ZeekLTK
Well-Known Member
Week 3: Team 7 vs. Team 12
Team 12 marched into this match looking to remain perfect on the season, while Team 7 were trying to recover after a blowout loss to Team 1 last week.
1. Brazil vs. Ghana
Brazil handled their weekly threat from Mozambique with gusto, pulling out a convincing 2-0 victory to retain the top spot for the third week in a row. Ghana, on the other hand, were very shaky in their crown defense against Spain, but did manage to eek out a 2-2 draw that secured their position as well.
Brazil had beaten Argentina 3-0 to kick off the season, but suffered a fairly embarrassing result last week against South Korea in the form of a 2-2 draw. Ghana were still trying to shake off their loss to Uruguay too, so it was shaping up to be an interesting match with both teams seeking redemption. As such, the match started out very fast, with both teams looking to take an early lead. This lead to plenty of chances early, many within the opening ten minutes, but no one managed an early break through.
It started to get a bit rough with both Essien and Mancini picking up yellow cards in the 13th minute. Mancini had started to become a problem for Ghana, and he caused a great deal of panic in the 27th minute when he broke through the backline, but luckily the Ghanaian keeper was able to make a difficult save to keep the game scoreless. Ghana stopped to catch their breath too early though, because Mancini promptly scored off a corner kick just two minutes after that incident to finally put Brazil in front.
Brazil extended their advantage after a nice bit of passing put Pato through, and he easily beat the keeper to double the lead in the 39th minute. The Brazilians had just taken over the game after that initial flurry at the start of the game, and had outshot Ghana 10-4 by half time.
There was more tension in the second half, which lead to more bookings. Narry and Kaka each went into the referee's book this time around, and then a bit of luck came for Ghana in the 65th minute when Pato received a straight red card! Brazil complained that it was an overly harsh decision and that the ref was just trying to send a message to "calm down" at their expense. However, it didn't seem like Ghana was going to be able to take advantage of having an extra man. They were struggling to even get throw ins right and were constantly turning the ball over. Then Owusu Abeyie went down injured shortly after just coming into the game as a sub!
It took until about the 85th minute before Ghana started to take advantage of the situation. But even then, Gyan Asamoah missed a wide open shot inside the 6 yard box. Despite the miss, Ghana kept pressing forward and finally Appiah broke through in stoppage time to give his side a sliver of hope. That sliver was quickly pulled out when Brazil marched right down the field on the ensuing kickoff and scored again before Ghana could even touch the ball again. Actually, the keeper did get a hand on Kaka's shot, but it was too powerful to stop and eventually trickled over the line.
The insanity continued when Ghana restarted quickly. Gyan Asamoah atoned for his earlier miss by firing in a great shot from the top of the box which beat the keeper to pull Ghana back to within one goal, now down 3-2! The action had all come too late, and despite the two stoppage time goals, Ghana had failed to mount a successful comeback, so Brazil held on to win.
Brazil 3 - 2 Ghana [Mancini, Pato, Kaka; Appiah, Gyan Asamoah]
2. Mozambique vs. Spain
Mozambique held off Hungary twice, by scores of 3-0 and 1-0, but were not able to threaten Brazil, falling 0-2 to retain the #2 position this week. Spain were upset to have fallen to #3 and fought back, beating Sweden 1-0 to earn another shot at taking the top spot, but just missed taking the throne in a 2-2 draw against Ghana. Another victory over Sweden secured the 2nd position for this week at least.
Now, Mozambique are a very good squad. There is a reason they are constantly playing #2 on their roster, and they feature two of the best strikers in the game (even if it is probably unfair that they have either of them on the team). But the European and Confederations Cup champions were dialed in and focused on sending a message. And even Mozambique's legendary players were no match for the big red machine coming at them. David Villa lead the charge, scoring one, two, three, yes FOUR goals. Torres and Xavi each made their mark as well and when the dust had settled Spain had posted the biggest league victory of the season, overtaking Ghana's 6-1 result against Serbia from Week 1. Now the question will be whether Spain can overtake Ghana's top position in the coming week as well.
Mozambique 0 - 6 Spain [Villa x4, Torres, Xavi]
3. Hungary vs. Sweden
Hungary were not able to overcome Mozambique this week, losing twice to the powerful contingent of legendary African players, but they did continue to be a thorn in Mexico's side as they held the Mexicans to a 1-1 draw, which was all that was required to stay ahead of their new rivals. Sweden were hoping to reclaim the throne from Ghana this week, but that dream was dashed by an early loss to Spain. The Swedes recovered the beat Paraguay, but then were not able to beat Spain in the rematch.
Drawn into the same qualification group on two separate occasions, it is a bit surprising that the historical series between these two is lead by Hungary. In World Cup III they played out two draws and both finished at the bottom of the group. In World Cup V, Hungary managed a pair of 1-0 wins against the Swedes, which propelled them into the World Cup as group runners up, leaving Sweden out, despite being just 3 points back.
Sweden 1 - 1 Hungary (World Cup III Qualifying)
Hungary 0 - 0 Sweden (World Cup III Qualifying)
Sweden 0 - 1 Hungary (World Cup V Qualifying)
Hungary 1 - 0 Sweden (World Cup V Qualifying)
It has been a long time since that tournament, and Sweden has waited patiently to extract their revenge. Rasmus Elm, Nilsson, and of course, Ibrahimovic, all broke through the Hungarian defense as Sweden defeated Hungary for the first time in five attempts.
Hungary 0 - 3 Sweden [Rasmus Elm, Ibrahimovic, Nilsson]
4. Mexico vs. Paraguay
Mexico finally got over the hump and beat Costa Rica for the first time this season to finally climb back up to the #4 position. Hungary thwarted their attempt to go any higher with a 1-1 draw, and then Mexico barely held the spot with another 1-1 draw against Costa Rica, but that was the bare minimum that they needed. Paraguay had a similar week, in that they faced a rival twice, drawing and then beating Switzerland, but also failed to move up due to a loss to Sweden.
Both sides were technically in 3-5-2 formations for this meeting, but Paraguay were really running a 3-2-3-2 formation, while Mexico decided to try out an interesting 3-1-2-2-2. The two sides were in unfamiliar formations and were up against unfamiliar formations, so they both struggled to get anything going in the first half. Mexico started to look like the better side by creating more chances, but they weren't getting the final shot off, so they weren't really threatening to score. By half time there had been just 6 shots total, 5 from Mexico and just 1 from Paraguay.
Fans waited patiently until the 81st minute for the break through. Omar Bravo was subbed into the game and used his fresh legs to beat the tired Paraguayan defense. Once reaching the box, he cut back and picked out A. Guardado to head in the late winner! Bravo almost scored a goal on his own a little later, but was denied thanks to a great save from the keeper. Nevertheless, Mexico held on to the win, an important win for both their confidence and their team, as the overall league meet now stands at 2-2.
Mexico 1 - 0 Paraguay [A. Guardado]
5. Costa Rica vs. Switzerland
When Costa Rica finally lost to Mexico, it was in spectacular fashion, a crushing 4-1 defeat. Thankfully, the Ticos were able to recover from such a drubbing and they managed to beat Burkina Faso in the following match. A rematch with Mexico produced a better result, but not quite the one that was needed, as a 1-1 draw left Mexico ahead and Costa Rica in 5th. Switzerland held firm at this position all week, drawing Paraguay, beating Peru, and then losing to Paraguay to close out the week.
Saborio gave Costa Rica an early lead, but the Swiss firepower provided by Frei and N'kufo was too much to withstand and eventually Switzerland ran out as 3-1 winners to put Team 12 back in front of this very tight league meeting.
Costa Rica 1 - 3 Switzerland [Saborio; Frei, N'kufo x2]
6. Burkina Faso vs. Confederacy
Burkina Faso held off challenges from both Austria and Oman, but were unable to defeat Costa Rica in this week's challenge matches, which meant that they held the #6 position. The Confederate States did not hold their position, but rather they improved on it. An opening draw against Latvia was followed with two straight victories, over El Salvador and then Peru to jump to the #6 position.
The newest member of the team had the biggest impact of the match, as Graham Zusi scored the Rebel's opening goal. Kabore found an equalizer for the Burkinabe and that scoreline held until the final whistle to mark the first draw of this league meet, leaving Team 12 still ahead overall.
Burkina Faso 1 - 1 Confederacy [Kabore; Zusi]
7. Oman vs. Peru
Oman earned their first victory of the season when they knocked off Austria in the mid-week match to claim the #7 position on the roster. Even a defeat against Burkina Faso could not spoil their enthusiasm as they marched on into their first league match above the 8th position. Peru were not as jubilant, having lost to both Switzerland and the Confederate States to fall into this slot.
The Peruvians were anxious about the prospect of losing to minnows Oman and used the potential humiliation as a rallying cry. The tactic worked, as De La Haza wound up being the only goal scorer of the match, giving Peru the much needed victory, and clinching the overall team win for Team 12!
Oman 0 - 1 Peru [De La Haza]
8. Austria vs. El Salvador
Austria failed to jump Burkina Faso to start the week and that proved to have disastrous consequences as the side then lost in Vienna to lowly Oman, forcing them to take up the #8 position this week. Joining them for the league meet would be El Salvador, who had drawn Peru but then lost to the Confederacy to fall into the weekly elimination game. It was there that El Salvador managed to hold off Latvia with a 1-1 draw to remain on the roster for this week.
Austria were hoping to restore some pride with a home game against the Central Americans, but Rodolfo Zelaya spoiled that with his late equalizer that canceled out an earlier goal from Arnautovic, forcing the hosts to settle for a 1-1 draw instead.
Austria 1 - 1 El Salvador [Arnautovic; R. Zelaya]
Team 4 vs. Team 12
1. Brazil 3 - 2 Ghana
2. Mozambique 0 - 6 Spain
3. Hungary 0 - 3 Sweden
4. Mexico 1 - 0 Paraguay
5. Costa Rica 1 - 3 Switzerland
6. Burkina Faso 1 - 1 Confederacy
7. Oman 0 - 1 Peru
8. Austria 1 - 1 El Salvador
Team 7 Wins: Brazil (1), Mexico (4)
Team 12 Wins: Spain (2), Sweden (3), Switzerland (5), Peru (7)
Team 12 Wins 4-2
Team 12 marched into this match looking to remain perfect on the season, while Team 7 were trying to recover after a blowout loss to Team 1 last week.
1. Brazil vs. Ghana
Brazil handled their weekly threat from Mozambique with gusto, pulling out a convincing 2-0 victory to retain the top spot for the third week in a row. Ghana, on the other hand, were very shaky in their crown defense against Spain, but did manage to eek out a 2-2 draw that secured their position as well.
Brazil had beaten Argentina 3-0 to kick off the season, but suffered a fairly embarrassing result last week against South Korea in the form of a 2-2 draw. Ghana were still trying to shake off their loss to Uruguay too, so it was shaping up to be an interesting match with both teams seeking redemption. As such, the match started out very fast, with both teams looking to take an early lead. This lead to plenty of chances early, many within the opening ten minutes, but no one managed an early break through.
It started to get a bit rough with both Essien and Mancini picking up yellow cards in the 13th minute. Mancini had started to become a problem for Ghana, and he caused a great deal of panic in the 27th minute when he broke through the backline, but luckily the Ghanaian keeper was able to make a difficult save to keep the game scoreless. Ghana stopped to catch their breath too early though, because Mancini promptly scored off a corner kick just two minutes after that incident to finally put Brazil in front.
Brazil extended their advantage after a nice bit of passing put Pato through, and he easily beat the keeper to double the lead in the 39th minute. The Brazilians had just taken over the game after that initial flurry at the start of the game, and had outshot Ghana 10-4 by half time.
There was more tension in the second half, which lead to more bookings. Narry and Kaka each went into the referee's book this time around, and then a bit of luck came for Ghana in the 65th minute when Pato received a straight red card! Brazil complained that it was an overly harsh decision and that the ref was just trying to send a message to "calm down" at their expense. However, it didn't seem like Ghana was going to be able to take advantage of having an extra man. They were struggling to even get throw ins right and were constantly turning the ball over. Then Owusu Abeyie went down injured shortly after just coming into the game as a sub!
It took until about the 85th minute before Ghana started to take advantage of the situation. But even then, Gyan Asamoah missed a wide open shot inside the 6 yard box. Despite the miss, Ghana kept pressing forward and finally Appiah broke through in stoppage time to give his side a sliver of hope. That sliver was quickly pulled out when Brazil marched right down the field on the ensuing kickoff and scored again before Ghana could even touch the ball again. Actually, the keeper did get a hand on Kaka's shot, but it was too powerful to stop and eventually trickled over the line.
The insanity continued when Ghana restarted quickly. Gyan Asamoah atoned for his earlier miss by firing in a great shot from the top of the box which beat the keeper to pull Ghana back to within one goal, now down 3-2! The action had all come too late, and despite the two stoppage time goals, Ghana had failed to mount a successful comeback, so Brazil held on to win.
Brazil 3 - 2 Ghana [Mancini, Pato, Kaka; Appiah, Gyan Asamoah]
2. Mozambique vs. Spain
Mozambique held off Hungary twice, by scores of 3-0 and 1-0, but were not able to threaten Brazil, falling 0-2 to retain the #2 position this week. Spain were upset to have fallen to #3 and fought back, beating Sweden 1-0 to earn another shot at taking the top spot, but just missed taking the throne in a 2-2 draw against Ghana. Another victory over Sweden secured the 2nd position for this week at least.
Now, Mozambique are a very good squad. There is a reason they are constantly playing #2 on their roster, and they feature two of the best strikers in the game (even if it is probably unfair that they have either of them on the team). But the European and Confederations Cup champions were dialed in and focused on sending a message. And even Mozambique's legendary players were no match for the big red machine coming at them. David Villa lead the charge, scoring one, two, three, yes FOUR goals. Torres and Xavi each made their mark as well and when the dust had settled Spain had posted the biggest league victory of the season, overtaking Ghana's 6-1 result against Serbia from Week 1. Now the question will be whether Spain can overtake Ghana's top position in the coming week as well.
Mozambique 0 - 6 Spain [Villa x4, Torres, Xavi]
3. Hungary vs. Sweden
Hungary were not able to overcome Mozambique this week, losing twice to the powerful contingent of legendary African players, but they did continue to be a thorn in Mexico's side as they held the Mexicans to a 1-1 draw, which was all that was required to stay ahead of their new rivals. Sweden were hoping to reclaim the throne from Ghana this week, but that dream was dashed by an early loss to Spain. The Swedes recovered the beat Paraguay, but then were not able to beat Spain in the rematch.
Drawn into the same qualification group on two separate occasions, it is a bit surprising that the historical series between these two is lead by Hungary. In World Cup III they played out two draws and both finished at the bottom of the group. In World Cup V, Hungary managed a pair of 1-0 wins against the Swedes, which propelled them into the World Cup as group runners up, leaving Sweden out, despite being just 3 points back.
Sweden 1 - 1 Hungary (World Cup III Qualifying)
Hungary 0 - 0 Sweden (World Cup III Qualifying)
Sweden 0 - 1 Hungary (World Cup V Qualifying)
Hungary 1 - 0 Sweden (World Cup V Qualifying)
It has been a long time since that tournament, and Sweden has waited patiently to extract their revenge. Rasmus Elm, Nilsson, and of course, Ibrahimovic, all broke through the Hungarian defense as Sweden defeated Hungary for the first time in five attempts.
Hungary 0 - 3 Sweden [Rasmus Elm, Ibrahimovic, Nilsson]
4. Mexico vs. Paraguay
Mexico finally got over the hump and beat Costa Rica for the first time this season to finally climb back up to the #4 position. Hungary thwarted their attempt to go any higher with a 1-1 draw, and then Mexico barely held the spot with another 1-1 draw against Costa Rica, but that was the bare minimum that they needed. Paraguay had a similar week, in that they faced a rival twice, drawing and then beating Switzerland, but also failed to move up due to a loss to Sweden.
Both sides were technically in 3-5-2 formations for this meeting, but Paraguay were really running a 3-2-3-2 formation, while Mexico decided to try out an interesting 3-1-2-2-2. The two sides were in unfamiliar formations and were up against unfamiliar formations, so they both struggled to get anything going in the first half. Mexico started to look like the better side by creating more chances, but they weren't getting the final shot off, so they weren't really threatening to score. By half time there had been just 6 shots total, 5 from Mexico and just 1 from Paraguay.
Fans waited patiently until the 81st minute for the break through. Omar Bravo was subbed into the game and used his fresh legs to beat the tired Paraguayan defense. Once reaching the box, he cut back and picked out A. Guardado to head in the late winner! Bravo almost scored a goal on his own a little later, but was denied thanks to a great save from the keeper. Nevertheless, Mexico held on to the win, an important win for both their confidence and their team, as the overall league meet now stands at 2-2.
Mexico 1 - 0 Paraguay [A. Guardado]
5. Costa Rica vs. Switzerland
When Costa Rica finally lost to Mexico, it was in spectacular fashion, a crushing 4-1 defeat. Thankfully, the Ticos were able to recover from such a drubbing and they managed to beat Burkina Faso in the following match. A rematch with Mexico produced a better result, but not quite the one that was needed, as a 1-1 draw left Mexico ahead and Costa Rica in 5th. Switzerland held firm at this position all week, drawing Paraguay, beating Peru, and then losing to Paraguay to close out the week.
Saborio gave Costa Rica an early lead, but the Swiss firepower provided by Frei and N'kufo was too much to withstand and eventually Switzerland ran out as 3-1 winners to put Team 12 back in front of this very tight league meeting.
Costa Rica 1 - 3 Switzerland [Saborio; Frei, N'kufo x2]
6. Burkina Faso vs. Confederacy
Burkina Faso held off challenges from both Austria and Oman, but were unable to defeat Costa Rica in this week's challenge matches, which meant that they held the #6 position. The Confederate States did not hold their position, but rather they improved on it. An opening draw against Latvia was followed with two straight victories, over El Salvador and then Peru to jump to the #6 position.
The newest member of the team had the biggest impact of the match, as Graham Zusi scored the Rebel's opening goal. Kabore found an equalizer for the Burkinabe and that scoreline held until the final whistle to mark the first draw of this league meet, leaving Team 12 still ahead overall.
Burkina Faso 1 - 1 Confederacy [Kabore; Zusi]
7. Oman vs. Peru
Oman earned their first victory of the season when they knocked off Austria in the mid-week match to claim the #7 position on the roster. Even a defeat against Burkina Faso could not spoil their enthusiasm as they marched on into their first league match above the 8th position. Peru were not as jubilant, having lost to both Switzerland and the Confederate States to fall into this slot.
The Peruvians were anxious about the prospect of losing to minnows Oman and used the potential humiliation as a rallying cry. The tactic worked, as De La Haza wound up being the only goal scorer of the match, giving Peru the much needed victory, and clinching the overall team win for Team 12!
Oman 0 - 1 Peru [De La Haza]
8. Austria vs. El Salvador
Austria failed to jump Burkina Faso to start the week and that proved to have disastrous consequences as the side then lost in Vienna to lowly Oman, forcing them to take up the #8 position this week. Joining them for the league meet would be El Salvador, who had drawn Peru but then lost to the Confederacy to fall into the weekly elimination game. It was there that El Salvador managed to hold off Latvia with a 1-1 draw to remain on the roster for this week.
Austria were hoping to restore some pride with a home game against the Central Americans, but Rodolfo Zelaya spoiled that with his late equalizer that canceled out an earlier goal from Arnautovic, forcing the hosts to settle for a 1-1 draw instead.
Austria 1 - 1 El Salvador [Arnautovic; R. Zelaya]
Team 4 vs. Team 12
1. Brazil 3 - 2 Ghana
2. Mozambique 0 - 6 Spain
3. Hungary 0 - 3 Sweden
4. Mexico 1 - 0 Paraguay
5. Costa Rica 1 - 3 Switzerland
6. Burkina Faso 1 - 1 Confederacy
7. Oman 0 - 1 Peru
8. Austria 1 - 1 El Salvador
Team 7 Wins: Brazil (1), Mexico (4)
Team 12 Wins: Spain (2), Sweden (3), Switzerland (5), Peru (7)
Team 12 Wins 4-2