Tellia at the 2015 FMF World Cup

[V.V. Fabbri]

Group draw

Group A
Craitland
Gotzborg
Valencia
Birgeshir
Tellia

Group B
Talenore
Austbard
Lakkvia
Alexandria
Athlon

Group C
Mercury
Senya
North Antarctica
Safiria
Juclandia

Group D
Passas
Flanders
Shireroth
Gerenia
Hamland

[V.V. Fabbri]

Fixtures

Group stage
July 19th
A: Craitland v Tellia
A: Gotzborg v Birgeshir

July 20th
B: Austbard v Alexandria
B: Talenore v Athlon

July 21st
C: Senya v Safiria
C: Mercury v Juclandia

July 22nd
D: Flanders v Gerenia
D: Passas v Hamland

July 23rd
A: Birgeshir v Craitland
A: Valencia v Gotzborg

July 24th
B: Alexandria v Talenore
B: Lakkvia v Austbard

July 25th
C: Safiria v Mercury
C: North Antarctica v Senya

July 26th
D: Gerenia v Passas
D: Shireroth v Flanders

July 27th
A: Craitland v Valencia
A: Tellia v Birgeshir

July 28th
B: Talenore v Lakkvia
B: Athlon v Alexandria

July 29th
C: Mercury v North Antarctica
C: Juclandia v Safiria

July 30th
D: Passas v Shireroth
D: Hamland v Gerenia

July 31st
A: Valencia v Tellia
A: Gotzborg v Craitland

August 1st
B: Lakkvia v Athlon
B: Austbard v Talenore

August 2nd
C: North Antarctica v Juclandia
C: Senya v Mercury

August 3rd
D: Shireroth v Hamland
D: Flanders v Passas

August 5th
A: Tellia v Gotzborg
A: Birgeshir v Valencia
B: Athlon v Austbard
B: Alexandria v Lakkvia

August 7th
C: Juclandia v Senya
C: Safiria v North Antarctica
D: Hamland v Flanders
D: Gerenia v Shireroth

Play-off round
August 9th
PO1: Runner-up Group A v Third Group B
PO2: Runner-up Group B v Third Group A

August 10th
PO3: Runner-up Group C v Third Group D
PO4: Runner-up Group D v Third Group C

Quarter-finals
August 13th
QF1: Winner Group A v Winner Play-off 3
QF2: Winner Group B v Winner Play-off 4

August 14th
QF3: Winner Group C v Winner Play-off 1
QF4: Winner Group D v Winner Play-off 2

Semi-finals
August 17th
SF1: Winner Quarter-final 1 v Winner Quarter-final 4

August 18th
SF2: Winner Quarter-final 2 v Winner Quarter-final 3

Third-place play-off
August 21st
Loser Semi-final 1 v Loser Semi-final 2

Final
August 22nd
Winner Semi-final 1 v Winner Semi-final 2

[V.V. Fabbri]

*Played 19th July*

Craitland vs. Tellia

SPOILER: Click to show

Craitland 2-3 Tellia
40' - A. Uggè
45' - R. Ganau
62' - M. Giordano
63' - F. Gaärsen
90' - F. Gaärsen (pen.)

Watch this match here!

CrTV 1 - Hanast + Co. Review:

SPOILER: Click to show

HóC captain turned part-time anchorman Hanast Pellegrino is joined by former Cherry Trees player Paul Pellegrino and Ejar's coach Hjan Lydveldtsen for the Post-match review.

HP: "That's the end of the opening World Cup game, and not the result that many Craits would have expected nor wanted. I'm joined by Paul and Hjan here to give their thoughts. Any opinions so far?"

PP: "Absolute disaster. There's not a lot you can say about the performance apart from it was awful. They have let the country down and the likes of Johan Invaarsen and Olivier Dermana really need to step up. Both played very poorly, and they can do a lot better."

HL: "To be honest, I really can't see what Olivier is offering to the team right now. It was clearly decided before the match that Julian Olsen was going to be the main attacking midfielder of the three in the middle, and the job for the other 2 was to provide cover for the back. He didn't look comfortable at all doing that and you can see the difference Jan Mikelt made when he came on, the team was a lot calmer."

HP: "What about the attacking performance? Surely, Gaarsen goals can be a good thing to take away from the game?"

HL: "It's clear to me that Gaarsen is carrying this team and the old guard in himself and Pellegrino Jones linked well to claw a goal back. But today just showed how much improvement needs to be made, the Tellians exploited the aging midfielders with pace and Tiem was forced to play the ball earlier than usual. The main thing here that costed Craitland was our inability to mark Massimo Santoni. He was involved in the build up in their first two goals, also provided the assist from the corner for their third."

PP: "I have to admit, Freddie's goal was pretty good. Amazing technique, but Hjan is right here. The defence needs the most improvement. For Mirko Giordano to come on the pitch and score within seconds is beyond a joke. The marking at that corner was atrocious and Giordano isn't exactly known for his aerial ability either. The Romero youngster is still an unknown and our player should have dealt better. In all honesty, the team need to help Freddie more in attack, but I think this will happen as Tellia were the biggest challenge in the Group even with all their problems. I expect them to slip up as I don't see them as spectacular, they just took their chances unlike us today. We can still win this group."

HL: "We have to also consider the officiating today. I think a draw would have been more deserved. A lot of the Tellian attempts were scrappy, and Craitland could have scored a few if it wasn't for Simone Di Maggio. But I agree with Paul here, Craitland can still win this group because we don't know which Tellia will turn up for the remainder of the tournament. They made the most of poor Craitish defending today, but we have to consider how many League 1 players they have in their side. Their knowledge of our team is probably going to be the greatest of anyone in the tournament. I am sure Zyx Dermana will make the right tweaks for the next game and Craitland can bounce back ...."

HP: "Well, I'm going to have to stop you there. We'll be back in a few days time in Osjaton, where the three of us will be joined by Kealb manager Peter Ula as we hope for better things as Craitland face Valencia. From all of us until then, bye bye for now. "

Microphones were still activated at this point as the programme draws to a close

PP: "I hope you're not taking this TV presenting as a new career. Nobody can take you seriously"

[V.V. Fabbri]

*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.

[V.V. Fabbri]

*Played 31st July*

Valencia 1-0 Tellia
8' - Denis

Valencia secured a second win of the tournament thanks to Denis' early strike to guarantee their place in the knock-out rounds and eliminate Birgeshir during their bye in the process.

Tellia came into the match having won both of their games so far, including one on opening night against the hosts, and would have been confident of gaining a third victory over a Valencia side that lost heavily to Craitland and needed a last-minute penalty to overcome Gotzborg. However, "Gli Verdi" were stunned from the off as Valencia unashamedly attacked immediately, and before ten minutes' play had even elapsed, they took the lead. Santiago Javier's impact down the right side was hard to deal with for the Tellian defence and a floated cross in from deep eluded a normally strong centre-back pairing and landed at Luis Escudero's feet. The Tellian-based winger tipped the ball back into the middle of the area with a second touch, where Denis was able to lace it home from near the penalty spot with a solid left-footed hit. The Valencians showed their rapid start was no fluke as they maintained their pressure for a while after going ahead, with Simone Di Maggio an important factor in keeping the score down in the Tellian net as Horatio Gonzáles-Hernán and Francesc Hernández tested the stopper. Tellia's first shot of note came with around ten minutes left before the break, as they held back Valencia's offence to counter, but Gianluca Salmoiraghi could only find the side netting after being set-up by Marko Zajc. Zajc himself went close with an attempt from the edge of the "D" in the final minute, but not before Di Maggio was once again required to stop Denis with a header.

The second 45 almost witnessed an equaliser within the opening few minutes as Tellia broke from the kick-off down the left, but Armando Uggè could only direct his unconvincing shot in the box straight at Daniel Palazio. What followed that chance was a period of unimpressive football, as both teams struggled to retain the ball or deliver decisive passes to open-up worthwhile shots on goal, with a lack of ingenuity to create a spark. Valencia's next opportunity to double their lead came with just over quarter of an hour to go, with a mistake from Pasquale di Montezemolo, whose attempted clearance was charged-down by Gonzáles-Hernán, giving the ball to Denis, who failed to capitalise by putting it over the bar in a one-on-one situation. Luigi Donatello and Andrea Luca Peruzzi were late additions for Tellia in an effort to push forward, but their likelihood of grabbing a leveller diminished as the clock ticked and the final whistle ensured a first loss. Valencia's victory was a key one, coupled with the other result, that meant they would be guaranteed of advancing from the group, alongside the team they'd just beaten in Tellia, with final positions to play for in the last fixtures that could decide who they face when the direct eliminations begin.

[V.V. Fabbri]

*Played 5th August*

Tellia vs. Gotzborg

SPOILER: Click to show

Tellia 0-2 Gotzborg
36' - G. Zambelis
45' - K. Jentzsch

Watch this match here!

[V.V. Fabbri]

Play-off round
August 9th
PO1: Tellia v Lakkvia
PO2: Alexandria v Valencia

August 10th
PO3: Senya v Hamland
PO4: Gerenia v North Antarctica

[V.V. Fabbri]

*Played 9th August*

Tellia vs. Lakkvia

SPOILER: Click to show

Tellia 3-1 Lakkvia
10' - M. Zajc
17' - M. Zajc
20' - K. Viðarsson
90' - R. Ganau

Watch this match here!

[V.V. Fabbri]

Quarter-finals
August 13th
QF1: Craitland v Hamland
QF2: Talenore v Gerenia

August 14th
QF3: Mercury v Tellia
QF4: Passas v Alexandria

[V.V. Fabbri]

*Played 14th August*

Mercury vs. Tellia

SPOILER: Click to show

Mercury 2-3 Tellia (AET)
28' - F. Diamo
45' - J. Foxon
57' - M. Fitzgerald
75' - A. Uggè
120' - G. Salmoiraghi

Watch this match here!

[V.V. Fabbri]

Semi-finals
August 17th
SF1: Hamland v Passas

August 18th
SF2: Gerenia v Tellia

[V.V. Fabbri]

*Played 18th August*

Gerenia vs. Tellia

SPOILER: Click to show

Gerenia 0-2 Tellia
55' - G. Salmoiraghi
83' - M. Giordano

Watch this match here!

[V.V. Fabbri]

Third-place play-off
August 21st
Passas v Gerenia

Final
August 22nd
Hamland v Tellia

[V.V. Fabbri]

*Played 22nd August*

2015 FMF World Cup Final: Hamland vs. Tellia

After twenty teams played 51 games, scored 128 goals, endured three extra times, nerved two penalty shoot-outs and kept one hat-trick ball, it was time for the big one. The only guarantee before the tenth ever FMF World Cup final was that at the end of it, no matter what, we would see a nation be crowned champions of Micras for a second time. Having won in 2012 via penalties, and lost the very first final under the guise of Gaia, this was Tellia's third final appearance. Hamland, winners in 2013, were lining-up in their fourth final - a joint-record with Craitland - but also set a record of their own this time, as they became the first team to reach three successive finals. And that's without mentioning their sixth consecutive semi-final showing that set a new record in the last round too.

While maybe not everyone's picks to get to the final, whether pre-tournament or based on earlier showings in Craitland this summer, these two are unmistakable giants of Micrasian football and both deserving of their shot at doubling their World Cup wins. With the players available to star in a show-piece match with the whole of Micras watching, everyone was expecting a sensational end to a fantastic tournament.

So, with all that's been said, it's time to find-out who will come-out the victor, as the players wait in the tunnel ready for one of the biggest moments of their careers...

SPOILER: Click to show

Hamland 2-0 Tellia
20' - R. Johnstone
45' - B. Craig

HAMLAND ARE MICRAS CHAMPIONS!

Watch the final here!