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Football: Confederations Cup II
Topic Started: Jul 6 2010, 08:13 PM (490 Views)
Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

***Please direct all questions and OOC comments to the main thread.***

=====================================================================================================================

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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

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…With the Continental Championships completed and a winner for each Continent having been crowned, one final major tournament stands between football fans and the World Cup.

The Championships were hard fought and impressive wins were collected by a whole host of teams, many whom had fared poorly in international competitions thus far. Teams such as England, the Roman-Byzantine Empire, Kiru Tao, and the Confederate States of America made vast improvements and held national hopes high for much of the tournament. The Championships were not to be theirs however, loses to Metz, Venice, Kasnyia, and Eleytheria-Duo sealed their respective exits from the final leg of each tournament. Despite these setbacks, football power has begun to shift and it will be interesting to see which among these rising teams will shine in the World Cup. However, let us now turn our attention to each Continental Champion and their road to this Confederations Cup.

The Kasnyian side finished third in their table of five teams, with the unfortunate knockout being of the team from the Kandy Kingdom, with two wins, two losses, and an even goal differential to boot. The traditional Asian power looked as if it had already begun looking for the exit by the end of the first leg of the Asia/Oceania tournament, but a stunning and emotionally charged 4 - 2 victory over the top seeded Celebes Dominion catapulted the Kasnyians to the finals. A tough, hard fought 3 - 2 victory over Kiru Tao in the finals match brought such joy that people freely celebrated in the streets for hours afterward and very late into the night. A tough and tested Kasnyian side will concede almost nothing at all and hopes are high.

Porcu finished forth in their respective table with 8 wins, 4 losses, and a tie. With the lowest number of goals conceded among the European teams, the Porcuians have firmly established themselves as a defensive club. A close 2 - 1 victory over the offensive juggernaut of Hamburg-Bremen and a comfortable 2 - 0 win over Ireland saw 'Gli Azzurri' reach the European finals to face the number one ranked team in the world, Venice. It took unshakable defensive discipline to keep the Porcuian side from conceding two or three goals to the Venetians, who managed to keep the ball in the Porcuian defensive zone for much of the second half. It would take a wonderful goal in supplementary time to provide the win, and the Championship, to the Porcuians. Expectations have always been high for this small country tucked away in Scandinavia and it will be interesting to see how they progress through this tournament.

There is not much to be said about our hosts, who finished last in their respective table and did not compete for the Middle East Championship. After a successful petition to FIFA to host this Confederations Cup, there can be no doubt that national pride is stinging after their poor performance and the home town fans expect better from their team.

The Californian team is a recent addition to the FIFA ranks and performed very well considering their young history. 2 wins, a loss, and 2 ties propelled the Californian side to the second seed position in the Americas tournament. Dispatching the Falklands Confederation 2 - 0 gave California the chance to face Eleytheria-Duo in the finals and the young squad did not squander their opportunity, winning 1 - 0 off of a beautiful header set up from a corner kick and claiming the title of 'Champion of the Americas'.

An Alexanderhaven side that always did just enough to slide by their opponents, now finds themselves in a position where that may not be enough. Having tied their Kazakh rivals in the standings by the end of the Middle Eastern tournament, Alexanderhaven found themselves battled the same Kazakhs for the title of 'Champion of the Middle East'. It remains to be seen if Alexanderhaven has the discipline and determination to progress far in this tournament and millions back home hope that the answer is 'yes'.

There is not much to add beyond the statistics the Ulganian side put together in their respective Continental tournament. Widely seen as the favorites to win this Confederations Cup, Ulgania breezed through the Afrikan tournament without sustaining a single defeat or match draw. Such success is either due to the horrendous play of others or to Ulgania's own wizardry, and noticing the talent contained in the other Afrikan teams one can only conclude their success is due to the latter choice. Such success in such a sort amount of time may prove to be the Afrikans' downfall, but you might not guess it judging by the way the Ulganians take to the practice fields every day with earnest and hunger for additional victories.

The structure of this tournament is rather simple: each team will play five total games, one against each of the other teams. The two teams that finish at the bottom of the standings after five games will be eliminated from the tournament, while the four remaining teams will compete for the Confederations Cup in a single elimination tournament.
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Confederations Cup First Round Preview:
*Visiting Team Always Listed First*

Kasnyia - Paradise
Alexanderhaven - Porcu
Ulgania - California
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

ULGANIA DEFEATS CALIFORNIA DESPITE SLOW START

Paradise - In a game that saw the heavily favored Ulganian side fall behind 1 - 0 in just the 3rd minute of play, emotions on both teams ran high all the way through until the final whistle. The Ulganians looked deflated and sluggish for much of the first half after a beautiful lobbing pass from just past midfield was collected perfectly by a Californian striker and sent straight into the back of the net.

California played very well the rest of the half, defending in numbers when they had to but always seeking to push the attack, searching for a second goal to pad their lead. The Ulganians escaped from half-time down 1 - 0, but came out roaring in the second half. The Ulgan coach was visibly furious during parts of the first half and there's no doubt he conveyed that anger in the locker room. With that boost, Ulgania pushed back at the Californian defense, scoring two goals less than four minutes apart.

Try as they might, the Californians simply could not find the right touches, the right crosses, or the right passes in the second half to equalize the score. A wonderful chance for California was denied by the crossbar in stoppage time and that was the last California would see of the Ulgan net, time running out and victory finalized for Ulgania. Final Score: Ulgania - 2, California - 1.

Other Scores:

Kasnyia - Paradise [2 - 1]
Alexanderhaven - Porcu [0 - 2]

=======================================
Confederations Cup Point Table
Wins-Ties-Losses / Goals For:Goals Against:Goal Differential

Porcu: 1 - 0 - 0 (2 Goals For, 0 Goals Against: +2 Goal Differential)3 Points
Kasnyia: 1 - 0 - 0 (2 GF, 1 GA: +1)3 Points
Ulgania: 1 - 0 - 0 (2 GF, 1 GA: +1)3 Points
California: 0 - 0 - 1 (1 GF, 2 GA: -1)0 Points
Paradise: 0 - 0 - 1 (1 GF, 2 GA: -1)0 Points
Alexanderhaven: 0 - 0 - 1 (0 GF, 2 GA: -2)0 Points
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Confederations Cup Second Round Preview:
*Visiting Team Always Listed First*

Alexanderhaven - Kasnyia
California - Paradise
Ulgania - Porcu
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Confederations Cup Second Round Fixtures:
*Visiting Team Always Listed First*

Alexanderhaven - Kasnyia [0 - 1]
California - Paradise [0 - 1]
Ulgania - Porcu [0 - 2]

=======================================
Confederations Cup Point Table
Wins-Ties-Losses / Goals For:Goals Against:Goal Differential

Porcu: 2 - 0 - 0 (4:0:+4)6 Points
Kasnyia: 2 - 0 - 0 (3:1:+2)6 Points
Paradise: 1 - 0 - 1 (2:2:0)3 Points
Ulgania: 1 - 0 - 1 (2:3:-1)3 Points
California: 0 - 0 - 2 (1:3:-2)0 Points
Alexanderhaven: 0 - 0 - 2 (0:3:-3)0 Points

=======================================

Confederations Cup Third Round Preview:
*Visiting Team Always Listed First*

Alexanderhaven - Paradise
Kasnyia - Ulgania
Porcu - California
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

NOTHING TO SEPARATE ULGANIA - KASNYIA

Paradise - Looking to rebound from their less than impressive game against Porcu and turn in a solid performance, Ulgania pushed for much of the game, but could not solve the Kasnyian goaltender until a late defensive lapse allowed an Ulgan striker to waltz in alone on net and score.

Both teams played sound defense, trading multiple scoring chances but failing to score on any. That is, of course, until the tail-end of the game when Ulgania got a break and struck, netting the game's first goal in the 73rd minute of play. The play was set up beautifully from midfield and a perfect long pass was directed into the offensive zone by Ulgania, who managed to outrace the Kasnyian defense and tuck the ball into the bottom right corner of the net. Because of the defensive nature of the game, it seemed that Ulgania would walk away the victor, but a late Kasnyian push in the 84th minute knotted up the score.

Both teams remain in a good position, but must shine as they have before in their respective Continential Championships if they wish to advance to the knockout round of the tournament. Every team is still capable of making it through and winning the Confederations Cup, the tournament can only get more exciting from here on out.

Other Scores:

Alexanderhaven - Paradise [1 - 0]
Porcu - California [1 - 0]

=======================================
Confederations Cup Point Table
Wins-Ties-Losses / Goals For:Goals Against:Goal Differential

Porcu: 3 - 0 - 0 (5:0:+5)9 Points
Kasnyia: 2 - 1 - 0 (4:2:+2)7 Points
Ulgania: 1 - 1 - 1 (3:4:-1)4 Points
Paradise: 1 - 0 - 2 (2:3:-1)3 Points
Alexanderhaven: 1 - 0 - 2 (1:3:-2)3 Points
California: 0 - 0 - 3 (1:4:-3)0 Points

=======================================

Confederations Cup Fourth Round Preview:
*Visiting Team Always Listed First*

Porcu - Paradise
Kasnyia - California
Alexanderhaven - Ulgania
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Confederations Cup Fourth Round Fixtures:
*Visiting Team Always Listed First*

Porcu - Paradise [0 - 1]
Kasnyia - California [2 - 1]
Alexanderhaven - Ulgania [1 - 0]

=======================================
Confederations Cup Point Table
Wins-Ties-Losses / Goals For:Goals Against:Goal Differential

Kasnyia: 3 - 1 - 0 (6:3:+3)10 Points
Porcu: 3 - 0 - 1 (5:1:+4)9 Points
Paradise: 2 - 0 - 2 (3:3:0)6 Points
Alexanderhaven: 2 - 0 - 2 (2:3:-1)6 Points
Ulgania: 1 - 1 - 2 (3:5:-2)4 Points
California: 0 - 0 - 4 (2:6:-4)0 Points

=======================================

Confederations Cup Fifth / Final Round Preview:
*Visiting Team Always Listed First*

Ulgania - Paradise
Kasnyia - Porcu
Alexanderhaven - California
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Confederations Cup Fifth / Final Round Fixtures:
*Visiting Team Always Listed First*

Ulgania - Paradise [2 - 0]
Kasnyia - Porcu [2 - 4]
Alexanderhaven - California [0 - 1]

=======================================
Confederations Cup Point Table
Wins-Ties-Losses / Goals For:Goals Against:Goal Differential

Porcu: 4 - 0 - 1 (9:3:+6)12 Points
Kasnyia: 3 - 1 - 1 (8:7:+1)10 Points
Ulgania: 2 - 1 - 2 (5:5:0)7 Points
Alexanderhaven: 2 - 0 - 3 (2:4:-2)6 Points
Paradise: 2 - 0 - 3 (3:5:-2)6 Points
California: 1 - 0 - 4 (3:6:-3)3 Points

=======================================

Confederations Cup Knockout Stage Preview:

Alexanderhaven - Porcu
Ulgania - Kasnyia
Edited by Porcu, Jul 12 2010, 11:40 AM.
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Confederations Cup Semi-Finals Fixtures:

Alexanderhaven - Porcu [1 - 2]
Ulgania - Kasnyia [0 - 1]

=======================================

Confederations Cup Finals Preview:

Kasnyia - Porcu

Edited by Porcu, Jul 12 2010, 08:40 PM.
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

KASNYIANS TAKE CUP IN PENALTIES

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Paradise - In a match for the ages, pitting arguably the two hottest teams right now, Kasnyia was able to overtake Porcu in penalties and win the Confederations Cup. The game was always closely contested and opportunities were abound for both teams to seal the deal and the victory in regulation time and extra time.

'Gli Azzurri' struck first, scoring off of a beautiful set-piece 23 meters from the Kasnyian net in the 33rd minute of play. The rising shot swirled around the defensive wall and dipped just enough to graze the bottom of the crossbar and crash in. The 1 - 0 score would hold up well into the second half, despite intense pressure by the Kasnyians during a 7 minute period between the 48th and 55th minute. A flurry of Kasnyian attempts hit the crossbar and posts twice, while the Porcuian goalkeeper was forced to make a couple difficult saves. Eventually, the Kasnyians would not be denied the equalizer, scoring off of an odd-man break in the 72nd minute of play.

The match continued in much the same fashion as when it started: both teams trading descend chances, the defenses of both teams stepping up big when they had to. In the end, the match would come down to penalty kicks after two scoreless, but thoroughly entertaining halves of extra time.

Final Score: Kasnyia- 5, Porcu- 4 (Score After Regulation: 1 - 1, Penalties: 4 - 3)
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