Games 104, 105, 106, 107 (Smallwick Shootout '99 first rounds) 03-01-299 to 03-04-299

Game 104: Christiana - Rosardan (SS'99)

The Technical Information:

Final score: CHRISTIANA 2 - ROSARDAN 0
Played in: Sky City, Bowdani (Sky City Stadium)
Attendance: 55,000
Referee: George Caplick (Watts & Mealing)
Goals: Marin (CHR, 60.), Marin (CHR, 79.)
Yellow cards:  Sullivan (CHR, 16.), Brigidson (CHR, 55.)
Substitutions: Edwardson for Harrison (CHR, 45.), Latrobe for Dymoke
(ROS, 45.), Gloster for Buckingham (ROS, 67.)

Match commentary:

Vex Champions Christiana continue their winning ways as they knock out a
respectable Rosardan squad!

The Sky City Stadium was filled to capacity, as 55,000 fans crammed into
the facility to see the reigning Vexillium Cup Champions play Rosardan
tonight.  This was the opening match of the Smalik Shootout, a
mini-knock-out-tourney in anticipation of the big Copa Vexanova Ordland
'99, which is to begin in mid-March.

Christiana had not played since their sensational title win at home in
November, and were suspected of being a bit rusty.  Rosardan on the
other hand, played in their first ever international match after their
independence from Merite, and, immediately, they were faced with the
intimidating task of playing the current Vex Cup holders - quite a
challenge for a brand-new team.

All in all, it has to be said that both teams exceeded expectations.
Christiana was not rusty at all, and eventually came away with the
expected win, after good play.  Rosardan, on the other hand, showed
little intimidation, and played freely with the champions, even keeping
the game all even and scoreless for the entire first half and beyond!

Christiana was not getting too restless, as Rosardan was really never
dangerous enough to threaten to score in the first half, but on the
other hand, the Knights did by no means dominate like they were expected
to.  The Warriors played very solidly.  Dunlap, Ellis and Harding proved
a formidable defense force, Cobb implemented good fore-checking
techniques, and Dysart turned many heads with his speed - Padraig had
his hands full to keep him in check!

While not too many Christianans had made the long trip to Bowdani,
Rosardan had quite a few supporters present.  And although the mostly
Bowdanian crowds came mainly to see the Champs, they couldn't help but
side with the underdogs Rosardan, who so bravely kept the game even all
through the first half.

After the break, however, Christiana began to take firmer control, and
they finally got relief by a risky shot from far distance by midfielder
Marin, that caught keeper Gammon off the line.  Then, things went
increasingly Christiana's ways, and they scored again through Marin,
from a standard free kick combination.  Rosardan then tried to launch
another offensive, but the physically superior Knights made no mistake,
and eventually the Warriors ran out of steam.  Christiana hung on to win
deservedly 2-0.

So although Rosardan is knocked out, they can be pleased with their
strong debut that kept the Vex Champs occupied.  They showed some very
good promise - watch out for them in the future.

Christiana, on the other hand, expectedly stays alive, and they will now
face the winners of Davenport-Eastern Zartania in Davenport, in what
promises to be a real thriller!

The Technical Information:
 
Final score: SOLELHADA 4 - WATTS AND MEALING TERRITORIES 3, in overtime
Played in: Elfrid Stadium, Alia, Peyton, Davenport
Attendance: 28,750
Referee: Dominic Reauchambeaux (Rosardan)
Goals: Lavalada (SOL, 4.), Macghileagh (WMT, 16.), Kean (WMT, 39.),
Portal (SOL, 59.), Macghileagh (WMT, 83.), Langles (SOL, 90.), lo Fodat
(SOL, 118.)
Yellow cards:  Kay (WMT, 21.), Delpuog (SOL, 52.)
Substitutions: Appleyard for Boyle (WMT, 45.), Whitby for Sykes (WMT,
91.), lo Fodat for Arrat (SOL, 91.), Szabo for Auguste (SOL, 91.)
 
Match commentary:

Solelhada are the comeback kids, as they hang on in a last-minute
thriller to win in overtime!!

Los Diables Roges were definitely on a high note still from their recent
two victories at home, and with a good number of special
government-authorized fans in schlepp, they were expected by many
international experts to make short work of the upstart Watts and
Mealing Lions!

However, it should come much different, and it was eventually only for
the great skills of national hero Langles, as well as a VERY healthy
portion of luck that the Red Devils were not knocked out in the first
round by the organized and physically impressive Lions.

Although Solelhada scored almost immediately as the game began, as the
Lions' defense was still trying to find its bearings, WMT soon began to
not only play with the Devils, but do so as their equals.  Several good
chances on both sides came and went unceased, until Macghileagh was able
to break through in a nice solo and equalize for WMT.  Both teams stayed
at it, but no more goals were scored until the 39. minute, when Kean
sensationally put the Lions up 2-1 by head after a corner ball kicked by
Macghileagh.  Many WMT fans had made the long trip to see the inaugural
game of their side, and they were not disappointed in the first half.
The unexpected lead carried WMT into the break with much enthusiasm and
anticipation of the second half.

Solelhada stuck to their game plan, however.  They remained on the
offensive, hoping that sooner or later the inexperience of WMT would
allow them to score again.  And indeed, after a defensive mixup by WMT,
Portal finally evened out the game once again with a short heel shot
after a clever side pass from Lavalada.

After the 2-2, for a while there was a noticeable slowdown in the pace -
Solelhada was gearing up for a big final offense before the finish, and
WMT had somewhat lost their wings they grew when they were ahead in
goals.  About 10 minutes before the end, however, both teams started
pushing again.  Solelhada now once again played their famous
throw-all-forward style, in an effort to score the decider, but this
time it bit them back!  Revelation Seamus Macghileagh was again the
star, in his second scoring solo of the match, as he fooled goalie
Delmas into the wrong corner with ease to put WMT ahead once again!

Now, Solelhada became frantic: only 7 minutes to go, and elimination
staring them straight in the face!!  Then followed a furious offensive
that saw Langles all over the field, together with Delpuog, raising some
havoc.  WMT now went totally back into their half, trying to keep their
narow lead for just a few more minutes.  However, under the constant
crushing pressure by the Devils, they could not hold on - mind you, they
almost did!!  It took a long-range bomb by Langles, the likes of which
you don't get to see very often, that left even the alert goalie Bragg
no chance, and fit exactly into the upper left corner - you could say it
was a desperation shot, but nevertheless, Langles once again scored when
it mattered most, and that in an early candidate for goal of the year!

So, they went to overtime.  Solelhada had one more sub left than WMT,
which perhaps added to their advantage.  The Lions were visibly
distraught after they had failed to hang on to their lead, and were so
cruelly robbed of their victory which was so near they could smell it!
So, as the overtime begun, the Devils seemed the more spirited team
overall, and they quickly took charge.  WMT now seemed more erratic,
more nerveous, and fresh striker lo Fodat was in the right place when a
Szabo pass cleared two WMT defenders, to score by head the winning
goal!  That was it for this game - Solelhada went 180 degrees, and
immediately put up a wall.  Macghileagh & Co tried a comeback, but they
were running out of time and steam, and the Devils held on for the
narrow overtime win!

Solelhada now moves on to meet the winner of Bowdani-Whitlam, in Bowdani
(no easy task in either event!), with a winning streak of 3 games now!

WMT must return home after a jolly good show that presented themselves
very well.  They will be a force to be reckoned with for Ordland '99!
One wonders, with the great performances by both, Rosardan and WMT, why
Merite never managed to take these players, and put together a strong
bid for the Vexillium Cup...

The Technical Information:
 
Final score: BOWDANI 2 - WHITLAM 1
Played in: Sky City Stadium, Sky City, Bowdani
Attendance: 55,000
Referee: Paolo Caroscinha (Solelhada)
Goals: Punneratau (BOW, 20.), Armstark (WHI, 35.), Killehal (BOW, 77.)
Yellow cards:  Coleman (BOW, 13.), Moran (BOW, 40.)
Red card: Hickey (WHI, 60.)
Substitutions: Al-Dhabi for Ouagadougu (WHI, 13.), Salengar for Moran (BOW, 45.)
 
Match commentary:

Refurbished Bowdanian side take full advantage of misfortunate Dragons to advance before the home crowd!

This match kept the experts guessing as to who would be advancing to the next round, and who would be sitting on the sidelines from now on.  Bowdani was a virtual complete unknown, as in the most thorough refurbishment of any national side ever on Vexillium, only goalkeeper Andy Hawk remained on the team of the 22 players who had played for Bowdani last in the Vexillium Cup CD'98!  Thus, nobody knew what to expect from a potentially always dangerous team playing at home before a capacity football-starved crowd.

The Whitlam Dragons, on paper the favorites as the much higher ranked team, were nevertheless still expected to find the right recipe against this still inexperienced Bowdanian team.  They actually DID, except, due to some bad fortune, as well as the right plays by Bowdani at the right time, they ended up short.

Things went wrong for Whitlam early in the match, as their midfield stalwart Ouagadougu was stopped by a very rough foul by Coleman, which earned him the yellow.  Ouagadougu was hit in the ankle, and unfortunately had to be taken off the field with considerable pain, leaving coach Gray no option but to enter Hussein Al-Dhabi in his place.

Only seven minutes later, Punneratau scored for Bowdani from offsides-suspicious position - but the Solelhadan linesman signalled no offsides, and the goal was good.  Instant replays had most television commentary teams split right down the middle: some clearly claimed the offsides from the tape, while others insisted the goal was legitimate.

No matter, Bowdani was ahead, to the delight of the home fans.  Whitlam, however, now began to take charge.  For the rest of the half, the Dragons were in ball posession a whopping 34 minutes, while Bowdani tried to hang on with a Northern-Gronk-style iron defense tactic.  However, the terrific trio of Blacklock-Walford-Armstark once again showed some Vexillium class football today, and simply overran the Bowdani defenders in a mighty thrust in the 35. minute, to score the 1-1.  Several other great chances for the Dragons narrowly missed.  Goalie Andy Hawk showed why he was left in the team roster: he prevented at least two certein goals for Whitlam with incredible saves during this period of the game!

just 5 minutes after Whitlam had scored, Moran comitted a foul on Walford in the penalty zone, and the penalty was correctly called.  As Blacklock stepped up to shoot, a fireworks rocket flew on to the field, and he had to abort the shot.  After the pitch was cleared, and he resumed, his concentration seemed broken, and to the great surprise of every fan around the planet, this otherwise flawless penalty shooter pulled the leather well over the goal!!

So Bowdani was fortunate to reach the break all tied at 1.

After the pause, Bowdani seemed to have taken some more heart.  Whitlam was no longer dominant at all, perhaps a little frustrated by the events in the game so far.  The new Bowdanian squad now showed some real good stuff, standing out besides goalie Hawk and Killehal were Marn and freshly substituted midfielder Selengar.  Nevertheless, Whitlam had the better goal chances, but without result.  In the 60. minute, Walford broke through, and shot a long pass to Blacklock, who was all free on the left, Blacklock dribbled for two seconds, took a shot - and GOAL!, past Andy Hawk.... but this time, the same linesman who did NOT give an offsides during Punneratau's goal, GAVE ONE now, and the goal was disallowed.  The Whitlam players were furious, and began to argue with the linesman, and even the referee!!  Caroscinha did not take to the arguments very well, and he more than one time motioned with his hand towards his back pocket, as if he was going to pull a card, at which time, the arguing players withdrew frustrated.  Matt Hickey, however, the star defender of Whitlam, did not want to accept this, in his opinion, blatant error, and he continued to talk aggrevatedly..., until Caroscinha indeed pulled a card!  Except, instead of a yellow one, as everybody expected, it was a RED card!!  Hickey was ejected!  Now, again, more players came to argue, even more heavily.  But the ref threatened he would eject every single player who did not shut up, and the Dragons had to withdraw their arguing players, very disgruntled.

Naturally, being one man down did not help Whitlam's already struggling ways in this game.  Bowdani smelled opportunity, and all of a sudden, they were seen more and more in the offensive.  Whitlam still did a good job of holding off, and played up good chances themselves, but Bowdani ultimately scored again in the 77. minute, to decide the game, and finally seal the Dragons' fate!  The crowd was pleased, but the Dragons were not at all!  Coach Gray was seen talking loudly and gesturing to several IVEFA officials on the sidelines after the game was over.  Referee Caroscinha then did the same, and they exchanged some heated words face-to-face as well, before everybody was escorted off the pitch seperately by IVEFA aides.  What was said, is not known at this time.

Bowdani thus stays in the SS'99, and will be meeting Solelhada, who knocked out WMT yesterday, in the semifinals, again to be played here in Sky City.  Whitlam is out, but they had indicated that they might stick around to play a friendly match or two before returning home.

Match commentary:

Davenport is stunned as Eastern Zartania leaves the Men in Royal in the
dust, despite home advantage!

Both teams went into this match with high spirits and high hopes, as
both sides had been busy in preparation for this very high-profile match
of two of the top-ranked teams of Vexillium!  Davenport had undergone
some major re-shuffling, or "spring cleaning" as some insiders called
it, and they were eager to test their new members against a strong
opponent, and before the watchful eyes of their knowledgeable home
fans.  Eastern Zartania had made intense preparations and gave
themselves every chance to do well in this game, studying in much detail
Davenportian strategy and weaknesses, and arriving well before the game
to acclimatise their men.

Much was written and spoken about this match, and it was certainly the
most hyped and anticipated since the Vexillium Cup Finals last year.
And although every aspect of the game came under speculation before
hand, few would have probably guessed the eventual outcome, as it
happened today:  with a clear loss by the home favorites!

Davenport's new squad did not quite fit together yet.  A new coach, and
quite a few new players... their play was disjointed enough to where a
first-class team like KTZ could crash right into their party.  The
Zartanians tried to intimidate early with their trademark physical and
offensive style, and under the constant pressure, Davenport eventually
had to give up the first goal in the 21. minute.  Although the Men in
Royal then seemed to get a better grip, they hardly really threatened
the Zartanian goal in the first half at all.  Bassey proved to be a good
addition, nevertheless, as he had the most chances of all, 3 in total,
foiled by returned stalwart goalie Jenkins.

After the break, Claude Gaspe joined in for Davenport, in the hope to
set the necessary impulses in the midfield.  The first 10 minutes,
however, proved to be disastrous for Davenport!  In a quick surge, KTZ
scored two powerful goals in the 50. and 55. minutes, leaving the home
team and fans alike shell-shocked.  The stadium probably was never this
quiet before, as only the few thousand Zartanian fans tried to make a
racket, in their great joy!  Davenport coach Cooper seemed overwhelmed,
tirelessly screaming instructions on the sideline, but the Davenportian
offsides trap was kept in check by the alert Zartanians, and thus, KTZ
was up an incredible 3-0 against the home team!

It was all or nothing for Davenport now.  Renard was brought in, but
already many fans had begun to leave the stadium in disappointment.  The
mood was gloomy at best in the stadium.  Nevertheless, the Davenportian
side took some heart, and finally things seemed to click better.
Slowly, they got the upper hand, especially as KTZ increasingly tired
from their earlier offensive thrusts.  Gaspe and Harbour were up to
their old tricks, and very dangerous, but it was Bassey who scored the
goal of honor in the 69th.  Davenport kept pushing hard, and had several
more good chances, but Jenkins was on the mark.  However, in the 76.
minute, the veteran goalie collided with the charging Jean Harbour in a
courageous effort to save, and apparently injured his hand!  Ironically,
KTZ's second goalie Slicia, also is suffering from a hand injury, so
coach Seusa had no choice other than to bring in third keeper Utz in the
77. minute, and hope for the best!  Utz did a great job, though, and
kept Davenport scoreless until the end, with a lot of help from his
defensive team, that is.

So KTZ indeed pulled off a very good win over the home team, spoiling
hopes of a classic Davenport-Bowdani meeting in this SS'99.  For
Davenport, the last quarter looked good, but the rest did not - some
fine tuning is obviously required.  KTZ redeemed themselves from their
two straight losses, which didn't sit well with them at all.  This
important win takes that team a huge step further.

KTZ will now meet Vex Champs Christiana, again in Davenport, played
March 6.  In the other semifinal, Bowdani will host Solelhada, tomorrow.