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Lamoni jumps to top of table
After coming off of their bye date on the first day of the tournament, the Hawks were into full business mode. First, they defeated hosts Bazalonia by a 2-1 scoreline, then they trashed Demot 5-1. With these wins under their belt, the Hawks are first in group two, and they face Nojika next.
As evidenced by past matches, Nojika is a team that is full of both positive and negative surprises. They can trip up any team in the tournament, which means that they must not be underestimated. We have not forgotten the time that they defeated then running champions Starblaydia 2-1. Or the times that they have pulled off upsets against the Hawks.
People all over Lamoni are hoping that this is the tournament where the Hawks bag AOCAF cup number three, and start to eat into that Starblaydi record. While political relations between Lamoni and Starblaydia are trying to come down from the hostility that often defined them in the past, the AOCAF rivalry is alive and well. |
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95X Wins One, Ties another
Bazalonia - Our newspaper readers today are presented with the results of two games, as a late game from the previous day didn't conclude until after press time.
As much of 95X slept, its team won a late match against An Blascoad Mor 3-1. Micah Skokomish scored two early goals putting 95X up early 2-0. Veteran midfielder Claire Pomona added the teams' third goal after 71 minutes of play, putting 95X up 3-0. At that time, Alecia Onesixtysecond cleared her bench to ensure her star players were rested going into the next days' game. The ball found its way to the back of the 95X net in the 88th minute, however this was almost expected with seldom-used reserve goalkeeper Tate Hall in front of it.
Later, many in 95X watched a nationally televised game against Pacitalia which resulted in a 2-2 tie. A slow 95X team did their best to keep up with a team that blanked perennial powerhouse Starblaydia the night before. Although the team was looking for a win against the team which knocked 95X out of the AOCAF 21 Round-of-16, defender Tai Doe said after the game "we'll take the tie, it's better than another loss." The 95X goal scorers were Damien Dairycreek in the 49th minute, and Micah Skokomish after 69 minutes of play.
After three match days, 95X is second between Hypocria and Pacitalia - two teams which have already sat out bye dates. With two thirds of the group stage of the tournament to go, a game against Starblaydia in the wings, and a showdown with arch rivals Hypocria on Match Day 8, the real contests in this tournament are yet to come.
95X 3, An Blascoad Mor 1
(95X goals: Skokomish :14, :32; Pomona :71)
95X 2, Pacitalia 2
(95X goals: Dairycreek :49, Skokomish :69) |
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An Blascoad Mor Times
GOOLLLLLLAAAAAZZZZZZOOOOOO!!!!!!
Substitute Ailín Mac Giolla Ruaidh yesterday made himself a national hero after scoring An Blascoad Mor's first goal of the 22nd AOCAF. Critics may claim the goal is a cheap one with it coming in the final few minutes of a 3-1 defeat and against an apparently not to good reserve keeper, but that has by no means dampened the celebrations of An Blascoad Mor's population. The entirety of which has travelled to Bazalonia either as player or fan.
The match itself was not much of a spectacle. Indeed over in 95X much of the nation slept through it. Granted it was a late kick-off but any insomniacs only had to watch five minutes of the game to fall asleep.
From the first kick it was clear who would win. The 95X players were clearly superior and were very much in control for the ninety minutes. It seemed as if the goals came when they decided and they decided to score first on fourteen minutes. Micah Skokomish who would also go on to score in the thirty-second minutes took the ball of Patty O'Shea who took too long clearing on the edge of the box, the 95X striker then calmly rounded Tomás O'Neil in the Islander's goal to open the scoring. His second was pretty much a carbon copy to take the game into half time at two nil.
The second half was more an exhibition with the 95X players seemingly more interested in showing Atlantian Oceania they're skills rather than adding to their goal tally. In the end though they did add a third goal. Claire Pomona found herself in the box and surrounded by ABM's defence. A quick and brilliant piece of footwork saw her find her way through the ball and one on one with Tomás O'Neil in the goal. There was only ever going to be one winner. With the team three up the 95X coach made wholesale changes to the team.
This allowed the Islanders to get a foot into the game and their effort was rewarded with just two minutes left when a clever through ball by substitute Maitiú MacGeraghty put Ailín Mac Giolla Ruaidh clean through on goal. Tate Hall looked short on confidence and made a desperate lunge for the ball, Ruaidh had the vision to foresee this and beat the keeper all ends up to leave the net gaping and to seal a memorable goal for the nation.
Just like watching Brazil
A hugely impressive performance from the Islanders was today rewarded with an equally impressive victory over Northern Bettia, a team our neighbours Sorthern Northland have struggled against in the past.
Buoyed by a last minute goal from the 95X game the islanders not in the team along with the couple of thousand Sortherners were in high spirits in the stands supporting the Island's team. It has been stressed many a time by many a footballing figure how much of an impact the fans can have. It was a point proved once more today as Ailín Mac Giolla Ruaidh, rewarded for his goal against 95X by being given a start in this game. The striker fed of the atmosphere from the fans to trouble the Northern Bettian keeper just seconds after the kick off. Spying the keeper off his line Ruaidh, forty or so metres from the goal attempted an audacious lob. It went over by some distance, but for a second it had the Bettians worried.
It was a sign of things to come at the Islander's and Ruaidh in particular played some quick, at times sublime football. On several occasions during the first half was the North Bettian goal threatened, but on every occasion, it survived. A desperate block by a defender here, a superb save by the keeper there. Somehow the North Bettians stood firm and went into half time keeping the score at nil nil.
The second half started with the same amount of excitement as the first. This time though rather than a series of near missed the fans were treated to a flurry of goals. The first goal was scored by Northen Bettia. A cheap free-kick was given away midway down the left touchline by Kenny Krouger. The ball was whipped in from the free-kick and the North Bettian striker rose above the defence to head the ball into the net. The response though from An Blascoad Mor was almost instantaneous. From the kick-off Muris O'Sullivan fed the ball to Patrick O'Donovan on the right wing. The winger embarked on an epic run taking on four Bettians, all of them hacking away in Northern Bettia's now customary style. A style which would lead to the goal. Just in the edge of the box and just about to pull off a shot, O'Donovon was crudely hacked to the ground, and the ref was given no choice but to give a penalty. The North Bettian defender was shown a red card and O'Donovon had to be stretchered off to be replaced by Maitiú MacGeraghty. The penalty was then coolly slotted home by Ailín Mac Giolla Ruaidh for his second of the tournament. Perhaps still celebrating having scored twice in two games, the Islanders appeared to switch off as the Bettians went from the kick off straight down the other end to restore their advantage.
That goal was a sign that more concentration would be needed to get a result and that is exactly what happened. With focus directed back onto the game, the Islanders once again controlled the game and score twice to seal a famous victory. The goals took a long time to come though, and plenty of chance to score were squandered. With every chance that went, you felt it would be the last. However in the eighty-fifth minute, Donald O'Donnell made a quick burst down the wing and crossed the ball low into the box. Muris O'Sullivan easily beat his marker to draw the game level. The next goal came five minutes later just as the game went into stoppage time. Again Donald O'Donnell burst down the left wing and crossed it low into the box. This time though a defender was first to it and sliced it out for a corner. Patrick Doyle swung the corner in and it was missed by everyone before it fell to Dougal McGuire who took one touch to control it and a second to smash it into the net for a win celebrated raucously by the Island's small but boisterous following. |
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RP CUTOFF AND SCORINATION! |
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Eating A Bazalope Burger |
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Nojika steamrolled by Hawks in AOCAF
With a very convincing 5-0 win against Nojika, the Hawks are only in second place of Group 1 by one goal; after the amazing match played by Manhattan Prime, which may well be an AOCAF record.
With all of the uncertainty surrounding Nojika, the Hawks just went onto the field, where it was business as usual. Being in a comparatively weaker group for the AOCAF is paying off handsomely for the Hawks, who are putting up club record results.
The next match up for Lamoni is against friends Krytenia. Lamoni's historical record against the Kryties has generally been positive, and the Hawks are on a roll. This should be an exciting game, either way. |
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You Don't Know What You're Doing
Starblaydia slip to second goalless defeat in a row
Quite what Lex Panarii is doing, we have no idea. There's a problem in every area of the pitch, and he's not sorting it in time. He's persisting with a number of players who just aren't cutting it, and though they've been substituted in-game, they're still starting and the opposition are still using them as the focus of their attacks.
Up front, Raphael Torino is simply not good enough for the number-nine shirt at the moment. The Jhanna United man is yet to breach the net and, at twenty eight, one would feel that he's now had his time in the international spotlight and even now at the 'peak' of his career, he's barely worthy to clean the boots of Stefan Hinkonnen, who sits kicking his heels on the bench in despair. Lubii, Torino's strike partner, is having to do all the work up front pretty much on her own and she's in no way cut out to be a lone striker. Solution parte the firste: Torino out, Hinkonnen in.
The left side of Starblaydia's team is as weak as it has ever been. The inexperienced youth of Denny Djibroné combined with the relative fetus of Bazrador Drakkiborgo is leading to Starblaydia being out-flanked, if that were possible, on the left. Many attacks have been coming down the left, exploited so excellently by Pacitalia, dragging Oscar out of position and opening up Gomes and Chang-hwa, leaving their forward thrusts exposed. They both have great potential, it's true, but potential must be realised. One man who has done exactly that is the all-round midfield creative force of Batou Nakamura, who surely must start the next match against Northern Bettia. The lad has the temperament to deal with the harsh tactics the northern Bettians are sure to bring, as he has an old head on young shoulders. Solution Two, The Great Han Empire Strikes Back: Djibroné out, Nakamura in.
An old head on old shoulders is required instead of Drakkiborgo, who is looking completely out of his depth. A few more games at Under-21 level is what he needs, along with time in international squads to figure out where and how to play. Nowhere better are the shoulders of the thirty-one year-old Edmundo Rivolli, who is experienced and cosmopolitan enough to play his football for the Rinaldi Gunners in Elves Security Forces. Third Solution, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Drakkiborgo out, Rivolli in.
Then, finally to the goalkeeper. If the other three positions were the only problems Starblaydia had, they would probably be in an 'okay' position. With Sandra van Agmark in goal, they're in a crap position. Admittedly a position that the B Team of the current World Champions would kill to be in, given their record, but awful for the eighth-seeded Starblaydia nonetheless. Quite simply: Paola Mendez, she ain't. Starblaydia's most famous female goalkeeper took Starblaydia to the Quarter-Finals of World Cup 31, but van Agmark looks like she barely knows where to put her defenders in the eighteen yard box. Caleb Westwood is the young up-and-coming Starblaydi keeper, and he should now be given his chance. Though Eduardo De Rooij is older, he's simply there as a squad player. Don't hold Westwood's club - Boston FC - against him, though, he seems like a nice enough chap. A little right-wing, but nothing like the usual Bostopian nonsense. Sensible Solution part four: van Agmark out, Westwood in.
If only Lex Panarii would follow this simple bit of advice, he'd have a snowball's chance in hell of making it through to the Quarter-Finals.
Final Score:
95X 2 - 0 Starblaydia
(Skokomish 23, Mitchell 41) - (None) |
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RP CUT OFF AND SCORINATION! POSTED |
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Bazalonia |
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Eating A Bazalope Burger |
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It was clear from the beginning of this competition that something was fishy. From the opening kickoff against Demot, when the Capitalizt SLANI squad were still posing for a photo, to Migelo Luiso bursting out in laughter when shown a yellow card, to Çu Gwaŋ-yūŋ taking a nap in front of the goal against Manhattan Prime, this was not the Capitalizt SLANI squad that won the World Cup. The manager never bothered to make substitutions; the equipment staff never bothered to sew the correct names onto the kits (and one certainly cannot rely on the Bazalonian match program(me)s to print the names properly, either). No one bothered to watch the video feed anymore—the only Capitalizts who cared about the AOCAF were journalists, who knew they would get an award if they could be the first to figure out what was happening.
Raymond Bizier, a computer science student at Paruvia Tech, did just that. He chugged a can of Kokekole, the famous carbonated beverage from Columbia, before dinner. The cafeteria, for some mysterious reason, had some barbecued bazalope meat, and he decided to try some. That night, he sat down with some friends to watch the Capitalizts host a bunch of secessionist n00bs calling themselves Kosovoe in the World Cup qualifiers. During the match, he started doing all sorts of crazy things, earning him a trip to the campus medical staff. They hadn’t a clue what was wrong, but Bizier did, once he regained what passed for “sanity” at that school. He published his findings in the only place he knew how, the Internet, but among crazy theories that Kokekole is a communist plot, that the assassination of Matthew Sparks was an inside job, and that BuyAGoal.ucs was actually run by the Han government in an attempt to discredit Capitalizts, no one would notice. |
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That's The Way To Do It
Starblaydia get back to winning ways
Well, what do you know it, Lex Panarii mad.e the changes as we suggested in our last piece and wham, bam, Starblaydia get the victory. The Raiigar had obviously fired everyone up, and it took just seven minutes for Starblaydia to breach the (Northern) Bettian net. Stefan Hinkonnen used all his experience - and towering strength - to hold off the 'challenges' of two Bettian Defenders, knocking the ball back for Batou Nakamura to hammer the ball home with style. Starblaydia and their fans were up and rocking, and amid the celebrations, Hinkonnen lamped one of the Bettians. The assault was unseen by the referee and his linesmen, but the reaction was comical.
The punch - squarely on the nose - was certainly provoked by a combination of Bettian tackling, mind games, fouls and insults. It resulted in the defender in question falling to the ground like he'd been shot, whichis actually rather understandable, as this journalist certainly wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of one of his punches. What was more comical, however, was the sight of two other players doing exactly the same thing, holding their faces and waving their arms on the way down to the deck, screaming for a foul. The ref probably thought they were just unhappy to concede such an early goal.
The Bettians promptly got up when the referee pointed to the centre circle, and the game continued. Much in the manner which we have come to expect from the Fire Ants 'B' Team, they dived, fouled and employed all sorts of tactics in order to try and gain an advantage. After a string of yellow cards, they eventually dived well enough in the eighteen yard box to warrant a penalty just before the hour mark. Practice makes perfect, evidently. Starblaydi fans were, of course, tearing their hair out by this point, the Bettians being the antithesis of Starblaydi football ethics of fair playing, trying hard and similar paradigms of virtue.
It took until ten minutes before the end for Starblaydia to get back in the lead, again with trickery from Nakamura that unleashed Hinkonnen down the right wing. The powerful veteran centre forward turned winger and he burst down the touchline and put in an excellent, stinging cross. It was met by the head of Lubii, who bulleted down it into the net. Next up, Starblaydia face Kose and The Turkomans, the team who played their way to the Runners Up spot in the recent Starblaydi-hosted Baptism of Fire, and sit with one win and four losses from their five matches so far. Starblaydia's one consolation with their now only slightly lowly Group position is that they have sat through their bye match, meaning they have the time to catch up to one of those crucial Top Four positions to go through to the Quarter-Finals.
Final Score:
Starblaydia 2 - 1 Northern Bettia
(Nakamura 7, Lubii 81) - (#23 59 (P)) |
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Lamoni makes short work of Kryties
The Hawks added to their win streak with a 4-1 victory over Krytenia, retaining second place in Group 2 by two goals. It will be very interesting to see if the Hawks can top their all-time AOCAF goal record this time around, it looks quite possible to date.
You could tell who was in charge of the match the moment that the Hawks stepped out on to the field... the Krytenians looking stunned at the team that had been happily steamrolling others out of their path so far.
This next match is of more importance to the Hawks, however. The first and second teams in Group two will be going head to head. Lamoni and Manhattan Prime. This will be seen in many eyes as a rematch for the finals match of the last AOCAF, and while both teams are friendly towards each other, nothing will be spared for this match, as the loser is garunteed to drop spots, and the winner will have first place in the group. |
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RP CUTOFF AND SCORINATION! |
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Bazalonia |
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Eating A Bazalope Burger |
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Hawks and Chippers draw
In a match that both began and ended with the players and coaches of both sides shaking hands. In between, both sides managed to put up two goals, which left the Group two chart pretty much the same at positions one and two. Both Lamoni and Manhattan Prime have the same number of AOCAF points, and are only separated in the rankings by two goals. The Hawks and Chippers have both done so well that they have the highest AOCAF point total of the tournament to date, which is an impressive feat in and of itself. Will these two teams face each other in the finals match? No one knows, but don't knock the possibility.
Next up for Lamoni is Delesa, and this promises to be an interesting match.
In the meantime, fans back in Lamoni are already voicing expectations that the Hawks will reach the finals match. In our opinion, only time will tell if this is true. |
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Except from Manhattan Herald – Bergamo, Pacitalia
4th April 2008
AOCAF 22 Summary
Manhattan Prime have left themselves in a good position for qualification, having defeated Delesa 3-1 on the 31st March, with goals from Ethan Smith and a brace from Felix DeSilva being enough to clinch the three points for the Chippers.
They followed this with a resounding, and record 8-1 victory over the hapless Capitalizt SLANI on 1st April. Yos*ito Katatana recorded a fantastic hattrick and appeared to be in his very finest form. Lucas Thompson (1), Felix DeSilva (2) and Vykk Dreygo (2) scored the other goals, though Dreygo still appeared to be receiving the barest minimum of support from his teammates.
Finally the Chippers recorded their fourth win of the tournament on 2nd April, defeating Jasī’yūn 5-1, with goals from Michael Donavan (2), John Clarke (1) and the simply sublime Katakana (2). The result was however overshadowed by an ugly on-pitch brawl between fiery defender Lucas Thompson and his own teammate Vykk Dreygo. Thompson, who had just heard that his father and brother had been killed in fighting near Sapporo stated his intention never to play again alongside the son of the dictator that sent them to their death on a hopeless cause. It is yet unclear whether Thompson will now be dropped from the squad.
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Matchday 5 from Bazalonia
Manhattan Prime 3-1 Krytenia
Jackson 32mins, Smith 78mins
Manhattan Prime picked up their 14th point of the tournament in a tightly fought 2-2 draw against their rivals for the Group 2 top spot, the Hawks of Lamoni
The game with mostly goodnatured, with Manhattanite fans torn between those grateful for Lamonian military assistance, and a small minority that still view the Lamonians as invaders and booed their every touch, screaming nationalist songs and chants. However the teams and managers themselves were openly very sporting and shook hands both before and after the match in a show of solidarity against the Dreygo regime. The Bazalonian stewards are also to be congratulated for their efforts in minimizing any antagonistic behavior.
Chippers Manager Sir Ian Pierce dropped both Thompson and Dreygo, fearing that they might damage the cohesion of a team that has been in top form so far, replacing them with young Ben Wilde and Ross Jackson. Lamoni opened the scoring in what was to prove a very tight game, and Ross Jackson equalized for Manhattan Prime in the 32nd minute from a direct free kick, just outside the penalty area.
The Hawks struck again just after halftime, and the Chippers were clearly struggling to keep pace for a short time. They continued to create chances though, and Ethan Smith pulled the scores back to 2-2 in the 78th minute to create a final score that both teams can admit was a fair result.
Manhattan Prime Team:
Clive Hilton (GK)
Ben Wilde (RB)
John Clarke (CB)
Karl Heinze (CB)
Hitoshi Akita (LB)
Ethan Smith (DMC)
Michael Donavan (MC)
Felix DeSilva (AML)
Mashashi Takamura (AMR)
Ross Jackson (S)
Yos*ito Katakana (S)
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Two Wins In A Row
Starblaydia climbing the table
Just two points off first place after a dreadful start. That makes far better reading than 'still in fifth place, one away from the qualification zone, and only managing to beat new teams by a single goal'. There are two vastly different ways to look at Starblaydia's hopes of progressing to the Quarter-Finals, though one would fear for them if they did actually make it.
The time has long since passed since Starblaydia viewed the Quarter-Finals as their benchmark. Anything less than that was a failure, and even last-eight elimination was nothing to be proud of. Now , after their footballing hiatus, Starblaydia are struggling to get back into the realm of the international arena. World Cup 39's amazing drive to the Quarter-Finals from the lowly position of fifty-seventh now looks all the more phenomenal an achievement, based on this showing. Starblaydia will simply have to hope that they are not embarrassed in their own World Cup. Last time out, eighty years ago, they were eliminated in the Second Round, though the Group Stage saw them record a smashing 5-1 victory over The Belmore Family.
In their first ever match against Baptism of Fire Runners-Up, Starblaydia came out on top thanks to two first-half goals from Captain Alfonso Di Angelo and defender Leandro Perheira. Though goalscoring machine Sinan Kose scored a consolation goal in the final few seconds of the match, as is his style.
Next up for Lex Panarii's side is a crunch match with Hypocria, one of Starblaydia's fiercest rivals in the competition over the years. Formerly allied with each other, Starblaydia and Hypocria embarked on a competitive run that saw many an excellent match between the two, most notably culminating in the Andossa Se Mitrin Vega-hosted Draggonnii Inviyatii tournament, where Starblaydia were on the wrong end of a record 6-5 scoreline. This time around, however, Starblaydia have only scored six times in their five matches combined. The future does not yet look white-and-purple.
Final Score:
Kose and The Turkomans 1 - 2 Starblaydia
(Kose 90) - (Di Angelo 36, Perheira 42) |
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