Domestic Sports Newswire of Naixi

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 21

MATCHDAY 21
Yinying 2-0 Youyi
Wenzi 0-2 Shenmi
Zhanshi 1-1 Wangzi
Jingying 0-1 Xue
Baiyi 0-2 Shuqin
Leiyu 3-0 Yanjiang

League of Ascension Standings

    Team           P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
001 Shenmi        21  14  3   4  39  11  +28  45
  2 Shuqin        21  12  6   3  41  17  +24  42
  3 Yinying       21  12  5   4  40  17  +23  41
004 Leiyu         21  10  8   3  31  14  +17  38
  5 Wenzi         21   8  7   6  23  19   +4  31
006 Zhanshi       21   9  4   8  22  22   +0  31
  7 Xue           21   7  7   7  22  24   -2  28
  8 Wangzi        21   6  6   9  23  31   -8  24
  9 Yanjiang      21   7  1  13  20  38  -18  22
 10 Youyi         21   5  6  10  19  35  -16  21
 11 Baiyi         21   3  5  13  13  35  -22  14
 12 Jingying      21   3  2  16  16  46  -30  11

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 QUARTERFINAL LEG 2

It's time to pick our final four. Let's get into it, shall we? On Saturday, Fuchou had the tie basically settled in the first half hour, as Yue Hsieh scored in the 5th and 22nd minutes in a continuation of her mid-season surge. Yes, the Marksmen did pull one back deep into stoppage time, but by then the Qiawutian crowd was either catatonic or had already filed out, such was the clear inevitability of the Burgundy's triumph. Meanwhile, in Chumeichang, the Purple and White made up for their unconvincing first leg performance by steamrollering Yanjiang. Nicole Carpenter scored twice in the first half and then completed her hat trick in the 72nd minute to guarantee the Wizards' progression. The Lava Monsters go back to the doldrums of their quest to make the promotion playoffs down in the League of Ascension. The next afternoon, the holders Chongjibo outdid even themselves. Yes, they'd destroyed Aierlanren in the league a week before, but they had even more in the tank as they annihilated the visiting Leiyu. Yet another League of Ascension club is out. Meanwhile, out east in Bao, Youyi made no progress whatsoever towards cutting into Baomao's massive lead from the first leg, but they did do themselves a tiny bit proud by grinding out a bore draw. Baomao are still through, of course.

And so we have our last four. Notice anything? It's the same semifinalists as a year ago. Clearly, there are clubs well-prepared for a cup campaign and clubs that aren't. What is different this time around is the seeding, so we are not guaranteed a total replica. Baomao will square off against Fuchou in what some refer to as the Downtown Derby (as both sides' fan bases are generally located in downtown Qiawutian), and Chongjibo will lock horns with Qiji, guaranteeing that last season's finalists cannot meet one another there again.

Fuchou 2-1 Sheshou (4-2 agg)
Qiji 3-0 Yanjiang (4-1 agg)
Chongjibo 6-0 Leiyu (9-0 agg)
Youyi 0-0 Baomao (0-4 agg)

Semifinals
* Team listed first plays at home in first leg

(5) Baomao v (1) Fuchou
(3) Chongjibo v (2) Qiji

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 19

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Friday, February 13
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 69°F/21°C
Weather: ☁ Overcast

Result: Sheshou 1-1 Chongjibo
Goal Minutes: 29' 81'
Player of the Match: Tse Peng Chu (assist)

Just when it seemed totally inarguable that Chongjibo's star was rising, the All-Whites show up to turn night into day. In a profoundly fascinating philosophical battle between experienced Mytanar tactics-head Dragomir Lazic and fresh upstart Caitlyn Kaleta (whose career in the dugout is only just beginning), it seemed as though Lazic's years of wisdom would be the difference following the Shockwaves' goal on the half hour mark. But Tse Peng Chu's incredible work rate resulted in a two-on-two with ten minutes to go, and Chongjibo flushed two points down the toilet when Chu's pass became an assist.

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Friday, February 13
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 62°F/17°C
Weather: ☂ Downpour

Result: Xiniu 1-0 Qi'e
Goal Minutes: 40'
Player of the Match: Lao Che Cai (clean sheet)

Meanwhile, in Chumeichang, Winless Watch continues. The Penguins' first nineteen games of the year have resulted in zero - yes, zero - wins. With eight games to go and all of their games against their fellow promoted club now done, odds on the ignominious accomplishment are shortening at great pace. Take nothing away from the home side: while the Blue Rhinos' goose is equally cooked, they at least are showing some pride and fighting to win the games they can. Lao Che Cai earned one more precious clean sheet, and was seen motivating his teammates to fight for survival after the full time whistle.

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Saturday, February 14
Time: 15:00
Temperature: 74°F/23°C
Weather: ☂ Rain

Result: Nongmin 3-1 Baomao
Goal Minutes: 32' 34' 37' 88'
Player of the Match: Jun Ming (goal)

If were a right wing team with aspirations to win the title this year, and you were humiliated by a mid-table team supported by a bunch of dipshit anarchists, you'd feel like you had a score to settle if you met them again four matchdays later, wouldn't you? You would. And Nongmin did. Yes, they were at home, and yes, Tan Hung Xun wasn't present to torture her former employers (she's suspended). But Jun Ming's opening goal (an outrageous strike from deep) notwithstanding, the Farmers got want they craved and they rubbed the Black Cats' faces in the dirt. Revenge, dishes served cold, yadda yadda...

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Saturday, February 14
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 71°F/22°C
Weather: ☂ Downpour

Result: Zhayao 1-0 Qiji
Goal Minutes: 32'
Player of the Match: Vinicio Juapuala (goal, clean sheet)

On a sopping wet Saturday night in Qiawutian, Zhayao knew it was vital to get something out of the game, as they were in eighth and ninth-place Xiniu had won the night before. Only problem? They were facing an impressive and confident Qiji and have had well-publicized issues with profligacy in front of goal, all year long. All they could really hope for was to keep it tight at the back and pick up something on a set piece... and wouldn't you know it, that's exactly what they got, as Vinicio Juapuala's point-blank header in minute 32 was enough to arrest Chun Hsia Teoh's invincible Wizards at last.

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Sunday, February 15
Time: 15:00
Temperature: 77°F/25°C
Weather: ☀ Partly Clear

Result: Fuchou 1-1 Aierlanren
Goal Minutes: 67' 88'
Player of the Match: Chin Chih Yap (assist)

It is definitely starting to look like Nongmin's year to win the title, isn't it? Every time it appears that the race is tightening, Chongjibo and Fuchou start to bottle it, and the Silver and Red just keep trucking along. This week featured yet another bottle job by the Burgundy. They nearly lost to their Qiawutian rivals, the Irish... frankly they should have lost to them, as Chin Chih Yap's truly admirable passing performance would have made Kian Zhi Yuan blush. The Avengers just barely saved a point, but all that did was put them five points adrift of Nongmin rather than six. Good for Aierlanren, though.

OOC Note: The sharpest-eyed among you might notice a format change in the table below. I assure you that nothing fishy is going on. I use a custom fixture list for the final third of the League of the Two Sapphires season (in order to guarantee that teams properly reverse fixtures every year), so I switch from NSFS 3.0.1 over to the xkoranate table generator. I stress: I have not changed scorinators. Results are still being generated in NSFS 3.0.1. I am only using xkoranate for the table generator.

League of the Two Sapphires Standings

                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
01 Nongmin                19   12   5   2    40   16  +24    41
02 Chongjibo              19   10   6   3    40   12  +28    36
 3 Fuchou                 19   10   6   3    30   13  +17    36
 4 Qiji                   19    9   6   4    29   17  +12    33
 5 Sheshou                19    5  10   4    25   22   +3    25
 6 Zhayao                 19    6   7   6    17   19   −2    25
 7 Aierlanren             19    6   7   6    18   26   −8    25
 8 Baomao                 19    6   5   8    20   26   −6    23
09 Xiniu                  19    2   3  14    11   43  −32     9
10 Qi'e                   19    0   3  16     6   42  −36     3

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 22

MATCHDAY 22
Shenmi 2-1 Yinying
Wangzi 1-2 Youyi
Xue 0-2 Wenzi
Shuqin 5-1 Zhanshi
Yanjiang 4-2 Jingying
Leiyu 5-1 Baiyi

League of Ascension Standings

    Team           P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
001 Shenmi        22  15  3   4  41  12  +29  48
  2 Shuqin        22  13  6   3  46  18  +28  45
  3 Yinying       22  12  5   5  41  19  +22  41
004 Leiyu         22  11  8   3  36  15  +21  41
  5 Wenzi         22   9  7   6  25  19   +6  34
006 Zhanshi       22   9  4   9  23  27   -4  31
  7 Xue           22   7  7   8  22  26   -4  28
  8 Yanjiang      22   8  1  13  24  40  -16  25
  9 Wangzi        22   6  6  10  24  33   -9  24
 10 Youyi         22   6  6  10  21  36  -15  24
 11 Baiyi         22   3  5  14  14  40  -26  14
 12 Jingying      22   3  2  17  18  50  -32  11

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 23

MATCHDAY 23
Yinying 2-2 Wangzi
Shenmi 1-1 Xue
Youyi 1-4 Shuqin
Wenzi 1-1 Yanjiang
Zhanshi 2-1 Leiyu
Jingying 2-0 Baiyi

League of Ascension Standings

    Team           P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
001 Shenmi        23  15  4   4  42  13  +29  49
  2 Shuqin        23  14  6   3  50  19  +31  48
  3 Yinying       23  12  6   5  43  21  +22  42
004 Leiyu         23  11  8   4  37  17  +20  41
  5 Wenzi         23   9  8   6  26  20   +6  35
006 Zhanshi       23  10  4   9  25  28   -3  34
  7 Xue           23   7  8   8  23  27   -4  29
  8 Yanjiang      23   8  2  13  25  41  -16  26
  9 Wangzi        23   6  7  10  26  35   -9  25
 10 Youyi         23   6  6  11  22  40  -18  24
 11 Baiyi         23   3  5  15  14  42  -28  14
 12 Jingying      23   4  2  17  20  50  -30  14

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 20

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Friday, February 20
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 59°F/15°C
Weather: ☁ Overcast

Result: Aierlanren 3-0 Zhayao
Goal Minutes: 3' 14' 92'
Player of the Match: Chen Ling (2 goals, assist)

On a cool but dry Friday night, Zhayao proved that defending against a modern, attacking, and possession-oriented side is nothing at all like defending against an old-fashioned, defensive, and direct one. Just a week after valiantly holding on for a clean sheet versus the famously progressive Qiji, they found Aierlanren's antique tactical approach completely impossible to deal with. Chen Ling had a field day as she hammered in a third-minute penalty, scored from open play on fifteen minutes (or there or thereabouts), and then provided an assist in stoppage time to leave her mark on the Irish rout.

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Saturday, February 21
Time: 15:00
Temperature: 78°F/26°C
Weather: ☁ Overcast

Result: Sheshou 0-2 Nongmin
Goal Minutes: 65' 73'
Player of the Match: Hai Ying Fu (2 assists, clean sheet)

The Marksmen have been borderline unstoppable lately; they came into this Saturday afternoon affair unbeaten in four. Chun Lin, normally a picture of aggressive risk-taking, asked her Farmers to take their foot off the gas and respect the opposition. Refusing to find themselves overrun on the wings - as many of Sheshou's opponents have this year - the Silver and Red had faith that their chances would come. Hai Ying Fu patiently waited, and then began getting it launched in the final half hour. Her forwards converted her passes twice, and Nongmin take yet another step towards a shocking title win.

Stadium: Huangtong Ta
City: Wanqianganga
Date: Saturday, February 21
Time: 15:00
Temperature: 75°F/24°C
Weather: ☁ Overcast

Result: Qi'e 0-4 Fuchou
Goal Minutes: 33' 61' 75' 94'
Player of the Match: Yue Hsieh (2 goals, assist)

Meanwhile, out in Wanqianganga, reeling Fuchou have collected two points from a possible twelve in their last four league games, and needed a bit of luck. The fixture computer gave them just that, as "hapless" doesn't begin to describe Qi'e. It did take a while for the Avengers to really start feeling it, but eventually Lai Hung chopped down Jen Ta Jin in the box and earned both a yellow and a spot kick from twelve yards for the Avengers. Yue Hsieh finessed it into the bottom corner to get things started, and then Hung promptly did it again on the hour mark, at which point she was dismissed by the referee.

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Sunday, February 22
Time: 15:00
Temperature: 82°F/28°C
Weather: ☀ Partly Clear

Result: Xiniu 0-2 Qiji
Goal Minutes: 38' 40'
Player of the Match: Zhen Bang Tan (2 assists, clean sheet)

Wu Jiang Fa was Chun Hsia Teoh's understudy at Qiji for two years, and was supposed to deliver some of Teoh's passing philosophies to Xiniu when he was appointed there. He has comprehensively failed to deliver that, but let's give him a sliver of credit: on a hot Sunday afternoon in Chumeichang, he very nearly embarrassed his former club. He found a way to stop Ma Huan Yep from cutting inside and supporting the midfield, and the Wizards' attack stalled. Unfortunately for the Blue Rhinos, Teoh had a backup plan, and Zhen Bang Tan stepped out of defense and filled the gap. The Purple and White still won.

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Sunday, February 22
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 66°F/19°C
Weather: ☾ Partly Clear

Result: Baomao 0-3 Chongjibo
Goal Minutes: 30' 71' 74'
Player of the Match: Lu Fang Huang (clean sheet)

For a little while, you could imagine it was Matchday 3 at the Sha Dadao on Sunday night... it was a little cool, and the Shockwaves were playing poorly against the Black Cats. But this time, unlike that time, Lu Fang Huang kept a clean sheet. He had to work for it, as particularly during the first twenty minutes the Pink and Black were under the cosh. You worried a bit for the champions when they only took a one-nil lead into the half time break (the way they were playing, that clearly wasn't enough), but Dragomir Lazic obviously used the hairdryer treatment, as Chongjibo looked a side reborn in the final forty-five.

OOC Note: The sharpest-eyed among you might notice a format change in the table below. I assure you that nothing fishy is going on. I use a custom fixture list for the final third of the League of the Two Sapphires season (in order to guarantee that teams properly reverse fixtures every year), so I switch from NSFS 3.0.1 over to the xkoranate table generator. I stress: I have not changed scorinators. Results are still being generated in NSFS 3.0.1. I am only using xkoranate for the table generator.

League of the Two Sapphires Standings

                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
01 Nongmin                20   13   5   2    42   16  +26    44
02 Chongjibo              20   11   6   3    43   12  +31    39
 3 Fuchou                 20   11   6   3    34   13  +21    39
 4 Qiji                   20   10   6   4    31   17  +14    36
 5 Aierlanren             20    7   7   6    21   26   −5    28
 6 Sheshou                20    5  10   5    25   24   +1    25
 7 Zhayao                 20    6   7   7    17   22   −5    25
 8 Baomao                 20    6   5   9    20   29   −9    23
09 Xiniu                  20    2   3  15    11   45  −34     9
10 Qi'e                   20    0   3  17     6   46  −40     3

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 24

MATCHDAY 24
Xue 0-3 Yinying
Shuqin 2-1 Wangzi
Yanjiang 0-7 Shenmi
Leiyu 2-3 Youyi
Baiyi 0-2 Wenzi
Jingying 2-5 Zhanshi

League of Ascension Standings

    Team           P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
001 Shenmi        24  16  4   4  49  13  +36  52
  2 Shuqin        24  15  6   3  52  20  +32  51
  3 Yinying       24  13  6   5  46  21  +25  45
004 Leiyu         24  11  8   5  39  20  +19  41
  5 Wenzi         24  10  8   6  28  20   +8  38
006 Zhanshi       24  11  4   9  30  30   +0  37
  7 Xue           24   7  8   9  23  30   -7  29
  8 Youyi         24   7  6  11  25  42  -17  27
  9 Yanjiang      24   8  2  14  25  48  -23  26
 10 Wangzi        24   6  7  11  27  37  -10  25
 11 Baiyi         24   3  5  16  14  44  -30  14
 12 Jingying      24   4  2  18  22  55  -33  14

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 25

MATCHDAY 25
Yinying 1-0 Shuqin
Xue 2-0 Yanjiang
Wangzi 0-4 Leiyu
Shenmi 1-1 Baiyi
Youyi 3-1 Jingying
Wenzi 1-1 Zhanshi

League of Ascension Standings

    Team           P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
001 Shenmi        25  16  5   4  50  14  +36  53
  2 Shuqin        25  15  6   4  52  21  +31  51
  3 Yinying       25  14  6   5  47  21  +26  48
004 Leiyu         25  12  8   5  43  20  +23  44
  5 Wenzi         25  10  9   6  29  21   +8  39
006 Zhanshi       25  11  5   9  31  31   +0  38
  7 Xue           25   8  8   9  25  30   -5  32
  8 Youyi         25   8  6  11  28  43  -15  30
  9 Yanjiang      25   8  2  15  25  50  -25  26
 10 Wangzi        25   6  7  12  27  41  -14  25
 11 Baiyi         25   3  6  16  15  45  -30  15
 12 Jingying      25   4  2  19  23  58  -35  14

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 21

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Friday, February 27
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 59°F/15°C
Weather: ☾ Partly Clear

Result: Qiji 1-2 Sheshou
Goal Minutes: 4' 65' 82'
Player of the Match: Zhen Bang Tan (goal)

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Friday, February 27
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 59°F/15°C
Weather: ☂ Drizzle

Result: Fuchou 3-0 Zhayao
Goal Minutes: 10' 53' 73'
Player of the Match: Yue Hsieh (2 goals, assist)

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Saturday, February 28
Time: 15:00
Temperature: 73°F/23°C
Weather: ☀ Clear

Result: Aierlanren 2-0 Baomao
Goal Minutes: 29' 55'
Player of the Match: Chen Ling (goal, assist)

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Saturday, February 28
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 65°F/18°C
Weather: ☾ Clear

Result: Chongjibo 5-0 Xiniu
Goal Minutes: 2' 16' 23' 72' 79'
Player of the Match: Leontiy Korchagin (3 goals, 2 assists)

Stadium: Huangtong Ta
City: Wanqianganga
Date: Sunday, March 1
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 61°F/16°C
Weather: ☾ Clear

Result: Qi'e 0-4 Nongmin
Goal Minutes: 1' 17' 22' 85'
Player of the Match: Chong Xian Ye (2 goals)

OOC Note: The sharpest-eyed among you might notice a format change in the table below. I assure you that nothing fishy is going on. I use a custom fixture list for the final third of the League of the Two Sapphires season (in order to guarantee that teams properly reverse fixtures every year), so I switch from NSFS 3.0.1 over to the xkoranate table generator. I stress: I have not changed scorinators. Results are still being generated in NSFS 3.0.1. I am only using xkoranate for the table generator.

League of the Two Sapphires Standings

                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
01 Nongmin                21   14   5   2    46   16  +30    47
02 Chongjibo              21   12   6   3    48   12  +36    42
 3 Fuchou                 21   12   6   3    37   13  +24    42
 4 Qiji                   21   10   6   5    32   19  +13    36
 5 Aierlanren             21    8   7   6    23   26   −3    31
 6 Sheshou                21    6  10   5    27   25   +2    28
 7 Zhayao                 21    6   7   8    17   25   −8    25
 8 Baomao                 21    6   5  10    20   31  −11    23
09 Xiniu                  21    2   3  16    11   50  −39     9
10 Qi'e                   21    0   3  18     6   50  −44     3

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 26

MATCHDAY 26
Yanjiang 1-2 Yinying
Leiyu 1-0 Shuqin
Baiyi 1-4 Xue
Jingying 0-2 Wangzi
Zhanshi 1-1 Shenmi
Wenzi 3-0 Youyi

League of Ascension Standings

    Team           P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
001 Shenmi        26  16  6   4  51  15  +36  54
  2 Shuqin        26  15  6   5  52  22  +30  51
  3 Yinying       26  15  6   5  49  22  +27  51
004 Leiyu         26  13  8   5  44  20  +24  47
  5 Wenzi         26  11  9   6  32  21  +11  42
006 Zhanshi       26  11  6   9  32  32   +0  39
  7 Xue           26   9  8   9  29  31   -2  35
  8 Youyi         26   8  6  12  28  46  -18  30
  9 Wangzi        26   7  7  12  29  41  -12  28
 10 Yanjiang      26   8  2  16  26  52  -26  26
 11 Baiyi         26   3  6  17  16  49  -33  15
 12 Jingying      26   4  2  20  23  60  -37  14

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 27

MATCHDAY 27
Yinying 0-1 Leiyu
Yanjiang 3-0 Baiyi
Shuqin 5-0 Jingying
Xue 2-1 Zhanshi
Wangzi 2-2 Wenzi
Shenmi 2-0 Youyi

League of Ascension Standings

    Team           P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
001 Shenmi        27  17  6   4  53  15  +38  57
  2 Shuqin        27  16  6   5  57  22  +35  54
  3 Yinying       27  15  6   6  49  23  +26  51
004 Leiyu         27  14  8   5  45  20  +25  50
  5 Wenzi         27  11 10   6  34  23  +11  43
006 Zhanshi       27  11  6  10  33  34   -1  39
  7 Xue           27  10  8   9  31  32   -1  38
  8 Youyi         27   8  6  13  28  48  -20  30
  9 Wangzi        27   7  8  12  31  43  -12  29
 10 Yanjiang      27   9  2  16  29  52  -23  29
 11 Baiyi         27   3  6  18  16  52  -36  15
 12 Jingying      27   4  2  21  23  65  -42  14

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 SEMIFINAL LEG 1

On Saturday at the Sha Dadao, the sight of Yue Hsieh squinting into the sun in the bright afternoon as she stepped up to take her 17th minute penalty - and ripping the shot a good quarter of a mile over the crossbar - was a perfect visual metaphor for the first half. The writing seemed on the wall for the Avengers during the first half, as Jun Ming and Hang Ki Tan committed error after error and put themselves under eyelash-melting pressure. But the Burgundy struggled with terrible finishing for the entirety of the opening period. It was only after the half time break that things began going their way, and once they did, they really did. Jen Ta Jin scored in the 50th minute, You Liang Mok netted in the 59th, and Hsieh made up for her miss by slotting one away in the 67th. The latter striker then earned herself a brace to make it four nil in stoppage time. Despite going into halftime at zips, Baomao are somehow already out of the Zhen Li Jiang Cup at the halfway mark of the semifinal. Dare we say it this early? Eh, why not? Given that they don't seem to be at any risk of going down, the Black Cats have the look of a team that's on the beach.

The next day in Chumeichang, history seemed to repeat itself... at least for the first 45. Kian Zhi Yuan had the opportunity to put Chongjibo one nil up in the 12th minute after Zhen Bang Tan tripped up Mei Ying Chang inside the penalty area. But - with beaming rays raining down as they had in Qiawutian 24 hours prior - Yuan missed badly. Just like their compatriots Fuchou, the Shockwaves had to hang their heads as they went down the tunnel at half time with a nil nil scoreline. But here's the difference - unlike Fuchou, Chongjibo didn't improve in the greener pasture of the second half. In fact, the Pink and Black looked frankly terrible. The mood soured as Ma Huan Yep's passing helped the Purple and White begin to turn the screw, and Zhen Bang Tan was eventually the man who ended the stalemate in the Wizards favor (making up for having committed the first half penalty that could have put his side in a hole), letting loose with a sickeningly dipping strike that Lu Fang Huang failed to lay a glove on. Chongjibo, uncharacteristically lifeless, seemed content to give up and marshal their forces for the second leg. If any club can afford to take that risk, it's the Shockwaves.

Baomao 0-4 Fuchou
Chongjibo 0-1 Qiji

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 22

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Friday, March 13
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 61°F/16°C
Weather: ☾ Clear

Result: Baomao 2-3 Qi'e
Goal Minutes: 24' 54' 70' 78' 81'
Player of the Match: Tan Hung Xun (goal, assist)

Watch no more! Winless Watch ends, and the Penguins claim victory. The three points will feel great, but it must be said: the Goldenrods sure won the game in the exact way you'd expect a team that hadn't won yet to. Plainly attempting to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, time and time again Qi'e went out in front before allowing the totally ambivalent Black Cats to equalize. The lead finally stuck on 81 minutes, and though their fate is already sealed (relegation awaits), they can at least be proud of this.

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Saturday, March 14
Time: 15:00
Temperature: 73°F/23°C
Weather: ☀ Partly Clear

Result: Zhayao 3-1 Xiniu
Goal Minutes: 18' 26' 91' 94'
Player of the Match: Yung Ping Shao (2 assists)

On a splendid sunny afternoon in Qiawutian, it should have been Yung Ping Shao's day. The center back cum playmaker assisted in overwhelming Xiniu's weak three-man midfield, grabbed two assists, and led the Miners in passes. But there's no justice anywhere in the world; what Shao will have wanted more than anything (like any self-respecting defender) is a clean sheet, and she was robbed off that. Teammate Vinicio Juapuala's late foul in the box gave the Blue Rhinos a penalty, and it ended three one.

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Saturday, March 14
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 61°F/16°C
Weather: ☾ Partly Clear

Result: Nongmin 1-0 Aierlanren
Goal Minutes: 81'
Player of the Match: Iomelda van Hoogstraaten (goal)

Wanna be a champion? Buy yourselves some veterans who have already won stuff. And honestly, Iomelda van Hoogstraaten actually has been much better for the Farmers than she ever was for Chongjibo, as her directness has been unleashed. Ask Aierlanren, they're the ones she punished with ten minutes to go in Chumeichang on Saturday night. The Silver and Red are nearly there, but to make it happen, next week, the Tikariotian must lead her new club to victory against her old club, as city rivals Nongmin and Chongjibo face off in a massive derby.

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Sunday, March 15
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 63°F/17°C
Weather: ☂ Rain

Result: Chongjibo 2-0 Qiji
Goal Minutes: 1' 3'
Player of the Match: Kian Zhi Yuan (2 goals)

Sunday evening brought us our long-awaited doubleheader as we got to pick between two simultaneous games. In the former, a repeat of the cup semifinal shock a week before, the Shockwaves got more done in the first 180 seconds than they did in the prior 90 minutes. Kian Zhi Yuan was back to his old lethal self. He ignited past an unusually poor Ma Huan Yep inside of twenty seconds to bend a shot into the back of the net, and then doubled his goal tally just two minutes later. The Shockwaves aren't giving up on the title just yet. On to next week.

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Sunday, March 15
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 62°F/17°C
Weather: ☁ Overcast

Result: Fuchou 3-1 Sheshou
Goal Minutes: 2' 5' 11' 66'
Player of the Match: Yue Hsieh (2 goals, assist)

You know, the double is very much still on for Fuchou, and yet nobody at all is talking about them. Perhaps it's because they're down in third, behind Chongjibo on the goal difference tiebreaker. But they seem to be in the midst of a hot streak, and they absolutely have the quality and depth to keep it going. They torched the "visitors" in this North Qiawutian Derby, with Yue Hsieh, who scored twice, looking particularly outstanding. Only Chu's late moment of genius prevented Janoušek from getting a deserved clean sheet.

OOC Note: The sharpest-eyed among you might notice a format change in the table below. I assure you that nothing fishy is going on. I use a custom fixture list for the final third of the League of the Two Sapphires season (in order to guarantee that teams properly reverse fixtures every year), so I switch from NSFS 3.0.1 over to the xkoranate table generator. I stress: I have not changed scorinators. Results are still being generated in NSFS 3.0.1. I am only using xkoranate for the table generator.

League of the Two Sapphires Standings

                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
01 Nongmin                22   15   5   2    47   16  +31    50
02 Chongjibo              22   13   6   3    50   12  +38    45
 3 Fuchou                 22   13   6   3    40   14  +26    45
 4 Qiji                   22   10   6   6    32   21  +11    36
 5 Aierlanren             22    8   7   7    23   27   −4    31
 6 Sheshou                22    6  10   6    28   28    0    28
 7 Zhayao                 22    7   7   8    20   26   −6    28
 8 Baomao                 22    6   5  11    22   34  −12    23
09 Xiniu                  22    2   3  17    12   53  −41     9
10 Qi'e                   22    1   3  18     9   52  −43     6

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 28

MATCHDAY 28
Baiyi 0-1 Yinying
Jingying 1-2 Leiyu
Zhanshi 1-2 Yanjiang
Wenzi 1-0 Shuqin
Youyi 0-2 Xue
Shenmi 6-0 Wangzi

League of Ascension Standings

    Team           P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
001 Shenmi        28  18  6   4  59  15  +44  60
  2 Shuqin        28  16  6   6  57  23  +34  54
  3 Yinying       28  16  6   6  50  23  +27  54
004 Leiyu         28  15  8   5  47  21  +26  53
  5 Wenzi         28  12 10   6  35  23  +12  46
006 Xue           28  11  8   9  33  32   +1  41
  7 Zhanshi       28  11  6  11  34  36   -2  39
  8 Yanjiang      28  10  2  16  31  53  -22  32
  9 Youyi         28   8  6  14  28  50  -22  30
 10 Wangzi        28   7  8  13  31  49  -18  29
 11 Baiyi         28   3  6  19  16  53  -37  15
 12 Jingying      28   4  2  22  24  67  -43  14

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 23

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Friday, March 20
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 66°F/19°C
Weather: ☁ Overcast

Result: Nongmin 0-3 Chongjibo
Goal Minutes: 32' 41' 65'
Player of the Match: Kian Zhi Yuan (goal, 2 assists)

Ohhhhh, boy. It's a 3-way title race now! It might have been a local derby, but the whole country was watching this one like it was a World Cup final on Friday night. Sadly, the end product was underwhelming, as Chun Lin horribly underestimated Dragomir Lazic. The normally attack-forward Mytanar tactician pulled a striker and added an additional central midfielder, and pulled Kian Zhi Yuan further back than usual. The resulting 4-5-1 allowed the Shockwaves to dominate possession, and the Farmers were toast.

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Saturday, March 21
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 69°F/21°C
Weather: ☂ Rain

Result: Qiji 1-0 Baomao
Goal Minutes: 74'
Player of the Match: Ma Huan Yep (assist)

The Black and Brown didn't actually look half bad for much of the game, but Ma Huan Yep ultimately assisted on the game's only goal to award the Purple and White a needed three points. Back in the win column, the Wizards are looking relatively safe to finish fourth, but their next three fixtures will be critical. Next week, they've got Fuchou, then on Matchday 25, it's a six-pointer versus Aierlanren, and then in their penultimate game, their opponents will be Chumeichang rivals Nongmin. This will be interesting.

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Sunday, March 22
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 60°F/16°C
Weather: ☾ Partly Clear

Result: Xiniu 2-6 Fuchou
Goal Minutes: 6' 15' 17' 19' 23' 40' 79' 84' 88'
Player of the Match: You Liang Mok (goal, 4 assists)

An irresistible force right now, the Avengers crushed the Blue Rhinos on Sunday night in Chumeichang. It was a brutal thing to watch for the home Xiniu supporters, who knew they had to win to stay up. Instead, they found themselves five-nil down just thirty minutes in. The Burgundy rumble onward into the final stretch, with Yue Hsieh, Jaromír Janoušek, and You Liang Mok all in superlative form. Fuchou's last two games are away against Chongjibo and Nongmin, but if they win those, they could be champions.

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Sunday, March 22
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 66°F/19°C
Weather: ☾ Partly Clear

Result: Aierlanren 1-0 Qi'e
Goal Minutes: 37'
Player of the Match: Chin Chih Yap (goal)

Few in the mid-table pack hold out hope that an IFCF qualification is possible. The one exception is Aierlanren, who - despite having played well below their own standards for much of the season - are still fighting. Qi'e played well, confident on the back of their victory a week before, but Kwang Chih Lo's defensive warriors were back to their best on Sunday night. Chin Chih Yap's incredible first-half volley with the outside of her boot made the difference. With a slightly easier run-in than Qiji's, the Irish are far from dead and buried.

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Monday, March 23
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 66°F/19°C
Weather: ☾ Partly Clear

Result: Sheshou 2-0 Zhayao
Goal Minutes: 12' 33'
Player of the Match: Tse Peng Chu (2 goals)

What on earth was the fixture computer thinking? On a Monday night before an international break, you really need to put two teams with something to play for out on the pitch, and neither the Marksmen nor the Miners meet that description. This Chengse River Derby was incredibly dull (shock) and television viewership was awful. But those who saw the game in person at the Sha Dadao at least got to watch a massive half time fist fight between the two sets of supporters, who absolutely loathe one another.

OOC Note: The sharpest-eyed among you might notice a format change in the table below. I assure you that nothing fishy is going on. I use a custom fixture list for the final third of the League of the Two Sapphires season (in order to guarantee that teams properly reverse fixtures every year), so I switch from NSFS 3.0.1 over to the xkoranate table generator. I stress: I have not changed scorinators. Results are still being generated in NSFS 3.0.1. I am only using xkoranate for the table generator.

League of the Two Sapphires Standings

                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
01 Nongmin                23   15   5   3    47   19  +28    50
02 Chongjibo              23   14   6   3    53   12  +41    48
 3 Fuchou                 23   14   6   3    46   16  +30    48
 4 Qiji                   23   11   6   6    33   21  +12    39
 5 Aierlanren             23    9   7   7    24   27   −3    34
 6 Sheshou                23    7  10   6    30   28   +2    31
 7 Zhayao                 23    7   7   9    20   28   −8    28
 8 Baomao                 23    6   5  12    22   35  −13    23
 9 Xiniu                  23    2   3  18    14   59  −45     9
10 Qi'e                   23    1   3  19     9   53  −44     6

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 29

MATCHDAY 29
Yinying 2-1 Jingying
Baiyi 0-1 Zhanshi
Leiyu 2-2 Wenzi
Yanjiang 2-1 Youyi
Shuqin 0-3 Shenmi
Xue 1-2 Wangzi

League of Ascension Standings

    Team           P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
001 Shenmi        29  19   6   4  62  15  +47  63
  2 Yinying       29  17   6   6  52  24  +28  57
  3 Shuqin        29  16   6   7  57  26  +31  54
004 Leiyu         29  15   9   5  49  23  +26  54
  5 Wenzi         29  12  11   6  37  25  +12  47
006 Zhanshi       29  12   6  11  35  36   -1  42
  7 Xue           29  11   8  10  34  34   +0  41
  8 Yanjiang      29  11   2  16  33  54  -21  35
  9 Wangzi        29   8   8  13  33  50  -17  32
 10 Youyi         29   8   6  15  29  52  -23  30
 11 Baiyi         29   3   6  20  16  54  -38  15
 12 Jingying      29   4   2  23  25  69  -44  14

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 24

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Friday, April 3
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 60°F/16°C
Weather: ☾ Clear

Result: Baomao 3-0 Xiniu
Goal Minutes: 32' 39' 88'
Player of the Match: Hang Ki Tan (2 goals, clean sheet)

Lao Che Cai's traditionally erratic goalkeeping was on full display on Friday night at the Sha Dadao as the Black Cats prowled toward an unsurprising win. Hang Ki Tan's brace was deserved - if only because he was imperious in defense - but in fairness, Cai should have saved both goals. It's not been a wonderful year for the Black and Brown, but this was a nice night out for Baomao's supporters. Eighth isn't so bad.

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Saturday, April 4
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 64°F/18°C
Weather: ☂ Rain

Result: Zhayao 0-2 Nongmin
Goal Minutes: 47' 89'
Player of the Match: Tak Hing Jin (2 assists)

After having been unstoppable for the first half of the year, Tak Hing Jin has gone rather silent. In the middle of an insanely tight title race, now was really not the time. Clearly, what Jin needed was a matchup with a team whose fans he truly hates. The boos in Qiawutian failed to deter the second striker from assisting on both the Farmers' goals as Nongmin remain on their perch at the top of the league. 3 games left.

Stadium: Huangtong Ta
City: Wanqianganga
Date: Saturday, April 4
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 50°F/10°C
Weather: ☂ Drizzle

Result: Qi'e 0-1 Chongjibo
Goal Minutes: 88'
Player of the Match: Cheuk Yan Tsang (goal)

Meanwhile, in Wanqianganga, the Goldenrods were a goal line clusterfuck away from dealing the champions' quest for a threepeat an unbelievable death blow. The Penguins defended incredibly well as the Shockwaves tried to penetrate their low block, and Lai Hung got a glove on the point-blank shot that Cheuk Yan Tsang broke the nil nil deadlock with. The Pink and Black got it done with minutes to spare... barely.

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Sunday, April 5
Time: 15:00
Temperature: 67°F/19°C
Weather: ☁ Overcast

Result: Qiji 1-2 Fuchou
Goal Minutes: 47' 79' 94'
Player of the Match: Nicole Carpenter (goal)

Frankly, the league got this one wrong, as the Player of the Match award should clearly have gone to Jaromír Janoušek. Nicole Carpenter was incredible... a constant threat to the Avengers' back line... but Janoušek was equal to her at every juncture. The Burgundy had to rely on a couple counterattacks (preying on the positioning of the advanced Zhen Bang Tan) for their goals, but got them in the end. No one blinks this matchday.

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Sunday, April 5
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 54°F/12°C
Weather: ☂ Rain

Result: Sheshou 0-1 Aierlanren
Goal Minutes: 24'
Player of the Match: Chin Chih Yap (goal)

Aierlanren are on fire! It was yet another hard-fought defensive victory for the Irish, anchored by a sparkling finish by winger Chin Chih Yap, and the Gold and White are now just two points away from the IFCF spots. Next week, the Irish take on Qiji in a massive 6-pointer. If they win that, they'll be in fourth. And who do they play on the final day, giving them an outsized role in determining who wins the title? Chongjibo.

OOC Note: The sharpest-eyed among you might notice a format change in the table below. I assure you that nothing fishy is going on. I use a custom fixture list for the final third of the League of the Two Sapphires season (in order to guarantee that teams properly reverse fixtures every year), so I switch from NSFS 3.0.1 over to the xkoranate table generator. I stress: I have not changed scorinators. Results are still being generated in NSFS 3.0.1. I am only using xkoranate for the table generator.

League of the Two Sapphires Standings

                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
01 Nongmin                24   16   5   3    49   19  +30    53
02 Chongjibo              24   15   6   3    54   12  +42    51
 3 Fuchou                 24   15   6   3    48   17  +31    51
 4 Qiji                   24   11   6   7    34   23  +11    39
 5 Aierlanren             24   10   7   7    25   27   −2    37
 6 Sheshou                24    7  10   7    30   29   +1    31
 7 Zhayao                 24    7   7  10    20   30  −10    28
 8 Baomao                 24    7   5  12    25   35  −10    26
 9 Xiniu                  24    2   3  19    14   62  −48     9
10 Qi'e                   24    1   3  20     9   54  −45     6

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 30

MATCHDAY 30
Zhanshi 0-0 Yinying
Wenzi 5-1 Jingying
Youyi 1-1 Baiyi
Shenmi 1-0 Leiyu
Wangzi 1-0 Yanjiang
Xue 0-1 Shuqin

League of Ascension Standings

    Team           P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
001 Shenmi        30  20   6   4  63  15  +48  66
002 Yinying       30  17   7   6  52  24  +28  58
  3 Shuqin        30  17   6   7  58  26  +32  57
004 Leiyu         30  15   9   6  49  24  +25  54
  5 Wenzi         30  13  11   6  42  26  +16  50
006 Zhanshi       30  12   7  11  35  36   -1  43
  7 Xue           30  11   8  11  34  35   -1  41
  8 Wangzi        30   9   8  13  34  50  -16  35
  9 Yanjiang      30  11   2  17  33  55  -22  35
 10 Youyi         30   8   7  15  30  53  -23  31
 11 Baiyi         30   3   7  20  17  55  -38  16
 12 Jingying      30   4   2  24  26  74  -48  14

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 31

MATCHDAY 31
Yinying 1-1 Wenzi
Zhanshi 2-1 Youyi
Jingying 1-1 Shenmi
Baiyi 0-5 Wangzi
Leiyu 5-0 Xue
Yanjiang 0-3 Shuqin

League of Ascension Standings

    Team           P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
001 Shenmi        31  20   7   4  64  16  +48  67
002 Shuqin        31  18   6   7  61  26  +35  60
  3 Yinying       31  17   8   6  53  25  +28  59
004 Leiyu         31  16   9   6  54  24  +30  57
  5 Wenzi         31  13  12   6  43  27  +16  51
006 Zhanshi       31  13   7  11  37  37   +0  46
  7 Xue           31  11   8  12  34  40   -6  41
  8 Wangzi        31  10   8  13  39  50  -11  38
  9 Yanjiang      31  11   2  18  33  58  -25  35
 10 Youyi         31   8   7  16  31  55  -24  31
 11 Baiyi         31   3   7  21  17  60  -43  16
 12 Jingying      31   4   3  24  27  75  -48  15

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 SEMIFINAL LEG 2

Unwilling to take their foot off the pedal, Fuchou kicked the Black Cats off the park in the second leg in Qiawutian. Jen Ta Jin, the Avengers star who has perhaps been the least influential during this extant late-season surge, was particularly eager to make an impact, as his industry revealed serious flaws in Tan Hung Xun's defensive game. His second-half brace rounded out the blowout win. The next day, in Chumeichang, Chongjibo's luck ran out at last. Having been humiliated in the first leg, they began the second well enough, with Cheuk Yan Tsang getting on the end of a Leontiy Korchagin cross in the 9th minute. But the Wizards clawed their way back into it, and were back out in front on aggregate when Nicole Carpenter hit paydirt just before half time. The exhausted Pink and Black, who have been fighting on all fronts for more or less the entirety of the club's existence, could not summon the willpower to overturn the result, and the Wizards faithful shook the Huangse Migong in delight when the final whistle blew. The Purple and White will meet the Burgundy in the final.

Fuchou 5-0 Baomao (9-0 agg)
Qiji 1-1 Chongjibo (2-1 agg)

Final

(1) Fuchou v (2) Qiji

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 32

MATCHDAY 32
Youyi 1-2 Yinying
Shenmi 0-1 Wenzi
Wangzi 1-2 Zhanshi
Xue 2-1 Jingying
Shuqin 1-0 Baiyi
Yanjiang 0-2 Leiyu

League of Ascension Standings

    Team           P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
001 Shenmi        32  20   7   5  64  17  +47  67
002 Shuqin        32  19   6   7  62  26  +36  63
  3 Yinying       32  18   8   6  55  26  +29  62
004 Leiyu         32  17   9   6  56  24  +32  60
  5 Wenzi         32  14  12   6  44  27  +17  54
006 Zhanshi       32  14   7  11  39  38   +1  49
  7 Xue           32  12   8  12  36  41   -5  44
  8 Wangzi        32  10   8  14  40  52  -12  38
  9 Yanjiang      32  11   2  19  33  60  -27  35
 10 Youyi         32   8   7  17  32  57  -25  31
 11 Baiyi         32   3   7  22  17  61  -44  16
 12 Jingying      32   4   3  25  28  77  -49  15

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 33

MATCHDAY 33
Yinying 0-1 Shenmi
Wangzi 2-1 Youyi
Wenzi 0-0 Xue
Shuqin 0-1 Zhanshi
Jingying 0-2 Yanjiang
Leiyu 0-0 Baiyi

League of Ascension Standings

    Team           P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
001 Shenmi        33  21   7   5  65  17  +48  70
002 Shuqin        33  19   6   8  62  27  +35  63
003 Yinying       33  18   8   7  55  27  +28  62
004 Leiyu         33  17  10   6  56  24  +32  61
  5 Wenzi         33  14  13   6  44  27  +17  55
006 Zhanshi       33  15   7  11  40  38   +2  52
  7 Xue           33  12   9  12  36  41   -5  45
  8 Wangzi        33  11   8  14  42  53  -11  41
  9 Yanjiang      33  12   2  19  35  60  -25  38
 10 Youyi         33   8   7  18  33  59  -26  31
 11 Baiyi         33   3   8  22  17  61  -44  17
 12 Jingying      33   4   3  26  28  79  -51  15

Promotion Playoff Fixtures

1st Semifinal: Leiyu v Wenzi
Winner advances to Grand Final, loser advances to Preliminary Final

2nd Semifinal: Zhanshi v Xue
Winner advances to Preliminary Final

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 25

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Friday, April 17
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 58°F/14°C
Weather: ☁ Overcast

Result: Chongjibo 4-0 Zhayao
Goal Minutes: 4' 71' 73' 83'
Player of the Match: Kian Zhi Yuan (2 goals, assist)

Friday night kicked us off on the third-to-last weekend of the season. The Derby of Friendship tends to go the Shockwaves way, if you take previous seasons' results into account, but there was only one thing on Dragomir Lazic's mind at kickoff: this year this fixture hadn't produced a goal for nearly 180 minutes. That had to change for him, and did, as Kian Zhi Yuan put the Pink and Black out in front early. On to Saturday and Nongmin.

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Saturday, April 18
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 49°F/9°C
Weather: ☂ Downpour

Result: Nongmin 1-1 Xiniu
Goal Minutes: 63' 66'
Player of the Match: Lao Che Cai

A disgrace one week before as the Blue Rhinos fell to the Black Cats, Xiniu goalkeeper Lao Che Cai showed up to the Huangse Migong on Saturday night determined to prove everybody wrong. He may or may not have done that, but Naixi's Baptism of Fire starter put in a performance for the ages, parrying away a Tak Hing Jin header on 24 minutes and tipping Chong Xian Ye's curling skidder around the post on 40. Briefly, his strikers even put the Blue Rhinos out in front, and though that lead only lasted three minutes, title aspirants Nongmin were left lying on the pitch, gutted to the core, upon the final whistle. The Farmers can only look at this affair against the already-relegated Xiniu as two enormous points dropped. That could be the title gone.

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Saturday, April 18
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 54°F/12°C
Weather: ☂ Rain

Result: Aierlanren 0-2 Qiji
Goal Minutes: 12' 77'
Player of the Match: Ma Huan Yep (goal, assist)

Ma Huan Yep has had an incredible year, and though he's faded ever so slightly in the last month, he's still a playmaker of the highest quality, as demonstrated by his no-look through ball to Carpenter to go up one nil. Back in your place, Aierlanren. Qiji may not have formally wrapped up fourth place in the League of the Two Sapphires with this win, but they very nearly did so, as the gap is five points with only two weeks left.

Stadium: Huangtong Ta
City: Wanqianganga
Date: Sunday, April 19
Time: 15:00
Temperature: 69°F/21°C
Weather: ☂ Drizzle

Result: Qi'e 1-1 Sheshou
Goal Minutes: 52' 65'
Player of the Match: Di Na Sa (assist)

The Penguins were as poor this week as ever, conceding an 8th minute penalty and only keeping it scoreless thanks to a serviceable Lai Hung save. They improved throughout the game, though, drawing on the mood at the Huangtong Ta, which has been improving since the club was officially relegated. Di Na Sa's technical passing contributed to a Sheshou comeback, but the point feels great for Qi'e. Can the Goldenrods avoid finishing last?

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Sunday, April 19
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 66°F/19°C
Weather: ☾ Partly Clear

Result: Fuchou 2-0 Baomao
Goal Minutes: 9' 67'
Player of the Match: You Liang Mok (goal, assist)

A week after cruising past the Black Cats in the second leg of the Zhen Li Jiang Cup semifinal, Fuchou had to pick up a Sunday night victory against the very same team in order to keep up with the other two clubs in the title race. They did so, as You Liang Mok provided a lovely cross for Yue Hsieh's 9th minute tap in and scored himself on 67 minutes. All of the Big Three are level on 54 points, separated only by the goal difference tiebreaker. It's been feeling like a penalty shootout lately with regard to the title race, as the pressure is always on the team who plays last on the matchday. Fuchou, who have been in that unenviable position for the last four weeks relative to the Shockwaves and Farmers, have handled the duress with poise. The Burgundy are unbeaten in a whopping ten games across all competitions and control their own destiny in the title race. They win their final two games of the year against Chongjibo and Nongmin and they are champions! Oh, and don't forget: they're in a cup final. The Avengers could collect an incredible domestic double.

OOC Note: The sharpest-eyed among you might notice a format change in the table below. I assure you that nothing fishy is going on. I use a custom fixture list for the final third of the League of the Two Sapphires season (in order to guarantee that teams properly reverse fixtures every year), so I switch from NSFS 3.0.1 over to the xkoranate table generator. I stress: I have not changed scorinators. Results are still being generated in NSFS 3.0.1. I am only using xkoranate for the table generator.

League of the Two Sapphires Standings

                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
01 Chongjibo              25   16   6   3    58   12  +46    54
02 Fuchou                 25   16   6   3    50   17  +33    54
 3 Nongmin                25   16   6   3    50   20  +30    54
 4 Qiji                   25   12   6   7    36   23  +13    42
 5 Aierlanren             25   10   7   8    25   29   −4    37
 6 Sheshou                25    7  11   7    31   30   +1    32
 7 Zhayao                 25    7   7  11    20   34  −14    28
 8 Baomao                 25    7   5  13    25   37  −12    26
 9 Xiniu                  25    2   4  19    15   63  −48    10
10 Qi'e                   25    1   4  20    10   55  −45     7

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 MATCHDAY 26

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Friday, April 24
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 59°F/15°C
Weather: ☾ Partly Clear

Result: Qiji 0-1 Nongmin
Goal Minutes: 19'
Player of the Match: Hai Ying Fu (assist, clean sheet)

Aside from a pretty hairy moment right at the end when Zhen Bang Tan's header smashed off the crossbar, this Friday night top four showdown went well for Nongmin. The Farmers kept Yep and Carpenter quiet and racked up a huge xG and possession advantage. Ye's blasted finish for the solitary goal was ordinary, though Hai Ying Fu's assist, created by a diving header from midfield, was a delight to witness. The Silver and Red do their part in the title race, greatly ratcheting up the pressure on Chongjibo and Fuchou.

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Saturday, April 25
Time: 15:00
Temperature: 71°F/22°C
Weather: ☀ Partly Clear

Result: Xiniu 1-1 Aierlanren
Goal Minutes: 61' 68'
Player of the Match: Chen Ling (assist)

Chin Chih Yap's second yellow card in the 53rd minute certainly put Aierlanren in a rotten position on Saturday afternoon at the Huangse Migong, but the Irish made the best of it, getting a shorthanded goal in the 61st. (Perhaps it was the outstanding weather.) Of course, the Blue Rhinos couldn't resist the temptation to turn the man advantage into a result, and their 68th minute equalizer earned Xiniu a point. That's the Gold and White formally out of the IFCF race - though their chances were very slim to begin with.

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Saturday, April 25
Time: 15:00
Temperature: 68°F/20°C
Weather: ☀ Clear

Result: Zhayao 2-0 Qi'e
Goal Minutes: 4' 47'
Player of the Match: Kuang Yin Cao (goal, assist)

Imagine if you worked a job as a lawyer or solicitor. Then the owner of the firm suddenly told you: "hey, yeah, uh, I'm selling the firm... and just to warn you, the new boss'll probably want you to be a construction foreman instead." You'd quit, right? Well, many said Kuang Yin Cao should have done the same, as Jiawei Sangu was always going to reorganize the Zhayao attack. He did, and Cao's performances suffered. But Cao stayed, and slowly he's creeping back into the Miners' first team. He was great versus Qi'e today.

Stadium: Sha Dadao
City: Qiawutian
Date: Sunday, April 26
Time: 15:00
Temperature: 69°F/21°C
Weather: ☂ Downpour

Result: Baomao 1-1 Sheshou
Goal Minutes: 3' 91'
Player of the Match: Jun Ming (goal)

With the showdown of the century happening that night in Chumeichang and a furious downpour soaking everyone and everything, it was hardly a spectacle when Baomao "hosted" Sheshou at the Sha Dadao on Sunday afternoon. The players, too, certainly did their best to make the affair positively unwatchable, as Tse Peng Chu's 58th minute sending off (the result of being cautioned for simulation... when he was already on a yellow) marred the contest. Jun Ming's late goal from a corner saved a point for the Black Cats.

Stadium: Huangse Migong
City: Chumeichang
Date: Sunday, April 26
Time: 20:00
Temperature: 66°F/19°C
Weather: ☾ Clear

Result: Chongjibo 4-0 Fuchou
Goal Minutes: 10' 17' 53' 80'
Player of the Match: Lu Fang Huang (clean sheet)

This monumental match promised to have a profound effect on the title race, and did. A fluke 10th minute own goal and a 17th minute header from 7 yards sent the Shockwaves into half time two goals to the good, but the possession numbers told the real story: Fuchou were actually very good, creating numerous opportunities in the gap created between Leontiy Korchagin and the Shockwaves' right center back. Lu Fang Huang continued to cultivate his reputation as a world class talent, though, neutralizing the ever-dangerous Avengers and all but eliminating the Burgundy from the title race as the reigning champs added two more in the second half. Just one more hurdle for the Pink and Black; a victory over Aierlanren on the last day and the Silver and Red will have to win by 20+ goals to match them.

OOC Note: The sharpest-eyed among you might notice a format change in the table below. I assure you that nothing fishy is going on. I use a custom fixture list for the final third of the League of the Two Sapphires season (in order to guarantee that teams properly reverse fixtures every year), so I switch from NSFS 3.0.1 over to the xkoranate table generator. I stress: I have not changed scorinators. Results are still being generated in NSFS 3.0.1. I am only using xkoranate for the table generator.

League of the Two Sapphires Standings

                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
01 Chongjibo              26   17   6   3    62   12  +50    57
02 Nongmin                26   17   6   3    51   20  +31    57
 3 Fuchou                 26   16   6   4    50   21  +29    54
 4 Qiji                   26   12   6   8    36   24  +12    42
 5 Aierlanren             26   10   8   8    26   30   −4    38
 6 Sheshou                26    7  12   7    32   31   +1    33
 7 Zhayao                 26    8   7  11    22   34  −12    31
 8 Baomao                 26    7   6  13    26   38  −12    27
 9 Xiniu                  26    2   5  19    16   64  −48    11
10 Qi'e                   26    1   4  21    10   57  −47     7

[Naixi]

SEASON 3 PROMOTION PLAYOFF SEMIFINALS

1st Semifinal:
Leiyu 1-2 Wenzi

2nd Semifinal:
Zhanshi 2-0 Xue

Promotion Playoff Fixtures

Preliminary Final: Leiyu v Zhanshi
Winner advances to Grand Final