NationStates Jolt Archive

This thread will be for all RP's and scores for the Eagle's Cup IV.

First matchday will occur SUNDAY, when I return from an out of town trip Fri-Sun morning.

The 16 teams were ranked by ther pre-WC18 KPB ranks and then divided into 4 pots. Random groups were chosen from ach pot. The groups are (with KPB Ranking)

Group A:
Audioslavia (6)
Starblaydia (21)
Turori (29)
Legalese (122)

Group B:
NEWI Cefn Druids (8)
Liverpool England (12)
Sarzonia (35)
The Redavic Union (75)

Group C:
Vilita (7)
The Lowland Clans (22)
The Belmore Family (45)
Kelonian States (150)

Group D:
Bedistan (2)
Crystilakere (24)
Aquiliana (27)
Sliponia (150)


This is the most stacked field in the history of the Eagle's Cup. Each group wil play 2 games against each other (for a total of 6 matchdays) At that point we will move on to the Quarterfinals.

Matchday schedule:
MD1: 1v2, 3v4
MD2: 2v4, 1v3
MD3: 1v4, 3v2
MD4: 4v3, 2v1
MD5: 3v1, 4v2
MD6: 2v3, 4v1


There is a bonus for a roster, and a RP bonus will be applied for a pre-MD1 RP. Post RP's here, Post rosters here: http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=370880

Good luck!

Vilitans Continue Walk in Time

--------------The Vilita Jungle Cats have once again been handed a Senior Group draw with their Inagural World Cup 13 foes, The Lowlands Clans and The Belmore Family. Vilita quickly made amends for the pair of losses handed to them by The Belmore Family by outperforming them in the 14th Cup of Harmony, The first Major Trophy picked up by Vilitan Sport. The Belmore Family is back in the Vilitan spotlight, after neighboring Turori shocked the sporting world by entering a World Cup 19 Hosting bid with the Inconsistent Belmorian state. Vilitan influence in The Belmore Family has been rising in recent years, both in sport and in politics, with the Vilitan Antiparticulates winning over arguably the most influential City in the world, Alan City, in the most recent Belmorian Elections. The Vilitans however fell short of victory in the overall election, despite winning the popular vote.

'Group of Death' awaits Stars

The deepest Sarzonian national team in history began the final stages of preparations for its first entry into the Eagle Cup, where it was drawn into what is arguably the toughest group in the tournament.

Regional rivals and eighth ranked NEWI Cefn Druids, who until this year won every AOCAF tournament played, 12th ranked Liverpool England and 75th ranked The Redavic Union all join the Stars in Group C, and Coach Dave Wilson said it was absolutely "essential" the team begin the tournament with a win over The Redavic Union.

"There's not an easy match in our group," Wilson said. "This isn't like the Cup of Harmony where we were the class of our group. We're going to have to fight to get results."

The Stars will enter this tournament with three goalkeepers for the first time in national team history, with John Bartlett fresh off a dominating performance in the AOCAF tournament (six shutouts in nine matches, 0.72 goals against average) serving as the backup to national team mainstay Troy Perkins. Trevor Crenshaw provides defensive depth while "Dix" Porter also joins the roster as a midfielder.

The biggest news, however is the return of forward Anton Gregor to the first choice team after his ACL tear toward the end of the third AOCAF tournament.

"That's going to be a big lift for this team," midfielder Bobby Convey said. "Anton was such a big part of this team that it was a huge loss not having him around. He'll be a big part of this team again."

"He'll come off the bench at least early on," Wilson said. "We may get him in the starting 11 later in the tournament."

The Stars are hoping they can string some upsets together and possibly earn their first point against the NEWI Cefn Druids.

"Anything is possible," forward and team captain Brian Wilson said. "We beat Vilita in the AOCAF tournament, after all."

Alrighty. For those of you not used to Eagle's Cups, I move fast. meaing MD is eachday, and when we go to the knockout rounds, I will TG your score, and then in 24 hours, TG the next round and post the previous scores. so be quick.

MATCHDAY 1

Group A
Audioslavia 2 - 3 Starblaydia
Turori 0 - 0 Legalese

Group B
NEWI Cefn Druids 0 - 2 Liverpool England
Sarzonia 0 - 1 The Redavic Union

Group C
Vilita 3 - 1 The Lowland Clans
The Belmore Family 1 - 1 Kelonian States

Group D
Bedistan 1 - 3 Crystilakere
Aquiliana 0 - 0 Sliponia


Tables will start after MD3.

Stars crash vs. Redavic Union

The Sarzonian national team figured that getting a win against 75th ranked The Redavic Union with Liverpool England and regional rivals NEWI Cefn Druids in the same group would be essential. Unfortunately, the Stars weren't equal to the task, misfiring on several scoring opportunities en route to a 1-0 loss.

"This was a disgrace," Coach Dave Wilson said. "Offensively, we weren't jack squat. We gave up the goal thanks to a defensive breakdown. We're going to have to go back to Football 101 after this match."

The Stars gave up the only goal in the 43rd minute when Emacio, playing center back with defender Corey Hemby suspended for a red card in the Cup of Harmony final, didn't mark the RU's top goalscorer and he had an easy shot on goal that goalkeeper Troy Perkins couldn't get to in time.

"I made big mistake," Emacio said. "I missed my mark. That goal my fault."

"We couldn't get anything going offensively," forward and team captain Brian Wilson said. "I think we had what, six shots the whole match?" When told the team had eight shots, with only two on goal, he said, "Sheesh!

"We've got to play a better game of football because it only gets a lot tougher from here on out."

Sliponia Fights For Draw
Slips off to a great start.

THE EAGLE'S NEST---The fans of Sliponia's national team have a lot to cheer about. In their first match of the cup, Sliponia earned a hard fought 0-0 draw against #27 Aquiliana. Though the Slips didn't pull off the win, many analysts feel this is a minor upset.

Famed Sliponian soccer historian Drake Brees has been quoted as saying "Sliponia has a KPB ranking of 150; Aquliana is 27. This should have been a blow-out. Hopefully this means there will be a chance for Sliponia to advance!"

This having been said, all of Sliponia's hopes will be upon this squad as well as the squad competing in the Baptism of Fire Cup. Sliponia split it's roster in half to see who would do better.

Sliponia's next match is against a tough #24 Crystilakere who recently beat #2 Bedistan 3-1. The Sliponian team will need to rally all of it's strength to compete against this team. Sliponia Coach Jeff Hawkins had these comments:

"In practice we're just going to try and focus on attacking their weaknesses and defending their strengths so that in the match we can try to win, or at least play for another draw! The win is our main goal. We're not here moral victories."

No goals, but still joy in Legalese
0-0 Draw vs. #29 Turori reason to celebrate, says Carnalejo

Legalese, not expected to favor well in the Eagle's Cup, has come off to a surprising start, playing defending Champions Turori to a scoreless draw this evening. Little action dominated the match, with Tommy Walters making 7 saves on 10 shots for the Black and Red.

Legalese, ranked 122nd in the world, faces a difficult first round, with matches against Audioslavia and Starblaydia ahead, and a return bout with Turori looming. Regardless, Manager Robbie Heard in optimistic of the Cup of Harmony runners-up.

"As we showed today, we can play the game with some of the best," Heard commented. "It will not be easy for us, in any way whatsoever, but with hard work, there's no reason we can't come out of this with a team ready for a qualifying run. The experience is there, and this draw has only helped us further in gaining that experience."

Legalese will take on Starblaydia in Matchday 2, as they hope to make the most of this run to the Eagle's Cup.

All Square in Sliponia
Falcons "not prepared to play," says Coach Ed

Unfortunately, Aquiliana couldn't get their forwards awake in time to score anything against the unranked Sliponia. However, the defense was extremely solid, not allowing any shots on goal at all. It seems that Sliponia's physical defense was able to stop Aquiliana's speed players, despite giving up some fouls.

"We need to get ourselves focused," said Coach Ed afterwards. "We've got Bedistan up tomorrow, and there's no way we cancome close to winning that game the way we played tonight."

Final Score:
Aquiliana 0
Sliponia 0

Philosophers Triumph

The Philosophers beat NEWI Cefn Druids today in the Eagles Cup 2-0. Playing with their under 23 side, the Phiolosophers got off to a quick start when full international (17 caps) Douglas Freech, 20, tapped in from close range from u21 player (4 u21 caps) Gordon Tudomich's cross. Freech turned provider in the second half, when with 17 minutes left on the clock, he helped seal the win with a strong shot which cannonned back off the crossbar into Hernan Damian's path. Damian made no mistake, finding the back of the net wtih a powerful volley.

New Neighbors Hold Eels

------------------Defending Eagle's Cup Champions the Turori Eels National Team got their Eagle's Cup IV Campaign off to a similar start by drawing to weaker opposition in Atlantian Oceania newcomers Legalese. The Cup of Harmony runners-up proved very tough opposition to the mixed Eels side, and Turori will have to improve their game against Audioslavia and Starblaydia if they expect to retain their Eages Cup Crown.


------------------It was a reunion of sorts for Eels Striker Martiia Rawaii, after begginning his Training with the Legalese Professional League, Rawaii took leave to fly to the Eagle's Nest and compete with his Nation in the competition. Coach Mauritus Banda was quick to hand Rawaii his first start with the Senior Squad when Legalese were drawn in the same group as the Eels. The Now-Short trip to regional neighbors Legalese had not been made by any of the Eels scouts, and Banda hoped Rawaii would be the catalyst to send the Eels off to a winning start. The match, however, ended scoreless, and The Eels prepared for Audioslavia looking to regain their Eagle's Cup Form.

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Vilita Goalscorers::
17' Carmine Mbidzo
51' Calaesa Mitaroka
61' Umberto Melli
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-------------------The Vilita Jungle Cats continued their Strong run of results against The Lowland Clans and continued their success in the Eagle's Cup by opening the Fourth Eagle's Cup with an impressive 3-1 Victory over their Clanny counterparts. The result was celebrated with great pleasure throughout Vilita, the Vilitans still taking great pride in ousting the team that wrote the first page in the Vilitan World Cup History book. It was a less than spectacular 0-4 defeat to the Lowland Clans on the first matchday of World Cup 13 Qualifying that sent Vilita spiriling to the front pages of the World Press. The feud between rookie manager Helmut Vilkaus and his Lowland counterparts reached a level far beyond that of the match itself, and the Clannies backed up the result with a 0-2 victory in the return leg.

-------------------The two sides would not meet again until World Cup 18 Qualifiers, seeing Vilita, now ranked inside the Top 10 in the world being favorites over their once dominating others. Both matches were ones to remember, with Vilita taking the first matchup 3-2, before upsetting the Clans on their own turf, 2-1 in the return leg.

-------------------The 3-1 Victory to open the Eagle's Cup, with goals from Future Star Carmine Mbidzo, trustworthy Strike FC midfieler Umberto Melli and Energetic Winger Calaesa Mitaroka cemented the Vilitan's hold on the all-time series between the teams for the first time, and signalled the Jungle Cats intentions of maintaining their status as Favorites to lift the fourth Eagle's Cup, and prove they can do as their former Colony, Turori, has already surprisingly done.


Full Time Analysis:

Vilita

Best Player: Tanner Nerni
Worst Player: Sibusiso Azaïez
Shots on Target: 9
Corner Kicks: 4

Opponents

Best Player:
Worst Player:
Shots on Target: 4
Corner Kicks: 4


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Vilita Jungle Cats (3-5-2) ::
[GK] Jimmy Kater, [D] Ricky Ezis, [D] Sibusiso Azaïez, [D] Esemar Aliana, [DMC] Christian Sanou, [ML] Calaesa Mitaroka, [MC] Umberto Melli, [MC] Santo Kecker, [MR] Tanner Nerni, [FC] Serge DuPont, [FC] Carmine Mbidzo,
BENCH::
[FC] Callum Banda, [FC] Mauro Baraza, [M] Inaki Soler, [M] Marasent Sioane, [U] Jaloey Afrikka, [D] Emarka Laniora, [GK] Bryan 'Pop' Duiker,

Vilita Substitutions::
(45) - Christian Sanou >>> Marasent Sioane

'Slaves Downed, Starblaydia top Group
Minor revenge from the World Cup in a side-dish served cold

Though not really comparable to their defeat in Group Stage of the 17th World Cup Finals, Starblaydia's victory over Audioslavia was a sweet one. Starblaydia's young guns got the better of the 'Slaves side.

Young striker Marco Del Blanco, Under-21 Captain Geraint Evans and Centre-Back Jamie Majeed got the goals that put Starblaydia ahead, then drew them level, then won the game.

Legalese are up next in the first of two Bekkside Derbies, with the Easterners Starblaydia up against the Red-and-Blacks from the Southern side of the lake. Fellow Atlantian Oceanians Turori, defending Champions, are here too, making Group A a tightly contested one with lots of needle for the competitors.

Final Score:
Audioslavia 2 - 3 Starblaydia
(Cailan 24, Black 36) - (Del Blanco 13, Evans 47, Majeed 62)

An editorial from the Columbia Times:

Bedistani Football: Going the Way of the Dodo?
by Chris McGee

I remember the days when the Bedistani national football team was widely regarded as one of the best in the world, quite possibly the best save Rejistania. And it really wasn't all that long ago -- only five or ten years. Right up there with nations like Eauz, the Eagle's Nest, Europa Brittania, and Kingsford. But many of these nations have fallen on hard times recently. Les Bleus, once the best in the world, now ranked 12th. Kingsford fallen all the way to 33rd, EB to 37th. And many other past greats falling off into obscurity as well -- Lemmitania 23rd, Snub Nose 29, Spaam 35th, Dennisov 39th, Halfassed 42nd, the Belmore Family holding on to the top 50 by a thread. Oglethorpia 62nd...the list goes on and on. TEN and Bedistan have, until now, been two of the few nations not subject to this curse. Indeed, TEN are just as strong as ever, still hanging on to fourth place by a razor-thin margin over...Iansisle? Who the hell are they?

But it's beginning to look like the Bedistani team is falling into a slump as well. There was that humiliating loss to EL CID THE HERO in the WC18 group stage, and then that absolute thrashing 4-1 by TEN that knocked the Lions out in the second round. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the Bedistani team is ranked the lowest it's been in about twenty years according to recent polls -- 7th. But surely it was just a bit of bad luck in WC18, right?

Well, if you've seen Bedistan's first ever Eagle's Cup match, played last night against Crystilakere, I'm sure you're shaking your head. While certainly no pushovers, Crystilakere is a team that Bedistan should reasonably expect to defeat, or perhaps draw on an off-day. So what did the team do? They lost to Crystilakere 3-1, that's what they did. And already brand-new manager Morris McGarity's job is on the line, as well it should be. He was brought in to fix the mistakes made by Brandon Barton, not to intensify them. Something must be done NOW before we become the next Lemmitania, Spaam, the Belmore Family, or Gesamtkuntswerk and start having to actually pay attention to the Cup of Harmony again because we'll be participating in it. I hope you're listening, McGarity, because if the Lions continue to falter, it's your head the fans (and the BFA) will be after.

Stars hope to rebound against Druidish foes

The Sarzonian national team could be forgiven for spending most of their day off seething after their 1-0 loss to lightly regarded The Redavic Union, but the team immediately hit the practice field and the coaches spent hours poring over game tapes. The team looked to put the memory of a "flat" performance behind them and get back to work.

"We've got a huge match now and it's made even more important because we didn't get the job done the first time out," Coach Dave Wilson said. "Because we've only got five more matches, this match becomes kind of a must-win situation for us."

The Stars (0-1) are facing an equally desperate NEWI Cefn Druids team that lost its first match to Liverpool England 2-0. The team that loses this match would find itself at the bottom of the table and fishing for a telescope to find the leaders. Besides the urgency of the match, the Stars are also finding motivation in their previous series against their Druidish regional rivals.

The team is 0-3 lifetime against NEWI Cefn Druids, with the closest result being a 1-0 loss in the semifinals of the second AOCAF tournament. The Stars only scored one goal in the series, in a 4-1 debacle in the semifinals of the third AOCAF tournament that added injury to insult when forward Anton Gregor tore his anterior cruciate ligament.

Gregor sat on the bench against The Redavic Union, but will step into the starting lineup with the first choice national team for the first time since the previous meeting against the Druids, in that 4-1 loss. Forward Barry Alphonso will sit on the bench.

"I'm going to have some butterflies, that's for sure," Gregor said. "But it's not like I haven't played at all. I played in the last AOCAF tournament." The second choice Stars team finished in third place for the third time in four AOCAF tournaments, with the only exception being a fourth place finish in the second tournament. Gregor was the team captain in the regional tournament.

The Stars are hoping to end the hex against the NEWI Cefn Druids, but concede it won't be easy.

"None of the matches are going to be from here on out. We're in the Group of Death and you're going to see that hold up."

Matchday 2

Remember, tables will be posted starting tomorrow.

Anyway, off to the matches...many close games and one major upset.

Group A
Starblaydia 0 - 1 Legalese (Upset of the Day)
Audioslavia 3 - 1 Turori

Group B
Liverpool England 2 - 0 The Redavic Union
NEWI Cefn Druids 3 - 0 Sarzonia

Group C
The Lowland Clans 1 - 0 Kelonian States
Vilita 1 - 0 The Belmore Family

Group D
Crystilakere 0 - 0 Sliponia
Bedistan 1 - 1 Aquiliana

New Bekkside Derby Goes Against Starblaydia
Legalese Soar to knock down Starblaydia

Now with a new nation sitting on the Southern shores of the Bekk lake in Atlantian Oceania, Bekkside Derbies are becoming somewhat of a regular occurrence for Starblaydia, who take the eastern side of the lake. NEWI Cefn Druids and their breakaway state of Druida are to the west, while close firends Nova Britannicus lie to the North. This time it was the Black-and-Red 'southerners' of Legalese who upset Starblaydia's apple-cart in their first ever meeting.

Starblaydia, attempting to get their excuses in first, would point to the 'extreme' youth of the team, though that wasn't a problem against the 'slaves.

'We're still fine-tuning our team before the World Cup starts, we've got a lot of learning to do' said Manager Guylain N'Dumbu-Nsungu, 'Like Paulo , for instance. He was at fault for the goal, whereas I think Khim [Azanulbizarn] might have done better there. Who knows?'

Still, this is a hard loss to bear for Starblaydia, who would have been expecting to dominate their new-near-neighbours. There's always Matchday Five, though...

Final Score:
[b]Starblaydia 0 - 1 Legalese
(None) - (Church 25)

There goes the neighborhood
Legalese 1, Starblaydia 0

For Legalese, the move to Atlantian Oceania has proven to work out well so far. After a scoreless draw with World Cup XIX hosts, Turori, the Black and Red pulled off a 1-0 victory over northern neighbors Starblaydia. An estatic throng of Legal Eagles cheered on the Legalese MNT, as Xavier Church earned Man of the Match honors. Church scored the lone tally in the 25th minute.

“This has been an unbelievable experience so far”, said Church afterwards. “Playing with our new neighbors, and some of the best teams in the world, is great enough. To pick up enough points to jump out to the group lead is just icing on the cake.”

The result brings Leaglese to 1-0-1 so far, good for 4 points, and the group lead. Legalese is also now 1-0 in the Bekkside Derbies, with a rematch of this derby coming in a few days.

Philosophers win 2-0 for the second consecutive game

Liverpool England's under 23 team is making the headlines in Liverpool England, and for the right reasons too - they've now won two on the trot in The Eagles Nest, 2-0. Hernan Damian (20-year-old, 1 under-21 cap, 2 under-23 caps, 2 under-23 goals) scored his second of the tournament when Dougas Freech (20-year-old, 14 under-18 caps, 7 under-18 goals, 4 under-21 caps, 1 under-21 goal, 2 under-23 caps, 17 senior caps, 6 senior goals) lobbed the ball into the box and he got a header to it to make it 1-0.

Fellow under-21 international Gordon Tudomich then scoed his first ever under-23 goal with a beautiful flick over the keeper on the hour mark. Liverpool England will play Sarzonia next, coming off the back of a 3-1 under-21 win over Sarzonia.

UNOFFICIAL EAGLES CUP TABLES PROVIDED BY THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF LIVERPOOL ENGLAND
[Ties are sorted by GD, GF, Head-to-Head, Alphabetical order]

A Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Legalese 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1 4
2 Audioslavia 2 1 0 1 5 4 +1 3
3 Starblaydia 2 1 0 1 3 3 0 3
4 Turori 2 0 1 1 1 3 -2 1

B Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Liverpool England 2 2 0 0 4 0 +4 6
2 NEWI Cefn Druids 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 3
3 The Redavic Union 2 1 0 1 1 2 -1 3
4 Sarzonia 2 0 0 2 0 4 -4 0

C Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Vilita 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3 6
2 The Lowland Clans 2 1 0 1 2 3 -1 3
3 Kelonian States 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 1
4 The Belmore Family 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 1

D Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Crystilakere 2 1 1 0 3 1 +2 4
2 Aquiliana 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 2
3 Sliponia 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
4 Bedistan 2 0 1 1 2 4 -2 1

1: Peter Andersson (GK)
2: Petr Rijsbergen (RB/RW)
3: Oran Crevan (LB/CM)
4: Richard Keary (CM)
5: James Fulthorpe (CB)
6: Zareh Artaxiad (CB)
7: Coalan Fox (RW)
8: Revelin Cailan (CM)
9: Jackie McLlroy (CF)
10: Daley Black (CF)
11: Arie Jansen (LW)
12: Neil Redbank (GK)
13: Jason Robertson (CB)
14: Oran Duffy (LW)
15: Rab Clarke (CM)
16: William Kennedy (CM)
17: James Laver (CF)
18: William Ryder (CF)

'Slavia Succumb to 'Blaydia
Black Magic Cant Save 'Slaves

A wonder-goal by Daley Black was not enough to get Audioslavia the win against rivals Starblaydia.

1-0 down after twenty minutes, Audioslavia fought back with Revelin Cailan grabbing a goal with a near-post glancing header.

Pressuring the Blaydia defence, Audioslavia sought to get themselves ahead. Jackie McLlroy fired a shot over the bar and Arie Jansen missed a far-post sitter before Daley Black scored what will probably be the best goal he'll ever score.

Black pounced on a low cross by Jansen, killed the ball, flicked it up and over Starblaydi defender Jamie Majeed and flicked the ball into the roof of the net with the outside of his left foot.

2-1 up at half-time the 'slaves should have been set to defend their lead, but Starblaydia came out with all guns blazing in the second half and scored almost straight away, Evans collecting the ball on the edge of the area and curling it round a helpless Andersson.

Both sides went at each other for the next few minutes playing some compelling end-to-end football before tall centre-half Jamie Majeed converted a Starblaydi corner with a bullet header and gave Starblaydia a rightful 3-2 lead with half an hour to go.

Audioslavia again went to mount a comeback but the side had lost the fire and the pace which had got them back into the game in the first place, and Starblaydia comfortably hung on til full time.

FINAL SCORE
Audioslavia 2 (Cailan 24, Black 36)
Starblaydia 3 (Del Blanco 13, Evans 47, Majeed 62)

Roaring Turori Silenced by Slaves
'slaves bag first ever Eagles Cup win

Despite being outplayed for the entire first half and much of the second, Audioslavia managed to despatch a feisty Turori side.

Turori took the lead on eighteen minutes after Akamoari Liano burst through the rickety Audioslavian defence to finish past Redbank.

Three minutes later Turori almost made it two as Vumaou got the better of Crevan in the air but headed his shot wide of the goal.

Turori finished the first half as the better side and should have been more than one goal up, but the Eels were to conceed a sloppy goal early in the second half and things degenerated from there. Hunial made a suicidal backpass to Slietah which was intercepted by Daley Black. Black sprinted round the stranded goalkeeper and finished the ball into the net for 1-1

It took Audioslavia just two minutes to take the lead after the goal as Turori's midfield fell apart. Black and McLlroy found themselves through on goal with just one defender to beat. Black managed to kick the ball straight at said defender Martika Ecspo and the ball ricocheted up into the air back towards the centre circle. Sakatorra got underneath it but headed the ball straight to Coalan Fox. Fox beat Tareak down the right and whipped the ball in to McLlroy who had the time to finish.

From then on the game was pretty much a shambles, both sides playing appalling football and littering the match with mistakes and petty bookings. Turori came closest to scoring for the next forty minutes but Iobabou swiped wildly for a volley when all he needed was to tap the ball in after Andersson had come to collect the cross but missed.

The final goal came in injury time through substitute - and ex-Audioslavian international - James Laver. Laver proved that the last thing a striker loses is the power of his shot as he buried a loose ball from eighteen yards past a helpless Turori keeper.

FINAL SCORE
Audioslavia 3 (Black 46, McLlroy 48, Laver 91)
Turori 1 (Liano 18)

Matchday 3. Revenge of the Scorinator.

The Scorinator hates you all. Except Turori.

Remember that there will be three more Matchdays (you all get a chance to avenge past losses.)



Group A
Audioslavia 0 - 0 Legalese
Turori 2 - 0 Starblaydia

Group B
NEWI Cefn Druids 0 - 0 The Redavic Union
Sarzonia 0 - 0 Liverpool England

Group C
Vilita 0 - 0 Kelonian States
The Belmore Family 1 - 1 The Lowland Clans

Group D
Bedistan 1 - 1 Sliponia
Aquiliana 1 - 1 Crystilakere



Group Standings:


Group A
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Legalese 3 1 2 0 1 0 1 5
2 Audioslavia 3 1 1 1 5 4 1 4
3 Turori 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
4 Starblaydia 3 1 0 2 3 5 -2 3

Group B
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Liverpool England 3 2 1 0 4 0 4 7
2 NEWI Cefn Druids 3 1 1 1 3 2 1 4
3 The Redavic Union 3 1 1 1 1 2 -1 4
4 Sarzonia 3 0 1 2 0 4 -4 1

Group C
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Vilita 3 2 1 0 4 1 3 7
2 The Lowland Clans 3 1 1 1 3 4 -1 4
3 The Belmore Family 3 0 2 1 2 3 -1 2
4 Kelonian States 3 0 2 1 1 2 -1 2

Group D
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Crystilakere 3 1 2 0 4 2 2 5
2 Aquiliana 3 0 3 0 2 2 0 3
3 Sliponia 3 0 3 0 1 1 0 3
4 Bedistan 3 0 2 1 3 5 -2 2

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Mighty Cats held by States

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Vilita Goalscorers::

-None-

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------------------- A mixed Vilita Jungle Cats squad failed to breakthrough the surprisingly formidible Kelonian defensive line and for the first time so far in the Eagle's Cup was unable to collect all three points. Yeaddin Owls goalkeeper Brian 'Pop' Duiker made his first start for the Jungle Cats in a long time, with Jimmy Kater being an ever-present in the World Cup. Also appearing for trial runs alongside the best of Vilita were defender Tulio Arizmendi who impressed in Vilita's Under-21 World Cup 7 Championship campaign, Christian Sanou, the impressive youngster from former Stellar Division club Kiiarana, and the almost-forgotten 22 year old Sublé Tonic who has been a regular in the Vilitan Regional Squads, but rarely travels with the team abroad. Defender Petros Alfieri and Forward Riccardo Appolloni were rewarded for their Under-21 8 Performances with a place on the bench, although neither would make an appearance in the match.

-------------------Malovar Stokks created the best chance for Vilita, who switched from a Defensive to an Attacking 3-5-2 formation in the second half, as the score entered 0-0 at the break. Further substitutions saw Teariki Mane coming in to play behind Callum Banda and Serge DuPont, before DuPont was removed in favor of the rising phenom of Vilitan sport Mauro Baraza.

-------------------The changes were unable to produce results for the Jungle Cats. Vilita are still high atop Group C, with the only positive Goal Differential in the group. The Jungle Cats have 7 Points with 3 matches to play. Next up are The Lowland Clans, currently 3 points behind Vilita. A Win over The Lowland Clans would likely see the Jungle Cats through to the quarter Finals, assuming the trends of the group remain. The Belmore Family and Kelonian States face off in the other Group C matchup, with both teams looking for their first Eagle's Cup victory.




Full Time Analysis:

Vilita

Best Player: Malovar Stokks
Worst Player: Bryan 'Pop' Duiker
Shots on Target: 4
Corner Kicks: 2

Opponents

Best Player:
Worst Player:
Shots on Target: 1
Corner Kicks: 0


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Vilita Jungle Cats (3-5-2) ::
[GK] Bryan 'Pop' Duiker, [D] Sibusiso Azaïez, [D] Esemar Aliana, [D] Tulio Arizmendi, [DMC] Christian Sanou, [ML] Malovar Stokks, [MC] Marasent Sioane, [MC] Sublé Tonic, [MR] Santo Kecker, [FC] Callum Banda, [FC] Serge DuPont,
BENCH::
[FC] Riccardo Appolloni, [FC] Mauro Baraza, [M] Teariki Mané, [M] Inaki Soler, [U] Tanner Nerni, [D] Petros Alfieri, [GK] Jimmy Kater,

Vilita Substitutions::
(45) - Christian Sanou >>> Tanner Nerni
(67) - Marasent Sioane >>> Teariki Mané
(69) - Serge DuPont >>> Mauro Baraza

Philosophers in Goalless Draw

There's not much to say. We played a match, we drew, we didn't score. Ha~e Hangila, FALE Direcotr of Football, was reportedly so angry that he has reportedly sacked under 23 manager Stewart Hines. More to come.

Don: Well, as per our policy here on "Soccer Night in Legalese", if there's no score, there's no highlights. That would accurately describe Legalese's 0-0 draw with Audioslavia, likely considered the favorites in group A.

Jim: That's right, Don. Legalese's run is very surprising, with two scoreless draws, and the upset special over neighbors Starbladyia. However, a 1-0-2 record only puts the Black and Red up on the slaves and Turorians by 1 point. Starbladyia is only two back of Legalese, so the next three matchdays will prove very interesting.

Don: Legalese may have gained a lot from the first week of action here, but in the tables, they've gained nearly nothing. Let's see what the return battles have in store. From The Eagles Nest, I'm Don Donaldson, wishing you a good night.

Starblaydia bottom of Group A with Second Loss
Guess who were the only team not to get any points on MD3?

With every team apart from Starblaydia and Turori winning one point today, only one of the two Atlantian Oceania nations were destined to get the full three points. And it wasn't Starblaydia, funnily enough.

Malaino Mumamba's first-half strike set Turori up nicely, just for substitute Nikki Inostraza to end Starblaydia's hopes of a late come-back with fifteen minutes to go. Up until then Starblaydia hadn't looked like scoring, suggesting that their young attack should not be upgraded to the World Cup next year.

Inostraza's goal killed off Starblaydia's hopes of scoring, and the game deteriorated into a series of Turorian 'Oles' as they smoothly passed the ball around their backs.

You can't win anything with kids, a scarred man once said. Starblaydia are proving him right.

Final Score:
Turori 2 - 0 Starblaydia
(Mumamba 29, Inostraza 74) - (None)

The Bedistan Sports Digest

Winless in Three
Managerless in four a distinct possibility

THE EAGLE'S NEST -- Crystilakere. Aquiliana. Sliponia. Not the kind of nations one would expect to defeat the Bedistan Lions in competition. Crystilakere is known for...um...absolutely nothing. Aquiliana had a very impressive run in World Cup XVII and proved they could hold their own, but they're certainly no Rejistania. And Sliponia...who the slani hell are they? Obviously, after playing these three nations, the Lions should be somewhere around 2-1-0, allowing a draw against one of the first two teams, probably Aquiliana. Too bad it's not about what should be.

Most football experts thought that embarrassing 3-1 loss to Crystilakere was a fluke, similar to those that usually happen to us in Under-21 competition, like that 4-0 loss to Jeruselem. This was followed up by a draw with Aquiliana, which isn't particularly bad but looks worse when combined with the preceding loss. But the Sliponia match was inexcusable. A 1-1 draw is something you would expect from...uh...well, I can't think of a good example right now because the teams that should draw 1-1 with Sliponia just aren't well known. And I'll spare you the details of the match because I'm sure you don't need any more depression in your life.

Not surprisingly, new team manager Morris McGarity is in hot water. BFA president Johnny Lewis has made clear his intention to fire McGarity if he does not take three points from Crystilakere on Matchday Four. Lewis has called him "an embarassment to the Association who does not appear to know the first thing about managing a Fourth Division club, much less the Bedistani national side." He is giving McGarity one last chance, but a draw or loss will put him on the chopping block.

Lewis refused to comment on Bedistan's prospects for the upcoming World Cup, but they certainly don't look good.

Matchday 4. Revenge on a stick.

The return legs start now.

Group A
Legalese 2 - 2 Turori
Starblaydia 1 - 0 Audioslavia

Group B
The Redavic Union 0 - 0 Sarzonia
Liverpool England 1 - 0 NEWI Cefn Druids

Group C
Kelonian States 0 - 1 The Belmore Family
The Lowland Clans 1 - 0 Vilita

Group D
Sliponia 1 - 3 Aquiliana
Crystilakere 0 - 4 Bedistan


Group A
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Legalese 4 1 3 0 3 2 1 6
2 Starblaydia 4 2 0 2 4 5 -1 6
3 Turori 4 1 2 1 5 5 0 5
4 Audioslavia 4 1 1 2 5 5 0 4

Group B
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Liverpool England 4 3 1 0 5 0 5 10
2 The Redavic Union 4 1 2 1 1 2 -1 5
3 NEWI Cefn Druids 4 1 1 2 3 3 0 4
4 Sarzonia 4 0 2 2 0 4 -4 2
(LE needs one more point to clinch a berth)

Group C
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Vilita 4 2 1 1 4 2 2 7
2 The Lowland Clans 4 2 1 1 4 4 0 7
3 The Belmore Family 4 1 2 1 3 3 0 5
4 Kelonian States 4 0 2 2 1 3 -2 2

Group D
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Aquiliana 4 1 3 0 5 3 2 6
2 Bedistan 4 1 2 1 7 5 2 5
3 Crystilakere 4 1 2 1 4 6 -2 5
4 Sliponia 4 0 3 1 2 4 -2 3

'Slaves Sunk Again
Matranga Rescues Starblaydia

Nick Matranaga came off the bench and scored a timely goal that pulled Starblaydia back from the brink of an awful 0-0 draw that would have kept them bottom of Group A.

As it was, the victory propelled them up to joint-first with Legalese, though behind on Goal Difference, though it also consigned Audioslavia to sit bottom of the Group with another two games to go. Starblaydia's policy of choosing some of the youngest available players for this tournament doesnt seem to be bearing much fruit, except those that we 'always knew would make it'.

Take Nick Matranga, for instance. He's the son of a former Starblaydi Captain and legend Aiden Matranga. Does he suffer from the expectation of having such a great player for a father? No. Some do, but not Nick. As Jose Tirado was finding no luck down the left, on came young Nick with 20 minutes to go.

Wearing the name 'MATRANGA' on his back is no problem for him as his first run and pass unleashed a great oppurtunity for Jakkinho, though he spurned it. Not long later, though, he got on the end of a Montefalcon through-ball, rode a tackle and slotted the winning goal in the bottom corner. Rock on.

Why the hell he still plays for the Montepool Waves, though, is beyond me.

Final Score:
Starblaydia 1 - 0 Audioslavia
(Matranga 78) - (None)

Sliponia Draws ONE-se More
Slips draw...again.

THE EAGLE'S NEST---The fans of Sliponia's national team have a lot to cheer about. In their third match of the cup, Sliponia earned a hard fought 1-1 draw against #1 Bedistan. Though the Slips didn't pull off the win, many analysts feel this is a gargantuan upset.

Famed Sliponian soccer historian Drake Brees has been quoted as saying "Sliponia has a KPB ranking of 150; Bedistan is 1. This should have been a blow-out just like the last two games. Hopefully this means there will be a chance for Sliponia to advance!"

Sliponia Blows It
Slips lose.

This having been said, all of Sliponia's hopes for the Baptism of Fire Cup, were doused after a loss to Aquiliana. One thing the team didn't know is that this contest is double-round robin style. The Slips stand a chance of qualifying if they can win out, or draw. Basically it comes down to circumstances as Sliponia is now at the bottom of the group.

Matchday 5.
I think the group tables speak much more than I ever can.

Group A
Turori 1 - 3 Audioslavia
Legalese 0 - 1 Starblaydia

Group B
Sarzonia 1 - 1 NEWI Cefn Druids
The Redavic Union 3 - 1 Liverpool England

Group C
The Belmore Family 0 - 1 Vilita
Kelonian States 1 - 1 The Lowland Clans

Group D
Aquiliana 0 - 0 Bedistan
Sliponia 0 - 1 Crystilakere




Group A
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
Q Starblaydia 5 3 0 2 5 5 0 9
2 Audioslavia 5 2 1 2 8 6 2 7
3 Legalese 5 1 3 1 3 3 0 6
4 Turori 5 1 2 2 6 8 -2 5
(Not even going to try to explain this group but Star will go through since AS plays Legalese, both can't jump him)

Group B
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
Q Liverpool England 5 3 1 1 6 3 3 10
2 The Redavic Union 5 2 2 1 4 3 1 8
3 NEWI Cefn Druids 5 1 2 2 4 4 0 5
E Sarzonia 5 0 3 2 1 5 -4 3
(If NEWI beats TRU, they transfer based on head to head, otherwise TRU goes)

Group C
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
Q Vilita 5 3 1 1 5 2 3 10
2 The Lowland Clans 5 2 2 1 5 5 0 8
3 The Belmore Family 5 1 2 2 3 4 -1 5
E Kelonian States 5 0 3 2 2 4 -2 3
(If TBF beats TLC, they transfer based on head to head, otherwise TLC goes)

Group D
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Crystilakere 5 2 2 1 5 6 -1 8
2 Aquiliana 5 1 4 0 5 3 2 7
3 Bedistan 5 1 3 1 7 5 2 6
E Sliponia 5 0 3 2 2 5 -3 3
(the possibilities are endless.)



There is a very LARGE possibility that MD 6 may be delayed until late Saturday.

Don: Well, we can sure say that this is a complicated- and tight- race for the final spot. Starbladyia wrapped up one of the group A seats in round two with the victory today over the Black and Red with a 1-0 score. Marco Del Blanco, a name likely hated now in Legalese, scored the winner for the Bekkside Neighbors.

Jim: This calls for an interesting final matchday, Don. With Audioslavia at 7, Legalese at 6, and Turori at 5, the final table could be very complex.

Don: And that’s why we have our guest today, mathematical analyst Lazarus Nemachek to help us sort it out. Good morning Lazarus!

Lazarus (on the screen from Legalese City): Hello, Don and Jim.

Jim: So, Lazarus, the only thing we know for sure is that Starbladyia is into round 2. What can you tell us, from a mathematical standpoint, about the rest of the table.

Lazarus: Well Jim, we know that Legalese is one point behind the current 2nd place team, Audioslavia. We also know that Turori is one point behind Legalese. In addition, Legalese takes on Audioslavia in the final match, while the sun will be directed at a 62.356 degree angle to the horizon at kickoff, while…

*drones on for 5 minutes, 14.56 seconds*

… so, as a result, the only possible combination for Legalese to advance is with a win over Audioslavia.

Don: Let me get this straight. You just went through all those calculations, and yet your response could be determined simply by looking at the tables and fixtures!? Thank you for nothing, Lazarus.

Jim: And with that, it’s time for a break.

Boring, Boring Starblaydia
Second 1-0 win puts Starblaydia into the Knockouts

Marco Del Blanco's goal on the back of a swift and effective counter-attack was the highlight in a rather dull game that saw Starblaydia through to the next round, no matter what happens on the sixth and final Matchday of the Group Stage.

'Dreary' and 'Dismal' were the two words coming from the mouths of Starblaydia fans, despite the fact they should be celebrating for going through for the first time in two attempts at the Eagle's Cup.

Defending Champions Turori need to beat Starblaydia by at least four goals in their match, while Audioslavia and Legalese need to draw, from a Turorian point of view, any other results seeing the Champs dumped out of the competition. Should Turori come out with all guns blazing, of course, Starblaydia's tough defence and swift counter-attacks should prove their undoing.

Or at least we hope so.

Final Score:
Legalese 0 - 1 Starblaydia
(None) - (Del Blanco 35)

The Columbia Times
The Old Coast's News Source Since 2003

Eagle's Cup Heating Up
Crystilakere 0-4 Bedistan
Aquiliana 0-0 Bedistan

THE EAGLE'S NEST (CT) -- After being threatened with an ultimatum from Bedistan Football Association president Johnny Lewis, Bedistan national team manager Morris McGarity, who is also in charge of the Eagle's Cup team, apparently realized that things needed to be turned around if he was to preserve his job. He would have to start the hard way, though, as the next opponent was Crystilakere, a top 30 nation (even if nobody has heard of them) that beat the Lions 3-1 the first time.

McGarity told his team to come out on the offensive for their fourth Eagle's Cup match, and by gum they did. Cole Valin opened the scoring for Bedistan in the eleventh minute, and the few fans who were still watching the team's exploits went wild. Stefan Sichting soon found his groove and doubled that lead just before the half-hour mark. The Lions went into the halftime break with the lead for the first time this cup, and a Crystilakere side stunned that the Bedistani team was actually living up to its expectations for once was unable to recover. Valin put another goal in in the 74th, and a Randall Tarley header from a corner late in the game made the score four-nil. Finally, things were looking up.

Then came the rematch with Aquiliana. On paper, they are just about the same strength as Crystilakere, but most teams would admit they fear the Aquilian team much more. They proved their prowess by successfully imitating the style of three-time world champions Rejistania and effectively throwing all eleven players into their own goal. Any Bedistani attack was rendered completely ineffective by this move, though Aquiliana also crippled their own offense in the process. There weren't even any shots on goal by the end of the match, much less any actual goals. Still, a draw with Aquiliana is not bad.

These results leave the Bedistani team in third place in Group D, two points behind leaders Crystilakere. Only Sliponia have been eliminated, and we play them next. We must defeat Sliponia to move on outright. The other option is to draw Sliponia again (heaven forbid!) and hope that Crystilakere defeat Aquiliana. In this case, second place would be undecided (remember that the Eagle's Cup uses different tiebreaker rules than the World Cup does). It is possible that a playoff match against Aquiliana would be required to settle that, as Bedistan and Aquiliana drew both their matches against each other.

Let's go, Lions!

Eagles Hiccup
'Slaves Uninspiring in Eagles Cup

Two wins, two defeats and one draw, Audioslavia have been decidedly dodgy thus far in the Eagles Cup.

Some will argue that the 'slaves have one or two big names sitting the tournament out, but in reality the first team is made up from nine first-team players. Marriot and Dannes may be out, Fulthorpe may be untried, but it still doesn't excuse Audioslavia's poor form.

The return defeat against Starblaydia was the most noticeable the 'slaves form had been. Audioslavia struggled to make any proper chances and looked uninspired and unmotivated. Whether this is the fault of Paul Ward remains to be seen, but the players just dont seem fired up like they are for world cups.

Or possibly, this is a sign that Paul Ward has lost his motivational skills completely. We'll know, of course, in three months when World Cup 18 rolls around.

Despite the questions about the team, they do sit second in the table, needing just a draw against Legalese to progress along with Starblaydia. Legalese have been quiet but consistent, proving themselves to be a strong team if a developing one. Turori have struggled and are now, unfortunately, out thanks to their record against Audioslavia.

I B J J, G'N B

We've Run Out Of Cliches
Slips Eliminated.

THE EAGLE'S NEST---Bah. Not bad for a first attempt. At least we looked a little better in the other Cup.

Björn-Trevor Frederiksson: "Hi there, BTF here for the Cefn Broadcasting Network, with me is Druids defensive coach Amos Hinton. Amos, surely you must be nervous about losing your job at the moment?"

Amos Hinton: "No, no. There is no risk of that happening right now."

Björn-Trevor Frederiksson: "But the FANCD have already said that if your Eagle's Cup campaign ends unsuccessfully, then that's the end for you and Simon Greaves. Surely, needing to win the last group game, the pressure on you muszt be immense?"

Amos Hinton: "No, it isn't, we are playing a team with a much lower ranking than us and we should beat them easily."

Björn-Trevor Frederiksson: "Amos, this is The Redavic Union we're talking about here, a name that brings back nightmares for all Druidish sports fans."

Amos Hinton: "No, no, we actually have a reasonable record against them, haven't lost to them in our last three meetings, why it should be a doddle."

Björn-Trevor Frederiksson: "Well, even if you do go through, this hasn't exactly been an overwhelming success for you, has it?"

Amos Hinton: "No, no, it will have, as long as we get through, it's like a fresh start for us."

Björn-Trevor Frederiksson: "Amos Hinton, thank you."

Matchday 6

Group A
Starblaydia 2 - 0 Turori
Legalese 1 - 1 Audioslavia

Group B
Liverpool England 2 - 3 Sarzonia
The Redavic Union 0 - 1 NEWI Cefn Druids

Group C
The Lowland Clans 0 - 1 The Belmore Family
Kelonian States 0 - 3 Vilita

Group D
Crystilakere 1 - 2 Aquiliana
Sliponia 0 - 2 Bedistan


Group A
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Starblaydia 6 4 0 2 7 5 2 12
2 Audioslavia 6 2 2 2 9 7 2 8
E Legalese 6 1 4 1 4 4 0 7
E Turori 6 1 2 3 6 10 -4 5

Group B
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Liverpool England 6 3 1 2 8 6 2 10
2 NEWI Cefn Druids 6 2 2 2 5 4 1 8
E The Redavic Union 6 2 2 2 4 4 0 8
E Sarzonia 6 1 3 2 4 7 -3 6
*NEWI wins head to head with TRU 1-1-0*

Group C
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Vilita 6 4 1 1 8 2 6 13
2 The Belmore Family 6 2 2 2 4 4 0 8
E The Lowland Clans 6 2 2 2 5 6 -1 8
E Kelonian States 6 0 3 3 2 7 -5 3
*TBF wins head to head with TLC 1-1-0*

Group D
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Aquiliana 6 2 4 0 7 4 3 10
2 Bedistan 6 2 3 1 9 5 4 9
E Crystilakere 6 2 2 2 6 8 -2 8
E Sliponia 6 0 3 3 2 7 -5 3


Quarterfinals:
Match 1: Starblaydia vs. NEWI Cefn Druids
Match 2: Vilita vs. Bedistan
Match 3: Liverpool England vs. Audioslavia
Match 4: Aquiliana vs. The Belmore Family

Semifinals:
Match 5: W1 vs. W2
match 6: W3 vs. W4

Third Place:
Match 7: L5 vs. L6

Championship
Match 8: W5 vs. W6

u23 Philosophers Face Audioslavia and Jaffacake

Finishing top of Group 2 in the Eagle's Cup has come at a price for the under-23 Liverpool England side - they will have to face the senior Audioslavian team in the quarterfinals. Liverpool England, who are going into the match off the back of a 2-3 loss to Sarzonia [Audioslavia drew their last game, 1-1], will certainly have a tough task breaking down the Slavian defence. Reports on the match will be provided first hand from The Eagles Nest.

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Vilitan Matchday 2 Wrapup

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Vilita Goalscorers::
31' Inaki Soler
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-------------------The Vilita Jungle Cats squared off in the second of their World Cup 13 Rivalry rematches in as many days against World Cup 19 hosts The Belmore Family. Like Vilitas previous opponents, The Lowlands Clans, The Belmore Family was one of Vilitas group mates in the Jungle Cats inagural World Cup appearance in World Cup 13: Rejistania & Cockbill Street. The Vilita Jungle Cats entered the match on a 17-game senior unbeaten streak in all competitions, including a 16 match unbeaten run in World Cup Finals and Qualifying, added with the 3-1 Eagle's Cup opening match victory over Perennial rivals The Lowlands Clans.

-------------------The Belmore Family looked only a shadow of it's former self, with Alan Belmore posing no real attacking threat to Jungle Cats keeper Jimmy Kater. Vilita had fielded a nearly full-strength roster as far as the players that had travelled to The Eagles Nest for the competition. However, despite the lack of Attacking presence from The Belmore Family, the Jungle Cats ball possession was restricted to midfield for the majority of play by the Belmorian defense. 19 year old Strike FC Offensive Wing phenom Inaki Soler was able to break through for the world #2 ranked team half an hour into the match, stealing in from the right after a short flick by the experienced Santo Kecker, and skillfully sending his shot accross goal, leaving the keeper only to watch the ball mazingly fly into the far netting.

-------------------The closeness of the match restricted the Jungle Cats from making any rash substitutions, as no one player seemed to be bringing the team down. Esemar Aliana's Yellow Card with 10 minutes to play was one of the rare moments of note in an otherwise drab affair with little to no action to speak of after the interval. Mauro Baraza was awarded Man of The Match after forcing the Belmorian Keeper into 2 key later first half saves, and being one of the few that could make any ground on the Belmorian Wall Vilita 1 - 0 The Belmore Family.


Full Time Analysis:

Vilita

Best Player: Mauro Baraza
Worst Player: Esemar Aliana
Shots on Target: 4
Corner Kicks: 7

Opponents

Best Player: Alan Belmore
Worst Player: Alan Belmore
Shots on Target: 1
Corner Kicks: 2


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Vilita Jungle Cats (3-5-2) ::
[GK] Jimmy Kater, [D] Ricky Ezis, [D] Sibusiso Azaïez, [D] Esemar Aliana, [DMC] Christian Sanou, [ML] Calaesa Mitaroka, [MC] Santo Kecker, [MC] Inaki Soler, [MR] Tanner Nerni, [FC] Callum Banda, [FC] Mauro Baraza,
BENCH::
[FC] Carmine Mbidzo, [FC] Serge DuPont, [M] Umberto Melli, [M] Marasent Sioane, [U] Riccardo Appolloni, [D] Jaloey Afrikka, [GK] Bryan 'Pop' Duiker,

Vilita Substitutions::

-None-

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Vilitan Matchday 4 & 5 Wrapup

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Vilita Goalscorers::
81' Santo Kecker

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-------------------Matchday 4 saw The Jungle Cats square off against The Lowland Clans in a match that would see Vilita through to the next round of the competition with a win. However, a half strength team with many prospective fringe players took the field against a strong Clannies side, who ended up overpowering the experimental Cats 0-1. The defeat ended Vilita's 19-match senior unbeaten string, and evened up the All-Time series with The Lowland Clans at 3 games a piece. The Clannies notched the first 2 victories in World Cup 13 Qualfying, while Vilita came back to sweep the match in qualifying for World Cup 18. Vilita 0-1 The Lowland Clans

-------------------If anyone in the Eagle's Nest hadn't thought the Vilita Jungle Cats had lost their spark, following a goalless loss at the Kelonian States and an abysmal defeat at the hands of The Lowland Clans, then those in attendance for the second Vilita-Belmore Family matchup of the competition would certainly be inclined to tell them otherwise. Even after changing from a Defensive 3-5-2 to an attacking 4-4-3 formation with the introduction of youthful Riccardo Appolloni at the half for Defensive Midfielder Christian Sanou, the Jungle Cats were unable to register a single shot on target against an increasingly unimpressive Belmorian force. The Belmore Family, too, had failed to trouble Vilitan keeper Jimmy Kater, and one fan had ripped the seat from under him to offer it to the Arcticala Inlet Goalkeeper, an incident that brought more life to the crowd than any single play from the match to that point.

-------------------The mood had changed with one swift kick however with less than 10 minutes to play, when the Half Time substitution finally paid off, Appolloni being fouled outside the area leaving Vilita with a free kick in excellent position. Santo Kecker's serene left footed strike left the goalkeeper no chance, undoubtebly hindered by a lack of action throughout the day, breaking the deadlock and producing a less than spectactular entry to the Quarter Finals for the mixed Vilitan side. Vilita 1-0 The Belmore Family


Full Time Analysis:

Vilita

Best Player: Serge DuPont
Worst Player: Marasent Sioane
Shots on Target: 1
Corner Kicks: 2

Opponents

Best Player: Alan Belmore
Worst Player: Alan Belmore
Shots on Target: 0
Corner Kicks: 2


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Vilita Jungle Cats (3-5-2) ::
[GK] Jimmy Kater, [D] Ricky Ezis, [D] Sibusiso Azaïez, [D] Esemar Aliana, [DMC] Christian Sanou, [ML] Santo Kecker, [MC] Calaesa Mitaroka, [MC] Inaki Soler, [MR] Marasent Sioane, [FC] Serge DuPont, [FC] Carmine Mbidzo,
BENCH::
[FC] Callum Banda, [FC] Mauro Baraza, [M] Malovar Stokks, [M] Tanner Nerni, [U] Riccardo Appolloni, [D] Jaloey Afrikka, [GK] Bryan 'Pop' Duiker,

Vilita Substitutions::
(45) - Christian Sanou >>> Riccardo Appolloni

Starblaydia 0 - 1 NEWI Cefn Druids

Vilita 2 - 2 Bedistan
Vilita 3 - 3 Bedistan (AET)
Vilita 9 - 10 Bedistan (11 PK's)

Liverpool England 1 - 3 Audioslavia

Aquiliana 1 - 1 The Belmore Family
Aquiliana 2 - 2 The Belmore Family (AET)
Aquiliana 4 - 5 The Belmore Family (PK's)

(Finals on PK's show goals in regulation, Extra time and PK's added together)

Match 5: NEWI Cefn Druids vs. Bedistan
Match 6: Audioslavia vs. The Belmore Family

Third Place Game
Match 7: L5 vs. L6

Championship
Match 8: W5 vs. W6

Björn-Trevor Frederiksson: "Well, the Druids have just scraped through into the semi-finals of the Eagles Cup, beating their neighbours Starblaydia by a goal to nil. With me now is the Druids' defensive coach Amos Hinton. Amos, you've made it this far, can you go all the way?"

Amos Hinton: "No, no. There is no chance of that."

Björn-Trevor Frederiksson: "But surely you will lose your job if you don't?"

Amos Hinton: "No, I won't. This job is secure as any in the world, and, hell, I dare the FANCD to sack me. And Simon Greaves! Come on then!!!"

The next day, in The Daily Druid...

GREAVES SACKED
Hinton fired too
By Björn-Trevor Frederiksson.

The FANCD have sacked Druids manager Simon Greaves and his defensive coach Amos Hinton after Hinton challenged his national association to do so live on national radio.

The Druids had put in some poor performances of late, though the one that Hinton gave his interview after was not one, as the Druids held out against Starblaydia for a place in the Eagles Cup semi-finals. However, the Druids had been poor both in the group stage and at the World Cup in Bedistan before that, not making it past the group stage there either.

However, the FANCD say that it was more a split by mutual consent than a sacking. The Former Minister for Lost Things, now head of the FANCD, said to us, "We asked Amos Hinton if he and Simon Greaves still wanted the job, and he said "no". There wasn't much else we could do.

Former Cali Purples and NEWI Cenf Druids striker Trevor Belmore will now take charge of the team for the rest of the Eagles Cup and the start of the World Cup 19 qualifying campaign, which will start against Chonchland. A full review of the Druids campaign will come before that first game, here in your Daily Druid!

Its catasrophy for philosophy.... acuna matadaaaa
'Slaves beat LE

With a wam, a bang and a thankyou Spaam-sympathisers, Audioslavia scored a hard-earned victory against Liverpool England, by a score identical to the first ever Audioslavia - Liverpool England match.

The 'slaves scored first through Oliver Dannes before absorbing pressure from an LE side desperate to equalise. The score stayed one-nil until just after half-time, when the last in a barrage of LE attacks ended with Audioslavia counter-attacking. Black knocked the ball up to Dannes, Dannes laid it off to Keary and the young Audioslavia smashed in number two to extend the 'slaves' lead against the run of play.

Five minutes later Audioslavia effectively put the game out of Liverpool England's reach as Dannes nodded in the third from a Rijsbergen corner as LE panicked in defense, obviously dis-heartened after the second goal.

All was not lost, however, LE set about getting themselves back into the game, finally getting one back in the eighty-third minute.

It was all too little too late however, and Audioslavia find themselves in the semi-finals.

I B J J, G'N B

Henry Thoreau, the Bedistani Eagle's Cup team coach (since, after all, the Eagle's Cup team was basically the U23 team), went over into the circle where his eleven players were huddled. Though the game had been going on for over two hours (not counting the halftime break), it still wasn't over quite yet. This Eagle's Cup quarterfinal matchup against Vilita was proving to be quite a tough one. It all started in the eleventh minute when Marine Coast United's Callum Banda sidestepped past Bedistani defender Werner Pickren into the box and made a controlled shot into the net for the first goal of the match. After that, there was no hope of the match ever cooling down, which provided great excitement for both the players and the fans. Serge DuPont scored the next goal, putting Vilita up two-nil, but a pair from Stefan Sichting in the second half tied it up to send the match into extra time. Maxwell Shigo's header from a corner kick put the Lions ahead briefly in the 104th, but Vilita would have none of that, and Banda tied it up again before time could run out.

So here they were, in a three-three deadlock, and it was time for the dreaded penalty shootout. Well, dreaded for the Vilitans, that is. Bedistani teams tend to gain a large amount of confidence whenever they head into a penalty shootout, and for good reason -- it just about always ends in their favor. Still, though, Thoreau seemed overly nervous. He chose his penalty takers -- Valin, Linberg, Tarley, Lesco, Sichting, Bary, Pickren, Shigo, Hausteen, and finally Richcreek. It was very unlikely that all ten players would be needed, but Thoreau named them all just in case. The way the Jungle Cats were playing, they weren't likely to just lay down and let the Lions win the shootout three-nil.

It came as no surprise that Callum Banda was first up for Vilita. What was a surprise was the fact that he sliced the ball sharply to the right, allowing it to bounce harmlessly off the post. He's as nervous as I am, thought Thoreau to himself. So Cole Valin stepped up to the spot. He seemed very calm and collected, and he did what Banda couldn't: he gave the ball just enough spin to curve back and into the goal for a 1-0 lead.

Next up for Vilita was Carmine Mbidzo, whom Thoreau remembered from the seventh Under-21 World Cup final. Determined not to repeat the mistake Banda made, he appeared steady as a rock as he stepped up to the spot. And sure enough, the ball went in to tie the score. So now it was up to Thad Linberg to maintain the lead for the Lions. His shot was perfectly on target, but Kater caught and held the ball to keep the score tied.

And after that, it went back and forth. A Vilitan player would come up, make his shot, and then a Bedistani would approach the penalty spot and do the same. This continued until all ten Bedistani players (all but the keeper) had been up, with the score now tied at nine. So the roster recycled, as Vilita's Callum Banda got a chance to redeem himself. He was concentrating hard, determined not to miss this time. He took the shot. It was straight and true, but he just didn't think Henry Carrera was quite that fast. The ball was turned away, and the entire nation of Bedistan (well, at least everyone who was watching the match) rested their hopes on Cole Valin. If he made this shot, the Lions were going to the semifinals. After some deliberation, he took the kick. His face was in his hands as he saw it head over toward the left post. But the ball hit the inside of the post and bounced back inside the goal to make the score 10-9. He had done it. The Lions had won.

Thoreau gave a huge sigh of relief as the stadium erupted into cheers. The Lions would live to fight another day.

Semifinals

NEWI Cefn Druids 0 - 2 Bedistan
Audioslavia 1 - 0 The Belmore Family


Match 7: NEWI Cefn Druids vs. The Belmore Family

Match 8: Bedistan vs. Audioslavia

Belmore Felled
'Slaves make Eagles Cup Final

When the Eagles Cup kicked off, many Audioslavians were sceptical. Managers were, of course, most miffed that many of their players would be away for two weeks, but also the cynical football fans were saying that Audioslavia wouldn't benefit from a tournament so many miles away, in which they would be one of only four top ten sides entering. No Rejistania, no Eauz, no fun? Out of the sixteen hopefulls, only one was a previous champion and that was Liverpool England, the least adept side ever to win a world cup this side of Commerce Heights and Kingsford. Bedistan had been to a final but had lost, as had (as we all know) Audioslavia.

That cynicism turned to disgust after game one as Audioslavia were dispatched by a Starblaydia side that looked infintely more hungry, the 'slaves coming out on the bad side of a 3-2 scoreline. Beating Turori helped, but drawing with Legalese and losing to Starblaydia in the return match only made matters worse. Played 4, won 1, lost two, drawn one, was not the sort of record anyone in Audioslavia expected of a travelling 'slave side. Most people were worried not so much of important players getting injured with the world cup just months away, but simply of the blow to the 'national feel-good factor' should Audioslavia not get out of that group.

However, in the same way that most questions the dumb nationalists dig up are pounded back into the ground with a big 'We're just as crap as everyone else for fuck sake', the 'slaves qualified. But only just. The second two matches with Turori and Legalese finishing much the same way that the first two did, with a three-one win over Turori and a drab draw with Legalese. It was enough however, and Audioslavia qualified in second place.

So what now? It was technically a second round match, and so Audioslavia technically had to get knocked out right about now, but because their were just eight teams in the second round, it was also technically a quarter final, and Audioslavia have never lost a quarter final match. If only Audioslavia could pull something out of the bag, maybe the people would sit up and take notice.

And so it was the case. At noon on Saturday the 10th of April (the match kicking off this early because of the time-difference between TEN and AUD), Audioslavia kicked off against Liverpool England. The 'slaves played OK, made a few mistakes, but managed to smack in a goal to keep these 'wtf?' fans happy. The happy fans were scared by the vigorous LE fightback, but the second half saw another two Audioslavian goals and the 'slaves were in the semis. Where they would play The Belmore Family.

The prospect of beating our auld regional rivals and getting into the final of a WCC tournament was too good an oppotunity to get drunk for the people to miss, and so millions tuned in, at 8:00 in the morning, to watch Audioslavia play The Belmore Family.

The 'slaves did not disappoint. Generally getting the better of an out-of-sorts Belmore Family side, Audioslavia took the lead by a superb Dannes volley and didn't look back, holding on for the 1-0 win despite some fierce fightbacks by the Belmorians. Who cares if we beat a TBF side totally uncomparable to the great Belmorians of old? Audioslavia had beaten TBF and were in a final. Many 'slavians drank, and it was good.

The final won't exactly be a national holiday like the Audioslavia-Rejistania world cup final was, but it will be a chance for this generation of football fans, and football players, to get a chance to enjoy at least some time in the limelight.

I B J J, G'N B

Final:
Bedistan 0 - 0 Audioslavia
Bedistan 1 - 0 Audioslavia (AET)

Third Place Game:
NEWI Cefn Druids 0 - 2 The Belmore Family

Bedistunned
Extra-Time goal denies 'slaves the Eagles Cup

Damn them. Damn them all to Hell Bovines. Everyone thought we were finally gonna win and then 'bang' no way hosay, Bedistan score a dumb goal in extra time. God damnit, i think i'm gonna quit after WC18. I've been Jeremy Jaffacake. G'nite bitches.