Baptism of Fire 87 - Everything Thread

[Snestar]

Group 17 Matchday 1 - Moon Deing vs Snestar

4-3-3 Formation
GK 1 Federico Calvaresi (Captain)
LB 5 Riccardo Cavaliere
CB 2 Giulio Maritan
CB 16 Valentino Garnati
RB 15 Simone Ramella
CDM 6 Davide Scognamiglio
CM 10 David de Roux
CM 14 Nicola Ragusa
LW 19 Mattia Castelletti
ST 17 Tero Sjölund
RW 11 Federico Marchesi

As the Snestaryan national team prepares for their first matchday against Moon Deing, the press has chosen to interview the first goalkeeper of the squad, Federico Calvaresi. Despite his relatively young age, Calvaresi was given the captain's armband a month before the start of the Baptism of Fire. Here's what he had to say about it:

"I'm thankful to Camilla for being given the opportunity to lead the national team. Ever since I brought Arentas back to Division Alpha last year and helped them finish 7th in the league, I've been praised for my exceptional conduct on the pitch. Which is strange to me, since I don't consider myself a good leader at all. I get really mad when my teammates make mistakes, but I guess it's natural since I'm a goalkeeper. So when I chose to remain at Arentas, even after getting offers from so many big clubs like Ardalya, Edervina, and Venistalya, they decided to reward me with the captaincy of the club. And I guess Camilla also wanted to put some trust in my... illusory leadership skills.

Once I informed Gallerani, who was the previous captain, he was surprisingly very supportive of me. Actually, he told me he, quote, "didn't want to be the general of our army anymore", and genuinely believed I was going to do a great job... Luckily I didn't have to deal with Valentino, 'cause he's not the type of man to give up power easily. He's been captain of Lavenya for five years now, and sometimes I feel like this title gets to his head a bit too much. I mean, it's still Lavenya, but I'd rather have a humble vice-captain playing for a Division Beta side on my side rather than an arrogant one playing for one of the Big Three... But don't tell him I said this on camera! [...]

What do I think about the Starting XI against Moon Deing? Well, I'm glad that Camilla is trusting the younglings. I'll admit, it was not a surprise to see Castelletti starting as our winger. Right now, the type of football he's been playing in Carvella is genuinely phenomenal. Ragusa too; he absolutely deserved to be a starter for Ardalya. I'm looking forward to seeing how they manage under pressure, 'cause the stakes are high."

[Soviet Kem]

Group 2 Matchday 1 - Soviet Kem vs. Mystris

3-2-2-1-2 Formation
Starting XI

GK 6 Zoinski
CB 58 Kenidky
LCB 19 Gente
RCB 17 Jent
LDM 15 Fendski
RDM 11 Hedzinski
LCM 10 Putanik (Captain)
RCM 56 Genish II
SS 29 Gligimesh
LST 23 Nort
RST 20 Fengski

[Hanalia]

Press conferences are well understood to have someone, or maybe a few people, up the front giving some sort of statement followed by questions from the present journalists. The sort of thing that occurs before a match or for announcing the squad for an upcoming tournament. This isn't what happened for the upcoming Baptism of Fire, for this the FAH simply emailed the list of players to the journalist mailing list one morning with a note to only publish after the public announcement on social media at 3pm. A bit anticlimactic for a unique tournament but whatever. Given the team was the same as had been dispatched to Warkus for the CAFA Cup there wasn't a huge amount of excitement to go with the announcement anyway.

When an invite pinged into the same mailboxes a week before the tournament a few eyebrows were raised. Even more so given the location was a nondescript cafe in Lei that had no relevance to anything on the face of it. About an hour later a second email dropped into the inboxes confirming the invite was not a hoax and to expect a big announcement at the event. Evidently the FAH press officer had received some queries about this whole thing and issued the reassurance to ensure that there would be an audience. So newsrooms from the major outlets sent out a reporter to see just what the FAH was up to this time.

Café O Lei was ordinarily a peaceful spot where patrons could happily spend a whole afternoon, sipping their coffee while enjoying the company of their friends, reading a novel or simply watching the world go by. This afternoon it was not quite so welcoming. The full height windows that looked out onto the square were covered with black drapes and the lights dimmed all the way down except for two spotlights that had been erected to illuminate the 'stage'. Sounding as if it was coming from a night club down the street was a techno beat thudding away in the background. The effort to create an atmosphere was so obviously a facade everyone was staring straight through it.

The event began with a bodyless voice announcing each of the players. Who, when their name was called, walked up to the front. Some smiled, some waved, one or two pulled a pose, Lin went for the famous 'Siuu' and generated a laugh in the room. Football players are not catwalk models and this was agonisingly awkward for a few, especially as they walked back out with not enough room at the front for them all to remain. After the first four players had been, the volume of the music was turned up after their name was announced, which did mitigate the uncomfortableness of the time it took for each player to go up and come back to a certain extent.

Captain Monroe was the last player to be introduced and when he made it to the top he sat at one of the stools that were on the stage section at the front. Then Rafael Griffin, aka the Griff, emerged from the drapes set up at the back of the stage and took the other stool. The Griff was manager of the Vikings of Lei FC and has been the subject of much speculation that he'd take on managing the national team. Until now, there was no permanent manager with Betty Roach of the Estaver 98 club taking charge for the most recent CAFA Cup. He took the other stool but he hesitated bringing the mic up to speak as the music was still booming.

Eventually one of the back stage folks caught on to why nothing was happening and dropped the music back so Griffin could speak. He introduced himself to a room full of people who already knew him and said that he had been appointed the manager, again to a roomful of people who already knew as much. A confused scattering of applause met the least surprising announcement since the sky was declared blue.

Apparently this was the end of the 'press conference' as he opened the floor. Journalists are never known to not fire out some sort of question when given the opportunity, but the answer to the "Any questions?" question was evidently "No". Heads looked from side to side and around the room with bemused looks. Clearly they'd been stunned to silence by the extraordinary oddity of the whole spectacle. With that, the team, with new manager, were ready to head off to Equestria where Group 20 in this mammoth edition of the Baptism of Fire was being hosted. First up Nergtul.

[Hamborn]

Coach Interview :
(10pm Cest)
Journalist : Hello are you confident to win Today ?

Coach : No, we never will be sure if our team will win, everythings can happen.

J: How does view you in this competition ?

C: Very Very far .

J: who is your squad

C: really good this morning we have many test and the squad will be a good team.

J: Thank for your listening;

(12pm Cest) :
Here the Official Squad against Putrasia :

Bench :

24. Micheal Julio

35. Bilo Nosinto

28. Kislo Antaré

30. Xilo Novas

57. Risco Xaco

34. Neo Kisté

7. Joan Von de Polux

Starting Squad :




Number of fan :

2543 from Hamborn

[Banija]

Time for the first cutoff of Baptism of Fire 87, applicable for Groups 1-10!

Welcome folks! First cutoff, scores will be edited in here shortly after this post. Be ready!

RP Prompt #2: Talk about your nation's fans who are following the tournament. Is there a big group of fans who came to the host nations for this tournament, or are your supporters not the traveling type? What kind of activities are your supporters getting into between games, on days their teams are not playing?

Matchday 1

Group 1
Tremosia 4–4 The Miniona Islands
Minoptra 1–1 Manuelian Empire

  Group 1                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Manuelian Empire                       1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
  Minoptra                               1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
  The Miniona Islands                    1   0  1  0    4   4   0    1
  Tremosia                               1   0  1  0    4   4   0    1

Group 2
The Democratic Unionist Cool Kids 0–3 United Arabian Emirate
Soviet Kem 1–0 Mystris

  Group 2                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 United Arabian Emirate                 1   1  0  0    3   0  +3    3
2 Soviet Kem                             1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Mystris                                1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
4 The Democratic Unionist Cool Kids      1   0  0  1    0   3  −3    0

Group 3
Natot 2–0 New Eastern Roma
Knights of Lusitania 1–4 Sector 18

  Group 3                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sector 18                              1   1  0  0    4   1  +3    3
2 Natot                                  1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
3 New Eastern Roma                       1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0
4 Knights of Lusitania                   1   0  0  1    1   4  −3    0

Group 4
Jaoaa 1–0 Windows 7 Bliss
Baman & Juket Liberationists 0–3 Travanta

  Group 4                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Travanta                               1   1  0  0    3   0  +3    3
2 Jaoaa                                  1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Windows 7 Bliss                        1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
4 Baman & Juket Liberationists           1   0  0  1    0   3  −3    0

Group 5
Armeriea 2–1 Annestah
Chemicala 2–3 Phoenicia

  Group 5                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Armeriea                               1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
  Phoenicia                              1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
3 Annestah                               1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
  Chemicala                              1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0

Group 6
The Knockout Gun Gals 3–4 Skyberius
The Batavia 3–3 Santira

  Group 6                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Skyberius                              1   1  0  0    4   3  +1    3
2 Santira                                1   0  1  0    3   3   0    1
  The Batavia                            1   0  1  0    3   3   0    1
4 The Knockout Gun Gals                  1   0  0  1    3   4  −1    0

Group 7
Choppyhausen 2–1 Saint Lazarus
Very Totally Free 0–1 Bruinswik

  Group 7                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Bruinswik                              1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
  Choppyhausen                           1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Saint Lazarus                          1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
  Very Totally Free                      1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0

Group 8
Tornadico 0–1 Nova Dackians
Seeberg 0–1 Bonusia

  Group 8                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Bonusia                                1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
  Nova Dackians                          1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Seeberg                                1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
  Tornadico                              1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0

Group 9
Ziotah & Riverside 3–0 Aethelia
Montagne Noire 4–3 Burg Land

  Group 9                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ziotah & Riverside                     1   1  0  0    3   0  +3    3
2 Montagne Noire                         1   1  0  0    4   3  +1    3
3 Burg Land                              1   0  0  1    3   4  −1    0
4 Aethelia                               1   0  0  1    0   3  −3    0

Group 10
AJTON 3–1 Francanada
Behh 1–2 Riandera

  Group 10                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 AJTON                                  1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
2 Riandera                               1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Behh                                   1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
4 Francanada                             1   0  0  1    1   3  −2    0

[Saint-Lazarus]

FIRST MATCH ENDS WITH A LOSS
Sisonke, Kitara, Banija

The fans have gathered in the stadium to watch for the Carabaos play with a corteo for the barra brava to the Keystone Stadium. It was a carnival all over Sisonke, flares lightning, jumping, and singing for the national team. "We came here to show our prowess!", says a fan. "Choppyhausenians will ever know that we're still here for the team!" The streamers of the Saint Lazarene colors of blue, turquoise, and white, akin to some of the barra bravas in Latin America. But the team played in the 1990s colors of light and dark blue. The Choppyhausenians were left stunned when the chorus of the national anthem is sung passionately. After the anthems, the Saint Lazarenes are having a blast to cheer on their team. And when the first half comes, the Choppyhausenians went on to derail the defenses of Zaldarriaga, Pascual, and Robles. But Zaldarriaga just marked a Choppyhausenian player to win the ball but failed to do so as the Choppos have scored their first goal against them. The Choppyhausenians crowd went wild for their Choppos. And in the 2nd half, the Choppos went on to take out defensively the Saint Lazarene offense and suddenly, Robles committed a foul on a Choppo player and took the penalty, chipped over Ortega and scored the goal. But the Saint Lazarenes didn't hold back as they made a Choppo commit a foul and award a free kick. And offensive midfielder Uemura took the free kick and smashes it into the net and the barra brava went wild for that consolation goal. And the final whistle blows, the Choppos went on to win their first match, 2-1. "It was alright nonetheless.", says Uemura. "But I made the first competitive goal for the country, so it's alright." "Unfortunately we didn't got what we've expected.", says Usman. "But our match against Bruinswik will be a turning point for us." The Carabaos will meet the Bruinswik team in Busukuma at the Stadium of the Restoration. And they have some days to prepare for it.

[Soviet Kem]

Soviet Kem Win 1-0 Against Mystris

With a late penalty from Putanik in the 87th minute gave Soviet Kem the victory after a long-fought game, with the game being an enthralling match. Both teams had many shots, both on and off target, but in the 87th minute David Herbal fouling Fen Nort with a push to the back, awarding Soviet Kem the penalty, Putanik took it. Putanik sunk the penalty in the bottom left corner, while Yerh dived the correct way but failed to make the save. The thousands of Soviet Kemrainans who were watching the match erupted with joy as Putanik sunk the penalty, after the final whistle the Soviet Kemrainan stand erupted as they had just won the first World Cup affiliated game ever.

Most Soviet Kemrainans who did not travel to the tournament just go about their lives as normal, when not watching BoF games, while those who did travel to the host nations are mostly treating their down time as a vacation, so many are experiencing the local culture and cuisine.

[Aethelia]

Oh wow, some of you put a lot of effort into writing up your team stuff, I haven't read every word typed by everyone here, but read the first few posted so far and it's really impressive how much you all get into this. I didn't know things could get this serious on the forums. Is that why we had two weeks to plan stuff? Sorry I didn't really think about that, I thought maybe you were just giving more time for people to sign-up who didn't get the initial invitation to sign-up like I did. This won't be as impressive as what many of you have done, I thought taking an entire hour to write a forum post was a long time! But obviously not around here... anyway, here's what I have so far.

Nation: Aethelia is a progressive nation, filled with color, creativity and invention, and quite possibly a touch of chaos magic during nights of the full moon which keeps things in a cycle of creation and destruction. Nobody in Aethelia suffers from boredom. Madness maybe, but not boredom. Inexplicably all female, there's probably a reason, but nobody wrote it down and nobody else has bothered to ask.

Team: The Moonlit Mystics

Uniform: I can't draw and I don't want to use AI, but imagine uniforms that are half black, half white, representing balance, with a rainbow theme somewhere representing chaos among the balance.

Players:

Goalkeeper - Morrigan. Team matron whose very specific OCD makes her obsessive about defending the goal.
Goalkeeper - Tara. Less aggressive and quick, but this titaness can almost reach half the goal area just by reaching out.
Offense - Aislinn. Saves her strength for the right time to strike by frequently pausing to try to plant flowers in the otherwise boring grassy field.
Offense - Sorcha. Calm until she gets possession, resulting in a screaming furious rush towards the opposing goal.
Offense - Nessa. Former wrestler. Surprising upper body strength. Remains to be seen if this will be useful somehow.
Offense - Muirne. The enforcer. Hurt one of her teammates, and she'll cross the whole field to get even.
Midfield - Aibell. Quick to pass while in possession, quick to distract opposing midfielders when not in possession of the ball.
Midfield - Eriu. Not actually the team captain, but with superior eyesight, likes to overview the field and shout orders to her team.
Midfield - Eithne. Late bloomer who tends to perform very well only in the last 8 minutes of the match.
Midfield - Aibell. The youngest, tends to excel early on before burning out later.
Defense - Orlaith. A last minute addition to the team who carries the rulebook onto the field to review the rules during a match when needed.
Defense - Branna. Never stops moving. Can't. Too much energy. Has to keep moving. Always.
Defense - Niamh. Weak when isolated, but an excellent team player and passer.
Defense - Fionnuala. The team Bard, inspiring her teammates with song and dance more than actually doing anything impressive that is soccer-realted.

Manager - JEM. That's me. I make sure my players have their priorities straight: 1. Try really hard not to die or make anyone else die, player, referee, fan, or otherwise. 2. Be creative! 3. Have fun! 4. I dunno, score goals and maybe win at least one match this season?

Team prospects: Over the season, not great. The Mystics care more about style and creativity than about winning. But it's quite possible that they'll end the season 1W/15L/0D with that win being a 25-0 blowout against a strong team. They're full of surprises like that. (Seriously though, I have no expectations that you would allow someone like me with a low forum post count to win this, and I am 100% fine with that. Don't know who it should be, I just know it shouldn't be me.)

______________________________________________________________

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes.
Godmod scoring events: Not fully sure I understand what that means, hopefully I'm not pinged to go first so I can see someone else do this so I have an example to go off of. But yeah sure, why not.
RP injuries to my players: Yes, if it would be hilarious to do so.
Godmod injuries to my players: Sure, whatever that means.
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes.
Hand out red cards to my players: I guess so, but I hope it's at least for a funny or absurd occurrence.
Godmod other events: Yes. The more absurd, the better. I don't care you have my team lose, though I might care if it's in a really boring way, go ahead and make it as interesting as you can!
Style Modifier: +5. Would take this up to 11 if that were an option. This team absolutely will not end a match 0-0.



"Pre-Match Day 1 RP Prompt
Your nation is about to enter the Baptism of Fire, ahead of their first ever appearance in World Cup Qualifying! Talk about your nation’s relationship with the sport of association football. How popular is it in your country? Will everybody be watching, or just a select few? Will your nation’s fans be traveling in large numbers to the host nations for this tournament? Are there expectations of glory at such a unique chance to win silverware?"

Soccer is not big in Aethelia, the Aethelians just like trying everything at least once: It encourages creativity. Many Aethelians will travel to the event, but more for the experience of visiting a new place rather than caring who wins or loses... if any of them even bother to learn how the scoring works. Some of them might show up and just wander around the stands meeting people instead of watching the match. Maybe the host country will even appreciate the Aethelian culture we like to spread around the world, that would be a real win!

[Equestrian States]

Match Day 1, Groups 20-28 Cutoff

Welcome to the mystical land of Equestria! Results incoming roughly 10 minutes from the time of this post. The host nation info for Groups 20-28 can be found in this post along with the venue assignments for the group stage. If you have any questions for your RPs while competing in Equestria, feel free to reach out to me via TG.

---

BAPTISM OF FIRE 87
Farfadillis | Banija | Equestria

Match Day 1 Results

Group 20

Dixie Florida 1–0 Orioni
at Grand Regal Stadium in Canterlot, Equestria

Nergtul 2–5 Hanalia
at Grand Regal Stadium in Canterlot, Equestria

  Group 20                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Hanalia                     1   1  0  0    5   2  +3    3
2 Dixie Florida               1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Orioni                      1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
4 Nergtul                     1   0  0  1    2   5  −3    0

---

Group 21

Shizuna Rem Misurugi 2–2 Solarampa
at Shady Grove in Whitetail, Equestria

United States of Alpha 2–1 Orcuo
at Shady Grove in Whitetail, Equestria

  Group 21                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 United States of Alpha      1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
2 Shizuna Rem Misurugi        1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
  Solarampa                   1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
4 Orcuo                       1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

---

Group 22

Capitulists 0–2 The Ferret Lands
at Sky-High Coliseum in Cloudsdale, Equestria

Andso Mangis 0–1 Narovi
at Sky-High Coliseum in Cloudsdale, Equestria

  Group 22                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 The Ferret Lands            1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
2 Narovi                      1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Andso Mangis                1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
4 Capitulists                 1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0

---

Group 23

Super Earth 3–1 Brusselstein
at Elements Stadium in Ponyville, Equestria

Draftcubic 4–2 Baldorium
at Elements Stadium in Ponyville, Equestria

  Group 23                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Draftcubic                  1   1  0  0    4   2  +2    3
  Super Earth                 1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
3 Baldorium                   1   0  0  1    2   4  −2    0
  Brusselstein                1   0  0  1    1   3  −2    0

---

Group 24

Rizzman Empire 2–3 Bull Sheet
at Diamond Park in Stalliongrad, Equestria

Himurajima 1–4 Porotia
at Diamond Park in Stalliongrad, Equestria

  Group 24                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Porotia                     1   1  0  0    4   1  +3    3
2 Bull Sheet                  1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
3 Rizzman Empire              1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0
4 Himurajima                  1   0  0  1    1   4  −3    0

---

Group 25

Greater Deutsche 1–4 Bhumi Matawis Empire
at Wild Grounds in Everfree, Equestria

Atymnius 2–2 Biyambi
at Wild Grounds in Everfree, Equestria

  Group 25                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Bhumi Matawis Empire        1   1  0  0    4   1  +3    3
2 Atymnius                    1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
  Biyambi                     1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
4 Greater Deutsche            1   0  0  1    1   4  −3    0

---

Group 26

Denyssia 2–2 Europeasia
at the Stadium of the Night in Hollow Shades, Equestria

Cretian Territories 3–3 Equinox Auraterra
at the Stadium of the Night in Hollow Shades, Equestria

  Group 26                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Cretian Territories         1   0  1  0    3   3   0    1
  Denyssia                    1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
  Equinox Auraterra           1   0  1  0    3   3   0    1
  Europeasia                  1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1

---

Group 27

Whispinia 2–3 Meris
at The Thunderdome in Storm City, Equestria

South Kerala 2–2 Surne
at The Thunderdome in Storm City, Equestria

  Group 27                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Meris                       1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
2 South Kerala                1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
  Surne                       1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
4 Whispinia                   1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0

---

Group 28

Coercia 1–1 Konstantino
at The Crownlands in Manehattan, Equestria

Avote 2–6 New-Addlebrand
at The Crownlands in Manehattan, Equestria

  Group 28                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 New-Addlebrand              1   1  0  0    6   2  +4    3
2 Coercia                     1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
  Konstantino                 1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
4 Avote                       1   0  0  1    2   6  −4    0

[Super Earth Under Siege]

"This is Freedomball Freely, your number-one, Ministry of Truth-approved source on the recently-declared Multiversal Freedomball Expedition. The Super Earth Senators have triumphed in their first match, achieving a score of 3-1 against the opposing nation of Brusselstein. This monumental achievement firmly cements the unshakeable foundation that Managed Democracy provides to all citizens. Sporting Officer Myrom, leader of the expedition and coach of the Senators, had the following to say, quote: "This extraordinary victory was entirely expected. Our heroes are the best of the best- of the best- and will never fail the Federation of Super Earth". An additional ten seconds has been awarded to lunch breaks across the Federation, time dedicated to celebrating our valiant venturers into foreign Freedomball fields.
- Freedomball Freely broadcast, approved by the Ministry of Truth

Equestria

An unknowable amount of eyes were watching.

Billions of them belonged to Super Citizens, adoring and patriotic, cheering for the Senators at every opportunity.

Countless more were alien. Inscrutable, enigmatic things that could take any failure as a sign of weakness, any hesitation as an indication of vulnerability.

Equestria itself had proven that. Plenty of the Super Earthers had already gotten themselves into heated arguments with the local population. At first, they had tried to be civil about it. Better fresh food than rations, after all. But the prospect of eating genetically unmodified crops in an alien city? That was just too much to ask for. So the hungry Senators had done their due diligence, roaming from street to street until they found somewhere willing to sell them meat. And things were going fine for a time, even if the ponies outside looked at them like they were deranged while they ate burgers and chatted. It had been an innocent enough conversation. Matron was sharing war stories, and she mentioned that the MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun "kicked like a mule", and one thing led to another, and now the group had collectively decided not to return to that section of the city for rest of their stay.

Myrom had not been happy. Not because of the incident, but because of the environment- everyone was a little on edge, except the infamously stoic Deadman, whose facial expression about matched the statue-inspired helmet he usually wore in the field. These ponies had "magic" that was clearly similar to GW1-era Illuminate nanotechnology, and given the monstrous nature of the squids, rumours of interdimensional collusion quickly started spreading. It was a concern that this rumour would be distracting to the team, perhaps even causing a noticeable plummet in their performance. Helldivers were used to visiting alien hellscapes for forty minutes at a time with the sole objective of obliterating anything alien in sight. Spending days in a foreign land and being expected not to shoot anyone was a big ask.

Fortunately, it didn't make a dent in their performance. When the time came to face Brusselstein- the "Brussels Sprouts" as the Senators mockingly called them- everyone was in top performance. Only one conceded goal marred their astounding record, a conga line of calamities that could never again be repeated. Ret had gone for one of his signature sniper kicks only to go and whack Wader straight in the head with the shot. The following farce lead to a completely unpredictable assault that even the goliath Fisher couldn't hope to halt. Still, after that nightmare, Deadman's relentless advance and inhuman endurance managed to drive through the opposition, and with support from Chop and Wader Super Earth managed to prevail in the First Battle of Elements Stadium.

It was an inspiring result.

Now they just had to keep the winning streak going for the rest of the tournament.

[Farfadillis]

RP Prompt, Farfadillis Section: Your nation might've expected a host nation, or some infrastructure at least. Yet they find themselves in Farfadillis, as detailed here. Does it affect team morale? Do your nation's citizens care? Does your team? Does anything weird happen? World's your oyster.

BAPTISM OF FIRE 87
Farfadillis | Banija | Equestria

Match Day 1 Results

Group 11
Cardonia 0–0 Khachen
Bythia 1–0 Imperial Regnum

- Group 11               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Bythia                   1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
2 Cardonia                 1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
  Khachen                  1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
4 Imperial Regnum          1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0

Group 12
Sibersky 0–1 Salagalu
Esistan 3–5 Merulla

- Group 12               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Merulla                  1   1  0  0    5   3  +2    3
2 Salagalu                 1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Sibersky                 1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
4 Esistan                  1   0  0  1    3   5  −2    0

Group 13
Putrasia 0–1 Hamborn
Stewartika 3–0 Greater Portugaliza

- Group 13               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Stewartika               1   1  0  0    3   0  +3    3
2 Hamborn                  1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Putrasia                 1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
4 Greater Portugaliza      1   0  0  1    0   3  −3    0

Group 14
Veleste 1–1 Tristan de Cunha
New Arbuckle 2–2 Kilichloom

- Group 14               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kilichloom               1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
  New Arbuckle             1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
  Tristan de Cunha         1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
  Veleste                  1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1

Group 15
Salagavanya 3–3 Diollo
Pichvi 2–2 X Country

- Group 15               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Diollo                   1   0  1  0    3   3   0    1
  Pichvi                   1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
  Salagavanya              1   0  1  0    3   3   0    1
  X Country                1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1

Group 16
Aritraroy 1–1 Grego
Khaelu 3–1 Mindhart

- Group 16               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Khaelu                   1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
2 Aritraroy                1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
  Grego                    1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
4 Mindhart                 1   0  0  1    1   3  −2    0

Group 17
Alixe 0–1 Lebronsleftnut
Moon Deing 0–5 Snestar

- Group 17               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Snestar                  1   1  0  0    5   0  +5    3
2 Lebronsleftnut           1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Alixe                    1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
4 Moon Deing               1   0  0  1    0   5  −5    0

Group 18
Golfo Central 4–3 Hazardia
Colmaijo 4–1 Konkert

- Group 18               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Colmaijo                 1   1  0  0    4   1  +3    3
2 Golfo Central            1   1  0  0    4   3  +1    3
3 Hazardia                 1   0  0  1    3   4  −1    0
4 Konkert                  1   0  0  1    1   4  −3    0

Group 19
Rí­o de La Plata 0–2 Yangchenia
Shin-Zetsubo 7–2 Canamn

- Group 19               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Shin-Zetsubo             1   1  0  0    7   2  +5    3
2 Yangchenia               1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
3 Rí­o de La Plata          1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0
4 Canamn                   1   0  0  1    2   7  −5    0

[Stewartika]

THREE GOALS AND A CLEAN SHEET AS ROYAL PURPLE TAKE A DOMINANT WIN OVER GREATER PORTUGALIZA

A freezing cold day in Fröndt welcomed our players, and a great deal of confusion. Farfadillis was indeed different from anywhere in the world they had visited (although that condition is perhaps not that impressive, as they’ve only been about relatively stable RGBN). This stadium was at least intact, and fans were in ready supply (that of mostly Farf neutrals, but the several thousand strong traveling Stewartikans were in good spirits despite the biting chill), but the horror stories from other cities created an interesting mood. Still, The Pigs were ready to get the work done all the same, and donned their long-sleeved home purple jerseys, gloves and neck warmers to take to the field. And thankfully, the floating jellyfish were kept far from the pitch thanks to some dedicated stewards.

The match started as a relatively cagey affair, with both sides having their share of tries at target in the first half. Greater Portugaliza had the best chance of the 45 with team captain Reinaldo Souza’s misconnected half-volley at the edge of the penalty box. The effort ultimately went well wide of the goal, not troubling Grovalle in the slightest. The two teams went to the lockers goalless at the break.

The second half started much more favorably for Stewartika, enjoying up to 70 percent of the possession. This pressure was rewarded when Portugalizian midfielder Enzo Matosinhos brought down half-time substitute Jesse Morrissey just outside the box, earning a yellow card. Taking the resulting free-kick, Stewartikan captain Sung Min-Jae delivered a beautiful curving shot into the top-left corner, giving Portugalizian keeper Buffas no chance to save, to thunderous ovation from the traveling supporters.

The chances kept coming for Stewartika, as just 3 minutes afterwards Jin Ye-Seul’s flying header through the last defensive line powered into the goal for two. Soon after, Darius Erikkson picks up the ball in his own half, brings it forward, and blasts it from nearly halfway for Royal Purples third of the day.

As the match was well and truly decided, the Portugalizians to their credit did not give in, and Grovalle was forced to save several well put shots from their forwards Souza, Conceição and Di David. Ultimately, their efforts yielded no end product and the referee blew for a satisfactory win in the first bout of this tournament.

Off the pitch, the traveling Stewartikans have no trouble with the bizarre and hostile environment of Fröndt. Experienced with dealing with fantastical beasts, especially the Bulgol among them, many have taken to hunting the flygande maneter and eating them as part of the matchday gatherings. Humorously, ultimate match winner Sung Min-jae was approached by an eager fan after full-time with pieces of grilled flygande maneter, which the team captain respectfully declined.

That’s all for now from Farfadillis, until the next match!

Full Time:
Baptism of Fire, Matchday 1 >

Stewartika

Greater Portugaliza

3

0

Sung ’57
Jin ’60
Erikkson ’62

MAN OF THE MATCH: Sung Min-Jae

Yellow card - Matosinhos (Greater Portugaliza) ’56

Venue: Den Mytologiska Maneter

Weather: cloudy, high wind, 2 degrees.

[Hamborn]

HAMBORN WIN AGAINST PUTRASIA !

The coach was really nervous but when Arlemus Luvoski set a goal with a decisive pass of Marco Nisto at 64'.

But at 71' when Noan Nolmas tackle vionlently a Putrasia player in the penalty area and take a red card plus an penalty he was really really nervous but Leo Surli Stop it.

75': Arlemus and Milo Vurno was replace by Noan Von de Polux and Bilo Nosinto enter but instantly Noan after a fault he insult the refree he takes a yellow card.


90' The match end on a 0-1 for Hamborn.

The 10 000 fans (more than expected) walk in the town and they meet local people. Hamborn people is respectful because of Poluxian who are a great part of Hamborn.

For Hamborn the coach he was mad against Noan Nolmas because of is red card.

The channel Hamborn 2 where the match is in direct, commentator was really happy because they win, he say : " 1 left match to takes the qualification. Hamborn lalalala"
start squad:



end squad :



Putrasia-Hamborn
Goal : 64' Arlemus Luvoski

card : red 71' Noan Nolmas
yellow 77' Joan Von de Polux

Venue : Grand René Skaé

[Seeberg]

“They told me to do some commentary about current events, like how the first matchday loss of that fated Baptism of Fire unfolded or those Bonusians and their lack of sophistication in appreciating a good moustache,” said Sigismund Schiltze and adjusted his feathered green felt cap, “but how can you say something about today and tomorrow without firstly discoursing protractedly on the many yesterdays of time gone by,” he continued and took a long swig from his stein as he looked out over the grandness of Morgenmuffel Platz in the heart of fair Brinterberg. “So while you might expect a small treatise on the results of the day, or the cultural shortcomings of others, I instead invite you to sit down and continue to be marveled by the story of How The Horkenheimers ended up here.” Herr Schiltze devoured his last piece of schnitzel and smacked his lips in contentment, before continuing: “Call me old fashioned, but I suggest we continue with Part 2, wherein more details come to light and especially so concerning a tournament-like event sparking controversy.

“For the longest time, games of ursprünglich football—or HändeFußy, as it was really called back then by those who played—were something rather obscure and disorganized. Groups of various sizes would band together on short notice to literally battle it out on fields or in parks on the outskirts of towns across the Gemeinschaft. Although it must be said it predominantly started as a Brinterberger phenomenon, it did eventually spread all over the valleys beneath the great mountains. And while an agreed-upon ruleset (apart from the very fundamentals) was lacking, you could always make a game work because of the inherent flexibility in the pragmatic anarchy that characterized the game in those days. A common element everywhere was the lack of structure in terms of designated teams. People might represent one side of the fray in one game and a totally different side the next. Sometimes, players even switched affiliation mid-game—which was always confusing but also a source of much fun, especially for the spectators. Spectatorship, yes, that was initially sparse and deeply intertwined with participating in the game—since the first spectators were really just players tending to their wounds. This, too, eventually changed. Over time, you had people showing up with no intention of playing, but merely observing and enjoying the unfolding chaos. It was this development that eventually paved the way for local and social rivalries, which in turn contributed to more geographically fixed groupings of players, which over time became a staple of the game.

Society took little notice of these developments—or, at least, they neglected to acknowledge them. The balance was easily upheld as long as HändeFußy remained something peripheral: an activity taking place outside the cities, or at least on the very outskirts, and never constituting any real threat to more socially acceptable pastimes like Graeco-Roman wrestling, archery, and various equestrian disciplines. But this all came to a head when interests started competing, and the ruffian newcomer at times managed to upstage the preferred athletic activities. This was precisely what happened when a gathering of up to seven different groups of HändeFußy enthusiasts arranged a big tournament of sorts on the rolling hills and flowing fields just south of fair Brinterberg—at the same time as the annual Heroes of the Mountain Slopes’ Wrestling Championship was to take place in the great gymnasium on Paul-und-Gretchen Straße, just off Gneisbänderung Platz.

What made this concurrence especially embarrassing was that not only did many people of all creeds actively seek out the highly improper event south of the city instead of attending the traditional wrestling extravaganza, but the most efficient way of getting there was to pass directly by Gneisbänderung Platz. This made the outrageous shift in zeitgeist all the more difficult not to acknowledge, and as if to pour flakes of sea salt into an open wound, it also transpired that many who usually wrestled—and normally would’ve contested the great annual tournament—had taken a liking to HändeFußy due to the very violent and physical nature of the game; they decided instead to participate in the frenzied and ugly battles on the field, as opposed to the controlled beauty within the gymnasium’s hallowed walls.

That humble HändeFußy tournament—where various collections of citizens from different parts of town met up to fight for the right to call themselves Masters of The City Below And On The Slopes Of The Great Mountains—would subsequently be viewed as the very first Brinterberger Cup. This is an event still contested to this day - although now in the form of the conventional modern kind of football - between the different contemporary Brinterberger teams. But it would be a long, long hiatus between the inaugural tournament and any second iteration, because society found it almost impossible not to acknowledge the slight against proper civilization that the debauchery on the fields and slopes represented. And so, they went to great lengths to ban the sport altogether.”

[The Ferret Lands]

An Apology from the Ferret Lands Squeal WC100 Special Broadcast Team

Dear Readers,

We, like at least a few dozen of you, were very excited to watch our national team compete in the Baptism of Fire Group Stage taking place right now in Equestria. Unfortunately in our haste, the Special Broadcast Team was instead put on a flight to Equestriania, which does have excellent pizza, although no BoF matches. We deeply regret this mistake and have chartered a special flight for our reporters to attend the next match.

- The Ferret Lands Squeal Editorial Team

[Riandera]

The Rafflesias had a great start. They had won 1-2 to Behh, placing them second on the group table. Team captain Zhang had scored at '42, but the team from Behh had balanced the scores at '65. Then came forward Wahyuni scoring at '79, making the final score 1-2. Fans of the Rafflesias, better known as Riffs, had rocked Kawesa Stadium. The Riffs were making siren sounds when Lela Wahyuni scored, which was why many fans have questioned the mentality of Rianderans. A Riff stated on YouTube that the siren sounds were only for celebration, while another Riff says some of his group celebrate Rianderan victory by humming the Rianderan anthem after the game.

"We did it, folks." Zhamanta says after gulping from her energy drink.

"Yup." Lela takes a moment to realise their efforts.

Goalkeeper Dharmawanto remembered that one song that was stuck in his head. "We just carried hell to their doorstep."

Kevin laughs. "We sure did."

Handoyo adds. "Made it feel like a living hell."

The Rafflesias may have failed at the IAC and the NS Olympics, but they had succeeded in their first game in the BoF. They only had one shot, and they were going to next pull it on Francanada. The Francanadan team had lost 3-1 to AJTON, placing them at the bottom of the group table. A win for Riandera is highly likely, but tables may turn. But Krishna had told them to just have fun. So even if the Rafflesias failed to make it past group stage, at least they had fun in Banija.

[Yangchenia]

Yangchenia Blazing Dragons
"In the flames of sport, our iron will is forged"

---

Blazing Dragons clench first win against Rio De La Plata

---

The long awaited day for many Yanginis, the day of the first match of the Blazing Dragons occurred early this morning in Farfadillis, with the Blazing Dragons facing off against the national team of Rio De La Plata, as the first match in Group 19.

Even before the match, the national team had faced many troubles even getting to the venue. The nation of Farfadillis is isolated, and a pain to get to for many. The Blazing Dragons notably had to fly to the island of Farfadillis aboard an Ilyushin I-76,along with their transport steeds, before having to traverse the chaotic nation on horseback. Blazing Dragon midfielder Yesui Erkhet led the march to the stadium where the match would take place, riding on horseback with the traditional sword and bow just like the one her ancestor Zaraa Erkhet (b.1918) wore to battle during the war against the Bajanese Empire. Notably, no locals attempted to solicit bribes from the team as they travelled through the nation, with people attributing it to Yesui's intimidating stature as someone akin to a tribal warrior.

The Blazing Dragons arrived at the venue a day before their scheduled match was to begin, which was when team captain Hu Winwei addressed the nation, stating;

This match is one that is historical for our team, and for the nation. This match marks our baptism into the halls of multiversal football. A baptism akin to the baptism of Warrior Yangchen, 5000 years ago. A Baptism of Fire.

I hereby invite all of you comrades, to watch our first match either from the TV, or right here in Farfadillis, live. We'll be carrying the torch of our nation straight into the big leagues.

The match began early morning on October 4th, against the team of Rio Dela Plata. The Blazing Dragon's goalkeeper Damdul Gyatso successfully managed to defend our goal from numerous opposing attacks by RDP's players, before Yangini players Tsamchoe Thaye and Wu Hsaing scored two goals against Rio De La Plata, ending the game with a 2-nil victory.

Yangini fans cheered as the match ended with a win for the Blazing Dragons, with many dancing in the streets, others celebrating from their homes as they watched the match from the TV. There were also numerous Yanginis who made the journey to Farfadillis to watch the match live, including the Princess of Yangchenia Sirivani Sihamoni.

With the first match in the rearview mirror, the Blazing Dragon's prepare for their next match, which will happen in the coming days.

---

Yangchenia Blazing Dragons is a trademark owned by Yangchenia Sporting Commission and Saichen Group. All rights reserved.

[Andso Mangis]

We lose
Its sad however we can bounce back
With our new tactic We will have the high ground physivcally and mentally
viva El Andso

[Colmaijo]

Tølm Topples Konkert!

Following much stress and anxiety surround the BoF tournament, it has been much to of the CFFs relief after the 4-1 slander against the Konkert team within Farfadilis.
It was a late and casual night for the boys as best put by a coaching staff present at the night. Here was the scoreline:

• Tølm 12' 30' 90+1'
• Jønataan 54'
• Khan 45+2' (OG)

The match was set off early with a yellow card towards Gagiri after a slight altercation with a Konkert player after a foul and mocking from the Konkert player. Both players recieved a yellow. The atmosphere between Colmaij fans and international citizens was already strained, due to the degenerating policies and cultures of other countries as opposed to glorious Colmaijo. The lack of a suitable government within Farfadilis had also given an uncomfortable feeling amongst the players, however the climate conditions were just right for our boys today as the light breeze helped Tølm curve the ball into bottom corner in the 12th minute setting Colmaijo ahead.
The second goal within the match was seen in a whole 18 minutes later as Jønataan delivered a fabulous through sending it over the Konkertians' heads with Tølm being able to position himself for a gentle tap into the Konkertian goal. Colmaij possession within the first half remained dominant at about 55%, with attack slowing down by the 34th minute. An own goal was conceded just barely with Khan unable to clear the ball from danger.

The second half would see a similar story as the Colmaij team would mostly play a defensive game after the 54th minute, where a penalty scored by Jønataan sent Colmaijo ahead with the scoreline being 3-1. Afterwards, an amazing 80% possession half was played by Colmaijo leading to minimal plays made by Konkert players. A unique passing play form players such as Yäfet and Rufus meant Colmaijo was always with the ball. A late corner in the 90th minute would soon lead to a goal by Tølm to seal the hattrick and end the score with a destructive 4-1 win to Colmaijo.

Currently, Colmaijo remain top of the table with hopes and dreams to make it past the group stage into the Round of 16. This is the Moskau Teller reporting to you from Farfadilis.

[Snestar]

Goalscorers (Snestar):
48’ Tero Sjölund
51’ Martin de Roux
72’ Nicola Ragusa
78’ Tero Sjölund
90+2’ Giacomo Martinelli
Player of the Match: Tero Sjölund

Snestar crushes Moon Deing in dominating debut: 5 goals at the Bojno Polje stadium

Snestar starts its Baptism of Fire with a show! A commanding 5-0 victory over Moon Deing momentarily brought the national team to the top of Group 17, with a +5 goal difference that greatly improves the chances of the Viola to qualify for the round of 64.

At the start of the first half, it was clear that Snestar was going to dominate the entire match, despite the starting XI not rocking its best players. However, the pitch was easily controlled by Martin de Roux and Nicola Ragusa, who were able to constantly feed the attack with dangerous balls. However, Moon Deing’s defense kept itself sealed despite the constant pressure, as well as a sensational performance by the goalkeeper, preventing Snestar from scoring any goals during the first half. In the 37th minute, a long vertical pass from Ragusa landed right to Marchesi, who positioned himself and immediately attempted the shot after being halted by three players. Unfortunately, his attempt was deviated and ended up missing the net by a few centimeters. Still, Snestar’s keeper, Federico Calvaresi, had to put in some work too, saving two shots in the early minutes of the match without much effort.

When the teams returned to the pitch in the second half, Snestar fought with a renewed vigor. It didn’t take long until Tero Sjölund finally broke through in the 48th minute, after a corner kick by Castelletti allowed the towering blonde to score a tricky header, which Moon Deing’s keeper could not save. Then Martin de Roux doubled down in the 51st minute with a powerful, low shot right at the edge of the penalty shot. After going up two goals, Camilla Arentas chose to switch to a more offensive approach, subbing in striker Giacomo Martinelli for Scognamiglio and winger Daniele Cantu for Castelletti. With the Farf crowd’s support, Snestar kept besieging the opponents, eventually breaking through once again with a tap-in by Ragusa in the 72nd minute and a wide lob by Tero Sjölund in the 78th minute that completed his brace. The match then continued fairly comfortably for the Snestaryans (with Migliaccio and Balestri coming onto the pitch as well), with Martinelli completing the scorelinewith a spectacular free kick goal in stoppage time. No yellow cards were given throughout the match.

A few hours after the final whistle, we interviewed head coach Camilla Arentas to hear her thoughts on the match:

“ I must say, I didn’t expect the boys to give me five goals on our debut. Honestly, the chants from Snestaryan fans kept distracting me throughout the game. At one point they kept asking me, “Camilla, Camilla, give us a song!” and I responded with the first thing that came to mind… My goodness, that one’s so stupid. It simply goes, “We can’t read, we can’t write, but we know how to kick a ball, and that’s enough for us.” They then proceeded to scream my name for the rest of the match, saying all sorts of things about me and my daughters. They really wanted me to get my daughter into football and make her play for Arentas when she’s older, for some reason… Anyway, I’m satisfied with what I saw on the pitch today. We never stopped playing, which is exactly what I expected from them. The boys played with cohesion and had lots of synergy with each other… We played well.”

[Travanta]

At one point, all the talk about first choice or second choice managerial decisions had to make way for talk about football.

Travanta would kick off its first foray into World Cup football with its debut in the Baptism of Fire against Baman & Juket Liberationists. Matt Gilbert realized none of his players had even met each other and certainly didn't know each other before he gathered them around in a circle on the ground at the team's training facility in Bartol to begin preparations for the 87th Baptism of Fire Cup, the senior national team's first-ever footballing competition.

"Let's start by going around in a circle," he began. "Say your name, your uniform number, what position you play, and something unique about you." Gilbert grimaced when he saw a couple of eyerolls from players.

"Look," he said, stopping the team-building exercise briefly before resuming it. "I know it might seem like a pain in the ass to some of you. Frankly, I don't normally like these either. But if we're going to develop chemistry as a team, we have to get to know the people who are lining up beside us. Now, starting with you," he said, pointing to Kevin Brantley, the defender Gilbert had chosen as team captain. He saw Brantley begin to rise, then extended his right hand.

"You don't have to stand up," he said. Brantley shrugged, then he started to speak. "I'm Kevin Brantley, he said. I wear number four, I play central defense, and I hate cheesecake."

A sudden laugh and mock gasp escaped the lips of goalkeeper Scott Aubrey.

"How can you hate cheesecake?" he asked, incredulously.

"It's a texture thing!" Brantley said. "I just never liked the shit."

That one comment about cheesecake seemed to slice through the initial nervous tension of strangers sitting around in a table listening to a middle-aged man telling them to get through a boring ass icebreaker like the key lime cheesecake Brantley turned his nose up at in the cafeteria that afternoon after practice. The laughs and dialog that followed soon got otherwise reticent players to open up and begin to develop the chemistry Gilbert hoped for.

When it came time to kick off against Baman & Juket Liberationists, the Travantans were ready. How ready? Aubrey only had to make two routine saves and wasn't ever seriously tested as the Terns won comfortably, taking a 3-0 win to open play in Group 4. The result gave the Terns at least temporary grasp of first place in the Group 4 table ahead of their Matchday 2 battle with Windows 7 Bliss, which lost their Baptism of Fire Cup debut 1-0 to Jaoaa.

When Gilbert approached the dais, in the media room after the match, he looked down at a piece of paper that contained the statement he'd scribbled onto the back of the stat sheet he'd been handed.

"Well, obviously, it's a good way to start us off," he said. "I liked the way we controlled possession. It looks like we held the ball 58 percent of the time and we spent a majority of the night in our offensive end. I thought our defense coordinated well and we kept up pressure on their midfield and forwards. Offensively, I thought we flowed pretty well. There are some things to work on improving, but I thought we did pretty well for a first match. I'll take questions." Gilbert pointed out to a woman wearing a sport coat. "You in the gray blazer."

"What areas do you see needing to improve? You dominated the match pretty much from the opening kickoff," she said.

"I thought the kickoff could have been a little more on target," he said with a wry smirk. "That's a joke," he said. "We had a few wayward passes and some touches I didn't like," he said. "I think we could've been a little bit more aggressive on defense than we were. Baman & Juket Liberationists didn't take advantage, but a team like Windows 7 Bliss might." He looked out and saw another hand. "You in the white shirt."

"Assess Aubrey's performance in goal," the reporter asked. "What did you like about him, and what do you think he might need to work on?"

"I thought Scott played really well," Gilbert said. "He didn't get a lot of opportunities to show what he can do, but he did very well with what he did do out there. I was happy with the way he played out there."

"Do you plan to play the other two goalkeepers or is Aubrey your guy?"

"Aubrey's my guy," Gilbert said. "If we clinch a spot in the knockouts after the match against Windows 7 Bliss, I might give Noah [Frost, the backup goalie] a chance to play the second half against Jaoaa. We'll see how that goes."

"What about your third keeper?"

"We don't have one," he said. "if we take Aubrey out and Noah gets hurt, I might have to play," he said. "No, if we had to use a third goalkeeper, Tim Ragsdale would have to go in and we'd probably shift to a three-back formation. If it's longer term, we'd have to get another goalkeeper or two if Scott and Noah can't go."

"How would you assess your team's supporters?"

"Love 'em, he said. "Love their spirit. I think there's a group that followed us from Bartol who are really loud and rowdy. I hear their tailgates are fun."

[Montagne Noire]

Montagne Noire wins match 1

This is the baptism of fire for Montagne Noire and our nation will compete against 111 other nations. How do we live the baptism of fire? Doggies are ecstasic about the Baptism of Fire and half a million doggies travelled to Banija. Since Montagne Noire does not have an airport, our neighbor nations, Valladares, Cassadaigua and Darmen, were surprised to see a large number of dogs booking flights to Banija! Montagne Noire will look empty with almost everyone in Banija for the baptism of fire, but the Great Manitou living at Manitonga Soutana (Mountain of the Spirits) is watching over and the mountain will be trembling if any humans try to invade Montagne Noire and damage the mother nature while we are away!

Banija is an interesting nation for us doggies. We can't wait to go hiking in the jungle and rainforest! We need to be on our guard because Banija have a large number of lions and leopards! Some Montagnards will prefer to stay in town and try out one of the many meat restaurants who will, hopefully, admit sapient dogs. During the game, most of us will run around in the city or the jungle listening to the play by play on the radio. If you lived in the '90, you know what a walkman is. Us dogs have a walkdog. It's exactly the same as a walkman but it's used by dogs!

Game 1 was played yesterday and our first match was against Burg Land. Gandalf opened the score at the 12th minute after receiving the ball from Olaf. Burg Land tied the game at the 26th minute but Montagne Noire took the lead 4 minutes later when Colonel Moutarde scored on a corner kick. The score was 2-1 at halftime. Burg Land started strong in the 2nd half and scored two back to back goals, one at the 51st and another one at the 58th minutes. Around the 60 minute mark, the game stopped for a raw meat lunch break at the request of Montagne noire. These kind of breaks were used a lot by a nation of pre schoolers competing at CAFA Cup in Anaia but they had lemonade breaks or apple juice breaks rather than raw meat breaks. Exactly 8 minutes after the break, Millie had the ball and she made a cross to Princesse, a maltese bichon, who kicked the ball into the goal. And the hero of the match is none other than Glouton, whose name means glutton, who scored on a bicycle kick at the 90 + 1 minute to give the win to Montagne Noire! The doggies won 4-3 and they will play against Ziotah & Riverside on the 2nd matchday.

Written by Coco

[Hanalia]

Honesty

The Hanalians trotted back into the dressing room at half time, a lot more downhearted than their usual canter or gallop. Conceding a second goal at the end of the first half against the run of play was not in the game plan. It had been a competitive contest early on, with both teams penetrating the other's half only to be denied by strong defensive play. The first goal for Nergtul came after Howe committed a borderline challenge on the Nergtul striker. The initial freekick was awarded but swiftly upgraded to a penalty when the offense was shown to have occurred just inside the box. 1-0 Negtul.

The Hanalian team had fired half a dozen shots at the goal in the first half but the keeper or woodwork had done an effective job at keeping them out. It was a momentary lapse in the midfield that led to the second goal for the opposition, the Hanalian team with half a mind on the break. It had until then felt like a finely poised game but making up the 2-0 deficit was going to be a challenge in the second half. On the way through the tunnel manager Griffin pulled aside captain Monroe and said, "I'll do good cop, you do bad cop". Monroe tilted his head in agreement and the pair went in to rally the troops.

"We're making good opportunities, just need to convert", "Keep playing the same way and they'll come.", "High tempo, don't let them get away with managing the clock down to a win". Good Cop job complete. Monroe scanned the room. Most had their heads down, eyes squarely fixed on the floor between their feet. There was no energy, there was no hope, they needed inspiration. They needed leadership. They needed Honesty. He let the room fall silent and, after a beat, "Guys what are we doing?" "We're out there playing kick about. Like it's some regular old Tuesday afternoon practice. Heck we may as well be in the park with a few makeshift goal posts. Griff's talking out his backside. We don't need to 'just keep it up' we need to do better. This is the Baptism of Fire. From all corners of the multiverse these teams have come, and this time in huge numbers and we're out here looking as if we don't care!"

The heads may still have been bowed but by now he had all the players looking at him from underneath their brows.

"Not only it it the height of disrespect to our opponents, it's disrespecting the staff, disrespecting our fans, disrespecting ourselves and disrespecting Hanalia. We've got to do better. There will only ever be one Baptism of Fire in the Hanalian history books. There will only ever be the one team named along side it. And that's us. At the moment it reads 'uninterested and unsuccessful' and I for one will not have it stay that way. We need to go out there and fight. We need to go out there and perform. We need to go out there and rewrite that history book. It's now or never.

Monroe's pace had quickened as he progressed, it was bringing energy to the room. He had started pacing and the players were glancing around, catching another's eye and sharing a smile with one another.

"This is the opportunity, we'll take it. We'll take it and hoof it into next week. This match is ours if we go out there and claim it. Now who's with me?"

A great cry of "YEAH!" and "WHOOP!" was the response, with players jumping to their feet or throwing a fist in the air. As they marched back out to take on the second half, their Fire Orange kits now outwardly reflecting the newfound fire in their bellies.

Someday down the line an ambitious young director will surely pick this story up for their film. For in the second half it was as if a different Hanalain team returned from the break. Playing with purpose that was absent in the opening 45 minutes they were completely dominant in the second half. Denying access to the Negtul team while also pressing forward and skirting the defense given the slightest opening. The 'Honesty Homily' turned the match from 2-0 down to a 5-2 win by the end.


Dixie Florida had previously prevailed in a 1-0 encounter with Orioni in the Grand Regal Stadium in the other Group 20 match. All four teams now travelling to Hollow Shades for their next fixtures in the Stadium of the Night. Hanalia would take on Orioni, while the engagement with Dixie Florida was scheduled for the final group matchday in the Flyers' Sky-High Coliseum.

Schedule
MD1 v Nergtul @ Grand Regal Stadium, Canterlot W 2-5
MD2 v Orioni @ Stadium of the NIght, Hollow Shades
MD3 v Dixie Florida @ Sky-high Coliseum, Cloudsdale

[Stewartika]

KUNIO ANNOUNCES ROTATED LINEUP AHEAD OF PUTRASIA CLASH

In a press conference from the Fröndt Training Ground, head coach Bunta Kunio of the Stewartikan National Team announced that he would be rotating the team composition for the next match of Group 13 against Putrasia.

3-1-4-2


The keeper and defensive line remaining the same, Kunio puts sweeping changes into the overall formation and midfield. Blake, Bergmeier and Hijikata find themselves benched to make way for tested players Morissey, Kim, and Haggstrom, who came on at half last match. Kunio gave these words when questioned if these changes indicated his confidence level in his starting lineup.

“I have no issues with the way Hawkins, Jens or Arnold played. This has the potential to be a long campaign, so we’re taking this chance while we have a points cushion to give our other key players some time on the field, and to be completely ready for our final group stage match and beyond. That’s all.”

Fröndt, 3:34 p.m.

Hawkins Blake and Ott Bentham go walking through the cracked, rather empty streets of Fröndt. Scarves wrapped tight around their necks, their breath comes out in puffs of vapor.

“Man… I don’t think I can even remember when a winter in Stewartika got this cold,” Blake complains, his pale Aban features flushed in the low temperature.

“You tell me, man.” Bentham replies lazily, the two players skipping rapidly past a strongly colored flying jellyfish, which gives up a half-hearted attack.

“Anyways, feeling alright after getting benched?”

Blake considers his teammate’s words, frowning slightly.

“Obviously it doesn’t feel good, but I’m past the phase where I can really get mad at that guy, you know? I just hope it’s just a temporary rotation.”

“Fairs.”

Both come to a small hole-in-the wall type food place, moving to the food window. The man behind it takes one look at the Stewartikans before rapidly slamming down the shutter in front of him.

Blake and Bentham stand confused for a moment.

“Huh.”

Group 13 - Matchday 2 >

Putrasia vs Stewartika

KO 12:00

[The Ferret Lands]

The Ferret Report by Alex Furrage
As readers of previous Ferret Reports may remember, when the High Chief announced that our great nation would be competing in some international get together, I said some less than nice words, as one should of any attempt to bring our nation under another's knee. However, after the first match I can confidently say that our great national team have shown them what real sport looks like. I personally had an unpaid intern attend the game at the Sky-High (our chances of winning) Colisium, where the 'Capitulists' never stood a chance, losing 2 goals to none, a margin nigh unseen amongst any team in the highest reaches of the sport. Their goalie, who is not even worth naming, was hopeless against the tide of the brutal assault by Wolverine and Grison, while their pitiful attackers were easily outmatched by the Ferret defenders and our world class goalie, Bryan 'the badass' Badger. After this showing in our first match, I have no doubts that our team will achieve greatness in this tournament, and I look forward to our team's smashing of the so called Narovi in the next match.

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