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AOCAF 25 RP Thread

Posted: Jan 30 2009, 04:05 PM

Blue Foxes champions at last
The wait is finally over; as expected, a nail-biting finish decides the winner

Wapahkoneta (PSN) — Fans of the Blue Foxes, it's okay to believe in your squad again.

After easily one of the longest droughts and "curses" in national sporting history, the Pacitalian men's football squad have finally done for their country what no other Pacitalian athlete was able to do before — be the best and win a major tournament. Even Olympic gold has not yet been attained — but finally, finally, there is some hardware on the shelf.

Pacitalia and Starblaydia emerged from full time once again having matched each other stride for stride as is usual when two teams of that calibre meet. Extra time solved nothing — it was perfection from Pacitalia's penalty takers and the exact opposite from Starblaydia's that made the difference as the Blue Foxes triumphed 4-1 on penalties to win the AOCAF championship.

It would be the men in purple that would reach the scoresheet first, to the worry of the Blue Foxes' fans. Daymon Callind was, from the start of the tournament, expected to be Starblaydia's consistently greatest threat, and he proved himself among the top tier of international footballers with a devilishly well-executed strike to the top left corner of the net in the 19th minute. Callind's rocket just beat the fingertips of Abro Zolà but fans and players alike knew even that single goal would be enough of a lead for Starblaydia to walk away as champions 71 minutes later.

The score remained 1-0 to Starblaydia as the sides descended the tunnel for the half-time team talk. Marco van Basten was "encouraging and optimistic", right-mid Massimo da Scupeta said. "He wasn't angry at all. That goal could have happened to any team, even the best ones."

"Callind is unbelievably talented," echoed Angelo Bordellatta, "and [Zolà] just couldn't get there in time. It wasn't a big deal to us. We weren't freaking out about it, knew there was lots of time to equalise and we could come back in the second half as though it was still 0-0."

"We just focused on scoring a goal," da Scupeta continued, "as that goal alone wouldn't just have been a relief, it would have felt like the winner... even if it sent us to extra time and penalties."

Sure enough, the mentality paid off for the Blue Foxes. Ten minutes into the second frame, Ambrosino Giurimano potted his tournament-leading seventh goal, a curving rocket just inside the top-right corner of the net, and squared the two finalists at one goal apiece. The stands erupted deliriously as Giurimano chased down the corner marker and saluted the blue and white clad fans. The Starblaydi faithful did not look too pleased.

After that, momentum appeared to shift the Blue Foxes' way, buoyed by the perfect strike from Pacitalia's star frontman. Seven chances on goal, all unsuccessful, followed between the 63rd and 87th minutes, but none reached their targets. All the same, the Purple Peril were on their toes; the Blue Foxes could smell blood. Bazrador Drakkiborgo yelled at the Starblaydi XI to tighten up in defence. Starblaydia managed five decent chances on net between the 70th and 89th minutes. Stoppage time did nothing, and the championship final was off to a fully expected and deserved extra time session.

The Blue Foxes, up to the final, did not have the best record in a penalty shootout. Starblaydia were near-perfect by the same token. It did not seem to dampen the Blue Foxes, and while each side had a trio of decent chances in the extra 30 minutes, neither team looked willing or ready to end things before the two hours was up. And, so, having remained at 1-1 through another half hour, the two sides went to the all-decisive penalty shootout. The coin was flipped and the Blue Foxes would get first crack.

da Scupeta was first up for the Blue Foxes. He scored with a mid-height volley straight to the centre of the net, as Kyli Seji betted right. Ryu Jones matched da Scupeta's successful tally with his own high-powered shot to the top right side of the net. Zolà, like Seji, betted the ball was going to the other side of the net and guessed wrong. Penalties even at 1-1.

Semih Mansur would take the second attempt for Pacitalia. He was also successful, though with a low, dribbling shot to the bottom left side of the net that passed under Seji just as he attempted to fall onto it. The mere miss still did not change the fact that Pacitalia were now 2-for-2 and that it would be up to the Starblaydi to keep pace. Encouragingly, the Elven midfielder Otarion Fanorin missed, blundering the ball wide of the left post. 2-1 to Pacitalia.

It would be Giurimano to take kick three for the Blue Foxes, and once again, extended the string and put the Starblaydi on the ropes. He converted with a swift volley to the top right corner of the net, like his goal during regulation time. Seji could do nothing but pray that his fingers would get there in time to at least deflect the ball over the crossbar. When Daymon Callind stepped up, the entire stadium quieted, knowing that this was the make-or-break point in the match. If Callind converted, the Purple Peril were still alive for at least two more rounds. If he missed, it would take just one more successful conversion by the Blue Foxes to seal a championship. A lopsided wave of sound erupted from the blue-clad fans in the stands, drowning out the groans of the Starblaydi faithful, as the 35-year-old superstar's hard, confident chip was gathered up by Zolà. The Pacitalian keeper pointed gleefully and excitedly to the fans and strode to the side, smiling politely at Seji as the nervous-looking Starblaydi international stepped in front of goal in a last-ditch effort to keep his squad in the tournament.

It would fittingly be the workhorse Andolfabio Vunghiasso to seal the championship for the Blue Foxes. His delicate chip released from his feet, the scrappy left-midfielder knew immediately it was a successful conversion and raced past the corner marker for the disbelieving yet delirious Blue Foxes supporters jumping and cheering in the stands. Embracing them, so many with tears in their eyes, he was joined not seconds later by the rest of the Blue Foxes squad, ten starters, eleven substitutes, a gleeful Marco van Basten and a tearful Veranace d'Amantano. Watching the teardrops streak down d'Amantano's face is something we surely won't soon forget — the man who had himself led Pacitalia so achingly close to tournament glory in the past now, at last, part of the celebrations as the squad's assistant manager.

The moment was purely magical, the moment for which the Blue Foxes and their supporters had been waiting for so long had come. The announcer's voice echoing "AOCAF25 Champions — Pacitalia!" sent shivers down the spines of nearly everyone in the stadium. Abro Zolà, the squad captain, accepted the cup trophy and, screaming in exultation, thrust it into the air joyously surrounded by glittering cerulean and white confetti.

Fans that normally would vouch for the 7-goal performance from Giurimano to be the deciding factor in the MVP search are instead pointing to Vunghiasso's hard work from end to end as the reason why Pacitalia finally stands as proud champions.

It will be a tournament not soon forgotten simply because of the calibre of play put on display at this incarnation of the AOCAF Cup. But it also won't be forgotten because it will forever be known as the tournament where the Blue Foxes finally, finally, put Pacitalia's long-held sporting curse to rest.

From Wapahkoneta:
Starblaydia 1 (1) : 1 (4) Pacitalia
STB — Callind 19'
PAC — Giurimano 55'

Penalties
PAC — da Scupeta, Mansur, Giurimano, Vunghiasso
STB — Jones, Fanorin, Callind

Pacitalia

The best place on earth.

Posts: 505

Posted: Jan 31 2009, 05:08 PM

Two days before the Sarzonian national football team got set to face Prux in the final match of the groups stage at the Cup of Harmony, they gathered at the practice facility near Bryan Marshall Memorial Stadium to watch the AOCAF final between Pacitalia and Starblaydia.

To a player, the Stars cheered wildly when each Blue Fox substitute and starter was announced prior to the match. Starblaydi players received a mix of polite applause and murmurs, though no one booed. Forward Matt Lynch said the Starblaydi proposal of the Mike Sarzo Memorial Cup kept players from booing Starblaydia.

"It was a fantastic gesture," Lynch said. "Our nation still fondly remembers our former president, so initiating a tournament with the proceeds benefiting cancer research made a favourable impression upon us."

Not favourable enough to keep the Stars from supporting Pacitalia, however.

"They've never won this," said goalkeeper Cody Taylor. "Starblaydia have six championships. Pacitalia deserves an opportunity to win at least once."

When the match itself took place, groans and whistles accompanied the scene when Starblaydia's Daymon Callind scored the first goal of the match 19 minutes in. The camera flashed images of discouraged Blue Fox supporters -- and one or two frustrated Stars supporters. Had cameras been broadcasting the Stars' impromptu viewing party, they would have even shown defender Spencer Hicks slamming his fist to the table, which drew an immediate admonishment from manager Brian Wilson.

At halftime, several players got up from their seats to use the loo and stretch their legs. Meanwhile, Hicks sneaked back into the room after returning from the loo. He crawled silently on the floor, then flicked a lighter on. He then slowly moved the flickering flame toward the match he'd sneaked into a shoe worn by Zack Wilson. Before long, he hopped up, screaming. It drew the laughter of Stars players, including a nonplussed-seeming Hicks, who used the distraction to sneak out of the room pending his walking in as if nothing had happened.

"What's going on in here?" he asked in an even tone, doing his best to hide his amusement that his prank worked to perfection.

"Someone gave Zack the hot foot!" forward Reese Nichols yelled.

"Really? How could that have happened?"

Before Nichols could answer, yelling and cheering in the room interrupted him. The camera showed Ambrosino Giurimano celebrating after notching his seventh goal of the tournament, drawing the match level at 1:1. Now the prank took second billing to the match as even Hicks sat down with rapt attention for the remaining 45 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of extra time.

Finally, it came down to penalties. At this point, every eye in the room was transfixed upon the screen as right midfielder Massimo da Scupeta's face furrowed in concentration. Before long, a cheer erupted as da Scupeta scored to make it 1-0 Pacitalia. The cheers soon turned to silence as Ryu Jones equalised in Starblaydia's first round. Again, the room erupted when Semih Mansur fired what Lynch described as a "cheeky shot" that barely beat Starblaydi goalkeeper Kyli Seji for a 2-1 lead.

The Stars cheering got wilder when Otarion Fanorin fired his shot that missed the left post and preserved a 2-1 lead for Pacitalia. It began to reach a crescendo when Giurimano scored for Pacitalia. The Sarzonian players suddenly hushed when Callind lined up. Many Stars held hands nervously, while others covered their eyes. Only Lynch watched, and when Callind's hard shot only found the waiting arms of Blue Foxes goalkeeper Abro Zolà, he cheered wildly enough for an entire team. That sent the Stars into a frenzy.

All it took now was a goal by Blue Fox midfielder Andolfabio Vunghiasso in the fourth penalty round to clinch the first championship of any kind for Pacitalia. When he struck and a panel showed his running toward the stands in celebration, the Sarzonian players began to rise as one. When the shot beat Seji, Stars players leapt up in celebration, hugging each other and anyone they could find who happened to be in the room.

"They did it! They did it!"

After 10 minutes of that, they left the practice facility to find Sarzonians from nearly every walk of life imaginable rushing out to the streets, hugging random strangers, cheering, screaming and singing.

A band that had been performing about 100 metres from the practice facility noticed the news crawl that said: "BREAKING NEWS: PACITALIA WIN AOCAF XXV FINAL: 1-1 (4-1 PK)" and broke out into an impromptu rendition of Martha and the Vandellas' "Dancing In The Streets." That title was perfect for what went on in Woodstock, in Portland, in Nicksia and throughout Sarzonia.

Sure, Pacitalia celebrated loudest and longest of anyone in Atlantian Oceania, but Sarzonians sure made it close.