World Cup 81: Roleplay Thread

by **Equestrian States** » Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:15 pm

-WORLD CUP 81 - MATCH DAY 3-
Lightning Strikes Twice in Latroit!
Rainbow Blitz returns off bench, scores Ponies' winner in group-clinching upset of Chromatika
by Steve McNotapony

Chromatika 0-1 Equestrian States
at MingleDome in Latroit, Free Republics
Attendance: 73,203
Scoring:

Rainbow Blitz '79 (Pristina Shine)

LATROIT, Free Republics - The Equestrian States surprising second day defeat against Saltstead and Chromatika's humiliating 5-2 loss to hosts Free Republics set up a tantalizing showdown between the Ponies and Chromatiks on the final day. Even before the match became a winner-take-all duel, the fixture was already one of the most-anticipated games in the World Cup 81 group stage: a high-stakes clash between two budding rivals with competing title ambitions.

It would be the third meeting for the Equestrians and Chromatiks in as many cycles. At the 55th AOCAF Cup, Chromatika emerged victorious, humbling the Ponies 3-0 in the quarterfinals en route to claiming their first regional title. Then, the Ponies got revenge in the second round at World Cup 80, stunning the Chromatiks in front of a euphoric Elements Stadium crowd to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time ever. And now, the group stage at the 81st World Cup would witness the latest battle between the ascendant Atlantian Oceanian hoofball powers, a match which neither side entered already assured of a spot in the knockouts. The winner - assuming there was one - would advance at the cost of the loser going home. A draw might be enough for the Ponies to move on, but would rely on the result in Wortana's Saltstead-Free Republics match going in their favor.

Either way, both the Equestrian States and Chromatika had every reason to go for all three points at the MingleDome. It was clearly going to be all hooves on deck for the Ponies, with manager Pearly White confirming ahead of kickoff that national team vice-captain Rainbow Blitz would be available as a substitute after missing the first two games of the World Cup with a knee injury the veteran midfielder had suffered in a tune-up friendly against Cosumar. Both teams fielded their best available lineups, knowing that there wouldn't be another match to worry about if they were to lose.

The game kicked off at the same time as the Saltstead-Free Republics match, as is traditional on the final day of the group stage, so nervous supporters at both ends of the stadium were constantly checking on the score from Wortana's MilaneseDome and the Group E live table. Early on, as the Ponies and Chromatiks probed at each other's defenses, there was a small cheer from the Equestrian section as the Free Republics took a 1-0 lead which bumped their team into second place. With a Republican win, a draw would be enough for the Ponies to advance, leading to many Equestrian supporters finding themselves in the unusual position of rooting for their hated rivals.

For the most part, the first half was unexciting for spectators at the MingleDome with neither team taking too many risks. The Chromatiks had the better chances, pressing forward while the Equestrians sat back to defend and wait for a counterattacking opportunity. However, goalkeeper Gentle Breeze wasn't really challenged much, only forced to make a few easy saves when the Chromatiks managed to sneak one through the extremely solid Equestrian defense and midfield. Overall, a dull 45 minutes of hoofball and a let-down for neutrals given the pre-match hype, but the second half wasn't going to be anywhere near as dull.

Chromatik boss Silian Parker had clearly had enough of seeing his team's attacks die in the Ponies' midfield, and urged his players to press forward into the Equestrian half. It was a bold move, one that could backfire as easily as it might succeed. The Equestrians were playing just to advance, seemingly not overly concerned with winning the group, and could afford to sit back and play for the draw as long as the Republican lead in Wortana held. But the Chromatiks had to win or else be eliminated by the Ponies' superior goal differential. Parker's more aggressive and direct tactics would give Chromatika more scoring opportunities at the Equestrian end, but would also leave the Chromatiks exposed at the back to the deadly Equestrian counter.

Over the next 25 minutes, the Chromatiks hammered away at the Ponies' defenses, giving the Equestrian States little time to relax between attacks. Gentle Breeze was a life-saver for the Ponies, stopping every shot directed her way and keeping the Equestrian back line organized to counter every Chromatik push. Manager Pearly White brought on Flitter and Rosie Tyler for a set of fresh defensive legs, but the Ponies were starting to get worn down by Chromatika's sustained attack. One of the main talking points ahead of last World Cup's second round meeting between the Equestrians and Chromatiks was that the latter was one of the few teams in the multiverse which could contend with the Ponies' pace and endurance, and they were proving that point here.

Then, in the 71st minute, as Brix Hamilton cleared the ball out of the Equestrian half, a roar came from the section of Ponies supporters and the Republican locals in attendance. The Free Republics had scored again via Dragutin Perkovic, solidifying their lead against Saltstead, making a comeback that would be devastating for the Ponies' chances much less likely. It was at this time that Pearly White drew on her pocket ace, substituting Rainbow Blitz in for the exhausted Aarón Aiza. The change would provide the spark that the Ponies so desperately needed to rally behind and keep their campaign alive. Minutes later, the Equestrians finally found the chance they'd been waiting for.

Veteran Ponies defender Andrea Molovi started the move in the Equestrian box, passing the ball over to Krysia Bailey along the right sideline. Bailey spotted Cloudchaser at midfield and fired long to the Ponies captain who touched it through to Pristina Shine right as the striker burst through the over-extended Chromatik back line. Pristina Shine was through with nobody between her and goalkeeper Jillian Nier. Equestria held its breath as the Ponies' striker raced towards goal and at the last second as Nier came off her line to close the gap... Pristina Shine tapped the ball back to Rainbow Blitz, following just behind her to the left. The pegasus fired a rocket straight into the back of the net and sent the Ponies fans wild.

It was the kind of return from injury that players dream of, coming back to provide their team with a last-gasp winner that cements their place in legend. Ten minutes remained, but the Ponies were ahead and completely re-energized. The Chromatiks pushed desperately for an equalizer, but would need two goals to win the three points they needed to advance. Against one of the multiverse's best defensive teams, that was never going to happen. Rainbow Blitz nearly netted a brace in stoppage time off a corner kick, rattling the post with a header that was the closest either team came to scoring in the final minutes.

When the whistle finally blew to end the match, the Ponies rushed onto the pitch in euphoric celebration, mobbing Rainbow Blitz at midfield. Pearly White was giddy as a filly in her post-match press conference, layering every praise she could think of on her vice-captain. Meanwhile, the star of the show himself held back tears while trying to maintain a restrained facade, talking more about how "it [was] good to be back" and "the long road ahead" than his game-winning goal. It might not have technically been the goal that sent the Equestrians through to the second round, but for Ponies supporters it almost certainly will be the highlight of the tournament unless the Equestrian States do somehow go all the way and win the World Cup.

  WORLD CUP 81 - GROUP E        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts        Match Day 3 Results:
1  Equestrian States (16)      3   2  0  1    4   3  +1    6   Q     Chromatika 0–1 Equestrian States 
2  Free Republics (34)         3   2  0  1    8   4  +4    6   Q    @ MingleDome in Latroit, FFR
3  Chromatika (8)              3   1  0  2    4   7  −3    3         Saltstead 0–2 Free Republics 
4  Saltstead (38)              3   1  0  2    3   5  −2    3        @ MilaneseDome in Wortana, FFR
  Equestrian States (3) ahead of Free Republics (0) on H2H points
  Chromatika (3) ahead of Saltstead (0) on H2H points

Meanwhile, to the southeast at Wortana's MilaneseDome, hosts Free Republics took care of business against Saltstead to ensure their own spot in the second round of the World Cup. After losing to the Ponies in their opening match, few would have favored the Republicans to advance, but a chaotic second day in Group E opened the door for manager Rule Theriault's team to sneak into the knockouts, keeping the Republican dream of a World Cup 68 repeat alive for at least a few more days. In the end, the Equestrian victory in that opener was enough to clinch them the top spot in the group and a slightly more favorable second round match-up against Group F runners-up Ko-oren while the Free Republics will face group winners Barunia, one of this World Cup's most surprising teams.

Indeed, Group F provided a couple of World Cup 81's surprises, with early favorites Starblaydia and The Holy Empire both eliminated in the group stage, the much-feared Imperial Bunnies receiving an incredibly rare ban from participating in future tournaments from the World Cup Committee after dismembering several officials in their final match. Elsewhere in the Free Republics, Group G finished almost exactly as predicted, top-ranked Eura and second seeds South Covello advancing, albeit with the Covellans winning the group thanks to an incredible 3-0 final day demolition of the Eurans. In Group H, defending champions Brenecia topped the table to nobody's surprise, but few could claim to have foreseen Baker Park as the other side to emerge from the 'group of death'. It's the second consecutive tournament in which the Bees have exceeded expectations despite a seemingly impossible group draw, making their meteoric ascent from low-ranked newcomers to World Cup regulars in the last two cycles all the more impressive.

There were also a few surprises out of Banija on the final day of the group stage, namely in Group C where the Corsairs of Sargossa stunned top-seeded Farfadillis late 3-2 to eliminate the Farves from contention. Ethane, meanwhile, finished off the group stage with a 2-0 win against Eshan, continuing their extremely impressive cycle that has them being talked up as the next big thing in multiversal hoofball. In Group B, another team which was expected to make waves at the World Cup after an incredible qualifying run, Mercedini, ended their extremely disappointing finals campaign with a loss to Nova Anglicana, finishing as one of just two teams without so much as a point at World Cup 81. Predictably, top seeds Nephara and Turori claimed the group's knockout round berths, the former the only remaining team at the World Cup with a perfect record. Elsewhere, Cassadaigua shocked Vilita in Group D with a 3-2 win to see the Dagans through to the second round, just ahead of the favored Vanorians on the goals for tiebreaker, while the Darmenis did barely enough in a draw with Apox to secure their own knockout stage tickets alongside Group A winners and World Cup hosts Banija.

Overall, there has been no shortage of upsets at this World Cup and more could still be on the way in the second round, with many of the remaining favorites set to square off against up-and-comers. The only Round of 16 fixture featuring two teams currently in the top ten is the Brenecia-Eura rematch of their World Cup 80 semifinal. Traditional also-rans like the Equestrian States, Turori, Ethane, Darmen, Sargossa, Ko-oren, and Barunia have a golden opportunity to cement themselves as contenders both in this tournament and at future World Cups, much to the delight of neutrals craving some fresh new faces in the tournament's later rounds. Meanwhile, recent powerhouses like Valanora, Starblaydia, The Holy Empire, Chromatika, Cosumar, Farfadillis, and Pasarga must return home to face questions of how they will rebuild and rebound for future World Cups.

by **Free Republics** » Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:29 pm

Designed by 3WD of Vilita

This is your Round of 16 Cutoff brought to you by Libero Security Limited! Libero Security Limited: The Official Global Security Partner of World Cup 81

by **Banija** » Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:39 pm

This takes place at Mujaguzo Palace

The Four highest ranking members of this committee were sitting in a room again. The RBSA Executive Chairman and World Cup 81 Bid & Host Co-CHairman, Adama Sowe, Omugabe Basamula, Isebantu Mwanga, and BSL Commissioner Randolf Cherry. This time, however, the entire Banijan half of the host committee was waiting in a room down the hall. That's right, all 15 members. And what's worse, they were joined by the Katikkiro herself, alongside the Leader of the Opposition. This goat thing had turned from a minor annoyance into a full blown crisis, thanks to the rash actions of Omugabe Basamula.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Screamed Adama Sowe at the Omugabe. Omugabe Basamula was not only of royal blood, but the son of the Kabaka himself, so this was shocking to everyone in the room, to say the least. "We made ourselves clear- don't. do. anything. And what did you go on and do? You had to poke the bear. You had to make fun of the protesters. Do you think before you act, ever? DO you-" and he stopped. He was cutoff, with a look from Omugabe Basamula's older brother, Isebantu Mwanga.

"My apologies, your highness." Adama Sowe said. He was frustrated, but of course, you couldn't exactly just unload on a royal like that, right? Not one who was third in line to the throne? Then Isebantu Mwanga started to speak. He, of course, was one of the few people who ranked higher than Omugabe Basamula, so he had no such qualms about unloading into his brother.

"My brother, what you did was idiotic." Said Isebantu Mwanga. His tone was measured, but everything he said came across forcefully. "Why would you take your phone and release a twii? Especially that twii? Especially when we explicitly agreed not to do anything, and let these protesters protest. You see what's happening now? We've had to summon a meeting of the full host committee. Us four have been making the decisions in this room for months now, and now the whole committee has been convened? We've even invited the freaking Katikkiro. Pretty soon, we're going to have to invite people from the Free Republics to handle what should be a domestic issue. What gives?"

Omugabe Basamula just looked on. He knew what he did was a mistake, but he thought the Isebantu and the Chairman were wrong. "My brother- Your Highness, and Adama, you both need to understand. We've invited the world to our country to observe, to learn our customs, to enjoy our culture. Obviously, we're not going to have everyone take home all these pieces of culture, but for them to come here and just protest against everything we do? And we're just gonna sit there? No! Now, of course, maybe that twii in front of the South Covellan embassy was a little much.. But the message needed to be put out there."

"May I interject?" Said Randolf Cherry, the Commissioner of the Banijan Soccer League. He tended to avoid these debates. But as the league's commissioner, he has one of the biggest names in the sport in Banija, and therefore, he had a seat at the table. He didn't speak often, but when he did, he spoke with authority. Distant 'we want Princey' chants were heard from the room, but were smartly ignored by everyone in the room. "Let's talk about this. We have had 1,000 protesters descend onto Banija, protesting goats. Goat meat is not something I tried until I became the manager of the national team, of course, but once I tried it, I loved it. But you leave the palace, your highness, and you're dead meat. Figuratively."

"What should we do?" Said Isebantu Mwanga. There was an estimated close to 1,000 protesters, who had brought along nearly 1 goat with them for every two persons, for the protest. Banijan farmers were starting to complain, the controversy surrounding the goat meat meant that sales for goat meat for visiting fans were plummeting, and they were taking a financial hit.

"I know what to do. Shutting them up will be easy. Your problems will be over, your highness. Listen to me. Get the Katikkiro and your father on the phone. And somebody call the Banijan Farmers Union." Said Adama Sowe. "We won't say anything at all to them. In fact, Let's fight fire with fire..." As he proceeded to tell them his plan. His perfect plan, his plan that would shut up the South Covellan protesters once and for all.

The Banijan Post
Covering All of Banija, All of our News, All of the Time

Banijan farmers march in support of Omugabe Basamula as Goat Army and the Farmers Union lock horns

BUSUKUMA, NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION- The situation in our nation's capitol is getting more and more tense by the day. In a tournament that is simply supposed to be about the celebration of Banija, a controversy has overshadowed a lot of the efforts that Banija has made. And, of course, it is a controversy over goat meat. ONce just a few protesters, over 1,000 protesters from South Covello have made landfall in Banija, bringing around 500 goats with them, to protest Omugabe Basamula and his controversial twii, and his stance on goat meat.

For the uninitiated- goat meat in Banija is something that is very common, though not common in many other countries across the multiverse. That, of course, has proven to be quite the obstacle during this tournament. What started as a small protest against Banijan goat meat eating habits, has kept on escalating. HRH Omugabe Basamula, the younger son of the Kabaka, escalated the conflict by putting out a twii of himself eating goat meat in front of the South Covellan, as part of his own, personal response to the goat meat protests. The twii was deleted, but the damage was done- the twii was sent out thousands of times, and millions by now must have seen or heard of some version of it.

And that, of course, was when all hell broke loose. A group, calling themselves the goat army, came from South Covello, coming to defend the rights of goats. They demanded everything from a goats bill of rights, to the full and complete ban of goat meat in the country- a steep ask for any Banijan government. However, the goat protesters, for the first time, were not alone. The Banijan Farmers Union, the largest organization of commercial farmers in the country, were on hand as well. They bussed in members to start a counterprotest outside the palace, with almost 2,000 attending.

What happened next, of course, was a mess. There wasn't even a game in Busukuma until the semifinal- but security was as tight as can be. Probably more security here than at some actual games. It would be a terrible look on the Banijans if these protesters were harmed while they were here, so the Busukuma City Police did their best to seperate the two groups. There was a lot of shouting, a lot of yelling, and anger from many of these farmers. A 'Basamula' chance was going up, as farmers showed their support for this.

That, of course, is when things started to get ugly. A farmer broke through the police line, socked one goat army protester in the face, and it was on. The police cracked down, and called for backup from the Royal Guard, since this was right outside Mujaguzo Palace. With farmers getting angry, and starting to hurl projectiles, like rocks, into the Goat Army, the police really slammed them down. At that point, after an hour of them going, the Goat Army's protest was officially shut down for 'incitement of violence'.

The Banijan Farmers Union has come out strongly in support of Omugabe Basamula, and they released an aggressive statement saying so. "Omugabe Basamula is correct- this is a long and proud tradition of the Banijan nation, to eat goat meat. The Omugabe, of course, is a royal, so he cant' say much directly, but this is a very important interest for our members. Livelihoods are at stake here. And while we do not want violence, we strongly encourage members of the goat army to take their time to understand our culture, try our food, and maybe catch a match or two. These protests are a waste of time- their goals will be opposed not only by our members, but by Banijans of all stripes and persuasions."

Omugabe Basamula has not commented since these new protests started, and nor has the rest of the Committee, so it remains to be seen how the fall out will play out here. The Farmers Union has promised to meet the Goat Army 'face to face' whenever they launch any future protests. With tensions rising, and violence already upon us, how far will this go?

by **Equestrian States** » Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:48 pm

-WORLD CUP 81 - ROUND OF 16 PREVIEW-
Ponies' World Revenge Tour to Resume Against Ko-oren
Equestrians seek to avenge AOCAF Cup 56 defeat in second round of World Cup
by Steve McNotapony

ALBERTOPE, Free Republics - At the 80th World Cup, the Equestrian States national hoofball team was granted the opportunity to right past wrongs a couple times. First, in the group stage, the Ponies defeated New Gazi to clinch a spot in the knockout rounds and simultaneously eliminate the Cannoneers from contention, avenging the Equestrians' 1-0 loss against the New Gazians in the quarterfinals of the previous Cup of Harmony. Then, the Equestrians famously shocked heavily-favored Chromatika in the second round after being humiliated in the 55th AOCAF Cup quarterfinals by that same Chromatik team.

Now, at the 81st World Cup, the Ponies will have another chance for revenge, this time against Ko-oren, who upset the Equestrians at the most recent AOCAF Cup in the second round with a stunning win on penalties after the Ponies finished the group stage with a perfect record, dashing Equestrian dreams of winning their first regional title on home soil in the process. It was a frustrating setback for the Equestrian States after a run of several extremely successful tournaments, which was hardly a failure considering the Ponies' rank and previous record in regional competition, but extremely aggravating given the Equestrians' excellent form at the time and home-field advantage.

Ko-oren were quickly eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual finalists Mriin, but carried their impressive AOCAF form into World Cup qualifying. Drawn into Group 18, the Dragonflies ultimately finished behind South Covello, but their 15-0-3 record was plenty to earn them a spot in the finals as one of the three top runners-up. As expected, it was the Ko-orenite defense which paved their way to success, conceding just 10 goals on the campaign. The finals draw wasn't so kind to the 40th-ranked Dragonflies, however, pitting them against giants Starblaydia and The Holy Empire along with the consistently-solid Barunians in Group F. But the Ko-orenites were up to the challenge, battling to draws against the Imperial Bunnies and Barunia before stunning Starblaydia to clinch Group F's second knockout berth. Their reward: another date with the Ponies in the second round.

The Equestrian States and Ko-oren share a long history in hoofball, dating alllllllll the way back to Market Cup V, just the second international tournament the Ponies ever participated in. At that competition, held in the long-since lost nation of Ipeland, the Ponies and Dragonflies met twice: once in the group stage ending in a decisive 5-2 Equestrian victory and then again in the Final. It was an epic match, certainly among the most famous in the Ponies' early history, ending 4-4 after 120 minutes and requiring penalty kicks to decide a winner. In the end, the Equestrian States triumphed and claimed their first ever international title, albeit one which few supporters nowadays consider all that much of an achievement given the tournament's overlap with the World Cup 58 qualifying campaign which deterred some of the better teams at the time from competing for a relatively minor prize. Still, the Market Cup trophy sits proudly to this day in the Equestrian Hoofball Hall of Fame at Royal Equestria Stadium in Canterlot, reminding fans of the national team's drive to win titles even at that early stage of their history.

Until the Ponies' and Dragonflies' meeting in the 56th AOCAF Cup, that Market Cup Final was the most recent competitive fixture between the two teams, but the historically-lighthearted Equestrian-Ko-orenite rivalry was kept alive over the years through friendly matches. The friendly nature of the Ponies-Dragonflies rivalry may now be at an end with yet another high-stakes knockout fixture set to divide the two Atlantian Oceanian nations' supporters, though it will also likely increase the profile of the rivalry tenfold among hoofball fans, who have long considered it a minor squabble compared to other more heated rivalries.

The Equestrian States will again enter the match as favorites, especially given the large gap separating the Ponies and Dragonflies in the World Cup rankings, the Equestrians currently a highly-respectable 16th with the Ko-orenites a far more modest 40th, easily the lowest rank among those remaining in contention at this World Cup. But pundits will surely point to the Dragonflies AOCAF win as proof that Ko-oren has a far better chance of winning here than uninformed neutrals would give them credit for. The Ko-orenite defensive corps are consistently among the multiverse's best and will pose a serious challenge to an Equestrian attack that has been far from impressive lately. Though the Ponies should have little trouble keeping Ko-oren from scoring, given their own world-class defense and Ko-oren's often-underwhelming offensive numbers, there's always a chance for surprises to happen in the World Cup knockouts, as Equestrian supporters can attest.

Still, the Ponies are out for revenge, which has proven to be an excellent indicator of the Equestrian States' success lately. Pearly White has had her team watching tapes of their AOCAF loss non-stop in the last few days and they'll be well-motivated and prepared to avoid making the same mistakes again that let the Ko-orenites steal the Equestrians' glory. My prediction is a 2-0 win for the Ponies, with Pristina Shine and Rosewing providing the goals while Gentle Breeze keeps the Dragonflies out of the net for all 90 minutes.

by **Banija** » Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:57 pm

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by **Nephara** » Wed Oct 10, 2018 6:45 pm

Nephara 5 - 4 Darmen
(4-2-3-1) 12 - Swoboda; 2 - Rafford, 5 - Konoval, 6 - Steelhenge, 19 - Close (3 - Lohengrin 64'); 4 - Rowland, 8 - Klein (23 - Misidjan 70'); 7 - Fanaiyan, 21 - Gosforth (c), 11 - Strongbow; 9 - Hawke (10 - Cathar 76')
Goals: Hawke 18', 47', 68', Rafford 33', Gosforth 52'

Their instructions were simple. Nothing fancy, nothing flashy, just use pace and power. Darmen would probably take most of the ball, Brandon warned, so the Nepharim were left to do what the Nepharim did best.
It was a great match for neutrals from the start, especially fans of the colour green; whether those who liked fast, assertive passing and long, accurate balls down the wing, and could follow the green and black wave surge up the pitch, or those who preferred a slow game, white and green almost caressing the ball from man to man before picking their moment to go forward. There was early reason for encouragement of both teams, in the concrete form of a goal apiece; the otherwise assured Darmen defence played themselves into trouble, Porsche scuffed a rushed clearance straight at Estrella Hawke, pressing high from the front, who controlled it well and shot it past a flat-footed Campo. It was a special goal, her 56th - putting her above Rook Cathar, third on the all-time list of Nepharim goalscorers. But just five minutes later, despite pleas from Brandon to keep calm and take nothing for granted, a slow Darmen passing move suddenly became a quick passing move, which suddenly became Stafford stabbing home unmarked from just outside the box.
This would become something of a Theme.

Leona Rafford hit back soon afterwards, as she surged forward down the right. Darmen tried to pick things up in the centre of the park, but Rowland's there first, nips the ball away from Butler, but the ball goes away from her, she's dispossessed by Goldschmidt, who runs into Klein, who seizes the ball and hammers it down the wing in a sequence of play so fast it briefly entered the present tense. Fanaiyan takes the ball, slowed it down, waited for Virgo to commit. Virgo didn't commit. Virgo stood there, waiting for something to happen, and the thing that happened was Leona Rafford sprinting inside him and Fanaiyan passing across to her. She could, probably should, have went for Hawke. Instead, she went for the top corner, and found it.
But just nine minutes later, despite Nephara having the bulk of chances - thrown away by uncharacteristically poor finishing and a couple of fearless saves from the determined Campo - they overcommitted forward, and it was in fact Rafford who found herself behind the play, O'Cuilinn surging into the space she was meant to be and then firing across Swoboda, who got out a boot but could only brush it against it.

The interval came as a relief to both sides, and probably to the fans, as well. Needed a breather from a match where neither side seemed especially inclined to defend.
Michael Brandon decided that this was more a carrot situation than a stick. Just told them to sharpen up, be that little bit more clinical... and Estrella Hawke, for one, took that to heart.
Two minutes of the second half had passed, and the game had seemed for just a moment to stop being so fucking batshit. Just a moment. And then Strongbow struck a low cross along the face of goal, Hawke swept past Abbey who tried unconvincingly to convince the referee he was pushed and hammered the ball low and hard into the net, with sufficient force that it cannoned straight back into her. Her second of the match, 57th in all, enough to draw level with Gerhard Thunder.
Which was great, right up until Felix Lucanus proved the Darmeni weren't all tiki-taka, as a sluggish response to a through-ball from Winton enabled O'Cuilinn to hit in a high cross, Steelhenge and Lucanus both went for it, but it was the towering Sterling City man who managed to win the tussle, rear back his head and ram the ball past Swoboda. Three minutes later.

Two more minutes later, however, the Cormorants were back in front, as Darmen continued to struggle with Nepharim physicality. Goldschmidt was outmuscled by Gosforth and fell to the ground, lashing out with a boot in frustration and yanking the big man to the ground. Gosforth rushed back to his feet... just to stop others getting involved, pulling back Monica Rowland as she bristled for a fight. When things had been sorted out, the ball was planted - a little too far to shoot, and Gosforth lumbered up ahead, letting Rusalka Klein take responsibility. She sized things up, waited patiently for the referee to break up the stramash in the box again, and then clipped the ball beautifully over the top of everyone.
Everyne but Konrad Gosforth, who managed to pull away from the rat race and angled a header towards goal. Campo threw himself at it as best he could, but could only push it further into his own net.
"Keep it calm," Brandon practically begged on the touchline, and it worked for all of eleven minutes. But Nephara couldn't help but try and surge forward, get that goal, put this in the bag. And that was going great for a while, peppering Campo's goal with shots - the goalkeeper was having an exceptional game despite the four concessions - until Gerrard Parks came off the bench, found some space away from Rowland and threaded a low, vicious strike through a crowd of bodies. Swoboda saw it late, got down late, and couldn't stop it squeezing under his hand, punching the ground in frustration.
On the touchline, Michael Brandon craved death.

There had been talk of a curse. Probably would be, if Nephara fumbled this match. After all, they'd been narrow favourites against Ceni, four years ago, but lost on penalties - their first ever competitive defeat on penalties! They'd been favourites against Turori two years ago, but been overrun by birds. And now this? Darmen were a steady and respectable side, but four goals past Swoboda? Past this solid defence?
Really, Brandon found it hard to be excited when Nephara netted their fifth, especially with the prospect of Darmen scoring their fifth surely loomed. When was the last time Nephara had even conceded five goals? Five years ago, as it happened, to Eura, but it felt like an age.
But this goal had been different, even if Brandon was too jaded to see it. Gosforth roved forward with the ball, eying his options, before deciding to go for it himself. He put his laces through the strike, it caromed off Abbey, and Hawke reacted quickest, swinging out her left boot as the ball came to her and dragging it past Campo.
So far, so ordinary, but it wasn't just that. Hawke almost didn't believe it when it went in, and not just because the goal kind of sucked, in all honesty, but a few cheers and chants of "59!" from the crowd made it sink in - this was a hat-trick, at the World Cup. A hat-trick that had just put her all alone, in second place on the all-time scoring list for the national team.
Just seven more to go until she overtook Amokachi. And she could make that! She was just 28, for God's sake. She could... do that...
She came off not long afterwards, and even the neutrals applauded her. She applauded back. Hawke always appreciated her fans. Cathar came on, got booked after a few minutes for scrapping with Porsche, and Swoboda salvaged his match rating with a few sharp if routine saves. Misidjan probably made the most difference, coming on for Klein and helping Rowland shut down Darmen's midfield, and if you could shut down Darmen's midfield, you pretty much shut down Darmen.
They got over the line. For themselves, for Hawke, for the exasperated Brandon, and for their country. It wasn't pretty, but they were Nepharim. It didn't have to be pretty.
It just had to be the Result.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

MEDIA STATEMENT
For Immediate Release
contact: Gerald Hansen, BCEL Asst Director of PR/Media Relations

Herzegovina City, Banjia—BCEL Beverage Company, Official Beverage Provider for World Cup 81™ in Banija and the Federation of Free Republics has been made aware of an incident that occurred in the concourse outside of the BCEL Stadium in Jinja City at the conclusion of the match between Farfadillis and Sargossa on Matchday 3.

We understand the altercation was between representatives of two of our Sponsorship partners, Cocoa-bo Eatery and Vilaye Energy Drink. The company does not condone the actions of those individuals involved, strictly from the standpoint of being a corporate citizen of the Kingdom of Banija. Our sponsorship agreement for the naming rights to the stadium gives us no authority over the operation or security control.

Furthermore, we certainly have no issue with either of our proud partners as to the merits of the products in question. We are aware that both sponsors have products that are popular with masses across the multiverse. We would happy to work in partnership with either company or both to expand their presence to our home in the Commonwealth of Baker Park.

We regret that anyone might view BCEL Beverage or any of its products in a negative light as a result of the situation, over which we had no control. We are grateful that the police and security staff were able to bring the altercation under control and that there no reported serious injuries.

We wish the best of luck to all the remaining teams participating in the tournament and we hope that all supporters will have a safe and enjoyable experience for the remainder of the tournament.

###

__________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, back in Belle Haven, things began to return to normal.

The Prime Minister sat down to write a short note to her seat mate for the World Cup opening ceremony, Kabaka Albert III's wife, the Luguba.

HRH Luguba Iriama
Royal Palce, Busukuma

Your Royal Highness,

I am honored that I was able to make your acquaintance at the match in the new Stadium of the Restoration, and shall remember your kindness and words of encouragement. Both His Majesty the Kabaka and your son the Isebantu have my utmost respect and I hope that our countries' friendship is stronger for the personal relationship I have been privileged to be a part of with your family. As a mother myself, I understand the dynamics of dealing with strong personalities within a family structure.

I hope you will accept the gift I have enclosed. It is a brooch representing the twin rows of stars on our national flag, which are a depiction of the major stars of the Andromeda constellation; there are 7 of them and each star corresponds with each of the 7 states of the Commonwealth.
They are inlaid with precious gems--diamond, ruby, emerald, amethyst, garnet, topaz and sapphire.

As an everyday item of jewelry, many women here have something similar as a pendant or necklace, or bracelet. I thought that befitting your stature, something a bit more elegant and functional was appropriate.

Once again, thank you for the hospitality I and the rest of my traveling party received while in your nation. All of my colleagues were very pleased with the trip and commented on their experiences positively.

I remain,
Yours respectfully,

Rebecca Schoenlein
Prime Minister

by **Vilita** » Thu Oct 11, 2018 7:02 am

Jungle Cats survive Clash with Corsairs to reach Quarters

The Wolf's Den, Busembe, Kitara, Banija :: With a few days to get the shock defeat to Cassadaigua out of their system, the Vilita Jungle Cats returned to Busembe where they had made their base and opened their World Cup 81 Group Stage campaign. Vilitans weren't too concerned about the defeat to the Dagans as the Jungle Cats still finished top of the group, managed to avoid playing Farfadillis in the knockout rounds and the fact that the Vilitans were able to change their roster up against Cassadaigua allowed other fringe players the chance to get a taste of World Cup experience, such as Kiiarana City teenager Vernasa Sanamun who looked shaky at times in conceding three goals between the sticks. It also afforded the usual starters like goalkeeper Mako Canopii and leading scorer in World Cup Qualifying Berali Tzufarei the chance to rest up and prepare for the important Round of 16 matches.

While many had feared an early knockout round matchup against longtime rival Farfadillis, it was instead another familiar foe who knocked the Farvish Fury off their perch and took their place as Vilita's Round of 16 opposition: Sargossa. The Corsairs hailing from the region Rushmore have a sporadic but continued history of clashing up with the Vilitan National Team in the modern era having twice been drawn in the same World Cup Qualifying group and twice in the same World Cup Finals group. This would, however, be the first ever World Cup Knockout Round match between the two sides.

The first meetings between Sargossa and Vilita came during Qualifying for World Cup 58. The Jungle Cats, who hadn't qualified for World Cup 57, were looking to climb back into the elite 32 and seemed well on their pace to do so throughout the early going including a 2-1 victory on the road in Sargossa. It all started to fall apart in the reverse fixture however when Sargossa came into Vilita and snatched the three points in a 0-1 victory. The Jungle Cats would lose again on the final matchday and finish just 3 points from the chance of a return to the World Cup, eliminated instead.

The first ever World Cup Finals meeting between the two sides came on the opening matchday of World Cup 65 in Pasarga. The two sides were drawn into Group A along with the host nation in what would amount to one of the most intense, high scoring groups in World Cup history. for the Jungle Cats contribution, the opening matchday thriller - a 5-3 victory over Sargossa, was then topped on matchday two by a face-slapping, arm-pinching 7-5 victory over the host nation. While Vilita ran a perfect 3-0-0 for one of the first times in their history in the Group Stage, they were eliminated in the Quarter Finals by eventual runner-up Polar Islandstates while Sargossa could only must a single point, from a draw against Mangolana.

Just as it had been a few cycles between meetings a few more cycles passed before Vilita and Sargossa met again, drawn again in the same qualifying group during World Cup 73's qualification round. This is perhaps the time with which the fringe-rivalry between Vilita and Sargossa had reached its peak as the 73rd World Cup had reverted to a unique format with seven teams per group and just one nation would advance automatically from Group 9 while the runner-up would have to settle for a playoff.

The Jungle Cats would win the first match between the two sides in Vilita, ironically doing so by the same 5-3 scoreline that was the result of the two sides previous meeting during the World Cup 65 Finals. When the two met for the return fixture in Sargossa however, the tension had been dialed way up as Vilita and Sargossa were lock step in a battle for the top spot in Group 9 and a place in the World Cup 73 finals. Vilita were unbeaten and Sargossa's only defeat was to Vilita. The Corsairs knew they couldn't suffer another defeat - and they wouldn't - but the Jungle Cats were able to secure a critical point while also denying their rivals two that would ultimately make all the difference. Going into the final matchday, Sargossa had a 2 point advantage over Vilita but also had their bye week meaning the Corsairs had to sit and watch as the Jungle Cats hosted Eshan. A win would put Vilita into the World Cup Finals and send Sargossa off to a two-legged playoff. Any other result, and Sargossa would punch their ticket to Apox and the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. The Jungle Cats would narrowly escape with a 1-0 win over Eshan to top Group 9 by a single point and sent Sargossa spiraling into a difficult two-legged playoff with Semarland which they would lose 7-6 on aggregate, missing the World Cup.

While it was certainly the high point of the fledgling rivalry, it was certainly a low point for Sargossa to have the World Cup taken away from them and have no opportunity to respond. The two sides would ultimately meet in the World Cup once again during World Cup 79, but one could argue that would become the low point in the long history between Vilita and Sargossa. The Jungle Cats appeared to be on the right course with a dominating 4-0 victory over Sargossa but defeats to Brenecia and Pasarga ousted Vilita as they finished in third, just above Sargossa who were only able to muster out a draw with Pasarga to take home with them as Vilita and Sargossa headed off to the golf course together.

The two nations would recover, however, as just two cups later both would rebound and advance from their Groups - the Jungle Cats winning Group D in spite of a final matchday defeat to Cassadaigua while Sargossa carrying all the momentum with them to the Round of 16 after an exciting final matchday reversal of the favored Farfadillis, knocking la roja verstinkas out of the World Cup and putting the Corsairs into the knockout round in their place.

The first ever knockout round match between Vilita and Sargossa started on a little bit of a tip toe as the two teams from different regions got re-acquainted. As minutes went on so did the physicality and by the 20th minute the games first penalty kick had been awarded when Mileke Drokasorna was beaten by a fast paced ball from Alonzo Zevallos into Miguel Marí who went down under the challenge just inside the box. Miguel Marí, who is known as an accomplished penalty taker domestically, stepped up to take the spot kick and cooly converted past Vernasa Sanamun, the shock starter for the Jungle Cats who is the only Vilitan Goalkeeper to lose a match during the World Cup Finals, in what was supposed to have been their freebie match against Cassadaigua. Regular starter Mako Canopii didn't even appear on the bench for the Jungle Cats. The Yeaddin Owls goalkeeper who injured themselves in what was reported to be a minor injury against Turori's National Cocoabo Squad now hadn't been seen with the gloves on since the opening game of the World Cup 81 finals causing concern amongst Vilitan supporters.

They had to make due with what they had, however, and the team would respond to the early let down as the experienced midfield duo of Westii Yahaya and Cavuna Aquafek wrestled control of the match back with both physical play in the center of the pitch and quality of finishing in attack giving the Jungle Cats a 2-1 lead at the half time interval.

Things appeared to be getting stretched out for the Vilita National Team as they went right back on the attack when play resumed, getting even more production from their midfield as the forwards had been effectively reduced to decoy status drawing the defenders away from the top of the box and opening space for the midfielders to slot up and use skill to beat the Corsairs' Sergio Vega. Surely head coach Rodrigo Defederico would have advised Sargossa against giving up the space but within five minutes of play resuming they had done it again and Va'a-Rio Kiwavn converted to make it 3-1 Jungle Cats. Dnimao Maturin goalkeeper Vega was irate after the third goal from range went in, the defense not appropriately closing down the shooters. The fiery response from Vega seemed to permeate through the Corsairs as they battened down the hatches and prepared to fight to the death to avoid the fate of elimination to Davy Jones' Locker.

While Vilitan netminder Sanamun may have been rattled giving up the early penalty, they hadn't much to do since then but that changed as Sargossa pressed forward and earned a slew of corner kicks as they desperately sought a way back into the match. Ultimately they would find that the way back into the match was through the substitute duo of Andrés Saavedra and Fabián Guzmán, the latter having impressed greatly as a young phenom in the SuperLiga. Saavedra would find Guzmán twice in the space of just 8 minutes to pull Sargossa level and set up a grand stand finish at the Wolf's Den.

The Vilita National Team were just preparing to use their final substitution when a moment of brilliance from former Galacticos Young Player of the Season Nii'arala Milaaso changed the match and the fate of both sides as a simple backheel through the legs of an alarmingly unaware Alex Gonzalez and a quick turn all of a sudden saw Milaaso staring at goal with only Vega between their sites and the netting. As Vega slid down, Milaaso lifted the ball up, over and then willed it towards the goal where it barely crossed the line before it was scooped out by the leg of Zevallos. As the Jungle Cats wheeled away in celebration the Corsairs protested that the ball hadn't crossed the line. The officials were having none of it with the Referee's assistant clearly indicating that the ball went over the line, putting their hands about five inches apart and making a motion to indicate just how far over the line the ball was before Zevallos managed to clear it out.

It was the match that the first ever knockout round meeting between two nations with a long history of every once in a while contesting a match deserved, a high scoring affair much like World Cup 65 and 73, a close affair, just like during World Cup 58, and ultimately won with four goals scored by the Vilita National Team, just like during World Cup 79.

:: Vilita Goalscorers ::
:: 27' Westii Yahaya
:: 35' Cavuna Aquafek
:: 49' Va'a-Rio Kiwavn
:: 80' Nii'arala Milaaso

:: Vilita Statistics ::
:: Possession: 53%
:: Shots on Target: 7
:: Corner Kicks: 10

:: Sargossa Statistics ::
:: Possession: 47%
:: Shots on Target: 7
:: Corner Kicks: 14

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. Sargossa ::
[GK] Vernasa Sanamun, [D.] Jirak Trikala, [D.] Linkat Cjinder, [D.] Mileke Drokasorna, [ML] Limu Katarakhna, [MC] Cavuna Aquafek, [MC] Polaox Torerun, [MC] Westii Yahaya, [MR] Va'a-Rio Kiwavn, [FC] Nii'arala Milaaso, [FC] Berali Tzufarei
BENCH::
[FC] Sipke Tarala, [FC] Fishtii Blikala, [M] Jurzen Devmiko, [M] Karisto Monafog, [U ] Tenziki Kulakao, [D] Arocki Tadalek, [GK] Cilamara Issah

Vilaye Energy Drink World Cup 81 Collectors Edition - Quarter Final Preview

Turori v. Ethane
Kabonero III Field, Istria, Moravica,Banija

History will be made one way or another at the Kabonero III Field in Istria when the Island Emirate of Turori square off against the Flammable Gas of Ethane in the World Cup Quarter Finals. While it is the first ever World Cup Quarter Final appearance for Ethane, Turori are working on a double-digit string of having made but not won at the World Cup Quarter Final Stage. No matter who wins this match will produce a first time World Cup Semi-Finalist. While Turori's National Citizen Squad is the favored squad based on the most recent World Rankings, the fact that they have had the chance to win a quarter final fixture on no less than ten previous occasions and never yet have succeeded, history may favor the flammable gas. Ethane were also the top performing nation in World Cup Qualifying and entered the finals with a ton of momentum. No matter how many chapters of history are written in this match, it should be a good one.

Nephara v. Vilita
Star Field, Herzegovina City, Moravica, Banija

The World Cup Quarter Final draw in Banija produced two splendid ties, the first, Turori v. Ethane, being the only match of the World Cup 81 Quarter Finals to feature two teams that had never before won a quarter final match to reach the World Cup Semi Finals. The second, Nephara v. Vilita, is the only World Cup 81 Quarter Final fixture to feature two former World Cup Champions. Having already been dubbed "The final before the final" the match at Star Field in Herzegovina City features two of the last three former World Cup Champion nations among the final eight still in contention to win World Cup 81 ensuring that at least one, but no more than two former World Cup champions would be represented amongst the final four. Both teams have already played one group stage matchup at Star Field with Nephara winning their opener against Nova Anglicana at the stadium while the Vilita Jungle Cats suffered a shock defeat to Cassadaigua on the final day of group stage competition.

Equestrian States vs. South Covello
Olden Stadium, Falkamore, Nejax, Free Republics

Out of towners visiting the Free Republics for the World Cup 81 quarter finals might think they've gotten their schedules crossed and shown up for the Cup of Confederations instead as the Republican half of the Quarter Final draw features exactly one representative from each of the four largest Regional Associations in the sporting multiverse today. The first fixture, to be contested at Olden Stadium in Falkamore, sees the Equestrian States from Atlantian Oceania bring their style of hoofball as most recently demonstrated in hosting the two most recent AOCAF tournaments, up against South Covello, the #1 Ranked nation in Esportiva heading into the most recently completed Campionato Esportiva.

Free Republics vs. Eura
AllMartDome, Reco, Jolarus, Free Republics

The second Quarter Final fixture is the one that all the locals have been waiting for for over 12 sporting cycles as the host nation, the Free Republics, representing the Independent Associations, does battle with the United Federation of Eura the last former World Cup champion in the field, highest ranked nation and the clear favorite to win the bracket and the trophy in the end. The Eurans have more Top 3 podium finishes in the World Cup Finals than any other remaining nation in World Cup 81 including two of the previous three World Cups. None of this will matter in the slightest to Soccer General Rule Theriault however, who will see Eura simply as another minor obstacle on the path to sweet vengeance as the Republican National Soccer Team looks to claim their first World Cup title on home soil after narrowly missing out during World Cup 68 and reaching the podium again during World Cup 71.

by **South Covello** » Thu Oct 11, 2018 10:02 am

Self-Proclaimed Witch Doctor Puts Curse on Banija After Goat Denied Entry

The goat protests in Banija intensified recently as self-proclaimed witch doctor and Goat Army member Suliman Sulimani attempted to purchase tickets to the Banija-Turori match at PG Arena for himself and his goat, Billy Bleatopolus. Although the ticket agent sold Sulimani a ticket, she refused to sell Billy one. Sulimani then purchased a second “human” ticket, which the vendor sold him, but warned Billy would not be allowed inside.

Nevertheless, Sulimani brought Billy up to the gate entrance and presented the two tickets. The security guard subsequently denied entry to Billy due to him being a goat, and suggested Billy should be eaten instead. This lack of recognition of goat rights enraged Sulimani, and he proceeded to place a curse on Banijan soccer that they would never win a World Cup until goats were given full rights throughout the nation, were allowed into soccer stadiums, and were no longer eaten as food. Sure enough, Banija was eliminated by Turori after a penalty shootout, so the magic appears to have worked.

After the game, a spokesman for the Goat Army said “We will continue to fight for the rights of goats to attend soccer games and not be eaten for as long as it takes. The Banijan soccer team has paid the ultimate price and seen their hopes and dreams ruined, and this will continue until full equality is granted to goats.”

In addition to the controversy at the Banija match, protests turned up to the other three matches in Banija complete with real live goats, not to mention the crows outside the palace, which had reassembled despite being told not to. President David Hale decried what he called “cruel censorship by the Banijan government” and encouraged anyone able to to travel to Banija and protest for what they believe in. Less than 24 hours after the previous protest was dispersed, 8,500 people, 3,000 goats, and assorted other animals such as ferrets and llamas assembled outside the palace and picked up where they left off, continuing to chant slogans and wave signs against goat eating. Both government officials and protest leaders warned that shutting down the protests again would just encourage more South Covellans to mobilize.

Will the Banijan government have a more harsh response to the protesters this time? Or will they just ignore them until the World Cup ends and most of them go home once the media is gone? That remains to be seen, but this is now clearly the goatiest World Cup ever.

by **Ethane** » Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:36 pm

ENTV

Explosive Sports News
Football - World Cup 81

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Ethane Makes Quarter-Finals For The First Time Ever
by Declan Fleece

The Red Kites find themselves in their first ever World Cup Quarter-Finals after comfortably beating Cassadaigua.

Ethane is in a state of excitement and shock at the moment. After breezing through qualifying, unexpectedly easily considering the lacklustre performances of the team previous to the campaign, the Red Kites were expected to struggle in the group despite being the second seed.

Yet even the groups didn't go as expected, with the Ethani players overcoming the 2 weaker teams and drawing with Farfadillis - the 2nd best team in the multiverse - to be 1 of 2 teams without a loss in the group stages and top of the group. Farfadillis didn't make it out of the group, losing to Sargossa on the final match day to go crashing out; I guess you could say our draw against them went some way to avenging last World Cup when they knocked us out in the group stage.

And then came the round of 16. The Red Kites had never been successful this far into the World Cup before, with their 1 Round of 16 appearance a 2-4 loss to Bonesea in World Cup 78. Yet the team - one of the best Ethane has presented at the tournament - managed to overcome odds against a historically successful footballing nation called Cassadaigua to win comfortably and reach their first Round of 16 in the nation's history.

The game was a little one-sided, although Cassadaigua certainly didn't just gift the victory to the Ethanians. Both teams played attractive football, with the Fillies playing a slightly more defensive style than the tactics which Comi employed, although still a positive form of football. But maybe that was their undoing. The offensive press style which The Red Kites adopted appeared to overwhelm the Dagans more balanced style, with the Ethani strikers seeing a lot more of the ball than the Cassadagans would have liked them to. But the team from Cassadaigua just couldn't get the momentum to get up the pitch as much.

Ultimately, you have to question whether the tactics of Sweeney are committed enough to a style of play, or whether she was just trying to balance and in trying to do that, didn't do anything well enough. But we all know that playing at this stage of the World Cup is extremely difficult, and all tactics can fall flat if you play against a team that can counter your side's tactics well. And this seems to have been what happened in this match.

The game was supposed to start at 7:30 pm, but a clash between a few Ethanian and Cassadagan fans in the East stand extended on to the pitch, which led to a delay of about 10 minutes to the start of the game while that was sorted out by the marshalls and police. You could tell that the players were unsettled and nervous as they came out on to the pitch, and that showed itself in the first 5 minutes of the game, with both teams sloppy and uncomfortable in possession. No player appeared comfortable on that pitch, with the play jittery and the passes weak and sloppy. For this match to be anything more than a sloppy mess of nerves, both teams would have to settle into the game and dig in.

And that's what happened. It was The Fillies that switched on first, settling into the game after about 6 minutes of sloppy play. They offered up the first real chance of the game. Brenner had the ball on the left wing with space after Montoya had lost it in an opportunistic position, leaving her plenty of room to run forward. She carried the ball about 1/3 of the way into the Ethanian half, before releasing it on to Mayer at the edge of the box. The Red Kites were already losing their shape and rushing back to defend. Mayer managed to side-step Fear, leaving her open on the edge of the box. She managed to pop a shot off, but it was straight to the centre of goal, Jeremiah Shepard easily able to catch it.

That chance really shook the Ethanian defence, with Comi looking shaken and disturbed in the team area, worrying that his team were losing shape so easily and so early. He was shouting to the team to hold it together and dig in. The Ethanians were really feeling the pressure out there, and Comi wanted to calm them down and get their heads into the game.

But The Red Kites still looked shaky, with their nerves worsened after the shot that Mayer had just a few minutes ago. Fear, in CB, looked particularly vulnerable, having to work as part of a dynamic back 3. He looked out of the game and lost against the Dagans, unable to keep up with their play. Ranucci and Mattison came to have chances - not as obvious as Mayer's but still decent shots - while the Ethani players still offered up nothing other than messy play in midfield. Comi knew at the 20-minute mark that changes had to be made to give the team a chance in this match, and he knew the weakest link was Darien Fear.

Comi didn't typically make any substitutions until the start of the second half, and it appeared that he wasn't going to be approaching this game any differently in that regard. The one thing that we love about Comi is that sometimes, he can be flexible in his tactics, and employ a different playstyle until he is confident his team can perform in the way he wanted them to. Damage limitation was the name of the game for the first half, as it appeared to be after Underwood started playing deeper - almost as a CDM heading towards CB - to provide more support for Fear, with Montoya dropping back into CM and Smith backing into the CAM position to replace Montoya, suggesting a more defensive tint to their first half. That's how they seemed to play, with an obvious lack of chances compared to how they would normally play. The team, therefore, played a more defensive formation than normal after about 20 minutes of the first half until half-time, with Comi employing a slightly unconventional 3-1-3-1-2 formation, with Underwood filling the CDM position with a more defensive tint.

And Comi's defensive plan was a stroke of genius, almost. The change in formation took the Fillies by surprise, and it took them a while to adjust to the change, playing against a team they normally knew for their offensive barrages. Fear and Underwood managed to hold down the defensive backline more effectively, with Desantis and Cook also tracking further inwards, as the Dagans did appear to be attacking more centrally to try to break through Fear, whom they had also identified as the weaker link within the team after his opening performance. Stinnet and Rengart also effectively tracked inwards to provide support to the out-of-position Montoya, who wasn't quite so effective in his defensive play. However, they managed to grab a stranglehold on the midfield, leaving little space for the Dagans to manoeuvre. They also were able to set up a few nippy attacks through Smith, although none of them were really clear chances and all came to nothing.

It became clear that the Ethanians were not used to defensive play as much as they had to employ in the first half though, with cracks appearing at the back towards the 40th minute. They had been holding on well, but The Fillies had about 62% of the possession and just kept working at that backline, slowly breaking it down. The final few minutes of the first half were tense, with a feeling that there was a goal nearing looming. The Dagans were all over the Ethanian defence, with most of the team holding a line together just outside the box. You could hear Comi from the sideline shouting for the team to press harder and get the ball away, but they just couldn't seem to string a set of passes together effectively.

A chance did come in the 43rd minute for The Red Kites, however. Martin held the ball just outside the box and tried a through-ball into space in the box for a running Mayer. Underwood intercepted well and passed forward to Rengart who had space to move along the right wing. In an unusual attacking manoeuvre for The Red Kites in the first half, and sniffing a potential goal, the whole team bar Desantis and Fear poured forward on the counter. With the Dagans out of shape, Rengart was able to find Rodriguez to the right of the box in plenty of space. A cross came in for Montoya, which he got his head to, but it went straight to Speller's hands. She kicked it long, straight to Pierce just inside the opposition half. With over half the Ethani players on the wrong side of the ball and scrambling to get back, Pierce was able to pick out Caitlyn Mayer in space near the Ethanian box. Fear came to attempt to intercept, but judged wrong and aimlessly watched the ball bounce past him and to Mayer's feet. She got the ball into a comfortable position in the box, side-stepping Desantis who recklessly came flying in, and managed to pop a shot off. It was palmed away by Shepard but fell back to Mayer's feet. Just before Mayer could send another shot off past Shepard, Fear came sliding in and knocked the ball off course for a corner.

A whistle blew. Shouting and screaming from the fans. The clock ticked to 45 minutes. The referee came running over. Yellow card. Penalty. From the replays, it was clear to see. Fear slid in a little late and didn't catch the ball. Mayer had sent a shot off-target, but Fear had come in and taken her out just after she sent the ball flying. It was a clear penalty, and Fear was fairly lucky not to have seen red. You could see Comi exhale when the yellow was flashed, showing the feeling isn't just limited to me but was a commonly held position.

Ranucci would have taken the penalty but Mayer was insistent that she took it, being the one to get the goal after the foul. Which is fair, to be honest. Silence fell over the stadium as Mayer took her place, ready to take the penalty. She waited a moment, staring down Shepard, before rushing forward, connecting her foot with the ball. It was heading left, but Shepard got there first. He was unable to catch it, only palming it away in front of him. The defence came rushing in but it was Mayer - again - who got to it first and sent it straight into the centre of the goal, past a helpless Shepard.

It was a goal. Cassadaigua had the lead going into halftime.

Whatever Comi did say in that changing room must have been incredible and impressive though. Because the team came back on to the pitch different. They had more energy, they were less sloppy and less nervy and had a resoluteness and determinism to their game. While before half-time they appeared nervous and sub-par, after half-time they appeared furious and ruthless, ready to pounce on any weakness in their opposition, and that they did.

Admittedly, Kyle Cooper coming on for Darien Fear may have helped as it gave Comi the confidence to shift the team back to their aggressive pressing formation which was so loved and cherished by the manager. But somehow that sparked life back into the team which seemed to be lacking in the first half.

The Red Kites were first out of the gates. The Dagans were sleeping at the start of the half, leaving space for The Red Kites to move the ball easily into their half. Underwood pinged a beautiful cross ball to Montoya, who had drifted to the right slightly. He held the ball before sending it past Martinez to Rengart who made an effective run past her. He dragged the ball across to the edge of the box, before crossing it low to Smith in the centre of the box. Smith took it on the volley and direct on target, only just saved by the diving Speller. This was better from Ethane; they had a renewed energy and willingness in the team, stoked by the manager's team talk at half-time. Rengart took the corner and sent it short to Underwood, who sent it central. Smith was there again and connected his head with the ball, sending it just over the bar. This was promising.

The Dagans needed to change something up. Sweeney knew that this was dangerous; that when Ethane is in their groove, the chances of victory diminish significantly. But it was how to tackle it. Her team held the lead, so she went with the one thing she knew she could do. She ordered a change in formation, taking off Ranucci and replacing her with Shanley in defence. It appeared she was going to get Cassadaigua to park-the-bus and attempt to hold on to the slim lead they held.

Just moments after the defensive shift in tactics, Ethane scored. Stinnet had won the ball back in midfield from Mayer, who seemed to be running aimlessly with little support from the rest of her team. She ran into space on the left side of the box, side-stepped Martinez, and sent a beautiful cross over the reaching hands of Speller and straight to Rodriguez who had found his way into space in what was a crowded box. He kept it low and sent it home. The Red Kites had levelled in the 54th minute and had a renewed sense of confidence, which this was just going to boost. Party time.

The Dagans tried to regroup but struggled against the relentless attacks of the Ethanians. A few times they managed to get a chance, but they all fell flat, with Mayer really struggling up front without much support from a team fighting to hold on to even a small chance. The Fillies didn't really offer much.

On the other hand, The Red Kites had chance after chance but just couldn't quite get the shot on target. Smith, Burgess, Rodriguez, Montoya, Rengart, Underwood, and Stinnet all had decent chances within a 12 minute period, but they just couldn't quite hit it right, either sending the ball straight into the keeper's hands or off-target completely. To win this game, their ruthlessness needed to translate into ruthlessness in shooting.

Comi made his second change in the 73rd minute, alongside a second change from The Fillies. Comi took off Burgess, who had been having the least impact on the game out of the 3 strikers, and replaced him with Lukas Cole, hoping to inject a fresh lot of energy and a player with new eyes on to the pitch to break the deadlock. Stephanie Sweeney was trying to do the same thing as well and get a player who could direct some counters from the Dagans. Emma McKee came on to replace Rachel Brenner with the obvious instructions to support the isolated Mayer on the counter.

It worked for the Dagans immediately. Cook lost the ball in midfield, gifting McKee the ball with only Desantis and Cooper between her and Shepard in goal. A beautiful through ball between Desantis and Cooper gave Mayer a prime opportunity to hit the target, but she sent it wide, adding to her tally of shots she should have scored but sent off target against Ethane. Bark, but no bite.

The Red Kites responded instantly. Shepard sent the ball straight up to Montoya, who controlled it well and took it past 2 Dagan midfielders. From there, he sent a beautiful chip ball over the Cassadagan defence and straight to the feet of the fresh Cole, who took it in his running stride and hit it with his second touch into the top-left corner, sending The Red Kites 2-1 up in the 81st minute.

That warranted yet another change in tactics from Speller, who used her third and final substitute to bring on Monroe as a striker, replacing Blake in defence. The Fillies were going all-out to try to find that elusive second goal to take the match to extra time.

The change was effective. Straight after the goal, The Fillies were dominating the game, walking all-over The Red Kites who were feeling the pressure, their backs right up against their own goal. For about 6 minutes, Monroe looked like scoring the goal they so desperately needed. It almost came in the 1st of 3 minutes of added time. Mayer had been passed the ball by McKee. She handled it well and sent it to the feet of Monroe, who shot it off straight away. It seemed to be going high but dipped at the last moment and appeared like it was going to sneak just under the crossbar. However, Shepard just got to it with the tip of his fingers, sending it over for a corner. Cassadaigua were desperate and needed a goal, so up came Speller for the corner.

92nd minute. One minute of the game to go. McKee took the corner. She sent it straight to the middle of the box. Mayer got her head to it. It was on target, but Shepard managed to just about get to it, palming it away to the left. Cooper reached it first and cleared it out down the pitch. Underwood ran on to it and controlled it well. He had plenty of space and only 1 player in between him and the goal - Curran. Montoya was running to her left and Rodriguez to her right, but still onside. Underwood sent it forward to Rodriguez, but with too much power that he couldn't get to it. Curran was tracking back so couldn't reach it either, so it made it through to Montoya. Curran came towards him, knowing she was the last line. The Dagans were pouring back, but weren't close enough. Montoya passed it round Curran and ran on to the ball again at the edge of the box, before sending it well and truly into the back of the net, sealing the win for The Red Kites. Comfortable? No. Deserved? Probably.

PLAYER RATINGS

GK: Jeremiah Shepard - 8
Made a number of very good saves in the first half, including saving the initial shot of the penalty. Positioning could have been better at points, but delivered when needed.

LB: Theresa Desantis - 7
Had her moments of brilliance, especially in the first half, preventing a few chances on goal. Failed to impose herself and drifted in and out of the game at points though.

CB: Darien Fear (CB) - 4
Weakest link in the team. Didn't really perform well in the first half, appearing nervy and out of it. Manager had to change tactics for the first half as he was exposed. Made the reckless penalty that gave the Fillies their goal, and probably should have been sent off for it.

RB: Joshua Cook - 6
Crucial in defence for the team, although made a couple of mistakes. Also supported some of the attacks. Appeared to be lacking in energy towards the end of the game, but didn't give up.

LM: Alexis Stinnet - 5
He had a quiet game. He made an appearance at points, but didn't get into the right position or make the right runs. She did win the ball back and assist Rodriguez's goal though.

CM: Leyton Underwood - 8
Imposed himself in midfield, and created a number of really good chances. Adapted well to his defensive role for the first half as well.

RM: Xavier Rengart - 7
Made a number of important runs, and was an important creative influence on team, providing inspiration. Is an ageing player though and his pace has diminished a lot.

CAM: Josh Montoya - 9
Made a mistake in the first half and struggled in less offensive role, although still managed to create attacks despite lack of possession for his team. Came alive in the second half, driving the Ethanian attack from the centre. He assisted in the goal which gave Ethane the 2-1 lead, and scored the goal which sealed the victory. Deserved man of the match.

LF: Scott Burgess - 6
Substituted off in the second half. Had a quiet game, with very few chances.

CF: Declan Smith - 7
Better than Burgess, with a few shots on target. But didn't impose self, and couldn't find the net. Always looking for that goal though.

RF: James Rodriguez - 8
Scored the levelling goal. Also had a number of good chances, but he did mess an obvious chance up.

Substitutes

CB: Kyle Cooper - 7
Played the second half. Provided extra stability to the defence and performed much better than Fear. Allowed manager to move back to typical formation.

ST: Lukas Cole - 7
Scored almost as soon as he came on. Didn't really get any other opportunities.

GK: Kristen Speller - 7
Made a number of impressive saves in the first half; Cassadaigua could have lost a lot more without her. Coming up for the final corner wasn't wise and sealed the victory for Ethane.

DEF: Jessica Curran - 7
Defensively pretty good in the second half, didn't need to do much in the first half. Unsure of what to do in the build up to the final goal though and didn't commit quick enough to a decision, allowing Montoya to get a shot off.

DEF: Chelsea Blake - 6
Performed well at points, but didn't get to top of game. Made a few mistakes which The Red Kites just didn't take. Subbed off.

DEF: Lupe Enriquez - 7
Was either absent or in the centre of the action. Good moments and bad moments. Made a crucial tackle, but also a damning mistake.

DEF: Carlos Martinez - 7
Performed admirably in the second half, committing herself in every way. Seemed tired towards the end and should have probably been subbed off instead of Blake.

MID: Rachel Brenner - 5
Important in the first chance of the game, but absent otherwise. Subbed off when trying to find the equalizing goal.

MID: Sierra Mattison - 6
Had a few chances, and controlled the midfield in the first half. Drifted away in the second half and struggled against renewed Red Kites.

MID: Shelby Martin - 7
Creative player who set up a few chances for Cassadaigua. Important especially in the second half.

MID: Zack Pierce - 8
Great pass in the build-up to the penalty. Best of the Cassadagan players. Important linking player in the first half, and fought against the current in the second half but the rest of the team weren't with him.

ST: Hannah Ranucci - 5
Had a lack of chances, even when Cassadaigua dominated possession. Didn't get into the right places. Subbed off for second half in defensive move.

ST: Caitlyn Mayer - 8
Had a number of chances, and could have probably scored on multiple occasions. Scored Cassadaigua's goal and forced a number of good saves from Shepard. Isolated in the second half but still tried to create chances.

Substitutes:

DEF: Hannah Shanley - 6
Subbed on for the second half in the defensive move. Didn't have much of an impact and seemed overwhelmed.

MID: Emma McKee - 7
Brought energy to the pitch, and set up a number of good chances. Couldn't turn the tide.

ST: Chelsea Monroe - 7
Bringing Monroe on changed the dynamic of the game back in Cassadaigua's favour. Had a few good chances on goal and gave the team hope, but couldn't find the elusive second goal. Didn't have enough time to make a massive impact.

The Red Kites now find themselves up against Turori. Turori have never made it past the quarter-finals of the World Cup before, while this is only Ethane's first time in the quarter-finals. This should be an exciting match for both teams, although Turori are the favourites to progress to the semi-finals in this match.

Lineup vs Turori

GK: Jeremiah Shepard
LB: Theresa Desantis
CB: Kyle Cooper
RB: Joshua Cook
LM: Christian Ali
CM: Leyton Underwood
RM: Rigby Headley (RW)
CAM: Josh Montoya
LF: Lukas Cole
CF: Declan Smith
RF: Dexter Vorbeck

SUBS: Nicholas Reed (GK); Rashad Bowens (RB); Eric Morris (LB); Darien Fear (CB); Seth Vaughan (CAM); Mohammed Hope (ST); James Rodriguez (CF)

by **Turori** » Thu Oct 11, 2018 6:45 pm

Turori Set for another Historic World Cup Quarter Final

Hangaza Unified Stadium, Aissa, Hangaza, Banija It was the final matchday of the World Cup 81 Group Stage. The Turori National Team entered the day three full points clear of the nearest competitor, Nova Anglicana. The very same Nova Anglicana that had just held the Eels to a 1-1 draw on Matchday 2. The very same Nova Anglicana that was the lowest ranked team amongst the 32 competing in the World Cup was the only team that stood in the way of the Turori National Team and a trip to the knockout rounds.

But the situation was more perilous than it may have seemed to the untrained observer. While Turori were three points, four goals differential and three goals clear of Nova Anglicana - everything else was stacking against the Eels. The Citizen squad still had to play the groups top side, Nephara, while Nova Anglicana would get to play Mercedini, the defending Cup of Harmony Champions who had already been mathematically eliminated and had little left to play for. All of a sudden a three point swing and even four goals differential seemed like a much smaller mountain to climb for the Anglicans.

Both matchdays kicked off at the same time on Matchday 3 so neither team would have the luxury or the pressure of knowing exactly what happened in the other match, though reports were sure to cross over between the Hangaza Unified Stadium where the Citizen Squad were taking on Nephara and The Wolf's Den in Busembe where Nova Anglicana looked to pull out the miracle against Mercedini.

While both matches started predictably slow, there was a lot of chittering that started to mull through the crowd at the Hangaza Unified Stadium midway through the first half right around the team that Nova Anglicana opened the scoring against Mercedini. Just like that the Anglicans had closed the 3 point deficit they had to Turori, though, with the Nephara-Turori match still goalless, if that result would hold then there would be nothing Nova Anglicana could do to challenge the Citizens.

The goalless match in Aissa progressed through to the halftime interval and the fans had already left their seats to get their Pie's, Cocoa-bo's and Vilayes when Nova Anglicana added a second goal deep into first half stoppage time at The Wolf's Den to clear their negative goal differential and take a 2-0 lead into half time.

Many Turorian fans were busy queued up for the vendors or the water closets and were unaware that the situation behind them had changed as now Nova Anglicana sat just one point and two goals differential behind the Eels.

Despite the turn of events, many Turorian fans still didn't understand the gravity of the situation that faced their team. Not even the shot from Rusalka Klein just before half time that had G.Q. Disterfred II beat only to clank off the post and away to safety could get some Turorian fans to understand just how close their team were to getting upended by the unthinkable scenario. Some fans didn't realize how perilous the situation really was until the 52nd minute when the Cormorants played an excellent spell of play starting from a throw in and leading through a serious a direct connected passes, a late ball across the area from Servet Misidjan to the in-rushing Monako Saroszi who then skipped past Tarek Edgeli and fired the ball past a flailing G.Q. Disterfred who look behind in dismay as the ball hit the back of the net.

MD3 - 55'            Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Nephara                3   3  0  0    6   2  +4    9
2 Turori                 3   1  1  1    7   6  +1    4
3 Nova Anglicana         3   1  1  1    6   6   0    4
4 Mercedini              3   0  0  3    3   8  −5    0

That was the moment, when Nephara took the 1-0 lead with just over half an hour to play, when the rest of the Turorian fans in attendance realized just how dire their situation was.

If it were Full Time instead of the 55th minute of the Matchday 3 fixtures in Group B, Turori would be 0 points, +1 Goal Differential with +1 Goal Scored to the good in the battle for second place and a place in the World Cup 81 Knockout Rounds. If Turori, who now trailed the multiverse's 6th ranked team the former World Cup Champions Nephara by a goal to nil, couldn't get on the scoreboard and tie up their match, then it would take just a single goal from a Nova Anglicana side that had popped two goals past Mercedini in the first half to force the two sides into a dead heat with all tiebreaking factors... tied. Two goals from Nephara would put the Eels out altogether.

Try as they might, Turori just couldn't break through the Nepharim who had dialed back the pressure after their goal, content to sit back and defend - something they seemed quite good at, protecting their 1-0 lead and securing a perfect record in the World Cup 81 Group Stage and improving their record to 20-0-1 over 21 matches played as part of their World Cup 81 cycle from Qualifying through the finals.

While it largely a was a lacklustre affair all around at the Hangaza Unified Stadium, things weren't done yet over at The Wolf's Den and nervous Turorian fans knew that another goal from Nova Anglicana could snatch the World Cup away from them.

Fans were listening in, over other supporters shoulders or waiting for an announcement at the stadium. 3 minutes, 4 minutes later, surely the match would be over but there was no celebrations to be had. The nerves were palpable. Then a commotion. There had been a goal at The Wolf's Den. For a moment, Turorian hearts sank deep.

It was Mercedini. The Golden Eagles had pulled one back as they fought to salvage something from a bitterly disappointing campaign that saw them drawn into a difficult qualifying group, qualify as one of the best second place teams then earn exactly zero points in the World Cup Finals. It was a fitting end to the campaign for the Golden Eagles but more importantly, Turorian fans could finally relax as with Mercedini's stoppage time consolation goal, the Turori National Team was headed back to the Round of 16.

Group B              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Nephara                3   3  0  0    6   2  +4    9
2 Turori                 3   1  1  1    7   6  +1    4
3 Nova Anglicana         3   1  1  1    6   7  -1    4
4 Mercedini              3   0  0  3    4   8  −5    0

PG Arena, Homa, Ankole, Banija :: For their Round of 16 match the Turori National Team packed their things and headed off to Hoima, home of Banija Air. The conditions couldn't have been much better, temperate with low humidity though there was some concern amongst Turori's National Citizen Squad about the altitude. The Turorian training facility in Eelandii, Turori is... not that far above sea level. As one of the smaller stadiums to be hosting a World Cup match in Banija, the PG Arena was one of the last ones chosen as a match venue but would quickly become the center of focus in the nation after being selected as the venue for the host nations big Matchday 3 fixture against Pasarga. Then, with Banija's advancement as winners of Group A, they were drawn to play once again in Ankole against Turori in the Round of 16.

While it was a luxury for the local fans to get not one but two of their home sides matches at the arena, it also made Hoima an obvious target for protests with only Busukuma, the national capitol, seeing more. One of the biggest outcry's leading up to the Banija-Turori clash in the Round of 16 was from the Goats Rights Movement as protesters surrounded the stadium and there were even believed to be cases of fans attempting to bring goats with them into the match. No Goats were seen inside the match but that's no guarantee that none got through somewhere amongst the crowd.

For those fans who did make it inside the stadium, however, it would be a matchup both extremely familiar and completely new all at once. The host nation Banija and the Island Emirate of Turori have been paired up quite often in recent sporting history with the two nations having been drawn together during World Cup 80 qualifying, directly competing for a place in the finals.

With both of those matches having been contested by Turori's National Cocoabo squad, however, with the Cocoabo winning the first and Banija claiming the second, the relevance to Turori's National Cocoabo squad's Round of 16 clash with Banija was minimal. In fact, the more relevant fixture may have come in the more recently contested 56th AOCAF competition in the Equestrian States. Vilita & Turori, backstopped by Turori Citizen Squad and Cedniavella netminder Wiyauw An'maude defeated Banija in the Quarter Finals en route to a regional championship with a squad that featured a majority of the regularly starters from Turori's National Citizen Squad.

As the kickoff neared, there were huge queues outside two specific vendors inside the stadium - Cocoa-bo and Goat Meat on a Stick. The Delicious Turorian Delectable was obviously a favorite of the traveling support but also following the Turori National Team around in Banija were Cocoabo #98 and Cocoabo #56 from Turori's National Cocoabo squad and anyone who spent the equivalent of 35T at the Cocoa-bo pop up eatery was able to pose for a picture with one of Turori's Cocoa-bo. Of course, Goat Meat on a Stick was always a popular choice in Banija but orders were actually on the rise since the prominence of the Goats Rights movement as many goat meat lovers began to live in silent fear that the Goats Rights movement might eventually start to have an influence and goat meat and other goat products would get banned. Some fans worried that each day could be the last day they could buy goat meat wouldn't let the opportunity pass. For neutral fans attending the match, Cocoa-bo and Goat Meat on a Stick were must-have selfie opportunities to remember the special occasion by with the two tasty products epitomizing the two teams battling out on the pitch in the form of consumables.

As for the match itself, after an opening matchday victory the Turori Eels had struggled to find their form so made notable changes to their roster for the Round of 16 matchup including a first start for midfielder Kentu Umak'a who had established themselves as something of a super sub in the opening two matches.

The match at the PG Arena was the only Round of 16 matchup being played in Banija that did not feature a former World Cup champion and as such, got off to a much more reserved start then did each of the other matches which would all ultimately end as high scoring affairs. In Hoima, however, two teams battled in unfamiliar territory. First they had to figure out where they were, then they had to figure out who they were playing against and only then could they start actually playing their own game. For Banija, it was uncharted territory as their first ever World Cup Round of 16 Matchup. For Turori's National Citizen Squad, they had been shut out of World Cup Qualification for the past two cycles after being bested by the Cocoabo Squad during World Cup Qualification both times.

As a result there wasn't much action in the first half as it had took the two sides nearly the entirety of the first half of play to answer those critical questions. Play did finally start to open up more once the second half resumed, however, with the players having grown more comfortable with the situation that they had been put into and having begun to realize that the experience would soon be over if they didn't do what they had come here to do and start scoring goals.

While both sides began putting pressure on their opposite numbers, it wasn't until the 77th minute that the gooseggs finally cracked when the Turori National Team took the lead through Timi'sala Koarena. The Eels then seemed to be cruising through to the next round until, with stoppage time looming, Farfadillis based striker Toyuwa Okafor gave the home fans the goal they had been waiting 88 minutes as the lions roar could be heard all across the Azeruan continent. The exhausted Banijan's had fought hard for their goal while Turori's National Citizen Squad were exasperated having come so close to securing their place in the Quarter Final.

With the match now headed to extra time, all the players were tired but the Eels had one more change they could make, sending in Jungle Strike FC attacker Meldi'ita Mungwaii who was one of the regular players surprisingly omitted from the starting lineup after Turori's poor showing in their last two Group Stage matches. Mungwaii's place in the lineup had been taken by FC Almintora youngster Nua'oma Aikiki who became one of the youngest Turorian Citizens to ever start a World Cup Finals Knockout Round match for the Island Emirate of Turori.

While Mungwaii provided the fresh legs and perhaps a little bit of the spark, they may have had a little too much energy as the Lonngeylin-based striker blasted over the net twice within four minutes of entering the pitch much to the dismay of the pockets of Turorian supporters in the arena.

The coaching staff on both sides had to be thinking penalties once the extra session reached its half-way interval and neither side looked as if they had much left in the tank to challenge the other. The match resumed and the staff were huddled looking over little cards, presumably figuring out a proper lineup for penalties. Then with less than 7 minutes to go until penalty kicks, everything change when the ageless wonder Inamara Altariiz, looking to go out at the top of the game, smashed home photo worth volley from just inside the box and beyond the reach of Assefa Berhane.

Just two cycles ago, the 38 year old Lonngeylin Coast striker must have wondered if dedicating their life to Footsport had been worth it, with little more to show for their career accomplishments then a Cup of Harmony title. But now, the space of just a few cycles, Altariiz had led Lonngeylin Coast to back to back Vilitan Stellar Division Titles, led Turori's National Citizen Squad back to the World Cup and now had scored the goal to bring them back to the Quarter Finals where they would have a chance to do what no Turori National Team of any kind had ever done before. Go into the World Cup Quarter Finals favored to win the match, and actually win.

Turori [2] - [1] Banija

:: Turori Goalscorers ::
:: 76' Timi'sala Koarena
:: 113' Inamari Altariiz

:: Turori Statistics ::
:: Possession: 57%
:: Shots on Target: 7
:: Corner Kicks: 13

:: Banija Statistics ::
:: Possession: 43%
:: Shots on Target: 4
:: Corner Kicks: 5

::Banija Goalscorers ::
:: 88' Toyuwa Okafor
::

Turori Eels Lineup v. Banija ::
[GK] Wiyauw An'maude, [D.] Geafi Laina-Sola, [D.] Tarek Edgeli, [D.] Yitizo Mpala'a, [D.] Mikki Mayelli, [ML] Aiden Varess, [MC] Kentu Umaka'a, [MC] Indelli Nura'amura, [MR] Daliora Toru'u, [FC] Inamari Altariiz, [FC] Nua'oma Aikiki
BENCH::
[FC] Mirana Gotuai, [FC] Meldi'ita Mungwaii, [M] Timi'sala Koarena, [M] Nubara Moafalia, [U ] Turakia Diijelhma, [D] Inaosnaa Klanoa, [GK] G.Q Disterfred II

Just as the All-Banija Sports Magazine had predicted, the hosts were ousted by the Eels in extra time by a 2-1 scoreline. It was, in fact, the only match of the eight Round of 16 fixtures that required extra time to be decided. As Turori's National Citizen Squad celebrated the fact that they had at least equaled the performance of their National Team rival Cocoabo Squad just by advancing to the Quarter Final round, the players from the host nation took a lap around the pitch and received a standing ovation from the home crowd in recognition of their best ever World Cup showing.

With Turori having ousted the hosts Banija in their first ever World Cup Round of 16 match, they would now move on to face Ethane who will be contesting the first ever World Cup Quarter Final. Perhaps it is the destiny of this chain of the World Cup Finals to offer teams a chance to advance to a round they've never competed before. If the Turori National Team defeat first-time Quarter Finalists Ethane then for the first time in 66 editions of the World Cup, the Turori Eels would be Semi-Finalists, extending the chain one further rung.

Or perhaps it simply points back to World Cup 80 where Turori and Banija fought head to head for a playoff spot and a chance to make the World Cup Finals, but did it all behind Ethane who won the group and advanced directly to the World Cup Finals... where they would be drawn against Turori. Represented by the National Cocoabo Squad, Turori would defeat Ethane 3-0 in the World Cup 80 Group Stage. To fail one cup later against the same Ethane side would mean that the longest consecutive streak of defeats when reaching the World Cup's Quarter Final stage would be extended once more.Now, however, it was the Citizen Squad who would have to match the success of their Cocoabo colleagues if they are to ascend to the ranks of the greatest accomplishments in the history of Turorian Sport by securing the nations first ever World Cup Quarter Final victory.

by **Free Republics** » Thu Oct 11, 2018 7:55 pm

Toakameau, Falatulu was probably the last place Soccer General Rule Theriault wanted to visit for a critical World Cup match. Life in Falatulu was famous around the multiverse as a never-ending party. The tropical islands of Falatulu were located roughly 500 miles to the south of Petrograd and residents of the islands were used to sunny weather almost every day of the year. While the island had all of the infrastructure you would expect from civilization, Falatuluans preferred to live in the moment and enjoy life. That meant a very loose culture where people regularly had sex on the streets and seemingly half the island was high on marijuana at any given time. The government of Falatulu had long been run by the Radicals, who ensured that the island had as few laws as possible, other than a few labor laws that were designed to protect work-life balance so that people would have enough time to enjoy life.

It was an extremely difficult environment to prepare for a soccer match in, which had been the downfall of Republican National Soccer Team, LLC during the years when they relocated to Falatulu. The move had been necessary at the time as Caleb O'Reilly's government was not going to permit them to continue competing in the World Cup but it had also been a disaster. Theriault remembered the team's wild parties and lack of interest in playing soccer. He remembered practices where only Sir Kobe Theodore, who had learned his lesson about partying after having to deal with a rape allegation relating to a girl from arch-rival Felix, actually bothered to show up. Before travelling to Falatulu, Theriault had warned his team that all of them would be replaced if they chose partying over soccer.

When the Republicans took the pitch for their Round of 16 match against Barunia, they were coming off of a week of practice that had been even more intense than usual. Most of the team had wanted to prove Theriault wrong and had taken that mindset into their preparation. Yet, a few minutes into the match, they were already a goal behind. The usually somewhat defensive-minded Barunia Suns went on the attack to start the match. Sam Miller found Billy Kovac uncovered but inexplicably onside because Vaclav Urbanek was way out of position and Kovac took the opportunity to test the Republican keeper. Miraculously, Taras Sergeyev got a hand on it but he deflected it right to the foot of Andre Azarola and Azarola was simply not going to be missing an empty net.

Through it all, the Republicans kept their composure and their confidence was unshaken. They quickly set the pace for this match, imposing their faster style of play on the more methodical Suns. In the process, they put Sun keeper Ryan Jones under relentless pressure. When it was all said and done in this match, each team would have 9 shots on goal. The Republican equalizer would finally come in the 21st minute on a Johnny Smith free kick.

After this goal, the floodgates would open for the Republicans. Lecha Arsanukayev would score the second goal off of a corner a few minutes later and shortly before the half Kalervo Peltola would put the Republicans up 3 to 1 with a long rocket that overpowered Jones.

An overconfident Free Republics team stepped onto the pitch to start the second half. For a time, it looked like they were right to think that they already had the match won but a reckless pass by Johnny Smith aimed at Love Holm was intercepted by Sun captain Liesel McClelland. With most of the Republicans on the attack, she booted a rocket straight at Neil Coddington. Coddington managed to outrun Zak Josef and place the ball in the back of the net. Then, disaster struck in the 69th minute. Maxim Izmailov got beat by Andy Morgan, who had just come on as a substitute for the Suns, and decided to intentionally trip the Barunia midfielder. The ref saw it and awarded him a red card. As it was in the penalty area, Barunia was awarded a penalty. Andre Azarola would easily handle the penalty and the Suns had tied the match at 3. Even worse for the Free Republics, Barunia now had a 1 man advantage.

For the next 25 minutes, the Republican defense came under relentless pressure from Barunia. Sergeyev denied 4 Barunia shots and the defenders, including substitute Jake Reed who replaced Johnny Smith as the Republicans moved to a defensive-minded formation, shot down 3 additional attacking opportunities. It seemed like this match was going to extra time but then Usman Eldarkhanov got ahold of the ball and took off down the sideline. The oldest player in the Republican lineup, Eldarkhanov had barely managed to hold onto his starting job this year. At this critical moment, though, he was the surprising hero for the Republicans. After running nearly the length of the pitch at full speed, he placed a perfect cross to Love Holm. Holm took one last desperation shot at the goal from long range and... Jones got a hand on it. Right as the referee reached for his whistle to send the match to extra time, Porbergur Lydsson, who had come on as a substitute for Draguntin Perkovic prior to the red card, put his head on the rebound and it ended up in the back of the net! The Free Republics had stolen a winning goal despite being a man down!

Rule Theriault Speech after 4-3 Victory over Barunia

What a dramatic way to win today's match! While I imagine this match was one of the most entertaining in the history of the World Cup for neutrals, I think I speak for every Republican when I say that this was the most exhausting match, mentally and physically, that I've ever seen in my life. Barunia fought and fought and fought. They refused to quit but we weren't about to quit either and, in the end only one team could move on. I can see why they were able to beat The Holy Empire and Starblaydia. What a team they've got but we're going to Jolarus! We're going to the AllMartDome!

At this time, I have no idea who we will be playing. Eura and Brenecia are probably just starting their match right now. Its hard to imagine a more difficult opponent than either of them. That's a match that could very well have been the Final. We're going to be in for another fight next time out and its probably going to be even harder than it was today. I'm not going to announce our starting defensive midfielder until the last minute because I don't want our opponent to know who to prepare for.

I also want to congratulate Scarlett Nicholls and Sebastian Trudeau for reaching the final round of our elections. I know most of you are Nicholls supporters but I ask you to consider voting for Trudeau as I feel he's more prepared to lead. More importantly, I want each and every one of you to vote in the election whether you're for Nicholls or Trudeau. When you vote, democracy wins and our nation reflects the will of the people.

Its hard to believe that we're one victory away from a return to the semi-finals for the third time but it is much too soon to be thinking about that. We have to beat our next opponent first and that simply isn't going to be an easy task.

Finally, I want to thank everybody for coming out to see us play today and I hope you feel like you got your money's worth! Now, it'd be great if we could stay here but we have a Quarterfinal match coming up that we have to win so this is goodbye for now...

NOTE: Donka Solyom will start for Maxim Izmailov in the Quarterfinals. Izmailov was red carded in the Round of 16 and will not play against Eura due to a 1 match suspension.

by **Turori** » Thu Oct 11, 2018 8:13 pm

Cocoa-bo take "Better With" Campaign to Free Republics

Republica, Free Republics :: While many citizens and visitors to the Free Republics have been asking themselves who their next Consul should be: Sebastian Trudeau or Scarlett Nicholls, the Cocoa-bo company is hoping to pose a different question to the locals and to all those attending World Cup 81, Isn't everything Better with Cocoa-bo?

The unforgettable marketing campaign begun by what was then just a small independant eatery in Mliona, Turori has grown Cocoa-bo into a Regional brand across Atlantian Oceania and, through the help of the CoCoCo company, Cocoa-bo has even begun to grow outside of Atlantian Oceania and into select pockets of the rest of the multiverse. After CoCoCo set up shop on a little Island off the coast of South Covello, dominating an economically starved market and taken huge portions of market share to build capital and prepare for new growth, Cocoa-bo is looking towards their next steps beyond just pop up shops in places like Cosumar and the Equestrian States but as a permanent fixture not just as Turori's famous delectables, but as the Multiverse's favorite delectable and sociable eatery.

In order to position themselves better for growth Cocoa-bo has looked to gain that next level of internationstatal exposure by becoming the Official Global Delectable Partner for World Cup 81. In addition to using the World Cup 81 logo and other related material in its marketing, Cocoa-bo will have a presence at all major World Cup 81 venues including pop-up shops in World Cup host cities and stands selling Cocoa-bo's hottest items inside select arenas in both Banija and the Free Republics. There will be an especially large section at the newly improved CoCoCo Stadium in Republic host of the World Cup Final.

While Cocoa-bo's presence at the World Cup got off to a somewhat unfortunate start when an employee at one of Cocoa-bo's pop up locations outside of the BCEL Stadium in Banija got into a heated argument with a vendor at a nearby Vilaye Energy Drink stand, eventually striking an innocent passerby with a can of Vilaye, the keen outreach and opportunity development team at Cocoa-bo actually ended up putting together a business deal in the wake of the incident with of all companies, BCEL, the Baker Park based beverage company that was also the naming rights sponsor of the stadium in Banija where the incident had occurred. With protests seeming to be rising by the day in Banija, Cocoa-bo decided to focus more of their marketing efforts over in the Free Republics. Originally overshadowed by the ongoing elections in the Free Republics, with the end of the election process on the Horizon and the hottest portion of the World Cup in the thick of the action, Cocoa-bo went back to the tricks they knew best and called on fans in the Free Republics to choose their side, handing out small Cocoa-bo inspired flag stickers for each of the four Quarter Finalist nations competing in the Free Republics half of the World Cup Draw, and awaiting outside the two arenas passing out hand-held mini modified-Cocoa-bo flags of the two competing nations to fans entering the stadiums.

:: Cocoa-Bo Eatery

Cocoa-bo, an establishment taking its name directly from the beloved national animal of Turori, started as a small dessert shop in Kionao. However, it was only after they added chocolate topped drinks to their menu that their popularity started to soar. As more and more patrons scooped up their chocolate flavored pick-me-ups, demand for the Cocoa-bo product skyrocketed and soon new franchised locations were popping up all throughout Turori. Shifting to more of a social 'hang-out' then just a casual place to drop in, get a dessert, and leave, the new locations started adding small foods such as Bagels for the morning, Soups and Sandwiches for Lunch or Dinner and Salads for the entire day.

Cocoa-bo has expanded outside of Vilita & Turori. Their first regional location was opened in Andossa Se Mitrin Vega and Cocoa-bo has opened temporary locations during major internationstatal events such as the World Cup Finals with past locations appearing in Drawkland and Cosumar. Cocoa-bo has opened a new permanent presence in South Covello and is currently studying permanent expansions to Starblaydia and the Equestrian States. The company continues to further increase its image by partnering with Motorsport teams and expanding the company footprint across Atlantian Oceania and beyond. Cocoa-bo are also the kit sponsor for Mliona-Lpaka AFC in the Vilitan League.

Equestrian States v. South Covello
Olden Stadium, Falkamore, Nejax, Free Republics

The pairing between the Equestrian States and South Covello at the Olden Stadium in Falkamore, Nejax was an easy one for the Cocoa-bo team to focus on as they didn't even need to go to the printers to have new flags and stickers made up for this match, just shipping in scores of boxes of excess marketing material from both World Cup 80 and the Covellan Cocoa-bo Company which continues to flourish in the former land of Gregory to this day. Of course, Cocoa-bo first arrived in South Covello after a multiverse wide competition was held to determine where Cocoa-bo would place its first permanent overseas establishments. The timing of the competition was perfect for the Covellans who were just emerging from the tyrannic rule of Lord Gregory who left many of his citizens in a drab, under palletted state providing only the basic essentials and none of the common goods of many first world nations. Experiencing an economic freedom and a freedom to communicate like they had never had before, the South Covellans came out in mass to vote themselves as the recipient of the first ever permanent overseas Cocoa-bo establishment. When working with the newly formed government of South Covello to determine what the process would be for Cocoa-bo to arrive and exist in South Covello, however, much greater things evolved including the CoCoCo and its litany of services provided to the nation of South Covello from utilities such as Gas and Electric to warehouse style goods and products. For the CoCoCo, however, almost as lucrative as their exclusive economic position within South Covello would be their supply chain and global transportation network established in order to get the raw goods, supplies and services they needed into South Covello. The CoCoCo now leverages and even leases its multiverse wide supply chain and transportation services as one of its primary sources of income. The Equestrian States were a close second in the race to host the first ever permanent overseas Cocoa-bo locations but would soon get their chance when Cocoa-bo shops began to pop up in both Starblaydia and the Equestrian States prior to the EqueStar World Cup 80. The sociable cafe-like culture and vibe inside the Cocoa-bo eatery directly appealed to the Ponies of the Equestrian States who can regularly be found enjoying Cocoa-bo even abroad, and ponies rarely get their Cocoa-bo "To go".

Free Republics v. Eura
AllMartPark, Reco, Jolarus, Free Republics

Where the first matchup in the Free Republics half of the World Cup Quarter Finals features two nations with the greatest ties to and largest number of permanent Cocoa-bo locations than any other nations outside the Vilitan Cove region, the second match contains two nations on the other end of the spectrum where Cocoa-bo has not yet opened and permanent eateries. It was the last World Cup appearance for Turori's National Citizen Squad and it was a poor showing as Turori were eliminated from World Cup 78 at the group stage. They wouldn't go out without a fight however, defeating eventual World Cup Finalists Eura on the third group stage matchday before bowing out of the competition. With the "Better with Cocoabo" lexicon having just been established, Cocoa-bo invested heavily with one Cocoa-bo on Turori's World Cup roster - a backup goalie, Cocoa-bo started a campaign to have the effectively eliminated Eels start the goalkeeper, Cocoabo #85, in the final group stage matchup against Eura. The campaign worked. They even devised a plan to get Cocoabo #46 into the match as well, somehow passing the Cocoabo off as Turorian midfielder Mirana Gotuai and Turori would win the match 3-2 but fail to advance on goal differential after a three-way tiebreaker. From that point on, it would be the Cocoabo Squad and not the Citizens that would represent the Turori National Team at the World Cup, right up until the ongoing World Cup 81 in Banija and Free Republics which has seen the Citizen Squad finally re-claim their place. As for the Free Republics, with the potential of a changing administration, the allure of the World Cup Finals and the opportunity to branch out into a new region of the multiverse where they had minimal footprint, the CoCoCo began working the circuit to secure contracts, trade and supply opportunities with a view to bringing its wholly owned brands like CoCo Mart and partner affiliate brands such as Cocoa-bo to the Free Republics on a permanent basis. As the Official Global Delectable Partner for World Cup 81, pop up Cocoa-bo locations have appeared around match venues and popular socializing districts in major cities throughout the Free Republics. After the virality of the pre-match bull run in Banija, Cocoa-bo have even proposed to hold a pre-Quarter Final "Cocoa-bull run" where one of Turori's National Cocoabo who remained in the Free Republics following the Cup of Champions to support promotional activity for the CoCoCo and Cocoa-bo would run into the arena and take a lap around the pitch much like the uncomfortably hung Bulls have been doing during match warm ups in Banija. Cocoa-bo printed triple stickers, signs and flags showing the Free Republics being Better with Cocoa-bo as they look to plan a Marketing Campaign in the countries major cities that lasts beyond just the World Cup 81 finals.

by **Equestrian States** » Thu Oct 11, 2018 8:47 pm

-WORLD CUP 81 - ROUND OF 16-
Ascendant Ponies Claim Revenge Against Dragonflies
Ponies return to World Cup quarterfinals as Rosewing powers Equestrians past Ko-oren
by Steve McNotapony

Equestrian States 1-0 Ko-oren
at Kountry Bank Stadium in Albertope, Free Republics
Attendance: 83,802
Scoring:

Rosewing '14 (Luminesce)

ALBERTOPE, Free Republics - Look out multiverse, here come the Ponies!

International hoofball fans have been talking about the Equestrian States as a potential World Cup power for years now. The talent is there, the coaching is there, the ambition is there, all that's been lacking is the results. Pristina Shine, Brix Hamilton, Andrea Molovi, Cloudchaser, Rainbow Blitz, and - of course - Gentle Breeze, can all make defensible claims of being world-class players. Manager Pearly White has done about as well as one could expect since taking over the national team job from Twilight Striker, only failing to qualify for the World Cup once during her tenure. And there's no questioning the Ponies' desire to compete for titles, with many players in the squad plying their trade successfully with top clubs in the United League or abroad in some of the multiverse's best leagues.

Yet the results have never been there for the Equestrian States, at least before the last couple World Cup cycles, with the Ponies never once advancing further than the second round in a WCC-sanctioned tournament and only advancing that far at the World Cup in the editions held on Equestrian soil. Why the Ponies struggled to make deep tournament runs was a difficult question to answer for players and supporters alike, with many simply chalking it up to bad luck. The Equestrians always seemed to fall just short in the end, the Ponies' infuriating misfortune in qualifying playoffs encapsulating the team's difficulties at clearing the final hurdles perfectly. However, the last few cycles have seen the Equestrian States finally begin to meet expectations and fulfill their potential to join the multiverse's hoofball elite.

The 73rd Cup of Harmony saw an end to the Ponies' quarterfinal drought, and the Equestrians followed that up one cycle later with a quarterfinal berth at the 80th World Cup. Then, last night, the Equestrian national hoofball team made it three in a row with a comfortable second round victory over rivals Ko-oren to punch their ticket to the 81st World Cup quarterfinals. But where has this apparent sudden reversal of fortunes come from? Why is this team succeeding where previous Equestrian squads failed?

One possible explanation for the Ponies' recent success might come from the improved performances of players like Luminesce, Aarón Aiza, and Rosewing, names which might not carry the same weight to the average non-Equestrian hoofball fan as the Ponies' superstars, but have been undeniably crucial to their success lately. Each of those three lesser-known stars played a huge role in the Equestrians' second round win against Ko-oren. Rosewing, in particular, was incredible, putting together a Player of the Match-winning performance and netting the goal which sent the Ponies through to the quarterfinals.

But before we get to recapping the match itself, let's set the stage. The Equestrian States and Ko-oren have a long shared history together, dating all the way back to the Ponies' second-ever tournament at Market Cup V where they won the final against the Dragonflies on penalties. Far more recently, the two teams met in the second round of the last AOCAF Cup, this time ending with the Ko-orenites exacting revenge on the Equestrians and upsetting the Ponies on penalties at home. The Equestrians thus entered Kountry Bank Stadium set on paying back the Dragonflies in kind.

Speaking of last night's venue, the name might not have rung a bell for most Ponies supporters, but the stadium itself certainly would have. Formerly known as Church of Saintland Stadium, the Albertope stadium was the site of the Equestrian States' famous 3-1 win in the penultimate match of World Cup 65 qualifying against the Free Republics. That victory is fondly remembered by Ponies fans for a couple reasons, the first of which is that every win against your most despised rivals presents a precious moment to gloat about, and the second is that the result clinched the Equestrian States a spot at the World Cup that year. Equestrian broadcasters had no qualms with showing highlights from that fixture and the following celebration in their pre-match coverage, an opportunity to both reminisce and rub it in the faces of this year's World Cup hosts a bit. In the Ponies' locker room, however, all minds were focused on the 90 minutes of hoofball ahead, not the glories of a long-ago qualifying campaign.

When the match kicked off, the Equestrians wasted no time taking the fight into the Ko-orenite half, pushing numbers forward to bludgeon their way past the Dragonflies' formidable defense. A risky approach, perhaps, but given the Ponies' own world-class back line, the presence of the legendary Gentle Breeze in goal, and Ko-oren's typically unremarkable attack, it was a gamble that manager Pearly White was willing to make.

For ten minutes, the Dragonflies kept the Ponies at bay, double-teaming striker Pristina Shine to deprive the Equestrians of their top target, a strategy which several teams have employed successfully in recent times against the Ponies after it was first used (albeit without success) by Banija at the last World Cup. But Pearly White had anticipated that Pristina Shine might have difficulty breaking down the Ko-orenite defense all on her own, and set up her side in a 3-5-2 formation to provide her team with some more firepower up top. This additional scoring threat would come from Rosewing, the Tir Snake Strike forward who has rocketed up the Equestrian depth chart recently thanks to her performances in the Terranean League and with the Ponies. And in the 14th minute, Rosewing provided the breakthrough.

It was a simple enough move, started by Aarón Aiza passing wide to Rosewing after blocking an attempted clearance from Minne van Schelven. The striker cut forward into the box, dumping the ball off to Luminesce who promptly passed it right back to her as Rosewing bore down on the net. The Ko-orenite defenders seemed to expect Rosewing would try and tap the ball over to Pristina Shine, lurking near the penalty spot, and shifted to cut off the potential pass. Instead, Rosewing fired straight on goal, past Larut Theshendan, and into the net. Raucous celebrations erupted in the Equestrian end of the stands at Kountry Bank Stadium.

Now defending a lead, the Ponies settled back as the normally-defensive Dragonflies were forced to play for an equalizer. But young Dragonfly forwards Mata Vaugrenard and Antoine Duchemin simply lacked what it took to beat the Ponies' battle-hardened world-class defense. The Equestrians nearly scored several times on the counterattack, Rosewing coming inches from scoring a hat trick, but was denied by the woodwork. Fortunately, a second goal was not needed. Ko-oren's last-ditch effort to send the match to extra time died when Gentle Breeze plucked the 95th minute corner kick out of the air. The 1-0 final score might have suggested a close match, but the Equestrians never seemed all that threatened by the Dragonflies.

WORLD CUP 81 - ROUND OF 16 RESULTS
 Banija 1–2 Turori 
@ PG Arena in Hoima, BNJ
 Ethane 3–1 Cassadaigua 
@ Paa Nyeupe in Dodoma, BNJ
 Nephara 5–4 Darmen 
@ Hangaza Unified Stadium in Aissa, BNJ
 Vilita 4–3 Sargossa 
@ The Wolf's Den in Busembe, BNJ
 Equestrian States 1–0 Ko-oren 
@ Kountry Bank Stadium in Albertope, FFR
 South Covello 1–0 Baker Park 
@ FreedomCola Stadium in Borotia, FFR
 Barunia 3–4 Free Republics 
@ IslandDome in Toakameau, FFR
 Brenecia 0–1 Eura 
@ NOM Stadium in Estonopolis, FFR

There was the potential for some real multiverse-shattering upsets in the second round of the World Cup, and there were plenty of close calls as all except one match were decided by single goals, but in the end it could be argued that the favorites won in every fixture, depriving bloodthirsty neutrals of a truly chaotic quarterfinals slate. In Banija, the co-hosts forced extra time against Turori, but Inamari Altariiz's 113th minute strike eliminated the Kadongo Kamu. Meanwhile, Ethane's incredible run this cycle continued with a 3-1 thrashing of Cassadaigua, sending the Red Kites on to the quarterfinals for the first time. Nephara and Vilita both emerged victorious from high-scoring shootouts against Darmen and Sargossa, respectively. The Cormorants and Jungle Cats will face off in the only quarterfinal to feature two current top ten teams, with neutrals salivating over what they hope will be another high-scoring affair.

In the Free Republics, South Covello sent everyone's favorite underdogs from Baker Park packing with an predictable 1-0 victory to set up an intriguing quarterfinal against the Equestrian States. Elsewhere in the second round, co-hosts Free Republics kept their delusions of possibly winning the World Cup on home soil alive with an exciting 4-3 win against surprise Group F winners Barunia. Though the Suns did have the higher rank entering the match, Barunia's recent form was matched by the Republicans and the home-field advantage enjoyed by the hosts gave them the edge according to most bookies. But if Rule Theriault hopes to keep his far-fetched dreams intact, the Free Republics will have to overcome the top-ranked Eurans in the quarterfinals after the Rushmori giants dispatched defending champions Brenecia 1-0 in the second round, ensuring that the Patriots would not become the first team since the Sunrisians to successfully defend their title.

Thus, the stage is set for an interesting World Cup quarterfinals, in which three of the eight participants have never reached the semifinals: the Equestrian States, Turori, and Ethane. One of the latter two teams will see that barrier broken in the coming days, as they're set to meet at Kabonero III Field in Istria, while the Ponies will have to upset 9th-ranked South Covello to make the final four. Eura, VIlita, and Nephara will be looking to continue their campaigns to claim another World Cup title, and the Free Republics is trying to ride the wave of home-field advantage to the semifinals for the second time. Some of these storylines will end in the quarterfinals, but others will live to see another day, and hoofball fans throughout the multiverse are surely excited to watch them develop.

by **Free Republics** » Thu Oct 11, 2018 9:11 pm

Designed by 3WD of Vilita

This is your Quarterfinals Cutoff brought to you by Beepee Independent Grocers! Beepee Independent Grocers: The Official Global Fruit Partner of World Cup 81

Scores

by **Banija** » Thu Oct 11, 2018 9:57 pm

The cutoff for the other pair of quarterfinals, brought to you by the official educational partner of World Cup 81, Cocoabo Park!

by **South Covello** » Fri Oct 12, 2018 4:09 pm

Covello Morning Post: Letters to the Editor

Shame on Trudeau, Shame on Hale!

Although I most certainly wouldn't presume to be a former or current President, because I obviously and most clearly have never been President of South Covello, David Hale should be ashamed of himself for refusing to send a death squad to the Free Republics to take out Sebastian Trudeau before it is too late. Make no mistake - if Sebastian Trudeau is elected Consul of the Free Republics, that nation will be plunged into tyranny yet again. Sebastian Trudeau has colluded with Saintland and will likely collude with Saintland to rig the election, just like Reino Kulseth did, and then he will enslave women, kill gays, and do other horrendous and heinous and tyrannical acts. Sebastian Trudeau is a tyrant, and he must be taken out by any means necessary! John Green, who I most certainly am not, was absolutely right and he should not have been impeached or removed from power. To David Hale - stop being a coward and send a death squad to the Free Republics to take out Sebastian Trudeau before it too late, or else the Free Republics will soon fall into chaos, tyranny, and death. Women will be enslaved, non-Christians, gays, Muslims, and the like will be brutally executed by Republican death squads, so it is time to send our own death squad to the Free Republics before it is too late!

John Blue
Resident of South Covello

Why So Much World Cup Coverage?

Who the hell cares about a stupid sippy cup? Isn't that what the World Cup is? It's a sippy cup that travels the world, right? I don't really care enough to fact check, so I'm just going to assume it's some boring sippy cup. Lame, lame, lame. I would drink out of the cup if I could get my hands about it, but it's a sippy cup and I'm not a baby so I won't. So who really cares about this itsy bitsy wittle baby sippy cup traveling all around the world, and something about soccer? Who the hell plays soccer with a sippy cup? You're supposed to use a ball, dagnammit. But whatever. Stop covering this stupidity.

Pornell Jones

Porn Star Objects to Being Called "Porn Star"

Dear Editor,

My name is Busty Daniels and I must strongly object to your characterization of me as a "porn star" in an earlier article. I am not a "porn star." The preferred terminology is "adult entertainer." And I do entertain folks. I entertain them, sometimes with clothes on and sometimes not. But all I do is entertain, the pornification term is so demeaning. I enjoy entertaining adults, as diverse a group as several international leaders who I will not specify, but if you want to know who they are, you can read my latest hit book, Busty Gets Lusty, to be relased in bookstores next week. And yes, sometimes I have sex with them, but I am an adult entertainer, not a prostitute and not a porn star. Please do not call me or any other adult entertainer that ever again or I will be forced to sue you, appearing in court in the nude as I enjoy very much doing. You see, Scarlett Nicholls and I are very much alike. We both like men, we both like being nude, we both like adult entertaining, and, starting now, we're both running for office. You see, I am declaring my intention to run for President of South Covello in two years, becoming the first candidate to declare for said election. Not that David Hale is bad, but he's not a sexy adult entertainer like me. And if you vote for me, you'll get to see free boobies for the whole term. Because I will govern entirely in the nude. It will be so much fun for all of us. And if I appear at the debates, I will do so in the nude. Because nude is good.

Thank you.

Busty Daniels
Adult Entertainer

Clowney The Clown is a Clown

Clowney the Clown is a Clown. Yes, that's obviously literally true but I mean that figuratively as well. Why, just yesterday I saw him on TV advocating to make it legal to pie politicians in the face. As much as I'd like to have pied John Green in the face, that's not the solution. Pieings (is that the right spelling?) will inevitably lead to Civil War, which will lead to death and destruction. No, pies should be eaten and politicians should be impeached. Speaking of which, impeached has peach in it and peach pie is an awesome flavor of pie but not as good as raspberry or strawberry rhubarb. Did I mention I sell pies? Well come on down to Peter's Pie Shop in the heart of Riverview, right next to the soccer stadium. Buy a pie before the game, after the game, or heck, ditch the game and buy a pie! We have all kinds of pies! Peach, apple, cherry, raspberry, strawberry rhubarb, 37 regular flavors plus between 5 and 10 specials depending on the day! That's over 40 kinds of pie, guaranteed! All you have to do is come on down to Peter's Pie Shop! Buy pies by the slice and dine in, or buy a whole pie and take home to your family! Or buy a whole pie and eat it all yourself, we don't judge! And yes, this supposed rant on Clowney The Clown turned into a rant about how awesome my pie shop is, but you "print all letters of reasonable length." So you've got to print this. Haha! Take that, suckers!

Peter Pieper
Owner, Peter's Pie Shop

Cocoabo Flatulence: The Greatest Menace to Society Ever

It's time to talk about the greatest menace to society the world has ever seen. No, I'm not talking about Sebastian Trudeua, I'm talking about coocabo farts. You see, these seemingly harmless birds out of Turori, which for some inexplicable reason are our national bird, carry a powerful punch - their flatulence. Every time a cocoabo farts, it kills three million humans and two million kittens. And the average cocoabo farts two million times a day and there are ten million of them in all, so in short they will kill the entire population of the Mutlvierse within months. They must be stopped by any means necessary! I suggest firebombing all Cocoabo Eateries, which are really run by cocoabo birds, and then killing all the cocoabo birds inside before they can fart anymore! Surrender Cocoabos! Your birdy terrror will end now! Surrender!

Paul Nicholas
President and Founder, Death to Cocoabos Society

Editor's Note: Mr. Nicholas has been reported to the authorities as soon as we received this letter, and he was arrested by the CBI last night on plotting to commit an act of terror. Per their request, we are running this letter in the hopes that readers who know Mr. Nicholas will read it and submit tips to the CBI tip line at 800-CBI-TIPS.

by **Free Republics** » Sat Oct 13, 2018 5:36 pm

Reco, Jolarus was a relatively small city in the middle of nowhere. A mostly rural Republic, Jolarus was well-known for being culturally backward. It simply wasn't possible to drive down the streets of Reco without seeing dozens of pickup trucks with Sebastian Trudeau bumper stickers and odds are you'd see at least one "Stop Scarlett the Harlot" every time you drove a non-trivial distance. It was definitely Trudeau country.

At the AllMartDome, they had something they'd never had before: A knockout round match in the World Cup. 13 years ago, Turori had defeated Saintland 5 goals to 4 in a group stage thriller. This year, they got something even bigger: A World Cup Quarterfinal match between Republican National Soccer Team, LLC and the #1 ranked team from Eura. The locals had never seen anything like it as the eyes of the multiverse were now centered on their relatively minor city. The scheduling of World Cup matches had been a matter for political give-and-take in the legislature which had decided to give matches to 32 different cities. When the committee awarded a World Cup quarterfinal to Reco, they did not expect the match to be Free Republics vs Eura.

Fortunately, the AllMartDome had a seating capacity of over 88,000 which made it a perfect location for this match. While the city of Reco was hit with a torrential downpour of an extent that hadn't been seen in a decade, a capacity crowd of 88,234 sat comfortably in their seats as the Dome ensured perfect conditions for the battle between the hometown heroes and the team that was favored to win the World Cup. Before the match even began, all involved knew that the semi-final in Banija would feature Vilita vs Turori and that the winner of this match would face South Covello in Baseton. The nation once known as Gregoryisgodistan loomed for the winner. This was a nation that Eura had eliminated in the Round of 16 two out of the previous 3 World Cups so Eura had to feel confident in their ability to reach the World Cup final going into this match.

The Republican National Team was running on all cylinders as this match started. Donka Solyom, starting for the red carded Maxim Izmailov, would quickly win the ball away from Alex Wyatt and put it forward to Johnny Smith. Smith would set up Love Holm to put the Free Republics up 1 to 0 in the first minute. The Republicans would then take a 2 goal lead over a stunned Euran squad just minutes later. Kalervo Peltola had a perfect shot at the Euran net, set up by a perfect pass from Lecha Arsanukayev. Peltola's shot would hit the post and ricochet to the foot of Vaclav Urbanek and the Republican defensive back would apply the finish to put his team up 2 goals to 0.

The tide of the match would turn in Eura's favor after a foul by Arsanukayev gave Eura a close free kick opportunity. Oscar Coltrane would score on the free kick to narrow the Euran deficit to 2 goals to 1 going into the half. Following halftime, the match momentarily turned into a defensive struggle as play became bogged down in midfield. Then the Republicans pushed forward and Eura caught them with a quick counter attack, setting up Anthony Townsend's equalizer in the 67th minute. Moments later, Alfonso Sundberg, who had just come on as a substitute for Usman Eldarkhanov, would give the ball away on an ill-advised pass. Eura would catch the Republican defense unprepared as Townsend would set up a Lofty Jones goal to put Eura in the lead 3 goals to 2. The Euran substitute had come through big time.

Eura continued to push forward for a 4th goal and a 2 goal advantage that would have seemed insurmountable but left themselves vulnerable to a Republican counter-attack in the 79th minute. Zak Josef deflected a shot attempt by Lofty Jones in the vicinity of Sundberg, who hit it forward to Johnny Smith. Smith faked a pass to Love Holm before running forward into the scoring area and launching a shot at the net. It was saved by Euran keeper Robert Griffin, who conceded a corner. Lecha Arsanukayev launched the corner into the scoring area and it found the head of Andreas Hansen, who had come on earlier for Kalervo Peltola. Hansen headed it into the back of the net and the Free Republics had equalized!

A few minutes later, the Free Republics had pushed forward and earned another corner. On this one, Sundberg launched the ball to the right foot of Love Holm and then Harvey Blake would run into Holm, knocking him down. The official awarded a penalty to the Free Republics and a red card to Blake. Johnny Smith would score the penalty with a perfectly placed ball in the top right corner of the net and the Free Republics led 4 goals to 3! Down a man, Eura suddenly upped the tempo, attempting to equalize quickly and send the match to extra time. In the 3rd minute of 5 minutes of stoppage time, Oscar Coltrane finally had Donka Solyom beat and a 1v1 opportunity against Taras Sergeyev so Solyom intentionally tripped the Euran attacking midfielder and was awarded a red card for that intentional foul. Liam Armstrong would take the penalty for Eura and place the ball to the left. Sergeyev just so happened to dive in the right direction and catch the ball. The crowd cheered as he took his time to stand up and boot the ball deep downfield. Eura would get one last challenge but Lofty Jones would be denied by Zak Josef once again and the Free Republics would escape with a 4 to 3 victory over the #1 ranked team in the multiverse!

Following the match, Theriault would once again speak to the crowd. He credited Eura for playing hard and talked up the opposition. Then, he told the crowd that the Free Republics were heading to Olympic Stadium for the semifinals and the crowd erupted with applause and chants of "FFR! FFR! FFR!" rang out in the AllMartDome. He then announced to the crowd that he had arranged for the final debate between Sebastian Trudeau and Scarlett Nicholls to take place in Olympic Stadium prior to the match with South Covello. This debate would take place on the eve of the election, the latest that a debate had ever taken place and would be broadcast on every major television network in the FFR. Finally, Theriault urged the fans to vote without naming either candidate and thanked everybody for coming to the match.

The final debate between Scarlett Nicholls and Sebastian Trudeau proved to be entertaining as the candidates discussed their positions on the issues and dialed down the personal attacks for most of the debate. Below are some of the highlights:

Moderator - Miss Nicholls, one of the big issues of this campaign relates to intellectual property, specifically whether or not employers should be permitted to require workers to sign away any intellectual property they create on their own time as a condition of employment. Where do you stand on this issue?

Scarlett Nicholls - As a content creator and an extremely successful international pop music superstar with 3 albums that have sold over a billion copies throughout the multiverse, this is a very important issue to me. I thank Mr. Trudeau for having raised this issue over the course of the campaign as it is unfair to creators that their employer can use corrupt contracts like these to steal ownership of their intellectual property. I believe both of us agree that this practice should be outlawed.

Sebastian Trudeau - You're right, Scarlett but I'm surprised that you take that position since Nicholls Enterprises requires its employees to sign those kinds of contracts.

Scarlett Nicholls - I have no knowledge of this but if this is being done I want to unequivocally condemn it and call for all such contracts to be voided.

Sebastian Trudeau - I'm sure Daddy's not very happy with his little girl right now!

Scarlett Nicholls - Why are you bringing my father into this? I'm a grown woman, not a little girl and I find your attitude disrespectful.

Sebastian Trudeau - Grown women have husbands and they take their vow to obey their husbands seriously. Why aren't you married yet?

Scarlett Nicholls - Look, Sebastian. I get that you have outdated attitudes regarding women but please stop. I don't appreciate those remarks.

Moderator - Let's move on. Even when they agree, they're still at each other's throats. Well, anyways, let's discuss the issue of non-compete clauses. Mr. Trudeau, where do you stand on these?

Sebastian Trudeau - Non-compete clauses are unfair and deprive workers of the freedom to choose where they work. If I am elected Consul, I will make them unenforceable in court across the Federation!

Moderator - How about you, Miss Nicholls?

Scarlett Nicholls - I agree with Mr. Trudeau on this issue. The right to quit your job at any time, for any reason, is a fundamental human right and the absence of that right is called slavery. That right obviously includes the right to go work for another company in the same industry. Employers shouldn't have that kind of power over their employees.

Moderator - Let's move on to the issue of unions. Should unions be permitted to collective bargain for all employees or should they be limited to negotiating on behalf of their members? This time, let's start with Miss Nicholls.

Scarlett Nicholls - I believe that the right of people to form associations is a fundamental right. Therefore, I support the right of workers to form unions. However, I am opposed to any change to law that permits unions to force workers to join their organization as a condition of employment, to force workers to permit them to negotiate with management on their behalf or that otherwise coerces workers who do not wish to be part of a union into joining a union. Therefore, I oppose the collective bargaining laws advocated by Mr. Trudeau.

Sebastian Trudeau - I'm very disappointed in you, Scarlett. I thought you were coming along and starting to copy all of my positions. Well, I support the right of a majority of workers to form a union that bargains on behalf of all workers and I support the right of the union to collect dues from freeloaders who accept the benefits of union membership but would prefer not to pay the union for its services. I also support legislation prohibiting clauses in collective bargaining agreements that prohibits the hiring of non-union labor. It is perfectly fine to require you to join a union as a condition of employment in order to reap the benefits of the union's hard work but I think it is deeply unfair for an employer to refuse to hire workers who are not members of their union at the time they start.

Scarlett Nicholls - So you want to coerce people into joining unions? I guess that's not surprising given that you also want to coerce women into marriages and prohibit us from getting a divorce.

Sebastian Trudeau - I don't understand why you are so averse to getting married? I hear that you love the taste of [BLEEP]!

Scarlett Nicholls - I will not stand here and let you slut shame me on stage! Yes, I am a slut, I like sucking [BLEEP] and I'm fucking proud of it! Just because you think women are supposed to be doormats who lay on a bed and let the man do all of the work doesn't mean that I share your outmoded ideas about human sexuality!

Moderator - At this point, I guess I need to remind both candidates that there are children watching this debate. Please talk about these matters somewhere else.

Scarlett Nicholls - Can we talk about how Mr. Trudeau wants to put women back in "our place"?

Moderator - I'd prefer, Miss Nicholls, if you waited your turn to speak.

The partisan pro-Nicholls crowd at the Olympic Stadium began booing the moderator and his next question was barely audible on television and not audible at all in the crowd. Finally, they stopped...

Scarlett Nicholls - FIrst off, I want to thank the crowd for standing up to sexism! I'm not the kind of woman who shies away from controversy. I'm not the type that "waits my turn" because apparently women shouldn't be allowed to speak our minds without a man's permission!

The crowd erupted again.

Moderator - Miss Nicholls, please get back on topic. The question was about...

The crowd drowned the moderator out with boos again until Scarlett began speaking again.

Scarlett Nicholls - Sebastian, how about we get rid of this moderator and finish this debate old school style without a moderator.

Sebastian Trudeau - Since the crowd's not going to even let the poor guy ask a question, I guess I have to agree with you there. We'd be better off without a moderator.

The debate continued on in the same vein eventually concluding just 30 minutes before the Free Republics vs South Covello match was set to begin. For the most part, the candidates rehashed their existing positions and neither candidate appeared to make a campaign-ending mistake. The long, seemingly never-ending election battle between Scarlett Nicholls and Sebastian Trudeau was finally coming to a conclusion and soon one of them would join Kyle Bolton as a Consul of the Free Republics...

by **Banija** » Sat Oct 13, 2018 7:04 pm

The cutoff for the World cup semifinal, brought to you by Cocoa-Bo Eatery, the official Delectable of World Cup 81.

by **Vilita** » Sun Oct 14, 2018 7:11 am

Jungle Cats win "Final" - Uncharted Territory Awaits

Star Field, Herzegovina City, Moravica, Banija :: It was a match dubbed that many in the media felt would have been better served to be played at the New City's CoCoCo Stadium in the Free Republics on the final day of the tournament instead of as a glorified warmup match in Banija's oldest city, Herzegovina City, home of Northern Moravica University. While the stadium is reasonable in size, there likely won't be much overflow due to the fact that there are no direct internationstal flights into Herzegovina City but instead fans would have to take a train to get into the city.

It is a scenario that both teams have already experienced during these World Cup Finals. For Nephara, the sixth ranked Nation in the multiverse, they started their World Cup campaign at Star Field with a victory over Nova Anglicana. The fond memories of collecting three points and all the momentum in Group B would likely make it easy for the Cormorants to slide into their quarter final fixture against the fifth ranked team in the multiverse, Vilita. The Jungle Cats also played one of their group stage matches at Star Field but their memories of he arena would not be quite as fond as those of Nephara as the Jungle Cats were taken down by a 2-3 scoreline on the final matchday of the group stage, a result which allowed Cassadaigua to sneak through in second place in the group while preventing Vilita from securing a perfect 3-0-0 record in the group stage, a feat that was achieved by their opponents on the day, Nephara.

Of course, while they may not have had fond memories on the pitch from their previous experience in Herzegovina City, there was plenty inside the stadium to make the Vilita National Team feel at home as Vilitan based companies Arcticala Electrical and Lighthouse Lightworx played a major role in the upgrades and renovations the stadium underwent in anticipation of hosting the World Cup finals. The Lighthouse Lightworx team added a modern feel and access to the stadium which is otherwise one of the oldest stadiums in Banija while Arcticala Electrical had to work to ensure they could provide power to all the new screens without completely tearing up the existing infrastructure inside the aging stadium.

It would be just the second - and final match of the World Cup where two nations ranked inside the top 6 of the World Rankings would play each other directly on the pitch with Eura having previously eliminated Brenecia in the Round of 16 in the Free Republics.

As had become tradition, the TropiCorps got the fans going with the running of the bull. Shortly after the teams would emerge from the tunnel, the customary pre-match photographs would be taken and then there was the small matter of business to be taken care of.

There wasn't a large amount of recent history between the two nations, though the Jungle Cats did start off their World Cup 73 Finals run with a 2-0 victory over the Comorants, but much would change from that point. Just one cup later the Comorants would be celebrating the first ever World Cup title. They would be Semi-Finalists once again for World Cup 74. Now, as two of the highest ranked nations left in the competition, all eyes would be on Star Field to produce a new favorite to lift the World Cup 81 trophy.

Over the first 30 minutes of play it appeared that Nephara might be that team. The Comorants were up 2-0 after half an hour of play thanks to goals from Estrella Hawke and Ishtar Fanaiyan. The Jungle Cats needed to find a way back into the match before things got out of hand.

The Vilita National Team were good for two things during the World Cup 81 cycle. Scoring lots of goals and Conceding lots of goals. As was proven in the Round of 16 with a 4-3 victory over Sargossa, the Jungle Cats know how to keep a match interesting. Unfortunately, their top goalscorer during World Cup Qualifying, Rammsissil's Beralie Tzufarei, had been unable to repeat their dominance in the final third thus far during the World Cup. While Tzufarei's play has aided the Vilita National Team's progression, the final touch and final contribution's just haven't been there. The Jungle Cats would need to look elsewhere for contributions.

So they called upon one of the most decorated domestic clubs of recent Vilitan history: The Turoki Tide. With the Turoki Tide's dynamic midfield duo of former Galactico Player of the Season finalists Polaox Torerun, the Jungle Cats had a one two punch that could often find a way to steal possession and create scoring chances where very few others would have been able to do. This may have been one of those times as with halftime looming, Torerun pulled a goal back for Vilita on a quick turn and shot off a long throw in to the top of the eighteen yard box. Just a matter of minutes later, Cavuna Aquafek produced a contribution of their own darting through the middle and picking up a slotted pass from the youngster Limu Katarakhna finishing beyond the reach of Apostolos Tsattalios and leveling the scores at two goals a piece for the half time break.

When play resumed, Nephara didn't waste much time jumping out in front as Dragora Steelhenge converted one of the Comorants 13 corner kicks to put Nephara back in front 3-2. Nephara continued to control much of the play, once again off to a fast, controlling start just as they were from the opening whistle. Once again, the Vilita National Team needed a kick in the pants. Luckily, the kick came earlier in the second half than it did in the first. It was once again an unheralded contribution from the youngster Limu Katarakhna as the Eastal Lunar prospect earned a free kick just outside the penalty area setting Westii Yahaya up with a perfect look. The Yeaddin Owls midfielder looked almost as if they were going to pass a low effort to the feet of Tzufarei but then changed course and curled the kick over the wall and beyond a frustrated Tsattalios in the Nepharim goal.

The scores were all tied up again and the teams now had just 30 minutes to settle things before the possibility of extra time persisted.

Having gotten three goals from their midfielders in the match, many fans of the Vilita National Team had to be wondering when they were going to get a contribution from their Forwards. The answer finally came in the 83rd minute when Lonngeylin Coast's Sipke Tarala broke the deadlock with a left footed effort. After falling asleep at the wheel at the start of both halves, Vilita appeared to be a long run team and for the second consecutive match led by a 4-3 score line late on. As the final whistle blew, the Vilita National Team had secured a place in the World Cup Semi Final for just the second time since that World Cup 73 that last saw Vilita defeat Nephara in the World Cup Finals.

:: Vilita Goalscorers ::
:: 41' Polaox Torerun
:: 44' Cavuna Aquafek
:: 57' Westii Yahaya
:: 83' Sipke Tarala

:: Vilita Statistics ::
:: Possession: 54%
:: Shots on Target: 9
:: Corner Kicks: 15

:: Nephara Statistics ::
:: Possession: 46%
:: Shots on Target: 6
:: Corner Kicks: 13

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. Nephara ::
[GK] Mako Canopii, [D.] Linkat Cjinder, [D.] Jirak Trikala, [D.] Mileke Drokasorna, [D.] Jirijii Januaa, [ML] Polaox Torerun, [MC] Cavuna Aquafek, [MC] Va'a-Rio Kiwavn, [MR] Limu Katarakhna, [FC] Berali Tzufarei, [FC] Nii'arala Milaaso
BENCH::
[FC] Sipke Tarala, [FC] Fishtii Blikala, [M] Jurzen Devmiko, [M] Westii Yahaya, [U ] Karisto Monafog, [D] Kwuimekii Hentetii, [GK] Vernasa Sanamun

While they were on their way to the World Cup Semi-Finals, the Vilitan Coaching Staff could not have been terribly please with their teams performances thus far in World Cup 81. Over five matches, Vilita had failed to keep a single Clean Sheet. After conceding a single goal in the opening two matches, they had now conceded three goals in three consecutive matches, a pace unsustainable in the long run with a World Cup Semi Final next up on the list. While Vilita had scored 14 goals in five matches, their 11 conceded were amongst the worst of all teams in the World Cup.

With the Island Emirate of Turori up next or Vilita, however, every piece of history, every statistic and every thought that anything that might have happened in the previous matches would have any impact on the World Cup Semi-Final would be farcical. Two contrasting styles will be on display but a rivalry for the ages would finally be getting its first real test.

Lightworx Light Up the World Cup

The Newly Updated Star Field in Herzegovina City

Herzegovina City, Moravica, Banija :: From the outside you are walking down the streets of the oldest city in Banija, Herzegovina City. It is a religious town and an academic town, the capital of the Moravica region and steeped in history as the final resting grounds for Banijan monarchs at the Herzegovina Temple. As you approach Star Field you can see from a glance that the stadium fits right in with the city. It looks old - and it is. Old and large.

Once you get inside the arena, however, the home of Herzegovina City FC is one of the most modern stadiums in all of Banija after the club team contracted Vilitan companies Lighthouse Lightworx and Arcticala Electrical to bring their stadium into the modern era with upgraded fan experiences throughout the stadium. Herzegovina City FC also got a discount on the job as the two Vilitan companies were already in Banija after the two Vilitan companies teamed up to put together a partial bid towards the construction of new stadia in World Cup 81 host countries Banija and the Free Republics. In Banija, Arcticala Electrical and Lighthouse Lightworx were busy working on the Stadium of the Restoration in Banija, host of the opening match of World Cup 81 and also the glimmeringly updated CoCoCo Stadium in New City, Orlandiana, Free Republics which is set to host the final of the 81st World Cup.

The Arcticala Electrical company is the main supplier of power in the Vilitan Cove region. Arcticala Electrical harnesses energy from many sources and prides in its renewable Wind, Hydro and Solar efforts. The company also runs a small scale Nuclear generation facility inside the Sorthern fallout zone. The facility is fully staffed by Robo-things and provides emergency power to the Vilitan Government and major cities. The pride of the Arcticala Electrical company are its advances in Solar Power which are on display prominently at the Arcticala Electrical Stadium.

Lighthouse Lightworx is a spinoff company originally researching emerging alternate lighting solutions and ultimately developing a technology and product line specializing in Light Emitting Diode technology. While they have provided many specialty replacements for common household items, they have also emerged into the specialty design space including the development of super-large video displays such as those that might be found at sports arenas as well as flexible displays including those used on many popular Vilitan communication devices.

by **Turori** » Sun Oct 14, 2018 7:13 am

The Reports are coming in... We just don't believe them yet

Kabonero III Field, Istria, Moravica, Banija :: It was familiar Territory for the Turori National Team. The World Cup Quarter Finals. The Citizen Squad had been there before. The Cocoabo Squad had been there most recently. For the third straight World Cup Finals, Turori had advanced to the Quarter Finals.

During World Cup 79, a strong campaign for Turori was undone at the Quarter Final stage by eventual champion Schottia. In Starblaydia, dreams of a potential World Cup Championship were undone by the Dreamed Realm when a team of fluffy bunnies, led by one particular bunny who was ironically being powered a seemingly infinite supply of energy by Turori's own famous delectable Cocoa-bo drinks. Some began to speculate that this was just yet another run where Turori would advance to the knockout rounds for 6... 7... 8 cups in a row without ever progressing beyond the Quarter Finals.

For some reason, this time felt different. The Venue was the Kabonero III Field on the Moravican Oceanfront and felt a comfortable environment for Turori's National Citizen Squad, even if they hadn't yet played at that stadium during the Finals thus far. There was also the opponent. The Flammable Gas of Ethane. The Esportivan side would be making their first ever Quarter Final appearance, a stark contrast to Turori's long history of Quarter Final appearances, even if they had all ended in defeat.

However, while Turori have made it to and lost in the World Cup Quarter Finals many, many times; very few teams have actually been responsible for defeating them, with a number of nations having been responsible for knocking Turori out at the Quarter Final stage on multiple occasions. Squornshelous. Audioslavia. Rejistania. Sarzonia. Eura. Schottia. The Holy Empire.

That's it. That was the full list of Nations which the Turori National Team had played whether once or multiple times in the World Cup Quarter Finals. Every single one of them World Cup Champions. Now add Ethane, a first time Quarter Finalist and zero time World Cup Champion. If Turori were ever going to have a chance to win a World Cup Quarter Final, perhaps this were it.

This would also be the forth time that Turori and Ethane would face each other since the start of the World Cup 80 Qualifying cycle where, perhaps incredibly, three nations from the same World Cup Qualifying group just one cycle prior had all made it to the knockout rounds of World Cup 81: Banija, Ethane and Turori. Turori's National Cocoabo Squad had no trouble with Ethane during the World Cup 80 cycle winning both matches during qualification then winning yet again during the World Cup Final on matchday two of the group stage. If Turori's National Citizen Squad could repeat the feat then they will have been successful where no Turorian side in history had ever been successful before: The World Cup Quarter Final.

It was the purple and black of Ethane against the Eel-skin Brown and Blue of Turori. Neither team had ever been to the World Cup Semi-Finals. In 120 minutes or less one of the two teams would get there.

Tactically it was a scintillating matchup. The attacking minded Ethanians pride themselves on the motto "If at first your attack does not succeed, attack again". The Turorians, meanwhile, would play a solid defensive backline led by Tarek Edgeli with Cedniavella Turori goalkeeper Wiyauw An'maude wearing the gloves in goal. An'maude had split time with the more experienced G.Q. Disterfred II during the qualifiers but has gotten the bulk of the starts thus far during the finals. It wasn't a good start for the Cedniavella netminder however, after conceding two goals in the win over Mercdini on matchday 1, Wiyauw An'maude gave up three goals on Matchday 2 to Nova Anglicana and as a result conceded the starting role to Disterfred. However, Disterfred was unable to prevent Turori losing to Nephara on Matchday 3 so the coaching staff made the switch back to Wiyauw An'maude for the knockout rounds and it was a much stronger performance from the goalkeeper in the Round of 16 against Banija conceding just one goal over 120 minutes of action.

Still, it was a far cry from what was expected from a Turori team that went eight consecutive matches without conceding a goal in World Cup Qualifying and had conceded two goals or more just three times over the 18 match campaign and just once over the final 16 matches of qualifications.

If the Turori National Team were going to survive the onslaught from Ethane, or if they were to have any hope of progressing further in the tournament, they would have to get back to what they were good at. Keeping their opponents off the scoresheet while doing enough offensively to secure a victory.

It took just twenty minutes for the Eels to get the offensive contribution they were looking for when Jungle Strike FC's Meldi'ita Mungwaii netted their second goal of the tournament to give Turori a 1-0 lead. It would be one of the few moments of excitement of the first half, bar a few long range shots from Ethanian attacking midfielder Josh Montoya who plays their domestic footsport in Eura. Montoya, perhaps getting frustrated with Turori's defensive back line, took multiple long range shots over the final ten minute of the first half including an audacious long shot from over 30 yards out that was easily collected by Wiyauw An'maude.

In the second half of play the Turori National Team wasn't even trying to do much more on the attack than to maintain possession, frustrating the Ethane players and fan with their strategy of constructing and building up an attack only to tear it back down, retreat towards the corner then build the attack back up again.

Turori began playing an offside trap around the hour mark as the coaching staff noticed the Ethane players getting extra aggressive as they searched for an equalizer. There were at least three occasions in the second half where Scott Burgess and Declan Smith thought they were clear on goal, staring down Wiyauw An'maude only to see the linesman's flag raised on the sideline halting play. As the match pressed on, Ethane grew more and more frustrated and began to make mistakes, somewhat in an inexperienced manner playing with desperation instead of calculated precision. Turori, meanwhile, were continue to hold in their defense and patiently turning any attack into an extended period of possession, allowing Ethane to foul them and making substitutions where appropriate to slow the match down. As the 90th minute came and went, there was just stoppage time standing between the Turori National Team and a first ever World Cup Semi-Final appearance. Ethane pressed forward one more time and appeared to have something going. The ball was crossed in and found the substitute Wilmer Jaurequi in space but the Sebio City striker who quite wildly blasted well wide and high of goal much to the enjoyment of some of the fans who were keen to create a deprecating chant in Wilmer's name before the end of the match. They may not have had time to do so, however, as just moments later the Final Whistle would blow. The Turori National Team had held on for a 1-0 victory in the World Cup Quarter Final and would be moving on to the World Cup Semi-Final for the first time in their history.

Turori [1] - [0] Ethane

:: Turori Goalscorers ::
:: 20' Meldi'ita Mungwaii

:: Turori Statistics ::
:: Possession: 57%
:: Shots on Target: 5
:: Corner Kicks: 5

:: Ethane Statistics ::
:: Possession: 43%
:: Shots on Target: 4
:: Corner Kicks: 6

Turori Eels Lineup v. Ethane ::
[GK] Wiyauw An'maude, [D.] Tarek Edgeli, [D.] Inaosnaa Klanoa, [D.] Lulu Pumaziiri, [D.] Dmitri Levada, [ML] Kentu Umaka'a, [MC] Saito Koshiki, [MC] Indelli Nura'amura, [MR] Nubara Moafalia, [FC] Meldi'ita Mungwaii, [FC] Nua'oma Aikiki
BENCH::
[FC] Wiztsana Iretziia, [FC] Inamari Altariiz, [M] Timi'sala Koarena, [M] Daliora Toru'u, [U ] Mirana Gotuai, [D] Yitizo Mpala'a, [GK] G.Q Disterfred II

The Turori National Team and it's Citizen Squad have already gone down in Turorian National history as the team the broke the curse that existed for as long as Turorians played in sport. While every nation that qualifies for the World Cup goes in with the lofty goal of winning the World Cup, it is no secret that for generations, Turorians knew what they were playing for - they were playing to prove that they could finally progress beyond the Quarter Finals. Now that they have done that, is there any limit to where the Turori National Team can go?

In order to go any further than they have already done, the Turori National Team will have to quickly put the euphoria surrounding their Quarter Final victory behind them and focus solely on their next match. Luckily, that won't be too difficult as broken curses seem to come in pairs. Turori will face off against long time colonial rivals Vilita in the World Cup Semi-Final at the Stadium of the Restoration.

Elsewhere in the Free Republics, the host nation will take on South Covello with one side advancing to the World Cup Final at the CoCoCo Stadium and the other relegated to the 3rd Place Playoff in Banija. The Covellans have been on the front of controversy throughout the World Cup and would struggle to be welcome in Banija with the ongoing strife regarding whether or not Goat Meat was an appropriate meal. However, they may be equally averse to staying in the Free Republics due to the supposed effects of Cocoabo Flatulence on the Covellans extremely sensitive noses. A recent report from the Death to Cocoabos society in South Covello, falsely tying World Cup 81 official partner company Cocoa-bo Eatery with the flatulence produced by Cocoabos in South Covello. While the reports author, Paul Nicholas, has already been arrested, any sympathizers who are in the Free Republics for the world cup will likely be spotted quickly due to their self-predicted death by Cocoabo Fart as there are expected to be as many as 8 Cocoabo on hand for the World Cup Final and its associated festivities.

Of course, Turori's first ever World Cup Quarter Final victory set off a flurry of activity on twii.tur, the official global messaging partner of World Cup 81.

:: twii.tur Overview ::

twii.tur is a short message communication service that originated from Turori and allowed users to exchange content of 140 characters. The service was conceived as a way to allow officials to receive alerts and key information such as incoming weather notifications, major events and the ability to stay coordinated during a time of crisis but was under-utilized and doubts were raised as to whether the overhead of the infrastructure was worthwhile to maintain. As capabilities of interconnected and handheld communication devices improved, the Turorian Weather & Information Interchange (Twii) was adapted into a public facing service where users could sign up to create their own twii nodes where users would sign up to a twii group to receive all the twii messages delivered by members of that group. Ultimately, as demand grew, a fully public release of twii came at the connected location twii.tur where all users can participate in the public twii, selecting which messages to receive by adding individual users, groups or topics to their twii.tur feed.

More recent developments and additions to twii.tur included the introduction of quick bangs, images, emotitags and users with high overall ratings can even post video of 30 seconds or less onto their twii feed. Now, after being named as the Official Global Messaging & Communications Partner for World Cup 81 in Banija and the Free Republics, user accounts, activity level and overall expectations are higher than ever and the twii.tur servers have been operating at high capacity levels and many milestones have been reached including quite possibly the first ever serious international incident caused by a single twii. Lets have a look at the highlights from this week on twii.tur:

:: twii.tur trending after the Turori National Teams shocking World Cup Quarter Final victory

#eels Win! #eels win! On to the Semis!!! #WC81

:: Behind the twii :: The Turori National Team ended cycles of suffering as they won their first ever World Cup Quarter Final match. After having spent double-digit attempts before finally getting the job done, the longest all-time streak of most Quarter Final appearances without having ever advanced beyond that to the Semi Finals. twii.tur was flooded with other twii's grouped similarly in the moments leading up to and majorly after the final whistle blew.

#Vilita v. #Turori. Not sure I'm ready for this.

:: Behind the twii :: For the first time in the history of the two nations, The Tropics of Vilita and the Island Emirate of Turori will face off head to head in a World Cup Finals match. Both nations are projected to be ranked inside the Top 10 in the world so there is no expectation that one team is greatly favored the other in this special one-in-a-lifetime fixture. It is lucky for businesses and organizations throughout Turori that the match itself will take place on a traditional day off or else the government would have had to consider declaring a holiday for the occasion. The Stadium of the Restoration in Busukuma, the National Capitol Region of Banija will be fully packed for the event and the price of a ticket on the secondary market has tripled since the final whistle in the Vilita v. Nephara matchup assured fans they would for the first time ever have the chance to see Vilita play against Turori at the World Cup.

Hey @CocoaBo check it out - Help send Turori to the #CoCoCo Stadium! #WC81

Is that puffy part in the corner the #Cocoabo flatulence floating away?

:: Behind the twii :: Turori's own Cocoa-bo eatery has built its name on the "Better with Cocoa-bo" campaign where they enter a new market for the first time by showing that market how their lives would be improved once Cocoa-bo comes to town. Pictures of citizens sitting on a park bench slurping sensational delectables, of a family laughing inside a Cocoa-bo establishment enjoying cocotea and biscuits or of small children recently free from the control of Lord Gregory enjoying a small bowl of Cocopinana Pudding. Then, there are the flags. Handed out as marketing material to celebrate new openings, at sporting events and even as a guerilla tactic to gain the support of the public in a location where local authorities had resisted Cocoa-bo expansion, the flags often depict an actual Cocoabo, the nomenclatural inspiration for Cocoa-Bo and the national bird of both Turori and South Covello, integrated in a special way with the nations original flag.

Ironically, during World Cup 80 it was Turori's National Cococabo Squad, who were... actual Cocoabo, up against a team of fluffy bunnies from The Holy Empire who were energized from drinking an entire case of Cocoa-bo, the sweet delectable product Cocoa-Bo has established its reputation on. With Cocoa-Bo in the midst of an ongoing campaign to bring their sweet delectables to the Free Republics permanently, one twii.tur user felt the Turori National Team should get in on the act, punch a ticket to the Free Republics to contest the World Cup Final in the CoCoCo Stadium with its large Cocoabo logo looming above all, and hoping that even though Turori's National Citizen Squad has definitively proven they are better THAN the Cocoabo, that maybe they can be even better with Cocoa-bo.

by **Vilita and Turori** » Sun Oct 14, 2018 7:14 am

Episode 5: This One Actually Counts

Vilitan Cove, Atlantian Oceania :: After debuting on the internationstatal stage during World Cup 13 Qualifying, posting just 8 goals in 18 games and being shut out 14 times, the Vilita Jungle Cats would quickly improve to make good on head coach Helmut Vilkaous' "Threat". After winning the Cup of Tardy for World Cup 13 and Cup of Harmony for World Cup 14 the Jungle Cats made the World Cup for the first time during World Cup 15. At the same time that Vilita were in the process of qualifying for the World Cup finals for the first time, their neighbor and former colonial territory, the Island Emirate of Turori made their debut campaign in a much more successful fashion than the rising Jungle Cats had done. Before they even played their first World Cup Qualifying match, the Turori Eels were already crowned champions, winning the Pre-World Cup 15 Baptism of Fire Cup - a claim that they will forever have over their larger, more decorated foes as Vilita will never again have the chance to compete for a Baptism of Fire trophy.

World Cup 17 was a major milestone in the growth of both nations. For Vilita, it was their first World Cup hosted on home soil, and first to be held in Atlantian Oceania. For Turori, they had one goal. Qualify for the finals. Qualify and play in your first World Cup finals in front of home, local fans. The Island Emirate qualified for the World Cup Finals in just their third attempt, equaling the mark previously set by the Vilitans.

Everything Vilita could do, Turori could do as well. Just as Vilita had, Turori bid for and won the rights to host the World Cup in just their 5th time of competing in the tournament. Up until this point the two nations were inseparable statistically, but for a minor 2-cup offset in their historical timelines.

Both Vilita & Turori qualified for the World Cup in just their third attempt. Both Vilita & Turori won the rights to host the World Cup Finals in their 5th entry. While Vilita had won the Cup of Harmony, Turori won the Baptism of Fire Cup, a tournament the Jungle Cats hadn't had the opportunity to enter.

The actual parity between the two nations would remain but something happened during World Cup 20 in Starblaydia and Druida that would forever change the perceived parity of the nations and their sporting fate for generations to come. Riding the "Boots of Banda", the Vilita Jungle Cats stormed to the top of the sporting world. After upsetting their way to the World Cup Final and bringing millions of Vilitan supporters with them to Druida, the Jungle Cats found themselves in what seemed a difficult match at the time. Audioslavia. As history would see it, the match was already a guaranteed victory for the Vilitans, but they didn't know it at the time. Not until Turori-born Tanner Nerni scored the goal for the Jungle Cats that brought World Cup glory to the Vilitan Cove.

The Eels on the other hand, could not get past the Quarter Finals. It was the start of a run where Turori would prove to be far more consistent than Vilita but just couldn't duplicate their neighbors World Cup success. While Vilita continued to bask in the glory of their World Cup 20 triumph, the Eels consistency earned them a top 5 ranking but nothing more. There would be no parity so long as the Eels were lacking a World Cup Trophy. As Vilita crashed out in the early rounds, and even failed to qualify for World Cup 28, Turori continued plucking away making 5, 6, 7, 8 Quarter Finals appearances but never advancing further. Constantly outperforming Vilita, but there was no response. "Wheres your World Cup?" was a constant chant from the Vilitans the only time they square off against Turori in competition, during the 30th Cup of Harmony. The Eels had no reply. A bunch of quarter finals appearances - more than the Vilitans. A couple of Cups of Harmony - more than Vilita. A Baptism of Fire Cup trophy - something Vilita would never - could never have.

In almost every way imaginable, The Eels out performed their Vilitan counterparts. But nobody ever knew it. Not with the World Cup 20 replica staring at every visitor, every fan, every dignitary that walked down the streets of Alikki-Corra, turned at the Tivali Ring Stadium and saw the ultimate sporting prize - the one Turori could not grasp.

The rivalry between the nations became one purely sibling in nature. Big Brother - Vilita, the older, bigger nation - they had their hand on the prize. No matter how many times they faltered - how many times they underperformed, all the Vilitans had to do was hold one hand high in the air with the World Cup Trophy, and the other hand, flat down on the forehead of little brother Turori who is flailing their arms reaching for the trophy with all their might but never able to get so much as a finger on it.

There was no hatred. No competitive zeal. Despite the proximity, the jealousy, the braggery - the sibling rivalry grew more and more into a social rivalry. The nations were rivals because they were told to be. Not because they were actually rivals on the field. How could they be? Not once had the Vilita Jungle Cats and the Turori Eels taken the field against each other in a competitive match.

Eventually, the reigns would loosen. While Vilita and Turori joined forces on the regional level, ensuring they could never compete head to head in the AOCAF tournament, eventually their paths would cross. There was the 6th Eagle's Cup Competition where Turori had proven what everyone had always known. They were truly the better squad, taking a win and a draw from their Vilitan counterparts who would claim after the fact that 'It didn't really count because it wasn't a real competition".

Those words took on significance during a rare World Cup 64 Qualification round where Vilita were drawn against Turori. The timing wasn't great for the Eels, however. Their National Team was very much in a rebuilding phase. They had just opened the purpose build sporting center in Eelandii and while they had hosted the World Cup one cycle prior, the long term effects of the new infrastructure, the new training facilities - none of that had had time to filter through the system yet. Turori were no match for the Jungle Cats. Just two cups later, however, Turori would return to the World Cup Finals and outperform their rivals once again, advancing to the knockout rounds before a defeat at the hands of Valladares.

The Turorians believe they have always been better. They've performed more consistently. They do things quietly and professionally. The Citizen Squad proved it could fight through adversity, losing their team to a bunch of scientifically enhanced Cocoabo, then winning it back by putting together a perfect 9 match qualification campaign. But the Vilitans don't care. They may not have more trophies than the Turorians. But they do have better ones. Just the one World Cup title would outweigh everything the Turori National Team has ever accomplished... Because they don't have one. And they know it.

When Vilita play Turori in the World Cup 81 Semi-Finals, 65+ cycles of lure, 65+ cycles of so-called curses and 65+ cycles of postulation will finally come to an end. The Island Emirate of Turori will no longer be the nation that can not win a Quarter Final. With those eternal chains broken, is their potential now limitless? More importantly, however, Vilita and Turorian fans will no longer have any excuses. The stakes could not be higher. Vilita and Turori will be playing in a competitive match. A very competitive match. The World Cup Semi-Final. It is the match that could define a generation of generations within the Vilitan Cove. Having gone 65 cycles since their first opportunity without having ever played in the World Cup Finals, it could be another 65 cycles before Vilita and Turori play each other again in the World Cup Finals.

When the full time whistle blows, beit after 90 minutes, 120 minutes or more, either Vilita or Turori will be going to the World Cup Final in the Free Republics. Perhaps more importantly, however, there will be an undisputable answer to the question of which team is better, and fans of the winning team surely won't let the losers forget it.

"You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Wormhole!" - If you are a fan of the hit podshow 'The Wormhole' then those words will likely instill excitement and anticipation for what is to come. Thankfully for those fans, there will be plenty to anticipate as it has been confirmed that 'The Wormhole' has been picked up for another season of episodes.

It is long known that the Tropics of Vilita can't go through a tournament with an unblemished record. Qualifying, Finals, whatever it is, it can't be done. They will always drop points somewhere along the way - very often at the very beginning and very often to an unranked or low ranked nation. But the Jungle Cats can also play the spoiler as they just about did during World Cup 62 during one of their rare Semi-Final appearances as they held an otherwise perfect Dreamed Realm side as the 90 minutes came to a close, the only team through qualifying and the finals to do so. While the Holy Empire would ultimate progress 3-2 after Extra Time and go on to win the World Cup title, the Jungle Cats knew that they were the only side that troubled the eventual champions.

It is also long known that the Island Emirate of Turori can't progress beyond the Quarter Final round of the World Cup. From their first World Cup Quarter Final appearance during World Cup 18, through their most recent in World Cup 80, the Turori National team had one continuous result. Defeat. Time after time. Over the course of 65 World Cups the Turori Eels racked up more Quarter Final defeats than any other team without ever progressing to the Semi-Finals even once. There was one particularly frustrating stretch for Turori during the early 20's in World Cup history where they were eliminated in six consecutive Quarter Final appearances by just three nations repeatedly: Audioslavia, Rejistania and Sarzonia. Audioslavia wasn't done with Turori either, taking down Turori in the Quarter Finals once again during World Cup 69.

Finally, it is known that the Vilitan National Team can never face the Turorian National Team in the World Cup Finals. For 65 World Cups the two nations have co-existed in the quest for the golden trophy. Of course, it would seem like they would have had plenty of chances to play head to head in the World Cup Finals, and they have. Its just known that they can not, so they never have. Not once. Not in the past 65 World Cups. When Turori went to six straight Quarter Finals, Vilita responded with five straight Group Stage exits. When Turori hosted the World Cup they all went out in the Group Stage. Of course, they have come close. World Cup 20 comes to mind. It was one of just two occasions all time where both the Vilitan National Team and the Turorian National Team had qualified for the World Cup Finals in the same World Cup. As was typical, they were on the same side of the draw. If they both won, they would play each other in the semi-finals.

It was the easiest victory Rejistania ever scored. Because Turori can't win Quarter Final Matches and Vilita and Turori can not play each other in the World Cup Finals. Locals have called them the three laws of footsport. Others just call them dumb luck. But they are the only truth anyone has ever known As long as any creature that has ever walked the multiverse has known, these have been the facts of life. Just as Audioslavia always loses Finals and Lovisa Win, Turori always lose in the World Cup Quarter Final and Vilita does not play Turori in the World Cup.

But what if you could travel through the Wormhole and find an Alternate Universe that didn't abide by these laws?

Perhaps you find an Alternate Universe where the landmasses that make up the Vilitan Cove broke apart differently, with the larger portion on the Turorian side of the Cove and what we know as Vilita is actually just a small Island far from the coast. Perhaps they even evolved to name themselves differently. Turita and Vilori?

In this Alternate Universe, anything is possible. Turita can advance beyond the Quarter Finals. Vilori can finish out the last game of a 14 match qualification with a win instead of a draw against an unranked nation.

But what if we dove deeper into the wormhole. What if we could find a place where at least some of the laws of footsport as they are known in the Vilitan Cove, simply don't apply. What if we could take the laws out of the situation the two nations faced only once before, way back in World Cup 20, and remove them. A place where Turori could be permitted to win a Quarter Final match... A place where Vilita were permitted to play Turori in the World Cup Finals... A place called... World Cup 81.

by **Free Republics** » Sun Oct 14, 2018 8:11 am

Designed by 3WD of Vilita

This is your Semifinals Cutoff brought to you by Pompeii Industries! Pompeii Industries: The Official Global Automobile Partner of World Cup 81

by **South Covello** » Sun Oct 14, 2018 8:46 am

South Covello Reaches Final of World Cup!

The South Covello national soccer team, known as the Rebels, have advanced to the World Cup Final for the first time ever after Coconut Charles scored a 29th minute strike, Matthew Tyler made 13 saves, and the team held on against a late Republican push for the victory. South Covello will now face Vilita in the final after they blew out Turori, 5-1. After the game, Matthew Tyler was named Man of the Match for his amazing effort in goal, saving a number of outstanding efforts at goal, many of which would have gone in against a lesser goalkeeper. Tyler has allowed just one goal this whole tournament, against the Equestrian States after Pristina Shine scored a meaningless goal in second half stoppage time to cut the South Covello lead to 3-1. And since Shine is a unicorn, no person has scored on South Covello this tournament. However, given Vilita's outstanding offensive performance in the semifinal, time will tell if that trend will continue to the final.

Before the match, SCSN's live pregame set was preempted as the field was taken over by a debate for the Republican consul position. As many South Covellans had been following the Consul election anyway due to the attention Sebastian Trudeau was getting, SCSN decided to air the debate rather than resorting to regularly scheduled programming. Most, if not all, of the players have indicated they support Scarlett Nicholls and that Sebastian Trudeau is a tyrant in the making, much like Lord Almighty Gregory, though most do not share former President John Green's views that military intervention is likely. However, with the team now remaining in the Free Republics through Election Day, they will be allowed to vote under Republican law, and all have indicated they plan to vote for Nicholls.

The debate, like previous ones, was a total crazyfest, to put it politely, and has since gone viral in South Covello for the rather ridiculous exchanges betwen Nicholls and Trudeau. As expected, Friday Night Live did a parody of it, with porn star (eh, adult entertainer) Busty Daniels reprising her role as Nicholls, wearing an even more revealing outfit than last time, and Sarah Bouvier reprising her role as the sexist Trudeau, wearing reverse drag as she did last time. FNL staff could not confirm whether this was a deliberate attempt to insult Trudeau's ego by having him played by a woman, but it certainly appears so. A transcript of that sketch can be found at the bottom of this article.

In any case, back to the South Covello national team. All eyes will be on the Free Republics as the Rebels take on Vilita from CoCoCo Stadium in Orlandiana. President David Hale has proclaimed the day of the Final a national holiday, so South Covellans can watch the game without worrying about work, school, or anything else. The day after will also be proclaimed a holiday if the Rebels win, so fans can celebrate long into the night. Either way, the vast majority of the country will be watching, either on TV or in person at the stadium. There are watch parties going on all over the country, and the excitement is palpable. South Covello heartbreakingly lost in the semifinals two years ago before their early exit this year, but this is new. This is the biggest sporting tournament in the Multiverse, and South Covello is 90 minutes away from hoisting the trophy. Can they do it? Stay tuned and we'll all see.

Friday Night Live: Republican Consul Debate Sketch

South Covello Pregame Show Host: Good evening and welcome to Soccer Night in South Covello, you're South Covello Soccer pregame - ah, hold on, I'm being told we're being preempted for some sort of debate. We'll show you that instead.

Republican workers carry the set of the pregame show off the field and replace it quickly with a debate set.

Moderator: Hello, and welcome to the Republican Consul debate. To those watching in the Free Republics and around the Multiverse, welcome. Now, let's meet our candidates. First, Scarlett Nicholls!

Scarlett Nicholls: flashes the audience How do you like them apples? They can be yours for the ultra-low price of one vote for me! If I'm elected, we'll all be having sex 24/7 and you can see my boobies free of charge at the Consul Mansion!

Moderator: And Sebastian Trudeau.

Sebastian Trudeau: Go back in the kitchen, vile woman! Make me a sandwich! With mayo and lettuce and tomato and ham and bacon!

Scarlett Nicholls: Of course you want ham and bacon on your sandwich, you pig! I guess that makes you a cannibal too!

Sebastian Trudeau: You like the taste of [BLEEP] don't you?

Scarlett Nicholls: Hell yes! I taste 10,000 [BLEEP]s a day! Because sex is fun! Flashes audience again

Sebastian Trudeau: This is why women need to be controlled by men, so they don't turn out like Scarlett! I'd beat you but you'd probably be aroused by that, you sex fiend!

Scarlett Nicholls: Hey pig man! You want some pig's blood, pig man? Dumps pig blood on Sebastian Take that, pig man!

Moderator: Can we focus, please, it's time to ask the first question. Is booed rowdily

Scarlett Nicholls: You know what, Sebastian! Screw the moderator! pause Figuratively! Pause For now! Let's get him out of here and debate old school!

Sebastian Trudeau: For once I agree with you, harlot!

Scarlett and Sebastian walk over to the moderator, pick up his chair with him in it, and throw it and him off the stage to thunderous applause.

Scarlett Nicholls: Now pig man, prepare to meet more pigs! Throws 16 stuffed pigs at Sebastian's head

Sebastian Trudeau: No, vile woman, prepare to make me a sandwich! Throws sandwich ingredients at Scarlett

Scarlett Nicholls: PIG!

Sebastian Trudeau: HARLOT!

Daniels and Bouvier, now out of character, step from behind the podium and are joined by the rest of the FNL cast at the front of the set.

Sarah Bouvier: We know a number of Republicans watch our show, it's popular all over the world. So to any of you in the Free Republics, please vote.

Alec Alexis: We can't tell you who to vote for, but please vote, for the sake of your nation and the entire Multiverse.

Entire Cast: AND LIVE FROM SOUTH COVELLO IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT!

John Green Travles to Free Republics to Vote for Scarlett Nicholls, Arrested After Trying to Vote Again

South Covello's disgraced former President, John Green, made a huge show of traveling to the Free Republics and voting for Scarlett Nicholls for Consul, while having himself filmed by a TV crew both inside and outside the ballot box. He then traveled by car to a different precinct and attempted to vote for Nicholls again, but was instead arrested for voter fraud.

In a statement from jail, Green said "Sebastian Trudeau must be stopped by any means neccessary. Since South Covello did not let me send a death squad to assassinate him, voting for Scarlett Nicholls as many times as possible was the next best option. Unfortunately, it seems that the Republican authorities like tyranny, hate freedom, and have decided to arrest me. I consider myself a political prisoner and call on the Republican government to release me immediately, at which point I will continue voting for Scarlett Nicholls as many times as possible! Surrender Trudeau!"

David Hale, the current President of South Covello, said the government would not be offering any assistance to Green beyond the normal consular assistance it would offer to any citizen arrested in a foreign country. "Mr. Green has dug his grave and now he's got to sleep in it," Hale said. "His own actions caused this. He is not a political prisoner, and he deserved to be punished. What the Republican authorities choose to do with him is their decision. Of course, our consulate or embassy in the Free Republics will provide Mr. Green the same assistance they would provide any citizen of South Covello arrested in the Free Republics, but we will not be giving him special treatment as a former President."

The Republican government has not yet stated how they will be handling the case. We will of course let you know as soon as we know.

by **Free Republics** » Sun Oct 14, 2018 9:25 pm

News Magazine

Third Round: Scarlett Nicholls 57%, Sebastian Trudeau 43%
By: Matthew DeRose

Liberty Party candidate Scarlett Nicholls picked up a surprising victory over Responsible Progress candidate Sebastian Trudeau in the 3rd and final round of the consul election yesterday. Over 12 billion votes were cast in this round and many were cast by people visiting the Free Republics. The massive international success of this year's World Cup and the buzz regarding Republica's bid for the next Summer Olympics, planned to be held next year, has made the Free Republics a popular tourist destination of late. People from all around the multiverse have become aware of our atmosphere of freedom and our sexual freedom that is virtually unparalled anywhere else (with the possible exception of Jeruselem). This has brought a large number of tourists to the Free Republics to experience the full range of exciting experiences that our nation has to offer. The architects of this campaign, outgoing Consul Robert Nicholls (Unaffiliated), outgoing Speaker Patricia Genovese and Senator Emeritus Hillarion Vasin (Moderate Liberal Conservative), must be pleased by the massive success and the record levels of international tourism and immigration that we've seen this year.

Our consul election made front page headlines throughout the multiverse. South Covello's Friday Night Live program satirized our debates, which were broadcast live on television in many other nations. The battle between Scarlett Nicholls and Sebastian Trudeau has captivated the multiverse for the past year or so and it has now reached its final conclusion. The votes have been counted and there is a new Consul-Elect of the Free Republics.

In a historic moment for women, Scarlett Nicholls became the first woman ever to be elected Consul, winning 57% of the vote in a surprising upset. After Sebastian Trudeau would fall less than a percentage point short of winning in the second round, all observers assumed it was a foregone conclusion that he would be elected our next consul. According to exit polls, the final debate at Olympic Stadium likely won the election for Scarlett Nicholls. Before a partisan pro-Nicholls crowd in her home Republic that also included some South Covellans who were virtually all pro-Nicholls as well, Trudeau had a disastrously bad performance where he repeatedly interrupted Miss Nicholls and seemingly went out of his way to treat her in a manner that women found condescending and offensive. This led to Nicholls winning 62% of the vote from women, according to exit polls. However, she would also win 51% of the vote from men. Reportedly, many men liked Trudeau at first but after the final debate began to question whether his attitudes toward sex were too repressive. Speaking only for myself, I switched my vote to Nicholls at the last minute because I don't want to live in a society where I can't have consensual sex with hot women just because some prudes think that everybody must save themselves for "your one and only soulmate". I think that's a complete load of crock and I'm not going to vote for somebody who wants to take away my right to sleep with girls! Besides, Scarlett isn't exactly Sibylla Croteau and Lydia Henderson. She isn't some sexist bigot who is out to oppress men to "get back at [us] for oppressing women in the past". Scarlett just wants a society where everybody is free to pursue their own dreams.

But enough about my own vote. This result is a historic moment for the Free Republics that will be remembered forever. We now have full gender equality at the highest level of our government. We are now a nation led by a man and a woman. We now have a government that is fully committed to living up to our core values and looking out for all Republicans. Whether you supported Nicholls or Trudeau, this is something to celebrate... (OOC: The remainder of Matthew DeRose's article has been truncated because he discussed Scarlett Nicholls's victory speech which will be posted in the WBC thread.)

Matthew DeRose writes about the Federation Government. He is a graduate of the University of Republica with bachelors degrees in Journalism and Political Science. During his time in college, he interned with the Republica Post. Although the Post didn't have any openings for him upon his graduation, he had left an impression on their editor, who recommended him to Admiral Theriault.

World Cup 81: Roleplay Thread

WC81 QF v. Sargossa | Vilaye Cans

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WC81 - Better with Cocoabo

WC81 QF v. Nephara

WC81 QF v. Ethane

WC81 Semi Final Preview: Vilita v. Turori

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