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contents:
1) Steamers tear Nordeyar apart! (4-0)
2) Unlucky 2-1 loss to Chromatika
3) Pre-match analysis
4) Guide for away fans

STEAMERS TEAR NORDEYAR APART! (4-0)
Czesław Jalińowski

Sernet returned to the familiar surroundings of Sernetesen Lighthouse for their second fixture of the qualifying campaign, looking to build on the victory over Kordavia. Their opponents, Nordeyar, had also started with a win, defeating fellow Urseomite nation Vrasilistan 3-1, and arrived in Sernetesen hoping to make life difficult for the hosts. With both teams on 3 points, everyone knew this would be a tense game, with the winner either clinging onto or ascending to first place. Sernetesen Lighthouse stadium has witnessed countless important and historic matches throughout Sernet's long footballing history, and so it is naturally the perfect place to stage the first host match of the campaign. Blue and orange flags waved across the stands, scarves were raised, and the familiar chant of "Sernet is him!" rolled around the stadium. As the teams emerged from the tunnel, the noise grew deafening; Nordeyar's travelling contingent made themselves heard too, answering the home crowd whenever possible, but it was clear that the vast majority of the stadium was firmly behind the Steamers. The fans behind the goal had brought a gargantuan Sernetian flag with them, emblazoned with "THE POWER OF SERNET" and another group near the tunnel came with boards displaying "Sernet 3-0 Nordeyar"; as to whether or not that would be realised, we had to wait and see. The Nordeyar squad looked uneasy, and it was also made apparent that they had neglected to print the names of their players on their shirts. Stoberus Pond made no major changes to the starting system that had earned Sernet victory in Kordavia, other than Bob Yarisem and Janusz Tworpowski who is injured. Tomasz Pasarowski started in goal behind Stirius Mantrostem, Dominik Zoliba and Salod Zerning. Stefan Jatrowski and Korolianus Stork occupied the wings, with Rami Alforez and Samir Dottman supporting Zbigniew Komstrowski in midfield. Up front, there was the usual combo of Wasori Oluwawa and captain Sporius Bolsting.

For the first few minutes, both teams traded possession without producing a particularly clear opening. The first significant opportunity arrived at the 6th minute. Jatrowski collected the ball on the left and zoomed towards the goal, drawing a Nordeyar defender towards him before cutting the ball back into the penalty area. Oluwawa moved towards it, but a Nordeyar centre-back got there first and diverted the ball behind for a corner. Komstrowski delivered to the near post, where Bolsting rose up and sent a powerful header to the goal. However, Nordeyar's goalkeeper reacted sharply, getting both hands behind the ball and pushing it away from danger. The rebound fell towards Alforez, who tried to return it into the crowded area, but the visitors managed to scramble it clear. The supporters applauded the effort, but everybody was hungry for more. Nordeyar responded at the 9th minute with a promising attack of their own. A quick pass through midfield caught Sernet momentarily stretched, allowing one of the visitors' forwards to drive towards the edge of the penalty area. Pasarowski stepped forward as the shot came in, blocking it with his gloves and sending it away from the centre of goal. Mantrostem reacted first to the loose ball, shielding it from the approaching attacker and then clearing it upfield. For a brief moment, the away supporters celebrated as though they had scored, while the home crowd responded with another surge of noise, urging the Steamers forward.

At the 12th minute, Sernet found the breakthrough. Dottman recovered the ball and played it to Komstrowski, who weaved past his marker and advanced towards the box. Rather than attempt a speculative shot, he slipped a pass to Jatrowski. The winger reached the ball just before the covering defender and sent a low cross skimming across the grass. Oluwawa darted towards the near post, drawing the attention of two defenders, but the ball continued beyond him and past Bolsting. Stork had anticipated the delivery, and arrived in space at the far side of the box. Stork took one touch to steady himself before piloting the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net.
Spectacular goal! Stork sprinted towards the corner flag with both arms outstretched, and his teammates piled in around him as the home crowd roared. Flags waved furiously, while the chant of "Sernet is him!" became almost deafening. Nordeyar's goalkeeper could hardly be blamed for the finish; the cross had travelled through a crowded area, and Korolianus Stork had made excellent use of the space available to him.

Nordeyar attempted to respond quickly. At the 17th minute, the visitors worked the ball down their right and delivered a cross towards the penalty spot. Their striker rose to meet it, directing a header towards the bottom corner, but Pasarowski dived masterfully and cradled the ball in his arms. Nordeyar had threatened, but the Steamers were beginning to look more composed in dealing with the visitors' attacks. The next ten minutes belonged largely to Sernet. Alforez began finding more room between Nordeyar's midfield and defence, allowing him to feed the wide players earlier and with greater accuracy. At the 22nd minute, Stork collected a diagonal pass on the right and sent a low delivery towards Bolsting. The captain attempted to flick it goalwards with his heel, but the goalkeeper didn't let it through. Two minutes later, Komstrowski tried his luck from the edge of the box. His shot was struck cleanly but travelled straight into the goalkeeper's arms. At the 29th minute, the Steamers came close again. Jatrowski raced onto a pass down the left, beat his marker and crossed towards Bolsting, who attempted to direct the ball into the far corner with a first-time finish. The goalkeeper got down sharply and turned it away. Oluwawa chased the rebound, but a Nordeyar defender reached it first and cleared it away. The home supporters groaned at the missed opportunity, then immediately began chanting again, refusing to let the energy drop.
Their patience was rewarded at the 41st minute.

The buildup began with Zerning winning a challenge on the left side of Sernet's half. Rather than simply clearing the ball, he found Dariusz Morpowski, who had came on for Alforez not long before. He turned and played forward into Komstrowski; the vice-captain drew a defender towards him before slipping the ball out to Stork on the right. Stork accelerated into the space ahead of him and sent a low cross towards the penalty spot, finding Sporius Bolsting. He struck first time, sending the ball beyond the goalkeeper and into the net.
Goal! Bolsting ran towards the supporters with his arms spread wide, while Oluwawa reached him first and embraced him before the rest of the team joined the celebrations. The stands responded with a deafening mixture of cheers and chants, and the scoreboard confirmed what the supporters had begun to believe: Nordeyar were in serious trouble. The Sernetian supporters began singing a different chant: "We're the Sernetian Empire! Tonight we're on fire!
We're having a party! Your situation is dire!"

The visitors tried to steady themselves before the break. At the 43rd minute, they forced Sernet into a defensive scramble when a long-range attempt took a deflection and changed direction in front of Pasarowski. He adjusted quickly, throwing himself low to his left and pushing the ball away. Zoliba cleared the rebound before anyone could reach it. The attempt served a reminder that the match was not entirely one-sided, even if Sernet were now firmly in control. Just before half-time, Oluwawa nearly added a third. He intercepted a pass in midfield and surged forward, exchanging a quick one-two with Komstrowski before entering the penalty area. His shot beat the goalkeeper but hit the outside of the post and bounced behind. The referee soon brought the first half to an end, and Sernet walked off to a standing ovation from large sections of the Lighthouse.
Half-time: Sernet 2-0 Nordeyar.

During the half-time break, two key substitutions were made. Fatigued Sporius Bolsting was replaced by Zenobiusz Kusek, and Zorek Klagimend swapped on for Pasarowski, who also had little energy to spare. Never bad to have some fresh legs, or in Klagimend's case, arms. The visitors returned for the second half with greater urgency. They attempted to press higher and force Sernet into hurried clearances, hoping that an early goal would give them a route back into the match. At the 49th minute, that approach nearly paid off. Nordeyar won possession after a challenge in midfield and they quickly played the ball into the box. One of their forwards tried to turn and shoot, but Zoliba stayed tight to him, blocking the attempt with his leg. The loose ball rolled towards the edge of the area, where a second Nordeyar player struck it first time. Klagimend reacted sharply, parrying it away before Mantrostem cleared it into oblivion.
The home crowd applauded the young goalkeeper, recognising that the save was indeed crucial. Sernet responded by slowing the game down, passing the ball between their defenders and midfielders until Nordeyar began to lose their shape. Once the space opened, the Steamers rolled forwards again. At the 54th minute, Kusek came close to scoring. Komstrowski, now acting captain, received the ball between the lines and threaded a pass through the defensive gap towards the striker. Kusek controlled it on the edge of the penalty area and struck towards the far corner, but the goalkeeper dived to his right and managed to push the shot away with one hand. Oluwawa tried to reach the rebound, but a defender got there. The corner that followed was cleared, but Sernet were now threatening almost every time they moved the ball quickly through the middle.

The third goal arrived at the 57th minute, and it was the product of another well-worked attack. Dottman intercepted a pass in the centre circle and immediately looked forward. He found Morpowski, who took a touch before releasing it to Komstrowski through two Nordeyar midfielders. He turned towards goal and drew the attention of the defence, creating just enough room to slide a pass into Oluwawa's path. Oluwawa was unable to get a clean shot away as a defender challenged him, but the ball went loose inside the box. Komstrowski surged ahead, and he arrived to strike the rebound firmly into the back of the net. Beautiful! Zbigniew Komstrowski galloped towards the corner, punching the air as his teammates chased after him. The supporters celebrated with renewed energy, and the chant of "You're getting battered, you're getting steamrolled!" rang out across the stadium. At 3-0, Sernet were comfortably in the lead, despite Sporius Bolsting and Tomasz Pasarowski being on the bench.

The visitors refused to surrender completely. At the 62nd minute, a quick attack down the left produced a cross towards the far post, where their winger met the ball with a powerful header. Klagimend stretched across goal and tipped it over the crossbar. The resulting corner was dangerous too, with the delivery finding a Nordeyar defender in space, but his header sailed over. Mantrostem was there to send it high into the sky. At the 69th minute, Sernet nearly scored a fourth when Jatrowski cut inside from the left and struck from the edge of the box. The shot took a slight deflection and bounced awkwardly in front of the goalkeeper, who managed to gather it at the second attempt. Moments later, Stork found space on the opposite flank and sent a cross towards Kusek, but the his header drifted wide. The Steamers were enjoying themselves now, and every attack brought fresh noise from the stands. Surely it was only a matter of time before Sernet found a fourth goal.

The fourth goal would finally come at the 78th minute. Stork received possession on the right and drew two defenders towards him before slipping the ball back to Urstof Langost, who had come on for Samir Dottman not long before. The midfielder lifted a precise pass over the defensive line, sending Jatrowski racing into the penalty area. The winger steadied himself before blasting it beyond the advancing goalkeeper and finished into the unguarded net, bringing the score to a magnificent 4-0!
Four goals. No reply. Sernetesen Lighthouse was in full celebration.
Jatrowski sprinted towards the corner flag as his teammates followed, while the crowd rose to its feet. The supporters began singing "Sernet is him" again and again, the chant carrying across the stadium as Nordeyar's players regrouped for the restart, followed by another chant:
"One, two, three and four!
How many more d'you want us to score!"

The final minutes were largely about seeing out the result without allowing the visitors a consolation goal. Nordeyar continued to push, but their attacks were increasingly met by a well-organised Sernet defence. At the 81st minute, Klagimend made another save, getting down to stop a low shot through a crowd of players. Zerning cleared the rebound, and late substitute Martinius Holter, who had come on for Komstrowski, helped Sernet retain possession rather than simply surrendering the ball back to the visitors. A late Nordeyar free kick at the 87th minute was delivered into the penalty area, but Zoliba rose up and headed it clear. As the clock moved towards 90 minutes, the home crowd began celebrating before the final whistle had even sounded. Stoppage time arrived before we knew it, and Sernet continued to move the ball around confidently. Nordeyar managed one final attack, but Mantrostem stepped in to intercept a pass and sent the ball towards the halfway line. The referee checked his watch and blew for full-time.

Sernet 4-0 Nordeyar. The supporters erupted. The Steamers had delivered a commanding performance at Sernetesen Lighthouse. Not only had the supporters' prophecy from the start of the match come true, it had been surpassed. That was a far more ruthless display than the narrow victory in Kordavia, and it sent a clear message to the rest of Group 7: The Steamers are a force to be reckoned with.
The bench and coaching staff joined the celebrations at full-time, with Pond and manager Don Swordsman congratulating the players as they made their way around the pitch. The supporters stayed behind long after the whistle to applaud the team, continuing their chants long after the final whistle. Sernet had taken six vital points from the first two fixtures, and the amount of goals made it even more encouraging. Not only that, the win sent Sernet straight to the top of the table, dethroning Nordeyar from their position. Total victory.

Unlucky 2-1 loss to Chromatika
Tadeusz Uwalski

The Steamers travelled to Chromatika looking to build on Sernet's strong start, but the match quickly became a tense, evenly contested affair. The Chromatik City Field swiftly filled up with both home and away supporters, with Sernet eager to continue their win streak and perhaps even a clean sheet, whereas the home fans were desperate not to drop more points following Vrasilistan's 4-3 win over Chromatika which took place during Sernet's win over Nordeyar. The Steamers created several promising openings in the first half, with Stefan Jatrowski testing goalkeeper Hailee Sourtois and Sporius Bolsting coming close after a dangerous delivery into the box. At the other end, Tomasz Pasarowski was called into action to deny a powerful effort from Chromatika's attack, saving shots from Jayla Lethbridge-Antonio and Lavrentiy Xuen-Zhukov. Korolianus Stork and Rami Alforez tried to get Sernet moving through midfield, but Chromatika defended stubbornly, and the two sides went into half-time at 0-0.

The stalemate finally broke at the 53rd minute. Jacoliene Hauptmeijer got hold of the ball and delivered it to Maddie Prenn. She fired the ball at Pasarowski, but he pounced and sent it behind the goal. The corner was taken by Lee Hyun-Seol, who aimed at Xuen-Zhukov; she was there at the far post to head it past Pasarowski. The home fans were delighted by this goal, although the Sernetians didn't fall silent. After the goal, Sernet responded with greater urgency, pushing their wide players higher and putting Chromatika under sustained pressure. Their persistence paid off in the 70th minute: Jatrowski drove forward and sent a low cross into the box, where Salod Zerning, who had broken from the back line to create more pressure in the box, found space amid a crowd of defenders and guided the ball into the net. The Sernetian supporters erupted, sensing that their side could still turn the match around.With the score level, both teams went searching for a winner. Pasarowski produced another important save to keep Sernet in the contest, while Sporius Bolsting and Banis Kolbense, who had come on for Wasori Oluwawa, threatened at the opposite end without finding a way through. However, Chromatika struck again at the 83rd minute, when Hyun-Seol collected the ball outside the penalty area and fired a low shot through the crowded box. Pasarowski struggled to see it through the bodies, and the ball found the net to restore Chromatika's lead.

Sernet threw players forward during the closing stages, with a missile by Kolbense and free kick taken by Stork nearly resulting in equalisers for Sernet, but the hosts held firm despite the late pressure. The final whistle confirmed a frustrating 2-1 defeat for the Steamers. However, despite the fact that Chromatika had taken all three points, Sernet were still at the top of the table; Sernet hadn't dropped points yet before this match, whereas this was Chromatika's first win so far. Next up, Sernet takes on Siovanija and Teusland back in Sernetesen at Seven Bridges before moving on to play Vrasilistan in the NS World Cup's first all-Urseom match.

Pre-match analysis: MD4 vs Siovanija and Teusland @ Seven Bridges, Sernetesen; MD4 vs Vrasilistan @ Vrasilistan National Stadium, Ortender
Damian Weslom

Above: The usual Starting XI.

Table:

Group 7                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Sernet                                      3    2   0   1     6    2   +4     6
2 New Montreal States                         2    2   0   0     3    0   +3     6
3 Siovanija and Teusland                      2    1   1   0     6    3   +3     4
4 Chromatika                                  3    1   1   1     6    6    0     4
5 Nordeyar                                    3    1   0   2     3    7   −4     3
6 Vrasilistan                                 3    1   0   2     7   11   −4     3
7 Kordavia                                    2    0   0   2     0    2   −2     0

Sernet ascended to the top of Group 7 after wiping the floor with Nordeyar, and despite that unfortunate defeat to Chromatika we retain our first place spot on the table. Next up, we welcome Siovanija to Sernet, playing them at Seven Bridges in Sernetesen, before we fly to fellow Urseomite nation Vrasilistan to play them in their capital Ortender in the first ever all-Urseom NSWC match. Speaking of Vrasilistan, they snatched three points off Chromatika when they defeated them 4-3, but then lost to Siovanija 5-2 away from home. As a result, Vrasilistan are at 6th place, just above Kordavia who are yet to secure a point. Starting lineup for both matches is as follows: Tomasz Pasarowski in goal, with Stirius Mantrostem, Dominik Zoliba and Salod Zerning in defence, with Salod Zerning starting for injured Janusz Tworpowski. The 5-man midfield consists of Samir Dottman, Rami Alforez, Zbigniew Komstrowski, Korolianus Stork and Stefan Jatrowski. Up front we have Sporius Bolsting and Wasori Oluwawa, and as for the bench, Poltus Esingfort and Bartosz Głolin, among others, will likely be getting gametime. That's all for now, so to wherever in the Sernetian Empire you are, have a great day!

Guide for away fans: How to reach Seven Bridges Stadium

Hello Siovanijans! We welcome you as our guests in our splendid country. You may find that our extensive rail network may be challenging to navigate, or that you can't seem to find where Seven Bridges stadium is. This guide is designed to help you!

When you arrive at Sernetesen Storimidros International (we're assuming that's where you land), follow signage until you end up at the SMR station for whichever terminal you land at; for you lot its its likely to be Terminal 4. Hop on either the first southbound SMR train, or an eastbound (must be eastbound) Sernetesen & Northern service towards Setelendisen.

For those who took the former, you have two options: either take this all the way down to Sernetesen if you fancy giving it a visit, or exit the train at Great Brick of Sernet. You lucky tourists get to see The Great Brick of Sernet. This gargantuan monument, located in the town of Storimidros, which the airport is named after, is one of Sernet's most famous landmark. From there, there is a 100m covered footbridge which should lead you to Storimidros Junction station, on the nearby mainline. From here, catch a Sernetesen & Northern train or another SMR service to Seven Bridges; Sernetesen & Northern will get you there faster but as SMR (Sernetesen Metropolitan Railway) is a metro system, trains do come very frequently, although the frequency of mainline Sernetrail services such as Sernetesen & Northern are still very good.

For those who took the latter, stay on this train until you arrive at Seven Bridges, where you should alight. While this is a direct service compared to taking the SMR, as mentioned in the previous paragraph you might have to wait slightly longer for the train to arrive

Once you arrive, exit the station and walk down the main road. You should then arrive at the stadium. There will be staff at all mentioned stations and along the road to the stadium to help you with anything. Sernet has an abundance of public toilets should you need the loo. SMR trains don't have toilets, but Sernetesen & Northern does. Upon arrival at Seven Bridges, you should find all the amenities you need; restaurants, cafes, shops, you name it. Free wifi is available at the airport, on the trains and at the stadium.
We hope this guide will allow you to navigate to your destination with ease. Enjoy your visit to Sernet!

#sernetishim #thepowerofsernet