2015 FMF World Cup - official reports and broadcasts
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*Played 22nd July*
Flanders 1-3 Gerenia
7' - O. Westerlo
32' - F. Balbîn
79' - Z. Toscano
87' - F. Balbîn
Flanders and Gerenia faced-off for the third time this year - having played in the same qualifying group - to begin their respective finals campaigns. While Flanders' appearance was their first ever in an FMF tournament, Gerenia boasted being the current Copa Apollonia holders, but a win apiece in qualifying showed that there wasn't such a notable gulf in quality between these two as may have been expected.
Flanders managed to get a near-perfect start to the match, as a bustling forward move ended in a goal within the first ten minutes' play. Tommie van der Laak's distribution laid Edmilson off down the right before two touches into the centre found Valãorinho, with the centre-midfielder hitting a hard shot towards goal. 'Keeper Režan Arkuse was equal to the effort, but couldn't hold the ball and palmed it back out, where Omar Westerlo was already running in and ready to pounce; side-footing coolly back across Arkuse and inside the far post. Despite going ahead, Flanders went under the cosh almost immediately, as Gerenia fell into their stride. Zelmar Toscano was as lively as ever, and caused problems among Axel Wesley and Ydel Bois in defence, setting-up Igar Kosko one-on-one twice but the forward failed to keep his composure and shot wide both times. Juvenal Paran offered the assist for Gerenia's eventual equaliser, as the right-sider cut inside his marker into space before slotting an inch-perfect pass into the box to meet Fabris Balbîn's right boot to put the ball into the bottom-left corner with ease. Two long-range efforts filled the highlights of chances for the remainder of the half, with Van der Laak and Francesco Valencia each forcing saves from their opposing goalkeepers.
Flanders started the second 45 by threatening to repeat their opening stages' feat, but an early Flandrão cross which found Jonny de Rhyn was smothered by a rapid Arkuse before the forward could get the ball out from under his feet. Much of the second half played-out as a midfield battle, with Gerenian Toscano's inventiveness being matched by the no-nonsense defensive work of Flanders' Valãorinho and short, sharp passing. Ydel Bois earned his way into the referee's notebook with a late challenge which created a freekick for Edmilson to curl into the wall, while Westerlo was inaccurate from inside the box after being found by a deflected pass.
Gerenia introduced Karl Brükner and Harold Nädman as a double change with just over 15 minutes to go, and their impact was instantaneous, with Nädman's run and shot forcing a corner from a Wesley deflection. Paran's delivery was met by Brükner's header and Simon Baus was helpless as the ball crashed off the underside of the bar. While the initial shot didn't cross the line, Toscano was at hand to make sure it did with a diving header to poke it into the net from a matter of feet out. With an intensified fitness and a newly-taken lead, Gerenia were seemingly content with maintaining possession, but still added a third late on. A clearance from defender Jan Korau was pinged downfield into open space, where Dean von Tisle was there to retrieve it. The right-back dwelled on the ball while searching for options for a pass forward and was closed-down by Balbîn, who got in the way of the attempted pass before following his own block to the edge of the area and finishing past Baus as he drew nearer. Flanders won't be disheartened by the loss, given how well they performed at stages, and will be hoping to better Shireroth in the next match, while the Gerenians will be relishing a victory that puts them closer to the knock-out rounds already.
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Re: 2015 FMF World Cup - official reports and broadcasts
*Played 22nd July*
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Re: 2015 FMF World Cup - official reports and broadcasts
*Played 23rd July*
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Re: 2015 FMF World Cup - official reports and broadcasts
*Played 23rd July*
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Re: 2015 FMF World Cup - official reports and broadcasts
*Played 24th July*
Alexandria 0-0 Talenore
A closely-fought second group game for Alexandria and Talenore ended goalless as both teams will claim they deserved to win.
Coming off the back of a disappointing draw in their opening match against an arguably weaker Austbard side, Alexandria were hoping to take the spoils against Talenore, whose first fixture saw them register a comfortable victory over lowly Athlon. "Les Bleus" started well, with Tamer Modrem's link-up play with Vincent Chertrand-Pernet and Javier Santos out wide forming the basis of their forward moves. Chertrand-Pernet had the more successful charges into Talenorean territory of the pair, with both an overhit cross and a shot after cutting-in straight at Tolâso keeping both the stopper and defenders on their toes. Talenore's midfield five were not without response after settling into the game; Avraham Vintarglimion's one-two with Vernon Cristaldo ended with a low shot flying past the post while Kali Kalani was guilty of stepping offside twice in hope of being found by a Mahmud Abax through ball.
The break did nothing to interrupt the flow of play from the first half, with the sides forging good attacks without any decisive final product. Taki Tolâso was tested twice by Álexis Carrasco - once with a half-volley at the edge of the box, once from a corner-assisted header - either side of Kalani breaking through the Alexandrian defence with an intelligent first touch, from which the Talenore striker could only hit the side-netting after being shepherded wide by Foucault's closing. While further attacks came and went, neither end's goal seemed to be at risk of being infiltrated before the final whistle. Talenore's tally of four points keeps them at the top of Group B, but Alexandria will need something better in their next game before their chances of advancing to the knock-out rounds begin to decrease.
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*Played 24th July*
Lakkvia 3-2 Austbard
16' - E. Torinal
26' - A. Mäenpää
48' - F. Vorgensen
57' - H. Almatin
74' -A. Mäenpää
Lakkvia's first World Cup sortie saw them register the joint-highest scoreline of the tournament so far with an excitement-filled narrow win over Austbard, who will be disappointed to lose after initially taking the lead and clawing back from a goal down earlier in the match.
With no obvious favourite going into the match, both pundits and neutrals alike were expectant of a spectacle, and they weren't disappointed. The sides came out of the blocks in rapid fashion, with quick passing and hopeful balls upfield defining their shared urgency to take the lead. Hans Almatin and Kristján Viðarsson registered the first shots on target for their respective teams in a frenetic opening quarter of an hour, before Eiman Torinal put Austbard ahead. The bulky forward had little trouble in overpowering Jyrki Paatelainen with his strength as he controlled a chipped through ball with his chest before bringing it down expertly and slotting into Miklu Loresen's bottom corner on the turn from the edge of the box. Before Lakkvia could respond, they were fortunate to not go two behind thanks to Loresen's diving catch from another Torinal shot. Lakkvia did equalise soon after, however, thanks to a classy Aki Mäenpää finish ten minutes later. Tommy Gamst-Pedersen earnt and delivered a corner down the left, which found the striker lingering in the far side of the area. Mäenpää met the cross with a volley which smoothly directed the ball through the gap in the crowd in front of him and into the top-right corner to level the scores.
Despite the scoreboard not requiring a change between the half-hour mark and the half-time whistle, the staticians keeping track of the teams' shots would have still been busy, as Austbard's Torinal-Almatin pairing and Lakkvia's partnership of Viðarsson and Mäenpää tried their best to grab a second for their respective nations. Lakkvia didn't need long after the restart to be the team to get that second goal, as Freddie Vorgensen wasted no time at all in racing forward after receiving the ball, playing a pass to Mäenpää as he continued his run, before getting it back just inside the area and sweeping past Werner Posen with his right boot. Under similar circumstances to the first half, Lakkvia's lead only lasted around ten minutes. Following continued attacks from Austbard, Eirik Vanadisarson was drawn into a rash challenged and conceded a free-kick from which Elmar Sägmüller found Hans Almatin in enough space to deflect the ball into the net with his head to grab his second goal of the tournament in as many games.
Austbard were in the ascendency following their equaliser, with both Almatin and Torinal looking dangerous whenever they got possession within sight of goal, but Ketil av Silmahamnum planted important tackles at the right moments to stop a couple of opportune moments from developing midway through the half. As the final 15 minutes approached, Lakkvia managed to find a third goal to retake the lead. Substitutes Teemu Rautiainen and Thomas Päuu moved the ball around well to draw Austbard into leaving a gap into which Mäenpää could run, which he did to latch-on to Päuu's slide rule pass and finish under Posen's dive first time to register his 19th World Cup finals goal. As with the rest of the match, the final stages were not plain sailing for Lakkvia as they tried to hold their lead, but a good reflex save from Loresen denied Austbard's best effort from Roger Wild before the end-to-end action came to a close after some lengthy injury time. Austbard's sole point so far isn't a problem just yet, but a bye in the next set of group games could affect them, while Lakkvia's first World Cup match has given them both a good start and a lot to look at in terms of tactics ahead of facing group leaders Talenore.
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*Played 25th July*
Safiria 1-2 Mercury
33' - S.V. Ae
65' - J. Bishop
81' - R. Bishop
Holders Mercury did their title defence the world of good by becoming the first team to register two wins in this summer's World Cup; coming from behind to beat a strong Safiria side in a second-half comeback.
Following their thrashing of newcomers Juclandia, Mercury were aiming to continue their winning form against a team which held one of the other pre-tournament favourites to a goalless draw last time out. The Safirians were buoyed by their previous result and began the game well, putting pressure on the Mercurian defence from the outset. Kieran Mercury had to be at his best to divert Haruka's swerving effort inches over the bar within the first ten minutes, while Sana-Vriska Ae was narrowly called offside after sprinting through one-on-one. Mercury were initially unable to break through Safiria's defence, but found an opening just before the half-hour when Matt Fitzgerald rushed a shot straight at Chandra in goal. Chandra's clearance from this effort formed the attack from which Safiria took the lead, however, with the stopper picking-out Anþusa Vaite, who cut inside well before squaring to Tàmāra Izrune. Izrune played a decisive ball between the legs of Stephen Charlton to pick-out Ae in the "D", and the young striker had no hesitation in blasting down low into the bottom-left with her laces to go one ahead. While many teams may have chosen to try and build on the lead they'd created, Safiria seemed content to control possession after the goal, taking their time to find the best chance to shoot rather than attempting any riskier plays. Ae went closest near the break, but 'keeper Mercury had her off-target shot covered as it skipped wide.
Mercury made a tactical change at half-time as Ryan May replaced Edward Foxon in the centre, and the midfielder added a tad more inventiveness to the team's moves, almost playing Joe Foxon through in the first few minutes. Safiria's physical strength was a bonus as they preferred passing the ball around as they attacked, as both Ae and Asari shrugged their way through on occasion only to end with wayward shots. Mercury were unfazed as the clocked ticked, biding their time for an attacking spell and hoping to make their chances count, which they did midway through the half. Joe Foxon's hold-up play was exemplary as the rest of the team joined a counter-attack, and the ball made its way through Fizeau-Blake, May and Rydberg before falling to the feet of James Bishop inside the area. Bishop spied a chance and swung his foot to place the ball into the far-left corner with a bounce that put it past Chandra's lengthy reach and in off the base of the post. The level of professionalism from both sides was clear to see following the equaliser, with neither side willing to do anything rash that could jeopardise their opportunity of remaining in the game. Around quarter of an hour's stalemate played-out before the next goalscoring opening; one which was taken by an unlikely source. A free-kick was given against Izrune for a foul and Mercurian right-back Ryan Bishop was given the freedom of running down the wing to receive the ball. Bishop combined with his namesake James, finding himself in unusual territory around the edge of the box. Bishop laid the ball to Rydberg, who had an optimistic shot from distance blocked by the first defender, but Chandra had responded with a dive, and Bishop was first to react with a shot of his own, placing the ball just beyond the goalie's reach along the turf and inside the right post.
The final ten minutes were suddenly more energetic than the previous ten, and Safiria swarmed Mercury's half as they looked to level. Asari found the roof of the net with a half-volley while Kaena Tsevit's burst forward was blocked by Kieran Mercury. After holding back an ever-advancing blue wall for long enough, the match was up and a second Mercurian win was secured. Two very good performances so far will not dishearten the Safirians, who knew how tough this group would be, but there is every chance of two positive results from their remaining matches which would arguably see them through.
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*Played 25th July*
North Antarctica 1-4 Senya
21' - A. Danetskë
26' - M. Minyorletsken
32' - A. Danetskë
70' - Ƨ. Zvet
85' - J. Gonzales
Senya bounced back from a disappointing result in their opening game to register a confident win over a North Antarctica side that beat them in their previous competitive meeting.
The North Antarcticans were playing their first match of the tournament against Senya in Eĵars, trying to stamp their mark on an evenly-matched group of historical rivals, with the Senyans wanting to back-up their claims that they can win the title this summer. Unfortunately for the former team, they were somewhat of a no-show during the turning points of the game, and Senya made their dominance count in the first half. Despite a slow opening, Senya's first shot on goal gave them their opening score; Barnaby Hands had an extra stride down the left and delivered a pinpoint cross for forward Alesandrœ Danetskë to rise up and glance a header in past Quentin Markhams with just over twenty played. The goal opened the clichéd floodgates as two further goals put Senya three to the good within the following eleven minutes. Firstly, Ƨinkœ Zvet was as effective as Hands on the opposite wing five minutes prior, as he beat Johny Dreco with ease before laying the ball back from near the byeline to find Markœ Minyorletsken arriving to sidefoot neatly into the top-right corner from around twelve yards away. The third was almost too simple for Senya, who essentially walked their way through North Antarctica's defence, as Hands' squared pass was backheeled by Jan Maytek through to Sam Kimsin who chipped forward first time to find the feet of an unmarked Danetskë. Markhams had no time to close the 22 year-old forward and Danetskë only had to place the ball between the 'keeper and his near post to make it three. The flurry of goals put the Senyan fans in full voice, but their team struggled to create any further notable chances before half time, while William Maynard shot over from outside the box for North Antarctica during that time.
North Antarctica must have been told to approach the second half with a "damage limitation" mindset as they started-off sitting very deep and without a clear outlet through which to form any offensive play. While there was little attacking intent, the more defensive-minded North Antarctica frustrated Senya and denied any further goals despite waves of attacks. Senya eventually broke the North Antarctican defence, however, with twenty minutes of the match remaining. The team's five-man midfield maintained possession during a long, slick passing move which culminated in quick triangular shapes and one-twos before Ƨinkœ Zvet skipped clear of Hugo Gomes and found himself in the box. With Markhams spreading himself to narrow the angle, Zvet remained calm and jabbed the ball down the 'keeper's left and rolled over the line to take a commanding four-goal lead. The only blemish on an otherwise dominant Senyan display was North Antarctica's late consolation strike, which saw Jonathan Gonzales hit the back of the net from a set piece. With nothing to worry about defending, the beaten Napians lumped the ball forward and Andrew Young was fouled 25 yards out. Gonzales stepped-up and arrowed a shot directly over the wall and under the bar as Sileman Bɏankarlënœ stood and watched helplessly. While a fifth Senyan goal would have restored a healthier goal difference, Markhams was equal to Hands' last-minute curler and kept the score at 4-1 at full time. Senya now don't face anyone for eight days, but will be up against Mercury next, with the hope that this victory will put them in the right direction. North Antarctica, coincidentally, also play Mercury next, but it's hard to see them getting anything from that game given their woeful showing here.
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*Played 26th July*
Gerenia 2-2 Passas
20' - I. Kosko
45' - Ł. Dąbrowski
53' - J. Korau
73' - J. Nirimorf
Passas continued their trend of coming back from behind to level as they did it twice against Gerenia, denying the "Sailromes" a second win in as many games.
Having salvaged a late point in their opener against Hamland, Passas were in good spirits going into the game, as were the Gerenians following their victory over Flanders that put them at the top of the group. Both teams included a number of big-name players and the match was quite an equal meeting from the kick-off. Both teams boasted a high-class forward line with Łukasz Dąbrowski being Passas' main threat; the striker's cut inside and unleashed shot causing Režan Arkuse to scamper across his line as it curled wide in just the second minute. Gerenia's front duo of Igar Kosko and Fabris Balbîn was lively, and the former was the one who broke the deadlock after twenty minutes. Zelmar Toscano eased past Tom Arans and picked-out the 33 year-old forward in the box, who put his right foot through the ball to put it into the left side of the net. Passas' response was cool and collected, with some well-worked attacks leading to shots just over the target from Sa Pazi and Alex Danelon, and their patience paid-off in the final minute of the half. After intercepting a Gerenian attack, Arans created a counter, feeding Danijel Đorđević through two-on-one. Dąbrowski was assisted in space, and a simple slot home down Arkuse's left levelled the score.
While the old adage dictates that scoring just before half time is a good way to springboard to more goals in the second half, it was Gerenia who retook the lead shortly after the restart. Kosko's strength allowed him through the defence before earning a corner from Adam Shawnessy's save. Juvenal Paran's deep delivery evaded Passasian heads and found Jan Korau roaming forward, with the centre-back's leap powering a header into the top of the goal with the 'keeper flapping as he failed to get a touch. Gerenia were pressurised as soon as they went ahead for a second time, as Phillip Sherman replaced Danelon on the hour and Passas stepped their game up. Arkuse was called into action to beat away shots from Dąbrowski, Sherman and Đorđević from the edge of the box as they peppered the his goal. The Gerenians' opportunities were notably cut, with Toscano being man-marked and isolated, unable to influence attacks, and Balbîn's poor shot along the ground was the side's best effort with twenty to go. Within minutes, Passas had equalised once more. Đorđević's break forward led to Sa Pazi cutting inside with an eye to shoot, before laying-off to John Nirimorf in support. The midfielder took the ball to his right and placed the ball into the right-hand side of the net from outside the box with Arkuse unsighted enough to affect his dive to save it.
Passas continued to push forward in an attempt to take their first win of the tournament in the final 15, but were unable to turn their comeback into three points. Gerenia remained stifled going forward, but an optimistic Toscano shot needed Shawnessy's block in the last minute to avoid any embarrassment. Passas' second point in as many games means they're still unbeaten with arguably their hardest fixtures out the way, while Gerenia's single keeps them atop the group for now.
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*Played 26th July*
Shireroth 1-0 Flanders
39' - J. Viðarsson
Flanders fell to a second defeat of the tournament by a narrow margin against Shireroth, whose only goal came from a dead ball but gave them three vital points nonetheless.
Shireroth's last match at a World Cup finals came just under two years ago, when Adolf Mather's penalty gave them a win over Hurmu but couldn't stop them from being eliminated from their group, while Flanders' début four days prior started with a quick lead but ended with an eventual defeat to Gerenia. Shireroth were the dominant team from the off, with their strong midfield getting the better of Flanders', but clear-cut chances were hard to come by; Kurt Lamberti headed straight at Simon Baus and Omar Westerlo overran the ball as he shot at a very narrow angle. With the half drawing to a close, the decisive moment came about, with Talsin Llwrran being brought down by Dean von Tisle. Jóhann Viðarsson had the honours of taking the resulting free-kick, and created a moment of magic as he picked-out a gap in the wall to fire the ball through, swerving it into the bottom-left corner way out of Baus' reaches, with nobody on the post, and in.
The second half saw a switch in terms of which side controlled the ball, as Flanders registered more possession percentage and created more chances. Despite being unable to find an equaliser, Westerlo and Jonny de Rhyn's partnership up front was a positive sign for Flanders, with some good movement making space and linking-up setting-up shots, but Alejian du Nigrad was equal to what they had to offer. Lamberti had Shireroth's strongest opportunity to double their lead; being played through by goalscorer Viðarsson but squandering his chance with a toe-poke beyond the post. Shireroth now jump into second in the group but have three tricky fixtures to come, while Flanders are rooted to the foot of the table with only two left to play.
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*Played 27th July*
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*Played 27th July*
Tellia 2-0 Birgeshir
35' - G. Salmoiraghi
78' - A.L. Peruzzi
Tellia built on their opening night win over hosts Craitland with a hard-earned victory over Birgeshir, who now only have one point from their first three games and will be hoping results go their way if they want a place in the knock-out rounds.
Birgeshir's last two matches have seen them concede late goals to throw away a win over Gotzborg and miss-out on a point against Craitland despite having performed well and played some good football along the way. In Tellia, the "Tsalojs" faced another strong opponent and had to yet again do well, which they did for the majority of the first half. Tёvrat Çıkthan had his side's best chance in the opening ten minutes, with Nofre-Ka-U Pabasojk's skilful work out wide flummoxing Alessandro De Laurentiis before he laid the ball across the area, where Çıkthan somehow blasted over from eight yards out with a first-time shot. Pabasojk also found an opening a matter of minutes later, but was denied by Simone Di Maggio's hands as the shot was aimed too close to the stopper. Birgeshir's impressive defence frustrated Tellia for the first half an hour, as neither Gianluca Salmoiraghi nor Marko Zajc was able to create chances, and Armando Uggè was limited to just a few touches outside the box. That all changed with ten minutes left before half time; Massimo Santoni created space before supplying Uggè on the edge of the "D", before the forward turned goalward and shot low. Iu-Senb Ercanojk deflected the shot away, but Salmoiraghi was right where the ball was diverted to, and had the job of finishing into the unguarded portion of the net as Ercanojk flailed on the ground unable to save the rebound. Birgeshir almost found a response before the break, but Çıkthan's strong header was wide of the target.
The second 45 welcomed the introduction of Benatehhor Ёkınojk in place of Ra-to-men Mahırojk for Birgeshir, and the addition of the striker who scored against Gotzborg gave an extra attacking intent as they looked for an equaliser. In a mirror of the first half, Birgeshir were threatening going forward from the off, and would have been cursing Di Maggio for his persistence in saving their shots. Both Ёkınojk and Ætaňur Chanojk were kept-out from distance, with Çıkthan heading over as well. With around twenty minutes to go, and having failed to come close to adding a second goal, Tellia replaced Uggè with Andrea Luca Peruzzi up front and reaped the rewards within ten minutes. Scorer of the side's first Salmoiraghi beat Menkara Iňanojk on the wing to place a cross in, where Peruzzi reacted quickest to sneak in ahead of Gündüz and side-foot a volley into the roof of the net for his first World Cup goal in almost five years. Birgeshir's tenacity in going forward time after time should arguably have been rewarded with a goal of their own, but even a consolation couldn't be found in the last few minutes and the two-goal difference was finalised. Tellia's second win in as many games leaves them second in the group on goals scored, while Birgeshir prop the group up as it stands, needing a victory in the last round of matches and the hope that Valencia can't gain anything against Tellia before the two meet on August 5th.
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*Played 28th July*
Talenore 1-1 Lakkvia
27' - K. Viðarsson
40' - A. Vintarglimion
Talenore and Lakkvia continued their unbeaten records this tournament after coming away from their meeting with the spoils shared.
Following a narrow win over Austbard in an exciting encounter in their last match, Lakkvia went-up against a Talenore side that has impressed with two clean sheets and four points so far in what is their début finals appearance. Lakkvia started the better of the pair with Tommy Gamst-Pedersen's penetration down the left causing Talenore's defence problems. Aki Mäenpää was almost played through from such a move, but despite shooting on target was flagged offside. Lakkvia held the majority of possession as the match played-out, and this slight advantage paid dividends when Jari Savolainen played the ball off to Mäenpää, whose instinctive backheel outfoxed Petro Gjanocca and fell straight to strike partner Kristján Viðarsson, who had the simple job of crashing the ball into the goal from the centre of the box with just Tolâso in his way. While they bided their time in making their first meaningful attack, Talenore equalised and also had the chance to go ahead in the final few minutes before the break. Joonas Qerunor fed Kali Kalani with an accurate ball upfield which the forward controlled with his left boot before squaring it to the edge of the box with his right past Ketil av Silmahamnum. Attacking midfielder Avraham Vintarglimion read Kalani's pass and arrived on cue to angle the ball across goal and direct it into the bottom-right corner via the slightest of fingertips from Miklu Loresen. With essentially the last kick of the half, Vintarglimion had another chance from a similar position, but his powered approach only saw the ball whistle past the opposite post and wide.
Talenore must have been spurred-on by their goal just before half time as they started the second half by working Loresen into action with Kalani's laced effort within the first few minutes. Vintarglimion's influence increased as he was tasked with controlling attacks and his through ball almost allowed Vernon Cristaldo to score, but had just too much pace on it for the winger. Lakkvia had their own chances of retaking the lead after the hour mark but Viðarsson was unable to add to his tally after twice being assisted by Mäenpää again. The game ground to a halt after a period lacking in openings with both teams frustrated they couldn't find a winner. Lakkvia still have two matches left in which to gain points and will be glad to be unbeaten in their first two games, while Talenore's two draws have put them in an uncomfortable position; with a bye in the final round, failing to beat Austbard next time out would leave them in limbo over advancing with their destiny completely out of their own hands.
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*Played 28th July*
Athlon 0-1 Alexandria
88' - L. Graf
Alexandria spared their blushes thanks to a late substitute goal from Lucien Graf to overcome an Athlon team that was a vast improvement on the one that lost underwhelmingly to Talenore in their opening game.
Having had a bye in the previous round of matches, Athlon turned-up to face their fellow CTFA qualifiers with many people writing them off before a ball had even been kicked. While Alexandria haven't made an auspicious start to the tournament, drawing twice, their reputation and seeding proceeds them, with Athlon effectively minnows in the world of Micrasian football in historical comparison. However, the underdogs were in high spirits from the off, with their, albeit aging, midfield outperforming Alexandria's for much of the half. "Les Bleus" stopper Jean-Alain Foucault was needed to smother both Ivan Lekkas and Alix Diakos after both were put through on separate occasions by Damalis Ioannidis' arrow-like passes. Alexandria were stunted in their attempts to go forward, with Florent Lassana-Traoré anonymous for the whole 45, and Jean-Pierre d'Oliviera's shot from distance that ended-up in the crowd was their primary threatening shot before the break.
Alexandria looked for inspiration at the break and swapped Lassana-Traoré for Lucien Graf in hope of catalysing a goal. The opening of the second half saw Athlon continuing to hold their ground, but without any further notable chances on goal. Tamer Modrem grew into the match as he took advantage of Athlon's players' fatigue, and began to find space in which to play passes into, feeding Javier Santos and Vincent Chertrand-Pernet more frequently. While Alexandria continued to improve, their efforts to score continued to fall short, with Theodoros Nikolas stopping Graf once. However, in the final couple of minutes, their fortunes changed and an eventual lead was taken. Santos was the main force, charging down the left flank before crossing deep, where Carrasco made contact with his head. The forward managed to keep the ball in play and keep it in the danger zone, where Graf was in the right place to also get his head to it, putting it past Nikolas from the centre of the area. With only two minutes to spare, Alexandria held-on to take the victory and increase their likelihood of making the knock-out rounds. Athlon, on the other hand, will feel remorseful that they couldn't have at least scored in this game, and will be aiming to rectify that in their final two group games.
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Re: 2015 FMF World Cup - official reports and broadcasts
*Played 29th July*