Baptism of Fire 68

[Busoga Islands]

The Busoga Chronicle
The Islands #1 News Source!

Busoga Islands get ready to rock in the 68th Baptism of Fire


Islanders celebrate national team's first ever victory in friendly against Dreamplanet

MOLSBIK, SEMARLAND- The Islanders have arrived in Semarland to play in the 68th Baptism of Fire- the introductory national team tournament for nations who, of course, are making their first foray onto the international footballing scene. A record-breaking 64 different nations are entering this tournament, one of the multiverse's most fun. It won't take much to outdo the Banijan's record at this tournament- they earned one point and finished last in their group when they were at this tournament, a terrible start to a terrible opening campaign. Of course, as we are newly independent from them, we'll forever be compared- but the Islanders have a serious advantage.

One of the best aspects of this tournament is that since everybody is new, there is almost no film on the entering nations. The opportunities to scout your opponents are rare, everybody's nervous because it's their first WCC tournament, and most haven't participated in any kind of international footballing tournament whatsoever. Now, of course, that isn't exactly true for the Busoga Islands- but whether that is a blessing or a curse is everybody's guess. The Busoga Islands have played 8 games, of course, prior to this tournament- 5 friendlies, and three competitive games in AOCAF LVI. That means, of course, the unit has experience playing with each other. But, of course, there's plenty of film to analyze on this national team- which is a particular disadvantage. They will be one of the few teams that will be able to be thoroughly scouted, which means that while each of their opponents will know exactly who they are facing, Starfire will be going in blind.

What does that mean? That means that Starfire will undoubtedly have to throw some wrinkles into the gameplan for the Busoga Islands. She needs to make their experience an advantage and a positive, rather than turning it into a strategic advantage for the members of their group. That said, the performances from the Busoga Islands have been decent. Going into AOCAF LVI, they were massive underdogs, as they faced two World Cup participants and Demot- not an easy group for any team, and especially not for the Islanders. They went in and out of the tournament with three losses- 4-1 to Chromatika, 3-1 to Demot, and 4-3 to Baker Park. Not an easy group, and the results, while tough, were expected. The team did improve as the tournament went along.

This tournament, unlike the AOCAF, leaves a much better opportunity for the Busoga Islands. Instead of playing in a tournament where they are clearly the weakest team available, they enter the Baptism of Fire, thanks to their experience as one of the tournament's favorites- if you can name pre-tourney favorites for a tournament that can get as wild as this one. They have two players who played in World Cup 80- Delbin Kasekende, and Berihu Abeselome, who both played for the Banijan national team before the Islands got independence as a result of the Banijan-Equestrian War.

Starfire went into her pre Baptism of Fire friendlies saying that these games were not simply friendlies, that they were warmup matches. That she wanted to get her team prepared for the fierceness of what the Baptism of Fire would be like. They scheduled four friendlies. For the first time ever, they left Atlantian Oceania to play matches- to play Oberour Ar Moro and Filindostan. The first game, of course, was against Adab, playing in Lakiska, this nation's capitol. This, of course, is the first ever true home game for the national team.

What a game it was. With a roaring crowd, they took on Adab, who is ranked 230th in the multiverse. They earned their first ever result, a 2-2 draw at home. Starfire had to be pleased with the performance by the starters, though the performance by the bench in the end of the game left a lot to be desired. She was always going to use a heavy rotation in this game, and when they were up 2-0 at halftime, it made sense to make a sea change. 7 halftime subsitutions, and the other four starters were off the pitch by the 75th minute. But, of course, at that time, Adab started their comeback. An 81st minute header, followed by an 88th minute penalty- a disappointing result to an otherwise good finish. Starfire told reporters after the game that she was happy with a lot of performances, though the team needed to learn to keep their heads.

Their second friendly was a visit to Filindostan- a team ranked in the top 60, easily the Busoga Islands toughest warmup match. It always made sense to have the second and third games where the starters are worked the most, and that was true here. Starfire only used two subsitutions during this game, both in the second half, as she knew this was a big game for them, even if it wasn't necessarily for the hosts, playing an unranked side at home. Filindostan won 2-0, and Delbin Kasekende finished with 9 saves. The Busoga Islands were dominated on the field by a much better opponent, and frankly, lucky to only lose 2-0. This was a good measurement for the team, however, as Starfire said it gave her a good sense of what would happen to the team emotionally if they fell, and things weren't going their way.

Their third friendly, their official sendoff, was at home, against Dreamplanet. They recorded their first ever victory, even if it was a friendly- dispatching of Dreamplanet 2-0 in Dukuma. Ikshu Amitabh scored in the first half, in the 28th minute, while Fara Turay scored in the second half, in the 71st minute. An overall solid game, and a suffocating performance in the midfield- the Busoga Islands held 61% of the possesion, and outshot their opponents, 11 to 2, with 7 shots on goal for the Islanders and just 1 shot on goal for the visitors. Starfire was excited after the victory, saying that this showed "the Islanders great capabilities."

They were sentoff from the biggest city in the Busoga Islands with a bang, but they still had one more friendly- a visit to Oberour Ar Mono. In this game, the Islanders biggest stars did not play- Delbin Kasekende, Berihu Abeselome, Kadi Sanneh, and Mutsuhito Barbarossa all sat. Instead, Starfire wanted to get a good luck at the other 19 players, and she got quite a game to do so. It was a 3-3 draw- very fast paced, very up and down, the momentum swinging everywhere, a great atmosphere in Regium, Oberour Ar Moro, where a soldout crowd of 49,670 watched the Islanders in their final warmup match, before they flew to Semarland.

And now, here they are, in Semarland. Four friendlies played, and now getting ready for their opener- against The South Falls. They have a makeshift mosque built at their base camp, and large numbers of Islanders are travelling to Semarland for the tournament. Almost 50,000 plane tickets have been bought for Dukuma to Molsbik, which means not only large numbers of fans in the stands, but large numbers who will just be in Semarland for the party. The street parties, the dancing, etc... Islander culture will really be introduced to Molsbik, with that many fans there for at least the week of the group stages. From tens of thousands of fans filling the bars, to overflowing the city's mosques, it will be quite a fascinating week to be in Molsbik.

With this large travelling support, the expectations for this team will probably be high- that's what happens, going into tournaments like these. We'll remind everyone that the game is on at 3:30 PM local time, on Busoga Islander Public Television, or BIPTV. Tune in, watch your country, and hopefully, we'll all be able to watch the team open the 68th Baptism of Fire with a bang!

[Kavagrad]

The Kavagrad Sportsman
Kavagrad's Most Trusted Daily Sports Leaflet Since 1961

Redhearts land in Farfadillis for Baptism of Fire Opener!

Kavagrad's National Football Team have landed in Ferdullaele ahead of their first match in the 68th Baptism of Fire against Zeleny Hrebenia. Led off of the plane by 37-year old former international left-back, and now manager, Alex-Louis Valentine, decked out in a purple floral shirt and grey jeans in contrast to the players' black tracksuits, there was clearly some tension among some of the players who, outside of trips to the occasionally dangerous Kava-Bostror region of Kavagrad, did not spend much time in such anarchic and disorganised places. Those that had grown up or played for clubs in Kava-Bostror or in the Bostror Borders, such as Mohammad Ibrahim Marrash, Benjamin Mumuni and David Ochieng, seemed far more at ease than their counterparts from Kavagrad's other regions, who were clearly more alert to their surroundings than they had been at recent tournaments in the Free Republics and North American Republics.

Valentine himself played for Kavagrad between 2002 and 2012, before a catastrophic knee injury forced him into retirement. After a short and successful two-year stint at Second Division side Torpedo Daniilsk, which saw the team promoted to the First Division, Valentine took the post of manager of a beleaguered national side in 2015, and has since turned it into into far more than the isolationist husk that it had been since 1998, bringing up a new generation of players who are ready to prove their worth on a global stage, while still utilising the experience of older players such as goalkeeper Edouard Calvin, who is notably the same age as Valentine, at 37.

Following the fairly diminutive (at 5'7") manager was the club's captain Axel Anderson, the giant of Kavagrad's defence that towered over Valentine at 6'8" tall. Anderson leads the defence, key to the Kavagrader style of play. One of the few players from outside of Kava-Bostror or the Borders to be visibly calm, Anderson perhaps shouldn't be, as his role in the team's defensive style is likely to draw the ire of many a Farf fan, who reportedly come armed to games with guns. Guns! It is, of course, Anderson's role to be both the team on-pitch leader and the rock of the defence, so it is arguable that he is far better off putting on a brave face in these sorts of situations.

Kavagrader press, who had flocked to Farfadillis for the competition, immediately inundated the manager and many members of the team with questions, but were quickly forced to back away as distant gunfire saw the national side whisked away to their hotel, in bulletproof cars shipped over to Farfadillis weeks prior to the event. A journalist for The Kavagrad Sportsman was allowed to interview the manager in the safety of his hotel room a few hours later, however.

Valentine was clearly optimistic about the tournament, but also remained somewhat cautious: "What we need to understand going into this sort of tournament is that we are not the only unknown quantity here. The entire purpose of this tournament is that it's full of unknown quantities. We don't know how good Zeleny Hrebenia are going to be, nor do we know the quality of any of our opponents, even in the later stages of the tournament. We know that we can hang with some World Cup quality sides. We beat Aggrey-Fynn Land and Darkmania, two sides in the Top 100 of the KPB Rankings! Free Republics! Look at our match with them! Sure, we lost, but when you can out 4 goals past a former World Cup runner-up, you can hang in the World Cup itself. The fact is, though, that any team here could be of our quality, or even better, so we can't become complacent, not even for a minute. If we do, we doom ourselves. It's that simple."

When asked about his predictions for the competition, Valentine was evasive: "Look, I'm not going to sit here and tell you who I think will win. Nobody knows, not really. I hope it'll be us, but this is early days, and frankly we can't be sure what we're up against. Predictions at this stage may be a little bit ludicrous to state with any degree of certainty."

However, Valentine did seem optimistic about Kavagrad's chances after the tournament: "What we're going to do here is try and build some momentum. I don't expect to qualify for the World Cup, not first time out. But if we put together some great results, there's no reason that we can't make it when the time comes to test ourselves against the big boys, so to speak. We have the quality here to put on a good show for our fans both here and back home, and we intend to go as far as we can to do exactly that."

Kavagrad vs Zeleny Hrebenia in Group E of the 68th Baptism of Fire can be seen by fans at La Fantás in Ferdullaele, Farfadillis or on TV on KTV1 at 9pm KST tonight, as well as on demand on the KVGSports App. International readers should check their local listings.

[Timmys Tigers]

“Timothy Allen Burns, if you don’t clean your room right now, you can’t stay up to watch the match tonight!”

“But Mom, I’m writing to my pen pal!”

“You have five minutes, okay? Wrap it up and get this all picked up.”

---

Timmy tapped “Send”, set down his tablet, and began “cleaning” his room. He picked his Iguanas shirt—the one he had saved up for a month to buy during the club’s end-of-season sale—out of the pile on his floor and carefully placed it on a hanger. He returned a few other precious items—his football league almanac, his favorite stuffed tiger (it was actually a leopard, with spots, not stripes, but no one had ever bothered to correct him on this point)—to their rightful shelf space. Then he kicked and shoved the rest of the junk to pack it tightly under his bed.

---

Timmy looked up from his plate of fish sticks. “What is the World Cup?”

“The World Cup?” Clive scanned his son’s face for confirmation. “It was a football tournament they used to have, way back in the early history of the sport. With teams representing places from the farthest corners of the world, like…Lemmitana…and…Ariddell? I don’t think it made much money, so they scrapped it.”

“My pen pal said he just went to Starblaydia for the World Cup!”

“Huh. Maybe there’s a new one?”

“How do they find those places to get the teams for it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you can look it up tomorrow.”

---

“I was looking around for how this World Cup works and I think I found something that looks like an entry form? I don’t get it, though…‘NATION NAME’…is that like Iguanas Nation? What’s a Kaze Progressa?”

“I think I’ve heard that name before. It sounds like one of the old nation-states.”

“What’s a nation-state?”

Clive didn’t want to get bogged down in a discussion of the political history of the world with an eleven-year-old; he didn’t feel like he could control himself if he did. “They’re…uh…the different places around the world…that are controlled by kings, and prime ministers, and serene and potent princes…”

“What’s a serene important prince?”

“Hmm. I don’t really know. I think I just heard about it somewhere and it stuck in my head because it sounds neat, you know?”

“Can I be one?”

“I don’t know. I think it’s the sort of thing where you just have to fake it till you make it.”

“Then it says ‘AM I A PUPPET?:Slaikau’. What does that mean?”

“I…that’s quite odd. I can’t imagine what that would mean.”

Nancy, fed up with the distraction of this aimless conversation, decided to interject. “I bet if you’d just write a nice letter to these World Cup folks, they’d be happy to explain it to you.”

---

It turned out Mom was right. The World Cup Committee was more than happy to supply Timothy I, Serene Important Prince with all the information he needed to enter his serene important principality’s national team in the World Cup. So he did. Never mind the fact that he didn’t have one yet.

[Freeport Isles]

The Freeport Free Press
Baptism of Fire 68: Freeport to Make Debut in Group P

JANSBERG, Semarland - After a reasonably respectable performance at AOCAF Cup 56, the Freeport national hoofball team is finally set to make its WCC debut at the 68th Baptism of Fire. Drawn into Group P with fellow debutants Schweiser, Miznan, and South Libertopia, the Condottieri will be hoping that their group stage games will be only the beginning of an extended stay here in the northern reaches of Atlantian Oceania. Who are these teams that will be playing in Group P alongside Freeport, and who should fans be on the lookout for? We'll attempt to shed some light on the Condottieri's first opponents with this preview.

Schweiser
To be completely honest, we know basically nothing about these guys. Schweiser apparently hails from the South Pacific, that bloated mess of a region where nations seem to spring into existence out of nowhere on an hourly basis before mysteriously vanishing weeks later without a trace. The Schweiserians have yet to even so much as release a roster for the tournament, which we here at the Freeport Free Press consider to be a dick move. As such, we expect these useless fuckers to be thoroughly curb-stomped by the three other teams in the group. Prediction: 4th place (0-0-3)

Miznan
At least the Miznanis have done us the common courtesy of telling us the names of their players. As for the team itself, Pirates manager Anatolmirs Paznerk will line up his squad in a standard 4-4-2 diamond formation, with the team's top talent coming from that diamond-shaped midfield. All eyes will be on Zugaznas zi Mileng, the 19 year-old central midfielder who will be hoping his national team's debut at the Baptism of Fire will help propel his own career to greater heights. However, the Freeport Free Press feels that this team is missing the attacking edge that will be needed to make a deep run in the tournament. The Pirates are surely better than Schweiser, but will be heading home after the group stage. Prediction: 3rd place (1-0-2)

South Libertopia
Hailing from Lunia, the personal playground of World Cup hosts Free Republics, South Libertopia fields an all-female team that will be hoping to seriously challenge for the Baptism of Fire. Will they? Maybe. Teenage midfielder Maisie Miah is the star of the show here, with the rest of the team not nearly as remarkable in terms of potential, but overall they should be good enough to at least reach the knockout rounds. Manager Liam Stevenson's team is expected to employ a similar style of play to Freeport's southern neighbors in the Equestrian States, relying on speed, finesse, and lethal counterattacks. Whether or not these tactics will pay off against the Condottieri as well as they did for the Ponies in Freeport's pre-AOCAF friendly (a humbling 4-0 victory for the Equestrians) remains to be seen, but overall we expect to see South Libertopia in the next round. Prediction: 2nd place (2-1-0)

Freeport
Finally, we get to the Freeporters. The Condottieri enter the Baptism of Fire as one of the few debutants with prior international experience, having made their major tournament debut at the last AOCAF Cup where they performed reasonably well. Though the Condottieri finished last in their group, their two losses to ranked opposition were only decided by one goal, and the Freeporters stunned just about everyone with a draw against top seeds Tropicorp. Freeport's pre-tournament friendlies also offered reason for optimism, with the Condottieri going unbeaten against three other teams that will be making their WCC debut at the Baptism of Fire. The Condottieri's play style is aggressive, physical, and direct, aimed at smashing through opponents, which typically makes for some entertaining hoofball. In Group P, it should also allow Freeport to perform well, given their opponents' more relaxed tactics. If the Condottieri can get a result against South Libertopia, even if it's just a draw, their superior offense should allow them to finish atop the table and advance as group winners. Prediction: 1st place (2-1-0)

[Cobrio]

Cobrio National Football Team for Baptism of Fire 68

ABOUT
The Cobrio national football team is operated under the auspices of the Cobre Football Federation (CFF), to represent the Independent State of Cobrio in international competition.

While the team has existed in some form for around eighty years -- it was formed during the 2220s while Cobrio sought to gain independence from Osarius, only participating in friendly tournaments and the Rabastor Unity Trophy -- it is only during the past two months that Cobrio's national team has been officially recognised by the World Cup Committee. The team's first game after official recognition was a 3-3 draw against Osarius at Tukari Kaita National Stadium -- a newly built stadium near Camaron, the official capital of Cobrio.

Cobrio   3-3   Osarius          
      
  Venue: Tukari Kaita National Stadium     Att:  42,580
         Camaron, Qubadili, Cobrio

The two teams would play a return game at Mount Crown Stadium, Osarius, a week later, where the hosts edged a close game.

Osarius   3-2   Cobrio           
                                           
  Venue: Mount Crown Stadium               Att:  98,000
         Burningham, Mount Crown, Osarius

Following these two games, Cobrio embarked on a short tour, playing another three games against other nations within the Rabastorian Union (RBU)

Eristicea   1-3   Cobrio           
    
  Venue: Stadio Discordia                  Att: Unknown
         Ajna, Eristicea                (nobody counted)

Aquillian   2-2   Cobrio           
              
  Venue: Mount Crown Stadium               Att:  98,000
         Burningham, Mount Crown, Osarius

Callistea   3-5   Cobrio           
		
  Venue: Great Swan Park                   Att:  20,000
         Paphos, Callistea

To date, these five games comprise the entire history of the Cobrio national football team, as any games prior to these are considered "unofficial".

KITS
The Cobre kits are based on the flag.
The home kit is a primarily gold design, with green and black patterns, and a faint panther motif on the front.
The away kit is primarily black, with green and gold decoration in a traditional pattern.
(I'll get these actually designed properly at some point, no time yet)

PLAYING STYLE
Cobrio generally play something akin to the classic "Osarian 4-3-3" but normally with a dedicated defensive midfielder (a "disruptor"; whose role is to break up the play primarily) and two fullbacks given license to push forward. Most Cobre players are fast, even the larger guys -- often deceptively so -- though this does not translate to "clumsy", be warned.

While some players are highly tactically astute, this is not the norm. The struggles in the area over the past couple of decades -- rebuilding the football scene after the lengthy war -- have led to a limited degree of football education for the majority of players. Particularly those who did not play for a big club (read: "who used to play in the Osarian Golden League"), and as a result, Cobre football tends to focus more on athleticism and instinct. Do not mistake this for a lack of tactical acumen, however. The team is exceptionally well-drilled -- having an ex-military man as your coach will do that -- and while not at the elite level (yet), it is important to note that these are still professional footballers of the highest level in their country.

PERSONNEL

Manager
Lt. Beresford Owusu
A former officer in the Cobre military, Lt. Owusu was hand-picked to oversee the training of the national team following his stellar work with Cobre Special Forces. It was believed that his skill at team-building and general command excellence would be the best foundation upon which to build the Cobrio team for their first foray into international football. Owusu is known for his tactical brilliance, though at times he might think of gambits a little too complex for some of his players to bear out as he had invisioned, meaning he often has to simplify things to the point they are not quite as effective. He demands that his players give everything they have, and then some more, but does not always recognise the need to rotate his squad. This can sometimes leads to the Cobre side looking tired after a number of games in quick succession, and playing well below expectation.


Squad

###  Pos.   Name                  Age     Current Club       
#01  G      Idowu CRUZ            24 y/o  Hastmead Diamante
#02  D L    Jamaal COOPER         28 y/o  Verda Zephyr
#03  D R    Garlan SPENCE         24 y/o  Dynapolis United
#04  DM C   Sylvain PICARD        18 y/o  Dynapolis United
#05  D C    Andre JOHNSON         23 y/o  Alissar Phoenix
#06  D C    Lewis ARMSTRONG       25 y/o  FC Barciddia
#07  F RL   Raymond DUPRÉ         19 y/o  Shanak FC
#08  M C    Iqadi MUNROE          21 y/o  Alissar Phoenix
#09  F C    Babatunde WARRINGTON  23 y/o  Jraxville FC
#10  AM C   Chijindum EKEH        27 y/o  Negus Koromanti
#11  F RL   Maurice DELFOUR       19 y/o  Olympique Corriere
#12  D C    Lemarr PEARCE         25 y/o  Utica United
#13  G      Folami ADEKOYA        26 y/o  Thor Jraxville
#14  F C    Chizoba EMENANJO      26 y/o  Koroshi Impulse
#15  M C    Jahmeen MAKONNEN      20 y/o  Negus Koromanti
#16  M C    Didier FONTAINE       28 y/o  Jraxville FC
#17  D C    Abimbola DABIRI       27 y/o  Utica United
#18  D RC   Darnell YOUNG         24 y/o  Koroshi Impulse
#19  M C    Lamont DUSANG         23 y/o  Koroshi Impulse
#20  F RL   Moses LOFUKO          18 y/o  Jraxville FC
#21  D LC   Eniola BANKOLÉ        29 y/o  Inzon Hawk
#22  AM C   Mikael ARAYA          24 y/o  Incanto Evolution
#23  G      Femi GWADABE          22 y/o  Ologun Camaron

Usual Starting Lineup:

4-3-3
		  
        WARRINGTON
DELFOUR            DUPRÉ
                             
           EKEH
                             
     MUNROE
	           PICARD
                             
COOPER              SPENCE
     JOHNSON  ARMSTRONG
                             
           CRUZ

RP Permissions:
Do whatever you like, except killing people. I just want this to be fun

[Semarland]

Cutoff!

[Farfadillis]

Matchday 1 Results

Group A
Liongya 4–2 Huffingshire
Neo-Romanum 0–1 Michine (on the day of the game, Szoirsia was hit by its worst heat wave in 50 years; the FFFF insisted on the game being played anyway)

Group B
Mareibat 1–1 Soute
Kilaguni 5–3 Ravsol

Group C
Czarna Gora 1–0 Corindia
Alenburg 1–3 Saint Emelie

Group D
The Hungarian Nation 2–4 Shofercia
Sorrentopia 6–3 Central Shaneville

Group E
Kavagrad 2–1 Zeleny Hrebenia (the stadium accidentally caught fire during half time because of a careless pop-corn seller, but the fire was quickly controlled and the game could be continued with only about a half-an-hour delay)
Leodomum 2–1 Bellarona

Group F
Cobrio 1–0 Squornshelan Remnant States (the venue was changed from La Fantás to Gra Aguaviva Mitologica because of a bomb threat)
Halfdansodal 4–5 Kedroiqua

Group G
The West Cape 0–2 Vithuland
Penguinland 0–2 Acheia

Group H
Innovian Indusse 0–2 Santa Rafa
Raffiah 0–2 Unified Hispania

[Semarland]

Matchday 1 Results

Group I
Rannoria 1–2 Oscioru - at Natunolstadion, Jansberg, 15:00
Tarper 3–2 Illahee - at Stadion Aesthaade, Aestahaade, 19:00

Group I                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Oscioru                          1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
  Tarper                           1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
3 Illahee                          1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0
  Rannoria                         1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

Group J
Guriguay 2–3 Carloso - at Stadion Metner, Krsthaven, 15:00
Yanghoon 2–0 Togonistan - at Eastlands, Finqaar, 19:00

Group J                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Yanghoon                         1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
2 Carloso                          1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
3 Guriguay                         1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0
4 Togonistan                       1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0

Group K
Tobria 5–1 Egyptosian - at Quayside, Kolberg, 15:00
Axuva 0–0 Petrovskia - at Solsholm Arena, Solsholm, 19:00

Group K                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tobria                           1   1  0  0    5   1  +4    3
2 Axuva                            1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
  Petrovskia                       1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
4 Egyptosian                       1   0  0  1    1   5  −4    0

Group L
Altai Almas 0–2 Rakivland - at Stadion Reyenoord, Eikborg, 15:00
Blaneu 0–1 Tanzanique - at Stadion Matovallanen, Matovallanen, 19:00

Group L                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Rakivland                        1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
2 Tanzanique                       1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Blaneu                           1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
4 Altai Almas                      1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0

Group M
Nuadh-Alba 3–2 Routcher - at Lindersson Arena, Nuholm, 15:00
Sharktail 1–1 Krenorus - at Stadion Laguna, Jansberg, 19:00

Group M                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Nuadh-Alba                       1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
2 Krenorus                         1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
  Sharktail                        1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
4 Routcher                         1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0

Group N
Dormill and Stiura 3–3 Hertisiana - at Sorensen House, Kangemark, 15:00
Greater Libertania 3–2 Brittany Normandy Aquitaine - at Stadion Aalemark, Aalemark, 19:00

Group N                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Greater Libertania               1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
2 Dormill and Stiura               1   0  1  0    3   3   0    1
  Hertisiana                       1   0  1  0    3   3   0    1
4 Brittany Normandy Aquitaine      1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0

Group O
Busoga Islands 4–1 The South Falls - at Arkjetstadion, Molsbik, 15:00
Pink Floyd FC 2–3 Timmy's Tigers - at Fransborg Park, Fransborg, 19:00

Group O                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Busoga Islands                   1   1  0  0    4   1  +3    3
2 Timmy's Tigers                   1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
3 Pink Floyd FC                    1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0
4 The South Falls                  1   0  0  1    1   4  −3    0

Group P
South Libertopia 4–2 Freeport - at Stadion Jansberg, Jansberg, 15:00
Miznan 6–2 Schweiser - at Saint Adren Road, Saint Adrensburg, 19:00

Group P                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Miznan                           1   1  0  0    6   2  +4    3
2 South Libertopia                 1   1  0  0    4   2  +2    3
3 Freeport                         1   0  0  1    2   4  −2    0
4 Schweiser                        1   0  0  1    2   6  −4    0

[Michine]

VICTOIRE ! MICHINE PASS LITERAL BAPTISM OF FIRE
par notre correspondant anglais, Alain Outkine, de Frion

Michine 1 (Aïvtchenko 40) Neo-Romanum 0
Arbitrage: Red Shoes Dos (Kavagrad) Spectateurs: 169

Michine's first game of multiversal football was almost overshadowed (sadly, only figuratively) by the conditions in which it was played; Szoirsia suffered its worst heatwave in four decades on the day of the match, but astonishingly the game was allowed to proceed against medical advice and in an almost empty stadium, the air shimmering and warping so much it resembled a living crystal ocean.
In the middle of all this, the aventuriers of Michine were able to make the stifling conditions inside the cauldron of the Adar Jak work for them; there was a sense that the resulting slower and less energetic game was suiting Victor Kovalevitch's solid defence well, even as they had the distinct disadvantage of being clad in their normal red and green - at least the Romans' white change strip reflected some of the heat. Gradually, some sort of normal play became possible as the first half went on, and the last ten minutes of the half saw the only real attacking opportunities from both sides; a period of confusion in the Michinien penalty area ended with Denis Lapine having to react quickly to smother a deflected Roman attempt, and shortly afterwards a speculative shot from Pierre Lavotchkine seemed to catch the stanchion and just bounce short of crossing the line. Five minutes before half time, though, Lavotchkine was able to contribute to the making of history at last, as he dummied the Roman net-minder on a foray forward and slid the ball across to his left for Alexandre Aïvtchenko to lash in à bout portant, and Michine were on the scoreboard.
However, the heatwave intensified after the break, with temperatures reaching over 40 degrees in the shade - as the sun began to dip in the afternoon sky, though, the Michinens had the advantage of being able to force the opposition to chase the ball in the sun as they sat back in relative comfort in the shadows, attacking towards the east as they were. Roman attacks were met with long clearances that sent the men in white struggling back into the sun's heat, and crude though it was, this tactic entirely succeeded in keeping the scoreline how it had been before the break. That it was intended to do just that became evident with twenty minutes to go, as Kovalevitch pulled off his strikers and Vladimir Alticheff in favour of more defenders, and virtually moved to an 8-2-0 formation to see out the final seconds.
The reaction to the final whistle was one of relief rather than joy, but a hint of satisfaction was visible on the sunscreen-lathered Michinien faces as they sought refuge, and soon the achievement began to sink in. Aïvtchenko was almost lost for words, but the passion of those he was able to muster compensated for any lack of sense; «We got away with it! I am so happy I was there when Pierre made the opportunity. I feel as though I can pass into immortality now!». There remain two group games, and one hell of a change of climate, to negotiate, but this is as strong a start as could have been hoped for from those in red and green - and though tomorrow's opponents will have also come from an opening victory, they surely cannot have had their resolve and energy reserves tested as much as Michine have, even though a few players will likely need some extra rest before that game.

Michine vs. Liongya, 11 août 2018, Stade «Gra Aguaviva Mitologica», Frion
Michine - 1: Lapine, 2: Poliakoff, 3: Volochine, 4 et capitane: Virasstchiouk, 5: Kouznetsoff, 6: Baïtcheff, 7: Kossenko, 8: Tchorguieff, 9: Krougloff, 10: Mirounoff, 11: Lavotchkine.
Banc - 12: Ignatieff, 13: Tchernikoff, 14: Samedoff, 15: Alticheff, 16: Aïvtchenko.

[Rakivland]

MATCH REVIEW: ALTAI ALMAS 0-2 RAKIVLAND
Well, Well, Well! Victory for Rakivland in their first ever game, with goals from Karoslav and Zarafrav, Obviously, an early injury to one of Altai Almas's players didn't help them, however Rakivland showed class in all areas, Commiserations Altai Almas, however Rakivland were just fantastic! Hakav at CDM reminded me of Patrick Vieira in his prime! So, off to the next match Rakivland go, and they will face the other winners in their group, Tanzanique! Rakivland will go to battle against them, with a huge boost of confidence.

(NOTE: The injury i gave to an Altai Almas player, Altai Almas did not post a roster, meaning i could do that with nothing holding me back.)

[Santa Rafa]

Innovian Indusse 0 - 2 Santa Rafa

Starting XI: Lucero, Valdez-Alvarado-Oro-Ayala, Delgado-Valenzuela, Khatri (59'), McRae-Nunes-Boriega (76')
Subs: Caballero, Reyes, Villabla, Martinez, Barco, Alicante, Herrera

A good showing for the boys in red and black in their international debut. The first half was tentative, with the two fresh sides probing each other, each afraid to make the first mistake. The first goal scorer was Vikram Khatri, a one-club man from CD Santa Rafita whose ingenuity was critical to getting the smallest professional club in the capital promoted to the Liga Federal. Khatri threaded the needle between Kan and Rajamoulendra to beat the keeper Nandi to the near post. The second goal came off a penalty kick from Carlos Boriega, won off a foul committed in the box by Yadav out of frustration.

This part of the story is told from the perspective of Liam McRae, the youngest player on the Rafano national team, who was released early from his two years of compulsory military service to play in the Baptism. He is a member of Santa Rafa's Anglo minority, which is largely excluded from high society and forms a disproportionately large contingent of both the military and professional footballers

The late morning sun had just crested the Colinas Reales, painting the Avenida Republica in jagged shadows from the Iglesia Santa Katerina on the east side of the street. The church was mostly deserted, save for the padre's black sedan parked along the curb. I'd scarcely once set a foot in St. Kate's proper; as the eldest scion of the only Protestant family for six blocks in any direction, my Sundays in secondary were spent across the city at the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Rafa. Friday nights, however, I was in the parking lot of St. Kate's, kidding myself that the sisters didn't see how we danced to censored reggaeton played over an aging sound system. Dances at St. Kate's were a rare example of social compromise in Santa Rafa; better that we get too close under bright lights a few blocks from home than sneak off and find ourselves in the clubs in the Colonia San Martin, among the queers and leftists and who knows what else.

Along with my compadres, I'd left that life behind nine months ago when I'd boarded the bus to begin my compulsory military service. That was the last time I'd seen Da, resplendent in his olive green dress uniform, saluting the coach as it clunked its way out of that same parking lot. Ma hadn't made it; she'd been beside herself with grief, and it will be a cold day in Hell before Brenda McRae shows that kind of emotion in public. The bus ride to basic training is a rite of passage for young Rafanos and Rafanas, rife with clichés like "making boys into men" and "the first day of the rest of your life." Growing up a military brat and an elite athlete, I'd thought I would be more prepared than most to serve out my two years.

The first day made it clear how wrong I was when my entire peleton found ourselves crawling the length of a football pitch in the suffocating humidity of Costa Acero in June, all because of a mistake I'd made (I'd asked a cabo when we would be allowed to eat). The crisp khakis in which we had graduated from secondary school came out of that experience streaked in green from the fresh-cut grass. Back home, I was something of a football prodigy with ten goals in sixteen matches for the senior side, at the tender age of seventeen; at Costa Acero, I missed tryouts for the base team because I was straightening my room after failing two inspections in a row.

A block east of Saint Kate's, the tiendas and hole-in-the-wall restaurants give way to tiny adobe houses, set back from the street behind fences of brick and wrought iron and beautiful gardens. In some places, older folks relaxed on their roofs or verandas, or worked in gardens. Anyone younger was still at work, or else indoors tending their children. A few cars parked irregularly along the curb, but almost every house had a bicycle, scooter, or moped chained outside. When I rounded the corner to my parents' house, as I had so many times before, I was shocked to see my father's four-wheel drive still there, two tires up on the curb the way he liked to park it.

This didn't bode well. After I'd completed basic training, by the skin of my teeth, according to my cabo, I was assigned to a naval infantry unit as a rifleman and stayed at Costa Acero. I still wasn't allowed a cell phone, but we had a mail box in the barracks, so whenever I wasn't on a boat in the harbor or sleeping on the ground, I would write long, rambling letters to Ma and Da and some of my friends that were still in school back home. Ma was always sympathetic, if a little distant; she'd speculate as to whether the cabos really had it out for me or I was just taking things personally. She’d write how maybe if I put in a little more effort I could sleep in on Sundays with everyone else instead of having to get up and make up for the tasks I'd missed during the week.

Da was ruthless. He'd always take my cabo's side and tell me to shape up and be a man, and when I finally stopped writing to him, he started reading Ma's letters and responding to those instead. Eventually I gave up entirely and only wrote to my friends and Carlotta. Carlotta was a year ahead of me in school, and her mom and Ma were like sisters. She also didn't have a father, so Da stepped in when a man was needed in her life. She was in an Air Force unit at Base Aerea de Capital just south of Santa Rafita, and had taken to the military like a fish to water, earning privileges that let her get off base and see her family occasionally. She had advice, too, but she at least understood my perspective when I griped about how bad I had it. She passed on news from Ma and Da sometimes, so I knew she was in contact with them.

When I'd written Ma to tell her I had been released from my service in order to play with the national football team in the Baptism of Fire, it had been the first thing I'd sent home in months. Though it had been addressed to Ma, I knew Da would read it, too, and I felt sure he would have strong opinions about me curtailing my service. I hadn't expected him to be here when I got home, though; as long as I could remember, Da had commuted across the city to the armed forces headquarters for work, and in all that time I couldn't remember him missing a single day. Suboficial Primero Angus McRae was not a man who would take a day off frivolously, even to see his son return from nine months in the service.

"Son," said Da as I walked through the unlocked front door. He was seated on his leather recliner facing a flatscreen TV that hadn't been there when I'd left; I could have sworn he'd keep the tube until he died. "Haven't heard from you in a while. How did your test for MP turn out?"

"MP" was marinero primero, the second enlisted rank in the Santa Rafan Navy. You could take the test at six months, provided your cabos thought you were ready. Mine of course hadn't thought that, and I'd left the Navy at the same rank I had entered, marinero segundo, the lowest of the low.

"Didn't take it," I told him as evenly as I could manage.

I half-expected a thunderous "And why not?", but for once Da spared the theatrics. Instead he gave a tired sigh. "So I suppose this football business is for real, then?"

"I suspect so, Da, seeing as I'm on the national team and all." The words came out before I could stop them. Somewhere in my brain, it registered that a marinero segundo had just sassed a suboficial, but I didn't dwell on it. Da's face was implacable.

"I'm surprised they took you, being that you are out of practice." Missing tryouts for the Diablos del Mar was one of the last things I'd told Da in a letter addresed to him. Da had said it was well and good, that I ought to be focusing on my duties as a sailor, not kicking a ball around. It was the only thing he'd approved of in any letter I'd sent him.

"I got in a few practice sessions for the coaches," I said, and so I had. As only luck would have it, Kane Lucero, the starting goalkeeper for the Diablos del Mar and probably the national team as well, was a teniente de navio in the Navy, and a staff officer in my battalion. He'd heard about me through the grape vine and pulled strings to get me on the pitch when the national team coaches came to scout the Diablos.

[Innovian indusse]

We lost the first match?

How can this happen we practiced day and night then also we lost. The team went a humiliating match yesterday against Santa rafa we will win the next match all our players will show its skills. We have no photos or videos due to that we havemy discovered it yet. But soon we will have one and that day you will Swe a new star in the sky.

#FORCA INNOVEA
#FORCA FOOTBALL
#FORCA INNOVEA
#FORCA FOOTBALL
#FORCA INNOVEA
#FORCA FOOTBALL
#FORCA INNOVEA
#FORCA FOOTBALL
#FORCA INNOVEA
#FORCA FOOTBALL
#FORCA INNOVEA
#FORCA FOOTBALL

[Brittany Normandy Aquitaine]

Brittany Normandy Aquitaine
Week 1

Nantes International Airport, Brittany

As the players boarded the private plane, they didn't know what to expect, they were flying to some outrageous place. As practice they sat on the plane to the order they'd be on in the field, for communication, even though majority of the players fell asleep during the long flight to Semarland. They were glad to be in Semarland instead of Farfalaflaflaflalfalfaland as they've heard bad things from the local area.

Semarland

They arrived at the field, the tired and weak from lack of food players got out and went to a local food court in the airport. They all got their joke they'd abuse the whole week when a kid walked by saying "MOMMY MOMMY! I SAW THAT ONE IN THE MAGAZINE WITH THE SEXY LADIES YOU HAVE!". The players cracked jokes before heading out to a limo, and driving off to their private apartment next to the field, bought by a famous B-N-A businessman as to give the players a close walk to the field.

Stadion Aalemark - Practice

The players got to the field and quickly got to practice, just to find out they couldn't practice there till pre-game, and they had to find somewhere else. They soon had to walk around in search of a park, which they found one with lots of open space and 2 soccer nets near the field, likely for young kids to simulate themselves at the real nearby field when playing. They got straight to practice, using techniques that were practiced at home, but the team wasn't the best. Half of them chouldn't even balance the ball on their foot for 2 seconds without it falling off. They soon got to routine, doing footwork exercises, shooting exercises, passing exercises, and defensive exercises. The defense showed excellent work, even in their offensive scheme. The offense struggled a bit against their own defense, which wasn't even trying their best, which was likely to mean something on gameday... and it did.

Stadion Aalemark - Gameday

On gameday, the B-N-A players sported their light blue, white striped, with each provincial logo (and an extra depending on where their from in the nation). They soon started off the game, as they quickly went offensive, they weren't ready for the Libertanian defense, which managed to easily recover the ball, and score. Libertania, 1, while B-N-A had... 0. It was tough and unexpected, lowering the teams morale. But soon after some play, the first ever team goal was scored by Erwann Palomer, with major assist by Alan Pao, tying the game. Then shortly after that Donat Paol, being the best offensive player on the team, juked out 2 Libertanian players to easily score another one, major assist by Judoc Donat. Soon the offense began to lose it, as the midfielders got less aggressive, which allowed Libertania to sliver by, and against the defense, managed to score another goal, but then shortly after that, another one (Libertanian player can pick who did it). But soon B-N-A players were driving down the field, an excellent passing campaign, but the goal was narrowly blocked by goalkeeper, who punted it to mid-field, and it never came back down the field again... The next 6 minutes was a good passing campaign by Libertania, only once did B-N-A get the ball back, but that was only 16 seconds before it got kicked out of bounds. As the game ended, B-N-A players quickly ran back to their locker room. And were disappointed in their mid and late game performance, and planned to learn from their mistakes in the next game. But the topic of B-N-A's loss was overshadowed by the other game being tied in Group N, which saved some of B-N-A's reputation from getting pounded on by the press, although there were still casulties, especially back home...

Nantes, Brittany

"I have daddy on the phone Gael."
"Let me talk mommy!"
"Alright... you can talk."
-the mother would hand the phone to Gael, Gael Erwann II-
"Hello daddy are you there?"
"Yes, hello Gael."
"DADDY DADDY! WHY DID YOU LOSE THE GAME YOU SILLY GOOSE!" -he'd pull the phone away and start laughing-
"We didn't play well enough, tomorrow you can talk to Mael and Yael's boys."
-Gael Erwann, Mael Deniel, and Yael Palomer became good friends after meeting up on their high school football/soccer team, they were amazing at defense(but loved to be offense), and soon became accustomed to it. They live next to eachother now, and their kids are all good friends, each has 1 boy, while the dads are out at soccer, the mothers usually stay at home and work low hours, usually having another mother next door babysit, as their all good friends. They didn't need to work as their husbands rolled in money from advertising deals to their paycheck after gameday, which was soon to roll in-
"Ok daddy, bye bye! Sleep tight."
"Bye Gael..."
-beep beep beep and the call ends-
The next day, all 3 kids from each family were all around a kiddie table outside in the shade.
"Why did we looose." said Yael
"I don't know, my daddy played better though." said Mael
"No mine did!" shouted Yael
"Stop fighting, we need to tell all our daddys to play better, and maybe they can win!" said Gael, interupting
"Sounds good." said Mael
"Yay, they all shouted, as they ran to their garages to grab a soccer ball, while all 3 mothers sat inside, watching the kiddies play from the window, while they ate breakfast together.
The kids began to beg their own mothers to goto a game. But will the kids strategy of going to a game work? Or was the kids plan, and the B-N-A team doomed to fail?

[Cobrio]

Bomb threats are nothing new when you grew up in Cobrio. It was perhaps this unfortunate truth that worked in the favour of the Cobre side ahead of their matchup with the Squornshelan Remnant States.

"They have moved the venue." Lieutenant Owusu told them, in that matter-of-fact tone he always used. Nobody even paused to ask why, all that mattered was that the venue had been moved. On their way to the team bus, Didier Fontaine -- who had served in the Cobre Defense Force (CDF) prior to his football career; most of the team had only done the mandatory nine months basic training after they left school, but Didier had continued for another three years. Most of the squad attended university and obtained a degree, but Didier often joked that he instead attended "the University of War" and had a degree in "military operations" -- paused and noted the cause of the move.

"There is a threat here," he said, softly. "It is a shame. I would have enjoyed playing in this stadium." Then he grinned at the others. "Reminds me of home."

Everyone chuckled, even the Lieutenant. "A little quieter than home na Didier." Moses Lofuko added, to more chuckles.

On the bus, the Lieutenant received a call and confirmed to the squad that they were indeed being moved for safety reasons. "They are saying there is a bomb in the stadium na," Owusu explained. "But I don't believe this is the only reason. This city is perhaps not best suited to host international football competitions. I will raise this concern with the CFF later."

"Lieutenant Owusu sir, permission to ask a question." The voice belonged to Babatunde Warrington, the team's "star player", with his strange haircuts and odd fashion sense. There was no denying his efficacy in front of goal, he scored often. Though some joked that this was because he was unable to comprehend the concept of passing. If the Lieutenant were to be honest with himself, he would not select Warrington at all in his squads. He was not the kind of player that he found easy to deal with in many ways... but he was too good to leave out. For now, at least.

"Speak, Warrington."

"Why did they not let us play the game anyway? I don't understand why we have to travel to another destination, at short notice, where many fans will not be able to watch the game na."

The Lieutenant supressed a sigh of exasperation. He was well aware that Warrington was not the sharpest knife in the drawer. "They are concerned for the safety of the fans. If there is a bomb, you would not like your family to be exploded."

"Ah." He saw it now, of course. "I did not realise the bomb would be in the crowd Lieutenant."

"Where else would they put it, buffalo brain?" Didier asked, lightly slapping the back of his head. "Did Olugun make you with less in your skull to compensate for your goals eh?"

"I was thinking maybe the bomb was on the pitch. Maybe these terrorists are angry to see foreigners in their country."

An awkward silence descended on the bus for a moment. That was a good point. It was what had happened in Osarius before. Terrorists operating out of Kryosis had attempted to detonate a bomb during a symbolic friendly between Cobrio and Osarius, on the pitch, where it would harm the players. The players were effectively ambassadors in that scenario, after all. Both nations had blamed the other at the time, and it had effectively set off the war. A fifty-year war that had left both nations struggling to rebuild for the past two decades.

"These terrorists are maybe more human than the northern devils." Owusu said, his voice half a whisper.

The rest of the journey was completed in silence. Nothing but the sound of traffic, and the bumps and rattles of the bus.

* * * * *

Gra Aguaviva Mitologica was ... different. Aside from the dramatic temperature difference, there were strange blob things with many legs flying around.

Didier recognised them immediately, and almost flew through the air to stop Moses Lofuko from touching one out of curiosity. "DON'T!" He shouted, slapping the younger man's hands away. "You will not enjoy this sensation."

"What is it oh?"

"Flying Jellyfish na. They sting."

"Like a bee?"

"Like ten thousand bees. All at the same time." Didier said, his eyes widening as though telling a ghost story to a child. "You know this is what they use in the training exercises with CDF?"

"A true?"

"Why would I lie na Moses?" Didier sucked his teeth in frustration. "They take the venom from the flying jellyfish, and use it in the shock rounds." He paused. "You ever take a hit from one?"

Moses shook his head. He'd been excused from basic training early to play for the national team, but would have to go back and complete his term later. Well... unless Cobrio won the tournament.

"Ah you have that to look forward to then." Didier smiled in a way that was perhaps supposed to be unpleasant, but wasn't really.

"Not if we win this tournament." Moses replied, without even looking at him. There was a steely edge to his voice, and his fists were clenched.

* * * * *

The game began slowly. The Lieutenant had told the team to exercise caution, playing somewhat defensively until they could figure out the enemy tactics, their strengths and weaknesses. "Discipline is key!" He told them, as usual. "Maintain your positions, hold the centre and remember that the touchline is another defender!"

So, they had held the centre. It quickly became evident that the Squornshelan team was not going to commit many men to an attack -- though nobody could be certain whether this was by design, through fear, or simply in response to the organisation of the Cobre side. It only took about nine or ten minutes for the local contingent of the crowd to grow restless and bored. Jeers rang through the stadium, though most of the Cobre players were unfazed. Maurice Delfour laughed, jogging back to the Cobre half, and shouted to Didier -- starting ahead of Iqadi Munroe today, due to his level headedness; the Lieutenant was well aware of the need for calm -- "the boos also feels like home na", earning the response "only north of the border; I never hear boos in Cobrio. Maybe you are playing in the wrong country my brother"

The jeers must have gotten to the Squornshelan players a little, as moments later, they pressed forward, contrary to what had been observed thus far. Both fullbacks joined the attack -- though Lieutenant Owusu later considered that this might not have been deliberate; it was too reckless, even for a team under pressure -- and Raymond Dupre was able to exploit the space left behind Geladi. After taking the ball into the final third, he looked up, found Warrington's path with a low cross, and left the rest to him. 1-0 Cobrio.

Amidst the celebrations, Lieutenant Owusu got the attention of Jamaal Cooper -- the team vice-captain; a quiet, yet steady player, who rarely put a foot wrong -- and relayed instructions. Cooper nodded, and passed them on. Cobrio were to defend the lead, only pressing forward when given the signal by Armstrong (the captain, and most tactically astute defender in the squad). The signal rarely came, and Cobrio played out the remainder of the first half with supreme caution. The attack from wide had caught them off guard early on, but for some reason the majority of the Squornshelan attacks after that came through the middle -- Lieutenant Owusu would note this at half time, suggesting that the pace of Cooper and Spence, with the support they got from Delfour and Dupre, made attacking down the wings difficult for their opposition. Attacking through the middle made it easier in some ways -- through funnelling tactics, for example -- but also more difficult, because the number of options was increased. Didier Fontaine, being a keen tactical mind, hung back with Picard and directed traffic, so to speak; the two of them forming a highly effective duo in the middle.

The second half saw a change in tactics on both sides. Noting that the Squornshelan attacks were now coming more often than not through the air, targeting their gargantuan forward Ajao, Lieutenant Owusu removed Andre Johnson from the game, introducing the more experienced -- and more athletic -- Abimbola Dabiri. "Stick to this man," he instructed. "Do not allow him to win a header. Force them to use another option." Dabiri did not disappoint. Roughly equal to Ajao in size, but possessing a better vertical leap, he was able to prevent Ajao winning too many aerial duels. Of course, he would be bested on occasion, at which point the tactical awareness of Lewis Armstrong was critical, as he needed to identify the target of the flick-on header, and react accordingly. A few times, he missed the cue, and Idowu Cruz was forced into remarkable reaction saves, and on one occasion, Strepol's late arrival wasn't picked up, but his thunderous shot rattled the crossbar.

At the other end, the Cobre front three relentlessly harried the Squornshelan defence, trying to force errors before they could launch the ball forward, but Damot kept dropping off the midfield to provide an option between the lines. Seeing this, Lieutenant Owusu removed Chijindum Ekeh -- in retrospect, he considered this a bad idea; had Cobrio conceded an equaliser, they may not have been able to score another. The wings were too crowded for Dupre and Delfour to create much for the most part -- and introduced the tireless legs of Iqadi Munroe. Munroe's sole instruction was to "fill the gap". He took this to understand that his role was to move into that space between defence and midfield before Damot could, cutting off his supply, and by extension, Ajao's.

The jeers subsided a little as both teams started to press more aggressively, albeit in different areas, but when seventy minutes had passed with just one goal, the crowd's frustrations became deafening once again. As before, this seemed to trouble the Squornshelan players somewhat, and very nearly led to a second goal for Warrington -- unfortunately, Munroe's through ball was too heavy.

As the fourth official's board went up to signify four minutes of time added on, Cobrio reverted to full defensive tactics in response to a wave of desperate attacks from the Squornshelans, the last of which very nearly led to an equaliser. By the final minute of time added on, Damot had abandoned his deep ball collection strategy, and this time pressed forward, leaving Munroe in no-man's-land. Weaving past a tiring Fontaine, he sold Armstrong on the feint and curled a strike just out of Cruz's reach. The strike hit the post and fell kindly for Ajao, who tapped in the would-be equaliser, only to see the assistant referee's flag raised. Dabiri, Spence and Cooper had all stepped forward as Damot had shot, leaving Ajao about half a yard offside.

                     Cobrio 1-0 Squornshelan Remnant States
             Warrington 12'

Player of the Game: Sylvain Picard (CBR)

Squads:
CBR [4-3-3] | Cruz; Cooper, Johnson (Dabiri 57), Armstrong (c), Spence; 
              Picard, Fontaine, Ekeh (Munroe 63); Delfour, Warrington, Dupre
SRS [5-4-1] | Munib; Geladi, Raktsov, Oleb, Ystrad, Ulcviecel; Vladcik,
              Strepol, Damot (c), Tambura, Ajao

[Rakivland]

https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1074663

[Krenorus]

[url=http://i63.tinypic.com/28is0m8.jpg]https://www.kbc.com.kr/sports/kren_draw_ftscrbof69/url]

Krenorussian Broadcasting Company

Rex Roses, KBC SPORTS

The Eagle-Eyed Fighters played against the opposing nation's team today. It was a lucky draw for the opposing team. The match is noted for how the Krenorussians were extremely defensive after scoring their first goal. In the post-match conference, Leonard Lionels said that Krenorus would be more aggressive after scoring.

The match started off calmly, with the opposing team passing the ball to each other. Soon, Azmi passed the ball to Badhri who in turn passed it to Gaby. Gaby quickly avoided Arrowson who tried to intercept him and passed the ball to Sumareh. Just as Sumareh started to run, Jacobsen stole the ball and passed it to Richarson who kicked the ball with furious and majestic speed. The ball sped as fast as a lighting towards the goalpost. Luckily, Gomis was able to catch the ball by leaping to the right. From there, Evan soon got the ball and tried to pass it to Gaby, but Niles quickly intercepted the ball and quickly advanced with the Eagle-Eyed Fighters. As the opposing defenders tried to stop Niles, he quickly stopped passing the ball and ran in front of it and to the left. Lord van Gaal was behind him and delivered a superb shot, sending the ball between the goalkeeper's legs into the goalpost. The Krenorussian Football crowd cried out, "Obeh!" the Indigenous Krenorussian word for kicking a ball between the legs of an opposing player.

After that, Krenorus went on the defence and their opponents tried to exploit every chance to score a goal. Finally - after a back and forth - they managed to do it when Gaby just managed to kick the ball into the Krenorussian goalpost. After that, both the Krenorussian team and the opposing team had plenty of chances to goal, but none of them was able to exploit it. In the last minute, Krenorus started to gain traction in the match. As they were nearing the goal, however, the game ended. It was not a big disappointment since it was but a draw. Krenorus' Coach and Manager hope that the Eagle-Eyed Fighters will win their next match against Routcher.

About the Author: Rex Roses (b. 1952) is a Krenorussian Sports Commentator who was a legendery player for New London FC (1970 - 1974) and Hawksons FSC (1974 - 1987). He was also the manager of Clovex Knights Assocer Club (2000 - 2005) and Hawksons FSC (2005 - 2015), bringing them both to the top spot in the Eminent's League.

Krenorus v. Sharktail | Results

Draw . . . 1 - 1

Scorers: Lord van Gaal, Krenorus; Gaby, Sharktail

[Busoga Islands]

The Busoga Chronicle
The Islands #1 News Source!

Busoga Islands get ready to rock in the 68th Baptism of Fire


Islander fans celebrate on the streets of Molsbik in the night following their opening win

MOLSBIK, SEMARLAND- The Islanders have arrived in tremendous fashion in Semarland, opening the Baptism of Fire with a 4-1 victory over The South Falls, to take possesion of first place in Group O. It was always going to be tough, but still- a 4-1 victory to open a tournament like this one is always something to be celebrated. It's hard to judge teams going into the Baptism of Fire, especially going against teams with no recorded history whatsoever, like The South Falls. How do you predict it? You don't exploit weaknesses, you can't scout. You have to trust your game and your ability to play it, and the Islanders played it almost to perfection.

The Busoga Islands played a fantastic game, from start to finish. They went after it from the first whistle, and it was clear- they were going to attempt to impose their will on the match, even if it was also clear that The South Falls would be fairly aggressive on the counter-attack. That was exemplified by Kadi Sanneh hitting the crossbar in the 4th minute from about 18 yards out, an early sign that the Busoga Islands would be trying to get on the scoreboard quickly. And they would not be denied. A 7th minute cross was met in the middle of the field by Marie Sonko, and she headed the ball perfectly- across the goalkeeper's body- and put the ball into the back of the net, giving her side a 1-0 lead.

The Busoga Islands, however, weren't done- they weren't anywhere near done. They wanted to continue to leave their mark on the match, and make an announcement to the tournament- the Busoga Islands aren't in Semarland for sightseeing. They are here to win, and they will do what they can to make that possible. The Busoga Islands continued to push, though they were exposed on the counter once. A misplay by Robel Abeselome saw South Falls counter, but they skied their opportunity over the net, getting a huge sigh of relief from Delbin Kasekende. The Islanders scored their second goal in the 32nd minute, when Kadi Sanneh was brought down in the box, and the defender was given a yellow and the Islanders were awarded a penalty. She stepped up, and drilled the penalty right down the middle as the goalkeeper went to their right, and the Busoga Islands led, 2-0.

They went into halftime with this lead, and they did not take the foot off the gas in the second half. They were going forward in reasonable numbers now- up 2-0, there was no need for defenders to be stepping forward, unless it was for a set piece. Mutsuhito Barbarossa scored a goal in the 53rd minute, and Ikshu Amitabh added one in the 62nd minute, to give the Busoga Islands a commanding 4-0 lead. It was at that point, where they really took the foot off the gas. Starfire, having seen enough, subsituted her star goalkeeper and captain, Delbin Kasekende, off the pitch. He got very little action, but she wanted to take a look at Hibbaan al-Shareef, who is eleven years younger than Kasekende. He did a decent job, but he got chipped on a counter-attack to allow a goal in the 82nd minute.

A solid victory, a game that ended 4-1. A big time victory for the Busoga Islands, one where they will be excited for the future that lies ahead. "We played extremely well today, and I am happy with our performance." Said Starfire, the Islander manager. "We played extremely well- we moved the ball, we finished, we made off the ball runs, helped each other in defense, I cannot complain. However, it is only one game. There are at least two more left, and if we want to be playing more after this, we need to keep it up. A team like Pink Floyd FC has tons of firepower in front of net- our back line will have to be prepared, and Kasekende will get more work in than he did today. It will be a difficult challenge to come out and win again, especially with Pink Floyd desperate."

What should we expect, then, in their next game, against Pink Floyd FC? A team that likes to attack and get forward, we'll expect the Busoga Islands to be ready to expose them on the counter. A different gameplan than they came in today with against the South Falls- they won't be able to dominate any of their remaining games in a fashion similar to their victory over The South Falls. We imagine that Starfire will roll out with the same eleven, but look for the midfielders to hang back a bit more, and then burn forward with the counter attack- expect players like Mutsuhito Barbarossa and Upanshu Paramartha to get quite a bit of running in.

What to say about the fans? Well, with all three group games for the Busoga Islands here in Molsbik, they are making quite an impact here in Molsbik. Islander culture is certainly being introduced to Molsbik. Mosques are seeing record attendance, as you have an extra 50,000 foreign fans to help fill them on Fridays while they are here. Flares are being brought to the country, and the fans are mostly behaving well. Of course, we expect the fans to remain energized for Matchday 2- a win could clinch the Busoga Islands a spot in the knockout stages of the Baptism of Fire with a game remaining, against what is looking to be the other major threat to win the group- Timmy's Tigers.

A reminder, of course, that the game against Pink Floyd FC will be broadcast at 4:00 PM local time, in the Busoga Islands, and it will be available on Busoga Islands Public Television(BIPTV). And, as always, go Islanders!

[Kedroiqua]

Principalty of Kedroiqua Sports Union broadcast

Welcome to the PKSU broadcast on Kedroiquas away opener against Halfdansodal. The players brought us a breath taking 4-5 result. Let's take a look at Kedroiquas performance.

Match overview.
A. Abrahamsen (11' 82')
E. Krogh (26')
H Kragh (52')
E. Carstensen (90')

Halfdansodal didn't disclose a line up so we don't know who scored for them.

(6') Magnus Fischer commits a foul in the goal box. Halfdansodal successfully convert the penalty.
HAL 1-0 KDQ

(11') Abrahamsen receives a sweet through ball from Kristian Kragh and slots it home.
HAL 1-1 KDQ

(19') Halfdansodal Retake their lead with a breakaway that L. Ottesen can't get to.
HAL 2-1 KDQ

(26') Ebbe Krogh strikes a header off of a C. Madsen cross, GOAL Kedroiqua.
HAL 2-2 KDQ

(43') Halfdansodal score off of a beautifully placed corner.
HAL 3-2 KDQ

Half time.

(52') H. Kragh finds the back of the net from a 27 yard free kick.
HAL 3-3 KDQ

(78') After a long while. Halfdansodal find the net once more after Isaksen misses a tackle.
HAL 4-3 KDQ

(82') Halfdansodal defenders committed a foul on E. Krogh, the 45 yard free kick connects with Abrahamsen's head.
HAL 4-4 KDQ

(89') PENALTY FOR KEDROIQUA. K. Kragh steps up and shoots left, but the keeper converts the kick to a corner.

(90') The resulting corner flies far. E Carstensen connects with it with a volley that flew to the top right corner.
HAL 4-5 KDQ.

Managers Press conference.
An hour after the game, a seemingly long team talk. Kedroiqua team manager Loke Munch was asked about the nations performance.

R: With the game coming down to the wire, what do you think would be the most productive way to build the team from here?

LM: I have no doubt about the ability of my attackers, they had a great game. The midfield held well, they did excellent with set pieces today. I think I will work the most with my defenders and with (Lukas) Ottesen, they seemed to struggle today and that was the basis of my tam talks at the break and just now.

R: Your Vice Captain Magnus Fischer caused a penalty in the sixth minute. Do you think his behavior early on will make you reconsider his position as VC?

LM: I will definitely consider a replacement, but I won't jump the gun. Fischer doesn't have any cards as of now so he's at least careful, I'll give him a second chance.

R: Last Question. Do you think your balance between experience and youth was an advantage or a setback?

LM: It was an interesting experiment, looking at individual performances for 30 year olds Abrahamsen and E. Krogh and then 24 and 21 year old H. Kragh and Carstensen it doesn't seem like the mix holds the team back.

R: Okay thank you for your time Loke.

With the conclusion of the press conference. This is the close out of today's broadcast. Kedroiqua will soon meet the SRS and Cobrio.

[Pink Floyd FC]

Cambridge News

Astronomy Donime

Pink Floyd FC has announced this morning the lauch of the Astronomy Domine program. This program consists in exploring outer space to have a better knowledge of the planets and stars surrounding us. Jupiter and Saturn, Oberon, Miranda And Titania, Neptune, Titan. Stars can frighten. Famous pilot Dan Dare has been hired to pilot Pink Floyd FC's spaceship and explore the outer space. This explain why he is not on the football roster at the moment.
Blinding signs flap,
Flicker, flicker, flicker blam. Pow, pow.
Stairway scare Dan Dare who's there?

Flaming

Thousands of Pink Floyd fans travelled to Fransborg, Semarland to attend the Baptism of Fire 68. But few of them were seen in the stands. Most floydians were watching the game

Alone in the clouds all blue
Lying on an eiderdown.
Yippee! You can't see me
But I can you.

Some other fans were

Lazing in the foggy dew
Sitting on a unicorn.
No fair, you can't hear me
But I can you.

Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk

Pink Floyd FC lost 3-2 against Timmy's Tigers at the Baptism of Fire. After scoring the two goals of the team, striker Pink Floyd left the game at the 71st minute with an undisclosed injury and has been confined to his bed, listening to his favorite music.
Music seems to help the pain
Seems to cultivate the brain.
Doctor kindly tell your wife that
I'm alive - flowers thrive - realize - realize
Realize.
Pink Floyd was healed through Music and he will be in the starting line up for the next game against the Busoga Islands.

[Blaneu]

The Blaneu Broadsheet

Wait For a Win Continues After Turgid First Game In Semarland

Blaneu's XI will have to wait for their first victory in a football match after a drab match against Tanzanique. Blaneu looked flat footed and uninspired against opposition that, one feels, they could have taken three points from. The game was played in front of 29,655 fans, the majority of whom were Tanzaniquian, with approximately 2,500 Blaneuan fans making it inside the stands.

The game was a dull affair, with Blaneu holding possession for large portions of the match, but with little to show for it in the way of opportunities. Blaneu found themselves on the front foot for much of the first 30 minutes, but the only real chance created was a scrambled shot in the box from MacDafydd, managing to skim the ball over the bar from point-blank range. The last fifteen minutes of the half saw the tempo drop of, with the ball sat in the middle third of the park, the only notbale event was Lloyd MacDai bringing down Amel Gordons with a mistimed tackle for Blaneu's first yellow card this tournament.

The second half persisted much as the first had, with the ball seemingly staying away from danger areas on both sides. Blaneu managed to bring the mood down among their travelling support as tactics seemed to default towards the long-ball variety. Whereas usually Aaron Starkey will launch long pin-point passes, he seemed to run out of ideas and hoofed it more generally up the field, usually to an opposition defender. The game was upended in the 74th minute, when a fairly harmless cross into the box met the hand of Glenn Peterson. This schoolboy error handed a penalty to Franklin Talepela, and the opportunity was not wasted as the ball was thundered into the top right-hand corner.

The final act of the match saw Snellbridge trying to push his team to salvage something from the match. MacDai came off for Hartson, provoking some slight groans from the stands. This saw Blaneu set up in an unorthodox 3-3-4 formation, with Hartson hanging up the pitch to attempt to cause disruption. Despite the changes Blaneu failed to penetrate into the final third, with a half-hearted volley from outside the box by Ojo Navarro being the only real opportunity. When the final whistle came the players looked deflated, having now failed to win any of the five international matches they've played questions are beginning to rise as to whether they have a unique ability to bottle it.

As a result of the poor performance questions are now being asked about Snellbridge's suitability for the role going forward. Not only has the team seemed uninspired and flat-footed in their matches so far, but mid-match tactical changes seem to be doing nothing to turn games around. Whilst it is expected that Snellbridge will see out the remaining two years of his contract, up to the start of qualifying for World Cup 82, his position may become more precarious if Blaneu fail to get past the group stage here in Semarland.

Blaneu		0 - 1		Tanzanique

Tanzanique

Van-Lensky
Okiojo
Shmo 
Beller - (Van Hain - 45')
Kong
Trump
Gordons
Weinstein - (Van Hain - 60')
Muhammad
Galue 
F. Talepela - 74'   

Subs

B. Talepela
Geali - (Beller - 45')
Van Hain - (Weinstein - 60')
Bell-Williams-VanPelt-El-Muhamed
Samwell
Blaneu

O'Brian
Peterson
Vernon - (J. Jones - 60')
Hollands
Driscoll
Sparks 
Starkey
MacDai █ - (Hartson - 80')
Navarro 
Davis
MacDaffyd 

Subs

D. Jones
J. Jones - (Vernon - 60')
Bowen
French 
Hartson - (MacDai - 80')

[Rakivland]

In case you did not see my link.

MATCH PREVIEW: TANZANIQUE V RAKIVLAND
So, The next one for the ballhoggers is Tanzanique, And after a comfortable 2-0 win over Altai Almas, they must be pretty confident, We were speaking to their Manager earlier, here's what he said:
MANAGER: Well, i was happy with the win and the performance, and a massive boost of confidence should now show, however we can't get complacent, We are still the underdogs for getting out the group, Tanzanique will be no push over, especially after their 1-0 win over Blaneu, So, we should go into this confident, but can't get carried away.

The manager seems to be relatively cautious, which is was what you'd expect, however he seems happier then when the tournament started, Telegram me your predictions!

[Rannoria]

THE ENGLISH TALON

RANNORIA'S ENGLISH NEWSPAPER

Rannoria Suffers Defeat on Debut!

Only yesterday, on the 9th of August, 2018, have Rannoria played in their first ever intercontinental game, but that doesn't mean fans were necessarily happy with the results. To much dismay here in Rannkradle and on the other cities and islands of Rannoria, the Iron Swordsmen have lost their game against Oscioru. Played in Semarland's national stadium, the Natunolstadium in Jansberg, the 3 o'clock match wasn't so eventful. While Rannoria adopted a slightly aggressive 4-3-3 formation, the Osci have gone for a very defensive play, and have been able to score against Rannoria twice; one time with centre-field August Marti through a counter-attack after a strong yet failed Rannorian offensive, leaving the striker and keeper alone. Rannoria begun the lead with a 17 minute goal by the 23 year-old right winger Susanto Kader, who is the cousin of the current Grand, Hij'e Kader, and by blood is technically royalty, who was able to shoot a goal from a distance into the top-left corner. Unfortunately for us, Oscioru was able to score two goals later on in the match, and so it was a 2-1 defeat for Rannoria. Our boys out there in the field can only go so far with an offensive play, and Oscioru was just too tough to tackle. No injuries nor cards were pulled out for both sides (although there were fouls), though Rannorians here at home and as fans at Semarland hope for better games in the future, in both the Baptism of Fire and the upcoming World Cup.

An interviewer on our behalf was able to get a word with the captain of the Rannorian football team, Karsten Sawar, who had a few things to say. He said that he believed that his teammates and himself could've done better, and that they should've been able to keep their lead against the Osci. Prior to the interview, the captain talked to his teammates, and they all "wonder if it was just nerves acting up in this game". Karsten hopes that Rannoria's next match against Tarper will go better, and now that Rannoria has had it's first game, maybe the players will play better.

Again, remember to support Rannoria through social media for the match tomorrow with the tags #PRRTAR and #BaptismRannoria68, and good luck to our boys.
Written by Robert Anak
August 10, 2018

[Mareibat]

A Short Pre-Script To Mareibat - Part One

Mareibat's history since achieving independence from Apox in the year 570 (31 years ago), is one of despots, incompentence and corruption. In that time, it has gone from a colonial backwater to a fully blown collapsed state, with various dictators coming and going, some with plans to improve the state of the country, others with plans to milk it for cash. All have left it worse than they found it.

The first imperator (as the leaders of Mareibat as known) was Kester O'Connor. A decent man, well educated with a Degree in Economics from the University of Gwinevra in Apox, he seemed like a good choice to steer the infant newly independent Mareibat into prosperity. What he didn't reckon on was the speed with which the Apoxians would withdraw from Mareibat.

Brief aside regarding Mareibat's history
Mareibat had originally been a distant trading post for the Duchy of Dwile, in the days before a unified Apox, and a small settlement at Halholzer had quickly ballooned to cover an entire archipelago, with a population close to a million at it's peak. However, the seas around Mareibat suffered from overfishing and there was little of use on the islands themselves in terms of raw materials. The seas around Mareibat also proved largely empty of any substantial stocks of oil. And so Mareibat became a bit of a drag on the economy of Dwile.

When the state of Apox was formed in the late 540's, Mareibat became a protectorate of the new state, along with a number of small territories belonging to the predecessor states of Apox. However Mareibat, like many of them, was certainly a dead weight being dragged along by Apox, and those in power began plans to offload it. At the same time, and independence movement, largely built on false hopes, was burgeoning in Mareibat and in the summer of 570, a deal was struck - Mareibat would have it's independence.

Within days, 80% of the civil servants and all of the Apoxian military stationed there had withdrawn from Mareibat, and the Apoxian funding to Mareibat rapidly dried up. Mareibat was on it's own.

Kester O'Connor tried to maintain order, but he was left to set up or restaff entire institutions almost overnight. To compound the issue, he was surrounded by poor advisors - either incompetent, uncaring or downright crooked. By the winter, the economy of Mareibat had largely collapsed, investment had stalled and essential services - hospitals, fire service and policing forces were on the brink of institutional breakdown. The coast guard - newly set up to ensure order on land and sea suffered a series of set backs and organised crime began to flourish in the cities - Halholzer, Harmonica, Bellight and Teol.

This situation spiralled downwards every year - with Mareibat struggling to establish trade deals with other nations and unable to provide enough food for it's citizens, the collection of largely barren and desolate rocks not being good grounds for large scale agriculture.

O'Connor struggled on, but time exacted a heavy toll on him, mentally and physically. He became more withdrawn, rarely leaving the Palace of Halholzer, having meetings with advisors then and becoming more and more out of touch with his country. When he did leave, the sights that greeted him pained him, but he was unable to turn things around. He turned to drink, and smoking, to deal with the stress of running a collapsing country.

In 577, at the age of 52, he suffered a severe heart attack and died at his desk in the palace. The nation had lost the most driven imperator it would have, and yet he had not been able to turn the fortunes of the country. Next would be his son, Wilbrahim O'Connor.

Mareibat 1-1 Soute Armada 66', Krakowski 76'
MBT: Lillehammer -- Richards, Balthorst (c), Elden, Eben (O'Hardlome 82') -- Sherman, Jakkar (Opendale 76'), Weaver, Armoray -- Voeller (Marquis 67'), Armada
SOU: Ostrowski -- Wronski, Wyrzykowski, Sokolowski, Warszawski -- Slazak (Gajos 75'), Fabian, Krakowski, Stawski (Nowak 75') -- E. Krol, Maly (Zabek 58')

A tricky first match awaited Mareibat in their first official WCC match - Soute of Esportiva. Both teams lined up their very first choices, Soute's players largely unknown quantities with all of them playing domestically, compared to the diaspora of Mareibatians based in Apox, Mareibat and elsewhere. It was Soute who got out of the blocks faster though, Bronimir Maly testing the experienced Thorgen Lillehammer early on - requiring a good save. Pressure built on the Mareibatians, but they held firm, marshalled by Ioghan Balthorst in the centre of the pitch - Balthorst picking up the first of expected to be many yellows this tournament for deliberately tripping Janusz Stawski - a show of dominance for the old school defender.

Despite all this, the scores were equal going into the break and the Mareibatians came out in the second half the stronger force. Aristotle Weaver in particular was magnificent, and it was his arrow pass which split open the Soute defense and allowed Richard Armada to score an excellent opener of the tournament. However, it wasn't to last as the fresh legs of Radomil Gajos were far too much for the ageing Solomon Eben to keep up with, and a pass through to Zawisza Krakowski saw Soute score their first of the tournament - much to the fury of Brian Ashgrove on the sidelines, who had to be restrained from headbutting the dugout wall in anger. After this, the game petered out a little, both sides exhausted from their earlier efforts. A point is a good start, but Mareibat will need more than a point against Kilaguni next match if we want to progress.

[Greater Carloso]

By Curtis Ballard from, Krsthaven, Semarland, RTC NEWS
Published 9 August 2018, 19:53 (GMT)

Carloso emerge victorious 3-2 against Guriguay in stunning Baptism of Fire 68 debut

Carloso's journey in Baptism of Fire 68 began in spectacular fashion this evening as Los Tricolores won out in their first Group J match against Guriguay with Michael Barton managing to snatch a late winner. The team lived up to widely held expectations to perform well, with both sides delivering an aggressive style of play that wooed the 63,000-strong crowd that packed Stadion Metner in Krsthaven, Semarland. Tonight's game was Carloso's first international match outside of Musgorocia. Mercader's line-up initially raised concerns that he was leaving the defence exposed, but these were quickly dashed as Armstrong, Clancy and Morterero managed to stonewall several attempts by Guriguay to send the ball into the back of the net. Less positive things can be said about goalkeeper Alex Fernán, who appeared sluggish throughout the match before being eventually replaced at the 73rd minute by Rafinha Maynard.

The game opened with an exciting first ten minutes as both sides sought to register an early goal. The break came at the 14th minute as Diego Santander managed to dribble the ball past Guriguayan Cid Sabbatini, striking the ball into the pack of the net and securing Carloso's first goal, sending the tens of thousands of Carlosian fans into a celebratory frenzy. Guriguay weren't done, however, and quickly equalized at the 29th minute as Leandro Li Fonti headered the ball past Alex Fernán and into the goal. Both sides kept up the pace for the remainder of the first half until Carloso was awarded a free kick just ahead of injury time. Michael Barton took the shot, landing it on the target and putting Los Tricolores ahead 2-1 against Guriguay.

The second part of the game opened up equally spectacularly, with Guriguay's Tauro Toscani managing to equalise early on. The Guriguayans kept up the momentum throughout the first part of the second half, testing but failing to break the Carlosian defence. Ruben Pinto achieved a spectacular save against Diego Santander in the 71st minute. Gerardo Mercader looked increasingly annoyed at Alex Fernán's performance as goalie, eventually sending him off for Maynard to come on. As the game began to come to a close and enter injury time, it looked almost certain that it was to end in a draw, but a momentary lapse in the Guriguayan back line saw Michael Barton put the ball in the back of the net just before the final whistle, sending the stadium into a frenzy of roars and celebration as Carloso secured its first victory in Baptism of Fire 68.

President Tobón and his Guriguayan counterpart were in attendance for the debut match, with the President congratulating Mercader and the team for their victory. Estebán Santander MP; who is the uncle of player Diego Santander, also congratulated the team on their success, agreeing with the decision to award Barton as Man of the Match. Tough but interesting lessons will be learnt from today's game, for both teams. Carloso is scheduled to play its second group game on Saturday, this time against Togonistan who lost 2-0 against Yanghoon in their own debut match. Meanwhile, Guriguay will face off against Yanghoon in what promises to be another decisive game. Both matches will be broadcast live on RTC 1 with commentary from Eliot Delgado, Max Lester and Adrián Espinar.

[Alenburg]

REDHAWKS KEEP THEIR HEAD UP AND PREPARING TO RISE AGAINST CZARNA GORA

That was the tittle from Loirgrunzodd Herald Sports Section

After losing their first BoF match against Saint Emelie who is guilt? a spell?..bad logistics? maybe some kind wizards? the truth is, is does not matter after our boys lost their first BoF game against a Saint Emelie that represented a good rival and the weather against us what can we say to them? nothing! our boys represented our flag,our anthem and our people we are a nation who always rises again stronger this time our next game is against Czarna Gora who seems to be the strongest team on the group C and their perfomance seems comparable to others of the biggest nations on the tournament we are going to play in Gra Aguaviva Mitologica at Frion State the weather seems to be really cold but this is not a problem cause our country has one of the strongest winter seasons in the East Pacific our boys are right now on their Frion State residence meanwhile Alenburgian cities are preparing for the match,the streets are decorated with flags,shields,some even have false ZweiHanders the match will be transmitted here in GrunbeldTown on the Dragon Square where thousands of Grunbelders and people from other areas will be watching the match here waiting for the next game i say good bye and as our anthem says "May you live long and prosper, Alenburg!"

Melanie Smith (Loirgrunzodd Herald Sports Section Writer in charge of Soccer Department)