Games 82, 83, and 84  (Lexicon Islands-Phenixia, Whitlam-Coceira, and Ancalda-Eastern Zartania) 11-15-298

Game 82: Lexicon Islandsd-Phenixia (Vexillium Cup CD'98) - SECOND ROUND

IVEFA announces the result from today's match played in the Vexillium
Cup CD'98, November 15, 298:

The Technical Information:

Final score: LEXICON ISLANDS 4 - PHENIXIA 2
Played in: Williamsport, Christiana (WillWest Stadium)
Attendance: 60,000
Referee: Ovan Schlagk (FCLR)
Goals: Fotonaro (LEX, 12.), Youri (PHX, 20.), Dibris (LEX, 39.), Raxxon
(LEX, 46.), Skoblar (PHX, 61.), Fotonaro (LEX, 73.)
Yellow cards: Domenech (PHX, 30.), Hampel (LEX, 51.)
Substitutions: Raxxon for Eckin (LEX, 45.), Justo for Magnusson (PHX,
49.), Jairzinho for Lolo (PHX, 63.)

Match commentary:

Lexicon continues to raise eyebrows, as they outclass Phenixia!

The Lexicon Islands were somewhat of an unknown quantity as they entered
the Cup - their only previous game had been a rather inconclusive loss
to Westria in an away game, and not much was known about this small
nation, except that they are crazy about football.  And look at them
now!  The Lexicon Islands must be considered one of the biggest surprise
teams of the Cup, especially after their convincing win over Islandia,
and now, over Phenixia, one of the very best teams, with a long
tradition.

Phenixia still did not seem to have ironed out their kinks in the
midfield, as this was perhaps their achilles heel today as well, and
they seemed a little sluggish after the long break they had between
their games.  Indeed, Phenixia only played one game in this Cup so far,
since their first, which they won against Bowdani, was still played in
Davenport in June, and their last, which was to be vs. Dascunya, was
cancelled and defaulted, to let them advance after losing to Armatirion.

So Lexicon was in charge most of the game, despite Phenixia's efforts.
They were still riding their high from their great win over
Armatirion-killers Islandia, and were motivated and eager.  Phenixia, on
the other hand, came off a pretty clear loss to Armatirion, followed by
a long layoff, during which perhaps some of those ghosts kept haunting
them.  Another reason for Lexicon's triumph was probably that Phenixia
did not give enough attention to covering Fotonaro, who was free to be
up to his old tricks, and seen anywhere and everywhere with the ball
today, including scoring twice himself, the first time in the 12. minute
to bring the Vikings up 1-0.

Youri, Phenixia's best man today, single-handedly scored the 1-1 in a
beautiful and long solo charge, which may well be voted "Goal of the
Cup" later...  But Lexicon was able to shake off that goal, and Dibris
brought them ahead again by head in the 39.

In the second half, Kilos Raxxon, Lexicon's 18-year old junior
sensation, was put in for the first time, a much anticipated and awaited
move.  The story unfolded incredibly:  the very first time Raxxon even
had contact with the ball, which was on the left wing far inside the
Phenixian half, he dribbled around Obelix, took a shot, and incredibly
scored, the first time he had even touched the leather!  You can imagine
the celebrations on the field.  Raxxon was doing backflips for the
crowd!  And Lexicon was up 3-1.

But Phenixia was not done yet!  Finally one of their tries paid off as
in the 61. minute, Skoblar unleashed another one of his superbombs, that
left even outstanding goalie Munstasi no chance - Phenixia had closed
the gap to 1 goal again.  However, Lexicon was once again not very
impressed, kept their cool, and had their star Fotonaro score again to
erase any doubts, and seal the victory for the Vikings at 4-2!!

So Lexicon advances, and will now fave the winner of
Davenport-Neonesia.  Phenixia leaves Christiana disappointed with two
losses, after being considered one of the favorites before.

IVEFA announces the result from today's match played in the Vexillium
Cup CD'98, November 15, 298:

The Technical Information:

Final score: WHITLAM 3 - COCEIRA 1
Played in: Easton, Christiana (Sunrise Stadium)
Attendance: 50,000
Referee: Paolo Caroscinha (Solelhada)
Goals: Blacklock (WHI, 56.), Armstark (WHI, 69.), Stivan (COC, 87.),
Walford (WHI, 92.)
Yellow cards: Rayner (WHI, 31.), Stanovke (COC, 72.)
Substitutions: Kurvan for Mikel (COC, 45.), Stivan for Krapotni (COC,
70.), Biafra for Armstark (WHI, 71.), Parkin for Al-Dhabi (WHI, 74.)

Match commentary:

Whitlam's flawless play the right recipe against Coceira!

After the rather tense pre-game atmosphere between the two teams, mostly
due to some strong language by Whitlam coach Grey concerning Coceira's
last game, everybody was eager to just get on with the game.  Both sides
were looking strong, and in the early going, their play was really
equally good.

Coceira's strategy, which has brought them many great victories before,
was once again to play cool and collected, and to wait for their
opponent to make a mistake to capitalize on.  The only problem in this
game was, Whitlam did not seem to commit any mistakes!  In fact, what we
saw from Whitlam today was very impressive - their concentration never
lapsed, almost every pass was precise, and Coceira essentially had not a
single opportunity to pull off a 'surprise' attack at all.

Coceira's methodical play earned them a few good chances in the first
half.  V. Rek and S. Gore were up to their usual antics, and impressed
the fans as much as Matt Hickey on the other side, who did a killer job,
especially together with Andy Storry, forming a formidable defense
against Coceira's dynamic duo!  Indeed, Hickey must be considered one of
the great discoveries of this Cup, and he is even tipped to be a
candidate for the all-star selection!

So despite their solid offensive attempts, Coceira could not find the
hole they needed to penetrate the Dragons' defense.  Whitlam simply did
not make a mistake.

So both teams went to break in a scoreless tie.  Coceira brought in
Kurvan for Mikel, who had complained about nausea throughout the first
half, and who did not feel 100%.

In the second half, the Dragons appeared to be launching an offensive
attempt.  Their formidable trio of Armstark-Blacklock-Walford began to
cause some havoc in the Coceira defense for a while, and it was during
this time that Coceira had the opportunity to counter a few times - S.
Gore was unfortunate twice, as his shots rebounded from the crossbar,
and missed just left, respectively.

All of a sudden, in a quick turnaround after another failed attempt for
Coceira, the Dragons were attacking on all fronts, as team Coceira was
not retreating fast enough.  The Terrible Trio was there, and Blacklock
broke the ice for Whitlam, after a great combination play with the other
two, that caught the Coceira defense looking.  1-0 Whitlam!

The cool play of Coceira now began to crack a little.  They were
obviously nerveous, and seemed to be less focused - sure enough,
Armstark, again in combination with the other two, capitalizd again, in
the 69. minute after a misunderstanding between J. Gore and Krapotni,
who after the goal, just looked at each other baffled and shrugged their
shoulders in disgusted surprise!  Whitlam was now up 2-0, and obviously,
that was going to be enough cushion if they now changed their strategy.
So while Coceira had to bring in Stivan as an additional striker,
Whitlam did the opposite, and entered Biafra and Parkin, to switch the
emphasis to defense.  Biafra turned out to be another great defender for
the Dragons, and even somewhat upstaged Hickey in the final minutes,
with some brilliant foresight, and good judgment calls that kept Coceira
scoreless until the end - almost, that is!

In a last desperate attempt, Coceira threw away all caution and attacked
all-out in a kamikaze move that not even the solid Whitlam defense could
withstand!  Stivan scored in a frenzy, and the Coceiran players
immediately rushed back for the kickoff, and kept trying the same again
and again!  Time was against them, however, and the Dragons were now
more careful, and defended with 10 men.

Coceira finally had to concede that they were not going to be the
winners, as they were going into injury time.  They had played a fine
match, but the mistakes that they were hoping would allow them to score
against the Dragons, were actually made by themselves, and ultimately
cost them the goals and the match.  The game was already over in
spirit,  as Walford scored a surprise bonus goal in literally the last
10 seconds of the game, as injury time was winding down, for the final
score of 3-1.

Big disappointment for Coceira, who was holding all the hopes of the
various Confederate and Associated nations, as their last remaining
representative.  But unfortunately for them, Whitlam proved today that
maybe THEY are now the number one contender for the Cup, after
Armatirion's exit...?  Whitlam will now have to face their biggest
challenge yet:  Christiana, the home team!  This should be a game to
remember!

To add insult to injury, word from the IVEFA headquarters is, that the
IVEFA might well look into beginning a hearing on the issue of
deliberate game result manipulation, possibly followed by an
investigation into the admissions of manipulation by Coceiran coach
Kapek in the game versus Ancalda, which was deliberately lost 1-3.
IVEFA has expressed its dismay over the unsportsmanlike conduct of the
Coceiran team, and has not ruled out the possibility of fines,
suspensions, or other sanctions in this matter.  IVEFA has also
acknowledged a Coceiran complaint about Whitlam coach Grey, which will
also be discussed in the same hearing.

 Furthermore, the Islandic Sports Betting Bureau 'Intirfortun' has
threatened a lawsuit against the Coceiran Football Federation, due to
their deliberate manipulation severely affecting the outcome of sports
bets, and betting odds payouts in the last game.  The Montroy Casino and
Gambling Board meanwhile has announced that an individual by the name of
F. Kapek had apparently bet a large sum of money on Ancalda to win,
through the Westrian company - as of right now, it could not yet be
verified whether or not F. Kapek has any relation with the Coceiran
coach, or whether, in fact, it IS the coach himself.  Kapek is a common
Coceiran name, however, and there is a good chance that it is an
unrelated, however, unpatriotic, individual.

IVEFA announces the result from today's match played in the Vexillium
Cup CD'98, November 15, 298:

The Technical Information:

Final score: EASTERN ZARTANIA 3 - ANCALDA 0
Played in: Royal Pines, Christiana (Westchrist Stadium)
Attendance: 42,000
Referee: Vaghel Faltuunhe (Morconia)
Goals: Faulkner (KTZ, 23.), Paret (KTZ, 40.), McBride (KTZ, 66.)
Yellow cards: Shelton (KTZ, 56.)
Substitutions: Ivanovic for M. Gren (ANC, 45.), Yrnka for Stokvic (ANC,
67.)

Match commentary:

Ancalda a matter of routine for Eastern Zartania!

Not too many would have put money on the Ancaldans in this match,
although after their surprise performance and clear win over Coceira,
they could certainly not have been ignored.  Nevertheless, KTZ was never
in danger today, and came away with the expected win without much
trouble.  KTZ's formation with two midfielders worked much better than
their experimant with one in the last game, and Racine and du Cron also
had great days.

Ancalda had trouble creating the necessary goal chances today.  Rees in
the KTZ defense was hard to beat today, and directed the other two
defenders beautifully.  Ancalda could count their goal chances just
about on one hand!

Ancalda had not too many positives to draw from this game, except an
outstanding performance by Berencie, who in fact has been playing
superbly all along, despite the loss.  Leikovic failed to score today,
and generally the Ancaldans' game today was rather blah.  Goalie DeWalt
was somewhat to blame for the second goal, as he was unable to control a
soft straightforward shot from McBride - as it bounced from his hands,
Paret was there to convert!

Eastern Zartania now looks really strong.  After the demise of
Armatirion, KTZ is in more and more mouths when it comes to naming the
favorite to win the Cup!  In the following quarter finals, they will
face the winner of Westria-Mauretanie.  Should Westria win that game,
the quarterfinal matchup will be a HUGE, gigantic match between two
soccer giants, that should be really exciting!

Ancalda can draw some positives from the Cup overall.  After their
dismal performance at WHCON, reaching the second round here must be
considered a huge improvement, and very encouraging for the future.
However, with the changes in Dascunya lately, and the interruption of
the league play, who knows what will happen there now?