Baptism of Fire 71

by **Pauh Janggi** » Fri Nov 22, 2019 9:19 pm

Management Team
President: Dr. Mansur Puteh
Secretary General: Mr. Sallehudin Kamal
Head Coach: Mr. Firdaus Wan Yahya
Assistant Coach: Mr. Fuad Hamdan
Pyshio: Mr. Ismail Noh Omar

Stadium: Merdeka Arena [61,000]

Formation: 4-4-2
Style: -1
=====================================================================
First Eleven
#01 GK Ismail Othmaniah [Kotaraja Pahlawan FC]

#02 DL Daeng Senopati Daeng Marwilis [Anara FC] - CAPT. Eraman
#03 DC Muhamad Mokhtar Dahari [Oldenhurst FC]

#04 DC Shah Farid Shah [Puckknock Pirate FC]

#05 DR Hikmanul Hateem [Lembagasari United FC]

#06 ML Hairuddin Samat [Iron Nest Shores FC]

#07 MC Iskandar Sulaiman Muda [Brigminstry FC]

#08 MC Norhalim Majid [South Dogknock FC]

#09 MR Alan Tersumat [Oldenhurst FC]

#10 FC Osman Khaidir [Dalster Athletic]

#11 FC Ahmed Bragas [Handbarrow Creek FC]

======================================================================
Reserve Team
#16 GK Rahman Al Furqan [Kiambang Athletic FC]

#15 DC Luqmanul Hateem [Royal Puncakpura FC] Eraman
#17 DC Johari Mat Syahbandar [Damaisari] Eraman
#14 MC Afiq Haqimi [Puckknock Pirate FC]

#12 ML Wan Kuzeen Wan Ali [Kiambang Athletic FC]

#13 FC Asmat Dollah [Kotaraja Pahlawan FC]

#18 MC Budi Hartono [Oldenhurst FC]

#19 DL Salak Ujang [Sri Panglima]

#20 FC Junaidy Juneed [Dalster Athletic]

#21 DR Amansari Kenangan [Navy Buccaneer]

#22 MR/L Tenaga Alam [Lembagasari United FC]

by **Trolleborg** » Sat Nov 23, 2019 4:01 am

Trolleborg - Casta Marina 6-1

Our team won 6 to 1, and play very well, to say the least. After U18 World Cup we confidently count on the good game of our team, but this is more than we hoped for.
Morten Troghil was visibly delighted and at a press conference expressed deep satisfaction with the quality and outcome of the game.

Magnificient debute, but, nevertheless, Morten Troghil urged to calm down: “After the first matches everyone can see who is who, and we already lost elements of surprise”. And it must remembered, that we see something like that on the U18 Cup, when after first two wonderful games the steam come out completely in the last two.

Trolleborg: Kotsson, Levenkrands, Troger, Dushegub (Tro,65), Wolters, Kolding (Magni,71), Valgren, Troll, Finnsnes, Kerr (Gulbranden,46), Skaloed.

Kerr,2 (1-0). Kolding,15 (2-0). Troll,37(3-0). Kerr,45 (4-0), Skaloed,55(5-0), Gulbranden,65(6-0).

No sooner had the buzz died down after the starting whistle, as our team scored first goal in official matches - Finnsnes took the defensive players away by maneuvering near the box, giving Wolters the opportunity to go along the side line almost to the end and make a nice cut pass parallel to the front line to which Kerr responded with a volley shot which put the ball into the upper corner. The players of the national team rushed to celebrate a goal to the stand of their fans and did it for a so long time that the judge almost reached into his pocket for a yellow card, considering this as time-dragging. Opponents tried to quickly equalize, but the defense of our team played at a due level, and a quarter of an hour after the start of the game a sweeping attack made it possible for Kolding to freely get the ball at the corner of the box, take a couple of steps and punch the ball into the far corner, doubling the score. The next 15 minutes passed in a fight elsewhere across the field, and ended with another very high-spirited attack by our players, which Troll, in a situation, when everyone, including the defenders of opponents, waited for a pass, suddenly make a shot on goal and caught the goalkeeper by surprise. Already in the last minutes of the half, Kerr made a double, nodding the ball into the goal after Finnsnes make a pass from the flank. In the second half, Skaloed showed a high ability to control the ball in the penalty area, having scored a goal in two touches, and then Gulbranden came to corner-kick and shot up with the grace of a take-off transport plane, putting the ball into the nine.

Ok, this is my first report from Zwanzug, where our team play in Baptism of Fire tournament group B. I must admit that I have never seen people doing anything with the same dedication and dedication as our players in recent training. Before the start of the game, however, the coaches' speeches were a little short, since almost nothing was known about our first opponent, but the lads coped with the task and so on. Now we need to keep the brand and pace.

Trl78: Unbelieveable! First match at all – and with such a result!
Woorys: Thanks to the host, we can warm-up in the city and locals is very friendly, willingly sharing fun and participating in the activity of our cultural camp in the center. Stadium is slightly too small for such a crowd, but nevertheless it’s good.
AldeNijm: We playing very good, and whole team put every effort in this victory. I am so proud to be at the stadium this day!

by **Trolleborg** » Sat Nov 23, 2019 4:25 am

TROLLEBORG - NORTH EAST ASIA

Today we play with another team, which taken everything in secret, albeit some clues we can found in the videos from their first match. Let's see, how they fare on the field.

Fans, almost drunk with a first win, make another march from the culinary camp of our nation in the city center to the monorail, giving out paraphenalia of Trolleborg to the locals and involving everyone in the fun.

by **Timuria** » Sat Nov 23, 2019 11:00 am

Well it's your MD2 cutoff groups E-H, I'd just like to say, if you aren't a winner, I apologise.

Group E
Magnaterrica 1–1 Galar
Kwangtzu Guānnán 3–0 The Ross Isles

Group E                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Magnaterrica              2   1  1  0    4   1  +3    4
2 Galar                     2   1  1  0    5   3  +2    4
3 Kwangtzu Guānnán          2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
4 The Ross Isles            2   0  0  2    2   7  −5    0

Group F
Nirvacana 1–0 Nomoterra
Dragons & Bronies 0–2 Pauh Janggi

Group F                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Pauh Janggi               2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
2 Nirvacana                 2   1  1  0    5   4  +1    4
3 Nomoterra                 2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1
4 Dragons & Bronies         2   0  1  1    4   6  −2    1

Group G
Bloing 1–2 Appalachian Nation
Plane of Possibility 0–3 TJUN-ia

Group G                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Appalachian Nation        2   2  0  0    4   1  +3    6
2 TJUN-ia                   2   1  0  1    3   2  +1    3
3 Bloing                    2   1  0  1    4   4   0    3
4 Plane of Possibility      2   0  0  2    2   6  −4    0

Group H
Tara & Cambray 3–5 Aquitlia
Aldaveria 1–3 Fetra

Group H                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Aquitlia                  2   1  1  0    6   4  +2    4
  Fetra                     2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
3 Tara & Cambray            2   1  0  1    6   6   0    3
4 Aldaveria                 2   0  0  2    2   6  −4    0

by **TJUN-ia** » Sat Nov 23, 2019 11:23 am

TJUN-ia Report: WE'VE WON A FOOTBALL GAME!

After a 2-0 defeat to the Appalachian Nation in our first ever international game in Uryan, the Jaguars bounced back at the Madenci
Stadium convincingly with our first ever victory: 3-0 over the win-less Plane of Possibility.

Two goals from Peliniho in the first half set the tone of the afternoon, with the third from substitute Kepo Ulawaya sealing the deal in the 83rd minute.

Captain Jeff Donaldson remarked how the team played. "We came fighting and we never took the PoP for granted, even when we were 3-0 up. To get this win is a message that we have the skills to play in this tournament and we are not here just to make the numbers."

After this historic day TJUN-ia now lies 2nd in Group G, just 3 points behind Appalachian. The Jaguars' next two games are against Bloing, who are tied on points with TJUN-ia in 3rd, and the group-leaders in Appalachian.

by **Aimena** » Sat Nov 23, 2019 4:15 pm

Å | Under the Wire | Å

Game Report & Manager Titanic Hyperiol Post Match Interview
|5| - |2|
HT: |2| - |2|

⚽ 4': Player 2 (NEA) [Assisted by Player 7]
⚽ 24': Player 8 (NEA) [PEN. KICK]
⚽ 31': Hyper-godgathortritofact (AIM) [Assisted by Triacontillion]
⚽ 44': Graltopol (AIM) [Assisted by Hyper-godgathortritofact]
HT
⚽ 46': Hepteicosillion (AIM) [Assisted by Attyllion]
⚽ 52': Hyper-godgathortritofact (AIM)
⚽ 59': Googocliv (AIM)
FT

"It was an enthralling game and what set us apart was our confidence to find an open player and score because as everyone knows our positions are very flexible across the field. You find a deep-lying playmaker to cross unto an attacker and score with that asset. It's something I wouldn't have thought North Eastern Asia would use to their liking as they're more focused with recruiting academy players and keeping the same generic 4-3-3."
- Titanic Hyperiol, Senior Manager of Aimena

by **Ziwana** » Sat Nov 23, 2019 4:41 pm

Ziwana 3-2 Fujai: 'Umodzi,Umodzi' football proves if it ain't broke don't fix it.

How Akambuku lined up against Fujai

In the pre-match interview coming into this game Ziwani manager, Harry Ngonamo told the press that he was going to drop the famous Ziwani style of football 'umodzi, umodzi' for a more defensive style. This angered a lot of Ziwani fans who love to watch the entertaining style that had worked for the Ziwani national football team for a while.

The 'umodzi,umodzi' is a quick passing counter attacking style that is used to dominate the midfield and catch the opponents on the break. This local style of football was started by Birnin Select one of the first football teams in Ziwana in the infant days of Ziwani football. The 'umodzi,umodzi' style gained fame on the regional stage when it was employed by the national team at the 3rd Melayu Archipelago Cup. The 3rd Melayu Archipelago Cup was the Akambuku's debut on the regional stage and their style of football gained them a lot of praise and fans around the Melayu region. 'Umodzi,umodzi' took the Akambuku to the semi-finals of the Melayu Cup, on the way surprisingly defeating the Cup holders Zeniyadh and scoring over 10 goals. With such success it was a surprise for many Ziwani fans in Ziwana and in the Melayu Archipelago when Ngonamo talked about changing the style.

The defensive style adopted by Ziwani manger failed miserably as Fujai dominated the game in the first half. The Fujansk national team used their dominance of possession to good use by scoring 2 goals in the first half. The first goal came in the 23^rd minute when Erna Höss headed home a Xavier Michaud free-kick past Western United and Ziwani shot-stopper, Jean Kane. The second goal for Fujai came in the 36^th minute when Captain Arial Salberg collected a pass from Erna Höss 10 yards out, before Salberg quickly fired a shot into the right hand corner past Jean Kane. This goal must have triggered memories for the young keeper and Ziwani fans when Zenidhian Luis Alberto As Astori had scored a similar goal after collecting a pass 20 yards out from Abdulkadir Bouazza in the 3rd Melayu Archipelago Cup group stages. Things went from bad to worse when in the 42^nd minute, Ziwani star player and captain Jean Wilder suffered a concussion after colliding with Jørgen Solstein. He was substituted for 28 year old Black Leopards striker, Nicolas Bayaram.

Ziwani players celebrate Hashaan Casimir goal

When the half time whistle was sounded, the Ziwani players were booed off the pitch with manager manager Harry Ngonamo being sworn at as the fans demanded the Ziwani team change the style of play back to the beautiful 'umodzi,umodzi'. When half time started it seems that manager Ngonamo had indeed listened to the fans and switched up tactics and style of play to 'umodzi,umodzi'. With the change in style of play the Akambuku looked like a different team as they totally dominated the game as they barraged the Fujai goal. The Ziwani comeback started in the 51^st minute when substitute Abdulaziz Haqawi headed the ball past Fujai goal keeper, Nehal Parekh from a Jonathan Ah Fok corner kick. The equalizer came in the 62^nd minute when the brilliant raw pace of Abdulaziz Haqawi allowed him to move foward into open space and cross for Nicolas Bayaram who quickly buried it into the Fujai goal. The Ziwani winning goal came in the 70^th minute in a moment of 'umodzi,umodzi' brilliance when Fujai were caught of the break leaving their defenders Chibuzo Jorg and Agnes Hammeren out of position unable to stop Abdulaziz Haqawi from going through and cheekily chipping the ball over Fujai goal keeper, Nehal Parekh.

In the aftermatch interview Ziwani manager praised Fujai for being a challenging opponent and went own to apologise for having not played with the 'umodzi,umodzi' style from the beginning. Ziwani manager Harry Ngonamo said that although his judgement of changing styles was wrong this in this game soon or later the other teams in the tournament would catch on making 'umodzi,umodzi' football absolute. The managers comments were met with insults on Ziwani social media ZChat. One ZChat user, I_Love_Candy47 said that Ziwani fans did not care so much about the results as they understood they weren't the best but what they could not understand was losing whilst playing badly, he went on to say that most Ziwani fans would rather lose playing entertaining football than watch a boring match in which they win.

Next game for the Akambuku is against Welzat. Although not match is known about the team at the moment as the Baptism of Fire is a tournament of the unknown virgin international teams the superiority of 'umodzi,umodzi' football will be tested in the match. All Ziwani fans all hope that 'umodzi,umodzi' football can take them further than a semi-final and even if they don't at least they are playing beautiful entertaining football.

by **Zwangzug** » Sat Nov 23, 2019 6:05 pm

Guariday Guardian: Teams all like attacking football for some reason--Guariday fans were shocked to discover that many of the sixteen teams playing in Zwangzug for the Baptism of Fire preferred attack to defense. "It's almost like they enjoy scoring goals or something," commented an anonymous fan.

Matchday Two, Groups A-D

Group A
Mitra & Soma 1–2 Five Cities
Castanya 1–0 Greater Cebu

  Group A               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Castanya                2   2  0  0    4   1  +3    6
2 Five Cities             2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
3 Greater Cebu            2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
4 Mitra & Soma            2   0  0  2    2   5  −3    0

Group B
Casta Marina 1–2 Aimena
Trolleborg 0–2 North Eastern Asia

  Group B               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Aimena                  2   2  0  0    7   3  +4    6
2 Trolleborg              2   1  0  1    6   3  +3    3
3 North Eastern Asia      2   1  0  1    4   5  −1    3
4 Casta Marina            2   0  0  2    2   8  −6    0

Group C
Fujai 2–0 Volinovia
Ziwana 3–2 Welzat

  Group C               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ziwana                  2   2  0  0    6   4  +2    6
2 Fujai                   2   1  0  1    4   3  +1    3
3 Welzat                  2   0  1  1    4   5  −1    1
4 Volinovia               2   0  1  1    2   4  −2    1

Group D
ZSeparatists 1–2 Poafmersia
Barfleur 0–0 Barsland

  Group D               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Poafmersia              2   2  0  0   10   3  +7    6
2 Barfleur                2   1  1  0    1   0  +1    4
3 Barsland                2   0  1  1    2   8  −6    1
4 ZSeparatists            2   0  0  2    1   3  −2    0

by **PotatoFarmers** » Sat Nov 23, 2019 8:21 pm

Ayathen Arena, Keppal City, Zwangzug
Adnan Suliaha expected the opposition to come into the match very prepared to defend deeply to stop his team from scoring. He did not, however, expect that they would be brutally aggressive about getting back the ball and keeping the ball in their own half.
In his pre-match team talk, Adnan talked about how they had became the target of everyone after their statement on the pitch against Barsland. "You cannot expect people to look at our 8-2 scoreline the last time out and say 'Okay, this team is a formidable opposition for us.' They would most likely be saying 'Gosh this team is strong and difficult to beat, we need to stop their goal scoring frenzy.' And if you look at how our opposition played the last time out, they were very willing to hold posession for ever and ever and fustrate their opponents, until they found a suitable break. In my opinion, I think they were unlucky not to leave with a point. I don't expect this match to be an easy one either, so I need all of you to press higher when they have the ball so as to stop them from keeping posession for long periods of time." Some of the players were selected to provide the necessary pace required when a team presses high up the pitch, such as the choice of Alex Hoboson over Pasits Rikachz at Center Back.
The first half, however, painted a very different picture. The Red Panjias were literally starved of the ball, as the opponents pushed for the ball whenever they lost posession and they kept the ball in their own half. The weather did not help either, as rain started falling 10 minutes into the match, and the Poafmersian players were careful about running forward. As the heavy showers continued, Adnan turned to his fellow coaches and said, "Oh boy, looks like they were right about how this city is home to weird things and visitors often find themselves in incomprehensible situations. Barely an hour ago it was bright and sunny, and all of a sudden the clouds appeared and started raining?"
The offensive firepower was badly restricted. In fact, it was so bad that throughout the first half, Poafmersia only had 4 shots on goal, with one on target. That was so unlike the style of play the team showed in their first match. As the refree blew the whistle to signal the end of the first half, the coaches quickly walked down the tunnel into the dressing room.
"You guys are doing okay, but it definitely could be better," said Adnan to his players. "Hopefully the rain clears up and when it clears up, do push forward a bit more. I don't mind all of you being more aggressive but you have got to be careful not to get a red here, okay?"
As the coaches and players continued discussing about the play in the first half in the dressing room, the fans on the stands were restless. They were unhappy to see a dull 0-0 first half, and definitely wanted more action. Some of the fans was shouting "Where is my sunny weather" while others were calling for the refree to take action against the opposition players for time stalling and time wasting. Unlike in Poafmersia, where all stadiums have retractable roofs or are fully covered, it seems to be not the case here. This made the players more careful with their play as they are unsure about the limits of playing in the rain.
Luckily, the downpour turned into a drizzle by the time the restart occured. Refreshed after the break, the Poafmersian players started to push forward and went all out to get the ball and scored a goal. But it was not Poafmersia that scored first. A brilliant direct free kick from the ZSeperatists' player saw them take a 1-0 lead up in the 58th minute. Adnan stood up, went to the edge of the coaching area, and shouted, "Come on guys just take the ball and go for the restart!" The fans continued to cheer the players on and some even stood up to do the traditional Poafmer dance and cheer, with the stomping sounds so loud that the opposition players on the bench even looked up and the stands to wonder at the magnificient sight.
Another 10 minutes passed, but after another 2 fine chances by Shakira, the center forward, got stopped by the keeper, Adnan made 2 substitutions at one go, replacing the right winger Pete, who has been relatively quiet for the entire game thus far, for the veteran winger Nasir Hansir, and the Alex Pickford the left back for a fresher pair of legs in Gracia. Barely 3 minutes later, Gracia's fine clearance found Gisiik Moonar, the central midfielder, and he went past 2 defenders to shoot it into the top right corner.
After the equaliser, the players found the confidence, but was met with a resolute ZSeperatists side who also made substitutions that help to increase the pace of the match. Nothing, however, stopped Shakira as he made a brilliant 1-2 play with Joel on the left side of the pitch and tapped in another goal in the 86th minute to let Poafmersia take the lead for the first time in the match. That proved to be the winner as the team held on to win the match 2-1 against ZSeperatists.
Adnan was up and running after the match ended. Together with the players on the bench, they ran onto the field and hugged each other. They laboured hard, but they did it and made it 2 out of 2 to keep their fine start to the campaign and the national team's international career.
"Everyone, we should probably thank the fans for their support in pushing us forward." It was Danzik, the captain, who called on everyone to stop the hugging around and thank the fans for their support. As everyone bowed in front of the 12 thousand supporters who made their journey here to watch the team played, Adnan felt like tearing up. Yes, this was not the finals, but it felt like the finals as Adnan had a roller coaster of emotions running through him. Every win that the players get is important to him, as the players on the field carry the spirit of a forgotten nation, a nation who went into isolation but returned to the international stage by making a name for themselves in the beautiful game.
"Oh please, Adnan, calm down," he told himself. "If we are tearing up on the second game, then I guess we would be crying by the 6th game and what would the world think of me as a manager?"

Poafmersia team hotel, Keppal City, Zugzwang
It was late at night, and Adnan, the team head coach, was alone in his room, looking at the match review of the match between Barsland and Barfleur which happened that morning. Though the players had probably retired for the night, Adnan was still working hard so that he knew how to prepare the players for tomorrow's training. It was then his phone buzzed. Looking at it, he saw a message from his dear wife, Kagita. "How is it?" the message read. As Adnan started to type a reply, another message came. "Please don't tire yourself out. I know you did a lot to help our young players overcome their nerves to win that close match, and all of you deserve a break after that." Adnan smiled. He closed the lid of his laptop and typed out a quick reply to his wife. "I am alright, sweetheart. Going to bed now." He told himself he would wake up earlier tomorrow to look at the match instead.

by **PotatoFarmers** » Sat Nov 23, 2019 10:24 pm

Poafmersia laboured to a win over ZSeperatists
Report by Zacxis Wegs

Poafmersia 2
Moonar 71'
Handris 86'
ZSeperatists 1
Player #6 58'

Keppal City - Poafmersia did it again with a 2-1 win over ZSeperatists, bringing their total point tally to 6 points and putting them 2 points ahead of second-placed Barfleur, who drew Barsland 0-0 in Group D's other match.
The match was ruined by poor weather, with heavy showers in an open stadium destroying the tempo of the game for over 30 minutes. With ZSeperatists choosing to take a more defensive stance against the Red Panjias, the strikers were unable to get many chances in front of goal and had to settle for a 0-0 draw in the first half.
After the restart, things got slightly better, as both sides picked up pace as the rain cleared. It was, however, ZSeperatists who opened the scoring after scoring a free kick in the 58th minute. 13 minutes and 2 substitutions later, Fiskadaha FC's attacking midfielder Giisik Moonar scored the equaliser for Poafmersia, and the center forward Shakira Handaris netted the winner in the 86th minute to give Poafmersia the win.
After the match, Adnan Suliaha, the head coach, was full of praise of his charges. "We fought hard, and were lucky to leave with all 3 points. Of course, we cannot forget the effort of the players, especially with both Joel (Haodao) and Shakira making many attempts but they often were stopped by our opponents. Kudos to them for putting up such a brilliant fight, we really suffered for the first half as they reduced our posession to minimal." He also thanked the fans for being really spontaneous and cheered on the team throughout the game. "A shoutout to our fans who was there all along, you guys were excellent and you helped us to find the extra gear to get our second win in 2 games."
Mr Suliaha also confirmed that he will be making 4 changes to his starting 11 for the next match. "Denise (Pickford) and Pasits (Rikachz) will probably be back in defence for our third game against Barfleur. Denise suffered a knock during training so I did not want to risk her, while Pasits has returned to full fitness. I wanted to bring Pasits on but Alex (Hoboson) was doing well so I left him there for the entire match. Nasir Hansir also performed quite well as a substitute so I am starting him ahead of Pete Carisa, who seemed burned out and need a break. I am also starting Jabik Henderson in goal to give him a run."
Poafmersia will stay in Keppal City for their top-of-the-table clash against Barfleur, while ZSeperatists will play Barsland in the other match.

Preview: Poafmersia vs Barfleur
Commentary by Zacxis Wegs
Can we go for a three in three? I must say it is not easy, looking at Barfleur's performance thus far. Two clean sheets in 2 is not easy on first try, and Barfleur has done it.
You know, I was thinking if I could walk away without giving a prediction, and I guess I can. Besides, if I give a win for our team you would say that we would obviously say that, if I give any other result you would ask why we do not have any confidence in our national team. Everyone must understand the difficulty we have in predicting our own national team's results, especially since the bookmarkers stopped providing odds for competitions our national team is involved in (OOC: Article attached below for your reference)
Back to the preview. Our head coach had previously announced his starting line up, and the defence is back in full force with the magical central defense partnership back again. Jabik also starts the game in goal, which gives the defence a huge boost as his experience in football will definitely help in getting in those shots saved. Hopefully, that would allow us to grab a clean sheet this match. On the other hand, Shakira Handaris is in red hot form, and I believe that he will be on the scoresheet again this match. What about our opponents? We know little about them, and only can rely on their first 2 matches to know a thing or two. All I can see is that they have a sturdy defence, which should make this match really exciting. After all, a win for either side would put them ahead in the group, and should we win, we would be in comfortable position to win the group and qualify for the knockout stages.

Starting line up for MD3 match against Barfleur, as confirmed by head coach Adnan Suliaha and the PFFA
Henderson; A. Pickford, D.Hoboson (Captain), Rikachz, D. Pickford; Walshor, Moonar, Mchargritta; Haodao, Handris, Hansir

Substitutes: Jaliaha, A. Hoboson, Gausun, Warisia, D.Trasal, Carisa, Mason

by **Aimena** » Sat Nov 23, 2019 11:00 pm

II | Under the Wire | II

Game Report & Manager Titanic Hyperiol Post Match Interview
|2| - |1|
HT: |2| - |0|

⚽ 12': Septahexar-septar (AIM) [Assisted by Hyper-godgathortritofact]
⚽ 23': Sarantaeltothol (AIM) [Assisted by Triacontillion]
HT
⚽ 61': Player 7 (CAM) [Assisted by Player 8]
FT

"We'd a marvelous game for the team's morale, Septahexar really knocked off the spot kick, and really, we've performed much better than Geektopia ever will. One thing I noticed from our squad is the selfishness involved in just letting the ball pass hook and sinker, and not letting your ego put yourself at risk of missing a sitter. I don't believe it's my formation that stalled a multitude of goals, it's the selfishness involved from the five up front. Which gets me thinking: tighter formations and even positioning around the field. I haven't been living up to my promise of putting through multiple field formations for our team, and I know it's what Aimenan supporters want."
- Titanic Hyperiol, Senior Manager of Aimena

UPDATE: Left and right designs of "Under the Wire" will change every time according to number of Game Reports

by **Appalachian Nation** » Sat Nov 23, 2019 11:40 pm

Hillbillys take control with 2-1 win!

TIMURA - A 2-1 victory has put the Hillbilly of Appalachia in the drivers seat for the BoF qualifying group. A glorious win over Bloing saw two magnificent goals scored by the Hillbillies while if it wasn't for a penalty kick late, there would have been a second shutout. This game was played under hazy conditions as the government sponsored factories were in full force on a game played on a Wednesday afternoon. The "puffing billies" as they have been now called by Appalachian fans gave a gloomy feel tot he game. One Appalachian fan noted that they wouldn't have liked to have been here "before the days of electric automobiles". Maybe the game was as gloomy as the skies if you were a Bloingite supporter, but this win was a ray of sunshine for. While the game did get started out at 3:00pm, it was still a slog, and with smog it meant that very few fans showed up. Of the noted 27,000 seats in the stadium, only an estimated 2,100 were full, less than 10% of capacity. Another Appalachian fan was quoted as saying "I'd hate to have been here before the cities 'Green Revolution', I can't imagine how bad the smog was then".

When the game got going The Hillbilly front three started attacking. William Robert got a pass over to Bryan Pearson, who took a shot and just like that 1-0 Appalachia. Bloing countered with careful stop and go passing between players, like a carefully drawn up game of keep-away. It was clear that Bloing was trying to play chess and hope the Appalachia played checkers as their passes were deliberate and their ball movement precise. Then Phillip Sampotria got a run charged up and caught most the Appy defense out on the wings. He came down fast on the other end and took a shot! GK Throckmorton though caught the ball and saved the game from being a draw. Throckmorton is a gentle giant at 6'5'' and while he may not be fast he has an ornate sense of knowing where the ball is and where his body is. Another push about 10 minutes later failed when Tiffany Drew had been tackled. But seven minutes after that another attack surged forward and Pearson passed the ball to Cleetus who dinked it over to William Robert who like the last game sent a header into the goal. Like the prior game, the Hillbillys went more into defense mode. Unlike the last game Drew and Pearson were not substituted, but it was clear with the short conservative passing that they were going into defense mode. This lead to a ball control struggle and Bloing nearly came out on top, as in the 72nd minute Dario Dominguez successfully took a penalty kick. But after that Appalachia kept the Bloing attack at bay and won. It should be noted though that Bloing GK Phillip Siroko had been a scratch due to suffering some form of an allergic reaction. Although no details of what happened werre made public, a lot of fans speculate smog may have contributed.

Up next is a unique country called "Plane of Possibility". A team who is participating in their second ever international tourniment. They competed in the IAC 8 and lost out on playoff sport because of a "coin flip". They are known for a brutal play style with tackle friendly midfielders and brutish strength up front. So it should be a nice test to see what they have in store for the Hillbillys.

Appalachian Nation - 2
Bryan Pearson 5'
William Robert 56'

Bloing -1
72' Dominguez

by **Trolleborg** » Sun Nov 24, 2019 2:00 am

Fans drumming and chanting, locals joined fun, team rushing forward – again - and we lost. This is it as it was.

Shocking, totally unexplicable loss, to say the least. Whole nation wondered what happened, and before all, what will happen next.

In this situation, the main thing that we can do is not to disturb the coach and the players with stupid questions, but give them time to figure out everything and take appropriate course. Asia figured out its first defeat and took measures, and we must do something like that. The tournament is long, and there is still time to recover from this annoying defeat. The third match with Aimena, which won both their matches, will show, can we do this or not.

Trolleborg: Kotsson, Laaste, Troger, Dushegub, Aldekamp, Kolding, Valgren (Zhita,55), Troll, Finnsnes, Gulbranden (Skaloed, 60), Kerr.

And again, as the starting whistle blowing, our team players is already halfway to the opponent’s net, and few seconds after Kerr is almost scored the goal. Everyone in our country expect a win after such a beginning, but nevertheless Asians successfully fought this onslaught, move the game to the middle and than through our team into despair with two stings. In each episode, our players were only half a step behind - but behind, and that was enough. To their credit, our team did not quit playing after falling behind by two goals, and spent the remaining hour of the game attacking, almost every player joined attacks and make a shots on goal, but opponents played competently and calmly, and when that didn’t help, twice they were saved by the crossbar. An extremely disappointing defeat, but still there are still chances to save the situation.

by **Trolleborg** » Sun Nov 24, 2019 2:43 am

AIMENA - TROLLEBORG

Style modifier +3

by **Timuria** » Sun Nov 24, 2019 11:47 am

Your MD3 cutoff has arrived. I know it may hurt if you're not doing so well up to this point, but there's still 3 more match days to make your mark and turn it around.

Group E
The Ross Isles 2–5 Magnaterrica
Galar 2–0 Kwangtzu Guānnán

Group E                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Magnaterrica              3   2  1  0    9   3  +6    7
2 Galar                     3   2  1  0    7   3  +4    7
3 Kwangtzu Guānnán          3   1  0  2    3   5  −2    3
4 The Ross Isles            3   0  0  3    4  12  −8    0

Group F
Pauh Janggi 1–0 Nirvacana
Nomoterra 1–0 Dragons & Bronies

Group F                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Pauh Janggi               3   2  1  0    5   2  +3    7
2 Nirvacana                 3   1  1  1    5   5   0    4
3 Nomoterra                 3   1  1  1    3   3   0    4
4 Dragons & Bronies         3   0  1  2    4   7  −3    1

Group G
TJUN-ia 1–1 Bloing
Appalachian Nation 1–0 Plane of Possibility

Group G                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Appalachian Nation        3   3  0  0    5   1  +4    9
2 TJUN-ia                   3   1  1  1    4   3  +1    4
3 Bloing                    3   1  1  1    5   5   0    4
4 Plane of Possibility      3   0  0  3    2   7  −5    0

Group H
Fetra 0–0 Tara & Cambray
Aquitlia 1–2 Aldaveria

Group H                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Fetra                     3   1  2  0    4   2  +2    5
2 Aquitlia                  3   1  1  1    7   6  +1    4
3 Tara & Cambray            3   1  1  1    6   6   0    4
4 Aldaveria                 3   1  0  2    4   7  −3    3

by **Zwangzug** » Sun Nov 24, 2019 6:12 pm

Keppal Post-Press: Today's weather: windy. And cloudy. Or sunny! Maybe snowy. Possibly rainy. Probably no thunderstorms. Probably no flash floods either. Rainbows a slight possibility. Smoke advisory, low, unless an enormous fire rolls in from Canbix, which probably won't happen. But you never know. Hope we've got all our bases covered there. Uh, that's a baseball metaphor actually, but you know.

(OOC to Trolleborg: I changed your style mod to +3 going forward, but bear in mind most hosts won't accept more than one change per tournament. Especially in the World Cup where there's a lot of teams to keep track of.)

Matchday Three, Groups A-D

Group A
Greater Cebu 2–2 Mitra & Soma
Five Cities 2–2 Castanya

  Group A               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Castanya                3   2  1  0    6   3  +3    7
2 Five Cities             3   1  2  0    5   4  +1    5
3 Greater Cebu            3   0  2  1    3   4  −1    2
4 Mitra & Soma            3   0  1  2    4   7  −3    1

Group B
North Eastern Asia 0–2 Casta Marina
Aimena 2–5 Trolleborg

  Group B               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Trolleborg              3   2  0  1   11   5  +6    6
2 Aimena                  3   2  0  1    9   8  +1    6
3 North Eastern Asia      3   1  0  2    4   7  −3    3
4 Casta Marina            3   1  0  2    4   8  −4    3

Group C
Welzat 1–3 Fujai
Volinovia 0–3 Ziwana

  Group C               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ziwana                  3   3  0  0    9   4  +5    9
2 Fujai                   3   2  0  1    7   4  +3    6
3 Welzat                  3   0  1  2    5   8  −3    1
4 Volinovia               3   0  1  2    2   7  −5    1

Group D
Barsland 0–1 ZSeparatists
Poafmersia 1–0 Barfleur

  Group D               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Poafmersia              3   3  0  0   11   3  +8    9
2 Barfleur                3   1  1  1    1   1   0    4
3 ZSeparatists            3   1  0  2    2   3  −1    3
4 Barsland                3   0  1  2    2   9  −7    1

by **Plane of Possibility** » Sun Nov 24, 2019 9:23 pm

Planer National Football Team
Formation: 3-5-2
Style Modifier: +1.25
Starting XI:

GK Hope Lamont, Half-Elf Cleric, Light Domain
RB Dravok Hammerhand, Hill Dwarf Fighter, Champion
CB Sir Samuel Urael III, Human Paladin, Oath of Vengeance
LB Vala Simien, High Elf Druid, Circle of the Moon
RM Sigrun Irota, Mountain Dwarf Ranger, Beast Master
RCM Ilai Molehill, Lightfoot Halfling Warlock, Pact of the Chain
CM Vi de Montefort, Water Genasi Bard, College of Lore
LCM Krei Lyon, Half-Elf Rogue, Assassin
LM Ember Rwi'tteh, Fire Genasi Barbarian, Berserker
ST M'tok K'nen, Half Orc Fighter, Battle Master
ST Hiro Ennax, Human Monk, Way of the Open Hand

by **Plane of Possibility** » Sun Nov 24, 2019 9:40 pm

The Tower of The Hand
100th Iteration
Astral Plane
Plane of Possibility

In a white cathedral adorned with stained glass windows, atop a resplendent throne, clad in a long, sequin white dress, sat a High-Elf, a crystal diadem upon her porcelain-white forehead, her white hair reaching the floor of the cathedral. As the Keeper of The Tower, it was her duty to remain, to oversee, to keep watch - and as was want to happen from time to time for someone at her station, she had a pet project of sorts.

It had been about three months or so since the Fates of the Plane of Possibility - the mysterious force, neither Divine nor Arcane, neither Good nor Evil, Lawful nor Chaotic - had decreed that it would be time enough for the Planers to see the outside world, or the world that was outside any of the Planes, the Plane considered to be The Beyond. The Fates even told them of the perfect way for this to happen - in a new game that the Planers had had to learn immediately. So, they'd taken a group of... novice adventurers (none of them above Level 6) and thrust them upon learning this new sport called football, and asked them to see that they represented the Planers well.

Given that it was a physical sport, the non-spellcasters had taken to it more immediately - Ember Rwi'tteh, M'tok K'nen, Hiro Ennax, Krei Lyon, and Dravok Hammerhand enjoyed it immensely. Hope Lamont and Sir Samuel Urael III seemed to do it more out of a sense of duty, as the Divinely devout are likely to do, especially since Hope serves the goddess Ioun and Sir Samuel serves Kord. That left Sigrun, who didn't really like being taken away from his animal companion, his trusty Falcon Imrud, and the duo of Ilai Molehill, who was wondering why he was part of the squad at all (mostly due to his intellect), and Vi de Montefort, who was there just to tell the tale of this experiment afterwards.

The team hadn't had the greatest of successes in the two tournaments it'd entered so far, though it did find it interesting that no nation really asked them where they'd come from, or if they were a registered federation, or anything like that. In fact, it seemed that if you wanted to play, you simply could; upon some research, it was also discovered that other magical forces had engaged in this sport in The Beyond - some multidimensional monks, a Giant Zucchini(?), flying ponies, bears...

Yes, yes. Though odd, though not like the Fates to intervene in such a strange manner, it seemed apparent that they would have to persist.

And she would somehow have to come up with a... "Home Venue", was it called? Soon.

Thankfully, being Planers, they were of high enough constitution to not need substitutions, at least not now; but how their representatives played an entire match without actually resorting to violence, no one had any ideas.

And perhaps, she recognized, it was better that she didn't. Oh, yes, perhaps so.

by **PotatoFarmers** » Sun Nov 24, 2019 9:50 pm

From The Poafmer Times:
Poafmersia wins again as they set one foot into the Round of 16
Report by Nakira, with additional details by Joel Hamilton
Keppal City - The weather in Keppal City probably reflected the feelings of Poafmersian fans and players alike.
At the start of the match, the clouds were overcast as Poafmersia took on Barfleur in the 3rd match of the group stage in the 71st Baptism of Fire, with both sides knowing that a win who show the other party who is the superior side in the group and help them take one big step into the Round of 16. Nobody was certain which side would win the match, or even for that matter, whether there would be a winner. Both sides came into the match unbeaten, Poafmersia with 2 wins, while Barfleur with 1 win and 1 draw. While Poafmersia is the more offensive side having became the first team to reach double digits in goal scored after just 2 matches, Barfleur is the more defensive side, being the only club to concede no goals coming into the match. However, Barfleur's offence doesn't seem pretty great either, having scored the joint-lowest number of goals coming into Matchday 3, with Group A's Greater Cebu the only other team who scored 1 goal from 2 games. Poafmersia's head coach Adnan Suliaha did not want to take chances, and fielded a very solid back 4 with the Pickford twins, Danzik Hoboson and Pasits Rikachz starting together for the first time in this competition.
A "slug fest" was what everyone expected, and indeed the number of fouls and yellow cards was indicative of how the match played out. Poafmersia committed 27 fouls to Barfleur's 21, while Poafmersia took home 3 yellow cards with Alex Pickford, Pasits Rikachz and striker Joel Haodao getting 1 each. Barfleur, on the other hand, only got 1 yellow card, which was taken by defender Empire Johnson. Both goalkeepers, namely Poafmersia's Jabik Henderson and Barfleur's George Lilliehammer, also made many excellent saves throughout the game.
Despite the difficulties, Poafmersia did it. An 89th minute goal from Joel Haodao helped Poafmersia take home all 3 points as he got a cross from Jessie Mchargritta and he got to the ball before Barfleur's defenders did and calmly slotted home into the top right corner, away from the hands of Lilliehammer. The goal, however, had some controversy. Immediately after the goal was scored and the refree pointed to the center circle for a restart, mayhem endured. As the Poafmersian fans started cheering and celebrating the 23-year old striker's goal, the Barrfleur fans called foul and started screaming "Offside!", saying that Haodao was offside when he got the ball from Mchargritta. The players on the pitch also walked up to the refree, but looking at the video replays on the screen, there was no question about the validity of the goal. Joel Haodao did run past 2 defenders to get the ball as Jessie Mchargritta kicked the ball towards the penalty box. The refree later gave the goal. With 6 added on minutes, Barfleur pushed forward in hopes for an equaliser, but Poafmersia promptly placed more people behind the ball and held on to bring home their third win of the campaign.
Adnan Suliaha, the head coach, was full of praise for his charges after the match. "The physicality of our league trained our players well, as they knew how exactly to react when they met the most physical of opponents. Getting yellow (cards) is not as bad as it seems, so long as you avoid pushing the limits and get too many. The goal, however, was very solid, as they tried to play the offside trap on us but Joel promptly knew how to beat the offside trap by staying behind and running forward as the cross came in. Really good effort from Barfleur, and I must say, they are a very formidable side."
In Group D's other match, ZSeperatists got their first win of the campaign with a 1-0 victory over Barsland at the Eagles' Club in the city of Forbridge. This would mean that ZSeperatists leapfrog Barsland to go to third on 3 points, with Barsland going to the bottom of the table with 1 point in 3 games, while Barfleur remains in second place with 4 points. Poafmersia would be able to seal their progression when they return to Forbridge to face Barsland, as a win would be enough to guarentee progression into the Round of 16. The win might even be enough to secure first place if the match between Barfleur and ZSeperatists does not end in a victory for either sides.

Match Results:

Barfleur 0 1 Poafmersia
Haodao 89'

Lineups:

Barfleur
Poafmersia

#1 George F. Lilliehammer
#12 Jabik Henderson

#12 Thomas O'Finnegan
#2 Alex Pickford (Yellow Card @ 82')

#13 Empire Johnson (Yellow Card @ 61')
#4 Danzik Hoboson

#14 Thaddeus Castries
#5 Pasits Rikachz (Yellow Card @ 35')

#16 Felipe Coche-Carro
#3 Denise Pickford

#7 Matt Fong
#6 Dargis Walshor

#8 Jesus Peralta
#10 Gisiik Moonar

#10 Edward Bight, Jr.
#8 Jessie Mchargritta

#11 Frank DeSpark
#7 Joel Haodao (Yellow Card @ 66', Goal @ 89')

#3 Solomon Zell
#9 Shakira Handris

#4 Harold Malibu
#22 Nasir Hansir

Formation:4-4-2
Substitutes:

#20 Santik Manson (Handris 77')

Formation: 4-3-3

From Sporting Daily
BoF 71 Matchday Roundup - Poafmersia wins again!
Report by Zacxis Wegs
Keppal City - Poafmersia won 1-0 against Barfleur through a late goal from Joel Haodao, while ZSeperatists won 1-0 against Barsland in Group D's other match as competition heats up in the 71st Baptism of Fire (BoF 71).
The strongest offence met the strongest defence here in Keppal City at Zwangzug, and the match proved to be really exciting as the teams played fast flowing football. The physicallity of the match was also seen as Poafmersia raked up 3 yellow cards, their first 3 in the tournament. The counter attacks and defensive players that we saw throughout the game clearly shows how these new nations are capable of playing good football. It was, however, Poafmersia that went home with the points with a late goal from Joel Haodao, who beat the offside trap to score the winner in the 89th minute.
Taking this time to look at other groups in the tournament, we can see varying degrees of competition as some groups are much closer than others. In the 4 groups here in Zwangzug, Group B is arguably the closest with the top 2 teams on 6 points apiece, while the bottom 2 are on 3 points. Trolleborg became the 2nd team to reach double digits in number of goals scored with a 5-2 win over Aimena, and Trolleborg is now ahead of Aimena on goal difference. In Group A, Castanya leads the group on 7 points with a 2-2 draw over second placed Five Cities, which has 5 points. Ziwana in Group C is one of those teams that got their 3rd win in 3, and lead second-placed Fujai by 3 points, and the 3rd placed Welzat by 8 to be in strong contention of qualifing for the Round of 16 by the next matchday. Appalachian Nation in Group G is the other team who got 3 wins in 3 with a 1-0 win over the winless Plane of Possibility, and they are widely considered to be a contender for winning the BoF, as they currently hold the joint-lowest number of goals conceeded, at 1 goal. All eyes, however, are on Group H, where just 2 points seperate top and bottom after Aldaveria got their first win by beating Aquitlia 2-1.

Poafmersia will be using the same starting 11 and bench for the match against Barsland at Eagles' Club, making no changes from the players that started the match against Barfleur.

EDIT: I confused myself again between Barfleur and Barsland.

by **Appalachian Nation** » Mon Nov 25, 2019 6:02 am

Appy Boys win 1-0

TIMURA - A 1-0 win over the Plane of Possibility sends Appalachia to a 5 point lead over TJUN-ia and Bloing. The rough defensive match was a slog and a slow as if a spell had been put on the team. Bubba looked bewildered and William Robert had trouble with the turf monsters. "Typical Timurians, not willing to fix anything" said a fan of the field conditions. Although rumors persist that the Plane of Possibility team uses dark magic and thats what caused the weird behavior from several team members. The game only saw one score all match a relatively weird goal an hour in, that saw Bobby Wayne fuller make a snipe pass over to Cleetus, who wasn't feeling the rumored black magic effects and he kicked an arch of a kick over Hope Lamont. A shot that couldn't have arched in a more precise and perfect way. The PoP squad for all the brutality the tried to bestown on the Appalachians also had some really almost random bad luck. If William Robert had trouble with the turf then most of the PoP team also struggled. It seemed like the turf had it out for Krei Lyon and Hiro Ennax. Ennax tripped over himeself when attempting to score, at least three times and Lyon would fall over every time. Overall PoP's brutal defense was handled perfectly by the Appalachians and in the end the PoP squad couldn't pull it off and a sloppy 1-0 win went to the Hillbillys.

Up next is TJUN-ia, a rematch of the 2-0 win in match 1. Can the Hillbillys keep up? We'll have to see.

Appalachian Nation - 1
Cleetus 62'

Plane of Possibility - 0

by **TJUN-ia** » Mon Nov 25, 2019 10:39 am

TJUN-ia Report: Another First...

It was another historic day in Uryan, as TJUN-ia recorded it's first ever draw, 1-1 with Bloing, meaning the Jaguars experienced for the first time the struggles of only getting a point from a game.

It was Bloing who struck first, with Alec Willems curling one just passed the hands of Harold Gylfisson on 18 minutes. However the Jaguars fought back in the 2nd half with Vladimir Podolov recording his first goal of the campaign, a strike outside the box zipping past Phillip Siroko in the Bloing net on 73 minutes.

Captain Jeff Donaldson displayed some anger that the game finished in a draw. "We were sloppy in first half, but we came back strongly in the second. We could've won it too, but we need to ensure that take lessons from this game going into tomorrow."

Tomorrow the Jaguars have their anticipated rematch with the Appalachian Nation, who now lead Group G by 5 points after beating the Plane of Possibility 1-0 in the 2nd game in Uryan. The Appy Boys beat TJUN-ia 2-0 in Matchday 1, but the Jaguars now know what do expect from the group leaders. Whatever the result, it should be a cracker.

by **Timuria** » Mon Nov 25, 2019 11:49 am

Your MD4 results groups E-H, some of you will be trying to dig yourselves out of a hole I wish you all the best with that.

Group E
Magnaterrica 2–0 Kwangtzu Guānnán
Galar 2–0 The Ross Isles

Group E                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Magnaterrica              4   3  1  0   11   3  +8   10
2 Galar                     4   3  1  0    9   3  +6   10
3 Kwangtzu Guānnán          4   1  0  3    3   7  −4    3
4 The Ross Isles            4   0  0  4    4  14 −10    0

Group F
Nirvacana 1–0 Dragons & Bronies
Nomoterra 0–3 Pauh Janggi

Group F                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Pauh Janggi               4   3  1  0    8   2  +6   10
2 Nirvacana                 4   2  1  1    6   5  +1    7
3 Nomoterra                 4   1  1  2    3   6  −3    4
4 Dragons & Bronies         4   0  1  3    4   8  −4    1

Group G
Bloing 0–0 Plane of Possibility
Appalachian Nation 1–1 TJUN-ia

Group G                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Appalachian Nation        4   3  1  0    6   2  +4   10
2 TJUN-ia                   4   1  2  1    5   4  +1    5
3 Bloing                    4   1  2  1    5   5   0    5
4 Plane of Possibility      4   0  1  3    2   7  −5    1

Group H
Tara & Cambray 0–2 Aldaveria
Aquitlia 0–0 Fetra

Group H                    Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Fetra                     4   1  3  0    4   2  +2    6
2 Aldaveria                 4   2  0  2    6   7  −1    6
3 Aquitlia                  4   1  2  1    7   6  +1    5
4 Tara & Cambray            4   1  1  2    6   8  −2    4

Teams in red have been eliminated.

by **Trolleborg** » Mon Nov 25, 2019 1:34 pm

AIMENA - TROLLEBORG 2-5

After sudden failure in the previous match, our team won third game and gave us a reason to breath more freely.

Trolleborg won and we all sit and warily wait how events will develop from now on. Quality of game is very good, alas our defence, which we consider very good and totally reliable, conceded two goals.
Morten Troghil: “This time we played as we should, and overcame a strong opponent. By the way, my praises to the head coach of opponents. He used an unusual scheme of the game, I had to sweat with my assistants, looking for an antidote. I still have questions for some of my players and some actions on the field, but overall I am very pleased with the quality of the game. I hope we keep the level and prove that the failure in the second match was just an unlucky accident”.

Next match our team will play with Casta Marina, which we now know. But their team know us also, so don’t be fooled by the score in the first round – for Casta Marina it’s a real chance to have a place in playoff, so the fight probably will very tight.

Kotsson, Levenkrands, Troger (Joos,62), Dushegub, Wolters (Laaste,55), Tro (Koolen,77), Valgren, Troll, Finnsnes, Kerr, Skaloed

Kerr,10 (0-1); Troll,12 (0-2); Finnsnes,33(1-3); Kerr,65(1-4); Skaloed,88(2-5).

Green sea of shirts, flags and scarves was slightly less noisy than usual due to the shocking events in the last round, but, nevertheless, generated an amazing aura. Of course, everyone was surprised by the starting lineup with an unusual formation, but it’s justified himself in a duel with the group leader. Tro looked very good in the center of the field, and the flank defenders worked like draft horses in this game, practicing in defense and using empty areas in front. Our guys started the game well and soon Troll made a beautiful and smart pass on Kerr, who turned on the speed in time and with one touch shot past the goalkeeper rushing towards him. As soon as the opponents started from the center of the field, as Troll himself deftly intercepted the ball in the middle, quickly passed it to Valgren, freed himself from defenders, got the ball back and shot on goal - very, very insidious. The goalkeeper closed by the players did not manage to react. The players from Aimena quickly score a goal, and gave our fans the reasons to worry, but towards the end of the half, Valgren made a long, sensible pass at Finnsnes and he lurking away from the guardianship for a second, shot from the toe from the penalty line and hit the far corner. The second half began with Aimena attacks, and our three defense players had to be replaced, since it took them a lot of strength to repel this assault. In the middle of half-time, Kerr successfully disposed of the ball during a counterattack - threw it on the flank to Levenkrands and then got it back in the center of the box, then immediately struck. Opponents almost immediately scored their second goal, but at the end of the game Skaloed put an end to the story, after Laaste shot along the front line and Kerr distracted the defenders.

Today the team was convincing. Let's see what happens tomorrow.

After the third game, I can tell you, dear fans, that the players was very seriously worried about their failure, thoroughly approached the matter and tried to do everything to correct the situation. Both the coach and the players seriously studied the opponents and worked out various ways to prevent them from playing as they can in full force. But the need to relax and recover was not forgotten, the team went on excursions to neighboring cities and visited local cultural attractions.

Torfim: I’m dance and sing like crazy when the game ended and the final whistle sounded. You guys are great!
ArnN: I was so afraid of this match, and only at the break I calmed down and believed that the last game was just some kind of phenomenon.
Subj22: Yes, it was a great game, but still two goals conceded, this is not a good result.
AldeNijm:Like everyone else, I am happy when I look at the scoreboard, and we hope that the nightmare of the second game does not turn into a nightmare of the fourth.

[Oh, I don’t know about that rule with one change. I think it’s a matter of every match tactics. Sorry for inconvenience]

by **Ziwana** » Mon Nov 25, 2019 3:03 pm

Who Is Ziwana's Captain, Jean Wilder?

Jean Wilder leading from the front

After the last two games in the Baptism of Fire 71 many football lovers have been asking who is the captain of Ziwana's team. Jean Wilder has lead from front in the last two games. In the game against Welzat he scored a brace and set up upcoming star Abdulaziz Haqawi's winning goal for Ziwana. In last nights match against Volinovia, Jean Wilder scored an impressive hattrick. Whilst many football fans in the Melayu Archipelago are familiar with the Jean Wilder most outside of it have not heard of him and are now questioning how they never heard of such a player in their lives. In this article ZBS Sports will be taking a deep dive into the Akambuku captain.

Jean Wilder, born Jean Ndimvera Wilder was born on Port Johnstone Island in Sandheights city on 30^th March 1990 to white-Arabic and Zangi parents. His father was Sandheights City FC legend, Maxwell Wilder. Jean followed in his father's footsteps and and joined the Sandheights City Football Academy at the age of 6, he would however wait for 23 years before having his debut in the Sandheights City Football Club main team.

Jean Wilder debut in the Liga Malikiy 2018-19 season for Sandheights City FC and lead them to their first ever top flight trophy. Jean Wilder playing as an Advanced Forward was the 3rd top goal scorer of the Liga Malikiy with 9 goals in 16 appearances and had the highest average rating of 7.55. Jean Wilder who stands at an incredible 6 foot 2 inches was a dominant figure for Sandheights City with his pace which he often used to come deep to get the ball before scoring or assisting his striking partner Jean-Marc Mourgine who won the golden boat for being the Liga Malikiy top goal scorer with 1 goals. Jean Wilder assisted in 6 of Mourgine's goals. These impressive performances helped Jean Wilder get picked as captain and main striker over Jean-Marc Mourgine for the Ziwana National Team.

Jean Wilder had lead an underdog team in Sandheights City FC to win the Liga Malikiy over the big two. The big two are Western United who have won the Liga Malikiy 27 times and Birnin Almalaki who have won it 22 times. The two teams together in the past 10 years had won it 5 times. however, Jean Wilder had helped break this. Going into the 3rd Melayu Archipelago Cup in their first regional competition ever, Akambuku fans felt comfortable being represented by such a players as Jean Wilder who had experience being an underdog. Jean Wilder did not fail to impress as he scored 9 goals leading Ziwana to defeat the previous Melayu Cup Champions and get to the 3rd Place Play Off Bronze Plate Final which Ziwana won. His brilliant performances caught the eyes of many football fans and clubs. His value quickly rose from 46,000 Silivas to 1 million Silivas as Paugh Janggi club Utama FC placed a bid for him.

Jean Wilder is player in his prime, he has waited years to be successful. Most football fans wish he had peaked when he was 25 years old as he may not have a lot of years ahead of him in football as a player. However Ziwani manager, Harry Ngonamo has said that Jean Wilder is the most fit player he has ever seen and he believes that Wilder will be playing until his forties. As Ziwana match on in the Baptism of Fire, football fans everywhere watch on as Jean Wilder leads his team, will he win the Baptism of Fire with the Akambuku? Watch this space and find out if Jean Wilder will achieve that.

by **Castanya** » Mon Nov 25, 2019 3:25 pm

What a start to the Baptism of Fire, what a way to introduce Castanya to the multiverse. First half of qualifying completed and the national team was undefeated, with two wins and a hardfought draw against Five Cities to show for it. Seven points. Seven, as always. Seven.

The first game against Mitra & Soma had gone almost perfectly according to plan, minus conceding a cheap freekick goal in the 77th minute. Ilaxbara had hacked down their opposing forward for really no discernible reason. Sure he had decent positioning from 25 yards out to the left of goal, right in that little half-space where you posed a triple threat of shooting, passing, or crossing. But even then, all the options were marked, the distance was too far for a reliable shot and Martin Tammaro would see it all the way in goal. But no, Che had to go slamming into him and give up a freekick. Perfect.

Their striker or winger or whoever it ended up being taking the freekick stood over it for what seemed like an eternity before hitting an admittedly beautiful shot right over the wall and crashing into goal. You couldn’t help but be impressed to be fair. Malvolio had responded four minutes later in the 81st minute to make it 3-1, and the game was well and truly over. Our persistence in the first half in holding a high defensive line and pressing tirelessly saw us go into halftime two goals up thanks to Castanya’s first ever goal in international football from a delicious first time strike from Esparanto. Lucifer Anati played him a brilliant ball, taking the midfield and defensive line out of equation with a pass that split three players. Cirino Leone Esparanto did brilliantly to fake a touch to the left before letting the ball run across him to the right to slip between the last two defenders. 20 yards from goal and his job still wasn’t over, but with an absolutely brilliant curling strike, Esparanto wrapped the ball around the keeper into the far corner to make it 1-0 Castanya in the 17th minute. A beautiful thing and a nation cloaked in pain and solitude could celebrate for the briefest of moments.

The 19 year old sensation.Francesc Avanti Fabregessi put Castanya up 2-0 in the 41st minute with a fantastic solo effort. He tucked in from the left wing like usual, making himself available to receive the ball, hit creative diamond passes, and striking precise shots on goal; this time he dropped deeper to help with the buildup play, pinging the ball quickly between himself and the Castanyan midfield before bursting forward into the final third with the ball at his feet. A nice freeze’n’feint sent the defender flying to buy a hotdog, a quick exchange of passes with Lucifer Anati was enough for Fabregassi to slip into the hole between the opposition’s midfield and defensive line. A smooth stepover followed by a fake shot saw him split the centerbacks and burst into the box. A hesitation, slight twist of the hips and throwing the eyes sent the goalkeeper diving one way while he calmly passed the ball the other way into the net. 2-0 going into the half during their first ever international football match, that’s a good way to get things started.

The second half was total Castyan domination, controlling possession, shots, the entire tempo of those 45 minutes was played to our advantage. It was brilliant to see, and would’ve only been made better by not conceding that freekick goal and by scoring several goals in the second half to really drive the point home. Final time, 3-1. Not bad, not bad at all.

The second game was an exciting fixture against Greater Cebu, and it must be said that they were definitely greater than non-Great Cebu. But we were still better and beat them 1-0 so hey there you go. Does that make us Greatest Cebu? I think it certainly does but that’s a question for people far more intelligent than I. Weak banter aside, it was quite an exciting clash, with wide open game play leading to a plethora of exciting moments. From smooth dribbles, flashy passes, and plenty of shots on target, both teams came to score goals galore. So it was only fitting that such an exciting match would end 1-0, courtesy of a 53rd minute long range goal with enough power to rocket the ball to Sonnel. Mariano del Massimo said the right foot equivalent of ‘fuck this’ and had a go from a good 30ish yards away. Couldn’t have hit it straighter, the ball roared past the keeper and into the back of the net. Tally ho lads, and with that we took six points from six.

Next up, that one country that we still had to play! Five Cities, that was it. What a curious nation. Was it simply five cities? In close proximity to each other or spread out over a wide track of land? Assuming the later and that the name Five Cities was indeed literal, did that mean there was only five cities in the entire country? Did the entire population only reside in those five locations? What about vacation spots? Did they just go to other cities? Was there a great deal of difference in geography and climate between the cities so it felt like visiting different areas? Or was it all a greyscape? So many questions, and then questions to those answers.

It was clear those same questions were on the Castanyan player’s minds as they seemed to be distracted through the game. The sharpness of the prior two games was lacking, the team seemed a little more sluggish, a little more tired then they had been. Normally crisp passes were a little sloppy, regimented defensive formations now folded under pressure and flanking. Both the conceded goals, given up within five minutes of each other with barely 20 minutes gone on the clock, came from basic mistakes. Five Cities moved the ball from center to the wing, defender and midfielder stepped to, giant hole opened up in defense, striker makes the run, winger slides the ball across the face of goal, striker redirects ball into net, 2-0 just like that fuck’s sake. At least we pulled two back.

Francesc Fabregessi again with a goal, this time he collected a rifled pass from Ilaxbara at the top of the box, took two neat touches to skip beyond their centerback and hit a neat side footed finish into the net right through the diving keeper’s arms. 2-1 in the 69th minute. Nice. Ilaxbara showed his diverse skill set again with a neat cross-field pass to set up Lucifer Anati for an inch perfect cross delivered right to Guerra Malvolio’s looming, inescapable forehead. The ball whistled into the net with their goalkeeper rooted to his line without a chance in the world to reach the header. 2-2 in the 81st minute, how fantastic.

Two wins and a draw out of their three games, seven points from nine. That’s really not too bad, especially considering these were only the first three games in Castanyan football history. It was a long, winding, agonizing road ahead that would almost certainly lead to precisely zero achievements of note, but it was a road they were going to go down together. Hopefully it ended well with Castanya winning the Baptism of Fire and then the upcoming World Cup too. Because why not dare to dream stupid dreams?

Things had changed. Society was breaking down. It hard started as protests and strikes by plantation workers and miners but now the carnal need for revolution had infected other sects of society. The time of reckoning was close, the poor were setting the table and the rich were on the menu.

Word was getting around about the Banana Massacare, the silencing of various political actors through murder or intimidation, The people were now intimately aware that there was an effort to break free from the shackles of wealth. Rations had been cut in an attempt to squash the uncompliant populace; that was an idiotic move by the government as it only served to further prove the disgruntled strikers right, it only served to draw more people to their cause. Despite the swell in public support, it wasn’t enough, not even remotely close. For words and strikes were good, getting the public to think, talk, and join them in solidarity were certainly good, but that would never affect Castanyan society in the way they needed it to. Only an armed revolution would accomplish the final solution of removing the rich leeches and finally bringing parity to the people. So how to ignite that change?

Lightening flashed and thunder roared. Jaume Anton Fierro jumped nervously and clutched his rifle closer to his chest. His breath fogged in the air in front of him as he wiped the rain from his face. A call came through the air. Was that a Marcippi calling out, bird ready to take flight?

No! That was certainly the sound of a human, the human Juan Cerrone at that. It was time.

Jaume slowly crept forward, crawling through the mud and thick vegetation of the Varsaño jungle that wound through and around the town of Bilbaña. The town was unremarkable, home to a small ironworking industrial sector, hard working people, and the squat building that Jaume now peered at.

He brought the rifle to his cheek and looked down the scope. He wasn’t sure how accurate this weapon would be, after all the three bolt-action rifles, one automatic machine gun, and four pistols that comprised their arsenal had only been provided by a sympathetic figure in the police force who, at tremendous risk to his own life, had stolen them during a weapons upgrade in his unit. The weapons now held by inexperienced hands had been in the service for one or two decades and were not exactly in peak condition. Some rust on the barrels and bolts was present on all weapons, the accuracy of sights was probably pretty questionable, but the barrel still pointed towards the enemy, and that was all that mattered.

Now perched on a ledge overlooking the building, Jaume squinted through the scope looking for signs of movement. There were three massive radio towers on the roof, part of today’s target. From this nondescript building, the entire government propaganda machine for the north-eastern state of Carmela was controlled. Programs, viewing times, radio stations, news television channels, everything for the entire state was distributed from this single building. There was also a nice little arsenal with more modern weaponry locked somewhere in the depths of the propaganda center. Those guns were essential, showing the people the truth wouldn’t matter if there weren’t any guns to help take the country back by force.

The loosely assembled ‘plan’ revolved around three main goals. The primary objective was to sieze the control room, cancel the government propaganda, and start flooding the airwaves with revolutionary messages and shaky footage of atrocities committed by the military at the behest of the rich and provide them with a solution. Revolution. The second goal was to seize and smuggle out the weaponry from the arsenal so the rest of the fledgling militia could make the most use of it. The final objective was to hold the building for as long as possible. It seemed unlikely that the government would roll over and let the revolutionaries hold and broadcast from the center for an extended amount of time, so 15 of their number had volunteered for a death sentence. They were to hole up in the center after the weaponry had been smuggled out and pro-revolution media was broadcasting, and hold out for as long as possible against loyalist soldiers. Every second they stood strong was another second of revolutionary material on the airwaves. The key to all of this, however, was getting in the door. During their observations, the 21 person strike force had identified a handful of guards posted at strategic points on the roof who covered all angles of approach and would easily gun them down. The first step was to neutralize them so the main group could break in. That’s where Jaume came into action.

The best shot out of all them, the 54 year old had been waiting his whole life for this moment where he finally held the power. His heart started racing with excitement and his scope started to jump about erratically. He took several deep breaths, and focused in on one of the soldiers.

innnn.

Outtt.

The not quite a bird, bird call came again. The pieces were positioned, breath was baited, everything hung in balance based on him.

Jaume forced himself to keep his breath even-keeled, forced his rising nervous to sit beneath the surface. His entire life had led to this moment.

He peered at the poor bastard in his scope, he was rubbing his hands in the cold and trying to keep dry. Jaume felt a pang of pity, who knew the circumstances that led the soldier to be standing there, death staring at him from 150 yards away. Jaume took a deep breath. It was out of his hands now, out of the soldiers hands, out of all their hands. They were all pawns in a scheme bigger than any of them could ever imagine and now it was time for both of them to play their parts.

He practiced shifting aim from this first soldier to the second and then again to the third. He practiced this a few times until he felt comfortable switching between his targets in quick succession. He would have to be lightning quick. He took one last deep breath.

Thunder boomed.

Jaume slowly squeezed the trigger.

Baptism of Fire 71

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