FIFA Women's World Cup I: Baltusia

[Hugh Green]

Draw and Fixtures

16 teams have made it to the World Cup Finals here in Baltusia. There was slight controversy yesterday when the Vanuku team was subjected to rigorous gender testing on the foot of some serious rumours about hair removal and wiggery.

The 16 teams, in the groups into which they were drawn, are as follows...

Group A
Baltusia
Dankuk
Selucia
Vanuku

Group B
Rildanor
Kirlawa
Pontesi
Barmenia

Group C
Cobura
Hobrazia
Kalistan
Egelion

Group D
Gaduridos
Deltaria
Dundorf
Davostag

[Kubrick]

Good luck boys! I mean girls!

[Hugh Green]

OOC: Apologies for delay. Will make up with several group matchdays



Fixtures

[Hugh Green]

Matchday 1
BALTUSIA 0 - 0 SELUCIA
(5pm @ National Coliseum, Athosia)

The opening match of the tournament was competitive but perhaps a disappointing result for the neutrals! FOr home crowd Baltusians, this was the first competitive match for their team in two years. Despite that, they may have been hoping for a better beginning.

('21) DANKUK 1 - 1 VANUKU ('18)
(8pm @ Hot Micro Stade, Albiland)

Further west, and there was more in terms of goals, at least within a three-minute stretch in the first half. These are the two that will expect to advance from the group if their qualifying records have anything to do with it, but tonight they showed caution in not wanting the lose the points they now share.

[Hugh Green]

Matchday 2
RILDANOR 0 - 0 PONTESI
(5pm @ Freezing Stadium, Albiland)

Another 0-0 draw starts off day 2. Will we see a victory soon? Rildanor may have expected to do better.

('20, '64) KIRLAWA 2 - 1 BARMENIA ('36)
(8pm @ Athosian Coop Stade, Athosia)

Kirlawa start their campaign off with a win against Barmenia! The game was close fought with the two sides exchanging goals in the first half. Kirlawa's strike just past the hour mark proved to be the decisive moment. Kirlawa top the group.

[Hugh Green]

Matchday 3
('68) COBURA 1 - 2 KALISTAN ('16, '31)
(5pm @ Stade Mercinal-Jolshon, Terrarokka)

A disappointing start for top qualifiers Cobura against Seleyan play-off winners Kalistan. They recovered slightly from a bad first half but didn't do enough.

HOBRAZIA 0 - 0 EGELION
(8pm @ Green Popsi Coliseum, Lindar Valley)

These two were equal to each other but the goalkeepers were the real heroes. At the end of the day Kalistan are top of the group, Cobura lie low.

[Hugh Green]

Matchday 4
('62, '69, '79, '84, '89, '90) GADURIDOS 6 - 0 DUNDORF
(5pm @ Great Lindar Stade, Lindar Valley)

Dundorf had already qualified when they lost their last qualifying match 4-0. Conventional wisdom put it down to experimentation and a lack of drive. Today though, no such excuse is forthcoming. The women of the Dundorfian team were matching Gaduridos in the 1st half, but sloppy play turned to disaster, and disaster to a vicious cycle of tactical confusion. A brilliant Gaduridos capitalised in ultimate style, with 6 goals in the last half an hour of the match; Dundorf were looking to protect their goal difference only after 3, but failed miserably at that.

('51, '71) DELTARIA 2 - 0 DAVOSTAG
(8pm @ Colisé Lenoir-Lebland, Terrarokka)

This was the first appearance of a Maconian team at a FIFA World Cup since the reboot. Unfortunately, there wasn't any significance to their play, and a hungry Deltarian team took all the goals and points tonight in Terrarokka.

[Hugh Green]

Matchday 5
SELUCIA 0 - 0 VANUKU
(5pm @ Red Empire Field, Gevaro)

A 2nd draw for these two, and for Selucia not a goal has been conceded or scored!

('78) BALTUSIA 1 - 2 DANKUK ('81, '47)
(8pm @ Blue Empire Field, Gevaro)

The home crowd don't have much to celebrate tonight as they become the first team to lose a match in group A. They're still technically able to qualify, but its going to be a massive ask.

[Hugh Green]

OOC: Group standings will be up later tonight.

Matchday 6
PONTESI 0 - 3 BARMENIA ('26, '66, '78)
(5pm @ Hot Micro Stade, Albiland)

Barmenia get over their early loss and put themselves in a good position. For Pontesi though, the quarter-finals look like an unlikely dream.

('49, '57, '63, '63) RILDANOR 4 - 1 KIRLAWA ('39)
(8pm @ National Coliseum, Athosia)

At halftime Rildanor were 1-0 and things weren't looking good. Kirlawa were looking at automatic qualification. 12 minutes in the 2nd half changed all that around however, as Rildanor put 4 goals past the Kirlawans. A glorious match for Rildanor, who now head the close group.

[Hugh Green]

Matchday 7
KALISTAN 0 V 3 EGELION ('40, '70, '71)
(5pm @ Great Lindar Stade, Lindar Valley)

convincing win puts Egelion in a good position, top of the group for now at least.

('56, '66, '68) COBURA 3 V 1 HOBRAZIA ('5)
(8pm @ Colisé Lenoir-Lebland, Terrarokka)

A win for Hobrazia would've ejected Cobura from the tournament tonight, but the west Majatran ladies came back from a 1-0 defecit in the 2nd half and scored a flurry of goals. They're now 2nd in the group but the final matches will be key with all 4 teams still able to go through. Still no one has qualified or been eliminated in this tournament...