empire itself. While it was good enough as show of unity to have the national team of the Empire having "Sabine and Caddonia" emblazened upon their kits, everyone in the Empire felt like the nation was nothing more than a satellite power that was merely providing a logistical stronghold to what remained of the previous government unit of Valanora. Cartographers from the region had yet to formally recognize the nation or that the Empire now laid claim to these lands, with growing fear that those within the region would dismiss the claim that the Vanorians had on the island continent of Vircaeis, which once was home to the mighty Vephrall and Kura Pelland nations, of which had collapsed and the very reason for the Vanorian presence on the island, being peacekeepers rather than an occupying force. A show of military power and escalating an already very tumultuous situation threatened to weaken those claims further and have the nations of the region turn their eyes on the weakened empire instead of the other problems arising in the region.

What the new Emperor needed was a subtle and discreet force that could infiltrate the situation and provide him as well as the Military Council an accurate assesment of the situation that was unfolding just off of the Empire's doorstep. However with that there were potential pitfalls to, as that force had been loyal to the Raynors and with the Raynors now gone, there was something of a rogue military inside the empire. With the Dark Templara already seemingly agitated at the state of the Empire following the Calling, with those that they had pledged their loyalty to haven left this realm, it was a risky move that could backfire and lead to further internal strife and even civil war if it was not handled with the utmost of tact. Having a massive revolt inside the Empire's core lands would likely send ripples not just in the Empire but the entire region itself, even in Starblaydia as stable was they were such that they were able to host the World Cup Finals, an event that many of the Empire were turning their own attentions to with the national team playing in the tournament. It was fair to say that what happened in Valanora helped shaped the world.

However doing nothing was a greater mistake, this Hector knew full well in his heart, to sit idly by as one regional neighbor made war on another within the Empire's sphere of influence showed weakness greater than what was the truth and an ineptitude that would have those who believed it was just the elves that made Valanora special have greater say. If Valanora was to stay stable, if the Empire was to remain as revered as it was in the region and the greater world, it was going to have to exert its influence as it would have done in times past and attempt to bring this conflict to a quick resolution before the loss of life escalated to great extent. "Get me the Dark Bows, I have need of their specialized services."

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Sun May 27, 2018 7:46 pm

CRESCENT NEWS NETWORK
SPORTS CHANNEL - OFFICIAL WEBSITE
ABANHFLEFT • PRIDNESTROVIA • OONTAZ DERT LI NG • COPPER CUPRUM • TRENDSTART • FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA

WORLD CUP 80 QUALIFIERS: AUDIOSLAVIA VS ABANHFLEFT
By Malik Qazizadah

Abanhfleft's Chelsea Stuart celebrates her goal against Audioslavia in the World Cup 80 qualification playoffs. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Andros Tasasa)

CATHAIR, AUDIOSLAVIA - Abanhfleft completed quite possibly one of the unlikeliest World Cup qualifications in the history of the NSWC by snatching victory from the jaws of defeat away to Audioslavia to book their ticket to Starblaydia and the Equestrian States by qualifying on away goals.

Audioslava held the advantage with a single away goal scored by Roddy Fraser in the 10th minute at the May 26 Revolution Memorial Stadium, and the Lady Revolutionaries came to the Arena Kirola/66 Stadium in Cathair with almost nonexistent expectations of getting anything for this game. The dropping of pamphlets describing Vilita and Turori over the May 26 Stadium notwithstanding, the vast majority of fans had already resigned themselves to yet another Cup of Harmony journey, with one even going so far as to say that "Abanhfleft doesn't do upsets. In fact, it's Abanhfleft that gets done by the upset more often than not, so why even have any hope at all?"

Still, over five thousand Fleftic fans flocked to Cathair to watch the Lady Revolutionaries take on the Bulls, although once again hopes were not high after the Fleftic starting eleven was named; a combination of injuries and suspensions had forced Fleftic manager Ginny Katesmar into naming an experimental lineup with four changes to the team that lost 1-0 to Audioslavia at home, along with giving goalkeeper-turned-winger Elene Liner her first ever start for the senior women's national team.

Despite that, Abanhfleft managed to hold their ground against Audioslavia for the first fifteen minutes, and Stephanie Winter-Slaughter, naturalized from the disappeared Unified Sunrise Islands, actually appeared to relish the challenge posed to her by Roddy Fraser and Ciro Oljer, and those Audioslavians who did manage to get past Winter-Slaughter and Merida Vance found stiffer resistance in the Fleftic back three of Claire Osgood, Dawn Jackson, and Jordana Valentine, who despite already in their early thirties are still able to do a good job of defending against the Bulls.

The Fleftic resistance couldn't last though, and what had originally been thought to be a poor touch by Roddy Fraser actually turned into a counterattacking opportunity for Audioslavia, and Fraser pulled the ball back to his strike partner Oljer as Fraser was chased to the goal line by Jordana Valentine, and Oljer smashed the ball into the bottom left corner and well out of the reach of Victoria Carter.

While Audioslavia's advantage was doubled and the mountain that Abanhfleft had to climb, the Lady Revolutionaries were still able to get an equalizer and put themselves on the aggregate score board through a solo goal that would be best described as "clumsy"; the Arsenal de Releinthi Ladies forward practically ran over Leif Davidson to force the ball into the back of the net with her sweeping right foot.

Earl Van den Brink then appeared to have sealed the Bulls' qualification if not exactly the tie with eight minutes to go in the first half after he nodded in Ignacio Borjon's corner, but Elene Liner came close to equalizing for the Lady Revolutionaries once again after getting past Van den Brink himself at the dying seconds of the half only for the Sarvusdalamoive Ladies winger to send the ball just the wrong side of the near post.

The first twenty minutes of the second half was a tense and nervy affair in which both teams were content to hold the ball and only very occasionally make a foray into the final third; Audioslavia was after all intent in preserving both their actual game lead and the resulting aggregate lead, and confidence and determination were a bit lacking in the Fleftics, but this all changed once Allison Torres somehow managed to bundle the ball over the line following a rare goalmouth scramble that had resulted from Elene Liner's cutback pass.

With hope having been restored in the Fleftic camp, it was the Lady Revolutionaries' turn to besiege the Audioslavian goal, and Katesmar brought on veteran wingers in Lillian Prescott and Adelaide Singh to help the Fleftics nab that third all-important goal to put them through the World Cup on away goals.

But then these hopes appeared to have been dashed after Roddy Fraser flew into a tackle on Allison Torres, and while the tackle itself may have prevented Abanhfleft from scoring a goal, it was the damage that Fraser appeared to have wrought upon Torres, and the away fans were singularly chanting "Off! Off! Off!" at Fraser as Torres was being carried off the pitch, but the Bulls' star striker escaped the incident with only a verbal reprimand and not even a booking.

As the match wore on and the fourth official indicated for only three minutes of added time, the plight of the Fleftics became more and more obvious, having come so close to making it back to the World Cup only to fall at the final hurdle. The Audioslavian fans were already singing their victory songs, and the mood in the city of Cathair was that of "We're going to the World Cup."

A weak attempt at goal by Audioslavian substitute Desya Kuznetsov was easily scooped up by Victoria Carter, who rolled the ball to Claire Osgood to initiate quite probably the last Fleftic attack of the game. Osgood pumped the ball into the midfield, where Stephanie Winter-Slaughter managed to beat her marker in an aerial duel. Winter-Slaughter then kicked the ball up to the final third and towards Britt Hanokssen-Hanks, who came on as Allison Torres' replacement. The ball appeared to bounce away from Hanokssen's feet at her first touch, but then it bounced back towards her as Ilatxi Altzibararechulago tried to clear the ball away and Hector Calixto was forced to get off his line once it was clear that Hanokssen intended to go for goal herself. As Calixto slid down to the ground in an attempt to grab the ball, Hanokssen chipped the ball over the rushing goalkeeper, and everyone watched with bated breath as the ball appeared to be headed straight for the crossbar. The ball did hit the bar, but it hit the underside of the bar and that was just enough to send the ball into the back of the net, much to the surprised joy of the traveling Fleftic fans and the complete and utter shock of the Audioslavians.

Abanhfleft women's national team manager Ginny Katesmar: "Oh, my... I'm lost for words. I can't believe it! We're in the World Cup! That's all I can say; we're in the World Cup!"

        AUDIOSLAVIA 2 - 3 ABANHFLEFT
        OLJER (19')       STUART (27')
VAN DEN BRINK (37')       TORRES (64')
                          BRITT (90+2')

ABANHFLEFT
GK: 1 Carter
RB: 2 Osgood
CB: 4 Jackson
LB: 3 Valentine
RM: 30 Winter-Slaughter
LM: 17 Vance
RW: 36 Liner (Prescott - 67')
CAM: 10 Torres (Britt - 84')
LW: 20 Johnson (Singh - 80')
RS: 9 Stuart
LS: 11 Rousseau

AUDIOSLAVIA
GK: 1 Calixto
RB: 2 Davidson
RCB: 6 Altzibararechulago
CB: 4 Van den Brink
LCB: 5 Smith
LB: 3 Robertson (Iacovelli - 88')
RM: 7 Borjon (Fazio - 78')
CM: 11 Dupon
LM: 8 Boiteux
RS: 10 Fraser
LS: 12 Oljer (Kuznetsov - 65')

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Audioslavia: 49%
Abanhfleft: 51%
Shots
Audioslavia: 20 (13 on target)
Abanhfleft: 10 (4 on target)
Corners
Audioslavia: 8
Abanhfleft: 6
Fouls
Audioslavia: 10
Abanhfleft: 10

(OOC: If you want to see what that last goal could have looked like, watch this.)

by **Equestrian States** » Sun May 27, 2018 8:56 pm

Groups A-D Matchday 2 Cutoff

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by **Nephara** » Mon May 28, 2018 4:25 am

Abanhfleft 3 - 4 Nephara
(4-2-3-1 / 4-4-2) 1 - Tsattalios; 2 - Rafford, 5 - Konoval, 18 - Theuer, 19 - Vicelich; 4 - Rowland, 8 - Klein (10 - Kendall 76'); 7 - Szalai, 21 - Gosforth (c), 11 - Strongbow (16 - Aspenwood 67'); 9 - Hawke (17 - Stavanger 84')
Goals: Szalai 22' 80', Klein 41', Aspenwood 83'

'Quality on paper'. Useless concept, in international football. Any idiot could look at a side on paper and get a complete picture of the amount of nothing they knew of a team. Sure, a side may be old. A side might consist of players who generally play in weak leagues outside UICA tournaments. But football isn't played on a spreadsheet, about what players made it to which clubs and leagues with the biggest coefficients.
"No, it's played out there on the pitch," manager Michael Brandon told the press wearily. "Listen, a very capable Audioslavian side pushed us hard over two qualifiers, could probably have won most groups. Then they came against Abanhfleft-"
"Well, their women's team-"
"If they are the 23 that the national Abanhfleft chooses to represent itself, it is the Fleftic national team," Brandon said, firmly. "Doesn't affect my point in the slightest. Fact is that a very decent Audioslavia side - maybe not their finest vintage, sure, but still the fucking Bulls, right? Came up against this team. Then lost. You might call it a smash-and-grab or what have you, but their opponents were ruthless, taking the chances they did have. Maybe proving they had a bit more depth than they're given credit for. So, no, we are not gonna take our foot off the fucking accelerator!"

Fourteen seconds into the second group match of the tournament, the Nepharim had taken their foot off the fucking accelerator. Brandon was not a happy man on the touchline, giving his best 'I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed and also fucking furious' glower at the collective failure that had just taken the breath away from every single green shirt in the crowd.
Fourteen seconds!
It was hard to really describe what had happened, but Maynard had done... a thing, and Singh had produced a turn of pace that sure as hell didn't seem 33-year old, and before you could say "doesn't the term 'ladies' come off as kind of patronising?" the ball was in the net, having passed by an incandescent Konoval and a flat-footed Tsattalios to get there.
Fourteen seconds? Really?
Tsattalios kicked the ball out towards the centre and the Cormorants set themselves to recover from the quickest deficit they'd conceded in their World Cup history.

They set about the task gamely. The scoreline might have read Old Age and Treachery 1, Relative Youth and Bloody-Mindedness 0, but that didn't mean there weren't a few tricks up the Nepharim sleeve.
One such trick came from Lux Vicelich, starting to give Lohengrin a rest. Vicelich probably could've stopped the fourteen-second goal had she been more on the ball, but she was on the ball now, both figuratively and literally. A pedestrian throw-in was the start, Vicelich to Klein back to Vicelich at a slightly awkward height. She saw Prescott coming, though, and with thoughts of revenge only a little foremost in her mind managed to flick the ball over her head, brush past her and just keep on running. Strongbow, at 24 the youngest player on the pitch, raised her hands for the ball and got it, just as Maynard - of all people!- came lunging in, clipping Vicelich's heels, but Vicelich just kept on running, got the ball back on the wing and clipping in a beauty of a cross, lofted away from Osgood, Jackson, Valentine...
... and there was Szalai arriving at just the right time to sweep it home at the far post, just like they'd rehearsed time and again in training. 1-1.
Now, that just didn't suit anybody. Nephara pressed for the lead, and Gosforth, Hawke (twice) and Szalai all soon found themselves denied by Carter. Echoes of that playoff, perhaps, when Carter's heroics, reminiscent of the small personal forcefield given to opposing goalkeepers in key Football Manager fixtures, kept the Bulls at bay time and again. And then the Fleftics were pressing hard, for a strong spell in the tail end of the half - Torres likely would have scored were it not for a brilliant sliding sidewinder from Konoval, and Tsattalios tipped a Stuart header deftly over the bar.
But, finally, the blessed lead was wrested back, when Rusalka Klein finally found herself driving forward into possession after a Nepharim attack had gone up, broken down and dragged itself back together at her feet. She eased past Osgood and, with the angle narrowing fast, dragged the ball low and hard beyond Carter, just edging into the net.
She collapsed to her knees and looked up into the sea of green above. It had been a hell of a goal... it had been a hell of a run. Half-time couldn't come soon enough.

Annoyingly, close to an hour later, they had it all to do again. It turned out half-time could, indeed, not come soon enough... for the iconic blue, orange, green, white, faded white and red of Abanhfleft, who had rallied and come out looking faster, harder and stronger than ever. Elene Liner, a goalkeeper not so long ago, had been injected into the game and that was making the difference, as she'd set up the equaliser for the chunky Rousseau to stab home before lashing home what she hoped was the winner in the 74th minute.
Things were looking, to use the technical term, not good. It wouldn't be the first agonising 3-2 defeat to Abanhfleft in the group stages Nephara had suffered, and while, yes, Nephara had technically come third in that tournament, that wasn't enough to make it a good sign. Particularly given the damage it would inflict on the precious, precious coefficient...
Better, instead, to fix the situation in trademark style, as Brandon hauled off Klein, hurled on Kendall and switched to a more direct approach and a 4-4-2. Bollocks to the velvet glove. They were going to get this done through dominating with pace and power and panache. Through Aspenwood's corner, flicked on by Theuer to reach Szalai who headed home the equaliser at the far post. Then Szalai, in one of the best performances of his career, found the perfect ball over the top for an exhausted Hawke to contest, pull back to Kendall, who fired low and hard... off the post. But the rebound was scuffed away by Osgood, caught and trapped in a flash by Aspenwood who wasted no time, darted inside past her and stabbed the ball between a helpless Carter's helpless legs.
It was not a vintage performance, and it was unlikely to live long in the memory for either side. But for Michael Brandon, all that mattered after those ninety minutes of anarchy was that they, yet again, had the three points.

by **Savojarna** » Mon May 28, 2018 6:00 am

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Tensions rise before Savojarna - Eura match

EqueStar 80

Group G
MD1: Brenecia 2-0 Savojarna
25.05. 19:00, Elements Stadium, Ponyville
MD2: Savojarna 1-1 Damukuni
27.05. 21:30, Elements Stadium, Ponyville
MD3: Eura vs. Savojarna
29.05. 19:00, Manechester Industrial Park, Manechester

Standings
1. Eura (6 Pts./GD 6:1)
2. Brenecia (3/2:2)
3. Savojarna (1/1:3)
4. Damukuni (1/2:5)

Manechester, EQS - This World Cup has already seen its share of heavily politically charged games with the opening match between Banija and the Equestrian States, two countries openly at war with each other. Tomorrow, a less tense but still heated fixture will follow when Savojarna and Eura face off in Manechester. The two Rushmori states are not exactly at war with each other, but calling their relations friendly may be a bit of a stretch as well. Two years ago, during the political turmoil that led to the election of the current Petrova government, the Euran state was charged with meddling in the Savojar elections in favour of the Liberal Party, which could increase its share in Parliament but remains isolated. Back then, the Savojar government intervened diplomatically and called upon the Common Rushmori Community to sanction Eura, but the parting Carlsen government withdrew the request in a highly contentious decision. While the Petrova government has not decided to renew the appeal for sanctions, they have also voiced opposition to Eura joining the CRC on grounds of the actions two years ago, and especially among the leftist and rather anti-statist football fans, Eura has remained a red cloth.

Before the upcoming match - the first time the two countries meet in an official game - social media tensions flared up in a way unseen since the WCQ77 Savojarna - Juvencus games. On the common platforms, Savojar fans have heavily criticised Euran actions world-wide, calling their conflict against neighbouring Sameda a brutal imperialist war and criticising the influential Rushmori nation as a threat to the sovereignty of smaller Rushmori nations such as Savojarna. Chairwoman Petrova, when asked about the increasing tensions from the Savojar fans, stated that "there have been events in the past, and we are not surprised to see these flaring up again in such tense situations. But we wish to maintain functional relations with Eura, and we'd like to restate our neutrality in Euran conflicts that do not concern Savojarna". When specifically asked about diplomatic relations between the two countries in regard to the disputes over the Savojar election, Petrova remained rather evasive. "We think that the sovereignty of another state should be respected especially in times of election, as a commitment to democracy and rule of law. But we think that this is something that we don't have to tell another major democratic nation, and a football match certainly is the wrong arena to cnduct international diplomacy."

The atmosphere is made even more tense by the significance of this game for Savojarna's World Cup effort. The Savojars have drawn the match against Damukuni and now need to win this game against the top seed of the group to keep any chance at qualification. They also have to rely on some aid from Damukuni, who would have to at least draw with Brenecia if Savojarna shall retain their chances. In case of a Damukuni - Brenecia draw, they need a victory of at least two goals difference and must score at least one more than Brenecia, while in case of a Damukuni victory the requirement is to win with an equally high difference and not more than one goal less scored than Damukuni. Of course, all this is hypothetical if the Savojars don't manage to pull a major upset against Eura, a team that qualified extremely safely and was generally considered one of the favourites to make a run for the World Cup. One important factor in favour of the Savojar side is that Eura has already qualified for the octofinals and are likely to retain the top spot, which means that in the best case for us, we can profit from an Euran team that may not be playing its best team or not be willing to go to the extremes as much as Savojarna will have to be.

The players themselves seem unmoved by the controversy raised at home and in social media. Following the Damukuni match, the SFFB has instituted a complete interview ban for players to not interrupt their preparation for the meeting with Eura outside of the usual press conferences, in which some questions regarding the upcoming match were asked. Veteran midfielder Pernilla Johansson said that she was looking forward to the match against Eura as a sporting challenge, but did not feel it was any different because of the history of the two countries. Similar words came from coach Lise Asbeck, who said: "I am massively proud of my ladies regardless of the outcome of this match, and I think that we need to reduce the pressure for the game. It would be amazing if we qualify and it is our big goal, but it is important that we don't see it as a major blow to this campaign if we lose to a favourite for the title. And similarly, if we put the pressure to defend the honour of Savojarna on the team or something like that, this won't help either. We have to believe in us and go out there to play our best game, but ultimately remember this is just a football match". These words have not gone over well on social media, where some people have been demanding a more assertive stance from the team.

Regardless of the outcome of the game, we here at SavojarSports.sj agree with Asbeck that we can all be very proud of our team. As it has been the case with the last two games, we are sure that thousands of Savojars all across the country will assemble to watch the game on the big screens that popped up everywhere, creating a magnificent and vibrant atmosphere in the country. Sjoedrhavn police chief Hjalmar Bjugstad has announced that his force will allow for a party night in the city if the team qualifies for the KO phase, but also warned fans from demonstration attempts: "We encourage all expressions of joy and celebration, but as the police of Sjoedrhavn we cannot accept rioting or violence, especially not against official buildings from other nations. Police, while tolerant and encouraging of a football party, will be patrolling in Sjoedrhavn tomorrow to make sure there are no Savojar-Euran clashes of any form". The biggest remaining mystery, then, will probably be the formation of Lise Asbeck, who has the choice in midfield after Johansson was replaced by Vailova in the match against Damukuni, following rumours that she had been lightly injured in training again. We expect the veteran to be back for the Eura match, but we will only see tomorrow night shortly before 19:00 Savojar time.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Mon May 28, 2018 7:23 am

(OOC: Crossposting this from the Quidditch World Cup thread. I didn't have the energy to RP the match against Nephara itself but I also didn't want to post nothing as well for my final day. Besides, this encapsulates what I feel about the result very well.)

For one, the game between Abanhfleft and the Autonomous Region of Helsinki was a bit of an anticlimax. Everyone was expecting Abanhfleft to go up against the Free Republics in the Quidditch World Cup that they all forgot that there was yet another team whom the Fleftics were yet to play, and that was Helsinki. And it certainly didn't help matters that after a little bit of a Keeper showdown in which both teams' Keepers managed to stop the Quaffle from going into their respective goals, Yuri Polyakov snatched up the Snitch with only two minutes played to put a quick end to the game and ensure that Abanhfleft still has a fighting chance coming into the real last match of the group stage, which was now most surely and definitely against the Free Republics.

As a way to wind down before returning to training against the Free Republics, Cesar Banaldo, captain of the Fleftic Quidditch team and also known by the nickname "Papito", used his spare time to catch up on the Muggle sports of the day, such as football (or soccer as other people liked to call it). As the 80th Football World Cup was also being held in Starblaydia, Papito had mingled with the Muggle crowds gathered in Starblaydia for the World Cup. He knew that Abanhfleft had qualified for the World Cup by the skin of their teeth, and while he didn't believe that the team that had come to Starblaydia to compete on the biggest footballing stage in the multiverse was the right team for the task, he still supported the Lady Revolutionaries as they were Abanhfleft's representatives to the rest of the sporting nations of the multiverse, just like him and his team.

It just so happened that the World Cup match between Abanhfleft and Nephara had finished by the time Papito mingled with the Muggles, and since even though he liked Muggles he didn't trust their "technology" too much, he decided to learn of the result via the old-fashioned but trusted newspaper. In his head, Papito knew that there was no chance that Abanhfleft would ever defeat Nephara in a game of football, but his heart still wished for his team to win.

"Papito!" a familiar voice called out. Papito looked up from his newspaper and saw Greg Santos, Papito's teammate and Chaser of the Fleftic Quidditch team, looking back at him. "You follow soccer too?" Santos asked him as he sat down beside Papito. "I never would've thought you would be the kind of guy to follow soccer among all of us on the team! But how goes it, though? How did our team do? It was against Nephara, if I remember correctly. Did they win?"

"What do you expect?" Papito replied. "Of course they didn't! Abanhfleft doesn't win against Nephara! Abanhfleft never wins against Nephara!"

"Oh, come on, that's not true," Santos said. "I remember that we beat them 3-2 once in the World Cup itself."

"Sure we did, but that was a nothing match," Papito countered. "It doesn't mean a thing. We were already eliminated when we won against those green bastards, and the only thing we did then was we also eliminated those damned Nepharans."

"It wasn't a dead rubber, though," Santos said. "Anyone could have still qualified back then."

"Pah! It doesn't matter," Papito said. "All this means is that we are never ever going to win against Nephara whenever something is on the line for us. We scored the first goal at just fourteen seconds! Fourteen seconds, fam! And we still manage to lose to them 3-4! I can't believe this anymore. I just can't believe it. Fuck Nephara. Fuck Pasarga. Fuck all the teams that we can't ever beat in any sport ever. We're cursed against those teams, blud. We'll never ever win a game against Nephara or Pasarga as long as I breathe. I just... I'm done." And with that now off his chest, Papito folded the newspaper and left it behind on the bench as he stood up and walked away.

"I just wanted to know who won, you know," Santos called out, but too late; Papito had already Disapparated back to their training camp. Santos shook his head and picked up the newspaper and read the article about the Nephara-Abanhfleft game. "God, we really can't win against the green bastards, can we?" he finally managed to say once he was finished reading the article.

by **Starblaydia** » Mon May 28, 2018 1:12 pm

The Knockouts Await. But first...
Starblaydia overcome Free Republics to qualify with a game to spare

Starblaydia sealed a second fantastic victory as they wave goodbye to Foundation Road with a 4-2 win over Free Republics. To put that into some sort of perspective, Starblaydia haven't won two group games in the World Cup since World Cup 67, some fifty-eight years ago. Back then they were protected at the back by the aptly monikered Lucas 'Best in the World' Cable in goal at the peak of his powers, the rock of Lorenzo Jinalii anchored the midfield and wide players like Brazadar Khurnos and Ffion McAllister lit up the wings before Starblaydia were knocked out by Eura in the Second Round. Before that Cup? Well, it's best not to talk about it.

Racking up more goals at the World Cup than any other team so far, Starblaydia are lighting up the tournament with their incisive counter-attacking play. Not so much with their defence, which has conceded five goals already, but as long as the front three are scoring freely, there's even a chance that Starblaydia could make a deep run into the knockout stages. But let's leave that until we know their Second Round opponent, currently looking like it will be the mighty Farfadillis or old regional rivals Turori, both of whom are considered to be much better teams than Starblaydia, being second and fifteenth in the multiverse, respectively.

Starblaydia started the match fairly well with some direct play, but were soon undone by a quality opener from Kalervo Peltola, who took his chance on the edge of the Starblaydi penalty area and curled in a wonderful shot around both the defender Ortega in front of him, and Järvinen in goal. Peltola had been give just that extra yard of time and space that he needed, and the ball sailed happily into the net with less than ten minutes played. Though the home crowd had started brightly, this scoreline wasn't in their songbook and they really tried to get behind their team for the rest of the half, urging them on at every opportunity. Free Republics, however, controlled the game well, keeping the ball and slowing the game down, taking the bite out of the Starblaydi attack and dominating possession around the half-hour mark in particular. Starblaydia went in at Half time to the sound of a hopeful but audibly frustrated crowd who just couldn't get their team lifted enough to control the match for any decent period of time.

The second half started much as the first and although Starblaydia came out with more spring in their step, Free Republics took the sting out of Starblaydia's attack. That was until Cballero released Soronúmë on the right wing, who took off down the touchline, leaving Eldarkhanov trailing in his wake. A step-over and second burst of speed put paid to the covering Urbanek, and cutting inside Soronúmë barely managed to chip in cross before the ball crossed the line for a goal kick. The assistant referee's flag stayed firmly down as the ball arced through the air. Arriving late at the back post, Starblaydia's top striker Ella Kabeya slipped in front Ralf Schroder and headed the ball home past Taras Sergeyev. It had been a chance out of almost nothing, but Starblaydia were level. Just two minutes later, however, Free Republics were ahead for the second time in the match. Johnny Smith intercepted a lazy ball out from Ortega and quickly played it past the stricken defender to Lydsson. The Republican number nine sprinted into space and, although shaping to shoot, pinged a low cross into the centre that was gleefully pounced upon by young Love Holm. The Starblaydi crowd were silenced for a moment, but the roar finally returned as Kabeya kicked off with the score at 2-1.

Foundation Road became a hurricane of noise, increasingly more desperate as the minutes ticked by, encouraging every corner, every throw, applauding even the most basic of sideways passes if they felt the players would benefit from a lift. Then, with just over twenty minutes to go, Esposito launched one of his trademark long throws into the box. Julio Caballero threw himself at it, it rebounded off Zak Josef, Rayyen tried a snapshot from inside the box, it ricocheted off two players and, finally, Soronúmë was there to stab the ball home under the desperate challenge from Izmailov. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't classic, it left Soronúmë down in a heap on the floor clutching the back of his thigh as Starblaydi fans celebrated and players rushed to his aid, but Starblaydia were level.

With Soronúmë unable to continue, Ázëwyn Fëanáro gambled and brought on Tabeck Cefn Druids' youngster Sterling Renshaw for his very first appearance in a senior Starblaydi jersey in a straight swap for the two-time World Cup winner. After running around chasing the ball like a headless chicken for a few minutes, the young winger, comfortable on either side, got his first touch of the ball and was immediately hauled down by Izmailov. Di Bradini, as he had against Abanhfleft, placed the ball very deliberately and lined up his short run-up. Raising two hands in the air, he lofted in a ball into the box, seeking the tall figures of Zapotowski, Ryku and Caballero. It missed all of them, missed the defenders, and the goalkeeper, and dropped agonisingly over the line, nestling into the side netting inside of the back post. Starblaydi players rushed to Di Bradini, who had now - somehow - scored two free kicks in two games, even if this one wasn't entirely intentional. Starblaydia were, finally and fortunately, ahead.

Free Republics' attacking credentials were quickly shown off as they hounded the Starblaydi defence and forced Järvinen into several saves. For fully ten minutes they battered the Starblaydi goal, with Holm hitting the post and Eldarkhanov clipping the top of the crossbar on the way to a corner, as Ryku's deflection did just enough to turn the ball over the top of the goal. From the resulting corner, as Free Republics piled forward looking for the equaliser and to register their first points of the Finals, Ryku got a decent clearing header on the ball. Playmaker Hanar Nauglamír, on for Rayyen, brought the ball down neatly and, with the quickest of glances, picked out Renshaw, who was sprinting for the halfway line. Nauglamír thumped the ball down field and Renshaw raced away, staying onside by virtue of being in his own half at the point the ball was played. He surged away from Josef, the last defender, and rounded Sergeyev, who was caught between staying on his line and rushing out to close the speeding winger down. Renshaw knocked it wide, eased past the stranded goalkeeper and took one more touch to cut back towards goal and make the angle so easy, it was little more than a formality for him to boot the ball into the net from four yards out and become an instant hero to the Starblaydi fans, making it 4-2 with just moments remaining.

Welcome to the World Cup, Sterling Renshaw.

We go again.

Final Score from Foundation Road:
Starblaydia 4 - 2 Abanhfleft
(Kabeya 58', Soronúmë 67', Di Bradini 75', Renshaw 90+1') - (Peltola 8', Holm 61')

Coming up next...

It's a trip across town for Starblaydia as they visit what always used to be the largest stadium in the land, back when your great-great-great-great-grand-father was just a glint in your great-great-great-great-great-grand-father's eye. Though it has undergone some redevelopment in the past two centuries, the Jader Barbahlo is a big, wide, open stadium which rises high into the skies of Jhanna with a near-dizzying experience from the top tiers as one looks down into the cauldron of sporting prowess below.

Much will be made of Starblaydia's 1-0 victory over Nephara four years ago, then the 14th-ranked side in the world. This may be a much better Starblaydi side, but they also now face a Nephara team who have also improved over the past four years, breaking into the coveted top ten in the world. Starblaydia may well lose 5-0 and be brought back down to earth, along with their spectacular goal difference, with a hefty bump, but they could also pull out the impossible with a huge majority of the 96,000 fans behind them in downtown Jhanna. Though Soronúmë is a doubt after going off against Free Republics, young Renshaw seems like as ready-made a replacement as one can be when you're an unheralded debutant 23 year old replacing an immortal two-time World Cup-winning forward.

by **Farfadillis** » Mon May 28, 2018 8:44 pm

Being five feet six can be tough as a footballer. It renders you unable to play two positions right off the bat - goalkeeper and centreback. Every inch below six feet matters, and for a player like Xíxì Êns, those six mattered quite a lot... but he was very good at making it hard to notice.

Only the most exceptional of midgets like Xíxì ever achieve something worth noting in football. It's the sad reality. You won't be relevant in crosses and most other players will have an easy time outmuscling you for the ball. How do you work your way around that? With ounces and ounces of talent. Astonishing dribbling and playmaking abilities are the go-to's for small players. Great vision and tactical awareness are needed, too. Xíxì had opted, so to speak, for extraordinary playmaking, dribbling and finishing. He was a terrifyingly lethal striker, but also fantastic at making his teammates lethal.

When playing at Dí Maozöxê, Xíxì rarely ever came up against players that would use their full physique against him. Football in Farfadillis just wasn't that physical. As a result, he'd grown slightly complacent. It still didn't stop him from nailing a spot in one of the Multiverse's top national teams at the age of 18, but he grew complacent nonetheless. When going against huge, physical, fast defenders, he'd always struggle heavily and stop taking on them. His move to Nepharim football had changed him, though. He grew used to the violent fights for the ball and began to yearn for them. He bulked a bit and started working on his way of covering the ball. He soon became a midget that wasn't just impressively evasive, but also surprisingly good at the physical part of contesting the ball. He could really cath you off-guard if you weren't paying attention.

Oskar Holsteiner, meanwhile, had always been pretty tall. Nothing stupid like seven feet, but he stood at a respectable six feet, which allowed him to be a notable aerial threat. He was naturally fast and strong. You'd always have a tough time trying to get the ball from him even if his dribbling's lacking. He's just fast and strong, and sometimes that's enough. He never really dribbled much, precisely because he didn't need to so much. His style had always been simple. Run and score. Outmuscle and/or dribble if needed. He was a clinical finisher and had hit fantastic form in the qualifiers, alongside his partner Xíxì. Nobody ever acknowledged it, but it was very clear Oskar considered Xíxì his rival, while Xíxì never saw him as anything more than a teammate.

Two players playing, theoretically, on the same position, and at the same time so, so radically different. One tall, one small. One an exquisite dribbler, the other a brute of sorts. One of them among the best playmakers in the Multiverse, possibly, the other rarely ever one to pass more than two balls a game. However, when together, they were simply explosive. Täjó Çíânflöné's absence was a big blow, yes, but not so much when these two were on the pitch playing at their peak. With both of these players in their early twenties, Farfadillis sure didn't worry too much about the future of their strikeforce. Täjó could get his right leg amputated and it wouldn't have been that much of a tragedy, NT-wise.

The game against Juvencus was the perfect example of what these two could achieve in the future. In the tenth minute of the game, Xíxì surprised one of the defenders by stripping him of the ball, dribbling past him, then backheeling the ball back to Oskar. Oskar one-touch smashed it into the goal, leaving the goalkeeper without a chance to stop the shot. Elegant and explosive, that was Xíxì's dribbling style. Well-placed and very potent, that was Holsteiner's shooting style.

In the fortieth minute, after Juvencus had equalized, Xíxì got hold of the ball with his back towards the goal. He passed to Wínrôuge and very quickly turned around, expecting a precise through ball. Which he got, since Fôrté was nowadays a bit of a dedicated playmaker after his downturn in form. He broke Juvencus' defensive line and, when facing the goalkeeper, lobbed the ball over him. The ball hit the crossbar, but Oskar had surged into the box looking for a possible rebound, and he caught the entire defensive line off-guard, just like Xíxì had. He headed it in seamlessly, and Farfadillis were up again.

Finally, with fifteen minutes to go, Wçêíl, another exciting-young-prospect-turned-very-good-player, started a counterattack all by himself with some quality dribbling He passed the ball to Holsteiner, who got past his marker with a good feint, and began running towards goal. When he faced the goalkeeper, he dribbled past him, then tried to slot it in. However, he was left without much angle to shoot, and only managed to hit the post. Xíxì got to the rebound, but the defense had repositioned slightly. He feigned a shot, the defense was caught off-guard, and he slotted it in without a worry in the Multiverse.

Both Oskar and Xíxì had stolen the night. Both had put in, at the very least, eight-out-of-ten performances. Now there would be only one question in everybody's mind: would Çíânflöné fit into this team again? Täjó had reached heights much more impressive than these two had. Maybe he'd be the one to push the team to the much-coveted World Cup title. Only time and Tíbürçìó Çötàvíê would tell.

World Cup 80 • EqueStar • Roleplay Thread

WC80 - MD1 Turori v. Farfadillis - twii.tur

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