World Cup 88- Roleplay Thread

[Eura]

As the Stelburg summit progressed, the Euran government was making sure that it had all bases covered by communicating bilaterally with several states from both Atlantian Oceania and Anaia. Most crucially however, they were sending an MP and several senior officials on a discreet but vital trip abroad to Audioslavia, the country that had effectively acted as the go-between for Anaian efforts to communicate with the Euran Oceania Territories and Eura itself. Arrangements were made in secrecy, as the Eurans were aware that there were governments in Atlantian Oceania who would be furious if they felt the Euran government was allowing the Audioslavians – and Anaia as a whole – to seduce them. It was a risky approach regardless, for if this got into the media, it would be characterised from Raynor City to Busukuma as the diplomatic equivalent of the Eurans letting Anaia take them out for dinner before sneaking off to a hotel room for the rest of the night.

The MP was none other than the young backbencher who had made the usurped Amy Yarley realise her time was up, Preston Armitage. The representative for Karkland North had been a Yarley advocate and ally, leading to exile from any hope of ministerial office under the Smith administration – until the Foxchester Declaration came along. Armitage, then, would become an unlikely beneficiary of the ensuing chaos. He was a young, hot prospect of an MP with previous experience in Euran Oceania and a solid understanding of regional affairs in that area of the world, and therefore the perfect candidate to be plucked from the party’s ranks and given rapid promotion to a ministerial role. Nothing was confirmed yet, but he had been given reassurances by the party whips that he would soon become the first ever Minister for Anaian Affairs within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Armitage was going from being nobody to somebody very quickly, and soon found himself in a bizarre mismatch of status in Cathair. Audioslavia’s government was clearly keen to persuade the Euran Oceania Territories and their Rushmori motherland to transfer the regional allegiance of the fledgling dominion to Anaia, but Armitage was taken by surprise to find himself briefly meeting First Minister Wilbur Hawes. It turned out this was perhaps just a coincidence, but even so, it sent a signal. Soon Armitage and the officials with him were joined by their real host, Audioslavia’s Foreign Minister Paolo Duffy-James, and so a marathon schmoozing session would begin.

----------

After shaking a few hands, Carl Rutherford made his exit from Stelburg without fuss. His early departure was planned and no surprise, but nevertheless he wanted to be extra sure to leave quietly once he’d said his piece, leaving his junior ministers and officials to do the more granular work for the rest of the summit. The Euran Foreign Secretary was perturbed by a number of things he had seen and heard. Mainly, the division on show; he had hoped the Oceanian’s would have got their act together to make it simple for the Euran government to respond to this crisis, but their internal divisions were already making matters more complex than they had to be. Rutherford was an experienced diplomat before entering politics and one of Ian Smith’s genuinely specialist cabinet appointments, but even this clusterfuck was beyond his powers of strategy. There were forty-five million people depending on him to somehow overcome that reality.

Also worrying Rutherford was the man supposedly representing those people, Governor-General Richards. As happy as Rutherford was happy to entertain Richards’ lofty notions of statesmanship, the old admiral had gone way beyond his remit in setting down red lines at Stelburg. Yes, border control and immigration policy were within the devolved powers held by the Territorial Administration, but that did not give him the right to unilaterally set policies that would impact Euran foreign policy. He had also gone much too hard and much too soon on the messaging around factionalism within the region. Rutherford was already writing all of this up in his report back to the Prime Minister, trying not to mutter angrily under his breath as he did so on the Euran Air Force plane home.

As the aircraft crossed the southern reaches of Calania towards his overnight stay in Fligsive, he was disturbed by one of his staffers popping their head through the curtain. ‘Carl, sorry to disturb, but you’ve got a call from Bastion. It’s the PM, on line one.’
‘Ahhh shit. I was hoping this could wait until I got back. I’ll take it on line one, thanks.’ Rutherford shook his head as he reached for the navy-blue official phone that he carried with him at all times for high priority calls. ‘Good evening Ian. Or morning there I suppose?’
‘Indeed. I just saw your man’s “performance”. Does he realise how many times he put his foot in it or not?’
‘I tried to reel him in, I really did, but the man is a law unto himself. We’ll just have to manage it.’
‘You will have to manage it Carl’ replied the PM, sounding equal parts irritated and nervous, ‘you are supposed to be my Foreign Secretary. I need a strategy and I need it now.’

‘This is a complex situation, Ian. Its going to take time. If you give me that we can work out what’s best for the Territories, what’s best for us, and get a good outcome. In the meantime, I suggest we put out the holding statement.’
‘Fine. When you’re back though, we need to talk. I’ve been having thoughts about how to deal with this, and the rest of it really.’ Rutherford tensed slightly. The PM had been all over the place ever since his polling went sour, and had been agitating for a big, one size fits all solution to his problems through some radical legacy-setting policy or scheme. Rutherford had been one of several senior cabinet members trying to talk Smith down from his mostly catastrophic ideas for doing so. ‘Why don’t you get some rest Ian? Sleep on it, seriously. You know my feelings about all this “home run” stuff. Its fantasy politics. Let us just deal with this issue then we can move onto the rest.’

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By the end of the next day, Armitage was on his way to the Territories, and Rutherford on the plane back to Eura. The Euran Ministry for Foreign Affairs put out a bland statement to offset the growing sea of speculation from the national press:

In the past twenty-four hours, the Government has had constructive and open conversations with our colleagues and compatriots in the Euran Oceania Territories, and international partners across Atlantian Oceania and the breakaway region known as Anaia. The Government will continue these conversations as the situation in the region(s) unfolds. As of this evening, the Government has begun a period of internal consultation on what these events mean for the Euran Oceania Territories and Eura, including consideration of any need for constitutional or legal reform. The Foreign Secretary, Carl Rutherford, will lead a cabinet subcommittee to manage this process and will report directly to the Prime Minister on its progress.

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Sometime later

‘He’s got to be joking. Please tell me he is. Don’t fuck me about here.’
‘Sadly, our beloved leader is not.’ Armitage shrunk in his seat as his old boss – well, she was sort of his boss now too – gave him a verbal hair dryer treatment.
‘Has he thought about the ramifications? How this could end? On my own life, I’d bet good money that bloody moron hasn’t thought this through beyond shower thoughts. I’m going to speak to him now.’
‘I’m not sure that’s a good ide-‘
‘Don’t argue with me Preston. Thank you for telling me this, by the way.’
‘O-ok. This can’t lead back to me, can it? I only just got the role!’
‘No, that prick knows I have eyes and ears everywhere in this party. He’ll think it could be anyone. Just don’t resign if he gets suspicious about you, alright? Now, if you don’t mind…’ Amy Yarley stood up from her seat and marched out of the room.

The former Prime Minister had kept her head down since resigning.
Not today.
By the time she’d found her traitorous successor Yarley had spent enough time stewing to uncharacteristically fluff her lines. ‘Smith, you…you…arse!’ The Prime Minister and his Foreign Secretary were sat alone in the cabinet room and were surprised to see Yarley emerge from nowhere. Smith was typically smug as he always was in front of his slain nemesis. ‘Amy! Back from gardening leave are we?’
‘Oh, give the whole affable fool nonsense a rest, will you? I’m here to address the giant turd you’re about to lay on the Liberal Party and this country. A “Day of Democracy” sounds nice, but when you look at the details, this whole thing is a fucking bomb vest on your premiership and our government.’

‘Amy’ he started, patronising tone employed to maximum effect, ‘I know it’s been difficult for you to adjust to the new state of play. Of course you want to get back behind the steering wheel. I would urge you though to take the dignified route here. Which is out of that door, in case you weren’t sure. Before you make a fool of yourself, mmm?’
‘This isn’t about me, you silly bastard. Carl, please tell me you at least tried to get him to see sense?’ Rutherford avoided Yarley’s gaze and fiddled with some papers on his table. When he had left Fligsive, he had been determined to steer Smith away from one of his big ideas. Time and bad polling had worn down his resistance until, eventually, Smith made a suggestion that the Foreign Secretary wasn’t willing to fight anymore. ‘I have my reservations. But Ian commands the support of cabinet, so, unless you have done something very naughty, I’m not sure what to tell you.’

Flabbergasted by their response, Yarley almost lost her temper. It took a deep breath and moment of thought to stop short of giving Smith the outburst he was clearly trying to provoke. ‘Ian. Set aside our…rivalry…for just a moment. This constitutional hole-in-one attempt is madness. You could legitimise Sameban nationalism, fuck our party’s dominance of the electoral system and start a civil war in our largest dominion five minutes after we fixed the last one there. Have you completely taken leave of your senses? Is there not a small part of you that’s thinking, hmmm, maybe I shouldn’t drink this container of political bleach? Or is this just some daft attempt to escape from the truth that you’ll never be as popular as I was? What is it?’ Yarley had once upon a time been an unchallengeable titan of Euran politics, and something of a rock internationally too. Power slipping away had been hard for her. This, however, was very real anger and for very good reasons.

If Smith had any sense, he would have recognised this and chucked the whole thing in the bin.
The Prime Minister of nearly three billion people, somehow, did not have any sense.
‘Democracy will save us, Amy’ he confidently asserted with a smile cast across his face, ‘and before long you will see that in practice.’ He marched out of the cabinet room triumphant, chirpily singing as he went, ‘We’re gonna’ victor, we’ll victor, Eura’s gonna’ victor…’

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emplor.eur/main/worldnews
SMITH SAYS: ITS TIME FOR A REFERENDUM, OR THREE
PM claims referenda campaigns are honest, truth-led, settle issues for good, prevent division - historians skeptical

- Euran PM seeks to resolve Euran Oceania Territories, Sameban and Euran instability with “hail-mary”
- Vote on regional status of EOT throws question to 45 million population
- Social leader Barnham: PM has admitted he is too weak to rule by calling votes
- Capital and Unionists condemn possibility of relaxation of Sameban political restraints
- Former PM Yarley pledges to plot against “self-destructive” votes

In what must be considered one of the great political gambits of the modern era, Prime Minister Ian Smith has announced that a trio of referenda will be held in a matter of weeks to resolve what he describes as the “three great constitutional questions of our time” – the regional status of the Euran Oceania Territories, the existence of the Provisional Government In former Sameba, and the nature of the Euran electoral system.

In a statement to Parliament, Smith pledged that the government would immediately move to pass legislation in order to run three different referenda on the same day:
- A referendum in the Euran Oceania Territories, on whether the dominion should constitutionally stay part of Atlantian Oceania, or join the new region of Anaia;
- A referendum in the 250 Euran parliamentary constituencies representing former Sameba, on whether the devolved Provisional Government should be abolished (effectively ending prohibition of Sameban nationalist politics and ending post-war Sameban devolution);
- A referendum across Eura, on whether parliamentary elections should retain the first-past-the-post electoral system or adopt a system of proportional representation.

The announcement has delivered a profound shock to the Euran political system, with the governing Liberal Party thought to be deeply divided over the proposals, although it is highly unlikely there will be enough rebels to prevent legislation for the referenda, with the Social Party set to vote with the Government. In the Euran Oceania Territories, Governor-General Richards has said he is ‘fully supportive’ of the proposed referendum on the Territories’ status the year before it holds its first devolved government elections.

Social leader Harry Barnham gleefully poked at the Liberals wounds in response to Smith’s statement, saying that while the opposition felt the proposed votes ‘were no bad thing if they give the people more power’, they demonstrated that Smith was ‘incapable of running the country’ and ‘too weak to make a case for these decisions himself’. Smith angrily rejected Barnham’s claims as ‘baseless smears’, and accused the opposition of admitting they had no alternative to offer by voting with his Government on the issue.

Other opposition parties have given mixed reactions. The Capital Party and the insurgent Unionist Party have both condemned the possibility of a referendum in former Sameba, with Unionist leader Tom Bannister going as far as to accuse Smith of ‘betraying his country’ by offering such a vote. The Euran right – and a significant minority in the centre and even on the left – strongly oppose abolition of the Provisional Government in Sameba, fearing it will allow Sameban nationalists to seize representation in Parliament.

Former Prime Minister Amy Yarley is perhaps the most intriguing opponent of the government on the issue, threatening to lead a backbench rebellion against Smith and possibly even a vote of no-confidence, although it is thought this is highly unlikely to succeed. The left wing Civil Federalist Party is the only major party whose leadership have not yet offered a clear position on the proposals, instead suggesting they will consult their membership and trade unions before taking a stance.

[Vilita]

Jungle Cats Fight Back in Take Down of Mercedini

Torerun Makes Good on Aquafek's Victory Promise

Dagan Airways Stadium, Concord Heights, Cassadaigua :: Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the Vilitan National Team's 2-5 defeat on the opening matchday of World Cup 88 to Jeruselem, the fact was that the Jungle Cats were embarassed, had no points and were in serious danger of back-to-back World Cup Group Stage exits for the first time since World Cup 70 and 71. Vilitan head coach Cavuna Aquafek made a bold declaration following the match stating to the media and to the Vilitan fans that they were guaranteeing the Vilita Jungle Cats would not only win their second game of the Finals over Mercedini, but that they would do so by enough goals to nullify the goal differential deficit that was built up in the wake of the heavy defeat to the Princesses of Jeruselem.

It was a massive statement from the Vilita National Team head coach. Vilita and Mercedini most recently met at the World Cup Finals during World Cup 82 in Valanora and Apox. The Jungle Cats were held 3-3 on the final matchday of the Group Stage by Mercedini who were at the time the lowest ranked nation in the group. Mako Canopii was the goalkeeper of record on the day for the Jungle Cats conceding all three goals that the Golden Eagles scored and there were questions as to wether the Yeaddin Owls AFC netminder would be available for the rematch against Mercedini on Matchday 2 of Group H action in Cassadaigua. Canopii was clearly affected by some ailment during the match against Jeruselem causing the netminder to concede five goals in the first half alone. After the match there was an internal investigation surrounding something that Canopii and some of the Vilitan team members had ingested prior to the match in the locker room but details of that investigation were not released to the public.

The match would be played at the Dagan Airways Stadium in Concord Heights, the capital city of Cassdaigua and a familiar site for many Vilitan Sports fans particularly those that follow Motorsports and the NSSCRA. It is also home to the Cassadaigua National Sports Hall of Fame - a must visit stop for Sports fans from any nation passing through the area. Those interest in non-sports activities could stop by the Queen's Palace nearby. After having played far away in the port city of Starksville on the opening matchday, the switch to the Capital would be a welcome move for fans looking for ease of access to certain things though as a hub for the World Cup Finals which will include at least three Knockout Round matches, those without travel plans pre-arranged could run into difficulty due to the amount of media and foreign interests occupying lodging within the capital.

As match time approached, Vilitan head coach Cavuna Aquafek revealed that the Jungle Cats would be sticking with Mako Canopii for the match against Mercedini. While it was a consideration to switch to Jungle Strike FC goalkeeper Vernasa Sanamun or even youngster Zelkii Milake Jr. who helped lead the Vilita & Turori Under-21 squad to victory in the 50th Di Bradini Cup, ultimately Aquafek and the Vilitan coaching staff decided that they wouldn't be able to win the World Cup without Canopii and would win or lose with the Yeaddin Owls goalkeeper wearing the gloves.

The Vilitan Coaching staff held the players to a strict dietary oversight plan the entire day leading up to the match to ensure there were no surprises like they received during the opening matchday against Jeruselem, and the results on field were apparent. The Jungle Cats looked far more like a team that was just half a generation removed from three appearances in the World Cup Final. The charge was led by head coach Cavuna Aquafek's long time Turoki Tide AFC midfield partner Poloax Torerun. At 38 years of age, Torerun was one of the oldest players on the Vilitan roster behind only the Jungle Cats Hall of Fame striker Sipke Tarala who was not in the Vilitan lineup against Mercedini for undeclared reasons. Torerun scored just one goal during the World Cup Qualifiers but would double up in a quick fire start as the Jungle Cats took charge in Concord Heights over the Golden Eagles. The first goal came inside the first ten minutes when Torerun played a one-two with youngster Claran Refiami who was taking Tarala's place in the starting 11 and served the perfect setup with Vilita's most veteran midfielder.

Torerun would return the favor just minutes after the restart feeding Refiami by splitting Mercedinian defenders Joaquim Santorino and Jordan Brindliev to find Refiami in space. The Euran based attacker who won the Euran Football Assocations Golden boot with 21 goals for Spartangrad in the Euran League would secure a first goal at the World Cup Finals to put Vilita up 2-0 less than 12 minutes into the game. It was critical for Aquafek's Jungle Cats to get off to a strong start and they delivered just what the coach had ordered. Still, however, the Vilitan National Team was at a deficit. They had come into the game with a -3 goal differential and in order to even be in the conversation for the World Cup 88 Knockout Rounds, Aquafek believed that the Jungle Cats needed to head into the final matchday already possessing at the very least a positive goal differential. If the match had ended with Vilita up 2-0 on Mercedini, they would still possess a goal differential of -1 and be poorly positioned to advance on any tiebreakers following Matchday 3.

Once again, it was a moment of skill from the veteran midfielder Polaox Torerun that lifted the Jungle Cats to the next level. In what could easily be argued as the best 30 minutes played in the career of the long-time Turoki Tide midfielder, Torerun secured a second goal of the match to add to the early goal and assist, putting Vilita up 3-0 over Mercedini and allowing the Jungle Cats to equalize their goal differential from the hole they had put themselves into following the first match of the Finals. Torerun had been a part of each of the three Vilitan goals and even if they didn't contribute a single thing the remainder of the match they would be a likely shoe in for the Star Player of the Match honors assuming the Jungle Cats held on to win the game.

Vilita would keep the Golden Eagle's at bay for the remainder of the first half as their opponents appeared more dejected and demoralized as the match went on. Defeat at the hands of the Jungle Cats would all but eliminate Mercedini from World Cup 88 - with only a victory by The Holy Empire over Jerusleme elsewhere on Matchday 2 having an opportunity to save Mercedini from guaranteed elimination should they be unable to claw back their three goal deficit in the second half.

Cavuna Aquafek made just one change for the Vilitan National Team at the half time interval, introducing Mileke Drokasorna in place of star defender Jirak Trikala who likely picked up a knock in the first half and was removed under an abundance of caution by the coaching staff due to the scorline in Concord Heights. Any optimism that the Golden Eagles coaching staff had regarding the ability of their team to fight back in the second half was likely extinguished when Kudii Davasarii stole all the momentum once more for the Jungle Cats by scoring Vilita's fourth goal of the match just moments after the restart.

Having achieved the four goal differential that the team needed, Cavuna Aquafek instructed the Vilitan players to shift their focus into a possession holding strategy so as their opponents couldn't attempt to make opportunities from the counter attack. Vilita would hold over 65% of the possession in the second half - and 60% for the total match and limit Mercedini to just two chances over the final thirty minutes. Strategic substitutions for Aquafek included the introduction of possession savvy players like Nii'arala Milaaso and the remainder of the match would play out just as Aquafek needed it to.

 Vilita [4] - [0] Mercedini
				
	GOALS:	Vilita 	:: 9' Polaox Torerun:: 11' Clarana Refiami:: 23' Polaox Torerun:: 46' Kudii Davasarii           		
	STATS:	Vilita 	:: Possession: 60%:: Shots: 8:: Corners: 9	Mercedini 	:: Possession: 40%:: Shots: 2:: Corners: 5
	Lineup:	[GK] Mako Canopii, [D.] Jirak Trikala, [D.] Inbekira Ajhabekk, [D.] Linkat Cjinder, [ML]  Trezisi Rokopolis, [MC]  Polaox Torerun, [MC] Kudii Davasarii, [MC]  Lentali Purama, [MR]  Jyuola Mtalata, [FC] Enzoril Alabonni, [FC] Clarana Refiami			
	Bench:	[FC] Tenziki Kulakao, [FC] Berali Tzufarei, [M] Cywrenta Vlintejni, [M] Limu Katarakhna, [U ] Nii'arala Milaaso, [D] Mileke Drokasorna, [GK] Zelkki Milake Jr.

While the Vilitan National Team met all of head coach Cavuna Aquafek's pre-match guarantees and goals in scoring four goals against Mercedini on Matchday 2, the one thing that Aquafek and the Jungle Cats could not control was the result of the Jeruselem v. Mercedini matchup. There was just one result that the match at the Qusmair Stadium could have ended in that would still require the Vilitan National Team to defeat the third ranked Holy Empire on Matchday 3 in order to advance to the Round of 16. Naturally, that was the result in New Lakeland as Jeruselem and The Holy Empire played to a goalless draw. Due to the draw between the two teams currently placed ahead of the Jungle Cats in the Group H table, the only possible result that could see Vilita through to the Round of 16 is a victory over The Holy Empire. Entering the match one point behind both nations, a defeat would clearly provide no path to the Round of 16 for Vilita. Had either team won the match in New Lakeland then a draw could have been enough to see the Jungle Cats through to the Round of 16 coupled with a Mercedini victory on Matchday 3. Instead, however, a draw between The Holy Empire and Vilita will now see The Holy Empire finish one point ahead of Vilita and even if Jeruselem lose to Mercedini, they would maintain the Head to Head tiebreaker over the Jungle Cats.

While Vilita's only path to the Knockout Rounds is victory over The Holy Empire, there is still a path to the Round of 16 for the side from the Dreamed Realm so long as Mercedini defeat Jeruselem by three goals or more. Otherwise, it will be a Winner Take All clash at the Winchester City Lottery Stadium on Matchday 3, with the winner advancing to the Round of 16 and in all likelihood, the loser will be headed back to their homeland to watch the remainder of the World Cup 88 Finals from home.

Given the importance of the match against The Holy Empire, coupled with the ongoing investigation into the source of the suspect tea packets at the Cocoa-bo Stadium in Starksville prior to the Jungle Cats opening matchday fixture against Jeruselem, the Vilitan Coaching Staff decided to make an amendment to their tentative acceptance from the Cuddly Cthulhu team regarding their acceptance of the invitation to join the Holy Empire players in pre-match Tea and Crumpets as part of the Great Old Ones Friendship Initiative (GOOFI). The Vilitan National Team will send a select group to celebrate the GOOFI initiative with their Matchday 3 opponents under the condition that the Football Association of Vilita provide the Tea and Crumpets for the occasion. They would bring enough Tea and Crumpets for consumption by both groups however would take no offense if Cuddly Cuthulhu and his playful pals opted to consume their own Tea and Crumpets on the occasion.

[PotatoFarmers]

Poafmersia 2–3 Valanora
Poafmersia Scorers: Makana Tuft 1'; Nero Wood 39'
Poafmersia Lineup (3-4-3): Sandi Jaliaha; Nasri Sanchez, Mitchel Rosales, Simone Gori; Dargis Walshor, Gisiik Moonar, Nero Wood, Whitney Rios; Aleka Dufour, Makana Tuft (c), Pete Carisa
Poafmersia Substitutes: Hollis Stephenson (Sanchez 55'); Arnold Shwentin (Moonar 70'); Matea Idowu (Walshor 82')

Winner-takes-all against Twicetagria after failure to secure a point against Valanora
As reported by Sporting Daily
A close defeat againt Valanora meant that Poafmersia will need to go all out against Twicetagria tomorrow evening to secure their second consecutive knockout stage spot - an absolute bummer considering how well the Red Panjias started the game.

It took just 52 seconds for captain Makana Tuft to secure a lead, after utilising a really unexpected trick of going all out at first. Laborious Hawk attempted to block Tuft's run towards goal, but he made a quick pass to Aleka Dufour, waiting at the sides to relieve the pressure. A close run towards goal, Dufour then slid the ball past Ralph Winter, who was inches away from stopping the ball. Tuft recieved the pass, and slotted it home past a stunned Julius Miljeteig who could only watch the ball go in. The goal was, however, merely a taste of how competitive it would get. Gisiik Moonar's creativity was rather muted, given that Gideon Riemann was absolutely there when Moonar tries a different way of getting the ball forward. Pánfilo Veliz was able to equalise for the World Number 2 side, before Nero Wood made use of the chaos in the center of the park to secure themselves another goal to give Poafmersia the 2-1 lead.

The second half was mainly action in the Poafmersian half. After a 53rd minute free kick that saw Ludwig score it in after an error from Sandi Jaliaha, Adnan Suliaha was eager to keep the point, replacing the tired Sanchez at the back with Hollis Stephenson. It was a very aggresive change - given that Stephenson was the more attack-oriented player who could also make really aggressive tackles to regain the ball. Probably coming from his experience in Xanneria. But the team continued to press ahead in front, though Nero Wood was the faster player generally, able to slip past the opposition midfielders and follow them through. Gisiik Moonar, however, wasn't as quick as before, and against a bunch of youngsters who beat him in speed in the middle of the park, his creativity was largely muted. Arnold Shwentin then came on for Moonar, given that Shwentin could keep up with the pace of the young places more easily. It was, however, all too little. Söderström had an attempt ruled out for offside in the 67th, but it would be the playmaker who became the hero after a really brilliant cross from the side of the field to find Gideon Rieman, who would slot home to score the winner.

Tuft said that the team's tempo in the first half didn't really translate into the same energy in the second half. "We must have burned out too quickly in the first half. Our plan was to grab a huge lead and really push on the brakes to defend the second half. But that one-goal lead wasn't enough against a Vanaorian side, well capable of doing well under pressure." Assistant coach Katiri Hedge echoed Tuft's opinions, believing that they were absolutely outclassed in the second half. "We could have done better then. The edge that we had in the first half didn't really translate well, resulting in the game not ending in our favour." Poafmersia will then play Twicetagria tomorrow evening in a winner-takes-all match. Lose, and Poafmersia will return home. Win, and they will secure a Round of 16 spot. Draw, and it will be up to Margret to decide who qualifies, simply by the flip of a coin.

[Chromatika]

Does your journey end here, or will you be three steps away from Chromia? Time to find out! Cutoff!

Results

[Jeruselem]

Princess Kate the virtual vtuber (aka Princess Katherine Annabelle Dallas) in front of a virtual stadium.
She's dressed like Hololive vtuber Ninomae Ina'nis with a little Ina in the background (her daughter Stella)

Hello, this is Princess Katherine Annabelle Dallas for Naked News Jeruselem!
YEAH, it's World Cup finals time once again!
It's the last game of the group stage where the fate of 32 teams is decided, and these become 16 teams.
Jeruselem in Group H are in a good position to escape the group stage into the proper knockouts!

Before we discuss Group H, we cannot neglect the other 7 groups but I'll keep it short.
In Group A, Commonwealth of Baker Park and cohosts Chromatika have made it. Our friends Independent Athletes from Quebec upset Squornshelan Remnant States to allow Chromatika to qualify.
In Group B, Turori and Newmanistan made it out.
In Group C, Nephara and Hampton Island made it out. Nephara 9 points and Hampton Island needed Brenecia to lose to Nephara.
In Group D, Pasarga and Banija got through.
In Group E, cohosts Cassadaigua and Savigliane were victorious.
In Group F, Starblaydia and Audioslavia, old timers got through. Ko-oren missed out, just.
In Group G, Valanora had a perfect record. Poafmersia also made it.

So that leaves Group with Jeruselem, The Holy Empire and Vilita in contention.
The Holy Empire did us a favour and beat Vilita 3-1. Well, which meant we couldn't be displaced from the top 2.

Jeruselem faced the eliminated Mercedini who played their best group game when it was too late.
We've played them twice before but that didn't make any easier!
We managed 4-4 draw, which didn't matter because Vilita lost.
So we got the draw we needed but well we really wanted to win because it would have helped us avoid a difficult opponent.

In the end, The Holy Empire topped the group with 7 points and Jeruselem 2nd on 5 points. Vilita needed to win, and didn't.
So what does that mean?

We met the winner of Group G, that means we play Valanora, who won all their group games.
Out of the frying pan, into the fire! But that's OK, we're fine with that. This means Peko is the most successful coach for quite a while.
We qualified and we made the 2nd round! Also means we can't be treated as some has-been, WE'RE BACK BABY!

The other seven 2nd round games are pretty exciting as we're talking the BEST teams in the cup, including us!
In Cassadaigua, other than us vs Valanora.
There's cohosts Cassadaigua vs. Audioslavia.
Then The Holy Empire vs Poafmersia
And Starblaydia vs Savigliane

In Chromatika.
Well, Commonwealth of Baker Park vs Newmanistan.
As well as Nephara vs Banija.
Turori vs cohosts Chromatika, both hosts made 2nd round.
Also Pasarga vs Hampton Island.

Just going say, after our failure to qualify and our less than stellar performance in the Cup of Harmony last, there were calls to fire Pekora Dancer.
Understandable given her first attempt to qualify.
But we put faith in our bunny girl, and look at the results. Qualification by topping the qualification group and getting the real knockouts!
No need for Cup of Harmony!

OK, we aren't expected win to this.
But we can't be pushed aside anymore.
We're here! And we're not going away until we get eliminated.

Our next opponent is Valanora, who's national animal is the Dragon. We just happen to have three dragons on our flag!
Yes the team with a certain Laborious Hawk who's like ... 751 years old. We're not elves so guess what we can't even get near ... 751 years.
I'm sure he'll be around in the next world cup as well.
Which is why we constantly need children.

We're having live chat with Kaz Sallad, the coach of the last team who qualified for the World Cup, in 82.
Yes World Cup 82 people, we're in 88 here!
But her team didn't get out of the group stage.
Yeah she's about the same as my mum, and I'm about the same age as Peko.
That's all from me.

[Kelssek]

Moonbeam Infantino picked his way carefully along the rocky slope. Climbing Omerica’s highest peak seemed a great idea at the time and the interactions to the selfies he’d posted on Honkr and other social media had been very positive. But the mountain seemed to get bigger and bigger the closer he got to it. It was almost a relief when he reached the base camp and was told in no uncertain terms that he would not be permitted to climb without prior hut reservations, as well as actual equipment.

He could, of course, have returned to the town, acquired all the necessary gear and passes, hire a guide even, and put it all on his expense account. Indeed, this was his initial plan. It was only about 30 minutes later that he realized the remarkable absence of other people on the hiking trail was because he had at some point completely left it, and was now lost on the mountainside.

Surely, he just had to find a way down, but as time passed and the sun sank lower in the sky, he feared he was only just getting more and more lost. He was starting to fantasize about that continental breakfast in Zwangzug. Suddenly he spotted a figure in the distance. Going towards what resolved into a thin man with a scraggly, grey beard, he began to wave his arms frantically.

“Bonjour,” the man said as he approached.

“Bonjour. Merci, jay bass on dad. Je swee lost. Returner a... ville.”

“Besoin d’aide? Ah oui. Tu as essayé de monter une montange en tout seul, mais c’est pas possible. C’est une leçon importante qu’on doit apprendre.”

“Yes. A lesson.”

“Il faut me suivre. Le soleil couche vite. Tu peux passer ce soir à ma humble maison, et retrouver ta route demain.” The man turned and began walking.

“What?” Infantino was overcome by a lightheaded feeling. Perhaps it was the oxygen deprivation or something.

Realizing he wasn’t being followed, the man stopped and turned around again.

“C’est ton choix, monsieur. Même en été, la nuit su’a montagne est assez froide. Ca semble pas que t’as un abri... ou rien d’autre chose, pourtant. Alors, c’est ton vie, c’est ton mort.”

Infantino understood only the last bit. It’s your life, it’s your death. What a profound insight. Perhaps this man had the wisdom he sought. He clasped his hands together respectfully. “Please, Teacher. I shall follow you. Please show me your ways.”

---

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KELSSEK 2 - Douglass (24'), Wylten (72')
Gallagher, Liadon, Halliger, Lozic, Douglass, Lapierre, Blueman (Dionne 74'), Ó Tuathail, McDonald (McDonald 74'), Wylten, Maçon-Petrault (Custworth 66')
OMERICA 1 - Beauchesne (55')
Ferguson Stadium, Rutland (attendance 53,760)

[Banija]

Ilman Jawara comes off the bench to save Banija and land us a knockout date with the defending champs


The 35 year old Ilman Jawara celebrating his match winner off the bench

LHOR, MOUNTAIN DISTRICT, CHROMATIKA- The World Cup Finals are always entertaining. And particularly, whenever Banija is in it. Our sixth straight tournament as a Pot 1 team, and not once in the past six tournaments did we win our first two games at this tournament. With that streak continuing, it meant that Pasarga had already won their group to clinch a berth in the knockout stages, while we had a do or die against HUElavia. A win or draw would put us through to the knockout stages, while a loss to the HUElavians would see us eliminated in group play for the second straight cycle.

After winning 9 knockout stage matches during World Cups 83-86(not including two victories in the 3PPO), getting eliminated in back to back cycles in the group stage would have put something on Marcus Waters that he'd never faced in his tenure as the Kadongo Kamu manager- pressure. It doesn't mean he'd be fired- Marcus Waters still, amazingly, is the only manager to ever lead Banija to a successful World Cup Qualification. And hell- we're probably the only nation in the World Cup who has never had a manager from their nation win a WCC game with them?

But it'd be a victim of their own expectations kind of thing. He's taken the team from nothing and won a World Cup- even a second straight group stage elimination while ranked in the top 5 wouldn't KO him. But, it'd surely put him in an uncomfortable situation. Would the whisper campaign part, saying that we should give him his sendoff now? WOuld it be blamed on the golden generation now largely retiring?

But- the WCC Hall of Famer did not make his name and reputation for shying away from the big moment. He's been through this before, and he'll go through it again. He'll be ready. The first half saw each time create quite a few chances, but nobody could put them away. So- onto the second half. And in the 51st minute, it would the Banijans who would draw first blood. Kausu Dione opened his account for the tournament when Momodou Sene played him a near perfect through ball, to put him one on one with the goalkeeper. He powered one past the goalkeeper with his weak (left) foot, a quality finish to give the team a 1-0 lead.

It wouldn't take long for the crowd partisan towards Banija got to celebrate again. In the 55th minute, we were able to blitz forward on the break, and Babaja Mboob hit a beautiful ball on a cross towards the far post. It reached a streaking Mzukisi Nzo in stride, who put his head into the ball to cross it back towards the middle. Idai Uster was there, and the star centre forward scored her second goal of the night to give the Banijans a 2-0 lead on the night, and basically easily clinch our spot in the next round. On to Nephara, right?

A lot of national teams play with a fighting spirit. But even among those teams, HUElavia stand out. They're known to play with a lot of passion, to never give up, and even when they are down and buried, they've got the tenacity for a late goal. So Marcus Waters wanted to make sure we played with energy in the midfield and in the back, to try and keep them out of the net. And we did mostly that, until about the 75th minute. Marc Navarro had the ball about 25 yards out from goal. Shooting distance, but a tough distance and angle, alongside Tibamba being directly in front of him. He took a touch right, and whipped the ball in towards the back post.

The wicked bending action made sure that had goal of the tournament potential written all over it, and a diving Tantoh couldn't get anywhere near it. All of a sudden, a 2-0 lead we were easily seeing out just got sent down to 2-1, and as Woo-Jin Sol sprinted into the back of the net to fish out the ball and restart quickly, we knew that the last 15 minutes would be stressful. The HUElavians had new found life- getting forward, playing with energy. They needed to win- so three goals. But it all starts with the first- anything's possible, right?

But just three minutes later, things would get bad for the Banijans. A low cross was whipped in by Natalia Duran, tough to deal with for any defender. Multiple players went sliding in for the ball, but it would be the #9, Ayuka Hamada-Navarro, who would get a foot to it. Hamada-Navarro smashed it home from about 8 yards, putting it high and out of reach of Francois Tantoh. Five minutes prior, the Banijans had a 2-0 lead and were rolling. But with the 75th and 78th minute strikes, it was now 2-2 and the HUElavians had all the momentum. Their fans were roaring, ours were nail-biting, and it seemed as if HUElavia was on the brink on what would be one of the most stunning late comebacks in World Cup history.

Marcus Waters knew he needed to change things up. Looking down his bench, of course, he had an all-time great sitting there- Ilman Jawara. One of two Banijans to reach the century mark in terms of goals scored for the national team, could Jawara help defend out the draw to advance to the next round? He came on, but in the 82nd minute, HUElavia almost scored the dagger to eliminate Banija. Really pressing, a save from Tantoh saw Bultum clear the ball for a corner kick. The corner kick was bent in, and Manuel Mendieta rose high to meet the ball. Mostly unchallenged, Mendieta headed the ball down and back where it came from. Bounced once and it hit the post, with Tantoh only watch. HUElavia were about 2 inches from the lead.

After that close call, HUElavia continued to press. But it would be Banija who would call game. After another corner kick in the 87th, Tantoh leapt up and caught the cross, and quickly threw the ball out as a few Banijans raced up the field. We were playing the numbers game, throwing four attackers forward and hoping HUElavia couldn't get back in time. They could not, as they were stretched too thin trying to take the lead. Ilman Jawara, the always cool veteran and former Galactico, finished to end HUElavia's hopes of a comeback and celebrated in style, doing a backflip at his age.

What a night. Stressful, dramatic, everywhere- the beauties of the sport. Ultimately, we held on, and Ilman Jawara came off the bench to rescue us. There's a lot to say here about the performance. But what matters is this- we were winners on the night, we earned six points, and we will face the defending champions in a rematch of the World Cup 86 Final. We'll take what we can for now- but the question is, how will this team compete against Nephara in what will be an epic showdown of the last two world champions? We'll talk about that in our Ro16 preview edition.

[Valanora]

With the group title and advancement from the group already secured, Didrik Gjedrem made good on the threat he had made in the pregame and had put out a heavily rotated side for the final group stage encounter with their Rushmori counterparts in Eura. Having already been eliminated though, Eura in turn decided to play a rotated side as well, likely for the same exact reasons as Didrik even if their fates were on the opposite ends of the spectrum. With a lineup of Isak Helland in net; Winter, Hansen, and Wisniewski in defense; Troegner, Lyecht, Schoß, Hawk, and Söderström in the midfield; with Ludwig and Hammer playing as the strikers, the side went into the game with a relatively relaxed demeanor. There was nothing on the line for this game and they could play a natural sort of game without the weight of expectation and indeed get some good experience at the highest possible level in international play, it really was a very fortunate situation to be in. Had this game been one where the group title was on the line as most had predicted when the schedule was announced, there is no doubt a full strength side from each team would have been on the field, alas the fans in the stands and watching the television were subjected to both teams having rotated.

However unlike the Marauders side that took the field, the Eura side had not recently played a whole tournament together and could be seen struggling to have the same sort of chemistry that the Vanorian team was having. While it had been a rotated side, it was one that was nearly identical to the one that had taken the field in Banija not too long ago for the Eagles' Cup, and as a result the Marauders just looked a bit more sharp and in tune with one another. Give the Eurans their credit though, despite the obvious disadvantage when it came to familiarity, they were holding their own against the Marauders for large portions of the first half and even had the first real chance of the game. Stewart Robson had managed to get past the Vanorian defense and tried to chip Helland in net, but the Rolalas FC' keeper was able to get a palm to the ball and push it over the crossbar, denying the Eurans on their first and best chance in the first half. Two minutes before the half, Ludwig had thought he had scored the opening goal, but he was judged to have pushed Alex Coles in the back while going up for the header and had his goal disallowed, leaving the score level at zero at the the halfway mark.

Despite neither side having been able to make the breakthrough, both teams had had some decent half chances, though nothing quite as good as Robson effort that had been saved, so neither manager deemed it necessary to make changes at the half. Eleven minutes into that second half, it would become clear that Eura should have perhaps moved on some of their more usual starting eleven. Hawk had intercepted an errant pass and sent it on on the wing to Troegner, before the young winger moved the ball onto her preferred foot and then whipped in a deep cross that Hammer chested down and took on the half volley, Vance Simm having no chance to make the save on the powerful strike. Having been denied by replay in the first half, Ludwig was not going to be denied a second time when he found himself in front of net alone thanks to some clever passing between Lyecht and Hawk, choosing to round the keeper and score from a rather tight angle in the seventy-first minute. The strike appeared to take the wind out of the Euran sails a bit, the result now out of reach, though they pressed on, with Robson getting behind the defense again. Yet a heavy first touch was his undoing, as Helland was out of his net and smothered the ball, leaving the striker frustrated and keeping the clean sheet for the Marauders.

It was far from flawless and it was not against the full strength Euran side, but Didrik could be proud of how far his young players had definitely come over the last several months, having bounced back quite well from the mental and emotional turmoil that the second half of the Eagles' Cup had been for them. As the group of players most likely to be in those first team roles during the next World Cup, they have shown that their growth had been both rapid and of high measure, leaving Didrik comfortable in the fate that was to come for the Marauders. If this was to be the last tournament for the majority of his starters, then at least the future looked to be in safe hands with those who were already challenging for the mantle of leadership within the squad. Yet for all the thought that was might yet come to be, there needed to be the focus on the here and now and what was about to unfold for the Marauders and what they would have to be able to overcome if they were to be able to achieve the lofty goals that the team and fans had set out for the group before the start of the tournament as a whole.

The Vanorian chase for that elusive and so coveted sixth title is well known, a chase that is mirrored by two other teams that currently sit equal with the Marauders on five titles to their name entering into the Finals. However one of those teams, Vilita, was on the wrong end of a massive upset in a group, having been the victims to the nation of Jeruselem, one of the weakest teams in the World Cup. Couple this with the unenviable task of besting the Holy Empire on the last matchday to be able to advance, a task they were not up to, their chase for that title is put on pause for another edition, while the Vanorian drive is still alive. In an ironic twist of fate, it is that same Jerselem side that the Marauders are going to be facing in their first knockout game, with their foes having drawn with Mercedini as Vilita was falling victim to the Holy Empire, securing their advancement with those results. It is a team that is playing with house money and nothing to lose, a team whom many had not thought capable of making it to the Finals with their Qualifying group and then definitely not advancing to the knockouts with such historic groupmates as Vilita and the Holy Empire. It is a test of the will and discipline for the Marauders, a test to the dedication to their pursuit, if they are overlooking that which is in front of them or taking all things as they come as they shown in the qualifiers.

[Chromatika]

Commonwealth of Baker Park 4-2 Chromatika
Goals: Kuznetsov '28, Gainsbourg '41
Starting XI: Fillar; Xiao - de Aea - Anderson - Ilya; Humphreys - Armageddon (C) - Kuznetsov; Mora; Vidal - Gainsbourg.
Substitutes: Hauser -> Mora ('56), Zuniga -> Armageddon ('74), Pomeroy -> Ilya ('83)
Synopsis: After a back-and-forth first half that saw four goals scored, Baker Park capitalized on a fifteen minute stretch in the second half as the home crowd at The Hive had to see their Anomalies drop a 2-4 contest. Thankfully, the Quebecois handed the Confederates a 1-4 defeat, which put Chromatika through based on Goal Differential. It wasn't the way that they wanted to progress, but it's better than not progressing at all.
Predicted Lineup vs. Turori: Fillar; Xiao - de Aea - Anderson - Ilya; Marc - Armageddon (C) - Kuznetsov; Hauser; Vidal - Gainsbourg.
Two interesting changes here as Orianne Marc takes the spot of Augustus Humphreys, who is dealing with an ailing right heel; the other change is Haley Hauser, who will replace Mora with the knowledge that she is expected to take chances against Turori to try to score. Chromatika will need to be aggressive, exert pressure, and make Turori uncomfortable if they are to have a chance to succeed in handing Turori their first loss this cycle.

---

THE ROUND OF SIXTEEN IN CHROMATIKA: The Matchups, the Host Cities, and the Events

Six cities have been chosen to play hosts to the knockout stage in Chromatika. Let us take a look at the four matchups that are being held in the Round of Sixteen, what each city is doing, and how the teams got there.

Commonwealth of Baker Park vs Newmanistan @United Center, Urrheddiao
The United Center in Urrheddiao will play host to an exciting match between two teams that had very differing concluding match of the Group Stage. Baker Park needed to defeat Chromatika to have a chance at the knockout rounds in the first place; Newmanistan, on the other hand, dropped a narrow match to Turori that saw them lose their top spot in the group. Neither side has been very sound defensively, though they've scored enough goals to compensate.

Urrheddiao has done all that it can to celebrate the occasion. The fishing fleets are in full swing giving tourists discounts on trips to catch salmon, bass, even bigger fish, while The United Center has been cleaned, gleamed, and is absolutely ready to play the host to this match. The purple and golds of Urrheddiao fly proud on the stadium, along with that of Chromatika, Baker Park, and Newmanistan; this will, as expected, be the most important match to be played in the United Center.

Nephara vs Banija @The Tidal Wave, Tihon
The Tidal Wave will play host to one of the marquee matchups of the tournament - one that pitches the last two World Cup Champions against each other. Nephara, on one hand, went undefeated in the World Cup Proper, only conceding one goal; Banija, on the other hand, lost to Pasarga, the one loss that saw them be relegated to second place in the group, which leads to this matchup. This is a match between a world power that has returned to its power and another that is trying to show that its rise to power wasn't a one-time occurrence. Whomever loses will feel hard done by the draw, and fall short of where they would like to be; all the storylines are here for this one.

Tihon, of course, is the place that everyone goes to when they want to enjoy the beaches, the scuba diving, and the reefs. There will be lots of beach parties with responsible partygoers, a watersports showcase, and in the rafters of the stadium are five banners to signify the five titles that the team won during the Chromatik League era. Tihon knows that it is an honor to have this match occur in their stadium; Tihon is ready.

Turori vs Chromatika @The Jungle, Eyrods
Now, the match that will feature the home team. To face a team called the Eels, in a stadium called The Jungle that is made of recycled material except the pitch, next to a magical temperate jungle... Will be a tall task. Chromatika, of course, was tied with Squornshelan Remnant States before the loss to Baker Park; Turori, on the other hand, won their last match to get to this position. Turori, it must be noted, has conceded five goals in the last three games after only conceding eight during qualifying. As quality of competition has increased, they've conceded more goals. This gives Chromatika hope, albeit how small.

Eyrods, of course, is a city next to a wilderness preserve; the city has had to come up with a plan of how to accommodate so many visitors to the jungle without disrupting the local ecosystem. It's going to be a challenge, but the best scientific minds are sure that they can repair any of the damage in less than two years. Besides the zoos, terrariums, and the excursions to the jungle, Eyrods has put together a showcase of the best food that Chromatika can put together, which is garnering some attention.

If Chromatika wins and secures a flight to Alnio... There will be partying through the night.

Pasarga vs Hampton Island @The Island Dome, Myana
Ah, Myana. The second biggest city in Chromatika is pulling out all the stops for this matchup. Pasarga won their group narrowly by defeating Banija, while Hampton Island went 1-1-1 with the only loss to Nephara. Hampton Island are a side that has only conceded one goal in the World Cup Proper, but they've only scored one; Pasarga, on the other hand, scored seven in their three matches in Group D.

The likelihood is that the cannons of The Islander Dome will be a bit quiet this time around as this game will likely only feature one or two goals that decide the outcome of the match. As the only team to win titles across multiple iterations of domestic football in Chromatika, they have the different banners in the stadium. As a multi-faceted city, Myana has fishing, beaches, trails through the sprawling buildings and hills, and modern architecture to boot. This is likely the best city to host a match of the Round of Sixteen.

---

It will be interesting to see which teams make it to the RCK Field in Alino and Chromatik City Field in Chromia. The potential matchups are juicy, and the festivals being planned in Alnio and the Crossroads section of Chromia will be very interesting.

[Nephara]

Brenecia 1 - 3 Nephara
(4-2-3-1) 1 - Wright; 17 - Shepherd (2 - Bravender 66'), 5 - Leadbetter, 6 - Giltanan, 3 - Roscommon; 4 - Townsend (c), 23 - Schofield (8 - Caitiff 61'); 7 - Cheney, 11 - Brind, 10 - Byrne; 9 - White (14 - Tristram 76')
(4-4-2) 1 - Provost; 18 - Soeringer, 5 - Clevinger, 19 - Sale (6 - Brabanzon 76'), 22 - Lind; 13 - Reed, 15 - Horvath, 8 - Cromwell (14 - Fletcher 57'), 11 - Considine (18 - Kalevi 57'); 9 - North, 21 - Basilisk
Goals: Cheney 37' // Basilisk 27' 83', Reed 54'

You don’t get to this level without the ability to think fast. Not even that; the instinct. People say footballers are thick, but they’re wrong, and plainly so. Sure, you might not have many players on a given pitch who could whip out a 1500-word essay on the symbolism in Tallin Fields on the fly, but it’s all about what you’re looking for. Look for how they find what they’re looking for. How they process information at pace, and act on it in a blink.

I believe
in what we have.
Keep calm
Do what we do
Quality will tell

Half an hour
Just half an hour
Keep them clear of the goal
Frustrate them; arrogant shags
tied their own arms behind their backs

Brenecia needed the win to progress. Nephara needed the win because they were Nephara, and especially because Brenecia were Brenecia. It had been a dire group so far for the neutral; two goals scored, both by Nephara. The Patriots had been deploying Lauren Cheney, thus far, as a playmaker down the centre, with Waters and Russell playing off her. But now, Sienna Fallon unleashed her secret weapon; the teenager, Katua Byrne. Or her other secret weapon, Felicia Brind, a Nephar by all rights, which freed Cheney to go back on her right wing, even without the dynamism she once had. Townsend and Schofield made up a brutally defensive double pivot.
As for the Cormorants, well, they were in a position to rest players. Stride, Koerner and Lovelace all took places on the bench. But the replacements were barely a step down; Raynor City, Jungle Strike.
Still, their teamsheet was taken as yet another sign of their arrogance.
Captains Townsend and Cromwell, alpha males both, near crushed each others’ hands.

They're just
slowing me down
I am this team
they owe me the world
they owe me the Cup

My father made me pledge
to keep this
yapping
bitch
silent; I keep my word

Lauren Cheney was the best player in the world… once.
You’d still be a fool to leave her out of the top fifteen or twenty, but age had reshaped her gifts. She was still fast, but no longer capable of the relentless pace she’d once set, the dead sprint that had looked almost casual. Now she had to rely on her wits to beat players.
Radeka Lind hadn’t been expecting to mark Cheney down, but once it became clear she was out on the right - albeit in a drifting role - she set to her new brief with gusto. At first, Cheney felt confident; Lind was, after all, a child. But she had an unerring anticipation of the ball, and a useful innate conservatism that ensured she never fell for any of the bridges Cheney tried to sell her, just calmly shepherding her to the touchline or back towards her midfield time after time.
Twenty minutes of the same, slow, predictable dance, made moreso by the fact that every time Brenecia had a chance they gravitated, understandably, to hitting it towards their best player.
After almost diffidently blocking an attempted through-ball out for a throw-in, Lind could hold it back no longer. “They told me you were something special,” she said, lightly. “Still waiting to see it.”
Oh, that… that made her blood rise. Cheney shot a glance - not to Lind, but to Shepherd taking the throw. That glance said: ‘to my chest, or I will kill you’.
Shepherd threw to Cheney. The former Galactico chested down the ball, whirled and drove straight at Lind, had her on the back foot, cut outside and in and beat her with the ball and—
Ran straight into the bitch! Fuck!
Lind crashed to the ground in a bundle of rangy limbs, the referee waved play-on but Cheney had been slowed enough that the centre-half Sale beat her, narrowly, to the ball, hoofing it hard down the left wing.
Shepherd hadn’t made it back yet from the throw. Considine had acres of space, and made full use of them, driving downfield as others tried desperately to support or deny her, she found the cutback for Bastet North, who shaped for the shot just enough for Giltanan to take herself out of the game iwth a wild sliding challenge, letting North calmly play in her strike partner Basilisk, and all she had to do was sidefoot it deftly into the bottom corner…

We need to put them down
We need to
break them
It's fucking Brenecia!
This shouldn't be a game!

I am not here
(We are not here)
to make up
the Goddamn numbers
I am not going away

The next ten minutes felt like thirty.
Brenecia needed a goal because the alternative was defeat and near-certain elimination; Nephara needed a goal because they were Nephara. And anyway, something could happen at any moment. A fluky bounce. A cross catching in the wind…
The midfield was a warzone. Cromwell and Townsend clashed after both jumping for a goalkick - neither actually getting to the ball - but both seemingly trying to get the sneaky elbow on the other’s head. Both did that awkward laugh, in that way that tries to let you know they could beat your head in at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile, Horvath whispered in Brind’s ear she was a traitor. The platinum blonde paled - remarkable, given how white her skin already was - and later picked up the first caution of the game, for ‘accidentally’ going in late on Horvath.
It didn’t matter that Horvath didn’t think it. It got an edge under Brind’s skin, and she didn’t quite have it together for the rest of the game, with the exception of one pass.
Unfortunately, that pass was perfect.
Once again, a rightback was caught out - Soeringer, on her heels. Behind her was Katua Byrne, Brenecia’s shining hope, all of eighteen years old. She was a clever, tricky player, oh yes… but here, she needed searing pace and nothing more. That was enough to take her past Soeringer, inside Clevinger, and as Sale began to close her down she let loose a powerful shot.
A lesser goalkeeper would have let that in. Aranea Provost, though, was one of the world’s very best, particularly according to herself, leapt like a lynx and palmed the shot aside, momentum sending her rolling to the side in a bundle of limbs, desperately trying to right herself…
Pity Cheney was there to pick up the scraps.

Next motherfucker
who drops a pass
is going to answer to me
Fuck, I'm slow these days
Or is the game just getting faster?

Just do my job.
Just do my job
and she'll be right
It will bear out.
We have a plan

From there, the game collapsed. Became scrappy, filthy, leading into the half. Tricky wing-play was out, slinging crosses in at Bastet North was in, a couple of forceful headers bringing sharp saves from Scathach Wright. Closing the half, a ball fell kindly for Mhacha White, who was already writing the headlines in her mind when she went for the strike. Naturally, she blazed it over the bar.
1-1 was a good result on paper, but Brenecia couldn’t rely on the draw; if one of their rivals won, they’d be squeezed out. Nephara couldn’t rely on the draw because they were Nephara. Nepharim were winners.
So that left something more on the table in the second half, which started out… ragged. Some momentum had drained, but discipline not yet returned. Passes were scrappy, often incomplete, or slow enough that an outstretched leg from some third party could cut them out.
Frustration was growing. Townsend hacked down Cromwell, who got up gingerly, lost a little edge. Of all Townsend’s contributions to the match, slowing down Nephara’s captain was likely the most valuable.
He’d come off before the hour, but there was still something left to do. Even if it was just winning the next header off a free kick, stemming from Basilisk straying offside, heading it back where it came from - even if he fell awkwardly, limping on towards the box as North took the ball on the chest, trapped it, looked to either side. With Cromwell ailing, Considine came in to support. North found her and Considine drove an incisive pass between the centre-halves, past Basilisk - thankfully past Basilisk, her stretch for the ball with no real hope of control - looking for a moment like it was set to roll out for a throw until Reed, running like hell, found her way to the end of it, flicking the ball back to Soeringer before slowly correcting her course, running back into the box, being found by a Soeringer eager to atone for being caught out, and in turn catching out the overmanned Roscommon. Reed was the furthest forward, and though Giltanan again rushed down to close, the RCU winger found the angle to beat her teammate Wright at her near post.

Break their backs
Break their spirits
We just need one more
One more is coming
Fuck, it'd better be ours ...

It's slipping
from our grasp
I know I am doing my part
Who's letting us down?
Why isn't this fucking working?

It had been coming, too.
The Patriots’ play had grown disjointed, unsettled by Nepharan aggression, terracotta shirts pressing every way, no clear angles.
The shape of the midfield changed with substitutions. Cromwell had no more to give, and the fans wondered where last Cup’s bolter, Ilia Mueller, was; could Thalassa Fletcher offer the necessary fight? Nobody had to wonder about the fight of the Ulsa duo, Caitiff and Bravender, who offered a little more thrust to the Patriots. Increasingly, Cheney drifted inside and Byrne drifted forward, turning the side into an impromptu 4-3-1-2 of sorts. They’d been consistently beaten on the wings, but could still win the centre of the park.
It was a good theory. It did not work. And Fletcher and Horvath, club partners in crime, managed to fight like heroes to dig the ball out… and away to the flanks, where Nephara now held the advantage. Chantal Kalevi, another substitute, was doing her best to make up for an indifferent showing against Hampton Island. Even if it was just having the energy left to smash in diagonal crosses.
Bravender found Kalevi a difficult problem to solve. Close down too eagerly and Kalevi would just move past her, but the winger was entirely happy smashing crosses from distance, even if Bravender did the ‘right’ thing by just shepherding her away. And Fletcher and Lind knew how to nip in to help without leaving themselves exposed…
It was only a matter of time before one of those crosses found its target. Leadbetter, otherwise flawless, misjudged its flight. Latona Basilisk did not, chested down the ball in flight and lofted a diffident little chip over Wright as she flew off her line…

This isn't yet fading away
We're coming back from this!
I will make them all believe
I will show them
This is my moment

It's in my hands
(Safe in my hands)
Nothing gets past
and I'll have done my job
I always do my job

Five minutes left.
Things were frantic, now. Brenecia were losing their formation but building something regardless. It was an awkward time for Danand Tristram to be making her World Cup debut, but Fallon had seen something in the young, powerful battering ram. She carved out four quarter-chances through brute force alone, focusing especially on Brabanzon.
Nevertheless. Five minutes gone. The fourth official put up his board. Five minutes more. Sighs of relief. It really could happen! But not twice, think the Nepharim, still not daring to lower their guards even for a moment…
… perhaps for a moment. Precisely for a moment. Tristram holding off Brabanzon, looking to her right with her back to goal, chopping an awkward, ugly pass but one that just about gets to Byrne as she runs, races past Sale, Soeringer in pursuit, Provost closing her down…
Perhaps in five years, Byrne finds the angle under pressure. Today, 18, she fires straight at Provost, who is as startled as anyone to catch the ball on the full and fall gratefully on the floor.
It felt like the last chance. Five minutes drain to nothing, before three blasts of the whistle.
No hugs, no shakes of the hand, no false assurances that it was a ‘good game’. They’d poured everything into this, and sportsmanship had faded into insignificance. The Nepharim cheered like they’d just won the whole damn thing as blue shirts collapsed to the floor, Townsend and Cheney most of all knowing that their last chance had faded away.
Do not mourn for them. They had their chance. The Cormorants just took theirs.

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

FOR BAKER PARK, IT BEGAN AT THE PROVING GROUNDS

By Taylor Larson,

Think about what the nation of Baker Park has accomplished in soccer, then think about the legend of the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds. It is the most revered place in Newmanistan, the enormous facility that decides all amateur sports championships within the country, with legend saying that it is overseen by Spirits. Those spirits are either past Newmanistanian sporting legends who have moved on, or other notable figures throughout our history. The legend says if the Spirits don’t like you, or if they disapprove of you, that you will not have success on this field, but if they do approve of you, then you may experience success. That is only said to be relevant right here on this field, but perhaps its reach goes much longer now. Baker Park has done something amazing in soccer, qualifying in their first attempt, and every attempt thereafter up to this point. Recently, you may have spent time reading the top 15 moments in Baker Park soccer history, and there were some great moments listed for them. But the match that started it all? Baker Park’s first ever World Cup Qualifying game? Right here. Right here at the storied Tundra Falls Proving Grounds. At the time, they were the Baptism of Fire runner up. At the time, Newmanistan was an unranked returning to World Cup play. It was not a game that the rest of the world probably cared a whole lot about, but the start of Baker Park’s World Cup life and our second wind was a head to head showdown that ended in a 1-1 draw. Did the Spirits look fondly on Baker Park that day and get their blessing? Well, they may just chuckle about that now, but Newmanistanians believe in the power of the Spirits. Always, always believe.

Since that day, there has not been a lot that has linked Baker Park and Newmanistan. Baker Park soared up the rankings, and we didn’t return for World Cup 81. Eventually, though, Newmanistan did return to the World Cup trying to find their way and had a couple of tough campaigns. Meanwhile, Baker Park was coming closer and closer to glory and would co-host World Cup 84 along with Cassadaigua. World Cup 84 would prove to be a big for Newmanistanian soccer too. We didn’t qualify, but it was a campaign where the team probably took its most important step from being a team mired in the pot 5 or 6 area to getting in striking range to where they could maybe, qualify, once again. World Cup 85 brought us Michael Starre, and then World Cup 86 saw it’s final played at the Proving Grounds, for the first time since World Cup 49. Meanwhile, we have continued a climb, getting to the point where we have made the round of sixteen for just the third time in our history, but the first time since World Cup 86. We’ve never made the quarterfinal, but maybe we are heading in the right direction.

On the other side of the field at the United Center in Urrheddiao, Chromatika for this round of sixteen match is Baker Park. Oh, they’ve come a long way since that fateful day in World Cup 80 when it was Baker Park, #150 in the world, versus Newmanistan, unranked. Not many eyes outside the two nations were glued into the match that day. That will be much different now, as Baker Park, #13, meets Newmanistan, #17. Those rankings suggest that they should make it to the round of sixteen, but asking for the quarterfinals is asking to play a little above where one is ranked. However, undoubtedly, each nation sees this match is one they should win. Their ranks are too close, so it is all about who executes on the field better and who gets the bounces to go their way. Then, perhaps, a little luck and good fortune to go with it. Neither side is going to worry about who is potentially in their way next, because they don’t see them if they don’t take care of business. After all those years, it’s great to see such a meaningful showdown between these two nations, and I can’t wait for the game.

In other words, you may have been wondering about where The Rocket Report has officially been, and that is because we were the subject of a ransomware attack. We have had to provide our press releases through another source, and that has been frustrating. Grudgingly, my superiors had to pay the amount and will look to clean up cybersecurity measures in-house.

[Audioslavia]

Dizzying Heights
Bulls in rare rise to an occasion to reach the knockouts

Though blue skies over Concord Heights are hardly a rare sight, a bright ending to a World Cup group stage has hardly been the norm for Audioslavia over the years. The side have attained either three or four points in each World Cup since cycle 84, with the Bulls having only managed to use that to get through to the second round on one occasion over that time. It is a well-liked but limited Audioslavia eleven that has amassed four points from World Cup 88’s group stage, and it has turned out to be enough to make progress to the next round.

For most of the World Cup, just getting one or two points seemed a tall enough order.

Defeat to Starblaydia on opening day set the tone, with Audioslavia’s terrible record in recent Day-One games coming up against, and losing to, their previous 100% record against the Vile Violets in World Cup finals matches. Against Tequilo they would twice come back from a goal down to snatch a draw at the death, seemingly consigning both teams to the first flight home unless a miracle could be worked in the final game.

For the Bulls against the Dragonflies of Ko-oren on matchday three, only a win would do, and only a two-goal win would avoid a potentially chaotic coin-tossing competition should Tequilo take the win over Starblaydia.

Ko-oren entered as heavy favourites, seen as a team very much in their prime, having reached the World Cup final for the first time (and, indeed, the quarters for the first time) last cycle and boasting a team including the likes of Mine van Schelven, Mata Vaugrenard, Saushilu Janoreirinthen and fox-in-the-boxchester Aenemere Erisia in attack. Audioslavia’s team, generally bit-part players with their own clubs with a couple of notable exceptions - Erwin Spijkers, for example - struggled from the off and quickly abandoned any loftier hopes of taking the game to the Ko-orenites in order to soak up the pressure exerted by the Dragonflies. Erisia would thrice collect the ball inside the Bulls’ box, and after finding only a forest of Audioslavian legs on the first two occasions would use the third to flick a blind pass square to South Laithland’s confusingly named Lysander Forward, arriving unmarked, to presumably slot home for the first goal from close range. Incredibly, the shot hit the wrist of Bulls goalkeeper Goran Stroud, who had flailed despairingly to his right before the shot had even been struck, sending the ball bouncing awkwardly towards the edge of the six yard box, along the goal line to the right of the post. There was barely any time for Lysander to grab their own head and go yyyynnojfeiaaarggh!!! before Laketown Rangers’s Edialor Aimara’s retrieval of the ball and blasted ball across the six yard box. For a heart stopping moment, the ball struck three players before looping harmlessly into the hands of now-upright Goran Stroud, who stared at it like he’d caught a cake dropped by a passing seagull.

Aiamara would be involved again minutes later, cutting the ball back for Mata Vaugrenard to curl a shot onto the crossbar from the edge of the area, and Vaugrenard would provide a pass behind the defence on forty minutes that Erisia’s slide would only barely connect with, only managing to help the ball on its way out for a goal kick.

Stroud took the goal kick. Rijsbergen got his elbows out and created space for himself to flick the ball on with a header into space between the centre halves Benjamin and Aelisire, who hesitated for a brief but crucial split second. Erwin Spijkers, already at a sprint, got to the loose ball right on the edge of the area with both defenders closing in. A single touch was all the midfielder needed to get into the box, and even fewer touches were needed for Benjamin to “foul” the midfielder, who left his trailing leg clatter into the centre half’s aura on his way to the turf, impressively managing to appeal for the penalty during his descent, and managing to glance at the referee through each of his resulting six rolls.

A peep, some remonstrations, a Rijsbergen penalty hit high into the centre of the goal, advantage Audioslavia.

Neither side took to the field in the second half with the same 5-4-1 formation they’d started with. Ko-oren had thrown Longchambon on for Benjamin, going to a 4-5-1 formation, while Audioslavia had taken off Eurico and replaced him with ball-playing centre-half Carmelo MacCowan, slotting in behind brother Declan as what amounted to a deep-lying defensive midfielder. You could argue it was still a 5-4-1, but in reality Audioslavia had announced their intentions with a 6-3-1 formation. “We are going to bullshit our way into the second round” Cammers had said, arms folded in his polka-dot satin turtleneck, his artisanal peach-melba sarong blowing in the summer breeze.

Ko-oren came forward like a cat entering a new house that smelled funny. “It’s your house” said the increasingly frustrated Ko-orenites in attendance, “you’re supposed to go into it”. When they did make inroads into the Audioslavian defence, they found bad luck and bad sportsmanship in their way. Each of Logan, Ceron, Moxey and Carmelo earned cynical yellow cards in succession, crucially neither performing the same dirty foul twice. Murai Okawa was thrown on, found space within a minute of entering the field, got their skates on as they looked to enter the eighteen yard box but had their ankle stamped upon by Alejandro Consuegra, who earned himself a yellow card when a red might have been more appropriate. Ko-oren overthought the free-kick, which was eventually cleared, and Okawa never quite posed the same threat again.

With two minutes remaining, Thiago Brown got on the ball on the right and went through the gears, going the long way round Tij Breukelaar and squaring a pass just behind Rijsbergen who collected it, turned and awkwardly scraped a right-footed shot along the ground while off-balance. Theshendan, not expecting the striker to clumsily hit the ball while falling backwards, was flat-footed and could only watch it skitter into the bottom corner.

It wasn’t the first time a last-minute goal had secured a two-nothing victory in the Dagan capital. Many many moons ago, Audioslavia had lost here to a last-minute Kohev Kungas-Vaga strike in the World Cup 67 final. Now the boot was on the other foot.

In five days time, Audioslavia return to the same scene to face the hosts. The plan, as always, is to win at least two games in World Cup 88. Victory over Cassadaigua would be even more of a shock upset. The match may remind some of the World Cup 82 second round game between the two sides. The Bulls, in their best performance in a tournament over the last dozen cycles, had defeated Starblaydia and Valanora on the way to the second round but would bow out on penalties to Cassadaigua after a rousing 4-4 draw. While the Bulls might have expected a win back then, Cammers would absolutely take another penalty shoot out right now.

[Hampton Island]

(Conversation between Stafford City CEO and Assistant soon after checking in to their Myana hotel)

CEO: On an island, where we belong!

Assistant: And there is no way that Hannah Sanders will know that we are here, since this is not the same hotel the team is staying at.

CEO: Exactly, so if she knows that we are here, we know that the snitch is within the team and not from a staff member or any sort of coincidence. She probably wants to avoid us anyway, since she didn’t like being handed a bill.

Assistant: Going to check this place out?

CEO: Myana appeals to me a lot more, I would be interested in making real estate investments here. I might check it out a little bit, and see what is available. But first, I am going to that place the hotel clerk was telling me about to get some lobster tails. Coming along?

Assistant: There is one bad thing about this stadium, though.

CEO: I didn’t see anything wrong with the stadium, what is the problem?

Assistant: They fire a cannon whenever a goal is scored. You know that cannon sound will alarm the bears, significantly.

CEO: Oh yeah, that. How many goals have there been in the games we have played thus far? We don’t concede any, we don’t have to worry about it. We score, we can calm them down. I am sure the trainers are well aware of that and have a system in place if they do not react well to the sound of cannon fire.

Assistant: I hope so.

CEO: The trainers did a wonderful job settling the bears down after we lost to Nephara. We lost to them because they are one of the best teams in the World Cup, not because the bears are too cold. And it was our third game against them, so the Cormorants had time to learn from the two prior games and how to handle them.

Assistant: They did.

CEO: They know what they are doing. We keep worrying about what might happen, but they keep doing a great job and now look, we have made it to the round of sixteen for the first time in national history. We just had to get the witch Hannah out of running this team and we are back to doing well in the World Cup.

Assistant: Pasarga is tough.

CEO: Anything we get now is a bonus. I highly doubt we are going to win the World Cup, but we accomplished what we set out to do and had a great comeback from not qualifying last time. We’re one of the last sixteen nations, I don’t know how many people who made predictions at the start of the World Cup penciled in Hampton Island as making the round of sixteen.

Assistant: So, you think this is where it ends?

CEO: Not necessarily. But we’re going to have to score goals. We can’t keep relying on Edwin Conney to turn out clean sheets. We are in the round of sixteen, but scored one goal in the group stage. We were fortunate that South Newlandia drew with Brenecia. That was a game charger for us. I like them by the way, becoming one of my favorite nations in Esportiva. But everyone knows we have to score goals. Pasarga’s not an offensive juggernaut but what they are is one of those balanced team with a long, storied history. It’s a tough task. I think we could do it, but it’s a tough one.

Assistant: Yeah, I think for me it is just a case of wanting them to win instead of thinking we will.

CEO: Let’s just enjoy the moment. Now, let’s go enjoy some lobster tails!

[Starblaydia]

"...and as Starblaydia leave the field, here in Starksville, running out four-two winners against region-mates Tequilo, they consign Los Pitxileros to the bottom of Group F. Ázëwyn Fëanáro's side, in comparison, finish at the top of a World Cup group for the fifth straight tournament, a run that began following their Second Place in World Cup 83. The look of delight is plain to see on the coach's face, as it means her team avoids the co-hosts Cassadaigua - for now - and can look forward to what is, on paper, a much easier last sixteen match against Savigliane. Being in the top eight in the world, her team is expected to make it to the Quarter-Finals, but from there on the journey could be very tricky indeed. Tonight, however, it's a celebration as she embraces her captain, Jewel Maddison, scorer of the third goal, with high-fives and big smiles all around, marking Fëanáro's two hundredth victory in charge of Starblaydia, achieved in just three hundred and twenty five games. If she's won two hundred and four by the end of this tournament, then Starblaydia will really have something to celebrate. Final score from the Cocoa-bo Stadium: Starblaydia Four, Tequilo Two."

---

"Now I understand why you postponed dinner," Ázëwyn said with a smile, just as Simeone displayed his classic striker's instinct for space, slipping half a yard ahead of the waiter to slide her chair out for her. It was only a second or two before he realised that he wouldn't be able to push it back quite as easily, such was the weight, so his quick footwork helped him out yet again, inching forwards to be able to use his knee on the heavy restaurant chair, moving it somewhat inelegantly toward his dinner date.

"As good as a point against Ko-oren is," Simeone said as he took his own seat, slid up to meet him rather more expertly by the highly trained Cassadagan waiter than he had managed himself, "I think your two hundredth win and top of the group is a good reason to take you out to dinner."

"Ah," she looked over her menu at him mischievously, "so you've taken me out, have you? Does it mean this is officially our first date?"

Simeone frowned in confusion at that one, open-mouthed for the briefest of moments, one that felt like an eternity. He took a sip of water to compose himself; it was, of course, far too late for him to disguise his reaction for someone as sharp-eyed as Ázëwyn. He placed the glass back down and leaned forward on his elbows. One of Starksville's top-rated restaurants, Simeone was entirely sure that it was their - or perhaps more specifically his date's - relative celebrity status thanks to the pull of football and the co-hosting of the 88th World Cup that he'd been able to get a table here at all, never mind one in such a private section. They were just in view of the rest of the diners that evening, enough to make them something of a spectacle but far enough away that they only heard a general murmuring of conversation from the tables dotted around them.

"I mean, yeah, this definitely counts as a date, but I'm pretty sure we've had some date-ish, um, things before."

"Date-adjacent," Ázëwyn suggested.

"Pretty damn close," Simeone insisted, "you know, there was the ice cream in Cosumar."

"Forty years ago," she said rather flatly, "interrupted by a time-traveling Dwarf. Not a date."

"It was a lovely day," Simeone explained with a twinkle in his eye, "we had a nice wallk on the beach, I bought you ice cream, we even picked those novelty flavours for each other's teams, it was kind of innocently romanti-"

"A rotund Dwarf apparating out of thin air shouting, and I quote - "Zoggin' 'eck!" - renders all romance null and void, I'm afraid."

"Okay, okay," Simeone held his hands up, "I'll admit that, he didn't have a bow tie and wasn't playing a violin or guitar or anything. Um, but we had dinner in the Qualifiers that time."

"Also forty years ago," Ázëwyn folded her arms and sat back in her chair with a smirk, "and that was you apologising for being a douchebag to me for an entire millennium by not calling."

Simeone couldn't keep it in any more and laughed, looking down at his empty plate as he placed his hands on the arms of the chair and shifted his sitting position, firmly planting his spine against the back of the seat. He leaned forward again, elbows squarely on the table, resting his chin on his hands in a rather contemplative pose.

"You know calling wasn't invented for, like, eight or nine hundred of those years?"

"I've seen them use owls." Ázëwyn waited for her glass to receive the splash of wine Simeone had chosen. She sniffed at it delicately, swirled it around in the bottom of the glass with an artful flick of her wrist and raised it to her mouth, sipping it and savouring the flavour. After a few moments she nodded with a warm smile to the sommelier, who promptly filled both of their glasses exactly halfway up. "Cute little things, you only need a scroll and a piece of bronze and they'll fly it anywhere, even into Yanataurë. You could have done that, timey-wimey ball and all."

"That, unfortunately," Simeone said, "is not how the wibbly-wobbly bit works, and I have explained and even apologised for that one on several occasions. Cheers."

"Cheers." They clinked their glasses together softly, the high-pitched tone ringing gently in the air for a moment as they drank.

"It's always over food that we drop the office talk and actually get to know each other," she said, "even when we don't drop the office talk and veer off into the grandest of existential questions. That's what I like about," she paused for a microsecond, but Simeone still caught it, "us, I think. Grand and small, it's all interesting."

"It was over food that you first stopped glaring at me like something you'd stepped in, to be fair," his heart was just starting to return from wherever it had leaped to, hearing her say the u-word, "it was that rabbit."

"Rabbit?"

"The one you'd caught for us," he explained, "after that ambush."

"Oh," she said, as her eyes suddenly went wide, "oh yeah."

---

"Let me help, dammit," Simeone shouted, extending his bloodied and dirty hand.

"I require no aid, human," Ázëwyn spat through gritted teeth and a face contorted in defiance as she fought through the pain of her leg wound. A spear in their last fight had somehow found it's way through her agile and acrobatic defence and sliced a deep gash across her thigh. She had bandaged it up skillfully, but it was too deep a cut for that sort of self-triage to be effective for very long. Her pace has steadily slowed over the past hour, and they were making little progress back to the main force together. The tall, leather-clad Elven ranger was even starting to lean on her bow for support as she walked.

"Could've fooled me," he replied, stepping towards her and sheathing the sword he had been using to cut through some of the thicker parts of the undergrowth. He stood before her in his armour, chain and plate shining in only a few small spots with the rest splattered with rain, blood and mud. The yellow eagle that was displayed proudly on his purple tabard had a huge splatter pattern across it, darkening to a deep brown as it dried, and the shield across his back was chipped and almost split in two, courtesy of a double-handed overhead strike from an axe that had been intended for his head. The forest was thick with trees and scrub, tough to navigate and even tougher to try and make a path through. "You're getting slower with every step, we'll go faster if we work together."

"Keep moving," said snapped, and Simeone wasn't sure if the venom in her tone was meant for him or the pain in her leg. He did, however, keep moving.

They trudged on, Simeone sweating and breathing hard as he cut through the undergrowth, Ázëwyn hobbling behind him at an ever increasing distance. As he sliced, though it was more like a hack now, some low-hanging branches away from his path, he was beginning to feel just how much armour he was wearing. It was cleverly designed to distribute the weight, as the straps over his shoulders and a thick belt spread the heavy metal's pull across his body, but now the shoulders felt as if he was carrying a mountain, and his arms no longer raised quite as high as when he'd first put it on. The tip of the tabard seemed to be pulling him inexorably towards the ground, and each time he took a step it was as if the greaves around his calves were made of concrete, and his thighs complained as if he'd climbed fifty flights of stairs.

As he cut into yet another shrub, hacking the edge of it away to make a path, he stepped into a small clearing and almost immediately realised his mistake. There was the metallic rustle of armour that was not his, and the glint of movement in front of him. Instinctively he raised his sword arm and felt the hammer blow shudder through his wrist, elbow and shoulder. He reacted with near-blind slash in the direction it had come from, but yet again heard and felt the clang of a parried stroke. As his eyes adjusted to the leaf-strewn clearing, the afternoon light peeking through the remaining leaves on the trees, he saw two soldiers: two enemies. They were lightly armoured, in the thick leather straps that wrapped around their torsos and over their shoulders, the same style leather skirts that flowed over their thighs as they maneuvered around him, shortswords in hand. Simeone spun to his left as the second soldier lunged at him, barely feeling the swipe of the blade across the shield on his back, trying to get out of the flanking position the two were getting into around him. They were both charging towards him, though, and he wildly swung his longsword in their direction, feeling the twin clangs as he battered both shortswords aside before the could reach him. He continued to circle around them on his toes, trying to keep the three of them in a line and remove the numerical advantage, dancing around them. There was no time to identify, or talk with, these two men. There was only the fight, and the wait.

There.

Simeone has been waiting for the perfect moment, and there it was. A moment's hesitation from the leading soldier as he glanced back over his shoulder, using more than his peripheral vision and senses to locate his ally. Simeone stepped in with a lightning-fast lunge that ended in a sickening crunch as the tip of his sword pushed through the leather armour at the man's shoulder and into the flesh beneath. As he recoiled in pain, Simeone stepped forward and drove the point even deeper, before ripping it out with a flourish that sent an arc of bright red blood flashing across the floor as the man crumpled to the floor with his hands desperately trying to staunch the wound. His companion stepped over him, sizing Simeone up. He was better armoured, with a longer reach, but he was also breathing hard, bruised and battered. Both of them were still dangerous nonetheless, and his opponent fancied his chances, advancing. Simeone kept his sword by his side, trying to catch his breath, shoulders rising and falling awkwardly as he attempted to suck as much air in as possible.

A slash, that was only a feint. A stabbing lunge, testing his defences as he batted it away, but again and again the man pressed, forcing Simeone to defend, parry, block and retreat. He saw it like any one-on-one situation, though: all he needed was one chance, the right chance, and he'd take it and make it count. The defender could intercept the pass, block off the run or slide in with the tackle, but all Simeone needed was the one opportunity to strike true. It came soon, what felt like an eon but was barely fifteen seconds, as Simeone dropped his shoulder, pushed off with his back foot and stabbed upwards, underneath the wild swing of the soldier. The sword bit deep, and bit true, and pierced the mans ribs, traveling all the way through him, with the point sticking out of his back. There was nothing more than a gurgle as he slid off Simeone's weapon with a thump on the floor.

"Drop it!"

Simeone whirled and saw the wide, terrified eyes of Ázëwyn and the glint of a long knife at her throat. They all stood there, locked in a standoff. Simeone began to inch forward.

"I said drop it, or she dies!"

"Alright, alright," Simeone said, holding his arms out wide "I'll drop it."

Though the soldier held the blade at Ázëwyn's neck, his other arm was wrapped around her, trying to pin her upper arms against her torso. Her lower arms were still free, and she slowly raised them towards Simeone. Her hands made a grasping motion as she stared at his longsword, and Simeone knew.

"I'll put it down," he said, reversing his grip on the blade, holding the sword like a stabbing knife as he began to crouch down slowly, still inching forward, "right here, I'll put it down."

He lowered himself, knees almost to the ground, and waited, stringing out the moment as long as possible to await that perfect moment. The briefest distraction, break in concentration, movement of eyes - anything to take advantage of. But there was nothing, no way around it and time was running out until this soldier would cut Ázëwyn's throat. Simeone made a wide, showy gesture with his left hand, trying to catch the eye of the man with the movement. It seemed to work, and immediately Simeone tossed his sword on a low arc towards Ázëwyn's grasping hands. The blade seemed to float in mid-air, taking forever to reach its destination, but he knew it was just the adrenaline kicking in again. Ázëwyn reached out with one hand and up with the other, grabbing the wrist that held the blade at her jugular to stop it jerking into her flesh, while the other caught the sword by the hilt and, in one sharp motion stabbed it into the chest of the man who held her. As he convulsed with the blade inside him, Ázëwyn stepped away from him, twisting the arm that still held the knife with a sickening crack. She pulled the knife from his limp grasp and immediately buried it in his unprotected armpit. It wasn't long before he, too, lay dead at their feet.

"Now will you let me help you," Simeone asked, putting his boot firmly on the third dead man to pull out the sword that was still wedged in his torso "or do we have to go through that again?"

Ázëwyn limped over to him, putting an arm begrudgingly over his shoulders. In turn, Simeone wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her tightly against him. They began to walk as best they could through the forest, their breaths laboured, as he cut through the brush at her direction.

"It's getting dark," Simeone said, unnecessarily looking towards the sky, "I should see if I can forage for some food."

"There are rabbits nearby," she said, "give me my bow and a few minutes of silence and we'll have something to eat."

"That's certainly one way of telling me to shut up."

[Cassadaigua]

Gridiron controversy steals headline,
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

As Team Cassadaigua gets set for their upcoming match against the Bulls of Audioslavia in World Cup 88, all that could be talked about was the revelation that fifteen members of the team that would have likely participated in World Bowl 42 have tested positive for using performance enhancing drugs. That is simply the players that were playing in the World Bowl, and this has gone on throughout the league in general with much larger league-wide totals. Reportedly, multiple labs were in on this and concealing the true positive tests to the general public by using fake specimens. The Cassadagan Association for Football Excellence called the report “outrageous” and has withdrawn the nation’s participation from World Bowl 42, effectively immediately. As a side note, one of the lab owners was a high ranking official with Cassadaigua’s NSSCRA team, and as punishment that will be shut down as well. Reports also suggest that this punishment will carryover into the basketball program, and the team will not participate in any future International Basketball Championships, either.

Jamie Henderson was the head of the group that was investigating the situation and was the one who publicly made the announcement this morning. “I think we are all in shock right now about what went on. Not because people tried to take the PED’s, but because these labs would hide the results in order for financial gain. It is a major stain on our national programs.” Henderson was asked if other national teams were involved, “We have seen this mainly from the gridiron teams and it has spread into basketball as well. In fact, it was probably even worse in basketball. We have not seen evidence of it occurring with the hockey program, or actually with the baseball team, but we are going to continue to check on the baseball team. The soccer team seems to be in the clear. I hate that this news has to come now, but with World Bowl preparations starting to happen, we had to get it out there. I do believe the soccer team is okay. Hockey definitely is okay, and baseball, we’re still looking at.”

Stacie Houston, the driver of the #27 Five Star Mobile Blaze (who is five months pregnant) in NSSCRA called it, “Ridiculous to punish us drivers because members of our organization were in on that bullshit. I can understand punishing the people individually, but us NSSCRA drivers? Bullshit!” Houston is married to Jeremiah Brooke of Saint Kanye and will probably help out with his effort a lot more. It remains to be seen what will happen with the other drivers.

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

Dear Red Panjias,

We're so excited to be playing you in the World Cup second round. Will you be our friends? Will you join us for tea and crumpets before the match and become members of GOOFI - the Great Old Ones Friendship Initiative?

GOOFI exists to build links of cuddle-based friendship between ordinary mortals, Great Old Ones, and Elder Gods.

We are particularly impressed that you play in red and orange. These are super colours! We play in yellow and red, so we're practically cousins anyway! Well, not literally cousins; or at least it's highly unlikely; not unless Nyarlahotep was up to his old tricks in Poafmersia's distant past. Let's not dwell on that.

But we know that Poafmersian fans are crazy about football; they go absolutely insane with their cheering and screaming - and if there's one thing we know how to appreciate, it's the cheering and screaming of the insane, so we're super-impressed!

Vilita have already joined GOOFI, so you won't be alone. We admit that the lack of reaction from Mercedini and Jerusalem made us very sad, but now we're happy again, because those tea-loving Jungle Cats are our GOOFI friends. We'd really like for you to be our GOOFI friends too! We think all of the nations in the last 16 should join GOOFI, but since you're the next team we play, we want to invite you first.

So please join GOOFI! We can have ever so much fun together! It'll be ever so jolly! With tea and crumpets and cuddles!

In the meantime, here are 100 plush cuddly Cthulhu toys to show you how much we care.

Thank you ever so much,

Your new friends in GOOFI

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The Holy Empire's Training Camp

"Those Vilitans are ever so lovely, aren't they, Cthulhu?"

"I'll say, Shubby! It's so nice to finally have new friends in GOOFI!"

"And they even bought their own tea and crumpets! That was so nice of them!"

"They did seem just a little reluctant over the cuddles, though..."

"I think we'll forgive them...."

"I suppose so, Shubby. I mean, we know that Azathoth and Rhan-Tegoth are just the nicest possible entities, but if I was a mere mundy faced with an amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the center of all infinity, or an enormous insect, with a tremendous, barrel-shaped trunk with six appendages ending in claws-like pincers and a near-spherical head, I might find it just the teensiest bit intimidating."

"Well, I'd still give Azzy and Rhanny a big cuddle, Cthulhu."

"That's because you're just the nicest enormous mass extruding black tentacles, slime-dripping mouths, and short, writhing goat legs in the whole multiverse, Shubby."

"Awwwwww.... thanks, Cthulhu! You're super!"

"Still, in the end we did have to play football against our new GOOFI friends from Vilita..."

"It was ever so much fun, Cthulhu!"

"I'd say, Shubby. And there were ever so many delightful misunderstandings because the Vilita players all have names that sound like dread cultists!"

"Say, do you remember when Nii'arala Milaaso scored Vilita's only goal in the 39th minute?"

"How could I forget! Azathoth thought that the final apocalypse was at hand, and Ghatanothoa had to talk Azzy out of awakening from his slumber because he'd confused the Vilitan goal scorer with the completely unrelated mad apocalyptic flautist Mii'arala Nilaaso."

"Gosh, wouldn't that have been embarrassing, Cthulhu? Not much chance of promoting GOOFI if Azzy had properly woken up! When, not if, Azathoth awakens, all things will end, once and for all, and all will once again be Azathoth; or so I've heard, anyway."

"And don't forget the confusion in the 83rd minute when Cywrenta Vlintejni was substituted for Lentali Puram, and Hastur thought it was actually Pentali Luram..."

"Not Pentali Luram, the Flesh Priest who led the Blood Slaughter of the Innocent in the Fourth Age?"

"Yes, Shubby, that Pentali Luram... except it was Lentali Puram, tee-hee, a completely unrelated Vilitan international."

"And now a new GOOFI friend, Cthulhu! Hurrah!"

"Hurrah! I love all of our GOOFI friends!"

"Still, by the time Lentali Puram had come on, Hastur had already scored a hattrick. Two goals in the first 20 minutes, and a third in the 65th minute... He was on fire!"

"Not literally, Shubby..."

"Well no, Cthulhu; but he was certainly the entity of the match."

"and should we feel bad that we knocked Vilita out of the tournament, Shubby? They are our GOOFI friends now, and we so like having GOOFI friends."

"I don't think so; every game we play from now on, someone's going to go home."

"And in the meantime we have more opportunities to make new GOOFI friends!"

"Maybe the Red Panjias will be our GOOFI friends, Cthulhu!"

"Oh, I certainly hope so, Shubby.... That would be ever so nice!"

[Pasarga]

A Pasargan Guide to the Knockouts

Cassadaigua vs. Audioslavia
@ Dagan Airways Stadium, Concord Heights
The cohosts will be looking to rely upon that home field advantage to take them far into the knockouts of this World Cup and establish themselves alongside Nephara as an elite footballing power in Rushmore. It has been far from the most clean of group stages from the hosts, with it starting off on the wrong foot with a draw before a pair of high flying matches with lots of goals but two victories on the cards. The Dagans know how to score and in bunches, something that their foes are going to have to find a way to deal with if they want to be able to pull off the upset. The Bulls of Audioslavia needed a triumph over Ko-oren in order to secure their advancement and have been relatively stingy when giving up goals, meaning it will be a clash of styles in Concord Heights. Despite the Audioslav defense being talented, their attack has been almost absent, combine that with the home crowd, and the Dagans should be the favorites.

Valanora vs Jeruselem
@ Five Star Mobile Stadium, Brattleboro
There is not a more lopsided fixture both in record and in the rankings that this match in Brattleboro and it is very hard to see how Jeruselem will be able to handle the attack of the Marauders. In a bit of a twist of fate, the five star crested Vanorian team begins their trek in the knockouts in a stadium called the Five Stars, a neat little coincidence that might cause a few chuckles and seem like a good omen for the Marauders. Having yet to experience any slip ups in the Finals and looking solid up to down in the roster, the Vanorians should be the favorites of this match and it will be a small wonder if the lowest ranked team in the tournament could pull off one more miraculous upset. Odds say no, but we have seen stranger things in the Finals before.

The Holy Empire vs Poafmersia
@ Qusmair Stadium, New Lakeland
The quality of the first round of knockout matches means that this one is flying under the radar a tad, but this looks to be a very interesting game in New Lakeland. The third ranked team in the world in The Holy Empire has at times looked like world beaters and other times as merely another team in the tournament, while Poafmersia defied the odds to advance over Eura in Group G, another showcase to their slow but clear ascent up the footballing scene. On paper it is definitely The Holy Empire's game to lose, but Poafmersia is noted for causing upsets, look at how well they have handled Audioslavia since arriving in international football, and I have a feeling that this will see the first upset of the knockouts.

Starblaydia vs Savigliane
@ Cocoa-bo Stadium, Starksville
A match that features the second team looking for the record breaking sixth World Cup title as Starblaydia will take on Savigliane to begin their quest in earnest. The Starblaydi are hungry for success, having gone many decades without a trophy to their name, having come so awfully close on a numerous amount of occasions only to fail at the last or penultimate stage before lifting a trophy. Savigliane is here because they were the only side able to beast Kelssek, which sent Kelssek home in an unfortunate twist of fate and Savigliane into the knockouts, who themselves only lost to the cohosts. This is another one of those games where the rankings suggest that one side, Starblaydia, should be clear and away favorites, but this Savigliane side has looked well more experienced than their ranking would suggest. This feels like a tie that will head to extra time and from there, it is anyones guess, but we will say the Starblaydi do just pip it tin the end.

Commonwealth of Baker Park vs Newmanistan
@ United Center, Urrheddiao
Baker Park, one of the most underrated teams in recent memory and yet despite the lack of fanfare around the team, they are one of the best teams in the world and were able to win a group with the cohosts in it, beating said cohosts on that fateful third matchday and quite comfortably in order to qualify. Their foes are Newmanistan, who also had six points in the group, yet had the unfortunate fate of being in a group with Turori, a team that has yet to taste the bitterness of defeat this World Cup. The game is likely to have many goals, as both teams were quite good on scoring during group play, and thus it will be up to which defense can stand tall in a pivotal moment that will turn the tide in this affair. As much as the heart says Newmanistan has it, the head says that Baker Park should win exactly because of being so unheralded, taken for granted and that will be a costly mistake.

Nephara vs Banija
@ The Tidal Wave, Tihon
There are no two ways about it, this is the premier match of the round, as the last two World Cup winners will face off against one another far earlier than either would have liked to have seen the other. It is the best team in not just Rushmore, but the entire footballing world, against one of the best from Atlantian Oceania as these two titans clash in Tihon. Banija was of course in our group and were only beaten by our own team, as we have appeared to become something of a bogey for the former World Cup champions, yet their other games were far from smooth sailing either, needing a late goal from a substitute in order to defeat HUElavia and advance. Likewise, while Nephara has not lost and had control of their group after the second matchday, it has been a brutal sort of football that has got them here but here they are and looking to add their list to the names of teams that have managed to retain the title. The two sides are about as equal as they come and it is a hard thing to try and choose between the two, yet it has to be done and as we beat Banija, have to think that our regionmates can to and be one step closer to holding onto the World Cup crown.

Turori vs Chromatika
@ The Jungle, Eyrods
Now this is an intriguing match both in quality and politics, with the schism of Atlantian Oceania and the so called Anaia region, with terse political environments on both sides. When it comes to the football though, Chromatika is really up against it in this match despite being a host, as Turori has failed to lose a game at all during the cycle. Two draws and nineteen wins for the Eels between the Finals and Qualifying, a team that has been ruthlessly efficient and pursuant in their goals and success. Perhaps the home crowd boosts Chromatika's chances, but after having been bested so heavily by Baker Park on the last matchday and only advancing due to Squornshelan Remnant States having a heavier loss to Quebec, it is hard to see the morale being right for the hosts to pull of this upset and Turori should find their way into the Quarterfinals.

Pasarga vs Hampton Island
@ The Island Dome, Myana
Then of course there is our match to account for as well. The Wanderers are coming into the knockouts on the heels of a loss but they had secured the group through the first two matchdays and had sent out a heavily rotated side that was not quite up to the challenge of a Tikariot team that wanted something to take back to Rushmore from the tournament. Yet wins against Banija and HUElavia, and the way the side handled itself in the second half of qualifiers has really shown the strength of the side when the first choice is playing together. Some could say that Hampton Island snuck into the knockouts, having edged South Newlandia on the last matchday after a draw against Brenecia and loss to Nephara, that they do not really belong in the knockouts. This makes them dangerous, as dangerous as Tikariot was as they have absolutely nothing to lose or prove in the match, with it being the Wanderers who have it all to do and the burden of expectations. This will let Hampton play how they like to play, behind the ball and in a defensive shell to break down. Fortunately the Wanderers have quite a lot of familiarity with teams that like to play this way and that should give them the advantage to see themselves into the Quarterfinals for a second straight tournament.

[Turori]

First-Half Flurry Propels Eels to Top of Group B

Dragon's Nest, Anfanhar, Chromatika :: The Turori National team returned back to the Dragon's Nest, site of their draw with Yuezhou on the opening matchday in of the World Cup 87 finals in the hopes that the nest would be kinder than it was to them on that opening matchday. In dropping points to the lowest ranked nation in the Wolrd Cup Finals, Turori then had to travel away to the Riders Arena and defeat the top seeded nation in the group, former World Cup Champion Farfadillis just to stay alive and have any mathematical chance of advancing to the Round of 16 if results could go their way on Matchday 3. Thankfully, Turorian head coach Tarek Edgeli had a well executed game plan for the match against the rival Farvish nation and with victory over their regional foes fromsouth western Atlantian Oceania, The Eels regained control of their own destiny heading into the final matchday.

Any result against Newmanistan would be enough to allow Turori to advance out of Group B either as winners or runners up but no result was a given with the Rockets planted firmly atop the Group with two victories in two games and an assured place already earned in the round of 16. Within ten minutes of the match kicking off, however, things were not looking so great for Tarek Edgeli's Turori National Team. Newmanistan got on the scoresheet quickly to take a 1-0 lead and Yuezhou had done similarly over at the Riders' Arena taking the lead over Farfadillis in a match that Turori could use some help from the Farves in holding back the challenge from third place Yuezhou. The match was well balanced however and both sides had good chances in the opening half hour. The Eels got their goal back in the 23rd minute through Wiztsana Iretziia to level the scores and reset the match only to see The Rockets take the lead right back just minutes later through the impressive youngster Garrett Sarniak. In response to Newmanistan's second goal, Turori head coach Tarek Edgeli used their first substitution to introduce veteran attacker Meldi'ita Mungwaii into the action switching Turori to a non-traditional 4-3-3 formation with Mungwaii taking on a playmaker's responsibility. For a stretch it seemed that Newmanistan would take their 2-1 lead through to the Half Time break but a late surge from the Eels changed the entire complexion of the match - and potentially the final Group B Table. It started just two minutes from the half time whistle when Turori earned a corner kick and converted through captain Mikki Mayelli who headed past Matthew Costner to level the scores at two a piece. Turori weren't done there, however, pressing the Rockets from the restart and not content to wind out the half. Racing down the wing with only seconds to spare, Naraiza Ruaplal cut in around Damian Andrews and then fired a hopeful shot that just snuck past Costner and gave Turori a lead that was against the run of play in the first half but still much needed for a Turorian side that needed a result to ensure their place in the knockout rounds.

The second half was tense all around for Turori's National Citizen Squad as they fought hard to defend against a Newmanistan side that needed just a single goal to retake Top Spot in Group B. Of course, conceding a single goal would not be of concern to Turori. A draw with Newmanistan would still be enough to see the Eels through to the Round of 16 and Newmanistan was headed to the knockout round regardless of the result on matchday 3. However, if Newmanistan were to level the scores with Turori then the Eels could quickly find themselves just one goal away from being eliminated from the World Cup completely. The Turorian players on the pitch were informed of the situation at the Rider's Arena. Turori were hoping to get some help from their Atlantian Oceania rivals Farfadillis. Ranked fourth in the multiverse according to the latest World Cup Committee Rankings, all the Farves needed to do was secure a draw or better against Yuezhou and the Turori National Team would secure their spot in the Round of 16 regardless of the result against Newmanistan. Despite the nearly 60-place gap in the rankings between the two sides, however, Farfadillis were doing Turori no favors. If results stayed as they were going at the Rider's Arena and Newmanistan managed to pull ahead of Turori, then the Eels would be looking at an advantage of a Single Goal differential over Yuezhou and an early departure from Cassadaigua and Chromatika. A goal from Newmanistan and another goal from Yuezhou was all that it would take.

Of course, regardless of what was going on at the Rider's Arena, the Turori National Team knew that if they could hold on to the lead they had stolen from the Rockets in the final moments of the first half then it wouldn't matter whether Yuezhou won, lost or drew with Farfadillis in the other match. Victory for Turori would see them through atop Group B. Having already used two non-goalie substitutions in the first half of the game, Turorian head coach Tarek Edgeli had just one change remaining for the second half and would try to use it strategically to slow the play down if Newmanistan at any point became two aggressive or found a spurt of momentum that the Eels wanted to overcome. That moment would arrive in the 70th minute when the Rockets earned back-to-back-to-back corner kicks and forced Wiyauw An'maude into a pair of outstanding stops to keep hold of Turori's one-goal advantage. Once the Eels were finally able to clear the ball out of their own area and out for touch, Edgeli craftily slowed the play down by removing from the field the player farthest from the dugout on the pitch at the time - Nua'oma Aikiki. The Jungle Strike FC attacker took their sweet time getting off the pitch while taking time to applaud the small contingent of Nigel's Army in attendance on their own side of the pitch. The referee had to push Aikiki in the direction of the dugouts before finally they made it to the sidelines where youngster Lutara Makakio would come in for twenty minutes of World Cup Finals action.

Whether it was a ploy or just tired legs in a match that was looking to been set on cruise control with both of its participants in position for a Round of 16 matchup, the substitution expertly marked the last bit of excitement in the match as the two sides proceeded to largely engage in a final 15 minutes with an intensity that matched that of the training ground. The Rockets did make one late charge in an attempt to sneak one final goal to re-claim their position atop Group B but in the end the final whistle would come and both sides celebrated with their fans as they had each managed to extend their stay in Chromatika for at least one more game. For the Turori National Team, their next game would without question be the most difficult they experienced yet - especially considering the underwhelming performance of Group B's top seeded nation Farfadillis at the World Cup Finals, with the World Cup 84 champions ultimately losing 3-1 to Yuezhou on the final matchday and headed back to Atlantian Oceania without a single point to show for their efforts in Cassadaigua and Chromatika. Now, Turori's reward for standing firm at the end of the ninety minutes and securing the victory over Newmanistan would be a fixture against the home nation Chromatika at The Jungle in Eyrods.

Turorian Players and Fans alike will not soon forget the most recent meeting between Turori and Chromatika which took place just one cycle prior in the World Cup 87 Group Stage. After an opening matchday defeat to Farfadillis, the Turori National Team had come roaring back with a victory on matchday two and had their destiny back in their hands when facing Chromatika on Matchday 3. One of the two teams would be victories and advance to the Round of 16 and the other would be sent packing with a group stage exit from the World Cup Finals. Unfortunately for Turori it was the Eels that were defeated, losing out in a defensive matchup that suited their style but saw the Eels unable to break through. It would be the match that marked the end of what is to date the most succesful period in the history of Turorian sport as the reign of head coach Kliaill Tuirma came to and end when the Eels crashed out at the hands of Chromatika. Tuirma had led Turori to their first ever Quarter Final Victory over Ethane during World Cup 81 and to their first ever appearance in the World Cup Final against Vilita during World Cup 82. Plans for a statue of the legendary head coach in Eel's Park were already on order but the magic was gone. Tarek Edgeli was the hand picked successor to Tuirma and immediately found a way to re-invigorate the highly skilled Turorian side that many felt was in its final campaign where they could effectively leverage the talents of internationstatal superstar Meldi'ita Mungwaii and press for the nations first World Cup Title. With a best-ever performance in World Cup 88 Qualifying, Edgeli's time in charge of the Turori National Team has infused much optimism and excitement into the veins of the Turorian supporters and they are not likely to be intimidated by the fact that it was Chromatika that eliminated them from the World Cup one cycle prior and set off the chain of events that would result in the Coaching Turnover within the Football Association of Turori. The Eels have already demonstrated their desire to make amends for poor performances one cycle ago by defeating Farfadillis on matchday two and will hope to do the same against the hosts in the Round o 16.

Of course, unlike the group stage where the crowds were small and the Traveling Nigel's Army made up as large a percentage of the fans in the stand as did any other singular nations fan base, the Turorian faithful are likely to be greatly out numbered at the Jungle. The Eels, however, come in with all the momentum included having won each of their last two matches at the World Cup 88 Finals and riding a 22 match unbeaten run across all competitions that stretches back to the Semi-Final of the 10th Eagle's Cup Competition in Banija. The host nation, on the other hand, backed into the knockout round after a non-trivial 4-2 defeat at the hands of Baker Park. They will perhaps be most familiar with the surrounding life in Eyrods as the Turori National Team begin their travel of the host nation though as environment goes, the temperate climate in Eyrods - a city next to a wilderness preserve, is likely to be the most familiar and similar to the native Climate in Turori of any location within the host nation. Turori's longest ever unbeaten streak will be on the line at with two nations looking for their first ever World Cup victory clashing in The Jungle for the right to advance one step closer to the ultimate prize.

 Turori [3] - [2] Newmanistan
				
	GOALS:	Turori 	:: 23' Wiztsana Iretziia:: 43' Mikki Mayelli:: 45' Naraiza Ruaplal            		
	STATS:	Turori 	:: Possession: 59%:: Shots: 7:: Corners: 12	Newmanistan 	:: Possession: 41%:: Shots: 4:: Corners: 4
	Lineup:	[GK] Wiyauw An'maude, [D.] Amakli Inuro'o, [D.] Mikki Mayelli, [D.] Moumouni Verre'elali, [D.]  Lulu Pumaziiri, [ML]  Daliora Toru'u, [MC] Kentu Umaka'a, [MC]  Lati'ala Giaoka, [MR]  Naraiza Ruaplal, [FC] Nua'oma Aikiki, [FC] Wiztsana Iretziia			
	Bench:	[FC] Meldi'ita Mungwaii, [FC] Lutara Makakio, [M] Kiidallen Aeroluzzi, [M] Kinabo Telioa, [U ] Karek Edgeli, [D] Biliki Rona'atu'i, [GK] Derizi Amatopa

The twii.tur based #cocoaboWC88 Turorian Result contest saw a slew of respondants accurately predict the scoreline of Turori's 3-2 victory over Newmanistan on Matchday 3 of the World Cup 88 Finals. In fact, overall participation in the predictor was up with more responses on twii.tur projecting the result of Turori's Matchday 3 fixture against Newmanistan than had participated in the same event during the previous two match-day's combined. It resulted in a total of 31 users accurately predicting that Turori would defeat Newmanistan 3-2 to win Group B and advance through to the Round of 16, but most impressive of the lot was Cassadaigua based twii.tur user Rachel Hutchinson (@RHutch_CDG) who not only accurately predicted which three Turori players would get on the scoresheet and that all the goals from the Turori National Team would come in the first half. Hutchinson now joins the winners from the two previous match-day's in earning tickets to the World Cup 88 Round of 16 matchup at the Cocoa-bo Stadium in Starksville Cassadaigua.

Where previous participants in the contest would not have known exactly which match they have won tickets to see, Hutchinson will instantly be aware that she has earned tickets to see a meeting between two signatories of the Foxchester Declaration in Five-Time World Cup Champions Starblaydia and up-and-coming nation Savigliane. Elsewhere in Cassadaigua the host nation will battle Audioslavia at the Dagan Airways Stadium in Capital of Concord Heights, Valanora will square off against the surprising force of Jeruselem at Five Star Mobile Stadium in Brattleboro and The Holy Empire will face Poafmersia in New Lakeland.

Rachel Hutchinson

@RHutch_CDG

- -@cocoaboeatery

Turori will win with 3 Goals and Newmanistan 2 Goals. Turori goals will be Mikki Mayelli, Iretziia and Ruaplal all in the first half #cocoaboWC88


Sent from my Five Star Mobile V12

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Wow! What a Prediction! Congratulations @RHutch_CDG you just won yourselves tickets to see #Starblaydia vs #Savigliane at the @CocoaboStadium in Starksville! #cocoaboWC88

Concord Heights, Cassadaigua :: As the World Cup in Cassadaigua and Chromatika progresses through the knockout rounds and continues onward to its conclusion, another major sporting event and mainstay competition within Cassadaigua is ramping up for its eleventh season. The NationStates Stock Car Racing Association (NSSCRA) silly season is in full swing with a number of the biggest teams in the multiverse have begun announcing their driver and sponsor partnerships for the upcoming campaign. While neither Vilita and Turori Motorsports nor Team Tropicorp have yet to confirm their participation or rosters for the event, one recent rumor out of Cassadaigua could shake up the foundation of the Multiverses premier stock car racing circuit if true, and would be one of the few non-World Cup news stories that could potentially break through and take a small piece of the local attention away from the multiverses longest running and most prestigious sporting competition. Multiple outlets within Cassadaigua have been reporting major changes to the Dagan lineup for NSSCRA season eleven, with the rumors stretching from the possibility that former NSSCRA champion Stacie Houston is planning to retire and not compete for Team Cassadaigua during the upcoming campaign. If true, it could open up the most coveted seat in Cassadaigua to the breakout star of the Everlong Contenders Series from Season 10, Maddie Alexander. The youngster picked up multiple wins driving the #27 in NSSCRA's Second Tier and would be a natural choice to replace Houston if the former champion decided to step away from the sport. However, many had already assumed that Alexander would be in line to contest her rookie season in the #4 Spacebook Blaze made famous by Meghan Sharpe.

Of course, as rumors go, once one rumor started it quickly grew roots and sprouted in all directions. Some other rumors that have been reported in recent days have included the possibility that Team Cassadaigua itself was in talks to either merge with another tram on tye NSSCRA circuit ornto shut down completely. If the team did shut down it could spell bad news for Centur Tiones, driver of the #2 Tiones Lumber Dart for Vilita and Turori Motorsports. Tiones ride has been funded by the family business and while the team has seen moderate success and a handful of race victories over five seasons of competition, Tiones has never once challenged for the overall NSSCRA championship as their teammates River 'Shark' Suzgar II and Yraaga Gilli'i have done on a regular basis since coming into the league. Tiones has reportedly been on thin ice during silly season before but strings of consistency and the occasional race victory coupled with the fact that the ride was fully funded have to date preserved Tiones spot among Vilitas star drivers.

However if a major operation like Team Cassadaigua were to close its doors and an accomplished driver like Stacie Houston or talented newcomer like Maddie Alexander were all of a sudden available on the free agent market along with sponsorship backing from high powered 'Dagan corporations like Five Star Mobile and Spacebook it could present a very entertaining option for Vilita and Turori Motorsports to inject some new life into the team that missed out entirely on the Championship Four during NSSCRA Season 10. If the team does continue to operate but is instead in negotiations to merge efforts with another existing team, one possibility mentioned is Team Tropicorp. Armed with Cocoabo from the Cocoabo Forest Team Tropicorp made a splash as what many considered to be a gimmick team in the NSSCRA. Operating out of a facility dedicated to research and development, Team Tropicorp was initially started to satisfy two needs. Firstly, the need for the members of the Cocoabo Enrichment and Enhancement Project to further development of their Cocoabo trainees in the Motorsports Arena. The costs of competing on the World Grand Prix circuit and CEEP could not justify the cost of bankrolling more than one Cocoabo in an open wheel car. Instead, Team Tropicorp purchased a fleet of seasons-old Darts at a fraction of their original cost from Vilita and Turori Motorsports and retrofitted a portion of them for Cocoabo in competition, allowing the CEEP to promote two more Cocoabo Athletes in Training compete directly against citizen athletes to further refine their skills. The other reason Team Tropicorp was established was to serve as an experimental test platform for Tropicorp Engineering and Tropicorp Racing Supply to expand their motorsports product lines including the widely popular Tropicorp Sifaka racing tire. After two seasons as an experimental operation however Team Tropicorp shifted gears and decided they wanted to build their own brand new chassis in an attempt to compete for the NSSCRA championship. After breaking through and putting a Cocoabo into the NSSCRA playoffs during NSSCRA season 9, the following season saw a step back in Team Tropicorps performance on track, similar to that experienced by Team Cassadaigua. A merger between the two teams could potentially bring championship proven equipment in the Blaze chassis and a Championship calibre driver such as Stacie Houston or Maddie Alexander to the team which, coupled with the engineering resources of Team Tropicorp could make a joint effort a contender from the start in NSSCRA Season 11. Of course, when asked for comment on the matter, neither officials from Team Cassadaigua or Team Tropicorp provided any insight or acknowledgement that any such discussions had taken place.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

BP through with convincing win
Scott McCrae
The Daily Mail National Soccer Writer

At the final whistle in Depri Sanar, there was a collective sigh of relief from most of the supporters in the stadium, the handshakes and congratulations among the players and staffs of Chromatika and Baker Park a bit happier for all involved.

With Quebec handily defeating the Squornshelans in Depri Lanar, the 4-2 victory meant that the Bees and Anomalies would advance to the knockout stages of World Cup 88, avoiding the ignominy of joining the six other nations in the top 20 who failed to survive the group stage.

The visiting supporters roared out Hear Our Voices at a volume that belied the numerical disparity at The Hive, with Annabeth Westmoreland visibly emotional at the prospect of her international career ending on this afternoon; it was appropriate for the venue that the gold & black hoops were the kit chosen, the home side in their striking traditional white shirts.

Right from the start, the match seemed destined to be a classic, as the sides appeared to be perfectly balanced and almost symbiotic; one side would make their way up the pitch, move the ball with complete control, an opening, a shot, followed by the other side repeating the script—it was quite a bit like watching a stage play where the cast know their lines and how to play off the other actors.

Alicia Gainsbourg would probably not mind playing against the Commonwealth on a weekly basis, as she opened the scoring with 17 minutes gone—having done so in Haddon Hill the last time the sides faced off, also—with an excellent strike that Kelly O'Connell thought Zack Johnston should've saved and made sure he understood her feelings on the subject all the way until the restart.

Rather than a picture of a squad in disarray, the scene set the tone for the middle portion of the first half, where Marcus Nolan and Antonio Sotolongo began to unpack their skill toolkits; Nolan went to work on closing down possesion in the 10 yards either side of the midfield line, while Sotolongo & Westmoreland alternated taking up deep positions and making runs in front of the centerbacks.

As sometimes happens, an unexpected player is the beneficiary of the hard graft on the forward press; a bobble on receiving a pass saw Travis Grimaldi lose the ball along the touchline 24 yards out to the Chromatik right back Kai Xiao, who played it more square than upfield on the long pass; Sotolongo closed down, made a clean tackle which AB picked up and fed Grimaldi running into the 18 where he put it past Justin Fillar with a well taken strike and it was 1-1 with 20 minutes left before half.

Back came the Anomalies with another spell of possession that was capped off by an excellent finish on the stroke of the half hour from Vasily Kuznetsov, the Kitara AA winger who holds down the same position at the Banijan club once occupied by former BP international Nick Haller.

It was the turn of the Commonwealth forwards to put mark on the proceedings, as Reggie Lang and Lainey Wadsworth began to exploit the gaps that the midfield were creating as mentioned previously; Laing just missed from 22 yards up, and Wadsworth should've scored into a nearly open net after de Aea slipped and the feed from Junior Ngoba was on the money, but she failed to put the shot on target.

That would be a mistake she would not repeat a few minutes later, when off a free kick from the right, Sotolongo looped the ball into the box where Nolan knocked it down right to the feet of the Anomalies FC star, who put it just beyond the reach of Fillar on 41 minutes, then avoided making a demonstrative celebration in front of the supporters at that end. The match went to the break all square at 2-2, and the buzz that went through crowd that the Reapers held a 2-0 lead carried over into the start of the second half.

It was a Farf style jailbreak at the kickoff, as the Bees pushed forward in search of a go-ahead tally, putting the home side under pressure with long periods of sustained attack in the final third, resulting in 2 shots on goal and two more that just missed, in addition to three corners; the Chromatiks didn't advance past the center circle until nearly five minutes had elapsed, and that foray ended when Enigma Armeggedon fouled Sotolongo going for a header.

The dam finally burst in the 52nd minute when Westmoreland played Laing through with a laser pass that the Scott City striker took in stride and put into the far upper corner. Now that they had the scenario needed to move on, would BP ease off the throttle?

The answer came quickly, as less than a minute later they flooded the attacking third once again with pace and ball movement that is akin to watching a finely tuned machine at work; after the sequence led to a corner which came up empty, it seemed as though things settled back to a normal tempo.

The Anomalies looked to get back into the match with an attacking spell of their own and the crowd they'd equalized in the 61st, but Vidal was ruled offside, negating Gainsbourg's second of the match. It would be a costly mistake.

Soon BP were back in front of the Chromatik goal and it was Westmoreland's time to shine, as she shook off Humphreys and then froze Anderson for the split second she needed to get all of her left boot on a shot that swerved about five feet over 20 yards and into the top corner; she shook her head and waved her finger as if to say, “we're not done here yet.” The two goal lead coincided with the news that Quebec were three to the good, making the final 25 minutes an exercise in damage limitation, as evidenced by Sam Harrison replacing Wadsworth a couple of minutes following the goal.

The Commonwealth move on to face Newmanistan at the United Center in Urrheddiao, which will be familiar to Alan Wiseman as it is his club's home ground. The winner of that match will face the winner of the marquee matchup of the round between Nephara and Banija, who meet for the third straight time, although the previous two were the Final itself.

Newmanistan were the first opponent Baker Park faced in World Cup play, back on matchday 1 of World Cup 80 qualifying at the Tundra Falls Proving Ground which ended 1-1; the Bees won the return at Sportsmen's Park 2-0 and that is the history of the series. The Round of 16 will be the 350th match played by BP since that initial meeting, and should they win, it will mark only the second time that the Bees have advanced past the first knockout stage.

[Cassadaigua]

This is the cutoff for the Round of 16 for games played in Chromatika!

[HUElavia]

End Of The Journey

HUElavia are eliminated with their heads held high in a tight finish against Banija.

HUElavia 2-3 Banija
(Navarro 75', Hamada-Navarro 78' | Dione 51', Uster 55', Jawara 87')
(The Cove, Lhor, Chromatika)

Matchday 3 arrived, and it was one of massive implications: HUElavia and Banija were playing for a place in the Round-of-16 for the World Cup. With Pasarga already advancing and Tikariot already eliminated, this meant that it was a winner-take-all match for the two teams. For HUElavia, it was a chance to make history in advancing to the Round-of-16 for the first time. For Banija, it was a chance to avoid an early elimination for the second consecutive edition of the World Cup. Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos had more to gain and the Kadongo Kamu had more to lose. It was a sold out crowd at The Cove (51,265) in Lhor, with a 50-50 crowd support, with HUElavians draping one endzone with Yellow, Blue, and Green, while Banijans draped their endzone in Green, Orange and White. Both teams brought forward their best players, with HUElavia using Nazario over Duran, and both teams wearing their Home Uniforms. The teams came out to a grand roar from the crowd, the anthems were sung with passion, the coin toss was done and the ball was rolled in what could be a historic night for both teams.

The first half was silent for the most part, with some opportunities being done by both teams, but the goalkeeping of Ramos and Tantoh put some saves for the crowd to look in awe, and some shots were just missed wide. The opening goal would not come until the second half, where in the 51st minute, when Sene played a near perfect through ball to Dione, who went one-on-one with Ramos, sliding the ball past her into the goal to make it 0-1. The Banijans erupted while Dione celebrated in a jig with his teammates. Lightning would strike twice, as in the 55th minute, where Mboob hit the ball on a cross towards the far post, which was headed by Nzo back into the box, where Uster tapped the ball past Ramos into the goal to make it 0-2, with the Banijans now feeling like they can advance with ease. HUElavia was frustrated and Conavacio made orders to the team to press harder and have the team play well. These tactics paid off as in the 75th minute, where Navarro was with the ball, facing off against Tibamba, but he moved to his right, took a blistering shot and up it went past the reach of Tantoh into the top corner of the goal to make it 1-2. The crowd erupted with cheers of joy and excitement, while Sol got the ball and Navarro shared a quick kiss with Hamada-Navarro, while getting pats from his teammates as they ran to center-circle to try to get another goal. Lightning would strike twice, as in the 78th minute, when Duran (in for Nazario) sent a cross in and Hamada-Navarro tapped the ball past Tantoh into the goal to make it 2-2. She grabbed the ball, and shared another quick kiss with Navarro, running back to center circle. The HUElavian crowd was heated up, chanting to cheer on the team to score again, while the Banijans were anxious. HUElavia persisted with their attack, but it ended up falling short. In the 87th minute, Jawara got a ball that was crossed in and shot past Ramos into the goal to make it 2-3, ending HUElavian hopes and dreams in the World Cup. HUElavia tried to get another attack with their substitutions, but the Banijan defense held out and the referee blew his whistle. The match ended, and HUElavia was out, while the Banijans advanced. The Banijans celebrated, but in an act of sportsmanship, they gave handshakes and condolences to the HUElavian players who were down from the failed comeback. The players unwrapped a banner in Spanish and Portuguese, thanking the fans for their unwavering support and the fans cheered and applauded them.

Ultimately, with Banija defeating HUElavia and Tikariot defeating Pasarga, the final standings of Group D being Pasarga winning the Group with 6 Points (2-0-1) over Banija, who also has 6 Points (2-0-1), on head-to-head tiebreaker. HUElavia finish in 3rd Place with 3 Points (1-0-2) over Tikariot, who also has 3 Points (1-0-2), based on head-to-head tiebreaker. Thus, Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos should be rising into the 30s again with the one victory, and the team is showing promise under Conavacio. For the first time in team history, the team scored in all possible matches they played in, which is a massive success for the team. Now, the team have two years to prepare for the next major tournament, the one that's eluded the team for many years: the 13th edition of the Independent Associations Championship. Here's to hoping for a strong showing in the future and a return to the World Cup in the next cycle.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Savigliane]

WORLDS AWAY

---

11. Amara Vatrican
"This is a moment that belongs to another world. One where cycles close and stories end, where there are heroes and the heroes win. A moment like this has no business in our world." -Jon Bois

Amara had played with Bianca Fiore in midfield literally hundreds of times. The two had been teammates not just for AC Acqui Bollente, but for all the youth teams along the way. By the time they had entered their primes, they were the starting midfield pivot for club and country and had gained a near-telepathic understanding of each other’s games. Tlanx-Nulzk Hal had tempered Amara’s confidence in their partnership before Bianca Fiore’s return to Savigliane’s world, of course, and she fully understood that her teammate had barely touched the pitch in the past four years. But, caught up in the hype around La Capitana’s first cap since the world turned upside down, she hadn’t really fully listened.

That had cost her. The first half, with Vatrican and Fiore flanking young Gabriel Buvalelli, had been absolute chaos. Isabella Coste and Bertrand Marchetti had combined for a sublime piece of attacking play that led to the opening goal, a play that the midfield had been wholly uninvolved in. Things had downhill after that - uncoordinated midfield positioning had left Blanco and Garcia stranded guarding acres of space on their own, and Schanke had run in behind for the easiest equalizer of her life. As for the second goal...it had literally come from Amara passing sideways not to Bianca, who had already dropped back to fill a gap, but to Meghan Wolcott, whose sublime individual run had put the hosts in the lead.

She had dreamt of playing with Bianca time and time again, ever since that horrible night in Stadio del Piero. But everything today had been so…off, maddeningly half a step out of sync. Bianca had been playing like she normally had, and Amara didn’t feel she’d been doing anything differently either...was it Gabriel Buvalelli, spelling Giraudo in central midfield? Was it something about Tlanxball, some imperceptible rhythm she had never picked up on? Were Cassadaigua just too good, and reading their every move? The ACAB midfielder, once so confident, found herself full of fatal doubt.

Bianca had pulled her aside after the half, both knowing they were lucky to be just 2-1 down. Amara had seen her talk to Tlanx-Nulzk Hal first, and the manager had been very animated in their response before Bianca seemingly gave up and walked over to her midfield partner.

“You play just like how I did,” Bianca replied, after a pause. “It’s like playing with a carbon copy of myself.”

“Bianca, I’m flattered, but I wasn’t playing well at all-”

“You weren’t playing well because I was there.” Seeing Amara’s protests, she cut her off with a wave. “And I wasn’t playing well because you were there, too. We worked so well as a pivot because I complemented you so well. We don’t have that now that I’ve been gone.”

“Bianca, that’s ridiculous - you play like you always have. Sure, maybe you haven’t been as polished, but that goal was on me.”

“Coach talked to me before this, you know. He told me how much responsibility you picked up when I was gone. How everyone wanted you to be captain. But it’s changed you. You’ve been trying to fill a hole - not just in midfield, but on the team. Did you think you played the same way you did four years ago?”

“I, um.”

Bianca smiled at her. She hadn’t realized how much sadness had hidden away in the corners of Bianca’s previous smiles until she saw the real thing again. “It’s alright - we can both adapt. But I need you to play like the captain, like while I was gone. I’ll fill in the gaps - I’m overdue to do that, anyway.”

Of course, things didn’t immediately go as planned. The first few minutes of the second half had seen Jenna Frontiera first hit the post and then clean up D’Ambrosio’s palmed effort, and Savigliane found themselves in too deep of a hole. But even then, they had grown back into the match, even if that critical second goal just wouldn’t come before time ran out on their group winner hopes. Even if she couldn’t get that second, Amara felt herself - and Bianca, although Buvalelli had long since been substituted out so Adrian Toscani could return to midfield - grow back into the game.

So it fell to the dying embers of the match, the result already a foregone conclusion, to produce a moment of magic for the Swans. And the moment would absolutely deliver. It came from the most innocuous of starts - the substitute McClain’s cutback for Schanke’s potential second intercepted by Chiara Blanco, who, painfully aware of how much time was left, hoofed it. The long ball was just a touch wide, seemingly destined for Preston Newfield’s chest, and for a second Amara thought to stop her run in case Newfield sent the ball back in on the counter…

But she sensed Bianca doing the same thing beside her, and instead willed herself forwards, using Fiore’s cover to aggressively press Newfield and strip the New Lakeland star. Glancing forwards, she spotted Giovanna Vitale open for the switch, bombing it forwards and letting the winger-turned-rightback streak by Kaleta. Vitale played a neat one-two with the overlapping Zoë Barthelemy, and everyone was bombing into the box - Coste, Squarciafichi, Toscani, dragging defenders to and fro, and suddenly there was room in from behind for Amara Vatrican. Vitale looked up, smirked, knocked in the low, rolling cross just between the defenders, and Vatrican ran up to it, feeling Graves and Newfield both making the mistake of committing…

And instead let it roll behind her to Bianca Fiore, who she’d felt next to her (for years), and who had run into the wide-open space vacated by Amara, to sweep the ball effortlessly between Cotter and the post.

In the past five years, the little island that fell from the sky had managed results against the likes of Siovanija & Teusland, Eura, Starblaydia, Baker Park, and Kelssek. They had impossibly qualified for the World Cup, then done it again and made a run to the knockout stages. But there had always been something missing, a profound incompleteness that hung over the nation and its Swans at all times. With one of the final kicks of the match, as irrelevant to the final result as it had been, Bianca Fiore had lifted that veil. There were still a million Saviglianos stranded worlds away, and it would take much more than a late consolation goal to save them. But for the briefest of moments, as they carried Fiore off the field, the away support shouting the names of Les Cygnes as if they had never left...Savigliane was whole again.

Savigliane 2 - 3 Cassadaigua
D’Ambrosio; Lamontagne (Marchetti 80’), Garcia, Blanco (LeClerc 61’), Vitale; Vatrican, Buvalelli (Barthelemy 76’), Fiore (C); Coste, Squarciafichi, Toscani
Goals: Coste 17’, Fiore 90+1’
Savigliane may have impressed against Omerica and Kelssek, but hosts and two-time champions Cassadaigua were simply on another level in their MD3 defeat of the Swans. Although Isabella Coste’s stunning opener - created by a lovely bit of interplay with Bertrand Marchetti - got the away fans on their feet, shaky defending and midfield play opened the door for Cassadaigua to slice through Savigliane for three unanswered goals, quickly silencing any hopes of another upset. Bianca Fiore’s stoppage-time goal was little more than consolation on the pitch. But off the pitch, it meant the world to the still-healing nation, whose fans serenaded the triumphant La Capitana as her teammates carried her off the pitch in one of the all-time great Savigliano sporting moments.

---

Lineup to play Starblaydia (4-3-3): D’Ambrosio; Marchetti, Garcia, Blanco, Vitale; Vatrican (C), Buvalelli, Toscani; Coste, Squarciafichi, Montevecchi
With Pietro Giraudo reportedly out due to injury, and Bianca Fiore shaky despite a late goal against Cassadaigua, Tlanx-Nulzk Hal has bravely opted to start young Gabriel Buvalelli in central midfield against the five-time WC champions. As a deep-lying playmaker who’ll also be shouldering heavy defensive responsibilities, the 21-year-old Marcadia starlet will need to play the game of his life if the Swans hope to make the quarterfinals. Otherwise, the starting 11 is similar to Tlanx’s first-choice 11 during the group stage, as Calliope Montevecchi has regained favor over Michael Durand up front. Still, the Stade-Ferre striker is a likely sub, along with Fiore, Margherita Romano, and Gianmarco Dutto. Starblaydia, on paper, are the superior team on both ends of the field, and the Swans find themselves outgunned and outmatched. But they have two things working for them. First, they have the only win in the two Anaians’ head-to-head matchups, albeit against a heavily rotated side and fueled by the now-retired Francesco Grimaldi. Secondly, while Starblaydia may #wantsix, no team is hungrier than a team that wants their first.

[PotatoFarmers]

Poafmersia 1-0 Twicetagria
Poafmersia Scorers: Joel Haodao 90+2' (pen)
Poafmersia Lineup (4-3-3): Sandi Jaliaha; Mitchel Rosales, Hollis Stephenson, Simone Gori, Natalia Abbott; Gisiik Moonar, Woden Sweet, Nero Wood; Matea Idowu, Makana Tuft (c), Pete Carisa
Poafmersia Substitutes: Joel Haodao (Idowu 60'); Whitney Rios (Carisa 73'); Arnold Shwentin (Sweet 84')

Nerve-wrecking match, decided by a nerve-wrecking penalty in stoppage time.

When Joel Haodao was asked to warm up, 58 minutes into the game, he was extremely eager to get onto the field. 58 minutes has past, and nothing seemed to be coming through. Matea Idowu, his "successor" on the left, was getting nervous and failing to make that much of an impact on the field. Pete Carisa, his old friend, was getting out paced by the opposition defence. Makana Tuft wasn't getting enough attempts to goal, as the quick-thinking defenders nullified many of the threats from Nero Wood and Gisiik Moonar, both of which looked like they were working extremely hard. Considering that the past 58 minutes never produced a single goal thus far, it was up to the assistant captain to turn things around.

And so he came on. Idowu wasn't doing as well as she should be, and was subbed out. If anyone was wondering why Adnan took this match to switch to a 4-3-3, it was because he realised that Poafmersia can't do without a solid defence. And it wasn't that bad. Mitchel Rosales was surviving nicely at the left, occasionally coming up to help Gisiik Moonar. Whether it was trying to get the ball over to Gisiik Moonar to build up attacks, or to pressure the opponents into making mistakes, Rosales was doing a good job. On the other side, Natalia Abbott was full of energy after missing the first 2 games. Running about here and there, pressuring the opponents, you name it, she done it. A rather solid performance from the rightback. But honestly, the game was a marathon. An absolute nightmare, with defence taking the upmost priority. Nobody wants to concede a goal. Nobody. But it wasn't a nightmare for the fans who were there to enjoy the game. There was lot of excitement in the centre of the field, as players find ways to reduce damage, seeing the continuous change in possession, skill tricks and all.

You do, however, realise that this game was important to both sides. A loss means they will be out. For Poafmersia, they will be yearning to score. Yearning to cause an upset. Yearning to show that their Round of 16 appearance last cycle wasn't a fluke. And most importantly, showing everyone that Poafmersia has the capabilities to become a World Cup winner. The latter may be difficult for now, but at least, that was an aspiration. And so Adnan was out there to build the strategy up. Attempting to get fresher legs up front, Pete Carisa was substituted out, and Whitney Rios took over. There was quite some pressure build up in front, but on the other side, the defenders were pulling through. And then the final roll of the dice came when Arnold Shwentin came on for Woden Sweet. Holding midfielder exchange for a normal, central midfielder. The game was on.

The fans of both sides continued to cheer the team on. It was terrible to watch as the clock was ticking down. Nobody wanted to hit the dreaded coin flip. A goal would be enough to secure Round of 16 - so close yet so far. But the keepers were solid, and Sandi Jaliaha bravely saved an attempt from Twicetagria in the 86th minute. Just 3 minutes later, Makana Tuft had an attempt ruled out for offside. And then...came the number of stoppage time minutes. 3 minutes, waved the 4th official. A bit little, considering the match is headed for a ridiculous outcome. Not extra time, not penalties, but coin flip.

Nero Wood led a final charge. Getting the ball from Abbott, he quickly passed it back to Shwentin to stop the approaching Davidov Rominevskiy. Then Abbott passed it to Moonar. Danazhivogorod Andi was there to stand guard, but Moonar quickly juked the midfielder and handed it back to Wood on the other side of the pitch. And slowly edged forward. The defenders will slowly push forward to try to mark every single approaching player. But a quick pass to Shwentin, and Shwentin handed it over to Joel Haodao, waiting without a defender beside him just yet. Joel Haodao edged forward, into the box. And Stormy Martins came over to make a slide tackle in an attempt to regain possession. It was a beautiful tackle, except one thing - he touched Haodao in the process and Haodao just fell. And clearly, that was a penalty.

Joel Haodao looked at Makana Tuft. Tuft was the designated penalty taker, but Haodao was the more experienced player on the field. This would be extremely important - a goal here would secure Poafmersia's progress to the Round of 16. "Do you mind taking up the penalty?" Tuft asked. Haodao stared at him, and Tuft looked back. "It is your choice, whatever happens, I would not mind." A long pause. Then the words came. "I will do it then."

Joel Haodao stepped up to the penalty spot. The opposition keeper, Rudolph Haniet, stared at his eyes, as though he was trying to read Haodao's mind. The fans waited for the penalty. For the Poafmers there, a goal would mean celebration. A save might possibly mean danger, leaving things at the hands of fate. Joel Haodao muttered a little prayer, and looked towards goal. Calmly, he stepped up to the ball, and slotted it towards the right side and towards goal. He closed his eyes.

And history will remember this moment. When Haniet dived the wrong way, when the ball went past the goal line, the Poafmers just roared. Absolutely stunning goal that was. And the final whistle blew. And Poafmersia will be through to the next stage of the competition.

[Chromatika]

Will your run end? Or will you take yet another step to Chromia! Here is your cutoff.

Results

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

Lifted Lamp, Chapter 14
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13
OOC: don't mind me, just a quick wrap up to set the stage for regionals

we join the sporting segment of a nightly news program in the Confederacy

". . . arrived back in at Arkintoofle Interntional Airport this evening, where a throng of supporters numbering in the thousands turned out to welcome them home. For the Black-and-Reds, it must have been a bittersweet experience, having been eliminated from the World Cup on the final matchday of the group stage, after putting themselves in a good position with excellent results against Baker Park and Chromatika. For the fans present though, the good outweighed the bad."

cut to taped interview

"I mean yeah it sucks to go out like that, you know, on goal differential and all. But the team proved a lot of people wrong just getting this far, so we all wanted to come out and show support. We're really proud of them and we want them to see that everyone here at home is behind them."

cut back to studio

"Black-and-Reds manager Anne-Sophie Groothuis was less ebullient about the result, but appreciative of the show of support nonetheless."

cut to taped interview

"It does mean a lot to the players, and to me. It was discouraging that we failed to follow through after giving ourselves an opportunity to advance. In hindsight, I'm sure many people will view this as a success, but it's definitely a disappointment for us. So the fact that so many people would come out late at night to welcome us back is definitely touching, and gives us motivation to keep pushing forward."

cut back to studio

From sporting news, we move to the day's top story. President Kamenev's latest public statement on the developing situation in the Imperium has sparked fierce debate and rampant speculation all across Confederate society.

cut to tape of President's speech

"Today, together with senior members of Parliament, we take an unprecedented step. We extend an offer to the provinces of the Imperium that, by democratic or representative government action, they may apply for membership in the Squornshelan Confederacy. We take this step after due consideration, and with caution, but also with compassion. Reconciliation of our peoples will take much time, but we are determined that ours shall always be the open hand of friendship. To the Squornshelan people who have suffered under the Imperium, know that our doors are open to you, and we stand ready to welcome you as siblings."

Schedule and Results:

GS1: SRS 1-0 CBP @ The Hive (cap. 42,000/122,000), Deprí Sanar, CMT 
GS2: CMT 0-0 SRS @ The Hive (cap. 42,000/122,000), Deprí Sanar, CMT
GS3: SRS 1-4 IAQ @ Hawks' Nest (cap. 38,000/112,000), Deprí Lanar, CMT

MD1:  SRS 2-2 VIL @ Radlov Arena (cap. 76,800), Brantisvogan, Megabrantis, SRS
MD2:  USD 4-6 SRS @ TBA
MD3:  SRS 1-1 SDG @ Killough Grove (cap. 31,400), Han Wavel, Han Dold, SRS
MD4:  PSI 0-3 SRS @ TBA
MD5:  SRS 3-3 SVJ @ Overburg Arena (cap. 46,222), Damogran, Algolia, SRS
MD6:  HTK 0-1 SRS @ TBA
MD7:  SRS 2-0 LIS @ Flanoil Arena (cap. 50,350), Traal, East Flania, SRS
MD8:  SRS 1-1 TFS @ Smolak Systemy Stadion (cap. 31,200), Sjerezo, Molvania, SRS
MD9:  ESH 1-2 SRS @ The Eshialand City SuperDome (cap. 75,000), Eshialand City, ESH
MD10: VIL 5-3 SRS @ Tivali-Ring Stadium (cap. 87,000 ), Alikki-Cora, VIL
MD11: SRS 3-2 USD @ Sunergy Field (cap. 37,550), Hunian, Algolia, SRS
MD12: SDG 0-1 SRS @ Stadium Persekutuan (cap. 40,000), Kambang, SDG
MD13: SRS 1-0 PSI @ Old Flamarion Stadium (cap. 26,405), Flamarion, Megabrantis, SRS
MD14: SVJ 4-4 SRS @ Nationastadion Carl Gustaff Bjurman, Sjoedrhavn, SVJ
MD15: SRS 1-0 HTK @ Pheldagriff Stadium (cap. 45,620), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD16: LIS 5-5 SRS @ TBA
MD17: TFS 0-1 SRS @ TBA
MD18: SRS 4-4 ESH @ Chernov Stadium (cap. 57,600), Viltvodle, Megabrantis, SRS
PO1:  TRL 2-3 SRS @ 1th December Stadium (cap. 100,000), Trolleborg City, TRL
PO2:  SRS 1-1 TRL @ The Lutenstaad (cap. 75,000), Lutenblag, Molvania, SRS