Games 341 through 348 (VexGames Liston 300), 07-06-300 thru 07-08-300:

Game 341, Whitlam - Niokolo Koba; 07-06-300:

The Technical Information:

Final score: WHITLAM 5 - NIOKOLO KOBA 2
Played at: National Bank Stadium, Liston, Brolecia
Attendance: 90,900
Referee: Ivo Jarsendar (NAM)
Goals: Armstark (FRW, 31.), Blacklock (FRW, 40., penalty), Diallo (NIO, 51.), Sinisterfoot (FRW, 69.), Kipsu (NIO, 80.), Armstark (FRW, 85.), Hickey (FRW, 91.)
Yellow cards: Parkin (FRW, 21.), Sana (NIO, 40.), Diallo (NIO, 63.)
Substitutions: Ba for Sana (NIO, 71.), Kopravi for Zaytseva (FRW, 71.), L. Krizhobolya for Parkin (FRW, 73.), Suleiman for Ndiaye (NIO, 82.)

WHITLAM THROUGH WITH CLEAR WIN!

Niokolo Koba put up a spirited fight against the reigning Vexillium Cup
champions, but the Dragons were simply too much to handle for the
Nuarmian team in rebuilding.  The Gronkian additions to the Whitlam team
have definitely added depth and diversity to the roster, and made
Whitlam an even more complete team.  It was the stalwarts, Armstark and
Blacklock, though, who carried them in this game, with Hickey once again
putting together a world-class defense.  Diallo led the charge for NK,
himself having become an international star player since his engagement
in Namuria.  A very entertaining match, albeit with a predicatble
outcome.
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The Technical Information:

Final score: UNITED TERRITORIES 4 - BABEN BAY 0
Played at: Suspension Park, Bridgeway, Brolecia
Attendance: 32,500
Referee: Vaghel Faltuunhe (EDE)
Goals: Whitby (UNT, 4.), Cook (UNT, 13.), Macghileagh (UNT, 43.), Thayill (UNT, 77.)
Yellow cards: Coyle (UNT, 31.), Igles (BOB, 41.), Keffruh (BOB, 69.)
Substitutions: Muvriak for B. Krizhobolya (BOB, 45.), Wadroblis for Frytzeplek (BOB, 45.)

NO CHANCE FOR BABEN BAY!

The new kids on the block got their wings clipped a bit today, as they
ran up against a wall in the United Territories.  The Lions seem to
finally have overcome some of their demons, and to be living up to their
hype with this clear victory against an admittedly lesser opponent.  But
this is what the Lions asked for, and they did great... now, however,
they must play the Vexillium Cup champions in the next match, yet
again... it's their big chance for a breakthrough.  Whitlam seems on the
top of their game, though, as well.

Baben Bay were a bit out of their league today, despite some good
initiatives, especially Nudzmanshvili impressed once more, except he
missed a penalty in the 31. minute that would have at the very least
given Baben Bay their goal of honor.  Instead, though, the Lions did not
leave a doubt that they wanted to come home with a medal, and clearly
won the match, 4-0.
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The Technical Information:

Final score: NAMURIA 2 - SANX 0
Played at: Black Road, North Liston, Brolecia
Attendance: 36,100
Referee: Ingemar Hatt (BRO)
Goals: Druvolan (NAM, 18.), Purin (NAM, 27.)
Yellow cards: Kleppenuff (SNX, 12.), Kvarna (SNX, 40.), Thyssen (SNX, 59.)
Substitutions: Engelsplaas for Sixt (SNX, 45.), Kraz for Kiersche (SNX, 66.), Piveta for Gandorro (NAM, 70.)

NAMURIA DO WHAT THEY NEED!

For Namuria, the VexGames tourney is not the high priority they entered
their beloved Vexillium Cup into, but nevertheless, it's soccer, and
that means a hell of a lot in Namuria!  With Sanx, the Golden Eagles
drew a very manageable opponent, and they reacted accordingly, treating
this more as a test match than a major international competition.  With
their less prominent players on the pitch, Namuria still came away with
the deserved win, outplaying Sanx, who were fighting hard, but could not
quite keep up with their better opponents.  Namuria scored early, and
used the remainder of the match to give some of their young talent some
much-needed international experience.  The youngsters and less
experienced players did well, though, as they were able to counter the
Sanx effort very well, and keep their opponents scoreless.  Sanx pushed
very hard in the last quarter, trying to force a goal or two, but it
just wasn't enough, despite several very dangerous shots on goal.
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The Technical Information:

Final score: BROLECIA 6 - EXTREMO 3
Played at: National Bank Stadium, Liston, Brolecia
Attendance: 99,600
Referee: George Caplick (UNT)
Goals: R. Pôlycìenëntesà (EXT, 10.), Horunard (BRO, 15.), D. Ozi (BRO, 34.), Qÿ. Tîlliqàratnë (EXT, 44.), Montagne (BRO, 56.), Horunard (BRO, 67.), Prÿnð (EXT, 70.), Rhodes (BRO, 80.), Rhodes (BRO, 85.)
Yellow cards: McCombe (BRO, 22.), Qyrqpätryq (EXT, 33.), Howard (BRO, 82.)
Substitutions: Qäslo for Qü. Tîlliqàratnë (EXT, 63.), Prÿnð for Qyllüsða  (EXT, 68.)

BROLECIA THE EXPECTED VICTOR IN BROTHERLY DUEL!

Needless to say, this match drew the biggest crowd yet, with the
National Bank Stadium crammed to the last seat, and beyond!  The
atmosphere was fantastic, and the numerous Extreman fans who had made
the short voyage across the border very VERY vocal and supportive of
their guys!  Especially when Extremo went ahead in the 10. minute,
chants of "EX-TRE-MO, EX-TRE-MO" could be heard all over Liston, with
tens of thousands Extremans also following the match over television,
and in front of the huge Spurwaytron screen installed in the plaza
outside the stadium!

However, Extreman celebrations were dempened with Brolecia pulling ahead
2-1... but the halfway break turned into one huge party again, as
Extremo scored a minute before the first half ended, keeping the match
level into the second half!!  The home Brolecian fans didn't seem too
concerned, though... basically, everybody was having a great time during
this highly anticipated match!  A lot of friendly teasing was seen
between the two fractions, generally, fan conduct was exemplary and
fair, and with very little incident... what a good show of sportsmanship
from the fans as the world had its eyes on their nations!

In the second half, however, Brolecia quickly left little doubt as to
what their intentions were in this match, and pulled ahead by two.
Extremo, whipped on by their vocal fans, summoned their strenghts once
more to charge, but eventually, their ran out of steam against their
world class opponents... Brolecia ended up winning the party, 6-3.  What
a fun match... good rivalry, sportsmanship, plenty of goals... this is
what makes our game great!

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The Technical Information:

Final score: EASTERN DELGAMIA 5 - IWK 1
Played at: Black Road, North Liston, Brolecia
Attendance: 38,800
Referee: W.-C. Benzhin (WMC)
Goals: Abeiradela (EDE, 28.), Cinziento (EDE, 32.), Geigy (IWK, 34.), Abeiradela (EDE, 70.), Dragunhe (EDE, 77.), Ie (EDE, 84.)
Yellow cards: Tunte (IWK, 28.), Xuxu (IWK, 50.), Z. Numseinum (EDE, 56.), Iglesia (IWK, 73.)
Substitutions: Pakiete for Bentile (EDE, 72.), Idoinhe for Abeiradela (EDE, 72.), Helfershelfer for Xuxu (IWK, 73.), Huskvarna for Christo (IWK, 80.)

BANANA WARRIORS SLIP ON THEIR OWN PEELS!

Ouch!  After the very impressive 4-0 win over Solanchatka, talk in IWK
circles was about a medal... but Eastern Delgamia, the "Bronze Boys",
quickly put an end ot the illusions of their fellow small nation's
patrons.  EDE was extremely focused, and all the big names in their team
seemed to be peeking.  IWK had a hard time overcoming the aggressive
forechecking by their opponents, and although they had good ball
posession time, they did not seem to be able to gain good field position
against the Delgamians who played a very effective zone game.  IWK kept
the game within reach until the last quarter, but they were finally worn
down, and received a whopping 3 goals at the end, when they lost their
will to fight... quite a disappointment - especially the margin of the
loss.  Eastern Delgamia now looks like they will at the very least
contend for yet another medal... how DOES this small nation put together
such a strong effort every time it counts??

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The Technical Information:

Final score: WESTERMARC 2 - LENDOSA 3, in overtime
Played at: Suspension Park, Bridgeway, Brolecia
Attendance: 33,000
Referee: Valter Burschnwackl (IWK)
Goals: Cassarica (LEN, 11.), Fang (WMC, 31.), Santanda (LEN, 79.), Fang (WMC, 88.), Cassarica (LEN, 99.)
Yellow cards: Singhraj (WMC, 20.), Branza (LEN, 25.), Arunde (LEN, 62.)
Substitutions: Bulunghia for Foit (WMC, 56.), Saabah for M. Fooey (WMC, 93.)

ANOTHER CLOSE CONTEST, ANOTHER WIN FOR LENDOSA OVER WESTERMARC!

The Serpents have a new nemesis... it's Lendosa!  For the second time,
in an extremely close match, it was the team from the Western Isles that
eliminated the Westermarcers by the narrowest of margins!  Westermarc
was playing catch-up to the fresh Lendosans from early on, Cassarica
being the hero of the match, not only scoring the initial goal for
Lendosa in the 11. with a long free kick, but also the "golden goal" in
overtime after a somewhat lucky deflection of a corner kick set the ball
directly in front of his powerful right foot...

Both teams were evenly matched in this game, with Lendosa having the
upper hand in getting the lead, that left Westermarc scrambling and not
really getting a chance to play the type of commanding game they like
to.  Nikkei wasn't quite as mercurial as usual, with a slight knuckle
injury he sustained during warm-up, and Foit could not convince today,
leaving Fang to do all the magic.  Saabah and Bulunghia came in later in
the match, but it was Lendosa who scored when it counted most, upsetting
the Serpents again.  They must now face the impressive Eastern Delgamian
team!

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The Technical Information:

Final score: SAN PATRICIO 6 - DJERIGA 0
Played at: National Bank Stadium, Liston, Brolecia
Attendance: 97,300
Referee: Wilfried Astnehmer (WES)
Goals: Khaled (SPA, 6.), Khaled (SPA, 11.), Khaled (SPA, 20.), Madyarbanya (SPA, 33.), Khaled (SPA, 40.), Khaled (SPA, 45.)
Yellow cards: none
Substitutions: Juarez for Khaled (SPA, 45.), Szembathy for
O'Brien-Escartefigues (SPA, 45.), Ahmaad for Al-Fhuli (DJR, 45.)

UTTER DISASTER FOR DJERIGA!

This was sad, just sad.  Everybody watching, barring the loud San
Patrician fans, felt so bad for the Djerigans... and for their coach...

Djeriga's history playing against Khaled has received a lot of
attention, and is footballing history!  Djeriga was, however, determined
not to let Khaled scare them into another debacle ("Khaled" is Djerigan
for a very hideous term resembling "Demon" - Djerigan players have
avoided him on the field in a previous game, leaving him free hand to
score high against them, leading to a big loss before).  For their
spiritual protection, the Djerigans had devised a clever plan:  special
uniforms were created, covered all over with the image of their beloved
mascot and "personification of Moun", the Djerigan Seagull (see attached
image).  The idea was that the image would afford the Djerigan players
enough divine protecion from the "Demon" so that the players may go
about their business without distraction.  The Djerigans seemed calm
before the match, coach Kapek was muttering additional words of
encouragement, and their pre-game prayer session was longer than usual,
no doubt asking for Moun's help in overcoming the "Demon".  They looked
composed and ready when the anthems were played... but one thing was
strange...: where was Khaled?  The San Pat player did not seem to have
come out of the locker rooms for the opening formalities!  As the
kickoff neared, some Djerigans were beginning to look around for him
nerveously.  Coach Kapek could sense their apprehension, and did his
part, by trying to reassure them that everything was all right.

Then, all of a sudden, screaming loudly and madly, Khaled came running
from the locker room area, his face painted red, and donning two
anti-moun symbols painted on his cheeks (the Moun symbol turned upside
down), and clutching two red flags also donning the same unholy symbol.
He would sprint straight towards the terrified Djerigan players, who
were skirmishing away like scared chickens, from this apparently gone
mad demon with the red face, and waving the symbol they dispised!  This
spectacle lasted only for about 30 seconds, with Khaled shouting and
charging, and doing what resembled a Mauretanien battle-haka, after
which the Djerigan players were pretty much dispersed in various
locations of the pitch and sidelines, some trembling and obviously
shaken from the unexpected assault!  Khaled then calmed down and
relinquished the flags to the sidelines.  The referee was warning him
that the kickoff was to begin.  They argued about the red face paint for
a while, but since IVEFA had no rules in place that prevent players from
applying paint to their faces, Khaled prevailed in that he was allowed
to play with the paint on!

Meanwhile, Djeriga's coach Kapek was having a near heart attack, trying
to gather his horrified players from all over the place, and intensely
talking to them, often pointing at the seagull, which appeared to be
dozing in its luxurious perch on the sideline.  Finally, the Djerigans
all made it back into their positions, and the game could begin, but it
was obvious that Khaled's plan was better then the Djerigan's!  The
disciples were shaken, and shied away from the "Demon" even more than
they had in the first match, and this could only mean disaster!

Coach Kapek was seen arguing frantically with IVEFA officials on the
sidelines, regarding the removal of Khaled's face paint, but they could
only shrug, with no legislation in place to prohibit it.  When the match
started, it was Khaled all over the place, as could be expected.  The
Djerigans would not get near him, and if they tried, he would raise his
arms like in a bad horror movie and scream at them at the top of his
voice!!  Needless to say, the Djerigans were rather disspirited after a
while, and their silent prayers seemed to remain unanswered!  With
Khaled on the loose, the match turned into a farce.  Whenever the San
Patricians could, they would hand off to him, and he would mount
basically unchallenged charges... only goalie Muthannak seemed to be
able to resist him, as he held a great number of Khaled's shots.
Nevertheless, Khaled would score one goal after the other, and give one
assist to Madyarbanya... 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 4-0, 5-0.... The crowds had
fallen rather eerily silent, other than the many San Pat fans, who must
have set a new record for celebratory alcohol consumption in the first
half!  Nobody could believe what they were seeing... total slaughter!
Meanwhile, coach Kapek was going BALLISTIC on the sidelines, screaming
at his players, running up and down the lines, gesturing wildly... and
increasingly MADLY!  He finally collapsed after the 5-0 into a twitching
seizure on the sideline, and had to be carried off urgently in a
stretcher, with a nerveous breakdown!!

Thank Moun, this horrible first half had to end sooner or later, San
Patricio ahead by 6-0, as Khaled scored another one just before the
whistle!  He was totally exhausted, having done an incredible amount of
work, with the ball handed off to him almost constantly when the Saints
were in possession... his paint had almost worn off totally from the
sweat, but the smeared red liquid also made him look rather ghastly, at
least to the Djerigans!  In any event, Khaled also collapsed after the
break whistle, exhausted, and had to be escorted off.  The Djerigans
seemed petrified, and remained on the field after the whistle, then
suddenly breaking into a vehement chant.  Assistant coach Abdul
Aghrirazhi finally gathered the befuddled team mates up to head into the
break... many asking for the coach, who by that time was airlifted to
the Liston Memorial Hospital.  Some stopped to break into a heavy lament
in front of the Seagull, which was seem yawning after a rather relaxing
slumber in the first half!

The mood in the stadium, and in millions of households around Vexillium
was stunned... the events of the first half were.... well..., beyond
words!  How DO the Djerigans manage to create one bizarre match after
the other?  Poor coach... and although Djeriga is the bad boy of
nations, the soccer team has quite a following due to the quirkiness...
so millions of people were shocked to see what they had just seen!

In any event, the second half was anticlimactic, and totally different:
with Khaled also airlifted to the hospital for exhaustion and
dehydration, San Patricio now was "just a regular team" again to the
Djerigans, who seemed tremendously relieved that Khaled was confirmed as
not playing in the second half!  Some did a prayer of thanks to the
Seagull before the match resumed... when it did resume, it was
apparently back to business for both teams, with nothing really unusual
- Assistant coach Aghrirazhi was able to direct the players in a
satisfatory manner, and they appeared spirited after Khaled's
departure.  The San Pats, meanwhile, had the match in their pockets, up
6-0... so they did not bother to make much effort, rather lavished in
the moment!  The second half remained scoreless till the end... but San
Patricio won the match 6-0, breaking into a muted celebration
afterwards... not even they could have expected all this... the general
atmosphere was rather bizarre... the Djerigans were not seen breaking
into any sort of prayer after the match, semmed only glad to get into
the locker rooms, without a word, but not looking too dejected - strange
match!

Coach Kapek's condition was later reported as "severe mental stress and
disturbance" - he will likely be admitted for psychiatric treatment.
Interesting note on the side: Khaled was admitted to the room next to
Kapek in the hospital!  It is unknown whether there was any interaction
between the two there.  Khaled has recovered from his exhaustion, and
will be back in action after some rest!

Bizarre!!  Who knows what will happen next with these Djerigans!!???!!

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The Technical Information:

Final score: WESTRIA 5 - DEUCOLAND 2
Played at: Black Road, North Liston, Brolecia
Attendance: 40,700
Referee: Sergei Sakhov (GUW)
Goals: Evangelista (DEU, 25.), Vraseydenhout (WES, 31.), Salamanta (WES,
41.), Vraseydenhout (WES, 56.), Zeschgl (WES, 70.), Furrara (DEU, 74.), Guydenvaldt (WES, 82.)
Yellow cards: Schilla (WES, 33.), Arroz (DEU, 47.), Zimroe (WES, 60.), Maurinter (DEU, 82.)
Substitutions: Duez for Arroz (DEU, 50.), Inglis for Herdez (DEU, 65.),
Dittelitz for Hasenpfeffer (WES, 72.), Guydenvaldt for Vraseydenhout (WES, 73.)

NEIGHBORLY BATTLE ENDS WITH NO SURPRISES!

Deucoland took the surprise lead against their soccer allies Westria
(both nations playing in a combined international club leage, the NSL),
but the Diamonds left little doubt that this time, they came for a
medal!  A good experience match for the Deuco Gargoyles, who are making
good progress in rebuilding their team.  However, Westria is not a team
they can beat yet, that became clear today.  Westria took no chances
today, playing their strongest formation, and only later bringing in
some substitutes, as the victory was secured.  Westria will now face San
Patricio in their first ever meeting.  Deucoland returns home with a
respectable showing after a good win versus Ras Lanarch.