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ZeekLTK's PES Challenge League

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
I'm always interested in coming up with new ways to have competitions/tournaments - that's one of the things I love about soccer, all the different stuff ranging from group stages, aggregates, knockout games, various league structures, different cups, pro/rel, etc. - and came up with something based on my high school tennis experience: challenge matches.

For those unfamiliar, tennis rosters go from 1st singles down to well, however many players there are (and same for doubles). However, only the top 4 spots actually play against other schools in the competitive matches. For example, our 1st singles would play against the other school's 1st singles, our 2nd doubles played against their 2nd doubles, etc. while 5th singles would have to play on JV, because they weren't high enough on the roster to play in a match. For the league matches, the winning team was the team who won the most individual matchups. So, if you swept singles and won 1 doubles game, you'd win the match 5-3.

How our team determined who would play in each spot was to have "challenge matches" throughout the season whereby you could challenge a spot above you in a full match (like you would play against another school) and if you won, you'd take the spot. For example, if you were 3rd singles, you could challenge 2nd singles to try to move up a spot, or you would have to defend your position against 4th singles. The spot you occupied by the time the next match came along is the spot you would play at against the other school. I was generally 2nd doubles, FWIW.

Anyways, I wanted to try that concept as a tournament in PES, with each nation as the "players" on each team. The 107 nations have been divided into 12 different teams and will have the top 8 play against each other in league competition. Teams were randomly drawn, based on seeding from previous tournament's I've held (9 World Cups + continental cups). This produced the following teams (teams listed based on seeding, highest seeds on top).

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*PS: If anyone has suggestions for good team names, that might be better than just boring "Team 1 vs Team 2", etc. but I struggled to come up with any. For Team 6 I thought "Divine Right" would be a good name because of the 2006 Uruguay-Australia playoff plus a lot of the other countries are pretty religious. But I just couldn't come up with anything for the other teams that would be clever enough to be an interesting name and also apply to most of the nations on the team. So any suggestions are welcome.

The seeding was pretty accurate as far as distributing all the top teams pretty evenly. Although the #9 seeds are mostly new teams who simply don't have a history to be seeded, so it will be interesting to see how high they can climb.

I originally was just going to try to play as one team, but I decided it might be more interesting to have a whole slate of squads to try to build up. I selected teams who haven't been doing as well as I'd have hoped, so I'm going to try to find an ideal formation to use for them and make them more competitive in the future.

The teams I've selected are:

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Norway - I actually haven't played a whole lot as Norway in this new game. It took 4 World Cups, but I finally had them set up "perfectly" in Winning Eleven 8. So "perfect" that I managed to win back-to-back World Cups with them. Since moving over to PES, I haven't spent as much time tweaking their roster and thus they have spent more time struggling to qualify rather than competing for World Cups, so I'm going to see if I can change that by focusing on them more here. As a former World Cup champion, Norway were one of the highest seeds, but have been placed on a team with Germany as the #2 spot, which means it'll take a lot of effort to hold that #1 position. Fortunately, there aren't a lot of other contenders on the team, meaning that Norway should be able to hold one of the top 2 spots for most of the tournament, and therefore will get a steady dose of difficult competition in the league matches against other team's top spots. Jamaica, Togo, Saudi Arabia, Iceland, Serbia, Venezuela, and Gabon round out the roster. I just hope we're able to compete against the other teams as a whole, as this seems to be one of the weakest teams in the tournament.

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Mexico - Mexico have not been very competitive in PES. They struggle in qualifying, they failed to advance out of the group stage of the Gold Cup, and basically it's just not as much fun to play in CONCACAF with Mexico being the 5th or 6th best team (I'd say currently USA, Panama, Jamaica, Costa Rica, and maybe even Honduras are better than them in this game). So I'm going to try to fix that and make them more competitive. They start as a generous (IMO) 3 seed, on a tough team that features Brazil as top dog and rivals Costa Rica as a team to beat to advance. This group will be especially hard because Mozambique and Burkina Faso are both difficult sides to play against while Austria and Hungary are no slouches themselves. Oman rounds out the roster as potential whipping boys.

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Ghana - Our World Cup rivals, Ghana has not really been a factor in PES, so I'm going to try to change that. All you need to know about their lack of performance is the fact that they start out at the #6 position. This will be a challenging roster to try to move up in, with very good squads such as Spain and Sweden perched at the top, yet Paraguay, Peru, and Switzerland will also be difficult to overthrow. Ghana should be favorites over lower seeds Latvia, El Savlador, and newly created Confederate States (consisting of American players with ties to the South) though.

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Bolivia - Both new and pretty bad, Bolivia has never qualified to a WEFA World Cup and I don't see that changing any time soon unless they get some help. So I'm going to try to figure out what, if anything, can be done to make them more competitive in the already brutal CONMEBOL region. This will be a good way to work on that, as they start out in the #7 position on a roster that is fairly strong yet vulnerable. Congo DR, Bulgaria, Ireland, South Korea, and Senegal stand in the way on a potential path to the top against the very strong Netherlands. Qatar and Rio de Janeiro (like Confederates, a new team made up of players only from the state of Rio de Janeiro) will also have to be dealt with as well.

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Guinea - A side that has never really been a force in Africa, Guinea will be a challenge for sure. Also starting at the #7 spot, Guinea seems to have a much harder time than Bolivia with England, Russia, and Turkey starting in the top three positions and then two unexpectedly good sides, Lithuania and Wales, just below them. Lithuania managed to win bronze at the Euro Cup and Wales has arguably their "golden generation" in this game, with players like Giggs and Bellamy still on the roster along with newer standouts like Ramsey and Bale. Canada, Iraq, and Zambia round out the group and mean that there won't be any easy games for us, that's for sure!

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New Zealand - New Zealand are the lowest seeded team that I've selected, starting out at the #8 spot on their roster. The Kiwis haven't done very well in the few qualifying campaigns they have taken part in, so I'm going to try to figure out what's wrong with them. Immediate rivals Indonesia, Guadeloupe, and Trinidad & Tobago will help ease us into what could be a very difficult climb with the likes of Argentina, Portugal, Chile, Tunisia, and Slovenia sitting much higher on the roster.


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Table of Contents

Bolivia (Team 1)

-Week 1 Challenge Matches [1-1 v Congo DR | 1-1 v Rio de Janeiro | 3-2 v Congo DR | 2-1 v Bulgaria]
-Week 1 League Match [0-0 v Colombia | 5-0 v Team 9]
-Week 2 Challenge Matches [2-3 v South Korea | 3-0 v Bulgaria | 1-1 v Senegal | 2-1 v Rio de Janeiro]
-Week 2 League Match [3-3 v Mexico | 5-0 v Team 7]
-Week 3 Challenge Matches [2-1 v Ireland | 2-0 v Senegal | 1-0 v South Korea]
-Week 3 League Match [3-2 v Uruguay | 7-1 v Team 6]
-Week 4 Challenge Matches [0-1 v Netherlands | 1-1 v Senegal | 2-3 v Netherlands]
-Week 4 League Match [0-3 v Belgium | 3-4 v Team 8]
-Week 5 Challenge Matches [2-1 v Ireland | 2-2 v Netherlands]
-Week 5 League Match [0-1 v New Zealand | 1-4 v Team 5]
-Week 6 Challenge Matches [3-3 v Ireland | 1-3 v Netherlands]

Norway (Team 4)
-Week 1 Challenge Matches [BYE | 3-2 v Germany | BYE | 1-1 v Germany]
-Week 1 League Match [0-1 v Sweden | 1-3 v Team 12]
-Week 2 Challenge Matches [BYE | 1-1 v Germany | BYE | 1-0 v Germany]
-Week 2 League Match [2-2 v England | 2-4 v Team 10]
-Week 3 Challenge Matches [BYE | 3-2 v Germany | BYE]
-Week 3 League Match [1-1 v Cameroon | 4-1 v Team 2]
-Week 4 Challenge Matches [2-3 v Germany | 2-0 v Togo | 3-0 v Germany]
-Week 4 League Match [1-1 v France | 2-3 v Team 11]
-Week 5 Challenge Matches [BYE | 3-2 v Serbia]
-Week 5 League Match [1-0 v Greece | 4-2 v Team 6]
-Week 6 Challenge Matches [BYE | 0-2 v Germany]

New Zealand (Team 5)
-Week 1 Challenge Matches [3-2 v Indonesia | 1-0 v Guadeloupe | 2-1 v Tunisia | 0-1 v Slovenia]
-Week 1 League Match [3-1 v Austria | 2-4 v Team 7]
-Week 2 Challenge Matches [3-1 v Guadeloupe | 5-2 v Trinidad & Tobago | 3-2 v Slovenia | 5-1 v Chile]
-Week 2 League Match [3-3 v Slovakia | 4-1 v Team 11]
-Week 3 Challenge Matches [1-1 v Portugal | 3-0 v Trinidad & Tobago | 3-0 v Portugal]
-Week 3 League Match [2-2 v Czech Republic | 4-0 v Team 3]
-Week 4 Challenge Matches [2-2 v Argentina | 2-2 v Portugal | 2-2 v Argentina]
-Week 4 League Match [3-1 v Spain | 4-1 v Team 12]
-Week 5 Challenge Matches [1-0 v Chile | 3-3 v Argentina]
-Week 5 League Match [1-0 v Bolivia | 4-1 v Team 1]
-Week 6 Challenge Matches [0-3 v Portugal | 0-1 v Chile]

Mexico (Team 7)
-Week 1 Challenge Matches [0-1 v Costa Rica | 5-1 v Hungary | 1-2 v Costa Rica | 0-4 v Mozambique]
-Week 1 League Match [2-0 v Trinidad & Tobago | 4-2 v Team 5]
-Week 2 Challenge Matches [1-2 v Hungary | 3-0 v Burkina Faso | 0-2 v Hungary | 3-2 v Burkina Faso]
-Week 2 League Match [3-3 v Bolivia | 0-5 v Team 1]
-Week 3 Challenge Matches [4-1 v Costa Rica | 1-1 v Hungary | 1-1 v Costa Rica]
-Week 3 League Match [1-0 v Paraguay | 2-4 v Team 12]
-Week 4 Challenge Matches [3-0 v Hungary | 1-2 v Mozambique | 2-0 v Hungary]
-Week 4 League Match [2-0 v Egypt | 5-1 v Team 6]
-Week 5 Challenge Matches [0-1 v Mozambique | 1-0 v Hungary]
-Week 5 League Match [2-0 v South Africa | 5-1 v Team 11]
-Week 6 Challenge Matches [2-3 v Mozambique | 1-5 v Burkina Faso]

Guinea (Team 10)
-Week 1 Challenge Matches [2-0 v Canada | 2-1 v Lithuania | 3-1 v Wales | 3-1 v Russia]
-Week 1 League Match [2-3 v Mali | 3-3 v Team 2]
-Week 2 Challenge Matches [3-3 v Turkey | 5-0 v Russia | 0-4 v Turkey | 0-0 v Russia]
-Week 2 League Match [2-1 v Serbia | 4-2 v Team 4]
-Week 3 Challenge Matches [3-3 v Turkey | 1-0 v Russia | 1-0 v Turkey]
-Week 3 League Match [1-3 v Nigeria | 3-4 v Team 8]
-Week 4 Challenge Matches [0-2 v England | 1-2 v Turkey | 1-0 v Russia]
-Week 4 League Match [2-1 v Sao Paulo | 5-1 v Team 3]
-Week 5 Challenge Matches [3-1 v Turkey | 1-1 v England]
-Week 5 League Match [4-1 v Ghana | 1-6 v Team 12]
-Week 6 Challenge Matches [1-4 v Russia | 3-1 v Turkey]

Ghana (Team 12)
-Week 1 Challenge Matches [1-2 v Latvia | 2-2 v Confederacy | 2-0 v Latvia | 2-0 v Switzerland]
-Week 1 League Match [6-1 v Serbia | 3-1 v Team 4]
-Week 2 Challenge Matches [3-2 v Peru | 3-2 v Paraguay | 3-0 v Spain | 5-2 v Sweden]
-Week 2 League Match [2-3 v Uruguay | 5-2 v Team 6]
-Week 3 Challenge Matches [BYE | 2-2 v Spain | BYE]
-Week 3 League Match [2-3 v Brazil | 4-2 v Team 7]
-Week 4 Challenge Matches [1-1 v Spain | BYE | 3-0 v Spain]
-Week 4 League Match [0-0 v Argentina | 1-4 v Team 5]
-Week 5 Challenge Matches [BYE | 1-2 v Spain]
-Week 5 League Match [1-4 v Guinea | 6-1 v Team 10]
-Week 6 Challenge Matches [4-1 v Sweden | 1-0 v Spain]


League Standings
-Week One
-Week Two
-Week Three
-Week Four
-Week Five
 
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ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 1: Bolivia (Team 1)
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Bolivia were seeded at the #7 position and drawn onto Team 1. To start the season there will be 4 straight challenge matches to determine the starting lineup for our first match, which will be against Team 9. If the season started right now, without any changes, we would be paired up against Uzbekistan, which is a match I feel we'd have a chance to win.

Starting Lineup
1. Netherlands
2. Senegal
3. South Korea
4. Ireland
5. Bulgaria
6. Congo DR
7. Bolivia
8. Qatar
9. Rio de Janeiro

However, our goal is obviously to move up on this roster, so we're going to have to focus on the teams within our immediate range: Congo DR and Qatar. For the first match we'll get a chance to challenge up, which means we'll have an opportunity to try to bump Congo DR out of the #6 spot. The doctors will probably be favored as the home team, and all they need is a draw to hold their position, so the onus is on us to win.



Challenge Match 1: #6 Congo DR vs. #7 Bolivia

Unfortunately, there are currently no other Bolivian players in the game besides the players on the national team. This means there is no opportunity to call up new players, so we've got to work with what we've got. We're going to come out in an asymmetrical 4-4-2 formation with a triangle central midfield and a winger on the left flank with a standard 2 CB, 2 SB backline, and 2 central forwards.

The recap of this game didn't get saved, so I don't have much to add about it. We played well, although Congo DR scored the first goal. We managed to equalize and I felt like we created enough chances to deserve a win, but we were unable to score again and had to settle for the draw. As such, we didn't move up and will now have to defend our current position against a challenger from below.

Congo DR 1 - 1 Bolivia

Other team results:
2v3: Senegal 0 - 0 South Korea
4v5: Ireland 0 - 3 Bulgaria
8v9: Qatar 1 - 3 Rio de Janeiro

*Senegal holds their position for a shot at the Netherlands while Bulgaria ousts Ireland for the #4 spot. Rio de Janeiro moves up to #8 and gets to challenge us for our spot next!



Challenge Match 2: #7 Bolivia (0-0-1) vs. #8 Rio de Janeiro (1-0)

As you'd expect, Rio de Janeiro have some really good players. They are limited to only selecting Brazilians from the state of Rio de Janeiro, but there are quite a few good players to choose from, so we expected a huge challenge and honestly we were mentally prepared to drop down to #8 because it seemed unlikely that we'd be able to win. The one thing in our favor was the fact that a draw goes to the higher seed, so we didn't necessarily have to win, we just had to avoid losing.

The 4-4-2 formation worked well enough against Congo DR, so we kept it for the Rio game. Maybe it was the extra concentration due to having such a well respected opponent, or maybe we over-estimated them, but we played surprisingly well in the first half. Our defense was stout, we stopped just about everything they had to throw at us, and we even caught them off guard and scored to take a shocking 1-0 lead into half time.

The one area that we really struggled with was defending corner kicks. We just could not win any headers and took a sigh of relief every time one of their shots went over the bar rather than into the net. I just had a feeling our luck was going to run out though, and sure enough they equalized off a corner kick. Luckily, we had held them off long enough to give us a shot at the draw, and we were very happy when the final whistle eventually sounded with the score still level. We had dodged a huge bullet, and would now get another shot at the #6 position.

Bolivia 1 - 1 Rio de Janeiro

Other team results:
1v2: Netherlands 2 - 0 Senegal
3v4: South Korea 2 - 2 Bulgaria
5v6: Ireland 1 - 1 Congo DR

*No changes in the team roster this week, as all higher seeds successfully defended their positions. #1 Netherlands were the only team who won though, fending off Senegal 2-0.



Challenge Match 3: #6 Congo DR (0-0-2) vs. #7 Bolivia (0-0-2)

No wins yet, but no losses either. I probably should start changing the formation to find a better setup, but with a rematch against Congo DR I kind of wanted to see if the first game was a fluke or not. Remember that I felt like we played well and could have won, but had to settle for a draw.

It looked like it probably was a fluke after we were unable to clear the ball out of our own box and Ekoko ended up floating in a great shot which beat the keeper. Unlike the last game, we weren't able to get anything going offensively. We couldn't even get crosses sent in, all of our passes were being intercepted, and we weren't even able to get any shots off. By half time we were down 1-0 and had been outshot 5-1 in the match!

A few tweaks at half time to get the wingbacks up the field a little further seemed to get our offense running smoother, but the match was all but lost when Congo DR headed in a corner kick. We've got to figure out how to defend those corners!

We didn't give up though, and actually responded with a nice attack that nearly scored but was punched out for a corner kick. This time we flipped the script and scored on a corner of our own to get back into the match. M. Moreno came on to provide a spark up front, and that he did. He scored on a counter attack in the 89th minute to help us avoid picking up our first loss.

All of a sudden everything was clicking for us, and Congo DR were disheveled after conceding such a late equalizer. With only stoppage time remaining, we managed to put together our best offensive possession to date, unlocking the African defense with a brilliant pass to Botero that he ended up scoring on to give us an unbelievable come from behind victory! Down 2-0 at one point, we had somehow managed to win 3-2 and steal the #6 position!

Congo DR 2 - 3 Bolivia

Other team results:
2v3: Senegal 1 - 1 South Korea
4v5: Bulgaria 1 - 2 Ireland
8v9: Rio de Janeiro 2 - 0 Qatar

*Senegal fended off Korea with yet another draw to give themselves one more shot at the Dutch's top spot. Ireland got revenge and reclaimed their lost spot from Bulgaria, while Rio proved superior to Qatar with yet another two goal victory.



Challenge Match 4: #5 Bulgaria (1-1-1) vs. #6 Bolivia (1-0-2)

This was the last challenge match before the first league game, so we felt relieved that we had upset Congo DR to guarantee ourselves at least the #6 spot, with an outside chance at #5 if we could knock off Berbatov and Bulgaria.

With literally no pressure on us, we decided to try a slightly more attacking 3-5-2 formation with a higher defensive line. The change paid off as Bulgaria kept getting caught offside, which made defending much easier as we didn't have to track back to stop several of their attacks. Despite moving a player further up the field in the formation, we weren't producing as much offensively, and the game was still scoreless at half time.

In the second half, Bulgaria started to take control. S. Petrov nearly scored just minutes after the restart, but his shot hit the post. He followed that up by scoring a diving header from, you guessed it, a corner kick! Those corners :emo: We actually had him marked fairly decently, it looked like he literally just pushed his way through two defenders to get to the ball, so great job on his part I guess.

Our goals in the last game had mostly come from counter attacks, so we turned to that as we tightened the pressure in the midfield. This paid off as Torrico forced a turnover and then set up Botero to score the equalizer in the 70th minute. Bulgaria's lead had lasted just 5 minutes!

Then, more late game heroics stunned the Bulgarians. In the 85th minute, L. Reyes sent in a speculative cross which apparently caught the keeper off guard and he misjudged it, allowing it to loop over his head and find Joselito Vaca. The glancing header had just barely crossed the goal line before being kicked away by the keeper. The referee had already signaled for a goal though, and despite Bulgarian protests, it stood.

Disaster almost struck in stoppage time when Boijinov dribbled all the way down the field from inside his own half into our penalty box, beating the defense and getting a clear look at goal. Unfortunately for the Eastern Europeans, his shot just missed the mark, and the final whistle sounded shortly after to confirm Bolivia's shocking win, despite being outshot 8-13.

Bulgaria 1 - 2 Bolivia

Other team results:
1v2: Netherlands 2 - 0 Senegal
3v4: South Korea 0 - 1 Ireland
7v8: Congo DR 1 - 1 Rio de Janeiro

*Netherlands confirms their #1 spot with yet another 2-0 win over challengers Senegal. Ireland, who had fallen to #5 after the first challenge match, has won their way all the way back to #3 after knocking off South Korea. Finally, Rio de Janeiro is a good team, but haven't been able to get the results they need to move up, drawing yet another 7v8 match.



New Lineup for League Match 1
1. Netherlands
2. Senegal
3. Ireland
4. South Korea
5. Bolivia
6. Bulgaria
7. Congo DR
8. Rio de Janeiro
9. Qatar

*Qatar will not participate in League Match 1

The first league opponent will be Team 9. When this week started, Bolivia was set to play Uzbekistan at the #7 spot. After a slew of challenge matches, we have (surprisingly) worked our way up to #5 and will face a daunting opponent: Colombia, who have fallen from the #3 spot down to #5 on their team. Yikes!
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 1: Norway (Team 4)

Norway-Flag-icon.png


As former World Cup champions (twice), Norway were one of the highest ranked nations and thus were the top seed for their team. Week 1's opponent is Team 12, which would mean a rematch with Spain (from the recent Confederations Cup) if both of us are able to defend our #1 spot. That will be difficult for us with Germany as our main challengers, but even if we do lose our spot to them, you'd think we could at least hold off Jamaica, the CONCACAF champions who start at #3.

Starting Lineup
1. Norway
2. Germany
3. Jamaica
4. Togo
5. Saudi Arabia
6. Iceland
7. Serbia
8. Venezuela
9. Gabon

As the #1 spot, we get a BYE for the first challenge match, as teams will fight for the right to challenge us. We'll just play random friendlies during these BYEs.



Challenge Match 1: #1 Norway - BYE

We decided to play Zambia to give us a reasonable opponent and also to see how decent they are (a #9 seed on their own team with no previous WEFA history). The match was much easier than expected, so perhaps I still have some work to do on the Zambian roster, or perhaps our 4-3-3 formation was just working as it should. Either way, we managed to score 3 goals and kept them off the scoreboard to record a 3-0 victory.

Norway 3 - 0 Zambia

Other team results:
2v3: Germany 4 - 1 Jamaica
4v5: Togo 1 - 1 Saudi Arabia
6v7: Iceland 0 - 3 Serbia
8v9: Venezuela 2 - 0 Gabon

*As expected, Germany proved that they are the main contenders by blasting Jamaica 4-1. Togo held off Saudi Arabia thanks to a draw favoring the higher seed. Serbia are in an odd position, they are obviously good, but for the first 6 World Cups they played as Serbia & Montenegro and after the nation split up, I didn't think it was fair to allow Serbia to keep the stats from S&M while Montenegro didn't, so I just had both teams start over. Since Serbia started playing by themselves, they haven't qualified to any tournaments, and thus they started as a very low seed here. That's why there are challenge matches though, and they've already moved up after beating Iceland thoroughly. A surprising result at the bottom of the team, was expecting Gabon to knock off Venezuela, but the South Americans ended up winning instead.



Challenge Match 2: #1 Norway (0-0) vs. #2 Germany (1-0)

We stayed in the 4-3-3 with a flat midfield and 2 wing forwards in support of the central striker. In typical Norwegian fashion, we let Germany possess the ball as much as they wanted, as we focused on keeping them away from our goal. When we did get the ball, we attacked quickly, and it paid off - a cross to Carew was headed in for the opening goal!

Germany responded though, finding a gap in our backline for Klose to slip through the central defense and score. But luck was on our side in this game, and we regained the lead with a somewhat fluke goal by B. H. Riise when he hit a loose ball from the top of the box just over the keeper and into the net. This gave us a 2-1 lead heading into half time despite having only 38% possession!

In real life, Norway beat Germany 1-0 in 2009 (I think?) with only 22% possession. I was hoping to repeat that feat here, and that became even more likely just after the second half started when we put together a few nice passes to get around the German backline and set up Winsnes, who is becoming one of our go-to midfielders, for a shot. His attempt was saved, but Carew was right there for the rebound and easily put home the goal.

With such a big lead, we were more than content to let Germany run up their possession and smash themselves against the shores of our defenders. They finally started to take some shots from distance in an attempt to pull us out but the shot was so good that it forced a difficult save that spilled into the box and Klose scored just like Carew had, on the rebound! Nevertheless, we held on for the rest of the game and managed to keep our #1 spot.

Norway 3 - 2 Germany

Other team results:
3v4: Jamaica 0 - 0 Togo
5v6: Saudi Arabia 0 - 3 Serbia
7v8: Iceland 1 - 4 Venezuela

*Jamaica hold off Togo to give themselves another shot at Germany, although given the way the last match went, we'll expect to be meeting Germany again after our BYE. Serbia continues their climb with another 3-0 victory, this time over Saudi Arabia. Venezuela continues to surprise as well, they've won yet again and this time it moves them up to the #7 spot.



Challenge Match 3: #1 Norway (1-0) - BYE

We played Oman during our BYE for a relatively easy game after such a hard fought game against Germany, and a likely rematch coming up next. Winsnes continued to standout, heading in the opening goal for us.

A defensive breakdown where 2 defenders both went after the ball and no one stayed with Al Hosni left the attacker wide open. Once he received the ball, he took advantage of all the space and scored an equalizer. That hiccup was quickly forgotten as we regained the lead on a counter attack with a nice finish from Nevland. Braaten clinched the victory after scoring following a corner kick.

Norway 3 - 1 Oman

Other team results:
2v3: Germany 2 - 1 Jamaica
4v5: Togo 1 - 0 Serbia
6v7: Saudi Arabia 1 - 2 Venezuela
8v9: Iceland 1 - 0 Gabon

*Jamaica did better, but were still unable to usurp Germany for the #2 spot. Serbia's climb hit a snag, losing to Togo, but Venezuela moved up again, defeating Saudi Arabia. Iceland held off Gabon for the #8 spot, which means Gabon will not get to participate in the first league match of the season.



Challenge Match 4: #1 Norway (1-0) vs. #2 Germany (2-1)

We were much more confident entering this game than we were during the first meeting. That game played out perfectly for us though, and we should have known this would be more challenging as it was Germany's last chance to grab the #1 spot before a league match.

Klose continued to terrorize our backline, and even though his 5th minute header initially hit the post, it came right back to him for an easy shot at the open goal. Hangeland was supposed to be marking him, but Klose was just too good. Then it seemed like everything was falling apart when Bertelsen was shown a straight red card in the 16th minute! Was it going to be a repeat of the 7-1 loss to Brazil in the Confederations Cup?

Nope, it was not. I had learned from that game and we went with a 3-3-3 formation rather than trying to throw everyone forward and win a shootout like we had tried against Brazil. Germany almost scored again in the 30th minute, but a big save kept us in the game. Shortly after that, Carew almost pulled us level, but his open shot missed the target. We went into half time down a man, down a goal, and having been outshot 10-3. Possession was about the same as the last game, we had just 39% of the ball in the first half.

Things started to turn around in the second half though. Hangeland was a man on fire, atoning for that opening goal by literally winning every single header inside our own box. Klose just couldn't get a sniff of any cross coming in. Our keeper made a few really big saves too, which kept us alive. This all lead up to the big moment in the 82nd minute when Helstad picked out Morten Gamst Pedersen with a nice pass and MGP scored the vital equalizer!

At this point, we switched to an even more defensive 4-3-2 formation to repel the forthcoming German assault. It worked, as Germany failed to create any big chances for the rest of the game. We nearly stole the match when Carew broke through on a counter attack in stoppage time, but the ball was cleared away and the final whistle sounded. The draw means that we've held our #1 spot and will get a chance to play as the top nation on our team in the first league match of the season! The match ended with Germany have 14 shots and 58% possession, while we had 7 shots and 42% possession. We had held Germany to just 4 shots in the second half, despite playing a man down the entire time!

Norway 1 - 1 Germany

Other team results:
3v4: Jamaica 2 - 2 Togo
5v6: Serbia 2 - 2 Venezuela
7v8: Saudi Arabia 1 - 2 Iceland

*Jamaica has not won any of their 4 challenge matches, but they've managed to hold on to their #3 position. Togo will have to settle for #4 for now, but they'll feel they have a shot to eventually jump the islanders at some point this season. Serbia and Venezuela have been the biggest movers on the team, and they finally squared off to see who should take the #5 spot. The draw meant Serbia would maintain the position for now, but this could be up for grabs later in the season. Saudi Arabia has been going the opposite direction as everyone else, falling from #5 all the way to #8 after losing to Iceland.



New Lineup for League Match 1
1. Norway
2. Germany
3. Jamaica
4. Togo
5. Serbia
6. Venezuela
7. Iceland
8. Saudi Arabia
9. Gabon

*Gabon will not participate in League Match 1

The first league opponent will be Team 12, which was Spain's team. However, Sweden defeated Spain 2-1 to win the top spot, meaning that Norway will face Sweden for the league matchup, while Germany has to play Spain at the #2 position.
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 1: New Zealand (Team 5)

New-Zealand-Flag-icon.png


New Zealand were drawn onto Team 5 as the #8 seed. Considering the #9 seeds are new teams, this means that the All Whites were basically the lowest possible seed for a team who has attempted to qualify for major tournaments in the past. The Kiwis have failed to qualify for the World Cup and didn't even make it to the Asian Cup group stage, so this figures to be a challenge.

Starting Lineup
1. Argentina
2. Portugal
3. Chile
4. Tunisia
5. Slovenia
6. Trinidad & Tobago
7. Guadeloupe
8. New Zealand
9. Indonesia

Our team roster is interesting - there are some very good teams at the top, which I think means we'll win a lot of matches against other teams overall, but it will probably also put a ceiling on how high we can climb. At least initially. However, we feel that there is room to climb from our starting spot, with some very beatable sides ahead of us. We also lucked out, as far as a #8 seed goes, by drawing Indonesia as our #9 seed because, out of all the 9 seeds, they are probably the best matchup for us as we try to keep our spot above them.



Challenge Match 1: #8 New Zealand vs. #9 Indonesia

One of New Zealand's issues is a lack of players. With only the bare minimum to choose from, it will be difficult to experiment much. However, I'm not against creating a few new players to fill out the squad, so hopefully this tournament will help me figure out where they need help.

Where we needed help was - everywhere. We started very poorly, struggling to move the ball offensively and then failing to stop their attack as Indonesia scored the opening goal of the match!

Perhaps the goal was just a wake up call though, because we started to play a bit better after falling behind. We finally scored the much needed equalizer and then continued to press our advantage, snagging 2 more goals for a decisive 3-1 win to hold our #8 spot against the challengers.

New Zealand 3 - 1 Indonesia

Other team results:
2v3: Portugal 1 - 1 Chile
4v5: Tunisia 0 - 1 Slovenia
6v7: Trinidad & Tobago 1 - 1 Guadeloupe

*Portugal held Chile to a 1-1 draw to keep their #2 spot while Trinidad & Tobago did the same to Guadeloupe to save their #6 spot. Slovenia was the only other team (besides us) to earn a victory, ousting Tunisia to become #4.



Challenge Match 2: #7 Guadeloupe (0-0-1) vs. #8 New Zealand (1-0)

Guadeloupe seems like they should be pretty good, they boast a handful of former French national team players (who have Guadeloupe roots). Even though the players are no longer called up for France, it's hard to think that a team with Saha, Wiltord, and Sylvester, among others, would be easy opponents.

And they weren't. But they certainly were physical. Maybe they were just trying to intimidate us, or maybe that's just how they play, but within the first 17 minutes of the match, three of their players had already been shown a yellow card! They were also challenging Paston, our keeper. He had to make some really nice saves to keep the Guadeloupeans off the board.

The one area that was doing well for us was the midfield. We were pressing them well defensively and then stringing together some nice passes when we did have the ball. Unfortunately, the strikers were letting us down when the attack did go forward. New Zealand kept plugging away though, and finally a crack in Guadeloupe's defense appeared. Bertos found a lane, dribbled down the middle and fired in a wonderful shot to take the lead in the 73rd minute!

We seemed to be cruising until Smeltz picked up his second yellow card of the match in the 85th minute, forcing New Zealand to play a man down for the remainder of the match. Thankfully, that wasn't enough time for Guadeloupe to take advantage, and the match eventually ended 1-0 in favor of the All Whites.

It was a very rough game, with 20 fouls called and 7 yellow cards handed out in total. Bertos ended up receiving a 9.0 rating for his performance, which reflected how he basically single handedly won the game for New Zealand.

Guadeloupe 0 - 1 New Zealand

Other team results:
1v2: Argentina 1 - 2 Portugal
3v4: Chile 0 - 0 Slovenia
5v6: Tunisia 0 - 2 Trinidad & Tobago

*Our team had a lot of changes in the roster after these games. Portugal grabbed the #1 spot from Argentina while Trinidad & Tobago surprisingly took Tunisia's spot at #5. Chile only just managed to hold onto their spot by playing to a scoreless draw against challengers Slovenia.



Challenge Match 3: #6 Tunisia (0-2) vs. #7 New Zealand (2-0)

We were on our way up, while Tunisia was on their way down, and we hoped that trend would continue as we had an eye on the #6 spot. Our offense immediately came out looking much better than it had in the last match and we nearly took an early lead, but Fallon's header hit the post instead of the net.

We didn't have to wait too much longer for the opening goal though. Smeltz received a pass inside the box and then did a nice bit of manuevering to get the shot off, which beat the keeper. The game slowed down dramatically after the goal, and New Zealand used that lull to hit Tunisia on a counter attack. Smeltz was well on his way to be named Man of the Match after his clinical finish doubled the lead.

Around the hour mark Tunisia was able to exploit a gap in our central defense, and Jemaa converted his chance to make it a 2-1 ball game. New Zealand could have sealed the victory when Bertos set Fallon up perfectly for a shot in the 83rd minute, but his effort missed the target! This nearly proved to be costly when, in stoppage time, Tunisia broke through yet again. A wide open shot should have been the equalizer, but the aim was terrible and it went right to the keeper instead of around him. The match ended shortly there after, and New Zealand celebrated a deserved victory after having outshot Tunisia 19-8 during the game.

Tunisia 1 - 2 New Zealand

Other team results:
2v3: Argentina 3 - 1 Chile
4v5: Slovenia 0 - 1 Trinidad & Tobago
8v9: Guadeloupe 1 - 1 Indonesia

*Argentina smashed Chile to give themselves a shot at reclaiming the #1 spot before league play begins. Trinidad & Tobago surprisingly won again, edging Slovenia, and the Soca Warriors have now moved up to #4! Guadeloupe didn't manage to beat Indonesia, but they did just enough to guarantee they will get to play in the league match as Indonesia get excluded.



Challenge Match 4: #5 Slovenia (1-1-1) vs. #6 New Zealand (3-0)

Tunisia had exploited our defense more than they should have, and even though we ended up escaping with a victory, it could have just as easily gone the other way. With so few defenders on our roster, we felt like we needed to increase our capacity to defend, so we called up CB T. Smith to the squad.

The defensive reinforcements seemed to pay off, as we held Slovenia in check throughout the first half. New Zealand created some good early attacks as well, but just couldn't get the final touch right to get a shot off, and neither team had scored by half time. In fact, at the break New Zealand had outshot Slovenia just 3-1 total!

The game started to pick up in the final 15 minutes. The Kiwis were finding lots of space on the wings and kept whipping in crosses. One cross found a head to be directed towards goal, but it hit the post! Others failed to threaten. New Zealand rolled the dice and switched out both strikers, but it was Slovenia who discovered the breakthrough. Birsa dribbled by Nelsen and then found the back of the net. With only five minutes left in the game, it was too late to overcome and Slovenia successfully defended their #5 slot with a victory, despite having been outshot 11-3 by New Zealand. The Kiwis also had 57% possession during the match, but nothing to show for it.

Slovenia 1 - 0 New Zealand

Other team results:
1v2: Portugal 0 - 3 Argentina
3v4: Chile 1 - 1 Trinidad & Tobago
7v8: Tunisia 0 - 2 Guadeloupe

*Argentina were really upset after they lost the #1 spot to Portugal, so they came back with a vengeance in the rematch. The Argentines reclaimed their top spot after a 3-0 thumping of the defending top seed. Meanwhile, Chile nearly suffered disaster as they almost lost their spot to Trinidad & Tobago, but just managed to keep it thanks to a 1-1 draw. Tunisia has now lost 4 straight matches to fall all the way from #4 to #8 after losing to Guadeloupe!



New Lineup for League Match 1
1. Argentina
2. Portugal
3. Chile
4. Trinidad & Tobago
5. Slovenia
6. New Zealand
7. Guadeloupe
8. Tunisia
9. Indonesia

*Indonesia will not participate in League Match 1

We play Team 7 for our first league fixture. Oman was their original (and current) #8 team, so they would have been our opponents if we hadn't moved up at all. Instead, we'll be representing the team at the #6 spot and will face Austria.
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 1: Mexico (Team 7)

Mexico-Flag-icon.png


As stated in the dynasty introduction, Mexico have not lived up to expectations so far in past qualifying campaigns. They've only qualified to 5 out of 9 World Cups, despite CONCACAF having more spots per teams than any other confederation at times. And in those World Cups, they've only reached the knockout round twice, and both times were eliminated in the Round of Sixteen. To make matters worse, at the Gold Cup, where 6/12 teams advanced to the knockout round, Mexico still didn't make it past the group stage! So what's wrong? Why is Mexico so bad in this game? Let's try to find out, and fix it.

Starting Lineup
1. Brazil
2. Costa Rica
3. Mexico
4. Austria
5. Hungary
6. Mozambique
7. Burkina Faso
8. Oman
9. OPEN

With 107 teams in the competition, there could only be 11 full teams of 9 nations, one team had to draw the short stick and only have 8. The team Mexico was drawn onto, Team 7, was that team. Should a new national team be created while this tournament is going on, that nation will be added to our team, but in the meantime, everyone will get to participate in the league games since there is no way to drop to #9. While that's very useful for Oman, we're not too concerned about it, as we expect to be challenging Brazil for the top spot as quickly as possible. Costa Rica stand in our way for that, while we'll also have to be cautious of the teams below us. Austria, Hungary, Burkina Faso, and especially Mozambique will all be difficult to fend off, making this (in my opinion) one of the deepest teams in the tournament.



Challenge Match 1: #2 Costa Rica vs. #3 Mexico

I have to admit that we were expecting to blow the doors off Costa Rica as we marched to our "rightful" #2 spot. That expectation quickly made way to the realization that this team actually is in trouble. It hasn't simply been mismanaged by the CPU, there is a real concern about the players and formation.

It became apparent that wholesale changes needed to be made after we failed to get anything going offensively. We couldn't find any lanes through the defense, couldn't string together passes, and just couldn't create any good scoring opportunities.

To their credit, the defense did play fairly well, but eventually the Ticos did slip through and score what we felt was a fluke goal. However, Costa Rica would have held onto their #2 spot even with a 0-0 draw, so that didn't really change too much for us. We'll need to come up with some new offensive tactics to see if we can't turn this around quickly. Perhaps avoiding Brazil for now will be a good thing, and it will give us time to get our tactics right before we do challenge for that top spot.

Costa Rica 1 - 0 Mexico

Other team results:
4v5: Austria 0 - 2 Hungary
6v7: Mozambique 3 - 2 Burkina Faso

*Hungary knocked off Austria to earn a shot at playing Mexico for the #3 spot next. Mozambique held off Burkina Faso to keep their own spot, while Oman had a BYE due to there not being a 9th nation on our team.



Challenge Match 2: #3 Mexico (0-1) vs. #4 Hungary (1-0)

The default 4-4-2 formation had been a disaster in the last game, so we went with a 4-3-3 against Hungary. We had very little success on offense against Costa Rica, so we were hoping the extra striker would provide more firepower. Boy did it ever.

Dos Santos forced an early turnover and then picked out C. Vela for the opening goal. A few minutes later, Vela pushed off his marker just in time to create space for an open header (off a Dos Santos cross) to double the lead. The floodgates were open now and we took advantage of the demoralized Hungarians and went for the jugular.

Blanco rolled the dice from distance and ended up burying his shot in the back of the net to make it 3-0. Then Vela headed in another cross to get his hattrick. Hungary just didn't seem to have an answer, Mexico looked unstoppable! Another counter attack set up Blanco for his brace, and it was a five star performance with Mexico leading 5-0. Only a very late strike from distance by Gera spoiled the party, but not much. It was still a big win, and did a lot to restore morale for El Tri.

Mexico 5 - 1 Hungary

Other team results:
1v2: Brazil 2 - 1 Costa Rica
5v6: Austria 1 - 3 Mozambique
7v8: Burkina Faso 2 - 1 Oman

*Maybe Costa Rica is better than we thought though, as they gave Brazil a decent challenge. However, the top seed defended their position with a 2-1 victory. Mozambique climbed a spot after beating Austria 3-1 while Burkina Faso held off Oman.



Challenge Match 3: #2 Costa Rica (1-1) vs. #3 Mexico (1-1)

The 4-3-3 had worked so well against Hungary that we decided to stick with it for our rematch against Costa Rica. We made one slight modification, using a SMF rather than an AMF, and we were confident that we'd run over the Ticos to set up a big matchup against Brazil for the top spot just before league play begins.

Costa Rica weren't about to just let us roll through them though. They were still confident from their first win and brought the game to us. At one point it looked like a Tico goal was imminent as Mexico were struggling to defend corner kicks, but eventually the danger was cleared. It was too soon to take a sigh of relief for any defender though, because Costa Rica came right back down the field and sliced through the backline, Saborio rounded Magallon off the dribble and then blasted in the opener in the 20th minute.

We tightened up defensively to hold out for the rest of the half, but again nothing was going right for us up front. When we reached the midway point of the match, we found out that we'd been outshot 4-1. That's right, we'd only managed 1 shot in the entire half. How exactly had we scored 5 goals against Hungary?

Learning that we'd only recorded 1 shot in the first half served as a wake up call to the offense who were threatened with wholesale changes after the match if the game didn't turn around quickly. Perhaps that sparked a fire under their asses, because just five minutes after starting the second half we nearly had the equalizer when a header beat the keeper but then hit the post and rolled right along the goalline. No one else was able to get the necessary touch to nudge it over the line, and it was finally cleared to safety by the Tico defense. Minutes later, a free kick found a striker in the box but the header also hit the post to deny Mexico yet again!

Mexico continued to dominate the half well into the 79th minute when the ball was worked around well enough to pick out C. Vela inside the box. He controlled the pass brilliantly, allowing him to turn and fire in the long awaited equalizer! But in this challenge match, Mexico needed to win to move up, so they weren't out of the woods yet.

The jubilation of the comeback quickly came to an end. In the 81st minute, just two minutes after the goal, Costa Rica tore right through the defense and Centeno finished off the move with a great goal to put the Ticos back in front. It was instant disappointment for Mexico, who had fought so hard to get back into the game, only to let it slip away moments later. Overall shots ended up being 9-8 in favor of Mexico, meaning they had outshot Costa Rica 8-4 in the second half, but it just wasn't good enough.

Costa Rica 2 - 1 Mexico

Other team results:
4v5: Hungary 2 - 3 Mozambique
6v7: Austria 1 - 1 Burkina Faso

*Mozambique continues to climb, ousting Hungary 3-2. Austria held off Burkina Faso with a 1-1 draw, and this gives them a chance to get revenge on Hungary as they'll challenge for the #5 spot next.



Challenge Match 4: #3 Mexico (1-2) vs. #4 Mozambique (3-0)

After another disastrous outing against Costa Rica, we decided that the formation wasn't the only thing that needed to be changed - we needed some new players as well. CF Chicharito was created and added to the team, while AMF J. Dos Santos was called up as well. The two players who were dropped to make way for the newcomers were SS Medina and AMF Arce.

One note about Mozambique is that they have a hell of a team in this game. They don't have much depth, but their starting lineup can rival anyone with 2 legends Eusebio and Matateu Lucas up front. They also have Mario Coluna in the midfield. While most classic players are not allowed to play on national teams, this trio is allowed to play because a) they never got a chance to play for Mozambique in real life, b) Mozambique would not have enough players to field a team without them. However, they aren't invincible, as they only just managed to beat Hungary 3-2 in their last challenge match. We beat Hungary 5-1, so obviously we felt that we should be able to hold our position despite the challenge presented by this difficult opponent.

We stuck with our 4-3-3 formation and went back to the exact same setup that we used against Hungary, albeit with a few new faces in the lineup. The match started out rough, with Armando Sa being booked within the opening minute of the match. Chicharito made waves early in his debut, but perhaps was a bit too audacious as he tried to chip the keeper from outside the box rather than dribbling in and possibly scoring on a breakaway. The chip shot was punched away for a corner and then the new star nearly scored by trying to head in the corner kick, but that was saved as well.

Mozambique's strike force finally got involved in the 8th minute. Matateu Lucas burned Galindo, dribbling right by him, and then faked the shot to round the keeper before slotting in an easy opening goal. This demonstration of skill and speed worried Mexico and they had to play more physical to keep the lusophones in front of them. Doing so caused Jumisse to go off injured in the 19th minute, but that wasn't much of a reprieve for the Mexican defense.

Thankfully the offense was doing better. Castillo created a nice chance, but his open header was saved. Another good opportunity went begging shortly after, but at least Mexico were threatening to score. Unfortunately, with the kind of strikers Mozambique has, it only takes one mistake for them to take advantage, and Eusebio nearly did just that right before half time. Luckily for El Tri, he missed the target.

At the half, Mexico had slightly outshot Mozambique, 7-6, so they figured they could find an equalizer (which was all they needed to defend their position) in the second half. Instead, Matateu picked out Eusebio with his cross and all of a sudden it was 2-0 to Mozambique less than three minutes after the restart! This basically broke Mexico's back, as Eusebio broke through again in the 61st minute. His shot was saved, but Matateu Lucas was there to fire in the rebound and essentially put the game out of reach.

If there was any doubt about the outcome, that was quickly put to rest in the 69th minute when Mario Coluna placed his shot from distance perfectly into the back of the net. Mexico's manager later said that the shot had "no business going in, but it was just that kind of day" after the match ended 4-0 in favor of Mozambique, dropping Mexico to the #4 spot.

Mexico 0 - 4 Mozambique

Other team results:
1v2: Brazil 3 - 1 Costa Rica
5v6: Hungary 1 - 1 Austria
7v8: Burkina Faso 1 - 0 Oman

*Brazil defeated Costa Rica once again to confirm their position at the top of the roster. Hungary held off Austria with a draw and Burkina Faso did the bare minimum to beat Oman.



New Lineup for League Match 1
1. Brazil
2. Costa Rica
3. Mozambique
4. Mexico
5. Hungary
6. Austria
7. Burkina Faso
8. Oman
9. N/A

Week 1's opponent is Team 5, which is where Trinidad & Tobago have surprisingly risen to the #4 spot, so they will be our next opponent. Had we managed to hold onto #3, we would have gotten a crack at Chile. We should be favored over T&T at least, so hopefully that will help us get our confidence back.
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 1: Guinea (Team 10)

Guinea-Flag-icon.png


In my opinion, Guinea are the weakest team in my slate, even though they aren't the lowest seed. While New Zealand are 0/1 in qualifying, Guinea are a surprisingly bad 1/6 in World Cup qualifying, and they didn't qualify to the African Cup either! But Guinea has some interesting players such as Feindouno and Balde, plus a plethora of Bangouras and Camaras, so I hope I can find a formation that makes them competitive.

One other tidbid: It's known that I do have quite an interesting collection of soccer jerseys, but even I'd have to say that my Yellow Guinea Abdoul Salam Sow jersey (which I got in Bamako, Mali for about $4) is by far the most obscure. If I had to bet, I would put money that less than 10 people in the entire United States have that jersey. lol

Starting Lineup
1. England
2. Turkey
3. Russia
4. Lithuania
5. Wales
6. Canada
7. Guinea
8. Iraq
9. Zambia

This is one of the deepest rosters, in my opinion. The top 5 are all difficult opponents and then Zambia (who only hold the #9 spot because they were just recently created and never played in a qualifying campaign) will probably be difficult too. Canada and Iraq are no slouches either. Really just no easy games, but at least this team should do fairly well in the league matches. We'll still try to get as high as we can though.



Challenge Match 1: #6 Canada vs. #7 Guinea

We lucked out for our opening match - every single defender was in top form. This turned out to be a huge help because Canada threw a lot at us early. Thankfully, we withstood those assaults and then found some success going forward. A surprise goal that was somewhat against the run of play was followed up by another goal that was scored in part because Canada were pressing too hard to find the equalizer.

However they came, it didn't matter. The two goals were more than enough after a great performance from the defense lead by Balde. Canada never did find the back of the net, and the in-form defense held to give us an unexpected win to start the tournament!

Canada 0 - 2 Guinea

Other team results:
2v3: Turkey 1 - 3 Russia
4v5: Lithuania 0 - 3 Wales
8v9: Iraq 0 - 2 Zambia

*A huge shakeup as every single challenger won their match, a good indicator that every team is up to the task of challenging anyone above them I guess! Russia earned the right to face #1 England with a big win over Turkey, and then Wales surprisingly dominated Lithuania with the biggest win of the day. Zambia also beat Iraq, which was somewhat expected.



Challenge Match 2: #5 Lithuania (0-1) vs. #6 Guinea (1-0)

A. Keita had stood out a little in the last match, but it became apparent that he might just be our best player when he scored the opening goal against Lithuania just 4 minutes into the match. The early strike kind of killed the game off though, as we played very conservative and again let our defense shine.

Lithuania kept trying though, and slowly but surely they were creating more chances and finding more openings. It seemed only a matter of time until they broke though, and then they did, finding an equalizer. But all that seemed to do was light a fire under us and we started to create a lot more chances.

A would-be winning header hit the post, and then another opportunity was only denied thanks to a miraculous save by Arlauskis. Finally, in the 89th minute, K. Cisse emerged as the hero, scoring the go-ahead goal which pushes us up to the #5 position!

Lithuania 1 - 2 Guinea

Other team results:
1v2: England 1 - 1 Russia
3v4: Turkey 2 - 1 Wales
7v8: Canada 2 - 0 Zambia

*England didn't manage to beat Russia, but they didn't lose either, so they maintain their top spot on the roster. Wales proved to be a real threat as they made Turkey sweat, although the Turks eventually emerged victorious. To our surprise, Canada recovered quickly and not only held off Zambia, but beat them fairly convincingly.



Challenge Match 3: #4 Wales (1-1) vs. #5 Guinea (2-0)

We didn't underestimate Wales, who seem to always come up with some surprising wins and had already managed to beat Lithuania so far. Since we had so much success in our first two games, we didn't change our tactics much, figuring we might as well see how far they can take us.

The team seems to be clicking. We opened the game playing very well, making nice passes, winning possession, and finding openings to attack. This resulted in an early goal being scored by Mansare. The build up was nice although the goal itself was fairly lucky. The shot had come in and ended up hitting a defender right as the keeper started to dive for it. While he was still on the ground, Mansare knocked the loose ball into the net. The shot probably would have been saved if it hadn't hit the defender.

Nevertheless, it was a goal, and a lead. Wales fought back and nearly found an equalizer, but we held them at bay. With the Welsh pushing forward, there were even more chances for us to attack, and Feindouno doubled the lead after receiving a great through ball. We were cruising by half time, holding a 2-0 lead and having outshot wales 13-5.

Wales stepped up their game in the second half though, Earnshaw hit the post on one attack and then C. Fletcher scored on another. Guinea had an immediate response though, Is. Bangoura broke through to re-establish the 2 goal lead, which we held on to for the rest of the match.

Wales 1 - 3 Guinea

Other team results:
2v3: Russia 0 - 2 Turkey
6v7: Lithuania 2 - 1 Canada
8v9: Zambia 1 - 1 Iraq

*Russia had their shot at the top spot and blew it, and now Turkey has become the top contender after knocking off the Russians 2-0. Lithuania won their first match, beating Canada to hold the #6 spot while Zambia narrowly kept Iraq at bay, holding out for a 1-1 draw.



Challenge Match 4: #3 Russia (1-1-1) vs #4 Guinea (3-0)

Well, this was certainly unexpected. Out of all the nations I decided to play as, I thought Guinea was the least likely to move up much. I thought this would be a very hard group, but we've managed to pull out the results we needed to climb all the way up to #4! That seemed as high as we were probably going to get, but with a shot at Russia, we weren't about to back down.

The match started out as expected, with Russia dominating. Pavlyuchenko forced a turnover and then nearly scored the opening goal in what seemed like the beginning of a siege. Things got worse when Ma. Camara completely missed the ball while going into a tackle and instead brought down the Russian striker inside the box. The referee wasted no time awarding the penalty kick. Kemoko Camara then came up huge, saving the penalty out for a corner kick, but joy was short lived as Kerzhakov headed in the corner kick to put Russia in front in just the 6th minute!

It looked to be heading towards a blowout, but then everything changed after the kickoff. K. Cisse caught Russia completely off guard and create a great scoring chance. His shot was saved, but Mansare rushed in to put back the rebound and just like that, the score was tied up again! Lots of drama in the opening seven minutes!

The match essentially reset from that point, and Russia no longer looked to be dominant. Sure, they created chances, and Kerzhakov nearly scored again but was denied by the post, but Guinea were much more confident and were attacking as well. Russia nearly took the lead on two other occasions, but just couldn't find the target, so the score remained 1-1 at half time in a surprisingly level game. Both teams held 50% possession and Russia had only outshot Guinea 9-8, though they did have 5 corner kicks to Guinea's 0.

The pressure to pull away started to hit the Russians, and they buckled under the weight. K. Cisse had continued to pester the backline all game and his effort finally paid off when he was able to set up A. Bangoura for the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute. Pavlyuchenko tried to equalizer in the 84th minute, and his header did beat Kemoko Camara, but just missed the net wide. Five minutes later some great buildup play from Guinea saw A. Keita finish off the match with a blistering shot to make it 3-1! The match ended with Russia holding 52% possession, but each team had 15 shots apiece, though Russia did end up with an 8-1 edge in corner kicks that apparently did not help them at all.

The real story was A. Bangoura, who came on as a substitute and really changed the game. He accounted for a goal and an assist, and we may not have won without him.

Russia 1 - 3 Guinea

Other team results:
1v2: England 2 - 0 Turkey
5v6: Wales 1 - 1 Lithuania
7v8: Canada 1 - 2 Zambia

*England holds off yet another challenger and will keep the top spot heading into the league match. Lithuania failed to beat Wales again, so the Welsh will hold on to the #5 position. Canada were not able to hold their spot, losing 2-1 to Zambia and falling to #8.



New Lineup for League Match 1
1. England
2. Turkey
3. Guinea
4. Russia
5. Wales
6. Lithuania
7. Zambia
8. Canada
9. Iraq

*Iraq will not participate in League Match 1

Team 2 will be our first league opponent. Some consider that to be the weakest roster, so hopefully that means we'll be able to be competitive at our surprisingly high #3 position. Had no challenge matches been played, we would have originally played Israel at the #7 spot, but instead we face a much tougher foe, and neighboring rivals, Mali!
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 1: Ghana (Team 12)

Ghana-Flag-icon.png


Ghana have some world class midfielders, good defenders, and skilled attackers. This team should be very competitive, but instead have only qualified to 2 of 7 WEFA World Cups and, though they did qualify to the African Cup, they ended up last place in their group. Clearly they have the players to win, so it must be an issue with the formation. This is where I come in, let's try to make these guys a force to be reckoned with.

Starting Lineup
1. Spain
2. Sweden
3. Paraguay
4. Peru
5. Switzerland
6. Ghana
7. Latvia
8. El Salvador
9. Confederacy

While some other teams are pretty deep, Team 12 is my pick to win it all. This team is just stacked with Spain, recent Euro and Confederations Cup champions, leading the way with very tough sides right behind them including Sweden, Paraguay, Peru, Switzerland, and of course, us. The bottom of the team is a little weak though, with Latvia, El Salvador, and the Confederates. We'll expect to compete for a top spot eventually, but realistically any team from spots 2-6 should be able to compete with each other, so it will be interesting to see who ends up where.



Challenge Match 1: #6 Ghana vs. #7 Latvia

Since we started at an even-numbered position, we had to defend our position before we got a chance to challenge a team above us. Thankfully, the drop off was right behind us, and we felt like we had a fairly easy task of dispatching lowly Latvia before really hitting the grinding schedule to come.

Ghana's strength is clearly in the midfield, so we went with a 4-5-1 formation in order to get as many of those midfielders on the field as possible. While this sounds good in theory, it didn't work so well in practice. We were not able to create many attacks, either because we just didn't have enough offensive players or possibly because we just underestimated Latvia and they were much tougher than expected.

In fact, despite having 5 midfielders, we didn't dominate the midfield as expected. Latvia were up for the challenge and it was like a wall of maroon as we tried to move the ball forward. They seemed to have everything covered. The lone striker we had up front was not able to get open at all, as he was constantly marked by at least one, but often two, Latvian defenders.

Things turned for the worst when Latvia managed to break through and score the opening goal. We finally pulled level thanks to a somewhat fluky goal from midfield that beat the keeper from distance, but then it just wasn't going to be our night when Latvia scored a similar goal to regain the lead. We just couldn't break through again, and they held on to stun us. Looks like this is going to be more difficult than I thought...

Ghana 1 - 2 Latvia

Other team results:
2v3: Sweden 2 - 1 Paraguay
4v5: Peru 0 - 2 Switzerland
8v9: El Salvador 0 - 2 Confederacy

*This might be a sign of things to come, as three challengers defeated the incumbents to move up. Besides Latvia knocking us out, Switzerland and Confederacy also downed Peru and El Salvador, respectively, by 2-0 scorelines to go up as well. Sweden were the only team to hold their position, setting up a shot at Spain with a 2-1 win over Paraguay.



Challenge Match 2: #7 Ghana (0-1) vs. #8 Confederacy (1-0)

We knew that the 4-5-1 wasn't going to work, but we still wanted to play as many midfielders as possible, so we changed to a more attacking 3-5-2 formation and saw immediate results. The offense was clicking and the Confederates had no answer as we ran rampant through the backline. Two quick goals set us on our way to victory, but as the game wore on, our lack of defense started to become an issue and eventually we paid for it.

The Confederates scored once, and then twice, and suddenly the match was all tied up at 2-2. Their defense had stepped up and weren't able to generate any more goals, but luckily they weren't able to either, and as the higher seed, the draw favored us, so we barely held on to the #7 position.

Ghana 2 - 2 Confederacy

Other team results:
1v2: Spain 3 - 1 Sweden
3v4: Paraguay 1 - 1 Switzerland
5v6: Peru 2- 1 Latvia

*Spain looked just as good as ever, trouncing Sweden 3-1 to confirm their spot at the top of the roster. Paraguay narrowly held onto their spot with a draw against Switzerland while Peru held off Latvia, which means we'll get a rematch against them next.



Challenge Match 3: #6 Latvia (1-1) vs. #7 Ghana (0-1-1)

Things are not going well for us. Maybe it's not just the formation, maybe we do need better players. After another game without a victory, I went through Ghana's roster to see if any improvements could be made and I did find a few spots. GK Owu, SB Afful, WF Ayew, and CF Agogo were all cut from the team. SB Inkoom, DMF Obodai, CMF Quansah, and SMF Boateng were called up. Basically, not all teams have 3 keepers, so I didn't think Ghana really need a third keeper so I cut him to make room for an extra outfielders. I called in a few more defensive minded players to hopefully allow us to protect our leads, because the offense did play well last game, we were just let down by our inability to defend.

So we stuck with the 3-5-2 albeit with some new faces in the lineup. This time we caught an early break when Zemlinskis went down injured after only 11 minutes. Latvia left him in the game to see if he would recover, but he was now a liability. Ghana took advantage of this as Muntari muscled Zemlinskis off the ball after Latvia had just thrown the ball in to him deep in their own half. After gaining possession, Muntari picked out Tagoe, who was making a nice run into the box, and the striker easily slotted in the opening goal in the 16th minute.

Ghana kept attacking and looked so much better than they had in the opening match. Gyan should have doubled the lead, but ended up shooting over the bar instead. Shortly later, Muntari did score when the opportunity presented itself, and it was now 2-0 just 26 minutes into the match. Tagoe then scored again, but was ruled offside so the goal didn't stand. Either way, Ghana had clearly dominated the first half, going into the break having outshot Latvia 11-1.

Latvia just couldn't catch a break, and one of their main strikers, Rudnev, had to go off injured around the 62nd minute. With the game clearly in their control, Ghana let off a bit and were content to ride this one out to a positive conclusion. That mentality nearly cost them, as Latvia broke through in the 77th minute but hit the post. This wake up call was answered, and the defense stepped up to prevent any further chances.

Latvia 0 - 2 Ghana

Other team results:
2v3: Sweden 1 - 0 Paraguay
4v5: Switzerland 0 - 1 Peru
8v9: Confederacy 1 - 0 El Salvador

*Sweden defeat Paraguay yet again to set up a rematch with Spain. Meanwhile, Ghana was not the only team getting revenge as Peru beat Switzerland to reclaim their spot at #4. Confederate States handled El Salvador yet again, ensuring that the CSA will get to play in the first league match of the season (and that El Salvador will not).



Challenge Match 4: #5 Switzerland (1-1-1) vs #6 Ghana (1-1-1)

It was much more difficult playing against Switzerland than it was against Latvia. I let the CPU set the roster, to see what it would do by itself, and it made some questionable decisions such as putting Essien in defense and starting Narry over Appiah (who is old, granted, but was still active when this game came out).

As the first half wore on, it was clear that Switzerland had been creating the better chances, but it turned out to be a cross into the Swiss box that caused the most trouble in the half. The ball was headed away by the defense, but only as far as Narry. The surprise starter sent it back in to Gyan, who made a very nice touch to set up his shot. That was in the 41st minute, and Ghana strolled into half time with the lead thanks to the effort.

Owusu had almost scored near the end of the half, so Switzerland must have still been rattled when the second half started. Ghana were fouled almost immediately following the restart, and used the opportunity to surprise the Swiss with a very quickly taken free kick. The quick free kick caught Switzerland completely by surprise and Tagoe found himself with possession and a wide open shot, which he easily converted. It was perhaps one of the fastest goals from a kickoff of all time, as the ball crossed the line at the 46:36 mark - 36 seconds after the half had started!

That basically set the tone for a defensive-minded second half from the Africans. Switzerland tried to fight their way back into the game, and found some success attacking down the wings, but they just weren't finishing any chances. Ghana had a few opportunities of their own that they were unable to capitalize on, but still managed to hold on and grab the #5 spot heading into league play.

Switzerland 0 - 2 Ghana

Other team results:
1v2: Spain 1 - 2 Sweden
3v4: Paraguay 1 - 0 Peru
7v8: Latvia 1 - 2 Confederacy

*A stunning upset at the top sees Sweden knock off Spain just in time for the first league match, meaning Sweden will represent us at the #1 spot rather than Spain. Paraguay again held off a challenger for their spot, but Latvia have gone into a tailspin after that great start against Ghana. They have now lost 3 in a row and fallen to the #8 spot.



New Lineup for League Match 1
1. Sweden
2. Spain
3. Paraguay
4. Peru
5. Ghana
6. Switzerland
7. Confederacy
8. Latvia
9. El Salvador

*El Salvador will not participate in League Match 1

Our team will face Team 4 for our first league meet. That's Norway's side, and as mentioned they will get to play Sweden rather than Spain. As for us, Serbia ended up in the #5 position, so they will be our opponent. They actually started as #7 on their team before working their way up. If we had played Team 4 without any challenge matches, Venezuela would have been our opponents at the #6 spot.
 
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ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 1: League Matchups

Team 1 vs. Team 9
1. Netherlands - Cote d'Ivoire
2. Senegal - Japan
3. Ireland - Ukraine
4. South Korea - Croatia
5. Bolivia - Colombia
6. Bulgaria - Angola
7. Congo DR - Uzbekistan
8. Rio de Janeiro - Estonia


Team 2 vs. Team 10
1. Morocco - England
2. Cameroon - Turkey
3. Mali - Guinea
4. Poland - Russia
5. Iran - Wales
6. Ecuador - Lithuania
7. Montenegro - Zambia
8. Israel - Canada


Team 3 vs. Team 11
1. Czech Republic - France
2. Georgia - United States
3. Romania - Panama
4. Denmark - South Africa
5. Martinique - Slovakia
6. China - Scotland
7. Sao Paulo - Albania
8. Suriname - Algeria


Team 4 vs. Team 12
1. Norway - Sweden
2. Germany - Spain
3. Jamaica - Paraguay
4. Togo - Peru
5. Serbia - Ghana
6. Venezuela - Switzerland
7. Iceland - Confederacy
8. Saudi Arabia - Latvia


Team 5 vs. Team 7
1. Argentina - Brazil
2. Portugal - Costa Rica
3. Chile - Mozambique
4. Trinidad & Tobago - Mexico
5. Slovenia - Hungary
6. New Zealand - Austria
7. Guadeloupe - Burkina Faso
8. Tunisia - Oman


Team 6 vs. Team 8
1. Uruguay - Nigeria
2. Australia - Italy
3. Egypt - Finland
4. Greece - Belgium
5. Bahrain - Bosnia-Herzegovina
6. Honduras - Cape Verde
7. Equatorial Guinea - Belarus
8. Northern Ireland - Curacao
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 1: Team 1 vs. Team 9

1. Netherlands vs. Cote d'Ivoire

Netherlands beat Senegal twice, 2-0 each time, to secure the top position on their team while Cote d'Ivoire had a more difficult task. They blew their top seed as they lost to Japan and then nearly dropped again after a tough game against Croatia that ended 2-2. Finally, the Ivorians defeated Japan 1-0 to grab the top spot back.

Netherlands and Cote d'Ivoire have a big WEFA rivalry since the sides have met in 4 different World Cups:

Netherlands 3 - 2 Cote d'Ivoire (World Cup I Quarterfinals)
Netherlands 3 - 2 Cote d'Ivoire (World Cup II Group Stage)
Netherlands 2 - 4 Cote d'Ivoire (World Cup IV Group Stage)
Netherlands 2 - 2 Cote d'Ivoire (World Cup VII Group Stage)

The Dutch have gotten the best of the Ivorians overall, and once again emerged victorious as Huntelaar scored a brace to lead the Oranje to victory. Boka managed to score for Ivory Coast.

Netherlands 2 - 1 Cote d'Ivoire [Huntelaar x2; Boka]


2. Senegal vs. Japan

Senegal maintained the #2 position for the duration of the first batch of challenge matches. Two draws against South Korea kept the team from dropping, but two losses to Netherlands prevented them from moving up. Japan started out stronger - they beat Colombia and then Cote d'Ivoire to capture the top spot, but then lost it in the rematch against Ivory Coast.

Senegal and Japan were both semifinalists in the very first WEFA World Cup, as both teams lost to France and Netherlands respectively, which meant that they had to play each other in the third place match. Japan won the bronze with a 2-0 victory.

This time around, Senegal got revenge thanks to a lone N'Daw goal. The 1 -0 victory is Senegal's first win of this competition, as they hadn't won any of their previous 4 challenge matches!

Senegal 1 - 0 Japan [N'Daw]


3. Ireland vs. Ukraine

The Irish slipped up in their first challenge match and lost to Bulgaria to drop down to #5 and then almost fell further as they only managed to hold off Congo DR with a 1-1 draw. Things quickly turned around for Ireland though, as they went on to beat Bulgaria in the rematch and then knocked off South Korea to climb to their current position for this match. Ukraine took a similar route, as they started at the #5 position and lost their first challenge match to Croatia. However, they would go on to beat Angola (to defend their position) and then beat Colombia to set up a rematch with Croatia. A huge 4-0 win pushed Ukraine up to the #3 spot and into this game.

These nations are no strangers in WEFA. They have met 4 times previously, in two different qualifying campaigns, World Cup VI and Euro Cup I. Ukraine qualified to the World Cup while Ireland finished last in the group and then the tables turned as Ireland qualified to the Euro Cup with Ukraine in the cellar. Ukraine does lead the series though:

Ukraine 2 - 0 Ireland (World Cup VI Qualifying)
Ireland 1 - 2 Ukraine (World Cup VI Qualifying)
Ukraine 1 - 0 Ireland (Euro Cup I Qualifying)
Ireland 1 - 0 Ukraine (Euro Cup I Qualifying)

For this matchup, Ukraine struck quick with goals from Shevchenko and Aliiev but Ireland found a way back and unlikely heroes O'Shea and Carsely helped avoid defeat. Neither team won, so Team 1 (Ireland's team) still lead the overall series for this league matchup with 2 wins to 0.

Ireland 2 - 2 Ukraine [O'Shea, Carsley; Shevchenko, Aliiev]


4. South Korea vs. Croatia

South Korea played to three straight draws in their opening challenge matches, two against Senegal and one against Bulgaria, to hold on to their #3 starting position. However, in the last match they fell 1-0 to Ireland and ended up having to play at the #4 spot. Croatia started out much stronger, having beaten Ukraine 2-0 and then Colombia 1-0 to put themselves in position to challenge for the #2 spot. They couldn't quite beat Cote d'Ivoire though, settling for a 2-2 draw which forced them to defend their position against Ukraine, whom they had already beaten. Things went horribly wrong as Ukraine won 4-0 and knocked Croatia down into this position.

Despite both teams having qualified to several World Cups, South Korea and Croatia have never met before in a WEFA competitive match. Most would think that Croatia would have the advantage, on paper at least, but it turned out to be South Korea's day as goals from Park Ji Sung and Park Chuyoung allowed the Koreans to stroll to victory, giving Team 1 a huge 3-0 advantage overall.

South Korea 2 - 0 Croatia [Park Ji Sung, Park Chuyoung]


5. Bolivia vs. Colombia

As we know, Bolivia has done exceptionally well in challenge matches so far. Two draws kick started a nice run wherein we managed to beat both Congo DR and then Bulgaria to claim this position on the team. The downside with climbing up your own team is that it increases the difficulty level of your league opponents. Rather than playing Angola or Uzbekistan, we get to play Colombia!

Colombia lost their opening challenge 2-1 to Japan, and then continued to slide, falling 0-1 to Croatia and then 0-1 to Ukraine before finally putting the brakes on with a 1-1 draw to Angola. Despite their disappointing performance, Colombia are still a very good team and would still be favored over us, especially considering our history, where they have never lost to us in a WEFA competition:

Colombia 1 - 1 Bolivia (World Cup VIII Qualifying)
Bolivia 1 - 3 Colombia (World Cup VIII Qualifying)
Bolivia 0 - 3 Colombia (Copa America I Quarterfinals)

As expected, Colombia were determined to turn their luck around and wanted to use us to do so. They came out applying a lot of pressure and we basically had to bunker down in order to hold them off. It was never our intention to park the bus, but since we just couldn't get the ball to go forward, we had to try to preserve the 0-0 scoreline.

It worked, because Colombia had 57% possession in the half and outshot us 6-1, including two major chances that just missed. In the 25th minute, Lampe had to make a diving save to keep out a free kick and then in the 40th minute Renteria sent in a dangerous cross that only just missed the target. Renteria was killing us on that wing all game and we were lucky his play didn't result in any goals.

We really struggled to get anything going in the second half, although we did finally manage to get a few shots off. None were dangerous enough to score though, and we had to take solace in our defensive performance, which was starting to wear their patience thin. The final whistle eventually came and, not knowing any of the other scores yet, we were proud that we at least didn't lose one for the team. We thought that maybe this might even make the difference, denying Colombia a victory. Turns out, the rest of our roster was doing exceptionally well and this game wouldn't have mattered even if we had lost 10-0, but it was nice to not have our name show up on the "losers" sheet.

Bolivia 0 - 0 Colombia


6. Bulgaria vs. Angola

Bulgaria defeated Ireland to start the season, but then slowly slipped into a tailspin. A draw to South Korea was followed up by a loss to Ireland and then Bolivia to end up in the #6 position. Angola started out in the #6 spot and never moved up or down. They held off Uzbekistan twice, with a draw and then a win, although failed to move up after losing to Ukraine and then being held to a draw by Colombia.

These nations have never played each other competitively before (and perhaps have never played at all), so it was anyone's guess as to who would come out on top. Berbatov emerged as the hero, scoring the only goal of the match and giving Bulgaria the win to put Team 1 in a decisive position with 4 wins from the top 6 games.

Bulgaria 1 - 0 Angola [Berbatov]


7. Congo DR vs. Uzbekistan

Congo DR ended up as the #7 after a pair of draws against Bolivia and Ireland before finally losing to Bolivia to fall. Another draw against Rio de Janeiro secured their spot for this week's league match. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan only had a chance to play two different opponents. They drew and then lost to Angola, but drew and then defeated Estonia to keep the spot that they started in.

These teams had never met either, and once again Team 1 proved to be too tough. Mbokani and Baseya both found the back of the net and Congo DR secured a nice victory.

Congo DR 2 - 0 Uzbekistan [Mbokani, Baseya]


8. Rio de Janeiro vs. Estonia

Both sides started as the #9 seeds on their team due to not having participated in any World Cup qualifying campaigns before. Rio promptly defeated Qatar 3-1 to move up, but were unable to advance further after being held to a draw by Bolivia. A second victory over Qatar secured a spot in league play, but another draw, this time against Congo DR, kept them in the #8 spot.

Estonia also won immediately, beating Thailand 3-0 and followed that up with draws against Uzbekistan and Thailand to earn a place on the league roster. A 2-1 loss to Uzbekistan forced them to settle for this position.

The lowest seeded matchup between these two unfamiliar opponents proved to be one of the most entertaining. Ronaldo scored a brace for Rio, but Oper and Klavan responded for Estonia and they settled for a 2-2 draw.

Rio de Janeiro 2 - 2 Estonia [Ronaldo x2; Oper, Klavan]





Team 1 vs. Team 9
1. Netherlands 2 - 1 Cote d'Ivoire
2. Senegal 1 - 0 Japan
3. Ireland 2 - 2 Ukraine
4. South Korea 2 - 0 Croatia
5. Bolivia 0 - 0 Colombia
6. Bulgaria 1 - 0 Angola
7. Congo DR 2 - 0 Uzbekistan
8. Rio de Janeiro 2 - 2 Estonia

Team 1 Wins: Netherlands (1), Senegal (2), South Korea (4), Bulgaria (6), Congo DR (7)
Team 9 Wins: None

Team 1 Wins 5-0
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 1: Team 2 vs. Team 10

1. Morocco vs. England

Both England and Morocco were drawn as the top seeds on their team and each successfully reached the first league match in that position, although Moroccans had a bit tougher time holding their spot. They lost their initial challenge match 2-0 to Cameroon and were then forced to play Mali while at risk of falling further. Morocco held Mali to a 1-1 draw to avoid slipping further and then reversed the score in the rematch, beating Cameroon 2-0 to reclaim the top spot.

England successfully defended their spot by holding Russia to a 1-1 draw and then defeated Turkey 2-0. Despite the fact that both teams have qualified to 7 WEFA World Cups apiece, Morocco and England have never played a competitive match against each other. The initial meeting did not go well for the North Africans. Emile Heskey struck twice and then Wayne Rooney added the finishing touch on an impressive 3-0 victory over the current African champions.

Morocco 0 - 3 England [Heskey x2, Rooney]


2. Cameroon vs. Turkey

Cameroon started out at #3 but quickly surged ahead, beating Mali 1-0 and then Morocco 2-0 to claim the top roster spot. Unfortunately, they couldn't hold it and fell back down to #2 after losing 2-0 to Morocco in the last match before league play. Turkey went the opposite direction to start out with, losing their #2 spot to Russia after a 3-1 defeat in the opening match. Turkey prevented further decline by overcoming Wales 2-1 and then fought their way back up to #2 by beating Russia 2-0. The top spot was just out of reach after a 2-0 defeat to England, leaving the Turks back where they started, at #2.

Just like the #1 matchup, both of these teams have qualified for many WEFA World Cups (6 for Turkey, 5 for Cameroon), but have never actually met in those competitions. Their first meeting turned out to be very competitive as Makoun and Tuncay Sanli each scored a goal to keep things level. Finally, Samuel Eto'o showed why he is considered one of Cameroon's greatest ever players, snatching the winning goal to get his team a much needed victory which cancel's out Morocco's loss.

Cameroon 2 - 1 Turkey [Makoun, Eto'o; Tuncay Sanli]


3. Mali vs. Guinea

Guinea has been probably the most surprising team in the entire tournament. Starting out at the #7 spot, they have somehow managed to win four games in a row to jump all the way up to #3. Having beaten Canada, Lithuania, Wales, and Russia on their way up, Guinea will be looking to continue their top form against rivals and neighbors Mali, who have been going the opposite direction. After losing to Cameroon in their opening match, Mali only managed to hold onto their new position at #3 with a string of draws against Poland, Morocco, and Poland again.

Unlike most of the matchups this week, there is quite a bit of history between these sides. They have met eight times spanning four different qualification campaigns. The results started out surprisingly even, as they each split 1-0 results in World Cup IV, and then drew both games in World Cup V. Mali took a slight edge in the series with a win and a draw in World Cup VII and then started to pull ahead by sweeping both games in World Cup VIII, including a huge 4-0 win in the latest competitive meeting. Basically, Guinea won the first ever meeting between these teams and has not won since.

Mali 0 - 1 Guinea (World Cup IV Qualifying)
Guinea 0 - 1 Mali (World Cup IV Qualifying)
Mali 1 - 1 Guinea (World Cup V Qualifying)
Guinea 1 - 1 Mali (World Cup V Qualifying)
Mali 1 - 0 Guinea (World Cup VII Qualifying)
Guinea 2 - 2 Mali (World Cup VII Qualifying)
Guinea 1 - 2 Mali (World Cup VIII Qualifying)
Mali 4 - 0 Guinea (World Cup VIII Qualifying)

Tactically, we weren't able to field a full strength side with Mansare in poor form. A. Keita had to drop back to take his spot and Is.Bangoura was added as a striker. Despite the changes, we created two good chances early on, but a bit too much dribbling saw the possessions end without much threat. Mali then went forward and found instant success. A string of difficult shots from M. Diallo, who hit the post, and then Kanouta, who forced a difficult save, eventually found a way through as M. Diallo slotted in the opening goal just 8 minutes into the match.

Guinea regrouped and channeled their challenge match luck. Ten minutes later the equalizer flew in as M. Bah struck a perfect shot from distance to beat the keeper. Following this were a string of close calls. Kanoute just missed the target with an open header and then later in the half Guinea's bid for taking the lead was denied by the post. The Guineans had felt they played well enough to deserve the scoreline, but the statistics showed otherwise. Mali had held 57% possession and had outshot Guinea 9-3!

None of that seemed to matter though, because Guinea somehow always pulls out a win. That must have been Mali's collective thought when their attack was snuffed out and Guinea rushed forward on the counter attack. A. Keita picked out K. Cisse and the striker got his shot off just before A. Coulibaly could interfere. It was a great strike that beat the keeper once again, and now Guinea had the lead!

It was on the verge of getting out of hand when K. Cisse forced a turnover and nearly scored again just a few minutes later, but he couldn't get this one past the keeper. Shortly after, a failed clearance inside the Malian box and the Eagles were lucky to not fall further behind during the chaos over the loose ball in the area. Guinea were feeling pretty confident at this point.

However, Mali had withstood the storm. All it takes to swing a match is one moment of brilliance, and that moment came in the 80th minute when Keita's free kick bent over the wall and dipped right into the goal for a stunning equalizer! Just as Guinea were trying to pick up the pieces, the game restarted and a careless pass saw Mali regain possession. Immediately Kanoute made a run forward and lost his marker, A. Camara. After breaking free, he received an easy pass and skillfully rounded the keeper to break Guinea hearts and put Mali in front. Guinea had lead 2-1 in the 79th minute and were now trailing 3-2 in the 81st minute!

It was an unbelievable ending, a stunning one for us. We couldn't believe they had stolen the victory like that. It was even more shocking when looking at the final stats. We had cut Mali's possession down to 51% (meaning that we had most of the 2nd half possession) and we ended the match having outshot Mali 17-12. Shots were 3-9 at half time, so basically we had completely reversed that and had outshot them 14-3 in the second half, yet two of their shots were goals and that's what decided the match!

The worst part is that this was a very close league meet, and this game cost our team dearly! Uggggh!

Mali 3 - 2 Guinea [A. Diallo, Keita, Kanoute; M. Bah, K. Cisse]


4. Poland vs. Russia

When the roster was drawn, it seemed clear that the top 3 were heavy favorites to stay in the top 3 and many expected they would spend the tournament fighting amongst each other for that coveted #1 spot. This seemed to be the case early, as Russia battled their way up to #2 with a 3-1 victory over Turkey, but they just couldn't quite dethrone England, settling for a 1-1 draw in their bid for the top spot. A 2-0 defeat to Turkey set them back to #3, but then things went terribly wrong in a 3-1 loss to Guinea that dropped them all the way down to this position.

Russia will face Poland, who opened their campaign with a 3-2 victory to jump Iran, but then settled for a string of three straight draws, two against Mali and one against Iran, to maintain their spot at #4. These sides have also never met before in competitive play, which is surprising to see two teams from the same continent never be drawn into the same qualifying group over the course of 10 different tournaments (9 World Cups and a Euro Cup).

The match was not a very memorable affair though. One lone goal from Pavlyuchenko proved to be the difference maker as Russia won 1-0 to make up for Guinea's harsh defeat and tie the league match back up at 2 games apiece.

Poland 0 - 1 Russia [Pavlyuchenko]


5. Iran vs. Wales

Iran only ended up playing two opponents in their four challenge matches this week. A loss and draw against Poland, along with a win and draw against Ecuador basically cemented Iran's spot at #5 in between those teams. Wales started at the #5 spot but didn't stay long. A 3-0 victory over Lithuania brought them up to #4 but a 2-1 loss to Turkey put a halt on their climb. A defeat to Guinea dropped the Welsh back to #5 and they were able to hold the position thanks to a 1-1 draw against Lithuania.

Unsurprisingly, these sides have never met before in a competitive match. However, what was surprising was what happened in the match. Wales looked very impressive, running out 3-1 winners thanks to goals from Simon Davies, Bale, and Ledley. A single goal from Shojaei was the only bright spot for Iran. This result gives Team 10 a narrow 3-2 lead in the matchup (and if Guinea had won it would be a near insurmountable 4-1 lead!).

Iran 1 - 3 Wales [Shojaei; Simon Davies, Bale, Ledley]


6. Ecuador vs. Lithuania

Ecuador held off Israel twice, 2-1 and 1-1, but just couldn't get through Iran, losing 1-0 and drawing 1-1, as they wound up staying at #6 throughout the first batch of challenges. Lithuania didn't have as much stability, falling from #4 to #6 after just two games with losses to Wales and Guinea. A 2-1 victory over Canada helped stop the free fall, but a draw against Wales kept them from moving back up.

These sides have never met competitively either, as Ecuador have rarely qualified to tournaments and Lithuania are a fairly new team anyways. It doesn't seem like the Baltic nation will want a rematch any time soon, as C. Benitez scored a brace and then G. Espinoza capped off the resounding 3-0 victory to tie the league meet up at 3 wins per team!

Ecuador 3 - 0 Lithuania [C. Benitez x2, G. Espinoza]


7. Montenegro vs. Zambia

Montenegro defeated North Korea in their opening match to climb out of the #9 spot, but then were held to a draw by Israel to force them to play an "elimination" match against North Korea again to decide which team would have to sit out this week's league match. Montenegro held on to a 0-0 draw to secure their spot on the roster, but then defeated Israel 2-0 in the final game to move up to #7 for this meet up.

Zambia also started at the #9 position, due to being one of the newest teams in the game. A 2-0 win over Iraq was followed up with a 0-2 loss to Canada, which put them in the same position as Montenegro, needing to avoid defeat in order to play in the league match. A nervy 1-1 draw against Iraq secured that position, and then just like their Montenegrin opponents, Zambia defeated the #7 team, Canada, to move up.

These sides have never met before, and had such similar progression that it was little surprise to see them finish level with one goal apiece. Vucinic got the goal for Montenegro while Mulenga was Zambia's scorer.

Montenegro 1 - 1 Zambia [Vucinic; Mulenga]


8. Israel vs. Canada

Israel struggled to hold their #7 starting position. An initial loss to Ecuador set back their ambitions of moving up, and then a close call against Montenegro barely allowed the Israelis to avoid playing in the dreaded elimination game. However, they still failed to beat Ecuador, so they had to play Montenegro one more time and this time Montenegro won 2-0 to knock Israel down to the #8 spot. Similarly, Canada lost to Guinea in their opening game, however they then managed to beat Zambia to stave off the elimination match. A failed attempt to oust Lithuania forced a rematch with Zambia, and the Africans won to overtake Canada.

These sides have never met before either, mostly because Israel has never qualified to a World Cup and therefore has never played another team from another continent. Had Guinea beaten Mali, Team 10 would have already won, but instead it came down to the winner of this game deciding the league match.

Canada and Israel traded shots. Ben Dayan and Kial scored for Israel, while Gerba and Will Johnson scored for Canada, and the match ended indecisive, meaning the entire league match would end in a draw. This was particularly heart breaking for Guinea, who had blown their lead so late in the match. Even if they had held on for a draw, Team 10 would have won the league match. Instead, no one wins, and both teams will be behind the 8-ball as far as chasing the teams who did record victories this week.

Israel 2 - 2 Canada [Ben Dayan, Kial; Gerba, Will Johnson]





Team 2 vs. Team 10
1. Morocco 0 - 3 England [Heskey x2, Rooney]
2. Cameroon 2 - 1 Turkey [Makoun, Eto'o; Tuncay Sanli]
3. Mali 3 - 2 Guinea [A. Diallo, Keita, Kanoute; M. Bah, K. Cisse]
4. Poland 0 - 1 Russia [Pavlyuchenko]
5. Iran 1 - 3 Wales [Shojaei; Simon Davies, Bale, Ledley]
6. Ecuador 3 - 0 Lithuania [C. Benitez x2, G. Espinoza]
7. Montenegro 1 - 1 Zambia [Vucinic; Mulenga]
8. Israel 2 - 2 Canada [Ben Dayan, Kial; Gerba, Will Johnson]

Team 2 Wins: Cameroon (2), Mali (3), Ecuador (6)
Team 10 Wins: England (1), Russia (4), Wales (5)

Teams Draw 3-3
 
Last edited:

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 1: Team 3 vs. Team 11

1. Czech Republic vs. France

No one expected to see the Czech Republic sitting at the top of Team 3 so early, but the Czechs have earned their spot with an unblemished campaign so far. Victories over Romania and Georgia allowed them to claim the top spot, and then another victory over Georgia secured the position. France started at the top spot on their team and have successfully defended against two challengers so far. With a victory over South Africa and a draw against United States, the French will represent Team 11 as #1.

These two have only faced off in one qualification campaign before. During World Cup VII, the Czechs beat France 1-0 and then played to a 2-2 draw during qualifying. However, due to other group results, France actually ended up qualifying while Czech Republic did not, and France went all the way to the semifinals before finishing fourth place in the tournament.

Czech Republic 1 - 0 France (World Cup VII Qualifying)
France 2 - 2 Czech Republic (World Cup VII Qualifying)

The Czechs still held the edge head to head, and they proved their previous victory was no fluke. Fenin scored in the league meet as the Czechs held on to knock off France by a 1-0 scoreline yet again.

Czech Republic 1 - 0 France [Fenin]


2. Georgia vs. United States

Georgia lost the top spot to the Czechs but at least they were able to defeat Denmark to stay among the top 2 despite another loss to Czech Republic right before this week's league meet. United States also started out slowly, losing to South Africa in their first challenge match. The Americans recovered to beat Panama and then beat South Africa in the rematch to reclaim position #2. Team USA was oh so close to dethroning France, but a 1-1 draw forced them to settle for their current position.

Georgia and United States actually do have a history against each other in WEFA. The sides both had an incredible tournament during World Cup IV and ended up meeting in the championship match! Georgia won 2-0 to win their second World Cup championship and neither side has made it back to the title game since then.

Georgia 2 - 0 United States (World Cup IV Championship)

For today's game, the Americans were hoping to get revenge, but wound up conceding two goals yet again. Relative newcomers to the team Kvirkvelia and Martsvaladze both made their mark by scoring goals. Meanwhile, long forgotten in real life, Charlie Davies is still a phenom in the WEFA universe (where he never had a career devastating injury) and he helped the United States avoid defeat by scoring a brace to end the match in a 2-2 draw.

Georgia 2 - 2 United States [Kvirkvelia, Martsvaladze; C. Davies x2]


3. Romania vs. Panama

Romania suffered a pair of shock defeats to both Czech Republic and Denmark to fall all the way down to #4 at the start of their tournament. Disaster almost struck in the next match against China, but thankfully a late goal saved the day to give the Romanians a 1-1 draw and avoid falling further. That may have turned things around completely, because Romania defeated Denmark 3-0 to climb back up to #3 for this league matchup.

Panama, on the other hand, spent more of their time defending their #4 position. A 0-0 draw against Scotland gave the side a chance to move up, but they lost their bid to upset the United States, 1-0. A victory by that same score over challengers Slovakia secured their position at #4, but then a surprising 2-1 win over South Africa allowed them to jump up to #3.

So both sides were on their way up heading into this game, but Romania was clearly rising faster. Goals from four different players, Mutu, Ghioane, Rat, and Codrea, helped bury the Panamanians who only managed one goal through L. Moreno.

Romania 4 - 1 Panama [Mutu, Ghioane, Rat, Codrea; L. Moreno]


4. Denmark vs. South Africa

Denmark rose quickly but then fell just as fast in their challenge games, winding up right back where they started, at #4. The Danes beat China and Romania but then lost consecutive games to Georgia and Romania during this week's matches. South Africa started their slide even early. After beating the United States in the first game, South Africa lost three straight matches, against France, United States, and then Panama to arrive as the #4 position on their team.

A lone meeting during the sixth World Cup's group stage is all the history that these sides have with each other. Denmark won that game with a single goal and that helped them advance to the knockout round while Bafana Bafana were eliminated from the group stage.

Denmark 1 - 0 South Africa (World Cup VI Group Stage)

This time around Denmark one-upped themselves, scoring twice as many goals thanks to strikes from Kahlenberg and Larsen. This win gives Team 3 a commanding lead in the league match, up 3-0 after the top half of games has been played!

Denmark 2 - 0 South Africa [Kahlenberg, Larsen]


5. Martinique vs. Slovakia

Martinique defeated Suriname, drew China, defeated Suriname again, and then finally beat China to jump all the way from #7 to #5 this week. Slovakia first had to defend their position, holding Algeria to a 2-2 draw, but then defeated Scotland to jump up to the 5th spot. A loss to Panama prevented the team from moving any higher, but a 1-1 draw against Scotland secured the position for this week.

These sides have never met in competitive play before, and it was clear that Slovakia had underestimated Martinique. Zebina scored to give the Caribbean side a shocking victory which has also clinched the league result for Team 3, leading 4-0 with only 3 games remaining!

Martinique 1 - 0 Slovakia [Zebina]


6. China vs. Scotland

China lost their initial challenge against Denmark and then fought very hard to avoid dropping. They managed to fend off Martinique at first, and then were oh so close to jumping over Romania but instead settled for a 1-1 draw. Fate finally caught up with the Chinese though, as they lost 2-0 to Martinique to fall to the #6 position. Scotland took a similar path, as they failed to move up due to a 0-0 draw with Panama, they then lost their position by losing to Slovakia. A big 2-1 win over Algeria prevented further falling, but they just couldn't quite regain their spot after a 1-1 draw with Slovakia.

In another matchup of unfamiliar opponents, Scotland finally gave Team 11 something positive. Naysmith put the side ahead early and then McCormack cemented the victory to give Team 11 its first individual win during league play.

China 0 - 2 Scotland [Naysmith, McCormack]


7. Sao Paulo vs. Albania

Sao Paulo started at #9 only because they are brand new, but they made it quite clear that they intend to move up quickly by defeating Congo 3-0 in their first challenge match. The path up took a detour after being held to a 1-1 draw by Suriname, but the Paulistas hammered out another big win over Congo, 3-1, in the elimination match, to ensure they would take part in league play. In a rematch with Suriname, Sao Paulo found the one goal they were missing last time and picked up a 2-1 win to jump the former Dutch colony.

Albania also started out as #9 due to being fairly new. They also won their opening game 3-0, crushing Kuwait. Just like Sao Paulo, Albania hit a snag in their second game and couldn't score against Algeria, settling for a 0-0 draw. They then beat Kuwait again and finally managed to get past Algeria with a 1-0 win.

Obviously these sides have never met before, and perhaps it should have been expected that with such similar results there would not be much to separate them. This turned out to be the case as each side scored two goals apiece and the match ended all square at 2-2.

Sao Paulo 2 - 2 Albania [Neymar, Cleyton; Lala, Cana]


8. Suriname vs. Algeria

Suriname started out as the 6 seed on their team, but promptly lost to Martinique in their first match. They desperately held on to a 1-1 draw against Sao Paulo to avoid falling further, but then lost again to Martinique to lose any hope of reclaiming their starting position. Sao Paulo came beckoning again, and this time Suriname was not able to hold them off, losing 2-1 and falling to the #8 position.

Algeria were close to going up in their first challenge match, but couldn't best Slovakia in a game that ended 2-2. Algeria weren't worried though, because they held off Albania's first challenge to earn another shot at moving up. The next opponent was Scotland, and this is where things started to go wrong. Algeria were frustrated by the Scots and surprisingly lost 2-1, which perhaps sent them into a tailspin because they lost the next game to Albania to drop to the lowest league-eligible position.

Algeria's down-slide continued as they gave up a goal to George and wound up losing 1-0 for their third straight defeat.

Suriname 1 - 0 Algeria [George]





Team 3 vs. Team 11
1. Czech Republic 1 - 0 France
2. Georgia 2 - 2 United States
3. Romania 4 - 1 Panama
4. Denmark 2 - 0 South Africa
5. Martinique 1 - 0 Slovakia
6. China 0 - 2 Scotland
7. Sao Paulo 2 - 2 Albania
8. Suriname 1 - 0 Algeria

Team 3 Wins: Czech Republic (1), Romania (3), Denmark (4), Martinique (5), Suriname (8)
Team 11 Wins: Scotland (6)

Team 3 Wins 5-1
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 1: Team 4 vs. Team 12

1. Norway vs. Sweden

Norway were drawn into the top spot, earning a high seed due to having won the 5th and 6th World Cups, back-to-back. They successfully defended their position against Germany twice, winning 3-2 and then drawing 1-1. Sweden started as the #2 side on their roster and promptly defeated Paraguay 2-1 but lost their initial bid to dethrone Spain, 1-3. A 1-0 win over Paraguay secured a rematch and then Sweden stole the top spot with a shocking 2-1 upset.

Sharing one of the longest borders in the world, Norway and Sweden know each other well and have certainly met before in competitive play. In fact, they faced off trying to qualify for the very first World Cup, and Norway won that match 2-0. The neighbors were drawn into the same group once again for World Cup V in which Norway had their best ever performance, a perfect 15-0-0 campaign throughout the entire tournament, which included two wins over Sweden during qualifying, 2-0 and 2-1.

Norway 2 - 0 Sweden (World Cup I Qualifying)
Norway 2 - 0 Sweden (World Cup V Qualifying)
Sweden 1 - 2 Norway (World Cup V Qualifying)

But that was a long time ago, and Sweden have gotten better while Norway have failed to replace some of their former stars. That's not to say that Norway are no longer formidable opponents, obviously they are after defeating Germany twice in challenge matches, but the spark just isn't there sometimes, and today was one of those moments. Ibrahimovic, on the other hand, is a legitimate star and one moment of brilliance from him secured the victory for Sweden.

Norway had created chances, but just couldn't find the finishing touch. The Norwegians had outshot Sweden 11-7 overall and had even held the Swedes to 0 shots on target in the second half, but just could not score an equalizer. The best chance of the match came when Nevland tried a ridiculous bicycle kick that sent the ball sailing into the upper deck. A sad performance after having fought so hard against Germany to keep this position.

Norway 0 - 1 Sweden [Ibrahimovic]


2. Germany vs. Spain

Many would have expected this to be the top matchup of the league meet, but both powerhouses Germany and Spain fell to their Nordic opponents and ended up here instead. Germany's spot in the top 2 was never in question after a resounding 4-1 win over 3rd seed Jamaica. A defeat to Norway forced Germany to beat Jamaica yet again, this time 2-1, before getting one last shot before the league game. Norway played with a man down and from behind for most of the match, but managed to find a vital equalizer to deny Germany the top spot.

Spain had started out as #1 due to having recently won both the Euro Cup and Confederations Cup, and seemed a lock to hold that position after beating Sweden 3-1 in their initial challenge. However, when the Swedes came calling again, Spain fell 1-2 and were forced to settle for the #2 position this week. So they will meet Germany, whom they beat twice in qualifying for World Cup VII, although both teams ended up making it through that stage.

Germany 2 - 3 Spain (World Cup VII Qualifying)
Spain 1 - 0 Germany (World Cup VII Qualifying)

Spain were looking to defeat the Germans yet again and give Team 12 an early lead in the league meet. Villa scored to put the Spanish ahead, but Germany clawed back and Podolski's goal forced parity which held until the final whistle.

Germany 1 - 1 Spain [Podolski; Villa]


3. Jamaica vs. Paraguay

Jamaica went winless against their teammates but still managed to hold the #3 position this week. Two losses to Germany along with two draws against Togo kept the Reggae Boyz in a top position. Paraguay also never moved from their initial spot, losing to Sweden, drawing against Switzerland, losing to Sweden again, and then beating Peru.

Somewhat surprisingly, these sides actually have met before in a World Cup. Both qualified to World Cup III and were drawn into Group B together. Jamaica won the game 1-0 but Paraguay ended up advancing out of the group (with Norway).

Jamaica 1 - 0 Paraguay (World Cup III Group Stage)

This meeting was even less interesting, as neither side was able to find a path through the defense. No goals were scored over 90 minutes and the referee finally had mercy on the crowd and ended the match.

Jamaica 0 - 0 Paraguay


4. Togo vs. Peru

Togo was not beaten in any challenge match, although they did not move from their #4 spot during the week. After holding off Saudi Arabia with a 1-1 draw, Togo drew 0-0 with Jamaica. A follow up 1-0 victory over Serbia ensured they would be no lower than 4th heading into the league match, but they were unable to climb higher, settling for yet another draw against Jamaica.

Peru, on the other hand, dropped immediately, losing 2-0 to Switzerland to fall to #5 early. A 2-1 win over Latvia gave them a shot to reclaim their starting position, and they managed to do that with a 1-0 win over the Swiss. A loss to Paraguay meant that they also ended up where they had started, although it took more work to get there.

Unsurprisingly, these two who have qualified to few World Cups have never met in competitive play before. And Togo retained their unbeaten run, with an A+ performance on the backs of Adebayor and Amewou goals, giving Team 4 their first win of the league meet, and making it 1-1 overall.

Togo 2 - 0 Peru [Adebayor, Amewou]


5. Serbia vs. Ghana

Serbia started very fast, beating Iceland and Saudi Arabia by 3-0 scorelines to jump up from #7 to #5 after just two challenge matches. The climb was halted with a 1-0 defeat to Togo, and then the Serbs nearly slipped back down, only just holding off Venezuela with a 2-2 draw.

It was the opposite approach for Ghana, who shockingly lost their opening game 2-1 to Latvia! Despite blowing a 2 goal lead, they held off falling further thanks to a 2-2 draw against the Confederates. Things started to look better with a 2-0 win in the rematch against Latvia and then a 2-0 win over Switzerland saw Ghana wind up in this position for the league meet.

So both teams looked to be heading in opposite directions, with Ghana having won 2 in a row and Serbia without a win in their last two games. Since these sides had never met before, there was no history to guess what might happen, but based on recent form, Ghana were favorites.

That was a safe bet. Ghana were eager to prove themselves and went after the Serbs early and often. It was only the 16th minute of the match when Tagoe got through on a breakaway and chipped the keeper. His shot actually hit the post, but no defender had caught up with him yet, so he got his own rebound and got it right on the second try to give Ghana the early lead.

The lead was protected well, and eventually Ghana got forward to double up right before half time. Dramani and Boateng played a nice give and go together to get Dramani free inside the box. His shot was saved but spilled, and he was quick to get the rebound. With the keeper still in the way, he quickly spotted Gyan Asamoah arriving in the area and played a nice pass off to him for an easy finish. It was 2-0 at half time, which seemed generous since Ghana barely had the advantage of shots taken, just 5-3.

The game really opened up in the second half though. A turnover in the midfield allowed Ghana to counter attack, and the ball over the top picked out Tagoe perfectly, and he extended the lead to 3-0. The Serbs crumbled after this, and it took only four minutes before Essien's shot from distance forced a corner kick which was headed in by Gyan Asamoah.

Serbia tried to get back into the match, and found a goal with a nice ball to Kacar who caught the keeper off his line and scored. However, Gyan Asamoah turned the attention back to his side just a few minutes later, blasting a shot from outside of the box that roared past the keeper. His hattrick goal had bumped the scoreline up to 5-1! Not to be outdone, Tagoe headed in a cross from Appiah in the 85th minute to complete his hattrick! He almost scored a fourth goal in stoppage time, which would have really been salt in the wound, and would have if not for a spectacular save from the Serbian custodian. The Ghanians had just stretched Serbia too far in the second half and the shot count really proved how dominant they were, going from 5-3 at half time to 17-6 by the final whistle! More importantly, Team 12 were back in the lead overall, up 2-1 now.

Serbia 1 - 6 Ghana [Kacar; Tagoe x3, Gyan Asamoah x3]


6. Venezuela vs. Switzerland

Venezuela were big climbers during the week, winning three games in a row to jump from #8 to #6 on the team, beating Gabon, Iceland, and Saudi Arabia en route. Serbia probably wishes they had also fallen to Venezuela so that they wouldn't have had to play Ghana, but that was where the climb ended for the South Americans, due to a 2-2 draw.

Switzerland jockeyed with Peru for the #4 position, beating the Peruvians 2-0 in the first match before losing 1-0 in the decisive rematch. A draw with Paraguay in between had prevented the Swiss from going even high, but then they wound up falling to #6 after also losing to Ghana.

However, despite Venezuela heading up and Switzerland seemingly on their way down, the Swiss were actually the team who controlled this matchup. Venezuela had scored 10 goals in four games while Switzerland had only scored 3, but form was turned on its head by these unfamiliar rivals. Frei and Huggel each scored while a clean sheet was kept to put Team 12 in a very advantageous position, leading 3-1 with just two games remaining thanks to a big 2-0 victory by the Swiss.

Venezuela 0 - 2 Switzerland [Frei, Huggel]


7. Iceland vs. Confederacy

A 3-0 loss to Serbia and then a 4-1 loss to Venezuela saw Iceland in danger, having to play in the elimination match this week. They managed to turn things around and defeat Gabon 1-0, and then managed to take out Saudi Arabia 2-1 to find themselves at the #7 position this week.

The Confederates started in the cellar on their roster, but quickly climbed out with a 2-0 win over El Salvador. A 2-2 draw against Ghana forced them to also play in the elimination match, but the stars and bars squad was able to beat El Salvador yet again. By now Ghana had moved up, so the next opponent was Latvia, which the Confederates were able to beat 2-1 to reach this position.

Iceland needed to win in order to keep Team 4 from suffering defeat, but they weren't up to the task. After a dreary scoreless draw, both sides settled for a 0-0 scoreline which clinched victory for Team 12 in this league meet.

Iceland 0 - 0 Confederacy


8. Saudi Arabia vs. Latvia

Saudi Arabia started out as the #5 seed on the roster but wound up all the way down at the 8 spot after a string of defeats. Their initial bid to jump Togo went down to the wire, a 1-1 draw. It was all downhill after that, literally. A 3-0 loss to Serbia, a 2-1 loss to Venezuela, and then a 2-1 loss to Iceland saw the Saudis fall all the way to #8.

Latvia had only started at #7 so it wasn't as surprising to see them wind up here, although they did have a few surprises along the way; the biggest of which was upsetting Ghana 2-1 in the opening challenge match. A loss to Peru put a halt on further expansion, and then Ghana got revenge, 2-0, to reclaim their spot. Latvia then lost 2-1 to the Confederate States to wind up as the 8th team.

These sides had never met before, and the league match had already been decided in Team 12's favor, so both teams played with little pressure and went out to score goals. They managed to do that, Rudnev and Zemlinskis found the back of the net for Latvia while Yasser scored a brace. It ended all square at 2-2, an entertaining game despite having very little at stake.

Saudi Arabia 2 - 2 Latvia [Yasser x2; Rudnev, Zemlinskis]





Team 4 vs. Team 12
1. Norway 0 - 1 Sweden
2. Germany 1 - 1 Spain
3. Jamaica 0 - 0 Paraguay
4. Togo 2 - 0 Peru
5. Serbia 1 - 6 Ghana
6. Venezuela 0 - 2 Switzerland
7. Iceland 0 - 0 Confederacy
8. Saudi Arabia 2 - 2 Latvia

Team 4 Wins: Togo (4)
Team 12 Wins: Sweden (1), Ghana (5), Switzerland (6)

Team 12 Wins 3-1
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 1: Team 5 vs. Team 7

1. Argentina vs. Brazil

Brazil were steady top seeds, defending their position twice against challengers Costa Rica. Meanwhile Argentina initially lost the top spot to Portugal, but they defeated Chile and then won big in the rematch, 3-0, to reclaim the #1 spot on the team.

CONMEBOL's giants were usually seeded together and thus typically avoided each other in qualifying. It wasn't until World Cup VII that these neighbors finally faced off in qualifying. All that came out of those meetings were a pair of 2-2 draws, and both teams qualified to the World Cup where Argentina would go on to finish as runners up while Brazil were knocked out in the round of sixteen. That is the only time they have met in qualifying, but in World Cup VIII they both reached the semifinals! Argentina pulled off a 2-1 victory which they capitalized on by winning the next match to become World Cup champions, and Brazil settled for bronze. Unsurprisingly, the two met for the championship of the first (and so far, only) Copa America where Brazil got revenge and won 1-0.

Brazil 2 - 2 Argentina (World Cup VII Qualifying)
Argentina 2 - 2 Brazil (World Cup VII Qualifying)
Brazil 1 - 2 Argentina (World Cup VIII Semifinals)
Brazil 1 - 0 Argentina (Copa America I Championship)

So the series has been pretty even up until now, but Brazil has gone through a big roster change recently. The states of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have decided to field their own "national teams" and Brazil has lost all of its players from those areas. That might seem like a big blow, but in fact it appears to have helped them. The new call ups to replace the lost players have proven to extremely formidable and that was shown in this meeting when Mert Nobre from Mato Grosso do Sul, who otherwise wouldn't even be on the Brazilian roster, scored a hattrick to secure the big win over their fierce rivals.

Argentina 0 - 3 Brazil [Mert Nobre x3]


2. Portugal vs. Costa Rica

Portugal played to a 1-1 draw against Chile to start the campaign and then stole the top spot after beating Argentina 2-1. Unfortunately, they weren't able to defend their position, falling 0-3 to the Argentines in their last match. Costa Rica were never able to oust Brazil, losing twice to the top seed, but they were able to hold off their CONCACAF rivals Mexico on two occasions to avoid dropping.

These nations have a surprising history, having met twice and with Costa Rica winning both of those meetings. In World Cup II, Costa Rica stunned Portugal and knocked them out in the quarterfinals, which enabled Costa Rica to finish fourth place overall. Later, in World Cup VI, they met in the group stage where Costa Rica won 1-0 yet again, and they advanced while Portugal did not.

Costa Rica 1 - 0 Portugal (World Cup II Quarterfinals)
Costa Rica 1 - 0 Portugal (World Cup VI Group Stage)

It looked to be heading for another 1-0 result as Bryan Ruiz put Costa Rica ahead, but this time Portugal was able to find an equalizer and got long awaited revenge as H. Almeida and Paulo Ferreira scored for the satisfying 2-1 victory.

Portugal 2 - 1 Costa Rica [H. Almeida, Paulo Ferreira; Bryan Ruiz]


3. Chile vs. Mozambique

Chile held firm at #3 for the duration of the week. Draws against Portugal and Slovenia were followed by a loss to Argentina and then another draw against Trinidad & Tobago meant that the Chileans finished without a win. That was in stark contrast to Mozambique who did nothing but win, marching all the way up from #6 to #3, defeating Burkina Faso, Austria, Hungary, and Mexico along the way.

Chile was able to drag the star-studded Mozambique squad down to their style though. Matateu Lucas got his obligatory goal, but Tello pulled Chile level and that is where they stayed, riding out their 4th draw in 5 games to deny Mozambique a victory for the first time this tournament.

Chile 1 - 1 Mozambique [Tello; Matateu Lucas]


4. Trinidad & Tobago vs. Mexico

Trinidad & Tobago enter the league match at a surprising #4 seed. They held off Guadeloupe with a draw and then battled their way upwards with a 2-0 win over Tunisia and then a 1-0 win over Slovenia. A draw against Chile was probably fair, and it prevented the islanders from having to play Mozambique. Instead, they get Mexico who, aside from a 5-0 thumping of Hungary, have looked absolutely dreadful. Two losses to Costa Rica and an embarrassing 0-4 defeat to Mozambique have Mexico down to #4 this week.

You might think Mexico would be thrilled to line up across from a very familiar foe such as Trinidad & Tobago, but CONCACAF opposition has not been very kind to Mexico. Besides the two losses to Costa Rica already, Mexico does not have a very good track record against the Soca Warriors. They have met in qualifying in four different World Cups where Trinidad & Tobago holds the edge 3 wins to 2, with 4 draws. Mexico did defeat T&T 3-0 in the group stage of the Gold Cup though.

Mexico 0 - 0 Trinidad & Tobago (World Cup III Qualifying)
Trinidad & Tobago 1 - 0 Mexico (World Cup III Qualifying)
Trinidad & Tobago 1 - 0 Mexico (World Cup IV Qualifying)
Mexico 2 - 2 Trinidad & Tobago (World Cup IV Qualifying)
Mexico 1 - 1 Trinidad & Tobago (World Cup VIII Qualifying)
Trinidad & Tobago 1 - 2 Mexico (World Cup VIII Qualifying)
Mexico 3 - 0 Trinidad & Tobago (Gold Cup I Group Stage)
Mexico 1 - 2 Trinidad & Tobago (World Cup IX Qualifying)
Trinidad & Tobago 1 - 1 Mexico (World Cup IX Qualifying)

All of that is in the past though, and Mexico were determined to plug their sinking ship. Going back to the formation which had haunted Hungary, Mexico found success going forward against Trinidad. A. Guardado broke through the middle and nearly scored in just the 2nd minute of the match, but Hislop came up with a great save.

That was just a sign of things to come, and Mexico kept pushing forward. The payday came in the 17th minute just after C. Vela's nice attempt was cleared for a throw in. When the ball came back into play, it was crossed into the box right to Chicharito. He got on the end of the cross and powerfully directed the ball into the net to give Mexico their first lead since the Hungary game.

Little happened for the rest of the half, and Mexico were quite content to head into the break with the lead. As the game wore on, Trinidad & Tobago started to wear out, and El Tri found more space going forward. Chances went begging until finally C. Vela headed in a cross to double the lead and effectively put the game out of reach. Mexico held on for the remaining 15 minutes to secure the 2-0 victory and put Team 7 back in front of this league meet, up 2-1 now.

Trinidad & Tobago 0 - 2 Mexico [Chicharito, C. Vela]


5. Slovenia vs. Hungary

Slovenia started out at #5 and quickly moved up after defeating Tunisia in their opening game. A 0-0 draw with Chile forced them to defend their position, which they failed to do, losing 1-0 to Trinidad & Tobago. A 1-0 win over New Zealand stop the team from dropping further. Meanwhile, Hungary's excitement about their 2-0 win over Austria was quickly subdued when they lost 5-0 to Mexico. A 2-3 defeat to Mozambique saw Hungary fall even further, but they achieved a 1-1 draw to keep Austria behind them at least.

These two met during qualification for World Cup V. Both won their home games, splitting the series. Hungary ended up winning one more game than Slovenia did against other group opposition and ended up qualifying to the World Cup from the group's runner up position with 10 points while Slovenia finished in last place (5th) with 7 points - a very close and competitive group!

Hungary 2 - 0 Slovenia (World Cup V Qualifying)
Slovenia 1 - 0 Hungary (World Cup V Qualifying)

Both teams had won by shutting out their opponent and this matchup was another shutout victory. This time it went to Hungary as Torghelle scored the lone goal to give Team 7 a commanding 3-1 lead in the league meet.

Slovenia 0 - 1 Hungary [Torghelle]


6. New Zealand vs. Austria

New Zealand had a nice run of successful challenge matches, overcoming Indonesia, Guadeloupe, and then Tunisia to jump up to the #6 spot. A loss to Slovenia has halted advancement for now, but it's a nice position to be in for a team as lowly seeded as the Kiwis. Meanwhile Austria have fallen from an initial starting position of #4 after losing to both Hungary and Mozambique in their first two games. A pair of draws against Burkina Faso and Hungary have prevented any further movement.

It was a very fast start for New Zealand, with Smeltz hitting the post and Fallon forcing a tough save, both inside 3 minutes. In fact, the All Whites completely dominate the game for the first eight minutes... and then Austria scored on their first half chance of the match; Okotie somehow scored despite being the only attacking player in the box with 5 New Zealand defenders nearby!

Rather than wilt, the Kiwis hit back quickly. Smeltz finally got a shot on target and scored the equalizer in the 16th minute, just 7 minutes after Okotie had scored for Austria. This helped relieve the pressure of playing from behind and allowed New Zealand to play their own style. That paid off when Bertos scored from an audacious shot from distance that bent right over the outstretched keeper and yet dipped right back down into the net, right on the half hour mark!

A lead going into half time would be nice, but a 2-goal lead would be nicer. Smeltz provided that by timing his run perfectly to get in behind the defense and score after receiving a great through ball from Bertos. It was 3-1 at half, and there had been more goals than saves, as each keeper had only registered 1 save apiece so far.

In the locker room, it was discovered that Bertos had picked up a knock and would not be able to play in the second half. His absence was felt as the offense failed to produce any more goals, but at least the defense held out and New Zealand picked up a satisfying victory in their first league match of the season.

New Zealand 3 - 1 Austria [Smeltz x2, Bertos; Okotie]


7. Guadeloupe vs. Burkina Faso

Guadeloupe wound up back where they started, at #7, but it took some work. After an opening draw against Trinidad & Tobago, they fell to New Zealand and only just avoided a further drop in the elimination game by holding Indonesia to a draw. A win over Tunisia pulled them back up to the 7th spot though.

Burkina Faso have held off Oman with two victories, but haven't been able to move up, losing their opening match to Mozambique and then playing to a 1-1 draw against Austria in their other attempt.

With Team 7 leading 3-2, the Stallions could clinch victory for their side if they could pull out a win. Sanou scored and the defense held to make that a reality, earning the overall victory for Team 7, up 4-2 now after Burkina Faso's 1-0 win.

Guadeloupe 0 - 1 Burkina Faso [Sanou]


8. Tunisia vs. Oman

Tunisia had, easily, the worst week out of anyone. Starting as the #4 team, they proceeded to lose four straight matches to Slovenia, Trinidad & Tobago, New Zealand, and Guadeloupe to fall all the way down to #8! Oman were a bit fortunate to be drawn as the #8 seed onto the only team that does not have a #9 position. As such, they've only played matches to try to move up, but have as of yet been unsuccessful, losing both games to Burkina Faso.

Two teams without any positive results playing in the #8 spot - it was about the worst you could ask for. Well, it would be worse if no one won, and sure enough... Darragi and Hadid each scored a goal to force the sides to split the spoils, and both remain winless after a full week of games.

Tunisia 1 - 1 Oman [Darragi; Hadid]





Team 5 vs. Team 7
1. Argentina 0 - 3 Brazil
2. Portugal 2 - 1 Costa Rica
3. Chile 1 - 1 Mozambique
4. Trinidad & Tobago 0 - 2 Mexico
5. Slovenia 0 - 1 Hungary
6. New Zealand 3 - 1 Austria
7. Guadeloupe 0 - 1 Burkina Faso
8. Tunisia 1 - 1 Oman

Team 5 Wins: Portugal (2), New Zealand (6)
Team 7 Wins: Brazil (1), Mexico (4), Hungary (5), Burkina Faso (7)

Team 7 Wins 4-2
 
Last edited:

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 1: Team 6 vs. Team 8

1. Uruguay vs. Nigeria

Uruguay started at #2 but initially lost their first match to Greece and dropped to the 3rd position on the roster. A 1-1 draw with Egypt set up a rematch where Uruguay exacted revenge with a 4-0 thrashing of the Greeks. This set up an opportunity to play Australia for the top spot, which Uruguay took advantage of, winning 2-1.

Nigeria also started off at the #2 position, holding off Belgium twice and losing their initial challenge for the top spot 1-0 to Italy. In the rematch, Nigeria bested the Italians 1-0 and get to represent Team 8 at the 1st position this week.

Despite being fixtures at most World Cups, these sides have never had the pleasure of meeting in a competitive match before. There had been no more than just a single goal scored in all four of Nigeria's challenge matches, and that trend continued albeit not in their favor. Diego Forlan found the back of the net and that was enough to give Uruguay a victory in their first league match at the #1 position this season.

Uruguay 1 - 0 Nigeria [Forlan]


2. Australia vs. Italy

The Aussies initially defended their #1 position, defeating challengers Greece by a 1-0 scoreline. However, Uruguay became the new contenders and proved to be too strong for Australia, winning 2-1 to knock Oz down to #2. It was a similar situation for Italy, as they defeated Nigeria 1-0 in their first defense but fell by the same scoreline in the rematch.

So what could have been a matchup at the #1 position will now be played at for the #2 spot. This is an interesting pairing because it features the two teams who played in the championship of the latest World Cup. In fact, the sides met twice in that tournament, drawing 1-1 during the group stage, of which they both advanced from, and then meeting in title game where Italy snagged a 1-0 victory to become the 7th nation to win a WEFA World Cup.

Australia 1 - 1 Italy (World Cup IX Group Stage)
Australia 0 - 1 Italy (World Cup IX Championship)

Those games had both been close contests, but this week's game was not. Italy scored early and often, netting a total of four goals with contributions from Camoranesi, De Rossi, and even a brace from the defender, Grosso. Tim Cahill managed to pull one back for Australia, but the Aussies were never really able to get back into the match and fell 4-1.

Australia 1 - 4 Italy [Cahill; Camoranesi, De Rossi x2, Grosso]


3. Egypt vs. Finland

Egypt and Finland both started out at the #5 position on their teams and then fought their way up to the #3 position. Egypt did so by overcoming Bahrain (twice), drawing Uruguay, and beating Greece. Finland lost 3-0 to Cape Verde initially, but held off Bosnia-Herzegovina with a 1-1 draw and then reversed the scoreline to beat Cape Verde 3-0 in the rematch. A surprising 1-0 victory over Belgium propelled the Finns up to this spot.

It's somewhat surprising to see two teams who haven't really qualified to many World Cups playing at such a high position. What's not surprising is that, since they have each only qualified to a few World Cups apiece, they have never met before in competitive play. After this week's game, neither will have the lead in the overall series, as A. Fathy's goal was canceled out by Roman Eremenko and everyone had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

Egypt 1 - 1 Finland [A. Fathy; Roman Eremenko]


4. Greece vs. Belgium

Greece initially jumped up to #2 after defeating Uruguay 2-0 in their opening game, but they were unable to claim the top spot on the roster, losing 1-0 to Australia. It all started to go downhill after that for the Greeks, losing 4-0 to Uruguay and then 4-0 to Egypt saw them land at the #4 position for this week's league contest. Belgium also fell from their initial starting spot at #3, despite a good start to their campaign. A draw against Nigeria and then a win against Cape Verde made everything seem like it was on the right track for the Belgians, however that was followed up by a loss to Nigeria and then a loss to Finland to find themselves in this position.

These two European sides have met in three different qualifying groups. Belgium swept the World Cup V encounters and then the sides split World Cup VII and IX's matches, meaning Belgium leads the overall series 4-2, even though Greece has the biggest win in the series, a 4-1 result.

Belgium 1 - 0 Greece (World Cup V Qualifying)
Greece 1 - 2 Belgium (World Cup V Qualifying)
Greece 0 - 1 Belgium (World Cup VII Qualifying)
Belgium 1 - 4 Greece (World Cup VII Qualifying)
Greece 1 - 0 Belgium (World Cup IX Qualifying)
Belgium 2 - 1 Greece (World Cup IX Qualifying)

That big win is looking more and more like an anomaly, as Belgium once again prevailed. A pair of goals from Defour and Sonck helped sink the Greeks and have put Team 8 slightly ahead, 2-1 after four games.

Greece 0 - 2 Belgium [Defour, Sonck]


5. Bahrain vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina

Bahrain has struggled thus far, failing to procure a win from any of their four challenge matches. Two losses to Egypt and two draws against Honduras have allowed them to maintain the #5 position that they fell into after that opening defeat. Bosnia-Herzegovina, on the other hand, have found much more success. They've defeated Curacao twice, drew against Finland, and then defeated Cape Verde 2-1 to jump up a spot.

Dzeko was clearly the best player on the field during this meeting and he left his mark by scoring the opening goal of the match. Salihovic added another for Bosnia to run out as winners, despite Okwunwanne's effort to keep Bahrain competitive.

Bahrain 1 - 2 Bosnia-Herzegovina [Okwunwanne; Dzeko, Salihovic]


6. Honduras vs. Cape Verde

Honduras started out as #6 and stayed the course, holding the position for the duration of the week. Draws against Northern Ireland and Bahrain were followed up by a victory over the challengers from Equatorial Guinea. Another draw against Bahrain closed out the week. Meanwhile Cape Verde fell from the #4 spot despite an impressive 3-0 win over Finland to start the tournament. It all went pear-shaped after a 2-1 loss to Belgium was followed up with a 0-3 loss to Finland in the rematch. Another loss, this time to Bosnia-Herzegovina, was all it took to put the Blue Sharks into this roster spot.

Form in challenge matches doesn't always translate to league matches though. Despite their failures against their teammates, Cape Verde were able to overcome their trip to Honduras with a thrilling 3-2 victory behind Lito, Janicio, and A. Semedo's goals. Ramon Nunez and Pavon netted for the home side, but it just wasn't quite good enough as Team 8 clinched a league victory, now leading 4-1.

Honduras 2 - 3 Cape Verde [Ramon Nunez, Pavon; Lito, Janicio, A. Semedo]


7. Equatorial Guinea vs. Belarus

Equatorial Guinea quickly rose from the #9 position all the way up to #7 by beating Syria and then Northern Ireland in back-to-back challenge matches. A loss to Honduras prevented further ascension, but the Nzalang Nacional held their spot thanks to a 1-1 draw against Northern Ireland. Belarus also rose from the #9 spot, but took a different path. After initially beating UAE 3-1, Belarus were unable to knock off Curacao and had to defend the #8 position before getting another crack at the islanders. Belarus were able to dispatch UAE again, and then defeated Curacao 2-0 to move up.

Perhaps Belarus had spent too much energy while fighting their way up though, because they weren't able to do anything against the Equatorial Guinea defense. Instead, Ekedo scored the only goal of the night and gave EQ the 1-0 victory.

Equatorial Guinea 1 - 0 Belarus [Ekedo]


8. Northern Ireland vs. Curacao

Northern Ireland failed to record a victory during this week's challenge matches, drawing 0-0 with Honduras before losing to Equatorial Guinea. In danger of missing league play altogether, Northern Ireland ground out another 0-0 draw, this time with Syria, to secure their roster spot. Unable to best Equatorial Guinea in the rematch, Northern Ireland settled for the 1-1 draw and the #8 spot on the team.

Curacao suffered a heavy 4-2 loss to Bosnia-Herzegovina in their opening match but then held off Belarus 1-1 to avoid playing in the elimination game. Another loss to Bosnia, this time 3-2, forced a rematch with Belarus, which this time went the Belorussians way in a 2-0 result that sent Curacao down into the 8th spot.

One team had to be able to turn around their misfortune, and boy did Northern Ireland. A flurry of goals from Healy, Brunt, and Feeney helped bury Curacao and make the league score respectable, but Team 8 still wound up winning 4-3 overall.

Northern Ireland 3 - 0 Curacao [Healy, Brunt, Feeney]





Team 6 vs. Team 8
1. Uruguay 1 - 0 Nigeria
2. Australia 1 - 4 Italy
3. Egypt 1 - 1 Finland
4. Greece 0 - 2 Belgium
5. Bahrain 1 - 2 Bosnia-Herzegovina
6. Honduras 2 - 3 Cape Verde
7. Equatorial Guinea 1 - 0 Belarus
8. Northern Ireland 3 - 0 Curacao

Team 6 Wins: Uruguay (1), Equatorial Guinea (7), Northern Ireland (8)
Team 8 Wins: Italy (2), Belgium (4), Bosnia-Herzegovina (5), Cape Verde (6)

Team 8 Wins 4-3
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 1: League Standings

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{tbody}
{tr}
{td}Team{/td}
{td=center|50x@}Won{/td}
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{td}Team 7{/td}
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{td}Team 12{/td}
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{td}Team 8{/td}
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{td}Team 2{/td}
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{/tr}
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{td}Team 10{/td}
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{td=center}3{/td}
{td=center}3{/td}
{td=center}2{/td}
{/tr}
{tr}
{td}Team 6{/td}
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{td=center|50x@}1{/td}
{td=center|50x@}O{/td}
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{/tr}
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{td}Team 5{/td}
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{td=center|50x@}1{/td}
{td=center|50x@}O{/td}
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{td}Team 4{/td}
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{td}Team 11{/td}
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{td=center|50x@}O{/td}
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{td=center}2{/td}
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{td}Team 9{/td}
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{td=center|50x@}1{/td}
{td=center|50x@}O{/td}
{td=center} {/td}
{td=center}O{/td}
{td=center}5{/td}
{td=center}3{/td}
{/tr}
{/tbody}
[/xtable]


Top #1: Brazil (Team 7): 1-0-0 +3 GD
Top #2: Italy (Team 8): 1-0-0 +3 GD
Top #3: Romania (Team 3): 1-0-0 +3 GD
Top #4: South Korea (Team 1): 1-0-0 +2 GD
Top #5: Ghana (Team 12): 1-0-0 +5 GD
Top #6: Ecuador (Team 2): 1-0-0 +3 GD
Top #7: Congo DR (Team 1): 1-0-0 +2 GD
Top #8: Northern Ireland (Team 6): 1-0-0 +3 GD
 
Last edited:

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Post-Week 1: Roster Changes

Here is a recap of all the roster changes that were made as teams try to improve their chances heading into Week 2. I'll list my teams as well, though you can find when those changes were specifically made by looking for the orange text above.


Before League Match

Ghana: Drop GK Owu, SB Afful, WF Ayew, CF Agogo; Add SB Inkoom, DMF Obodai, CMF Quansah, SMF Boateng

Mexico: Drop SS Medina, AMF Arce; Add CF Chicharito, AMF J. Dos Sanots

New Zealand: Add CB T. Smith

Greece: Drop SS Salpingidis, SB Patsatzoglou; Add CF Papadopoulos, SB Flotherni

Egypt: Drop CF A. Ghani, GK Sobhy; Add CF Mido, SMF Ghaly

Ecuador: Drop GK Cevallos; Add SB De La Cruz



After League Match

France: Drop CF Gignac; Add SS Giuly | change from 4-5-1 to 4-4-2

Serbia: Drop SS Jovanovic, CB Subotic, DMF Milijas, SB Rukavina, GK Disljenkovic, GK Isailovic; Add CF Kezman, SMF Lazetic, DMF Nenad Kovacevic, SB Lukovic, CB Bisevac, GK Avramov | change from 4-4-2 with 2 DMF to 4-4-2 diamond

Mexico: Drop AMF J. Dos Santos; Add CF Omar Bravo
 
Last edited:

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 2: Bolivia (Team 1)

Bolivia-Flag-icon.png


Our team had the best performance out of everyone last week. We were the only team to not lose a single game to our opponents and Bolivia played a role in that by holding Colombia to a draw. As the only #5 seeds who played to a draw, we are tied with Colombia as the 6th best team at that position. Basically, we are ahead of all the teams who lost but are behind all the teams that won. Not that this is in any way relevant, but if the post-season tournament started today, we would face Iran (currently the 11th seed for #5) in the first round. That is still a long ways out and will obviously change as the season goes on. And we may not even be in the #5 bracket by that point! But it's fun to look ahead.

Latest Lineup
1. Netherlands
2. Senegal
3. Ireland
4. South Korea
5. Bolivia
6. Bulgaria
7. Congo DR
8. Rio de Janeiro
9. Qatar

This week we will focus on at least trying to hold our position but of course we'll try to move up if possible. Both teams on either side of us, South Korea and Bulgaria, won their league matches and South Korea is currently rated the top #4 seed! We've got our work cut out for us.



Challenge Match 5: #4 South Korea (0-1-3) vs. #5 Bolivia (2-0-2)

The Koreans may be rated as the top #4 seed right now thanks to their impressive 2-0 win over Croatia in league play, but they have not been that great in challenge matches. During week 1 they went winless, with three draws and one loss (to Ireland). This made our task look a little less daunting, as we come in unbeaten with 2 wins and 2 draws. Our formation has been working so far, so I didn't see any reason to change it. Might as well stick with what works, until it doesn't.

We tried to go after them right from the kickoff. J. Campos got through in the 3rd minute and nearly scored, but pushed his shot just a little too wide. Then Vaca got in a position to take on a defender 1v1 in the 6th minute, but he was unable to get past him and coughed up the ball. This was very costly because Korea hit us quickly on a counter attack. Quick passes made it look like our defenders were stuck to the ground as the ball made its way forward to Lee Chungyong, who scored the opening goal since A. Reyes had been caught too far down the field and wasn't able to recover. What a bad start for Bolivia!

Bolivia won a few corner kicks in the following minutes and capitalized after taking a short corner kick. While the announcer was still complaining about "why send all the players forward if you're just going to play it short?", L. Ribeiro sent in a nice cross to Castillo who headed in the equalizer! Lee Chungyong had been trying to mark him, so that was some nice payback for the earlier goal.

Lee Keunho found some space for an open header in the 29th minute, but Bolivia were bailed out when he hit the post. But Korea was exploiting some terrible marking, mostly by A. Reyes, and Lee Kuenho got another chance just four minutes later. This time his header found the mark and South Korea were back in front. They held the lead going into the break.

Bolivia had threatened to score near the end of the first half and they followed up on that threat with a quick goal to start the second half. A. Da Rosa capped off a great possession with a goal after Vaca made a nice extra pass to set him up for the shot. Bolivia continued to work towards a winning goal for the remainder of the half, but it would be one more defensive breakdown by the villain of the night - A. Reyes - which would prove decisive. The defender turned the ball over trying to pass into the midfield and Park Jisung went on the breakaway. He managed to get past L. Ribeiro and picked out Lee Keunho for another goal, this time the winning goal as Bolivia just didn't have enough time or energy to fight back for a third time. Korea's first challenge match victory was now Bolivia's first loss, and a difficult one to swallow knowing that a few key plays from one man (A. Reyes) was the difference.

South Korea 3 - 2 Bolivia

Other team results:
2v3: Senegal 0 - 1 Ireland
6v7: Bulgaria 2 - 1 Congo DR
8v9: Rio de Janeiro 2 - 0 Qatar

*Senegal have finally been knocked out of the #2 spot as Ireland earn the right to challenge the Netherlands for the top spot. Everyone else held their position, with Bulgaria defeating Congo DR and Rio holding off Qatar yet again.



Challenge Match 6: #5 Bolivia (2-1-2) vs. #6 Bulgaria (2-2-1)

We didn't have much time to grieve the loss to Korea, because now Bulgaria were coming after our spot at #5. We only slightly tweaked our formation, trying to remember that we have only lost once in the past six games and that drastic changes might not be needed. Our midfield play was much better though, we created nice triangles to pass around and this set up plenty of early chances. In the opening ten minutes we managed three great chances, but two hit the post and the third was agonizingly close as well.

Bulgaria needed to increase the pressure in order to try to close down our triangles, but that only resulted in a series of fouls, and a booking for S. Petrov. The free kick found the target man in the middle, and a nice header was played down to A. Da Rosa who volleyed in the opening goal on the 13th minute mark. Da Rosa then picked up a yellow card for excessive celebration, but it was an important goal to put Bolivia in the driver's seat for the rest of the match.

J. Campos displayed a bit of brilliance with his dribbling, faking out a defender to set up a great crossing lane. The incoming ball found Botero and just like that, the lead was doubled! Botero nearly scored one minute later, dribbling all the way in from the midfield with two Bulgarians on his back the whole way, but his shot went wide. It would have been an incredible goal if he had been able to finish it though.

Finally Bulgaria created an opportunity with a bit of a scramble inside the box. They really should have pulled one back, but the final shot was a disaster, soaring over the bar. That proved especially costly when, five minutes later, Castillo broke down the flank and then pulled back to pick out the late run from J. Campos. The man who had provided the assist on the earlier goal then added his name to the scoresheet as a goal scorer, lofting a wonderful shot from just outside the box over the keeper and dipping into the net for a 3-0 lead just before half time!

It really had been all Bolivia in the first half, holding 55% possession and having outshot Bulgaria 13-4. The second half proved to be less exciting, especially after Bolivia were forced to bunker down when emerging villain A. Reyes was sent off in the 70th minute. The free kick failed to threaten Bolivia, and really Bulgaria failed to threaten as well. The final whistle sounded and a quick glance showed that the final shot count was 15-6, each team had only managed 2 shots in the entire half. It also showed that Bulgaria had been caught offside 5 times during the match, as Bolivia employed a very high defensive line which really frustrated the strikers that kept getting caught behind them.

Bolivia 3 - 0 Bulgaria

Other team results:
1v2: Netherlands 3 - 0 Ireland
3v4: Senegal 2 - 3 South Korea
7v8: Congo DR 1 - 4 Rio de Janeiro

*Ireland's first shot at the top did not go well, the Dutch easily fought them off with a 3-0 victory. Meanwhile, Senegal continues to fall, losing to South Korea to drop for the second match in a row. Rio finally broke through to the #7 position after failing twice previously. The big 4-1 win has perhaps announced their intentions to really move up the roster.



Challenge Match 7: #4 Senegal (0-4-2) vs. #5 Bolivia (3-1-2)

The two big stories heading into this challenge match were A. Reyes' terrible defending and Senegal's terrible record. A. Reyes was responsible for basically all of the goals that South Korea scored in what has, so far, been Bolivia's only loss. To top that, he was sent off in the last game (although cards don't carry over for this, so he is not suspended), which might be why Bolivia pitched a shut out. Unfortunately, there are currently no Bolivian reserves, so he is stuck on the roster for now. Meanwhile, Senegal have failed to win any of their challenge matches so far, with a dreary record of 2 draws and 4 losses. So whose downward spiral would continue?

Well, with over half of their roster in top form, Senegal proved to be a very difficult opponent. After both teams missed an early chance, it would be A. Reyes who forced the spotlight back on himself when he coughed up possession. Niang essentially picked his pocket inside the Bolivian box and then quickly scored the opening goal.

20090401_043153_bolivia_400.jpg

How surprising - this is basically the only picture of A. Reyes in a Bolivia jersey on GIS

Aside from that blunder, nothing else really happened for the rest of the half. Bolivia lead possession at the break, but were outshot by Senegal 6-3. La Verde just couldn't get any decent shots in the first half. Senegal was too quick, and closed down too fast - very different from playing Bulgaria!

Trying to find a spark, M. Moreno replaced Botero around the hour mark. The change saw an immediate impact as Bolivia started to find success going forward. In the 73rd minute, M. Moreno was the point man on a counter attack. The midfield worked the ball up to him and then he was able to dribble in and score the equalizer! It was too bad that this was a challenge match and that we had to win, because that was about it for our attack. Senegal actually had the better chances in the closing minutes, but they weren't able to pull out a victory. It didn't matter though, because the draw was all they needed to hold their position. And it turned out BOTH story lines held. Once again A. Reyes was the scapegoat for Bolivia, but Senegal still failed to win. LOL

Senegal 1 - 1 Bolivia

Other team results:
2v3: Ireland 1 - 2 South Korea
6v7: Bulgaria 1 - 2 Rio de Janeiro
8v9: Congo DR 0 - 1 Qatar

*South Korea becomes the third team to reach #2 on the roster as Ireland lose their first defensive match at that position. Sure enough, Rio continues to climb as they have won yet again, ousting Bulgaria from the #6 spot. Qatar finally won their first match and timed it perfectly because even if they lose next week, they are guaranteed to take part in the league match this week. Congo DR, who won their league match as #7 last week, will have to sit out.



Challenge Match 8: #5 Bolivia (3-1-3) vs. #6 Rio de Janeiro (5-0-2)

We had been unable to beat a winless team in the last game, but now it was a completely different proposition with Rio de Janeiro knocking on our door. The unbeaten side boasts a record of 5 wins and 2 draws and are even more intimidating than when we first held them to a 1-1 draw way back during Challenge Match 2. Thankfully it was our turn to have good form. Many of our starters were as good as they were ever going to be, so we figured if there was ever a time to fight off Rio, maybe now was that time.

It was risky, but we kept our high backline that had caught Bulgaria offside so many times in order to try to frustrate the Rio attackers. We knew we were going to be living on the edge the entire game after catching them offside twice in the opening ten minutes. Had the flag stayed down, they would have easily scored on both chances. While they were arguing with the side official, we were plotting our path forward. A great bit of possession lead to a cross into last game's "hero", M. Moreno. He got on the end of it and headed in the opening goal to give us a surprise lead, just 13 minutes into the match!

After a tense half hour of really digging into the midfield, neither team had managed to create another chance on goal. Then, just before half time, Bolivia almost delivered a fatal blow. Joselito Vaca made a wonderful pass to put M. Moreno through on a breakaway. He had a clear path to goal, with only the keeper to beat, but somehow choked the chance away, pushing his shot wide! Otherwise, it was a great half for Bolivia. We had outshot Rio 5-2 and the only shot on target for either team was the one that went in.

Nothing really changed in the second half, it was still trench warfare in the midfield and neither team was able to move forward. This lead to shots from distance being the preferred method for creating chances, most of which were easily dealt with by the keepers. There was one instance, in the 59th minute, where a long shot was spilled by the Rio keeper. Moreno was there to challenge for the rebound, but a defender managed to clear it just milliseconds before the striker could poke it in. The wear and tear of the tight midfield struggle was taking its toll on the players though. Cracks were starting to appear, and in the 77th minute Torrico took slipped through one of those cracks and dribbled all the way down the flank. He sent a nice ball back across to the top of the box where Joselito Vaca was arriving. Vaca hammered in the shot to essentially secure Bolivia's spot at #5!

Rio de Janeiro eventually found their goal too. An 80th minute corner kick produced the score, and then a late free kick just outside the box threatened to equalize, but the ball was lofted into the box looking for a header, rather than a direct shot on goal. No one was able to get on the end of it, so it floated harmlessly over the endline and the final whistle sounded to confirm Bolivia's somewhat surprising victory, despite holding possession for only 44% of the match.

Bolivia 2 - 1 Rio de Janeiro

Other team results:
1v2: Netherlands 0 - 1 South Korea
3v4: Ireland 0 - 1 Senegal
7v8: Bulgaria 3 - 0 Qatar

*South Korea had an incredible turnaround this week. After going winless in Week 1's challenge matches, the Koreans won 4 in a row this week, including knocking off top seed Netherlands 1-0 to steal the throne! Ireland had risen up to the #2 spot at the beginning of the week but have now fallen all the way down to #4 after losing to Senegal, Senegal's first win in a challenge match. Bulgaria easily held off Qatar to maintain their position.



New Lineup for League Match 2
1. South Korea
2. Netherlands
3. Senegal
4. Ireland
5. Bolivia
6. Rio de Janeiro
7. Bulgaria
8. Qatar
9. Congo DR

*Congo DR will not participate in League Match 2
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 2: Norway (Team 4)

Norway-Flag-icon.png


We took a lot of flak due to our loss in the league match. Germany criticized us, saying that we only focused on how to beat them and that we weren't prepared for our league opponents. The Germans think they would have beaten Sweden, but since Togo was the only side who won in league play, we don't think that the problem rests solely with us. Either way, there is a lot of disappointment and resentment in the camp after losing to Team 12. It should make for an exciting week of challenge matches as teams who lost try to prove that they still deserve their spots, while teams below them will see it as an opportunity to try to move up.

Latest Lineup
1. Norway
2. Germany
3. Jamaica
4. Togo
5. Serbia
6. Venezuela
7. Iceland
8. Saudi Arabia
9. Gabon

Although, honestly, we just don't have a very strong lineup. Going forward, both Norway and Germany will need to win and then we'll both have to hope that the lower seeds can pull off some wins against similarly skilled opponents. But even though Germany may have done better last week, we aren't about to cede the top spot to them. If they want it. They'll have to come get it. However, as the #1 spot, we still get BYEs when #3 challenges #2, so we get to play a tune up friendly while the Germans have to earn the right to face us again.



Challenge Match 5: #1 Norway (1-0-1) - BYE

We took on the Confederate squad to see how they were doing. They had played Iceland at the #7 spot for their matchup and drew 0-0. Texas is included as part of the CSA for roster eligibility, which means Clint Dempsey is on the squad. He welcomed us into the game with an uncharacteristic hard tackle very early on, earning a yellow card in just the third minute of the match. John Carew nearly made him pay by trying to head in the free kick, but the shot was saved. Dallas born Brede Hangeland would be eligible to play for the Confederates, but he's capped to Norway instead and had to play against them. He didn't get much action though, as Norway completely dominated the first half hour of the match. It seemed like the whole game was being played in the CSA half, but nothing was coming from it. No goals were being scored.

Winsnes picked up a caution for injuring a Confederate defender in the 33rd minute, and Norway took advantage. With that player still off the field, the Norwegians earned a free kick which they played very creatively. Iversen stood right next to the wall and basically had Riise just shoot right at his head. He nudged it ever so slightly to redirect the ball past the keeper and in for the opening goal!

It was deserved though, as Norway had outshot the CSA 14-2 in the first half. The second half was basically more of the same as Norway continued to dominate the southerners. A final shot count of 22-4 made everyone wonder how there hadn't been any more goals, but it was still a satisfactory result for the top seed on Team 4.

Norway 1 - 0 Confederacy

Other team results:
2v3: Germany 2 - 1 Jamaica
4v5: Togo 0 - 2 Serbia
6v7: Venezuela 1 - 0 Iceland
8v9: Saudi Arabia 1 - 1 Gabon

*Germany defeats Jamaica for the third time to keep their spot, while Venezuela also defeats Iceland and Saudi Arabia holds Gabon to a draw to each hold their positions as well. Togo were the only team who won their league match, but that didn't matter here as Serbia continues their climb, knocking out Adebayor's side with a 2-0 win.



Challenge Match 6: #1 Norway (1-0-1) vs. #2 Germany (3-1-1)

During week one we had played some fierce games to fight over the top spot, but now with the league results weighing in, the contest was that much more important. Lots of German press, and even some players, expressed a sentiment that basically "Germany would have beaten Sweden, and the team may have done better overall with Norway playing at a lower position."

It was insulting, but while we could have pointed out that the only reason Germany didn't get to play Sweden was because they failed to beat us, we decided to let our play do the talking. The first two games had been all Germany possession-wise, but we were worried that with extra motivation, maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea to let them have the ball as often. But how to get it back? We were going to have to press all over the field and work extra hard on offense to keep possession. Riise was benched in favor of a more defensive player, since we knew that we could get caught on counter attacks if we held the ball too long. Andresen was given set piece duty in his absence.

Everything seemed to be going to plan. We felt like we had Germany on the ropes early on and then there was the breakthrough. In the 18th minute, Winsnes made a spectacular pass through to Iversen who just beat the offside trap to get through on goal. His initial shot was saved, but he stayed with the play and managed to force the rebound in for the opening goal! He nearly doubled the lead off a corner kick, but his header just missed the target.

Germany weren't about to be pushed around that easily though. They made some changes on the half hour mark and started to take control. Our dangerous tactics played right into their hands as they hit us on a counter attack. Podolski and Klose caught the entire Norwegian defense too far up field and broke freely towards goal. Podolski drew the keeper out and then played it right across the Klose for the easy equalizer. With ten minutes to go before half time, we took this as a sign to "calm down" and backed off for the rest of the half. We knew we had done better with possession than the other encounters, but we were floored to find out that we had held on for 54% possession in the half! A long cry from the 38% we had put up in the earlier meetings!

There was still a long way to go though, and we were forced to make a difficult decision when Bertelsen went down injured just four minutes after the restart. Riise had to come on as a replacement and the game descended into chaos. Both teams were caught playing reckless defense at times, but the risks paid off. Attacks were snuffed out or just couldn't quite find the much needed touch to get by. The forty minutes seemed to fly by as both teams created chances, but failed to create goals, and finally the salvation of the final whistle allowed Norway to keep the top spot after another draw. Shots had come at a premium, with Germany only having outshot Norway 9-7. And for the first time, possibly ever against Germany, Norway finished with most of the possession - clocking in at 52%! Each team had 7 free kicks, but failed to threaten with any of them.

Norway 1 - 1 Germany

Other team results:
3v4: Jamaica 1 - 0 Serbia
5v6: Togo 2 - 0 Venezuela
7v8: Iceland 1 - 1 Saudi Arabia

*Jamaica picked up their first victory of the season, holding off Serbia to keep the #3 spot. Togo didn't slip any further, recovering from their previous defeat to win 2-0 against Venezuela. Iceland secured their place in the league roster and avoided the elimination match by playing to a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia.



Challenge Match 7: #1 Norway (1-0-2) - BYE

After such a grueling match, and with another to follow, we wanted to take it easy and we scheduled a #9 seed from Team 6, Equatorial Guinea. These guys had just lost to Syria in a challenge match to drop to the bottom spot, so we were expecting a walkover even though they had beaten Belarus 1-0 at the #7 position in Week 1's league match.

Not surprisingly, they were more interested in the game than we were. They created some early chances and put on some early pressure. A free kick hit our post, they had some other shots fired, but ultimately we held them off and no goals were scored. We finally got forward in the 20th minute and found out that luck was on our side for this game. Grindheim's shot into the box hit Kamissoko and changed directions, leaving the keeper helpless as it rolled over the line before he had time to change directions. For the remainder of the half, Norway seemed to be more interested in working on their technical skills. A slew of trolling moves such as nutmegs and ball shields were employed against the Equatorial Guineans, who felt hard done at half time, trailing despite Norway having registered 0 shots on target in the half!

Norway picked up the pace a little in the second half. A long, early cross found its way perfectly onto the foot of M. G. Pedersen whose volley was a piece of brilliance, extending the lead in the 75th minute. Then Andresen put the final touches on the game, somehow faking out the keeper as to which way he was going to head the cross in. He went up as if he were going to really put some power behind his shot to the keeper's right, and just when the keeper started to move to anticipate the shot, Andresen adjusted his head to allow the ball to just dink off him and go the other direction, away from the keeper yet into the goal. A cheeky little move in a game that had been played very cockily. Equatorial Guinea probably didn't deserve such a harsh scoreline, but the result will surely give Norway some additional confidence heading into yet another battle with Germany.

Norway 3 - 0 Equatorial Guinea

Other team results:
2v3: Germany 2 - 1 Jamaica
4v5: Serbia 0 - 0 Togo
6v7: Venezuela 0 - 1 Iceland
8v9: Saudi Arabia 0 - 1 Gabon

*Four attempts equals four failures, as Jamaica has lost yet again to Germany. They have been coming a lot closer though. Serbia earned another crack at the Reggae Boyz by fending off Togo with a scoreless draw. There was a big shakeup at the bottom of the roster though, Iceland jumped up to #6 after defeating Venezuela and then Gabon earned a spot on the league roster, dropping Saudi Arabia with a 1-0 scoreline.



Challenge Match 8: #1 Norway (1-0-2) vs. #2 Germany (4-1-2)

It seemed like the Germans were only getting more and more upset each time they failed to beat us. And this time we were legitimately worried that we had pushed them too far. They came out with a roster featuring 7 players in top form; a striker, two midfielders, three defenders, and even the keeper! Meanwhile, Braaten and Stromstad, guys who normally don't even start, were the only two players in top form for us! It was definitely going to be another battle.

Despite their form, we managed to create the first notable chance. Carew flew down the wing and got himself into the box, but his last touch was too heavy and he wound up losing possession before getting the shot off. Then, as expected, the blitzkrieg started. Ballack took a shot from distance to try to draw us out and then Jansen illustrated how far the Germans were willing to go with his ferocious tackle on Carew. How it was only a yellow, I still don't know. Germany created a few more dangerous chances, but somehow we kept them out of the net.

The situation was starting to demand desperate defending, anything to slow down the German attack. Stromstad wound up being booked for a tackle and then Klose almost made him pay on the ensuing free kick, but his header just missed the target. After losing possession following the goal kick, Stromstad went in for what seemed like an easy tackle to try to win the ball back. He just mistimed the lunge by a fraction of a second, and wound up bringing down the player without getting a touch of the ball at all. The referee's hand immediately went into his pocket for another yellow card, the second in as many minutes, and Stromstad was on his way out! It was only the 40th minute of the game, Norway would again have to play Germany with a man-down for the majority of the match!

At the break, it was easy to see that things had reverted back to "normal". Germany held 63% possession and had outshot Norway 10-4. With a man advantage now, that didn't seem likely to change. Norway would just have to bunker down and see if they could hold out for another 45 minutes. Or you would think that's what they would have done. Instead, surprising everyone, the Norwegians came out looking to attack Germany in the second half. We were attacking and creating chances, and we looked much better than we had in the first half with a full team on the field!

Carew had a nice header and Winsnes tried an open shot from distance. Both rattled the German defense, but neither provided a goal that would give Norway the cushion they needed to ride this one out. Half time changes had shifted focus onto Klose, for both teams. Germany kept trying to pick out their targetman with crosses, but Hangeland and company were always there to contest them. As such, all Klose ended up with were a handful of half-chances that never really threatened the keeper.

The Germans were starting to run out of ideas, and played the ball back to keeper Rost for a chance to reset the attack. The keeper played with the ball a little too long, or maybe just didn't anticipate how quick Iversen is, because he wound up getting caught in possession and lost the ball! Iversen quickly poked it into the open net and Norway celebrated a monumental goal that was likely to prove to be the difference in this game!

The 63rd minute mistake cost Germany dearly. They still had plenty of time, but they were shellshocked at having fallen behind despite playing with a man advantage. It was a near disaster five minutes later when Iversen slipped through on a break. Many of the German defenders had given up on the play, assuming that he was offside, but the flag never went up and he was clear through. Rost made amends for his earlier blunder and came up with a huge save to prevent Germany from falling behind any further. He wasn't getting much help from his backline though, because one minute later and Iversen was through again thanks to a nice ball over the top. His shot was saved again though!

Schweinsteiger finally took advantage of the missing man and dribbled right into where Stromstad would have been defending. He had a nice clean look at goal, but somehow the Norwegian keeper was able to make a diving save and keep his side in front. That was just how the game was going, and Helms confirmed that it was just not Germany's night when he got open for a header inside the box and inexplicably shot wide. "9 times out of 10, he scores that goal" his manager said after the game.

After an incredible bit of luck, as well as a lot of hardnose defending, Norway was able to claim the 1-0 victory and retain the top spot heading into the next league match.


Norway 1 - 0 Germany

Other team results:
3v4: Jamaica 1 - 4 Serbia
5v6: Togo 2 - 0 Iceland
7v8: Venezuela 2 - 0 Gabon

*Jamaica's grip on the #3 spot has finally given out, as Serbia has ascended into the top 3 with an impressive 4-1 victory. A pair of 2-0 wins kept the order further down with Togo fighting off Iceland and Venezuela holding off Gabon.



New Lineup for League Match 2
1. Norway
2. Germany
3. Serbia
4. Jamaica
5. Togo
6. Iceland
7. Venezuela
8. Gabon
9. Saudi Arabia

*Saudi Arabia will not participate in League Match 2

We will try to recover from the opening week's disaster by playing Team 10, where England sit atop the roster. They have held the position since the start of the tournament just like us, and it will certainly not be an easy task looking for our first league victory against the former WEFA World Cup champions. Lots of people are probably pissed off about not getting a Germany-England matchup, but you can blame the Germans for that. They've had four chances to beat us!
 
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ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 2: New Zealand (Team 5)

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Our team didn't fare so well in the opening league match, but we couldn't have done much more to help. The big 3-1 win over Austria was the biggest win on Team 5, albeit Portugal's 2-1 win over Costa Rica was the only other win we had. However, our victory was also one of the best out of all #6 matchups, and we currently sit ranked 2nd at that spot, just below Ecuador who won 3-0. That's great for the time being, but we are hoping to keep moving up and not have to play in the #6 tournament at the end of the season.

Latest Lineup
1. Argentina
2. Portugal
3. Chile
4. Trinidad & Tobago
5. Slovenia
6. New Zealand
7. Guadeloupe
8. Tunisia
9. Indonesia

Last week was very good to us, as we climbed 2 spots but then ran into Slovenia. I feel like we've probably hit a wall where advancing will be trickier now, although every team around us lost their league match (Slovenia and Trinidad above us, Guadeloupe below), so maybe that shows they are vulnerable.



Challenge Match 5: #6 New Zealand (3-1) vs. #7 Guadeloupe (1-1-2)

Since we lost our most recent challenge match, we had to start this week on the defensive. Guadeloupe were our challengers, whom we had defeated 1-0 back during challenge match 2. Brimming with confidence from both our league victory and our previous win over our Caribbean opponents, we went out and created a lot of dangerous chances early. Our finishing was letting us down during the first half hour of the game, but as the pressure mounted Guadeloupe eventually began to crack. By the 35th minute we had broken through, Vicelich set up Wood very nicely for the opening goal.

The defense had also played well and by half time we had more than double Guadeloupe's shots, up 7-3. However, we got caught cold at the start of the second half. Antoine-Currier headed in a cross less than five minutes after the restart and the score was all tied up again. A few minutes later and Currier created another great scoring chance, his shot beat the keeper but also went on the wrong side of the post. It was a huge let off for New Zealand, and we capitalized on a great piece of play from Vicelich. He maneuvered his way down the middle of the field to set up a powerful shot that was saved out for a corner. He then finished the play by heading in the set piece to put the All Whites back in front.

A period of close calls followed, as Vicelich nearly scored again on another corner kick, and then Saha almost equalized for Guadeloupe, but his free kick hit the post. Then the moment of magic came. Wood received the ball up top with Chimbonda draped on his back. Wood acted like he was going to pass the ball to his oncoming support, but then quickly turned and went the other way, blowing right past Chimbonda and scoring a surprise goal to secure the victory for New Zealand!

New Zealand 3 - 1 Guadeloupe

Other team results:
2v3: Portugal 3 - 0 Chile
4v5: Trinidad & Tobago 1 - 3 Slovenia
8v9: Tunisia 0 - 1 Indonesia

*Portugal defeated Chile quite handily to set up a rematch with Argentina for the top spot while Slovenia overcame Trinidad & Tobago to earn back the #4 spot. Indonesia finally moved up out of the #9 position after defeating Tunisia, who has now lost 5 challenge matches in a row.



Challenge Match 6: #5 Trinidad & Tobago (2-1-2) vs. #6 New Zealand (4-1)

Despite our recent success, I still felt the backline needed more support. To address this, I called up CB W. Reid. We came up against another Caribbean foe, Trinidad & Tobago. Our prospects for moving up seemed slim after a quick glance at the starting lineup. Trinidad had NINE players in top form for this game! At least we had 5, so it was going to be a great matchup, with no excuse for any mistakes.

Rory Fallon was the early focus, as he kept creating chances inside the box, but he was not one of our top form players and he kept skying his shots way over the bar. After a good 28 minutes of feeling each other out, the fireworks finally started. Keon Daniel won possession off Oughton and then found Kenwyne Jones to start the counter attack. Jones rounded T. Smith and promptly scored the opening goal for the Soca Warriors. The lead only lasted until the 42nd minute, when a free kick into the Trinidad box was cleared out to the left wing. Lochhead ran down the loose ball and sent it right back into the box, searching for Smeltz. The cross never found him though, Andrew was marking him tightly and didn't allow him to get under it. As the ball sailed over their heads, it also was just out of reach for the defender Spann, who jumped for it, but missed and temporarily took himself out of the play. Instead, Rory Fallon was lurking on the other edge of the box and the ball did fall to him. It fell so perfectly that he was able to volley it out of the air and blast in the equalizing goal! A spectacular strike!

Things really started to heat up after the break. Kenwyne Jones headed in a corner kick to restore Trinidad's lead, despite being marked by both Nelsen and Elliott. That lead only lasted two minutes though, because Bertos stole the ball from Avery Jones near midfield and then dribbled all the way into the box and scored, without anyone else touching the ball. Ten minutes later, Bertos had a wide open look from the top of the box but shot high!

All of a sudden, in the 70th minute, everything just fell apart for the Soca Warriors. Yorke blocked a Lochhead shot inside his own box and was trying to start a counter attack. He tried to pass across the box to Makan Hislop, but didn't see Rory Fallon in the vicinity. Fallon swooped in to intercept the pass and then quickly scored before anyone else could react, giving New Zealand the lead!

Smeltz started to take over the game in the 80th minute. He nearly scored on a nice run into the box, but saw his shot saved. After the throw in, Elliott played a cross into the box which Smeltz headed in to extend the lead. And then he capped off the game in the 88th minute after Vicelich played a perfect ball for him to get around the defense with. The 5-2 victory was perhaps a little flattering, but well deserved nonetheless.

Trinidad & Tobago 2 - 5 New Zealand

Other team results:
1v2: Argentina 0 - 3 Portugal
3v4: Chile 2 - 0 Slovenia
7v8: Guadeloupe 0 - 1 Indonesia

*Portugal has regained the top spot with a very impressive 3-0 win over Argentina, which is now Argentina's second straight loss by that scoreline after having lost to Brazil by the same count in the league match. Chile held off Slovenia just fine, and Indonesia seems like they have figured something out, winning for the second game in a row to climb to #7 and avoid this week's 8v9 elimination match, meaning that they will get to participate in the league meet even if they lose their next 2 games.



Challenge Match 7: #4 Slovenia (3-2-1) vs. #5 New Zealand (5-1)

Our only loss so far has been to Slovenia. We finally earned a shot at a rematch, and were hoping to settle the score this time around. We couldn't have asked for a better start to the match either. Just five minutes in, Bertos' shot deflected off Cesar and went in after the keeper wasn't able to recover and change directions quick enough. In the 36th minute Bertos once again made a run forward and scored again. This time he didn't need any luck, he just received a nice through ball and shot past the keeper before anyone was able to close down on him.

Everything was still going swimmingly in the 70th minute when Rory Fallon extended the lead to three. We actually had plenty of other good chances throughout the game and it could have easily been 6-0 by this point if some of our other shots had gone in. I didn't think we could have played any better.

As the game was winding down, we took our foot off the gas. Slovenia hadn't given up though, and Novakovic scored a late goal (87th minute) when we weren't really paying attention any more. Slovenia won a free kick in stoppage time and Novakovic headed that in to make the score look a lot closer than the game really was, but it was so late that we were never concerned. The final whistle sounded right after the ensuing kickoff, so they never had a chance to tie the game. The victory was always going to be ours after having outshot Slovenia 16-8 overall and bossing the game with 55% possession.

Slovenia 2 - 3 New Zealand

Other team results:
2v3: Argentina 4 - 1 Chile
6v7: Trinidad & Tobago 1 - 0 Indonesia
8v9: Guadeloupe 0 - 1 Tunisia

*Argentina had beaten Chile 3-1 the last time they played, and the Argies took out their frustrations on their neighbors again, running out 4-1 winners. Trinidad & Tobago finally ended Indonesia's run up the roster, while Tunisia finally won their first game of the season, beating Guadeloupe just in time to qualify for the league meet. Unfortunately, Guadeloupe will have to sit out this week despite playing as the #7 team last week.



Challenge Match 8: #3 Chile (1-3-3) vs. #4 New Zealand (6-1)

Chile have not been able to compete against Argentina and Portugal, but they have managed to hold their position at the #3 spot despite only recording one win from their previous seven matches. Meanwhile, New Zealand has won six of seven so far. Obviously we have been playing much easier opponents, no dates with Argentina or Portugal yet (whom Chile have played four times so far), but we were still hopeful that we could take on our "neighbors" across the Pacific.

The match never really had a chance to develop though. Bertos got through the defense early and David Pizzaro brought him down to stop the breakaway. This earned him a straight red card in the third minute of the match! Chile would basically have to play a man down the entire game! It took about twenty minutes, but we finally took advantage of the situation when Smeltz dribbled around a P. Contreras slide tackle to get beyond the defense and score the opening goal. With the lead and a man advantage, it seemed like there was only going to be one result from this game.

The one downside to that early red card was that the tackle had injured Bertos. He wound up being replaced by Wood in the 34th minute, and then while New Zealand were still shuffling players around after the substitution, Chile scored just seconds later. Boyens' pass out of the back was picked off by A. Sanchez and he quickly found Mancilla to set up the equalizer.

Wood finally got settled in up front though, and he created a dangerous chance in the 41st minute after making a great run into the box. His shot was saved but not covered by the keeper. Instead, it popped up into the air and the 6'0 giant Chris Killen was able to outjump the Chilean defenders (average height: 5'6 or so) to win the header and put New Zealand back in front heading into half time. The man advantage was proving to be very useful, as the All Whites clocked in at 57% possession.

The game essentially picked right back up where it had left off, and New Zealand continued to dominate with Chile struggling to account for Pizzaro's absence. Killen nearly extended the lead in the 56th minute, getting a great look after being set up by Smeltz, but he shot wide. Smeltz decided to look for Woods on the next attack, and the early substitute took his chance well, scoring to increase the lead in the 67th minute.

At this point, Chile were out of options. They were already missing a defensive player and they needed goals. They had to go forward, but by doing so they were going to find it difficult to defend. That was precisely what happened. As Chile started to get caught up field, more and more space started to open up in the back and New Zealand were just picking them apart with wonderful through balls. Killen was the target to get on the end of one of those balls and he scored again in the 80th minute, and then completed his hattrick in the 82nd minute, all while giving the Kiwis an insurmountable 5-1 lead that carried until the end of the game. Chile just never had a chance after that early red card, and Smeltz took advantage of it, earning a 9.0 rating after recording 1 goal, 3 assists, and over 83% pass completions (25/30).

Chile 1 - 5 New Zealand

Other team results:
1v2: Portugal 0 - 1 Argentina
5v6: Slovenia 1 - 2 Trinidad & Tobago
7v8: Indonesia 1 - 1 Tunisia

*For the second week in a row, Portugal had dethroned Argentina early on only to lose the spot right before league play! Also, Trinidad & Tobago upset Slovenia and managed to jump ahead of them yet again! It was Indonesia's first time defending against a challenger and they managed to pull it off with a 1-1 draw against Tunisia, which leaves Tunisia at the #8 spot for the second week in a row.



New Lineup for League Match 2
1. Argentina
2. Portugal
3. New Zealand
4. Chile
5. Trinidad & Tobago
6. Slovenia
7. Indonesia
8. Tunisia
9. Guadeloupe

*Guadeloupe will not participate in League Match 2

This week's opponent is Team 11, who lost even worse than our team did last week. New Zealand would have played Scotland at the #6 spot if there had been no challenge matches this week, but instead we've risen up to #3 and will face Slovakia. The Slovaks also moved up this week, as they had played at the #5 position last week, losing their league match to Martinique by a score of 1-0. Slovakia replaces Panama at this position, which is probably good for their team since Panama lost 4-1 to Romania during the #3 game last week. Chile had held Mozambique to a 0-0 draw for our #3 match last week.
 
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ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 2: Mexico (Team 7)

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Our challenge matches had not gone well last week, but at least we had managed to turn things around for our league match, to record a big win over Trinidad & Tobago which helped our team win the overall meet. Brazil beat their rivals handily, but both Costa Rica and Mozambique failed to win, indicating that they aren't completely invincible.

Latest Lineup
1. Brazil
2. Costa Rica
3. Mozambique
4. Mexico
5. Hungary
6. Austria
7. Burkina Faso
8. Oman
9. N/A

We had been anticipating a shot at Brazil and instead never even got a chance to play them! The focus this week will be trying to at least regain our position at #3 if not move up into the top 2. A shot at Brazil by the end of the week is our goal, but as long as we can get back into the top 3 we'll consider the week a success.



Challenge Match 5: #4 Mexico (1-3) vs. #5 Hungary (1-2-1)

Despite the league victory, we decided to make a change to our roster for this week. AMF J. Dos Santos was dropped in favor of CF Omar Bravo. The main reason for this was that Dos Santos can only play AMF (a position we don't even use some times), while Bravo can play CF/SS/SMF. We got to start the week against Hungary, the only team we had beaten last week, and boy had we beaten them. The 5-0 scoreline was the only bright spot in our otherwise dreary week of challenge matches.

With J. Dos Santos' departure, we got rid of the AMF position and instead fielded a 4-3-3 with 2 SMFs. After a few early scuffles, where both Hajnal and Marquez were booked within the opening five minutes, we picked up right where we had left off in the last meeting. Chicharito headed in the opening goal after just ten minutes and the route was on.

Or maybe it wasn't. Rojas picked up a caution in the 24th minute and Hungary nearly scored on the free kick, hitting the post instead. This must have given them confidence to go forward, because they hit us on a counter attack on the half hour mark and scored the equalizer, with Hajnal providing the finishing touches on the goal. Chicharito tried to put us back in front with a spectacular effort but his volley was hit too hard and went over the net instead. So we had to head into half time tied 1-1 despite carrying 56% possession and having outshot the Hungarians 5-3.

Forty five minutes should have been enough time to pull back in front, but instead we suffered a disastrous start to the second half. We threw the ball in to our keeper Corona so that he could kick start the next attack. Instead of catching the ball though, he panicked and kicked it. His "pass", if you can call it that, went right to Dardai who immediately shot it right back at him. Despite diving to get a hand on it, the shot still powered past him and went into the net to give Hungary a surprise lead.

It only went downhill from there for Mexico. F. Rodriguez was the next man to be cautioned, and then Rafa Marquez was sent off after picking up his second yellow card of the match in the 65th minute. Down a man and down a goal, El Tri was not able to mount any resistance. A lone free kick from Pardo, which sailed over the bar, was the only shot they managed to take after Marquez was sent off. As such, Hungary held on to win 2-1 and stun Mexico, dropping us all the way down to the #5 position!

Mexico 1 - 2 Hungary

Other team results:
2v3: Costa Rica 0 - 4 Mozambique
6v7: Austria 0 - 1 Burkina Faso

*Mozambique destroyed Costa Rica just like they had destroyed us, and have now claimed the #2 position on the team. Burkina Faso has finally moved out of the #7 spot after beating Austria, which means Oman will finally get to face a new opponent next week.



Challenge Match 6: #5 Mexico (1-4) vs. #6 Burkina Faso (3-1-1)

Something had to change after that humiliating loss to Hungary. I felt like there weren't a whole lot of players to call up that would improve the team much more, so maybe the answer was that the formation was wrong. I switched to a 3-4-3 for our meeting with Burkina Faso, who had finally climbed out of the #7 spot by beating Austria in their last match. The goal was to add another midfielder and hopefully control the flow of the game better than we had been doing in the 4-3-3.

It was nice that a good number of our starters were in top form for this game, but that didn't seem to help us at first. Burkina Faso were creating all the chances in the opening half hour, although not many were very threatening. A corner kick in the 31st minute slammed off the post, and that served as a wake up call though. If we lost this game we'd be all the way down to #6, an inexcusable position for this team!

The first half came and went without much noise from our offense. We were finding more space to move the ball with our new formation, but it looked like we just weren't sure how to finish the attacks, or how to even get shots off. That was all solved by the 50th minute though. Nery Castillo dribbled into the box, ran into a dead end of defenders, cut back and managed to shoot through the only possible opening he could find. The shot caught the keeper by surprise and he reacted too late to stop it. Mexico had taken the lead!

Bance almost equalized for the Stallions, creating the best chance of the night for his side in the 58th minute. But any worries about losing the lead like the last match were quickly put to rest when Blanco doubled the lead after a nifty bit of passing down the middle of the field put him in position to score. Carlos Vela sealed the victory with a diving header in the 81st minute. Now we'll just have to hope that we can carry the momentum into our next game and try to win our spot(s) back.

Mexico 3 - 0 Burkina Faso

Other team results:
1v2: Brazil 2 - 0 Mozambique
3v4: Costa Rica 0 - 0 Hungary
7v8: Austria 1 - 1 Oman

*At least Brazil stood up to the Mozambique-hoard. The clash of Portuguese speaking nations went in favor of the South Americans, which was Mozambique's first loss of the tournament. Costa Rica avoided dropping further by holding Hungary to a 0-0 draw and then Oman got their first non-loss result of the season, but still weren't able to move up, playing to a 1-1 draw against Austria.



Challenge Match 7: #4 Hungary (2-2-2) vs. #5 Mexico (2-4)

Oozing with confidence from the big win against Burkina Faso, and determined to not underestimate Hungary this time around, Mexico entered the rubber match with Hungary expecting to regain their position on the roster that they had lost at the start of the week. The 3-4-3 remained employed as Mexico looked to strike early, but Hungary must have known they were going to have their defensive work cut out for them, and that is what they focused on in the first half. The first half hour was bunker city with the Hungarians hunkered down, making it incredibly difficult to break through. So difficult that we only managed 2 shots in the entire half, neither of which were on target, despite holding 56% possession.

Marquez went down injured just seconds after the match restarted, and that was a precursor to the game's descent into a very physical contest. All of a sudden there were a lot of chippy fouls, several bookings, and the referee even had to separate players on a few occasions. Dardai and Torrado were both cautioned, and then Marquez finally left the field after picking up a booking of his own, playing a step behind due to the knock he picked up.

The previous loss to Hungary had been due to a terrible error from Corona, and this game was not immune to such buffoonery. C. Salcido took a horrible touch while collecting a backpass and nearly lost the ball to Hajnal. In a panic, he tried to pass back to the keeper, but Torghelle was there to intercept the ball and then score with a wide open look at net. With the lead, and needing only a draw to hold the #4 spot, Hungary were content to hold possession and make it difficult for Mexico to go forward. As the clock ticked, and goals were still required, Mexico got more and more aggressive. Trying to force turnovers by lunging and sliding all over the field, Mexico were doing anything they could think of to try to get the goals they needed. All Hungary had to do was be patient and avoid making any mistakes, and they did just that, holding possession, dribbling around wild tackles, and then picking out Juhasz to break towards the goal. He calmly took his chance, scoring to increase the lead and essentially end Mexico's hope of a comeback.

It was a shocking loss, even worse than before because this time Mexico had felt like they were prepared to play Hungary and still were not able to beat them! The stat sheet made it worse, Hungary had outshot Mexico 8-4, and had 6 shots on target to Mexico's 1... ONE SHOT ON TARGET! IN A GAME THAT WE NEEDED TO WIN! How is that possible against a team we had beaten 5-0 during Challenge Match #2???? What to do? New formation? New players? I'm starting to run out of ideas on how to fix this team...

Hungary 2 - 0 Mexico

Other team results:
2v3: Mozambique 2 - 0 Costa Rica
6v7: Burkina Faso 2 - 2 Austria

*Costa Rica was not able to win their spot back, falling 0-2 against Mozambique, which means Mozambique has secured a top 2 spot for this week's league match. Burkina Faso narrowly held on to their spot after playing out a 2-2 draw against Austria.



Challenge Match 8: #5 Mexico (2-5) vs. #6 Burkina Faso (3-2-2)

With morale at an all time low, we weren't sure what to do. Sure, we had beaten Burkina Faso recently, and by a nice scoreline too (3-0!) but with the direction this team is heading, that hardly means a thing. We went back to the 4-3-3 formation and used three strikers that were all in top form (Vela, Chicharito, and Bravo). We just needed to get our offensive swagger back after such a toothless performance against Hungary, so our only aim was to score goals.

So what a disappointment it was when, instead of us surging forward and taking an early lead, Burkina Faso did so instead. An early shot into the box was punched right into defender F. Rodriguez and it deflected backwards across the line for an own goal. Six minutes in and we were already trailing. What a disaster!

The offense was an extreme disappointment. We didn't even get a shot off until the 25th minute, which was a poorly taken header that went way over the bar. We finally threatened in stoppage time, getting our second and third shots of the match in, but neither were very dangerous and we sulked into the locker room at half time trailing on the scoreboard and in shots fired.

It was almost disbelief at how unlucky we could be when Pitroipa went down inside our box just after the restart. The referee bought it and awarded a penalty. Bamogo sent the keeper the wrong way and easily scored to make it 2-0 in the 48th minute!

I didn't know what to change, what could I? I had my best strikers in the best form and they weren't doing shit. What a bunch of putos. Or at least they were until Chicharito forced a turnover in the 53rd minute and then picked out C. Vela on the counter. Vela scored quickly and suddenly we had a ball game again. Two minutes later Chicharito found himself with a wide open shot that should have been the equalizer, but he shot wide!

I thought that was going to be the turning point, as Dagano and then Bamogo each found opportunities to score in the following minutes. Somehow, some way, we kept the ball out of our net and we were still in the hunt heading into the last half hour of the match. But things weren't going very well. Whenever we lost possession, the midfield was just barren, there weren't any green jerseys anywhere to be found. Should I go back to the 3-4-3? But we were starting to run out of time, we needed to score... so I came up with a very unconventional 3-4-4.

This change seemed to confuse Burkina Faso, the defenders weren't sure who to mark and it allowed for some open shots, but neither Pardo nor Nery Castillo could convert on their chances. The game entered stoppage time and we were now dominating possession, but we still had nothing to show from it. Nothing that is, until a late from Nery Castillo arrived just in time for Chicharito to head in the equalizer and save our spot! The Burkinabe were so disheartened at losing the lead and they completely fell apart. C. Vela dribbled right through them in the closing moments of the match and the scored a completely undeserved goal to give Mexico the surprising win. Not enough could be said about how incredible that last goal was, Vela weaved in and out of the entire defense and then somehow scored. What a strike! And what a victory, to be trailing heading into stoppage time and then pull out a victory! Hopefully this is just what we needed to turn the campaign around.

Mexico 3 - 2 Burkina Faso

Other team results:
1v2: Brazil 3 - 0 Mozambique
3v4: Costa Rica 0 - 2 Hungary
7v8: Austria 2 - 0 Oman

*Brazil has proven to be the top dogs on the team, thumping Mozambique again, this time by a count of 3-0! It's good to see that Mozambique isn't completely invincible. Hungary stunned Costa Rica to find themselves at the #3 spot heading into league play - who would have thought that after their 5-0 loss to Mexico early on? Meanwhile, Austria took Oman more seriously this time around, winning 2-0 to hold the #7 position.



New Lineup for League Match 2
1. Brazil
2. Mozambique
3. Hungary
4. Costa Rica
5. Mexico
6. Burkina Faso
7. Austria
8. Oman
9. N/A

This has created an interesting situation. Team 7's next opponent is Team 1, and by virtue of falling to the #5 position, Mexico will have to face Bolivia! If this had taken place last week, the #4 matchup would have been Mexico vs South Korea but now the Koreans are all the way up to the #1 spot and will face Brazil instead! Bolivia would have played Hungary, who beat Slovenia last week at #5, but they have also moved up and will face Senegal at #3.
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
This is getting long winded, so I added a Table of Contents to the first post to help navigate through this.
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 2: Guinea (Team 10)

Guinea-Flag-icon.png


Still crushed about having lost the lead and therefore the game against Mali in the league meet, we had to somehow recover to jump back into challenge matches. That game had such big implications, our team drew rather than won the league meet, we are currently ranked 11th at the #3 spot, but could have been 2nd if we had held on to win (almost every #3 game last week was a draw, only our match vs Mali and Romania vs Panama produced a winner). Thankfully we had our unblemished team record to fall back on, after having won four in a row last week to climb as high as we currently are.

Latest Lineup
1. England
2. Turkey
3. Guinea
4. Russia
5. Wales
6. Lithuania
7. Zambia
8. Canada
9. Iraq

We've got our sights set on Turkey, who we feel are beatable. Whether or not we'll be able to compete with England is a different story though. I hope that we will find out this week though!



Challenge Match 5: #2 Turkey (2-2) vs. #3 Guinea (4-0)

The first half hour of the match was controlled by Guinea. We pressed Turkey hard and created a lot of turnovers which became scoring chances. However, our accuracy wasn't up to par and we failed to take advantage of any of those opportunities. As the game wore on, the Turks finally put together a nice spell of possession which threatened us greatly. We managed to clear the initial danger out for a corner kick, and then knocked that set piece out of the box, but it didn't go far enough. A Turkish midfielder collected the clearance and then played a nice daisy-killer across the box which somehow went through at least three players before finding Tuncay Sanli who poked in the opening goal in the 38th minute.

We continued to press, but weren't able to find an equalizer before half time. Although we felt like we had played better in the first half, that might have been an illusion. We had only outshot Turkey 5-4, and they held 54% possession! But we had nothing to lose, so we continued to press in the second half, and it finally paid off. After losing the ball on an early attack, we stuck with the play and won possession back. This caught the Turks out of position, allowing Mansare to slip through. His shot was initially saved before A. Keita came roaring in to finish the play and score the equalizing goal! Only 3 minutes had passed since the second half had kicked off!

Turkey tried to respond immediately, charging forward and drawing a foul which set up a dangerous free kick. Nihat's shot seemed to be placed perfectly, and it required a fantastic save from Kemoko Camara to keep it out. The game was wide open now, with both teams trying to take the lead. In the 61st minute, Guinean pressure forced another turnover to hurt Turkey. Feindouno received a brilliant pass to get behind the backline and he promptly scored with his shot to put Guinea within reach of the #2 position on the roster!

Plenty of time remained though, and around the 70th minute it was Turkey on the break. Kemoko Camara was forced to come way off his line to disrupt the attack. Unfortunately, his clearance didn't go far enough, and was intercepted by Hamit Altintop. A quick pass through to Nihat spelled big trouble for Guinea, because Camara was still out in no man's land. Nihat easily scored with the keeper off his line and all of a sudden the game was tied up again.

Is. Bangoura put Guinea back in front in the 78th minute. It was a marvelous goal as he managed to turn and shoot with a defender draped on his back to put Syli Nationale back in front, 3-2! During the next couple of minutes both Emre and Hamit Altintop went down injured, but that just opened the door for Ayhan Akman to come into the game. The fresh substitute was somehow unaccounted for by the defense, and he was left wide open on the wing. He received the ball and then just dribbled right into the box, unopposed, and scored the equalizer to end Guinea's winning streak in team play. Absolutely horrid defending from a team who boasts a pretty decent backline, just terrible. What a shitty way to "lose".

Turkey 3 - 3 Guinea

Other team results:
4v5: Russia 2 - 1 Wales
6v7: Lithuania 0 - 1 Zambia
8v9: Canada 0 - 1 Iraq

*Russia held off Wales, so they will be the first team that we play a rematch against. Meanwhile, there was upheaval in the lower ranks with both Zambia and Iraq knocking off Lithuania and Canada respectively.



Challenge Match 6: #3 Guinea (4-0-1) vs. #4 Russia (2-2-1)

After two straight matches without victory, I took a step back to look at what our options were. There aren't many players available to call up, but I did decide on one change. CMF Ca was called up to replace AMF A. Bangoura With our formation, we don't really have an AMF position, instead we have a more withdrawn CMF/DMF position, so Ca seemed to be a slightly better choice.

We had beaten Russia 3-1 the last time we met, so we weren't intimidated by them. Instead, we went forward early and often, putting Akinfeev under siege for the opening 20 minutes. He made some incredible saves during that span, but finally K. Cisse unleashed a powerful shot that Akinfeev did get a hand on, but it still had enough force behind it to get over the goal line and put Guinea ahead.

That goal basically opened the floodgates. Just two minutes later, in the 21st minute K. Cisse headed in a cross from Is. Bangoura to make it 2-0. Then in the 27th minute Feindouno made a nice pass to Is. Bangoura who managed to beat the offside trap and get a shot off. Akinfeev made the save, but K. Cisse was there for the put back. He now had a hattrick inside the opening half hour of the game!

Is. Bangoura and Ca both picked up yellow cards along the way, but that did little to deter Guinea. A corner kick landed in the box and A. Camara was able to recover the loose ball. He picked out Mansare, who forced the ball into the net to extend the lead to 4-0, only 37 minutes into the match! One minute later, Feindouno dribbled right through the center of the defense and scored to make it 5-0.

Russia were in complete shock while Guinea were in complete control, having outshot Russia 15-3 in the half. The Russians finally managed to put the ball in the back of the net in the 58th minute, but it was disallowed due to offsides. Meanwhile, Guinea had clearly taken their foot off the gas and were cruising to victory. K. Cisse and company created a few more chances throughout the game, but Akinfeev prevented further humiliation and pitched a shut out in the second half. The match ended 5-0 in favor of Guinea, shots ended up being 22-7 in their favor as well. Any doubt about whether Guinea deserved the #3 spot was clearly put to rest after this performance!

Guinea 5 - 0 Russia

Other team results:
1v2: England 1 - 1 Turkey
5v6: Wales 1 - 0 Zambia
7v8: Lithuania 1 - 1 Iraq

*England continues to hold off Turkey, avoiding defeat for the third game in a row to keep the top spot. Wales held off Zambia while Iraq challenged Lithuania, but were unable to come up with a victory that was needed to move up.



Challenge Match 7: #2 Turkey (2-2-2) vs. #3 Guinea (5-0-1)

In the last meeting, Turkey had needed a late equalizer to stave off Guinea's bid for their spot at #2. But after thumping Russia, Guinea certainly had their eyes set on that spot in this rematch. Unfortunately, the Turks were also looking forward to this, to prove that the near defeat was just a fluke. They set the tone early, as Nihat headed in a cross from Hakan Balta just 103 seconds into the match (1:43). K. Cisse tried to respond in the 5th minute, and he created a great opportunity, but just couldn't get the accuracy right.

Turkey were pulling out all the stops this time. Tuncay Sanli went down very easily inside the box. It looked to be an obvious dive, but the referee was convinced that it was a foul and awarded the penalty kick. Basturk stepped up to double Turkey's lead only ten minutes into the match, but his PK was saved! A little later, a bit of miscommunication between Tuncay Sanli and Nihat prevented Turkey from scoring again when both players tried to get out of each others way and no one got the shot off that would have probably scored.

So Guinea were only down by one goal at this point, but it could have easily been three. On the other end of the field, K. Cisse was being marked closely after his great performance against Russia, so it was up to A. Keita to get the offense going. He was doing a great job dribbling around defenders, but just couldn't string together the final pass with anyone to set up a goal.

Disaster struck again inside the Guinea penalty box. Arda Turan was somehow left wide open and was about to score when he was quickly tackled out of desperation. This time there was no question, it was an obvious foul and Guinea were lucky to keep all eleven men on the field after the play. Basturk tried his luck again, and was able to beat the keeper this time around, doubling Turkey's lead to 2-0.

It was a deserved lead for Turkey, who had controlled the first half and outshot Guinea 9-2. Guinea tried to fight their way back into the game with aggressive play, but all it resulted in was a series of bookings. B. Balde brought down Nihat to earn a yellow card and then Ca was cautioned for taking out Basturk. The formation was just not working in this game, as the Turks were finding way too much space in between the CMF and the CBs. So we switched from the 4-4-2 diamond midfield into a 3-5-2 with a DMF thrown in as an attempt to clog the middle of the field.

The change confused Turkey at first, and A. Keita almost scored three minutes after the switch when he intercepted an ill-advised back pass. His shot hit the post though, and we just knew it wasn't going to be our night after that. Turkey finally figured out a way through our new formation and started to attack again. Hamit Altintop and Ayhan Akman both nearly scored on consecutive attacks in the 69th minute. Altintop then scored in the 71st minute, getting his shot off just a split second before the slide tackle came in.

Ib. Bangoura created a golden opportunity on a breakaway in the 76th minute, but inexplicably shot wide when all he had to do was round the keeper. There were no other defenders anywhere near him! To completely illustrate the bad luck, B. Balde accidentally headed in a corner kick for an own goal to cement the defeat. Guinea had only managed one shot on target the entire game! A terrible performance after such a great game versus Russia.

Turkey 4 - 0 Guinea

Other team results:
4v5: Russia 4 - 1 Wales
6v7: Zambia 1 - 1 Lithuania
8v9: Iraq 1 - 1 Canada

*Russia didn't take their 5-0 beating lightly, they went out and hammered Wales 4-1 to set up a rematch with Guinea that is shaping up to be quite different than the last encounter. All other matches ended in 1-1 draws, with Zambia keeping their spot above Lithuania and Iraq holding on to the #8 position against Canada. That result means that Iraq will get to play in the league meet this week, while Canada misses out.



Challenge Match 8: #3 Guinea (5-1-1) vs. #4 Russia (3-3-1)

Guinea has beaten Russia 3-1 and 5-0 so far in challenge matches, but after losing 0-4 to Turkey, they aren't looking so hot coming into the third meeting. Meanwhile, the Russians just beat Wales 4-1, so they might be up for taking their spot back if Guinea's poor form continues. Instead, the pressure and the hype ended up being overblown for a game where both sides seemed too exhausted after a roller coaster week of games.

Arshavin had a free kick hit the post in the 14th minute and that was about the only notable chance in the entire first half. Both teams were more focused on defense after their heavy defeats recently, and it definitely showed with very few scoring chances being created. By the break, Russia had outshot Guinea 5-1. There were plenty of fouls though, 11 to go around, meaning almost twice as many fouls as shots - a good indicator of how the game was going up until this point.

Not much changed in the second half. Rough play continued and Denisov was finally sent off in the 69th minute to reduce Russia to ten men. That essentially killed the game as Guinea were more than content to sit back and disrupt the Russian attacks, and now Russia were struggling to create attacks with one less player on the field.

In the 82nd minute, K. Cisse came into the game (having been left on the bench due to fatigue) and almost scored the winner in the 84th minute. His shot was just a smidgen too high after he broke through the defense. B. Balde and company really locked down on the defensive end though, and the match finally ended 0-0, with Russia leading on shots just 8-5, while a total of 18 fouls had been committed in the match. But that was fine with Guinea, all they had to do was avoid losing to reach the league meet at the #3 position again, which they did.

Guinea 0 - 0 Russia

Other team results:
1v2: England 2 - 0 Turkey
5v6: Wales 1 - 2 Zambia
7v8: Lithuania 1 - 0 Iraq

*England defeated Turkey 2-0 to keep the #1 position on the team, but Wales were not able to hold their position. Zambia won 2-1 to jump up to #5, and Lithuania beat Iraq 1-0 to maintain the #7 spot.



New Lineup for League Match 2
1. England
2. Turkey
3. Guinea
4. Russia
5. Zambia
6. Wales
7. Lithuania
8. Iraq
9. Canada

*Canada will not participate in League Match 2

Holding steady at the #3 position, we'll try to do better this week than last. Our new opponent is Team 4, where Jamaica played at this position last week, earning a 0-0 draw against Paraguay. However, they weren't able to hold their position and instead we'll play Serbia, who jumped up from #5 where they had lost to Ghana 6-1, the worst loss by any team last week. Hopefully we'll be able to mimic Ghana's success and hand them another heavy defeat to get our confidence back after that heart breaking 2-3 loss we suffered to Mali in Week 1.
 
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ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
This concept is awesome, how are you doing it in game?

Thanks.

I'm playing it in "tournament mode", selecting new tournament for each game with the settings of "elimination" (which means 16 teams max) and then "home and away". Higher seed is always the home team, in league matches the team listed first is home (I tried to set it up so that each team will play 5-6 home games and 5-6 away games throughout the league season [11 games total]).

In tournament mode, I set up the 8 matches for the 16-team bracket based on the schedule from the excel file and play my match and let it simulate the other 7. If you could control the schedule for "groups" then I would use that, because I'd be able to do 32 teams and simulate 15 games for every 1 I play rather than 7:1. But that doesn't have a set schedule, so you never know which group positions will play each other first. One time it might be 1v2, 3v4 and the next it could be 1v4, 3v2 or whatever.

Then I just record the results, exit out of that "tournament" and then create a new one for the next batch of games.

That's mostly why I picked 6 teams to play as, because there are 4 games per "team", and 12 teams - so I can cover 2 teams per "tournament" (8 matches) which means 6 "tournaments" per round. Unfortunately there is no way to simulate games without playing at least one, so I'd have to play 6 games per round anyways. Figured it would be better to just play through as 6 teams rather than have a ton of meaningless friendlies waiting for all the games to sim. This is also why I have to keep playing friendlies with Norway during BYE weeks, because I still have to play a game in order to sim the other 7 results.

The downside to this is that cards and injuries do not carry over from game to game (because each game is in a brand new "tournament"). If someone gets sent off or seriously hurt in one game, they will probably be right back in the lineup for the next game. I try to act like that's not the case in the write-ups, I noted that "both Guinea and Russia must have been exhausted from their earlier games" in the last one, for example, but really there is no carry over - unfortunately.

The good thing, though, is that I have to load each team all over again for every game, so I can easily make roster/formation changes whenever I want. For both the teams I'm playing as AND teams I'm not. Those changes will immediately be reflected in the very next game too.

I think it's going well so far though. I do like that it's giving me opponents that are in my "range". That aspect is working nicely. For example, I'm not doing well as Mexico so I'm stuck playing teams like Hungary ( :emo: ), Burkina Faso, and Trinidad & Tobago. But I'm currently at the top with Norway so I'm playing Germany, Sweden, and England.
 
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ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 2: Ghana (Team 12)

Ghana-Flag-icon.png


The huge 6-1 win over Serbia was the biggest win of the entire week, and Ghana were rightfully ranked as the top #5 team for their performance. That's great and all, but we don't want to wind up playing as #5 all season, so hopefully we'll move up and let someone else overtake us there. The path forward isn't very inviting though.

Latest Lineup
1. Sweden
2. Spain
3. Paraguay
4. Peru
5. Ghana
6. Switzerland
7. Confederacy
8. Latvia
9. El Salvador

We had started the season off slowly, losing to Latvia, but I think we've turned things around and we're going to mostly keep the same tactics going forward to see how high we can climb.



Challenge Match 5: #4 Peru (2-2) vs. #5 Ghana (2-1-1)

We had a hangover after the big victory over Serbia and came out extremely sluggish. Peru was dominating the match early on and nearly took the lead on a Guerreo break away. He chipped the keeper but put too much under his shot and it ended up going over the bar as well.

Tagoe nearly stole the lead for Ghana in the 38th minute but his header hit the post. That was about the only chance of note for Ghana heading into half time, lucky to still be tied after Peru's performance, which included a late cross in first half stoppage time. The open header somehow missed the target and it was still tied up at the break.

Ghana regrouped and came out looking much better in the second half. A quick goal always helps, and that's exactly what Ghana got when Muntari picked out Tagoe in the 48th minute. This time Tagoe put his shot on target and put Ghana in front. Eight minutes later Gyan Asamoah headed in a free kick from Muntari to double the lead, and then in the 68th minute Tagoe timed his run perfectly to receive a great pass from Muntari and he scored with his one-touch shot to make it 3-0.

Peru didn't let the game get out of hand though. Pizzaro headed in a cross in the 70th minute to stem the tide and then he fired in a powerful shot from distance to beat the keeper and pull Peru back into the game, albeit in stoppage time. The second goal came too late though, and Ghana held on to win and move up the roster.

Peru 2 - 3 Ghana

Other team results:
2v3: Spain 3 - 0 Paraguay
6v7: Switzerland 3 - 0 Confederacy
8v9: Latvia 0 - 2 El Salvador

*Spain and Swtizerland both hammered their opponents by 3-0 scorelines to hold their positions, but Latvia fell into the bottom spot after losing 2-0 to El Salvador.



Challenge Match 6: #3 Paraguay (1-3-1) vs. #4 Ghana (3-1-1)

It was interesting to see Paraguay line up in virtually the exact same formation as us. It seemed like in this case, our midfielders really shined as we dominated most of the play in the first half. It took a while, but the first goal finally came in the 39th minute when K. Asamoah lost possession but Muntari was there to swoop in and regain possession. He was so quick that he was able to create a breakaway simply by catching the defense unprepared. He dribbled in and scored.

Just as things seemed to be going according to plan, Paraguay caught Ghana napping. Bonet dribbled right through the defense and forced the keeper to make a tough save that was spilled into the box. Dante Lopez was there for the put back and suddenly Paraguay were level just a few minutes after the second half had begun. They rode that momentum and controlled the game for the next 15 minutes or so, but were unable to capitalize on their dominance.

The game turned on its head yet again when, in the 69th minute, Tagoe timed his run perfectly to receive a pass from Muntari and then score. The replay looked very close, but the flag had stayed down, so Ghana were back in the lead. The lead lasted less than a minute, as Paraguay scored right off the kickoff! Dante Lopez dribbled around a few defenders and then just as it looked like the ball was going to get poked away from him, he got off a shot which surprised and beat the keeper. The game was all square again! (I described the play as "luckiest goal ever" in my notes)

We fought on to try to take the lead for a third time. The match entered stoppage time when finally Muntari served up a beautiful corner kick which Narry headed in for a sure winner! Or was it? Paraguay attacked immediately after the restart and won a free kick. The shot came looping over the wall and went just out of the keeper's reach, and after their other equalizers there would be no other explanation except that the game just decided there was no way in hell I was going to win, but thankfully it hit the post and that was it!!!

Paraguay actually outshot us 13-9 on the night, but Muntari had 1 goal and 2 assists and basically just dragged the team, kicking and screaming, up to #3!

Paraguay 2 - 3 Ghana

Other team results:
1v2: Sweden 2 - 0 Spain
5v6: Peru 2 - 2 Switzerland
7v8: Confederacy 1 - 0 El Salvador

*Sweden continues to frustrate the Spanish, somehow recording a 2-0 victory to maintain the top position. Peru only just held their position by virtue of a 2-2 draw against the Swiss, while the Confederates beat El Salvador 1-0 to avoid playing in the elimination match this week.



Challenge Match 7: #2 Spain (2-2) vs. #3 Ghana (4-1-1)

I was wary of this matchup because I've lost to Spain a lot recently - in both the Euro Cup and Confederations Cup that I played earlier this year. Apparently they are just built to beat me, and it looked like this was not going to be any different when they scored in the opening two minutes of the game, before I even touched the ball! Villa headed in a cross and it was 1-0 Espana, just like that!

We didn't give up though, and once we actually got to touch the ball we were able to work it around nicely. In the 20th minute the main man Muntari struck again, slotting a nice pass across the box for Gyan Asamoah to collect and then score an equalizer with. The match went back and forth after that, with no clear chances until late in the half. S. Cazorla tried an audacious shot in order to chip the keeper from an angle, and only just missed scoring by a few inches. Dramani had a late header to end the half, but pushed it too far wide. As such, we went into the break with a 1-1 scoreline, 4-4 on shots, and nearly 50% possession (Spain lead with 51%). A very balanced game!

Spain started to find a weakness in our formation, attacking down the sides. They just seemed to have one too many players in any given area and that allowed them to work the ball around the defense. We eventually succumbed to these tactics when S. Cazorla dribbled in and scored even though the keeper rushed out and nearly cleared the ball. He got the shot off just in time to beat him!

Ghana responded only ten minutes later though. After a throw in during the 72nd minute, the Black Stars made a series of great passes to work the ball around the box and eventually set up Asamoah for a shot on goal, which he converted. S. Cazorla almost reclaimed the lead just two minutes later when he broke down the flank again, but this time the keeper stayed on his line and Cazorla shot a bit too high.

A moment of brilliance decided the game. In the 78th minute Laryea Kingston went on a crazy run down the flank, dribbling and weaving in and out of the Spanish team. He blew past Cazorla, Xavi, and Puyol before finally looking up and spotting the run from Muntari. Sully easily beat the keeper 1v1 to become the hero for Ghana yet again in the thrilling 3-2 victory, the third straight match this week with that scoreline!

Muntari somehow outdid himself, earning a 9.0 rating with another game scoring 1 goal and having 2 assists. He had 7 shots (3 on target), went 36/45 passing, had 1 cross, and dribbled for 202 meters! He is playing out of his mind this week, and Ghana keeps going up because of it!

Spain 2 - 3 Ghana

Other team results:
4v5: Paraguay 0 - 0 Peru
6v7: Switzerland 2 - 1 Confederacy
8v9: El Salvador 1 - 0 Latvia

*El Salvador secured their spot on the league roster this week with a 1-0 win over Latvia, which will force the Baltic nation to sit out. Switzerland beat the Confederates for the second time this week to prove their superiority while Paraguay were content to play out a 0-0 draw to hold firm at #4.



Challenge Match 8: #1 Sweden (4-1) vs #2 Ghana (5-1-1)

An unexpected shot at #1 just two weeks in! We didn't expect to see Sweden at this spot, but with a 4-1 record they certainly earned it. The game was not nervy though, in fact it was wide open. The tone was set early when Gyan Asamoah made a great run to get in behind the defense and receive the ball on the break. His shot hit the post, but the stage had been set. Two minutes later, Tagoe dribbled right around his defender and had an open look at goal, but his shot was saved! Then two minutes after that, in the 15th minute, Obodai collected the ball outside the box after a corner kick had been cleared and played it back to Muntari, who had taken the corner. Muntari picked out Tagoe inside the box and his header finally made it into the net to give Ghana the lead!

Sweden had struggled to find their footing, but finally did so in the 22nd minute. Larsson headed in the equalizer on what was Sweden's first shot of the match. Appiah, usually left on the bench but selected to start for this game, showed that he's still got some moves as he dribbled right past Adam Johansson and then picked out Muntari, who was making a late run. Muntari easily scored on the possession to put Ghana back in front. Just before half time the star of the week got into a dangerous position and forced the defense to close down on him. In doing so, they left Tagoe wide open and Muntari was able to slot the ball across to him to set up the score. A 3-1 lead heading into half time, having outshot Sweden 9-2. Everything was going Ghana's way!

Not much changed after the break. A magnificent ball into Tagoe put him through on goal and even though the shot was saved, Muntari was there for the put back to make it 4-1 after only 52 minutes. The route was on when Essien volleyed in a shot right out of the air and beat the keeper in the 55th minute to make it 5-1!

Elmander finally pulled one back for Sweden after a nice give and go, but it was in the 87th minute, not nearly enough time left to stage a comeback. As expected, Ghana held on to win 5-2, outshooting the Swedes 22-7 on the night. Muntari recorded yet another 9.0 rating with 2 goals and 2 assists in the match! He has been responsible for just about every goal Ghana scored this week, which has been a lot; 14 goals in the past 4 games. And 20 goals in the past 5 if you go back to the Serbia league match! The 3-5-2 formation is working!

Sweden 2 - 5 Ghana

Other team results:
3v4: Spain 3 - 0 Paraguay
5v6: Peru 1 - 2 Switzerland
7v8: Confederacy 0 - 2 El Salvador

*Spain took out their frustration after two defeats in a row and beat Paraguay 3-0 again, the same scoreline as at the beginning of the week. Switzerland and Peru met for the fourth time in eight challenge matches and after having split the first three (1 Swiss win, 1 Peru win, 1 draw), Switzerland claimed the advantage, winning 2-1 and grabbing the #5 spot. El Salvador won their third match this week, beating the Confederacy to reach #7 heading into the league game.



New Lineup for League Match 2
1. Ghana
2. Sweden
3. Spain
4. Paraguay
5. Switzerland
6. Peru
7. El Salvador
8. Confederacy
9. Latvia

*Latvia will not participate in League Match 2

This week's opponent is Team 6, one of the weaker teams in my opinion. Uruguay played as their #1 team last week and defeated Nigeria 1-0 in league play. They managed to hold their position so they will be our opponents this week as well. If this matchup had occurred last week, we would have faced Bahrain at #5. It's almost unfair to have Spain playing at #3! What depth this roster has!
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 2: League Matchups

Team 7 vs. Team 1
1. Brazil - South Korea
2. Mozambique - Netherlands
3. Hungary - Senegal
4. Costa Rica - Ireland
5. Mexico - Bolivia
6. Burkina Faso - Rio de Janeiro
7. Austria - Bulgaria
8. Oman - Qatar


Team 8 vs. Team 2
1. Italy - Morocco
2. Finland - Mali
3. Nigeria - Cameroon
4. Belgium - Ecuador
5. Bosnia-Herzegovina - Poland
6. United Arab Emirates - Iran
7. Cape Verde - Israel
8. Curacao - Montenegro


Team 9 vs. Team 3
1. Cote d'Ivoire - Czech Republic
2. Croatia - Romania
3. Ukraine - Georgia
4. Colombia - Sao Paulo
5. Japan - Denmark
6. Uzbekistan - Congo
7. Angola - Martinique
8. Estonia - Suriname


Team 10 vs. Team 4
1. England - Norway
2. Turkey - Germany
3. Guinea - Serbia
4. Russia - Jamaica
5. Zambia - Togo
6. Wales - Iceland
7. Lithuania - Venezuela
8. Iraq - Gabon


Team 11 vs. Team 5
1. France - Argentina
2. United States - Portugal
3. Slovakia - New Zealand
4. Panama - Chile
5. Albania - Trinidad & Tobago
6. South Africa - Slovenia
7. Algeria - Indonesia
8. Scotland - Tunisia


Team 12 vs. Team 6
1. Ghana - Uruguay
2. Sweden - Egypt
3. Spain - Australia
4. Paraguay - Honduras
5. Switzerland - Greece
6. Peru - Bahrain
7. El Salvador - Northern Ireland
8. Confederacy - Syria
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 2: Team 7 vs. Team 1

Team 7 defeated Team 5 by a count of 4-2 last week, while Team 1 had the biggest win of the week, taking down Team 9 by a score of 5-0!

1. Brazil vs. South Korea

Brazil held steady at the #1 position by holding off Mozambique on two different occasions. A 2-0 win was followed up with a 3-0 win to cement Brazil's place at the top of the roster. A mouthwatering matchup against the Netherlands seemed to be on the cards until South Korea spoiled the party and upset the Dutch 1-0 during the last challenge match of the week. Prior to that the Koreans had entered the week at #4 without having won a game, but they managed to beat all of Bolivia, Senegal, and Ireland to put themselves in position to even have a shot at the Netherlands in the first place.

Consistent World Cup qualifiers, these sides have met in three of the nine World Cups. The first meeting came during the third World Cup when Brazil sent Korea home with a 3-0 victory in the Round of Sixteen. Several tournaments later, in World Cup VII, the sides met again in the group stage where Brazil managed to win again, although only 1-0. That proved to be the difference in the group as Brazil advanced with 6 points while South Korea were eliminated with just 3. Another meeting in World Cup IX proved to be much more lopsided as Brazil ran out 5-1 winners as they topped the group while South Korea finished last.

Brazil 3 - 0 South Korea (World Cup III Round of Sixteen)
Brazil 1 - 0 South Korea (World Cup VII Group Stage)
Brazil 5 - 1 South Korea (World Cup IX Group Stage)

This meeting didn't go as swimmingly for the Brazilians though. Surprise inclusion in the starting lineup, Ronaldinho scored a brace but South Korea avoided a fourth straight defeat in this series thanks to goals from Park Jisung and Lee Keunho. The 2-2 draw was a huge coup for Team 1, as they would have felt Team 7 were the heavy favorites in this particular matchup, with Brazil having beaten Argentina 3-0 in last week's league match.

Brazil 2 - 2 South Korea [Ronaldinho x2; Park Jisung, Lee Keunho]


2. Mozambique vs. Netherlands

Mozambique rose up to #2 this week as they proved to be superior to Costa Rica, beating the Ticos by scores of 4-0 and 2-0 over the course of the week. However, they weren't good enough to oust Brazil from the top, losing by 0-2 and 0-3 scores to them. Netherlands seemed to be sitting comfortably in the #1 spot for their side, and they easily fended off Ireland's challenge with a 3-0 victory, but right before the league meet they lost 1-0 to South Korea and will have to play at #2 this week.

This was unfortunate for Mozambique, because they just weren't good enough to keep up with the Dutch. Matateu Lucas got his obligatory goal, but it wasn't enough as Huntelaar and Van Bommel each scored for the Dutch to secure the victory.

Mozambique 1 - 2 Netherlands [Matateu Lucas; Huntelaar, Van Bommel]


3. Hungary vs. Senegal

Hungary started this tournament at the #6 position but they have surprisingly risen all the way up to #3 after beating both Mexico (twice) and Costa Rica this week. Senegal entered the week at #2 but immediately lost that spot to Ireland. After losing to South Korea, the Senegalese averted dropping further with a draw against Bolivia and then jumped back up to #3 by winning the rematch against Ireland.

These sides have actually met before. In World Cup VI, the last of the WE8 xbox era, both teams made a great run and reached the knockout round. Everything went right for Senegal in that matchup, as they managed to win 4-0 to knock Hungary out of the World Cup and they even used that momentum to go all the way to the championship, where they finished second place overall.

Senegal 4 - 0 Hungary (World Cup VI Round of Sixteen)

Hungary has clearly improved since then, as shown against Mexico, and they battled Senegal to the bitter end. Torghelle got the goal they were looking for, but Henri Camara also struck for Senegal, and both sides had to settle for a draw.

Hungary 1 - 1 Senegal [Torghelle; Henri Camara]


4. Costa Rica vs. Ireland

Costa Rica had a pretty tough week in challenge matches, going winless over the course of four games. A big 4-0 defeat to Mozambique knocked them from the #2 spot and then they only just held off Hungary's initial challenge with a 0-0 draw. After another loss to Mozambique, the Ticos were forced to defend against Hungary yet again and this time they lost 2-0 to drop to #4.

Ireland also had a rocky week, despite a good start. The Irish initially knocked out Senegal to earn a shot at the #1 spot, but ultimately lost 3-0 to the Netherlands. That apparently sent them into a tailspin as they went on to lose to both South Korea and then Senegal to drop to #4.

They managed to recover for the league match though. Robbie Keane struck first and then Carsley finished off Costa Rica as Ireland ran out with an important 2-0 win, giving Team 1 the same lead overall.

Costa Rica 0 - 2 Ireland [Robbie Keane, Carsley]


5. Mexico vs. Bolivia

Mexico's well-documented decline was pretty straight forward this week. Two losses to Hungary with two wins over Burkina Faso landed them at a steady 5th place on the roster. Bolivia held firm as well, losing to South Korea, beating Bulgaria, drawing Senegal, and then beating Rio de Janeiro to remain at the #5 spot for the entire week.

I decided to play as Bolivia for this game, to see how Mexico would fare on their own in the 3-4-3. Bolivia mostly kept their normal formation, a 4-4-2 with a slightly adjusted midfield to try to counter Mexico's formation. And Bolivia were able to attack right away; Botero nearly got a through ball early on, but the defense just barely managed to disrupt the pass. Another try in the 5th minute was more successful, getting past Osorio this time, and it sent the striker on his way to score the opening goal of the match, 1-0 Bolivia!

Mexico found an immediate response though. A long ball dropped perfectly into no man's land, but the Bolivian keeper decided to make a run for it anyways. Chicharito beat him to the ball and just kicked it right around the keeper to score the equalizer in the 10th minute.

Bolivia regrouped and worked hard to keep possession and move forward over the next several minutes. The effort paid off in the 21st minute when J. Campos made a run down the wing then cut back and hit a hard, low pass across the top of the box to R. Garcia who promptly scored before any defender could close down on him. This lead didn't last either though, as Chicharito scored again in the 29th minute to pull the sides level at 2-2.

Botero almost put Bolivia back in front with an open header in the 37th minute, but his shot somehow missed the target! But once again Bolivia were on the attack and by the 42nd minute they were back in front, Botero scoring on a counter attack to make it 3-2 heading into half time, with Bolivia having outshot Mexico 7-3 and holding 53% possession.

Chicharito kept trying to find the equalizer, but Bolivia's high line was giving him fits and he kept getting caught offside. But then a huge mistake cost the South Americans dearly, a pass intended to go all the way to the other side of the field never made it to the destination. It was intercepted by Mexico and lead to C. Vela and G. Dos Santos linking up to score yet another equalizer!

Chicharito nearly broke Bolivia's back with a great chance in the 80th minute to finally give Mexico the lead, but he missed the target by mere inches. Then it was Bolivia's turn to threaten. In the 89th minute Torrico galloped down the flank on a breakaway and got a great shot on goal, but it was saved by Ochoa. Botero was there for the rebound and had an open net to shoot into, but he panicked and shot into the post instead!

So the match ended all square with Bolivia probably feeling like they should have won, but grateful that they at least had not become the first nation on Team 1 to lose a league match. The final tally on the stats sheet showed Bolivia had outshot Mexico 13-7, held 52% possession, caught Mexico offside 6 times, and had 12 free kicks to Mexico's 8.

Mexico 3 - 3 Bolivia [Chicharito x2, G. Dos Santos; Botero x2, R. Garcia]


6. Burkina Faso vs. Rio de Janeiro

Burkina Faso finally moved out of the #7 spot that they seemed to be stuck in last week. A 1-0 win over Austria did the trick, and they managed to hold the position with a 2-2 draw against Austria in the rematch. The Stallions also had two shots to move up further, but were unable to beat Mexico in either attempt. Rio de Janeiro seemed to have a successful week, but it also seems like they are taking a long time to get moving up the table. Wins over Qatar, Congo DR, and Bulgaria allowed them to climb from #8 to #6, but a shocking defeat to Bolivia kept them in this spot for the league match.

Adriano scored the only goal of the match to give Rio the victory and also secure Team 1's win, now leading the league meet 3-0 with just two matches remaining.

Burkina Faso 0 - 1 Rio de Janeiro [Adriano]


7. Austria vs. Bulgaria

Austria has been the big disappointment on Team 7, having started the season at #4 but now holding the #7 position on the roster. A loss to Burkina Faso early in the week completed the drop and then a pair of draws against both Oman and Burkina Faso did nothing to help the situation. Austria finally picked up their first win of the season by beating Oman 2-0, so they will be hoping to ride that momentum into the league match. Bulgaria also dropped this week. After beat Congo DR they went on a skid where they lost to both Bolivia and Rio de Janeiro to drop to #7. A 3-0 win over Qatar gave them some momentum to head into this meeting as well.

The two were drawn together for World Cup VI qualifying where the Austrians won the initial game 3-0 and then played to a 0-0 draw in Sofia. However, due to results against other teams, Bulgaria actually ended up winning the group and qualifying, while Austria finished third and had to go through the playoffs. They did defeat Finland to qualify too. Both teams were eliminated in the group stage of that World Cup though.

Austria 3 - 0 Bulgaria (World Cup VI Qualifying)
Bulgaria 0 - 0 Austria (World Cup VI Qualifying)

This time around it was all Bulgaria. Berbatov and M. Petrov each scored while Austria was kept off the scoresheet for a nice 2-0 win to put Team 1 further ahead in the league meet.

Austria 0 - 2 Bulgaria [M. Petrov, Berbatov]


8. Oman vs. Qatar

Oman has held steady at #8 all season thanks to not having a ninth team to defend against. They finally got their first non-losing result of the season with a 1-1 draw against Austria, but then lost 0-2 in the rematch later in the week. Qatar actually missed out on Week 1's league match, due to holding the #9 position after that week's challenge matches. A 2-0 loss to Rio de Janeiro made it difficult to qualify for this week's roster, but Qatar rose to the challenge and knocked off Congo DR. The 3-0 loss to Bulgaria stopped them from moving any higher, but it didn't knock them off the roster at least.

Despite both having come into WEFA together during World Cup VIII, these sides have yet to meet in a competitive match. The two sides seemed to be very even though, and it was actually a good game that went back and forth. Hassan Rabia scored for Oman while Siddiq also found the net for Qatar. Finally, M. Hassan got the breakthrough to give Qatar a memorable victory in their first league match of the season.

Oman 1 - 2 Qatar [Hassan Rabia; Siddiq, M. Hassan]





Team 7 vs. Team 1
1. Brazil 2 - 2 South Korea
2. Mozambique 1 - 2 Netherlands
3. Hungary 1 - 1 Senegal
4. Costa Rica 0 - 2 Ireland
5. Mexico 3 - 3 Bolivia
6. Burkina Faso 0 - 1 Rio de Janeiro
7. Austria 0 - 2 Bulgaria
8. Oman 1 - 2 Qatar

Team 7 Wins: None
Team 1 Wins: Netherlands (2), Ireland (4), Rio de Janeiro (6), Bulgaria (7), Qatar (8)

Team 1 Wins 5-0
 
Last edited:

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 2: Team 8 vs. Team 2

Team 8 narrowly edged Team 6 with a 4-3 result last week while Team 2 settled for a 3-3 draw against Team 10.

1. Italy vs. Morocco

Italy defeated Finland and Nigeria to kick start the week and jump back to the #1 spot that they had started the season in. Another victory over Finland sealed their position for this week's league match. Morocco remained #1 throughout the week without winning any games. 1-1 draws against both Cameroon and Mali allowed them to keep the spot.

That form continued for Morocco, as they held Italy to the same scoreline, a 1-1 draw. Di Natale's goal was canceled out by Chamakh to spoil Italy's debut at the top position on their team.

Italy 1 - 1 Morocco [Di Natale; Chamakh]


2. Finland vs. Mali

Finland had a tumultuous week, losing to Italy, drawing Belgium, and then beating Nigeria before losing to Italy once again. Mali took a similar path, losing to Cameroon, drawing Poland, smashing Cameroon (4-1), and then settling for a draw against Morocco. Both had started the week at #3 and find themselves playing each other as #2.

Last week Mali came from 2-0 behind to defeat Guinea 3-2. This week they once again fell behind 2-0 after goals from Heikkinen and Kallio lifted Finland in front. Once again, the Malians fought back and after goals from M. Traore and S. Dembele the score was all level. There would be no late winner this week, but Mali had once again avoided defeat after digging a hole early on.

Finland 2 - 2 Mali [Heikkinen, Kallio; M. Traore, S. Dembele]


3. Nigeria vs. Cameroon

Nigeria fell from the top spot this week with consecutive defeats, losing to both Italy and Finland. A late week win over Belgium was the only thing that stopped them from going even lower. Cameroon also dropped into this position, although they were only #2 to start the week. After beating Mali, Cameroon failed to dethrone Morocco and then got hammered by Mali in the rematch. A big 3-0 win over Ecuador secured this position.

Being two of the original African teams in the game, you might think they have a long history of playing each other. But that doesn't seem to be the case. It appears that they have only met once before, way back during World Cup II qualifying. The match ended in a dull 0-0 scoreline.

Nigeria 0 - 0 Cameroon (World Cup II Qualifying)

Several years later, not much has changed. Both teams failed to generate much offense, and it turned out to be a lone goal from an unlikely hero, Enoh, that provided Cameroon with the low scoring victory.

Nigeria 0 - 1 Cameroon [Enoh]


4. Belgium vs. Ecuador

Belgium held firm at #4 throughout the week. Two victories over Bosnia-Herzegovina allowed them to avoid falling, but a draw against Finland and then a loss to Nigeria prevented them from moving up. Meanwhile, Ecuador started the week at #6 on their team, but quickly rose up with a string of wins against Montenegro, Iran, and then Poland. The run finally came to an end with a defeat to Cameroon, but overall it was a very productive week for the South Americans.

Unfortunately, Ecuador weren't able to capture their early-week form and failed to score for the second match in a row. Lukaku did find the net for Belgium, and his lone goal was enough to give Belgium the victory and also tie the league meet up at 1 win apiece at the "half way" mark.

Belgium 1 - 0 Ecuador [Lukaku]


5. Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Poland

Bosnia-Herzegovina remained at the #5 position throughout the entire week. Their bids to move up were thwarted twice by Belgium, but they at least held off challengers Cape Verde and United Arab Emirates along the way. Poland, meanwhile, fell from the #4 position. Two draws against Iran and Mali were followed up with a loss to Ecuador before finally beating Iran 3-0 to finish the week.

Having never played before, the league match ended up being a gritty Eastern European affair. Both team's star striker got on the scoresheet - Dzeko from Bosnia and Lewandowski from Poland - but that was all either team could muster and they settled for a 1-1 draw.

Bosnia-Herzegovina 1 - 1 Poland [Dzeko; Lewandowski]


6. United Arab Emirates vs. Iran

United Arab Emirates were among the biggest movers of the week. Starting out at the lowly #9 position, UAE went on a tear and managed to beat all of Curacao, Belarus, and Cape Verde to surprisingly jump to the #6 position. A 3-0 thumping at the hands of Bosnia-Herzegovina finally ended the run, but it was a great effort to get this high from a team that no one expected to even participate in a league match this season. Iran's week was much less successful. They drew Poland, lost to Ecuador, defeated Israel, and then also lost 3-0 in their last game of the week, to Poland.

These teams have yet to meet in qualifying, though it seems likely that they will eventually. That unfamiliarity may have paid off for the underdogs though. I. Matar netted a brace and all Iran could muster was a single goal from Nekounam. The shocking victory by the most unlikely of nations to pull it off has now put Team 8 in the lead with just two matches remaining!

United Arab Emirates 2 - 1 Iran [I. Matar x2; Nekounam]


7. Cape Verde vs. Israel

Cape Verde had a rather quiet week. A 1-0 win over Belarus was followed up with a 2-2 draw to Bosnia-Herzegovina and then a stunning 2-1 loss to UAE. A 1-1 draw against Curacao didn't really help to set the tone for this week's league meet against Israel, who got to this position by drawing North Korea, beating Montenegro, losing to Iran, and then drawing Montenegro in the rematch.

Neither team could figure out how to get past the other's defenders and this fairly uneventful match ended as a dull 0-0 draw. Team 8 cannot lose the league meet now, at best Team 2 can tie (again) if they can win the #8 matchup.

Cape Verde 0 - 0 Israel


8. Curacao vs. Montenegro

Curacao were in danger of missing out on league play this week after losing the initial 8v9 matchup to United Arab Emirates to kick off the week. Thankfully they were able to defeat Belarus 2-0 to win their way back into the lineup, and were content to hold the #8 position after playing Cape Verde to a draw. Montenegro has been very disappointing so far, and it got even worse this week. Losses to Ecuador and Israel marked the start of the week and only a narrow 1-0 victory over North Korea in the elimination game allowed Montenegro to compete in league play. A 2-2 draw against Israel forced them to participate as the #8 team though.

It all came down to this matchup. If Montenegro could win then Team 2 would at least avoid defeat, but if Curacao avoided losing then Team 8 would win the matchup. Jovetic emerged as the star of the match, scoring two goals and seemingly securing the overall draw for Team 2, but Martina and Fer each scored to pull level and hand Team 8 the victory by virtue of UAE's shock win over Iran!

Curacao 2 - 2 Montenegro [Martina, Fer; Jovetic x2]





Team 8 vs. Team 2
1. Italy 1 - 1 Morocco
2. Finland 2 - 2 Mali
3. Nigeria 0 - 1 Cameroon
4. Belgium 1 - 0 Ecuador
5. Bosnia-Herzegovina 1 - 1 Poland
6. United Arab Emirates 2 - 1 Iran
7. Cape Verde 0 - 0 Israel
8. Curacao 2 - 2 Montenegro

Team 8 Wins: Belgium (4), United Arab Emirates (6)
Team 2 Wins: Cameroon (3)

Team 8 Wins 2-1
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 2: Team 9 vs. Team 3

These sides had very different experiences in Week 1, with Team 3 blowing out Team 11, 5-1, while Team 9 was on the receiving end of a 5-0 thumping at the hands of Team 1.

1. Cote d'Ivoire vs. Czech Republic

Cote d'Ivoire fended off both Ukraine and Croatia this week to hold the top position on Team 9 while the Czechs defeated Georgia and then played to a 2-2 draw against Romania to hold their position.

One of the big stories from Week 1 was that not only had the Czechs taken the top spot on their team, but then they went on to beat France in the league meet. Cote d'Ivoire had lost to the Netherlands, so they were looking to turn things around. Czech Republic used this as an opportunity to announce their arrival, picking up their second straight victory at the #1 position with goals from Sionko and Jankulovski. Drogba scored for Cote d'Ivoire, but wasn't able to find an equalizer.

Cote d'Ivoire 1 - 2 Czech Republic [Drogba; Sionko, Jankulovski]


2. Croatia vs. Romania

Croatia had struggled in week one, but have turned things around this week, rising up to the #2 position after drawing Colombia and then beating both Japan and Ukraine. They were not able to dethrone the Ivory Coast though, losing 4-1. Romania spent the week gunning for Georgia, initially drawing 2-2 before finally winning 3-0 in the rematch to claim the position. In the meantime they had also played to a 1-1 draw against Denmark and then drew 2-2 against the Czech Republic.

These two have met before, back in World Cup III qualifying. Croatia won the first encounter and then played to a 0-0 draw in the next meeting. That proved to be vital, as Croatia ended up finishing second place in the group with 7 points and qualified to the World Cup. Romania finished with 4 points and missed out, so if they had beaten Croatia in that first game, they would have qualified instead!

Romania 0 - 2 Croatia (World Cup III Qualifying)
Croatia 0 - 0 Romania (World Cup III Qualifying)

This matchup was more similar to that second qualifying game than the first. There were some goals this time, from both Olic and Mutu, but ultimately neither side was able to prevail and they settled for a 1-1 draw.

Croatia 1 - 1 Romania [Olic; Mutu]


3. Ukraine vs. Georgia

Ukraine moved up and down throughout the week, ultimately ending up back where they started. After defeating Japan, they had a shot at the top spot, but were unable to beat Cote d'Ivoire. A loss to Croatia sent them back to #3 and then they held the position with a victory over Colombia. Georgia initially held off Romania with a 2-2 draw, but they were unable to recapture the top spot that they had begun the season in, losing 2-1 to Czech Republic. In the rematch, Romania won 3-0 to knock Georgia down to #3, but that was as far as they fell since they were able to get a 2-2 draw against Sao Paulo.

Georgia and Ukraine have never met in World Cup qualifying, but they did meet in the recent Euro Cup campaign. Georgia had the upper hand, winning 4-0 after drawing 2-2, which allowed Georgia to qualify and ultimately go on to reach the quarterfinals of that tournament.

Georgia 2 - 2 Ukraine (Euro Cup I Qualifying)
Ukraine 0 - 4 Georgia (Euro Cup I Qualifying)

Ukraine got revenge in this league matchup though. They couldn't quite match Georgia's four count from the previous game, but Tymoshchuk, O. Gai, and Nazarenko all provided goals to lift Ukraine to a 3-0 result and tie the league match at 1-1 overall.

Ukraine 3 - 0 Georgia [Tymoshchuk, O. Gai, Nazarenko]


4. Colombia vs. Sao Paulo

Colombia were unable to upend Croatia when the week kicked off, drawing 1-1 in their bid for the #4 position. A win over Uzbekistan gave them a shot at Japan, which they won handily, 4-0. The attempt to go even higher was thwarted by a loss to Ukraine, but the Colombians had still gained a position overall. Sao Paulo continued to climb Team 3's roster as well, blasting China 5-0, overcoming Martinique 2-0, and then thumping Denmark 3-0 to move from #7 up to #4. The South Americans finally conceded some goals, drawing 2-2 to Georgia in their last challenge match of the week.

That didn't seem to impact their form though. Another three shots found their way into the back of the net courtesy of Neymar, Taddei, and Fabio Aurelio. Falcao scored as well, for Colombia, but it was all his side could muster as Sao Paulo ran out as the big winners to put Team 3 back in front.

Colombia 1 - 3 Sao Paulo [Falcao; Neymar, Taddei, F. Aurelio]


5. Japan vs. Denmark

Japan probably had the worst week, losing to Ukraine, Croatia, and Colombia in succession to fall from #2 down to #5. A 1-1 draw against Uzbekistan provided the stopgap to prevent further slippage. Denmark, meanwhile, also lost a position. They had defeated Martinique and drawn Romania to start the week, but then lost to Sao Paulo to drop a spot. A 1-1 draw against Congo made the Danes nervous, but ultimately allowed them to keep the position.

The Danes were able to turn their luck around quicker than the Japanese. Jorgensen and Kahlenberg each netted for Denmark, while Larsen picked up a brace to complete the 4-0 route and put Team 3 in a great position, up 3-1 now.

Japan 0 - 4 Denmark [Larsen x2, Jorgensen, Kahlenberg]


6. Uzbekistan vs. Congo

Uzbekistan beat Angola to move up a position from last week. Unable to go higher after losing to Colombia, Uzbekistan held the position with a pair of 1-1 draws against Angola and Japan. Congo missed playing in the league match last week, but managed to beat Suriname, China, and Martinique to climb all the way from #9 up to #6. They nearly climbed an additional spot, pushing Denmark to a 1-1 draw.

The contrast in form was apparent, as Congo continued their great run and cashed in on a Linganzi goal to defeat Uzbekistan and also secure victory for Team 3, now leading 4-1 after six matches.

Uzbekistan 0 - 1 Congo [Linganzi]


7. Angola vs. Martinique

Angola lost to Uzbekistan to start the week, but then defeated Estonia to avoid having to take part in the elimination match. A draw against Uzbekistan ended any hope of reclaiming their spot this week, so they beat Estonia again to at least hold the 7th spot. Martinique had done well last week to climb up to #5, but they slipped back down this week after losing to Denmark, Sao Paulo, and then Congo in consecutive games. A 0-0 draw against Suriname was barely enough to end the losing skid and stop the fall.

Martinique's woes carried over into league play though. Unable to successfully go forward, they got caught out a few times by the Angolans. Goals from A. Macanga and Mateus lifted Angola to victory.

Angola 2 - 0 Martinique [A. Macanga, Mateus]


8. Estonia vs. Suriname

Both Estonia and Suriname remained in the #8 position from last week. Estonia beat and then drew Thailand while losing twice to Angola in order to hold their spot, while Suriname lost to Congo to initially fall to #9 before beating China to climb back up. A draw against Martinique ensured they would play at this spot again.

Both teams also seemed to be fairly evenly matched. The game went back and forth until finally Oper broke through to put Estonia in front, a position they would hold until the final whistle. So two late victories from Team 9 have made the overall league score much closer at 4-3, but it was too late and Team 3 has still won the meet.

Estonia 1 - 0 Suriname [Oper]





Team 9 vs. Team 3
1. Cote d'Ivoire 1 - 2 Czech Republic
2. Croatia 1 - 1 Romania
3. Ukraine 3 - 0 Georgia
4. Colombia 1 - 3 Sao Paulo
5. Japan 0 - 4 Denmark
6. Uzbekistan 0 - 1 Congo
7. Angola 2 - 0 Martinique
8. Estonia 1 - 0 Suriname

Team 9 Wins: Ukraine (3), Angola (7), Estonia (8)
Team 3 Wins: Czech Republic (1), Sao Paulo (4), Denmark (5), Congo (6)

Team 3 Wins 4-3
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 2: Team 10 vs. Team 4

Team 10 were forced to accept a 3-3 draw against Team 2 in the opening week while Team 4 fell by a count of 3-1 to Team 12, so both teams will be looking to pick up their first win of the season this week.

1. England vs. Norway

England and Norway each had a similar week, drawing their first game and then winning the second to hold their top positions against Turkey and Germany, respectively. Both played at this position last week, where England thrashed Morocco 3-0 while Norway fell 0-1 to Sweden.

These two combined to win three World Cups in a row, from World Cup V to World Cup VII (with Norway winning the first two, England the third), but have only met once before, and that was long before either team had become champions. Way back in World Cup II these sides squared off and England emerged victorious, 3-1. Both teams did qualify for the tournament though, topping both Croatia and Spain.

Norway 1 - 3 England (World Cup II Qualifying)

This encounter seemed to be shaping up as a high scoring affair, with each team bringing in four players on top form, all of them attack-minded, including all three of Norway's strikers! However, the real trick was getting the ball to those strikers. Right from the get go, the game was bogged down in the midfield, as both teams struggled to keep possession. The first shot of the game didn't come until the 15th minute!

The first dangerous chance came shortly after, as Riise lined up a free kick, but didn't hit it high enough and it crashed off the wall. A set piece on the other end proved to be more critical, as Heskey forced his way through his markers to get on the end of the corner kick at the near post. His diving header beat the keeper to put England ahead in the 23rd minute. The lead only stood for five minutes though, until an early cross into the box initially found no one waiting for it, but Carew was able to reach it first and struck it mid-bounce with so much power that the English keeper had no chance of stopping it. An unbelievable shot for a well deserved equalizer!

England found themselves in front again just before half time. With numbers forward after Gerrard had intercepted a pass out of the back, they patiently made the extra pass to get Wright-Phillips a clean look on goal, which he took brilliantly to restore the lead. It was probably deserved, as England had outshot Norway 7-5 and had controlled possession with 55%.

Norway revamped their tactics at half time and came out much more aggressive while seeking the equalizer. They pushed really hard looking for a second goal, but just couldn't quite get a good look at goal. Time ticked away and suddenly there were only ten minutes remaining. England were doing all they could to hold the lead, including going down very easily after any contact. Wright-Phillps even went off "injured" in the 88th minute, but then came back onto the field immediately after play restarted. HMMM Nevertheless, it came down to the "last chance saloon" when Carew got possession and dribbled down the wing. Stromstad, Iversen, and Braaten all queued up inside the box and it was Iversen who won the header and scored the last-gasp equalizer to deny England the victory! The final whistle sounded before either team had a chance to go for a winner, and Norway were relieved to have avoided defeat.

England 2 - 2 Norway [Heskey, Wright-Phillips; Carew, Iversen]


2. Turkey vs. Germany

Turkey and Germany also had similar paths this week. Both held off a single contender with a draw and then a victory against Guinea and Jamaica, respectively. Then both drew/lost their bids to take the throne from England and Norway, respectively.

There is a pretty good history between these sides, as they have met in three different qualifying campaigns. Turkey got the edge in World Cup III, where they would eventually go on to win bronze at the actual tournament. Germany then swept the Turks in World Cup VII, but only reached the quarterfinals afterward. For Euro Cup I, Germany were slightly better head-to-head, but Turkey wound up winning the group. Both were then eliminated in the tournament's group stage. So Germany currently leads the series 3 wins to 1 with 2 draws too.

Germany 0 - 0 Turkey (World Cup III Qualifying)
Turkey 1 - 0 Germany (World Cup III Qualifying)
Turkey 0 - 3 Germany (World Cup VII Qualifying)
Germany 3 - 0 Turkey (World Cup VII Qualifying)
Germany 1 - 0 Turkey (Euro Cup I Qualifying)
Turkey 3 - 3 Germany (Euro Cup I Qualifying)

The Germans pushed their advantage further by beating the Turks in the league meet this week. Podolski opened the scoring but Arda Turan equalized to show that the Turks weren't going to be pushed around. However, a late winner from Schweinsteiger eventually did them in as Germany captured their first league victory of the season after having tied Spain last week.

Turkey 1 - 2 Germany [Arda Turan; Podolski, Schweinsteiger]


3. Guinea vs. Serbia

Guinea nearly stole Turkey's spot to start the week, playing a very entertaining 3-3 draw, and then they solidified their position with a stunning 5-0 victory over Russia. Momentum can change quickly, and Guinea soon found themselves on the other end of a similar scoreline, losing 4-0 to Turkey in their next match. A 0-0 draw with Russia saw them barely hold their position to limp into the league match. Serbia suffered the worst defeat of the season last week, losing 6-1 to Ghana, but they shook it off and climbed up two positions after beating Togo and eventually Jamaica.

Momentum changed quickly again, as Guinea reignited their firepower, scoring just five minutes into the match after A. Camara picked out Is. Bangoura for a quick header. The next twenty minutes were controlled by the Africans, as they created a lot of good chances and just generally outplayed Serbia. It could have easily been 4-0 by the 22nd minute, but finishing hadn't been up to snuff.

Suddenly the game turned on its head and Serbia caught a lucky break. Kezman looked to have lost the ball after being challenged by A. Camara, but he somehow just got a toe out to poke it across to Dejan Stankovic who was wide open and he quickly turned to score the equalizer. The goal came just 40 seconds after K. Cisse had missed an open header on the other end!

Stankovic continued to be a thorn in Guinea's side when he went down just outside the box, looking for a penalty kick. The foul was given, but it was only a free kick. Still, Dragutinovic nearly capitalized on the chance, his shot hit the post! And Guinea were thankful for the half time whistle, despite having outshot Serbia 9-4, they felt like they were starting to lose control of the match.

Dragutinovic got another crack at goal and nearly scored again from a free kick. This time he did put the shot on target, expertly aiming for the top corner, but Kemoko Camara somehow just managed to get a hand out and stop the goal.

The twists continued when, out of nowhere, Is. Bangoura headed in another goal, this time coming from a K. Cisse cross. The goal came against the run of play and really deflated the Serbs' morale. They were unable to take back the upper hand, so they resorted to fouling. The game descended into a physical foul-fest, nearly turning into a street brawl on some occasions. As the match entered stoppage time, Serbia were running out of ideas and, as their last ditch effort, Kezman flung himself to the ground inside the box looking for a penalty kick to save his side. Fortunately for Guinea, the referee wasn't having any of his shenanigans and no foul was called so Guinea held on to win.

Guinea 2 - 1 Serbia [Is. Bangoura x2; Dejan Stankovic]


4. Russia vs. Jamaica

Jamaica has spent most of the campaign gunning for Germany, but after four losses in a row, they were perhaps starting to lose their focus. As such, they lost 4-1 to Serbia just before league play to drop a spot on the roster. Russia had dropped last week, and were also unable to move up after losing 5-0 to Guinea. The Russians rebounded with a big 4-1 win over Wales to hold their position after a scoreless draw to end the week against Guinea.

These sides have never met before, and it was a great first encounter. The sides went back and forth, trading goals all game until finally Zyrianov put Russia in front for good.

Russia 3 - 2 Jamaica [Semak, Semshov, Zyrianov; Lowe, Williamson]


5. Zambia vs. Togo

Zambia spent the week playing Lithuania and Wales, and eventually overcame both to jump up from 7th to 5th on the roster. Togo started out by losing their spot to Serbia, but held off challenges from both Venezuela and Iceland to avoid falling further.

Since Zambia has never played in a competitive tournament before, there is no history between these sides, although they are sure to meet in future qualification campaigns. For now, Zambia announced their arrival with a 1-0 victory courtesy of Bwalya's lone goal.

Zambia 1 - 0 Togo [Bwalya]


6. Wales vs. Iceland

Wales lost to Russia twice, and then eventually lost to Zambia and dropped a spot, despite having beaten the Zambians earlier in the week. Iceland lost to Venezuela and drew Saudi Arabia, but salvaged the week by winning the rematch against Venezuela to move up a spot. They were unable to beat Togo to go any further though.

This turned out to be a pretty good game. Gudjohnsen is always good for a goal when Iceland needs him, but Bellamy responded with two for Wales, which turned out to be the difference in both this match and the overall league meet, putting Team 10 ahead 4-1 with just two matches left to play.

Wales 2 - 1 Iceland [Bellamy x2; Gudjohnsen]


7. Lithuania vs. Venezuela

Lithuania lost to Zambia and then spent the rest of the week trying, unsuccessfully, to fight their way back up. Draws against Iraq and Zambia weren't proving very helpful, but the side did beat Iraq on the final day to build some momentum for the league meet. Venezuela, meanwhile, started strong with a win over Iceland, but then fell off with consecutive defeats to Togo and Iceland. A stopgap victory over Gabon was the only thing that saved them from dropping to 8th.

However, Venezuela did manage to turn it around against Lithuania. Moreno lead the charge, scoring a brace, and since all Lithuania could muster was a single goal from Danilevicius, that was enough to give Venezuela the victory.

Lithuania 1 - 2 Venezuela [Danilevicius; Moreno x2]


8. Iraq vs. Gabon

Both Iraq and Gabon had missed last week's league match due to holding the #9 position on their teams. That changed this week when Iraq defeated Canada to open the week, drew Lithuania, and then drew Canada in the elimination match to clinch their spot. Gabon didn't have such luck early on, drawing against Saudi Arabia in their first bid to move up. A rematch in the elimination game proved to be successful, as the 1-0 victory propelled Gabon onto the league roster. Both sides lost their final match of the week, Iraq falling to Lithuania and Gabon losing to Venezuela.

With similar backgrounds, it wasn't hard to see that these sides were evenly matched. Both found the net one time and settled for a 1-1 draw on their league debuts.

Iraq 1 - 1 Gabon [Jassim; Levy Madinda]





Team 10 vs. Team 4
1. England 2 - 2 Norway
2. Turkey 1 - 2 Germany
3. Guinea 2 - 1 Serbia
4. Russia 3 - 2 Jamaica
5. Zambia 1 - 0 Togo
6. Wales 2 - 1 Iceland
7. Lithuania 1 - 2 Venezuela
8. Iraq 1 - 1 Gabon

Team 10 Wins: Guinea (3), Russia (4), Zambia (5), Wales (6)
Team 4 Wins: Germany (2), Venezuela (7)

Team 10 Wins 4-2
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 2: Team 11 vs. Team 5

Both teams suffered setbacks in their season openers. Team 5 narrowly lost 4-2 to Team 7 while Team 11 were blown out, 5-1, by Team 3. Who would recover to win this week, and who would drop to the bottom of the standings with two defeats in a row?

1. France vs. Argentina

France defeated the United States by a score of 3-1 on two different occasions during the week to hold their top spot. Argentina had another stressful week after once again losing their spot to Portugal, this time by a 3-0 scoreline! However, they recovered to beat Chile 4-1 and then won the rematch with Portugal, 1-0, to get back to #1.

The two former World Cup champions (France of World Cup I, Argentina of World Cup VIII) have only met once previously. A round of sixteen encounter during World Cup V saw France eliminate Argentina with a 2-1 victory.

France 2 - 1 Argentina (World Cup V Round of Sixteen)

This time around, both sides reached 1-1, thanks to goals from Sanga and Messi, but France was not able to replicate their previous performance and find a winner. Argentina was unable to either, and the sides were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw. Both teams were reeling from their week 1 league meets in which Argentina got blasted 3-0 by Brazil and France shockingly lost 2-1 to Czech Republic, and both will have to wait at least one more week to find their first victory.

France 1 - 1 Argentina [Sanga; Messi]


2. United States vs. Portugal

The USA held off challenges from both Panama and Slovakia during the week, but never managed to threaten France in their two opportunities to take the top spot. Meanwhile, Portugal started the week very strong with back-to-back 3-0 victories over both Chile and Argentina to claim the top spot, however they were unable to defend the position and lost to Argentina in the rematch.

These sides have a nice history in real life, but unfortunately have never met before in WEFA competitive play. The usual suspects Donovan and C. Ronaldo each scored to make this a memorable encounter, but Joao Moutinho made sure the Portuguese would have fond memories thanks to his winning goal.

United States 1 - 2 Portugal [Donovan; C. Ronaldo, Joao Moutinho]


3. Slovakia vs. New Zealand

Two big climbers met at the #3 position this week. Slovakia defeated South Africa and Panama to move up, and barely lost 1-0 to the USA in their bid to go higher. New Zealand also went on a winning streak, beating all of Guadeloupe, Trinidad & Tobago, Slovenia, and Chile to reach this position.

With two teams on the rise, the league match was bound to be a great collision. Hamsik ensured that it would be a chaotic 90 minutes when he found some space in the middle of the field to get off a shot that beat the keeper from distance, giving Slovakia the lead in the opening five minutes! Boyens had been getting forward from his wingback position and he started whipping in some nice crosses to try to get New Zealand back in the match. One of those crosses finally connected with Fallon for a well timed equalizer on the ten minute mark.

Oughton and Bertos each forced the keeper to come up with a big save in order to keep the game level. Since the direct route wasn't working, New Zealand decided to work the ball around, and it paid off for them. Bertos had the ball at the top of the box, but rather than forcing a shot he found T. Smith coming forward on the wing. Smith hit a nice cross over to Wood who headed it in before the keeper could come up with another great save, and suddenly New Zealand were in front!

Slovakia were on the ropes, and the All Whites tried to deliver a knockout blow before half time. Elliott tried to pick out Fallon with a cross, but it was just a few centimeters too high and went over his head. However, the ball just happened to land in the middle of the box for Wood to volley it past the keeper and increase the lead to 3-1! The two goals had been scored in the 32nd and 35th minutes, respectively, giving New Zealand a huge lead heading into half time.

However, Slovakia didn't cower away. They came out much more determined in the second half and really took it to New Zealand. Hamsik, Mintal, and Vittek were suddenly finding space to shoot and were making things very nervous for the Kiwi defense. It took an unbelievable save from Paston to keep a Vittek header out in the 65th minute. Two minutes later, Vittek tried again, and again Paston was there for a ridiculous save, although this time Karhan was ready to pounce on the rebound and suddenly it was 3-2, Slovakia was back in the game.

Hamsik almost equalized off a free kick in the 73rd minute, and then caught a lucky break in the 75th minute when he seemingly fouled Nelsen to win possession but no foul was called. The open look at goal was somehow thwarted by Paston, who was figuratively standing on his head to try to protect the lead. Unfortunately, the pressure was too great and Slovakia eventually overwhelmed even him. In the 81st minute Hamsik sent in a cross to Mintal and this time Paston couldn't get there in time, it was all tied up!

Thankfully the match finally ended before Slovakia could find a winner, but what a contrast. New Zealand had felt like they were playing better in the first half, and had actually outshot Slovakia 6-4 heading into the break. By the end of the game, Slovakia had outshot New Zealand 17-8! That's right, Slovakia outshot New Zealand by a count of 13-2 in the second half! The All Whites just couldn't figure out what had gone wrong, and were honestly lucky to escape without a loss, despite leading 3-1 at half time!

Slovakia 3 - 3 New Zealand [Hamsik, Karhan, Mintal; Fallon, Wood x2]


4. Panama vs. Chile

Panama almost piqued the USA early in the week, but had to settle for a 0-0 draw instead. A 2-3 loss to Slovakia meant that they had to defend against Albania, which they did thanks to a 1-1 draw. The rematch ended 1-1 with Slovakia, so #4 would be where Panama plays this week. Chile had been holding steady at #3 until New Zealand came along. After losing to Portugal, they beat Slovenia, and then lost to Argentina and finally lost to New Zealand to drop a spot.

Both teams have been giving up a lot of goals in this tournament, so it wasn't a big surprise to see them go to town scoring against each other. Chile wound up with more goals overall, winning 4-2 for their first league victory of the season, and giving Team 5 a nice advantage, up 2-0 after four games.

Panama 2 - 4 Chile [Garces, G. Gomez; A. Sanchez, Mark Gonzalez x2, M. Fernandez]


5. Albania vs. Trinidad & Tobago

Albania are one of those teams that started low just because they are new, and many are eagerly watching to see how high they will climb. They moved up two more spots this week after beating Scotland and South Africa, and Panama could only muster up a draw to keep them from going any higher. Trinidad & Tobago, meanwhile, came full circle this week. They lost the opening game to Slovenia, then lost to New Zealand before changing their forture and beating Indonesia. In a rematch with Slovenia, the Soca Warriors prevailed to jump back ahead of them.

It seemed like Albania were the favorites on paper, but Kenwyne Jones thought otherwise. His goal lifted Trinidad over Albania and all but secured league victory for Team 5 this week.

Albania 0 - 1 Trinidad & Tobago [Kenwyne Jones]


6. South Africa vs. Slovenia

If Albania is this team's high riser, then South Africa is the big dropper. Having been #2 as early as challenge match 2, South Africa are now #6 after losing to Slovakia and Albania, though they did manage to beat Algeria at least. Slovenia will be wondering how they wound up here after beating Trinidad & Tobago to go up to #4 at the beginning of the week. Three straight losses to Chile, New Zealand, and then Trinidad & Tobago caused them to drop.

So both teams were disappointed to be playing at this position, and neither was able to outclass the other and win the game. Modise netted for South Africa while Komac responded for Slovenia to see out the 1-1 draw. With just two games left, and leading 3-0, Team 5 has now clinched victory.

South Africa 1 - 1 Slovenia [Modise; Komac]


7. Algeria vs. Indonesia

Algeria defeated Kuwait and Scotland to move up to 7th this week. A loss to South Africa stopped the climb for now. Indonesia, meanwhile, earned their first spot on a league roster after missing out last week. Wins over both Tunisia and Guadeloupe not only helped the Pacific nation jump out of last place, but it allowed them to avoid the elimination game as well. A loss to Trinidad & Tobago ended their run, but they were able to hold off Tunisia to stay at #7.

Unfortunately, Indonesia didn't get a warm welcome into league play. Algeria had lost 0-1 to Suriname last week, so Dahmane's two goals were the first goals in league play for Algeria, and they were plenty enough to down Indonesia and win too.

Algeria 2 - 0 Indonesia [Dahmane x2]


8. Scotland vs. Tunisia

Scotland had started the season at #5, but barely qualified for the league roster after dropping further this week. Losses to Albania and Algeria put them in the elimination game where they only just survived thanks to a 1-1 draw with Kuwait, the first game that Kuwait did not lose so far. Tunisia held firm at #8 despite a slip up at the start of the week when they lost to Indonesia. The Tunisians recovered to beat Guadeloupe in the elimination game and then drew 1-1 against Indonesia to wind up playing in this spot for the second week in a row.

Surprisingly, these sides have met before. Each qualified to World Cup III and wound up in the same group. However, nothing came of the match. It ended 0-0 and both finished at the bottom of the group, so neither made it to the next round

Scotland 0 - 0 Tunisia (World Cup III Group Stage)

This time around, Tunisia were much more excited to be here than Scotland, and it showed. Darragi, Zitouni, and Korbi all took turns celebrating as Tunisia ran out 3-0 winners, one of the biggest wins in the whole league this week!

Scotland 0 - 3 Tunisia [Darragi, Zitouni, Korbi]





Team 11 vs. Team 5
1. France 1 - 1 Argentina
2. United States 1 - 2 Portugal
3. Slovakia 3 - 3 New Zealand
4. Panama 2 - 4 Chile
5. Albania 0 - 1 Trinidad & Tobago
6. South Africa 1 - 1 Slovenia
7. Algeria 2 - 0 Indonesia
8. Scotland 0 - 3 Tunisia

Team 11 Wins: Algeria (7)
Team 5 Wins: Portugal (2), Chile (4), Trinidad & Tobago (5), Tunisia (8)

Team 5 Wins 4-1
 
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ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 2: Team 12 vs. Team 6

Team 12 overcame Team 4 in their opening match by a count of 3-1 while Team 6 just narrowly lost to Team 8, 3-4. Would Team 6 pull off the victory to pull level in the standings, or would Team 12 create a larger gap by winning?

1. Ghana vs. Uruguay

Ghana made an incredible run this week. Carrying the momentum from their 6-1 win over Serbia in last week's league match, the Black Stars won three in a row, defeating Peru, Paraguay, and Spain all by a count of 3-2 to earn a shot at the top spot against Sweden. In that challenge match, Ghana ran rampant, thrashing the Swedes 5-2 to enter this league match at the #1 position! Uruguay were already #1 from last week, having beaten Nigeria in the league meet and then fending off Egypt twice to keep the throne.

The run was all set to continue when Appiah found some space in the center of the field and had time to line up his shot. He blasted it well out of the keeper's reach to put Ghana in front early, just four minutes into the match! Ghana threatened to extend the lead over the next half hour, but Uruguay were actually the next ones who scored. Forlan forced his way forward with a hard but clean tackle that produced a turnover and eventual equalizer.

Uruguay were actually playing very rough and making a lot of hard tackles, but their timing was spot on and they weren't picking up fouls by doing so. As such, it became very difficult for Ghana to keep possession while just getting obliterated when they tried to go forward. The match hit half time with the scores still tied at 1-1, and Ghana had outshot Uruguay 8-2, but most of those shots had come very early in the game. Finishing out the game wasn't going to be easy.

That became apparent in the 54th minute when the match essentially completed the full 180 that it had begun to turn. Dramani broke down the flank, but Uruguay cut out his cross and then quickly worked the ball up the field, eventually finding J. Martinez who dribbled into the box and the beat the keeper from a tight angle to give Uruguay the lead!

Narry almost equalized immediately, but the Uruguayan keeper came up with a fantastic save to keep his side in front. And the next twenty minutes were spent with Ghana trying to figure out what had gone wrong and how to fix it. A corner kick in the 75th minute provided the answer, with the ball falling to Tagoe for a quick strike equalizer!

Uruguay weren't done yet though. They won a free kick in the 80th minute in which Suarez got just a little higher than Sarpei to win the header and nudge it down right to Forlan. He didn't hesitate to put the South Americans back on top. It was a fatal blow, and there wasn't enough time left for Ghana to come back yet again. It had seemed like they were going to roll past Uruguay after that quick opening goal, but instead Uruguay winds up winning for the second week in a row to show Ghana how cut-throat the #1 position really is.

Ghana 2 - 3 Uruguay [Appiah, Tagoe; Forlan x2, J. Martinez]


2. Sweden vs. Egypt

Sweden had earned a great win over Norway in last week's league match as the former #1 of the team, but they found themselves playing as #2 this week after losing to Ghana, despite having fought off Spain earlier in the week. Egypt beat Australia to move up into this spot, but were unable to dethrone Uruguay.

Perhaps the Swedes had underestimated their league foes this week, because they certainly did not play as well as they had previously. Or maybe Egypt is starting to click and get their act together? Either way, it was a stunning result to see Egypt come out on top thanks to a goal from Hosni.

Sweden 0 - 1 Egypt [Hosni]


3. Spain vs. Australia

Spain's struggles in team-play have continued as they not only lost to Sweden in their bid to reclaim the top spot, but they fell to Ghana as well, dropping all the way down to #3. This was unfortunate for Australia, who also dropped a spot due to having lost to Egypt on their roster.

The Aussies just never stood a chance. Spain went wild, scoring four goals and conceding none to get out all of their frustrations by picking up their first league win of the season. Torres lead the way with a brace while David Villa and Marcos Senna also added goals.

Spain 4 - 0 Australia [Torres x2, Villa, Marcos Senna]


4. Paraguay vs. Honduras

Paraguay lost 3-0 in both attempts to jump Spain, and also lost to Ghana to fall down to #4 this week, but they were hoping to turn things around against Honduras, who had beaten both Bahrain and Greece to climb up to this position.

Things did turn around for the Paraguayans as they easily handled their Central American visitors. Morel and Haedo Valdez each broke through while the defense stood firm and Paraguay earned the 2-0 victory to pull Team 12 back level, with two wins apiece after four games.

Paraguay 2 - 0 Honduras [Morel, Haedo Valdez]


5. Switzerland vs. Greece

The Swiss held steady early in the week, beating the Confederacy twice before finally overcoming Peru to move up a spot. Greece were going the opposite way though, having lost to Australia and Honduras to wind up here.

History favors the Swiss, who have beaten Greece in three of their four competitive meetings. A pair of 1-0 victories gave the Swiss the edge in World Cup VII qualifying and then the teams split the series for Euro Cup I qualifying. Switzerland did end up qualifying to that World Cup, but neither side reached the Euros.

Greece 0 - 1 Switzerland (World Cup VII Qualifying)
Switzerland 1 - 0 Greece (World Cup VII Qualifying)
Greece 3 - 1 Switzerland (Euro Cup I Qualifying)
Switzerland 2 - 1 Greece (Euro Cup I Qualifying)

A new first was achieved in this league match, as the teams played to a draw for the first time ever. Alex Frei and Padalino saw their goals canceled out by the visitors Basinas and Gekas, and no one was able to pick up a victory, leaving the league match overall still hanging in the balance.

Switzerland 2 - 2 Greece [Frei, Padalino; Basinas, Gekas]


6. Peru vs. Bahrain

Peru didn't have a very good week, losing to both Ghana and Switzerland to drop from 4th to 6th. Bahrain also lost a position on their roster. After losing their initial challenge against Greece, they then lost to Honduras to fall into this position.

Peru proved to be the stronger side, or at least proved that home field advantage was useful in this situation. Guerreo scored the only goal of the match to hand Peru the 1-0 victory and to give Team 12 a narrow 3-2 lead heading into the final two matches.

Peru 1 - 0 Bahrain [Guerrero]


7. El Salvador vs. Northern Ireland

So many squads on Team 12 lost ground this week, but not El Salvador. Starting from the very bottom, El Salvador defeated Latvia (twice) and then the Confederacy to climb up to #7 and participate in their first league match of the season. Northern Ireland also moved up one spot, beating Equatorial Guinea to grab the position.

Clearly the Salvadorans were much more excited to be here than the Norn Irish. Almost half of the starting line up managed to score a goal - A. Alvarez, D. Alas, Quintanilla, Pacheco - while David Healy could only provide a lone strike in response as El Salvador ran out 4-1 winners to clinch league victory for Team 12!

El Salvador 4 - 1 Northern Ireland [A. Alvarez, D. Alas, Quintanilla, Pacheco; Healy]


8. Confederacy vs. Syria

The Southerns failed to overcome Switzerland in their two shots at moving up, and it proved costly as they wound up losing to El Salvador as well to fall into the #8 position. Syria had missed out on league play last week, but a shocking upset over Equatorial Guinea gave them the chance to compete.

Unfortunately, the Confederates were just a bit too good. Syria put up a fight and kept it close, but never really managed to threaten offensively and finally Clint Dempsey, the Texas native, scored to give the Confederates their first league goal and first league victory of the season after having drawn 0-0 with Iceland last week.

Confederacy 1 - 0 Syria [Dempsey]





Team 12 vs. Team 6
1. Ghana 2 - 3 Uruguay
2. Sweden 0 - 1 Egypt
3. Spain 4 - 0 Australia
4. Paraguay 2 - 0 Honduras
5. Switzerland 2 - 2 Greece
6. Peru 1 - 0 Bahrain
7. El Salvador 4 - 1 Northern Ireland
8. Confederacy 1 - 0 Syria

Team 12Wins: Spain (3), Paraguay (4), Peru (6), El Salvador (7), Confederacy (8)
Team 6 Wins: Uruguay (1), Egypt (2)

Team 12 Wins 5-2
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 2: League Standings

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{tbody}
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{td}Team{/td}
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{td}Team 12{/td}
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{td}Team 7{/td}
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{td}Team 2{/td}
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{td}Team 6{/td}
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{td}Team 4{/td}
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{td}Team 9{/td}
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{td}Team 11{/td}
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[/xtable]


Top #1: Uruguay (Team 6): 2-0-0 +2 GD
Top #2: Portugal (Team 5): 2-0-0 +2 GD
Top #3: Ukraine (Team 9): 1-0-1 +3 GD
Top #4: Belgium (Team 8): 2-0-0 +3 GD
Top #5: Bosnia-Herzegovina (Team 8): 1-0-1 +1 GD
Top #6: Ecuador (Team 2): 1-0-0 +3 GD
Top #7: El Salvador (Team 12): 1-0-0 +3 GD
Top #8: Tunisia (Team 5): 1-0-1 +3 GD
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Post-Week 2: Roster Changes

Here is a recap of all the roster changes that were made as teams try to improve their chances heading into Week 3.


Before League Match

Guinea: Drop AMF A. Bangoura; Add CMF Ca

New Zealand: Add CB W. Reid

Gabon: Change formation from 3-2-5 to 4-3-3

Lithuania: Change formation from 3-3-4 to 3-4-3

Latvia: Add CMF Fertovs, CB Maksimenko | change formation from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2

United States: Drop SB Pearce; Add SB Yedlin

Confederacy: Add AMF Zusi

Belgium: Drop SS Mirallas; Add CF Lukaku

Netherlands: Drop CMF Schaars, CB Marcellis; Add CMF De Zeeuw, CB Schut

Suriname: Add WF Douglas

Cape Verde: Add SMF Cabral



After League Match

Austria: Drop CF Mairerhofer, CF Okotie, GK Gspurning; Add CF Linz, SS Harnick, CF Witteveen

Cameroon: Drop SS Mokake, GK Souleymanou; Add CF D. Kouemaha, CMF N'Guemo

Cote d'Ivoire: Drop CF Cisse, SMF A. Traore, GK Barry; Add SS Kader Keita, SS B. Kalou, CMF K. Coulibaly | change formation from 4-3-3 to 3-3-4
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
They are 0-2 in league play, gotta try to shake things up and get the best players on the field!
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Post-Week 2: Tournament Update

As the season goes on there will be fewer and fewer challenge matches since, theoretically, teams should start to get a better sense of who should be playing at each position. Also, in order to "qualify" for the post-season tournaments, a nation must play at least 6 games (over 50%) at the position they are trying to qualify for.

So for example, in the 11-game season, if a team plays 1 game as #2, 3 games as #3, 4 games as #4, and 3 games as #5 they wouldn't qualify to ANY of the post-season tournaments. Instead, if they played 2 games as #3, 6 as #4, and 3 as #5, they would qualify to the #4 tournament. The more games played at a certain position, the (likely) higher their seed would be at that position, so it is better to play as many games as possible at the position you will end up playing post-season. However, it is better to play at a higher position, so the only teams this really impacts right now are the top 1-2. It's good for them to play many games at the positions they currently hold, but a team like Tunisia who has already played 2 games at #8, it's not helping them unless they actually stay at #8 for the majority of the season (in which case, as you see above in the league standings post, they would be the top seed of that bracket).

Anyways, the point of this was just to point out that there aren't going to be four challenge matches per week any more. There are only going to be three for Weeks 3 and 4, and then down to two for Weeks 5 and 6, and then after Week 6 it will be a case-by-case basis to determine who is even eligible to challenge each other (keeping in mind that every team needs to play at least 6 games at a certain position in order to qualify). So for example, let's say if by Week 6 Netherlands and South Korea (two teams who have already been #1 for Team 1) have been the only teams to play as the #1 spot for their team, they will only play challenge matches against each other to determine who actually gets to keep the spot for the rest of the season (assuming at least one of them doesn't drop down to like #5 or something in the meantime). Anyone who hasn't already played at #1 will not be able to challenge for the position.

Hopefully this will make for an interesting dynamic, as a team like Ghana could be in trouble if I somehow hold the #1 position for a while but then eventually lose out to Sweden or Spain. Since I jumped up so quickly, the only other position I've played at is #5, so I could end up being forced to play as #5 for the rest of the season if I'm unable to hold the #1 spot, unless I do drop and play as #2 or #3 at some point just to leave the option open.
 
Last edited:

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 3: Bolivia (Team 1)

Bolivia-Flag-icon.png


It is still very early in the season, but it's looking like Team 1 is the best team in the league. For the second week in a row we've swept our opposition, and have now played 16 individual league matches without having lost a game! The Netherland's surprise loss to South Korea during the challenge matches actually helped us a lot, since the Koreans were able to hold Brazil to a draw and then Netherlands beat the tough Mozambique squad. We did our part with another hard fought draw, this time against Mexico. However, our lack of wins is hurting our position overall. We dropped from 6th to 9th for the #5 position, and now (assuming all top 12 teams end up qualifying) we would have to face Zambia in the first round with Bosnia-Herzegovina (the top rated #5) awaiting if we won. That's still a long ways away though, we need to focus on this week and see if we can't climb any higher to start building our ranking at a new position.

Latest Lineup
1. South Korea
2. Netherlands
3. Senegal
4. Ireland
5. Bolivia
6. Rio de Janeiro
7. Bulgaria
8. Qatar
9. Congo DR

The top four have traded spots quite often, but none of them have dipped any lower than #4. We'll see if we can change that, but we'll also have to focus on holding off a very tough challenge from below, as Rio de Janeiro are a pretty formidable opponent.



Challenge Match 9: #4 Ireland (3-4-1) vs. #5 Bolivia (4-1-3)

Ireland had six starters in top form, which made us nervous heading into the game, but an early gaffe helped ease us. In just the third minute, a weak Irish clearance was collected by Verduguez and sent back over to Torrico. Dunne slid to try and tackle the ball away, but missed completely and allowed Torrico to go right by him. After dribbling into the box, the winger picked out Cabrera for the easy goal, and just like that Bolivia were in front!

Bolivia kept the Irish on the ropes for the rest of the half, and then Cabrera and Torrico hooked up again to try and deliver a knockout blow. This time it was Cabrera supplying Torrico for the goal, and just like that it was 2-0 heading into half time. The stats showed that it was a very deserved lead, with Bolivia having outshot the timid Irish by a count of 12-1!

Ireland woke up after the break, with Robbie Keane announcing their intentions around the hour mark. His header smashed off the post, and suddenly the Irish were trying to make a game out of it. Fortunately, Bolivia were able to hold out, and Irish hopes started to diminish when there were less than ten minutes on the clock.

Raldes served them up a life line though. His unexpected backpass caught the Bolivian keeper by such surprise that he actually missed the ball completely and it rolled into the net for a completely uncalled for own goal. All of a sudden Ireland just needed one goal in the next seven minutes in order to hold their position. Bolivia were shaken by the mistake, but they regrouped and were able to protect the lead, seeing out the win to finally move up to #4 after three tries challenging for it.

Ireland 1 - 2 Bolivia

Other team results:
2v3: Netherlands 3 - 1 Senegal
6v7: Rio de Janeiro 2 - 2 Bulgaria
8v9: Qatar 0 - 1 Congo DR

*The Dutch made sure to take care of Senegal to set up a rematch with South Korea, while Qatar were unable to stay in league position after losing to Congo DR. This was Congo DR's first win of the season too! Finally, Rio de Janeiro did just enough to hold off Bulgaria.



Challenge Match 10: #3 Senegal (1-5-3) vs. #4 Bolivia (5-1-3)

Bolivia had tied Senegal 1-1 in the challenge match last week, but the Senegalese were looking vulnerable after such a heavy loss to the Netherlands, so perhaps this was the time to strike and steal another spot further up the roster? Aside from an early Henri Camara header that hit the post, Bolivia were bossing the match for quite a while. Senegal's keeper came up with a few great saves to keep the game at 0-0 though.

It was a very physical contest as well. Three yellow cards were handed out in the opening half hour and a slew of other fouls were called as well. M. Moreno tried to cash in on one of those chances, attempting to head in a free kick, but his shot just missed the target. Bolivia came forward for one last attack just as the half was winding down and changed the tune of the game completely. A. Da Rosa made a great run into the box and the pass found him in stride, allowing him to fire in the shot before any Senegal defender could react to give Bolivia the lead right on the stroke of half time!

Diouf came on to give Senegal a lift in the second half, and he nearly provided an equalizer by picking out Henri Camara inside the box. Camara's header really should have scored, but somehow went wide. Bolivia knew they were going to need to extend the lead if they wanted to be safe, and thankfully that second goal came in the 66th minute. Botero was in position with his back to goal when the ball came in, but R. Garcia was also running in, and Botero spotted him just in time to dummy the ball through, allowing it to fall to Garcia who had a clean look at goal and promptly scored.

Senegal kept fighting to get back into the game, but they had pinned all their hopes on Henri Camara, who just wasn't having a good night. Overall he had 6 shots, but only 1 was on target. Senegal actually outshot Bolivia in the second half, but they weren't quality shots, so the South Americans held on to win 2-0 and move up another spot on the roster!

Senegal 0 - 2 Bolivia

Other team results:
1v2: South Korea 1 - 3 Netherlands
5v6: Ireland 1 - 1 Rio de Janeiro
7v8: Bulgaria 2 - 0 Congo DR

*As expected, the Dutch thrashed South Korea to reclaim their throne for the week. Ireland managed to fend off Rio with a draw while Bulgaria easily beat Congo DR to avoid playing in this week's elimination game.



Challenge Match 11: #2 South Korea (4-2-3) vs. #3 Bolivia (6-1-3)

South Korea had handed Bolivia their only loss so far, and had also held the #1 position, so there weren't very high expectations for the rematch. However, all it takes is one goal to change the game, so Bolivia went out to find it. And wouldn't you know it, that goal came in just the 20th minute of the match. M. Moreno beat the offsides trap and, with the flag down, he was all alone 1v1 with the keeper. He took an incredible touch to fake out the goalie and get around him, then easily slotted his shot into the open net.

That turned out to be the difference in the game. Overall, South Korea pretty much controlled the game, shooting twice as often as Bolivia and just generally holding possession, but Bolivia were packed in defensively and didn't give the Koreans any decent looks at goal. Moreno had a few more nice plays where he dribbled around the Korean defense, but neither side was able to score again and the game eventually ended with Bolivia still clinging to that early goal. After being stuck at #5 for two weeks in a row, all of a sudden Bolivia were up to #2 heading into this week's league match!

South Korea 0 - 1 Bolivia

Other team results:
4v5: Senegal 3 - 0 Ireland
6v7: Rio de Janeiro 1 - 3 Bulgaria
8v9: Congo DR 1 - 1 Qatar

*Senegal finally put together a big performance to beat Ireland 3-0, their largest win of the season, to stay in the top 4. Bulgaria shocked everyone by taking the #6 position from Rio de Janeiro, and then Congo DR earned their spot back into the league roster by holding Qatar to a 1-1 draw.



New Lineup for League Match 3
1. Netherlands
2. Bolivia
3. South Korea
4. Senegal
5. Ireland
6. Bulgaria
7. Rio de Janeiro
8. Congo DR
9. Qatar

*Qatar will not participate in League Match 3

This week's opponent is Team 6, who have lost both of their previous league matches. Had this matchup occurred last week, we would have met Greece at the #5 spot, and if we had remained there we would have faced Australia this week. However, since we've climbed up a bit, we'll face a much tougher opponent in Uruguay. They had been the #1 squad for the past two weeks, but lost out to Egypt this week. Uruguay also beat Ghana last week, so we are fully aware of how difficult this will be.
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 3: Norway (Team 4)

Norway-Flag-icon.png


Our league campaign is not going very well, for the overall team or for us specifically. We held England to a draw, but we are still winless at the #1 position, where we are currently ranked 9th. If the post-season started today, we'd have to play Italy in the first round and then Uruguay in the second. I don't think we are ready for that! We've got to figure out how to win these big games. We keep beating Germany in challenge matches, but we've got to step up during the league games!

Latest Lineup
1. Norway
2. Germany
3. Serbia
4. Jamaica
5. Togo
6. Iceland
7. Venezuela
8. Gabon
9. Saudi Arabia

We are hoping that Serbia starts to pester the Germans a bit, maybe it will help us a bit if those two go at it so that the winner is weakened when they come up against us. But we aren't counting on it. Instead, we'll just focus on holding our position and playing some easy friendlies to stay loose.



Challenge Match 9: #1 Norway (2-0-2) - BYE

After such a tough week, we wanted to take it easy, and were hoping that Lithuania would play nice with us. They did, for the most part. The game was fairly uneventful until the end of the first half, when Sernas scored off a remarkable volley to give Lithuania the lead. It was the first time we'd fallen behind in a friendly!

We wanted to take it easy, but not lose, so we came out a little more aggressive in the second half after finding out that we'd been outshot 6-1. In fact, we came out a lot more aggressive, and wound up outshooting Lithuania 10-2 in the half. Tettey, of all players, wound up scoring the equalizer after he forced a turnover to create a counter attack in the 66th minute. Braaten nearly gave us the victory with a similar attempt as Sernas had taken in the first half, but he wasn't as accurate as his Lithuanian counterpart and the shot flew high instead. It turned out that despite all of those second half attempts, we weren't able to find a winner and had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

Norway 1 - 1 Lithuania

Other team results:
2v3: Germany 3 - 1 Serbia
4v5: Jamaica 1 - 2 Togo
6v7: Iceland 2 - 0 Venezuela
8v9: Gabon 1 - 1 Saudi Arabia

*So much for pinning any hopes on Serbia to distract Germany, it seems like the Germans dispatched them just as easily as they had taken out Jamaica for the past two weeks. Speaking of Jamaica, they lost again and fell to #5 as Togo took their spot. Iceland beat Venezuela and Gabon drew Saudi Arabia to round out this batch of games.



Challenge Match 10: #1 Norway (2-0-2) vs. #2 Germany (5-2-2)

Our fifth game against Germany was shaping up to be even bigger than normal. Germany boasted no fewer than eight starters in top form heading into this clash! Germany is already pretty tough on their own, having so many players in top form makes it even harder! They were eager to dethrone us after two weeks of waiting in the wings, and it was apparent early when Podolski broke through and nearly took the lead in the 5th minute of the match, but thankfully his shot just missed.

The pressure didn't let up though, and just three minutes later Schweinsteiger nearly lost the ball over the endline, but managed to get the cross off anyways. The ball seemed to go harmlessly right towards keeper E. Johnsen, but he had a moment of madness and botched the catch. The ball spilled out of his hands and fell over the goal line for what could only be credited as an own goal. A disastrous start for Norway!

Winsnes took a yellow card for his hit on Tasci to help stem the German tide. Then a stroke of luck, another keeper error, but this time from the opposite end of the field. Germany's keeper, Hildebrand struggled to control a backpass from Lahm and got caught in possession. He tried to kick the ball away but it was intercepted by Braaten inside the box and the striker finished cooly to pull Norway back to 1-1. What an opening fifteen minutes!

The game cooled off for a bit after the opening chaos was sorted out, and not much happened until the 37th minute when Winsnes tried to put Norway in front, just missing his header a smidgen wide. Germany were thwarting Norway's attacks with a high line, and it was working, they caught the Norwegians offside four times in the first half. Norway still managed to outshoot the Germans 5-2 overall, in a very nervy encounter.

While the Germans seemed to have been kept at bay in the first half, that wasn't the case in the second half. Klose nearly headed in a free kick in the 54th minute and then Carew responded by just missing his shot on a 62nd minute breakaway. In the 71st minute, a wonderful pass from Hauger found a hole to spring Braaten. Wasting no time, Braaten slotted home his second goal of the night to put Norway in front! Hauger had looked to make an easy pass to Bertelsen but then threaded the needle to find Braaten, catching the German defense by surprise.

The Germans were starting to get nervous. After Klose missed another scoring chance off a corner kick they switched to a 4-3-3 formation to get more strikers on the field. However, just four minutes after making the change, they were still trying to get adjusted when Carew supplied the dagger, heading in a corner kick to bolster Norway into a 3-1 advantage. That was short lived though, as Klose finally got it right, using his foot this time to float a nice ball just out of the keeper's reach to make it 3-2 in the 87th minute. Klose almost pulled Germany level in the 89th minute on a counter attack, but E. Johnsen came up with a humongous save from point blank range to keep Norway in front. A late chance in stoppage time was also thwarted and Norway held on to win for the third time in five matches against Germany, securing the #1 position for this week's league meet! The game ended all square on shots, at 12 apiece while Germany had controlled 57% possession.

Norway 3 - 2 Germany

Other team results:
3v4: Serbia 2 - 0 Togo
5v6: Jamaica 3 - 1 Iceland
7v8: Venezuela 0 - 0 Gabon

*Serbia successfully defended their new position for the first time, beating Togo fairly easily. Jamaica found a point to rebound and blasted Iceland 3-1 to stop their drop. Venezuela narrowly held the #7 spot with a 0-0 draw to Gabon.



Challenge Match 11: #1 Norway (3-0-2) - BYE

With one more BYE before the league meet, we took on Israel and decided to play around with our formation, opting for a 3-4-3 rather than our normal 4-3-3. This paired perfectly against Israel's 4-4-2 and essentially allowed us to have 4 strikers on the field since Iversen was selected as the AMF. Apparently, it paid off in a big way.

The scoring started early, and never ended. M. G. Pedersen picked out Nevland for the opening goal in just the third minute of the match. Buzaglo almost responded for Israel in the 7th minute, and if he had the game may have gone a completely different direction. Instead, Norway responded with an Iversen goal in the 16th minute and Nevland scored again in the 22nd minute. The route was on, especially when T. Cohen picked up his second yellow card in first half stoppage time to reduce Israel to 10 men.

After half time, Carew headed in a corner kick to make it 4-0, and then Andresen was just trolling defenders by dribbling in and out of a group of defenders at the top of the box before finally slotting a pass across to Nevland for the big man to complete his hattrick. However, his shot was blocked and accidentally deflected off Saban to go into the goal. It was awarded as an own goal, so no hattrick for Nevland, but it was now 5-0 to Norway!

That may have upset the target man, because he was sent off in the 68th minute for picking up his second yellow of the night. But that didn't phase Norway, as the shooting gallery continued. Eventually Stromstad headed in a corner kick and the match ended 6-0 in favor of Norway, after outshooting the Israelis 23-6 on the night as the match finished 10v10.

Norway 6 - 0 Israel

Other team results:
2v3: Germany 3 - 0 Serbia
4v5: Togo 2 - 0 Jamaica
6v7: Iceland 2 - 3 Venezuela
8v9: Gabon 0 - 1 Saudi Arabia

*No help from Serbia at all, they've lost even worse this time than the last! Togo beat Jamaica again, it's starting to look like teams are locking in their positions... in the top 5 at least. Venezuela won the rematch against Iceland to take the #6 spot this week, and then Gabon will have to sit out after losing to Saudi Arabia in the dreaded "elimination game".



New Lineup for League Match 3
1. Norway
2. Germany
3. Serbia
4. Togo
5. Jamaica
6. Venezuela
7. Iceland
8. Saudi Arabia
9. Gabon

*Gabon will not participate in League Match 3

We face Team 2 this week, which is probably one of the weaker teams overall. They are slightly ahead of us in the standings since they drew Team 10 in week 1, but neither of us have won a league match yet. Morocco had been playing at the #1 spot for the past two weeks, but they have been displaced by Cameroon this week. The Indomitable Lions have won both of their previous league games, but they have yet to play at the top position, so who knows how good they really are. We'll be hoping to carry the momentum from the Germany and Israel games to pick up our first league win of the season against them!
 
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ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 3: New Zealand (Team 5)

New-Zealand-Flag-icon.png


We failed to win while playing at a higher position, but our team pulled out the overall victory, so we're no longer among the cellar dwellers in the league standings. Despite not winning, our high scoring draw was good enough to put us at 7th overall in the #3 position. Meanwhile, despite our lack of activity at #6, we are still rated 2nd overall there. A nice safety net, but hopefully we won't have to use it.

Latest Lineup
1. Argentina
2. Portugal
3. New Zealand
4. Chile
5. Trinidad & Tobago
6. Slovenia
7. Indonesia
8. Tunisia
9. Guadeloupe

Our goal this week will be to try to hold off Chile, as they will surely be gunning for us to take their spot back. We basically only managed to beat them due to an early red card, so we expect the rematch to be much tougher. We'll also get a shot at Portugal, and while we don't expect much, it will be nice to gauge how we're doing by seeing if we can be competitive with them.



Challenge Match 9: #2 Portugal (3-2-1) vs. #3 New Zealand (7-1)

Our 4-3-1-2 has been working great, so why change it? So we didn't. Obviously, Portugal are a very dangerous team, so we approached the game with extreme caution. Perhaps the Portuguese were a bit wary of us after seeing how we'd climbed the roster last week, because it seemed like they were a bit cautious as well. The first decent chance of the match didn't come until the 18th minute when Maniche broke through the center of the defense, but he was harassed just enough to cause him to shoot wide.

New Zealand's first real chance came from a counter attack in the 35th minute. The keeper wound up having to punch the ball out for a corner kick after Fallon challenged him with a nice shot. As it turned out, that would be fatal because Fallon finished the attack by heading in the corner kick to give the Kiwis a surprising lead. That was basically New Zealand's only attack of the half, as they had been outshot 4-2 overall (the 2 being both of Fallon's shots in the 35th minute), but they were ahead 1-0 somehow!

Portugal finally opened up a little more in the second half, and Pepe eventually headed in the equalizer from a corner kick in the 58th minute. They only needed a draw to hold on, so Portugal dropped back and played conservatively for the rest of the match. It was too difficult to break through for the All Whites, but Smeltz almost managed to do just that in the 87th minute with what would have surely been the game winner. Instead, the header just narrowly missed and Portugal were saved. One last effort to steal the game came in stoppage time when Bertos got a decent look from an odd angle, but the keeper was there to make the save and hold the #2 position for Portugal.

Portugal 1 - 1 New Zealand

Other team results:
4v5: Chile 0 - 2 Trinidad & Tobago
6v7: Slovenia 2 - 0 Indonesia
8v9: Tunisia 2 - 3 Guadeloupe

*Chile blew their shot at a rematch against us, and they probably would have had a full team this time, by losing to Trinidad & Tobago in a shocker. Slovenia held firm against Indonesia, while Guadeloupe climbed back into the roster with a narrow 3-2 win over Tunisia.



Challenge Match 10: #3 New Zealand (7-1-1) vs. #4 Trinidad & Tobago (5-2-2)

We were very pleased to learn that Chile had lost to Trinidad & Tobago. We had played Trinidad last week and had beaten them handily, by three goals. Unlike the Portugal game, this match started very fast. With both teams hoping to gain an early advantage, there were shots on goal from both sides within the opening minute of the game! The frenzy continued into the 11th minute when Bertos found some space in the box to receive a pass from Brown and then score off the one-timer.

Brown then doubled down when he scored off a counter attack in the 23rd minute. It looked like the route was going to be on yet again, and sure enough Killen scored to make it 3-0 in the 31st minute to straight up demoralize the Soca Warriors.

The All Whites dominated the second half, but failed to add to the lead despite outshooting Trinidad 14-3 on the night. The important thing was that the defense held firm and didn't allow a comeback to transpire, and sure enough the final whistle eventually came to confirm their success. A great win to stay in the top 3 for this week's league match!

New Zealand 3 - 0 Trinidad & Tobago

Other team results:
1v2: Argentina 1 - 0 Portugal
5v6: Chile 1 - 1 Slovenia
7v8: Indonesia 0 - 2 Guadeloupe

*For the first time in three tries, Argentina won their home game against Portugal. Lucky for them too, because there is no rematch this week, so Argentina will hold the #1 spot heading into league play yet again. Chile seems to be in trouble, but they halted their drop for now with a tight 1-1 draw against Slovenia. Guadeloupe didn't like watching from the sidelines last week, they've now won two in a row to go from 9th to 7th and will avoid the elimination match, meaning they are assured a spot in the league match this week.



Challenge Match 11: #2 Portugal (3-3-2) vs. #3 New Zealand (8-1-1)

The last meeting had been a very cautious affair, but there was no time for that this time around. New Zealand had a wonderful possession right from the word "go" to set the tone for the entire game. Smeltz took possession a fair distance from goal with Couto right there to defend him, but the midfielder eluded his marker to get by. Maniche then came forward to break up the play, but Elliott saw the gap that had been created and made a great run into space. Smeltz picked out the runner, lofting a nice ball into his path. Elliott easily headed in the lob to give New Zealand a shock lead after only 2:37 of play!

Portugal were still on their heels when Elliott headed in a corner kick in the 14th minute to really send shock-waves throughout the roster. C. Ronaldo almost pulled Portugal back with a nice strike that forced a difficult save, and that served as a wake up call to the Kiwis. New Zealand hunkered down for the remainder of the half and reached the break still clinging to their 2-0 lead, having somehow outshot Portugal 6-3 and holding 56% possession!

It was a surprising, yet dominating performance. Very unexpected! What was expected was that Portugal would be more dangerous in the second half, and they certainly were. They came out much more aggressive, trying to get back into the match. But New Zealand kept their composure and eventually benefited from it. In the 66th minute, they caught Portugal in possession and hit on the counter attack. Smeltz made a terrific move to get by the last defender and then promptly scored to put the game out of reach. The goal effectively ended Portugal's resistance and the final 25 minutes flew by as New Zealand somehow ran out big winners, stealing the #2 spot with a 3-0 victory!

Portugal 0 - 3 New Zealand

Other team results:
4v5: Trinidad & Tobago 1 - 4 Chile
6v7: Slovenia 1 - 3 Guadeloupe
8v9: Indonesia 0 - 2 Tunisia

*Every single challenger won today! Chile redeemed themselves to take their spot back from Trinidad & Tobago with a huge 4-1 victory, while Guadeloupe won their third match in a row to take Slovenia's spot at #6. Tunisia has claimed the #8 spot for the third week in a row, they are already the top rated team at that position, if they get another result this week they will be well on their way to solidifying that top seed.



New Lineup for League Match 3
1. Argentina
2. New Zealand
3. Portugal
4. Chile
5. Trinidad & Tobago
6. Guadeloupe
7. Slovenia
8. Tunisia
9. Indonesia

*Indonesia will not participate in League Match 3

We will be up against Team 3 this week. They are unbeaten and have won their last two league meets, so we expect a challenge. If we had played them last week, our opponent would have been Georgia at #3, although this week Sao Paulo is their new #3 team. Czech Republic had been their top team for the first two weeks, but they have been ousted by Romania, and find themselves in the #2 position lined up against us. The Czechs have already beaten France and Cote d'Ivoire this season, so this is likely to be our toughest game yet since we have only faced Austria and Slovakia thus far.
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 3: Mexico (Team 7)

Mexico-Flag-icon.png


It was a rough week for us, dropping another spot on the roster and then failing to win our league match, while our team got shut out overall in the league meet. Ugh. This week will be crucial to try to turn things around.

Latest Lineup
1. Brazil
2. Mozambique
3. Hungary
4. Costa Rica
5. Mexico
6. Burkina Faso
7. Austria
8. Oman
9. N/A

We'll get another crack at Costa Rica this week. We played them twice in our first three challenge matches, but haven't seen them since then. Hopefully we can get revenge and earn another shot at Hungary as well.



Challenge Match 9: #4 Costa Rica (2-5-1) vs. #5 Mexico (3-5)

Still searching for that "perfect" formation, we decided to go with a 3-4-3, although it was really more like a 3-1-2-2-2 with one of the strikers withdrawn to partner with the attacking midfielder. I normally play as a midfielder (on all the teams I'm playing as), but for this match I played as the struggling phenom Chicharito and I nearly scored in the fifth minute of the match with a diving header, but it hit the post! Costa Rica responded with a shot off the post in the 8th minute and then Bryan Ruiz nearly scored from a corner kick in the 11th minute, so we knew this one was going to be a shootout.

G. Franco was the first player to find the back of the net, scoring on a counter attack in the 14th minute, but the flag had gone up for offside, so the goal didn't stand. That only stemmed the tide temporarily, because in the 21st minute C. Vela headed in a corner kick to officially change the scoreboard. That goal ended the initial barrage and both teams settled in for a much harder fought game than you'd expect after the opening twenty minutes had gone. But just before half time, Pardo scored directly off a free kick to give Mexico the momentum needed to pull away in the second half.

And that was precisely what happened. G. Franco stayed onside in the 61st minute and was relieved to see that his goal would stand, increasing the lead to 3-0. Bolanos and Centeno combined to pull one back for Costa Rica, but Mexico was too far ahead to be seriously concerned. The icing on the cake came in stoppage time when Omar Bravo sprung C. Vela on a breakaway. Vela's shot was saved, but Bravo was there to put back the rebound and give Mexico the very impressive 4-1 victory that they felt made up for the two previous defeats they had suffered against the Ticos back in Week 1.

Costa Rica 1 - 4 Mexico

Other team results:
2v3: Mozambique 3 - 0 Hungary
6v7: Burkina Faso 1 - 0 Austria

*The African sides both won to defend their position against Central European opposition. Mozambique thrashed Hungary while Burkina Faso narrowly edged Austria.



Challenge Match 10: #3 Hungary (4-3-2) vs. #4 Mexico (4-5)

We had gotten one monkey off our back, but Hungary still stood in our way of reclaiming the position we initially started the season at. We stuck with the 3-4-3 that had vanquished Costa Rica and saw the game start in similar fashion, with a flurry of chances from both sides in the opening fifteen minutes. The game veered off into a direction we didn't want it to go though. Bodor was neglected by his marker and made a late run forward in the center of the field. From there, he was able to fire in the go-ahead goal in the 24th minute.

Mexico regrouped and tried to fight back, but were unable to equalize by half time. C. Vela had came the closest in the 28th minute, but his shot missed the target. Hungary were trying to hold onto their advantage when, in the 75th minute, Babos made a rash decision that cost them the lead. After saving a shot from Nery Castillo, Babos collected the ball and then tried to quickly throw it out to start a counter attack. Unfortunately, Bodnar wasn't ready for such a quick restart and he completely missed the ball intended for him. Pardo picked up the loose ball and then picked out C. Vela in the box for the equalizer!

However, that would be the only major threat from Mexico in the second half. They weren't able to take advantage of the situation and find a winner, so Hungary were more than happy to settle for a 1-1 draw and keep their position at #3. The Hungarians had thwarted Mexico yet again!

Hungary 1 - 1 Mexico

Other team results:
1v2: Brazil 2 - 0 Mozambique
5v6: Costa Rica 2 - 1 Burkina Faso
7v8: Austria 0 - 1 Oman

*Oman won their first match of the season and finally climbed out of the #8 spot by upsetting Austria! The two African sides had both won their last match against Central Europe, but ran into walls this time with Latin American opponents. Brazil beat Mozambique 2-0 again, while Costa Rica fought off Burkina Faso with a 2-1 victory.



Challenge Match 11: #4 Mexico (4-5-1) vs. #5 Costa Rica (3-6-1)

We were disappointed to have blown the last game, but were happy to find ourselves in an unfamiliar position of actually hosting Costa Rica. The previous three matches had been away and all Costa Rica had to do was draw in order to stay above us. Now we had that advantage, a draw would suit us just fine, they had to go for the win. Maybe it was that knowledge that allowed us to relax and take it easy, because that's precisely what we did in the first half - nothing.

The only notable chance came in the 41st minute when Centeno timed his run perfectly to get in behind the defense, but luckily for us his final shot let him down and sailed high over the goal. The Ticos only seemed to get stronger in the second half as Saborio nearly broke through, but luckily the danger was averted. Shortly after, the Ticos rattled Mexico with a great volley following a cleared corner kick that hit the post rather than the back of the net. Mexico were starting to feel lucky that they hadn't fallen behind yet.

Mexico had been trying to attack, but all of those forays forward had ended in frustration. That is, until A. Guardado finally got it right in the 76th minute. His looping shot from the edge of the box beat the keeper to give Mexico the lead. The goal was a real beauty considering the effort it took to even get the shot off. G. Dos Santos, Torrado, and Blanco all had to get past defenders in order to pass the ball along to the next man before it finally ended up at the feet of Guardado.

Costa Rica didn't give up though. C. Hernandez dribbled all the way down the wing and then cut into the box to get a great shot off, but it just wasn't the Ticos night, because the shot hit the post! Or was it? Just moments after that miss, Alonso headed in a cross to equalize. All tied up with just seven minutes to play, the Ticos still had a chance to take their spot back. Mexico were sweating it out in stoppage time when a shot from distance was spilled into the box. Alonso was there for the rebound and would have won the match, except his shot hit the post! The final whistle sounded as soon as the ball went out of bounds and Mexico could finally breath again, counting their lucky stars for so many post saves that helped fend off Costa Rica!

Mexico 1 - 1 Costa Rica

Other team results:
2v3: Mozambique 1 - 0 Hungary
6v7: Burkina Faso 1 - 0 Oman

*Hungary put up a better fight this time around, but were still not able to knock out Mozambique. Burkina Faso faced Oman for the third time this season, although it was the first time that the meeting wasn't a 7v8 match, and won yet again to secure their spot at #6.



New Lineup for League Match 3
1. Brazil
2. Mozambique
3. Hungary
4. Mexico
5. Costa Rica
6. Burkina Faso
7. Oman
8. Austria
9. N/A

We've moved up a spot and will face Paraguay from Team 12 in our league match this week. Paraguay played at #4 last week as well, where they beat our fellow CONCACAFers Honduras by a score of 2-0. Had we met this team last week, we would have played Switzerland at the #5 spot. Actually, we would have still played the Swiss this week too, because they are still in the #5 position. This will be our second match at the #4 position this season, as we also played at this spot in Week 1 when we defeated Trinidad & Tobago. It will also be our third straight league match against American opposition, having played Trinidad and Bolivia thus far.
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 3: Guinea (Team 10)

Guinea-Flag-icon.png


Last week went much better than the first week; we beat our league opponent, Serbia, and the team won overall. Now the hard part will be maintaining that success going forward.

Latest Lineup
1. England
2. Turkey
3. Guinea
4. Russia
5. Zambia
6. Wales
7. Lithuania
8. Iraq
9. Canada

We'll get another shot at Turkey, but we're still licking our wounds from that 4-0 loss the last time we challenged them. It might not be feasible to overtake them this week, but we'll try. We've got to keep an eye on Russia though, because it's never easy defending against them either.



Challenge Match 9: #2 Turkey (3-3-2) vs. #3 Guinea (5-1-2)

The Turks were fired up for another challenge match against us, and came out swinging early. They got some help from the referee too though, as a defender merely slid to block Emre's shot when all of a sudden the whistle sounded and the ref was pointing to the spot. He had awarded Turkey a penalty kick! But it looked like no one had even touched the shooter! Guinea protested, but it fell on deaf ears until finally Emre stepped up to hammer in his (undeserved) PK to give Turkey the lead just 7 minutes into the match. Then Nihat's free kick hit the post in the 17th minute, but it was followed up by Tuncay Sanli to double Turkey's advantage. Nihat then scored one of his own in the 26th minute, making it 3-0. Another route was on...

Or was it? Guinea were on the ropes, but K. Cisse helped pull them off when he slotted in a goal in the 32nd minute after Is. Bangoura had done all the hard work to force a turnover and then pick out Cisse for the easy shot. Turkey had the advantage at half time, a 3-1 lead, ahead on shots with 11-5, and holding 56% possession. But Guinea had scored most recently and had some momentum. K. Cisse was still trying to be a torn in Turkey's side and got caught offside a few times to start the second half, but then he finally did time a run right and managed to score. All of a sudden Turkey's lead wasn't looking so safe, ahead by only a single goal with a half hour to play.

Emre tried to restore order, but his shot hit the post. Then things got really interesting in the 77th minute when Ma. Camara broke down the wings on a counter attack. He played the ball forward to Mansare and a defender strayed a little too far back to keep Camara onside. Mansare played the ball back to him and then the winger took his time, letting an oncoming defender over run the ball, before cutting back and scoring before the next defender could reach him. All of a sudden the game was tied at 3-3! One more goal would knock Turkey out of the #2 position that they've held all season!

Basturk tried to put the match out of reach in the 87th minute with a great shot from distance which beat the keeper but fell a shade wide of the target. Then in stoppage time, A. Keita got the ball in the box and went for the win, but he had a defender draped on his back which forced him to alter his shot and push it off target. No foul was called either, so that turned out to be the last chance of the game and Turkey held on with yet another 3-3 draw against Guinea.

Turkey 3 - 3 Guinea

Other team results:
4v5: Russia 3 - 0 Zambia
6v7: Wales 1 - 1 Lithuania
8v9: Iraq 1 - 1 Canada

*Russia solidified their spot in the top 3 by knocking off new challengers Zambia while both Wales and Iraq clung onto their positions with hard fought 1-1 draws against Lithuania and Canada respectively.



Challenge Match 10: #3 Guinea (5-1-3) vs. #4 Russia (4-3-2)

M. Bah made perhaps one of the best moves of the campaign, essentially heading the ball over a defender for himself to run onto it. He then cut past another defender and fired in a shot which... hit the post! It would have been an incredible goal to kick start the game, just four minutes in, but alas it wasn't meant to be. Mansare then headed a corner kick off the post, and Is. Bangoura had not one, but two breakaways called back for offside. We just knew it wasn't going to be our night so we focused on defending. If we weren't going to be able to score, at least we could hold our position by not letting them score. We reached half time at 0-0 and had outshot the Russians 8-2. Everything was going swimmingly.

Luck started to shift into our favor in the second half. Is. Bangoura finally got it right, and the flag stayed down on his 51st minute breakaway. Just as he had planned to do in the first half, he easily rounded the keeper and scored. The whole team took a huge sigh of relief. Russia's only real threat came in the 77th minute when the ball fell right to Ignashevitch's feet, but he went for a spectacular volley and ended up sending the ball flying into the stands. Arshavin tried to rally Russia late in the game, but he couldn't quite get the better of Diarso, who had been selected as Guinea's keeper for this game, and the Guineans held on to win 1-0!

Guinea 1 - 0 Russia

Other team results:
1v2: England 3 - 0 Turkey
5v6: Zambia 1 - 0 Wales
7v8: Lithuania 0 - 1 Iraq

*England continues to reign supreme in this group, hammering Turkey yet again, their third win in four matches against the Turks. Zambia held off Wales to confirm their position, but Iraq proved to be the surprise mover of the week, jumping ahead of Lithuania with an unexpected 1-0 victory.



Challenge Match 11: #2 Turkey (3-4-3) vs. #3 Guinea (6-1-3)

The "comeback" in the previous encounter had encouraged us, but the Turks had a surprise for us in this game; eight of their starters were in top form! This showed on the field, as it was even harder than usual to do just about anything, even getting the ball. We felt like we could have won the last game if we hadn't fallen into such a hole early on, so we played cautiously in an attempt to avoid that fate this time around. Their excellent form combined with our cautious approach made it virtually impossible to generate any shots against them, but we were at least holding firm on our end. Hell, forget shots, we were struggling to even hold the ball. Constant turnovers started to cause frustration, but the team stayed calm and prevented any counter attacks.

Things started to change in the 35th minute. We were not only holding the ball longer, but we were actually creating some chances. It was nothing spectacular, but it was a step in the right direction. Half time eventually came and we found out it was much closer than we expected, with Turkey only having a slight edge on shots, 5-4, and we found that, surprisingly, we had split possession at 50%. Maybe we weren't playing as bad as we thought? With that in mind, we came out quite a bit more confident in the second half, and it showed immediately. A bit of nice (or lucky) passing combined with some defensive mistakes from Turkey saw us take the lead less than two minutes after the restart. Feindouno supplied the finishing touches to the goal that would ultimately win the game.

Turkey were just not able to respond after falling behind, they looked completely deflated after the goal. They started to panic in the closing minutes of the game though, once they realized they were running out of time. Tuncay Sanli threw himself down just outside the box in the 87th minute, most likely looking for a call that would help them score the equalizer, but the referee in this game wasn't falling for any of that. Nothing was called, and we ended up holding on to the narrow victory to move up to #2 just in time for this week's league match!

Turkey 0 - 1 Guinea

Other team results:
4v5: Russia 2 - 0 Zambia
6v7: Wales 2 - 2 Iraq
8v9: Lithuania 1 - 0 Canada

*Russia took care of Zambia yet again, while Iraq gave the Wales all they could handle. The Welsh narrowly held their position with a difficult 2-2 draw. Meanwhile, Lithuania defeated Canada in the dreaded "elimination match" to force the Canadians to sit out for the second week in a row.



New Lineup for League Match 3
1. England
2. Guinea
3. Turkey
4. Russia
5. Zambia
6. Wales
7. Iraq
8. Lithuania
9. Canada

*Canada will not participate in League Match 3

Team 8 will be our league opponent this week, and it turns out that we were destined to face Nigeria. They are the current #2 squad for their team, but last week they played as #3, the same as us. They lost to Cameroon while we beat Serbia, so we'll be hoping that trend of going in different directions continues.
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 3: Ghana (Team 12)

Ghana-Flag-icon.png


It was a rude awakening to have our debut at #1 ruined by Uruguay, but we are going to try to shake that off and fight to keep our spot this week. The schedule actually lines up nice, as we only have one defensive match this week. We'll be able to focus on fighting off whoever wins between Sweden and Spain and hopefully we can emerge victorious to get another crack at a #1 team in our next league meet.

Latest Lineup
1. Ghana
2. Sweden
3. Spain
4. Paraguay
5. Switzerland
6. Peru
7. El Salvador
8. Confederacy
9. Latvia

We have such a strong roster already, but having a team like Spain playing at #3 is almost unfair. It's basically an automatic win, which puts us closer to an overall team victory every week. The challenge will be trying to keep Spain that low, because they certainly are not content to stay there.



Challenge Match 9: #1 Ghana (6-1-1) - BYE

We took on lowly Venezuela during our BYE. This turned out to be a great warmup for our big battle to keep our #1 spot this week, as it gave us a chance to rest some of our starters and give the backups a run out. One of those backups took advantage of the opportunity. Amoah opened our scoring with a slick one-touch shot to beat the keeper on the half hour mark. Despite outshooting Venezuela 10-1 in the first half, that was all we managed to produce by half time.

Amoah ensured that he was the standout player of the game with another goal in the second half. This one came after Venezuela struggled to clear the threat and then the ball bounced from player to player until finally winding up at his feet for the shot. The game eventually came to a conclusion with Ghana still holding the two goal lead thanks to Amoah's brace. The final shot count was 18-2, a dominating performance by any measure over the #6 side from Team 4.

Ghana 2 - 0 Venezuela

Other team results:
2v3: Sweden 0 - 1 Spain
4v5: Paraguay 1 - 1 Switzerland
6v7: Peru 1 - 1 El Salvador
8v9: Confederacy 1 - 1 Latvia

*Spain earned the top contender spot for this week, and will be our next opponent. The rest of the slate settled for 1-1 draws, ensuring that Paraguay, Peru, and the Confederate States all kept their positions.



Challenge Match 10: #1 Ghana (6-1-1) vs. #2 Spain (4-3)

A quickly taken free kick just outside the Spanish box allowed us to set the tone for our biggest (and hopefully "only") challenge match of the week. Owusu Abeyie was the recipient and was able to take a quick touch and then shoot before the Spanish could react, scoring the opening goal of the match just seven minutes into the contest.

Amoah had earned a starting position after his performance against Venezuela and almost took advantage of his position, trying to double the lead on a breakaway, but the shot was saved. That was unfortunate, because Spain then equalized almost immediately, turning the series of events into a two-goal swing. It was an absolutely incredible goal though, a free kick had popped up into the air and fell right to Tamudo who attempted and succeeded in pulling off a bicycle kick. An "absolute cracker" of a goal!

Amoah had another chance in the 39th minute, and this time he got it right. The striker beat the offside trap and then beat the keeper with his shot to put Ghana back in front. The replay seemed to indicate that the Spanish defense had been hard done; that they actually had caught him offside, but the referee missed the call and the goal stood. Just minutes later David Villa hit the post and then it appeared that a Ghanaian defender had handled the ball inside the box, but that went uncalled as well. Ghana were lucky to reach half time with the lead while Spain felt very hard done by the scoreline.

They had a whole half to change that though, and they certainly set out to do just that, but luck just wasn't on their side in this game. Tamudo thought he had equalized in the 72nd minute, but the goal was disallowed, he was offside before the cross had come in! Ten minutes later, with less than that amount remaining in the game, Silva breathed some life into Spain when he galloped down the wing and then picked out Tamudo for another equalizer. Unfortunately for them, they never managed to create another meaningful chance, and Ghana held on to the 2-2 result that would keep us at the #1 position heading into the league match.

Ghana 2 - 2 Spain

Other team results:
3v4: Sweden 2 - 0 Paraguay
5v6: Switzerland 1 - 0 Peru
7v8: El Salvador 1 - 2 Confederacy

*Sweden solidified the top three with a resounding win over Paraguay, while Switzerland also kept the status quo by defeating Peru. The Confederates overcame El Salvador to regain their position at #7 and avoid this week's elimination match.



Challenge Match 11: #1 Ghana (6-1-2) - BYE

The whole nation of Ghana breathed a sigh of relief when the final whistle sounded with Spain to confirm the #1 position for the whole week. As such, the side got to play another friendly as a warm up for the league meet. Togo was selected as the opponent, but neither side seemed to be all that interested in scoring goals, as there were very few shots in the entire first half, so the game entered the break still knotted up at 0-0.

The second half didn't get much better. On the hour mark Dramani picked up his second yellow card of the match and was promptly sent off, reducing Ghana to ten men. That didn't seem to change much, because Togo were still struggling to put together anything offensively. In the 77th minute Sully Muntari jumped right over a slide tackle from Akakpo and then picked out Gyan Asamoah to spring the attack. Gyan rounded a defender and then set up Owusu Abeyie for the opening goal.

Adebayor finally woke up late in the match, but two great plays from Kingston prevented him from scoring. On one instance, Kingston cut off the pass to Adebayor, and the other attempt was thwarted by a point-blank save on Emmanuel's shot. Another big save in stoppage time secured the tight victory to send Ghana into the league match on a three game unbeaten streak.

Ghana 1 - 0 Togo

Other team results:
2v3: Spain 2 - 0 Sweden
4v5: Paraguay 2 - 1 Switzerland
6v7: Peru 0 - 2 Confederacy
8v9: El Salvador 1 - 1 Latvia

*The Confederacy has put together a nice little win streak to climb up to #6 heading into the league match, defeating Peru this time around. El Salvador survived the dreaded elimination game, forcing Latvia to sit out after a nail biting 1-1 draw. Little changed at the top, with Spain and Paraguay holding off Sweden and Switzerland, respectively.



New Lineup for League Match 3
1. Ghana
2. Spain
3. Sweden
4. Paraguay
5. Switzerland
6. Confederacy
7. Peru
8. El Salvador
9. Latvia

*Latvia will not participate in League Match 3

Team 7 is our opposition this week, which is where Brazil reigns supreme. The Brazilians have held the top spot for three weeks in a row now, having beaten Argentina and drawn against South Korea at that position. Ghana will be looking to recover from last week's tough loss to Uruguay, but it will be a very difficult task as the match will be played in Recife.
 
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ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 3: League Matchups

Team 1 vs. Team 6
1. Netherlands - Egypt
2. Bolivia - Uruguay
3. South Korea - Greece
4. Senegal - Honduras
5. Ireland - Australia
6. Bulgaria - Equatorial Guinea
7. Rio de Janeiro - Bahrain
8. Congo DR - Northern Ireland


Team 2 vs. Team 4
1. Cameroon - Norway
2. Morocco - Germany
3. Poland - Serbia
4. Iran - Togo
5. Mali - Jamaica
6. Ecuador - Venezuela
7. Israel - Iceland
8. Montenegro - Saudi Arabia


Team 5 vs. Team 3
1. Argentina - Romania
2. New Zealand - Czech Republic
3. Portugal - Sao Paulo
4. Chile - Denmark
5. Trinidad & Tobago - Georgia
6. Guadeloupe - Martinique
7. Slovenia - Congo
8. Tunisia - Suriname


Team 7 vs. Team 12
1. Brazil - Ghana
2. Mozambique - Spain
3. Hungary - Sweden
4. Mexico - Paraguay
5. Costa Rica - Switzerland
6. Burkina Faso - Confederacy
7. Oman - Peru
8. Austria - El Salvador


Team 10 vs. Team 8
1. England - Italy
2. Guinea - Nigeria
3. Turkey - Finland
4. Russia - Belgium
5. Zambia - Bosnia-Herzegovina
6. Wales - Belarus
7. Iraq - Cape Verde
8. Lithuania - United Arab Emirates


Team 9 vs. Team 11
1. Cote d'Ivoire - France
2. Croatia - United States
3. Ukraine - Slovakia
4. Colombia - Albania
5. Japan - Panama
6. Angola - Algeria
7. Uzbekistan - Scotland
8. Estonia - South Africa
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 3: Roster Changes

I had forgotten to post the roster updates before the league games for the first two weeks, but this week I remembered, so here is a recap of all the roster changes that were made as teams try to improve their chances heading into the league match.


Before League Match

Russia: Drop SMF Yanbaev, SMF Torbinsky; Add SMF Boyarintsev, SMF Marat Izmailov

Germany: Drop CF Keibling, CMF Rolfes, SB Jansen; Add CF Cacau, CMF Borowski, SB Owomoyela

Australia: Drop GK Petkovic; Add CMF Burns

Portugal: Drop CMF Joao Moutinho; Add CMF Ruben Amorim

South Africa: Drop CF Mashego, CF Fanteni, DMF Dikgacoi, GK Rowen Fernandez; Add CF McCarthy, CF Nomvethe, SS Zuma, SMF Fortune, CB Morris



*Russia, Germany, and Portugal all making changes means tougher challenge matches against these teams in the future for Guinea, Norway, and New Zealand.
 
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ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 3: Team 1 vs. Team 6

Team 1 has been flawless through two weeks, not only have they beaten both opposing teams, but each individual nation has avoided losing as well! Meanwhile, Team 6 is still searching for their first win of the season. Would these trends continue, or could the Sixers pull off one of the biggest upsets of the dynasty?

1. Netherlands vs. Egypt

The Dutch had embarrassingly lost their top position last week to South Korea, but they quickly rectified that situation by pummeling Senegal 3-1 and then beating South Korea by the same score to reclaim their position for Week 3. Egypt had never held the #1 position before, but after drawing 1-1 against Australia, they earned another shot at Uruguay and wound up winning 3-1 to take the team's top position.

Netherlands 0 - 1 Egypt (World Cup V Group Stage)

These sides have met just once before, back in the group stage for World Cup V where Egypt picked up a shocking victory, although it was Egypt's only win of the tournament and it was Netherlands' only loss, so the Dutch still went through to the knockout round while Egypt bowed out. Egypt also managed to defeat Sweden last week at the #2 position, so this might not be as straight forward as some may have thought. The Dutch have already beaten two other African opponents so far though, downing Cote d'Ivoire and Mozambique in previous weeks.

In this encounter, the Dutch would win, as expected, but it was much more difficult than many would have imagined. Egypt pushed the Netherlands to the brink, but Van Bommel saved the day as the Dutch won their third straight league match by a 1-goal margin.

Netherlands 1 - 0 Egypt [Van Bommel]


2. Bolivia vs. Uruguay

Uruguay had held the #1 position for two weeks, having beaten Nigeria and Ghana in their league matches, but an unfortunate loss to Egypt in this week's challenge matches has cost them their crown this week. A 1-1 draw against Greece at least ensured that the Celeste would remain in the top 2. Bolivia had also held a position for two weeks, at #5! They had held Colombia and Mexico to draws in their league matches, but they were looking to move up the roster and did so in a big way this week, defeating Ireland, Senegal, and South Korea to jump all the way up to #2!

Bolivia 0 - 3 Uruguay (World Cup VIII Qualifying)
Uruguay 2 - 1 Bolivia (World Cup VIII Qualifying)
Bolivia 2 - 2 Uruguay (Copa America I Group Stage)

Despite Bolivia being fairly new to WEFA, these sides have actually met before in two different competitions. The sides came up against each other in World Cup VIII qualifying, which was Bolivia's first ever qualifying campaign. It didn't go so well for the Bolivians, as they lost both games to Uruguay by a combined score of 5-1. The sides would later meet in the first Copa America group stage, and though Bolivia still couldn't find a victory, they got closer, earning a 2-2 draw, which helped them advance to the quarterfinals ahead of Uruguay.

Bolivia were clearly showing improvement as they gave Uruguay more than expected. The opening half hour was very open and went back and forth, with some speculating that perhaps Bolivia had looked to be the better team even though no goals had been scored yet. That theory gained some traction in the 35th minute when the Bolivian strikers pushed forward to draw defenders away from the midfield. In that space, Torrico received a pass and with acres of green in front of him, he had plenty of time to size up a shot and strike it perfectly, beating the keeper from distance to surprisingly put Bolivia in front! A team as good as Uruguay wouldn't let that stand though, and right before half time Abreu headed in a corner kick to equalizer.

Christian Rodriguez nearly put Uruguay in front in the 57th minute, his powerful free kick looked to be heading straight into the top corner of the goal, but somehow Bolivia's keeper was able to reach the ball and just push it away at the last second to save the goal. This was huge for Bolivia, because they strung together some nice passes in the 69th minute to regain the lead, rather than simply equalize. Torrico was in the thick of things yet again, but this time he was the supplied, playing a wonderful square pass across the top of the six yard box, just beyond the keeper's reach to an incoming Castillo who hammered in the goal!

The lead lasted slightly longer than before, but Uruguay weren't down and out yet. A Bolivian corner kick provided the opening Uruguay was looking for, as they caught the Bolivians too far forward and hit them on a counter attack. Cavani easily rounded the keeper and pulled the game level again, with just ten minutes remaining. A third straight draw for Bolivia was not on the cards though. Joselito Vaca made a great pass to Cabrera to start a new attack, and then Cabrera picked out substitute Botero at the top of the box. With his fresh legs, Botero manged to out maneuver the tired defender and got his shot off just before an incoming slide tackle could block it, beating the keeper to give Bolivia the improbable 85th minute lead! Uruguay continued to threaten, but there just was not enough time left and Bolivia held on for the stunning result, knocking off a team who is undefeated at the #1 position, 3-2!

Bolivia 3 - 2 Uruguay [Torrico, Castillo, Botero; Abreu, Cavani]


3. South Korea vs. Greece

South Korea were the top team in the group at the start of the week, but consecutive defeats to Netherlands and Bolivia have dropped them down to #3. This was completely different from Greece's situation, where they climbed up from 5th after beating Honduras and Australia. The Greeks nearly went all the way up to 2nd, but could only manage a 1-1 draw against Uruguay.

These sides have never met in WEFA competitive play before, but the Koreans must have been favorites based on current league form. They had beaten Croatia and drawn Brazil prior to this meeting, while Greece had lost to Belgium and then drawn Switzerland. However, Charisteas lifted Greece early and the Koreans just couldn't break through the Greek bunker. This means that South Korea has become the first team on Team 1 to lose a league match!

South Korea 0 - 1 Greece [Charisteas]


4. Senegal vs. Honduras

Senegal had a shot at knocking off the Netherlands to start the week, but they lost 3-1 and that big defeat spilled over into a consecutive defeat against Bolivia. With one last chance to stop the bleeding, Senegal thumped Ireland 3-0 to secure the #4 position for this week. Honduras had started the week at 4th, but initially lost the spot in a 3-1 defeat to Greece. A big rebound against Bahrain, in the form of a 3-0 victory, gave Honduras another shot at reclaiming the position. They successfully defeated Australia 1-0 to do just that.

Having never met before, Senegal seemed to have the edge based on league form. They have beaten Japan and drawn Hungary while Honduras has lost to both Cape Verde and Paraguay. This time, league form was reliable. El Hadji Diouf provided all of the goals in this game, netting twice for a 2-0 win to put Team 1 in a comfortable 3-1 lead at the midway point of this league match.

Senegal 2 - 0 Honduras [Diouf x2]


5. Ireland vs. Australia

Ireland and Australia both fell into the #5 position this week. The Irish did so by losing to Bolivia, but at least they secured the position by holding off Rio de Janeiro with a draw. A heavy loss to Senegal prevented the Irish from climbing back up though. Australia crashed from further up the roster. The Aussies had a chance to win the #2 position, but could only manage a 1-1 draw against Egypt. The floor came out from under them after that, with consecutive defeats against Greece and Honduras. The Aussies were lucky that a league match interrupted the challenge matches, as they risk falling further.

Australia 2 - 1 Ireland (World Cup VII Round of Sixteen)

These sides have met just once before. Ireland's first ever WEFA World Cup came to an end in the Round of Sixteen thanks to a 2-1 defeat to Australia. The Aussies would go on to surprisingly win the bronze medal in that tournament. But this time around, it was all Ireland. Robbie Keane was the focal point of the Irish attack and his two goals were the difference in the match.

Ireland 2 - 0 Australia [Robbie Keane x2]


6. Bulgaria vs. Equatorial Guinea

Bulgaria stunned Rio de Janeiro in the last challenge match of the week to climb to #6 after having previously drawn against Rio to open the week, with a victory over Congo DR coming in between those matches. Equatorial Guinea had suffered embarrassment last week, having lost their roster spot to Syria, but they used that as motivation and went on a tear this week, beating Syria, Northern Ireland, and Bahrain to be the team's biggest movers, jumping from 9th to 6th.

The Spanish speaking African nation's run came to an abrupt end against Bulgaria though. Berbatov netted for the hosts and the Eastern Europeans held firm to claim the 1-0 victory and secure Team 1's overall victory at 5-1 with two games remaining.

Bulgaria 1 - 0 Equatorial Guinea [Berbatov]


7. Rio de Janeiro vs. Bahrain

Rio de Janeiro drew twice, against Bulgaria and Ireland, before finally losing to Bulgaria to close out the week at #7. Bahrain also dropped into the position despite initially defeating Northern Ireland to open the week. A heavy 3-0 loss to Honduras started the downward slide though, and another defeat against Equatorial Guinea placed Bahrain here.

The Gulf nation was no match for the men from Rio. This would be the biggest win of the league meet, with Rio de Janeiro netting three times in a route provided by Felipe and Ronaldo.

Rio de Janeiro 3 - 0 Bahrain [Ronaldo x2, Filipe]


8. Congo DR vs. Northern Ireland

Congo DR had missed last week's league match due to falling into the #9 position, but they clawed their way back onto the roster this week with a 1-0 victory over Qatar and then a 1-1 draw against Qatar. In between those vital games, the Congolese missed a chance to move up by losing 2-0 to Bulgaria. Their opponents, Northern Ireland, had come from further up their own roster. The Norn Irish suffered some early defeats to start the week, falling 2-1 to Bahrain and then 1-0 to Equatorial Guinea, however, the men in green recovered to defeat Syria 2-1 in the weekly elimination match.

The match was actually very competitive, and either side could have won, but it all came down to a lone strike from Mbokani which lifted Congo DR above Northern Ireland and secured an impressive 7-1 victory for Team 1 this week.

Congo DR 1 - 0 Northern Ireland [Mbokani]





Team 1 vs. Team 6
1. Netherlands 1 - 0 Egypt
2. Bolivia 3 - 2 Uruguay
3. South Korea 0 - 1 Greece
4. Senegal 2 - 0 Honduras
5. Ireland 2 - 0 Australia
6. Bulgaria 1 - 0 Equatorial Guinea
7. Rio de Janeiro 3 - 0 Bahrain
8. Congo DR 1 - 0 Northern Ireland

Team 1Wins: Netherlands (1), Bolivia (2), Senegal (4), Ireland (5), Bulgaria (6), Rio de Janeiro (7), Congo DR (8)
Team 6 Wins: Greece (3)

Team 1 Wins 7-1
 
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ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 3: Team 2 vs. Team 4

Two struggling teams would meet this week to see who could turn their fortune around. Team 2 drew and then lost in their first two overall league matchups while Team 4 has lost both of its league games.

1. Cameroon vs. Norway

Cameroon made quite the run this week from their position at #3 to find themselves representing Team 2 as the #1 team. A huge 4-0 win over Mali allowed them a shot at the throne, which they won overwhelmingly with a 3-0 drubbing of Morocco. Norway has held the top position since day 1, and they did not waiver this week with another hard fought 3-2 victory over their budding rivals, Germany.

Surprisingly, even though Norway has appeared in every World Cup and Cameroon has appeared in over half (5/9), they have never met previously. Norway were surprised to see Cameroon come out in the exact 4-3-3 formation that Norway normally runs, but due to such a comprehensive victory over Israel, Norway decided to switch to the 3-4-3 in an effort to pick up their first league victory of the season.

With just about every striker and midfielder in top form (5/7), the Norwegians were brimming with confidence that not only was this going to be their first league win of the season, but that it was going to be a route just like the Israel match. That illusion quickly faded once the realization set in that this was a #1 matchup and that Cameroon were not about to be run over like lowly Israel had been. The wakeup call came just 106 seconds into the match on the 1:46 mark when Webo nearly scored the opening goal of the match, with his header crashing off the post instead.

Eto'o then tried to find that opening goal himself, in the fifth minute, and successfully won possession back from Hangeland, but luckily Riise was there to put a stop to any kind of counter attack. The tackle was so harsh that it knocked Eto'o out of the game temporarily, but no card was shown and the Cameroonian main man did eventually return unscathed. Cameroon then had some harsh words for the Norwegians after Andresen brought down Eto'o once again in the 11th minute. Cameroon accused Norway of targeting their star player, but replays suggested it was just an unlucky break for Eto'o, although this time he was hurt and had to be subbed out in the 15th minute.

This set the tone for an increasingly ugly game, as Song Bilong took matters into his own hands and brought down Carew with a vicious tackle from behind in the 18th minute. Somehow, no card was shown to him either, and the announcers even questioned "what would it take to get a caution in this game?!"

After a very rough period of play, a game of soccer finally broke out. Emana sent Somen free down the wing, and the attacker got all the way to the touchline before finally cutting back and picking out Emana who had continued forward into the box. His run was never picked up by a defender, which allowed him an open shot to score and put Cameroon ahead in the 36th minute.

The goal only served to increase tension in the game. Carew got some payback for the earlier hit against himself by pushing over Chedjou, which did not result in a booking, but did result in Chedjou being carted off the field for a few minutes. The half time whistle finally came and it revealed that Norway were leading on both shots and fouls, but Cameroon were ahead in possession.

Tactics changed in the second half as Cameroon appeared to be doing everything they could to milk the clock and hold the lead. Norway complained about the ease in which the Cameroonians would fall over, and it appeared like their main tactic was to go down with any contact to draw a foul against Norway. It was working, because by the 74th minute the score was still 1-0 and Norway were more frustrated than ever. This was the point where we gave up on the 3-4-3 formation, but we felt it was too late/too risky to go back to our original 4-3-3, so instead we moved Riise up into the midfield, as a winger, and moved Braaten, who was on the wing, to a central midfield position for an interesting 2-5-3 formation.

The move certainly helped shore up the midfield battle, and it helped create a few more chances, both ways. Fortunately, Cameroon were not able to extend their lead against the two-man backline, but nothing was going in on the other end either. The match reached the 89th minute when Carew whipped a cross into the box which missed all intended targets, but Braaten was Mr. Johnny on the Spot thanks to his new position as a CMF. He saw the ball go above all central forwards and defenders inside the box and anticipated it landing on the other side of them. He was right there to collect the ball before it could go out of bounds and was able to send another cross in from the opposite flank. This cross also missed its main target, Nevland, but this time Andresen had run in towards the far post and the ball dropped nicely, right in front of him. He squared up his shoulders and unleashed a tremendous volley towards the goal. It was an unstoppable shot that burst the back of the net to give Norway an incredible equalizer!

While the goal itself was a long time coming and very important to avoid defeat, the match itself ended shortly after much to the disappointment of everyone involved. Cameroon were disappointed to have lost the lead, while Norway were disappointed that they had missed the opportunity to pick up their first win of the season. Norway ended the match ahead on shots, 10-7, and fouls, 13-6!

It was the kind of game to leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth, and the feeling was summed up nicely when one player remarked that "challenge matches are difficult, but league matches are a whole new level". Another played compared the match to the 2006 Portugal-Netherlands game, "except this referee forgot his cards in his hotel room".

Cameroon 1 - 1 Norway [Emana; Andresen]


2. Morocco vs. Germany

Morocco held the top spot entering this week, but lost the position spectacularly with a heavy 3-0 defeat to Cameroon. The first African champs at least managed to stay at #2 with a 1-1 draw against big risers Poland. It was a familiar story for Germany, for the third week in a row the Germans have easily dispatched all comers from below them, beating Serbia twice by scores of 3-1 and 3-0, but failed to upend the Norwegians ahead of them.

Morocco 0 - 0 Germany (World Cup V Group Stage)

These two met previously in World Cup V, where they played to a scoreless draw. Morocco ended up advancing out of that group (which also included Uruguay and Romania) with five points overall while Germany were eliminated after earning just two.

This game would be a bit more entertaining, as both sides were determined to avoid being held scoreless again. Both sides were successful at that, although Germany was a bit more successful since Klose scored two goals and El Kaddouri only scored one.

Morocco 1 - 2 Germany [El Kaddouri; Klose x2]


3. Poland vs. Serbia

Poland had a lot of motivation this week. Starting at the #5 position, they knew that if they won all three games this week, they would get a shot at rivals, and neighbors, Germany. This inspired Poland to rise above both Ecuador and Mali, but on the last hurdle they could only muster a draw against Morocco and missed their shot at the Germans. Instead, Serbia had climbed into the #3 position last week and that is where they remained this week, losing twice in their shots at the Germans, but holding off Togo 2-0 to avoid dropping.

Oddly enough, Poland and Serbia have never met in a WEFA competition, neither in a full tournament nor even in qualifying. The Poles may have been a bit too disappointed at having missed their chance to play Germany, and they failed to mount any type of offensive whatsoever. Instead, Dejan Stankovic broke the deadlock for Serbia, giving Team 4 an early advantage in the league meet.

Poland 0 - 1 Serbia [Dejan Stankovic]


4. Iran vs. Togo

Iran started the week right behind Poland, and they rode their coattails all the way up. Iran held off their own rivals, Israel, with a 1-1 draw to start the week and then followed Poland up the ladder, beating both Ecuador and Mali just like the Poles had done before them. Togo earned the #4 spot thanks to two victories over Jamaica this week, despite losing to Serbia in the middle of those.

Iran has not had a very good league run so far in this competition, with losses to Wales and United Arab Emirates on their resume. Togo has fared slightly better, boasting a win over Peru but also a loss to Zambia. Iran's woes continued as they have now lost three straight league matches, succumbing to an Adebayor goal that proved to be the difference in the game.

Iran 0 - 1 Togo [Adebayor]


5. Mali vs. Jamaica

This meet's #5 matchup was a tale of two nations in free fall. Mali started the week at #2 but then lost all three challenge matches to Cameroon, Poland, and Iran to find themselves in this position. Jamaica were already down to #4 after last week, but they had been #3 earlier in the season and were considered as the main threat to Germany from below. Two losses to Togo have put Jamaica three spots away from the Germans now, and the team even had to play Iceland mid-week to secure their position here.

In this clash of the fallen, an unlikely hero rose up for Mali to keep the Eagles (really should be Hippos [since the word 'Mali' literally means Hippo in the local Bambara language], IMO it's one of the worst missed opportunities for a nickname since Eastern Michigan passed on Emus) unbeaten in league play. That man was Modibo Maiga, and he supplied the only goal of the game to down Jamaica.

Mali 1 - 0 Jamaica [Maiga]


6. Ecuador vs. Venezuela

Ecuador had a skid nearly as bad as Mali, dropping from #4 to #6 after losses to both Poland and Iran this week. A last ditch win over Israel was the only thing that prevented them from dropping further. Meanwhile, Venezuela has been fighting to rise to the "top of the bottom 4" and they reached that point this week despite initially losing to Iceland. A scoreless draw against Gabon gave them a second chance, which was capitalized on with a 3-2 victory to grab this position.

Ecuador 1 - 1 Venezuela (World Cup VIII Qualifying)
Venezuela 1 - 1 Ecuador (World Cup VIII Qualifying)
Venezuela 2 - 1 Ecuador (Copa America I Group Stage)

Venezuela are also fairly new to WEFA, having first joined before World Cup VIII. Though they have not played many opponents, they have played Ecaudor. Surprisingly, Venezuela held Ecuador to a pair of 1-1 draws during qualification for that World Cup, to which neither team qualified, and then Venezuela actually beat Ecuador in the first Copa America, but again neither side advanced.

Ecuador were hoping to finally get a victory under their belt against the Venezuelans in this league encounter. Carlos Tenorio provided the goal that lifted them into the lead, but such a lead did not last and eventually Rincon equalized to keep Venezuela's unbeaten run against Ecuador in tact.

Ecuador 1 - 1 Venezuela [Carlos Tenorio; Rincon]


7. Israel vs. Iceland

Israel has mostly just been puttering around the 7th and 8th positions thus far, and this week was no different. Israel failed to move up after a 1-1 draw against Iran, but they at least beat North Korea 2-0 to secure a position on the league roster this week. A shot at Ecuador to close out the week was not good enough, and Israel find themselves back at #7 for this week's league match. Iceland, on the other hand, have reached the #6 position before, and they tried to defend that this week. A win over Venezuela helped do just that, but then consecutive defeats to both Jamaica and Venezuela saw the Icelanders fall a spot.

Team 4 needed a draw or a win to clinch victory by this point, and Iceland supplied that needed result. A pair of goals from legend Eiður Guðjohnsen sent them on their way, despite a late strike from Barda that tried to pull Israel back into the contest. The win has clinched Team 4's first league victory of the season!

Israel 1 - 2 Iceland [Barda; Gudjohnsen x2]


8. Montenegro vs. Saudi Arabia

Montenegro has been under-performing to say the least, but they may have hit rock bottom this week when they lost their initial challenge match 1-0 to North Korea. This was North Korea's first win of the entire season, but Montenegro was able to regroup and win the rematch 3-1 to barely claw their way back onto the league roster this week. Saudi Arabia had missed playing on the league roster last week, and it looked like they might miss out again after playing out a 1-1 draw with Gabon in their first attempt to move up this week. That didn't get them up, but the ensuing 1-0 victory right before league play did, and thus the Saudis earned the #8 position at the expense of Gabon.

Needless to say, both sides were in poor form heading into this matchup and that didn't change during the match. Instead, the sides played out a fairly dull yet fairly deserved 1-1 draw thanks to goals from both Jovetic and Hazazi.

Montenegro 1 - 1 Saudi Arabia [Jovetic; Hazazi]





Team 2 vs. Team 4
1. Cameroon 1 - 1 Norway
2. Morocco 1 - 2 Germany
3. Poland 0 - 1 Serbia
4. Iran 0 - 1 Togo
5. Mali 1 - 0 Jamaica
6. Ecuador 1 - 1 Venezuela
7. Israel 1 - 2 Iceland
8. Montenegro 1 - 1 Saudi Arabia

Team 2 Wins: Mali (5)
Team 4 Wins: Germany (2), Serbia (3), Togo (4), Iceland (7)

Team 4 Wins 4-1
 

ZeekLTK

Well-Known Member
Week 3: Team 5 vs. Team 3

Team 3 have defeated Team 11 and Team 9 so far, entering Week 3 as one of the few unbeaten sides left in the league. Team 5 lost on opening week to Team 7, but recovered last week to defeat Team 11.

1. Argentina vs. Romania

For the first time this season, Argentina did not lose to Portugal during the week. In the previous two weeks, the Argentines had lost to Portugal at the beginning of the week and then had fought back to reclaim the #1 position by the end of the week. With only one 1v2 matchup this week though, such a loss would allow Portugal to claim the top position for the league match. However, Argentina finally won a home match against the Portuguese and held the top position with a 1-0 result. The Czech reign came to an end for Team 3 though. Although the Czechs had won their first two league games as the #1 team, they've fallen to Romania this week. Romania earned the right to challenge for the title by holding Georgia to a 1-1 draw to start the week.

Argentina 2 - 1 Romania (World Cup VII Round of Sixteen)

These sides have met once before, in the knockout round of World Cup VII. Romania were the group winners and Argentina were the group runners up in that match, but Argentina still found a way to win and that started their mini-dynasty in which they went on to play in two World Cup finals in a row. They took second at that world cup, and then won World Cup VIII. Tevez and Cambiasso had scored in that round of sixteen encounter, but neither were even on the squad for this matchup. Instead, Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Heinze stepped up to lift Argentina above Romania yet again, this time with a 2-0 victory.

Argentina 2 - 0 Romania [Aguero, Heinze]


2. New Zealand vs. Czech Republic

New Zealand continued their ascent this week by announcing their intentions early. A 1-1 draw against Portugal set the tone for the week, and that was followed up with a pair of 3-0 wins over each of Trinidad & Tobago and, surprisingly, Portugal, to see New Zealand take the #2 spot! Czech Republic had reigned as kings of Team 3 for two straight weeks, but that came to an end when Romania knocked them off by a 2-1 scoreline. The Czechs at least held on to the #2 position by beating Sao Paulo by that same 2-1 scoreline.

After seeing Czech Republic beat both France and Cote d'Ivoire, we knew we were going to have our hands full. Sure enough, it was a challenge just to keep up with them in the first half. Koller nearly had the opening goal, with a big powerful header coming in from a corner kick, but somehow the defender on the post was able to block the shot and clear it away! Shortly after that, Baros got through the defense and the flag stayed down, but he tried to be too unselfish and attempted a pass rather than just shooting. The pass was deflected and the Czechs never got a good look at goal on that attack. In fact, that was the story of the whole half, lots of threats but very few shots. The Czechs only lead 5-3 on shots at half time, so New Zealand were still right in the mix.

The game took a big turn on the hour mark when the All Whites caught the Czechs off guard with a long pass from Elliott up to Smeltz. The two Czech defenders trying to get back both gravitated towards Smeltz and he made a great decision to just hold up the ball and then play a nice pass across to Rory Fallon who was making a run into the open space left vacant by the defense. Fallon's shot was saved, but Smeltz stuck with the play and was rewarded for his effort when he jumped in the path of Hübschman's clearance and the ball deflected in for the opening goal of the match! Smeltz nearly doubled his tally, and the New Zealand lead, fifteen minutes later, but his header just missed the target.

The Czechs hadn't given up though, and they tried a long ball of their own. This found success due to the inexplicable reaction it provoked from Paston. The Kiwi keeper ran out to try to get to the loose ball but must have tripped or mistimed his slide tackle or something, because he missed the ball completely and wound up taking out Koller. The referee produced a straight red card for Paston and pointed to the spot to award the Czechs a penalty kick! This was in the 82nd minute and there was confusion as to whether or not New Zealand still had a substitution left. Elliott initially donned the gloves and prepared to face the spot kick, but eventually Moss came on to replace Oughton and then he took up his natural position in net. This chaos didn't seem to affect the Czechs, Nedved waited patiently for New Zealand to replace their keeper and then when the whistle sounded he confidently stepped up and buried the shot into the corner of the goal to make it 1-1!

New Zealand seemed to be down and out, but Smeltz was well on his way to earning MOTM and he cemented that distinction by earning a corner kick and then heading in that same corner to put New Zealand back in front in the 86th minute! What a turn of events! With the Czechs still reeling from having conceded a goal despite being a man up, the sky nearly fell when Fallon forced a turnover and then Smeltz broke through with a clean look at scoring his hattrick. The shot was saved though, but no one seemed to care too much with only two minutes remaining.

But oh how Smeltz would have loved to have that chance back after the game ended. The Czechs had one last chance in stoppage time and they made the most of it. Everyone was marking the main threats of Koller, Baros, and Nedved, but it turned out to be the unmarked Sverkos who provided the deadly blow, heading in the equalizer late into stoppage time to save the Czechs from an embarrassing defeat to the ten-man All Whites. It really felt like New Zealand should have won the game, but in all honesty the draw was a fair result, as both teams scored undeserved goals. New Zealand had a slight edge on shots, 11-10, and the teams had split possession at 50%. It couldn't have been much more even.

New Zealand 2 - 2 Czech Republic [Smeltz x2; Nedved, Sverkos]


3. Portugal vs. Sao Paulo

Portugal initially held off New Zealand to start the week, but then lost consecutive games to both Argentina and New Zealand to fall to the #3 position. Sao Paulo, on the other hand, continued their climb. They started the season at the #9 position due to being a brand new team, but have been steadily climbing since then. They defeated Denmark and Georgia this week to jump up one more spot, falling 2-1 to the Czech Republic in the last challenge match of the week that could have seen them move up even further.

The two Portuguese speaking teams found themselves to be very similar in more than just language. The sides jockeyed back and forth trying to find an edge until finally Hugo Almeida found the break through to put Portugal ahead for good.

Portugal 1 - 0 Sao Paulo [H. Almeida]


4. Chile vs. Denmark

Chile suffered a shock loss to Trinidad & Tobago to start the week, and that nearly turned into a free fall as they trailed Slovenia in the next game, but a late equalizer saved the Chileans from falling any further and then they took advantage of their life-line by walloping Trinidad 4-1 in the last challenge match of the week to climb back to #4. Denmark lost their initial game to Sao Paulo, but then defeated both Congo and Georgia to move up one position.

Michael Jakobsen put the Danes in front, giving Team 3 hope of finally picking up a victory in this league match, but just as Chile had done earlier in the week, they clawed their way back and found an equalizer through Rodrigo Tello to avoid defeat.

Chile 1 - 1 Denmark [Tello; M. Jakobsen]


5. Trinidad & Tobago vs. Georgia

Trinidad & Tobago had a bright start to the week, knocking off Chile 2-0, but nothing went right after that. A 3-0 loss to New Zealand was followed up with a 4-1 defeat to Chile, causing Trinidad to drop back down to where they had started the week. Georgia had an even worse time, drawing against Romania and then losing to both Sao Paulo (4-0) and Denmark (2-0) to fall from 3rd to 5th on their team.

Georgia clearly had a rougher week, and that continued in the league match. Their legend Iashvili had scored a goal, but Trinidad followed that up with strikes from Noel and Jones to steal the victory and give Team 5 a huge edge, leading 3-0 overall!

Trinidad & Tobago 2 - 1 Georgia [Noel, Kenwyne Jones; Iashvili]


6. Guadeloupe vs. Martinique

Guadeloupe were Team 5's biggest movers this week. Beginning the week at #9, Guadeloupe turned things around quickly by beating Tunisia, Indonesia, and Slovenia in rapid succession to jump all the way up to #6. Martinique moved up as well, but only one spot. They were held to a 2-2 draw by Congo to kick off the week, but then managed to beat both Suriname and then Congo in a rematch to go up.

These two French states have a lot in common, but neither have met in competitive play before. Thierry Henry's homeland of Guadeloupe prevailed (without him on the roster), with goals coming from Biabiany, Saha, and Collet. Joris Marveaux managed to pull one back for Martinique, but the result was well in hand, and the first meeting between these "sister nations" went to the Guadeloupeans. This also clinched Team 5's overall victory, now leading 4-0 in the league meet.

Guadeloupe 3 - 1 Martinique [Biabiany, Saha, Collet; J. Marveaux]


7. Slovenia vs. Congo

Slovenia slipped a spot despite having a decent week. They defeated Indonesia and then played Chile to a hard fought draw, but a late loss to Guadeloupe cost them and they dropped a spot on the roster. Congo also slipped a spot on their team as well. They initially held off Martinique to start the week, but then lost to Denmark and lost the rematch to Martinique.

Slovenia were the big favorites here, and Novakovic seemed to send them on their way, but Congo's star man Kitambala was up to the task of pulling his side level which helped Congo earn the draw.

Slovenia 1 - 1 Congo [Novakovic; Kitambala]


8. Tunisia vs. Suriname

It's uncommon for a team to get "stuck" at a spot so low on the roster, but that is exactly what has happened for both Tunisia and Suriname, who are now playing at the #8 position for the third straight week. Tunisia managed to "hold" their position by losing to Guadeloupe and then knocking off Indonesia to climb back up. Suriname took a longer approach, playing out two draws against China with a loss to Martinique in the middle.

Both sides came into the match ranked near the top of the #8 position. Tunisia held the top spot thanks to their 3-0 win over Scotland last week, coupled with a 1-1 draw against Oman in week 1. Suriname boast a 1-0 win over Algeria but also have a 0-1 loss to Estonia. The winner of this game would become the clear #1 seed at this position, and the game did seem to feel a bit more intense than most 8v8 meetings. Suriname thought they had grabbed the top spot when Tiendalli found a way through the Tunisian defense, but then Allagui put the Atlas Lions back on top with a great equalizer. The draw leaves Tunisia in front for now, but Suriname certainly isn't out of the race yet.

Tunisia 1 - 1 Suriname [Allagui; Tiendalli]





Team 5 vs. Team 3
1. Argentina 2 - 0 Romania
2. New Zealand 2 - 2 Czech Republic
3. Portugal 1 - 0 Sao Paulo
4. Chile 1 - 1 Denmark
5. Trinidad & Tobago 2 - 1 Georgia
6. Guadeloupe 3 - 1 Martinique
7. Slovenia 1 - 1 Congo
8. Tunisia 1 - 1 Suriname

Team 5 Wins: Argentina (1), Portugal (3), Trinidad & Tobago (5), Guadeloupe (6)
Team 3 Wins: None

Team 5 Wins 4-0
 
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