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"And you join us back at Tiddles Park here in sunny Gabalfa, where our live and exclusive coverage of the opening ceremony has just drawn to a close. And what an opening ceremony it's been!"
"You're not wrong there John. We've had aroras and giant ants showing off some fancy footballing skills - not half bad for creatures that don't even have proper feet - we've had fireworks, we've had the victorious World Cup team doing around twenty laps around the ground showing off their trophy, fresh form their open-top bus parade around the street of Gabalfa... but now all that has come to an end as the Under-21s prepare to kick off the opening match of AOCAF 19."
"And what an opening match this should prove to be, against none other than our neighbours Nedalia. It's been a while since we've had the pleasure of their company. This really shold be an eye-opener for all spectators."
"Indeed. So - Bettia in Group A - how do you see this group progressing?"
"It should be very interesting. Obviously the main challenge is going to come from Pacitalia - they seem to perform very well on the AOCAF stage, and as we all know, they thumped us 4-0 the last time they came here. Of course, we have Nedalia, who have certainly proved themselves on the AOCAF stage in the past, and I'm sure they'll be eager to prove themselves here once more, especially since they're playing just across the border - they can expect some good support from the locals. Aurendia have shown they can be a handful on their day, and Schiavonia have a good track record on the international stage, although it'll be interesting to see how well they adapt to the AOCAF stage. The Capitalizts are a real unknown quantity, and the Atheistic Right? Let's just hope we can put the fear of Allah into them!"
"So, what do you make of these, these we say, innovations that the FAB are trying for this tournament?"
"Well, the 'We Hate Draws' thingy - I'll hold judgment on that until we see it in action. Of course, the fact that each game will play out to a positive result should be good, but there's always the nagging doubt that some teams, especially the weaker ones, will simply turn up and play defensively for a draw, when they'll then get the chance to score a shock win in the penalty shoot-out that follows."
"True, but I think the FAB had that in mind with the second proposal - 'We Love Goals'. With bonus points on offer for high-scoring teams, this Takilan Bonus will really encourage attacking play. Of course, if a team gets too adventurous, they'll leak goals like nobody's business, but hey, that's what System Takil is all about. Goals, goals and more goals - that's what the fans want to see, that's what football's all about."
"True, very true. And speaking of football, that's exactly what we'll be getting in a few minutes time as we can see the players all lining up in the tunnel. So, Bettia and Nedalia are ready to kick AOCAF 19 off... here we go to our match commentators..."
Results / Fixtures:
DAY..OPPONENT.............VENUE............RESULT
01:..Nedalia..............Tiddles Park....
02:..Capitalizt SLANI.....Tiddles Park....
03:..Schiavonia...........Tiddles Park....
04:..Pacitalia............Tiddles Park....
05:..Atheistic Right......Tiddles Park....
06:..---..................Tiddles Park....
07:..Aurendia.............Tiddles Park....
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SNIP! RP-cutoff for Matchday One. |
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Bettia |
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We don't do defence |
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Interview with Wade Boydkin Coach of the Blue & Yellow on SNTV's "6 O'clock HiLites"
Reporter: So Coach, how is it being the first coach in an Intl game for our country?
WB: well it's an honor,and it's prevlige that I am the only person so for to have bestowed upon.
Rep: what expectations do you have
WB: Realisticly,we don't have much of a chance,probably only a victory,maybe two. I see we have a rather hard schedule, so I should only realisticly approximate maybe one win and two ties.
Rep: what do you think about Hypocria,your 1st opponent?
WB: Been around a while,could give'em a bit of a hard time,and maybe we'll upset. Hopefully they won't be wering those gay pinkish kit's.
Rep:Ameranthe?
WB:Probably our best chance, they like us are an unkown,so i shouldn't see less than a tie here.
Rep:What about Milchamia
WB:Basball Nation,Unfourtianitly they're also a soccering Nation too. Ahh, a good laugh. sadly this one's probably out of our reach.
Rep: After a bye you guys will play,Starblaydia what's your opinion on them.
WB: an imposiblity Man that was so funny! :D
Rep:Your next game will be QMB how will you face them.
WB: With all the the attitude we have the others. This is the one team I do believe we have an Upset shot at.
Rep:And Finally you play the Jasīʼyūn.
WB: should be a tough match,can't wait to play them,we;if everything goes right, could move up to fourth here.
Rep: thanks sir for the interview.
WB: Ending already.
Rep: yes
WB: okay thanks. |
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(00C: damn barely missed it  )
Hypocrians hate being called gay
Sukatra,Bettia- West Pasco's footying debut ened up a dud as the Hypocrian Hyppos. The game,played at Al-Faith Stadium in Sukarta, Was played in Mucky conditions and heavy, This allowed two early goals to come from Alex Sousa who easily got round the stumbling Pasconian defense. it also should be noted that Hypocria decided to wear there away jersey's after Pasconian Coach Wade Boydkin called the uniforms of Hypocria gay. A scary moment happened at 39:02 when Pasconia defender John Halle attempted a flying tackle (a legal move in West Pasco,but not in AOCAF) of Alex Sousa. halle nearly missed him but dd clip Sousa and sent him flying face first in the dirt. Sousa layed in the mud for 30 agonizing seconds.in the end the only injuries Sousa suffered were a few missing teeth and a headache. Halle was given a red card. Sousa woul try the penalty kick but slipped and totally missed. at half Hypocra was up 2-nil with a remarkible 33% shooting (2 of 6) compared to West Pasco's 0% (0 of 2). Things would get even worse as in the beginning of the second half an unkown reserve,who replaced the woozy Alex Sousa, scored on a breakaway. West Pasco did almost have a goal of its own when Alex Fort nearly got one by Gerogi Kuatsi. but it hit the upper bar and went into the stands. Hypocria would then Ice the cake at 86:02 wwhen Victor Razin scored on a header from Nicky Baxter. and thus the game enede 4-0 the wrong side winnig.
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Scorline:
1st half
HYP A.Susa(N.Baxter) 4:09
HYP A.Sousa (P.Ocella)13:13
2nd half
HYP ? (R.Marcia)48:19
HYP V.Razin (N Baxter) 86:02
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This post has been edited by West Pasco on Mar 22 2007, 11:17 AM |
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(OOC: I assume, since my teams haven’t actually played a match yet, that I can still set their style modifiers? Also, isn’t a 4–0 penalty shootout score impossible?)
The Aeropag Tribune—Proud sponsor of the Querzakhi bid for the Games of the II Olympiad
Sports: Curse of Nedalia strikes again!
GABALFA, BETTIA—Despite having just two Bedistani players on its team, Capitalizt SLANI has once again been drawn in a group with Nedalia, this time for the nineteenth Atlantian Oceania Cup of Association Football. The curse, which has affected Bedistani football teams since World Cup 30, has now been confirmed to affect Capitalizt SLANI, which was previously drawn with Nedalia for World Cup 33 qualifying.
Curses aside, despite being one of the top ten teams in the world, SLANI will need a great deal of luck to make it out of the first round of the AOCAF. Their first match will be against the hosts, Bettia. If the scorekeeper can keep up with the fast-paced battle that is expected there, they will move on to play Aurendia, Schiavonia, Pacitalia, Nedalia, and Atheistic Right, any one of whom has a strong chance of defeating the Capitalizts if they can get the ball into the net enough.
Tickets for the Bettia–Capitalizt SLANI match have sold out, but if you’re really lucky, yo may be able to purchase one on iBay for a kilo or two of gold. |
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"Wow, those 95-X players certainly pulled out all the stops, though I'm glad we won."
"Yeah, and we got the bonus point to boot."
"Bonus point?"
"Didn't you read the information they gave us when we arrived in Bettia?"
"oh, that. It's generally got boring information such as history of the stadiums and quirk bits of trivia. I don't pay attention."
"Well, you know the Bettian football motto?"
"We don't do defense, We Trash defense"
"yeah, that. Well the FAB have taken that motto to the next level. Here, read this." A booklet was passed that contained the information about the scoring system.
"Ah, so. A bonus point applies to team that got 3 goals or more and what's this about Extra time and Shootouts?"
"Just read that, it's all their. Anyway, the 95-X did better than we thought."
"hmmm..." said the other person who was actually engrossed in the booklet and not paying attention to his friend
"Yeah, the Bazalopes performed fairly mediocrely. I don't know why but we suck at AOCAF. You know that at least one media organisation had us as just making the Ro16?"
"really" the friend said still reading the material.
"You aren't paying attention to me are you?"
"aahhhh"
It was then that the friend snatched back the material. "Hey, I was reading that AND listening to you!"
"no you weren't"
"Yes, I was"
"What did I say then?"
"You moaned about the Bazalopes poor performance, as always in AOCAF and 95-X good performance."
"Bah, lucky guess."
"But the result on the scoreboard is all that matters. We have 4 points ahead of everyone else. That's gotta count for something."
"I suppose...." |
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Eating A Bazalope Burger |
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One Small Victory for United
Polperro Park, Ryoga Bay - Yes it is official, the United Team, in a great moment, opened the new AOCAF 19 with a 3-1 victory over Manhattan Prime. It came as a surprise after a continuous losing streak in the World Cup, and that fact that no coach has been present since the last AOCAF. There was a lot of drinking to be done by the fans of the black and red. But the Manager has reminded the team and the fans that this was just the beginning and the team had plenty of challenges ahead and the players must keep calm and think of the game ahead. The team will get an extra day to train as the next match day is a bye for the team, but the team will be out in full force, practicing the skills necessary to take on the unknown Sarzonia team, yet to ever take the challenge against this opponent.
The game started off strong as the United players jumped on the Prime players faster then you could say Let's Go United, and the ever-popular Michael McShane produced the first goal. But as the team celebrated with over confidence, the defense lacked and allowed a Prime player weave around the defenders and send a shot bottom left, just out of the keepers hands. But revenge is sweet, and famous among the Delesa culture and it didn't take long before Florian Olivier was able to sneak one past the Prime keeper. And at half it was 2-1 for United. And the fun didn't stop there as at the 80-minute mark, Michael McShane unhappy about the revenge took another chance and blasted one past the Prime keeper. The United players then seeing it fit for 3-1 played a more defensive style for the rest of the game, ending at 90 minutes with a 3-1 victory. The United team was the only team in Group D to achieve complete victory in the 90 minutes as Ubundi & Demot tied, Ubundi taking it in the penalty kicks, and Lamoni & Nojika tied, Nojika winning in the end. Delesa currently sits at the top of the group for the moment.
Goals:
CDU (14th Min) - Michael McShane
Prime (29th Min) - *Unknown*
CDU (36th Min) - Florian Olivier
CDU (80th Min) - Michael McShane
Penalties:
- None - |
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Royal Scribe |
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[OOC: West Pasco, I don't like the whole "gay" angle you used. Just letting you know before there are problems.]
Woodstock Daily Mail
Stars nervous heading into 'Hawks nest'
By Travis West
Special to The Daily Mail
Gabalfa, Bettia (22 March 2007) -- It doesn't get much harder for the Sarzonian national football team in its first match since World Cup XXXI.
The Stars, who have been inactive since the sudden resignation of President Mike Sarzo and the nation's ensuing isolation, are playing their first international match against two-time defending AOCAF champions Lamoni. It's an assignment that Coach Alan Whittsig is calling "a Mount Everest of tall orders."
"Regardless of any controversy surrounding the AOCAF XVIII results, today is a new day," Whittsig said. "They're a tough side and it'll be enormously difficult to get a result against them, but we'll do our best."
Whittsig is counting on a more attack-oriented offence to carry the Stars, though he noted that he and the team have not embraced a so-called "takilan" philosophy.
"We're not a takil side," Whittsig said. "We're a team that thrives on balance, but we're going to have to put the ball in the back of the net in order to move on to the knockouts." He alluded to the curling team's performance where it was among the bottom teams in scoring the regional curling championships.
"We're not going to have too many 2-0 results, especially not in Bettia," he said.
The team is hoping that a young frontline of forwards Reese Nichols and Matt Lynch can use their speed and superior ball skills to put the ball in the back of the net. Lynch led the Portland Timbers with 11 goals in 17 league matches last season. Nichols scored 14 goals in mostly part-time duty before he scored five goals in the playoffs en route to the Wild's semifinals defeat to Rochester.
Defensively, the Stars are hoping Erik Conyer can be the steadying influence on the Stars that he has been for the Wild, citing his calm demeanor in addition to catlike reflexes that often see the 6'2" Conyer get to balls that would beat most other goalkeepers. They're also counting on 30-year-old Lance Kemp to provide leadership with the captain's armband.
More importantly, however, they're hoping this version of the Stars can recapture some of the magic that led to the team's Baptism of Fire championship before World Cup XVI, its Cup of Harmony X title following World Cup XVIII, its World Cup XXII championship and its AOCAF XII title. But the team is also realistic.
"It would be a major upset if we're able to get out of the group stage, in all honesty," Kemp said. "We haven't played together in a long while, and this is a completely different team from any Stars team that's played before. We don't know what we have yet."
Conyer noted that this would be the first time since the early days of AOCAF that the Stars would play its first choice national team in the regional tournament after sending the second choice units in previous cups. However, he said the team would have to build itself back up after the long layoff.
"Teams don't get better by just sitting around and doing nothing," Conyer said. "The speed of the game will be the first major difference for this team."
This post has been edited by Sarzonia on Mar 22 2007, 07:04 PM |
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It's all about the Navy. |
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'Foxes rally off shaky start to capture outright win against Atheistic Right
Retooled defence "oversleeps" but two goals in extra time seal deal over regional neighbours
Fan reaction mixed over hosts' new "we hate draws, we love goals" system
CEFFINTON, GWLAD TEG, BETTIA (PSN) -- The Blue Foxes were back for Sergei "The Bear" Saganyarov's latest outing as the interim-cum-official manager of the Pacitalian national squad. But his attempt at retooling the defence almost turned into a late collapse that could have upset not just the fans, but also the scoreline. The Blue Foxes' offence took control and saved the day, rallying late to equalise. Then, they put the home side ahead in the extra frame, scoring twice to seal a 5-3 win over eastern neighbours Atheistic Right.
Saganyarov had decided, during preliminary practices and tryouts, that Ion Mihai Comanescu's poor play and nagging ankle injury merited some bench time. So he shipped the hurting CF Mandragora leftback to the wood-and-paint to do some serious thinking about his contribution in future international tournaments. Comanescu was a subpar performer by any standard in AOCAF18, a poor performance highlighted by his stunning failure in the quarterfinals, allowing the Bazalonian team a key to the final four. And his abjections were just another sad story in a line of defensive shortcomings for the Blue Foxes since AOCAF15's blunders with Francesco Manzanotti, and AOCAF16's embarrassing re-entry of Angelo Bordellatta from a substance suspension. Comanescu was mediocre in AOCAF17 and abhorrent in 18, so Saganyarov dumped him to the bench and replaced him with the hard-working, reliable Sergio San' Cristobal.
Saga put San' Cristobal in his usual sweeping position at centreback while shifting Bordo to leftback. The retooled combination is an experiment during the group stage, and it appeared to pay off early as San' Cristobal stuffed a pair of Atheistic Right chances before keeper Cristianu Raduvani, returning for his eighth AOCAF tournament, could even lay a gloved paw on the ball.
The tournament opened as a torrential downpour strafed central Verdena, turning a good seventy percent of the pitches in play Thursday to pure, sodden muck -- Ceffinton was no exception. The fact that two other teams had already used the pitch for their practice earlier Thursday wasn't exactly helping the conditions on-field. While the Gasworks and Tiddles pitches in the Bettian capital, Gabalfa, were the only ones to have avoided any serious liquefaction, the Blue Foxes and Darwinists were worried about their match getting rained out and postponed, but, to majority dismay, had to trudge onto a sandy, mucky mess of a pitch... for what turned out to be a thrilling, nerve-wracking match of mud footy. Slips and falls were common early as the players adjusted to the soggy terrain but by twenty minutes in, the two squads had managed to curtail any serious wipeouts and begin play.
However, Bordellatta's kicks had other plans -- with the spikes in his cleats unable to grasp anything, and distracted by the nearly stark-naked nudist forward Jacob Hunt, he fell flat on his back, allowing Hunt to complete a clean pass to a waiting Cameron Miller, who potted his first of the tournament to give the Darwinists the 1-0 edge in the 25th minute. After an Ambrosino Giurimano equaliser, Miller followed his effort up, returning the favour with a sweeping rocket to Hunt who headed the ball in to restore the Darwinists' one-goal advantage into halftime.
Returning to the pitch in the second half, the players were relieved to find that the rain had stopped, allowing them at least the privilege of seeing what was going on. This allowed the Pacitalians, who had inquired earlier about the match's rumoured cancellation or postponement, and about whether the players on the pitch could wear goggles to be able to see without squinting. The offence quickly got to work as Michelangelo Mascagnano performed some stunning magic, threading the ball through the legs of Brandon Cooper to the waiting Andreos Charisteas. The team's lone Greek rifled a howling convex past an outgunned John Edwards, who stared blankly as the Blue Foxes re-upped the score, equalising at 2-2 with just under half an hour to go.
But it seemed the Darwinists had plans to garner at least one victory in the group stage despite being a novice and newcomer in AOCAF, and so they responded, like any veteran squad would, to a scoreline that was equal heading down the stretch: with a massive offensive outburst that surprised the Blue Foxes defence. Francesco Manzanotti was deked out of play by a streaking Matthew Wright, who knocked the ball low past Raduvani to restore the Atheistic Right lead, 3-2, with twelve minutes left in the half. It looked increasingly like a match the Blue Foxes couldn't win, and the Pacitalian section of the Heol Angharyd was correspondingly quieter and quieter as the match's minutes withered away off the scoreboard.
However, with just a twelfth of an hour left in the match hope came in the form of Pacitalia's veteran captain, also, like Raduvani, playing in his eighth (but likely last) AOCAF tournament. Veranace d'Amantano started his own offensive play, taking charge of his own accord, when his side, and the fans, needed him to the most: running straight up the centre of the pitch, he displayed the undeniable skill and enviable finesse that has made him famous in his 12-year career. d'Amantano evaded tackles from Kyle Rogers and Xavier Carter before passing between the gates of Brandon Cooper and Robert Murphy. With just the keeper to beat he seemed to hesitate for half a second to decide what shot to make, and unintentionally drew Edwards out from the goal. d'Amantano deked left and potted the ball into the heart of the net to a relieved and screaming Blue Foxes section, a move that ensured at least one point in the match through the Bettians' new scoring system, and would send the match to extra time if nobody scored within the final five minutes.
Indeed, the score remained locked at 3-3 heading into two fifteen minute extra time periods, and the Blue Foxes' wake-up call (courtesy of their capitano) brought the team back to a muddy earth. This time it was the Pacitalians' turn to put out an offensive fusillade, with star midfielders Michelangelo Mascagnano and Andolfabio Vunghiasso each pocketing superbly-finished scores to give the Blue Foxes the edge, and the victory, over an eventually fatigued Darwinists squad.
The Blue Foxes earned four points for this win, three for winning outright (before a penalty kick session), and one for scoring at least three goals in the match. The new point system drawn up by the Bettian hosts has confused a fair few fans across the region, especially in Az-Cz. Overall, reaction to the new system has been mixed.
Pacitalia doesn't get to rest much: coach Saganyarov says dinner tonight will be followed by an early curfew, and a heavy practice in the morning. After that the team will get some free time to explore Ceffinton (regardless of the weather) before boarding the bus to Porthbalfa for their marquee matchup against the Lions.
From Ceffinton, Gwlad Teg, Bettia:
Atheistic Right 3 (3) : 3 (5) Pacitalia
ATR: Miller 25' / Hunt 42' / Wright 78'
PAC: Giurimano 33' / Charisteas 62' / d'Amantano 85' // Mascagnano 99' / Vunghiasso 106'
NEXT UP: ATR v SCH, PAC v NDL
This post has been edited by Pacitalia on Mar 22 2007, 08:11 PM |
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The best place on earth. |
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Az-cz Scroll
Bettia
Il-Lur
A win is a win is......?
The opening day of the AOCAF finds the Az-cz side once again in struggling form. Playing the team most expect to slip to the bottom of the group the team struggled to a mere 1-0 win over Ereeland. And unlike in AOCAFs past where this would have seen them in second based on other results, extra time allowed the Bazalopes to move to the top of the group despite a rather disappointing performance.
The Gnomes themselves looked strong in defence playing a 3-5-2 formation that was deployed in the hopes of augmenting the Az-cz forward core. However it was truly the back line players that looked great. La-Yu, Ca-Fu, and Jorge Shockey all proved why they had been chosen to the senior squad in not allowing Ereeland to attempt even a single shot in the match.
On the offensive front once again poor finishing held the team's goal haul down. Ho-Lee Chung and Hu-35 set up alot of good shots, but Fe-Do and Gs-Kin had a hard time finishing, sending most of their shots either wide or over the net or straight into the hands of the keeper. Only Fe-Do's shot in the 34th minute that the keeper deflected but couldn't push out of the goal put the team on top.
All in all a disappointing result. The huge talent gap between the two nations allowed the Gnomes to win, but when they face nations of equal skill such a performance will lead to ruin. The fact that the Bazalopes earned extra points due to an extra time goal just adds insult, and possibly injury to injury. While we applaud the Bettians for such an innovative system, we think they shouldn't have counted extra time goals in their tally. Vilita & Turori definitely deserve the top spot in the group after their waxing of Krytenia, but this goofy system has messed that up. |
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Excitement was running high in Ulzaxid. The Ulzaxid's conception of sport functioned much differently than sport in most regular nations. In each Ulzaxid sporting event they had to have 20 different levels, one for each combination of DNA standardly possible. Some events even opened up a 21st level for non-standard DNA combinations, although that was rare and discouraged. But the nation had certainly never seen anything like the upcoming football tournament.
Not only were they competing with different combinations competing together, but they were competing against people. Although at first they thought they might have found a kindred spirit of Morph people in the Vilita & Turori Eel-Cats they quickly realized that instead of being actual combinations of an eel and a cat that was just a nickname for the combination of two nations.
Then there were the cheering. While sports were popular spectator activities, rooting didn't work in quite the same way. Firstly Ulzaxids rarely took rooting interest. Usually they just wanted to watch the best possible display of skill. And secondly when they did take rooting interests, they usually expressed their support telapathically, such that arenas, pools, or fields were often silent from start to finish, like much of Ulzaxid society. Also for the upcoming matches the nation had requested that only combinations including slime molds travel to the match in Bettia. So for the time being there won't be any eagles, ferrets, dolphins or monkeys hanging out in Bettian stadiums. |
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Ezis Slams Obscure Bettian Maths...
Ricky Ezis didn't take long to make his first controversial press conference as an international coach. Ezis, one of the most decorated defenders in Vilitan, and World Cup history, was named as the head coach of the Vilita & Turori regional squad shortly before the opening match of the tournament against the Aces of Krytenia. Ezis, who replaces the brother duo of Lorenzo and Malaino Mumamba who resigned after a disappointing AOCAF XVIII performance, made his last appearances for the Vilitan National Team in the recent cup of harmony. It was widely expected and reported in the media that Iñaki Soler had agreed to coach the AOCAF squad, but that fell through when the Vilitan Hall of Famer signed on to coach the Elves Security Forces in World Cup 34.
Despite being his first ever match as a manager, Ezis looked right at home from the sidelines calling the shots and making all the right moves as Vilita & Turori ousted what many consider one of their toughest group opponents, maintaining a clean sheet on the heels of Vilitan goalkeeper Jimmy Jaded. After being interviewed immediately following the match, Ezis seemed a very happy man, and maintained that demeanor throughout the early portions of his press conference. Then, however, the bomb was dropped. A question came from the audience asking how Ezis felt about the Bonus Point rule which saw Bazalonia topping the group instead of them. Ezis asked for clarification, not exactly knowing what was meant.
The media representative went on to clarify, that even though Vilita & Turori had won their match in 90 minutes, and Bazalonia could not even do this, the Bazalonians managed to score a goal in extra time giving them all three points against 95x. Despite the valiant showing, 95x walked away with zero points. To make matters worse, despite only managing a draw and 2 goals in the 90 minute time period, Bazalonia, as a result of its goal in extra time, walked away with an additional point, for breaching the 3 goal mark.
Ricky Ezis stared at the media representative blankly, attempting to process the information in his head. Then, to the horror of the communications committee, another bomb was dropped.
"Thats -explicitive removed-ing Bull-explicitive removed-." Ezis, beginning to look a bit mad, stated. "Your -explicitive removed-ing kidding me right now, aren't you? Where the -explicitive removed- did these idiots learn to add, their heads must be filled with gas or something. Seriously, you're not screwing with me, they really got 4 points for that?" Ezis looked around bemused.
"I mean wow. I just can't believe that. Alright, First of all, after 90 minutes the match ended in a draw. Right then and there, both teams should get a point. Now, I'm all for the whole extra time thing and no draws, makes it great for the fans. But come on, give the guys who do it in 90 minutes the credit they deserve. The teams should get one point each for the draw after 90 minutes, and should either team win the game in extra time or penalty kicks, they can get one additional point, for a total of 2. None of this 3 points for winning a game after 2 hours crap. A proper match is 90 minutes, if you can't win it in 90 minutes, you shouldn't get the same amount of points as a team that can." Ezis took a deep breath and some water.
"Now, second of all, What is this bull-explicitive removed- about getting a bonus point for scoring in extra time? Thats just a crock of -explicitive removed-. Please, excuse the language, but I'm sorry. Now they are just awarding points to spite us. If we had another half hour to play, we would have scored another goal too. Either let everyone play 120 minutes regardless of the score, or award the bonus points only for the result as it stands after 90 minutes. Or you know what, -explicitive removed- it. Next time we play a match, I'll just make sure we're up 2-0, 1-0, 3-0 whatever it is. Then, when the 4th official puts up his board we'll just start putting the ball into our own net. Yea, thats it, I mean what the hell does it matter, You get more points for putting the ball into the net over 2 hours then you do if you beat your opponent in 90 minutes. We may as well just start scoring on ourselves just so we have an extra half hour to earn bonus points. -explicitive removed- 'em. Thanks for that info, by the way. I'm freaking fired up now, I'm gonna go share this energy with the lads. I feel bad for our next opponents"
And with that, Ricky Ezis stood up mumbling something about Bettian's and Pink shirts, and walked out of the room.
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Belatedly . . .
Brian Cahill reporting from Sukatra, Bettia.
It’s AOCAF time once again and there’s an unusual sense of confidence and anticipation around everyone associated with the national side. After a third place finish four years ago the team has built up some real momentum in the AOCAF tournaments and new coach Javi Chavez is seen as the ideal man to build on his predecessor’s successes. There were those that inevitably criticised the appointment of a foreign coach. Those that blame the Hyppos’ appalling World Cup form, following which the word “Hypocria” become synonymous with failure, on the national team’s former foreign coaches. But in the AOCAF Chavez’s prospects are good as it was his Starblaydi compatriot Guylain N’Dumbu-Nsungu who led the side to the final of AOCAF IX, which they lost to Vilita. And under another foreign coach, Sarzonian Dave Wilson, they lifted the title eight years later.
Significantly that victory also came in Bettia prompting many commentators to wonder maybe, just maybe, this could be the year. Certainly a number of players have retired since finishing third in Myrtannia but they have been replaced with some excellent youngsters. Players Chavez has watched come from the system during his time as the FAH ‘s Director of Elite Football. And then there’s the fans. With blue and white clad supporters crossing the Hypocrian/Bettian border in their thousands the side certainly won’t be let down by a lack of support. In fact the players could be forgiven for thinking they have home advantage. And with the Autocracy playing all but one of their group fixtures at the formidable Al-Fath Stadium, the feared Cauldron of Noise, here in Sukatra that advantage can only be heightened. A fact that has led the FAH to send a rather large fruit basket to their Bettian counterparts in thanks for that particular piece of scheduling.
It all seems to be falling into place. Something that continued when the Hyppos’s were drawn in a relatively easy Group B.
Group B
Starblaydia (4)
There was something strangely inevitable about this, having been drawn in the same group as the Purple Peril in the last two tournaments. And with a Starblaydi now in charge it simply had to happen again. But the days of the Men in Mauve dominating this competition are gone, long gone it seems. Once they were feared throughout the region. Then they lost against Lamoni for the first time ever and it’s gone downhill ever since. Lamoni have won back to back tournaments while the Blaydis have been losing matches they could once have won with their eyes closed. That being said, they still normally beat us.
Hypocria (7)
That would be us.
Milchama (10)
Boo! Hiss! Etc. Another nation we played four years ago where the 3 - 2 Hyppo win was greeted with much jubilation back home. Mainly because the public have long memories and that World Cup playoff defeat against the Warriors many moons ago was hard to stomach. And don’t even get us started on the horses.
Quakmybush (17)
Recent World Cup hosts but they’ve never really achieved much in this tournament. They held the Hyppos to a 1 - 1 draw in Krytenia, thus ruining the Quak My Bitch Up headlines that had been planned. Fortunately there are no draws in this tournament. Given the calibre of the rest of the group they should join Starblaydia, Milchama and ourselves in the knockout rounds.
Amarenthe (32)
We don’t think this is their first appearance in the AOCAF but can‘t be sure, being too lazy to check and all, but it’s certainly their first for a while. Should put up a brave, but ultimately futile, resistance.
West Pasco (32)
Clearly a nation of cretins. Started the tournament by mistaking the Hyppos’ claret second strips for pink which they elegantly followed up by calling them gay. They were then promptly trounced by the Autocracy finest, wearing those very same gay, pink kits. Their prospects? Almost certain to bring up the rear. Oh the irony.
Jasi’yun (32)
Never heard of them quite honestly. Unlikely to trouble the big boys but surely better than West Pasco. |
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Young'Uns Caught Lion About
Bettia....................2 (Heighton 37, Haynes 88)
Nedalia...............2 (Player9 14, Player8 66)
(Nedalia win 2-0 on penalties)
Expectations were high as Bettia hosted their first game in this AOCAF, and understandably so - after all, the senior squad were literally on top of the world after their World Cup triumph. Unfortunately the Young'Uns didn't quite live up to those expectations, going down to neighbours Nedalia after a battling display was let down by a dismal performance from the penalty spot.
After a shaky opening, things soon went downhill as Nedalia went ahead on the quarter-hour mark, their centre-forward lashing the ball home after a low cross from the left wing. However, the Young'Uns soon picked up and started creating opportunities of their own, with Evan Miranda going close to levelling on 25 minutes - unfortunately for the youngster, his curling shot just clipped the wrong side of the post.
A little more than ten minutes later, their efforts were rewarded after a charging run by another youngster Peredur Rhys saw him reach the byeline. A crafty cut-back saw him pick out Will Heighton, who was lurking around the penalty spot, and the Tiddles Park striker made no mistake in levelling the scores.
The second half saw the Young'Uns play with a bit more confidence, spending long periods camped in the Lions' half, but they were caught with a classic counter-attack when a long ball out of defence saw their centre-forward sprinting clear of what could lauhgingly be called an offside trap. When faced with Sion Gardner in goal, he was forced wide but instead of attempting the shot from an ever-narrowing angle, he elected to square the ball to find his centre-midfielder free in the middle, who could barely miss from five yards out.
That sparked a frenetic last twenty minutes of play as Bettia sought to claw their way back into the game. Midfielder Simon Tahir was replaced by Bryn Setiawan to form a four-man front line, and a glut of chances followed. As time wore thin and things grew more and more tense, Setiawan was fouled on the edge of the penalty area, and team captain Ariel Haynes made light work of a shoddy defensive wall, rifling the ball through a gap to level the scores and send the game into extra time.
Where the last twenty minutes was tense and frenetic, the extra thirty offered little in the way of excitement as both sides seemed to tire and cancelled each other out as they played their way to the lottery of the penalty shootout. Both sides missed their first kicks, but the Lions netted their next two to set up a tense fourth spot kick for Evan Miranda. The nerves were visible on the young striker and he fluffed his kick to send the Lions away victorious.
Elsewhere in the group, Pacitalia find themselves one point clear at the top thanks to the bonus point gained in their 5-3 win over Atheistic Right, who themselves benefitted from a bonus point. Schaivonia are second after their 2-1 over Aurendia, with Nedalia following them with two points, Bettia and Atheistic Right are on one point each, with Aurendia yet to register and Captializt SLANI yet to play.
As can be predicted, there have been some unhappy rumblings about the new points system, most notably from Vilita & turori and Az-cz who find themselves trailing Bazalonia despite all three teams winning. Tegryn Forbes, chief executive of the Football Association of Bettia, told The Enlightener "This is a new system, and it's only natural that not everyone will be happy with it, especially right at the start. After all, some people kicked up a fuss many many years ago when they started giving three points for a win instead of two. The system we've introduced was designed to get team playing more attacking football, and it's not too late for them to start doing so."
When asked about the extraordinary events surrounding the Ubundi-Demot 4-0 penalty shootout, he promptly left the room muttering "I'd love to know what the ref was thinking of. If he was drunk, I'll make sure the police'll have him executed!"
Results / Fixtures:
DAY..OPPONENT.............VENUE............RESULT
01:..Nedalia..............Tiddles Park.....D 2-2 (AET, lost 2-0 on penalties)
02:..Capitalizt SLANI.....Tiddles Park....
03:..Schiavonia...........Tiddles Park....
04:..Pacitalia............Tiddles Park....
05:..Atheistic Right......Tiddles Park....
06:..---..................Tiddles Park....
07:..Aurendia.............Tiddles Park....
This post has been edited by Bettia on Mar 23 2007, 04:50 AM |
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Bettia |
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We don't do defence |
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OOC: Mostly, this is just some rambling thoughts of the new Lamonian Coach.
IC: After the 4-3 loss to Nojika, Coach McNany was having a talk with her players. To be honest, while losing by one penalty kick to Nojika wasn't that bad (Starblaydia had once lost 2-0 to this side while the Men in Muave were first in the region), but to do so on the opening matchday? This was clearly unacceptable.
Though, she admitted that the strangely Takil Bettian AOCAF format was partly responsible for the loss as well. Normally, the match would have ended as a 1-1 draw. Under the Bettian "No Draw" rule, the match had continued through extra time, and then into penalty kicks. The one good thing about the penalty kick session was that she thought that she had spotted some weaknesses on the part of the Lamonian goalkeeper that hadn't shown up before. He'd be working on those before the next match against Sarzonia.
Sarzonia was another of the AOCAF winning nations, but Lamoni currently had a one title lead over their SDL allies. Not that that would make much difference. Both sides would be out there and playing their best for at least 90 minutes.
It had been stated that the Sarzonians would try to use speed to their advantage. Well, there were ways to deal with that. The Lamonian midfield was always good for clogging up that part of the field, and there were three defenders in case someone made it that far.
That was when the following was heard (quite loudly) over the television across the field, and a concrete wall:
| QUOTE | "I mean wow. I just can't believe that. Alright, First of all, after 90 minutes the match ended in a draw. Right then and there, both teams should get a point. Now, I'm all for the whole extra time thing and no draws, makes it great for the fans. But come on, give the guys who do it in 90 minutes the credit they deserve. The teams should get one point each for the draw after 90 minutes, and should either team win the game in extra time or penalty kicks, they can get one additional point, for a total of 2. None of this 3 points for winning a game after 2 hours crap. A proper match is 90 minutes, if you can't win it in 90 minutes, you shouldn't get the same amount of points as a team that can."
"That was V/T Manager Ricky Ezis; and now we are going to commercial." |
And Coach McNany lost her train of thought as she yelled at the AOCAF news watchers to turn down the TVs.
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Democratic Maniac |
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