Baptism of Fire 68

by **Czarna Gora** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 9:27 am

Czarna Gora to Change Starters For Match Against St. Emelie

Czarna Gora's recent loss to Alenburg has placed the team in a difficult position in Group C. Although favored to advance, the team is now in third place, and can only advance to the Round of 32 in two possible ways: either Alenburg looses their match against bottom ranked Corindia (an unlikely occurrence) and Czarna Gora manages a victory or draw against St. Emelie, OR Czarna Gora wins against St. Emelie and scores enough goals to advance on goal difference. In either situation, a win against St. Emelie is almost required in order for our side to overcome Alenburg's miraculous free kick and advance farther in this tournament.

To this end, a spokesperson for the Czarno-Goran Football Federation has announced that the team will be changing its starting formation and lineup in preparation for the upcoming match against St. Emelie. The new lineup will be as follows:

Formation: 4-3-3

#1 Д. Стојановић - D. Stojanović - 24 - GK
#2 С. Драговић - S. Dragović - 30 - DR
#3 J. Атељевић - J. Ateljević - 26 - DL
#4 С. Петровић - S. Petrović - 21 - DC
#5 Ф. Шеху - F. Shehu - 23 - DC
#7 Б. Живковић - B. Živković - 31 - MC
#9 Г. Ивановић - G. Ivanović - 19 - MR
#10 П. Прифти - P. Prifti - 29 - ML
#11 Н. Антић - N. Antić - 23 - FC
#19 П. Дибра - P. Dibra - 22 - RW
#21 С. Милић - S. Milić - 20 - LW

by **Squornshelan Remnant States** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 11:33 am

Nurali Jaglani: Hello and welcome back to Extra Time. We have a very special treat today for the last segment of our pre-match show. Yesterday, we had the privilege to bring national team captain and midfielder Arlo Damot in for an exclusive interview, giving us a glimpse inside the dressing room.

[cut to recorded interview]

NJ: Arlo, thank you so much for joining me. I know you have a busy schedule preparing for the match against Halfdansodal, so I really do appreciate you coming on.

Arlo Damot: Thanks for having me Nurali.

NJ: It's my pleasure. What can you tell us about the mood in the dressing room through these first two matches.

AD: Well we're definitely much happier after the second match than the first (laughs)

NJ: I would imagine so.

AD: No one wants to go home yet, so we're definitely happy to have picked up three points.

NJ: Did the team do anything special for Jzeovak Vladcik after the match?

AD: Haha, he actually did something for us. We had decided already that whoever scored the first goal of the tournament would have to buy the rest of the team dinner after the match.

NJ: Oh no! You really made one of the youngest players on the team pay for everyone?

AD: Well he's just signed a new contract with Lublova a year ago so he's not exactly in the poor house. Anyway it's all just a bit of fun, we didn't take advantage of him too much.

NJ: Not too much?

AD: No, just enough for a laugh. It's good to have the team out together after a win, in any case.

NJ: Builds chemistry?

AD: That and keeps us out of trouble.

NJ: Is that the team captain's job then, chaperoning young and irresponsible footballers in a strange foreign land?

AD: Something like that. Actually, not naming any names, but in our group it's not always young and irresponsible.

NJ: Old and irresponsible? You must tell me who you're talking about.

AD: No, no, you won't get any names out of me.

NJ: Just rank and serial number, hmm?

AD: That's it.

NJ: Well that's no fun. Speaking of which, we've been hearing rumors that your partner in center midfield may not play tomorrow night, any truth to that.

AD: Well we're all hoping that he can. I can't tell you how frustrated Vaarin was to have to come out last match. I can't really get into much detail, but he's working as hard as he can to rehab it quickly. It'll all be up to the training staff whether he's cleared or not though.

NJ: What kind of impact will it have on the team if Strepol isn't able to go?

AD: Well it always hurts to see a teammate held out by injury, especially in an important match like this, and Vaarin has really become someone we depend on, really responsible player on and off the ball. I have full confidence in our substitutes as well though, Shrike did a fine job after being thrown into those hectic final minutes, and I know that Dany S is also ready to go.

NJ: Dany S?

AD: And Dany G, yes.

NJ: Does everyone have a nickname or just the Danins?

AD: No, pretty much everyone has one.

NJ: Any particularly good ones you'd like to share.

AD: Well you probably won't have any trouble guessing who Big Z is.

NJ: No, not really. (laughs) Who comes up with the nicknames?

AD: It's mostly Kinner and Stovar, I think they have too much time on their hands.

NJ: Substitute goaltenders are trouble, hmm?

AD: Yes, they tried to name Zemen Little Z, and when he rejected that, they went with Alphabet.

NJ: Alphabet?

AD: From his initials I guess. Who knows how they come up with it all.

NJ: And what name did they come up with for you?

AD: No name in particular, mostly just "The Captain" or "O Captain, my Captain" and a lot of mock salutes.

NJ: Seems pretty harmless.

AD: Yeah, no one's trying to actually make fun. I think it's healthy for the team that we don't take ourselves too seriously. We're all business on the field, but I think some levity away from training and matches is good. You have to find a way to take the edge off a bit.

NJ: So you'd say the team's mood is loose and easy going into the final match.

AD: Yes, I'd agree with that, but don't say final match, we're hoping it won't be.

NJ: Some confidence as well then?

AD: Absolutely. You have to go into each match believing you can win, even believing that you will win. I know we're a defensive team, but we are definitely not 'playing not to lose.' We came here to win.

NJ: Well on that note we're about out of time, but I wish you and the rest of the team the best of luck tomorrow.

AD: Thank you.

[cut to live]

NJ: It definitely seems like the team are not overly stressed in this high pressure situation. We'll see how their approach pans out very soon. We'll be back with kickoff after a few short messages from our sponsors.

OOC Note: Vaarin Strepol will not play against Halfdansodal. Shrike Hagaz will start in his place.

by **Busoga Islands** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 12:57 pm

The Busoga Chronicle
The Islands #1 News Source!

Busoga Islands punch ticket to knockout stages with 3-1 victory over Pink Floyd FC

Flares are set off in the Islander end of Fransborg Park after the team's opening goal

FRANSBORG, SEMARLAND- The Busoga Islands took care of business, and punched their ticket to the knockout stages of the Baptism of Fire, as they won, 3-1, over Pink Floyd FC. The win put them all alone atop Group O, and with the draw for Timmy's Tigers, they have clinched their berth into the knockout stages of this tournament. Of course, not all is said and done in this group- there is still one more game, between Timmy's Tigers and the Busoga Islands, the group's top two performing squads. The Busoga Islands have earned 6 points out of six possible so far, Timmy's Tigers have earned 4, The South Falls have earned one, and Pink Floyd FC find themselves eliminated with a game to play, having earned just 0 points.

However, there is still plenty of time to cover what will happen in the future. What happened in the Islander match against Pink Floyd FC? With Pink Floyd facing elimination, they worked all that much harder. The Islander team, coming out with the same starting XI for this match as they successfully employed against The South Falls, knew that a win today would be hard, but it would be massive. Pink Floyd FC started out with much of the intiative, while the Islander defense held their own against the onslaught. Pink Floyd himself hit the crossbar in the 13th minute, and the Islander defense was holding.

However, defenses are not going to hold on forever, especially not in a tournament like this. The Busoga Islands needed to start showing some initiative, and in around the 25th minute, the Busoga Islands finally started to go forward. They started to try and bust Pink Floyd FC on the counter-attack. Not only to expose their defense and try to score a goal, but keep their defenders a little more honest in the attack. Upanshu Paramartha and Kadi Sanneh had a two on one against a Pink Floyd defender and their goalkeeper, but a cross from Paramartha was headed just wide by Kadi Sanneh. Still, a good break, for their first shot of the game 25 minutes in.

In the 32nd minute, however, they would become more clinical. Off of a corner kick, they burst through on the counter attack again, and this time, it was Shakeel el-Salih leading the attack, alongside Ikshu Amitabh and Kadi Sanneh racing up the sidelines against two backpedaling Pink Floyd defenders. He played a great through ball on his left, and when the goalkeeper came out to challenge Amitabh, he passed it across the field for an easy finish for Kadi Sanneh, who had a simple tap-in to an empty net to give her side a 1-0 lead. The Islander fans, naturally, exploded, and this was the score at halftime.

With Pink Floyd FC still attacking heavily, however, and enjoying the majority of the possession, the manager, Starfire, wanted to change how the game was working. She, known for her tactics, made a radical decision- employing all three of her substitutions at halftime. Fara Turay came onto the field for Shakeel el-Salih at attacking midfielder, Naaji al-Azam came in for Aaron Eyob at left back, and Channeh Jarju came on for Robel Abeselome at central defensive midfielder. Starfire said, after the match, that she used all three at the same time because she wanted more energy and quicker decision-making, or else the defense would fall to Pink Floyd's heavy attacks.

The substitutions, tactically, were brilliant. Channeh Jarju, especially, played a brilliant game in the second half. Playing the holding midfielder spot, she was able to slow the game down, and allow the game to develop at a pace that was more favorable to the Islanders, than it was to Pink Floyd FC. They were able to build a little bit from the back, and more importantly, they were able to keep Pink Floyd FC in front of them. Delbin Kasekende had to make a few tough saves, but they were all from distance, each save coming from beyond 25 yards. Enough time for a goalkeeper to track the ball and focus.

In the 61st minute, Channeh Jarju headed the ball and it was saved by Pink Floyd's goalkeeper, parried out of play for a corner kick. The ball was struck on the corner, and Gereh Kinteh, who just won the Banijan Soccer League with Busukuma Athletic Club, rose up and headed the ball towards goal. It was just out of reach of the goalkeeper, and just like that, the score was 2-0 to the Busoga Islands. Their fans were celebrating, Starfire was excited, and they knew that they were 30 minutes or so away from their second straight victory in this tournament and punching their ticket to the Round of 32.

At that point, the Busoga Islands packed it in, while Pink Floyd FC was throwing everybody forward. They needed at least a draw to stay in this tournament- a loss, considering the results in the early game between The South Falls and Timmy's Tigers, would eliminate them. They were doing everything they could do, from playing with tons of numbers forward, to big crosses, but the defense was holding. However, in the 75th minute, Marie Sonko stepped on Pink Floyd's foot. He went down, a yellow card was shown, and a penalty was awarded. He calmly stepped up and buried it, and with 15 minutes remaining, Pink Floyd FC had life.

A new energy was brought to the game. What to do now? Pink Floyd FC was now flying around, and while they were dangerously exposed in the back, it seemed more likely, at this point, that they would get an equalizer to keep themselves in the tournament and make the final matchday a free for all. The Busoga Islands, however, had other ideas. In the 87th minute, there was a corner kick, and everybody from Pink Floyd was up for it. A strong punch from Delbin Kasekende sent the ball flying up the field, where it was reached by Upanshu Paramartha. He ran up the field with the ball, one on one with the goalkeeper. He beat him on the dribble and then chipped the ball into the net, as he sealed the game. The fans went crazy, as the Islanders knew- this game was won, and they would play in the knockouts.

Starfire was happy with the team's performance. "What a game it was today, wasn't it?" She said. "It was always going to be a tough matchup, coming up against a team with its back against the wall. They performed extremely well, and I'd like to congratulate Pink Floyd FC on their performance. But, on its face, we deserved to win this game. Our defense was strong, with Delbin Kasekende commanding the troops in the back, and our team veterans played well. Players like Kasekende, like the Abeselome brothers, like Kinteh, who have faced the pressure of international tournaments and title chases, led the team valiantly today. Robel Abeselome, in particular- came off at halftime, but instead of pouting, he still supported the team with all his energy from the bench. That is the kind of teamwork and unity that we need to do well on the international stage, and I am proud of the effort."

What a game it was, indeed. Now, of course, they end the group stage playing Timmy's Tigers. A win or a draw for the Busoga Islands will see them top Group O, while a loss would put them in second. They would still, of course, get through the group to the knockout stages, but yea- winning the group is a priority. Of course, Freeport Isles loom as a potential opponent in the Round of 32, a team that the Busoga Islands lost to in their first ever international match. There will be at least some squad rotation- while Starfire wants to win the game, she wants to take advantage of clinching early to rest some veteran players, and see some youngsters. The knockout stages of a tournament require all your energy, of course, and she will rotate her squad to ensure that they are ready for long-term success in this tournament.

by **Zeleny Hrebenia** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 1:25 pm

OOC: Vocal RPs! First time I've done them for a football event in quite some time. Constructive criticism welcome. Also I've tried to make it more accessible to people of all abilities, let me know if you have any suggestions on that too.

HREBENIAN ELEVEN FALL SHORT IN FRIENDLY
Sprava.zh Sport Podcast

By Ondrež Karunak
13 August 2018

Find the Podcast Here

Outline of the first report, from the largest Hrebenian paper Sprava:

First, a review of MD 1 along the basic outline of Kavagrad's RP.
MD 1:
Kavagrad 2–1 Zeleny Hrebenia
Bonne 82'Krnač 21'
Pyke 92'
Cards: None

Second, a review of Matchday 2.
MD 2:
Zeleny Hrebenia 2–0 Bellarona
Kanoš 8'. A twisting shot from just outside the box, into the upper right corner.
Krnač 74'. A tap-in from a low Dolin cross on a breakaway.
Cards: None

Third, looking ahead to MD 3, Zeleny Hrebenia v Leodomum.
If Zeleny Hrebenia wins or ties, they advance in 2nd place behind Kavagrad.
If Zeleny Hrebenia loses, they are eliminated.

Can football turn the tides? (Warning: Loud)

Outline of the second report, from Hrebenian Piratske Radio, broadcasting from somewhere abroad:

The report focuses on the political implications of the team's performance. President Ludovit Maloš has recently announced a temporary stay on all immigration for one year, calling into question the presence of two (naturalized) immigrants on the national team, not on a legal basis, but out of concern for the corrupt circumstances of their naturalization.

by **Freeport Isles** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 1:37 pm

Edit: Oops, deleted the match report.

by **Saint Emelie** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 1:37 pm

LA POSTE D'ÉMELIE

Saint Émelie Win BoF Opener

Sara Katjanovic scored two goals as Saint Émelie eased to a 3-1 victory over Alenburg in their first World Cup Cycle match, a result that also puts Les Insulaires as the early group leaders.

Many doubted whether their matchday 1 opponents would be able to make it to the game after most appeared to believe the match would be played back in Alenburg rather than in scorching conditions in Szoirsia, but their mistake had been realised, albeit with little time to spare, as the team showed up at the Adar Jak ground half an hour before kick off.

Saint Émelie in contrast had been in the region for a week prior to their opening match to acclimatise to the conditions and it seemed to have helped them as they made the brighter start with temperatures reaching 45 degrees celsius.

Despite the promise, they failed to make a few early opportunities make a mark on the scoreboard as Katjanovic curled wide from a good position before Dominic Trion thumped a header over the top from 10 yards out. They got reward for their territorial dominance with 10 minutes of the first half remaining however when an unusual counter-attack fed the ball to winger Mathilde Laurent, the Riviera player cutting inside and delivering a dipping ball for Katjanovic to poke into the back of the net.

Sara Katjanovic is the only overseas player in the Saint Émelie squad and her class showed throughout the match, often being the focal point to many of her country's attacking moves. Her goal was enough to give Amélie Martín something to talk about in her half-time team talk.

Alenburg came out with more impotus in the first part of the second half and got themselves an equaliser that looked unlikely during the first half as Vladimir Rostov, who talked positively of the team during an interview a few days ago, floated a ball forwards. It was headed away by the towering Daniel Bouchard, but mistimed in the direction of George Botha, who was able to exploit the lack of pace in the Saint Émelie defence in dancing through to square for Michael Batt, who tapped in past Hubert Joubert.

The equaliser seemed to reawaken the Saint Émelie squad and they restored their lead thanks to some defensive lapses as a loose pass from Maximus Svendson only found Simon Pelletier, him of the spectacular equaliser in the debut victory over Vilita and Turori. The 30 year old took a touch before carving a pass in between the two central defenders. That found the rapid Florence Caseille, who steadied herself before clipping a neat finish past Alenburg goalkeeper David Vorster.

Despite a brief reposte from the Alenburg, when Batt fired over the bar from a good position, the Redhawk's fitness appeared to be wavering in the scorching conditions and Saint Émelie once again reasserted their dominance as Katjanovic smashed a loose ball into the top corner from outside the box to earn a stunning second goal.
Amélie Martín appeared content to rest her key players after the two goal cushion was established, with Katjanovic and Simon Pelletiér making way for Marizanne Proliné and Laurent Michaud with 20 minutes to go.

The game seemed to have run flat in the end, probably due to the heat, and whilst Alenburg mounted no threat of a comeback, Saint Émelie's attempts to earn a fourth were also incoherent. Despite that, the 3-1 victroy is a satisfactory and much needed 3 points for the side with undoubtedly tougher challenges to come. The other fixture in group C, between Czarna Gora and Corindia, ended with Czarna Gora winning 1-0 and establishing themselves as Les Insulaire's biggest rivals in group C.

LA POSTE D'ÉMELIE

Heatwaves, Hitmen and High Fliers: BoF 68 so Far

By Camille D'apuis, La Poste football writer.

As the Baptism of Fire approaches the final game of the group stage, things are really starting to hot up, in some cases literally.
Temperatures in parts of Farfadillis have hit nearly 50 degrees Celsius and along with other events in the country, have made for an often uncomfortable atmosphere around the tournament, Saint Émelie's first ever world cup sanctioned event.

As a result, questions have been asked about how a country that not only allowed a genocide to occur on its own soil, but is also self-proclaimedly one of the most disorganized and incompetent federations in the Multiverse, was allowed to hold an official component of the world cup cycle.

This outlook of the nation and its football federation was held at the time the bid was presented and unfortunately for the Farves, it hasn't improved since. Escalating Rulundese terrorism and continued fan violence from a minority of supporters has lead to an increasingly hostile situation and as a result, Farfadillis has become an increasingly inhospitable place to hold a global football tournament.

Add to that the practical concerns. Temperatures around the country are hugely variable with highs in Szoirsia of nearly 55 degrees and lows in the state of Frion of -15. The safest venue of the 6-strong selection (at least in terms of human-related threat)-La Gran Avenida in Puerto Farolero-is miles from anywhere and surrounded by wilderness and flying jellyfish, making it a tricky and expensive place to get to for the sake of a game of football.

The FFFF, a governing body named in the spirit in which it acts, has also shot itself in the foot a number of times with both its venue selection and organisation. Inclusivity is of course a key principal for international football and given the recent events in the state of Rulund, the populace are more than deserving of some high-quality entertainment, but surely staging a semi-final of a tournament billed as the most important in BoF history at a 10,000 seat stadium in the state with the country's highest gun crime level seems like a bad idea. The fact that the official advice is to take your own firearm is shocking.

It might be easy to think this is the view of an outsider looking in, but that's the view of everyone coming to the country from elsewhere. Whether the threat is real, and sources from the state suggest it is, spectators coming to watch a historic moment for their nation should not be discouraged from doing so by threats to their safety.
Of course people trying to deliberately blow you up, like at La Fantás on matchday 1, is little worry when the local stadium staff can get there first. The fire started by a popcorn seller in Ferdullaele was luckily harmless, but indicative of the FFFF's careless attitude to game safety and choice of matchday food. Where were the prawns or sardines or pineapple chunks? Classless.

Other hosting options were and still are of course available. World Cup 81 hosts The Equestrian States and Starblaydia were the early favourites to win the rights whilst an alternative bid from Mattijana and South Toronto was also solid, but perhaps the international community wanted something different when it selected the current duo. Both have previous hosting experience, but not much and not since a little while ago either.

That is of course no disrespect to Semarland. They have so far performed their hosting duties very capably and have managed to create a much safer, if a little more clinical atmosphere than their hosting partner. Yet if problems continue, it may be wise, if a huge inconvenience, to shift knockout fixtures to Semarland or another venue entirely.

Of course, this is a football tournament and the game should always take precedence. What easier time to ignore a series of serious political, social and practical issues than when your team has beaten their first two opponents and looks set to qualify for the knockout stages. Saint Émelie have hit the ground running in Farfadillis despite the surrounding distractions and look to have nailed a spot as one of the favourites, their job made easier by a surprise 1-0 win for Alenburg against rivals Czarna Gora that means they will top the group with just a draw.

However controversial, however inhospitable and however badly organised, it seems the show must go on. For football's sake.

by **Semarland** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 1:39 pm

Cutoff!

by **Semarland** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 2:36 pm

Matchday 3 Results

Group I
Tarper 1–2 Oscioru - at Stadion Aestahaade, Aestahaade, 15:00
Illahee 2–4 Rannoria - at Natunolstadion, Jansberg, 19:00

Group I                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Oscioru                          3   2  1  0    4   2  +2    7 - Qualified
2 Rannoria                         3   2  0  1    8   5  +3    6 - Qualified
3 Tarper                           3   1  0  2    5   7  −2    3 - Eliminated
4 Illahee                          3   0  1  2    4   7  −3    1 - Eliminated

Group J
Yanghoon 2–5 Carloso - at Eastlands, Finqaar, 15:00
Togonistan 0–2 Guriguay - at Stadion Metner, Krsthaven, 19:00

Group J                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Carloso                          3   3  0  0   13   8  +5    9 - Qualified
2 Guriguay                         3   2  0  1    6   4  +2    6 - Qualified
3 Yanghoon                         3   1  0  2    5   7  −2    3 - Eliminated
4 Togonistan                       3   0  0  3    4   9  −5    0 - Eliminated

Group K
Axuva 1–2 Egyptosian - at Solsholm Arena, Solsholm, 15:00
Petrovskia 4–2 Tobria - at Quayside, Kolberg, 19:00

Group K                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tobria                           3   2  0  1    8   5  +3    6 - Qualified
2 Petrovskia                       3   1  2  0    5   3  +2    5 - Qualified
3 Egyptosian                       3   1  1  1    4   7  −3    4 - Eliminated
4 Axuva                            3   0  1  2    1   3  −2    1 - Eliminated

Group L
Blaneu 4–2 Rakivland - at Stadion Matovallanen, Matovallanen, 15:00
Tanzanique 2–3 Altai Almas - at Stadion Reyenoord, Eikborg, 19:00

Group L                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Blaneu                           3   2  0  1    6   3  +3    6 - Qualified
2 Rakivland                        3   2  0  1    8   7  +1    6 - Qualified
3 Tanzanique                       3   1  0  2    6   7  −1    3 - Eliminated
4 Altai Almas                      3   1  0  2    3   6  −3    3 - Eliminated

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

Group M                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sharktail                        3   2  1  0    5   3  +2    7 - Qualified
2 Krenorus                         3   1  1  1    5   4  +1    4 - Qualified
3 Routcher                         3   1  0  2    5   6  −1    3 - Eliminated
4 Nuadh-Alba                       3   1  0  2    5   7  −2    3 - Eliminated

Group N
Greater Libertania 1–1 Hertisiana - at Stadion Aalemark, Aalemark, 15:00
Brittany Normandy Aquitaine 4–4 Dormill and Stiura - at Sorensen House, Kangemark, 19:00

Group N                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Dormill and Stiura               3   1  2  0   12   7  +5    5 - Qualified
2 Greater Libertania               3   1  1  1    4   8  −4    4 - Qualified
3 Hertisiana                       3   0  3  0    4   4   0    3 - Eliminated
4 Brittany Normandy Aquitaine      3   0  2  1    6   7  −1    2 - Eliminated

Group O
Pink Floyd FC 2–0 The South Falls - at Fransborg Park, Fransborg, 15:00
Timmy's Tigers 0–3 Busoga Islands - at Arkjetstadion, Molsbik, 19:00

Group O                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Busoga Islands                   3   3  0  0   10   2  +8    9 - Qualified
2 Timmy's Tigers                   3   1  1  1    4   6  −2    4 - Qualified
3 Pink Floyd FC                    3   1  0  2    5   6  −1    3 - Eliminated
4 The South Falls                  3   0  1  2    2   7  −5    1 - Eliminated

Group P
Miznan 2–3 Freeport - at Saint Adren Road, Saint Adrensburg, 15:00
Schweiser 0–2 South Libertopia - at Stadion Jansberg, Jansberg, 19:00

Group P                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 South Libertopia                 3   3  0  0    7   2  +5    9 - Qualified
2 Freeport                         3   2  0  1    8   6  +2    6 - Qualified
3 Miznan                           3   1  0  2    8   6  +2    3 - Eliminated
4 Schweiser                        3   0  0  3    2  11  −9    0 - Eliminated

Host Note:
Congratulations to all those who qualified and commiserations to all those who were eliminated.
The schedule for the Round of 32 will be published shortly and should be included in Farfadillis' post containing the final results of Groups A-H.

by **Rakivland** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 2:46 pm

MATCH REVIEW: BLANEU 4-2 RAKIVLAND
Oh well, Rakivland advance, but not without an inevitable defeat, The perfomance encouraging, the result not so much, Blaneu brilliant, Rakivland, not like they were in the first few games, a disappointment to end the group, but hope for another day (AKA Wednesday, The Round of 32) Rakivland will find out their opponents soon, Good luck to them.

by **Farfadillis** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:34 pm

Cut-off

by **Farfadillis** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:55 pm

Matchday 3 Results

Group A
Neo-Romanum 0–1 Huffingshire
Michine 0–1 Liongya

--Group A                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Liongya                          3   2  1  0    7   4  +3    7
2 Michine                          3   2  0  1    2   1  +1    6
3 Huffingshire                     3   1  0  2    3   5  −2    3
4 Neo-Romanum                      3   0  1  2    2   4  −2    1

Group B
Kilaguni 0–1 Soute
Ravsol 2–6 Mareibat

--Group B                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mareibat                         3   2  1  0   11   3  +8    7
2 Soute                            3   2  1  0    7   5  +2    7
3 Kilaguni                         3   1  0  2    5   8  −3    3
4 Ravsol                           3   0  0  3    9  16  −7    0

Group C
Alenburg 5–3 Corindia
Saint Emelie 2–1 Czarna Gora (The FFFF changed the location of the match to Ján Rülánd Dêrmáá on the same day of the game as a petty revenge for "the intolerant attitude of the Saint Emelie press towards the Farf way of life")

--Group C                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Saint Emelie                     3   3  0  0    7   2  +5    9
2 Alenburg                         3   2  0  1    7   6  +1    6
3 Czarna Gora                      3   1  0  2    2   3  −1    3
4 Corindia                         3   0  0  3    3   8  −5    0

Group D
Sorrentopia 2–0 Shofercia (Shofercian fans were left out of the stadium because FFFF President Alex Terán "hates their guts", allegedly for befriending the Rulandese)
Central Shaneville 3–2 The Hungarian Nation

--Group D                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sorrentopia                      3   3  0  0   10   3  +7    9
2 Shofercia                        3   2  0  1    6   5  +1    6
3 Central Shaneville               3   1  0  2    7  10  −3    3
4 The Hungarian Nation             3   0  0  3    4   9  −5    0

Group E
Leodomum 0–4 Zeleny Hrebenia
Bellarona 1–4 Kavagrad

--Group E                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kavagrad                         3   3  0  0   11   2  +9    9
2 Zeleny Hrebenia                  3   2  0  1    7   2  +5    6
3 Leodomum                         3   1  0  2    2  10  −8    3
4 Bellarona                        3   0  0  3    2   8  −6    0

Group F
Halfdansodal 0–2 Squornshelan Remnant States
Kedroiqua 0–5 Cobrio The referee was shot at half time and had to be hastily replaced. According to the FFFF, he was "only" shot in the shoulder, and should make a full recovery)

--Group F                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Cobrio                           3   3  0  0    9   0  +9    9
2 Squornshelan Remnant States      3   2  0  1    3   1  +2    6
3 Kedroiqua                        3   1  0  2    5  10  −5    3
4 Halfdansodal                     3   0  0  3    4  10  −6    0

Group G
Penguinland 0–2 Vithuland
Acheia 3–3 The West Cape

--Group G                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Vithuland                        3   3  0  0    5   0  +5    9
2 Acheia                           3   1  1  1    5   4  +1    4
3 Penguinland                      3   1  0  2    3   5  −2    3
4 The West Cape                    3   0  1  2    4   8  −4    1

Group H
Raffiah 1–2 Santa Rafa
Unified Hispania 3–0 Innovian Indusse

--Group H                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Santa Rafa                       3   3  0  0    9   4  +5    9
2 Unified Hispania                 3   2  0  1    8   5  +3    6
3 Raffiah                          3   0  1  2    3   6  −3    1
4 Innovian Indusse                 3   0  1  2    2   7  −5    1

Round of 32
Liongya vs Soute @ La Fantás, Ferdullaele, Farfadillis
Saint Emelie vs Shofercia @ La Fantás, Ferdullaele, Farfadillis
Kavagrad vs Squornshelan Remnant States @ Gra Aguaviva Mitologica, Frion, Farfadillis
Vithuland vs Unified Hispania @ La Gran Avenida, Puerto Farolero, Farfadillis
Oscioru vs Guriguay @ La Fantás, Ferdullaele, Farfadillis
Tobria vs Rakivland @ Adar Jak, Szoirsia, Farfadillis
Sharktail vs Greater Libertania @ Ján Rülánd Dêrmáá, Ruland, Farfadillis
Busoga Islands vs Freeport @ Ján Rülánd Dêrmáá, Ruland, Farfadillis
Michine vs Mareibat @ Natunolstadion, Jansberg, Semarland
Alenburg vs Sorrentopia @ Stadion Metner, Krsthaven, Semarland
Zeleny Hrebenia vs Cobrio @ Quayside, Kolberg, Semarland
Acheia vs Santa Rafa @ Stadion Reyenoord, Eikbor, Semarland
Rannoria vs Carloso @ Lindersson Arena, Nuholm, Semarland
Petrovskia vs Blaneu @ Sorensen House, Kangemark, Semarland
Krenorus vs Dormill and Stiura @ Arkjetstadion, Molsbik, Semarland
Timmy's Tigers v South Libertopia @ Stadion Jansberg, Jansberg, Semarland

The first four matches in Semarland will begin at 15:00 local time, the other four at 19:00. The FFFF has not, as of yet, released an official kick-off time for the matches in Farfadillis.

by **Michine** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:44 pm

on the 14th August 2018, L'observatoire michinien wrote:
MERDE ! OWN GOAL EDGES OUT MICHINE
par notre correspondant anglais, Alain Outkine, de Jansberg

Michine 0 Liongya 1 (Volochine og 79)
Arbitrage: Gerald Purchase (Îles de Charrue) Spectateurs: 7,869

After the high spirits (and temperatures) of the previous two games, reality bit for Michine last night at the ramshackle Ruland stadium. Restored of many of Victor Kovalevitch's preferred players following the win over Huffingshire, the Michiniens - wearing unfamiliar all-green to avoid a clash with Liongya's all-red strip - started very strongly last night with Pierre Lavotchkine unlucky once again to not get on the scoreboard inside the first minute; the striker had picked up a long pass before Liongya fully adopted their defensive shape and, from a tight angle, had beaten the net-minder only to be denied by the crossbar.
Once both teams settled into the game though, the play reverted to the familiar pattern seen during the Huffingshire game; occasional forays breaking up long periods of stalemate. Michinien attacks were fairly frequent, particularly through the returning Alex Aïvtchenko; his best attempt came just before half time with a header over the bar from a rare corner, but Liongya were well organised and, while lacking in individual skill, were difficult to break down. By the second half, their attacks had been reduced to mere speculation, but it was from one of these attempts that the eventual decider came; from a long ball forward, net minder Denis Lapine was forced into a reflex save from close range after Liongya had broken through the Michinien defence, but he had no time to predict where the ball would go and it cannoned off the unfortunate Nicolas Volochine - who up until then, and after, had an otherwise superb game at centre back - and, to everyone's horror, crept over the line.
This left 11 minutes for Kovalevitch to find an equaliser or more, and he threw on Anatole Krougloff to try and force a result, but Liongya were happy to close up shop and there was to be no joy. Michine now travel over to co-hosts Semarland and the opulent surroundings of the national stadium to face a very strong Mareibat side, full of professional players, who have stormed to victory in group B with eleven goals from three games, and Michine will be very much the unfancied side going into tomorrow's game. However, stranger things have happened - to use the cliché - and, les aventuriers contre tout guerrier; there may yet be another chapter to this story.

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

by **Brittany Normandy Aquitaine** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:46 pm

Game 3

Day of Elimination

Brittany-Normandy-Aquitaine managed to have an amazing game , starting off 3-1, but as the cookie of a defense crumbled, they couldn't hold on, and almost lost still a quick end game goal to make it 4-4, but sadly they were still eliminated. With the elimination came minor protests amongst the nation, and fans raging afterwards, getting 7 arrested in Semarland, but are planned to be sent home to B-N-A. The protests died down in a few hours and it was it for this year for B-N-A, but the team will continue training... till they get qualified... till they become champions.

by **Santa Rafa** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 5:26 pm

Raffiah 1–2 Santa Rafa
Starting XI: Lucero, Valdez-Alvarado-Oro-Ayala, Delgado-Valenzuela, Khatri (32', off 56'), McRae (50')-Nunes-Alicante
Subs: Caballero, Ortega, Villabla, Ortiz (on 56'), Barco, Borriega, Herrera

Another early lead overcome by the Red and Black to secure a perfect group stage and a berth in the Round of 32.

The Rafano team gave their fans reason to worry as they gave up an early goal to the left foot of Raffiah striker Lior Ben Tzion when Lucero was caught out of position and beaten in full stretch. The team spent the next twenty-five or so minutes reeling until Vikram Khatri managed to string together a decent run, scoring from the edge of the eighteen off a give-and-go with Nunes. A go-ahead by Liam McRae early in the first half, coupled with some defensive subs, allowed the Rafanos to put their group stage campaign to bed.

It goes without saying that as a cadre member of the Air Force, you aren't supposed to have a favorite conscript. It also goes without saying that most of us do, to some extent. You spend so much time hating your conscripts that when one of them does something that makes your life easier instead of harder, you immediately take a liking to them, and it can be hard to shake. Mostly it's a matter of not outwardly favoring them or letting them know they're your favorite.

Valenzuela was my favorite conscript, even before she took the cabo exam. The exam is required if you want to stay past your two-year conscription, but it doesn't actually commit you to anything; I had taken the exam well before I ever decided to become a cadre. In an ideal world, the exam is the culmination of your two years of mandatory service, and in the bad old days under the junta, your cadre could promote you to cabo on the last day of your conscription, entitling you to additional benefits on the outside. Not so anymore; the democratically-elected Camara de Senadores had nixed that years ago, and now the only people who took the exam were those who wanted to stay in, or else were dead set on getting the privileges it afford while you were still conscripted.

It was early afternoon when my phone buzzed with an unfamiliar number. I answered it, hoping like Hell it wasn't one of the higher-ups who had somehow gotten my mobile. I got away with putting the duty phone as my number on most official paperwork, but recently the subteniente had goaded me into giving her my mobile, and ever since I had lived in mortal fear of it getting put out on the wire.

"Cabo Royce."

"Cabo, this is Voluntaria Valenzuela. Something came up, and I missed the bus I was supposed to take back to base. The next one leaves in an hour, and will have me there at three-thirty PM."

The reason Valenzuela was my favorite conscript was that she was the only one out of her cohort group that took any kind of responsibility for her situation. She had taken the cabo exam first, and she was the one who would square her gear away without being told, then help her fellow conscripts, to make the next inspection go easier. I had a choice here: I could punish her for breaking curfew by thirty minutes, or I could cover for her. Theoretically, I was breaking the rules if I didn't report her to Subteniente Rosales, but the sub was still wet behind the ears, and I was afraid she might go too far to punish Valenzuela.

"When you get back, go straight to the watch desk," I said in my best cabo voice. I'd have to meet her there to make sure the watch commander didn't put her down as late, but it was probably worth it. Valenzuela was a good kid. She reminded me of myself when I was a conscript.

I was a good conscript, probably because conscripted life wasn't much worse than life at home. Home was Puerto Ostra, a blue-collar port town that hadn't changed much since the days of the Viceroy, and my father was a non-union longshoreman who was lucky to get a ship a week and seemed to blame me and Mom and my sisters for his misfortune. Dad was Anglo and Mom was the girl who married an Anglo, which in that town was probably worse than being Anglo yourself. Folks looked at me and the girls with a mix of pity and contempt, but I learned to fight early and often, and I had a good complement of friends by the time I got to secondary school.

I was never much of a student, so it surprised everyone when my conscription exam results came back with options. I had figured I would be stuck with Army, probaby infantry or artillery, maybe airborne or naval infantry since I had done well on the physical portion. Instead, my letter came in the mail with several dozen options, most of which I'd never heard of. I'd bubbled in "air police" because it seemed like the easiest, which may seem like a joke now, but trust me, it made sense at the time.

The watch desk for the Base Aerea de Capital is in an outdated bunker that abuts the airfield on the approach side, so that whenever you call them on the phone, you spend half the conversation waiting for a jet to go overhead so you could hear the other person again. It seems ridiculous to climb down a flight of concrete steps into a depression with a huge French drain at the bottom just to tell someone your conscript is going to be late coming off pass, but the idea is that the watch desk should be able to coordinate security operations in case of a bombing or the capital gets overrun. Whether or not it would work is a worthy question, as is the actual danger of either of those things happening.

I was happy to see Cabo Principal Ernesto Reyes on the desk. Reyes had been one of my cabos when I was a conscript, and we'd had a good relationship ever since. He was a consummate professional, but not someone who'd take pleasure in handing a reprimand to my best conscript. I'd done him a few favors over the years, and I hoped he would see letting Valenzuela's indiscretion slide as quid pro quo.

I was distinctly less happy to see whom he was talking to; a pretty Anglo woman in slacks, blouse, and athletic sunglasses, sandy blonde hair pulled back into a bun that looked like it was giving her a headache. A blind man could tell she was a plainclothes cop. In retrospect I should have pegged her for OIE immediately, but I was probably too busy checking for a wedding ring, which she wasn't wearing.

Reyes was equally unhappy to see me, which was unusual. He looked up at the woman, over at me, and back at her, a clear signal to stop whatever they were talking about. It took her a second to get the meaning, after which she made a show of noticing me walk in and turned to face me.

"Good afternoon, Cabo," she said, her eyes flitting to my epaulettes, which were adorned with two chevrons each, one thick and one thin.

"Afternoon, ma'am," I replied in the same tone I had taken with Valenzuela on the phone. I didn't know who she was, but I wasn't about to let my guard down around her. I may have a badge and gun, but I'd been on the other side of the law enough times to know better than to trust a cop.

"What can I do for you, boss?" Reyes asked, breaking the silence that threatened to creep in.

"I told one of my conscripts to meet me here when she got back," I said, hoping to clue him in without the woman noticing. The front gate would call her arrival in to the watch desk, who would normally send a report to the squadron commander that she was late coming back. I was hoping to entice Reyes to go ahead and not send that report, but it was hard with an unknown quantity here.

"I gotcha." Reyes's voice was casual, but it confirmed that he was on board. He leaned back in the crappy office chair and looked up at the clock. "Lucas," he said, "This is Special Agent Sylvia St. James, OIE."

My mouth must have gaped, because Special Agent St. James smiled a little, the half-smirk you get when someone compliments you and you know they're right. La Oficina de Investigaciones Especial, OIE, is the air police on steroids. Where we secure airfields and "randomly" breathalyze pilots, OIE clears airspace for dignitaries and investigates major crimes ranging from smuggling to falsifying maintenance data on passenger aircraft. There were persistent rumors that during the junta and maybe even after, the OIE functioned as an overt counterpart to the secret police, hiding in plain sight to monitor communications and track the movements of political dissidents.

"I'll talk to you later, Cabo Reyes," St. James said, then to me: "It was a pleasure meeting you." She extended a hand as she walked past me to the door, and when I shook it, I felt something soft and slick. When I opened my hand, I saw a business card, and suddenly I had the impression it was better if Reyes didn't know I had it. Heart pounding, I tucked it into my pocket; what did OIE want with me?

by **Alenburg** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 6:23 pm

REDHAWKS HUNTED CORINDIA 5-3 OBTANING THEIR TICKET TO SEMARLAND FOR ROUND 32

That was the title from Loirgrunzodd Herald Sports Section

What can i say about our boys? the only word that comes to my mind is PROUD,proud for their performance,proud of how their kept their head up after their first match and proud of how they recovered and proud of how they risen to make it to the round 32 beating Corindia 5-3 with a Hat Trick of our Loirgrunzoddian Alexander Johnson all of them outside the area and before halftime our GK David Vorster received three goals before halftime ending with a tie 3-3 but thanks our boy Vladimir Rostov scored to goals one penalty at "75 and one free kick at "89 our boys won and made it to the Round 32 and now are going to Semarland to play against Sorrentopia a New Westen Atlantic nation that had one of the best performances on the BoF group phase o winning all their matches i must admit this team is on the level of Saint Ememlie even more and they are going to be a real challenge specially with a good defense but also a strong forwards our RedHawks loves challenges and this is one of them of course and i mentioned before we do not understimate anybody our boys will be prepared for anything and keep rising,the sky is the limit, they are already preparing the logistics and the traning for the match meanwhile our nation celebrates on the streets with Alenburgian networks broadcasting it the game will take place at Krsthaven-Semarland on Stadion Metner i am sure there will be a lot fly tickets to this place from RedHawks fans

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

by **Sorrentopia** » Tue Aug 14, 2018 6:52 am

Cardinals Win Again! Go unbeaten in Group Stage
The 68th Baptism of Fire has concluded its Group Stage. 64 teams entered this tournament but now only 32 teams remain. The Sorrentopian Cardinals are amongst those 32 teams after going undefeated in their group with a victory over Shofercia yeserday. The Sorrentopian team put on a shutout in front of a crowd mostly consisting of Sorrentopian fans, and lacking any Shofercians due to a ban on their attendance from the FFFF President. Despite this the two teams put on a good show but the lack of supporters seemed to cause the Shofercian National team to lose its energy it has shown in past games. The Cardinals, envigorated by the massive support for their team in the game, managed to score two goals and secure their unbeaten record so far. The first goal came on a quick turn around from a massive push by the Shofercia team, it looked as if Shofercia would maintain dominance of the attack and score until defender Zeph Tasker made a very risky move to steal the ball from Shofercian forward Greg Burki and push the ball upfield where Sorrentopian Braith Maddison managed to score on a shot to the high left corner. The second and final goal of the match came on a simple cross from Roly St. John to Herb May. The Game almost got out of hand after Herb May tripped Victor Wild getting a yellow card, Wild was upset and retaliated against May spiking him a few minutes later earning himself a yellow card. After the match Herson Ford, President of the Sorrentopian Football Association(SFA), criticized the FFFF for how it has managed its half of the Baptism of Fire due to its “failure to protect players and fans” and “it using its hosting powers to push its political agenda or as revenge against nations that oppose how the nation has handled things.” To support the later claim Mr. Ford referenced the blocking of Shofercian from the final match of the Group Stage, and changing the location of a Group C matchup in the same day due to the nation’s media opposition to “the Farf way of life”. Mr. Ford also said that “The International Football Committee needs to take this into consideration next time the FFFF attempts to host any sanctioned event.” Team Manager Joseph Sorrento only discusses how the team performed as well as his disappointment that their opponents where unable to have fans at the event due to politics. The team’s next game is against Alenberg in Krathaven, Semarland. Good luck lads!

Game Summary
Sorrentopia 2-0 Shofercia
34’ - SOR: Braith Maddison(1)(May)
67’ - SOR: Herb May(1)(St. John)
Cards:
23’ - SOR(YC): Herb May
25’ - SHO(YC): Victor Wild

by **Sharktail** » Tue Aug 14, 2018 7:10 am

Sharktail Captain Gaby show he is the best after score brace at the last group match.He now have scored 3 goal in competitive match.Gaby played a good performance who also help this team through the group stage.

"It was a really amazing experience and feeling.I never imagine I can score twice in one match especially with the opponent is good at defence.But our action not done yet and after this just the best will stay.We have to focus and I want all the player give full commitment and play with of spirit.All the sharktalian always support us and we will show them sharktail is not a small nation but we can compete with stronger team".

Match 2 vs Nuadh-alba
Scorer:nabil,farhan

Match 3
Line up
Ahmad
Obbie
Maxi
Jorge
Rawilson
Jaclin
Luis
Evan
Farhan
Francis
Gaby(c)

Scorer:Gaby(2)

Next match line up
Gomis
Maxi
Obbie
Azmi
Badhri
Rawilson
Jaclin
Wan
Salleh
Sumareh
Gaby(c)

(+2)

by **Rakivland** » Tue Aug 14, 2018 7:34 am

MATCH REVIEW: BLANEU 4-2 RAKIVLAND
Oh well, Rakivland advance, but not without an inevitable defeat, The perfomance encouraging, the result not so much, Blaneu brilliant, Rakivland, not like they were in the first few games, a disappointment to end the group, but hope for another day (AKA Wednesday, The Round of 32) Rakivland will find out their opponents soon, Good luck to them.

by **Alenburg** » Tue Aug 14, 2018 1:33 pm

REDHAWKS LANDED ON SEMARLAND FOR THEIR GAME AGAINST SORRENTOPIA

Thas was the tittle from Loirgrunzodd Herald Sports Section

Our boys landed on Semarland for their Round 32 game against Sorrentopia thanks to their perseverance on Group C after the team landed on Sermaland they went to their residency at Krsthaven-Sermarland to rest and then prepare for their pre-match training,before their training started i had the opportunity to interview our dear New Dutchlander Dylan Smith that is the younger player of our team with just 22 years old playing his first BoF:

Melanie Smith:"Hello Mr Smith can i have a word with you? after landing here at Semarland how do you feel about that the team made it to round 32 and you are now here on Semarland preparing for your match against Sorrentopia?"

Dylan Smith:"I feel very excited and proud of the team that day after hearing the last whistle will be in my memory my whole life it is a lot of hard work and hard work has its rewards,Semarland is an extraordinary country Sermalanders received us with open arms and they were pretty kind in Jansberg even some Alenburgians RedHawks fans traveled here to see us play and took a few pictures with them those are the kind of fans that we love , we are now on Krsthaven and it is the same good people,good environment and a great city remember me to New Dutchland with the fact that we have Horned Hawks instead of WoodPeckers "Insert Laughs Here",about our match against Sorrentopia they are a very strong team nobody on their group could beat them,they have a very defense type of game,their speed and forward game is still good we are going to work hard today cause we played with teams like this before i can not give too much info about our training today but as a i say hard work has its rewards and we will keep rising thank you very much"

As you can see our boys are in town to keep representing our flag,our anthem and our country i am waiting for the match against sorrentopia Fly Redhawks Fly!

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

by **Greater Carloso** » Tue Aug 14, 2018 4:01 pm

By Oscar Bienvenida from, Finqaar, Semarland, RTC NEWS
Published 14 August 2018, 19:47 (GMT)

Carloso trounce Yanghoon to enter Round of 32

Dashing worries from commentators that Mercader's decision to sacrifice Carloso's defence would hurt the team's performance in the long run, Los Tricolores put on a final, stunning display for their last game in the group stage of Baptism of Fire, heavily defeating Yanghoon to secure a ticket for the Round of 32. After successfully emerging victorious in all three of their group games, Carloso has managed to top the group with nine points, with the most goals scored in the tournament so far. The game was played in what was yet another packed venue, this time the Eastlands stadium in Finqaar, Semarland. Official estimates put attendence at over 43,000 people. Despite some hopes that Yanghoon would be able to rally themselves and take the second spot in Group J, it was clear from the very start that Carloso was the dominant force. Whereas Yanghoon presented themselves as tactically deficient and inexperienced, the Carlosian side ran rings around them, with forwards Diego Santander and Collin Rivera often finding themselves totally unmarked. Carloso will have to repeat this evel of performance in their next game if they are to defeat Rannoria and continue their journey in Baptism of Fire.

Only five minutes into the game and Carloso managed to secure its first goal, with Diego Santander sending the ball hurdling right past the keeper and into the back of the net. A good sign of things to come, the Carlosian fans erupted in a flury of cheers and celebration. However, when midfielder Ivan Machado accidently pulled the jersey of one of Yanghoon players, the referee awarded a free kick to the opposing side. The ball barely skimmed the pole but went in nevertheless, allowing Yanghoon to equalise for the next few minutes. Not to be outdone, Diego Santander found himself unmarked and sent the ball spinning into the goal at the turn of the 28th minute. Now leading 1-2, it was only going to get worse for Yanghoon from here on. A free kick for Michael Barton in the 37th minute saw him execute a excellent kick as the ball curved into the back of the net, almost brushing off the heads of the Yanghoon players. Mercader's side played more defensively for the remainder of the first half, successfully keeping play, for the most part, on the other side of the pitch. As the referee blew the whistle, Carloso found itself up 1-3 against Yanghoon.

Going into the second half, Yanghoon initially appeared to have rallied from their naivety in the first half of the game, managing to sneak in a goal past the Carlosian defenders and Alex Fernán to put the score at 2-3 at the 62nd minute. Despite some jubiliant celebration from the Yanghoon fans, it was to be the team's last moment of glory in Baptism of Fire 68. Carloso would rebound superably when team captain Ignacio Muraga dribbled the ball all the way down from mid-field and right into the goal, putting Carloso up 2-4 at the 75th minute. Yanghoon would try to desperately bridge the gap in the little time that remained, but unfortunately for them what little luck they had had already run out. Diego Santander, again finding himself totally unmarked, lobbed the ball in the back of the net at the 87th minute, sealing Yanghoon's fate and propelling Carloso to the Round of 32 against Rannoria. A jubilant Carlosian team picked up Ignacio Muraga as the referee blew the final whistle, celebrating their third victory of the tournament, all while the fans broke into song and chanting the Carlosian national anthem. It was a different story entirely for the Yanghoon players and fans who had hoped they might have been able to win this one, and who will now have to go home and study how it all went wrong for them.

In a competition that started with 64 countries, only 32 now remain. If Carloso is the secure a place in the final 16, it will have to triumph against Rannoria in the Round of 32 at the Lindersson Arena in Nuholm, Semarland. A promising side, many bookies have placed equal odds on Rannoria winning against Carloso and vice versa. The game will be broadcast live on RTC 1.

by **Krenorus** » Wed Aug 15, 2018 1:56 am

https://www.kbc.com.kr/sports/kren_win_nuadhalba

Krenorussian Broadcasting Company

Rex Roses, KBC SPORTS

The Eagle-Eyed Fighters played against the Nuadh-Alba's team today. It was a spectacular match for our boys and the hearts of Krenorus are quite elated after losing two to one against the last nation Krenorus faced. The match is noted for how the Krenorussians were extremely aggressive after scoring their first goal. In the post-match conference, Leonard Lionels said that Krenorus had 'shown its ability to win... and win big'.

Change on Krenorussian Team for this Match

Rouge James > Keeshawn Kenneth
Charlie MacMasters > Keegan Kenneth
Kieran Bowen > Caleb Kenneth

Mid-game Changes

William Krusen > Henry Fireson - Reason: Injury
 
( > ) equals ( Replaced by Player on Reserve Team [ Until next table change ] )
( < ) equals ( Replaced by Player on Original Team [ Until next table change ] )

The match started off with the opposing team making a run for the goal after taking the ball. The Fighters were totally unprepared for the coming onslaught. Ace Richardson was the first Footsoccerman* to run towards the ball in an attempt to intercept it. But the opposing player passed the ball to his comrade on the left as both their feet tampered with the light green grass. The 3-5-2 formation the Krenorussians did was easily passed through by the opposing players. The opponents soon got to a moderate distance from the goal. Keeshawn and Keegan Kenneth rushed to intercept the ball but said opponent passed the ball to the right. There was another opponent there who charged and shot the ball as fast as lighting! Krusen tried to grab the ball but fell to the ground... just missing the ball by half an inch. Paramedics rushed to Krusen as the stadium audience watched on in shock. Although there were calls for the goal to be discounted since Krusen was injured, but the goal was still counted.

The match continued after Henry Fireson replaced an injured Krusen who had to be carried out on a stretcher, however, during the incident, the stretcher broke and Krusen fell to the ground. Immediately, all three of the Kenneth brothers rushed to Krusen and carried him, holding him by the legs, back, and neck. Back to the game, the opposing team immediately tried to catch the Krenorussians off guard, but Keeshawn Kenneth intercepted the ball and kicked it to Keegan Kenneth, who instinctively zig-zagged and avoided two opponents and passed the ball to Caleb Kenneth, who deflected it to Ryan O'Brien. That Footsocceman, the great player he was, kicked it so far and accurately that it landed near Richardson. Richardson kicked it as one of the opponents tackled him onto the ground. The ball was deflected by the goalkeeper, but Arrowson quickly deflected it back with his head. The goalkeeper kicked the ball with his leg in a straight line. The ball flew over the mid-fielders but - a defender - Caleb Kenneth ran up and jumped, having his head deflect the ball to Lord van Gaal, who kicked it furiously. The ball was almost deflected by the goalkeeper, but Arrowson jumped and changed the direction of the ball, making it go down on to the ground and through both of the goalkeeper's feet, prompting many Krenorussians to say the famous... 'Obeh!' right after the goal was scored. It was the Equalizer! The Krenorussian team hugged each other tightly as they rejoiced. Deputy Manager - James Le'Italien - was reportedly heard saying the phrase: 'Lord willing; the creek won't rise' to Ouilliame DeFranco, the Deputy Coach.

The Krenorussians continued to make a comeback by scoring another goal soon by having Niles kick the ball into the goal. Then, the Kenneth brothers helped save the goal from a would-be score when opponents broke through the Krenorussian line. Finally, Jacobsen would score another goal just moments later. Overall, the Kenneth Brothers were praised for their saves and nearly everyone was given a pat on the back. Krenorus will be going to the Round of 32 now... and will be facing Dormill and Stiura. Good luck Boys! Let's cheer our chaps on!

*Footsoccerman is the Krenorussian 'word' for Footballer. A shortening of said word is Soccerman.

About the Author: Rex Roses (b. 1952) is a Krenorussian Sports Commentator who was a footsoccer legend 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. Nuadh-Alba | Results

Win . . . 3 - 1

Scorers: 

Lord van Gaal, Krenorus; Niles, Krenorus; Arrowson, Krenorus; Opponent, Nuadh-Alba

by **Blaneu** » Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:20 am

The Blaneu Broadsheet

Opinion: Changes Have Paid Off and Now We Can Go all the Way

Sometimes there comes moments in history where you just need to take an event in. The Berlin Wall falling, the Event that transported Blaneu to this dimension, and now Blaneu's first victory. Blaneu have now gone one better and won ANOTHER game, propelling them into the next round of the Baptism of Fire.

If you had told me that we'd be through to the Round of 32 in first place during the Altai Almas game, I would have thought you were mad. At 85 minutes into the match Blaneu looked like they would go another game, and likely another tournament, without tasting victory. Then, suddenly, the ball was swung in by Leslie Driscoll, and fell onto the head of Red Vernon, who poked it into the net to give Blaneu the lead. 5 minutes later and the much maligned John Hartson showed the quality that gave him his place in the squad. A long ball by Aaron Starkey fell to his feet and he managed to turn around the defender before thundering it into the top corner.

After the dislay against Altai Almas, Blaneu picked up in quality even more in their next game against Rakivland. The game chuntered along until half-time, with a lucky free kick from Leslie Driscoll cancelled out by a brilliant solo effort from Rakivland's Karoslav just before the break. The second half saw Karoslav net again, coming off the better in a six yard box scramble involving him, O'Brian and Peterson. From the 60th minute onwards, however, Blaneu seemed determined to show their quality. The equalizing goal came from Fitzstephens, a more attacking replacement for Lloyd MacDai, he managed to beat his marker for pace off a Starkey long ball, burying it in the top left corner of the goal. Just ten minutes later and Blaneu scored yet another goal, meaning they had now netted more in this game than in the whole of the Independents' Cup tournament. This time Ojo Navarro managed to put Gethin Powell through to the box, and a cheeky chip of the keeper opened up his goal scoring account for the national side. The final goal came as Paul MacDaffyd beat off the centre-backs Ziwvak and Hesak before planting it into the bottom corner.

All in all these two victories came off of some big tactical calls from Snellbridge, a particularly bold maneuver. He took of older central defensive midfielder Lloyd MacDai and replaced him with Euan Fitzstephens, a young attacking midfielder. Caradog Gwent and Gethin Powell both moved on to the subs bench as well, their ages of 17 and 18 making them the youngest in the lineup. Making way for them was the under-performing Mark Bowen and Iain French. These changes came after a run of defeats and poor results through the Independents' Cup and the Baptism of Fire, they seem to have rejuvenated the squad, who now seem to play with greater flow and flair, with the younger players really making an impact.

These tactical changes seem to have really lifted the squad in fact, and have also improved how the players that were already in the lineup are deployed. The use of a younger front line, with Fitzstephens creating more space and options on the pitch, seems to have liberated Aaron Starkey. Previously deployed alongside MacDai, he seemed stifled, stuffed into doing defensive work and with few people he could put through towards the goal. The previous lineup with no attacking midfielder and John Hartson shuffling about left his long balls met with defenders and doing little to break through the final third. Now, in the last two games, they meet the feet of the much faster Paul MacDaffyd, or Fitzstephens. Navarro and Davis also seem to be better played into the squad as well, with both of them now moving better off the ball and far better able to impact the game.

Overall these signs are promising, but up next comes the crunch of knock-out stage football. In the next round come Petrovskia, a team that is as yet unbeaten and which has conceded only 3 goals thus far. Blaneu's new attacking lineup could well be the team to finally break through them and secure passage to the later stages of the tournament. A lot now hinges on a handful of players, with Starkey, MacDaffyd and Fitzstephens under pressure to deliver as the spine of the team. Will the crack under the pressure, or will they send Blaneu into raptures?

by **Cobrio** » Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:42 am

                   Cobrio   5-0   Kedroiqua
       Warrington 6', 44'
            Armstrong 37'
              Delfour 72'
               Dusang 79'

         Player of the Game: Maurice Delfour (CBR)

  Venue: La Fantás                         Att: 100,000
         Ferdullaele, Farfadillis
		 
Squad:
CBR [4-3-3] | Cruz; Cooper, Johnson, Armstrong, Spence; Picard (Dusang 45), 
              Munroe (Makonnen 80), Ekeh; Delfour, Warrington (Emenanjo 61), Dupre

Lieutenant Uwusu's side secure progression to the knockout stages of this Baptism of Fire tournament in style, cruising to a five-goal win over Kedroiqua in Ferdullaele. Now they fly to Semarland for their next game, against Zeleny Hrebenia, knowing that from here on out, it's "win or go home".

Scoring opened early, when Babatunde Warrington met Maurice Delfour's low cross in mid-stride, striking it firmly beyond the reach of Lukas Ottesen. The Jraxville striker had taken advantage of his youthful advantage over Ebbe Krogh on the break, after Marius Gregersen had been enticed out of defence by Chijindum Ekeh's movement between the lines. Things did not improve for Kedroiqua after that. Magnus Fischer's bad start stayed bad as Maurice Delfour repeatedly probed the left flank, looking for an opening, pinning the right-back in his own half. That said, Fischer's excellent recovery to block a Delfour cross in the thirty-sixth minute halted what appeared to be a certain goal, with both Warrington and Dupre unmarked in the box. The fullback's joy was short-lived, however, as Cobre playmaker Chijindum Ekeh deftly picked out the towering frame of Lewis Armstrong from the resulting corner. Armstrong's powerful downward header might well have been impossible to stop on an open play, let alone in a crowded penalty area. Warrington would notch his second just moments before the half ended, collecting a perfectly weighted through ball from Chijindum Ekeh, and blasting a shot into the bottom left corner from the edge of the box. With Cobrio three goals up at the half, and rarely threatened by their opponents, it would have been hard to make the case that they were not thoroughly deserving of their lead.

After the break, Lt. Owusu opted to send out Lamont Dusang in the deepest midfield role, allowing Sylvain Picard to rest -- "he is still a teenager, we must be careful" Lt. Owusu insisted, post-match -- in a move that some Cobre fans considered to be "disrespectful" and "presumptuous", on social media. "I do not think this is true," Owusu retorted. "At no point did my players stop trying to win the game na. Lamont has scored today, Sylvain would not have been in the same position, so it seems to me that my decision has resulted in a stronger victory. I do not understand these criticisms." What is certain, however, is that the Kedroiqua attack was more productive without Picard on the pitch. Young midfielder Elmer Carstensen seemed to enjoy a little more freedom, getting many more touches, and picking out some key passes in the final third. Most notably, he released Kristian Kragh beyond Armstrong, only for the twenty-two year old forward to be thwarted by a smart Idowu Cruz stop in the bottom right corner.

This show of ability from Kedroiqua perhaps gave Cobrio the proverbial kick in the rear that they needed, as the fourth Cobre goal came shortly after, when Maurice Delfour, again tormenting Fischer, caught the fullback unaware by cutting inside onto his weaker right foot. With a precious yard of space, the Olympique Corriere winger had time to quickly look up, and curl a strike beyond Ottesen. Seven minutes later, Lamont Dusang -- venturing much further forward than Picard would have dared -- completed the rout with a thirty yard piledriver. "This win is good, but it does not mean a thing yet. We have not won a trophy with this result, we have a long way to go before we can celebrate." Said team captain Lewis Armstrong. "We must not lose focus na."

When asked about Cobrio's next opponents, Lieutenant Owusu had few words. "We cannot be certain of anything at this moment," he said. "We will be studying the tapes tonight, and coming up with a strategy before we catch the flight to Semarland. Then we will see."

by **Kavagrad** » Wed Aug 15, 2018 9:08 am

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

Above: Louis-Henri Bonne celebrating his hat-trick against Bellarona, and 8th goal in 3 games

Kavagrad dominate Group E, advance to Round of 32!

Kavagrad have easily bettered their opposition in 5-0 and 4-1 routs against Leodomum and Bellarona respectively, to finish the group stages with the maximum of 9 points, and advancing to the next round of the 68th Baptism of Fire, where they will face a successor state to a former World Cup-winning side, in what will be the Redhearts' biggest challenge ever.

Kavagrad first travelled to Gra Aguaviva Mitologica to face off against Leodomum, in a match that saw star striker Louis-Henri Bonne score his first of two hat-tricks, with an extra goal for good measure. The goals started as early as can be: Sam Pyke and Benjamin Mumuni would play a quick one-two that would see Pyke soar past one defender, but then be brought down by a second defender for a free kick, 35 yards from goal. Redheart vice-captain Aaron Wordsmith would step over the ball, allowing Mumuni to swing a cross into the box, past the goalkeeper's reach and meeting Bonne at the far post, who nodded the ball down to put the Redhearts 1-0 up after just 52 seconds, a Kavagrad international record, much to the delight of the travelling Kavagrad contingent at the home of Flying Jellyfish FC.

Kavagrad's second goal would come in the 18th minute, as a corner, crossed in by Kenneth Gordon-Cameron, would meet the head of the 6'8" captain and towering centre-back Axel Anderson, who would score a header of his own to put the score at 2-0. A third goal would quickly follow in the 23rd minute of the match, as a long ball from Eric Valenti would find Bonne between the midfield and defensive lines. With no passing options open, Bonne would take on a magnificent solo run, beating two defenders and wrong-footing the goalkeeper to place the ball in the bottom-left corner to make it 3-0. Kavagrad would continue until the end of the first half far more casually than they had in the first 25 minutes, but were still able to keep up the offensive pressure at times, while denying the opposition even a single shot on target, and maintaining almost 80% of possession.

By the end of the half-time team talk, the team marched out onto the pitch without a hint of complacency to pick up where they had left off, while the opposition seemed resigned to playing defensively in an attempt to not harm their goal difference too much despite the now clearly impending loss. Kavagrad would therefore continue to retain huge swathes of possession as they spent much of the second half playing the ball around the back and midfield lines, awaiting an opportunity to break Leodomum's defensive shape. This would finally pay off in the 78th minute, as the ball was playing out wide to Benjamin Mumuni, who immediately beat his marker and cut inside, drawing a centre-back to him, allowing him to play a swift through ball to the edge of the 6-yard box, which was latched onto by Bonne and hit first-time, slamming it into the top of the net behind the keeper before he even had a chance to move, securing the striker's first hat-trick of the competition. In the 89th minute, Eric Valenti would bring down an opposing winger for a free-kick and received a yellow card for his trouble, but the ball would be cleared out to Bonne by the Kavagrad defence pretty much immediately, surprising the Leodomum goalkeeper who had come forward to the halfway line. Bonne, still in his own half, took aim and launched the ball far over the keeper's head from 63 yards out, and into the back of the net, to finish the 5-0 drubbing. Leodomum would play the ball between the goalkeeper and defence for the remainder of the game, unchallenged by the Redheart attack, until the full whistle blew just a couple of minutes later.

Kavagrad would then travel back to La Fantás, where they had beaten Zeleny Hrebenia 2-1 on the opening day of the competition, to face Bellarona, who were without a single point following losses to Leodomum and the Hrebenians. This trend would continue at La Fantás, as the Redhearts battered the Pride of the Prince in a 4-1 dismantling that included another hat-trick from Bonne. Bonne would not start the game due to concerns over his fitness following his recent high-level performances, and would be replaced by backup striker and Under 21s regular Jacob Hendriks, making his debut for Kavagrad at the international first team level. Hendriks would not score, but his striker partner, Sam Pyke, would, as he received a through ball from Hendriks that placed Pyke in a one-on-one with the keeper. Pyke would chip the ball over the head of the keeper and into the back of the net to put Kavagrad 1-0 up at the 30-minute mark. However, both sides would enter half-time on an even footing, as at the 42nd minute a corner ball was inadvertently headed into the back of Kyle Keelie's head by Oscar Maguire, resulting in the ball bouncing back, past Edouard Calvin and into the goal, in what was counted as a Keelie own goal.

Hendriks and Maguire were brought off for goal machine Bonne and backup full-back Miles Keelie respectively in a move by Valentine designed to put the Redhearts back in the drivers' seat. The move paid off, as soon enough Kavagrad were in the lead again, as Bonne expertly tucked a volley into the top-right corner following a cross from Mumuni in the 57th minute. Bonne would follow up with two more goals in a similar manner, once from Mumuni in the 61st minute, and the second from Gordon-Cameron in the 72nd minute, a goal made even more impressive as Bonne scored with an overhead kick from 23 yards, the ball dipping over the keeper, who was several yards off of his own goal line. Similar to Leodomum, the Reds wouldn't attempt to press forth an attack, resigned to their defeat and perhaps hoping that Bonne would not embarrass them any further. The match ended 4-1, after 3 minutes of stoppage time.

Kavagrad with now return to Gra Aguaviva Mitologica to take on their Round of 32 opponents, the Squornshelan Remnant States. While the SRS was perhaps not politically formidable due to being the result of a brutal and bloody civil war, the Confederates have a long history and tradition of footballing success. The state that had preceded it, the Imperium of Squornshelous, had competed in over 30 World Cups, and had in fact won the 31st World Cup. 50 years on, the beautiful game will still likely run through those Confederate veins, making this a supremely tough match for the Redhearts to win.

Manager Alex-Louis Valentine has considered this fact, stating in an interview today: "We know their history. We know their tradition. We know that football is in their blood, far more than it is in ours. These people competed in world cups, even winning, long before we even had a national side, never mind entered into the international fray ourselves. This will be, without a shadow of a doubt, the toughest challenge that our lads have faced so far. I believe in these boys, but I'm not going to stand here and tell you that we won't be training twice as hard as usual in preparation for this fight, because we sure as all hell will be. If we can get a solid win here, we'll be in a great position to go far in this competition."

Kavagrad vs Squornshelan Remnant States can be seen live at Gra Aguaviva Mitologica or on KTVS1 at 10pm KST, as well as on-demand using the KVGSports App, with the match available just 30 minutes after the final whistle!

by **Kedroiqua** » Wed Aug 15, 2018 10:23 am

Principality of Kedroiqua Sports Union Broadcast

Kedoiqua national team manager Loke Munch announced his resignation today after Kedroiqua's horrid 5-0 defeat to Cobrio. His downward spiral of performance began after the 1-0 defeat to Squornshelan Remnant States, where after he refused to attend a press conference. The team has also been secretive about the state of the inner structure. With many players refusing to give details about Loke's plans or his current behavioral state. The KFA will be in desperate look for another manager before the world cup qualifiers begin.

Baptism of Fire 68

BoF 68 Mid-Group Stage

Rakivland end with unsatisfactory defeat

GABY THE HERO

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