Games 270 through 279 (WZ'99 Vexillium Cup), 01-19-300:

Game 270: Estontetso - Allacoa:
 
 The Technical Information:

Final score: ESTONTETSO 1 - ALLACOA 3
Played at: The Gazelle Ground, Fisher, Whitlam
Attendance: 77,890
Referee: Ulf-Ingar Kundur (Islandia)
Goals: Michaelson (ALL, 9th), Sante (ALL, 32nd), Sante (ALL, 51st),
Voscorian (EST, 64th)
Yellow cards: Smats (ALL, 20th)
Substitutions: van Has for Michaelson (ALL, 45th), Ilhuitl for Lopate
(ALL, 45th), Gal for Mato (EST, 45th), Selinikan for Velhotes (EST,
45th)

ALLACOA ADVANCES BY MANHANDLING ESTONTETSO

Tonight's game was all but decided before the whistle even blew.  It was
a game in which the team from Estontetso, ranked 44th overall in the
IVEFA Satosan rankings, actually looked like they deserved that ranking.

Tonight's game was the first international game for the Estontetsan team
since their loss to Davenport in the 298 VexCup.  Allacoa, meanwhile,
entered this game coming off a dramatic win over perennial powerhouse
Armatirion in their first VexCup game.  There was a certain level of
excitement and anticipation among the crowd as the game kicked off.  Had
Estontetso's team improved during their year-long absence from the
soccer arena?  Would newcomer Allacoa continue their hot streak and move
into the next round?

That excitement and anticipation lasted all of nine minutes.  Just nine
minutes into the game, Allacoan forward Anthony Michaelson found a crack
in Estontetso's defense: a ten-yard wide gap between two defenders.  A
gap easily exploitable by a talented man like Michaelson.  With a dash
between the two defenders and a swift kick at the edge of the box,
Michaelson put Allacoa on the scoreboard, set the tone for the rest of
the game, and basically ended any anticipation on the part of Estontetso
for a chance to advance.  Even the fans began to sense the coming
result.

Estontetso was not without its own opportunities, however.  In the 20th
minute, Allacoa defender Leopold Smats was given a yellow card for a
nasty come-from-behind slide tackle against Estontetsan forward
Velhotes.  The ensuing penalty shot smacked the cross bar of the goal,
and shot out of bounds.

Allacoa added a second goal to their tally as halftime neared.  On a
corner kick by midfielder Marcus Steele, forward Heraq Sante out-jumped
Estontetso's goalie and headed the ball into the net.  With the score
2-0 in Allacoa's favor at halftime, some of the Estontetsan fans began
to leave the stadium, knowing that their team's fate was sealed.
Estontetso's coach, meanwhile, seeing his team in trouble, made two
changes in the defense, attempting to strengthen it with veteran
players.  Allacoa's coach Taribo Ndlanya also made two changes, but to
his team's offense.  Sensing that Estontetso would no longer pose a
threat, Ndlanya swapped out two of his forwards in an attempt to "spread
the ball around some."

The second half opened much like the first.  Within the first six
minutes of the half, Allacoa scored again, this time off a crossing
pattern from forward Jan Rudolf van Has to Heraq Sante, giving Sante his
second goal of the game.  On this drive it became painfully obvious that
Estontetso was simply outclassed by the dynamic Allacoan team.

Estontetso struck back thirteen minutes later, when forward Voscorian
managed to slip down the sideline past two Allacoan defenders and put
the ball in the net past a seemingly distracted Yohannes Eldawi.
Several boos erupted from the stadium.... from the Estontetsan fans!  A
majority of the fans, apparently, felt that the goal was a "gimme," an
attempt by Allacoa to allow Estontetso to score and save some face.
Feeling that their goal was unearned, the remaining Estontetsan fans
left the stadium.

Content with their two-point lead, Allacoa now settled back into a
defensive game, thwarting almost every offensive attempt by Estontetso.
Estontetso had two more shots on goal, but nothing that ever really
represented a threat.  The gun sounded to end the game with the score
3-1 in Allacoa's favor.  Said Estontetso's coach after the game, "This
was terrible.  Just terrible."

The win cements Allacoa's leader position in Group 9, and advances them
to the next round, where they'll face the winner of Group 8 on Tuesday,
the 25th.  The loss eliminates Estontetso from any contention, and has
to be demoralizing for the team.  They'll play Armatirion on Saturday,
the 22nd, at Revolution Park in Chifley, Whitlam.

The Technical Information:

Final score: ORDLAND 0 - AFRAZURE ALTLANDIQUE 6
Played in: Eddie Dean Field at Booster Park, Madisonia
Attendance: 86,000
Referee: Paolo Caroscinha (Solelhada)
Goals: Jubala (AFA, 1st), Obangui (AFA, 35th), Jubala (AFA, 47th), Durel (AFA, 67th), Obangui (AFA, 70th), Jubala (AFA, 89th)
Yellow cards: H. Pereira (ORD, 3rd), Larangeira (ORD, 50th), Bazari (AFA, 80th)
Red cards: H. Pereira (ORD, 29th), Larangeira (ORD, 52nd)
Substitutions: DaGama for Oliveira (ORD, 29th), Durel for Moloko (AFA, 45th), Al Afraki for Nagouma (AFA, 45th), G. Pereira for Vinha (ORD, 52nd)

Afrazure Whips Ordland With Help of Two Red Cards!

Afrazure absolutely walloped Ordland by taking advantage of a very advantageous situation: Being two men up against the opposition.

But it could be contended that Afrazure outplayed Ordland when they had equal sides. Directly after kick off, the Afrazureans penetrated the Ordland defence without any trouble to have Ngomo Jubala to score his first goal of the tournament. Afrazure was 1-0 up, and Ordland was almost shell-shocked. Two minutes after that, Henry Pereira of Ordland got a yellow card.

And then Pereira followed his yellow up with a red, 26 minutes later. That left Ordland with ten men, but more importantly, Afrazure one man up. Coach William Oliveira wanted to keep his defence intact, so he removed John Oliveira, a midfielder and cousin, in favour of Henry DaGama, a defender, directly after the red card.

But Afrazure knew that this was the time to take advantage, because the defence had just gone through a reshuffle. And take advantage they did, Calvin Obangui scoring the Afraqis' second goal of the game.

At the half Coach Étienne Tanguay did a forward swap, Laurent Durel for Akhbar Moloko, and a defender swap, Gamal al Afraki for Antoine Nagouma. That seemed to work, because only two minutes into the half Ngomo Jubala got his second, a high and dry shot that left David Pinto with too much to do.

Just after that Phillip Larangeira got a yellow card. And barely two minutes after, before the dust had settled, he got landed with a red. So Ordland was down to only nine players, and Coach was pulling his hair out. Luckily, he also kept his head and wanted to keep his defence the same as it was before, so he removed John Vinha and put on George Pereira, Henry's brother

But the Afraqis knew that they could go better still, and fifteen minutes later, that was proven. The Afrazurean substitute forward, Laurent Durel, scored Afrazure's fourth goal of the game, with Ordland still on zilch, zip, nada, rien.

But only three minutes later Calvin Obangui scored his second goal of the game, to put Afrazure in an absolutely invincible position, if they weren't there before. For the icing on Afrazure's and Ngomo Jubala's personal cake, Jubala got his hatrick a minute before time ran out.

While Afrazure did score five of their six goals with a numerical advantage, it could be said that Afrazure played better than Ordland when each side had eleven players, because they out-scored them 1-0, and Ordland hardly ever penetrated very far into the Afrazureans' half. All in all, a good game for Afrazure Altlandique.

It is possible that the winner of this pool with Draconia could be any of the three teams. If Draconia wins or draws their next game against Ordland, then they will take out the pool. If Draconia loses by three goals or less, then they will take the pool. If they lose by four goals, then that will force a playoff between Afrazure and Draconia. If they lose by five or six goals, Afrazure will take out the pool. If they lose by seven goals, that will force a tie-break between Afrazure and Ordland, and if they lose by eight goals, Ordland will win it outright. Though this commentator would put his money on Draconia to win the pool!

The Technical Information:

Final score: WEST UHLAN 2 - LAMB'S COVE 0
Played in: Hawke Bitter Stadium, Gough, Whitlam
Attendance: 120,000
Referee: George Caplick (United Territories)
Goals: Alvarez (WUH, 22nd), Alvarez (WUH, 61st)
Yellow cards: M. Greene (LCP, 30th), R. Greene (LCP, 49th), Mazraldi (WUH, 84th)
Substitutions: Mazraldi for González (WUH, 45th), Kraft for Butler (LCP, 70th)

Spectators Spectators Everywhere, But Nothing To Enjoy

A lacklustre game produced a positive result for West Uhlan, who will take on Namuria with great anticipation on Friday.

The game kicked off, and both teams seemed to play very defensively, with a lot of back-passing, wanting to keep possession more than scoring goals. But in the 22nd minute, that backfired for the Covians, when Alvarez stole the ball off Ryan Greene in their half. Alvarez only had Victor Loux to beat, and he did, putting West Uhlan 1-0 up.

And that was how it stayed until the 61st minute, continually defensive, when Alvarez did the same thing as before, except stripping the ball from Michael Greene. Victor Loux had his hands overflowing, and West Uhlan stepped forward to 2-0.

After that, the Covians figured they needed to get their act into gear, so they took off the tired Cheryl Butler and replaced her with Terrence Kraft. They kept hitting hard, but could not convert any of the opportunities that came their way. So the West Uhlanians won 2-0.

Lamb's Cove is now unable to advance through to the playoffs, but West Uhlan has a good chance. Because Namuria only beat Lamb's Cove 1-0, if West Uhlan draws with Namuria, they advance. So Namuria must win their game on Friday in order to advance.

The Technical Information:

Final score: SYLVIAN 1 - 3 AROS.
Played in: Municipal Field, Kasrall
Attendance: 46,500
Referee: Alexi Verbatim (Ansonia)
Goals: Karavan (SYL, 19), Vzaxogram (ARO, 48), Mikkins (ARO, 56), Ellis
(ARO, 85)
Yellow cards: Manucchi (ARO, 5), Aurillis (ARO, 43), Dement (SYL, 51),
Jenkins (ARO, 61)
Red cards: None.
Substitutions: Allen for Haverhill (SYL, 46), Carlson for Jenkins (ARO,
61) Ravel for Darcon (SYL, 70)

SYLVIAN SUPRISE, BUT AROS SURVIVE.

Aros all but cemented second spot in Group 16 today after a convincing
enough victory over another team of virtual unknowns, Sylvian.

The game wasn't without its suprises though, Sylvian suprising Aros with
an early goal, and holding them scorelss for the first 48 minutes, which
began to frustrate the Aros squad, who began to play a more high-risk
game of football, which ended up netting them 3 goals in less than half
a game of football.

It wasy Sylvian who struck first through Karavan in the 19th minute,
after landing a precision diving header off a cross from Haverhill,
making the Aros players furious that they'd given away such an easy goal
after slacking off defensively. This anger was compounded in the 43rd
minute with the referee, Alexi Verbatim, formally of Northern Gronk,
carding Aurillus controversially, after the foul was actually committed
by Jenkins. This proved to be fortunate for Jenkins who was correctly
carded in the 2nd half, and was quickly replaced to avoid further
problems.

Aros eventually found the back of the net through Vzaxogram in the 48th
minute after breaking the defense with a quick passing movement, which
prompted a collective sigh of relief on the pitch, beginning the deluge,
with goals to Mikkins, and Ellis soon after to bring the game back to a
more expected scoreline. The Mikkins goal came from a free kick just
outside the area, after a deflection, the Ellis sealer came off the back
of some sloppy Sylvian defense from a tired team, Ellis cutting off a
backpass, and pushing it past the 'keeper for an easy goal.

Aros will require what would be the upset of the tournament, needing
Sylvian to beat Westria comprehensively, but will most likely finish
second in their group.

The Technical Information:

Final score: CABOTENIASA 1 - 0 EASTERN ISLANDS
Played in: Solidarity Road, Crean, Whitlam.
Attendance: 40,640
Referee: Delmar Nuava (Achenar)
Goals: Bøgh (CAB, 52)
Yellow cards: Linitencatoriel (CAB, 32), Øvlisen (EAI, 67).
Red cards: None.
Substitutions: Bohlin for Fjortskank (CAB, 50), Lorentsen for Arnesen
(EAI, 60).

CABOTENIASA GO ONE UP, SET UP A SHOWDOWN WITH BROLECIA.

Caboteniasa won a convincing victory today, defeating the Eastern
Islands Whales 1-0 in a stock-standard match. Both teams were quite
evenly matched, and the Whales were obviously pumped from their narrow
loss to world-standard Brolecia. The high morale kept the Islanders in
the game, and kept the Caboteniasan defence and midfield more than busy
containing the Whales livewire forwards and wings.

The game remained scoreless at half time, despite a near-goal in the
32nd minute from a free kick for the Eastern Islanders, which skimmed
the top of the crossbar, the free kick coming after a dangerous
challenge from Linitencatoriel which earned the Caboteniasan a yellow
card.

They did get their goal however, through Bøgh in an opportunistic, yet
half-hearted strike on goal, that curved away from the Whales 'keeper,
putting them up 1-0, where the score stayed, partially due to a lot of
Whales shots off target, thanks to the swirling wind that is common at
Solidarity Road, and generally an aid to the home team, Crean Union.

Caboteniasa proved to be the slightly better team and have set up a
great showdown to qualify in the next round against Brolecia. The Whales
go home beaten, but far from disgraced, conceding only 2 goals in a
tough group. It is understood that they may stick around for a friendly,
to give their other players a chance to play a game, but at the moment,
this is speculation.

The Technical Information:

Final score: ULANOVA 2 - BEGRAL 2
Played in: Henry Duraq Stadium, Eastharbor, Eastern Zartania
Attendance: 68,000
Referee: Padraig Ulafsen (Danica)
Goals: Cosco (BEG, 10th), Cosco (BEG, 51st), Rykov (ULA, 85th), Paternko (ULA, 87th)
Yellow cards: Nielson (BEG, 37th), Cravat (ULA, 39th), Breznevesk (ULA, 70th)
Substitutions: Répond for Eisenkopf (ULA, 55th), Methot for Leonard (BEG, 61st), Walton for Nyaga (BEG, 63rd), Rykov for Barishnaya (ULA, 72nd)

Not That Scoreline Again!!

Begral ended up with yet another draw in Group 15, with the same scoreline as their Eastern Delgamia match.

The majority of the game was undoubtedly Begral's, and they stamped their dominance right from the opening whistle.

They were attacking very well against Ulanova, the only thing saving the game from being 10-2 being Leonid Duralevisk's magnificent saves for Ulanova, but at one point, he would have to miss one, and he did.

Allan Cosco, probably the highest goal-scorer for Begral through its short soccer history, took one too many shots, Duralevisk could not get enough hand to it to prevent it from going into the goal, even though he did get a touch. One nil to Begral.

This continued for the remainder of the first half, as the Ulanovans could not progress past half way at all, the Begralli four man defence was just too good. At the half the Bears were up by one.

Six minutes into the second half, Allan Cosco got his second of the match, and his third of the tournament, from a header after another of his shots ricocheted off the crossbar and into the air. Begral was two nil up, and there was little doubt that they would come out as victors.

But those who doubted were to be proven right. Throughout the remainder of the second half the Begralli defence showed signs of slipping, and it seemed that it was only a matter of time before Ulanova scored a goal. In fact, they scored two.

Sergei Rykov, who was a forward substitute for Mikhail Barishnaya, brought Ulanova half of the way to equalising with a solo run that got past two defenders and the goalkeeper. Two-one Ulanova.

But Ulanova wasn't finished. Only a bare two minutes after Rykov scored his goal, the captain Boris Paternko scored the equaliser, and crushed Begral's hopes of an easier run to the playoffs. Begral definitely deserved to win here, but sometimes as the phrase goes: "Shit happens". Now the Bears must hope for a draw.

Eastern Delgamia plays Ulanova on Sunday to decide the winner of Pool 15. The winner of that game goes through, however, if it is a draw, it's complicated.
If the score is 0-0 or 1-1, Begral goes through. If it is 2-2, then it will force playoffs to decide who goes through. If it is 3-3 or higher, it will force a playoff between Ulanova and Eastern Delgamia.

The Technical Information:

Final score: MORANIA 1 - PHENIXIA 4
Played in: King Bruno Stadium, Imperial City, Eastern Zartania
Attendance: 110,000
Referee: Ilica Stabovic (Ançalda)
Goals: Selior (MOR, 2nd), Marcel (PHX, 9th), D'Entremont (PHX, 31st), Marcel (PHX, 40th), Brochu (PHX, 57th)
Yellow cards: None
Substitutions: Brochu for Marcel (PHX, 45th), Zappatista for Clamalho (MOR, 45th)

Phenixia Improves!

Phenixia played a well-rounded game of football in Imperial City today, which was pleasing to the capacity crowd that came to watch.

At the opening whistle, Morania shocked the Phenixians when they very nearly scored only about 45 seconds after kick off, from a Trevisano shot. The shot was deflected away by Carnus, the Phenixian goalkeeper.

So after two corner kicks and two deflections over the goalline by Carnus, the third corner kick came, and Selior scored Moranian's first and only goal of the game from a header.

After that the Phenixians got their act together, and soon Marcel scored the equaliser for 1, a low volley from ten yards out.

And the Phenixians just continued to go from strength to strength during the half, with two goals in ten minutes towards the end of it, one by D'Entremont, and the other being Marcel's second.

That put Phenixia in the almost inconquerable position of 3-0, and the Moranians couldn't get past the rocks of Jabert, Maximu, Obelix and Lolo at the back, so Carnus was almost not needed in the second half.

The final goal in the game was 12 minutes after half time, when Roberto, the Moranian keeper, played the ball out of his box. Unfortunately, he didn't count on Brochu, Marcel's substitute, being there to tackle him, strip the ball away, and take a shot and get it in. Hell easy.

That was the game.

Bowdani plays Morania on Sunday at Solidarity road. If Bowdani wins or draws, they will advance. If they lose by two goals or less, they will advance. If they lose by three goals and the score is 3-0, it will force a playoff between Phenixia and Morania. If the score is 4-1 or higher with a margin of 3, Morania will go through. If they lose by four goals or more, Morania will go through.

Final score: PHOENIX TOWN 0 - WANG CHUNG 4
Played in: Imperial Navy Memorial Stadium, Claw Anchorage, Eastern Zartania
Attendance: 78,000
Referee: Nic Sturell (Altland)
Goals: Yuen (WCG, 33rd), Yuen (WCG, 35th), Kar (WCG, 45th), Bao (WCG, 90th)
Yellow cards: Tay (WCG, 61st)
Substitutions: None

Talons Crush Phoenix Town!

The Wang Chung Talons made a whipping in Claw Anchorage today, and that put the team in very good stead.

At the opening whistle, you could hardly say the teams were playing aggressively, almost passively they were. Nobody was going in for the borderline tackles, because they didn't want to risk anything. Nic Sturell was known as a real stingepot when it came to severity of tackles.

Nonetheless, the Wang Chung defence dominated the Phoenix Town offence, so the Phoenicians could never score. And the Wang Chung offence dominated the Phoenix Town defence for periods in the game, such as about a fifteen minute block from the 30th minute to the half, where Yuen scored two goals for his team in quick succession, and Kar added one just before injury time ran out. 3-0 Talons.

The boring game continued until the injury time of the second half, when Bao put his team 4-0 up, and with a chance of advancing.

If Eastern Zartania beats, draws, or loses to Phoenix Town by three points or less, they will advance. If they lose by four points, that will force an odd playoff between the three teams, if the score is 0-4, but if both teams score goals, Phoenix Town will go through if it is a margin of 4. And if Eastern Zartania loses by five goals or more, Phoenix Town will advance.

The Technical Information:

Final score: ANÇALDA 1 - ALBION-MERITÉ 2
Played in: The Battleground, Nomar, Eastern Zartania
Attendance: 76,000
Referee: Gus Nalinzal (Kalesthesia)
Goals: Bennecker (ANC, 12th), Hohenzoln (ALB, 39th), Hohenzoln (ALB, 47th)
Yellow cards: Voultz (ALB, 80th)
Substitutions: Lubeshkoff for Werbeck (ALB, 45th), Kouvawer for Manolo (ANC, 45th)

Albion-Merité Take It Out!

Albion-Merité was rocketed to the outright top of the table after today's match with Ançalda.

Ançalda struck first in the 12th minute with Bennecker scoring the first goal in Group 10, a low screamer that went past Johan von Trapp without any trouble whatsoever. But before the half was up, Wilhelm Hohenzoln struck back with Albion-Merité's first goal of the tournament, a curving shot that went off the right post and into the net, passing Gouffe easily.

When half time came, both coaches decided some reshuffling was in order, to strengthen their attack. Frederick Grimes told Robert Lubeshkoff to come on for Ed Werbeck in the Albionish camp, and Kouvawer came on for Manolo on the other side.

And straight after that, Albion-Merité's swaps paid off, with Hohenzoln scoring his second goal. Sure, Hohenzoln wasn't affected by the reshuffling, but the pass he was supplied with came from no less than Robert Lubeshkoff. After that, the Imperial Eagles took defensive mode to defend their 2-1 lead.

And that worked for the remainder of the half, effectively the remainder of the game. The Imperial Eagles emerged with a game won, to be their last game for at least a week.

It is now impossible for Ançalda to win their pool, but if they beat or draw with Lendosa on Saturday, Albion-Merité will progress to the playoffs. If Lendosa wins it will come down to goal difference, and then possibly goals scored.

The Technical Information:

Final score: ROSARDAN 2 - ACHENAR 0
Played in: Revolution Park, Chifley
Attendance: 50,000
Referee: Sergei Sakhov (Guwimith)
Goals: Dymoke (ROS, 59th), Dymoke (ROS, 90th)
Yellow cards: Boyd (ROS, 20th), Xensen (ACH, 29th), Gloster (ROS, 39th), Jaerer (ACH, 50th)
Substitutions: Jackson for Bruce (ROS, 45th), Billt McKiernen (ROS, 65th), Glarini for Asten (ACH, 78th)

Final Game To Decide Winner

With Rosardan beating Achenar 2-0, the onus is on the final game to determine the winner of Pool 11.

Both teams, Rosardan and Achenar, were fairly matched against eachother, it was just that Rosardan had the upper hand in experience.

And it was shown that the two teams were equal during the first half, which yielded no goals for forty-five minutes.

At half time, David Peebles, the Rosardan coach, took of Scott Bruce, a forward, and replaced him with another forward, Darren Jackson. That did not have an immediate effect, but a third way through the half, the Rosardan team were rewarded with a goal, one from Simmon Dymoke that Asten could not get enough of a hand on. Rosardan was in the lead, and it was never relented, only added to. In injury time, Dymoke grabbed his second of the tournament and Rosardan were on 2-0, where they finished the game.

The teams were equal in skill. But the Achenaris did not have enough experience, and could not compare in experience to Rosardan. A fair result, although it extolls the Rosardannach advantage a bit too much.

Achenar are now shut out of the competition, and have finished their games. So they can, for all intents and purposes, pack their backs and go home. The final game will decide the winner of Group 11, and that game is on Saturday evening with the Lexicon Islands and Rosardan. A draw or a win for the Islands will send them to the playoffs, while a win for the Warriors will advance them. The loser packs their bags and goes home.