World Cup 83 - Roleplay Thread

[Banija]

Round of 16 Cutoff for Survivors of Groups A-D

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[Banija]

What the Heck Just Happened? Insane finish sees Banija triumph on penalties against South Covello and advance to the World Cup 83 Quarterfinals


Kadongo Kamu players dance after historic penalty shootout victory over South Covello

JINJA CITY, HANGAZA- The Kadongo Kamu were tasked with taking on the mighty squad from South Covello. And damn, but that atmosphere? The electricity was everywhere, the sparks were in the air. The Banijan fans turned out in full force and then some, wtih every single seat in the Jinja City FC home ground filled, and the street party held downtown seemingly filled to its maximum capacity as well. They turned out across the country, naturally, to watch the beloved Kadongo Kamu in just their second ever knockout stage game, and the excitement levels were absolutely through the roof. South Covello, the fifth ranked national team in the entire multiverse, stepped onto the pitch, to play their Banijan hosts, as favorites and with a strong advantage- their ferocious defense. Between World Cup Qualifying and the Finals, entering this match, South Covello had conceded just one goal across 15 matches. The goal? The Szcerkina Federacy scored once in a 5-1 home defeat, in a goal that would be pretty irrelevant for the match and the overall standings, except for the fact that it was the lone goal that South Covello conceded the entirety of the World Cup 83 campaign.

The excellence of their defensive track record cannot be understated. They only allowed one goal throughout the entire 12 match qualifying campaign. That meant that they had the strongest goals against record for the World Cup Qualifying campaign. But that excellence continued into the World Cup Finals. Entering this match, they had not yet conceded throughout the World Cup Finals. They were the only team to not concede at all through the entirety of the group stage, 3 games against some of the best sides the multiverse has to offer- Kita-Hinode could not crack the code, Banija's World Cup 81 co-hosts the Federation of Free Republics could not crack that code, despite their massive cheerleading section on hand, and the Golden Eagles of Mercedini could not crack the code. While many Banijans may associate South Covello for disliking good cuisine, the football fans among us understand that South Covello has a rock solid defense. In fact, if you talk about some of the greatest back lines in the history of this sport, one goal allowed in 15 competitive matches, at this level, is absolutely a record that they should be proud of. With 22 year old star goalkeeper Matthew Tyler
between the goalposts, and(from left to right) Pat Hauer, Cal Yachtwood, Dmitri Woodward, and Paul Paul across the back line and all under 30, the scary thing is that this defensive core will still be together, most likely, for years to come.

So when Marcus Waters spoke to media in the prematch about the challenges for this game, he spoke about all of them, and especially team captain Matthew Tyler in glowing terms. "To be named the captain of your national side and you are just 22 years old, it is an incredible feat." Said Banijan manager Marcus Waters. "It is a tough role, the captain- you're the outward most facing player on the team, and you have to provide leadership on and off the field. You talk to the referees, you help lead the locker room, help unify the locker room behind the manager, and you have to talk to the media. It's a lot to juggle. And when you are capable of all that just as your career is beginning? There are a lot of raw 22 year olds with talent, don't get me wrong. But to be able to shoulder those responsibilities as well as Tyler has for South Covello, well, it means he's going to be special for many years to come. And that back line is ferocious. Their statistics speak for themselves- just a single goal conceded in their last 15 competitive matches. Just a single goal conceded in the last 1,350 minutes of competitive play. But watch the film on these guys. It's not just talented individuals- they defend as a team. They are all selfless, and crucially, they love defending. Defending isn't like attacking- it takes extra effort, because there's no glory there. But what Richard Hawkins has done with that back line is extremely special."

And so when the Banijans took the field, and the crowd belted out the national anthem, the teams took the field and were ready for the match to begin. It was aggressive, it was fierce. The nerves of a knockout stage match were there, of course, but so was the energy. South Covello got a silver medal in World Cup 81, while the Kadongo Kamu obviously don't' have that kind of history. A lot of the opening spell of possesion was played in the midfield. The South Covellans were trying to keep the Banijans at bay, and the Kadongo Kamu could not solve the puzzle that was navigating the South Covello back line. Balls over the top were excellently cleared. They moved as one when setting offside traps. Any foray into the final third was met with sharp, crisp tackling, and the passing lanes for the Banijans were almost nil. It seemed as if the Banijans were reduced to taking shots from great distances, that would easily float into the hands of Matthew Tyler, or be kept at bay entirely.

It would be South Covello, on the counter-attack, who would have the best opportunity of the first half. In the 29th minute, a pass to Kizza Okafor was intercepted by Gerry Ollivera, and all of a sudden, the Rebels were breaking down the field at blitzing speed. Pillory Cantwell and Steve Danckweed, their lone starter who was on the wrong side of 30, racing up the sidelines while Coconut Charles, the vice captain and the squad #9, held form in the middle of the pitch. Ollivera played the ball outside to Danckweed, who crossed the ball in perfectly to Coconut Charles. Charles chested the ball, and looked to play it off the volley. As he struck the ball, however, it would be Kawsu Kaba that came sliding in, with his left leg getting high enough in the air to deflect the ball over the top of the net, calmly, for a corner kick. It was an excellent defensive play, as a volley from that part of the pitch, inside the 18, would be a fantastic chance for the visitors to put one into the back of the net. Of course, the corner kick didn't amount to much, as the Banijan defense did well to clear the ball away. And after that first half, mostly uneventful but with the Rebels back line maintaining their dominant form, the score remained 0-0.

Marcus Waters, often so great at man management, would go to make a halftime substitution for his side. It would be Okparro who would come off the pitch, and Namakula Kawesa who would play the #10 position. "I thought Kawesa's style of play would be better at breaking down the Rebel Wall in the back." Said Marcus Waters in his post-game press conference, when asked about the substitution. "She's less powerful than Okparro, but she's a little bit quicker and can change the pace, and I thought that could be an advantage for her." Coming out in the second half, she had some great play, and finally, about an hour in, the Banijans were able to truly challenge the opposition goalkeeper. A perfectly timed run saw a ball go over the heads of the back line, and saw Namakula Kawesa race underneath it, to give her a shot at putting the ball on net. As she received the ball at around the 18, however, Matthew Tyler came closing in. She shot the ball in the one on one situation, but Tyler made himself big and saved the shot, knocking it away for Woodward to clear out of play.

That was the first real opportunity for the Banijans to score. But once again, as the match wore on, they were able to start making the opposition defense tired and have other chances. A rare mistake by the Rebels saw Henry Ocho bring down Namakula Kawesa, giving the Banijans a great opportunity for a free kick. Almost perfectly in the center of the pitch, from about 25 yards out. It would be tough, but certainly, it was another opportunity for the Kadongo Kamu. Who else to take the kick, other than the 34 year old captain? And as Chibuzo Afolayan lined up over the ball in the 72nd minute, almost everybody was on the edge of their seat, whether they were in the stadium, listening on the radio at home, or watching at a bar or on the big screen in whatever town they were in. Afolayan was the lone player to stand over the ball- there was no need to have Kahara or Yitebarke stand there, everyone knew who would take the kick. Afolayan struck the ball to the goalkeeper's right, and it looked true. But Matthew Tyler made a fantastic save, moved to his right and diving, all the way across that side of the goal and getting just enough to the ball to knock it out of play, for a corner kick. An incredible save to keep the match at 0-0, and to maintain their incredible defensive record. Kiggwe Basamula came into the match in the 80th minute for Ablie Kah, but no real opportunities for either side were found in the rest of regulation. They went, 0-0, into extra time.

Upon the start of extra time, a third substitution was made by Marcus Waters- Abate Brehanu was introduced to the match for Kawsu Kaba. The 35 year old defender has continued to come into games for big moments, and this was no different. Of course, this was about the point when the game started to turn on its head. With both teams starting to tire, there started to be more space in the midfield, more opportunities in the back, and more room to maneuver for both sides. Quite shockingly, both sides would take advantage of this. This happened first, of course, for the Rebels. In the 101st minute of the match, with just 4 minutes left in the first half of extra time, it would be Coconut Charles who would score the game's opener, and the goal that many thought would knock the Banijans out of the tournament for good. A through ball played over the heads of a clearly tired Selassiee was received by Rebel defender Pat Hauer, who had come all the way up the pitch. A perfect cross to Coconut Charles, who broke the Banijan resistance by heading the ball past Lemuel Bereket and into the corner. It was a stunner, and he quickly ran to the corner flag to celebrate as the Rebel bench mobbed him.

Banija found themselves in a precarious position. They were trailing, 1-0, and up against, statistically, the strongest defense in the multiverse. What were they to do? But give credit to the manager and the players here. They did not get dejected. They did not give up. They had a look of determination on their faces, and they proceeded to try and take the game to their South Covello counterparts. They could not score in the first half of extra time, but that was when Waters used his fourth and final subsitution, with Abesalom Yitay coming onto the pitch for Okafor. And that would be the spark that the Banijans would need to score. Very quickly in this half of extra time, they went down the field, throwing caution to the wind as numbers flew forward. It would be the subsitute with fresh legs who would beat the South Covello defense, as he beat his defender on the run and had a free header. A perfect ball from the captain, Afolayan, saw Yitay head the ball past a diving goalkeeper into the back of the net in the 107th minute. The stadium erupted. The crowd had energy, and they were baying for energy.

The Banijans were not going to play for penalties- not against this goalkeeper. So they kept pushing forward, trying to take the initiative and look for a winner. And just four minutes after the first goal, they were able to put the ball into the back of the net once again. It was a wonder strike- and the strike came from Gitonga Kahara. Kahara, who has had a solid tournament but has generally been outshown by his older counterparts up top, showed everyone why he is considered the Banijan golden boy when he took a touch in, and curled the ball from 25 yards. It was an incredible effort against a goalkeeper as talented as this one, but the ball was hit with both pace and movement, and Matthew Tyler did not stand a chance. The stadium erupted again, as the 111th minute goal meant the Kadongo Kamu led 2-1. It was pandemonium inside the stadium after that strike. The noise was deafening, players were running around like madmen, as Gitonga Kahara had hit what seemed to be the winner in the knockout stages few the World Cup. Kahara himself threw his own shirt into the air, prompting a yellow card from the referee, as he jumped into the crowd. Beers flying, flags waving, drums pounding, the scenes were insane.

But, of course, the match was not over. The Kingdom's team had to defend for 9 more minutes. And while South Covello was known for its rock solid defense, a team does not rise to fifth in the multiverse without having a capable attack. The Banijans packed it in tightly, and the crowd was singing. For the prolonged celebration of Kahara's strike, an extra 3 minutes were added to the 15 minute period. But they would only need one of those minutes. In the 121st minute, one of the latest ever goals in a World Cup on record, they won a corner kick, and at that point, every one of the 22 players on the pitch was in the Banijan box, Matthew Tyler included, besides the take of the corner kick itself. The ball was lofted into the box, and it would be Dexter Yankee who would take charge. He rose above the crowd, and headed the ball back across the face of goal. Bereket and Banijan defenders scrambled to it, but could not reach the ball. It landed in the back of the net, and at that point, the score was level again at 2 goals per team. Yankee put a single finger to his lips to shush the crowd, and South Covello's travelling fans went crazy as the rest of the stadium fell silent. It was a great equalizer, and now, of course, penalties loomed.

The Banijans shot first. The first four shooters on each side buried the ball into the back of the net. Coconut Charles led off for South Covello, and the three that followed him buried their shots as well. ON the Banijan side, it would be Afolayan, then Kahara, then Kawesa, then Yitebarke who would bury their penalties. That meant, from that point forward, it would be one and one. First, the Banijans sent up veteran defender Ensa Camara, the 31 year old left back, to take the fifth penalty. He buried his penalty, and then that would see Henry Ocho, the South Covello midfielder, step up to take his. It was a long walk, and of course, there was pressure- both sides were a combined 9/9 in this shootout, and he did not want to be the one that would miss. Lemuel Bereket lined up across from him, the goalkeeper focused and determined. Henry Ocho went to the goalkeeper's left. Bereket guessed correctly, and the ball was mid goal level, and not hit all the way to the corner. It was a good place for it to be saved, and Bereket got a strong hand to it, hitting the ball out of play. The stadium then exploded once again.

It was a shocking victory for the Banijans. Bereket coming up large. The Banijans scoring more goals against South Covello in 4 minutes(2) than they've conceded in the previous 1,440 minutes of competitive play. The drama. All four Round of 16 matches in Banija went to extra time, but it was only this match that was decided by the drama of a penalty shootout. Banija's next opponent will be the two-time defending world champions, Vilita. The best team in the multiverse. The team to beat. But we'll talk about that in the next edition of this magazine. All I can say is this- wow. What a game. What a performance. What heart stopping drama. How can you not love this sport?

[Ko-oren]

Lunaro Tsukida's Numbers Game

Well, that's it. I really enjoyed writing for all of you during this monumental World Cup run, which ended as a top 7 all-time cycle. And boy, did we learn a lot. But there's a lot more left to learn. Just a small list:

- Is Juliasterinthen still the right man for the Dragonflies? While he led us past the World Cup group stage on multiple occasions, it feels as if we've hit the top of his capabilities.

- Will we ever get through to the quarterfinals? The definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results" and at what point will we finally conclude that the definition 100% fits us? We've played seven Rounds of 16 across the last 20 or so World Cups - and won zero of them.

- What is the next step for the most important players on the Dragonflies? In order to keep growing, it seems foreign moves are inevitable - even if it damages our own Top League.

- What is the midfield going to do, going forward? Yokota and Longchambon are likely the best Ko-orenites at their position ever, so why aren't they valued more? Is this team still all about defence if we're playing a 5-3-2 but honestly operating it as a 4-4-2 most of the time? Is a tactical change needed?

- What should our stance be on the fringe players? How big is the potential pile of national teamers, in the end? Some 16 players are always sure of their national team status - is that too much? Should there be more roster changes, or is stability the way forward?

World Cup Qualification results:
1. Elimination in World Cup Ro16: 7x
2. Nothing: 6x
3. Elimination in World Cup Group Stage: 4x
4. Elimination in Cup of Harmony Quarterfinal: 3x
-. Elimination in Cup of Harmony Group Stage: 3x
6. Elimination in Cup of Harmony Ro16: 2x
7. Cup of Harmony Champions: 1x
-. Elimination in Cup of Harmony Semifinal: 1x

[Starblaydia]

With all the razzmatazz of the last eight of the World Cup giving certain sets of fans from around the world (and Atlantian Oceania in particular) a chance to say that their team has made 'a deep run into the knockouts' and thinking they can 'go all the way', there's a sense that the World Cup is rolling down a road of inevitable Vilitan dominance, as the five-times champions aim for an outlandish threepeat that will not only make them the second team of all time to accomplish it, but would also take them to the top of the all-time list of World Cup Champions, above the legendary names of Valanora and, yes, Starblaydia, who are both in the running for a sixth title, too. But while Valanora have made a sudden rush around the outside from the relatively lowly rank of 21st - and who can even remember the last time they were that low, by the way - to put themselves into contention for a 6th title of their own, Starblaydia have been steadily building their credentials under Ázëwyn Fëanáro, working their way slowly and inexorably up in the previous several tournaments from 50, to 40, to 20, 15, 10 and now, finally in the top ten in the world. For any nation to make it further and get through the next one-to-three games each, they have quite the field to fight their way through.

There are a massive 19 World Championships shared by the eight teams remaining, three of which do not even contribute to that number. The average number of titles is 2.375 per nation remaining, which at this stage is fairly outlandish, to say the least. In one side of the draw, full to bursting of Atlantian Oceania teams, sit the aforementioned Vilita and Starblaydia, one an actual giant at the peak of establishing a dynasty, while the other relying on past glories that can barely be remembered - never mind matched - save by a select few. Never count out a host, either, especially one that has been surging their way up both the rankings and estimations of football fans across the world as Banija has. Both they and Mriin may appear to be outmatched in their résumés against two of the grand old timers of Atlantian Oceania, they're both exactly on the cusp of that one breakthrough performance, stand-out talent or blind bit of luck that can catapult a country's football program into the top ten and make them a force to be reckoned with. Don't count either of them out, but they both have a mountain to climb to make it into the Semi-Finals. But what are mountains for, if not conquering?

In the other side of the draw, this time split 50/50 between Atlantian Oceania and Rushmore, the big beasts are Valanora. They're hungry for a sixth, just like their old rivals in the other side of the draw, because the old adage is correct: first is first, second is nowhere. There are three currently jockeying for first, and this a great opportunity to take up that position as the best of all time. The other host rounds out the sixth of the AO sides, the seemingly perennial and preeminent organisational administrators of Equestria looking to win the Double and claim, perhaps surprisingly, a maiden World Championship in addition to their AOCAF Cup. They would join such side as, yes, Vilita and Starblaydia, as teams who have become the kings and queens of the World as well as the most prominent sporting region at the same time. Facing them are two of the pride of Rushmore, nations who have won the World Cup twice each: Cassadaigua and Eura. The Dagan story of success is only slightly younger than the Starblaydi one, thanks to a back-to-back set of championships when the World Cup hit its fifties, while Eura's two came relatively recently, seven Cups apart in 66 and 73. Neither of them are unaccustomed to this part of the competition, and neither should be taken as anything other than an exceptionally dangerous opponent who have the power to go to the Final and win it all.

Ázëwyn Fëanáro has equaled her best-ever result as a manager already, having made it to the Quarter-Finals of the previous World Cup. Her World Cup record since taking over of Group Stage, Second Round, Second Round, Group Stage, Quarter-Final and now the Quarter-Final again, when Starblaydia hadn't made it to the Finals in the previous four attempts, says everything both about the style and manner in which she's brought the entire nation's football program forward, but also that that the rankings are there to be shaken up by those with the skill, and more importantly, luck to do so.

In the current squad it's players like the strike duo of Aaron Cole and Sutter McCloud, with seventeen of Starblaydia's forty-one goals this campaign between them, who have led the charge, supported by the exceptional talents of players like Kaori Yamaguchi, Calindra Apelles and Arkady Krakowski, built upon foundation of Viola Capodanno and a defence that may not be rock solid, but can concede less goals than the other team more often than not. Ázëwyn Fëanáro's regime isn't just the senior side, however, it runs from top to bottom of the league pyramid from a bunch of pub drinkers huffing and puffing their way across muddy pitches to the glory of the Stadii Di Bradini, from the youngest age group up to the seniors. It's a regime that has seen two trips to the Under-18 World Cup Final in as many tournaments, with gold and silver medals from those two appearances and Starblaydia's first international trophy at any level for literal generations.

This is a good Starblaydi side, there's no doubting that. They are not the world-beaters of old, certainly, but they're better now than they have been in over a century and the fact they are still in this competition means the remaining teams need to sit up and take notice of them. No-one, not even Vilita or Valanora, will want to see Starblaydia lurking in the potential opponents column, because we know what the team in white and purple are capable of on their day.

There are only three days remaining; can it be their day three times in a row?

[Banija]

Can the Kadongo Kamu do the unthinkable? Sizing up the World Cup Quarterfinal with Vilita


Kadongo Kamu players during a training session preparing for Vilita

HOIMA, ANKOLE- The Kadongo Kamu are turning to Mavuto Field for the second time this tournament, in order to face the two-time defending champions, and the world number ones, Vilita. The enormity of the task ahead of them cannot be understated. Vilita are the two-time defending world champions. Vilita are the #1 ranked side in the mulitverse, and it's not even close. They've won this tournament five times overall. As for Banija? Well, this is the first time ever that the Kadongo Kamu have ever made the World Cup Quarterfinals. And while the Kadongo Kamu are certainly on our best ever run of success, with a run to the AOCAF final, a trip to the semifinals of the Cup of Champions, all culminating towards this first ever trip to the last 8 of the World Cup, that doesn't compare with the standard of excellence that VIlita has maintained, and how they intend to maintain that absolutely elusive three-peat. But there is a question in front of all of us, the question that we are afraid to speak out loud. But as journalists, of course, it's a question that must be asked. Can we pull off what would be one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history and put the final nail in the coffin of Vilita, or simply be a footnote in Vilita's historic run of dominance?

Now, think about it like this. Banija, the nation (not necessarily the Kadongo Kamu) is more than a footnote in this historic run of dominance by the two-time defending world champions. When historians talk about it, they'll have to talk about Banija quite a bit. Why? Well, AOCAF LVI, a tournament won by the combined Vilita & Turori side that preceded World Cup 81 and, could say, arguably launched both Vilita and Turori to historic runs, the Banijans appeared. How did we figure? The combined Vilita & Turori side defeated Banija in the quarterfinals of that tournament. For those who don't remember, it would be Turori NTer Kiidallen Aeroluzzi who would score an 85th minute equalizer and an 116th minute winner to knockout the Kadongo Kamu. But the country and Vilita kept crossing paths. In World Cup 81, Vilita was on the Banijan half of the tournament, and as their media reports have mentioned, they've, between that tournament and this one, have played an incredible five games at the Wolf's Den in Busembe. But they successfully navigated Banija, triumphing after their six games in this country, including a semifinal victory over Turori at the Stadium of the Restoration, and advanced to the final, where they triumphed.

There wasn't much crossing of paths between Banija and Vilita in the next cycle- but a pair of former Kadongo Kamu players crossed paths with them in World Cup 82 qualifying. Shockingly, Delbin Kasekende, Berihu Abeselome, and the Busoga Islands actually recorded a win over Vilita, in their own stadium no less, in that qualifying campaign. A return to that stadium in this campaign saw them earn a draw there as well. Surprising resilience shown by our Islander neighbors. And, of course, Vilita are playing in Banija once again, which leads us to this matchup. But these two sides are very familiar with each other. How so, with the relative lack of direct on field matchups? One can credit that to the RBSA's decision to put on the Cup of Champions, as a competitive warmup tournament before the Finals. The Banijans played the Vilitans twice in the Cup of Champions, and while they lost both times, they got great experience against what can only be called the best side in the multiverse(at least, until somebody else wins this tournament and takes that title from them).

Marcus Waters talked about how those two matchups shaped his preparations for this one. "Of course, the two tournaments do not compare in terms of pressure and magnitude- you cannot simulate the pressure of a World Cup quarterfinal for your players." Said Marcus Waters. "But with a veteran squad like ours, having experienced players, who have been playing together, who know and trust each other well, who played for a singular purpose, we understand what has to be done. As for our matchups against Vilita, it will help with the intimidation factor. A pair of one goal losses at that tournament, showed their quality, but that we're certainly capable of not going out and getting embarrassed. One of the biggest benefits of their position is that intimidation. For a nation like Banija, that is relatively new to these proceedings, that is really crashing the old boys club at this stage, that doesn't have stars on our jersey, that has played them with three stars, and seen them add a fourth and a fifth star, it is incredibly tough to play a team like Vilita. The nerves are there because of the stage in the lead-in, but on the pitch, the stars on their jersey can make you play with fear. Knowing their skill level, it can make you play in a shell. Take away your aggressiveness, which plays right into their hands."

"Heck, look at the Busoga Islands." Said the Banijan manager. "They played fearlessly against Vilita three times, and achieved good games three times. They got results twice away from home against Vilita, and that was because they played without fear. But when the pressure of World Cup Qualification was heaped upon them this time around, when Vilita came at the end of World Cup 83 Qualifying, they lost their aggression, and Vilita crushed them. Take a lesson from that. If you just try to sit back against this team, against a team this good, you're going to get crushed. There is nothing you can do about it. Players like Polaox Torerun and Linvoi Warazil, who are going for their incredible fourth individual World Cup titles, are simply too good for you to afford to sit back. So the good thing about having played Vilita already this cycle, is that it humanizes them. We cannot be on the pitch thinking of the stakes, thinking of the moment. While I'm positive that we won't see the exact same tactics we saw against them in the Cup of Champions, and they surely won't see the same tactics that we use, it is something that normalizes them. They aren't simply some mythical, unbeatable team. They are a team that we have played before, and while they are the best in the multiverse, they are human too."

What will be the key for the Banijans? After riding basically the same starting XI for the entire cycle, from AOCAF LVIII to this moment, Marcus Waters is surely sticking with it. Don't stick what's broken, eh? But while he was unlikely to tell us what kind of tactical wrinkles he's throwing in there, know that this is a manager that is unafraid to go for a game. Even in the AOCAF LVIII final, against the more talented Equestrians- he went for it. They lost, but he always is aggressiveness, and plays to win, rather than playing to not lose. Expect Okonkwo Okparro, who has had a quiet tournament, to play a major role. He plays for Makosile United in Vilita, and that kind of familiarity should help him. Maybe not from an on the field standpoint, but from a locker room standpoint. You have to convince the lads they have a chance, right? Expect him to be aggressive early on, as something surprising early from the Banijans could potentially swing the game in their direction.

Vilita are the overwhelming favorites, and they deserve to be. They've got the pedigree and the talent. Banija, of course, has home support, "the 12th man". Vilita fans travel well, and they will certainly fill their allocation, but you can't compare to a World Cup on home soil. The noise levels, the energy levels in Ankole will be on another level, and it will come with excitement. And, of course, the lack of pressure of being underdogs. We don't have the weight of expectation on our own shoulders. Can we contain players like Sipke Tarala, who are at the height of their powers and confidence? It is impossible to say. All we can say, is this. Whatever happens on the field in Hoima, the Banijans will be going out in full force, swinging, and taking their shot at one of the greatest dynasty's in all of sport. And that's all you can really ask, right?

And, of course, as always- go Banija!

[Valanora]

Tobias Möller was pondering what it must be like to be on the cusp of the moment at honors end, inside that maelstrom of a moment that could define an entire journey. Every journey has a beginning, a middle, and an end, that was something that everyone in the entire world knew. What Tobias knew however was that his own personal journey was very near its own end, age had finally began to catch up to him. In a few months he would be sixty and though there was still much he could after the fact, he knew that his managerial career would soon be up, even at Hellinic Rouge back in his homeland. He had come into this tournament knowing that this was the last event that he would be at the helm of the Marauders and had made his peace with that fact even before the Qualifiers had begun. His tenure at the head of one of the most decorated national teams to have entered the World Cup was not a mesmerizing one, but it was one that could have a bit of pride about it, taking control of a team that had no identity and managing to keep it afloat while it found itself. A job well done even if the trophy cabinet had not seen any expansion under his hand.

Everything he did as a player eventually lead to the first World Cup trophy for Pasarga, it was a time that he would never forget even when age started to sap away at his memories. It was moments like that, surrounded by twenty-two other people who had pulled together and somehow managed to do what many thought was impossible for them to do, to bring a World Cup to the dual islands. Such joy was like catching lightning in a bottle and he wondered if everyone who had managed to lift that memorable trophy got the same feeling of elation and joy once the task had finally been completed. It was a far better feeling than that of bitterness, distaste, and disappointment that lingered when he had become the manager of the Wanderers and failed miserable to live up to the same lofty standards of his playing career with the national team, many deeming his time as the manager of the Wanderers a complete failure and tarnishing his legacy. Valanora though, he had been given a second chance with a team of such storied history and synonymous with success at a time that they needed help the most. Perhaps there was a touch of fate that each had found each other when they needed each other the most.

Legacy, that was left to Tobias now in this time at the precipice of the end, what would the enduring legacy of his be when his time came and went, when his body was but dust upon the wind, what memories would be evoked when people spoke of his name? For the longest of times he had pretended that legacy was not something that bothered him, that the opinion of the world was not something that even entered into his conscious at all, had no bearing on his decisions. How had he been so flippant as a player and when he had first started out as a manager, to be such a lightning rod, not realizing the profound effects that his actions and words would have upon others far and wide, like the ripples of stone thrown into a pond. It had served him well for a time but that time had come and gone a long while before and he had to chuckle at his own foolishness in realizing how much he had grown in the last decade because of having the mistakes and troubles that he did. To the point now that things like what he said and the legacy that would be his were constantly on his mind. Perhaps it was true what they said about wisdom coming with age.

Amusingly, there were those on his squad that was getting ready to do battle in the Quarterfinals that had a far greater legacy and history to consider when their own times would come to an end. The elves were such an enigma at time, it was such a struggle to figure out what they were actually thinking or feeling, what the motivations of theirs truly were. It had made being their manager quite difficult, never knowing if the words he spoke would be the type to inspire them or if they were even heard at all by those who had seen and done it all before. They were never rude, in fact they were among those who had always given him quite a wealth of respect, yet their stoic behavior on the surface was quite the challenge. He hoped at least that his words had given them the inspiration needed to continue on when so many of their kin were no longer here, to press forward when it would have all seemed mundane and repetitive to beings such as the elves were. Regardless of the end result of this campaign, Tobias did not envy the person who would have the task of having to manage them in the future, regardless of how great of players they actually were.

One or three, that was left to be, and either way, it was the end of a long journey. Selfishly, Tobias knew how he wanted that journey to end, but redemption had already been found in the journey to get where he was going, it didn't need a trophy to proclaim it to the World. Although being able to say he had won a World Cup as both a player and a manager, well that would be one impressive legacy to have in the history books, though the hurdles to get there were to be as high as any had come before...

[Cassadaigua]

The Circle of Roster Movement,
by Caitlyn Mayer- Forward

I sit here in a hotel in beautiful Canterlot. It is a hotel that caters to the Pony demographic a little more within Equestria, as one can pretty much tell, and I do love that about this country. Ponies are very pleasant with their customer service skills, after all. When the remote in my room stopped working, and I had to call down to the front desk for more batteries, a young pony was up here immediately, apologized, and wished me good luck. They are a welcoming sort, and while I am sure that the Vanorians are staying in another hotel, as there are many to choose from here, their diverse roster surely gets the same treatment. After we defeated Reçueçn, many pundits were quick to point out that we are going to playing an upstart underdog, to one of the most illustrious soccer nations that the world has ever seen. Valanora has won five World Cups, with their fourth being the one right after we won back to back World Cups. The last time they won the World Cup was number 61, so even though many of their fans are ageless, the years have been adding up since they last tasted glory. Ranks mean nothing now, obviously, but I found it interesting that they are ranked only 21st. A show of hands please among the readers out there who don’t think Valanora is a top 20 soccer program. Anyone? Maybe a couple out there, but I’m sure most of you agree that they are. Cassadaigua vs Valanora is not “#16 vs #21 to get into the semifinals”. Cassadaigua vs Valanora is two former great champions with a bit of a lull since they lost won one, trying to recapture that glory. That is truly how I feel, but it is not really what I want to blog about to all of you today.

The Vanorian roster has always interested me. You have people like the eternal Laborious Hawk, who is now 741 years of age. Not everyone on their roster is that old, as their keeper is over seven centuries younger then him, and in fact if I recall right, I think their roster is a lot younger then prior times that I have looked at it. It’s been a while though since we, as a nation, have played Valanora with so much on the line. Hawk and the other players who have been around for centuries have locked down their spots, rightfully, but you have to wonder how the younger players must feel, especially midfielders, knowing that they will never get a shot.

That’s all fine, they can do as they please. I mention it, because it makes me think about my situation. It was in Valanora where I made my international debut, taking part in Di Bradini Cup 41. I was that young player, with great big dreams of what I wanted to accomplish as a soccer player. As a kid, I played against people that I was much better then until all of us got together on that Di Bradini team. I met many great people that year, including one that would be truly critical for me to meet and help me learn to become a more well-rounded soccer player. That player was defender Lupe Enriquez, the type of player that if we were not teammates, would be all over me and that I would probably learn to hate. It was pretty similar for Lupe growing up, playing against forwards who were no match for her. On our team, I gave her a challenge, but she also told me that I was predictable. No one had ever told me that before. As a teenager, and in high school, I was always the leading scorer of my team, and of the smaller competitions that I took part in. Defenders could not stop me. I was a goal scoring machine, and thought I was unstoppable!

Surely, Lupe had to be joking. There was no way that I was predictable. If I was, then how did I ever get this far? She then told me exactly what was on her mind, and how there were things that I did, and did not do that she had picked up on. While she did acknowledge that I was skilled and tough for her to defend, her point was that she would always have the edge on me. So in practice, I put Lupe’s challenge to the test, and man, did she ever kick my ass. After that reality check, we talked more, and I began taking her advice. By the time things were done in the Di Bradini Cup, I felt like I was a whole new soccer player. Lupe became such a close friend of mine after that. As a teenager, I used to hate physical defenders. Now, one of them was a best friend.

Lupe and I are tough on one another because we know that we can make each other better. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for her, and I think she would the say the same about me. She, too, needed to adapt and cut down on some of the antics that she will do in order to get an edge. We have played together now for several tournaments, and it has been a pleasure. For World Cup 83, things would be a little different.

The circle of roster movement is what I named this blog post, and that came to fruition with one Rachel Schanke, the granddaughter of the great Jessica Schanke, who also played against Laborious Hawk in the day, and her accolades do include our two World Cup championships. She was a young player with dreams, who first appeared in the 44th Di Bradini Cup. She would have to take someone’s roster spot, though, as both me and Hannah Ranucci seemed to have those spots locked down. When I became a starter, things were a little easier for me as there were not two starters on the team that figured to be there for a long time. I am still just 27, so I was not ready to surrender my lineup spot. But Rachel had her own tough love in her debut, with some people just thinking that she was part of that team because of her last name and other people expecting to be an elite superstar almost immediately, because of her last name. Like everyone else, Rachel needed time to develop and learn. It was no different for her grandmother either, on our early Di Bradini rosters as we were working our way up to grabbing a World Cup championship. Rachel played well in the last World Cup, and that continued leading up until this one, and that would lead me to get the news.

Our manager, Stephanie Sweeney, handled it in a great way. Did I see the writing on the wall? Maybe a little bit, and when she called me into her office that day soon before our roster was to be officially announced, I knew what it was going to be about. Sure enough, I was informed that I would no longer be a part of the starting lineup, and Rachel Schanke would be getting that spot. That is not something that anyone wants to hear, but my international career is much different then my domestic level career. On the international team, it is about playing for your country, and I could accept that coach had decided to go with Rachel over me. She did add the caveat though, that I would get playing time in every single game, and that there would also be times that we would go to a 4-3-3 formation and I would be in the starting lineup. I accepted the news, and let Rachel know that I would have her back. Rachel and I have been close, and this was not about to change anything. It was not long after the rosters were announced that Cassadagan tabloids were creating headlines that I might not be happy about the change, and it could lead to problems with out chemistry. I didn’t say anything about them, because I mostly found them to be amusing. Anyone that knows anything about me knows that I am a complete team player and that I accepted this news. Rachel Schanke and I actually laughed about it, and honestly in created a thing for us to bond over even more. Up until this point, coach has been true to her word, and I have gotten significant playing time. I’ve learned how to be a substitute. It’s different, but you also know that in being fresh, there is more that you can do against others that may have fatigued. This has benefited me quite a bit. Rachel has done a great job as a starter, and it was her 22nd minute goal against Reçueçn that got us here as it helped up all the way until the end.

That was a lot of writing. From my hotel room, I walk over to the window and see a lot of people who have traveled to Canterlot and are right to have a great time. I see both flags out there in the parking lot adorning vehicles or other accessories. I can relax for now, and get ready for our game tomorrow. All the preparations have been made. Let’s get this done!

[Vilita]

Vilita extend Wolf's Den Winning Streak

The Wolf's Den, Busembe, Kitara, Banija :: Sixteen nations would advance from the Group Stage of the World Cup Finals to get into the knockout rounds, eight of which would be in the Equestria region and eight of which would be in the Banijan half of the draw. As such, teams packed their bags and got on the road from one venue to the next.

The Wolf's Den A.K.A. Vilita's Den

Host nation Banija would travel from Hoima to Jinja City where they would be forced to play at the suspect BCEL Stadium - likely ensuring they did not get the same locker room assigned to them as had been occupied by both the Vilita Jungle Cats and Turori Eels earlier in the campaign.

Five time World Cup Champion Starblaydia seem to have taken motivation from the resurgence of their Atlantian Oceania rivals Vilita and Valanora as they returned to the knockout round in search of adding another star to their crest. Following their matchday 3 fixture against Banija they would also be traveling from Hoima but their destination would be Mynda where they would square off against Kita-Hinode at the Electra Stadium. The winners of the most recent Cup of Champions would be making the trek up from Herzegovina City for the clash.

The Commonwealth of Baker Park would have the honor of playing their final group stage match at the iconic Stadium of the Restoration in the National Capital region but would then have to trek back to Dodoma where Mriin would be waiting for them at the Albert III Stadium.

Mriin, along with South Covello and Vilita would be the only nations not going anywhere after the Round of 16 with their first knockout round match being played at the very same venue as their final group stage match.

While Vilita's Round of 16 opponents would be suffering from travel back from Dodoma in the Bunyoro region after their Matchday 3 victory over Mriin, they had been using the Banijan Royal Naval Academy in Busembe as their team base during the group stage so will have been just as familiar with the sights and sounds of the region despite having not played a match at the home of the Busembe Timberwolves yet during the campaign.

For the Jungle Cats however, it was a place they were as familiar with as any other. With the World Cup being hosted in Banija for the second time in three runnings it was only natural for some of the venues and places to get familiar but none more so than The Wolf's Den in the Kitara Region. Vilita's Round of 16 clash with Apox would be their fourth game at the venue and it all kicked off on the opening Matchday of World Cup 81. It was a rare opening match day victory in the World Cup 81 Finals for the Jungle Cats against the 12th ranked Five-Time World Champion Valanora. It also perhaps served as a passing of the Torch amongst Jungle Cats players as Sipke Tarala opened the scoring with an assist from Berali Tzufarei. Up until that match, it had been Tzufarei that was widely considered the Jungle Cats number one striker having led the nation in goal scoring both for the National Team and even in the Vilitan Stellar Division on the domestic side. With that goal, however, the torch may have been passed to Tarala who would really break onto the scene during the Semi-Final victory over Turori during that same Cup before scoring the World Cup 81 Winning Goal.

After kicking off the World Cup 81 Group stage at the Wolf's Den, the Jungle Cats would travel to Dodoma and New Herzegovina before returning to Busembe to kick off the Knockout Rounds once again at the Wolf's Den. It would be a high scoring affair with Vilita surviving 4-3 over Sargossa setting them on their way to a meeting with South Covello. It was the only venue in Banija that the Vilitan National Team had recorded two victories at during World Cup 81 so when they arrived at the Wolf's Den on match day 3 of the World Cup 83 Finals needing a victory in order to advance to the knockout rounds, many of the players still fondly remembered their time at the stadium during World Cup 81 and took from that a jolt of confidence that would result in the Jungle Cats highest scoring victory in the teams history at the World Cup Finals. The eight goals that Vilita would score against the Macabees also tied the mark for the most goals scored in a single match in all competitions in the modern era for the Jungle Cats.

Scoring that many goals in a single match meant there would be a lot of confidence to go around but when the World Cup knockout rounds begin anything can happen and there was very little room for error. While Vilita had wholly outplayed their opponent on Match Day 3, The Macabees were only ranked 36th in the multiverse coming into the tournament are were likely not as complete a package as the Top 16 nations which would have been favored to reach the knockout rounds. The Jungle Cats had already played two such nations in the 12th ranked Commonwealth of Baker Park as well as Audioslavia earlier in the Group Stage. Both matches were much less high scoring affairs with each ending in a 1-0 scoreline, once in favor and once against the Vilita National Team who controversially dropped their World Cup 83 Finals opener against Baker Park at the stadium with the name of Baker Parks biggest beverage company on the side of the building in the town which Baker Park made their home camp for the Finals.

Much like their two previous matches against Top 17 opposition, the Jungle Cats match against 13th ranked Apox was a hard fought tightly contested affair. The Apoxians were impressive during the Group Stage holding #2 nation in the multiverse Turori to a draw on the opening match day before outscoring Bongo Johnson and Mriin by a combined 10-1 over the final two match days to advance as Group G winners. They certainly would have been disappointed with their reward in playing against the defending World Cup Champions so quickly in the Round of 16 but they were making a strong fight of it as goalkeeper Tregatta Spitfire was confidently denying every Vilitan Chance while Clarissa Ephraim-Garza was a menacing force on the wing taking advantage of the Jungle Cats narrow defensive trio to find space to deliver tantalizing chances to the penalty area that ultimately would go unconverted.

The biggest story of the ninety minutes however was likely the change in goal for the Vilita Jungle Cats as Vernasa Sanamun gave way for Mako Canopii. Sanamun, the Kiiarana City net minder, has been in the shadows of Vilita's top two in Canopii and Cilamara Issah of Lonngeylin Coast for a number of seasons but seemed to finally have earned a chance to fight for the #1 Goalkeeper Spot after a strong showing in the Seventh Cup of Champions, also held in Banija, where the Jungle Cats finished in third place. However, the Wolf's Den had been good to Sanamun who was the goalkeeper of record at the arena during the World Cup 81 Knockout Round victory over Sargossa in Busembe as well as during the 8-2 victory over The Macabees at The Wolf's Den just one match day prior. As a result, Sanamun was rewarded with another start but it only lasted forty five minutes as Mako Canopii came out with the gloves in the second half and saw the match through to the end of regular time with no score. While it is unclear whether there were any issues for Sanamun, it did ensure that the Vilitan national Team went into the extra 30 minutes of play with fresher gloves which could have been particularly useful if the match had required penalty kicks.

For a time it looked very much that it would as the first half of the extra time came and went with no serious challenges on goal and the players were looking tired around the pitch. Both teams had made their final substitutions with an eye towards a possible spot kick session with the Jungle Cats introducing Enzoril Alabonni in place of Limu Katarakhna at half time in the extra session. However, Alabonni's services would not be needed as Fishtii Blikala who had come on as a substitute in the second half of regular time would break the deadlock in the 118th minute leaving Apox no time to respond.

Blikala, who had just one goal during the World Cup 82 Finals and just two throughout the course of the twelve-game World Cup 83 Qualifying campaign, had netted their fourth goal in two matches for the Vilita National Team at the World Cup 83 Finals and it would be a history making goal as it would be the game winner that would send the Jungle Cats to the Quarter Finals of the World Cup for the fourth straight running of the competition, the first time in the long sporting history of the nation that they had put together such a string. While it was nothing compared to the long string of Quarter-Final appearances amassed by the all time greats such as Valanora, it was still a mark to be proud of for the #1 Team in the Multiverse who would continue onward in their quest to become just the second team in history to win three consecutive World Cup titles.

Vilita [1] - [0] Apox

:: Vilita Goalscorers :: :: 118' Fishtii Blikala

:: Vilita Statistics :: :: Possession: 56% :: Shots on Target: 5 :: Corner Kicks: 12

:: Apox Statistics :: :: Possession: 44% :: Shots on Target: 6 :: Corner Kicks: 11

---

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. Apox ::
[GK] Vernasa Sanamun, [D.] Kwuimekii Hentetii, [D.] Inbekira Ajhabekk, [D.] Linkat Cjinder, [ML] Polaox Torerun, [MC] Intikko Kuhilana, [MC] Cywrenta Vlintejni, [MC] Limu Katarakhna, [MR] Kudii Davasarii, [FC] Nii'arala Milaaso, [FC] Sipke Tarala
BENCH::
[FC] Fishtii Blikala, [FC] Enzoril Alabonni, [M] Jurzen Devmiko, [M] Lentali Purama, [U ] Linvoi Warazil, [D] Jirak Trikala, [GK] Mako Canopii

---

[Recuecn]

Reçueçn was going home.

They had made if further than anyone thought possible. No one had expected the minuscule nation to qualify, let alone make it out of the group stage. Certainly disappointed to be eliminated after such a close game against Cassadaigua, the Unicorns' fans were all the same largely able to look on the sunny side--they were just happy to be there.

Only a year earlier, this would have been impossible. Organized sport had essentially ceased to exist in the nation--the national football league was defunct, the national team disbanded, and sport essentially continued at only the amateur level. But the turnaround came in the blink of an eye.

It all began with the creation of the Reçuecian Ministry of Sport. Originally created to remedy the lack of a professional soccer league in the country, the ministry's goals had steadily expanded to included international, not just domestic football, and then other sports besides. After half a season of league play, Reçueçian players left their clubs for the international break, but now they had somewhere to go. The ministry of sport, after some disagreement with the Reçuecian National Football Association, took over the RNFT, and put Jacques Tremblay back in charge. Testing the waters, the Unicorns first visited Drawkland for the 7th IAC, where thye took home the bronze. That practice came in very useful afterwards. Tremblay's rigorous training also played a big role, we can only assume, in Reçueçn's qualifying performance for the world cup, which was just enough to win them a playoff spot, which they then capitalized on.

Thus, within a single world cup cycle, Reçueçn's return to international football brought them from being totally unranked and unheard of, to being a proud, top-50-in-the-multiverse team with a historical achievement. More research will have to be done to see when was the last time a team that qualified from an unranked position made it to the knockout phase of the world cup.

The players on the RNFT, despite being eliminated in the round of sixteen, will return to Reçueçn to a hero's welcome. Multiple parades have already been planned. The players are stars now in their own country--particularly Gerauld Firaut, the team's captain and goalie, who the RNFA nominated for goalie of the tournament. In 19 games against the toughest competition in the tournament, he let in only 14 goals. Not as impressive as some keepers, perhaps, but the context must be remembered.

One thing is certain--although the dream this year has ended here, the story of Reçuecian football is just beginning. The passion for soccer kindled last year has finally blazed into a bright flame, and Reçueçn's accomplishments this world cup have only added fuel to that fire. Give the Unicorns a moment to celebrate--to live in the present--but be ready, because they're looking toward the future.

[Eura]

emplor.eur/main/sport/football
COUNTER-ATTACKING EURA TAKE THEIR CHANCES
Tactical flexibility of Brandon praised as Farfadillis beaten
Report by our Euran international team correspondent Isabel Haynes at Elements Stadium, Ponyville, Equestria

EURA - 3
Underwood 49, 61
Armstrong 81 (pen)

FARFADILLIS - 1
Eleonóra 66

A gameplan from Michael Brandon straight out of the Daniel Belgrave era playbook of Euran tactics proved vital to a hard fought victory over one of the best teams in the world, Farfadillis, where Eura had their tactical set up as well as clinical finishing to thank for the win.

There was good reason to believe Brandon might try something different in this game. Eura have a history with Farfadillis, one of the world's strongest sides despite their poor record against Eura in previous games. Every one of those games has been characterised by the outrageous and explosive aggression of the La Vherderoja, or the Farves as they are better known among foreigners. In most cases this has played in Eura's favour - including a World Cup third place play off that Eura won - but on this occasion Brandon was reportedly determined to avoid exposing his side's back line to the ultra-attacking Farves, whose attacking prowess would threaten Eura if caught playing their normal game, which during this campaign has involved substantial defensive fragility. Instead he opted to field a distinctly counter-attack based formation and lineup that reinforced the midfield and gave the defence a narrower task to focus on. Brian Bond surprisingly dropped out with Oscar Coltrane being moved to the left, the benefit being that the vacant attacking midfielder could instead be a defensive midfielder, John Talbot. The Spartangrad fixer has been out of the starting lineup since Monica Rowland started making an impact. He would play as an anchor man behind Rowland who herself would play a more all-round "box to box" role than usual, with Liam Armstrong serving as the passing metronome in central midfield. Blake, Burns and Griffin all returned to the starting lineup.

Farfadillis for their part made absolutely no compromises on their all or nothing style. It would be the usual go for broke Farf edition of the 3-5-2 on display, a setup that had raised hell for many opponents over the years. Kickoff was greeted with a noisy crowd in the Elements Stadium and the Farves went for it from that very moment. It was only two minutes into the game that they registered their first shot. Lojes de Sájajo wrapped his foot around the ball and curled it towards the top left hand corner from inside the area having not been closed down by a sleepy Euran defence. Robert Griffin was caught flat footed and only spared an early concession by the surplus of power on Sájajo's shot carrying it over the bar. Following this early scare Eura tightened up at the back and in midfield and settled into a new kind of pattern; absorb the Farves pace by packing out the centre of the pitch and closing down every loose ball, force them into the channels or back, regain the ball when a mistake came, and counter. It was nothing revolutionary in terms of tactical ingenuity but this was an uncommon departure from the attractive, free flowing football Eura are known for. On the basis of this selection and formation, no-one could accuse Brandon of being naive or nostalgic any longer. He'd just borrowed a tactic from his more defensive predecessor Belgrave after all.

Half an hour of ineffectual probing against this red and gold trap produced nothing of interest. Pundits around the world looked on confused. How could Eura versus Farfadillis be a dull game? he deadly frontline group of Farves comprising of Holsteiner, Êns, Wceil, rue Cazade and Sájajo had been stunted until this point. Eura had shown little attacking intent whatsoever. A moment then came that seemed much more familiar. Wceil broke free and rampaged into the box past a stumbling Charles Roberts. A couple of stepovers later and Wceil had Roberts on the floor and an easy cutback to Êns available. He took it and then watched as his Spartangrad teammate Harvey Blake threw out a strong left leg to divert the ball behind, perilously close to the left hand post and a potential own goal. Blake was given a few strong words of encouragement by his teammates after the move concluded, well deserved after having been dropped previously due to doubts about his ability. His heroics aside, Farfadillis had almost walked it in which was alarming for the Euran's and they responded by eliminating any lingering complacency in their game. The Farves corner was less productive, easily collected by the recalled Griffin, who then gave the ball a thorough lump into the opposing half. Grifin's innocuous long ball was more than just a clearance. It was a sign of things to come as the ball bounced awkwardly for Kósa Bajnok allowing Dion Underwood to take the ball down, close on goal, and then waste his opportunity with an under hit shot straight at Íüé Tgô.

Energetically huffing and puffing against the Euran's firm defensive line had achieved nothing for Farfadillis. Eura's plan was working. At the break they were forced to reflect on this with the stats showing that Rowland, Talbot and Armstrong had dominated the space in front of the defence in possession and successful tackles. Neither Zsolgar Zsase or Sürgân t'Öéséné had broken the Euran midfield stranglehold. Meanwhile Eura's defenders had noticeably improved on previous performances - much more than before now they resembled a cohesive unit rather than a group of talented individuals forced to fit around each other. It appeared the changes made for this game had been the right ones. Brandon must have felt vindicated when, four minutes into the second half, Farfadillis lost the ball barely inside Eura's territory and then were forced into retreat. Lacking a cohesive shape when defending and having failed to play an effective offside trap, it was strangely easy for Townsend to feed Underwood for a simple finish past Tgô that put Eura 1-0 ahead. It was a wonderful way for Underwood to mark his 150th cap, scoring his 96th international goal. Another, similar offensive moments after kick off allowed Coltrane to run through with only one defender to beat, cut inside and swing the ball around the goalkeeper only to clip the outside of the post and go out for a goal kick.

What would come to define the game was the second goal which tore the fixture away from the Farves and put one Euran foot in the door for the next stage of the tournament. It was typical of every aspect of the match. rue Cazade hesitated outside the box after a short and indecisive run allowing Rowland to slip in and dispossess him, running backwards and into her own box with the ball at her feet. To reactions of various stripes, perhaps mainly amazement, she single-handedly drove out to the right side (ignoring Scott Coles, her own fullback) and then hit a stunning long ball down the touchline with her right foot. The ball cutback inside on the bounce and Bajnok controlled it poorly. It came off his left foot and went right to the feet of Underwood, who then knocked it past him and burst into space. Underwood bore down on goal and could see his name in lights already; he was going to be the subject of every newspaper headline in the country. However he endangered all of this by taking the final risk of rounding the keeper, leaving Tgô in the dust and Euran hearts in mouths as it looked like Underwood would run the ball out of play. Not so; Underwood's gamble paid off as he regained control of the ball and rolled it into an empty net to complete a fantastic counter-attack.

After the second goal the match opened up a bit. Farfadillis made two immediate changes to try and save the game. Holsteiner was surprisingly subbed off after another underwhelming performance, to be replaced by the hugely promising seventeen year old wonderkid Edmün Çídh. Then Lázár Eleonóra took to the field in place of Sájajo prompting a nervous reaction from the Euran fans. Eleonóra was an icon in Euraleague and fundamental to Holdenberg winning the Gold League title and therefore every Euran present knew exactly what the former Gold League Player of the Season was capable of. Bringing on both these players proved to be a masterstroke on the part of Farfadillis manager Ichi Tuzzio. They combined to pull a goal back, Eleonóra breaking the resistance of Eura's increasingly solid back four by exchanging a cheeky one two with Çídh outside the box. This cut defenders out of the game and put Eleonóra through and onside, a perfect position from which he was able to stroke the ball past the helpless Griffin. More chances followed for the Farves. Eleonóra, Çídh and Wceil all went close within the next ten minutes. However, Eura were themselves able to regain control of the game and dictate terms by bringing off an exhausted Talbot for the more youthful Frank Bevan.

It was this assertive move that laid the groundwork for the third goal. The eightieth minute had ticked over and the opposition were tiring, particularly in midfield. Therefore Bevan was put under no pressure when he drifted through the centre circle with the ball just nine minutes from time. He took advantage of the preponderance of time available to him to pick out a pass to another substitute on the left, the in form Bond. Bond is not a man for subtlety and he did something not many Euran wingers and strikers are willing to do - went direct, diagonally, from only just inside the opposition half. The ball floated for a moment then came down to a chaotic scramble for the first touch. It appeared to end with a clearance, but then the referee called play back for a foul, and in turn a penalty, to be awarded to Eura. In the confusion prompted by this well taken opportunity the midfielder Armstrong had been felled at the ankles. Armstrong took some time to compose himself before taking the spot kick as he has done at times in the past. It had been a while. Since his infamous last minute penalty miss against the Free Republics, he'd been reluctant to lead on taking penalties. This time there was no anxiety to be seen. Armstrong stepped up and laced the penalty into the top right hand corner without any hesitation or a hint of pressure.

The final minutes of the game and stoppage time were difficult for many Euran's to watch despite their 3-1 lead being realistically enough to put Farfadillis out of action. Edgy chances went to the opposition and nearly came to something, yet were dashed at the last attempt each time. Brandon visibly relaxed his shoulders when full time did come and was beaming by the time he reached Tuzzio for the handshake. Tuzzio looked disappointed for good reason. His Farfadillis team had played mostly well and been the better side for the first half an hour, however they had once again failed to meet expectations back home by going out to Eura at this stage. In the press conference afterwards Brandon was full of praise for his players while staying noticeably silent on his own contribution as the main tactician. 'We were facing an extremely difficult test today and have passed with flying colours. I'm really proud of them all, they've done brilliantly. When you think about where we've come from and what we've been through its all the more impressive.' Another impressive victory had given him good cause to be cheerful. However Eura's focus must now shift to the quarter-finals where they will face co-hosts Equestria at Diamond Park in Stalliongrad. Its unlikely Eura won't revert to their usual system for this game. What will be more interesting to see is whether the return of dropped players in defence and in goal is permanent, and who will make the cut to support Underwood in Eura's attacking areas.

[Vilita]

WORLD CUP 83 SPECIAL EDITION

More Fans than ever Competing for Lifetime Supply of Vilaye

Vilisorma Beverage Company Headquarters, Vilisorma, Vilita :: It was during the World Cup 81 Finals in Banija and the Free Republics that the Vilisorma Beverage Company ran their first ever multiverse-wide mega promotion dubbed "Cans for All". In the "Cans for All" promotion, fans from around the multiverse had been invited to submit their nation to be featured on Vilaye Energy Drink cans much like the Nations from in the World Cup Finals had been featured for the special edition World Cup Cans. In addition to potentially having their nation featured on a can of Vilaye Energy Drink, each submission would also be entered to win a full set of Vilaye Nation Cans including the full 33 Can World Cup 81 Set in addition to the 7 winning entries to the Cans for All competition for a total of 40 special edition commemorative cans. In that contest, 50 winners were chosen from around the multiverse that each received one full set of the 40 Special Edition Commemorative Cans while 10 Super-Winners received 10 sets each of the Special Edition World Cup 81 Commemorative Can set for a total of 150 Commemorative Can Sets gifted out - 6,000 Cans worth.

For the World Cup 82 Finals, the Vilisorma Beverage Company raised the bar once more with their "Cans for Life" promotion where throughout the group stage matches of the World Cup 82 Finals in Valanora and Apox, any fan who stopped by a Vilaye Energy Drink tasting booth at an official World Cup Finals venue or fan-zone would have the opportunity to enter the Cans for Life Contest. At the conclusion of the group stage, sixteen fans would be chosen and randomly paired with one World Cup 82 Knockout Round qualified nation. From that point forth, no matter what nation the contestant called home, they would have a new team to root for as the winner of the Cans for Life promotion would be the contestant who was paired with the eventual World Cup 82 Champion.

There was, however, a catch - or a quirk to the contest. There were only fifteen finalists and sixteen nations competing in the World Cup 82 Knockout Rounds. No single fan was assigned to the Vilitan National Team. Instead, should the Vilitans win the World Cup then all Fifteen "Cans 4 Life" finalists would become winners regardless of how well the nation they were already paired with had won. The majority of Vilaye "Cans 4 Life" finalists were paired with a nation which they were not resident in adding an extra bit of intrigue to the competition as finalists selfishly rooted for a rival nation in their quest for Energy Drink supply immortality. No one, however, could have predicted the somewhat awkward conclusion to the competition for one contestant in particular, 22 year old Astrology Major Orani'arua Nikaa'o of Turori. For Nikaa'o, unlike the other 14 finalists, the World Cup 82 Final in Valanora was not a particularly happy occasion. All Fifteen Vilaye 'Cans 4 Life' Finalists were invited to the World Cup Final where they had access to a luxury box seat section shared between the Vilisorma Beverage Company and the Immortal Drawian Ruler Iarocav. For one day, fans of Vilita, Qasden, Cosumar, Krytenia, Baker Park, Banija, Bongo Johnson, Saltstead, The Holy Empire, Omerica, Drawkland and the Cocoabo Forest united to become temporary fans of the Vilitan National Team. If Vilita won, they would win. If Vilita lost, they would lose. When Vilita scored they would all cheer together.

For Nikaa'o, however, there was no anticipation. No need to root for Vilita in order to win. The astrology major was the last remaining contestant eligible to win the promotion on their own as they were assigned Turori, Vilita's opponent in the World Cup 82 Final. For the Turorian, the joy and excitement of winning the 'Cans 4 Life' Promotion came at the moment that his team, Turori, were triumphant in a high scoring 6-3 victory over Farfadillis in the World Cup 82 Semi-Finals. Even if Nikaa'o was in the same situation as the other 14 Finalists - Needing Vilita to win in order to claim their prize, they still wouldn't have rooted against their native Turori as the Eels searched for their first ever World Cup Title. But they weren't. They had already won the grand prize. Cans for Life or the Cash Equivalent was assured for Nikaa'o. Now, all they wanted was to watch Turori win the World Cup.

Throughout the match, every time Vilita scored a goal the camera would ultimately pan over to the Iarocov box showing jubilation from 14 finalists and their guests all wearing Teal - and one slumped over university student wearing Eelskin Brown with head in hands. It was one of the most iconic images of the World Cup 82 Final and one that brought changes to the promotion when Vilaye Energy Drink brought 'Cans 4 Life' back again as a promotion during the World Cup 83 Finals.

To broaden the scope of the competition, each nation that was qualified for the World Cup Finals and had a licensed distributor of Vilaye Energy Drink in their country was given the framework to run their own "Cans 4 All" promotions with three winners in each country getting a full set of World Cup 83 Commemorative Vilaye Energy Drink cans. One of those three winners would also be eligible for the Grand Prize of "Cans 4 Life" being paired with the same nation that was running their local promotion for the duration of the World Cup Finals.

In addition to the local "Cans 4 All" winners in each of the 32 World Cup qualified nations, the Vilisorma Beverage Company would also continue their process from the previous running of their promotion by allowing any fan who stopped by a Vilaye Energy Drink tasting booth at an official World Cup Finals venue or fan-zone during the World Cup 83 Group stage in Equestria or Banija to have the opportunity to enter the Cans for Life Contest. At the conclusion of the group stage, sixteen fans would be chosen and randomly paired with one of the sixteen remaining nations in the World Cup 83 Round of 16. From that point forth the contestants fate in the promotion would be linked to that nation and they would only win the "Cans 4 Life" Grand Prize if that nation won the World Cup Title. The result was that every Nation in the World Cup Finals could be playing for two Grand Prize winners - not just one, with at least one of them guaranteed to be a local from that nation.

With The Round of 16 already completed just 8 Nations Remain and the contestants assigned to those 8 Nations in the World Cup 83 Knockout Rounds will be watching intently as their nations compete in the World Cup Quarter Finals.

---

Wolf's Den set for Vilitan takeover

The Wolf's Den, Busembe, Kitara, Banija :: When the full time whistle sounded at the end of 120 minutes of action in the World Cup 83 Round of 16 fixture between Vilita and Apox at the Wolf's Den in Busembe, it signalled the end of the tournament for Apox as well as for the City of Busembe as it was the final match of the competition scheduled to be played at the home of the Busembe Timberwolves. Apox, who were camped just down the road at the Banijan Royal Naval Academy and were training at the Busembe Timberwolves training grounds would be packing up their things and heading back home. The Vilita Jungle Cats, winners of two matches at the Wolf's Den already during the World Cup 83 Finals, had been camping 45 minutes northwest in the capital region of Busukuma, sharing the Busukuma AC facilities between their two consecutive matches in Busembe, but would be headed immediately out and up to Hoima, home of Banija Air and three quarters of a mile above sea level to ensure they were acclimated to the climate ahead of their Quarter Final fixture with the host country Banija.

Yet, despite their services no longer being required in support of World Cup 83, there was still activity at the Wolf's Den in the days following the conclusion of the Round of 16 match. Officials were going in and out of the arena, personnel dressed too nicely to be passing tourists took laps around the arena, pointing at things as they went along, making odd hand motions in the shape of a picture frame at such an angle that others in their group could look through them. One local who had a window view opposite the stadium took a keen interest in the unexpected activity at the arena documenting some of the high points on their twii.tur account.

After watching the groups visiting the stadium for some time, they noticed one of them unfolding a banner with something on it. "Tiones Lumber Field at The Wolf's Den" was inscribed on the banner which one of the members of the group.

With all of the matches that the Vilitan National Team had contested at the Wolf's Den between the World Cup 81 and World Cup 83 Campaigns, coupled with the fact that the Vilita National Team hadn't lost in any of those games, The Wolf's Den had become something of a home away from home for the Vilitan National Team. Executives from some of the biggest and most involved in sports marketing companies from Vilita watched on in agony as the Jungle Cats opened their World Cup 83 campaign at a stadium sponsored by a company from their opponents nation, in a town where their opponents had made their base camp. As the Jungle Cats dropped three points in what was effectively an away game on neutral soil, some Vilitan companies wondered if they should be more active in creating opportunities like those created by the Commonwealth of Baker Park contingent at the BCEL Beverage Company Stadium in Jinja City. They had seen the multinational entity CoCoCo purchase naming rights to the New City Stadium in Orlandiana, Free Republics ahead of the World Cup 81 Finals and a further increase of such activities in other Nations.

With their disposable income and desire to expand their presence throughout Atlantian Oceania, two Vilitan companies stepped forward and made proposals to the Fadron Pizza company of Taeshan, owners of the Busembe Timberwolves and their stadium. Toys '4' All put forth perhaps the more aggressive proposal, looking to buy out the team completely from Fadron Pizza and become not only the naming rights sponsor for the field but also kit sponsor for the team and setting up a giant Toys '4' All boutique store on the grounds. It was perhaps an easy out for the Taeshani Pizza company but a little too much, too quickly for them to consider especially when they had another, simpler offer on the table.

In stepped Tiones Lumber. With its original roots in Turori, the Tiones Lumber corporation opened up their Vilitan base in Yeaddin priding itself in 'renewable lumber operations' - with 100% of its product coming from purpose-operated 'Lumber Farms' ensuring minimal impact on the local habitat. Tiones Lumber had some rough years during the initial standup of Tropicorp due to the influx of Lumber from clearing efforts in Tropicoast. However the Long-time sponsors of the Vilitan Stellar Division's Yeaddin Owls AFC survived the rough patch and worked to take advantage of the influx of raw material to once again be the leading Lumber provider in the region. Having to adhere to strict re-planting regulations within Vilita, Tiones Lumber developed a process for minimum impact renewable Lumbering as well as a state of the art lumber re-purposing process that rejuvenated its business and opened up interest from outside the Vilitan Cove region. However, short of its sponsorship of Vilita and Turori Motorsports in the NationStates Stock Car Racing Association and its kit sponsorship of the Yeaddin Owls, Tiones Lumber had done minimal advertising outside of the Vilitan Cove. Instead, the majority of their overseas projects came through referrals originating from within the Cove.

That would all change when Tiones Lumber submitted their proposal to the Fadron Pizza company to become the Naming Rights sponsor for the Wolf's Den Arena. It would be a simple Naming Rights Deal with the addition of a small Tiones Lumberjack Fan Zone to be added outside the arena and be staffed during the Banijan domestic season to allow fans and locals to learn more about Tiones Lumber, its processes and to get a chance to try their hand at some Lumber Related activities. While no official announcement is likely to be made until the conclusion of the World Cup 83 Finals, it has now been widely speculated that an agreement has been reached with the Fadron Pizza company that will see the stadium rebranded to the "Tiones Lumber Field at The Wolf's Den" for the start of the upcoming Banijan Soccer League season.

[Equestrian States]

-WORLD CUP 83 - ROUND OF 16-
Pristina Shine Stuns Sargossa
Forward's last minute strike keeps Equestria's title dream alive
by Steve McNotapony

Sargossa 0-1 Equestria
at Wild Grounds in Everfree, Equestria
Attendance: 60,452
Scoring:
Pristina Shine '90+4 (R. Tyler)

EVERFREE - With seconds to spare in the Equestria-Sargossa second round match at the 83rd World Cup, a despondent mood had set in amongst the purple-clad Equestrian supporters at Everfree's normally raucous Wild Grounds. After a number of calls had gone against the Ponies, things felt alarmingly familiar to those who have followed the Equestrian national team for more than just the last several years: bad luck combined with even worse timing combining to result in an earlier-than-hoped-for elimination of the Ponies from what had once seemed to be a promising tournament. Then suddenly, a ray of hope: a poor pass from Luís Vazquez seized by Rosie Tyler, a brilliantly-timed run by Pristina Shine, a mad dash by the Equestrian striker towards the net, and then... a jubilant chorus of delirium. But how did we get to that moment of pure ecstasy?

The Everfree Forest was buzzing with excitement in the hours leading up to the match. Although many local hoofball fans had been hoping that Equestria's second round fixture would take place in Cloudsdale, where the winners of Group A had been scheduled to play, it was some consolation that Everfree, home to arguably the country's most passionate supporters, would be hosting the Ponies' first knockout stage game. Tens of thousands of Equestrians crammed onto the streets near the appropriately-named Wild Grounds, eventually filling the stadium well past its seating capacity, with several thousand fans accepting standing-room tickets. Supporters were optimistic ahead of the first whistle. Sargossa was a good team, of course, but the Ponies had been convincing in their win against Cosumar to clinch a spot in the second round, and the talent that had delivered Equestria its first regional title was basically all still there. The champions of Atlantian Oceania were surely better than the quarterfinalists of Rushmore, right?

Things started to go wrong almost immediately for the Equestrians. Before the first ten minutes were out, Arctic Lily was being helped off the pitch after taking a blow to the head in a midfield aerial battle. She was replaced by Ironhoof, a talented defender, but a much younger one and not nearly as experienced in high-stakes matches as the veteran Arctic Lily. This inexperience showed primarily in Ironhoof's first few minutes, as the Corsairs exploited a pair of errors by the young unicorn to create a couple scoring opportunities that were thankfully dealt with by Gentle Breeze. Ironhoof would settle down as the match went on, and put together a commendable performance considering how it began, but the Ponies were fortunate to have a world-class goalkeeper capable of mitigating what damage might have otherwise been done.

As the first half came to a close, the Equestrians had their best chance of the opening 45 minutes, as Rainbow Blitz appeared to be played through by Aarón Aiza, but the assistant referee's flag came up to signal offsides. Rainbow Blitz and the Ponies were incensed at the call, and though it was close in replays, it appeared that the call was incorrect. Thus, the team went into the break visibly frustrated at having been wrongfully denied a crucial scoring opportunity. Perhaps inspired by this perceived injustice, the Ponies came out swinging in the second half, hammering away at the Sargossan defense. However, the Equestrians' aggression nearly came back to haunt them, as it opened up the possibility for Sargossan counterattacks, which forced Gentle Breeze into several more saves. Manager Pearly White reined in her team a bit after twenty minutes of relentless attacks followed by counters from the Corsairs.

The match wore on, and even the Ponies' players eventually began to wear down in Everfree's humid jungle climate, slowing the pace of play considerably. Aarón Aiza and Rainbow Blitz made way for Krystal and Rosewing as Pearly White tried to keep her attackers' legs fresh for a final push. That final push began in the 83rd minute, as the Equestrians again pressed numbers forward in an attempt to stave off extra time. In these conditions, extra time might as well be a coin toss. One tilted slightly in the Ponies' favor, perhaps, but not one that the Equestrians were willing to risk. Pristina Shine and Rosewing led the charge, but Roberto Penedo and the Sargossan back line held firm, keeping the Ponies at bay. By the time the board was raised to signal four added minutes, both sides seemed resigned to the necessity of extra time.

Then, it happened. A chance out of nothing. Perhaps Luís Vazquez was just tired and didn't put enough on his pass, perhaps he misjudged where his teammates would be, but Rosie Tyler made no such mistakes and the attack was back on in an instant. Pristina Shine recognized the opportunity and quickly dashed by the Sargossan midfielders and defenders as Tyler chipped a through ball straight to her. The unicorn deftly skipped around Roberto Penedo and fired home with practiced ease. Wild Grounds exploded as Pristina Shine was mobbed by her teammates and the celebration in the stands was still raging as the final whistle blew. The Ponies had survived to fight another day.

WORLD CUP 83 - ROUND OF 16 RESULTS
 Valanora 2–1 Ko-oren 
@ Sky-High Coliseum in Cloudsdale, EQS
 Cassadaigua 1–0 Reçueçn 
@ Star Stadium in Canterlot, EQS
 Sargossa 0-1 Equestria 
@ Wild Grounds in Everfree, EQS
 Eura 3–1 Farfadillis 
@ Elements Stadium in Ponyville, EQS
 Banija (5) 2–2 (4) South Covello 
@ BCEL Stadium in Jinja City, BNJ
 Apox 0–1 Vilita 
@ The Wolf's Den in Busembe, BNJ
 Kita-Hinode 2–3 Starblaydia 
@ Electra Stadium in Mynda, BNJ
 Baker Park 2–3 Mriin 
@ Albert III Stadium in Dodoma, BNJ

As it so happens, there was no shortage of drama in the second round. In Banija, Equestria's co-hosts and South Covello played out a wild period of extra time culminating in a last-minute Rebels equalizer to force the match into a penalty shootout where the Kadongo Kamu would ultimately prevail. Meanwhile, the defending champions were held scoreless by a determined Apoxian side until the 118th minute when Fishtii Blikala kept Vilita's dreams of a World Cup threepeat alive. Elsewhere, Starblaydia and Mriin prevailed in extra time thrillers against Kita-Hinode and Baker Park respectively, both rather remarkable results in that they brought ends to a couple of this World Cup cycle's most remarkable runs.

But, of course, one cannot mention an incredible World Cup 83 campaign without mentioning that of Reçueçn, who began the tournament unranked, but not only qualified through the playoff groups but also made it all the way through to the knockout stage of the tournament. Unfortunately for the Unicorns (a fitting nickname for a team drawn into the Equestrian half of the bracket), their miracle run was finally ended by Cassadaigua in a 1-0 defeat. Meanwhile, Eura and Valanora cruised to victories over Farfadillis and Ko-oren, leaving a trio of perennial contenders on the Equestrian half of the bracket alongside the tournament co-hosts.

WORLD CUP 83 - QUARTERFINALS FIXTURES
 Valanora vs. Cassadaigua 
@ Grand Regal Stadium in Canterlot, EQS
 Equestria vs. Eura 
@ Diamond Park in Stalliongrad, EQS
 Banija vs. Vilita 
@ Mavuto Field in Hoima, BNJ
 Starblaydia vs. Mriin 
@ Star Field in Herzegovina City, BNJ

Thus, the Equestrians will face the Eurans in the quarterfinals at Stalliongrad's Diamond Park later this week. It is the third time that the Ponies have reached this stage of the World Cup in the last four tournaments, but that is as far as previous Equestrian sides have made it before having their tournaments ended. In World Cup 80, the Ponies fell to eventual champions Brenecia, while World Cup 81 saw the Equestrians defeated by runners-up South Covello. The Eurans will present a different challenge than those teams did, one of an established superpower of the sport with a history of championships at the domestic and international levels. We'll have more on that in our preview of the match later this week, but in the meantime, I suggest that Ponies supporters savor this moment of joy. After all, it's not every day that you make it to the World Cup quarterfinals.

---

Sargossa 0-1 Equestria
at Wild Grounds (cap. 56,500) in Everfree, EQS
Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Gentle Breeze (GK) - B. Hamilton -- '77 (LB), Rumble (CB), Arctic Lily [Ironhoof '9] (CB), K. Bailey (RB) - A. Aiza [Krystal '79] (CM), R. Tyler (CM), Luminesce (LM), Rainbow Blitz -- '58 [Rosewing '82] (AM), Apple Cobbler (RM) - Pristina Shine (ST)
Scoring: Pristina Shine '90+4 (R. Tyler)

Equestria vs. Eura
at Diamond Park (cap. 75,000) in Stalliongrad, EQS
Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Gentle Breeze (GK) - B. Hamilton (LB), Rumble (CB), Ironhoof (CB), K. Bailey (RB) - A. Aiza (CM), R. Tyler (CM), Luminesce (LM), Rainbow Blitz (AM), Apple Cobbler (RM) - Pristina Shine (ST)
Reserves: M. Peterson (GK), Silver Charm (GK) - Arctic Lily (CB), Sunlight (RB), Nightshade (LB), Crimson Mesa (CB) - Krystal (LM), Sunny Day (CM), Stardust (RM) - Rosewing (ST), Decima (ST)

[Mriin]

“Red or white?” Anatalia shouted, digging around the hotel minifridge.

“..what?” Solara poked her head out of the bathroom.

She pulled a bottle from the back and held it up. “Maybe rosé instead?”

“When did you have time to go wine shopping? And why do you think I’d want that when I’m literally washing champagne out of my hair!”

“‘Cause I actually know how to celebrate, unlike some people,” turning back around and pouring herself a glass. “And this seemed like a good time to pretend we’re fancy.”

Sol shook her head and ducked back. “Don’t celebrate too hard, I’ll join you in a bit.”

“Best hurry up, or I’ll think about the Cormorants again and the bottle’ll be gone,” punctuated with a hearty swig.

“You lot have already got your trophy, come off it.”

“Two fuckin’ decades ago! The MNL didn’t even exist back then.”

Sol paused for a moment, mulling over how this next joke might fare before she shouted it back. “Maybe it’s time they bring on a Brenecian manager, finally get someone who understands the modern game.”

“Alright, I get it, I’ll finish the dang bottle myself.” Ana plopped onto the bed and grabbed the remote, flicking the TV on and browsing until she found a highlight reel. “Damn, it’s halfway through already.”

---

Tia came to an abrupt stop, sussing just enough overshoot from Bozeman to send up a cross to Pia charging down the other wing. She’d just managed to get Sandoval off her tail, and even the slightest hesitation of a striker to track back can be devastating into Brennan’s counter concoctions. It takes a hardened defense to stand up to her and Reina stampeding forward while keeping tabs on the other five scoring threats the Reavers can have at any given moment.

The Bees certainly weren’t going to roll over, but Callum simply couldn’t split herself in two as she peeled away from Popo to try and rein Pia in. A swift kickback to him, a funky angle over to Malia, and then right back to Pia even further out--who doesn’t waste any time crossing it in for Solara to ground, scoot it ever so slightly out of Foreman’s reach, and finally Portia pokes past Gordon. The Reavers had gotten the lead once again!

---

Ana flinched as Sol plopped beside her, trying to keep the wine all in one place as she got bounced a few inches into the air. “You coulda warned me!”

“It’s not hard to see me coming! You were really into that.”

“It was a pretty goal scored by a couple of pretty women, you know that’s my weakness.”

Sol wrapped an arm around her and chuckled. “Then this had to be one of the best games you’ve seen yet.”

---

Navarro lined up where Maas had just blasted through Sandoval, just a bit wide of the box. This was a marquee chance for the Baker Parkers to level and still have enough time to find a winner--but they’d have to convert first. Trying to go over a satyr wall is rarely an attractive option, but the clever know going under can cause an awful lot more trouble than it does for humans, and that’s right where Navarro ripped it.

Popo managed to get a hoof on it that kept it from sailing through to the corner of the goal--it would’ve been spectacularly pinpointed--but it still required a snap reaction from Mara, who could only manage a hasty dive to punch it out. And Patton, as good strikers are wont to do, had snaked her way in to be right there for it. A quick punt into the top netting was well out of Mara’s desperate getup flail, and the game was back at square one.

---

“And now,” Sol said as she snuck the glass out of Ana’s hand and took a sip, “the pièce de résistance.”

---

Geraard was gasping for air as he popped back up from the cleanest tackle he’d landed in years, and certainly the best thing he’d done at any point in extra time. Patton seemed to be taken aback for just a moment that he’d actually caught up with her, juuuust barely long enough for him to get a step ahead and hoof it out of the red zone. If he had to lame this all the way to penalties, fuck it, that’s what it takes.

Malia had made a good guess at where the clear was heading, knocking it down and taking off with Haller in close pursuit. She made good ground at a gallop, tapping into what she knew were the very last reserves of her energy before turning in the face of Bartok’s challenge and finding a pass to Tali’raia. The dryad immediately cut past Vasillias and put it on Gordon’s shoulders to figure out what to do.

The keeper’s challenge was just a little too slow. The chip shot sailed past her. Baker Park was condemned to another octofinals exist, and the Mrii dream… it could last that much longer.

[Banija]

Quarterfinal Cutoff for Survivors of Groups A-D
Brought to you by HU Games

The producer of the official video game of the 83rd World Cup! Unhappy with how the tournament down. Did the refs rob your favorite nation? Did VAR fail to look at the obvious handball that would've given your country a penalty to qualify for the World cup! Could you do a better job than your country's hated manager?

If so, look no further than the Official Gaming Partner of World Cup 83! Make your own history! All 170 countries who participated in qualifying are available to play. Take a seat and take charge, and take your nation to World Cup glory!

As for our cutoff song- you can take witness to the sensation that's taking the nation,, and the world, by storm- the Detroit Youth Choir!

[Equestrian States]

WORLD CUP 83
EQUESTRIA & BANIJA

Groups E-H - Quarterfinals Cutoff
Sponsored by Tamguna Airlines

Do you need a flight to get to Equestria or Banija for the World Cup? No? The tournament's already started? Your team has already been eliminated? Well, shit... uh... um... Introducing Official World Cup 83 Departures Partner Tamguna Airlines! The preferred choice of fans multiverse-wide for depressingly long flights home after the crushing disappointment of elimination.

...Why didn't we do this partnership announcement earlier? We could have made a killing on the hopes and dreams of fans travelling to the World Cup...

The cutoff tunes parade continues.

Results

[Banija]

The King is Dead- Kadongo Kamu stun the multiverse by slaying the Vilitan Dynasty


Ilman Jawara celebrates late goal in Banijan Quarterfinal match with Vilita

HOIMA, ANKOLE- Vilita. The two-time defending World Champions. The five-time crowned world champions, winners of three of the last six editions of this tournament. Trying to do something that had only been once in the illustrious history of the most prestigious tournament in all of sports- winning the tournament three times in a row. Their accomplishments to this point have been quite impressive in this run, winning two in a row, defeating their Vilitan Cove archrivals, Turori, en route to World Cup 81 and World Cup 82. And of course, that means that they've certainly been playing with a target on their backs. Winning the back end of a three peat is absolutely no joke. Just ask Herzegovina City. Everybody you play raises their game, all opposing fanbases are at a higher level emotionally, when they see you opposite the name of their own national team on the scorecard. And so when the starting XI for these two sides walked onto the pitch at Mavuto Field, the Banijans wearing white, team mascots and all in front of them, and belted out the national anthem, and the completely green crowd, with a smattering of the Vilitan blue in their fan section, you knew- this was going to be an absolutely massive match.

All day in Hoima, there was lots of excitement over this match. Played locally on a Saturday night, there was not much going on during the day, and therefore, the entire city was simply about both sides tailgating in this Ankole city. Street parties everywhere. Every bar was full. Of course, this was a challenge for police, as a day's worth of drinking before a match of this magnitude could mean that you could have quite the scenes. But the police did a good job of separating Vilita fans from Banijan fans throughout the day. A lot of the city's bars voluntarily, at the request of local police, enforced fan segregation within their vicnities as best they could. Separating the two fanbases by floors, or by sections- though of course, this being in Banija, the overwhelming number of Banijan fans within the city made full fan segregation throughout the day, optimistic in almost any sense, almost impossible. However, there were very few fan incidents throughout the day as Banijans and Vilitans alike waited for the World Cup Quarterfinal to kick off.

Both anthems played- the Vilita anthem played first, of course, and the Banijan played second, with fans bellowing the anthem at seemingly maximum volume. And of course, there were plenty of nerves for the Banijans. Their first ever World Cup Quarterfinal, and of all teams to face in the quarterfinals, they were drawn with none other than the metaphorical kings of this sport, Vilita. With an energetic crowd against them, Vilita deployed a simple strategy- take advantage of Banijan nerves, and take away Banija's home field advantage, by trying to silence the crowd by taking advantage of the game. And in the early stages of the match, it was all Vilita. They maintained a lot of possession in the early stages of the match, and they took the game to the Banijans. Heck, just 90 seconds into the match, Vilita had forced Lemuel Bereket to make a save, after Sipke Tarala had a free header that Bereket was forced to knock over the top of the net.

Vilita had a very high-energy start to the game, and naturally, wanted to keep pushing forward, wanted to keep attacking. Banija's midfielders were struggling to keep up- three-time world cup champion Polaox Torerun, specifically, was having his way with Ablie Kah in the center of the midfield. IT was clear to any observer who knew the game- Banija's defense was not good enough to keep up with the world champions at this stage. If this continued for much longer, it would be rough, and it could get ugly. The midfielders continued to simply get dominated in the center of pitch- every 50/50 ball, every single loose ball, was going to be the property of Polaox Torerun and Cavuna Aquafek, at least in the early going. And the Banijans would pay for this, in the early stages. Torerun had stolen a poor pass from Kizza Okafor that was intended for Chibuzo Afolayan, and the Jungle Cats were on the break. A through ball was sent to the two-time world champion and former Galactico Youth Player of the year Nii'arala Milaaso, who was one on one with Bereket. The Banijan goalkeeper didn't ever have a chance He came out, and the Young Galactico cheekily chipped the ball over Bereket's head for a brilliant finish, and the ball went into the net. Milaaso put a finger to his lips to silence the crowd as he celebrated, and the Banijans were then down by a score of 1-0.

It was an ugly start, and if things continued like that, it would be a poor sign of things to come. Marcus Waters, absolutely incensed at the state of his midfield play, was screaming all kinds of things in anger from the sideline. We, of course, can only imagine what words exactly were coming out of his mouth, but we imagine that they weren't for a PG-13 audience. The pressure of the quarterfinals, eh? The Equestrian is not normally much of a screamer, but after that goal, he most certainly was. And with fair reason. The next 10-15 minutes continued at the same pace. The Banijans getting dominated in the midfield, not being able to keep up with the world champions, and frankly, the Kadongo Kamu got lucky that they did not go down 2-0 during that point in time. But the flow of the game was all going towards the Vilitans. While they had a couple of chances that were relatively routine saves for Lemuel Bereket, the real big turning point in the match, at least in the first half, was in the 23rd minute.

It was, yet again, another Vilita attack. The Jungle Cats were going forward, and were launching yet another attack on goal. Jirak Trikala was coming up the wing, and had pushed a cross into the center of the box, towards the penalty spot. It would be Sipke Tarala who would rise up and try to meet the ball with his head. However, uncharacteristically of him, he could not get much of a leap at all, and barely got off the ground. The ball then sailed over everybody's heads, harmlessly out of bounds. At that point, Tarala and the Vilita had immediately appealed to the referee, claiming that he had been prevented from jumping by the nearest Banijan defender, Kawsu Kabaka. It would be then when the referee would make the box with his hands, and signal for the Video Assistant Referee, also known as VAR. After taking a look at it via VAR, it was an easy call- Kawsu Kaba clearly had a hand on Tarala's shoulder, that prevented him from leaping. He came out from the booth, and a yellow card was handed to Kaba while a penalty was awarded to the Jungle Cats. Who else to take it, besides the veteran striker?

Tarala stepped back, looking to make the game 2-0, and at that point, establish the fact that a route was on. Re-establish their dominance within the World Cup, and push the side part of the way to their third straight World Cup Semifinal. Tarala looked up, and Bereket looked him dead in the eye. The crowd was so silent, you could hear a pin drop- were the Banijans that despondent about their chances already? But then, here came the game's turning moment. Bereket, the Banijan goalkeeper, moved to his left and dove at full extension. He not only guessed the right way, but he was able to knock the ball to the side, and then get up and pounce on the ball, to make sure that there was no rebound. There was a loud cheer, and all of a sudden, you could feel the game start to shift. This was the big moment the Banijans needed. The momentum shifting towards them, the crowd getting back into the match, a jolt of energy given to the 11 on the pitch after the play from Bereket. After the game, of course, he talked about the big penalty save. "Well, I knew that we couldn't afford to fall behind, 2-0, to the world champions." He told us. "I don't know what to say- it was probably the greatest moment of my professional career. The boys, of course, responded great to it." And that they did.

All of a sudden, it seemed as if everybody on the pitch wearing white had that much more energy. The midfield didn't seem slow. The defenders seemed to add a jolt to their step. What it looked like, from an outside observer, that the penalty save gave them a jolt of one thing- a jolt of confidence. It's tough to continually beat teams, and they drew on their experiences against Vilita from the Cup of Champions. But they needed that sense of self-belief, and the penalty save gave them that. Banija's first shot on goal came in the 29th minute, when Chibuzo Afolayan tried to curl one in from just beyond the 18, but goalkeeper Mako Canopii was there to make the save. But at least the Banijans were pushing forward. Players like Kahara were getting space in the last third, and finally, Okafor and Ablie Kah were playing in the central of the midfield without fear. But the biggest moment in this new found buildup came in the 37th minute. Assefa Yitebarke was brougth down, about 25 yards or so away. And it would be none other than the captain, Chibuzo Afolayan, who would step up to take the free kick.

As the fans waited with bated breath, Afolayan, Kahara, and Okafor all stood over the ball. Like we said before, however- it would be Afolayan who would run up to take the free kick. He stepped forward and placed the ball over the wall, and saw the ball bend back towards the near post. Canopii, due to the ball's bend, had a late jump on it, and could not get there in time as the ball bent towards the bottom corner. And just like that, with one well-timed, well placed free kick, the Banijans had successfully weathered the storm that they had suffered through in the first half, and they were level with their opponents, by a score of 1-1. The two sides went into the locker rooms, and after 15 minutes, they came back out. The Banijans had a lot of energy coming out there, and they did not make any halftime subsitutions.

In the second half, the Kadongo Kamu started fast. They were taking the game to Vilita, a risky strategy against a team as talented as the Jungle Cats, but of course, one that was working. The fans were into it, the fans were loud and rowdy, the drums were being pounded. And in the 51st minute, they were allowed to erupt. A counter-attack initiated by a Kizza Okafor interception saw Kahara racing up the sideline with the ball, with Afolayan, Yitebarke, and Okparro all running out. Okparro, of course, was trailing the play by just a little bit in this four on four. Okparro, naturally, a name very familiar to Vilitan fans, considering he plays for Makosile United in the country's DeClasse Division, their second tier. The ball was sent in to Yitebarke, but he, instead of going for goal, smartly laid the ball off for Okparro. He had a run up at it, and hit the ball with plenty of power. Fortunately for him, he was able to place it, and he hit it with great pace to the top corner. There was absolutely nothing the Vilitan goalkeeper could do about it, as the crowd erupted into pandemonium. Okparro raced to the corner flag to celebrate and Banijans within the stadium, around the country, and across the multiverse all jumped up and celebrated like madmen. Street parties from Busukuma to Jinja City, from Isipongo to Herzegovina City, all reacted the same at that moment, and what a moment it was.

However, of course, there was still plenty of time left in the match. Both teams had all three substitutions, and Vilita's manager used their first subsitution at that moment, when Va'a-Rio Kiwavn came into the match for Devmiko. The Banijans, shockingly, were leading against the world champions, 2-1, and had them on the edge of their seats. It was going to be a frantic finish, and everybody was ready to see what other twists and turns the next 39 minutes would have. In the 56th minute, however, an unfortunate twist happened for the Banijans. Assefa Yitebarke, the 32 year old veteran striker, clashed heads with a Vilitan defender going for a header, and took the worst of it. He was sent to concussion protocol, and it quickly became clear that his day would be done. Marcus Waters brought Ilman Jawara, who hasn't played at all this World Cup, in place of his #9. The young striker is looking, of course, to become the heir apparent of Yitebarke when he's done, and he got the nod coming off the bench in this match, instead of the other backup striker on the squad, Kabir Jobateh.

It was a smart move by Waters. The Vilitans, once again, were controlling possession, trying to get the goal that would level the game at 2 goals a piece. But in the 65th minute, the Banijans would break. Bereket caught the ball off of a corner kick, and instead of simply falling on the ball, recognized Afolayan sprinting up the sideline. He threw the ball towards that sideline, and just like that, the Banijans were countering. Afolayan then played a deep through ball himself down the center of the pitch, and it went to Okparro. Okparro, who had already scored once on the goal, looked be through on goal against what was an obviously stretched Vilitan defense. But instead of taking the difficult shot himself, he passed the ball across to the new striker, Ilman Jawara, who had an easy tap-in to an empty net to make the score 3-1. And once again, the stadium went absolutely crazy as the Banijans doubled their lead. This was when the Vilitans would make their next subsitution, when Enzoril Alabonni came onto the pitch for Sipke Tarala.

With the Banijans now up by 2 goals, Marcus Waters went fully into the defensive shell. The 34 year old winger, Chibuzo Afolayan, who had scored the equalizer, gave the armband to Ensa Camara and came off the pitch. The back four turned into a back five, with Abate Brehanu, once again, called upon to try and finish this game in the back. HE came off the pitch to a great standing ovation from the Banijan fanbase, who chanted the name of their beloved captain as he made his way off. But that would not be the end of that story. Vilita did end up scoring again, when Enzoril Alabonni, the 20 year old target man, rose above everybody else on a corner kick in the 82nd minute and buried the ball into the back of the net. That made the score 3-2, would the Banijans be able to hold?

Fortunately for the host nation, they were able to hold. And when the final whistle blew after this draining match, the celebrations around the country were wild. They had beaten the champions. The Vilita dynasty that started in Banija, would end in Banija, as they were felled in Hoima. And it would be the Banijans who would be returning to the Stadium of the Restoration, triumphantly, to compete in the national stadium not in the opening match of the Finals, but in the final four of the World Cup. They would face Starblaydia, the five-time world champions who downed Mriin on penalties in Herzegovina City. What a game it was, and the party, of course, will go late into the night for the fans. AN upset victory that many did not think possible, and now, of course, Kadongo Kamu fever has hit full stride in this country. The Vilita match was the highest rated radio and television sporting event ever, edging in just past the AOCAF LVIII Final between Banija and Equestria. It cannot be escaped. Green, white, and orange are in every corner of this country now, and one can only imagine what it'll be like on Wednesday, when the Banijans face off for the second time, against Starblaydia, in the semifinals of a World Cup.

Who the heck would have thought that we would get this far in the World Cup? And while the bookies certainly aren't happy, the non-traditional power host nation, who isn't even in the top 20 of the KPB, getting this far is certainly a story for the ages in what has been a crazy 83rd World Cup cycle. You can't talk about crazy stories without talking about Reçueçn's unranked run to the Round of 16, but this is the story that will live forever in the minds of Banijans. All eyes are now on Busukuma, where both teams will prepare vigorously for the semifinals, where they'll fight vigorously for- dare we say it- a trip to Canterlot. What a game, what a sport, what a team. Go Banija!

[Cassadaigua]

Tactical Switch Works Out,
by Hannah Ranucci- Forward, Captain

Throughout the qualifying campaign, you have seen instances of our team switching to the 4-3-3 as a base formation, allowing Caitlyn Mayer to get the start. Rachel Brenner is the odd one out in this situation, but it is still good to know we have her on the sideline to come in the game later. Rachel is a defensive minded midfielder more often then not, so when we transition to the 4-3-3, we have accepted the fact that we are sacrificing some defense to go on the attack. Typically when we play the 4-4-2, you will see Zack Pierce join the offense from along the wing, and Sierra Mattison look to be in the position to pounce on an opportunity as well Shelby Martin and Rachel Brenner are the last to join in. With the 4-3-3, Zack will not be as assertive to join in the offense, and both he and Shelby are sure to stay in a good defensive position if need be. Sierra will always be lurking around for a scoring opportunity, as there is no one on our team who has as much power on their shot as does Sierra Mattison.

Our decision to play the 4-3-3 against Valanora was not a decision that was made quickly and easily amongst us. As the captain, I am in very close communication with manager Stephanie Sweeney, and while she said that she wanted to do it, we had a deep discussion about it between us, and other members of the coaching staff. From there, the idea was put to the team, and it was then announced formally at the very last minute that we are allowed to declare our lineup. Valanora, a team that also plays an offensive-minded system would be a good team to use it against. And so, the game would begin.

We went for it right from the opening kickoff, there was no being cautious early, and it took just five minutes for us to pick up the opening goal of the match. For me, it would be my first goal since the second group stage match against Brenecia. It’s good to be on the scoresheet once again, but I have to thank the work of both Sierra (Mattison) and Caitlyn (Mayer), as they got the play started, and I was able to be in the right place at the right time. Our lead would be short lived though, as the veteran, Laborious Hawk and the even older Ilglerdiriel Lithvathar each set up a goal for the Marauders that had them up 2-1 by the game’s 30th. Those goals could have had people point out that they may not have happened if we were not sacrificing midfield play, but we didn’t give the critics a chance to complain when Caitlyn Mayer scored in the 45th minute to send the game to the intermission, all tied at two.

In the locker room, spirits were pretty high. We knew what we did well, and what we didn’t do quite as well. When it all comes down to it, the first forty-five minutes went much as anyone would expect at this point of the playoffs between teams with championship pedigree. Both teams had chances and both teams made the most of them. With a combined four goals having been scored in the first half, some might criticize the defense, or the goalkeeping, but both of those aspects were pretty good, too. As the intermission was about halfway through, Rachel Schanke received a video message from her grandmother, Jessica. Due to her health concerns, Jessica Schanke is unable to fly, so she is not able to be in attendance in any road or neutral site games. It was video from an old time game she played against Valanora, and showed her maneuvering around Hawk, and then a Vanorian defender to pick up a big goal. The message simply said, “There aren’t many people out there that each of us can say they beat. You do the same thing, you got this!” Jessica has often given little pep messages like this to Rachel, but I can tell that Rachel was really motivated by this one. It was true as there are not many eternal soccer players out there that both of them could play against. Her eyes lit up, and she showed the play to me and to Sierra Mattison in particular.

If this were a fairy tale, I would say that as soon as the second half began we went out and executed the play exactly as it appeared in the video, and got the same result, and Rachel Schanke would be the hero of the match. But this is real life, and things would not be that easy. While we would have loved to have executed the play much as it was shown in the video, it was never going to be about doing the same thing. Instead, it was just a shot in the arm for our confidence and to believe that we could find a way to beat the mighty Marauders. We always did believe, but a little more confidence could never hurt. What did happen, is that we took control of the match, and in the 53rd and 59th minutes, our lead was three, then four to two. I would have my second of the match, then it was Rachel Schanke continuing to come up strong for us when we need too. Our fans in the stands at Canterlot were loving it, and we continued to dictate the flow of the match for another five to ten minutes. Valanora began to play with much more urgency, obviously, and with that game some more desperation moves. They got one closer in the 82nd, and that made for the final minutes of the game to be stressful for all of us, but in the end, we would survive. We are now one of four teams left standing.

We will now be traveling to Manehattan to play the hosts from Equestria. The other co-host, Banija, is also still alive after picking up the win over Vilita. The other remaining nation is Starblaydia, a nation we played twice in the qualifying group stage during the last World Cup cycle. Up until this point, we have been very welcomed here in Equestria, and while we still be treated with the utmost respect, we realize that we now stand in the way of an illustrious sporting nation and going to the final. It’s been talked about in blogs and in the media about how we have often co-hosted things with Equestria. I guess it is only fitting that whoever wins this match has the losing nation involved in such a late stage of that effort. I can’t to be out there!

[Starblaydia]

It has been 80 years since Starblaydia last reached the Semi-Finals of a World Cup. 80 tortuously long years of desperately living off the back of what seemed, at first, like a single fluke run to the podium of the 63rd World Cup in Turori and Aguazul. "Just look at the players of that squad," they will ardently argue, "names like Sergio Di Bradini and Lena Kochanska, now there were two players who could make a claim in any all-time team across the multiverse!"

And it's true, largely, that Di Bradini (Sergio) and Kochanska were two of Starblaydia's all-time greatest players. There are only two human players on the all-time top ten list of appearance makers for this ancient, storied nation, and Sergio Di Bradini is one of them. The person who stands most closely and most proudly behind Valrauncion and Ázëwyn Fëanáro in the all-time goalscorers list is Lena Kochanska. She scored twelve of her 61 goals for Starblaydia during the 63rd World Cup, and Sergio Di Bradini won 27 of his 107 caps across the campaign.

Unfortunately, they were the only two world class players in that side. Good as they were, it was a solid team effort, buoyed by seemingly endless amounts of luck and the futile favour of Margaret that somehow propelled them on a wave of destiny through each phase of the competition. First it was the Group Stage, where a 10-4-4 record saw them finish as Runners Up to The Holy Empire, mostly because they managed to smash teams like Bloodbath Generation 9-0 on aggregate over two matches, and put six past Vakolic and four past Vettrera in seven-goal home matches that saw the Stadii Di Bradini become something of a fortress for the lowly ranked side. Starblaydia were trading on ancient glories even then, but compared to the heady days when the World Cup was in it's late 20s and the wonder of its 40s, this was a poor facsimile. The tried and tested technique of 'thump it upfield to the big man' was somehow working wonders against teams that most would never hear of again, and even managed a 3-3 draw at home to The Holy Empire. Joe Copeland, the big man in question with the long blond locks, scored 10 goals along the way, regularly finding the scoresheet in both Qualifiers and Finals as he had the campaign of his life at the age of 31.

As if finishing second in Group Four with a goal difference of plus-20 wasn't overachieving enough, Starblaydia defeated Licentiapacisterra 5-4 on aggregate, thanks to a 3-2 win at home and a 2-2 draw away, to sneak into the back door of the competition, where they found themselves drawn against two previous and one future World Cup winner - The Holy Empire of Alasdair I Frosticus (again), The Sylvanaes Queendom of Dorian and Sonya, and Pasarga. After finally beating the Holy Empire at the third attempt, a 0-0 against Dorian and Sonya followed by a 2-2 against Pasarga quietly put Starblaydia through in an undefeated state. There, their knockout rounds saw them defeat Sargossa, Valanora (somehow) and another relatively unheralded side of United Gordonopia to make it, astoundingly, into the Final of the 63rd World Cup. Starblaydia were terrible, but somehow they were there and that was all that mattered. Five stars on the shirt versus the albatross around the neck, so the story went, but despite a sublime display of skill from Sergio Di Bradini, it was not to be a sixth time for Starblaydia on that occasion. They were defeated 2-0 by a team who - frankly, did they deserve it? By virtue of holding aloft the trophy, Audioslavia were the winners, and they proved themselves entirely worthy four years later by taking their second straight title.

For Starblaydia, however, there was the brief surge of being thrust into the limelight, one that immediately proceeded to highlight precisely all of the flaws that existed in the Starblaydi setup. An undefeated stroll to the next tournament in Wight and New Montreal States saw a Second Round defeat on penalties to Taeshan after what was perhaps the dullest 0-0 draw in the history of the game. World Cup 65 was even worse, as Starblaydia shipped 13 goals in four Finals games (having conceded just 17 in the 18-game Qualifiers against teams like Krytenia, Aels, Zwangzug, Legalese and the Pazhujeb Islands) and ended up being eliminated by Saugeais when they were smashed 4-1 in the first round of knockouts. After that...

Well, we don't really talk about the World Cup in Starblaydia in the late 60s.

Or, in fact, almost the entirety of the 70s.

But then, Ázëwyn Fëanáro fortuitously took over in time for World Cup 78 and absolutely everything has been getting progressively better since that moment. Qualifying for the 78th World Cup from a rank of 48th, for the first time after ten successive attempts ended in failure. Yes, Starblaydia were smashed aside by Audoslavia and Pasarga, held Semarland to a goalless draw and didn't even score a goal themselves, but they were back, back in the big time where we dreamed that they still belonged. It had been a long, hopeless dream of faded glories and broken promises but we'd made it. Four years later in Ceni and Drawkland and, not only did Starblaydia score two goals, but we also won a match and made it into the Second Round. Bonesea were the victors there, but Starblaydia were progressing. Slowly, desperately slowly as Ázëwyn Fëanáro nurtured the talents of Ella Kabeya, Syku Ryku and Marcello Di Bradini, still relying on Elven players to make up the skill gap to where Starblaydia thought they should be.

For the 80th World Cup, on home soil, it was the burgeoning talents of Mezna Rayenn and Sterling Renshaw that started to come to the fore, backing up those who had come before them so that a Starblaydi side now knocking on the door of the top 20 in the world had to be eliminated on penalties by Farfadillis, the second-best side in the world at that point. Things were really happened, things were changing, and things were changing for the better. World Cup 81 was something of a disaster, as despite the beginning s of an excellent team, coming off just a single Qualifying loss and a twelve match winning streak, they were dumped out at the Group Stage in the Free Republics. Four years ago it was Farfadillis again who ended Starblaydia's hopes, but this time it was in the Quarter-Final, Starblaydia's first appearance in the last eight since those magical knights of unexpected and largely undeserved glory in Turori. Here they were fresh from being crowned Under-18 World Champions and Sutter McCloud announced himself fully on the world's greatest stage. Now, with the entirety of the multiverse wondering which of the four remaining teams in the Cup can lift the most sought-after trophy in the history of human sporting endeavour, we have a Starblaydi team that is lethal in attack, reasonable in the middle and pretty darn leaky at the back. They probably shouldn't have got this far already, and after two extra-time games in the knockouts so far they will be starting to feel the aches and pains of heavy legs and tired minds.

A draw with Qasden, a victory over Taeshan and a loss to the home side of Banija. That is how Starblaydia managed to progress to the knockout-stages; hardly championship form. Sutter McCloud knocked in two during the Finals to this point, taking his tally for the campaign to nine, with thirty international goals to his name in total. The Yeaddin Owls striker is still just 23 and has more goals than most strikers in Starblaydi history; quite how many he's going to end up on in his career, we have no idea. The sky is literally the limit for the man who made the Under-18 World Cup his own with a goal in every round that equaled the all-time youth stat for goals scored for Starblaydia. Strike Partner Aaron Cole isn't letting him get too far ahead, though, the wily fox of the side has eight this campaign, including the equaliser that forced Extra Time against Kita-Hinode in the Second Round, ad he has moved into the top ten of all-time goalscorers in the five-starred eagle shirt with 46 in 78 appearances. These are two men who you would hate to face as a defender, and what's worse is they have Calindra Apelles lurking behind them, the 22 year old of Northern Union fame also has two goals in the Finals so far, against Qasden and Kita-Hinode. She hasn't got on the scoresheet all that much, but with four goals she still managed to be the fourth-highest goalscorer this campaign, behind McCloud, Cole and Eccleston. But this was before an epic night at Star Field in Banija.

How appropriately named, for there were nothing but stars in the sky and stars on the pitch that night.

Mriin and Starblaydia, both Atlantian Oceania nations, counted themselves lucky to be in the Quarter-Final. Mriin have been looking for that one breakthrough result to send the fans wild and take the game into the stratosphere of Mrii society from national pastime to national obsession. For Starblaydia, it was yet another step along the way to the rejuvenation of a team that literally was once the greatest the world had ever seen. No-one could touch the five golden stars above the similarly-coloured eagle, resting on that classic design of purple, black and white. No-one had made it there before, and no-one was thought to be able to catch them up. Until, of course, Valanora did it. But that was a long time ago in the past, surely no nation could pull above the rest so quickly? No-one, that was, until Vilita came along and produced the latest iteration of the dynasty in world football. Not only Atlantian Oceania links Vilita and Valanora as Starblaydia's ancient rivals, but actually that they both got their first trophy under Starblaydi-co-hosted tournaments: Vilita in 20 and Valanora in 40. But both of these sides had fallen by the wayside, knocked out in the Quarter Finals with the familiar refrain of "there's always next time" ringing in their ears. For Vilita, who will doubtless retain their spot of best team in the world, next time is an option. For Valanora, who are expected to climb some fifteen places in the rankings from their spot of 21st, there will certainly be a next time. For Starblaydia, riding high in the rankings compared to their recent history, this was now an opportunity like no other. Both Mriin and Starblaydia knew their chance to claim greatness stood before them and there can only be one thing when eternity stands ahead of you: drink your fill.

Starblaydia stood in the all-white with purple trim, while Mriin stood in their chance kit of blues with the golden sash, for maximum contrast. with each other. Solara Vol and Viola Capodanno shook hands in the centre circle - they would surely be meeting each other throughout this match. Seventy thousand fans - mostly from Banija, Starblaydia and Mriin but populated with expectant followers of other nations and corporate guests from around the multiverse - were ready for the game. Originally it had been the match for the right to lose to Vilita in the Semis, but now thanks to Banija's underdog performance in front of their home fans, it now was the right to be the universal bad guys of the Banijan World Cup Story. that they'll tell for generations to come. But now was no time to think of the highs and lows of the fates of other teams: this was a time for your own.

As Mriin got the game going with the kick-off from Solara, the patterns that would come to dominate the match soon became clear, after only a few minutes of cagey play. Both sides had their game plans and knew them well, both trusting in their own qualities to prove the difference, rather than to try and change their own style of play to try and counter or outwit the opposition. No, today would be won by the better team, rather than a cunning one-off ploy of a manager. Mriin relied on their strength and speed, charging forward down the pitch in a relatively narrow 4-3-3 formation, supported by their full-backs to suddenly overload an unsuspecting defence. They break, and they break fast, but if you could get in among them there was always room through or around the tall Satyrs, where a simple flick or outlandish trick could scupper the long limbs of the Malia's and Aldo's of the side and take them out of the game just long enough to unleash a pass beyond one of their rather ordinary defenders. Starblaydia, on the other hand, were a supreme 3-5-2 that was all about moving the ball down the field in clever ways to one of their two strikers, lethal in front of goal in two different ways, or one of the four attack-minded midfielders who could all easily pop up with a goal when required. What Starblaydia didn't have, however, was room for enough defenders in their side. Viola Capodanno may be a world class holding midfielder, but she cannot hold against an entire team when the rest of her players have meandered their way upfield to get a sniff of the goal. Behind her was no great shakes, either, as an ordinary-looking defence of three sheltered the youthful Cosmo Leopoldi in goal - a young man who is a very fine international goalkeeper, but not so much when having to clean up the play of the likes of Sigismund and Viipuri. They're not bad, as such, much like the Mrii defenders, they're just not really the ones who should be at quite this high a level.

Back and forth the opening minutes went, as these two sides had only met each other twice before, both times in the AOCAF Cup. Both times Mriin won those matches, knocking Starblaydia out of the 56th and 58th AOCAFs in the Semis and Second Round respectively. Aaron Cole was on the scoresheet in the most recent meeting, Starblaydia's second of a 3-2 loss, and it was he how seemed to have the most to prove. First, a crunching tackle on Tia Mor when no such thing was required, followed by a swift shove in the back to Reina Krees that otherwise went unnoticed by the officials. There was no doubting it, Cole was up for this one. His gamesmanship was matched in the eighth minute by his scoring prowess, as he received the ball on the edge of the area from a nice one-two between Sato and Apelles, turning and drilling his right-footed shot low in the bottom-left corner of the goal, with Mara Solaani unable to get her hand down low enough in time to keep it out. As the Mrii players looked to the heavens, hands on hips, that already this game was starting to get away from them, Aaron Cole simply scowled and wagged his finger as if to say "That's one. There's more coming."

But one was where it firmly stayed throughout the rest of the first half. No matter how Malia Yonen threaded the pass, there was Capodanno to intercept. Whatever intricacies Kaori Yamaguchi tried, Karii Bruun was there with the block tackle. If Aldo Vocani raced away down the flank, there was Arkady Krakowski to shadow his every step and ease him out of play with a neatly-applied shoulder. a surging Portia Taani run at one end that got the crowd holding their breath was matched moments later by Sutter McCloud turning on the jets and seeing only the save of Mara Solaani deny Starblaydia a second. This was great stuff, this was exciting stuff, but this wasn't producing any further goals, and at half time both teams went in frustrated with their play, though Starblaydia at least had the cushion of being a goal to the good and looked slightly more relaxed because of it.

The second half started with both crowd and commentators highly expectant of more, because it was clear neither team was on the verge of giving in and letting the other side take it. When the evergreen Kota Sato shaved the outside of the bar with a curling strike from distance, however, it all got a little bit tastier. Maria Reyes' long ball over the top would have been great, were it not for the height of Reina Kress, who powered the ball back up the other end with a firm horn-assisted header. Catching the Starblaydi side right in the middle of a transition from defence to attack, they were all sorts of out of place for the resulting Reavers counter-attack, and it had to end prematurely when Viola Capodanno brought down Solara Vol some twenty-three yards from goal. There were Starblaydi defenders to cover, but their captain evidently didn't trust them to defend the onrushing Solara as much as she did the ability to take a yellow card and let an attack peter out. After complaining to the referee for just long enough to let her defence reset, Capodanno joined the wall that stood between Malia Yonen and the goal. The Cranequin Wanderers midfielder seemingly wasn't bothered by the existence of the wall, however, as she struck a beautiful free-kick over and around the static defenders, with Leopoldi seeing the ball late and being unable to get a full-stretch leap towards the top corner. It was 1-1 and Mriin were well and truly back in it.

The steep sides of the Star Field made it feel like a cauldron of burning atmosphere as both sets of fans found their voices again, with Mrii fans urging their team to score again, while Starblaydi fans leaned more towards telling their team to stop messing about and get on with beating these Satyrs like they're supposed to. Coaches waved, pointed and shouted at their players, but their cries went largely unheard as the massed choirs of 70,000 people duelled with chants just as much as their heroes on the field in front of them. The tension built and built as, for a while, it was hard to tell which side was the five-time World Champions pushing for rekindled glory, and which was the plucky upstarts in the 'happy to be there' role. With ten minutes to go the nerves were frayed, every kick was an equal opportunity to counter and capitalise on as much as it was make a mistake and undo a whole evening's work. Right then, Tia Mor crossed the halfway line with the ball and, under mild pressure from Yamaguchi, spotted the diagonal run of Aldo Vocani from the outside left, charging infield. Tia clipped a simple ball into the middle, but Sami Viipuri had read it all the way right up until the moment he tried to collect it on his thigh. The ball skimmed off his upper leg and into the space between him and the penalty area...

Which is exactly where Aldo Vocani was running into.

The Barbury Town midfielder had gambled on the defender making a mistake and the ball landed right in his stride. Completely clean through, he took two long strides into the penalty area and smashed the ball into the far right corner past Leopoldi to send Mrii fans into dreamland. Less than ten minutes to go in the Quarter-Final and Mriin were 2-1 up. He was promptly buried under a pile of Reavers, while Sami Viipuri just sat with his head in his hands on the Starblaydi penalty spot. Had he thrown it away for his side when the possibility of making it to the final four had been still within their reach? It seemed so. Starblaydia, from Fëanáro and Makuszewski down through Capodanno, Cole and Leopoldi simply refused to give up. Four years ago in Valanora they'd lost to Farfadillis by this same scoreline at this same stage of the competition. Greatness had been begging to be claimed and they'd thrown it away. Not again, they'd vowed, not this time. And so they came back at Mriin, with Yamaguchi forcing Maas Halder to put the ball out for a corner, and then the towering Theodore Sigismund forcing a fine save from Mara Solaani to deny the equaliser. The clock was ticking, but despite all the Starblaydi pressure, Mriin were still finding a way to get the ball to Solara Vol for her to hold it up and eat up yet more precious time. But there again was Capodanno, having been on a yellow card for a good chunk of the match, her effectiveness had seemed a little diminished, but now she knew it was her last chance. Taking the ball from the toes of Mara she drilled it, unseen, down the other end of the pitch in the hopes a white shirt would collect it. What happened next is something that will be replayed on Starblaydi screens for decades.

Rather than lump it through the air for the tall, powerful Reavers to easily claim, Capodanno had booted it at roughly knee height down the pitch. Poised, waiting to collect the ball and start another attack, was Maas Halder. As he raised his hoof to trap the ball, a white-shirted blur shot past him - Arkady Krakowski, Starblaydia's wing wizard, had nipped in front of the Hosingr defender and, with the deftest of touches, flicked the ball on and diverted it through the Satyr's long legs. As he turned to recover, he found that Krakowski's excellent footwork had already put him two yards ahead. Try as the Mrii might, there was just no catching Krakowski as he sprinted away at full pelt, jinked inside of Pia Levaani and rifled the ball into the bottom corner of the net, with Mara Solaani sent sprawling in the grass. Arkady Krakowski had put his team level with barely minutes left on the clock, and Mriin's players stood at the end of the second half as they had at the first: dejected. Extra Time it would be. For both Starblaydia and Mriin this was their second in a row, and both had experienced 2-2 draws with a single winning goal in Extra Time. Could this match repeat the previous games, and for who? The question of who might score first, however, was quickly answered by Starblaydi players, who pulled ahead 3-2 when Sutter McCloud notched his tenth of the campaign after being set free by a Calindra Apelles backheel, finding himself in acres of space and with enough time to take the ball around the goalie and slot it in the back of the unguarded net with ease - advantage Starblaydia. Mriin got the chance to pull themselves level when Viipuri was adjudged to have pulled the shirt of Solara Vol inside the area. There was no way she was letting anyone else take it, and promptly slotted the ball home to draw level at three apiece.

Yet again, however, Starblaydia pulled into the lead with the seventh goal of the match. Yamaguchi's high free kick was met by the head of Falka Kaumolainen, on for Viipuri, and although Mara Solaani clawed it away from the goal-line, the Mriin penalty area suddenly turned into a pinball machine as the ball deflected off four separate players before finally Maria Reyes stuck out her leg and bundled the ball home, the twenty-six year old number two wheeling away in celebration at her first ever goal for her country, on the occasion of her forty-second international appearance. Surely there couldn't be any more drama of last-minute equalisers or lead changes?

Of course there could.

Cometh the hour, cometh the veteran, the old reliable, the pillar of the squad who's been there since the inception of the team, the locker room leader that anyone in the squad can turn to in times of need, and oh boy did they need her now. As Mriin came forward to attack, their last desperate attempts to take the game to penalties and the coin-flip that becomes, out came the moment of magic. The strange sight of Wehi’katal, who had come on as a sub and had taken the ball into midfield, was able to hold it up just long enough for his teammates to find some space around the edge of the Starblaydi penalty area. He passed it forward to Popo Tevanien, who quickly squared it to Malia Polandre, another substitute. Polandre turned, caught the briefest sight of goal, and with a single touch curled a beautiful shot across the face of goal and beyond both grasping, desperate hands of Leopoldi at full stretch. The ball nestled in the top corner as the net billowed behind it, and Polandre just ran, with the sound of at least thirty-five thousand voices behind her. Penalties it would be, but not before the Mrii bench had been cleared of staff and players, running to the corner flag to celebrate with their mentor and icon.

Sometimes in penalty shootouts there are heroes, and sometimes there are villains. When one player has their penalty saved and that decides the game, you have a simple hero and villain. When both goalies start saving everything that comes at them, however, they're both heroes, and no single shooter gets to be the villain, as everyone has to try and get past one of the two behemoths in goal. This was how the shootout went on this occasion, and whether it was nerves on the part of the penalty takers, or simply the fact that both Leopoldi and Solaani could somehow concede four goals each in a match yet still be performing at the top of their shot-stopping game, this shootout suddenly became one filled with misses.

First up Solara Vol, who sent Leopoldi to one side in order to shoot down the middle, but his trailing leg caught the ball and sent it over the bar. In reply, Aaron Cole scored Starblaydia's first penalty with the same frown he'd scored the first goal in open play, some two hours earlier. He'd been on both teams that lost to Mriin before, and he wasn't about to do so again. Malia Yonen stepped up, but her penalty, too, was saved as Leopoldi guessed the right way and palmed the shot wide. To follow up, however, Alan Eccleston blasted his over the bar, before Malia Polandre restored parity at 1-1 with an unstoppable strike into the top left corner. Calindra Apelles tried to give Starblaydia the advantage with the cheeky chip down the centre, but Solaani was too clever by far for this cute attempt and caught the ball easily in mid-air, much to the delight of the Mrii crowd and frustration of the Starblaydi contingent. Had Apelles been learning that sort of nonsense in Brenecia? Either way, after three penalties each, 1-1 was the scoreline.

Aldo Vocani slotted his penalty away in the bottom corner with relative ease to make it 2-1, but moments later Viola Capodanno walked up and, without even glancing at the goalie, sent the ball high into the top right corner of the net to level things up at 2-2. Wehi’katal was the man - or tree, or dryad, or whatever - to take the spot kick, but Leopoldi was there in time to deflect the ball onto the post and away to give Starblaydia's next penalty taker a simple task: score and go through. Kaori Yamaguchi stepped up, her face unreadable as to whether she was confident or terrified. Whichever emotion it was, though, it proved to be the right one, as her right-footed shot found the right-hand side of the net, having sent Solaani the wrong way. The Starblaydi squad, staff and fans went into raptures at the prospect of a Semi-Final appearance, and Mrii players were left to console each other on what might have been.

In the end, Star Field was the place for Starblaydia to triumph. Is the site of the Starblaydia's next match, the Stadium of the Restoration, also appropriately named for the journey that Ázëwyn Fëanáro's side are on? If they can defeat the co-hosts, Banija, at the penultimate hurdle of a run beyond their wildest dreams, then the restoration of Starblaydi football's reputation may truly be complete. Beyond that, in the match that no-one says they are looking to yet because only a fool counts their chickens before they're hatched, is the Royal Equestria Stadium. That sounds like exactly the kind of place where footballing royalty is established, by one team taking an unprecedented sixth World Championshp to put them ahead of all the rest. But first, the cheer heard in Starblaydi accents up and down the pubs and bars of Herzegovina City: "We've got a Semi!"

[Equestrian States]

-WORLD CUP 83 - QUARTERFINALS-
Equestria Survives Eura Scare
Gentle Breeze penalty save lifts Ponies into first World Cup semifinal
by Steve McNotapony

Equestria (4) 1-1 (3) Eura
at Diamond Park in Stalliongrad, Equestria
Attendance: 82,384
Scoring:
Rainbow Blitz '36 (Luminesce)
Brian Bond '62 (M. Rowland)

EQS Penalties: Pristina Shine [1-0], Rainbow Blitz [2-1], Decima [3-1], R. Tyler [3-2], Sunny Day [4-3]
EUR Penalties: L. Armstrong [1-1], A. Townsend [2-1], S. Coles [3-2], M. Woakes [3-3], D. Sharp [4-3]

STALLIONGRAD - It wasn't pretty. It wasn't comfortable. It took 120 minutes and then some; but when Gentle Breeze saved Dean Sharp's penalty attempt to secure a spot in the semifinals for Equestria over Eura, you could almost feel the entire country let go of its collective anxiety, at least temporarily, in one great joyful yell.

After narrowly overcoming a resilient Sargossa in the second round, one could hardly fault Equestrian hoofball supporters for hoping for an easier, or at least less stressful, match in the quarterfinals. However, against Eura, that was never likely to be the case. Aside from Vilita, no other team has been as consistently successful at the World Cup as the Eurans since they made their finals debut at World Cup 60. Two championships at the 66th and 73rd World Cups, five other podium finishes, and more semifinal appearances than group stage exits. However, despite competing in the same tournaments as the Ponies for so long, the Eurans and Equestrians have only met a few times before over the years, most recently in a Cup of Champions group stage match that Eura won 2-1, albeit against a less than full-strength squad for the Ponies who were more focused on preparing for the upcoming World Cup than winning an invitational tournament.

The Eurans entered the World Cup 83 quarterfinals with a point to prove. At the 82nd World Cup, Eura had suffered its first group stage exit since World Cup 70, just one cycle removed from a third-place finish. The team had a clear mission: to assert that the Euran performance at World Cup 82 had been a mere fluke, not the beginning of a downward spiral, a demonstration that began with the team making a run to the Copa Rushmori Final. World Cup 83 qualifying, however, had nearly been a complete disaster for Eura, as a poor run of form in the second half of the campaign nearly eliminated the Eurans from the tournament before it had even begun. As it was, Eura was forced to compete in the playoff groups, where they survived a final day challenge against Saltstead to become one of the very last teams to qualify for the World Cup. Once in the finals, the Eurans seemed to finally hit their stride, only dropping points in a draw against the top-seeded Holy Empire en route to winning Group D. In the second round, Eura comfortably beat Farfadillis to book a quarterfinals berth against the Ponies.

Many Equestrian supporters in attendance at Stalliongrad's Diamond Park were cautiously optimistic about the Ponies' chances, although there were several key concerns. Firstly, recent form appeared to favor the visitors, as the Eurans had won their group and confidently disposed of highly-regarded Farfadillis, while Equestria had been less than convincing in their last couple group stage matches and had only barely snuck past Sargossa to reach the quarterfinals. Second, Arctic Lily, one of manager Pearly White's regular starters and a composed presence on the back line was to be left on the bench after exiting the Ponies' second round match early with a head injury. Ironhoof was a capable defender who could hold the line, of course, but he was also young and had considerably less tournament experience than the veteran Arctic Lily. And finally, it was Eura. Count out the Eurans before the final whistle blows, and they'll make you pay for your hubris. Still, the Ponies had the attacking talent to power this team to a victory, the goalkeeping mastery of Gentle Breeze, and with the support of over 75,000 Equestrians in the stands even mighty Eura could be toppled.

The early minutes of the match were not ones that Equestrian hoofball fans will want to remember, as Eura dominated possession in the opening ten minutes, pushing for an early opening goal. Euran boss Michael Brandon had apparently done his homework in spotting the Equestrian tendency to start slowly. Fortunately, the Ponies' veteran fullbacks Brix Hamilton and Krysia Bailey were able to keep the Equestrian back line in good shape and deal with the Euran press. As the match wore on, the Ponies began to shift the balance of play in their own favor, and were soon pressing forwards themselves. However, after several Equestrian attacks were followed by Euran counterattacks, the Ponies sat back more.

By the half-hour mark, the game had developed a distinct ebb and flow, with both sides alternating probing at their opponents while remaining wary of counterattacks. However, it was out of this back and forth flow that the Ponies finally broke through. A long distance effort from Pristina Shine forced goalkeeper Robert Griffin to make a diving save, resulting in a corner kick for the Equestrians. On the ensuing corner, Rainbow Blitz took advantage of some poor marking by Harvey Blake to rise above the mass of purple and red to redirect the ball into the back of the net at the far post before wheeling off in celebration. The Ponies would go into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

Everyone expected the Eurans to go after the Ponies in the second half. Thus, it came as little surprise when they did exactly that. The Eurans pressed numbers forward in a furious attack that left the Equestrians shaken but still standing. The Ponies had largely weathered the storm as the hour mark passed, and the Euran attack appeared to be letting up. But in the 62nd minute, the Eurans proved that no one-goal lead is ever safe, as Monica Rowland found Brian Bond near the touchline. Bond quickly beat Krysia Bailey, took a quick glance and the goal, and fired off a shot from distance. Gentle Breeze, playing off her line, backpedaled and dove backwards, but even with her wings and hooves outstretched could not reach the ball before it slipped just under the crossbar. It was a marvelous strike that temporarily quieted Diamond Park, though that silence would not last long.

The Equestrians were determined to make an immediate response, as Pearly White brought on Sunny Day to provide an extra forward-thinking midfielder. Pristina Shine was denied again by Griffin in the 68th minute after making defender Charles Roberts look rather silly with some fancy hoofwork. Roberts shortly thereafter picked up a yellow card for a hard tackle on Sunny Day and was promptly removed by Michael Brandon for Oliver Murray. The decision to bring on Murray was one met with near-immediate skepticism in the press box, as Murray is known as for being a bit slow and playing like something of a tank. Against an Equestrian attack built around speed and agility, Murray seemed like a poor match, and would nearly cost the Eurans later.

In the final minutes of regulation, the Ponies were firmly in control and were battling hard for a late winner, but the Eurans would hold firm and the whistle blew to send the match to extra time. In the half-hour that followed, the Ponies would continue their domination of possession, as the well-conditioned Eurans finally began to show signs of tiring. An exhausted-looking Dion Underwood was taken off for Dean Sharp, to give the Euran counterattack a pair of fresh legs while the Equestrians pressed forward for a winner. Pristina Shine and Sunny Day danced circles around Oliver Murray, but were kept out of the back of the net by Robert Griffin. This match would be decided on penalties.

The Equestrians would shoot first. Pristina Shine and Liam Armstrong both cleanly and confidently converted their first attempts, and Rainbow Blitz followed with his own goal to put the Ponies ahead 2-1 with Anthony Townsend set to take the second Euran shot. Townsend stepped forward, facing none other than the 'Goddess of Goalkeeping' Gentle Breeze, a world-class shot-stopper with over a decade of experience at snuffing the life out of opponents' shots. The pegasus stared calmly into Townsend's eyes, braced herself, and... watched the ball sail well over the crossbar into the stands.

Towsend's miss gave the Ponies the opportunity to expand their lead. Decima, brought on late in extra time by Pearly White with the potential penalty shootout in mind, fired a rocket that even a touch from Griffin could not stop from finding the back of the net. Scott Coles brought the Eurans back within one, leaving Equestrian free kick specialist Rosie Tyler to take the next shot. This time, Griffin's glove was enough to send the ball off the left post, and Eura had a way back into the shootout. Moira Woakes converted her shot and the teams were level at three goals apiece after four rounds.

Young midfielder Sunny Day now stepped up to the spot, not even yet 20 years old, but faced with a chance to go down in Equestrian hoofball legend. The unicorn sent Griffin the wrong way and pranced back to midfield with a huge smile on her face. Finally, Dean Sharp, a striker for 1830 Cathair FC in the Audioslavia's Division 1 faced off with goalkeeper Gentle Breeze of AC Izotz Zubia. The two had met before at the club level, and this familiarity could serve either well. Dean fired. Gentle Breeze dove right... and plucked the ball out of the air before landing in a somersault. The celebration at Diamond Park would go on long into the night. The Ponies, after a hard-fought battle, were finally through to the World Cup semifinals.

WORLD CUP 83 - QUARTERFINALS RESULTS
 Valanora 3-4 Cassadaigua 
@ Grand Regal Stadium in Canterlot, EQS
 Equestria (4) 1-1 (3) Eura 
@ Diamond Park in Stalliongrad, EQS
 Banija 3-2 Vilita 
@ Mavuto Field in Hoima, BNJ
 Starblaydia (3) 4-4 (2) Mriin 
@ Star Field in Herzegovina City, BNJ

As might be expected this late in a World Cup where dramatic results have been commonplace, the other quarterfinals were not lacking for excitement either. In Canterlot, the Vanorians and Cassadagans met at Grand Regal Stadium in front of a crowd whose support appeared (and sounded) more or less evenly split between each team, with a healthy travelling support base for both the Marauders and Fillies, though perhaps with a slight edge in favor of the Vanorians who made the relatively short flight north from their homeland. Those fans were surely delighted to see Valanora take an early 2-1 lead amidst a hectic opening half-hour, but Caitlyn Mayer equalized for Cassadaigua as the first half ended and the Fillies came out strong in the second half. Hannah Ranucci and Rachel Schanke both scored before the hour mark to give the Dagans a 4-2 lead, but the Vanorians got one back in the 82nd minute to ensure the final minutes would not be without drama. The Fillies survived the Marauders' furious late push, however, and punched their tickets for the train ride to Manehattan for a Pink & Purple semifinal showdown with Equestria.

Meanwhile, at Hoima's Mavuto Field, co-hosts Banija took on two-time defending World Cup champions and five-time winners Vilita, the Kadongo Kamu's second consecutive match against a side ranked in the top five after upsetting South Covello on penalties in the second round. The Jungle Cats went straight after the Banijans from the opening whistle, and set about carving up the hosts' defense like it was dinner, Nii'arala Milaaso putting Vilita ahead 1-0 before long. The Kadongo Kamu were fortunate to not go down 2-0 in the 23rd minute, as Vilitan defender Jirak Trikala won a clear penalty only for Banijan goalkeeper Lemuel Bereket to make a tournament-saving stop. Bereket's save gave Banija a much-needed break and proved to be the catalyst for an impressive half-hour showcase of the Kadongo Kamu's attacking talent in which the hosts went from 1-0 down to 3-1 up thanks to goals from Chibuzo Afolayan, Okonkwo Okparro, and Ilman Jawara. Defending a two-goal lead, manager Marcus Waters had his team park the bus and prepare to weather the inevitable Vilitan storm. Young Enzoril Alabonni closed the deficit to one for the Jungle Cats with under ten minutes to go, but it was not enough and the final whistle brought an end to Vilita's dreams of a historic threepeat and sent the Banijans through to their first semifinal.

The spectators at Star Field in Herzegovina City for the Starblaydia-Mriin quarterfinal, however, would bear witness to what must surely be one of the wildest World Cup matches in recent memory. Aaron Cole provided Starblaydia with a 1-0 lead in just the 8th minute and it seemed there would surely be more goals to come, but it wasn't until the second half that Malia Yonen would equalize on a brilliant free kick for the Reavers. From there, the match continued with neither side gaining an advantage... until the final ten minutes, that is. Mrii striker Aldo Vocani seized on a misplayed ball from Sami Viipuri, and just like that the Reavers were under ten minutes from the semifinals. With just a few minutes left on the clock, however, Arkady Krakowski came from nowhere to break Mrii hearts and force extra time. The madness continued in the half-hour that followed. Sutter McCloud had Starblaydia in front again, but was swiftly answered by a penalty from Solara Vol that tied the match right back up. Then it was the turn of Maria Reyes to give the Starblaydis the lead, and it appeared the match might end there until Malia Polandre scored the game's second last-minute equalizer to force a penalty shootout. There, it was the turn of the goalkeepers to finally earn their wages, as Mara Solaani and Cosmo Leopoldi exchanged saves. Finally, Kaori Yamaguchi sent Solaani the wrong way to win the match for Starblaydia, who now will face Banija in their ninth World Cup semifinal appearance.

WORLD CUP 83 - SEMIFINALS FIXTURES
 Cassadaigua vs. Equestria 
@ The Crownlands in Manehattan, EQS
 Banija vs. Starblaydia 
@ Stadium of the Restoration in Busukuma, BNJ

Just a few matches now remain in the 83rd World Cup, and there will be no shortage whatsoever when it comes to narrative. For Equestria, the story is obvious: the longtime also-rans, who have dutifully hosted the tournament more times in its history than all but three other nations, now find themselves in the semifinals for the first time as the odds-on favorites to become one of just a few teams to win the World Cup on home soil. Cassadaigua, meanwhile, is a dormant power that has finally awoken, with the Fillies set to play in their first semifinal since winning the 51st World Cup so long ago. Banija has defied all the odds and beaten a highly-regarded South Covello and two-time defending champions Vilita to make it this far, and have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to steal their co-hosts' and archrivals' glory for themselves. And, of course, Starblaydia: the five-time champions in search of an unprecedented sixth star to add to their crest, who have been denied before at this stage, but are determined not to let this chance pass them by.

In Banija, the Kadongo Kamu and Starblaydis are set to clash at Busukuma's Stadium of the Restoration in a Group E rematch. On rank alone, Starblaydia would be considered the favorites, but the rankings tell an incomplete story. First, home field advantage has to be mentioned. The Banijans have been excellent as of late on their own turf, finishing as runners-up at the 58th AOCAF Cup without dropping so much as a single point on home soil until their loss in the Final to rivals Equestria, followed by a fourth place finish at the Cup of Champions. At the 83rd World Cup, Banija has run a gauntlet of great sides, and with their loyal fans cheering them on, have defeated two of the multiverse's best teams in the knockout rounds alone.

Not only will the Kadongo Kamu have the advantage of overwhelming local support, but Banija's latest successes mean that their current squad also boasts, rather amusingly, better recent tournament experience than that of the five-time champion Starblaydis. Though neither side can truly claim to have dominated in their last couple matches, Starblaydia's campaign has been assisted by facing a series of much weaker opponents than the Banijans'. Finally, we can't forget that these two teams have already met at this World Cup, on the final match day in Group E, with the co-hosts prevailing 1-0 at Mavuto Field. Once you take all these factors into account, it's difficult to see Starblaydia reaching their eighth World Cup Final, even though the rankings would suggest otherwise. But if there's one thing we have learned so far at the 83rd World Cup, it is to expect the unexpected. After all, it wouldn't be the first time that an unfancied Starblaydi team has somehow managed to reach the Final.

Equestria and Cassadaigua, meanwhile, will travel to Manehattan's newest hoofball venue, The Crownlands, for a semifinal that will pit the World Cup 67 co-hosts against each other. Although the Ponies do not have quite the same pristine recent record on home soil as the Kadongo Kamu, the Equestrians have historically performed much better in the World Cups they've hosted than when they've gone overseas. Equestria's first knockout round appearance came during World Cup 67, their first quarterfinal appearance at World Cup 80, and, of course, their first semifinal appearance here at the 83rd World Cup. And though the Equestrians' first regional title was won in front of a hostile Banijan crowd, most of their matches at that tournament were played in nearby Baker Park, where a large travelling contingent of Equestrian supporters followed the team.

The Ponies' case to be made World Cup favorites does not rest solely upon home field advantage, however, but also the team's talent, depth, and experience. Equestria's roster is bursting at the seams with skilled players, even after the recent retirements of national team veterans Cloudchaser, Flitter, and Andrea Molovi. In Sunny Day, the Ponies have a teenage phenom with the potential to someday become one of the multiverse's best, and her performances thus far at the World Cup have only cemented her position as a superstar in the making. And Sunny Day is (for now, at least) just a substitute! Apple Cobbler, Luminesce, Rosewing, and Aarón Aiza: all starters for some of the multiverse's top clubs in its elite leagues. Do you want tournament experience and talent? Rainbow Blitz, Pristina Shine, Brix Hamilton, and the one and only 'Goddess of Goalkeeping' Gentle Breeze: all players with more than a few cycles under their metaphorical belts, and all key pieces in Equestria's latest push to win its first world championship.

Of course, we can't forget about the Ponies' semifinal opponents: Cassadaigua. The Dagan Dynasty that won back-to-back titles at World Cups 50 and 51 is long gone, but the Fillies have finally gotten Cassadaigua back to contender status in the last couple cycles after decades of irrelevance. At World Cup 81, Cassadaigua made its first tournament appearance in twelve editions and reached the second round, followed one cycle later by a quarterfinals run at World Cup 82. The 83rd World Cup has seen the Fillies easily qualify for the finals and finish atop a group with Farfadillis and Brenecia. The Dagans halted the Reçueçn dream run in the second round and then sent Valanora's Marauders home in the quarterfinals.

Like the Ponies, the Fillies' roster is primarily made up of players in the prime of their careers, but there is also a historical note that also points to Cassadaigua's success. No Dagan side has ever reached the semifinals of the World Cup and not gone on to win it all. Yes, it's a small sample size, and no, the members of this team were not a part of those title-winners; but it is nonetheless an indicator of the Fillies' legacy of clutch performances on which this team can build. The Equestrians will enter the Crownlands as favorites to advance to the World Cup Final in Canterlot, but they still must assert their right to be there against a nation that has a well-established history of crowning champions.

---

Equestria (4) 1-1 (3) Eura
at Diamond Park (cap. 75,000) in Stalliongrad, EQS
EQS Lineup (4-2-3-1): Gentle Breeze (GK) - B. Hamilton (LB), Rumble (CB), Ironhoof -- '98 [Sunlight '102] (CB), K. Bailey (RB) - A. Aiza [Decima '117] (CM), R. Tyler (CM), Luminesce [Sunny Day '66] (LM), Rainbow Blitz (AM), Apple Cobbler [Stardust '84] (RM) - Pristina Shine (ST)
EUR Lineup (4-3-3): R. Griffin (GK) - S. Burns (LB), H. Blake (CB), C. Roberts -- '71 [O. Murray '72] (CB), S. Coles (RB) - M. Rowland (CM), L. Armstrong (CM), O. Coltrane [M. Woakes '79] (AM) - B. Bond (LW), D. Underwood [D. Sharp '102] (ST), A. Townsend (RW)
Scoring: Rainbow Blitz '36 (Luminesce), Brian Bond '62 (M. Rowland)
EQS Penalties: Pristina Shine [1-0], Rainbow Blitz [2-1], Decima [3-1], R. Tyler [3-2], Sunny Day [4-3]
EUR Penalties: L. Armstrong [1-1], A. Townsend [2-1], S. Coles [3-2], M. Woakes [3-3], D. Sharp [4-3]

Cassadaigua vs. Equestria
at The Crownlands (cap. 92,955) in Manehattan, EQS
Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Gentle Breeze (GK) - B. Hamilton (LB), Rumble (CB), Arctic Lily (CB), K. Bailey (RB) - A. Aiza (CM), R. Tyler (CM), Luminesce (LM), Rainbow Blitz (AM), Apple Cobbler (RM) - Pristina Shine (ST)
Reserves: M. Peterson (GK), Silver Charm (GK) - Sunlight (RB), Ironhoof (CB), Nightshade (LB), Crimson Mesa (CB) - Krystal (LM), Sunny Day (CM), Stardust (RM) - Rosewing (ST), Decima (ST)

[Equestrian States]

WORLD CUP 83
EQUESTRIA & BANIJA

Groups E-H - Semifinals Cutoff
Sponsored by Harry Glove Company

Gloves? Really? You're having the Equestrian write about a glove sponsorship? You do realize we have hooves, right? *sigh*

Alright. Announcing Official World Cup 83 Gloves Partner Harry Glove Company. Yeah, go buy some gloves, I guess.

...I'm starting to think that some of these partnerships may not have been especially well thought out.

Have some penultimate cutoff tunes.

Results

[Banija]

World Cup Semifinal Cutoff for Survivors of Groups A-D
Brought to you by Inura Extracts

One or more interns at the RBSA were fired for suggesting the Equestrians handle the glove sponsorship...

Of course, you've gotta spice your food. That's a requirement. DO you want your favorite spices, and heck, even your favorite dietary supplements from the same company? Look no further than Inura Extracts. Their company, with their products sampled at fan zones and stadia throughout the World Cup Finals, has come out to earn your trust. It should be given.

Of course, their reputation cannot be ignored. They have been awarded the Official Questionably Effective Supplement and Extract Partner of World Cup 83.

As for our cutoff song... Is it wrong that your dreams are filled of reaching the World Cup Final?

[Starblaydia]

This is the eighth time that Starblaydia have made it to the World Cup Final. Only once amid their nine appearances in the final four has the team failed to clear this, the penultimate hurdle, and the trend continued with their victory over Banija. Starblaydia's men and women in white played the ultimate spoilers to Banija's party as they knocked out the co-hosts in their own national stadium in front of a partisan capacity crowd of nearly 92,000 people. The Stadium of the Restoration was not named for the realisation of the SFA's dream to return to the top table of the football world, but it was apropos nonetheless, as the statisticians say this run will catapult Ázëwyn Fëanáro's side into the top five ranked teams in the world when all is said and done. They will be joined there by their World Cup 80 co-host partners and World Cup 83 Final opponents, Equestria. They've done the incredibly difficult task of beating one host in the Semi-Final in their own national stadium, and now they just have to beat the other host in the Final in their own national stadium and unprecedented glory will be theirs.

Sounds simple enough, right?

To defeat Equestria, they'll have to dig into the same reserves from which their herculean effort of will came in the Semi-Final. Boisterous, partisan stadiums are one thing, but when you're the antagonist in the story of the popular underdog host's World Cup run, it feels like the entirety of the footballing world is against you. Everyone is the hero of their own story, but when the story is as compelling as the charge of Banija on home soil, it's hard to not sit back and ask yourself "Are we the baddies?". On the surface, it's a simple argument to make. After all, who plays in all-white, puts up massive golden eagles everywhere and sings about how they keep winning stuff in their anthem while lounging around all stylishly like they own the place, before proceeding to sneak their way through the entire tournament looking all ominous and scary despite having gone to Extra Time twice and won only a single match in the ninety minutes, and that being against Taeshan, of all places? With this description, Starblaydia should have been defeated by the boundless joy of Banijan football, cheered on by a stadium bouncing in positive national fervour as they serenaded their heroes on to the game of a lifetime.

But, no, Starblaydia's team came, lined up handsomely in their pristine white shirts that are so swish they're the envy of most of the World Cup, lined up and sang about how they win a lot because of their inherent wonderfulness, then promptly played a rough and voracious attacking game that, although leaving the back door open on several (in fact, more than several) occasions for the home team's hope to shine incandescently for a few moments, cruelly snuffed out the chances of a fairy tale ending for the boys in green.

Starblaydia are used to painting themselves as the heroes in their World Cup runs. It was Starblaydia, in World Cup 25, who ended the dominance of System Karela as they overcame Rejistania's drive for a fifth championship, saving the multiverse from the efficiency and dreariness of ten men constantly behind the ball. Three tournaments later they were avenging a Semi-Final loss to Bedistan, shaking up the rankings and tussling for supremacy at the top of the KPBs along with Liverpool England in a three-way fight that defined an era. The 41st World Cup was the dream comeback that showed you can make it from Baptism of Fire Runners-Up to World Cup Champions in the space of just four tournaments, and it remains the shortest time ever taken to do so. World Cups 44 and 47 were about stopping the ultimate domination of Valanora, with Starblaydia the only team able to defeat the Marauders in the knockouts for five straight editions - probably denying them a fivepeat - as they led the world in standing up to the Marauder menace at the top of the rankings.

When Starblaydia went to Valanora and defeated the Elves in their home stadium in the Final of the 47th World Cup - just as they had against Rejistania in Kaza City a century earlier - they were the ones tasked with drawing the line in the sand and saying that this was the place where unbridled dominance ends, this is the time when the biggest and strongest and fastest should take pause and that the rest of the world would not let them get away with it. Time and again it was Starblaydia that stood alone, and time and again they triumphed to demonstrate that the bully can - and will - lose in the end, to the brave side who plant their flag in the ground and say "This far; no further". But in World Cup 83, that brave side was not Starblaydia.

It was Banija.

The Kadongo Kamu did that very same flag-planting as they knocked out a Vilitan side on the verge of taking the lead in all-time world championships and equaling the remarkable and unparalleled threepeat that Aguazul pulled off all those years ago. The Equestrian Marcus Waters prepared his Banijan charges to face the power of the Jungle Cats in the last eight and prevailed, shocking the world and leaving the door wide open for every other remaining side. The powerhouse had been defeated, the big bad was eliminated, and the pathway was there for Banija to take the next step. But here, alas, the hero's journey would end as they faced a clinical Starblaydia side who are now living up to the promises made by that widely seen and universally mocked hashtag of 'we want six'.

Of course everyone with a Starblaydi passport wants six. The only people who wouldn't want six of any achievement are the ones who already have seven and, for almost every other nation in the multiverse, the very fact of attaining Starblaydia's current tally of five is a dream beyond reckoning. It's a privilege born of more than quarter of a millennium of performance, drive, verve and achievements, achievements that until very recently the entire national character was resting upon. Starblaydia is great because Stablaydia was great. The truth, however, is that Starblaydia only had been great, but yesterday is gone and only today matters, only right now, and right now is the time for the World Cup Final.

Ázëwyn Fëanáro's team only made it through their nerve-wracking Semi-Final thanks to the game-of-a-lifetime performances from a number of Starblaydi players. The crowd at the largest football stadium in Banija was at least eighty percent behind the home side, as one would expect, but the relatively small band of perhaps 15,000 traveling Starblaydi fans made their voices heard with songs and cheers for the team in white and purple. An attacking 4-2-4 - or perhaps closer to an outrageously forward-minded 4-3-3 - lined up for the home side, met by Starblaydia's own 3-5-2 that had looked increasingly frail since arriving in the Finals. Despite being a superstar in Velestria, Sami Viipuri was looking increasingly out of his depth at this level, no more so than in the 31 year old's performance against Mriin. It was with this in mind, it seems, that Viipuri remained on the bench, while 22 year old Falka Kaumolainen was tasked with coming in to replace him - not in the centre of defence to face all four heads of the Banjian goalscoring monster, but with Sigismund shifted to the middle and Kaumolainen taking up her place on the left of the three. It was only her twenty-fourth appearance in a Starblaydi shirt, now tasked with taking them to the World Cup Final.

Banija shot out of the gates at lightning speed right from the opening whistle and Starblaydia were immediately on the back foot. Arkady Krakowski was having to play more like a left full-back than a winger to try and contain the threat of Kadongo Kamu captain Chibuzo Afolayan, while Starblaydia's own captain, Viola Capodanno, had her hands more than full with Okonkwo Okparro surging through the middle. First was five minutes of domination as the green wave rolled over the white shore, then ten, then fifteen, and it looked for all the world like Starblaydia would be under the cosh for the entire hour and a half. The first shot from Gitonga Kahara required an athletic dive from Leopoldi, before Afolayan flashed his own effort across the face of goal. Sigismind, Reyes and Kaumolainen all had their moments of crucial blocks, interceptions and tackles at the back line and, slowly, Starblaydia started putting their foot on the ball and began to get into the game.

On thing that Starblaydia does have in abundance is midfielders who are comfortable on the ball, whether holding it up, moving it forward, or playing it wide for further options. The midfield unit is starting to really function as a single body as Yamaguchi, Sato, Krakowski and Apelles are beginning to know instinctively where the other three players are. When you add into that the pace of a striker like McCloud and the canny know-how of a forward like Aaron Cole, all propped up and led by Capodanno holding in the centre, the Starblaydi attack can be a joy to behold. A joy indeed, when Yamaguchi released McCloud down the right-hand side and the Yeaddin Owls forward had Ensa Camara entirely beaten for pace. As Kaba came across to cover on the touchline, McCloud clipped in a long, high cross. Everyone had thought it was too much, but the ball dipped suddenly at the last moment, dropping like a stone right on to the head of Aaron Cole at the far post. The Corinthian Spirits striker would, 99% of the time, have gone for goal - maybe try a looping header over the goalie towards the other post, or try and power the ball down and inside at the near - but instead he cushioned it neatly back across the penalty area, avoiding Jalang Ba, and right into the path of the player no-one had picked up: Calindra Apelles. Bursting into the box with a late run, she met the ball on the half-volley and slammed it into the back of the net. Against the wishes of the home crowd and against the run of play, Starblaydia were 1-0 up after twenty-two minutes.

The fans were not too dismayed, after all this was a Starblaydi team that had scored forty-five goals on their way to this point in the World Cup campaign - it was known just how deadly this strikeforce can be. Banija's own front four have their own talents, however, no more proven than in the final match of the Group Stage, where they already defeated Starblaydia 1-0 just a matter days ago. This time, though, Starblaydia were beginning to get the hang of their opponents. When Sutter McCloud again was set rampaging through the middle, this time by a through-ball from Sato, the Banijan defence was at sixes and sevens. Selassiee swiped at a clearance that only went as far as Yamaguchi, who played a lovely one-two with Capodanno and broke into the penalty area. Again, instead of going for goal, Kaori Yamaguchi cut it back for Aaron Cole, who knocked the ball outside the range of Jalang Ba and drilled it into the bottom corner of the net for his third goal of the finals and tenth overall this campaign. If the first goal had been a minor setback, the second really deflated the balloon for the home side's fans. Their dreams of World Cup Final glory were rapidly slipping away. One goal could be overcome, but two unanswered strikes was going to be a tough task to turn around. The urging of the Kadongo Kamu fans to get their team going was as desperate as it was half-hearted at the following kick-off, because they only had ten minutes in the first half to try and get back in the game.

They thought their golden opportunity had come when Sigismund tried to play out from the back. His low, simple pass went straight to Okparro's feet and suddenly the four Banijan threats were sprinting at three Starblaydi defenders, pouncing on the loose ball. The crowd roared with approval and anticipation as Okparro beared down on goal, passing it for Kahara to shoot, but the Oas Royal winger could only curl the ball around the outside of the post and give Starblaydia the let-off they probably didn't deserve. It had been Banija's most gilt-edged chance of the first half, and they hadn't managed to take it. As the whistle blew for the end of the first half, there was little the home fans could do to gee on their side, while Starblaydi fans were singing their songs of triumph and glory.

As the fifteen minutes of half time ticked inexorably by, a change in mood swept around the great curved, undulating interior of the Stadium of the Restoration. This was Banija, dammit, and this was not the place, not the time and not the team to give up hope. A quarter of an hour before, the feeling had been 'Can we really do this?', but as the second half whistle blew, a bite to eat and a snack from the concessions stand had turned the atmosphere into one of 'We can really do this!'. The renewed vigour of the home fans gave the team the courage to redouble their efforts, and once again the Kadongo Kamu took the game to their opponents, knowing that they had the rest of their lives to recover from this effort, or to be forever haunted by the fact they didn't try as hard as they possibly could to win this match. So they pushed. They pushed and pushed until muscles were aching and lungs were bursting with the effort. Never once did a Starblaydi player have more than a few seconds with the ball to themselves before one or two green shirts swarmed all over them; three seconds with the ball quickly became a luxury for the women and men in white.

Assefa Yitebarke had been a peripheral figure so far in the match, failing to really come out on top in his tussle with the tall, lean and well-built Sigismund, but it was that tussle that provided the real breakthrough for Banija. As the ball swung in for the ninth Banijan corner of the game, Yitebarke's quick footwork took him a step in front of Sigismund, able to reach the header and knock it down towards the goal. Though Leopoldi sprung like a cat to get down low and hook the ball away off the line, it could go no further than Kizza Okafor, who smashed it into the roof of the net as the entire stadium, probably country and perhaps even across the multiverse, went crazy. Aaron Cole had quickly grabbed the ball from out of the back of the next and tried an overly physical game of keep-away with Afolayan that the referee was having none of: half the Banijan players were celebrating and the other half were scuffling with Starblaydi players trying to prevent a quick restart and dampen the natural shift in momentum. At 2-1 to Starblaydia, with around thirty minutes left, now was not the time for the five-time World Champions to panic and let Banija dictate the pace of the match.

But dictate it they did, beating Starblaydia to every 50/50 ball, getting a toe to it first and being in just the right place for the loose ball or misplaced pass. Yitebarke shot wide from distance. Kahara had a promising run put out for a corner by Reyes. Okparro's shot was parried and Afolayan's follow-up was deflected over bar. Starblaydia were rocking, and the game was about to change. Ázëwyn Fëanáro switched up her side with two substitutions, bringing on Arnold Navarro and Mercy Kaufman in place of Kota Sato and the exhausted Sutter McCloud, who had run the hard yards as the major attacking threat all game. With the change of personnel came a change of formation, as Starblaydia shifted into a 4-4-1-1,rejigging the back line into a four of Reyes, Navarro, Kaumolainen and Sigismund, making the stagger five in midfield a flat four, and Cole being the roaming link up between midfield and Kaufman, who's scintillating speed meant she could hang around on the halfway line and put her 40m sprint times to the test against tiring defender's legs. Although it made Starblaydia much more defensively stable almost immediately as they had far more bodies to put in the way of the Banijan play, only having Kaufman up front just invited yet more pressure onto the team in white. Marshaled by Kah and Okaparro in the middle, Banija pushed up and firmly set up their camp outside the Starblaydi defensive third. The former World Champions were hemmed in, struggling to get any control of the game whatsoever, and time was ticking away for both sides.

No control, that was, until Viola Capodanno's block challenge on substitute Namakula Kawesa. The Northern Union star planted her foot firmly on the ground and won the ball, sending Kawesa sprawling. This far; no further. Now with time and space on her side, Capodanno took a few steps forward, looked up, and then played the most perfect ball over the top - some fifty yards down the other end of the pitch as Mercy Kaufman raced away at an almost unbelievable speed, feet flashing past each other in the quick, long stride of the natural sprinter. With barely a look, she took one touch to control the ball with on the outside of her right boot and powered forward with Selassiee, incredibly, still just behind her. As Kaufman broke around the outside and curved her path towards where the line of the penalty area meets the goal line, each player tried to disrupt the run of the other. Knocking the ball into the box, Kaufman placed one foot firmly inside the area and went down, sliding along the grass with her arms outstretched and the shout of an appeal on her face. The referee took a long, long look at the situation as he caught up with the play, some twenty-five yards away behind the play, then raised his arms to blow the whistle and give a signal.

Penalty.

Starblaydi fans and players celebrated the decision as Banijans throughout the stadium whistled and jeered. Replays showed that, yes, Selassiee's strong arm was well across the chest of Kaufman at the moment she fell, but the two had tussled in precisely that manner for the previous fifteen yards and there was no desire to fall over from Kaufman during all of that run until she got into the area. Boos thundered around the stadium as Aaron Cole walked slowly up to the penalty spot with a determined look in his eye. As the referee blew the whistle and Lemuel Bereket stood ready, coiled like a spring on the goal line, Cole had a little look up at the stadium around him, with a faint smile playing across his face. Three steps and one kick later, and the resounding chorus of booing was punctuated by a raucous cheer from the other end of the stadium. Cole had his second, and Starblaydia's two goal lead was restored. It would have taken a miracle in Busukuma for Banija to overturn that lead, and fate allowed the Kadongo Kamu faithful to believe that it really was possible.

From the kick-off, again Bainja scythed through the Starblaydi defence and Cosmo Leopoldi frantically punched at Kahara's shot from out wide on the left, sending it straight to Okparro, who unleashed a blistering shot that was blocked in the six yard area by Navarro, with the ball looping up high enough and for long enough that Leopoldi could get back to his feet and set himself for the leap to catch it comfortably, winning a free kick for the pressure of Yitebarke, judged unfair by the referee. Again boos echoed around the stadium as Leopoldi took all the time in the world to set the ball down, take a few steps back, direct some traffic ineffectually before finally booting the ball downfield to absolutely no other benefit to his side than a slightly fewer seconds remaining on the clock than before.

From that kick, Banija surged forward. Ba played it to Okafor, who found Kawesa. The only woman on the Banijan side broke past Capodanno and, seeing no other option, blasted it towards goal. Again Leopoldi made the save, pushing it out wide to his left. Kahara then followed up with the chip to the back post, but there was Kaumolainen to head it clear from just underneath the bar, leaping up to catch the crossbar in a chin-up position and save herself from clattering into it. Out for a corner it looped, and Starblaydia were hanging on by a thread with four minutes to go. From the resulting corner kick swung in by Kahara, Yitebark again got ahead of Sigismund, but this time his header was clean and true, and the ripple of the net was matched by the ripple of unbridled joy and hope that exploded out of the stadium like an atomic bomb. Three-Two, and it was still possible, still within the grasp of a dream.

But, for the Kadongo Kamu, it was not to be. As Starblaydia switched out Apelles for the defence-minded Austin Dashwood to use up just a few more seconds, the clock ticked onward into injury time like the slow heartbeat of a doom-laden promise. Doom, it meant, for this Banijan dream of the World Cup Final, doom for anyone who has seen the image of white and purple shirted player with five stars on their chests celebrating one too many times, and doom for the natural underdog spirit. Here the giants were awakening from their century-long slumber, forcing themselves into the final of the World Cup for the first time in twenty editions. It'll be a match were Starblaydia, somehow, will be the underdogs, facing an Equestria side playing for their first World Championship in their own stadium and cheered on by their own fans like a home match. But this time, perhaps, they might just deserve whatever comes. Starblaydia will take either silver or gold medals from the final of World Cup 83, but there's still the opportunity for both they and Equestria to be the hero of their own story, to plant their flag firmly in the ground of the Final of the 83rd World Cup and speak clearly to their antagonists.

This far; no further.

[Banija]

Cassadaigua- the nation that we strive to be


The final training session of World Cup 83 for the Kadongo Kamu

ISTRIA, MORAVICA- We, of course, went all out in this edition of our magazine to cover the World Cup Semifinal. As you flip through the pages, you'll find that there has been more coverage about this game than we have ever done about a single game, ever. On page 25, you'll find player match ratings for the Banijans on the day. On page 28, you will find the statistics that produced this stunning run to the World Cup semifinal. On page 31, you'll see a large article talking about how Banija's home field advantage in their last 3 competitive tournaments(including the non-major tournament of the Cup of Champions) has benefited them. As you keep turning the pages, you'll find articles about how this run defines the legacies of the veteran generation that led the squad this cycle, led by Afolayan and Yitebarke. And, of course, you'll certainly find reviews on the hosting performance of the country- did the country host well? How well received was having the 2nd World Cup in 3 tournaments happen on Banijan soil once again?

You should get to reading those- they are excellent articles. But this article focuses on the Third Place Game. They aren't expected to go out with their regular XI- Marcus Waters is intended to give the veterans of this generation, who have led this team to the highest of heights and to the brink of glory, one last time to shine competitively, for an international audience, at Kabonero III Field in the Third Place Game. Don't buy that the Banijans don't care about it though- they certainly want to win. "Being able to say that you medaled at a World Cup, is an impressive feat." Said Marcus Waters. "Far beyond a number of things, that will mean that this team can be immortalized in the record books- the third and final medal winner at the World Cup Finals. So you absolutely bet that this team will go out there and fight for what would certainly be a reward for our efforts."

Now, of course, we do have a full, in-depth preview of that game in this magazine as well- check page 56. But as for this article, we are not going to talk about the actual, in-depth tactics of the upcoming bronze medal game. Instead, we are going to talk about the Kadongo Kamu's opponent for this matchday, who is none other than the Fillies of Cassadaigua. The Cassadagans have accomplished much on the pitch in this tournament, and their resurrection, a triumphant return to the World Cup semifinals after so many years in the wilderness when it came to competing for World Cup titles, is one to be applauded. But Cassadaigua ties into the national sporting story in more ways than one.

Banija has never been a major geopolitical power. Whatever you think about the Banijan-Equestrian war, Banija's last military conflict, this one thing cannot be denied- Banija was absolutely humiliated by the Equestrian States. We do not really exert much influence politically beyond our borders, and if you, anonymously at least, ask the members of the Banijan diplomatic corps, or even the military brass, whether the country really packs a punch on the world stage, the answer to that question would have to be no. While, of course, Banija, thanks to its fairly new disocvery of oil desposits out east, is finally rising economically, we're still behind a lot of our neighbors, both within the Glorious Southwest, Atlantian Oceania in general, and beyond.

In the realm of sports, however, that is not true. Ever since Banija's participation in international sports started to go beyond the Commonwealth Games, and we tried to earn world titles, there has been a complicated goal- get Banijan sports to the top of the mountain. Banija's sports fans are demanding, and excellence was the standard. Not just in soccer, where we will play in Istria tomorrow night. But the goal has always been to get all of our sports taht we compete in, to the top of the mountain. Get them world titles, get them respect, become sporting powerhouse.

There are nations who have won international competitions in different sorts of sports. But nobody has that multi-sport excellence down pat better than the Cassadagans. Cassadaigua, quite famously, is known for being the only nation to win the 'Big 5' sporting competitions- The World Cup, the World Bowl, the World Cup of Hockey, the International Basketball Championships, and the World Baseball Classic. Of course, Banija competes in all 5 of those and more beyond, and while we have achieved reasonable amounts of success, the success that Cassadaigua has achieved is what Banija is really striving for.

Their athletes have all climbed to the top of the mountain in the multiverse's Big 5 sports. While hockey really can't be called a major sport within Banija, you can replace that with lacrosse and the analogy becomes similar once again. Look at how Banija has finished in the last editions of the country's five biggest sports. Of course, here in the World Cup, we got to the semifinal. In addition to that, we fell in the semifinals of the Cup of Champions(also at home), and before that, we fell in the AOCAF LVIII Final at the Stadium of the Restoration, aptly named for Starblaydia's potential restoration to the summit of world soccer. All of them- so close, and yet, so far. Banija remains grasping at straws for their first major title at the senior level in this sport. It should be noted, of course, that the U18 squad won the Sporting World Cup, defeating, of course, Starblaydia in the final. Will the next generation climb those final steps that this generation couldn't?

Let's look at the World Baseball Classic. The Banijans won a group with the defending tournament champions, Ko-oren, and went all the way to the semifinals behind a strong pitching staff. Of course, after 4 excruciatingly close games against Cassadaigua, the better side won out, and we were eliminated 3 games to 1 on our way to a bronze medal. The World Lacrosse Championships, held, of course in Baker Park, saw Banijan lacrosse finally return to its proper place, among the sport's elite, and make a run to the semifinal. But, of course, we could go one further as once again, we lost in the semifinals of that tournament. Who did we beat in the bronze medal match of that tournament? None other than Cassadaigua.

And then, of course, there's the World Bowl. Regular readers of this magazine know this, but for those who do not follow gridiron, just know this. We actually do worse in World Bowls on home soil. Message to the Olympic Committee- stop trying to host that tournament please? We've been to four World Bowl semifinals, and none of them have happened on home soil. Of course, we all know the pain of Banija's 0-4 semifinal record at the World Bowl. And lastly, the International Basketball Championships. We went into that tournament ranked in the top 5, had a great group stage, and after struggling in the Round of 16 against Valanora, crushed the Royal Kingdom of Quebec to play in the tournament's semifinal against Vangaziland. Many thought Banija and Vangaziland were the two best teams on display at that tournament. That may very well have been true. However, Vangaziland absolutely demolished Banija, beating us by a combined 40+ points in a 2-0 sweep that made every basketball fan wonder, exactly how good is this team?

Banija has been able to make the deep run in a number of sports at the senior level, but yet at this stage, there is no senior level international title to this country's name. There are, of course, victories. Bunyoro RSC, particiularly, has a pair of titles from the International Domestic Lacrosse Organization. There is the Sporting World Cup. And, naturally, there is Banija's NSCF success, with two titles from Loyola-Istria, and one title from their archrival, Northern Moravica. But the latter two, of course, are youth tournaments.

And then, look at Cassadaigua and their trophy cabinet. They have seen success basically on almost every front. The story of the World Baseball Classic cannot be written without Cassadaigua. They went back to back at World Cup 50 and World Cup 51- one of few nations to win the World Cup twice in a row. This is a tournament whose story cannot be written without Cassadaigua either. Titles at the World Bowl, and the IBCs, and the World Cup of Hockey- it is the kind of dominance Banijans dream of. Banija has the talent to make deep runs in a lot of these sports, but is not talented enough to be kings of any of them yet. That is the talent Cassadaigua has. No matter what happens here, their legacy is secured- they were a nation that established excellence across all fronts, and put it together in enough ways for them to be crowned in five different sports- that cannot be denied.

Cassadaigua is the standard. Cassadaigua is the goal for Banija. Of course, we should understand that we are not the only nation trying to emulate Cassadaigua's success. Look at Ko-oren, look at Newmanistan, look at Vangaziland, look at Equestria, look at Drawkland, and all of these nations trying to establish multi-sport success. But this isn't the All-Ko-oren, or the All-Equestria, or the All-Drawkland Sports Magazine- it's the All-Banija Sports Magazine. It's this country's story we're supposed to tell, eh?

Be excited for what should surely be an entertaining match in Istria for the tournament's bronze medals, before all eyes turn to Canterlot for the all-purple World Cup Final.

Starters: 4-2-1-3
Players who are based in a foreign league are bolded.
Players who have their first ever competitive callup in this tournament are italicized.
BSL = Banijan Soccer League, Banija's only national professional soccer league.
GK #1 Lemuel Bereket. Age 30. Plays for Exton FC in the Apox National League.
RB #2 Ephrem Selassiee. Age 28. Plays for Sterling City United in Darmen.
CB #3 Jalang Ba. Age 31. Plays for Jinja City FC in the BSL.
CB #5 Abate Brehanu. Age 35. Plays for Herzegovina City FC in the BSL.
LB #13 Ensa Camara. Age 31. Plays for the Zakhora Aces in the Härlighet Ligan in Cosumar.
RCM #6 Ablie Kah. Age 27. Plays for Istria City FC in the BSL.
LCM #8 Kizza Okafor. Age 26. Plays for Lakiska Sporting Club in the BSL.
CAM #10 Okonkwo Okparro. Age 30. Plays for Makosile United in the Vilitan League's Declasse Division.
RW #7 Chibuzo Afolayan. Age 34. Plays for AFC Corvistone in the Nepharim Premiership. Captain.
LW #11 Gitonga Kahara. Age 28. Plays for OAS Royal FC in the Härlighet Ligan in Cosumar.
ST #9 Assefa Yitebarke. Age 32. Plays for Istria City FC in the BSL.

Bench:
GK #23 Jumu Sanneh. Age 30. Plays for Turoki United in the Vilitan League's Declasse Division.
GK #35 François Tantoh. Age 24. Plays for Duntho Sporting Club in the Banijan Northwestern League.
RB #27 Obey Chidiebere. Age 30. Plays for Bunyoro RSC in the BSL.
CB #20 Kawsu Kaba. Age 24. Plays for the Hoima Warriors in the BSL. Captained Di Bradini Cup 44 side.
LB #4 Abraham Godefai. Age 31. Plays for the Kitara Athletic Association in the BSL.
CM #15 Kiggwe Basamula. Age 24. Plays for the Busembe Timberwolves in the BSL.
CM #14 Abesalom Yitay. Age 28. Plays for Mynda Electra in the BSL.
CAM #21 Namakula Kawesa. Age 23. (Female). Plays for Gwinevra Barbarians in the Apox National League.
LW/RW #12 Nwabudike Ugonna. Age 24. Plays for FC Rotmunde 1932 in the Republikaliga in Siovanija & Teusland.
LW/RW #18 Alanso Tamba. Age 29. Plays for Crisisbless United in the Nepharim Premiership.
ST #24 Kabir Jobateh. Age 28. Plays for FC Kaiserhaven in the Republikaliga in Siovanija & Teusland. Starter on the bronze medal 42nd Di Bradini Cup squad.
ST #17 Ilman Jawara. Age 23. Plays for the Hawabark Boulders in the BSL.

[Cassadaigua]

Thank you for your support,
by Stephanie Sweeney, Manager

I would like to take this time to thank all of our fans out there for the amazing support during this World Cup cycle. I’ve been told, and it is true, that this will be our third best finish in national history. We have made great strides since our return to national play, and have steadily climbed the ladder before having a great run this time out. Ever since we began in some pre-qualifying friendlies, we were showing great chemistry and getting very good results. This brought us into qualifying, where we handled our group very well. I was optimistic that we could have a successful cycle, with many key players in the prime of their careers, and with it, mixed in with some youth and a pinch of veteran influence.

This led us to the semifinals, where we played a solid game against Equestria on their home turf in Manehattan, but unfortunately came up short. We are disappointed to have not gotten this win, but there was nothing wrong with our effort, and hopefully it is something we can build on even further. The current generation of Cassadagan fans have had their taste of what a run to the semifinals can do. There is one more game to be played, which is to determine a third place finisher, and in it, we will get to play the other co-host. We’ll hope to finish this off on the right foot, but are very proud of what we have done. The All Banija Sports Magazine just wrote a terrific piece complimenting us on what we have done, not just in soccer but throughout the sporting world. Truly a class act of a nation. I look forward to playing them.

Thank you all for being there through it all, from start to finish.

[Equestrian States]

WORLD CUP 83
EQUESTRIA & BANIJA

Third Place Playoff Cutoff
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