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Baptism of Fire and Ice [BoF74 rosters/RPs/scores]

A battle ground for the sportsmen and women of nations worldwide. [In character]

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Treekidistan
Secretary
 
Posts: 35
Founded: Aug 27, 2020
Iron Fist Consumerists

Postby Treekidistan » Wed Dec 23, 2020 10:42 pm

TREEKIDISTAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION OFFICIAL
Towards the Round of Thirty Six


Group C
ArmedKing 2–2 Belac
North Japan 0–3 Treekidistan
Yerapia 0–0 Cirrus Azale

Group C Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Treekidistan 5 4 1 0 8 1 +7 13
2 Yerapia 5 3 1 1 10 2 +8 10
3 Cirrus Azale 5 2 3 0 9 4 +5 9
4 ArmedKing 5 1 1 3 6 8 −2 4
5 Belac 5 1 1 3 8 13 −5 4
6 North Japan 5 0 1 4 4 17 −13 1


That was the end of the group stage matches, Treekidistan Football Federation Squad successfully won their final match and became the group champions. Heading towards the Ro36, The team looks forward to win Baptism of Fire and Ice edition. In the final Matchday against North Japan, Treekidistan scored three goals against them and successfully completed the group stage. In the match, Treekidistan 3-0 North Japan, everyone saw Gonzales making way for his colleague Patel to score goals. The first goal was scored by Patel in the thirty sixth minute, The ball which was cleared by the Treekidistan goalkeeper fell into the second half of the ground. Gonzales took the ball from the defender and paced forward to the goal post. He could have scored a goal easily, but seeing the three defenders in front of him he chipped the ball to the left side. Patel who was standing behind the defenders successfully captured the chipped ball and scored a wonderful goal! The North Japanese players didn't get hurt, they started attacking the game. Trying to score a equilizer goal before the first half whistle. But they weren't, the Referee blew the half whistle and it's 1-0.

In the second half, Treekidistan had to change their defence style as they could see the Japanese trying to find loop holes. Treekidistan came back to the field and started playing a defensive game rather than the usual attacking tactical game. Still, Japanese weren't of use, they couldn't find the so called loopholes in the Defense and was unable to score a goal. Patel took a quick one man run from the Treekidistan Goalie's end and surpassing all the defenders in front of him, scored the second goal of the match and his third goal this edition. The magnificent run happened in the sixty nineth minute making Treekidistan lead 2-0. Still, there wasn't any difference in the Japanese stronghold they continued to attack and find loopholes. In the Seventy second minute of the game, the Japanese successfully surpassed the Treekidistan defenders and tried to score a goal. But, it's just called Unlucky the striker skidded near the penalty box and fell down. The goalkeeper was able to take the ball in his hands and there ended another Japanese attack. The goalkeeper didn't wait for a second, he cleared the ball and tw ball landed near Patel's legs, he chipped it to the right and Gonzales took a bicycle kick to the goalpost. Everyone thought that would be a goal, Alas! It wasn't the goalkeeper was able to take the ball in his hands safely. The goalkeeper passed the ball onto a a defender and he gave a through ball towards on of their strikers. Another Japanese Attack, this time it went to the goalpost with extra power. Still, luck was with Treekidistan the goalie saved the ball. No change in the scoreboard. Another clearance from the Treekidistan Goalie and the ball was captured by a Japanese Defender and he gave a pass through the right side, Patel got it in his legs but the whistle was blown! Offside! A Japanese Defender took the kick and it went straight to their Penalty box, a Treekidistan defender cleared the ball away with his shiny bald head. This time the ball came to Gonzales, no time to think he ran to the goal post and took a rainbow kick. It turned and turned and it went inside. Goal!!!! The stadium Roared! 3-0, and maybe a great majority. That was the End of the Japanese counter attacks, Treekidistan coach felt sad that they won't be able to see more counter attacks in the match. But, just before the final whistle North Japan strikers led another attack. Jumping with the balls from left to right they occasionally reached near the penalty spot, took a shot at that second and it went inside the goal post. The Japanese players started rejoicing without looking here and there but, Treekidistan players were also rejoicing. What? The Japanese squad became confused, the line Referee had called a offside, "Bruh" said the offside goalscorer of North Japan. They didn't need to stand in that stadium for long, the referee blew the final whistle! Game Over! Treekidistan 3-0 North Japan! Patel was named the Player of the match because of his Double and his leg which was penetrating shots after shots.

There ended the group stage, everyone started thinking of the round of thirty six. Treekidistan will face Regmotto at the Avondale International Sports Stadium, Sylestone. The heat nullified after a small shower in various parts of Sylestone. Crowds increased for the end match of group stage. If Treekidistan is able to win the match against Regmotto them, they will have to face the best of group stage Chartistan. Chartistan may get the chance to face Treekidistan if they are able to defeat ArmedKing.


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Danyl Lanzarote
@Danyl10

Making everyone proud! Treekidistan successfully finished first in the group of Baptism of Fire Tournament! Congratulations to the player and staffs, I am really happy to see the team prosper. I hope they'll win the tournament and become the hero's of the nation.#Baptismoffireandice #TreekinBoF #REGTRK

RETWEETSFAVORITE
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22:13 pm - 23 December 20


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TREEKIDISTAN
Baptism of Fire 74 Champions

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Chartistan
Envoy
 
Posts: 240
Founded: Oct 03, 2020
Scandinavian Liberal Paradise

Postby Chartistan » Thu Dec 24, 2020 2:36 pm

Press Conference
Chamberley, Sylestone

"Thank you guys. As far as I know, this is for the Chartistan versus ArmedKing game, correct?"

"You are correct Mr. Combbrush."

"I should know, this area is very familiar to me..."

"So anyways, I have some questions from the public that I want you to answer before the floor is open for the media. First question is from Enemy Nemesis, and he writes this: 'With the performance Cheesus Cheesus had in the Arklanda game, I heard that some people want to keep her in net for the Round of 32 game at minimum. It's the Baptism of Fire and Ice, so tell me, why did you stop putting Callie Deadbrush in net?"

"Look Mr. Nemesis, I do whatever it takes to keep my team happy, from Tatertot Crazy staring at her phone and calling her ex to Adult Royce whining about his 'stupid' football job. Chessus wanted to get herself in net, and with the team all but advanced to the Round of 32 I gave her my number and the #23 goalkeeper jersey. She had a fantastic performance in net and I'm starting to second guess leaving her out in the cold. She'll be starting again for the ArmedKing match but after that I'll bring it back to Deadbrush unless Cheesus over here gets herself another clean sheet."

"Next question comes from an Aria resident named simply as Aises and she wrote this: 'Hey Luke Combbrush, congrats on getting Chartistan to the Round of 32. Don't cry now, you're my snowman for this question: With temperatures in Sylestone getting hotter than ever, why not stay below zero? In other words: Would your team survive the Ice bracket if they switched with Bluecliff?"

"There is one downside with that: The Fire bracket is an easy read, there's an easy path to the Fire semis there. You look at the Ice bracket and it isn't an open book. Caryton, Freechi, Khytonya, Gouvanarch, Muralos, Ranoria, United Pink States, maybe Silvedania and Quemorr Isles too... They all look like teams that can win the championship. Even then the Fire bracket is harder than it looks, but the Ice bracket has so many good teams that we would be slaughtered over there. What you see is truly what you get."

"What about the temperatures in Sylestone?"

"Well it is easier to put on sunscreen rather than 3 layers of clothing, that's for sure!"

"Final question comes from a random dude in the frozen tundra... He just wrote in some unintelligible script. Let me hand it out to a translater."

"Da. Says 'Hello boss. With game against ArmedKing coming up I have question: Do you like play Dust 2.'"

"What the hell is that question?"

"Guy says really popular in tundra."

"I'm staying in Sylestone... Sorry, but what the hell is a Dust 2? Dust 1 is just too abundant!"

"Well Doctor, you say beer never broke heart."

"Beer never broke heart indeed."

User avatar
Cirrus Azale
Bureaucrat
 
Posts: 55
Founded: Sep 21, 2019
Ex-Nation

Postby Cirrus Azale » Thu Dec 24, 2020 6:00 pm

Team Darrell, or so it was affectionately named, comes onto the stage for an interview on the first Azalean sports game internationally.




“I’m glad we won, but I feel like we didn’t give it our all. It’s like the man in the sky wasn’t there during that match.” Said star player Darrell Keanes.


“You played great. Never seen something more entertaining ever.” said interviewer Tom Thompson.


“It’s just a feeling.”


Darrell Lydekker seemed to agree with that statement. “It felt odd. We beat them, but it’s like we shouldn’t have.”


Darrell’s agreement with Darrell sparked a chorus of nods from Team Darrell.


Tom Thompson then dropped his mic and walked off, mumbling “So much for Azalean patriotism” under his breath.
Oxygen, Pizza, Libertarian, Chocolate Milk, AFFORDABLE, not free, healthcare, equality, and on a way off note, Life.
People being mean to anyone based on who they are or what they believe, defenders getting commendations for the sole region they do a ton of defending, those idiots at the drive-thru who take way too long to place their order.
First place winner of the first Tea House of cards
Cards Communitea contest.
MP of Thaecia
Ambassador to Force
Possible Narcissist.
Thinking of writing SC resolutions
Always open to TGs!
Massive amount of contempt for the SC resolution Commend Common Territories.
Why hello there! Thanks for reading my signature!
Adventure Time is the best show ever, don’t @ me.
[he/him]
“It’s all OOC?”
“Always Hazbin. Hotel.”

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Bonbokh u Piche
Civil Servant
 
Posts: 9
Founded: Jul 08, 2020
Ex-Nation

Postby Bonbokh u Piche » Sat Dec 26, 2020 1:32 pm

A Bonbo-Pichean in Sylestone

It's not unusual to feel like a fish out of water when you have to travel this far to support your team. You could end up on a tropical island, about to suffocate from the heat, and surrounded by appliances. It is in this situation that those little things that define a people come to the fore. Those things that make your eyes shine when you bump into someone with your country's jersey. We Bonbo-Picheans are not many, but we stand out in the crowd, wherever we go.

I don't drink coffee, I drink mate, my dear
I never poop on the terrace
And you can read it in my grammar when I write
I'm a Bonbo-Pichean in Sylestone

See me walking in Sentient Oval
With Walking Cane here at my side
I take him everywhere I go
A Bonbo-Pichean in Sylestone

Oh, I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
I'm a Bonbo-Pichean in Sylestone
Oh, I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
I'm a Bonbo-Pichean in Sylestone

If "manners maketh man" as someone said
They don't deserve to don this flag
It takes a goof to suffer a defeat and smile
BM, no matter what they say

Oh, I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
I'm a Bonbo-Pichean in Sylestone
Oh, I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
I'm a Bonbo-Pichean in Sylestone


Get ready, Græntfjallers, because we intend to go to your country soon, and you better not try to censor our flag. ONE, TWO, THREE! GO PEEPS!
Last edited by Bonbokh u Piche on Sat Dec 26, 2020 1:36 pm, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
Bluecliff
Secretary
 
Posts: 31
Founded: Nov 20, 2020
Ex-Nation

Postby Bluecliff » Sat Dec 26, 2020 4:59 pm

Image

Government of The Procterate of Īlasatasēva ꞏ Office of the People's List


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: peopleslist@ilasataseva.bcl


The following article is published by the listed party through the relevant government channels and intended for wire use. The press release it is based on may be obtained by contacting the press contact listed above.

Footballer Tīnisivitolīno Vīlalatonosatānatino to contest People's List Leadership
Will immediately return to city, swear corporate oaths


ĪLASATASĒVA, Ilasataseva: The opposition People's List party announced today that footballer Tīnisivitolīno Vīlalatonosatānatino announced today, through a spokesman who announced today, that Mr. Vīlalatono will immediately return to Īlasatasēva to prepare his candidacy for that party's upcoming leadership race. Mr. Vīlalatono had previously been abroad in the White Winter Queendom of Græntfjall competing in the Baptism of Fire, a local football tournament.

Currently between teams in the Īlasatasēvan league, where he is a polarizing figure, Mr. Vīlalatono had taken the position and traveled to Græntfjall with the aim of maintaining his fitness for the upcoming Bluecliff Championship, where he is expected to continue his long record competing for the Procterate.

The move comes as the People's List prepares for Īlasatasēva's elections in a few month's time. Īlasatasēva will be the first Free City to elect a government since all fourteen united under the banner of the Bluecliff League. At stake is not only power in the Papītisi, but also the ability to certify the Īlasatasēvan delegation to the Senate of the Bluecliff League.

The People's List also has to contend with the task of not only running candidates for the Papītisi, but also preparing the infrastructure needed to promote the People's List priorities in the Bluecliff Parliament. The possibility of concurrent elections for the two bodies mean that the top priority of the People's List during the leadership contest will undoubtedly be organization.

This is a topic that all agree is not the strong suit of the former collective leadership of the People's List. They were the first liberal-conservative party in Bluecliff to attempt the model, and the result was electoral decimation five years ago. It's too early to speculate in earnest, but many suggest that organizational competence will be the main issue among People's List members in the leadership election.

Well-known around all of the city's islands and peninsulas by virtue of his stints with many local teams, and predilection to monopolize insider talk and gossip, Mr. Vīlalatono's strategy will be to cast the People's List net wider than it previously has been. Three people with knowledge of Mr. Vīlalatono's plans, who requested anonymity in order to speak candidly, said that he will highlight the convoluted history of Īlasatasēva in an effort to assert Īlasatasēvan identity in the new union. The city is the product of hundreds of years of treaties, trade deals, and charters between Bluecliff's many minor historic monarchies and nobles and trade conglomerates.

The effort is highlighted by Mr. Vīlalatono's first planned public appearance as a politician, where he will ceremoniously sign pledges of loyalty to the royally-chartered corporations that technically are the source of political legitimacy in the city. This formality is generally not undertaken publicly.

"Essentially," said someone with inside knowledge of Mr. Vīlalatono's strategy to take the reins of Īlasatasēva's oldest party, "the plan is to rely on Tīnisivitolīno's competence and ability to bridge the gap between support and opposition to the union by asserting a unique Īlasatasēvan identity."

Mr. Vīlalatono's presence in Græntfjall as a representative of the union may help him in that effort.

Out of the spotlight of proper football and prestigious competition, though, questions have swirled regarding Mr. Vīlalatono's position representing the entirety of the Bluecliff League. Critics and casual observers alike have claimed that he is unable to play the game of football, and that he has an intense shared animosity with Mātusupa'ulīno Palamē'iloteletāto, the only other Īlasatasēvan on the Bluecliff League's team. An interview with a representative of the Football Federation of the Fourteen Free Cities of the Bluecliff League seemed to lend credence to the rumors, though official sources have denied similar allegations.

In an email reply to a request for comment, Mr. Palamē'ilo declined, though this reporter noted that the first letter of each word in the correspondence spelled out assorted vulgarities as well as insults of Mr. Vīlalatono's kin.

In contrast, when reached for comment, manager Ninyan Makkak of the Bluecliff League's Baptism of Fire team offered a full-throated defense of his center-back. "Tīnisivitolīno Vīlalatonosatānatino is a player on my team" said Mr. Makkak. "He has filled out all the requisite paperwork to qualify as such."

Asked about Mr. Vīlalatono's political ambitions, Mr. Makkak could hardly contain his excitement for his pupil. "I've spent the whole tournament so far looking forward to the day Tīni leaves us for good," said the proud manager. It is unclear whether such ardent support from his teammates and manager will translate into electoral success.

Reached for comment on the same issue, Mr. Makkak's assistant manager, Makara Keho, did not seem to have any clue at all. The unbeaten Bluecliffian team resumes play tomorrow without their defender, though few in Bluecliff are aware of the tournament.

Tīnisivitolīno Vīlalatonosatānatino is the first major candidate to declare their intention to enter the leadership race. The deadline closes in two week's time.

###





Ninyan Makkak's long (well, month-old) goal had finally been achieved. It was almost a hollow victory. The manager from Ruvaslâna had no interest in Ruvaslânan politics, much less Īlasatasēvan politics. The place was a mess.
He'd been up late nights and early mornings, devoting page after page after page of strategy memos and cup after cup of coffee (and often sip after sip of the strong, vaguely sugarcane-based liquors popular across Ruvaslâna) to one question and one question only: how to remove Tīnisivitolīno Vīlalatonosatānatino from the Bluecliff League's national team?

Now, the question had answered itself in the least satisfying way possible. Tīnisivitolīno Vīlalatonosatānatino had begun to fail up the ladder. The man who had let in every goal that the Football Federation of the Fourteen Free Cities of the Bluecliff League's team at the Baptism of Fire had conceded was now apparently earnestly preparing a run to lead his Free City? Ninyan Makkak didn't know.

The first the team had learned of it was when the reporter called Makkak. The second the team learned of it was when Vīlalatonosatānatino let them know at a meeting that he would be quitting Græntfjall, a fact that they had already known and feted. The third the team learned of it was when Tīnisivitolīno Vīlalatonosatānatino and Mātusupa'ulīno Palamē'iloteletāto got into a heated spitting and scratching match, which is exactly as pretty and enjoyable as it sounds.

This means, of course, that Ninyan Makkak can now devote the entirety of the remainder of the tournament to trying to play football.




The first game of the knockout rounds will be held tomorrow. Makara Keho is as clueless as ever.




Finally. The Bluecliff League is able to play a coherent back line. The welcome departure of Tīnisivitolīno Vīlalatonosatānatino means that Makkak has promoted Radoslaf Lànik to the first team. This is the culmination of months and months of work behind the scenes from Lànik's friends, family, and extensive network of high-powered managers. Lànik could not care less. Makkak has also pulled Mātusupa'ulīno Palamē'iloteletāto from defensive midfielder to anchor the back line.

Makkak's main successes have come with Ruvaslânan club Oregân, and the departure of the incompetent dead weight of Tīnisivitolīno Vīlalatonosatānatino means that Makkak can finally have fun again. He's pulled Palamē'iloteletāto back and promoted another defender just in time to change to a 4-4-2 Formation. He can stop overloading the two up top and shooting out now that he has a strong back line, so, for the knockouts, he's going to change the tactics to the comfortable game he played with Oregân: a moderately defensive -2 style game based around short passes and long balls.

Maybe the Bluecliff League can, at long last, enjoy themselves with the dark cloud of Tīnisivitolīno Vīlalatonosatānatino lifted.

The new tactics and the starting XI for the Round of 32 matchup with Icecliff* can be found below.
Image





*Cliff versus Cliff!!
Last edited by Bluecliff on Sat Dec 26, 2020 5:21 pm, edited 5 times in total.

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Khytonya
Attaché
 
Posts: 81
Founded: Apr 11, 2018
Left-Leaning College State

Postby Khytonya » Sun Dec 27, 2020 7:46 am

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A Look Back into the Group E: Khytonya's Rising Success
By: Kip Layton

                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Khytonya 5 5 0 0 15 8 +7 15
2 Hebitaka 5 3 1 1 12 5 +7 10
3 Fjorsz 5 3 1 1 10 6 +4 10

4 Aeprelh 5 1 1 3 4 9 −5 4
5 Icecliff 5 0 2 3 1 6 −5 2
6 State of Trinity 5 0 1 4 7 15 −8 1


See that result up here? That's the final standings on the Group Stage section of the Baptism of Fire, specifically in Group E held in Graintfjall. At Knight Light Footy, it's been a joy of a ride to follow the rising star known as Khytonya. While it wasn't always smooth sailing in these stormy seas, in the end, we should have some pride in witnessing such legendary performances. It feels weird for me to say this, but I'm always a believer in Christmas spirits granting people's wishes. What most fans don't know about is that the same spirit may also guide Khytonya to all five group stage wins because they blessed all of them with the power of...

Oh, sorry! I'm being sidetracked here. Where am I, again? Oh yeah, a recap of Group E. Khytonya's momentum is consistent so far. Sure, the quality of play is rough for the first two matches. However, don't forget that the Magical Bhoys possessed one of the most explosive attacks in the whole tournament combined with a manager's attack-focused philosophy. The RLN line (Larsen Reinhardt, Thomas Liaw Cheng Swee, and Nigel Neilson) contributed to the majority of the 12 goals scored in the Baptism of Fire campaign. Of course, others such as Alice Matthews and Jared O'Reilly did help boost the chances of qualifying by an additional 3 goals. On the other hand, Khytonya let in 7 goals. It's possibly due to how unwilling defenders have to move forward else they'll be risked having their border broken by one lucky player, even when the problem is (nearly) mitigated with the presence of keeper Yukiko Honma. That's the downside of implementing an attacking formation. You're sacrificing some defensive capabilities to deliver a powerful offensive play, which when implemented right, isn't necessarily a bad thing. You just need to get used to preventing goals from happening with a compromised back four.

For the other teams in the group, it's a different story. Whilst some of them have a little experience in football (especially when you consider half of Group E participated in the Wonder Cup), none can really match what Khytonya has to offer. Looking at the table up here, only Hebitaka and Fjorsz managed to come close to their performances gaining a decent 10 points each. We admit both Hebitaka and Fjorsz can hand some of the other teams a healthy amount of damage. It would be a disappointment if they didn't go past the Round of 32 when taking into account Khytonya is out of the equation. Apart from that, Group E is about the same as every other group hosted in Graintfjall: there's only one team dominating the whole group while the others get to share the losses and draws.

Icecliff is one different story. For starters, their gameplan is out of normality. Normally, they would play in a basic 4-4-2 formation. Once the ball is in their possession, they switched to an unconventional 2-4-4 formation. Essentially, an extra two attackers and midfielders join in to reinforce the attack hoping to bag in a load of goals. Theoretically, more attackers mean more choices on how best to play the ball. Unfortunately, due to a massive forsaken-ness of the defensive position, Icecliff couldn't win a single game in their whole journey, only collecting a miserable 2 points. Their unorthodox tactic only brings them a single goal. This means an instant elimination for them, and one not to remember for the rest of Icecliff's football history. Suddenly, they are given a second chance in the BoF by qualifying in the knockout stages. Why you may ask? The fourth-best place team, Aeprelh, has disappeared from the tournament for unknown reasons. Thus, the organisers decided to bring Icecliff back into the game, presumably as part of a redemption story. We doubt they could last long given their awful performances lately. But Icecliff could surprise us in more ways than one.

Silvedania will be Khytonya's first opponent in the Round of 32. We can definitely be sure it's going to be a decent matchup, though to be honest coming up against the RLN line is asking for major trouble. Catch up today as we're about to witness something historical. Speaking of catch up, here are the results from the previous five games.

MD1: Khytonya 2–1 Aeprelh
MD2: Khytonya 3–2 State of Trinity
MD3: Icecliff 0–2 Khytonya
MD4: Khytonya 4–3 Fjorsz
MD5: Hebitaka 2–4 Khytonya


We're behind you, Hartley. The whole of Khytonya is with you!
Just your friendly kid from the island!

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Ranoria
Post Marshal
 
Posts: 19921
Founded: Mar 29, 2013
Capitalist Paradise

Postby Ranoria » Sun Dec 27, 2020 9:37 am

Make Yourselves a Sauerkraut Sammich and Get Cozy,
We're in for the Long Haul!


Image



You know somethin' Ranoria? I think this just might be our masterpiece.

(This is the part where you nod and grin)

Who would've thought? Our Krauts have fought well, a pair of wins and ties with just a single loss to this point. Certainly not the most impressive team in the tournament thus far, but given our expectations, well, this is so much more than anyone could have anticipated happening. Given how it took three tries before our squad broke into the knockouts of the World Baseball Classic, we figured our OG football crew would stumble out in embarrassing fashion here. Obviously, that wasn't the case.

In our fifth and final matchup in the group stage, Caryton's Guardians offered an obstacle that matched our own in terms of national interest. Like Ranoria, Caryton tends to feature gridiron as their primary sport, with soccer taking a major backseat and seeing a lot more popularity among children. And frankly, it played out about as one would expect, with both teams being remarkably evenly matched at almost every level of the game despite coming into Ranoria. Caryton's fans, meanwhile, were some of the most respectful and classy to ever grace the Karmin-Falce Superdome. Banijans roaring their applause as the Blue Thunder win a national championship? Welcome, relatable for Ranorians, but, err, they lack the poise that the Guardians' supporters showed. Ranorians during the domestic or NSCF season? Let's not kid ourselves, we're in the same boat as the Banijans. Space's citizens? Nah, still a bit loud and rowdy.

Yeah, anyway, perhaps our fans could take a page out of their book. Of course, we know they won't, but it's a nice thought, right? I'm sure the stadium staff appreciated the cleaner-than-when-the-game-started seating area more than your spilled popcorn and beer all over the place, yeah?

Image
Just for an example, here's some Banijan fans visitting Ranoria in the Karmin-Falce Superdome for World Bowl 37. A Ranorian victory, by the way. We'll ignore the fact that they got revenge later on the tournament, because that's not important.

Sorry Banj, couldn't help it!


Anyway, thank god for Felix Graff! He and Barry Chlorid are proving to be a nice duo up front who play with a good deal of chemistry, with Chlorid setting up his physical specimen of a teammate up for a tie-forcing goal late in the final period. It makes sense that the two are such a potent one-two punch, with both featuring a massive leg and plus athleticism and size. Chlorid himself has done his fair share of gridiron weight training and is one of the harder hitting tacklers among kickers, but he's really flashed some impressive agility here in the Baptism of Fire and Ice. Graff, meanwhile, can certainly move deceptively well, but it's tough to deal with someone his size. They present matchup issues and both excel at different areas of the game.

Image
Felix Graff is a big dude, and a more difficult player to defend as a result


In the middle, Rayko Grossman continues to provide solid play and take the ball away while doing what he can to keep it in our hands when possible. And of course our back five, spearheaded by goalie Vincent Emilia, have been outstanding. Lioni Grendel is fast and can cover the field sideline to sideline to provide support wherever he's needed. Eugene Rimold, Michael Bier, and Chris Jenkins meanwhile provide a trio with prototypical size who, like Graff and Chlorid offensively, seem to play with a good level of synergy. They're the strength of this team, which allowed 4 goals in 5 games, and against a squad like Muralos, who scored a whopping 14, we're going to need them to be at their best if we're to have any chance.

And playing as well as we are, who's to say the newest iteration of the Krauts can't make a run?

Muralos. Muralos says we can't make a run. You know, that team we just told you about? Come on guys, keep up!

Despite a start that certainly raised a few eyebrows across the nation and the world at 2-2-1, the Krauts haven't been the best squad in this tournament by any metric. Three teams finished 5-0 in the group stage, and another trio went 4-1-0, technically undefeated. Chartistan, Treekidistan, and Gouvanarch each finished with just one draw and four wins. The undefeated and untieds? Bluecliff League, Freechi, and Khytonya. Our first opponent isn't quite that dominant, but they've been more successful than the Krauts.

Where we really only have a winning record by technicality, Muralos actually never lost a match in the groups stage, going 3-2-0 with a nice goal differential of +7 against ours of +1. So by that metric, we might be in trouble. Our defense is our strength, allowing just three goals, but our offense is stagnant, as we only notched 4 goals where Muralos's squad was explosive with a whopping 14 goals in just five contests. If we can win this first round matchup though, it's only going to get more difficult from here on out. Being on the lower end of the seeding for the round of 16 of the Ice Cup, it isn't outlandish to consider that we could run into at team like Bluecliff League, Freechi, or Khytonya. Yup, that's right. All three of those unbeaten and untied squads we mentioned are in the Ice Cup with us. Wonderful, right? Those three are obviously the perceived championship contenders and for good reason, they've looked better than us, and maybe they are.

But we've said it before, and we'll say it again, with the low amount of media attention, we don't really know how good our OG football players are yet. Of course, we have a much better gauge now, with them at least proving that they can compete on the international stage. So far, they've surprised, if not impressed. It remains to be seen if they can leap past the expectations that have been laid upon them like a yoke once again.

In terms of optimism, Barry Chlorid seems to be the most vocal about his confidence in the team. With two of the team's four goals, he's earned the right to that we suppose. He explained the struggles Cold Hill faced in their second edition of the NSCF and their push to the semifinals in that season despite the early adversity. Yup. That's a bingo, Chlorid's statements to the media hit the nail on the head.

Point being? It's the playoffs. Anything can happen. And if all goes well, we're gonna be doing one thing, and one thing only: crushing dreams.
Fan of football, the Murican kind. But soccer is cool too! Just not really my thing. C(:^D/-<
I go by Ran. Unless, of course, you want to type out Ranoria. That's your decision.
Lumi is my NS mom
Champions: NSCF 20, 22, 27, 29, 30. World Bowl 42, 43, 46, WBC 57

Hosting: Co-Host WB 44, 47, Host WB 46, plus some NSCAA/NSCF conferences here and there

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Saint-Domingues
Spokesperson
 
Posts: 169
Founded: Jan 10, 2020
Ex-Nation

Postby Saint-Domingues » Sun Dec 27, 2020 9:59 am

Image
Group F in review

Saint-Domingue's journey in Græntfjall & Sylestone goes on past the group stages into the second round. Here we look back on the matches that have taken us this far:

Match 1 - Bluecliff League 4–2 Saint-Domingue
It was a poor beginning to the Baptism of Fire for Saint-Domingue, as a late show by the Bluecliff League led to them stealing all three points thanks to two goals in the final ten minutes of the game. Bluecliff raced into a two-goal lead after twenty-minutes, but goals by Carpeña and Babesco pulled the Avengers level. As both teams went on the hunt for the winner, Bluecliff got two goals to secure the win from excellently worked counter-attacks as Salamono got the winner.

Match 2 - Saint-Domingue 1–0 Logano Fraza
Saint-Domingue got their first points on the board and bounced up to third by beating Logano Fraza. Babesco netted his second goal of the campaign to add to an impressive international record as the Dominguans dominated the match throughout, bossing the balls and arguably unlucky to have won by just the one goal.

Match 3 - Stevidia 3–2 Saint-Domingue
A disappointing collapse meant that Saint-Domingue's mission in the Baptism of Fire took a turn for the worse, squandering a lead and giving Stevidia their first win. Despite having led 1-0 and 2-1 courtesy of Palacio and Gimenez respectively, goals from Stevidians Cooper and Adams in the final half-hour gave their team the win and catapulted them up the table.

Match 4 - Saint-Domingue 2–2 United Pink States
A late goal broke Dominguan hearts and secured progression for the Pinksters. Needing a win for a chance of finishing above 4th, Saint-Domingue battled for the win as they came from behind to lead 2-1. As the game drew to a close a devastating equaliser was struck from Tucker, and then UPS missed a golden chance to win the game at the death when a penalty was saved. Saint-Domingue simply needed to win to guarantee that they would make it through to the knockout stage.

Match 5 - Hindu Ram Rajya 0–1 Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue sneaked out of Group F in the fourth and final spot after they beat Hindu Ram Rajya courtesy of young striker Nico Pozo scoring his first ever goal for his country at senior level. Assisted by Stevidia beating Logano Fraza to make progression safe, the win meant that the Dominguans could end their group stage on a positive note. However, as one of the lowest seeds (13th) it will be a tough ask in the last sixteen, where they face 4th seeds Gouvanarch, the winners of Group H. The Gouvanarchais did very well to top a tough group, and were unbeaten to boot - winning four and drawing one. They are undoubtedly the favourites for the second round tie.
Lineups:
Binet
Cotilla
Boleyn
Sauvage
Pareja
Campos
Sanabria
Carpeña <- Lacourse 80'
Keller <- Le Guen 80'
Babesco
Pozo <- Ahearn 88'

Hindu Ram Rajya: N/A
Saint-Domingue: Pozo (73')

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Stevid
Chargé d'Affaires
 
Posts: 499
Founded: Antiquity
Moralistic Democracy

Postby Stevid » Sun Dec 27, 2020 11:35 am

Image

FINAL WHISTLE - BoF 74
Stevidia Advances!

Cool Heads Required for the Last 32 Playoffs



There had been jubilation in the run off to Christmas, otherwise known as Jól in Graintfjall, and Stevidians were among those this festive period. The staunchly religious Stevidians highly revere Christmas but are party to the idea of giving gifts as the Wise Men did, but the nation did not expect a gift from their national team. While qualifying for the Last 32 was the minimum goal set down by Davidicus upon the teams admission into the tournament, the hopes of qualification were dented early on by a no-score draw and a close defeat. But the team has splendidly turned it around and seen off all other opposition with high scoring games – ultimately finishing second in the group behind clean sweepers Bluecliff.
Image
Stevidia fans celebrate their qualification


Second placed qualification was one of the best Christmas presents the nation could have expected, and Stevidians that have travelled the phenomenal distance to Graintfjall have taken to the streets to party as if they have won the entire tournament. Football, whilst not the country’s national sport, find many passionate hearts throughout the Empire and it is very much a regional sport with many Greater Dienstad nations having great football pedigree. Stevidia’s first foray into international football proper, and with a decent qualification to boot, has been taken exceptionally well.

Here we have a boxing day interview with Davidicus:

Qualification to the Last 32, Davidicus; how’d you feel about it?

Obviously I’m extremely please, although this was the minimum expected of me and the team. We had that rocky start but the team knuckled down and ground out some stunning results. Other results went our way, and I’m not going to bemoan lady luck for giving us ahand there. So, yeah, really pleased.

Everyone at home is rooting for you, celebrating qualification this Christmas, and those Vids ere too. What do you have to say to them?

Merry Christmas, first of all! I hope you enjoy the present we have you more than the anxiety and heart palpitations we served up initially! Thank you to all who have travelled, honestly, you were the twelfth man for us out there. It has been a huge lift for us and will be going forward.

Do you see your side progressing onto the next round?

Absolutely. That not just because I have to and not be defeatist. We have proven our mettle here and our ability to play our own game in spite of the opposition’s and adapt our play when it simply isn’t working. Obviously things are going up a gear, but the last run out gave our most under used players a good run out and the regulars a much needed rest. They are all raring to go and meet the next threat from The H Corporation head on.

Do you have anything to say about the next match?

Obviously I can’t talk tactics but you can read into that from our published team sheet. I fancy our chances. The ground out three wins to two defeats, but they were shaky at the back and crossed the finish line with minus three goal difference. Granted, we’re not great there either, but I reckon we’re more ruthless up front. I’ll take those odds, as will my team, and we will play as if it’s the final itself.


Team Sheets


As manager Davidicus stated in his interview, the team sheet is publish and we’re going to go through it and how it holds up to The H Corporation:

Image

Formation: 4-1-2-3
Style: 3+


Some slight changes here, especially in bottom middle of the park. The majority of first team player reclaim their places from the second team run out in the last game of the group stage. But from the off we can see the multi-talented Middleton drops down into a defensive midfield position. We now have Stevidia lining up with a narrow 4-1-2-3.
This is probably to with the fact that barring their opening game, this team simply CANNOT keep a clean sheet and regularly let at least two slip through. That being said, Middleton retains his midfield role as a ball winning midfielder, so Davidicus is looking to him for more aggression and robustness in his game, but is still primarily focus on getting the ball away from the back and into attacking positions as quick as possible. The two middlemen of Johnson and Wilson are also sitting deep but in very supportive role. The look is to allow these three chaps to create the chances for the front three.

The lack of attacking mids or wingers will be a concern but both the prolific Cooper and the troublesome Massey are siting deep, so will be collect the cutting balls forward from the midfield.
So straight away we see a formation with pedigree, experience and talent that has been moulded through the group stage and appear very adaptable. Direct passing may be limited due to the lack of wingers and so we’ll see more short, snappy, and attractive football. That said, the gap between middle and front will allow for The H Corporation to fill up so you may see some gorgeous weight lob passes over their heads and into the front men.

Speaking of The H Corportion, this isn’t a team to be sniffed at. A mediocre group qualification belies some true talent in there, and Stevidia needs to be up to the task to see them off. They initially set out with a very wide asymmetric 3-5-1-1. The formation created many porous gaps throughout, but it was a very dynamic line up that produced some lovely linked play. They have played in this formation throughout with an almost exact line up each time too. Nonetheless, despite a handful of three nil dubbings, they will be a slippery team for Stevidia to overcome. Both sides struggle to keep their respective keepers safe. Both sides will need to be at their best to see the game out.

Join us here LIVE on Final Whistle for tonight’s game at 2100hrs local time!

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Gouvanarch
Bureaucrat
 
Posts: 48
Founded: Nov 09, 2020
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

Postby Gouvanarch » Sun Dec 27, 2020 11:46 am

The picture fades in to the Palais du Sports in Gouvanarch and power finally is restored as the candles are gone, which has, however, not done a great lot for the picture quality. The Messieurs de Bethencourt and de Montchrestien have re-taken their positions, with the former in a brandnew robe given his little accident with the candles earlier on and the latter having a very unusual smile on this face.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: Good day, my beloved fellow Gouvanarchais. The first big step is made, Gouvanarch winning their group and all of their games!

Unknown female voice (clears throat): Uh, Monsieur?

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien (irritated at the interruption): What?

Unknown female voice (very defensive): We did not win all of the games, we only drew against Muralos.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: We did not lose, therefore we won. End of discussion.

Unknown female voice (under her breath): Whatever.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: What did you just say?

Unknown female voice (very innocently): Nothing, nothing. Continue.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: Now 15 more losers, uh, teams are left to oppose us and we will show them the true majesty of Gouvanarch, prove to them and the world what we truly are capable of! Santo Domingo--

Unknown female voice: Saint-Domingue.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: Santos Domingos--

Unknown female voice: Saint-Domingue.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: Sanctus Dominus--

Unknown female voice: Saint-Domingue.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: Why do you keep interrupting me?

Unknown female voice: Because the name is Saint-Domingue.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: That's what I've been saying! Sankt Domingus.

Unknown female voice (giving up): Exactly, Monsieur.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: Come with me and bathe in the glory of Gouvanarch!

He gets up and with sweeping strides moves towards the large, curtained glass doors in the background, leaving the camera to struggle to get going (as made clear by the suddenly erupting murmured discussions from behind the camera and the following very bumpy picture as apparently the whole ensemble is being carried after the Monsieur, who is standing at the doors, very impatiently tapping his foot.)

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: Behold - Gouvanarch in all of its majesty!

He throws open the doors to the balcony and reveals a truly pitiful picture of dark-lying grey clouds and rain coming down in sheets, drenching everything in dark, non-descript colours, devoid of anything even remotely glorious or majestic as even the Gouvanarchais flag seems to have lost its vibrancy hanging limp off the flagpost, dripping. The Monsieur turns around to face the 'majesty' and for a moment is standing there, speechless before turning back, quickly closing the doors and curtains behind him, somewhat sheepishly looking into the camera.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: On second thought - let's not fully demotivate our enemies by making them feel even worse than they are. And follow me here instead!

With that he glides away from the balcony doors back towards where Monsieur de Bethencourt is still sitting like a statue. He is oblivious to the fact that he is already back at the scene while the camera just managed to begin to move back, with more than one curse and bump clearly audible and visible on the arduous way back through the large room.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: As you can see here-- Where are you? Why are you so slow? I have been here for hours!

More barely concealed curses that in a nation with higher technical standards would likely have been bleeped out.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: At the speed you are going, the Baptism of Fire will already be over by the time you get back here!

Finally the camera catches up to him as he is standing next to a large board of some sorts, covered with a piece of fabric.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: Let me introduce you to our highlight reel of the first five games.

He pulls off the fabric, revealing a wooden board with two giant nails and what seems to be a thick stack of square piece of parchment paper, the top of which has a coal sketch of a football field. The camera ever so slowly zooms in and the Monsieur tears off the first sheet, showing another one almost the same, then another, making it a very slow and crude replay of some scenes, which given the extreme simplicity works surprisingly well until the piece of the board that both nails are nailed to breaks and everything falls to the ground, scattering paper everywhere. Monsieur de Montchrestien looks at the board, then the floor and papers, then the camera.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: What a magnificent display we have had so far and some true cutting edge technology, I heard, who would have thought that moving pictures would one day be part of something like this?

[i]He walks back to his chair, trying his best to avoid the fallen paper and not to fall over the sudden rush of servants picking up all the pieces. Meanwhile Monsieur de Bethencourt seems to have fallen asleep in his chair as his eyes are closed and some gentle snoring sound come from his corner, earning him some needling looks by Monsieur de Montchrestien.


Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: So, Speedo Domingue - I hope that you brought a second set of undergarments, because once Gouvanarch's falcons descend upon you and send you running, you will need them. Then we will beat Muralos again--

Unknown female voice: Or Ranoria.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien (suddenly having lost his train of thought): --we will beat Ranoria again and while Muralos, we will be emerging out of the round of-- what are we?

Unknown female voice (trying to stifle laughter): We will face either Muralos and Ranoria if we get out of the Round of 16 into the Quarter Finals.

The monsieur looks at her as if she just spoke kisuaheli before looking back into the camera, clearly confused.

Sulhoiarn de Montchrestien: Gouvanarch win...

And the screen goes black.

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Quemorr Isles
Bureaucrat
 
Posts: 51
Founded: Jun 16, 2018
Ex-Nation

Postby Quemorr Isles » Sun Dec 27, 2020 1:39 pm

"Good job, GWS, we made it to the knockout stages!"
"Yes, and it was all me, wasn't it, Manta? Two goals!"
"It's not about individual efforts, Shark, mate."
"Are you JOKING? That's what the entire game is about, isn't it?"
"OK, so let's talk individual, just for a second."
"I scored two goals, you scored one. I WIN"
"Penalties don't count, so therefore, I WIN."
"You dare mimic me?"
"Yes, I do. But what about that goal from ME. Passed it a couple of times, then booted it through three defenders and scored. Match-winning goal, wasn't it?"
"I've shot through four before."
"Back to the point."
"That I won?"
"That it's a team game, imbecile."
"Haha, very funny."
"I can't tell if you're joking or not."
"I'm not."
"Might have to be dropped against Freechi, then. We can't have someone who has more ego than team purpose."
"Then we won't beat them."
"Then you'd better start seriously considering your motives. Drill this into your head: The team is more important than me."
"I. Am. More. Important. Than. The. Team?

The Manta-Ray just shakes his head and walks away.

User avatar
Muralos
Envoy
 
Posts: 320
Founded: Oct 19, 2012
Liberal Democratic Socialists

Postby Muralos » Sun Dec 27, 2020 1:55 pm

Háttmark, Græntfjall, December 24, 2020

A chime repeated itself from Valora Lin’s phone as she ambled about a town square in Háttmark, the capital city of Græntfjall and site of Muralos’ games to date. The chime was a dial tone for T-Chat, the Muralosian Internet phone service that allowed her to place this call from Háttmark to her family back home in Urbego.

The call was answered with a certain degree of surprise by Valora’s father.

“Oh, Liang-liang!” he greeted her, using the Chinese pet name of her early childhood– one that relatives can continue to use into someone’s early adulthood.

“Saluton, paĉjo! Ĝojan Kristnaskon,” Valora replied in Esperanto, as she felt most accustomed to doing.
(OOC: translates to “hi, Dad! Merry Christmas.” The rest of this dialogue will be translated to English.)

“Ĝojan Kristnaskon; or, merry Christmas Eve to you!”

“Thank you!" Valora laughed. "I hope you're all doing well," she continued while quickly adjusting the hood of her winter coat.

"Yes, yes, we are! We've just started making dumplings." Valora's father brought the phone away from his face to show the dumpling-making in progress, courtesy of Valora's mother and 13 year-old brother Ludoviko (known affectionately as Luĉjo). Both of them turned toward the camera and waved.

"What's up ? ? ?" Ludoviko tilted his head down and back up in dramatic fashion.

"What's up with you?? I'm just wishing you guys a Merry Christmas from Græntfjall, that's all. You're really making me jealous with those dumplings!"


"Ha-ha. How are you not getting recognized? I thought you'd be famous by now," answered Ludoviko somewhat teasingly.

"I mean, I'm in a tourist destination and there's lots of people here! I kinda just blend in. Hold on, just look at this!" Valora switched to her phone's back camera and began to slowly pan around her surroundings.

There were lots of people indeed, dressed in a variety of thick winter coats. Some were puffy down jackets; others were cleanly pressed coats. Many donned hoods lined with fur or some sort of artificial equivalent, as Valora's coat was. Others opted for beanies and aviator hats, the kind with flaps that cover one's ears.

The light poles were bedazzled with multi-colored Christmas lights, and so were the trees: well, the ones that were short enough to have the snow cleared from them, anyway.

"Over here, there's a really large cathedral; it's amazing, and it's not even the most famous one in Græntfjall! I'm on the east side of the capital at the moment, so I haven't really gotten to see all the renowned sights. But I wanted to come by this square on Christmas Eve and show you guys."

"Wow," said Valora's mom. "Looks like you've got a lot of holiday spirit here. But, Liang-liang, did you eat? You all have been training so hard."

"Yeah, we're having team dinner in a bit! It'll be a fancier one. I've been resting today too; I worked out earlier this morning, and that's about it."

In Græntfjall, it was now 6 o'clock in the afternoon, but the sun had set entirely; it had been dark since 4:30. As the hour struck, the basillica's bell tower began to toll with a familiar tune:

Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.”
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies,
With th’angelic host proclaim:
“Christ is born in Bethlehem.”
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

or as Muralosians would sing the hymn in Esperanto:

Aŭdu! kantas anĝel-ĥor':
"Nun naskiĝis la Sinjor'!
Pro kompat' pekulojn Di'
Repacigas nun kun Si!"
Homoj tra la tuta tero,
Resonigu tra l' etero
L' anĝel-kanton pri la ven'
De la Beb' en Betlehem'!
    Aŭdu! kantas anĝel-ĥor':
    "Nun naskiĝis la Sinjor'!

For Valora, it was a magical moment. Her being called up for the Baptism of Fire, along with the rest of the former Muralosian women's national soccer team, was on such short notice. Confident and composed as she was, she had qualms about being away from family during the Muralosian winter holidays, and she sometimes wondered if Muralos' success was really worth extending her absence from home. Between coaching, playing in the Muralosian Women's Premier League, and training for the BoF, she had not seen family in quite some time, not even for the Mid-Autumn Festival last October – a day treasured by Chinese Muralosians like herself.

"It's so good to see you guys. I will be home for Chinese New Year; mark my words!"

"We'll see you then. Do not worry; we know how much you want to come home. You are doing great and you're making us proud." Valora's father reassured her with that sincere sheepishness which comes when some parents – especially dads – say slightly sentimental things.

"Thanks, Dad." Valora switched back to her front camera. "We're going to get ready for our dinner, and I'll need to get on the team bus to go to the place. Talk to you later!"

"Okay, that sounds good! Ĝojan Kristnaskon and bonŝancon [good luck]."

"Ĝojan Kristnaskon, and bonŝancon on your game this weekend, too, Luĉjo."

"Thanks! I hope I can kill it like you," replied Ludoviko, with much less sarcasm this time.

"You can do it!"


Aleksandro Kim had just snapped twenty-something-odd photos in the same town square that Valora Lin was strolling in. The connection from Háttmark to his mother's home in Severo-Kurilsk, on the northernmost island of Kurilo province, was too shaky for any video calls to go through; however, it was enough for Kim to send 엄마 a generous "photo dump," featuring the towering basilica, the sidewalk stands boasting Háttmark's traditional craftwork (Kim bought two items from these stands), and smiling selfies with Kim and fellow teammates Ryo Takeda and Rebeka Mori. He also sent a voice text of the bell-tower's chimes, at which point he ran into Valora Lin and walked with her to the team bus.

~ ~ ~
Birds of a feather flock together, and Lerta Donaldson and Georgo Zhong were no exception to this rule. The two Havenurbo Tech classmates had grabbed some hot cocoa to drink at a nearby café in East Háttmark, where they sat a table in the corner.

"It's Christmas Eve and all, but haven't you been thinking about the knockout stages in any way?" Lerta asked Georgo.

"I mean, totally, with how much that's changed. Like, the IFC, and then IAC, and now the freaking Baptism of Fire. Think about that!"

"Changed for the better, though," Lerta emphasized, softening the dramatic tone of Georgo's declaration.

"Oh, yeah, that's for sure. This tournament has been extremely hype, but I guess it's the pressure that's been getting to me too, you know?" Georgo pointed out.

"Basically. We started from the very bottom; no tournaments in four years, just fighting and hanging on in the IFC group stage. But now, we've come on top in the past two groups of each tournament, and these are major tournaments we're talking about!" Lerta set his cup down in slight disbelief.

"Yeah, it's like, we had to climb our way to the top in the IFC, and that was extremely exciting. Now, we start on top, but it makes us a little scared to fall."

"Okay, for sure. But you know we can't be doing that. You need to tell yourself that you can do it, because you honestly can if you switch your mind onto that! Think about it, Georgo. You're in the zone so often. I think I can see it when we're on the field."

Georgo nodded his head contemplatively. "All right... Well, I'll drink to that!" He raised his cocoa mug up to Lerta, who brought his own forward with a resounding clink.
Last edited by Muralos on Sun Dec 27, 2020 2:41 pm, edited 9 times in total.
Muralos (inspired by Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands; flag is that of Okha, Sakhalin Oblast)
Founder of the Asian Archipelago
82nd Cup of Harmony - Round of 32
12th Independent Associations Championship - Round of 16, co-hosts with Almuzahara
74th Baptism of Fire Tournament - Round of 16
11th Independent Associations Championship - Eighth-finalists (round of 16)
2nd International Football Cup - Champions
Asian Archipelago Embassy Cup - Quarterfinalists
Asian Archipelago Soccer Cup - Champions

User avatar
Sylestone
Ambassador
 
Posts: 1467
Founded: Jun 05, 2018
Scandinavian Liberal Paradise

Postby Sylestone » Sun Dec 27, 2020 2:00 pm

So, here we are. The Fire League Round of 16. For your cutoff today, I'm bringing you some headlines from Sylestone's top news companies.

  • People flock to Graentfjall for Ice League to watch all the "big teams" play.
  • Wet days expected in Chamberley for rest of tournament, roof put over the stadium to stop the rain.
  • Despite the protests, the Guild protection system has so far been classified as a success.


Chartistan 1–1 Belac (2–1 AET) @ Chamberley Institute of Sport, Chamberley

Hispinas 1–2 Cirrus Azale @ Ground of Dunkirk, Dunkirk

Yerapia 1–1 North Alezia (2–1 AET) @ The Trees, Pesfield

Sett Forest 3–1 Arklanda @ The Bay Reserve, Betham

Cascadia 1–3 Critical Operations @ Sunlife Stadium, Halpenley

Bonbokh u Piche 1–0 Rwekazaland @ Sentient Oval, Kirkham

Red Kelp 5–3 Jabal Akhdar @ Carson Stadium, Cleorough

Treekidistan 4–2 Regmotto @ Avondale International Sports Stadium

Fire League Quarter-Final Matchups

(1) Chartistan - Cirrus Azale (9) @ Carson Stadium, Cleorough
(5) Yerapia - Sett Forest (4) @ Ground of Dunkirk, Dunkirk
(11) Critical Operations - Bonbokh u Piche (3) @ Sunlife Stadium, Halpenley
(6) Red Kelp - Treekidistan (2) @ The Trees, Pesfield
Last edited by Sylestone on Sun Dec 27, 2020 2:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Football: WC94 Qualifiers, CE35&36 semifinalists
Cricket: GCF WT20 XVI champions, ODI WT II semifinalists, GCF WT20 XV semifinalists, EspoT20 I&II champions
BoF 74, CoH 78, CoH 81, GCF WT20 XV, HWC 24, EspoT20 I&III

User avatar
Graintfjall
Ambassador
 
Posts: 1860
Founded: Jun 30, 2020
Ex-Nation

Postby Graintfjall » Sun Dec 27, 2020 2:04 pm

Today’s cutoff comes with a look at some of the headlines from the White Winter Queendom:

NEWS: Government lays out aggressive welfare reform agenda, opposition dub it the “Workhouse Act”

BUSINESS: Invest now in child-sized chimney brushes, analysts recommend

ENERGY: First signs of dissent in the coalition as Liberal-Conservatives stall on fuel subsidies

RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS: Cardinal’s Christmas Day address stresses importance of preserving family values

COURT CIRCULAR: Queen Júlíana’s Christmas Day address stresses importance of supporting emergency workers

POLITICS: NDF leader’s Christmas Day address stresses importance of getting rid of all these bloody foreigners

SPORTS: First foreign coach appointed to lead national team

WEATHER: Snow.

Let the playoffs commence as we cutoff for the first round of the knockout stages…





R1: Bluecliff League 1–0 Icecliff
R2: Freechi 2–0 Quemorr Isles
R3: Khytonya 3–0 Silvedania
R4: Gouvanarch 1–4 Saint-Domingue
R5: Muralos 3–1 Ranoria
R6: Hebitaka 3–3 United Pink States (4–4 AET) (5–6 pen.)
R7: Stevidia 3–0 The H Corporation
R8: Caryton 1–4 Fjorsz

Q1: Bluecliff League v Fjorsz @ Fjlarkfjall Arena, Þingsnitz
Q2: Freechi v Stevidia @ Fjistjing Stadion, Hintersfjörður
Q3: Khytonya v United Pink States @ Hagejoki Play Park, Háttmark
Q4: Muralos v Saint-Domingue @ Grand National Arena, Háttmark
Last edited by Graintfjall on Sun Dec 27, 2020 2:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Solo: IBC30, WCoH42, HWC25, U18WC16, CoH85, WJHC20
Co-host: CR36, BoF74, CoH80, BoF77, WC91
Champions: BoF73, CoH80, U18WC15, DBC52, WC91, CR41, VWE15, HWC27, EC15
Co-champions of the first and second Elephant Chess Cups with Bollonich
Runners-up: DBC49, EC10, HWC25, CR42
The White Winter Queendom of Græntfjall

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Chartistan
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Postby Chartistan » Sun Dec 27, 2020 3:14 pm

THE BILLBOARD GAZETTE

KNOW YOUR PATH, KNOW YOUR PATH

Where does Chartistan go from here? Surprise loss opens the door for a potential BoF Final


Remember thy day, remember thy name - Tatertot Crazy notched herself a deadlock breaker in the 18th minute of extra time (Or the 108th minute if you're cool like that) to see Chartistan advance to the Fire League quarterfinals against Belac, who had mere moments to make the trip to Chamberley to replace a now non-existent ArmedKing team for the tie. Yes, Mama Corel did get herself a goal in the 34th minute, but the national team had to deal with unfamiliar opposition - At the very least, Doctor Lucas Combbrush's side eeked out a victory to advance to the last 16.

But with Hispinas making a shocking exit after a 2-1 loss to Cirrus Azale and their team of Darrells, Chartistan's path to not only the Fire League final, but potentially the Baptism of Fire final as well, has been the door kicked by a certain member of a Gaon based group with 2 colors in their name. You might be reading this wondering why this is even discussed at an institution like the Billboard Gazette, and we have one answer - It's because we can.

Yes, Cirrus Azale and their team of Darrells were placed in a tough group with second seeded Treekidistan, heck, they finished 3rd in their group behind Yerapia, but they do not look like repeating the Hispinas upset again. You look at Yerapia and Sett Forest and they don't look like they'll win against a dominant Chartistan team either - Yes, Yerapia may and possibly will go on to win against Sett, but again, with Hispinas out the rest of the field leading up to the Fire final is easy opposition. Most likely the national team will play the winner of Bonbokh u Piche and Treekidistan in the Fire League final, unless Critical Operations or Red Kelp can pull something off.

But after the Belac scare, national team boss Lucas Combbrush isn't going to take these 2 supposed easy double-us easy. Regarding the path to the Fire League final, he took the cautious side on the approach for the next couple of games. "I know this team is not ready to talk about a Baptism of Fire final, at least for a while. The sudden change we had for this match just gone and screwed up our game preparation and as a manager, especially when such notices are quick and on the fly, you sometimes don't get over the change until long after the match. We aren't ready to make the final yet, but that's alright with me. We should take the Cirrus Azale game head on and not worry about the final stage of competition. We don't even know if we're going to get there!"

And with Cheezus not playing up to snuff against Belac, the team has decided to keep their roster back to where it started with Callie Deadbrush coming back into net after a couple of games on the bench. But with that, the road has to be focused back on the next round, as the Darrells will have to contend with the best team in the Sylestonian side of the tournament.

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Treekidistan
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Postby Treekidistan » Sun Dec 27, 2020 10:28 pm

TREEKIDISTAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION OFFICIAL
Curling Championship


"Hip Hip Hooray!" the shout of the fans can be heard everywhere in the nation. When the nation was celebrating the National Day (OOC: December 27th every year, celebrated in every Independent provinces of Indusse) they also got another win to celebrate. Treekidistan defeated Regmotto for a score of four-two in the match which happened in Avondale International Sports Stadium, Sylestone. "This isn't what I expected!" says the coach, just a two goal margin? Sad. The match had Treekidistan Football stars, Patel and Gonzales Scoring the goals. Four Goals and wonder goals! The first goal was born from the legs of Regmotto striker. The goal made by them in the sixteenth minute started the goal machines of the day. Treekidistan didn't lose hope easily they started to fight for another goal. Twenty-five minutes...Thirty Minutes... Forty minutes... Still we had Regmotto 1-0 Treekidistan. Suddenly, Patel came in between the defenders, that's a chance and he hits it with his back foot. It swirled and it's a Goal! Forty fourth Minute and Treekidistan 1-1 Regmotto. Regmotto wasn't losing hope too, just seconds before the half whistle they scored another goal. Bruh! Regmotto 2-1 Treekidistan.

That was the End of the first half, Everyone went back to the dressing room. The coach called everyone near him and talked about a new tactical game and said something in Gonzales's ears. What would it be? No one knew. The game started again, Regmotto 2-1 Treekidistan. This time it's a Treekidistan half. Gonzales took the ball from the center and gave a long pass to the Goalkeeper. A Minus Pass? That too this much far? Everyone got confused and ran towards the ball. Gonzales didn't move and as the players reached halfway, The keeper passed back to Gonzales. Easy Run! He sprinted towards the goal post and gave a flick towards the goalie. The goalie was frightened by the speed and he lost the touch. Goal! Treekidistan 2-2 Regmotto. That wasn't the end. Regmotto took the kick and Patel drifted and snatched the ball. Another goal time? Yea!! He sprinted passed to Gonzales and Gonzales passed again to him. At the right end he crossed the ball and a header from Gonzales! Goal!! Treekidistan 3-2 Regmotto. Seventy two minutes passed and Treekidistan is leading now. Was this enough again? No!! Now it's Patel's turn. Regmotto took a super sprint for scoring a goal and alas! The pass went to the offside. Gonzales came took the spot kick and passed through the defenders and Patel got the ball. Swoosh... That was a Rainbow Kick! It's a goal!! That's the end of Regmotto, Eighty eight minutes and a two goal lead. Treekidistan 4-2 Regmotto. The Referee blew up the whistle and It's Treekidistan Time!
Treekidistan proceeds to the Quarter Finals of the Fire League Sylestone. Now what's going to happen? Treekidistan will face the No.6 Graded team from Red Kelp at The Trees, Pesfield. The Trees? Treekidistan lives trees! Let's see what the Sylestonian Trees have for Treekidistan. Will they win? If so, who will they face? Chartistan or Cirrus Azale? Yerapia or Sett Forest? Why not, Critical Operations or Bonbokh u Piche? Let's see what is going to happen!


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Baskar H Kumar
@bhkofficial

It's good to see a Indussean Province winning games like this. I would like to offer my special congratulations and prayers to the Treekidistan team. I am also wishing everyone a wonderful and happy National Day!#Baptismoffireandice #BHKTweets #Nationaldayins

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20:13 pm - 27 December 20


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Last edited by New Visayan Islands on Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Misnested tag broke succeeding post. Happy Holidays!
TREEKIDISTAN
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Saint-Domingues
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Founded: Jan 10, 2020
Ex-Nation

Postby Saint-Domingues » Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:13 am

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Gouvanarch 1–4 Saint-Domingue: Babesco hat-trick puts the Avengers into the quarter-finals
HT 0-1

Saint-Domingue put in an excellent performance - characterised by star striker Julien Babesco netting a hat-trick - as the Gouvanarchais were thrashed en-route to the last eight in Græntfjall's capital. Josep Carpeña was also in fine form, assisting all four Dominguan goals.

It was one of the top seeds versus one of the bottom seeds at the Kuodorf MSK Football Arena in Háttmark. Gouvanarch had enjoyed a very strong group stage, racking up four wins from four in their opening fixtures, before concluding Group H with a thrilling 3-3 draw with Muralos that secured them top spot. The Gouvanarchais could boast an almost flawless record, going into the game unbeaten and having dropped points in just one game while also scoring 17 goals in just 5 games. On the other side, Saint-Domingue's group record could best be described as inconsistent. There had been some valiant efforts but goals conceded in the final quarter of the game had cost them results against all of the top sides in their group, conceding twice to Bluecliff League to lost late on, surrendering a 2-1 lead against Stevidia to lost 3-2, and conceding in the final minute to draw against the United Pink States. Both of the Dominguan wins came against relative minnows in the form of Logano Fraza and Hindu Ram Rajya, two 1-0 wins that arguably should have been much more in favour of the Avengers. The dominant but low-scoring wins meant that Saint-Domingue, though qualifying, finished the group stage with a minus goal difference.

Head coach Camilo Canisbro maintained the 3-5-2 formation that had secured the last win versus Hindu Ram Rajya, with the spring striker Nico Pozo retaining a starting berth after his goal-scoring heroics. The only change to the team was the return of centre-half Giuseppe Cojuangco, who came back in for Corentin Sauvage after recovering from the injury which forced him off at half-time in the draw with United Pink States. Gouvanarch lined up in Cadhoiarn de Rely's favoured 4-4-2, with strike pairing Adhémar Desreaulx and Barthelemy de la Cormeilles tasked with pressing the three Dominguan central defenders high up the pitch.

The Gouvanarchais crafted a good chance at the start of the match, as Jagu de Vandes pressed Alfredo Cotilla into conceding a throw-in deep into the Dominguan half. A long throw by Judoc Tanet was headed on and bounced before de la Cormeilles who was just a few yards out, but the ball ended up high in the back of the stand. A second chance came not long after, as Guimand de la Verdure was afforded a free header from a corner kick, but nodded the ball over. It was a real sliding doors moment, as the Avengers began to assert themselves more upon the match as they grew into the game and ultimately struck first blood and never looked back.

Midfielder Carpeña collected the ball from deep and played a perfectly timed through ball that put Babesco, who was waiting on the shoulder of the last defender, through on goal. The striker duly smashed a left-footed shot into the top corner to give his team the lead. Babesco almost added a second soon after but was denied by the legs of Eudon Rocque, whilst Nico Pozo forced the goalkeeper into a save but Saint-Domingue went into half-time just the one goal to the good.

Shortly after half-time the opportunity for the Avengers to pull away presented itself. Carpeña twisted and turned in the area and after a clever pullback was brought down by Alanig Quiviger. The resulting penalty was tucked by Babesco for his brace. Fifteen minutes later the game was seemingly wrapped up, as Carpeña floated a ball into the area which was volleyed in by Emilio Campos.

A healthy three-goal lead and Saint-Domingue were running riot, as the demoralised Gouvanarchais defence was carved apart time and time again, and without the heroics of Rocque in goal could have been facing a cricket score.

Substitute Eon de Hattes restored some pride for Gouvanarch when he stabbed in from just inside the area, but the goal was just a consolation was Babesco thumped a header past Rocque to restore the three-goal lead, sealing both three points and a perfect hat-trick in the process.

Across the bracket
It was a good day for the teams from Group F as all four of the sides won their second round ties for their places in the quarter-finals. Group winners Bluecliff League beat lowly Icecliff 1-0 and will face Fjorsz in the quarter-finals, who are fresh from a fine 4-1 win over Caryton. Bluecliff League continue to show their high-calibre and many are touting their credentials as favourites to win the whole tournament.
Group F's runners-up Stevidia handily defeated The H Corporation by three goals to nil, and will meet Freechi, 2-0 victors over Quemorr Isles, in the quarter-finals.
United Pink States emerged as winners after a breathtaking spectacle against Hebitaka. 3-3 after ninety minutes, the game finished 4-4 after extra time and was ultimately decided by a nail biting penalty shootout. The Pinksters have Khytonya in their last-eight matchup, who had a much more comfortable 3-0 win against Silvedania.
As for Saint-Domingue, after their good win they will face Muralos, the runners-up to Gouvanarch in Group H. The Muralosians beat Ranoria 3-1 to reach this point.

Saint-Domingue head coach Camilo Canisbro: "I would be lying if I said that I expected that. We were really, really good. Today everyone was really up for the match, we have been a bit hit-and-miss during the group stage but come the knockout fixtures everyone has switched on and put up a great fight, cannot fault the effort at all. Julien and Pep showed their class today. Maybe a bit slow at the beginning and Gouvanarch got a few good opportunities but after the first ten or five minutes there was only going to be one winner, we dominated possession and showed a level of clinical finishing which was delightful to watch."
Lineups:
Binet
Cotilla
Boleyn
Cojuangco
Pareja
Campos <- Charbonneau 70'
Sanabria
Carpeña <- Delannoy 84'
Keller
Babesco <- Jeune 84'
Pozo

Gouvanarch: de Hattes (77')
Saint-Domingue: Babesco (19', 52' (P), 81'), Pareja (66')
Venue: Kuodorf MSK Football Arena, Háttmark
Last edited by Saint-Domingues on Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:18 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Freechi
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Founded: Jul 16, 2017
Ex-Nation

Postby Freechi » Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:55 am

Freechi advances to the Ice Cup quarter finals!

The Freechi Football Confederation



After a short break, the FFC is bringing the BoF news again! It has been a prosper period to the Freechi Team: we assured invincibility in the group stage by winning with another cold 1-0 match against Silvedania. In a quick overview, the Freechi team used the known tactic of the coach Sofiya Kuznetsova: scoring and retreating. This game was settled thanks to the first goal on the tournament by the 19-year-old Vilbogi Franzson, at 44'.

Yesterday’s game was an atypical match to the Freechi Team: a game against sentient fishes, the team of Quemorr Isles. The only-saw-humans-speaking team got scared at first, when seeing the opponents in the poor corridors of Spajoküm Arena. But there’s something funny about hearing a Manta Ray arguing with a Great White Shark, so minutes later the players enjoyed their presence. But not the presence of the big fat swarm of plankton, THAT was scary indeed. With the players entering the field, most of the opponent team players greeted amicably, except the Great White Shark, but it was probably an instinct thing.

With the first whistle of the match, the Freechi Team was surprised with an ultra-aggressive posture by Quemorr Isles, that didn't look to have any defenders behind the middle players (supposing the existence of those middle players). But we can’t say it wasn’t efficient, in the majority of the first half, Quemorr Isles could achieve the ball possession with ease, with many of their players trying different kinds of shots at goal. It was a hard time to freechian goalkeeper Nel Patenaude, but he could defend many of those shots, as if he was swimming at the same rhythm of the opponents.

At the second half, something should be done. Kuznetsova oriented the players to also take an offensive posture when having the ball possession, as she saw that even the Blue Whale, their goalkeeper, was getting out of the goal area to make some ambitious defenses. With the start of the second half, the Freechi Team didn't take too much time to score, the LB Amana Akintola made a long pass to Jengo Solarin, scoring the first goal of the match passing through the Blue Whale and remaining alone with the goal, at 60'. With this goal, the Great White Shark was perceivably angry, as he stole the ball from his own teammates many times, trying to make complex moves from the defense zone to the attack zone. Logically, it wasn’t efficient. With the whole team mad at the White Shark, the Tuna scored an own goal at 78', making the White Shark angrier, disturbing his team to the rest of the match.

At the end of the game, the Great White Shark refused to greet any living being on that stadium, and the Manta Ray apologized for his attitude.

Now, Freechi advanced to the Ice Cup quarter finals! We are going to have a difficult match against Stevidia today, but getting to this point in the tournament is already a great achievement by the team!

Match Report:
Goals: Solarin, 60' :: Tuna, OG, 78'
MVP: Patenaude, 9.0
Yellow Cards: N/A
Red Cards: N/A


R1: Bluecliff League 1–0 Icecliff
R2: Freechi 2–0 Quemorr Isles
R3: Khytonya 3–0 Silvedania
R4: Gouvanarch 1–4 Saint-Domingue
R5: Muralos 3–1 Ranoria
R6: Hebitaka 3–3 United Pink States (4–4 AET) (5–6 pen.)
R7: Stevidia 3–0 The H Corporation
R8: Caryton 1–4 Fjorsz

Q1: Bluecliff League v Fjorsz @ Fjlarkfjall Arena, Þingsnitz
Q2: Freechi v Stevidia @ Fjistjing Stadion, Hintersfjörður
Q3: Khytonya v United Pink States @ Hagejoki Play Park, Háttmark
Q4: Muralos v Saint-Domingue @ Grand National Arena, Háttmark



In other news: "The greatest match I've ever seen" says the Emperor Sandrose II about Freechi v Quemorr Isles.
Last edited by Freechi on Mon Dec 28, 2020 12:38 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Bonbokh u Piche
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Ex-Nation

Postby Bonbokh u Piche » Mon Dec 28, 2020 11:39 am

The Peeps advance to the quarterfinals

The Fire League flame is fanned after its first round. Gradually, the number of potential champions of this Baptism of Fire is reduced. And yet despite stiff competition, Bonbokh u Piche remains afloat. It's not unprecedented technical quality or superior tactical intellect that has led the Peeps to these victories. The secret of their success is their tireless endurance.

The match against Rwekazaland was rather stark. There were no great displays of talent, no unforgettable plays. Bonbokh u Piche took the lead with a goal from Fasul Bomoi shortly after the game started. The goal definitely marked what would be a mostly static match with little dynamism. The play started off a ball interception by Gildonosda. Only twelve minutes had passed since the start of the match. The midfielder predicted an unidentified Rwekazaland player would attempt a filtered pass and dived in time to stop it. Once with the ball, an explosive counterattack began. He gave the ball to Datare for him to make the long pass to the forwards, who were already sprinting at full throttle. Datare received the ball, advanced a few meters and sent the ball to Grude. An unidentified defender from Rwekazaland was not fast enough to beat the Bonbo-Pichean. Grude entered the box diagonally and made a pass to the center. Kereldulo came running but let the ball continue on its way. Behind him, Bomoi waited to kick. Rwekazaland's unidentified keeper managed to deflect the ball, but it still went in.

Taking advantage of Rwekazaland's inability to generate attacking plays, the Bonbokh and Peeps limited themselves to defending until the ninety minutes were up. Stoically, the three center-backs rejected, one after another, the balls that the Rwekazanns threw into the box without success. It was certainly not the kind of spectacle seen in other matches in this Round of 16.

At the end of the match there was a last moment of intensity. The Rwekazaland players may or may not have been bothered by the parked bus. Tunase Kereldulo held the ball close to the box and a Rwekazaland player tackled him with excessive force, knocking him to the ground. Several players approached to defend their teammate, who got up quickly and pushed Rwekazann. The referee separated them and sent Kereldulo and perhaps also the aggressor off.

With this victory, Bonbokh u Piche will travel to the desert city of Halpenley, where the Peeps will face the national team of Critical Operations at Sunlife Stadium. If the humid heat of the Sylestonean rainforests already had the players to bad draw, the dry heat of Halpenley could be much worse. Several players have raised complaints, worried about how the abrupt change in temperature could affect their health, and therefore their performance, in the case of traveling to Græntfjall.

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Muralos
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Founded: Oct 19, 2012
Liberal Democratic Socialists

Postby Muralos » Mon Dec 28, 2020 12:26 pm

La Gazeto de Sportatoj
Muralosian National Soccer Team Makes Headway in Baptism of Fire's Knock-Out Stage
Hashtag #PintaKoncentriĝo Makes Headway on Muralosian Social Networks
By Adamo Tanaka and Jonathan Liu
December 27th, 2020

GRÆNTFJALL. On Sunday, the Muralosian national soccer team defeated Ranoria 3-1 in the Baptism of Fire's round of 16, beginning their run in the tournament's knockout stages. The Hawks officially advanced to the knockout stage of the 74th Baptism of Fire on December 23, finishing second in tournament group H with a 3-2-0 record. The three wins included a 1-0 victory against Quemorr Isles, a 3-0 victory against The H Corporation, and a 4-1 victory against Sannyamathland; the two draws were 3-3 against the Ponyvillian Separatists of Twicetagrien Canterlotine Territories (commonly called PSTCT) and 3-3 again with Gouvanarch, whose squad won the group with no losses and one draw.

Fans of Muralosian sport have been closely watching the Hawks' run in the Baptism of Fire. Viewership for all five of Muralos' group stage games eclipsed those for what had been the most-watched soccer game in Muralosian history: the 2020 International Football Cup final, in which the former Muralosian men's national soccer team defeated HUElavia's national team and won its first international title in four years.

Many on Muralosian social media rejoiced over the Baptism of Fire's being held during the Muralosian winter holidays, when workers often take leave and students are off school for at least two weeks. Around the same time Muralosian Internet users were teaching non-Muralosians about the etymology of "Muralos," the hashtag #PintaKoncentriĝo (Peak Concentration) began to make the rounds as well.

"The way I see the hashtag is that it kind of jokes about we can all actually 'concentrate' on watching the Hawks' matches, now that most of us aren't working or studying," 15-year old Daniil Lee told La Gazeto in a short interview on Sunday. Lee is also a striker for the boys' soccer team at Urbego High School. "Usually, I use it alongside the more classic ones, like #MurFutbalaRenaskiĝo ['Muralosian Soccer Renaissance'] and #Alamondpokalo ['to the World Cup']."

Merita Hui, a 20-year-old student at Zamenhof University, voiced similar sentiments about the hashtag. "When the old [i.e. former] men's national team played at the IAC, not to mention the IFC, I could only really sneak a peek at the Internet broadcasts during lecture," Hui wrote in an email to La Gazeto's Adamo Tanaka. "But now, during the holidays, most university students have 'peak concentration' on the games. That's what #PintaKoncentriĝo is about, I think."

It still remained to be seen how long Muralosians would need to concentrate for. While the Hawks posted zero losses in the group stage, their draw against Gouvanarch suggested to La Gazeto's Klara Antonova that they might have "similar trouble facing other group stage front-runners [as will happen in the knockout stages of the Baptism of Fire." Antonova pointed as well to the former men's national soccer team as an example of "the Hawks' continued disadvantage against more experienced teams." In the recent Independent Associations' Championship, the men's Hawks were eliminated after a 1-2 loss to New Lusitania, and earlier this month, they faced 1-3 and 0-3 losses against Tikariot and Zeta Reka and Hugeltadom.

However, the co-ed Hawks have proven to be a strong squad, armed with a strong coaching staff, unlike the men's Hawks with striker Adamo Brava as temporary player-coach. Current coaches Jozefo Koltakov, Hina Kageyama, and Pavel Li have been present at every Baptism of Fire match, and Brava has attested to their "[providing] the Hawks with incredible support and a great wealth of knowledge."

The team has been versatile as well. Nominal reserves on the roster have gotten substantial playing time, and many of them have made a splash, from Valora Lin scoring the co-ed Hawks' first goal, to Tanya Lubimova recording a save percentage rivaling starter Rodion Markov's, to Georgo Zhong and Galina Shchedrina making important assists throughout the tournament.

This trend of reserve players making a splash continued in the Hawks' match against Ranoria. The Hawks made a spirited counterattack in the sixth minute of the match after the Ranorians unexpectedly gained the upper hand. Defender Aleksandro Kim made a pass to Ryo Takeda, who was closer to midfield. Takeda then delivered a pass to reserve midfielder Lerta Donaldson, who was starting this match in place of Vilhelmo Lumin. Donaldson built enough momentum to take a shot into the upper left quadrant of the net. With that, the ball passed Ranorian defender Lioni Grendel and landed just out of goalkeeper Vincent Emilia's reach.

As he had done in Muralos' match against Sannyamathland, Adamo Brava delivered the Muralos-Ranoria match's second goal off of a corner kick, this time taken by the Hawks' Nikolaj Granda. While Granda has a reputation for long-range goals, he chose here to make a modest pass instead to Lerta Donaldson, who then passed the ball to Brava. As a result, the Hawks avoided contending with Ranoria's rather proactive defense, and Brava was able to tap the ball into the goal.

In the second quarter of the match, Ranoria's defensive weapons launched a counterattack of their own. The Krauts' Michael Bier fielded a high-arcing pass to the right midfield, and the midfielder August Mueller received it cleanly, without letting the ball touch the ground. Mueller then passed to Ranorian striker Barry Chlorid, but as fellow striker Felix Graf was in a far stronger position to score, Chlorid passed to Graf, confusing the Hawks' defenders. Graf then scored into the lower left corner of the net; Rodion Markov dove half a second too late, apparently having misjudged the trajectory of the goal.

No goals would be scored for the next 53 minutes of the Muralos-Ranoria match. At the end of the first half, RTM-1 commentator Gao Hui noted that the Krauts "have certainly honed their defensive capabilities between the group stage and the knockout stage." Indeed, by the middle of the second half, they never hesitated to intercept the Hawks' passes and – at times – punt the ball when Muralos' midfielders took it within 20 yards of goal. For the better half of this match, the Ranorian squad showed itself to be a powerhouse on the defensive front.

The Hawks' chance at a third goal came when they were awarded a free kick, after reserve defender Galina Shchedrina was tripped by Ranorian defender Chris Jenkins. Shchedrina delivered an impressive shot, one that curved to the very left of the Ranorian goal and roused Muralosian fans in the audience.

FINAL
Muralos 3 - 1 Ranoria

Donaldson 8', Brava 18', Shchedrina 80' | Graf 27'

When asked about the goal she scored, Shchedrina told the Gazeto that "to have this opportunity in an international soccer match is just adrenaline-inducing; I simply just went for the kick, knowing that it could be done."

Lerta Donaldson mentioned this same attitude in his post-game interview with La Gazeto: "A lot of us on the team have a can-do mindset. We have done a lot of preparation, thanks to coaches Koltakov, Kageyema, and Li. I think that's what has given us the confidence to take on so many experienced teams in the Baptism of Fire and keep doing what we're doing."

The Muralosian national soccer team will face Saint-Domingue on Monday, December 28 at the Grand National Arena, Háttmark, Græntfjall, perhaps with their "can-do mindset" at play. As with all other Baptism of Fire matches, the upcoming match will be broadcast on RTM-1, Radio Muralana-Sportema, and rtmnet.mur.

For the record: Previously, La Gazeto mistakenly stated that Gouvanarch had won their group with no losses or draws. Gouvanarch came out of the group stage with one draw (against Muralos) and no losses. The staff of La Gazeto apologize for the confusion.
Last edited by Muralos on Mon Dec 28, 2020 2:24 pm, edited 28 times in total.
Muralos (inspired by Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands; flag is that of Okha, Sakhalin Oblast)
Founder of the Asian Archipelago
82nd Cup of Harmony - Round of 32
12th Independent Associations Championship - Round of 16, co-hosts with Almuzahara
74th Baptism of Fire Tournament - Round of 16
11th Independent Associations Championship - Eighth-finalists (round of 16)
2nd International Football Cup - Champions
Asian Archipelago Embassy Cup - Quarterfinalists
Asian Archipelago Soccer Cup - Champions

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Stevid
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Moralistic Democracy

Postby Stevid » Mon Dec 28, 2020 1:50 pm

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FINAL WHISTLE - BoF 74
Stevidia 3 – 0 The H Corporation (THC)

Professional Performance Sees Vids Through to L16



The most professional turn out by Stevidia so far this tournament was more than enough to sign off THC’s defeat in emphatic fashion. The three nil-win is the Vid’s first victorious clean sheet and was helped along by a brace from Lukas Cooper and close-range punt from Miquel Adams. The THC keeper Bill was kept busy practically all night as the Vid’s slick passing carved through the distinct openings in THC’s wide asymmetric formation.
Image
No.9 Lukas Cooper celebrates his brace


It was a tentative first half however, with both sides going in at nil-nil but THC failed to register a single shot on target and only seven attempts in those first forty-five. Stevidia, on the other hand, were threatening throughout and were regularly played through from the inside wings or with lobbed through-crosses from deep down the middle. But those opening forty-five minutes had meant that the THC backline was fresh and so, while caught out and worked hard, were able to adapt quickly to the fluid attacks of the Vid's.

However, all the goals came within the second half as the THC backline were clearly out of breath and out of sorts. More and more, the THC keeper Bill had to make up for the flagging efforts of his front three; central defender Pearl was worked ragged as he was outnumbered throughout and his wingers were almost always too far out of position from the middle to be much help. By the time they did arrive on scene, it was to hoof clearances up field following last ditch tackling from Pearl or splendid saves from an overworked Bill. Tackle changes were no forthcoming, so when the first goal from Cooper came… the dam burst.

Cooper first nabbed one on fifty-one minutes after the midfield delivered a delightfully weighted passed over the heads of the defence. Cooper took a touch, enough to wrong foot Bill just enough to skip around him and net an open goal. Coopers came ten minutes later with Stevidia pressing hard and lacin together some lateral short passing on the edge of the area. A cute through-ball made it through to Cooper who beat Pearl in the middle and tucked a shot past the helpless THC keeper.

The final stake to the heart came from Miquel Adams who caught an in-swinging cross from the right wing along the floor and punted it hard, and first time, into the bottom left hand corner. It fooled everyone, even Adams, who quickly apologised to the keeper for the cursed bad luck. But the Vid’s were not counting lucky stars by the end. This was a consummate and special performance that brings Stevidia into the Last 16 of their first ever international competition.


Next Up! Freechi!


The Freechi national team is easily one of the toughest match-ups Stevidia has ever face, and certainly so during this whole tournament. They finished top of their group completely undefeated. They play a resolute and balanced 4-4-2 diamond that gives them width on attack and in transition, as well as the depth proved from ta defensive midfielder. They play conservatively too, looking to soak up pressure and then exploit weaknesses when they find them. In fact, the entire team has been that well drilled it is little wonder they finished top of their group with max points and a plus eight goal difference.

Players of note have to include forward Kondo Achebe and keeper Nel Patenaude. Achebe has been prolific all tournament (together with his partner in crime Solarin), but his cribbling makes it look like the ball sticks to his boot. The keeper has been equally impressive, keeping a clean sheet in the last round and performed exceptionally well during the group stage.

Stevidia will be naming and unchanged side to the previous game, hoping that the clean sheet of Barnett and the defensive midfield efforts of Middleton continue to pay dividends as they did in the last round of 64.


Join us LIVE at 2100hrs for this critical match. There is everything to play for and everything to lose in this exciting match up! Don’t go anywhere!
Last edited by Stevid on Mon Dec 28, 2020 1:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Bluecliff
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Founded: Nov 20, 2020
Ex-Nation

Postby Bluecliff » Mon Dec 28, 2020 1:58 pm

The Icecliff team at the seventy-fourth Baptism of Fire was everything that the representatives of the Football Federation of the Fourteen Free Cities of the Bluecliff League wished that the team representing the Football Federation of the Fourteen Free Cities of the Bluecliff League at the seventy-fourth Baptism of Fire could be.

They were exquisite. In a word, perfection.

Icecliff is similar to the great friends of the Bluecliff League Hindu Ram Rajya and Logano Fraza in that they do not care about this ridiculous tournament and wanted no part in it. They resemble the Bluecliff League in that their participation was utterly unknown and uneventful and it was unknown if the actual players on the team liked each other or even knew each other's names. But they were so much more than this. So much more. Exquisite, really. In a word, perfection.

They had battled haplessly through the group stage - exactly as Ninyan Makkak and the Bluecliff squad had planned to do! - but they had done it oh so much better. oh so much better. Whereas Bluecliff had been plagued with fifteen goals over five games, Icecliff managed one. Exquisite. Bluecliff had, through some freakish force of the wind and cold of Græntfjall and the cluelessness of Makara Keho, blundered their way to five wins across the group stage. Icecliff, in their eminent wisdom, and the cool, clinical calm their nation name suggested, had passed through their group without a single such mishap. They had yet to win a game. Exquisite. Put succinctly, perfection.

It was exactly what the Football Federation of the Fourteen Free Cities of the Bluecliff League had intended on doing when they sent this delegation: do nothing special or interesting at all, secure a nominal victory like passage to the round of 32 in the least impressive way possible, and return home having not wholly embarrassed the Football Federation of the Fourteen Free Cities of the Bluecliff League on the "world" stage. Icecliff was everything the Football Federation of the Fourteen Free Cities of the Bluecliff League had wanted to be, and now, they were being taunted by it. Haunted by it. Icecliff's perfect record and tantalizingly mysterious players were a source of endless fascination for the members and representation of the Football Federation of the Fourteen Free Cities of the Bluecliff League. They were, in a word, exquisite. Wait, no. That's not quite the word. They were perfection.

It was no wonder, then, that the representation of the Football Federation of the Fourteen Free Cities of the Bluecliff League were thoroughly interested in traveling to Altendalur. The structural integrity of the stadium (something that the Football Federation of the Fourteen Free Cities of the Bluecliff League and the the Football Federation of the Fourteen Free Cities of the Bluecliff League's Standing Organizational Committee's Subcommittee for Appointing a Task Force to Inspect Foreign Stadiums and Consider Delivering a Report on the State of the Earlier Mentioned Stadiums had yet to experience in Græntfjall) and the venomous animosity of the city's inhabitants towards foreigners (something that the Football Federation of the Fourteen Free Cities of the Bluecliff League thoroughly admired) only added to the allure of the match. Exquisite. Perfection.

They arrived early, the Bluecliffians, to marvel at the fairly-recent state of the stadium's paint and only-subtly creaking beams that ringed the main passage. Far removed from the matches against Hindu Ram Rajya and Logano Fraza, the air was not so much electric as it was charged with electricity.

The kickoff from the Icecliff strikers did little to dull the mood, unwelcome as it was to draw attention off the competent architecture and passive-aggressive locals. One right to the other, it was a lovely kickoff. No, exquisite.

The excitement only grew as the two teams engaged in a pitched battle of speed, strength, and cunning. Every third or fourth pass was being intercepted! Neither side was able to string together any passes or get into any sort of a rhythm! So breathtaking was the sport that nobody was surprised to see that, by the fifteenth minute, neither side had so much as entered the other's penalty box, and no shots had been taken - on goal or otherwise. It wasn't end-to-end stuff, no, it was much more than that. It was barely-entering-into-the-opponent's-attacking-third-before-immediately-and-deservedly-losing-the-ball to barely-entering-into-the-opponent's-attacking-third-before-immediately-and-deservedly-losing-the-ball stuff, and the Florus Stadion was as close to jumping as any venue hosting a Bluecliff side during WCC-sanctioned play could get. Exquisite!

The excitement only so much as came close to dying down in the 20th, when Lukas took a clunky pass from Dubois into the box and had his above-average (ugh) shot blocked. It dribbled out for a corner, despite the above-average (ugh) efforts of the Icecliff keeper to prevent the set piece. The first decent cross into the box all game was subsequently cleared without much trouble at all. Addin Ajme trapped the hoofed ball and sent it back into the area, but a poor shot from Salamono was scooped up. Nobody was on the edge of their seats, no, they were all standing, whooping, hollering. This was the height of WCC football quality.

Now, in the second half of the first half (well, really the first quarter of the third third of the fourth eighth of the game), there was a bit of a rhythm. The shots were staying off target, but they were mostly missing the Icecliff net. Fridek Hòjak mercifully got the ball thanks to a couple exhiliratingly mundane back-passes, but otherwise things stayed mostly around the attacking fifth to seventh eighths for Bluecliff. Yawn.

By far the least exciting moment of the game came early in the later part of the half, when Dubois was mercifully hacked down on the left flank. He could have been away, but the vicious tackle saved a goal for sure. The heroic Icecliff defender was shown the yellow card and entered into the book, and Dubois' swinging cross in was headed straight into the Icecliff keeper by Cota. It was the first real work either keeper had had to do all game, and the crowd hissed and jeered at the excitement on the pitch. Things got back to normal only minutes later, though, as Icecliff took it down to the other end and absolutely muffed a clear shot at goal, putting the ball past Hòjak and past the entire goal and nearly past the corner flags. Much better.

Fiak Bunir was shown a yellow card just before halftime. This was very settling. The half ended as the game had began, in that the score was 0-0 and the fans spent most of the time wondering how the paint wasn't peeling off the seats.

Finally, the Football Federation of the Fourteen Free Cities of the Bluecliff League was enjoying itself. It was coming into its own. There had only been four shots all game so far, only two of them on target, and only one of them even close. Not perfect, but still, really quite good.

The brief respite didn't last, however. The second half opened, and the play was really end-to-end now, or at least second-eighth to fourteenth-sixteenth. Icecliff brought it down and had a good cross punched out by Hòjak. Now came Zul Buru up the side from a good through ball, missing just wide. Now Icecliff came back again, and this attack didn't really go anywhere, but the point is, it was end-to-end now. Real football here, the type of technical prowess that only comes out in the knockout rounds and which the locals here say they like to see but really triggers some strange sort of resentment that they then make back by taking four trips around the block before taking the Icecliff fans home to run up the taxi meter. Awful.

The defenses held, though, until about the sixtieth minute. Lukas had the ball in the center, and employed a fair bit of skill to keep it there until Zul Buru made a run. A long through ball over the top, and Buru was in on goal. He didn't score, of course (god, could you imagine!) but the Icecliff keeper had to leap to catch the ball. Leaping keepers are always a bad sign. Hòjak had to leap himself to tip over a booming shot off the counterattack seconds later. Some were headed for the exits.

The goal came exactly as everyone was expecting it to. In the seventy-sixth minute, we had had fifteen perfectly fine minutes of failed passing moves and ankle hacks and through balls that didn't quite come off and skill moves that ended in minor disaster. Then Cota, ever the spoilsport, cut through three defenders and stopped the ball, squared off with the Icecliff keeper. He tried something cheeky, a bit of a dick move really, to chip it over the rushing keeper, and of course it bounced off the keeper's leg, then Cota's leg, and fell at the foot of Salamono, who hadn't realized his mistake before the ball was in the net, the offside check was negative, and his teammates had mobbed him.

Mercifully, the rest of the game was uneventful.

Bluecliff League 1-0 Icecliff
76' Salamono





For ten seconds there, it almost seemed like Makara Keho had a clue. He does not.




Ninyan Makkak's strategy is finally paying off now that he has a decent defense. For the matchup against Fjorsz, he's not changing a damn thing. That 4-4-2 has done its job:

GK: Fridek Hòjak

LB: Fiak Bunir
CB: Radoslaf Lànik
CB: Mātusupa'ulīno Palamē'iloteletāto
RB: Himeno Rosadyo Rayes

LM: Sumāne Éloi Dubois
CM: Olegärjo Damjôn Lukas Roča
CM: Vasit Acram Nur Addin Ajme
RM: Zul Buru

ST: Sua'ili Po'ipelo Salamono
ST: Mark Cota Ramire
Last edited by Bluecliff on Mon Dec 28, 2020 2:07 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Sylestone
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Founded: Jun 05, 2018
Scandinavian Liberal Paradise

Postby Sylestone » Mon Dec 28, 2020 2:01 pm

Only sixteen teams left now! Four more wins is all you require now. Can you do it? Cutoff for the Fire League quarterfinals! Once again, you can pore over some headlines for your cutoff.

  • "Big Apple" sculpture falls down after minor earthquake in Conton, a city northeast of Halpenley
  • Melville Rainforest bushfire closing in on Emacuton extinguished by heavy tropical rainfalls
  • Shock intense heat hits Kirkham and Betham for Christmas as a final blow before the wet season begins


Chartistan 0–0 Cirrus Azale (0–0 AET) (4–5 pen.)

Yerapia 1–0 Sett Forest

Critical Operations 1–1 Bonbokh u Piche (1–3 AET)

Red Kelp 0–1 Treekidistan

Fire League Semifinal Matchups

(9) Cirrus Azale - Yerapia (5) @ Avondale International Sports Stadium
(3) Bonbokh u Piche - Treekidistan (2) @ Sentient Oval, Kirkham
Last edited by Sylestone on Mon Dec 28, 2020 2:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Football: WC94 Qualifiers, CE35&36 semifinalists
Cricket: GCF WT20 XVI champions, ODI WT II semifinalists, GCF WT20 XV semifinalists, EspoT20 I&II champions
BoF 74, CoH 78, CoH 81, GCF WT20 XV, HWC 24, EspoT20 I&III

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Graintfjall
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Posts: 1860
Founded: Jun 30, 2020
Ex-Nation

Postby Graintfjall » Mon Dec 28, 2020 3:12 pm

With Jól out of the way, time to look forward to the coming New Year’s Eve. Here are some of the traditions in Græntfjall that people visiting during the New Year season may notice:

In the evening, Queen Júlíana will deliver a brief address from the steps of the Höll, followed by a parade of the Mechanized Hussars in traditional outfits.

Comedy sketches are generally broadcast in the evening, and because of the usually cold weather, reach very high viewing figures.

At midnight, the main bell of the Basilika Sankt Jakob will ring. A recording of this sound is played by GTV radio stations, followed by the national and royal anthems.

Many cities and towns organize firework displays at midnight, often set to a mixture of traditional Græntfjaller classical music and modern metal or G-pop tunes. The largest of these will take place in the Blue Square in central Háttmark.

At family gatherings, “kraken cake”, a cornucopia-style horn of cream-filled almond cake, will often be served, after a traditional meal of boiled fish (or modern innovations, such as sushi or vegan “not-fishcakes”).

Molybdomancy is a popular folk tradition, consisting of melting a substance (traditionally a metal such as lead, increasingly non-metal substitutes such as wax) and throwing it into a bucket of cold water; the resulting shape is then used to tell one’s fortune for the year. (The tendency of rapidly cooled substances to form long tendrils naturally leads to an awful lot of predictions involving krakens.)

Drinking is naturally a big part of New Year’s Eve celebrations, but various public safety efforts – including 24 hour free public transport provision, civic partnerships with ride-sharing apps, and discount vouchers for takeaway meals – aim to discourage unsafe driving or cooking.

Of course not all teams will still be here by New Year’s, so let’s firm up on those invitations as we cutoff the next round of playoff matches.




Q1: Bluecliff League 3–2 Fjorsz
Q2: Freechi 1–1 Stevidia (1–1 AET) (6–5 pen.)
Q3: Khytonya 1–3 United Pink States
Q4: Muralos 1–1 Saint-Domingue (1–2 AET)

S1: Bluecliff League v Saint-Domingue @ Grander International Arena
S2: Freechi v United Pink States @ OptiFone Arena
Last edited by Graintfjall on Mon Dec 28, 2020 3:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Solo: IBC30, WCoH42, HWC25, U18WC16, CoH85, WJHC20
Co-host: CR36, BoF74, CoH80, BoF77, WC91
Champions: BoF73, CoH80, U18WC15, DBC52, WC91, CR41, VWE15, HWC27, EC15
Co-champions of the first and second Elephant Chess Cups with Bollonich
Runners-up: DBC49, EC10, HWC25, CR42
The White Winter Queendom of Græntfjall

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Muralos
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Posts: 320
Founded: Oct 19, 2012
Liberal Democratic Socialists

Postby Muralos » Mon Dec 28, 2020 4:45 pm

La Gazeto de Sportatoj: Editors' Note
Muralosian National Soccer Team Eliminated from Baptism of Fire
By Jiazheng Fan
December 28, 2020

The Muralosian national soccer team was eliminated from the Baptism of Fire after a 1 - 2 defeat by Saint-Domingue in extra time. While the result may strike many Muralosians as disappointing, the Baptism of Fire has nevertheless showcased the co-ed Hawks' skill and potential. In addition, for the first time in history, Muralos will have a spot on the World Cup Committee rankings of national soccer teams.

FINAL
Muralos 1 - 1 Saint-Domingue (1 - 2 a.e.t.)
Lumin 10' | Sanabria 59', Palacio 96'

La Gazeto regrets making multiple large errors in its coverage of the Baptism of Fire, particularly in recent coverage of Muralos' match against Ranoria. While our staff has corrected one of these errors (misstating that Gouvanarch had a 5-0-0 record instead of a 4-1-0 record), we failed to issue a correction about the round Muralos played in on Sunday. We mistakenly called it the Round of 16 instead of the Round of 32; it was only the Round of 16 for the BoF's Ice Bracket. In the future, our staff will establish a streamlined process for corrections, referring carefully to the information provided by tournament hosts.

Thank you, Muralosians and non-Muralosians alike, for supporting La Gazeto's efforts. We hope you will continue to follow our coverage of the Baptism of Fire (including the Hot XI and Cool XI exhibition game), along with the Muralosian national team's road to the World Cup qualifiers.

Muralos 3 - 3 Gouvanarch
Kim 6', Donaldson 12', Petrov 29' | de la Cormeilles 32', Desreaulx 59', Tanet 78'


Adamo Brava (striker): 4 goals
Rui (striker): 1 goal
Valora Lin (striker): 1 goal [also a lot of Dec. 27th's RP focused on her]
Lerta Donaldson (midfielder): 2 goals, 1 assist [also in post-cutoff portion of Dec. 27 RP]
Nikolaj Granda (midfielder): 1 goal, 2 assists
Galina Shchedrina (midfielder): 1 goal
Vilhelmo Lumin (midfielder): 1 goal, 1 assist
Georgo Zhong (midfielder): 2 assists [also in Dec. 27 RP]
Aleksandro Kim (defender): 2 goals, 1 assist [also in Dec. 27 RP]
Koralo Petrov (defender): 1 goal, 2 assists
Ryo Takeda (defender): 1 goal, 2 assists
Rebeka Mori (defender): 2 assists
Rodion Markov (goalkeeper): 1 goal, 1 assist
Tanya Lubimova (goalkeeper): 1 goal, 1 assist
Last edited by Muralos on Mon Dec 28, 2020 6:14 pm, edited 11 times in total.
Muralos (inspired by Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands; flag is that of Okha, Sakhalin Oblast)
Founder of the Asian Archipelago
82nd Cup of Harmony - Round of 32
12th Independent Associations Championship - Round of 16, co-hosts with Almuzahara
74th Baptism of Fire Tournament - Round of 16
11th Independent Associations Championship - Eighth-finalists (round of 16)
2nd International Football Cup - Champions
Asian Archipelago Embassy Cup - Quarterfinalists
Asian Archipelago Soccer Cup - Champions

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