AHFA 2020 World Cup

[Codae]

I'm posting this ahead of the preceding game because it's my bedtime now. Enjoy a rather parochial take on the game from my ATL homeland.

From blepnu.gl - Food for Talk

Five Reasons You Should Watch the Milan-Nova Holanda Game, if You Haven't Already

The AHFA World Cup is in full swing, but the GLR isn't playing until this weekend. The national team's first opponent will be Milan, which saw its debut this morning against Nova Holanda. And since that game was right in the middle of the day on a Tuesday, hardly anybody with a job had a chance to see it. Right?

Look, it's okay if you couldn't take some time out of your working hours to watch the live broadcast of a couple of foreign countries kicking a ball around. But if that's the case, you missed out, and you should definitely take some time to pull up the video tonight, or at the very least before Saturday.

Why? Here are some of the biggest reasons.

5. Prince William's face.

William XIV, Prince of Orange (that's William the Fourteenth, folks) comes from a long line of very noble men. And since the XIIth (twelfth) century, an awful lot of them have been named William. Somehow, he still has a sense of humor.

Just look at him here, after Simon Cruijf tripped over the ball and almost passed it to Mattia Caldara (who's on, by the way, the other team):

Here's the Prince's happy dance after Marcel da Silva blocked Manolo Gabbiadini's shot in the forty-fifth minute:

And here he's very disappointed in Patrick Firmino, whose attempt at earning a penalty kick at Gabbiadini's expense ended up giving him a yellow card instead:

We've added a caption to that last picture for your convenience:

To be fair, Prince William had a lot to be disappointed about this afternoon.

4. It matters.

Well, it doesn't really matter. But as far as soccer games go, this one matters a lot for us. The Great Lakes Republic is drawn into Group G, along with Milan, Nova Holanda, Turkestan, and the friendly-sounding United Neutral Team.

What is this United Neutral Team, you might ask? Well, it's Germany.

North Germany? That's not so bad.

No, it's Germany. All of Germany.

Bavaria alone has fielded a top-notch team in recent years, but at this Cup they're united with the cream of the crop from all over the German states in a supersquad. And here's the kicker: only two teams from the group move on to the next round. If the Germans take one of those spots, then the GLR is competing with Milan, Nova Holanda, and Turkestan all over just one more. And with their victory today, even though it's just by one goal, Milan has earned 3 points in the rankings, out of a maximum of 12.

Our team has to meet or exceed that Milanese performance to beat them in the standings.

3. You can see Milan's defense working like it's supposed to.

If there's one thing the Novaholandese failed to accomplish today, it's pressuring the Vipers' defense. In their thirty-nine minutes of possession, the Orange Canaries attempted three shots, but not one of them had the penetration and accuracy to make it even close to the goal. In contrast, Milan pulled off four on-target shots (one blocked each by Marcel, Isac Quaresma da Silva, and Hans van Dijk). The Milanese managed to keep their defensive formation intact for the entire game, working like a well-tuned machine.

Watch the game film, and you can see how the Vipers move together and separately, putting up an effective barrier in front of the goal. If the GLR team can break those patterns in Puebla on Saturday, they'll be in a position to compete.

2. You can see Milan's offense working like it's supposed to.

The four-minute possession starting from Andrea Consigli's goal kick at 70 minutes in is one of the most beautiful in the history of football.

At no point in the steady Milanese advance did they let themselves be constrained to a single path of approach. Apart from goalkeeper Consigli, every one of Milan's players on the field was a threat, and there were always two or three viable options for the next player to take the ball.

It didn't have to be Andrea Belotti who took the shot: Gagliardini feinted toward Cutrone, after all, and if the Canaries hadn't shifted to cover him the attack would have been even more auspicious from his position. But it was Belotti who took the pass, and Belotti who fired the ball into the upper right corner of the net for the only goal of the match, without even having his other foot on the ground.

This is what the North Coasters are up against on Saturday. Without consistent disruption to Milan's attack, a play like the above could crystallize again. You'll want to be ready for it.

1. It's simply a good game.

Seriously. We've covered the highlights here, but you should see them in context. It's well worth your time.

See also: 3 ways to watch the World Cup for free

See also: Domhnall O'Brien narrates his "Battle with Beans"

Overall results
Milan 1 (Belotti, 74') - Nova Holanda 0
Cautions: Firmino (Nova Holanda) 82'

 

[Wings]

Match Day: Germany vs Turkestan
Gran Norte Field, Chihuahua
Attendance: 27,586​

Rosters:
Germany:
Kocyła
Hachadi
Sulzberger (Germany 67')
D'Egidio
Wolff
Grynszpan
Roth (Küchler 82')
Mohr
Sójka

73'
Thành (Šindelář 67')
Sarr

Turkestan:
Pokatilov
Kichin

73'
Älip

90+2'
Krimets

10' (Ilyar 74')
Amanulı (Alıkululı 74')
Erbosınulı
Firaydunulı
Ötkür

71' (Jurabolı 82')
Samulı
Lux
Aibekulı

Summary​

0' Kickoff between Group favorites Germany and very very heavy underdogs Turkestan. Germany will want to stamp their authority on this game quickly, expect a fast paced game from the Mannschaft.

4' Good chance for Germany after only 4 minutes of play. Sójka is brought down 27m away from goal and Roth takes the free kick. Wolff is on the trajectory at the far post but barely misses the ball .

8' Big Chance for Germany ! Sarr escapes with the ball and presents himself alone against Pokatilov ! However Krimets seems to have brought him down in the box but denies having touched him. VAR in progress.

10' After a while, the referee decides to give Germany a penalty on VAR review ! Krimets also gets a booking for good measure. Textbook penalty for Szymon Sójka who rams the ball into the left side of the net, while Pokatilov goes right, 1-0 Germany !

18' Another chance for Germany ! Another foul by Turkestan give Germany the upper hand with a free kick. Roth takes it and tries for goal directly. Pokatilov is on the trajectory though, and saves the attempt.

26' Germany look uncomfortable in the midfield. They hold possession of the ball but cannot crack open the Turkestani defense and instead rely on a controlled game to bring the ball forward.

32' Germany's Thanh finds Sójka alone however he fails to properly control the ball as it comes racing towards him, and the ball hits his knee, going wide off the left post.

38' Brutal defending from Kichin and Alip onto Thanh. The German defender is on the ground clutching his knee but no booking yet for one of the Turkestani defenders.

45' Another chance for Germany as Sarr runs on the right side, delivering the ball to Roth whose header goes over the bar.

45+3' Half-time ! Germany totally dominate this half but fail to find more than one goal. Turkestan bunker down in their defense and have yet to get a chance in front of goal.

49' Turkestan are getting ugly. Mohr struggles for the ball with Otkur and Oktur whacks the German midfielder in the face. Last warning from the referee who says he won't hesitate to book anyone from now on.

55' Another big chance for Germany ! Corner kick for Germany taken by Sarr, the ball waltzes in on D'Egidio's head who hammers it onto the goal. Another big save by Pokatilov saves his team.

62' Turkestan bite back ! A good counter-offensive by Lux finds Samuli alone against goal. However, Sulzberger comes back at supersonic speed and tackles the Tukestani striker from behind. The referee indicates a penalty for Turkestan !

63' Huge blunder by Samuli ! The Turkestani striker completely whiffs the penalty, sending it high over the bar and denies Turkestan an equalizer !

67' First substitutions for Germany. Thanh and Sulzberger come off, replaced by Šindelář and Germany.

71' Booking for Otkur as his harsh tackle on Mohr is punished.

73' Another booking, this time for Krimets as he tackles Sojka. The German striker loses his temper and also gets a booking.

74' Dual substitution for Turkestan. Krimets and Amanuli are off, Ilyas and Alıkululı are on.

80' Goal for Germany ! Germany pressure the Turkestani side into their 25m. The ball comes on to Šindelář and the Turkestani expect another pass, however, the German striker slams the ball from 20 meters into the top right corner of the net, Germany have a break !

82' Last substitution for Turkestan and Germany. Otkur and Roth are off, replaced by Jurabolı and Kuchler.

85' Germany come very close to scoring again ! Šindelář's cross finds Sarr but the striker's shot is saved by Pokatilov !

90+2' Stupid foul spurred on by frustration by Alip earns him a yellow card.

90+3' The final whistle is blown as Germany beat Turkestan ! The Germans had control of the ball all game but couldn't manage to score more than two goals against a rigid Turkestani defense.

Germany 2 - 0 Turkestan​

Sójka (10, pen)
Šindelář (80)​

Stats:
Shots on target: 5 - 0
Possession: 86 - 14
Yellow Cards: 1 - 4
Red Cards: 0 - 0
Man of the Match: Szymon Sójka (Germany)

 

[New Britain Mapping]

REPUBLIC OF CHINA VS PATAGONIA

FIRST HALF STARTS

6' PENALTY GOAL! LI MAO HAS SCORED TO MAKE IT 1-0

REPUBLIC OF CHINA 1-0 PATAGONIA

18' Bad tackle on Li Mao sees Bastian Berg sent off.

FIRST HALF ENDS

SECOND HALF STARTS

76' After an brawl 3 Patagonian players and 2 Chinese players are all booked and one of them was booked once this game and received another booking and sent off: It was Patagonian forward Halfdan Aftenvind.

SECOND HALF ENDS

Attendance: 43,051

Man of the Match: Li Mao

Sent off: Halfdan Aftenvind and Bastian Berg

Moctezuma Imperial Stadium

 

[lotrian]

Hello, and welcome everyone to this interactive live report on thatsfootball.com !
Today takes place, in the San Ildefonso Arena, the first ever match between two small nations: the Banat Republic and the Kingdom of Viti. That’s why we love the World Cup so much, this is the only place we can see such kind of exotic matches!

As those teams never played against before, we don’t know what to expect! Those two teams don’t know each other so they will probably spend the beginning of the first half gauging each other.

For the squads, Raul Cosmescu, the coach of Banat opted for an offensive 4-3-3 with Tiberiu Stefan as a striker.

Starting XI:

Velimirovic

Lazarević-Ionesco-Heidler-Barbu

Živanović-Paler-Adrián

Blagojević-Stefan-Garbacz


On the other side, Alipate Kepa keeps the same starting squad as during the Qualifiers, organized in a 4-4-2 Diamond with Qera as an “enganche”:

Sigarara

Lalabalvu-Bainimarama-Waqaniburotu-Voka

Raiwalui

Nacewa-Bolawaqatabu

Qera

Naqelevuki-Dolokoto


The San Ildefonso Arena is far from full today, I guess this match between two of the smallest nation doesn’t drive too much attention. There are small but loud delegations of fans from both countries, at this game, it seems the Vitians are the most demonstrative, let’s see if it can help their team today.

The artists make their entrance in the Arena.

1’ – And it’s OOOOOOOON !!!!

3’ – Qera is already losing his temper, the referee has to tell him to calm down.

6’ – I’m very curious about all these players, I have to say I’m not familiar with any of them, except Živanović and Stefan.

7’ – Nice turf in San Ildefonso, at least that goes well.

8’ – The first strike in the match by Adrián. It’s far and wide. Banat starts well this match, they play high on the pitch and force the Vitians to stay back on defense.

9’ – I don’t appreciate the vice of Barbu. He’s been too rough with the poor Raiwalui.

10’ – GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL

DOLOKOTOOOOOOOOOO !!!

Viti 1-0 Banat
A real striker goal for Dolokoto. Bolawaqatabu’s strike, slightly countered by a Banatian defender, is hardly pushed back full axis by Velimirovic. And here is Dolokoto who appears to score closely, it's 1-0 and no one saw it coming.

13’ – Viti’s goal helped them to get in order. They play better, a step forward.

14’ – Qera received his first kick from Lazarević. The Banatian wing-backs are not here to play jokes.

15’ – The same Lazarević tries a weird shoot, ends up in the wrong side of the net of Sigarara’s goal. Vitian defense doesn’t look very serene.

17’ –Vitians for a while just stay on the defensive, grouped around the box.

20’ – A nice Vitian move: Qera delivers a nice tense cross to Dolokoto but Ionesco does a perfect interception right before him.

21’ – A bit of a shy attempt from Garbacz, no problem for Sigarara.

23’ – RED CARD!! IT’S A RED CARD!!!

Barbu unbalances Raiwalui as he escaped alone towards the goal.
He had played very well on control to gain the upper hand over Barbu.

It may sound severe at the replay, but I think in live it makes the difference.

24’ – Unsurprisingly, the Vitians wake up and push hard. But it lacks precision in the last few meters, especially in the very frustrating Qera.

25’ – Banat doesn’t give up for so little, and Garbacz was not far from being able to arm his strike.

28’ – @Rivellino

I have the right not to like Barbu, haven’t I ? And you seem blinded by the multiple replays to say that he did not touch it.

30’ – Oh I can tell you that I am anything but frustrated this weekend, my good @Rivellino. We will say that it was a bit exaggerated, that's all

35’ – Free kick for Banat. Qera has tackled Lazarević too roughly and gets booked a yellow card. The free kick doesn’t lead to anything.

38’ – Raul Cosmescu makes a substitution: Wawrzyniec Wisz enters for Fábián Adrián. I don’t get it, he was most certainly one of the best players of the match on the Banatian side.

42’ - What a control-strike sequence from Dolokoto, mamma mia! Fortunately, Velimirovic saves his team from sinking.

43’ – And another save in front of Naqelevuki ! Banat seems close to break.

44’ - GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL

GARBAAAAAAAAAAACZ!!!

Viti 1-1 Banat!!

What a wonderful show from Živanović on the left, who deposits Waqaniburotu and then sneaks into the surface. Sagarari pushes the ball away, but Garbacz follows through to push it to the bottom.

45’ – It is unexpected as Viti seemed better from the goal and the red card. The Banat will have had the merit of not letting go and we can say that it rewards their good start to the match before the expulsion.

45’ - Živanović is a really surprising player: able to be ghostly during an entire match, then to release a genius show.

45’ – Houla, Heidler who is losing his nerves. Beginning of a fight.

45’+6 – The referee distributes cards: a first yellow for Heidler.

45’+6 – Another yellow for Naqelevuki. This is not over yet.

45’+6 – RED CARD!! IT’S A RED CARD!!!

Second yellow card for Qera, who came to participates in the brawl against Heidler.

45’+7 - What a genius Heidler, the dude had everything planned.

45’+8 - At rest, it was time.

After eight minutes of added time, the first period ends at 1-1. Same result for the red cards, Barbu and Qera are already in the shower. Looking forward for what’s next, we meet again in 15 minutes.


46’ – THE FIGHTERS ARE BACK!

47’ – Good luck to analyze this match now. Anyway, I see Banat prevail in the end.

48’ – It's so messy up front, Viti. I'm having trouble with Naqelevuki, who was presented to me as a crack.

49’ - Viti tries to keep the ball, by circulating it. I have the impression that they are counting on Raiwalui to ignite all this.

53’ – The blows are multiplying on both sides, I feel that this match will not end at 10 against 10...

55’ – Viti is better at the start of the second half. Nice opening of Bainimarama for Raiwalui, but Dolokoto is too short to get his second.

56’ - The coiled shot of Naqelevuki, I saw it already inside.

58’ - GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL

DOLOKOTOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Viti 2-1 Banat

What a beautiful Vitian movement, finally. A breakthrough by Naqelevuki in the axis, which shifts to the right for Raiwalui, whose cross is perfectly cut by the inevitable Dolokoto.

59’ – Second substitution for Banat: Lazarević out, Pataki Rajmund in.

60’ – I just remembered that I put Osea Qera in the main picture of the live. The That's Football curse, over and over again.

66’ – Waqaniburotu is really impressive. Very strong dude.

69’ – First substitution for Viti: Bolawaqatabu out, Volavola in. A midfielder out, replaced by a defender. I guess Viti will try to hold on their advantage from now on.

71’ – Third substitution for Banat: Kozma Benjámin enters in place of Garbacz who was playing well and scored today. I really don’t understand the Banatian coach.

72’ – Yellow card for Voka. It has been a while since the last one.

73’ – OH! what a counter-attack wasted by the Vitians ! That was the 3-1 ball.

75’ – What a ball from Stefan over the Vitian defense, but it was badly taken up by Raimund at the far post. Banat struggles to ignite the match to return.

76’ – Freshly booked, Voka leaves the pitch for the 2nd Vitian substitution. He is replaced by Bulitavu. A midfielder who replaces a defender now. Either I don’t understand a thing about the coaches’ decisions, either my sheets are all wrong!

78’ – Bainimarama just removed the ball of 2-2 from Benjámin. That was close.

80’ – Banat settled in the Vitian camp, circulating the ball patiently while waiting to find a fault to crack the defense.

83’ – Viti has not proposed anything since 2-1, it's depressing. They stay back and defend, defend, defend only.

85’ - Ohhhhhh the post for Naqelevuki after a hell of a number. Velimirovic was beaten! Lucky Banatians!

86’ – The header of Heidler which brushes against the right post of Sigarara... It's tense in this end of the match, in a good way this time.

88’ - Third change for Viti : Dolokoto, who scored twice, is replaced by Murimurivalu. What a match from Dolokoto !

90’ – Viti’s ball losses are sometimes criminal. 3 more minutes of tension at the Arena.

90’+2 - A cross completely screwed from Blagojević, that was it, last cartridge for Banat?

90 +5’ – AND IT’S OVER !!!!
Viti win their first match in this World Cup against Banat! The two teams battled (sometimes literally) through the whole match, but we’ve seen nonetheless some very nice football. Banat seems screwed, as they lost against the least-favorite team. Their chances for the rest of the competition look grim.
As for Viti, they can be proud of themselves, winning in their first ever World Cup Match! We don’t expect much more from them, but they managed hell of an achievement today, and their World Cup is already a success! Let’s hope this is the beginning of a fairy tale for them, and I hope that Dolokoto and al. will perform as good in the next matches.


Viti 2-1 Banat

(Dolokoto 10’, 58’ - Garbacz 44’)

 

[Gust]

 

[Pragmatic Progressive]

from pilkarski.mm
​

Federation of Caribbean Socialist Republics

Coach: Jorge Moreno

Lineup:

Ricardo Phillipe

Carlens Arcus
Jacob De La Côte
Adrian Mariappa
Frank Léger

Paul Beauvais
Antonio Rubalcalba (56' Mateo Paredes)
Oscar Romero (80' Vladimir Bloncourt)

Raheem Sterling
Pierre Colas
Leon Bailey (90+1' Kwame Jordan)

Union of Rhodesia

Coach: Barry Groening

Lineup:

William Jaeger

Preston McPhillips
John L. D'Anzio
John Greig
Ryan Brown

Victor MacLean
Oscar H. Kerr
Lester Addison

(45' Hugh Thorpe) Alec Henderson
Kieth Ferguson Jr.
William McNabb
​

Caribbean Socialist Republic 2 - 0 Union of Rhodesia
San Felipe Stadium, Leon de los Aldama

Goals: 1-0 Raheem Sterling (62')
2-0 Raheem Sterling (88')

Referee: Wawrzyniec Polcyn (Miedżymorze) - Grade C
The match was easy to referee, but he was too lenient. He should have booked at least Brown (29') and MacLean (72'), and a booking for McPhillips (44') would have been justifiable.

The Brigadiers had stated their intention to get out of their group with a 2-0 victory overRagusa, meanwhile, the team from southern Africa had sat out the first matchday. The Gazelles' coach Groening had used the opportunity to observe the Red Stars' match - and he sent a less defence-oriented side onto the pitch than Ragusa. Of course, defending would still be top priority, but Rhodesia wanted to at least try shooting goals themselves.

From kickoff though, the Caribbean Brigadiers dominated this match and launched attack after attack, but surprisingly, the Rhodesian defence managed to hold them off. For the first fifteen minutes, although Jaeger caught a shot from Colas (8'), no Brigadier attack seemed dangerous enough to make supporters jump from their seats. But this was to change: A well-played move over Rubalcalba, Beauvais, Rubalcalba again, and Romero ended with the latter passing onto the right to Leon Bailey. Bailey outran McPhillips and only a tackle by John D'Anzio stopped Sterling from getting into an ideal position (17').
D'Anzio was lucky that his tackle, instead of resulting in a corner, brought the ball to John Greig. But over Greig, McLean, Kerr, and Lester Addison, Rhodesia started a counterattack - Caribbean goalkeeper Phillipe seemed insecure, but caught the ball at his second attempt. McNabb and Kieth Ferguson Jr. had already positioned themselves and barely missed the opportunity to shoot it into an empty net.

Not too many dangerous moves occurred before the half-time whistle: Ryan Brown unfairly stopped a brilliant dribbling by Raheem Sterling, but the referee's whistle remained silent (29'), and soon after, Jaeger had to deflect a shot by Raheem Sterling (36'). On the other side of the pitch, the Gazelles counterattacked, however, their most successful attempt was a shot from the distance of approx. 24 metres by Addison - Phillipe safely parried it over the crossbar (39'). The resulting corner was harmless.

For the first time in this tournament, a player was substituted out during the break as Barry Groening left Henderson in the dressing rooms, sending out Hugh Thorpe. But it was to no avail. The Red Stars resumed their dominant style of play with a high percentage of ball posession, and so, it was a question of time that the Rhodesian defence would be broken up.

After a nearly perfect cross into the penalty area by Leon Bailey, Colas' header was caught by Jaeger (54'), and Leon Bailey's dribbling attempt was thwarted by Greig in a way that resulted in a goalkick (59'). But then, a grave mistake - and an excellent move - led to the Red Stars' next attack: Rubalcalba passed the ball at what seemed just the right moment to Mateo Paredes, who passed it onto the left wing to Raheem Sterling. He outwitted and outran both Thorpe and Brown, and William Jaeger came out of his goal expecting a cross. However, Sterling did not mean to cross the ball at all, instead, he left Greig in the dust and chipped the ball over Jaeger into an empty net. A brilliant goal, but of course a big mistake of Jaeger not to reckon with a chip! 1-0 Raheem Sterling (62')!

The Gazelle's morale was broken, and the Caribbeans wanted to exploit this with relentless forward play. Jaeger indeed saved the Gazelles when he parried a long shot by Raheem Sterling (68') and tightened the angle against Leon Bailey (70'). But the Gazelles weren't shocked for long. Instead, they did try to initiate some attacks of their own. For the first time in the entire match, Carribean defence was seriously tested. Carlens Arcus secured the ball from Hugh Thorpe (73') after an, admittedly unfair, tackle by MacLean had brought back possession to Rhodesia from Paul Beauvais. Again, the referee's whistle remained silent and VAR was not allowed to intervene...
The next attack, though, came on the heels: After a goalkick, D'Anzio got MacLean involved, who gave the ball to Kerr. Kerr passed the ball to Addison, who played one-two with William McNabb. Addison's dangerous shot was parried away to the right by Phillipe, resulting in a corner. The corner, taken short by McPhillipps onto MacLean, resulted in a cross into the box onto the head of Thorpe - and in chaos. Thorpe was left far too open, but it was a joint effort by De la Côte and Mariappa to deflect the header and clear the ball out of the dangerous zone (81'). Meanwhile, Jorge Moreno had clearly substituted defensively, bringing on Bloncourt for Romero.

Rhodesia clearly wanted to score an equaliser here, however, another attempt at it was stopped when Mariappa won the ball back from McNabb in a centre-right position, more than 20 metres away from goal (86'). And now it was him who started a counterattack. Mariappa gave the ball to Carlens Arcus, who chipped it to Sterling at just the right moment not to have him offside. With Sterling's hard and fast shot, Jaeger was fortunate to deflect it for a corner. The corner itself was cleared away by MacLean, but again it was Sterling who got to the ball first. He dribbled back into the penalty area and, again, shot. And this time, the ball found the back of the net! Jaeger stood no chance to save this shot aimed at the near post! 2-0 Raheem Sterling (88')!

Of course, this goal was decisive. Rhodesia did not manage to create even one more dangerous situation. This strengthens the position of the Caribbean Socialist Republic with now six points, who sit out the next matchday. Meanwhile, Rhodesia - whose next match is against group favourites Leon - comes under even more pressure should they aim to advance into the knockout stage...​

 

[Aztekk]

Referee: Viktor Rašić (Ragusa)

Yellow Cards:
Provence: Ludovic Ajorque ('36)
Australia: None

Red Cards:
None

Player of the Match: Benjamin Andre (Provence)

 

[Capibara]

OCHO COLUMNAS
The Feathered Serpents earn their first victory
Great performance by Raúl Jiménez places hosts atop of their group

​

A sold-out crowd at Iturbide Stadium in Morelia witnessed how their national heroes vanquished Khemia in a one-sided affair and netted 3 points, which ties them with Provence in the first place of Group A and boosts their chances to advance to the knockout phase.

After the bittersweet tie against Provence during the opening match, coach Miguel Herrera decided to change things around to solve the team’s offensive problems of the previous match. This time, he sent a 4-2-1-3, benching Érick Aguirre and Javier Hernández and sending Jesús Gallardo and Raúl Jiménez in their place, the latter spearheading a trident formed by himself and Lozano and Pizarro in the wings, with Giovanni dos Santos supporting from behind and his younger brother and Edson Álvarez holding the midfield. The lineup was completed by Layún, Mier, Salcedo and Gallardo in defensive duties.

Khemia, who was debuting in this World Cup, used their classic 4-4-2 with no surprise in the lineup.

Determined to get their first win of the tournament, the Mexicans quickly started moving the ball forward, trying to catch the Khemians by surprise, before they could even place themselves properly on the field. The first chance came when Edson Álvarez headed a divided ball in the midfield, which was received by Giovanni Dos Santos, who proceeded to run for 20 meters before sending an overhead pass to Raúl Jiménez, who sent his shot wide and high after receiving the ball and turning around to shoot. Meanwhile, the Khemians seemed happy to hunker down and weather the storm that was falling upon them.

With the Khemians ceding all initiative to the Mexicans, Miguel Herrera’s pupils redoubled their offensives, whether it was left, right or center, but without too much luck, either poor accuracy, a timely header or tackle by the Khemian defense or Husniya catching crosses coming his way.

However, Mexican patience was rewarded at the 30th minute when, after a corner kick by the younger of the Dos Santos siblings, Raúl Jiménez headed the ball out of Husniya’s reach and to the back of the net to put things 1-0 in favor of the Feathered Serpents.

The rest of the first half went without too much action, with both teams seemingly waiting for the halftime to come to adjust their current strategies.

Second half began with Hamed being repaled with Tsaldaris, a taller striker, in a clear attempt by Ramzy to send cross after cross to the Mexican box hoping for a good header by his substitution. Hererra quickly responded by changing Montes for Salcedo.

A couple of minutes later, the whole stadium reminded the referee of his mother when an untimely tackle of Fathy against Jiménez wasn’t marked, much to the chagrin of both Mexican players and fans. With tempers flaring up since the beginning of the second half, everything came to a head when Ioannis Iolas lost sight of the ball and sent Giovanni Dos Santos flying through the air on the 55 minute, what came after was a group of Mexican players running to confront Iolas, who claimed he hadn’t done anything wrong, while his teammates came to his aid. What could have ended in a battle royale was cut short by the referee, who proceeded to book Montes and Álvarez for Mexico and Rabia, El Solia and Iolas for Khemia. Miguel Layún was almost booked as well, but walked away only with a reprimand and coach Herrera decided to take him out before a yellow card prevented him from playing next game. Gerardo Arteaga took his place.

After this incident, both teams were reminded that they were meant to play football and not box and resumed playing without more incidents for the rest of the match. Both managers made more adjustments trying to seal the victory or tie the game respectively, without too much success.

It wasn’t until the 86th minute, after the Khemians had thrown all they had up front, that Lozano managed to steal the ball and cruise through the open pitch, face the goalkeeper and cede the ball to Jiménez, who signed his second goal of the night by pushing the ball into the back of an empty goal.

With this victory, Mexico has now 4 points and will now have one week to rest before facing Australia during Match Day 4, while Khemia, with odds even more against them now, will play against Australia next Sunday in Querétaro.

Lineups:
Mexico: Ochoa, Layún (Arteaga, 60’), Mier, Salcedo (Montes, 50'), Gallardo, Álvarez, dos Santos, dos Santos (Molina, 71'), Pizarro, Jiménez, Lozano

Khemia: Husniya, Fathy, Iolas, Hegazi, Rabia (Magdy, 75'), Elneny, Trezeguet, El Solia (Hassan, 80'), Hamed (Tsaldaris, 46'), Ghaly, Kahraba

Goals:
1-0 Jiménez, 30’
2-0 Jiménez, 86’

Yellow cards:
Mexico: Montes, 58’, Álvarez, 58’
Khemia: Rabia, 58’, El Solia, 58’, Iolas, 58’

 

[Wings]

Match Day: C.S.A vs Celtic Union
Cortés Stadium, Cabo San Lucas
Attendance: 63,620​

Rosters:
CSA:
Martinez
Stuart V
Joad

90+3'
James
Samuelson

90+1'
Hayward (C.Lee 45')
Gracie
S.Lee
Edwards
Houston (Carter IV 88')
Wilson (Mayhew 88')

Celtic Union:
MacGilleBhrath
MacUilleim

49'
MacRaibeirt

41' (O’Ceallaigh 70')
Moireasdan
MacIomhair
O’Donnagain
MacGeidigh (MacIomaire 58')
MacDomhnullach

68'
MacMheinn
MacPhoil (Dughlasach 80')
Fearghasdan

Summary​

0' Kickoff between the CSA and the Celtic Union. Both teams want to come out with a win here after a slow start.

3' The Celtics are playing very agressive and very deep early on into the game. This might cost them if they aren't careful

6' And it's already a goal ! The very deep play of the Celtic players pays off as MacDomhnullach finds Fearghasdan alone in front of goal. The Celtic striker crucifies Martinez at point-blank range, the Celtic Union leads 1-0 !

9' Good reaction by the CSA, Gracie has a long ball and forwards it to Edwards but his shot goes over the bar

16' Another chance for the Celtic Union ! MacDomhnullach is untenable and this time goes for the individual exploit ! He dribbles Stuart V and Joad and strikes hard into the ball, but Martinez stops the attempt !

22' The CSA looks on the back foot but still finds opportunities. Edwards finds a good cross and Samuelson is there, but his header goes wide. Goal-kick.

28' Free Kick for the Celtic Union, but MacMheinn whiffs it and sends the ball flying towards the upper stands.

33' Another Free Kick for the Celtics as MacPhoil is brought down. This time MacMheinn shoots it better but it is repulsed by the Confederate defense.

36' The Confederates have started to wake up. Samuelson finds Houston alone in front of goal but his cross barely misses the striker's foot.

41' Penalty for the CSA ! After a good counter-attack, Edwards finds Houston alone in front and delivers a superb pass. However the striker is brought down in the box by MacRaibeirt who gets a yellow and conceded a penalty !

42' Houston does justice himself and scores ! MacGilleBhrath guessed correctly to the right but he cannot stop the ball from going into the back of the net ! 1-1 !

45' Half-Time ! Both teams lock horns with each other. The Celtic Union thought it had the upper hand but the CSA reacted fast enough and holds the Celtics to a draw !

45' Before going back to the pitch, Hayward has left his place for Charles Lee after he felt pain in his left ankle.

49' Second booking of the day for the Celtic Union as MacUilleim handles Edwards a bit too roughly. The free kick gives nothing.

55' Big chance for the CSA ! Edwards once again runs wild on the right side and torpedoes his way through the Celtic defense. His cross finds Wilson but the striker's header finds the post !

58' Substitution for the Celtic Union as MacIomaire comes on in place of MacGeidigh.

63' Another good chance for the Celtics, as MacIomaire, newly substituted, finds O’Donnagain alone. His strike from 20m barely misses the right post.

68' Another booking for the Celtic Union as MacDomhnullach is fined for a brutal challenge on a corner kick.

70' Another substitution for the Celtic Union. This time MacRaibeirt comes off while O’Ceallaigh makes his first appearance on the World Cup pitch.

73' The Confederates are trying their best to push. Edwards once again tries finding Houston but the ball rebounds onto Gracie instead. The midfielder cannot convert the chance and his shot goes wide.

76' MacDomhnullach finds a cross into the Confederate box and delivers a perfect ball to MacMheinn. However, the ball is deviated by Joad. The Celtics demand a handball but after VAR review, the penalty is refused !

80' Last substitution for the Celtics as MacPhoil is replaced by Dughlasach.

82' The Celtics have found their breakthrough ! A corner kick taken by MacMheinn gives nothing as the ball is repulsed by the Confederate defense, but MacDomhnullach slams his right foot into the ball, which comes to rest inside the Confederate net ! 2-1 !

86' Oh the Celtic Union nearly puts the nail in the coffin ! MacMheinn finds an opening on the right flank and decides to exploit it, passing the ball to Dughlasach. The striker arms a shot but Martinez barely saves it !

88' The CSA puts their last cards onto the pitch. Carter IV and Mayhew replace Houston and Wilson. It's do or die for the Confederates.

90+1' The CSA are getting desperate. Samuelson gets the first booking of his squad

90+3' The Confederates are loosing their nerves. Joad strikes MacIomaire on the face, he gets a yellow as the Celtics get a free kick.

90+4' The Free Kick goes wide, but the Celtics have secured an all important three points today as they beat the CSA 2-1 in a relatively controlled game. Despite being held to a draw for most of the second half, they were clearly in control all game.

C.S.A 1 - 2 Celtic Union​

Fearghasdan (6')​

Houston (42' pen)​

MacDomhnullach (82')​

Stats:
Shots on Target: 2 - 4
Possession: 42 - 58
Yellow Cards: 2 - 3
Red Cards: 0 - 0
Man of the Match: Tearlach MacDomhnullach (Celtic Union)

 

[New Britain Mapping]

Madagascar
Jérôme Dutertre (coach)
Roster (23 players)
Goalkeepers:
Andre Jefferson
Gustave Brousseu
Aymeric Beaudouin
Defenders:
Régis Barnier
Francisco Yáñez
James Crabbe
Sven Arlen Erlingsson
Jebediah Nutt
Roger Somers
Midfielders:
James Anderson Kidd (c)
Richard Wichmann
Pierre Pernet
Ludovic Brochard
Cornelius Hawkins
Ed Browne
Thomas Evertson
Forwards:
Lou Thatch
Estienne Pernet
Sebastian Hornigold
Marcel Génin
Philippe Allemand
Juan Olloqui
Xabier Alférez
Lineup:
Goalkeeper: Gustave Brousseu
Defenders: Régis Barnier, Francisco Yáñez, James Crabbe and Sven Arlen Erlingsson
Midfielders:James Anderson Kidd (c), Richard Wichmann and Pierre Pernet
Forwards: Philippe Allemand, Juan Olloqui and Xabier Alférez
Commonwealth of New England
Rick Osbourne (coach)
Roster (23 players)
Goalkeepers: Conan O’Gorman, Arsenio Estevez, Rory Wynne
Defenders: Cole Connell, Tom MacDonald, Jean-Claude Girard, Chester McGill, Chris Neville (captain), Mike Pellegrino, Osvaldo Mendes
Midfielders: Colin Tracey, Jesse Beavis, Kane Passerini, Alex Gardener, Mark Gladwyn, Toby Carlisle, Matthew Daniels, Placido Santos
Forwards: Donny Lamon, Leandro Berne, Eliot Briscoe, François Arnaud, Curtis Gray
Lineup:
Goalkeeper: Rory Wynne
Defenders: Cole Connel, Tom MacDonald, Chris Neville and Osvaldo Mendes
Midfielders: Colin Tracey, Kane Passerini, Alex Gardener and Mark Gladwyn
Forwards: Donny Lamon and Leandro Berne
Commonwealth of New England vs Madagascar - Centennial Field
PRE MATCH
Dan Lemon: Hello everyone and welcome to another Group D match and this time, New England vs Madagascar!
Dan Lemon: Isn't it great Jane Aslavioka?
Jane Aslavioka: Excellent! Do we get to see more action? We will see for sure.....
Jane Aslavioka: 3....2.....1..... kickoff!
FIRST HALF
1' The kickoff has just happened!
2' Madagascarian Juan Olloqui attempts a shot but it fails because it went over the stadium, these only happen rarely!
3' A new ball comes into play because of the recent fail.
38' A very serious incident has happened, as 2 (one from each side) has gotten in a brawl and seriously injured each other and they are both sent off.
The players sent off was: Tom MacDonald (New England) and Pierre Pernet (Madagascar).
Dan Lemon: The referee is signalling a 4-minute added time....
Jane Aslavioka: We might see more gruelling action, perhaps?
Dan Lemon/Jane Aslavioka: You know what, we will see.....
HALF TIME
Dan Lemon: Well what the first half was..... Amazing.
Jane Aslavioka: I know right?
SECOND HALF
47' New England nearly scores! But only the Madagascarian goalie Gustave Brousseu saved it because Leandro Berne has done the shot and it goes in for a corner.
48' The corner fails.
81' Oh my god, Leandro Berne is running for the goal and the shot is done.....
82' GGGGGGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Leandro Berne HAS DONE IT FOR NEW ENGLAND!
NEW ENGLAND 1-0 MADAGASCAR
Dan Lemon: The referee is now signalling a 2-minute added time..
Jane Aslavioka: We could potientially see a stoppage time equaliser...
FULL TIME
Jane Aslavioka: Wow what a match it was!
Dan Lemon: It was indeed, because 2 sent off and a 82-minute goal by Leandro Berne.

GOALS
New England 1
Madagascar 0
SHOTS
New England 1
Madagascar 1
POSESSION
New England 59
Madagascar 41
GOAL TIMES
New England 82'
Madagascar N/A
Man of the match: Leandro Berne

 

[riskyrofl]

 

[lotrian]

Surprise! If you thought that Gran Colombia would win its first match of this World Cup, well, you were wrong. The Revolucionarios bowed to an enterprising but clumsy Freedonia (1-2). Reduced to 10 from the 10th minute, the Colombians were unusually harmless. A result which confirms that this group C (with Venice, New Catalonia and Britain) will be tight until the end. We tell you everything, always very honestly!

YOU HAVE MISSED THE MATCH? DO NOT PANIC!

The first match of a very tight Group C lived up to its promise. In this group, Freedonia is nevertheless ranked 4th according to the bookmakers. And on the contrary, Colombia is the favorite. A style opposition between a very serious and diligent Freedonian team against a more fanciful and spectacular Colombian team. In addition, the Colombian selection has the advantage of having already beaten Freedonia in a friendly match in 2014, logically winning 4 goals to 1. The Colombians play without its technical leader, Ramon Manzanedo, not quite 100% and is therefore preserved for the moment.

Once the start of the match was blown, no one would suspect this scenario, the one where Freedonia opened the scoring from the 12th minute. How is it, you tell me? Well, it's simple, the referee shows the penalty spot from the 10th for a hand in the Colombian area, on the first Freedonian offensive. And the double penalty shows the tip of his nose. The Macedonian referee shows a red card to Miguel Ángel Ordóñez, whom he considers that his hand interferes with a goal action. The penalty was obviously transformed by Benjamin Gilead Hamilton, taking on the wrong foot a Guillermo Cicerón who was at ease during this match. Here it is, the 12th minute and the match seems already folded, so much the Freedonians impress by their moves and their desire on the lawn.

A few minutes later, push very strongly in order to achieve a feat: that of beating for the first time a South American team in World Cup. It is done thanks to Doctor's head on a corner (26’). They can also say thank you to a Colombian defense totally out of touch today.

But the Colombian genius has not said its last word. Colombians are more enterprising with sometimes dangerous flashes, but Often badly inspired or rather clumsy in front of the goal.

In the second half, Jesus Diego Aguayo places a malicious free kick flush with the ground, also taking advantage of an error from goalkeeper Gerald Beauvoir. (76’) So there it is a good reaction.

But the score will remain the same until the end of the match, and the Freedonians will get their surprise victory. A victory not undeserved either, but the Federals were well helped by the Colombians, who scuttled themselves. Pending the result of Venice-New Catalonia, two other teams of this group C, this Freedonian victory gives the feeling that this group C will be very interesting to follow during this World Cup.


Gran Colombia 1-2 Freedonia

(Aguayo 76’)(Hamilton 12’, Doctor 26’)


MATCH NOTE (54/100):

General show (7/20): Good, apart from this totally unexpected start to the match, we will not hide, this match remains a purge. The Freedonians were very clumsy while the Colombians tried to defend as best they could.

Opportunities and goals (11/20): Despite the sublime and treacherous free kick from Aguayo, the Freedonian goals remain fairly "basic" with a penalty and a header on corner. And especially that we did not have the chance to see many opportunities on both sides, despite some attempts by St. Clair and Davis on the Freedonian side.

Technical quality (9/20): Between a Ramon Manzanedo on the bench, a Juan José Espiga who goes out in the first half and a Benjamin Gilead Hamilton quite absent, the match was not crazy on a technical level. Even more surprising that it is one of the Colombian strengths.

Scenario and suspense (16/20): You have to raise the score for this match! More seriously, the scenario is extraordinary as long as Freedonia defied all the statistics highlighting a Colombian victory. When Freedonia scores its first goal, we tell ourselves that Colombia is finished. When Colombia scores, we tell ourselves that they will eventually come back. But ultimately, it is Freedonia which wins against all odds. We like this genre of typical scenario of the World Cup.

Bonus / Malus of the jury (11/20): For this category, we explain to you, we start from 10/20 with each kick-off and we inflate or lower the score according to our own subjective criteria (we are the jury, we do what we want.).

• -5 for boredom before this match we expected
• +3 for this malicious Aguyao free kick which shows he has brains.
• +3 for the performance of the Freedonians who showed good things despite approximations in the game and around the South American surface.

THE POP CULTURE MOMENT

If the Colombian defense was a video game hero, it would be ...

BOO. No, I don't want to scare you (sorry if that's the case) but it's the ghost character you never take on Mario Kart. Well, the Colombian defense was particularly invisible and stupidly at fault on the two Freedonian goals. Advice is pro Mario Kart, do not take Boo and take a beefier thing like Donkey Kong.

If Benjamin Gilead Hamilton was a video game hero, he would be ...

SOLID SNAKE. The hero of the Metal Gear Solid saga particularly likes to remain discreet by wandering around in a box (which, we can tell, is pretty flashy anyway) and going out at the last moment in order to take you back by eliminating you from a chiurgically placed bullet. Exactly Hamilton’s match.

If Jesus Diego Aguayo were a video game hero, it would be ...

KIRBY. This little pink ball is, apparently, too cute it is true. But when you don't expect it, it can be particularly treacherous and formidable. Like this free kick, a real master stroke.

3 MEMES THAT SUMMARIZE THE MATCH

This very clever Quintero free kick

The clumsy Freedonians faced a very good Guillermo Ciceron

When you’ve bet on Gran Colombia’s victory at 3.50

 

[Aztekk]

Referee: Shahab Raab (Iran)

Yellow cards:
Siberia: Misha Matvey ('72); Ivan Stanislov ('89)
France: None

Red cards:
None

Player of the Match: Kylian Mbappé

 

[Pragmatic Progressive]

from pilkarski.mm​

Phillippines

Coach: Stephan Schröck-Cabizares

Lineup:

Arturo Palalin

Óscar Canellas
Rafael Vidal Zuñiga
Zulficar Ali Dimasangca

Omar Abubacar Minandang-Cader
Alfredo José Ibañez
Miguel Tañag
Alejandro Lim (45' Augusto Siluco)
Arturo Malingenán

Felipe Younghusband-Placer (89' Francisco Duana-Duarte)
Javier Patiño (24' Manuel Leandro Galura)

East Africa:

Coach:

Lineup:

Denis Onyango

Erick Oumar Otieno
Abdul Rwatubyaye
Bevis Mugabi
(90' Joseph Okumu) Herbert Bockhorn

Victor Wanyama
Michael Azira
(56' Djihad Bizimana) Elvis Kamsoba

Saido Berahino
(64' Uche Ikpeazu) Mohammed Amissi
Mbwana Samatta
​

Monterrey Grand Field, Monterrey
Phillippine Republic 1 - 2East African Federation

Goals: 0-1 Elvis Kamsoba (14')
0-2 Mbwana Aly Samatta (24') (p)
1-2 Felipe Younghusband-Placer (66')

Referee: Serge-Baptiste Veronne (Antarctique) - Grade E:
Insecure and inconsistent. Needed a lot of help from the VAR which disrupted the game, and even then, he was harsh in some situations and lenient in others. Sending off Dimasangca was acceptable, if very harsh (24'), on the other hand, he should have booked at least Otieno (49') and Rwatubyaye (73'). A second penalty to East Africa could have been awarded, too (87') - debatable.

After East Africa's excellent start against the minnows of Siberia, Francis Kimanzi did not see any reason to change anything. Kamsoba was given another chance in the starting eleven, this time replacing Miya. Stephan Schröck on the other side fielded his nominal best starting eleven, too.

Seemingly invigorated from their match against Siberia, the Kimanzi team immediately started offensive play, trying to exploit the Phillippine weaknesses on the wings where Miguel Tañag and especially Alejandro Lim are very offensive-minded players. And immediately, Arturo Palalin was involved: An excellent long pass from Abdul Rwatubyaye found Mohammed Amissi, who tried a shot from about 30 m, centre-right position in front of the goal! It wasn't successful, however, Arturo Palalin had to stretch himself and just managed to deflect it to the side for a throw-in (2')!

And it became more and more apparent that East Africa intended to score early - they probably wanted to avoid the mistake of initially underestimating a team like they did Siberia. And indeed, the Mighty Beisa scored: Wanyama won the ball back in his own half from Malingenán and initiated himself. He passed onto the left to Berahino, who quickly and brilliantly changed sides to Mohammed Amissi on the right wing. Amissi, from the right and just before the penalty area, crossed the ball in - Samatta let it through for Kamsoba, who just had to put his foot in! 0-1 Elvis Kamsoba (14')!

This just cemented the Mighty Beisa's dominance. The Phillippines gave away posession again just seconds after kick-off and East Africa was even able to play many short passes and one-twos as is otherwise known from Antarctique or Leon-Castille.
East Africa was again short-passing around the penalty area when a gap for Samatta opened up - Canellas had left him relatively free. Berahino passed towards Samatta, but as he was shooting, Dimasangca tackled him!
He did tackle fiercely, and immediately, Veronne pointed to the spot and sent Dimasangca off with a straight red! Veronne did recieve a signal from the VAR, but his decision remained intact after reviewing the pictures. Yes, Samatta would have been through so it could be seen as a professional foul, however, Zuñiga might have stopped Samatta, and the tackle wasn't strong enough to constitute a severe offence. A harsh, but after all acceptable decision!

Despite what superstition says, the fouled player was to take responsibility. And thus, it now was Samatta vs. Palalin. Samatta aimed to the left, Palalin was successfully decieved! A safe penalty! 0-2 Mbwana Aly Samatta (24')!

Several further chances for East Africa arose before half-time, but none as convincing as the moves that saw the Kimanzi team lead with two goals. Palalin had to save a shot from the distance by Kamsoba (34') and picked up a cross by Berahino just before Samatta could get to it (45+1').
The Phillippines, on the other hand, could not register a single shot anywhere near the target during the first half. It was looking like victory for the Mighty Beisa was never endangered. The Phillippines already made their second substitution, and another defensive one at that, during half-time.

And it would never become endangered, despite the Kimanzi team focusing on defence and ball posession more than on creating even more chances and goals. Kamsoba was substituted off for Bizimana, and soon after, Ikpeazu replaced Berahino - East Africa switched to a 4-4-2 formation.
The Phillippines never quite gave up, and their morale was to be acknowledged: After Galura stopped a shot by Ikpeazu, they initiated a counterattack over Minandang-Cader, Siluco and Miguel Tañag. The latter passed the ball back again to Malingenán, through to Younghusband-Placer, who found the back of the net! 1-2 Younghusband-Placer (66')!

But it was not to be enough. East Africa continued to dominate and even increased its resolve to score in the last fifteen minutes. Palalin once again had to intervene against Ikpeazu's dangerous header (80') and a Samatta shot (84'). But the most dangerous move was Amissi dribbling into the penalty area and not being stopped by any Filipino player from doing so, until Canellas tackled him! Veronne's whistle remained silent! One could argue that contact was "too little", however, it was clearly not diving on Amissi's part - a debatable situation once again.

However, this did not prove game-changing. East Africa is now in an excellent situation regarding advancing to the knockouts, with six points, while the Schröck-Cabizares team has come under significant pressure. ​

 

[Capibara]

FRONTERA
Transylvania puts Novorossiya against the ropes
The Carpathian times now commands group E​

In a match devoid of much emotion, the Transylvanian Confederacy claimed its second victory of the tournament at the expense of Novorossiya, a team that fell again, now on the edge of elimination.

The game was played in Veracruz, where the weather decided to forgive players and fans, as a fresh sea breeze allowed the game to develop in optimal conditions. Most of the fans were Mexicans, with slightly greater support for Transilvania, who have their camp in the Boca de Río neighborhood and have managed to win over the jarocho fans.

The Bears, determined not to jeopardize their aspirations, quickly went on the attack against the bewildered Transylvanians, who were just getting settled on the playing field. In a lightning attack, the Russians reached the rival area and Sokolovsky fired a powerful shot that Kapolcs could barely send to a corner kick.

However, the surprise did not last long, as the Transylvanians soon launched their own attacks and annulled any offensive attempt by their rivals, completely nullifying their forwards.

Transilvania's goal fell in the 28th minute, in a corner kick taken by Apród, who sent the ball to the near post, where it was combed back by Halász, disconcerting the entire defense of Novorossiya leaving István alone in the box, who only had than to push the ball to the back of the net.

The rest of the match went on without much more incidents, with Transylvania having two other clear opportunities, but with Ivanov responding each time. On the Novorossiya side, their offense crashed every time against the wall commanded by Apród and company.

With this result, Transylvania takes the lead in Group E with 6 points, while Novorossiya goes to the bottom of the group and will now have to play it all out for their games against Wales and Canada. Later today on this group Sao Paulo, trying to keep up with the Transylvanians, will face Wales, who will debut in the tournament, at the San Cristóbal Resort Field in Cancún.

Lineups:
Novorossiya: Ivanov, Havrylyuk, Krupin, Zima (Fedorov, 80’), Gavrilyuk, Holub, Vasilev, Viktorov (Romanov, 54’), Borysov, Lagunov, Sokolovsky (Sobol, 71’)
Transylvania: Kapolcs, Péter, Simon, Kogalniceaunu (Gering, 75’), Apród, Halász, Dezső (Christmann, 56’), Landau, Bârladeanu, Gulyás, István

Goals:
István, 28'

Yellow cards:
None

Red cards:
None

 

[Wings]

Match Day: Sao Paulo vs Wales
San Cristóbal Resort Field, Cancún
Attendance: 46,598​

Rosters:
Sao Paulo:
Cassio
Marquinhos

36'
Militao (Alves 76')
Monteiro
Melo
Willian (Sandro 68')
Lodi (Souza 85')
Avelar
Neymar
Jesus

Wales:
Hydd
Gunter
A.Williams

12'
Keane
B.Williams
Ramsey (Iago 76')
Allen

48' (Foden 76')
Lingard (Llosgcoed 85')
Rhydbrech

90'
Bale
Roberts

Summary​

0' Kick off of this all important confrontation between the two top seeds of Group E, in front of a packed San Cristobal Resort field in Cancun !

5' Sao Paulo have their foot on the ball but cannot pass through the solid welsh defense. Closest they get is a run from Avelar but his cross finds nothing.

9' Good chance for Sao Paulo as Willian finds Neymar isolated in front but the Sao Paulo striker fails to convert his chance as he gets cocky and loses the ball to Keane. Neymar drops on the field and claims foul but referee says play on.

12' Ashley Williams has to be careful when defending against Gabriel Jesus. The speed of the Sao Paulo striker surprised the welsh defender who went for a rough tackle as a result. First booking of the match for the welsh defender.

14' Free kick for Neymar due to that foul but his shot goes way over the bar.

21' First clear opportunity for Sao Paulo ! A throw-in is played deep by Arthur Melo, who finds Lodi isolated. The midfielder delivers a great cross to Neymar, but the latter fails to send the ball into the net and instead goes slightly off the left post.

26' Another free kick for Neymar, another blunder. The ball goes straight into the Welsh Wall.

34' First chance for Wales with a free kick from 32m. Bale sends it into the wall.

36' Wales seem to have caught on a little. Ramsey is wreaking havoc on the midfield and is brought down by Marquinhos who gets a yellow.

44' It comes closer for Wales ! Ramsey is untenable and delivers the ball to Rhydbrech, who finds Bale on the edge of the box. The Welsh striker's shot barely misses the right post !

45+2' Half-time here in Cancun. Both teams seem to be on equal footing but Sao Paulo hold the ball. Still no shots on target for either team.

48' Sao Paulo start off the second half as they started the first, with a foot on the ball. The Welsh are easily frustrated and Allen is handed a yellow as he shoves Neymar down.

56' Wales have control of the sides for now, Sao Paulo cannot hope for a counterattack at any point.

64' The match has died down as both teams struggle to control the midfield.

68' Finally a substitution comes in. Sao Paulo trade Willian for Sandro.

73' Not much is gained from the substitution. Sandro's freshness does seem to wear out Ramsey somewhat but not to the point of exhaustion.

76' Triple substitution incoming. Sao Paulo take Militao off the pitch, replaced by Alves, while Wales remove Allen and Ramsey from the pitch, both exhausted, as they are replaced by Foden and Iago.

80' Wales come close yet again ! The double substitution has worked wonders and Foden finds an opening in the Sao Paulo defense. The Welsh midfield delivers the ball to Roberts, who misses the goal by a few centimetres !

85' Last subsitution for both teams. Souza comes on for Brazil, replacing Lodi, while Llosgcoed replaces Lindgard for Wales.

90' As 5 minutes of added time are announced, Rhydbrech is given a yellow for tugging on Gabriel Jesus' shirt a bit too strongly.

90+3' Sao Paulo are still in control but do not bring the ball forward as much. It seems it is going to be a goaless draw.

90+5' What ? What a huge, massive blunder from Hydd ! Gabriel Jesus, seeing the final whistle near, launches a ball from the 35 meter line, expecting nothing as Hydd is on the trajectory. The Welsh keeper saves of course, but with his fist instead of keeping the ball between his hands. As such, the ball bounces over his head and into the goal, 1-0 Sao Paulo !

90+7' And it is over ! A huge blunder from Hydd gives Sao Paulo the win !

Sao Paulo 1 - 0 Wales​

Gabriel Jesus (90+5')​

Stats:
Shots on Target: 1 - 0
Possession: 67 - 33
Yellow Cards: 1 - 3
Red Cards: 0 - 0
Man of the Match: Aron Ramsey (Wales)

 

[New Britain Mapping]

Match 29 - Banat vs Republic of China - Los Soles Arena
Banat: (The Danube Lions)
Roster (23 players)
Goalkeepers:
1 Dragoljub Velimirović
12 Ivan Tatarescu
23 Paul Freisler
Defenders:
2 Bogoljub Lazarević (Captain)
6 Risto Darković
15 Sergiu Ionesco
3 Vasile Barbu
22 Pataki Rajmund
14 Raoul Heidler
11 Eckhardt Hartjenstein
Midfielders:
5 Ljuba Ugljanin
10 Arsenije Živanović
20 Antonio Torje
13 Wawrzyniec Wisz
4 Calin Paler
8 Fábián Adrián
19 Gabriel Stieler
Forwards:
7 Ilija Blagojević
9 Tiberiu Stefan
16 Antonio Hurgoi
17 Szilágyi Vince
21 Kozma Benjámin
18 Paweł Garbacz
Lineup:
Goalkeeper: Dragoljub Velimirović
Defenders: Bogoljub Lazarević (Captain), Vasile Barbu, Risto Darković and Eckhardt Hartjenstein
Midfielders: Ljuba Ugljanin, Calin Paler, Fábián Adrián and Arsenije Živanović
Forwards: Ilija Blagojević and Tiberiu Stefan
Republic of China: (The Dragons)
Roster:
Goalkeepers:
Yan Junling
Yapp Hung Fai
Zeng Cheng
Defenders:
Chen Ting-yang
Chen Yi-wei
Li Ang
Mei Fang
Ming Tian
Shi Ke
Zhu Chenjie
Midfielders:
Chen Po-liang
Will Donkin
Feng Jin
Hao Junmin (Captain)
Li Hang
Liu Binbin
Liu Yun
Zhang Xizhe
Forwards:
Chen Hao-wei
Li Mao
Wei Shihao
Wu Lei
Zhang Yuning
Coach: Arsene Wenger
Starting 11:
Goalkeepers: Yan Junlung
Defenders: Chen Ting-yang, Chen Yi-wei, Li Ang and Mei Fang
Midfielders: Chen Po-liang, Woll Donkin, Fen Jin and Hao Junmin (Hao Junmin is captain)
Forwards: Chen Hao-wei and Li Mao
Simulation:
FIRST HALF STARTS
22' Woll Donkin is sent off after bad tackle on Ljuba Ugljanin.
30' GGGGGGGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!! Tiberiu Stefan Has SCORED!!!!
(Referee signalling 3 min added time)
HALF TIME
SECOND HALF
54' GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!! TIBERIU STEFAN HAS JUST SCORED AGAIN!
63' Li Mao is fouled in the penalty box.....
64' GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!!! LI MAO HAS JUST SCORED!
81' Another penalty is given, Could Tiberiu Stefan score an hat trick?
82' GGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! It was a rebound and CHEN HAO-WEI HAS SCORED THE GOAL!!
FULL TIME
Match Results:
GOALS
Banat 3
Republic of China 1
SHOTS
Banat 3
Republic of China 1
POSSESSION
Banat: 67
Republic of China: 33
GOAL TIMES
Banat: 30' 54' 82'
Republic of China: 64'

 

[lotrian]

A Belgian super-tanker has just passed the Cape Horn (Belgium 3-0 Patagonia). The approach was certainly complicated, the ship having to retry its maneuver many times but once the right course was found, nothing could stop it and it passed the southern country from east to west as if he were alone on the water. And for lovers of maritime navigation, we tell you all about the act of Belgian piracy on the valiant Patagonians in this honest summary, once!


YOU HAVE MISSED THE MATCH? DO NOT PANIC !


We're playing in the 18th minute when Patagonia's central defender Andreas Vestergaard clears his head as best he can while wrestling with Kevin Mirallas. Like any football player, he has always been told that the ball should never be thrown back in the center. He therefore releases the swell on the right side of the penalty area and then thinks of giving air to his team. But what the New York Red Bulls player doesn't know is that this ball will fall on an inspired Dries Mertens. The Parthenopean takes the ball with a fantastic volley and finally manages to break the Patagonian lock.

Belgium have just opened the scoring after having spent the beginning of the match besieging the Patagonian goal and looking for the solution, but the attackers of the flat country butted on an imperial Oliver Sortfjeld and on a very well grouped defense, honoring the historical importance of this match for Patagonia since it is the very first World Cup in its history.

The splendid goal of Dries Mertens has the merit of uninhibiting the Belgians who felt mounting pressure in the face of their consecutive offensive failures.

Despite a very good opportunity for Peter Madsen who stumbles on a vigilant Thibaut Courtois a few minutes after the opening of the score, it is the men of Michel Preud’homme who take the lead. And this is felt when Kevin Mirallas offers a soloist number in the middle of the opposing penalty area before retreating to a lonely Nacer Chadli 25 meters from the goal. The Anderlecht player hooks his first vis-à-vis before succeeding in a lovely cross from the outside of the foot which finds the head of Sam Lammers who propels the ball into the small opposite net (72nd).

That's it, Belgium has made the break and can start playing in a much more relaxed way, especially that just before the end of the match, the coup de grace falls for Patagonia. Perfectly launched on the limit of offside by Kevin Mirallas, Sam Lammers finds himself face to face with Oliver Sortfield and throws his ball over the beaten goalkeeper.

3-0, Belgium fulfilled its contract by offering itself a beautiful victory while treating goal difference to put pressure on China. A very nice meeting for the Belgians and a cruel but still successful match for Patagonia who will have fought very well but who will have lost to experience and individual quality.



United Belgian provinces 3-0 Kingdom of Patagonia

(Mertens 18’, Lammers 72’, 90’)



MATCH NOTE (66/100):

General show (13/20): This match could only be a beautiful spectacle from the moment there are occasions. And it did. Too bad the technique was not always on top.

Opportunities and goals (15/20): Just for the quality of the three Belgian goals, the score could only be good. The nugget of Dries Mertens on the opening of the score, the collective action on the second or the composure of Lammers on the last are perfect achievements. As for the occasions, Patagonia had a few frank ones and if Belgium had had another goalkeeper, perhaps even they could have saved the honor while the attackers of the flat country have missed a lot.

Technical quality (13/20): When technicians like Kevin Mirallas, Dries Mertens or Yannick Carrasco are on a football field, the quality of play immediately takes on a higher dimension. Today again, the artists were in. Unfortunately for them, Belgium's difficulties in scoring combined with the technical wanderings of the Patagonians prevent us from putting a higher mark.

Scenario and suspense (11/20): Let's be honest, without wanting to disrespect the valiant Patagonians, the scenario of the match was all drawn and the suspense only lasted one period. Enough to have fun certainly but not enough to disrupt the scenario that everyone had imagined with a good old 3-0 in the end. Nice match but not original will tell us.

Bonus / Malus of the jury (14/20): For this category, we explain to you, we start from 10/20 at each kick-off and we inflate or lower the score according to our own subjective criteria (we are the jury, we do what we want).

+2 for Dries Mertens' fantastic volley to open the score.

+1 for the assist passed from the outside of Nacer Chadli’s foot on the second Belgian goal

+2 for the very good performance of the Patagonians who held a full half before breaking down and who continued to try even at 0-3.

- 1 for the lack of efficiency of Belgium in the first period. Faced with a team like Patagonia, this has no consequence on the final result, but they cannot pretend to the final victory if they’re missing so many occasions.



THE POP CULTURE MOMENT

If the Panama team was a film, it would be ... Cool Runnings! For their first participation, nobody knows what the team is worth, some people laugh a little and then finally the team by its admirable behavior inspires respect. In the end, they do not win, but the hearts are charmed.

3 GIFS THAT SUMMARIZE THE MATCH



The performance of the Patagonian goalkeeper reassures everyone! Finally ... except the Belgians

Dries Mertens after his magnificent goal

Sam Lemmens at the end of the match

 

[Gust]

 

[riskyrofl]