AHFA 2020 World Cup

In the (temporary) absence of an updated graph by Yanranay, we can still double-check all the groups. Here, I did Group A.



Group A
Mexico
11Provence
Australia
2
1Tibet
Mexico20
Khemia
Provence2
0
Australia
Provence2
0
Tibet
Australia1
0
Khemia
Mexico2
0
Australia
Tibet
10Khemia
Mexico
3
0 Tibet
Provence20Khemia

Yielding:

WinsDrawsLossesGoals scoredGoals concededGoal differencePoints
1Mexico31081+79
2Provence31071+69
3Australia20236-36
4Tibet10327-53
5Khemia00406-60
Mexico and Provence should have 10 points. Otherwise looks fine.
 
Here are the final standings. I checked all groups and they align with @Capibara 's standings. So I think we should be able to continue, @Baconheimer .



Group A
Mexico
11Provence
Australia
2
1Tibet
Mexico20
Khemia
Provence2
0
Australia
Provence2
0
Tibet
Australia1
0
Khemia
Mexico2
0
Australia
Tibet
10Khemia
Mexico
3
0 Tibet
Provence20Khemia

Yielding:

WinsDrawsLossesGoals scoredGoals concededGoal differencePoints
1Mexico31081+710
2Provence31071+610
3Australia20236-36
4Tibet10327-53
5Khemia00406-60

Group B:




Caribbean​
2​
0​
Ragusa​
León-Castille​
2​
0​
Iran​
Caribbean​
2​
0​
Rhodesia​
Ragusa​
1​
3​
León-Castille​
Ragusa​
2​
1​
Iran​
Rhodesia​
0​
3​
León-Castille​
Caribbean​
0​
3​
León-Castille​
Iran​
2​
0​
Rhodesia​
Caribbean​
2​
1​
Iran​
Ragusa​
2​
2​
Rhodesia​



W​
D​
L​
scored​
conceded​
Goal difference​
Points​
1​
León-Castille​
4​
0​
0​
11​
1​
10​
12​
2​
Caribbean​
3​
0​
1​
6​
4​
2​
9​
3​
Ragusa​
1​
1​
2​
5​
8​
-3​
4​
4​
Iran​
1​
0​
3​
4​
6​
-2​
3​
5​
Rhodesia​
0​
1​
3​
2​
9​
-7​
1​





Group C:





Freedonia​
1​
1​
Venice​
New Catalonia​
2​
1​
Co-Operative Britain​
Gran Colombia​
1​
2​
Freedonia​
Venice​
1​
3​
New Catalonia​
Venice​
0​
1​
Co-Operative Britain​
New Catalonia​
0​
2​
Gran Colombia​
Freedonia​
2​
4​
New Catalonia​
Co-Operative Britain​
1​
2​
Gran Colombia​
Freedonia​
1​
2​
Co-Operative Britain​
Venice​
2​
0​
Gran Colombia​



W​
D​
L​
G. scored​
G. conceded​
Goal difference​
Points​
1​
New Catalonia​
3​
0​
1​
9​
6​
3​
0​
2​
Gran Colombia​
2​
0​
2​
5​
5​
0​
6​
3​
Co-Operative Britain​
2​
0​
2​
5​
5​
0​
6​
4​
Venice​
1​
1​
2​
4​
5​
-1​
4​
5​
Freedonia​
1​
1​
2​
6​
8​
-2​
4​




Group D:





Antarctique​
1​
0​
Celtic Union​
New England​
2​
0​
CSA​
CSA​
1​
2​
Celtic Union​
New England​
1​
0​
Madagascar​
CSA​
0​
2​
Antarctique​
Celtic Union​
1​
0​
Madagascar​
New England​
1​
5​
Celtic Union​
Antarctique​
1​
0​
Madagascar​
New England​
0​
1​
Antarctique​
CSA​
2​
1​
Madagascar​



W​
D​
L​
scored​
conceded​
Goal difference​
Points​
1​
Antarctique​
4​
0​
0​
5​
0​
5​
12​
2​
Celtic Union​
3​
0​
1​
8​
3​
5​
9​
3​
New England​
2​
0​
2​
4​
6​
-2​
6​
4​
CSA​
1​
0​
3​
3​
7​
-4​
3​
5​
Madagascar​
0​
0​
4​
1​
5​
-4​
0​

Group E:





Sao Paulo​
4​
0​
Novorossiya​
Transylvania​
3​
2​
Canada​
Sao Paulo​
1​
0​
Wales​
Novorossiya​
0​
1​
Transylvania​
Novorossiya​
1​
1​
Canada​
Transylvania​
1​
1​
Wales​
Sao Paulo​
2​
0​
Transylvania​
Canada​
0​
2​
Wales​
Sao Paulo​
5​
0​
Canada​
Novorossiya​
0​
3​
Wales​



W​
D​
L​
G. scored​
G. conceded​
Goal difference​
Points​
1​
Sao Paulo​
4​
0​
0​
12​
0​
12​
12​
2​
Wales​
2​
1​
1​
6​
2​
4​
7​
3​
Transylvania​
2​
1​
1​
5​
5​
0​
7​
4​
Canada​
0​
1​
3​
3​
11​
-8​
1​
5​
Novorossiya​
0​
1​
3​
1​
9​
-8​
1​




Group F:





East Africa​
3​
0​
Siberia​
France​
1​
0​
Macedonia​
East Africa​
2​
1​
Phillippines​
Siberia​
0​
2​
France​
Siberia​
0​
1​
Macedonia​
France​
1​
0​
Phillippines​
East Africa​
0​
1​
France​
Macedonia​
2​
0​
Phillippines​
East Africa​
0​
0​
Macedonia​
Phillippines​
0​
1​
Siberia​



W​
D​
L​
G. scored​
G. conceded​
Goal difference​
Points​
1​
France​
4​
0​
0​
5​
0​
5​
12​
2​
East Africa​
2​
1​
1​
5​
2​
3​
7​
3​
Macedonia​
2​
1​
1​
3​
1​
2​
7​
4​
Siberia​
1​
0​
3​
1​
6​
-5​
3​
5​
Phillippines​
0​
0​
4​
1​
6​
-5​
0​




Group G:

Milan​
1​
0​
Nova Holandia​
United Neutral Team​
2​
0​
Turkestan​
Milan​
2​
1​
Great Lakes​
Nova Hollandia​
1​
1​
United Neutral Team​
Nova Hollandia​
3​
1​
Turkestan​
United Neutral Team​
2​
0​
Great Lakes​
Milan​
0​
2​
United Neutral Team​
Turkestan​
2​
0​
Great Lakes​
Milan​
0​
4​
Turkestan​
Nova Hollandia​
1​
0​
Great Lakes​



W​
D​
L​
G. scored​
G. conceded​
Goal difference​
Points​
1​
United Neutral Team​
3​
1​
0​
7​
1​
6​
10​
2​
Nova Hollandia​
2​
1​
1​
5​
3​
2​
7​
3​
Turkestan​
2​
0​
2​
7​
5​
2​
6​
4​
Milan​
2​
0​
2​
3​
7​
-4​
6​
5​
Great Lakes Republic​
0​
0​
4​
1​
7​
-6​
0​

Group H:
China​
1​
0​
Patagonia​
Viti​
2​
1​
Banat​
Patagonia​
0​
3​
Belgium​
China​
1​
3​
Banat​
China​
0​
0​
Viti​
Banat​
1​
0​
Belgium​
Patagonia​
1​
1​
Banat​
Viti​
1​
2​
Belgium​
Patagonia​
2​
2​
Viti​
China​
1​
2​
Belgium​



W​
D​
L​
G. scored​
G. conceded​
Goal difference​
Points​
1​
Belgium​
3​
0​
1​
7​
3​
4​
9​
2​
Banat​
2​
1​
1​
6​
5​
1​
7​
3​
Viti​
1​
2​
1​
5​
5​
0​
5​
4​
China​
1​
1​
2​
3​
5​
-2​
4​
5​
Patagonia​
0​
2​
2​
3​
7​
-4​
2​
 
We get the following matches for the Round of 16:

  • Mexico v. Caribbean
  • Provence v. León-Castile
  • New Catalonia v. Celtic Union
  • Antarctique v. Gran Colombia
  • Sao Paulo v. East Africa
  • France v. Wales
  • Belgium v. Nova Hollandia
  • United Neutral Team v. Banat
 
This would be the bracket order.
  • Mexico v. Caribbean
  • New Catalonia v. Celtic Union
  • Sao Paulo v. East Africa
  • United Neutral Team v. Banat
  • León-Castile v. Provence
  • Antarctique v. Gran Colombia
  • France v. Wales
  • Belgium v. Nova Hollandia
 
And here is a map of which teams have advanced.
AHFA.png
 
Last edited:
82: Celtic Union 2-Catalonia 0
from pilkarski.mm​

New Catalonia Confederation

Coach:
Francesc Gqiba

Lineup:

Victor Bartra

Jordi Ngcukaitobi
Lluis Mpofu
Joan Nkuhlu
Hlumelo Biko (65' Carles Cardona)

Pere Romeu
Jaume Sebe (60' Roger Figueras)
Nosipho Mayekiso
Quim Vilà

Ferran Crosas (89' Aleix Mfeketo)
Themba Sibeko

Celtic Union

Coach: Aart van Hammink

Lineup:

Lachlann MacGilleBhrath

Anndra MacRaibeirt
(59' Ailig MacSual) Domnhall MacIomhair
Fearghas Moireasdan
(67' Uisdean Caidh) Seamus O'Ceallaigh
Iosaph MacUilleim

Connor MacGeidigh
Tearlach MacDomhnullach
Tomaidh MacMheinn

(88' Eirdsidh MacPhaildein) Daibhidh MacPhoil
Dughlas Fearghasdan
New Catalonia 0 - 2 Celtic Union

Goals:
0-1 Sean O'Ceallaigh (10')
0-2 Tomaidh McMheinn (62')


Referee: Yudhajit Bhupendra Dharakeshvar (National Dravidian Union) - Grade A-:
Very good in a sometimes heated match. It was correct to allow McMheinn's goal (62') and to award only a free kick instead of a penalty (MacMheinn was fouled outside the box, 75'). Additionally to all the correct bookings, he should have booked Nkuhlu (34').

Francesc Gqiba sent out the same starting eleven as in the match against Freedonia, except that Mfeketo, ineffective and paling in comparison to Sibeko, was benched in favour of 20-year-old prospect Ferran Crosas. Meanwhile, Aart van Hammink sent his team out in a five at the back formation, with tall and physically strong Seamus O'Ceallaigh (1,95 m) instructed to keep an extra eye on Themba Sibeko. On the other hand, MacRaibeirt and MacUilleim somewhat leaned forward, but had clear instructions to play the defensive part on the wings.

And both teams started quite well. The Celtic Union, though visually better and with more possession, had to cope with a counterattack early on. MacMheinn lost the ball to Quim Vilà, who managed to outrun Iosaph MacUilleim and dangerously crossed the ball into the penalty area, where it reached Themba Sibeko. And his shot could only be saved by an excellent reflex from MacGilleBhrath (4')!

But from this point on, it was all the Celtic Union. A first attempt from a tight angle on the right wing by McMheinn was defused by Victor Bartra (9'), but then, Pere Romeu unfairly tackled MacIomhair in midfield. A free kick just beyond the centre circle was the result. Over MacIomhair and Moireasdam, the ball reached MacGeidigh on the far left wing. His cross was deflected by Joan Nkuhlu - who used his elbow to hold off MacPhoil! Another free kick was awarded, now on the left wing close to the penalty area line. MacGeidigh was to take it.

And he brought the ball in, perfectly onto the head of Sean O'Ceallaigh, who headed it into the net! 0-1 Sean O'Ceallaigh (10')!

The Rebels had this match under control, but only few dangerous situations were to be seen. An excellent attempt by MacDomhnullach from the distance (32') was parried away by Victor Bartra, with him also saving the following corner. McMheinn (40') took another shot from the right, but missed the target.
Just before the first half was out however, one of the few successful counterattacks by New Catalonia occurred. Bartra kicked the ball far into the field, and Jaume Sebe won the duel against Anndra MacRaibeirt, managing to get a hold on the ball before it went out. Sebe passed back into the centre to Quim Vilà, onto the right to Nosipho Mayekiso, who dribbled into the penalty area. Moireasdan cancelled the offside position and Mayekiso's shot/cross was only just saved by MacGilleBhrath! Into the middle, where Ferran Crosas took a shot and just missed the target off to the right (45+1')!
Contact between Fearghas Moireasdan and Themba Sibeko was investigated by the VAR. And although there had indeed been contact, Dharakeshvar and the VAR team ruled that this was not a clear refereeing mistake - no penalty was awarded!

Just after the half-time break, New Catalonia tried gaining the upper hand - they did not succeed, but the van Hammink team did even resort to a counterattack. Namely, after a New Catalan corner, it was Iosaph MacUilleim who was able to prevent Jaume Sebe from taking a shot - and he passed into the centre to Domnhall MacIomhair. Running forward, he passed to Daibhidh MacPhoil, who took a shot! And it was bad luck that MacPhoil hit the inside post and Jordi Ngcukaitobi managed to clear the ball for a corner (55')!

The Rebels once again were better. And they switched to the somewhat more attacking 4-3-3 formation, taking off MacIomhair for Ailig MacSual, a third striker acting behind MacPhoil and Fearghasdan. O'Ceallaigh remained on the pitch, his role of keeping an eye on Themba Sibeko becoming even more important.

And once again, from a New Catalonian move forward which was cleared in midfield by Fearghas Moireasdan (winning a duel against Quim Vilà), Moireasdan passed the ball to MacRaibeirt, who played forward to MacGeidigh. An excellent change of sides - though not over the whole pitch - followed, with neither Joan Nkuhlu nor Lluis Mpofu being able to reach the ball or MacMheinn in time!
And MacMheinn ran with the ball for some distance - and easily passed it onto Dhaibidh MacPhoil. But he came under pressure by Joan Nkuhlu and Jordi Ngcukaitobi. He passed back to Tearlach MacDomhnullach, back onto the right wing of a yet again unguarded MacMheinn! And he pulled towards the centre, taking an excellent shot, and scored into the central left corner of the goal! An excellent move, and barely even stoppable by Victor Bartra! 0-2 Tomaidh MacMheinn (62')!
And nobody was offside in this sequence of play as was soon, and correctly so, confirmed by the VAR.

Just seconds later, New Catalonian defender Hlumelo Biko lost the ball to Connor MacGeidigh, who ran over much of the field with it, finally crossing it onto the edge of the penalty area, to Dhaibidh MacPhoil, whose header hit the crossbar! The ball went out into the pitch again, where Tearlach MacDomhnullach's shot was excellently saved by Victor Bartra! A double chance to extend the lead for the van Hammink team (63')!

Despite these two excellent opportunities being missed, the match was seemingly already decided - but it all could have changed. An attempted cross by Nosipho Mayekiso, despite pressure being applied by Uisdean Caidh, into the penalty area was cleared out for a corner by Fearghas Moireasdan. Roger Figueras took the corner, unusually for the Storm Warriors, it was taken short. Figueras passed the ball onto Quim Vilà, who performed a very dangerous cross, perfectly onto the head of Themba Sibeko! And his excellent header took a slight deflection upwards by Sean O'Ceallaigh and hit the crossbar - and MacGilleBhrath still needed to intervene to finally pick up the ball (72')!

Minutes later, after Uisdean Caidh had passed the ball forward for another far run by McMheinn, the latter nearly had reached the penalty area when Jordi Ngcukaitobi saw no other alternative than to stop him unfairly! MacMheinn fell into the penalty box, but referee Dharakeshvar awarded only a free kick - and again, he was confirmed by the VAR: The foul on MacMheinn did indeed take place outside of the penalty area.
Still, this was a dangerous free kick position - but the direct attempt by Connor MacGeidigh was safely picked up by Bartra (75'!)

The last fifteen minutes of the game went down without any significant opportunities on either side. MacPhoil's header after a corner missed the target quite clearly (77'), and Bartra parried an audacious shot by Ailig MacSual over the crossbar (88').

And so, a clear and never endangered victory by the Celtic Union made them the first team to advance into the quarterfinals of the 2020 World Cup - without extra time or a penalty shootout being needed.
 
Last edited:
87: France 2-Wales 0
I think this may be early so....

France vs Wales - Centennial Field

France: Donnarumma, Hernandez, A.Mbappé, van Dijk, Hakimi, N.Mbappé, Wijnaldum (Camavinga, 5'), Brašković, K.Mbappé, da Costa, Mané

Wales: Hydd, Roberts, Williams, Keane, Dyfed, Iago, Ramsey, Alle, Lingard, Bale


FRANCE BEATS WALES 2-0

France:
Mané 22'
K.Mbappé 74'

Possession:
FRANCE: 73%
WALES: 27%

SHOTS:
FRANCE: 3
WALES: 0

FIRST HALF STARTS

1' THE MATCH HAS NOW STARTED.

5' OUCH! Keane has tackled Wijnaldum, and he is seriously injured, as it owes to his double leg break, like Seamus Coleman had a few years ago!
5' France subsition: Wijnaldum off - Camavinga on
5' Red card given to Keane, he's sent off.

22' GOAL! SADIO Mané HAS SCORED! He took a great dribble and drew the ball past that goalie Hydd!

MATCH: FRANCE 1-0 WALES
SHOTS: FRANCE 1-0 WALES

37' Wales nearly make a chance as Bale attempts to cross but is quickly turned away by Hernadez

45' 3 minutes added time!

FIRST HALF ENDS

HALF TIME

SECOND HALF STARTS

73' Not much has happened so far, but wait....

74' THAT'S RIGHT! FRANCE HAS JUST SCORED AGAIN!! Kylian Mbappe has just NOW SCORED!

MATCH: FRANCE 2-0 WALES
SHOTS: FRANCE 2-0 WALES

89' A attempt to make it three goals has failed as Hydd has managed to save it!

SHOTS: FRANCE 3-0 WALES

90' 5 minute added time!

SECOND HALF ENDS

FRANCE KNOCKS OUT WALES 2-0

Wales are sadly going home due to that embarrassing defeat.


MAN OF THE MATCH:
France's Kylian Mbappe! He managed to take a long shot and it went to the goal!
 
ROUND OF 16, 81: Mexico 3-Caribbean 1
Saturday 4th of July, 3PM, in the first match of the round of 16
Iturbide Stadium, Morella


Mexico ended first of their group and undefeated with 10 points, while the Caribbean Federation ended 2nd of their group. The two teams know each other quite well, as they are bitter rivals who regularly play against each other in continental competitions. Mexico is the obvious favorite of this match since they have advantage of playing at home, with the whole stadium cheering for them; however, the Caribbeans also have some arguments, namely with Raheem Sterling having scored 4 goals since the beginning of the competition.

More creative and more offensive than in the first stage, The Plumed Serpents easily won against Caribbean Federation 3-1, reduced to 10 in the 36th minute following the exclusion of Léger.

The Brigadye could not deal with the serious team of Mexico and therefore are the first eliminated at this stage.

Mexico is quietly gaining strength in this World Cup without a single black cloud obscuring their results so far, and will be a formidable opponent for the winner of New Catalonia-Celtic Union.

The suspense was short-lived in this meeting, where everything was played in the first period. In a rather rhythmic start to the match, where the two teams offered a very vertical game, Mexico opened the score in the 6th minute with a free kick from Giovanni dos Santos at 19 meters. The América player strikes a powerful curved shoot on the ground level on the open side and deceives Ricardo Philippe. (6th, 1-0)

Very threatening after the Mexican goal, the Brigadye were unlucky in the 24th minute. On a corner hit on the right and badly cleared by the Russian defense, Carlos Salcedo strikes a left shot from outside the area. Unlucky, Leon Bailey is on the path and deflects the ball into his own cages (24th, 2-0). This unlucky goal calms Zetwal Wouj’s enthusiasm. Mexico then has the hand on the meeting by succeeding this break. A first period that turns into a nightmare for Caribbean, after the second yellow card for Frank Léger, who is therefore expelled.

Raul Jimenez's teammates will even aggravate the score before half time (42nd , 3-0). On a corner played on the right, Rafa Marquez jumps higher than everyone else, his head is pushed back on his line by Philippe but Chicharito appears to conclude from close distance. A deserved goal for the former Manchester United striker, who has again spared no efforts, and scores his 3rd goal of this World Cup.

3-0 at halftime for the Plumed Serpents, Caribbeans at 10, the match is folded in 45 minutes.

The second period began on a high note as the Caribbean returned to the field with new intentions. After making a siege of several minutes on Ochoa’s goals, the Brigadye obtained a corner. Sterling and Beauvais play it short together and the Citizen offers a perfect cross for De La Côte who propels the ball into the back of Ochoa's nets (58th, 3-1).

The Mexicans, without really trying, obtain a good number of chances but do not manage to increase the score. In total control against a Caribbean selection exhausted by dint of running behind the ball, the Plummed serpents are content to manage the score until the end of the game.

THE MATCH NOTE (70/100)

General show (16/20): We like to watch pleasant matches like this one, with a high technicity and nice occasions. Mexico definitely played a great partition today in front of pleased fans. Caribbeans also displayed a high-level when they had the ball, but it was too rare to make a difference.

Opportunities and Goals (15/20): A lot of thrills during this meeting! Four goals, numerous attempts from Mexico and a very nice free kick. Mexico displayed a great domination in the first half with a siege on Philippe’s goal. In the beginning of the second half, it was Raheem Sterling and his teammates who were restless, but the end of the second half was much more quiet when Mexico managed to stay put and control the game.

Technical quality (15/20): Ah, the Mexican technical mastery is impressive. The quality of keeping the ball is splendid, incomparable. Dos Santos’ free-kick was wonderful, and the cross of Sterling on the Caribbean goal is perfect. We liked the impressive number of dribbling on one-to-one situations on both sides. With so many opportunities, that means a lot of them were failed attempts, and there were some very poor shots.

Scenario and suspense (9/20): The match ended up being pretty much like we imagined it would be. Not much of surprises or sudden twists. When the score is 3-0 at 11 against 10, it’s very likely that team will end up victorious.

Bonus and penalty (15/20): 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 Giovanni Dos Santos’ free kick which surprised Ricardo Philippe (and everyone else) in the very beginning of the match.

-2 The performance of Raul Jimenez, who ended up striking so many shots in the stands that we suspect he just wanted to please his fans with free balls.

+2 Javier Hernandez in his typical old school goal poacher style, appearing at the right time and right place to score.

+3 The amazing fervor displayed by Mexican fans in the stands. The stadium was all green, and the clamor of the crowd might have influenced the referee when it came to sanctions against Caribbeans.

3 GIFS THAT SUMMARIZE THE MATCH


His teammate’s reaction after Dos Santos’ free-kick


Raul Jimenez when shooting


The referee whenever he had to make a decision



Final score :
Mexican Empire 3:1 Federation of Caribbean Socialist Republics
(Dos Santos 6’, Bailey 24' (OG), Hernandez 42’)(De La Côte 58’)
 
84: Antarctique 1-Gran Colombia 0
EL UNIVERSAL

South American clash puts Antarctique among the best 8 of the tournament
Gran Colombia will have to wait another four years for a new opportunity to reach the quarterfinals

In a rematch of last year’s Copa América final, South American giants and eternal rivals Antarctique and Gran Colombia gave fans at the Olympic Field of Veracruz an exciting show, leaving everything in the field despite the single goal scored.

Both Samuel Obregón and Marcel Gaillard sticked to their usual lineups, which worked well throughout the first round, specially for the Pumas, who won all their four matches of the first round, while the Revolucionarios almost said goodbye early on after an unfortunate defeat against the Venetian Republic and only edged the Britain-in-exile because of the game between them.

However, as everybody knows, once the second round rolls in, a new tournament begins, and that’s precisely what both sides had in mind when they jumped to the pitch in Veracruz yesterday.

The game started with both sides intent on attacking the minute they got the goal, which quickly translated into a back-and-forth game, as Antarctique quickly connected a series of passes between De Marie, Messie and Souaret, which ended with a potent shot by the latter, only deflected thanks to Cicerón’s quick reflexes. The Colombian’s didn’t have to wait much for their chance: after the Pumas wasted the subsequent corner kick after Souaret’s shot, Montenegro headed the balls towards Espiga, who ran the whole length of the right wing and crossed the ball towards a solitary Japón, whose header crashed against the crossbar, causing Colombian fans in the stands to gasp incredulously at what seemed like a sure goal for their team.

This box to box game went on for almost ten minutes, with both teams trading shots, crosses and saves by the goalies. One had to wonder when the first goal would fall and which team would score. The answer: 10th minute, Antarctique. The scorer: who else? Lionel Messie. Receiving the ball from Vexin after a throw-in from the right side of the pitch, the international star left Montenegro requesting a hip replacement, turned around and shot: the ball curved beautifully from outside to inside, embedding near the post furthest from the goalkeeper.

After Messie’s goal, the intensity of the match lowered somehow, with the Antarctique side more interested in consolidating their early gain, while the Colombians began to run out of steam after several unsuccessful attempts. Still, during the rest of the first half both teams still had a couple of dangerous chances apiece, specially a shot by Chavanne that barely missed Ciceron’s right post and, on the other side, a miraculous slide by Marchand, deflecting the ball on the line after a shot by Japón.

For the second half, Obregón adopted a more aggressive attitude, as it should be expected from a team losing a knockout round game, sending Zorita in place of Sainz, while Gaillard sent the same 11 men back to the pitch.

Zorita’s entry to the game seemed to tip the scales in favor of the Colombians, who started resembling more and more their dangerous selves of the first minutes of the previous half, with Zorita sending pass after dangerous pass towards Manzanedo, Aguayo and Japón, who couldn’t take advantage of any of these balls. However, Gaillard knew things could quickly change and one lucky break would ruin his game plan, so he pulled Chavanne out and sent Autemande to reinforce the defense.

The second half went on with some more changes by both teams and the Colombians trying to break the rival defense to no avail: led by Godin and Laxalt, the Antarctique defense disarmed each and every Colombian attack, with the exception of a shot at the 81th minute by the newly entered García, that was deflected by Becker for a corner kick.

In the end the Pumas proved to be more resourceful and resilient than the Revolucionarios and earned the win. Antarctique now enters the quarterfinals, where they will face León-Castille, a team that has been unbeatable for the whole tournament and is looking for their first real challenge against the South Americans.

LINEUPS
Antarctique: Becker, Marchand, Laxalt, Godin, Simon, Pariède, Vexin, De Marie, Chavanne (Autemande, 55'), Messie, Souaret
Gran Colombia: Cicerón, Sáez, Espiga (García, 80'), Montenegro, de la Cruz, Quesada (Ureña, 63'), Sainz (Zorita, 46'), Ordóñez, Manzanedo, Aguayo, Japón

GOALS
1-0 Messie, 10'

YELLOW CARDS
Antarctique: Chavanne, 36', Souraet, 88'
Gran Colombia: Quesada, 52', Manzanedo, 88'

RED CARDS
None
 
85: Sao Paulo 1-East Africa 0
from pilkarski.mm
Sao Paulo

Coach: Dorival Júnior

Lineup:

Cassio

Marquinhos
Éder Militão
Felipe Monteiro (90+3' Bruno Alves)

Renan Lodi
Casemiro
Arthur
Danilo Avelar

Neymar (73' Lucas Ramos)
Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Barbosa (80' Willian)

East African Federation

Coach: Francis Kimanzi

Lineup:

Denis Onyango

Erick Oumar Otieno
Abdul Rwatubyaye
Bevis Mugabi
Herbert Bockhorn

Victor Wanyama
(76' Moses Opondo) Michael Azira
Elvis Kamsoba

Saido Berahino
(55' Uche Ikpeazu) Mohammed Amissi
Mbwana Samatta
Sao Paulo 1 - 0 East African Federation

Goals:
1-0 Arthur (22')


Referee: Wawrzyniec Polcyn (Miedżymorze) - Grade E:
A penalty for East Africa would have been mandatory (Marquinhos v. Samatta, 48') - on the other hand, disallowing Gabriel Barbosa's goal for offside after VAR intervention was very controversial; most likely, Barbosa and Bockhorn were on the same level.

Both coaches fielded their arguably best starting elevens, especially seeing the performances of players like Gabriel Jesus, Arthur and Elvis Kamsoba in the group stage.

It was clear from kick-off that Sao Paulo is just a vastly stronger side than the East African Federation. Sao Paulo had over 70 % possession, but it was all in midfield. Nothing, not even an audacious attempt, required Onyango to intervene.
The same, however, was true for Cássio - he was prepared to intervene when a shot from the left by Berahino went far wide of the target, though (15').

Courageous defence by Otieno, Bockhorn, and to an extent Mugabi and Rwatubyaye stopped Neymar and Gabriel Jesus from making their well-known dangerous runs down the wing. But soon, Bockhorn saw no other alternative than to stop Neymar with a robust tackling. Neymar exaggerated to an extent, but a free kick was awarded and this decision is at least justifiable.

Neymar was the one to take the free kick himself (21'). It went into the wall and the situation seemed to be cleared.
But Arthur gained the ball against Wanyama, ran forward not being attacked by Azira, and took a very powerful strike! From 29 metres out, it went directly under the crossbar! Onyango had no chance against this excellent and beautiful shot! 1-0 Arthur (22')!

And East Africa, though they attempted counterattacks, never gained any control or even got any substantial amount of passing together. A desperate attempt by Amissi from the far right (34') went over the crossbar, but was the clearest opportunity East Africa had.

On the other hand, Sao Paulo played rather defensively, but still managed to retain their excellent possession statistics. Gabriel Jesus' shot from the right wing at the corner of the penalty area was deflected by Mugabi and was saved with a good flying save by Onyango (36').
Gabriel Barbosa was correctly ruled offside after he recieved the ball from Casemiro via a long pass (45')

And so, despite all dominance and ball possession, Sao Paulo only lead by one goal.

Just after half-time, the Mighty Beisa at least attempted something. At first, a powerful shot by Gabriel Jesus was saved by Onyango and the resulting corner proved harmless (47'). Onyango threw the ball to Otieno. Over Azira's excellent chip, the ball reached Kamsoba to the centre-left in front of the penalty box. An easy pass to Samatta, but Samatta was taken down by Éder Militão in the box and his shot went wide! The stadium demanded a penalty, and it was quite clear that Militão had not only played the ball... but Polcyn's whistle remained silent and the VAR did not intervene (48')!
Clearly, East Africa should have gotten a penalty there!

Still, Sao Paulo effectively controlled the match - and soon, offensive play was resumed. A dangerous header by Éder Militão after an excellent Neymar free kick hit the post (64') and Rwatubyaye was quickest to clear the ball out.

Only minutes later, Arthur - Casemiro having received the ball from Cássio - brilliantly passed the ball to Neymar, who just as brilliantly dribbled forward and crossed it into the box onto the head of "Gabigol" Barbosa! And he headed it into the back of the net! 2-0... but the linesman raised his flag! No goal for Sao Paulo, but the VAR intervenes (69')!
Even upon VAR consultation, it remained unclear whether Bockhorn was on the same level or Barbosa's foot was offside in the moment of the pass. Most commentators and pundits claim that Bockhorn and Barbosa were level - and thus the goal should have been allowed - but this is one of the decisions that will forever remain controversial even in the times of video refereeing...

The Mighty Beisa though could never unsettle Sao Paulo. Arthur (78') fired another very dangerous shot after a corner was insufficiently cleared away by Rwatubyaye and Opondo, and hit the crossbar.

After that, it seemed like Sao Paulo was content with its one goal lead - until injury time. Via Casemiro and Arthur, the ball reached Renan Lodi and then Lucas Ramos, who fired an excellent and quite dangerous shot (90')! Onyango could only save it into the middle, where Gabriel Jesus took a shot, but Onyango parried it away (90+1'), and the resulting corner was at first cleared by Otieno, but the ball came to Renan Lodi on the far left wing again. And his audacious, but powerful shot required another excellent flying save by Onyango (90+3')!

The next corner was picked up safely, and after a few more passes by the Kimanzi team, thr referee blew the full-time whistle!
As one of the major favourites after the convincing performances of the group stage, Sao Paulo reached the quarterfinals in an equally dominant fashion, but did not manage to score as many goals as they did against Novorossiya or Canada.

 
Last edited:
QUARTERFINALS, 89: Mexico 3 (wins)-Celtic Union 3
Screen Shot 2020-06-28 at 5.52.26 PM.png


Referee: Ernst Lindbergen (Patagonia)

Yellow cards:
Mexico:
Cardoso ('71), Gallardo ('100)
Celtica: MacPhoil ('84)

Red cards:
None

Player of the Match: Javier Hernández (Mexico)​
 
Last edited:
92: Belgium 2-France 0
from pilkarski.mm​
French National Union:

Coach: Thomas Tuchel

Lineup:

Gianluigi Donnarumma

Lucas Hernandez (23' Slavko Tripalo)
Aliou Mbappé
Virgil van Dijk
Achraf Hakimi

Napoléon Mbappé
Eduardo Camavinga (80' Lucien Agoume)
Darko Brašković (92' Deng Xiajiang)

Sadio Mané (106' Breel Embolo)
Khouma Mamadou Sy
Kylian Mbappé

Belgium:

Coach: Michel Preud'homme

Lineup.

Thibault Courtois

Toby Alderweireld
Perr Schuurs
(45' Laurent Jans) Thomas Meunier

Axel Witsel
(64' Siebe Schrijvers) Yannick Carrasco
Nacer Chadli
(86' Vincent Thill) Dries Mertens

Sam Lammers
Daniel Da Mota
(98' Roy Beerens) Kevin Mirallas
French National Union 1 -2 a.e.t. Belgium

Goals:
1-0 Eduardo Camavinga (6')
1-1 Nacer Chadli (72')
1-2 Daniel Da Mota (106')


Referee: Takefusa Omae (Empire of Japan) - Grade B:
No decisive mistakes. The penalty for France was absolutely correct (Schrijvers v. Sy, 93'). He should have booked Schuurs (28') and shown Alderweireld a second yellow card (86'), whereas booking Schuurs (57') and van Dijk (115') was probably harsh.

Both coaches sent their best starting elevens possible, but changes were seen in both lineups. Tuchel had to replace the severely-injured Wijnaldum (up to two years on the sidelines!) - and made Eduardo Camavinga the youngest player ever to start a match for France. Phillippe Evande da Costa was the second player injured, but adductor issues only take him out for this and a possible semifinal match. Hopes are high that da Costa would be fit again for a potential final or third-place match.
On the other side, Preud'homme rewarded Daniel Da Mota with a place in the starting eleven.

And it was France who controlled the match right after kickoff. A dangerous cross by Lucas Hernandez was caught at the last minute by Thibault Courtois (2').

Soon after, an offensive-minded Achraf Hakimi was left free to run on the right wing and could dangerously cross the ball into the penalty box once again! This time, Thibault Courtois could not get a grip on it! Instead, he fumbled and it was Eduardo Camavinga who just had to put his foot in!
The youngest starter ever thus also became the youngest goalscorer in French history! 1-0 Eduardo Camavinga (6')!

However, after Camavinga's goal, not much more happened. It was not that Les Bleus performed worse or that Belgium performed better, but fewer opportunities arose as defence (mainly Belgian defence, though) were more able and willing to nip them in the bud. Both teams wanted to avoid making the fatal mistake.

Thibault Courtois still had to intervene several times - against van Dijk's header after a Brašković free kick (13'), against Sy's attempt from 14 metres in front of the goal after another Hakimi cross (17'), against Kylian Mbappé's shot from the right (27').
In the 23rd minute, Hernandez wanted to run as freely on the left wing as Hakimi had done earlier on the right wing and most likely cross the ball into the penalty box, but during a sprint - without being under pressure from a Belgian player, Alderweireld was approaching him but nothing else - he stopped and pointed to his hamstring... It is injured, and Thomas Tuchel had no other alternative than to bring on another 18-year-old in Slavko Tripalo.

Belgium was very lucky when Mané's powerful shot from the far left (34') which was deflected by Schuurs hit the inside of the post and Thibault Courtois could grab the ball.

The Tricolors on the other hand did not take a single shot at the target in the first half. Nevertheless, Donnarumma parried away a rather harmless attempt by Chadli which would have gone wide anyway (9') and a powerful, but far too high attempt by Axel Witsel (36').

But after half-time, things were completely different as the Preud'homme team seemed to be a completely new one. Meunier, ineffective and seemingly slow, was replaced by Laurent Jans. But this was by far not the only change noticeable on the pitch. Belgium was much more offensively minded, combined with a more stable defence.

Still, the start to the second half was quite slow. Chadli and Carrasco gave their best, but were frequently stopped by Tripalo and Hakimi. A successful run down the wing by Nacer Chadli saw him outwit Slavko Tripalo, however, Aliou Mbappé jumped quite a bit higher than Sam Lammers and stopped his attempt at a header, heading it out for a corner instead (54')!

Chadli's next shot, this time from the left wing, would have probably gone wide of the target, too, but Donnarumma rather wanted to play it safe and parried the ball with a great flying save - out for a corner (67')! And the corner certainly was no less dangerous. Schrijvers took the corner, and it was, unexpectedly for France, taken short. Van Dijk and Hakimi headed the attempt at a cross out of the area, but 34 metres in front of Donnarumma's goal, it was Napoléon Mbappé who took down Alderweireld as he wanted to bring the ball back into the danger zone.

The free kick was certainly too far out for a direct attempt. Dries Mertens took the free kick - into the wall. Aliou Mbappé headed it out. However, Axel Witsel was first to reach the ball - and he saw the unguarded Nacer Chadli on the right wing! A perfect pass to Nacer Chadli, whose even more perfect and beautiful shot found the back of the net! 1-1 Nacer Chadli (72')! Donnarumma could possibly have reacted, this is unlikely however - no goalkeeping mistake.

Again, the quality and number of opportunities significantly decreased even though both teams were quite eager to decide this match in regular time. On the part of the Tuchel team, Camavinga's substitution for Agoume was a clear sign that a final offence was what Tuchel wanted.
A powerful strike by Brašković was parried away by Courtois (84'), Mané was hindered at the last moment by Alderweireld before taking a shot (87'), but on the other hand, Donnarumma had to save attempts by Lammers (86') and Schrijvers (90+2').

But it remained one all, and so, thirty minutes of extra time were needed, if not a penalty shootout.

After Agoume took a corner which harmlessly went out for the next corner, referee Omae immediately pointed to the spot. Most spectators didn't understand why at first - but then, as the video screens repeated the sequence, it became evident that Schrijvers had taken Khouma Sy off his feet to stop him getting a chance at a header (93')!

Tuchel is one of the few coaches who lets the players decide spontaneously who takes the penalty, and it was Sadio Mané this time!
Sadio Mané vs. Thibault Courtois... a shot towards the upper right corner! Too high to be safe! And with an excellent flying save, Courtois saved the penalty!
The following corner was taken by Deng Xiajiang, and again, Courtois saved, this time a powerful header from Virgil van Dijk (94')!

And after a saved attempt by Sam Lammers for the Tricolors (101'), Donnarumma excellently kicked the ball forward. Belgian defence was badly positioned and Deng Xiajiang could take the ball and even run forward with it, taking Sadio Mané on the far left and Khouma Sy, more towards the centre, with him. He decided to pass to Khouma Sy, whose shot, too far to the left of the goal, was parried away by Courtois! Many think that, had Xiajiang taken the shot for himself, he would have scored (102')! But this is not necessarily the case, Courtois at least had a chance...

After a short break, the second half of extra time started. And the first half already had shown that both teams were not prepared to let this match go to penalties. In the last minutes of the first half of extra time, the Tricolors had become somewhat better.
And then, after another corner for France, Courtois - who had taken the risk of coming out of his goal - threw the ball to Laurent Jans, who chipped it high to Nacer Chadli. The offside rule did not apply as this excellent chip came out of the Belgian half of the field, and when Chadli played one-two with Vincent Thill, it was Slavko Tripalo who played Chadli onside again. His pass back, to the centre near the penalty area, found Daniel Da Mota who just took a shot! And the powerful shot found the back of the net, leaving Donnarumma no chance! Donnarumma was even nutmegged! 1-2 Daniel Da Mota (106')!

And, despite several more attempts, France could no longer muster the energy to really change the result.
The best opportunities for an equaliser included a rather dangerous shot, not very powerful but with a lot of effet, from the left corner of the penalty area by Khouma Sy (who had been assigned the left wing as Embolo was brought on) which could only just be saved by Courtois (114') and a very powerful shot from 23 metres in front of the goal by Lucien Agoume (116') which went just wide of the left post.
The Tricolors meanwhile had switched to a very defensive mode of play and successfully stopped the French from making a comeback.

In an exciting match, always good to watch and without much 'argy-bargy' in midfield, Belgium becomes the second semifinalist after the Mexican hosts.

To at least some pundits' surprise, the "dark horse" Belgium kicked the very highly rated French National Union out of the tournament, and Tuchel will have to answer some questions... At first, but certainly not least, the question remains why he went to Mexico with such a young squad (from the 23rd minute with Slavko Tripalo, the squad was the youngest ever to have played in a World Cup, with an average of 21,4 years), leaving several more experienced players like midfielder N'Golo Kanté, defenders Raphael Varane and Uhaitz Aivar (some even advocated for 36-year-old Giorgio Chiellini), or striker Loïc-Arpoun Natlinian at home.


 
Last edited:
Top