Millossobek's Master League Written Stories!

[millossobek]

WELCOME TO THE EUROPA PRIDE LEAGUE! (PES 2018)
Time for the Pride of Europe to Show Their Colors!
​

In the past few years, European Football has become a theater of not the unexpected, but of the expected. Buoyed by very deep finances, huge fanbases, and almost unlimited media influence, a handful of teams have dominated their local and continental scenes for a while now. Germany, Italy and France have featured one team domination for a long time now (even though La Vecchia Signora's domination recently came to a halt), while Spain and England feature really top-heavy leagues whose best are rarely challenged. In the Champions League, it is quite often to find the same quarterfinalists and similar semifinalists, as the strong teams are definitely getting stronger and separating themselves from the rest of the pack. Very rarely does a team outside of these select few break through to even the quarterfinals. It seems like the gulf between the very best teams and the ones following them has been widening, and it doesn't look like this trend will change anytime soon unless something drastic happens.

Even though football as an industry is doing really well, and is blooming as a business, this European domination by a handful of teams has created a predictability which, at least to me, seems quite unsatisfying. It seems like every time we watch Football news nowadays, all the headlines and almost all of the attention is concentrated on the same names, the same organizations. For the casual fan, it would almost seem like European Football is contested by only a few teams, a "Super League" of sorts in which honors and trophies are rotated amongst select teams and where power is increasingly being concentrated.

But this is not the entire story. Not by a long shot. Europe, the birthplace of football, and the centerpiece of the sport at the club level, features hundreds, no, thousands of teams. A lot of these are only covered by their local media, their city's newspapers and local online outlets. But this does not mean that their stories are less important, less passionate, or any less captivating than the huge clubs. This is an attempt to showcase some of these stories. Not the stories of the superstars, not the stories of the amateur teams, but of medium-sized teams which have been looking to transcend and edge their names in glory for a long time now. This desire has led to the creation of the Europa Pride League: An International Club competition featuring clubs from 20 different European countries, perhaps not as talented as the most famous clubs, the Real Madrids and the Man Citys of the world, but equally as important, and with an equal desire to tell their own story, to shine in an international competition, all with an aspiraton to take their names and showcase their pride to the continent and to the world. Welcome to the Europa Pride League: Beyond Expectations!!

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I have long been fascinated by 3-Star rated teams, both in Pro Evolution Soccer and in real life. As many of you know, I've already played several 3-Stars Cups, featuring European, North American, South American and Asian teams. But in this case, I wanted to shake things up a bit. Instead of playing a Cup, and having it feature 3 or 4 different confederations, this time I have decided to play a Fully European League. 20 countries represented, 20 teams. This is a chance for these teams to create their own continental history in an inaugural competition. As opposed to the Super League, where members sought to concentrate their power and their revenues, the purpose of this competition (organized by MFE-Millossobek's Football Enterprises) is more historical. Yes, there will be revenue involved, but the main thrust of the Europa Pride League is precisely that. Pride. History. Love of Football. A chance to show the world that a league made up of medium-sized teams that evade the mainstream international spotlight can be equally or why not.. Even more passionate than their more famous, richer counterparts!!

Here is the list of teams, by country:
Romania: FCSB, also known as Steaua Bucuresti, the winningest team in Romanian history, with 26 Local Leagues and 24 Copa Romaniei won, although none since 2015 (As CFR Cluj has taken their mantle for the time being) will be the team I will be playing with. I've long been fascinated by Romanian football (perhaps from watching Gheorghe Hagi's magic when I was a kid), and now is a chance to play with their most historical team. Winners of the 1986 European Cup and Super Cup, FCSB is the very definition of European Pride.

My rivals in this league will be: Ludogoretz Razgrad (Bulgaria), Rio Ave FC (Portugal), PAOK Thessaloniki (Greece), Mallorca (Spain), FC Kobenhavn (Denmark), AIK (Sweden), FC Crotone (Italy), Rapid Vienna (Austria), Legia Warszawa (Poland), Red Star Belgrade (Serbia), Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia), Rangers (Scotland), Ferencvaros (Hungary), West Bromwich Albion (England), FC Lorient (France), Young Boys (Switzerland), Trabzonspor (Turkey), FC Utrecht (The Netherlands), and finally, VFB Stuttgart (Germany).

A map of the teams!​

A couple of important observations on the League:
- All teams have a rating of 2.5-Stars to 3-Stars, with one notable exception. I wanted the competition to clearly have a frontrunner. And this frontrunner will be none other than Stuttgart, who has a rating of 3.5-Stars. I think this is an interesting curveball, for several reasons. The 5-time German Champions, 3-Time DFB Pokal winners, UEFA Cup finalists and 2-Time UEFA Intertoto Cup winners are clearly a historical team with tons of charisma, but in addition, I'd really like to see how having a frontrunner will affect the whole dynamics of the title race.
- Even though this will be a single-season adventure, it will definitely be a full season. 38 games played, home and away. No Playoffs, No Relegations. Just a straight, classic European League, as I think it should be for a competition of this nature. I will be playing with injuries on, accumulated fatigue on, as @The Moroccan says, I really want to test the depth of all the teams in this tough odyssey!
- I have transferred and traded for a few players! One of my personal favorites, CMF Juan Carlos Pereira from my recently crowned Millonarios, a personal favorite of mine, a jack-of-al trades box to box midfielder, and flying speedster Japanese Junya Ito from GRC Genk, one of the fastest players in the game at RWF!

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The moment of truth has arrived. As FCSB, Romania's biggest historical team, we are in the midst of a long title drought in our home country, at least to our standards. We have relinquished our local mantle of dominance to CFR Cluj, at least for the moment. But now is our chance to transcend, to play in the inaugural Europa Pride League. The competition is incredibly tough, the title is really up for grabs, and anyone can become champion (Stuttgart's status as frontrunners notwithstanding). How will FCSB perform in this passionate competition? This is what we know for sure: The flags will be waving, throats will be sore from chanting, the skies will be filled with fireworks, as Europe, the centerpiece of today's football, takes off its shiny mantle and is ready to show another side of its football. A side that is not often broadcast to the international public, but a fully pumped beating heart nonetheless!! Get ready for the Europa Pride League, my friends.. A truly continental competition, in which club pride will be displayed in full force at a truly international stage!!

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's League Stories!
Comments are welcome!​

 

[millossobek]

A little preview.. I just scored this hilarious 87th game winner with Junya Ito in my Steaua FCSB save, one of the funniest goals I've ever scored. I'll take it!!

 

[MKC]

A little preview.. I just scored this hilarious 87th game winner with Junya Ito in my Steaua FCSB save, one of the funniest goals I've ever scored. I'll take it!!

I used to love saving the replays for every funny or awkward goal I scored, especially if it involved the defensive AI doing something crazy and nonsensical, but then going into the PS4, coming from the PS3, they changed the limit from 50 saved replays to 5 saved replays... I know there's the Share function, but it's not the same as having a file with the replay that you can control from all angles and stuff... Konami made so many baffling decisions this generation...

 

[Holland]

Another new adventure to write in the story of your amazing career.................come on guys!!!!!!

 

[millossobek]

@Holland Thanks bro! You are always a voice of encouragement in my ML stories, this latest one has been really fun!!

I've been playing the first half of the FC Steaua Bucharest season, and will update as soon as I finish the first half of it. I won't give spoilers but I will say this,, it's getting really interesting! I really think the fact that I'm doing a single-season League instead of a Cup has given this story a very different feel, more of a long-haul marathon instead of a short sprint! That was a good call for sure, especially given the Pan-European setting it's given the whole experience a very cool and immediate twist. Stay tuned for updates bros!

 

[Madmac79]

Really great pace of this all mate! As I thought it would, the LEague format is really giving the story a nice flavour

 

[millossobek]

@Madmac79 Absolutely bro! I think it was a great call to make it a League, especially with several European nations involved.. It gives it a nice feeling, like there's the immediacy of the league, the fact that it is only one season, and the thrill of a title race!! Things are getting very exciting in the Europa Pride League, I will post the mid-season report as soon as I finish playing it! How will FCSB fare in the Inaugural Season? It's been a very entertaining ride so far!

 

[millossobek]

STEAUA CHASING THE LEADERS!!
FCSB HAS A GREAT FIRST HALF OF THE SEASON!!
IS A TITLE ON THE HORIZON FOR THE ROMANIAN SIDE??​

19 Matches Played
11 wins, 5 draws, 3 losses
2nd in Europa Pride League!

The first half of the first ever Europa Pride League has concluded! All the aspirations of the 20 participating teams are on full display, as the footballing world has witnessed a heart-thumping celebration of regional pride and loyalty! Teams from all over the continent, 20 teams representing 20 different countries, have gathered in a mid-level competition which purpose is not to encapsulate the largest contracts or the biggest lights of the networks, but to capture the imagination and the hearts of supporters from all over Europe and beyond!! These teams are too often overlooked by the wider footballing public, seldom going beyond the passionate and intense fanbases in their home countries, but this is about to change. EUROPA PRIDE IS A 3-STAR LEAGUE WITH A 5-STAR HEART!!

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Let me give you a short introduction to the team. I have maintained most of the original FCSB squad, with a few exceptions! Like I mentioned in a previous post, I decided to trade for a few players. Juan Carlos Pereira, from my dear Millonarios, and Japanese international Junya Ito from Genk. Pereira (rated 74) is a jack-of-all trades CMF who plays box to box, has great stamina, good passing skills and defending, with no super strengths but no weaknesses, my most balanced player and an offensive and defensive glue, while Ito (rated 75) is a super speedy winger with an eye for goal (one of the fastest players in the game!) The entire rest of the team is almost entirely comprised of Romanians, with a few important highlights: Center Forward Alexandru Buziuc (rated 74), an incisive, super-charismatic and fast #9, and emotional leader, who makes a pairing with youngster Adrian Petre (rated 70) off the bench, a more traditional goal poacher. Also some key players: Goalkeeper Vlad and CMF Ionescu, who captains the team and is a good all around presence in the midfield accompanying Pereira!

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The Europa Pride League was underway and all teams were primed and ready for competition and to battle it out for continental honors! How would we fare at the start? Our first three matches were indeed a mixed bag! Our inaugural match was in Romania´s Arena Nationala, a 1-1 draw against Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade, in an intensely passionate match featuring regional rivals! We were trailing much of the way until our side back Cretu scored an equalizer in minute 61 (a run with good awareness, tapping the miss in from a really difficult angle, and we were able to preserve the point. This was followed by a win against Legia Warszawa (2-3) as visitors and an unfortunate loss at home (0-1) vs Austrian stalwarts Rapid Vienna! The second match, in particular, was a crazy encounter, with a blooper winner by Ito in the 87th minute, which I included in a previous post! One of the craziest and funniest goals I've ever scored!

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Few would've exepcted what would happen next, however! After our math against Vienna, we went on an absolutely marvellous winning streak, winning 4 matches in a row! Fixture 4 was against Rangers, on a cold and dreary Scottish evening full of rain and personality (against Romanian legend's son Iannis Hagi, no less!) in a match where Biziuc scored the game winning goal in minute 82 off a Pereira set piece! We ended up winning 1-2 at Ibrox in typical Scottish weather, a classic encounter! This match was followed by 3 more wins, the first of which was an 0-1 away victory vs sun-drenched Mallorca (a huge contrast in weather conditions) in which a single goal by our Left Winger Tanase (after Buziuc set up the play and headed the ball down beautifully in the box) set up the strike and we were able to break through the Mallorca wall! Our streak would continue!!

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Following the Mallorca match, we then went home to Romania for fixture 6, and showed a wonderful display of football in a 4-1 victory against Swedish side AIK (a balanced display, featuring goals by Pereira, Cretu, Ito, and Buziuc)! And to top it off, we made it 4 victories in a row once again at home, against the surprisingly struggling Young Boys of Switzerland, beating them 3-2 (goals by Buziuc, Ionescu and Enache)! This 4 game streak propelled us near the top of the table and captured the attention of European watchers! Was FCSB stealing everybody's hearts! Indeed we were! A side with a pusating Romanian heart and super charismatic internationals were capturing footballing headlines in the entire continent!! We were truly in a remarkable run of form!!

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Our 4-game winning streak was halted in fixture 8, as we traveled to Hungary to face Ferencvaros (who were having a poor season at the time). In a tough back and forth encounter, the Hungarian side showed their desire as the upset FCSB to a 3-2 result in a match which featured an insane amount of atmosphere. (You could really tell that the Hungarians were stoked to be in the competition!) Fortunately though, this loss would only prove to be a pit stop, as, astoundingly, we went on another 3 game winning streak!! A 2-1 victory at home against the always dangerous Dinamo Zagreb (who had a huge contingency of fans visiting Arena Nationala, one of the largest and most passionate fanbases in Europe), followed by a 1-3 away win against preseason favorites Stuttgart (featuring goals by Ito, Buziuc, and Coman! The third goal was the one you saw in the video @Madmac79 bro, wrong-footing the keeper!). This great win against the German side was followed by one more victory against Crotone in Italy as Petre, with a Penchant for the Dramatic, scored yet another game winner, this time in minute 89, making it 1-2 and silencing the Crotone crowd in astonishment!! One more game winner for FCSB, and we were on a roll!!

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However, the European monster would once again rear its tough, competitive nature!! We weren't able to maintain this run of form in the next 6 matches, as results were quite uneven, as fixtures 12-17 would prove. We would relinquish important points against PAOK Thessaloniki in our next match (in a match we were leading 2-0 at the break, the Greek side were able to claw their way back with Salonika fury, final score 2-2). We were able to bounce back with a win against Lorient in our next match (2-0 win at home, which momentarily gave us the league lead, a point over Trabzonspor, who were also having a great season!!), but fixture 14 featured yet another 2-2 draw vs Portuguese Rio Ave in our stadium.. The next match was potentially a season defining one, our most important game of the season so far, pitting us against league leaders Trabzonspor in Turkey, but the Turks played out of their mind, beating us 5-2 in a goal festival for them in a match where we were forced to use our third goalkeeper, given that our starting keeper Vlad and our backup Straton were both battling horrible form, and Trabzonspor made us pay by scoring 5 goals! This humuliating loss meant that we relinquished our league lead, a striking reminder that they were the leaders! This loss was indeed an emotional blow for us, as we had a chance to solidify our league lead and instead relinquished it, and we failed to capitalize in fixtures 15 and 16, as we drew both matches (2-2 vs Ludogorets and 3-3 vs Copenhagen). With two matches to go before the midseason break, and after we had briefly flirted with the league lead, this run of results meant that at the time we dropped down to third, behind Trabzonspor and Rapid Vienna! Would we be able to recuperate our good run of form in time for the midseason? We needed something to turn the tide, fast.

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And indeed we would turn the tide! Our last two matches before the midseason were crucial bounce-back against tough opponents! Fixture 18 saw us visit Utrecht in the Netherlands. With only seconds to go, it was 1-1. and it looked like we were headed towards our third straight draw after the soul-crushing drubbing vs Trabzonspor, until Tanase scored in literally the last play of the match, in stoppage time and gave us yet another game winner, an angled score after a furious scramble in the box, really a desperation goal!! Final score 2-1 and a HUGE EMOTIONAL LIFTER!! (Man, these are becoming somewhat of a trademark for my FCSB Europa Pride season, I believe this was my 3rd game winner this season)!! This emotional and important win was followed by an encounter against West Brom in fixture 19, the final one before the midpoint of the season, and we played really well, winning 2-0 against the Baggies in our grounds to finish the first half of the season strong (featuring goals by Ionescu and Ito)! A really positive finish after uncertain times!!

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As we stand right now, I could've never imagined our current position with half of the season to go!! When I started playing the Europa Pride League, I had no idea that, 19 matches later, I would be locked in a tight title race against Trabzonspor (who have been leading most of the way)! I knew Trabzonspor was one of the stronger teams in the league (one of the higher-rated 3-star teams), but there have been a few surprises. Look at Stuttgart! The German side's struggles have been really surprising (sitting 15th at the moment), being as they were the league favorites to start! (Stuttgart is the only team to have more than 3 stars, as they clearly have more quality than the rest of the teams, just like I designed it).. This poor start by the Germans proves that this league is up for grabs, that the experiment of having 2.5-3 star teams has yielded very interesting results!! It certainly looks like the second half of the season is going to be a crackin' one, as FCSB only trail the leaders by 1 POINT and look to overtake them!! What surprises will be in store in our first edition of the Europa Pride League and its amazingly tight title race?? Stay tuned to find out!! I will give it my all, for Steaua and for the pride of Bucharest and Romania!!

​

Alexandru Buziuc: "We are proving our mettle to the world. FCSB is a historical giant, a 1986 European Cup Champion and we are determined to be a bastion of our identity and a representative of our history! People might talk all they want about the shine and the flair of the biggest clubs, but This is the Pride League. We aren't playing for huge contracts, for world fame, for social media followers, or to sell a product. We are playing for PRIDE, we are playing for Brotherhood, for our love of our beautiful country, for the return of Romania to prominence!! This is much more important than winning 7 golden boots. THIS IS A BATTLE FOR THE SOUL OF EUROPEAN FOOTBALL!!"

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's League Stories!
Comments are welcome!​

 

[Holland]

What can I say mate..........................first part of the season above expectations, you did more than the club itself expected.
The beginning is always a bit difficult, but you managed to have continuity with important results and above all full of emotion that only a composition of teams, like you did, could give you.
You are bringing back to light one of the symbolic teams in the history of football, one last effort to make it fearsome again in the eyes of the whole world!!!

 

[millossobek]

CONTROVERSY!! BUT THERE IS STILL HOPE!! (PES 2009)
Werder Bremen miss a great chance to overtake Bayern, but remain in the title hunt!!
​

24 Matches Played
14 wins, 6 draws, 4 losses
3rd in Central Europe Federation!

Note: You can read the previous entry to this Master League story here!

​

When we left off, our dear Werder Bremen had just been promoted back to the Central Europe Federation (a multi-national league, featuring mainly German and French teams, and the most dominant Dutch, Denmark, Belgian, and Swiss teams) after winning Division 2. It's been an amazing return season for Der Werdenarer, going beyond what everyone expected, featuring our four musketeers, Claudio Pizarro, a young Mesut Ozil, Shinji Ono, and Stephen Appiah! Going into fixture 24 (of 38), we were, amazingly, only trailing League Giants Bayern Munich by 1 point!! There is not a hint of exaggeration when I say that we've had an absolutely historic season so far, especially given the toughness and relentless quality of the league, as we have beaten several strong teams along the way and made our mark in the Federation with a brilliant display of football! We were going this classic match against Bayern with high hopes. However, controversy would ensue in a very emotional encounter in which we unfortunately, could not emerge victorious!

I will leave a copy of the newspaper article here:

"In fixture 24 of the Central Europe Federation, the two league leaders, Bayern Munich and our dear Werder Bremen were only separated by one point. Playing at home, Werder was hoping to close the gap as a win would have us overtake Bayern. Unfortunately, a different result ensued, as Bayern literally clawed their way to victory featuring goals by Thomas Muller in minute 22 and Franck Ribery in minute 86. Werder's hopes were kept afloat by a clever and perfectly placed shot by our young star midfielder Mesut Ozil in minute 67, but hopes were short lived as Ribery scored a magnificant solo goal. However, questions remain regarding Bayern's sportsmanship, as 4 Werder players suffered injuries due to reckless challenges: Shinji Ono, Junior Diaz, Broich and Reisinger will all miss time for our dear Werdenarer.

Manager Millossobek stormed out of the press conference after the match, and only had one short declaration before abruptly leaving the conference room, absolutely fuming with indignation yet defiant and proud of his team.

"My boys played their hearts out on the pitch. We were hoping to beat Bayern and take the lead in the Federation. This is without a doubt, a tough loss. but the road is still long and we have 14 matches to go to catch them. I will say this though: I really question the refereeing and especially Bayern's tactics. When was the last time you saw 4 injured players, all on the same team?? Those challenges were absolutely reckless and uncalled for. One injured player I will accept. 4 is abolutely absurd. This isn't football, it's professional wrestling, and I don't think we were beaten fairly."

Manager Millossobek was fined 10,000 Euros for his comments by the Central Europe Federation."

​

This is a disappointing loss, for sure. We had a great chance, a golden opportunity to really overtake Bayern and take the league lead with only 14 matches left to go. But we can still catch them!! Although we dropped to third place, there's still a long march to the finish line, and every match from now on will have to take the importance of a final! One thing is for certain though: Nobody expected this type of superlavite performance by our boys in our first year back in division 1, we are really making our presence felt, led by the talents of our four musketeers and a strong supporting cast made up of German and international talent! The Central Europe Federation is amazingly tough, featuring all the best talent from the region, but our dear Werder Bremen are up to the challenge and, despite the recent setback, have shown great heart and resiliency so far, Will we be able to recover from this blow and mount a serious title challenge?? Can we continue our amazing form? Will we stay in the hunt for Champions League spots? Stay tuned to find out!!

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Master League Stories!
Comments are welcome!​

 

[Madmac79]

The newspaper page is glorious

Well, besides their unfair conduct, there is no shame in losing against Bayern. Besides, I'm sure coach Millo's fury will surely pass on to his players as nervous energies.. and we'll see some seriously battled last 14 matches

 

[etb10dmk]

View attachment 226722View attachment 226725


CONTROVERSY!! BUT THERE IS STILL HOPE!! (PES 2009)
Werder Bremen miss a great chance to overtake Bayern, but remain in the title hunt!!
​

24 Matches Played
14 wins, 6 draws, 4 losses
3rd in Central Europe Federation!

Note: You can read the previous entry to this Master League story here!

​

When we left off, our dear Werder Bremen had just been promoted back to the Central Europe Federation (a multi-national league, featuring mainly German and French teams, and the most dominant Dutch, Denmark, Belgian, and Swiss teams) after winning Division 2. It's been an amazing return season for Der Werdenarer, going beyond what everyone expected, featuring our four musketeers, Claudio Pizarro, a young Mesut Ozil, Shinji Ono, and Stephen Appiah! Going into fixture 24 (of 38), we were, amazingly, only trailing League Giants Bayern Munich by 1 point!! There is not a hint of exaggeration when I say that we've had an absolutely historic season so far, especially given the toughness and relentless quality of the league, as we have beaten several strong teams along the way and made our mark in the Federation with a brilliant display of football! We were going this classic match against Bayern with high hopes. However, controversy would ensue in a very emotional encounter in which we unfortunately, could not emerge victorious!

I will leave a copy of the newspaper article here:

"In fixture 24 of the Central Europe Federation, the two league leaders, Bayern Munich and our dear Werder Bremen were only separated by one point. Playing at home, Werder was hoping to close the gap as a win would have us overtake Bayern. Unfortunately, a different result ensued, as Bayern literally clawed their way to victory featuring goals by Thomas Muller in minute 22 and Franck Ribery in minute 86. Werder's hopes were kept afloat by a clever and perfectly placed shot by our young star midfielder Mesut Ozil in minute 67, but hopes were short lived as Ribery scored a magnificant solo goal. However, questions remain regarding Bayern's sportsmanship, as 4 Werder players suffered injuries due to reckless challenges: Shinji Ono, Junior Diaz, Broich and Reisinger will all miss time for our dear Werdenarer.

Manager Millossobek stormed out of the press conference after the match, and only had one short declaration before abruptly leaving the conference room, absolutely fuming with indignation yet defiant and proud of his team.

"My boys played their hearts out on the pitch. We were hoping to beat Bayern and take the lead in the Federation. This is without a doubt, a tough loss. but the road is still long and we have 14 matches to go to catch them. I will say this though: I really question the refereeing and especially Bayern's tactics. When was the last time you sawer 4 injured plays, all on the same team?? Those challenges were absolutely reckless and uncalled for. One injured player I will accept. 4 is abolutely absurd. This isn't football, it's professional wrestling, and I don't think we were beaten fairly."

Manager Millossobek was fined 10,000 Euros for his comments by the Central Europe Federation."

​

This is a disappointing loss, for sure. We had a great chance, a golden opportunity to really overtake Bayern and take the league lead with only 14 matches left to go. But we can still catch them!! Although we dropped to third place, there's still a long march to the finish line, and every match from now on will have to take the importance of a final! One thing is for certain though: Nobody expected this type of superlavite performance by our boys in our first year back in division 1, we are really making our presence felt, led by the talents of our four musketeers and a strong supporting cast made up of German and international talent! The Central Europe Federation is amazingly tough, featuring all the best talent from the region, but our dear Werder Bremen are up to the challenge and, despite the recent setback, have shown great heart and resiliency so far, Will we be able to recover from this blow and mount a serious title challenge?? Can we continue our amazing form? Will we stay in the hunt for Champions League spots? Stay tuned to find out!!

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's League Stories!
Comments are welcome!​

I don't know how to describe this post coz' feels so original, interesting but also so entertaining at the same time. It's like a narrative event from the sports news outlets perspective where you're part of that world as a manager, filling those events with some comical drama in there. But the thing that I was enjoying the most is that you've used PES 2009 as a base, the game that started it all as a different approach to a more mature and serious ML/BAL, and because of that later versions were being so potentially polished to reach that great pinnacle between 2011-2013 period. Plus there is so much nostalgia in it. I mean, what triggers me the most is the content made based on PES 3-6, but oh boy, secondly and very closely I love all the content being made using PES 2009-2013. Thank you for creating this !!!

 

[millossobek]

@Madmac79 Oh, Manager Millossobek was absolutely furious bro!! I mean come on, 4 injuries in 1 match!! Really makes me wonder if there was something there to bring Werder back to size. But not to worry, I will come back in the last games and make a run at the title! In fact, I had a nice bounce-back game against Frankfurt! Die Werderaner are coming!

@etb10dmk Thanks bro!! I actually got the idea of creating a "match news report" from my friend @Silverdome94, in a way expanding on a previous post I had with newspaper templates in my Baggio/Lapadula ML story! I think it's a fun way to present the results of a particular match or event! Plus, I was really quite frustrated at the four injuries in my match against Bayern, especially since they were the leaders and we were right behind them, so I thought it'd be a nice twist to have some quotes in there to show my indignation!

Glad to hear that you're enjoying my PES 2009 story! I actually really like this edition, I think it is really really underrated! Using Cheat Engine's speedhack feature (since PES 2009 lacks a speeder module as far as I know), I've set the speed at 0.90 and it's playing great for me! Something very fun and overlooked about the gameplay I think. But more importantly than that, I just love the team I've managed to build on the foundation of my "Four Musketeers"! Ozil actually played there, and so did Pizarro, but I thought adding Stephen Appiah and Shinji Ono (two of my favorite early 2000's players) and making them younger added a lot to it, while retaining a mostly German base for Werder! That's exactly what we were talking about before, the total flexibility of PES of creating scenarios, make up players, move players from different eras, seriously the scope of options is really up to you! And that's what makes ML great!! Thanks a lot for your comments bro!!

 

[millossobek]

THE TITLE RACE IS ON!! (PES 2009)
Werder come back Strong with Two Crucial Wins!!
​

After the Bayern debacle, the Werder newspapers were absolutely incensed. Not only Die Weser-Kurier (included above), but literally every single sports page and magazine in the Northwestern state of Bremen was talking about the game, dubbing it "The Night of the 4 Injuries", "The Disgrace", "When Wrestling met Football" and "The Heartless Tackle". Everybody and their mother in the Bremen area was incensed, joining Manager Millossobek in heavily criticizing the Bavarians' questionable tactics that left Ono, Diaz, Reisinger and Broich injured and sidelined for the next game. Compounding the whirlwind was also the fact that Bayern held only a 1 point lead before the match, and with their controversial win, pushed Werder to third place, behind Olympique Lyon! Their lead grew to 4 points, as the Bremen faithful were dealt a blow to their title hopes!

​

But what a difference two games makes! A 2-0 win vs Eintracht Frankfurt, featuring a top-rate performance by Mesut Ozil (who not only scored the above goal but also conducted the orchestra masterfully) in the very next match did a lot to lift our spirits back in our grounds! The Bremen crowd was on from the very beginning of the match, displaying their huge banners and chanting incessantly to spur our boys on! Despite our inury absences, we were able to pull off a difficult match against Frankfurt, fairly dominating them in a bounce-back performance! Notwithstanding, this positive result did not move us up in league position, since Bayern beat Girondins 3-0 and Lyon won its respective game at home against the always spirited Borussia Dortmund! So going into fixture 26, we were still 4 points behind Bayern, and 2 points behind Lyon.

​

Next match, however, proved to be absolutely crucial, as we were visiting none other than Lyon themselves in their grounds, in a match that had momentous importance, as much as our previous match against Bayern!! Manager Millossobek understood the weight of this match, being as the French side are our direct rivals in challenging for the top spot and delivered a crucial and very pointed speech before the match started, stressing that we should move on from our Bayern match and fully embrace the challenge ahead! Facing a very vocal and hostile crowd, we played with our heart on our sleeves, and perhaps with more pure guts than artistry, achieved our most important win of the season, a 2-1 result on the road!!

​

Things were far from easy in this encounter. Lyon scored first, with an absolute cracker of a goal by Bafétimbi Gomis after a brilliant through lob by Toulalan in minute 7. But we would fight back, as in minute 18, our very own Gerald Asamoah would dive-head home a perfect set piece by fan-favorite Shinji Ono to equalize! More chances would ensue in both sides, as they were both trying desperately to win this match and claim sole 2nd place spot, but it was our own Peruvian Star, Claudio Pizarro "El Bombardero de los Andes" who, taking advantage of a high defensive Lyon line, deftly received a through pass by Stephen Appiah and was all alone with the keeper!! The rest...... you can see in the highlights above!

​

This crucial win against our direct rivals was good enough. But there was yet another twist to the story! While we took care of Lyon with our gutsy away win, we then found out that 16th placed Stuttgart had pulled off the upset of the season and had beaten Bayern 3-1!! This astounding performance came as a really fortunate twist of fate! Had Bayern relaxed and become over-confident? Did Stuttgart play the game of their life? Perhaps a bit of both! All we know is that going into Fixture 27 (of 38), the table has absolutely tightened, we have recovered 2nd place, and are now only 1 point behind Bayern and 1 point ahead of Lyon in what looks to be a three-horse race for the title!!

​

Manager Millossobek: "We might be distancing ourselves from the pack, but a new league has begun for us. And the stakes couldn't be higher. To think that, only two seasons ago, we were in the 2nd division of the Central Europe Federation, to be in this position right now is beyond our wildest imagination. But you know what? We've gotten to this point not only on the strength of our talent, but also because we have learned how to play with each other, to trust each other and to have an iron-clad mentality. I told my players: You have to move on from the Bayern debacle. We can't let this weigh on us anymore, we will not be defined by this. And guess what: We just redefined our season with this win. The players responded in flying colors, just as I knew they would. This team is something special, let me tell you, their mentality is unbreakable! Now it's just a question of keeping it up. Just make sure you get the popcorn and a good seat, because no movie will be as exciting as the conclusion of this season!!"

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Master League Stories!
Comments are welcome!​

 

[Holland]

Don't worry bro, the standings are short and there are still many games to play, unfortunately Bayern put it on physicality and 4 injuries are the worst thing.................because you can recover the defeat as you are doing with these 2 consecutive victories, but now you have to pay close attention to the changes, they will be decisive.
Come on

 

[millossobek]

Hey bros!!
I finished my PES 2009 Werder Bremen season.
What happened? What destiny awaited our dear Werderaner?

Holding our breaths in every match,
Clutching our hearts at every chance,
Hugging strangers wearing our colors,
Whose names we don't know,
But whose hearts we share,
A city united in hope or in despair..

Were we able to beat the odds and pump our fists in ecstasy?
Or were our hearts broken by the football gods?

Stay tuned. Major update coming up soon.

-millossobek​

 

[slamsoze]

View attachment 230811

Hey bros!!
I finished my PES 2009 Werder Bremen season.
What happened? What destiny awaited our dear Werderaner?

Holding our breaths in every match,
Clutching our hearts at every chance,
Hugging strangers wearing our colors,
Whose names we don't know,
But whose hearts we share,
A city united in hope or in despair..

Were we able to beat the odds and pump our fists in ecstasy?
Or were our hearts broken by the football gods?

Stay tuned. Major update coming up soon.

-millossobek​

Is the screenshot from inside Master League?

 

[millossobek]

Is the screenshot from inside Master League?

Yes it is one of the several screenshots that appear in Master League!

 

[slamsoze]

Yes it is one of the several screenshots that appear in Master League!

I am always impressed at how they are good at adding some unique details.

But they're the same good in removing them later 😕

 

[millossobek]

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?? WERDER BREMEN SHOCK THE WORLD!!
Our Dear Werdenarer Win the Central Europe Federation on a Historic Run!!
​

38 Matches Played
25 wins, 9 draws, 4 losses
1st in Central Europe Federation!


What is Magic? What is Football? What happens when the two intersect? Is football only a sport where 22 players compete against each other for glory, prizes and recognition? Or is it perhaps something else, something more mystical and less difficult to define, something magical? The cynics might disagree. They might think (perhaps rightly so), that football has become too much of a business, an exercise in which all the top teams gobble up the best players, pay them the highest salaries, and trot them out automatically to win predetermined titles. Some other skeptics might argue that football, like other sports, is only a small distraction in the drama of our lives, that it should not have the weight that some of us give it.. Yes. Football, especially lately, can feel cold and unfeeling. It can feel like mega-corporations competing against each other. If you do not understand the beautiful game, it might also seem illogical or even strange that it arouses such passions, after all.. It is only a game, it is only a distraction right?

I am here to argue the opposite.

​

Football is Magic. Football is Life. It is a theater where we can project our identities, our love, and our passion. It glues people together, bringing people who might not know each other by name but who share a love for a team, for a city and its colors, for a story and its different chapters and conclusions. From Cristiano Ronaldo all the way to the 55-year old guy with no athletic background who loves to root his team on from the TV, from a bench player in a fourth division team to a die-hard supporter who goes to the stadium like it's his or her personal church, football belongs to everybody. It is not only an activity that distracts us from our daily lives. It is a story. A Magical story that can frustrate us, make us laugh, cry, bond, sulk.. scream, and surprise us. For us who love the game, Football is part of OUR story.

Werder Bremen's title is a proof of this. A proof that sometimes, our deepest aspirations, no matter how far they may seem, sometimes come true. Wallowing in second division only a few seasons ago, who would've ever expected that in only two short seasons, our dear Werdenarer would not only ascend to the highest division in Central European Football, but also go on an unprecedented run that would defy all odds? Who would've thought we we would topple German giants (and perhaps Central Europe's most powerful, respected and feared team) Bayern Munich in the standings and give the city a title? No pundits could've predicted this. And Now, I am here to tell you how we did it:

When we left off, we had gone on a two-game winning streak after losing our most important match of the season against Bayern. This loss (which was controversial, and was dubbed by the media as "The Night of the Heartless Tackle" and "The Night of the 4 Injuries" dropped us back to third place, four points behind the German giants and 2 points behind Olympique Lyon. However, we were able to bounce back nicely. As you guys can see in my previous post, we managed to win our next two matches, 2-0 vs Frankfurt and 1-2 vs our direct rivals Lyon! This match returned us to second place, and the standings with only 12 fixtures to go looked like this: Bayern 55, Werder Bremen 54, Olympique Lyon 53. Things couldn't be tighter!

​

Fixture 27 of 38 was against Hamburger, and this was a continuation of our great form: we dominated! (Highlights above!) With a beautiful opening goal by Mesut Ozil (minute 16) which really showed his class, this opened the gates for us as we ended up scoring 3 goals in this match! (A 67-minute header by Reisinger off a Junior Diaz perfectly placed cross, and Reisinger again with great control and the finish to score his second)! The final score was Werder 3-0 Hamburger, and this result really kept the pressure on the Bavarians (who beat Ajax in Amsterdam 0-3)! Lyon also won their game against Schalke to keep it very close!

This was an encouraging win for sure, but trying times would come up ahead. Fixtures 28, 29, and 30 were not positive for Werder Bremen, as we quite unfortunately drew all three games! At home 0-0 against Dortmund, a 1-1 result against PSV Eindhoven, and a 2-2 match against Wolfsburg in Fixture 30! These were a trio of frustrating matches for us. The first encounter against Dortmund was intense, and perhaps we would've lost if it not for our goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón's amazing performance, with 4 crucial saves in the match! The second match against PSV was a bit of a pallid 1-1 result, and Fixture 30 against Wolfsburg was especially frustrating, given that we were leading 2-0 and allowed them to score 2 goals in the second half (ouch! I hate it when we let leads slip away like this!) This streak of 3 draws, quite mediocre results, pushed us back down to third place, 5 points behind Bayern and 3 points behind Lyon! With 8 matches to go in the season, this was not the best streak of results for sure. Were our title hopes fading away?

​

Not if Stefan Reisinger had anything to say about it! In our next match, the German forward (who had great form and started in front of our star CF Pizarro and Eigler) suddenly woke up and scored a hat trick against Stuttgart!! (featured above), as well as setting up an assist for Ozil, with Mame Diouf scoring the fifth goal! A historic, epic performance for little used Stefan Reisinger, who stopped the rot and gave us much needed 3 points in a 5-2 rout!! Unfortunately, both Bayern and Lyon had won their matches as well, so the standings looked like this: Bayern 68, Lyon 66, Bremen 63. A very impressive win, but no ground gained.

But then we went on an absolutely historic run. In Matchday 32, we beat Leverkusen 0-3 in their grounds (featuring 2 goals by once again, bench youngster Freidheim Holm and a goal by Pizarro), while amazingly, Bayern and Lyon both lost their respective matches, which was a HUGE favor for us! This result brought us much closer to them, as we were now in third place: Bayern 68, Lyon 66, Werder Bremen 66 (Lyon only ahead of us due to goal difference)! This would be followed by a very important Fixture 33, as Bayern and Lyon were facing each other and this could be beneficial to us! In anycase, this fixture would bring more magic for as you can see above!! We reclaimed second place by beating Marseille 0-2, this time the hero was our Senegalese youngster Mame Diouf with the brace! Two away matches, two wins! And very importantly, Bayern beat Lyon in this fixture 2-0! Bayern 71, Werder Bremen 69, Lyon 66, with 5 matches left to go!!

Next up, Copenhagen in Matchday 34, and once again a bench player would come up big, as little-used midfielder Broich would score the first goal off a corner and Ozil and Pizarro would have a brilliant connection for the second goal! Final result: Werder 2-0 Copenhagen! (Bayern won its respective match as well, keeping pace with an impressive 3-1 against Leverkusen, and Lyon lost 1-0 against Club Brugge (their title hopes fast evaporating)! Bayern 74, Werder Bremen 72, Lyon 66 with only 4 matches remaining! It definitely looked like it would be a two horse race between us and the Bavarian giants going down the stretch!

​

Fixture 35 was a strange one, as we were playing Toulouse at home (far from being a title favorite) and even though we had many more chances, we weren't able to score the big one as the pressure kept piling up! Yet sometimes you get a little luck, and an own goal by the French side was enough to secure us the 1-0 victory! Were the Footballing Gods on our side? Even though we didn't impress football-wise, this was an incredibly good matchday overall for us, as Bayern drew 0-0 against Club Brugge and Lyon also drew 2-2 against Marseille, effectively ending their title hopes! This result drew us in points against the Bavarians!!!! Bayern 75, Werder Bremen 75, Lyon 67!!!!! (Bayern with a massive goal difference advantage). Our next match, Fixture 36 (highlights above) kept our winning streak going, as we beat Girondins 1-3 in momentous away win (Featuring 2 goals by Claudio Pizarro and a goal by Mame Diouf!!) that not only gave us the all-important 3 points, but ALSO THE LEAGUE LEAD for the very first time in the season as Bayern had drawn 0-0 against Wolfsburg!! With two matches left to go in the season, the standings looked like this: Werder Bremen 78, Bayern 76, Lyon 70!!

​

Going into fixture 37, what seemingly seemed impossible at first was firmly within our reach (even if not entirely up to us!!) With a 2 point lead, and with Bayern playing at home against #9 ranked Toulouse, we could win the title if the right combination of results occurred! Yet the test would be amazingly hard: We would be playing #10 ranked AJAX in their stadium. Even though the Dutch giants were not having the best of seasons, it would still be a really difficult match. It is sure that their passionate crowd didn't give a shit about our title race against Bayern, and would only care about winning and protecting their home field. Compounding this, two of our most important stars, Mesut Ozil and Shinji Ono were out for the game with a horrible case of the flu (really downward arrows!!!!!), and although they expressed that they were available, one look at them (they were really really sick) was all that took Manager Millossobek to take a gamble with two bench players: Fredheim Holm and the little-used Albanian Jahmir Hyka! In anycase, the starting whistle blew, and the match started furiously, as Ajax went all out and almost scored in the first play of the game!! The entire first half was back and forth, as both teams had a few chances (Pizarro almost had a goal!) and we even had a play in minute 40 which could've been a PK for us as Hyka was ruthlessly brought down with a tackle in the box!! (see below)



But now was not the time to complain. We had to keep our heads down. Our midfield was definitely suffering and we were not creating enough opportunities. The absence of undoubtedly our two most creative players (Mesut Ozil and Shinji Ono) was definitely taking a toll on our midfield creativity. But we had to keep on truckin'. The second half continued to feature intense midfield battles, no one team exerting dominance over the other.. Until, out of NOWHERE.. it was guess who!! Freidheim Holm, our youngster who replaced Ozil, who gave us a totally unexpected goal in minute 54, breaking the deadock!! A great angled score which froze the Ajax keeper and it was 1-0 Werder Bremen!!!!!!!!!



The rest of the match was suffering. 36 minutes to go plus extra time. So much suffering!! We didn't know what had happened in the Bayern-Toulouse game, but we decided to pull our lines back to defend our lead!! Ajax came on very strong, with 4 clear chances (what a save by Faryd Mondragón, our Colombian legend to preserve the lead!!). These were sweaty, intense moments in which we defended with all our might, but in the end, after a nightmarish 36 minutes of defense, denying them chances and fighting until the end, the final whistle blew and THE TITLE WAS OURS!!!!!! 🏆 We had beaten Ajax 1-0 in their stadium and just as importantly, Bayern and Toulouse had drawn 2-2 in Munich!! As fixture 37 closed, our players collapsed to the floor in ecstacy, a whole city pumped their first in one single yell of celebration hundreds of miles away, the upstarts Werder Bremen were able to pull off the impossible, dwelling in the depths of second division only a couple of years ago, caught in the excitement of a title race against a team that probably tripled us in wages, and in the end... We had pulled of the miracle, we had done it, we had done it!!!!! We had done the impossible!!!!! We could finally say..................................!!!!



WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!! WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF CENTRAL EUROPE!!!!!!

......I thank you all...........
But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise!!!!!!
I consider it a challenge before
The human race
And I ain't gonna lose!!!!!!!

WEEEEE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, MY FRIEEEEENDS!!
AND WE'LL KEEP ON FIGHTING TILL THE END!!
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS,
WEEEEE ARE THE CHAAAAAAMPIONS!!!!!!!
NO TIME FOR LOSERS,
'CAUSE WE ARE THE CHAAAAAAMPIONS......

OF THE CENTRAL EUROPE FEDERATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (with one match left to go!!!!!!! )


​

Manager Millossobek (completely doused in champagne): "I can't believe this group of players. I really can't believe this..... To win the Central Europe Federation in only two short years.... I mean, I remember that our original ambition two years ago was to get promoted..... But to go on a run like this with Seven Straight Wins (SEVEN!!!!).. To come into this game with two of our best players sidelined by illness.. And to be able to win the League like this. I mean. It's more than what words can describe my friends.. Words fail me. Words are probably not important right now. But all I want to say is this: This title belongs to our players who showed so much fight and spirit, and especially to you, our faithful fans who stood by the team even when we were in Division 2, your faith gave us courage!!!!! I would like to congratulate Bayern on a gallant and exciting title race, but this night belongs to us, to our dear Werdenarer, to Claudio Pizarro and his goals, to Shinji Ono and his inventiveness, to Mesut Ozil and his talent, to Stephen Appiah and his fight, to Freidheim Holm and his unexpected goal, to Faryd Mondragón and his last season, retiring as a champion, to all of you Werder Bremen Fans, to all of us..... FOOTBALL IS MAGIC!!!!!!!!!"

(Still upcoming: The epilogue of our season: Match 38 of 38..... Faryd Mondragón's farewell match!)

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Master League Stories!
Comments are welcome!​

 

[millossobek]

EPILOGUE: FARYD'S FAREWELL!
Our Goalkeeper Retires A Champion and Legend with the Werdenarer!!
​

Oh, what a finish this was! After the epic title race against Bayern, the drama and the uncertainty, and the total exhilaration of winning the league, it was time for a proper farewell for our legendary goalkeeper. Faryd Mondragón. Having announced his retirement a few months before the season ended, it was time for the entire team to step on the pitch for one last time in the 2010-11 season,-yes, our very own magical season which will live on in the memories of our fans forever-to try to win it for Faryd, and most importantly, to give our long-standing goalkeeper a memorable last match as a professional footballer!

​

It seemed very fitting that Werder Bremen's last match would be at home, after winning the title away against Ajax at the Amsterdam Arena in a very, very tough match. After tens of thousands of people poured out on the streets in celebration to witness their heroes and the trophy caravan 🏆 , the stage was set for the actual match. The entire stadium was singing, welcoming the champions in the most impressive welcome the team had ever seen!! Confetti was flying everywhere, tens of thousands of scarves could be seen, throats were absolutely hoarse from singing, even tears of joy could be seen in the stands as grown men and women, kids, people of all ages and nationalities were seen celebrating their heroes!!

But there was also one more order of business. Faryd's farewell. He has played over 10 years with the Werdenarer, giving it his all in every match, in difficult seasons and during the painful relegation. as well as in our return to first division and our league win. He will retire a Champion. Now it was time to give him the tribute he deserves. Under the chants of "Faryyyyd Faryyyyyyd!!!!", our starting goalkeeper was visibly shaken, his eyes cloudy but his heart completely open, trying to keep his composure as the entire team-yes this team of champions and heroes-trotted out to face TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, the last game of the season.

Look at Pizarro's Flag!!
​

All the players wanted to win this one for Faryd. Even as Pizarro (who was on the bench due to a bit of fatigue but readily available and willing to enter at anytime) saw a huge flag of his face unfurled in the stands, he actually pointed to his fellow South American and said "This night is his. It's his night!!", in a beautiful gesture of humility, honor, and comradership. Our Peruvian team captain embraced our Colombian goalkeeper before the match, as all of our original "Four Musketeers" (Ozil, Ono, Pizarro, and Appiah) were available to play in this match in his honor, even Mesut who was still batling the flu, decided to do this one for Faryd!! This night was historic and nobody whose hearts were beating with the sound of the Werdenarer would miss it, a celebration and a farewell!

THE MATCH.

​

The match started fast, with our first chance coming from our Costa Rican left back Junior Diaz (quite a Latin flavor to this team!) approximately at minute 7, as it seemed that we were going to go on the offensive. But there would be an immediate replay and setback.. Unfortunately Hoffenheim struck first out of nowhere in minute 9! A long distance goal by Vittek beat Faryd as our 40-year old goalie struggled to reach the shot.. It was in the back of the net and it was 0-1 Hoffenheim. Not the best of starts, but there was still plenty of time.. Werder kept pushing forward and we had some nice chances!! (A min 27 angled chance by Gerald Asamoah and a 37 min powerful shot by Reisinger which JUST flew over the bar!! We were determined to equalize for Faryd. And the time would come.. It did come!! After a nice feed from Asamoah, it's MESUT OZIL with a beautiful move in the box and a classy finesse finish to make it 1-1 in minute 42!! (Man, our Turkish-German star has a flair for finesse and stylish goals!) And we weren't done!! Only 3 minutes later, it was Asamoah himself scoring from almost exactly the same point as his previous miss, with once again a powerful shot (almost a carbon copy of the original one a few minutes before) to give us the 2-1 lead!! We were going into halftime with the lead, 2 goals in 3 minutes!!!!!!!

​

As the second half started, it was Faryd Mondragón himself who had the protagonism!! In minute 47, he stopped an almost sure goal by Demba Ba with his foot and then deftly kept it off the line!! Pizarro was finally subbed in for Reisinger (he was a bit tired from our previous title-winning match against Ajax and the celebration, but felt that he HAD to be there for Faryd's match, and actively asked Manager Millossobek to bring him in, risking further fatigue, it wouldn't matter! And so due to this reason we had all Four Original Musketeers in the lineup!). In minute 52, it was again Faryd with the great play, with a double save to deny Welbeck and Vittek on the same play!! Not only was this the Colombian's last match, but he was making his presence felt!! Not a token "celebratory" participation, but a real protagonist!!

​

The match carried on, as we continued holding to our slender 2-1 lead (Mesut with another nice chance soon after, a beautiful inside-out shot, angling his body for the left-footed attempt!), and then, in minute 62, it's Demba Ba vs Faryd once again!! Our goalkeeper denied the Senegalese striker's diving header brilliantly, but Demba Ba was able to get the tip-in, and Hoffenheim had equalized! It was 2-2 with half an hour to go in the match! Would Faryd's last match (and our last match of the league season) end in a draw?

​

No way this would be a draw! Pizarro, only six minutes later, received a brilliant pinpoint cross from Mesut and performed a super powerful scissor kick which was denied by Hoffenheim's keeper but.. It's Mame Diouf with the header rebound and the goal!!!!! It's minute 68, and the Werdenarer are back on top!! The team was jointly motivated to win this one for Faryd and for the fans, and rebounded brilliantly to give us a 3-2 lead! Now we only had to hold on for about 20 more minutes! Hoffenheim's Vittek would miss a scissor kick that went well over the bar in minute 77 as we once again pulled our lines back! And Faryd would have a couple of more key plays, as he punched away a chance in minute 85 (followed by a near-miss by Salihovic which grazed the outside net), and would have a save near the end of the match in what would be the last play of his career!! (Pictured below!)

​

The final whistle blew shorty after, and it was done! Not only had the curtain fallen on the historic title-winning (and odds-breaking) season for Werder Bremen, but also for Faryd Mondragón's career, our 40-year old goalkeeper who had been with us for the last 10 years! This was the time the emotions started to pour out, as Faryd couldn't hold his emotions inside any longer..!! As the Werder Bremen faithful chanted his name, a culmination for a season beyond the wildest expectations, a historic season which ended up seeing us upset Bayern Munich and conquer a more than highly unlikely title against the most trying of circumstances, perhaps the most momentous moment in our history, the chants of "Faryd, Faryd" played as the perfect background to an epic career ending. Retiring with a win, retiring as a champion, one of the chief protagonists in a rags-to-riches tale from second division to the Central Europe Federation trophy (all in a span of two years!!), Faryd Mondragón is a Werder Bremen Legend!!

​

Faryd Mondragón: "To be able to play my last match, my last season like this, not only retire on my own terms but winning the league, is more than anyone could ever hope for. It is a fantastic ending, the most amazing conclusion and truly the realization of a childhood holy grail..... Perfect is not the word. Because perfect seems a bit too unfeeling, a bit too devoid of struggle. This is an ending full of passion, an ending full of feeling!!!! I'd like to thank all Werder Bremen fans, from Germany, Colombia, and the world, my family, my manager, and my teammates for giving me this ending to my career, this grand finale, and a story that I will carry for the rest of my life, the story of my footballng career!! I sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, wish Werder the best of successes for the next season, the Champions League and Beyond, and I will always hold the team, this city in my heart. Long after the fame has faded, the chants have disappeared in the background, the memories remain forever!!!!! Thank you for everything Werdenarer, Gracias!!!! Gracias Por Todo!!!!!"

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Master League Stories!
Comments are welcome!​

 

[millossobek]

Hey bros!!
Get ready for my First-Ever FIFA Story!
The 3-Stars Cup makes a Comeback with a Surprise Team!
Stay Tuned for More Drama and Excitement
As I try FIFA 16 for the First Time!

- millossobek​

 

[Holland]

Going from promotion to the title of European champion is a real miracle!!!!

You are the real added value, great job bro

 

[millossobek]

My First FIFA Story, The 3-Stars Cup Returns!! (FIFA 16)
ZAMALEK SC MAKE THEIR DEBUT!!
​

Hey bros!! For my First FIFA story, I decided to pick an Egyptian side, Zamalek SC!! A 14-time Egyptian Premier League winner, as well as 28 Egyptian Cups, Zamalek has been an international force as well, winning the CAF Champions League 5 times and the CAF Super Cup 4 times, (tied for 2nd place after their eternal rivals in the Epic Cairo Derby, Al-Ahly)! Now it is time for Zamalek, also known as El Fares El Abyad (The White Knight) to test themselves in the trans-continental stage, as this 3-Stars Cup will feature teams from: 16 European, 8 South American, 7 Asian and 1 African countries!! (We are Africa's sole representative in this edition)!

Mugosa, Shammas, and Hamed!​

Our team features two high-profile newcomers: Montenegrian international CF Stefan Mugosa (who previously played for South Korea's Incheon United and was the K-League's top scorer), and invented player Hossam Shammas, a young Egyptian attacking midfielder, a promise with creative vision and a flair for dribbling! These two stars are complemented by Egyptian Defensive Midfielder Tarek Hamed, who captains the team! This trio are set to lead Zamalek to international glory!

This is how the groups look, following the usual format of 2 European teams, 1 South American team, and 1 Asian or African team per group!

Group 1: Paris FC (France), Austria Wien (Austria), Melgar (Peru), Zamalek (Egypt)
Group 2: Pisa (Italy), Hibernian (Scotland), Banfield (Argentina), Qarabag (Azerbaijan)
Group 3: Willem II (Netherlands), Sint-Truiden (Belgium), Uni. de Chile (Chile), Suwon Bluewings (South Korea)
Group 4: Málaga (Spain), FC Luzern (Switzerland), Fluminense (Brazil), Alashkert (Armenia)
Group 5: Anorthosis (Cyprus), Santa Clara (Portugal), Deportes Tolima (Colombia), Shanghai Port (China)
Group 6: Dynamo Dresden (Germany), CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria), LDU Quito (Ecuador), Kairat Almaty (Kazakhstan)
Group 7: AIK (Sweden), Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia), Defensor Sporting (Uruguay), Nagoya Grampus (Japan)
Group 8: Sheffield Wednesday (England), Yeni Malyataspor (Turkey), The Strongest (Bolivia), Al-Jazira (UAE)

​

All teams have a rating of 3-Stars, as is the custom of the Cup and also, like in all editions, I decided to include a Frontrunner: Fluminense of Brazil, whose rating has 3.5 Stars! The final will also be played at their stadium, regardless of outcome, the legendary Maracaná of Rio de Janeiro!

The stars are aligned, the players and managers are ready, and the fans have started to make travel arrangements. Our Favorite Cup is back!!!! It is time to prove once again that football is alive and well beyond the bright lights of the most famous teams, and that the core of the sport is well represented by millions of supporters, each one with their own story, each fanbase with their own unique identity in all different parts of the globe.. Get ready for 3-Stars Cup Excitement!! Will Zamalek, Giants in Egypt and African Juggernauts, be able to place the Continent's Football (as its sole representative at the Cup) at the top of the international stage?? How will Fluminense fare as tournament favorites? Which continent will emerge victorious? I can't wait to start playing this edition of the 3-Stars Cup, my first FIFA story!! Let's go!! 🏆

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Cup Stories! :RSCARF:
Comments are welcome!
​

 

[kibaxx7]

I read through the entire thread today, and let me say I'm fascinated. Great job.

 

[millossobek]

WHAT AN INSANE RIDE! IT'S THE 3-STARS CUP! (FIFA 16)
Living on the Edge! Zamalek FC's Group Stage Goes to the Absolute Limit!
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Let's recap the intro of the competition above! In this edition of the 3-Stars Cup, Zamalek SC, El Fares El Abyad (The White Knight) was set to test Paris FC, FK Austria Wien, and FBC Melgar of Peru! In this tough group, following the format of 2 European, 1 South American and 1 team from Asia or Africa per group, Zamalek looked to progress, drawn against very interesting teams, each with their own unique identity and accomplishments! Let's get to know the teams a bit better!!

- Paris FC, also known as PFC, were founded in 1969. The club merged with Stade Saint-Germain to form PSG in 1970. In 1972, the club split from PSG and created their own identity. Even though they have spent most of their history in Amateur divisions while their counterparts have found success, Paris FC still retains a loyal fanbase, and has risen to become an established 2nd Division team! They are looking to make some noise and make their presece felt in the 3-Stars Cup!

- FK Austria Vienna's history has been much more successful, at least at the local level. Winners of 24 Austrian Bundesliga Titles, 27 Austrian Cups and 6 Supercups (these last two being national records). They also reached the UEFA Cup Winners final in 1978 and the semifinals of the European Cup the season after! They are considered one of the two biggest teams in Austria (along with their eternal rivals SK Rapid Wien), and they both dispute the national Austrian Derby, the most passionate and popular match in the country! Austria Vienna is ready to showcase their football!

- FBC Melgar of Perú are based in the Southern Peruvian city of Arequipa, "la ciudad blanca" (the white city, due to its architecture). 2-time Primera División Winners (1981 and 2015), as well as 1 Copa Perú (1971) and many regional titles, Melgar is one of the more popular teams in Peru, particularly in their department of origin. They have made noise in Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana lately, being one of the better Peruvian sides in these international cups, and they are looking to repeat their success in the 3-Stars Cup!

- And finally, our protagonists, ZAMALEK FC, winners of 14 Egyptian Premier Leagues, 28 Egyptian Cups, 5 CAF Champions Leagues, and 4 CAF Super Cups, Zamalek have to be considered one of the super giants of Africa! The Cairo Derby (against their eternal rivals Al-Ahly, also a huge and highly accomplished team) is considered one of the most passionate in Africa and perhaps the world! Now, we are determined to show the world that African Club Football has taken leaps and bounds and is ready to contest in the big stage! We are ready for what comes!

Groupstage 1:
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We opened proceedings against Austria Vienna, in front of an absolutely racuous crowd in Cairo International Stadium! We started much better than the Austrians, going on the offensive right away, as our Montenegrin 30-year old Striker Stefan Mugosa had a great chance in minute 8 which was stopped by the keeper! We were playing well on the wings, finding some nice crosses and going on some good runs, but a defensive error almost led to a score by Vienna in minute 20! The first half wore on with Vienna finding more of their footing, but when the whistle blew, it was 0-0. The second half opened in a similar fashion to the first, with Zamalek pressing forward and almost getting a score by Bencharki as soon as the half started, followed by a corner header. We were keeping the pressure on! We continued playing much better than Vienna throughout the second half, creating many good chances from the wings and crosses (some of which were headed away by their defenders), and were outshooting them without being able to get the ball in! The match seemed to be headed to a somewhat frustrating 0-0 until...... Oh no!!!! The Austrians score in minute 90+3!! Duricin with an absolutely brilliant run on the counterattack after a Zamalek corner, has a great individual play, eludes the Egyptians and scores an absolute screamer from outside the box!! And it's the literal last play of the game.... We have lost a smash and grab at the last minute, and things went from "slighly frustrating" to "heartbreaking" in an instant!! Nothing to show for this first match, final result, Zamalek 0-1 Vienna, no points in an otherwise solid performance. But solid performances don't win matches alone. We needed to score goals, and this as far from being a good start.

Groupstage 2:
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Groupstage 2 was once again at home, but this time against Paris FC! After the last-second disappointing defeat at the hands of Vienna, we were determined to bounce back against another direct rival! The crowd was really on for this matchup, given that a loss here would've really hurt our qualification chances, and this match started off in the worst possible way after a foul outside the box led to a direct free kick laser shot from Gueye, a perfectly placed shot and there was nothing our keeper could do, it was 0-1 to Paris after only min 3! Things didn't start off on the right foot for us, but we couldn't let spirits be down.. There was plenty of time to recover.. But Paris was still bombing away and dominating us in the early going. But we slowly found our footing! After a few offside calls against us, we were attackiing more until in minute 28.. Bencharki!! A beautiful top right hand corner bomb from outside and we equalize!! Going into halftime, it was 1-1!! The second half started similar to the first, with Paris on the offensive, but us containing them well.. But after scoring the first goal of the Cup, we weren't satisfied! We wanted to go for the win and after much insisting, we finally broke through in min 67, with Mugosa setting up Shammas for our second goal!!! It was 2-1 Zamalek!! And we almost scored a third, afer Mugosa's shot hit the side post in min 83!! The final whistle blew, and it was a great comeback with for us for our first 3 points of the Cup!!

Groupstage 3:
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It was now time to go on the road, all the way to the other side of the world in Peru!! Wearing our visitor blue kits this time, and playing in historical Melgar Stadium in the white city of Arequipa, this was a great performance for us as we thoroughly dominated Melgar, featuring two great goals from our Montenegrin striker, Stefan Mugosa!! We scored in the very first play of the game, on a great through ball from Shammas to Mugosa (They are really understanding each other, these two!! A classic #10-#9 connection). Our second goal came from a great run from Bencharki (he is proving to be our most effective winger so far, speedy and incisive), crossing over to Mugosa who finished acrobatically in the box!! 2-0 in min 55!! Not much else to say about this match, except that we completely dominated them in their grounds, outshooting them 10-2 in a match that could've ended up with a much more bloated scoreline! After the initial misstep against Vienna, we had come back admirably with 2 straight victories! The table looked like this afer Matchday 4.

In second place! Nothing's decided yet with 3 matches left to go but a good recovery!


Groupstage 4:
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Back in Europe, Spirits were high as we moved on the Stade Charlety in Paris, riding on the momentum of two straight victories, we were feeling good about our chances in this match. Against a backdrop of passionate blue Paris supporters, Zamalek was back to its familiar white and red kit as the whistle blew! But this was not our night. The first half ended 1-0 against us as Gueye scored off a nicely timed header off a Lopez cross in min 35, and it was all downhill from there. Paris' second goal came in minute 60 off a second header, this time it was Boutaib with a jumping strike off the Name cross and it was 2-0, and only 3 miinutes later, in min 63, the Parisians would make it 3-0, as Bernauer scored from way out, handily beating our goalkeeper with the powerful shot. The match was out of reach for us, as a fourth goal would come in min 69 (Lopez with the header off a Gory cross), in a match that featured 3 aerial goals by Paris. Twenty minutes left in the match, and the score was 4-0, a humiliating defeat for us made only slightly more palatable by an Ahadad score in min 88 off the post which made it 4-1 as the final whistle blew. Paris completely dominated us in this one, more shots, more possession, better shot accuracy, and perhaps most tellingly, their pass accuracy was 86% compared to our 71%, very low. A rude awakening in our return to face a European team.

Groupstage 5:
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As we approached groupstage 5, we were still sitting in second place despite the Paris debacle: Paris led the group with 9 points, followed by Zamalek with 6, Vienna with 4, and Melgar with 4. We were set to visit Vienna next, and a win here would've guaranteed us a spot in the second round. Going to Generali Arena, the entire stadium was painted Vienna purple, quite a sight to see, as their fans really came out in droves seeing as a win would put them right in contention. We knew this was an absolutely crucial match and we came out aggressively, with two corner kicks and two chances in the first 10 minutes. In min 15, Vienna had their first real chance of the match, as a bad defensive mistake by us left an open space in the box, thankfully Fischer shot it to the moon! In min 23, Vienna opened the score with one of the best goals of the tounament, as Jukic connected with Branunoder who scored a one-time shot in the top left corner, beating our keeper from afar, and it was 1-0 Vienna! In min 31, as we moved our lines forward, Shammas was brought down in the box by an Austrian defender in what I thought should've been a PK in our favor.. But the match moved on and as the first half drew to a close, it was Vienna who had the advantage. We tried to come out more aggressively in the 2nd half, but in min 60, a foolish foul by our defender Elwensh in the box led to a PK in their favor, which Duricin calmly converted to make it 2-0, completely wrongfooting our GK. We desperately had to make something happen, and in min 84, Mugosa tapped in a shot by Shammas to make it 2-1, but in the end, it was too little too late, as Vienna escaped with the 2-1 victory, in a match were a questionable call did not overshadow the fact that it was a real, important loss for us. We had missed our chance to qualify!

Groupstage 6:
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This streak of 2 consecutive losses put is in quite a difficult situation going into our last match against Melgar in Cairo International Stadium. We had relinquished our second-place spot to Vienna, and our desiny was not in our hands anymore. Vienna was hosting Paris at home, and if they won their last match, this would ensure qualification for them and would end our chances, as Paris had 10 points (qualification ensured), Vienna had 7 and we had 6 points going into our final match. Even Melgar had a chance, as a win coupled with a win by Paris would qualify them. It was definitely the day of truth, the moment that would define everything, as our entire destiny was riding on this last matchday. As expected, Cairo International Stadium was a sea of white and red. Even though we didn't depend on ourselves anymore, we were determined to tilt the scale in our favor as much as possible and go for the win! But Melgar was also fighting for qualification and they started off playing well, defending much better and creating more chances early on. As the first half drew on, we started playing a bit better, but a cagey first 45 minutes ended 0-0, as we had a couple of nice chances by our right winger Zizo, and a few good crosses and through balls, but could not break the deadlock, although we were the aggressors. As the first half ended, it was 0-0, while Vienna and Paris were also tied 1-1. (This result did not benefit us, as we were out of the Cup at halftime!) The second half started, and in min 51, a fantasy run by Hamed Shammas almost resulted in a score for us, as our young #10 star dribbled deftly in the box, eluding several Peruvian defenders very skillfully, but his left-footed shot was saved by Cáceda. We almost scored!!

Knowing that this result was keeping us out of the cup, we went on the offensive. The minutes wore on and even though we were clearly outplaying Melgar, the goal didn't come! In min 54, a connection between Mugosa and Shammas almost resulted in a goal as Shammas was really displaying his dribbling skills and shot the ball almost in the same spot as the earlier chance but once again, it was Cáceda saving, as he punched it away to a corner! Yet in the very next play off the corner, a scramble in the box resulted in our first score!! Two blocked shots resulted in Bencharki stopping the ball in the air and one-timing the powerful shot for the amazing goal!!!!!! Finally we were able to break through the Peruvian defense, and it was 1-0 Zamalek in our 10th shot of the game, coming in minute 55!!!!!!

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But Zamalek was not out of the woods just yet. As we had no idea how Vienna vs Paris was going (besides being aware of the 1-1 result at halftime), we were determined to keep pressing on to ensure our lead, and that is exactly what we did, only 4 minutes later!! Mugosa, to Shammas, to Abdel Aziz and it's Abdel Aziz with the inside out right handed shot to beat Cáceda in the box for the 2-0 lead in min 59!! Manager Millossobek now could finally breathe again, as a 2-goal lead with 30 minutes left seemed to be safe.. Until in extra time (min 90), in a nicely constructed counterattack by Melgar, Vidales connected with Reyna and the Peruvian side scored (in only their third shot of the match!) It seemed that no lead was safe and that drama would accompany us to the end.. Now we were only leading by one goal, and we endured some really nervy couple of minutes as we were finally able to protect the lead and as the final whistle blew, the final score was 2-1 Zamalek!!!! Would it be enough to qualify us to the next phase??

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It would!!!! The Footballing Gods had smiled on us, as Paris had scored a second half goal and beaten Vienna in Austria!!!!! As the players, Manager Millossobek, and the fans saw the score of the Vienna-Paris game, it could be said that the drama and nervous anticipation was finally over!! We could exhale as we qualified to the Round of 16 of the 3-Stars Cup!!!!! This was a heart-thumping finale to a topsy-turvy roller coaster of a group stage, but when it was all said and done, it's Paris and Zamalek that go through the next phase!!!! And who would we be facing next in the Round of 16?? None other than the Bolivian Giants, The Strongest of La Paz!!

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Manager Millossobek: "I have to admit, I was a nervous wreck throughout the match! But I couldn't let my emotions show to'o much and had to stick to the gameplan. The feeling of not being 100% in control of your own footballing destiny filled me with uncertainty, but in the end, we were able to prevail! All I knew is that, no matter what happened in the Vienna-Paris match in Austria, we had to leave it all out on the pitch and try to secure the win. Needless to say, I am extremely proud of my team, being able to bounce back after the back to back defeats in Europe to rebound in Match 6 against a very tough opponent!! All I can say is, The White Knight has shown their mettle, and now we not only have a whole city, but a whole nation behind us and an entire continent to represent!! We are here for Cairo, we are here for Egypt, and for African Football, and we are determined to show the world what we are made of!!"

EL FARES EL ABYAD!!!!


3-Stars Cup Magic! 9 European teams, 3 Asian, 3 South American, and Zamalek round the top 16!!!!!

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Cup Stories!
Comments are welcome!
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[millossobek]

3-STARS CUP DRAMA!! (FIFA 16)
Zamalek FC Have Just Raised the Stakes with a Passage to the Quarterfinals!!
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The Final 16 are here, representing 4 different confederations, and all looking for Intercontinental Glory! 9 European teams, 3 Asian, 3 South American, and Zamalek FC, as the sole African representative, remain in the epic 3-Stars Cup. Who will lift the trophy? Will we be able to achieve this huge honor for Egyptian and African Football, an amazing accomplishement for El Fares El Abyad? The road is long and difficult, but it has to start somewhere, and in this case, it starts halfway accross the world, deep and high up in the Andes Mountains, in the heart of South America! We are all set to travel 11,798 kilometers as our Quest for 3-Stars Cup Glory continues on with the knockout stage!!!!!

Round of 16 1st Leg of 2 - The Strongest vs Zamalek, La Paz, Bolivia.


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Round of 16 proceedings kicked off with the first leg, as we visited one of Bolivia's most historical teams, The Strongest, in their capital of La Paz, famous (or infamous perhaps) due to its altitude, 3625 meters above sea level!! Opponents such as the Brazilian and Argentinean National teams, and quite a few much stronger (pun intended) Libertadores teams have lost at this altitude, as teams struggle to adjust to the environment and the lack of oxygen at these heights! Unfortunately, this would not be the exception. Travelling halfway accross the world, almost at the other end of the globe, the Egyptians clearly looked out of their depth in this matchup, coupled with the fact that The Strongest actually played a very cynical, defensive match at Estadio Hernando Siles! The first real chance of the match didn't come until minute 25, as Henry Vaca's difficult "let's see if this goes in" shot sailed over the crossbar. Our first (and only chance of the first half) didn't come until minute 31, as Mugosa tried to head in a free kick but was saved by the Bolivian keeper. Our players were out of air, really struggling wth every loose and divided ball, and it's not like the Bolivians were really aggressive, but.... Our sluggishness and poor play would end up costing us as in minute 35, Prost fed Reinoso in the box and The Strongest's forward scored as he was left all alone! (Really, a gaping hole left by our defense!) It was The Strongest leading 1-0!

Playing in our away blue kits brings us no luck, as The Strongest take the lead.
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We were reeling. Tired, dazed, and confused, Zamalek's players looked like their minds were on another planet, as our keeper Awaad saved an almost goal by Saucedo only minutes later (min 42), and at last. we were glad to get a rest at halftime. We really needed to get it together, as the players looked thankful to get a respite from running in the thinning La Paz air. Then came a batch of cynical football by The Strongest. The second 45 minutes featured almost no chances at all by both teams (Shammas had a nice cross delivered to him but uncharacteristically couldn't control the ball). The Bolivian side was happy to move their defensive lines back, play counterattacking football, and defend defend defend without exposing themselves. We tried and tried but couldn't break through. In min 71, Hamed had a really good shot at goal but weakly booted it in the hands of the keeper. One of our only chances completely wasted! We were exhausted and completely out of our depth. We had never played at this altitude and our mental and physical fortitude wasn't there. In Min 78, Awad stopped what looked to be a sure goal by Prost (which would prove to be important, as you will see later). But in the end, that was their only real chance of the 2nd half, as the final whistle blew. We had just played an awful match, and they didn't do much better, but just enough to win. Final score, The Strongest 1-0 Zamalek, and we would go back to Cairo with a difficult, but not impossible task, exhausted, and I gotta say, a bit discouraged.

Round of 16 2nd Leg of 2 - Zamalek vs The Strongest, Cairo, Egypt.

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If there would be a time that we'd be thankful to come back home, this would be the time! After suffering 90 minutes of oxygen-deficient hell in La Paz, Zamalek's players and fans (as well as Manager Mllossobek) were both relieved and ecstatic to come back to Cairo International Stadium, back at Sea Level, with air to spare, warmer temperatures, and on a much more level playing ground. We were facing a 1-0 deficit, but our spirits were high by breathing our Egyptian air, and we were confident that with the support of our loyal fans, our loudspeakers blaring in Arabic, and back on familiar footing, that we'd capture back the spirit of our team and do our best! The crowd was absolutely pumped, singing their hearts out, and man, was this a different encounter from the last one from the get-go! Only in minute 2, Mugosa (with his lungs back) went on a great run to beat The Strongest's defense and almost score a goal (although it should've been shot with more power, this was a good space creating a good chance)! We were a completely different team, going on runs, running down the flanks, and using our superior speed to create crossing opportunities! (I counted at least 4 crosses in the first 30 minutes!). In min 31, our forward defensive intensity (we were really trying to put pressure on them with our frontline just as they lost the ball, as opposed to the first match) created an error by the Bolivians' defense which Mugosa deftly took advantage of by cleanly using his physicality and strength to gain possession, pass it to Shammas, who passed it back to Mugosa in the box and.... it's a Clear Penalty!! Our aggressiveness had paid off!! Mugosa stepped forward to take it and calmly netted it in confusing the keeper, and it's 1-0 Zamalek!! We had evened the global score as the first half came to a close!

Zamalek's players celebrate as we equalize the series!​

We were determined to ride the momentum of the first half goal to come out aggressively in the second half. In only the first minute, it was Mugosa, receiving the pass from our young #10 Shammas, and the Montenegrin shot the powerful attempt from outside the box to the top left corner.. which was saved by Gutierrez! A great chance. Only 11 minutes later, it was Shammas who tried the shot from inside the box, hit hard to the corner but once again it was the Bolivian goalkeeper who came up big (he was definitely their man of the match)! Back and forth it went, as The Strongest came up with a chance a few minutes later, as Prost sailed it wide! However, we were definitely the aggressors, as we were looking to score our second goal in a variety of ways and get ahead in the global score, and were playing much more daringly and spurred on by the speakers and our passionate crowd! (We had to be careful though. Despite our aggressiveness, due to the away goal rule and the fact that we hadn't been able to get on the board in Bolivia, allowing a goal in Cairo at this point would've been almost catastrophic, for mathematical reasons!) In anycase, we kept pressing on, as in min 63, another great chance!! Zamalek's side back Mathlouthi crossed a perfectly placed ball to Shammas.. could it be?? OH!! He one-times it skillfully but sails wide!! We were close on that one and kept pressing aggressively, as we were playing really positive, attacking football (what a contrast with the first match!), not throwing caution to the wind but definitely trying our best to entertain our crowd and most importantly, go for the win!!

Saved off the line!!​

But in min 71.. man this was really close: The Strongest out of nowhere goes on the counterattack, Reinoso feeds a ball to a streaking Chura, who crosses it to Prost and...... The Bolivian's header beats our keeper and.. HITS THE TOP BAR and rebounds just outside the goal line as our defender Hamdy heads it away!!!! What a chance by The Strongest!! Manager Millossobek (and everyone at Cairo International Stadium) breathed a HUGE sigh of relief, as we thought that this would be the fateful away goal!! (which would've been awful, since it would've forced to us to score 2 goals in the last 20 minutes to avoid a loss, given the away goal rule!). But alas, the gods of football were on our side on that play!! Would this be a sign that it was our night? Recovering quickly, we would not let their chance discourage us, however, as only 3 minutes later it's Mathlouthi to Mugosa to Abdel Aziz in the booooooooooox......... Saved by the keeper!! Then in min 82, as we keep pressing forward, bravely looking for the win, the scramble in the box leads to a Hamed headeeeeeer could it be? Saved by the Bolivian keeper!! (again! what is up with this dude!) We were clearly outplaying them, going full throttle to try to win it in regulation time, but Gutierrez was saving the day for the Bolivians! Would we go to extra time??

Not if Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz had anything to say about it.

Minute 87. Only a few short minutes remain for a grueling extra time period in Cairo. Mugosa dispossesses Ribera (our forwards keep pressing, we are aggressively taking a risk, opening ourselves up but gong for the win!!), who sets up Shammas, to Abdel-Aziz, to a streaking Mathlouthi who tries to cross it, and it hits the Bolivian defender!!!! It's a corner!!!! Bencharki hurries to the corner, knowing we have the momentum, crosses it beautifully.... Our Defender Alla heads it in beating the keeeeeeper,,,,,, and.. nooo!! The Strongest's defender saves it RIGHT OFF THE LINE, clearing it away for another corner!!!! That was our goal!!!! Would this be our last chance? Next corner, minute 88, It's Bencharki again with the corner kick aaaaaaaaaaaaand.................................

The Hero of the Day!!
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IT'S MAHMOUD ABDEL-AZIZ!!!! HE LEAPS OVER EVERYBODY HEADS IT IN AND IT'S A GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!! GOOOOAL GOOOOAL GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAL!!!!!!!!!! It's Zamalek leading 2-0 with only minutes left to go in the match!!!!!!! YES!!!! We now only had to withstand a few more minutes and the passage to the 3-Stars Cup Quarters would be ours!! These were incredibly nervous final minutes, as an goal by the Strongest would've proved to be fatal for our chances (they even had a through ball which was quickly snatched up by Awad) but in the end.... The final whistle blew and..... ZAMALEK FC ARE THROUGH TO THE 3-STARS CUP QUARTERFINALS!!!! We had come out bravely, playing aggressive and courageous football, with a result against us in a cold faraway stadium high up in the South American mountains, but we had returned home to Cairo, and in the comfort of our fans and our surroundings, went on an absolutely epic comeback and scored an 88th minute goal to send us through to the Quarters!!

If this isn't 3-Stars Drama and Excitement, I don't know what is!!!!!!

Mahmoud Abdel Aziz: "Describing what happened on that play is a difficult task, it all went by really fast, but all I know is that when that corner kick by Bencharki came in, I just rapidly said to myself: alright, I have to jump as high as I can and try to head it towards the goal.. And before I knew it, it was a goal!! I'm not gonna sit here and say that time stopped or that things seemed to slow down because that wasn't the case. It went by in a flash, I jumped, I gave it my best attempt at a header and it just... simply went in!!!! I can't explain it any other way, except it was the happiest moment of my footballing career!!!!"

Manager Millossobek: "I've said this before and I'll say it again. I Love the 3-Stars Cup!!!!!"

Zamalek beats The Strongest, AIK beats Paris, Shanghai Port beats Luzern, Santa Clara beats Nagoya Grampus,
Málaga beats Samsung Bluewings, CSKA Sofia beats Malatyaspor, U de Chile beats Pisa, Banfield beats Dinamo Dresden!
1 African, 4 European, 1 Asian, and 2 South American teams remain!

Zamalek FC!!!! Bring it on AIK!! LET'S GO EL FARES EL ABYAD!!!!

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Cup Stories!
Comments are welcome!​

 

[millossobek]

Hey bros!!!!
While my 3-Stars Cup with Zamalek is underway (QF to be played shortly!)
Here's a short reminder.. Guess who's back!
Sócrates, Castolo, Leandro, and Estrela Azul Paulista (PES 2021)!!
We are in the middle of our second season in Brasileirao B
And I have decided to retake our story
Deep in The Heart of Brazilian Football!
Stay tuned for more updates!!

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[millossobek]

An Unforgettable Performance!! (FIFA 16)
Zamalek Move On to the 3-Stars Cup Semifinals!!

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The Quarterfinals of the 3-Stars Cup are here, and everything is up for grabs!! With 8 teams remaining (4 European, 2 South American, 1 Asian, and 1 African team (Zamalek!!) remaining, things are getting heated and the competition has retained its international flavor! We are moving towards the latter stages of the competition, where every match counts double, where expectations for everyone are raised, where the hope of lifting the trophy becomes ever-more-real for each and every team, and where the excitement quadruples!! And we are here! Zamalek FC is here, representing Cairo, Egypt, and Africa with pride! Yes! This is a display of the best eight 3-Star teams in the world, the teams that are the salt and the earth of football, representing four different confederations and continents, translating onto the pitch millions of heartbeats and starry eyes, the love and desire of countless fans which fill the stadiums to support their teams, their colors, their aspirations.. Welcome to the 3-Star Cup Quarterfinals!!!!!!

Quarterfinals 1st Leg of 2 - Zamalek vs AIK, Cairo, Egypt.

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The Semifinals started off for us at home, in front of an incredibly loud and excited crowd in Cairo International Stadium! Our fans could sense that we were getting closer to our ambition, and the welcome was intense! Red flares and fireworks were seen everywhere, as El Fayes El Abad was ready for a momentous occassion, a semifinal in our debut international competition! The TV commentators were at a fever-pitch, speaking rapid and impassioned Arabic, the speakers were blaring, everything was set!! An immediate and striking difference could be seen from the outset, as the Swedish team, AIK, on average, was much taller than us, and seemingly had all the physical advantages. But height and physics don't measure desire!

The match started out fast in favor of AIK, as on the very first play, they earned a corner, which was headed away by our player Hamed, but weakly, and Papagiannopoulos had almost an open goal!! Oh that was close, as the shot fired over the bar in an almost-score. Not a good start to the match. But we settled down, as the game started to become a bit more back and forth but without great chances in the first 20 minutes until AIK's Elbouzedi had a clear chance once again from just outside the box which sailed high! (min 24). The Swedish defense was tough in the first half an hour until our Bencharki cuts back and feeds Abdul-Aziz in the box and oh, a powerful shot saved by Nordfeldt! (our first real chance of the match coming in minute 31!) This was followed by another Zamalek chance in min 38, as Mugosa receives the ball from Zizo... unfortunately straight at the keeper! A few more good chances, one by AIK, and one by us with saved shots ensued (albeit not particularly dangerous ones), as the first half drew to a close! A cagey first half, one in which the first 30 minutes didn't feature many chances, but in the last 15 the match woke up! However, we had not pressed our home advantage, and as we went on the break, the score was Zamalek 0-0 AIK!

The second half started off with a tenacious midfield battle that lasted about 10 minutes, a few dangerous looking crosses and corner kicks (mostly punched away) but no attempts! Until in minute 56, a recovered ball by Zizo, who passes to Mugosa, who calmly holds the ball up, turns and waits for a streaking Shammas who is all alone against the keeper, the angled shot and OHHH! It is saved by the keeper's foot! What a chance by the Egyptians!! We should've scored there, but anyway we had to keep pressing on.. 3 minutes later, it's Shammas with the corner kick, Papagiannopoulos heads it lobbed straight to Bencharkiiiiii ohhhh what a stretch by the Swedish keeper!! We are piling on the pressure! We are outplaying AIK now with our speed and skill, and in minute 62..... Yet again on the wings... Goma lobs it to Shammaaaaaaaas and IT'S A GOOOAAAAAAAL!!!!! A beautiful lobbed header which finally beats Nordfeldt, and it's 1-0 Zamalek!!!!!! We had finally scored our home goal, and now we wanted to add more to our difference! However, AIK's defense was tough, and on a counterattack Stefannelli had a chance which was straight at our keeper and saved! There were a few more chances, but nothing that would threaten to change the score, as we finally decided to defend our lead and as the final whistle sounded, we had achieved victory by a minimum advantage! Zamalek 1-0 AIK, and we were relieved that even though we had only won by one goal, we hadn't conceded any away goals! A good feeling heading into Stockholm for the return encounter!

Zamalek's crowd goes home euphoric, but we still have work to do!!


Quarterfinals 2nd Leg of 2 - AIK vs Zamalek, Stockholm, Sweden.

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Going to Stockholm, we were confident but not overly so. We had won in Cairo with a nicely placed header by Shammas (proving that size and timing beat size in this play), but our advantage was minimal. And going from the warm weather of Cairo to chilly and rainy AIK Friends Stadium was no small feat to overcome, as we knew that their crowd was going to be pumped, egging them on! (Even though a nice contingent of Zamalek fans had travelled all the way to Scandinavian lands to support our team!). Under rainy conditions and a muddy pitch, we were determined to defend our position! Would be pay offensively or defensively? Well, we were going to take our chances, as we had the first shot of the game, as Hamed shot from inside the box yet his shot lacked the sufficient force.. Still it was a chance, and it was encouraging. Only a few minutes later (min 6), it was AIK with their first shot, as Cessay fed Bahou (who has already scored plenty of goals in the 3-Stars Cup) in the box and, deftly saved by Awaad! The matched moved on, as it was clear that AIK was trying to be more aggressive, but we had a good chance from way outside from Hamed which stretched the keeper, and another nice chance by Mugosa, but both shots were saved! (Mins 19 and 24). In min 27, it's AIK on the counter, Elbouzedi crosses in the boooox, it's Sebastian Larsson with the header right next to the keeper, and WHAT A SAVE BY AWAAD, PRESERVING OUR LEAD! A pinpoint header by Larsson which looked like a sure goal, but our keeper's cat-like reflexes save the day and we maintain the advantage!! Man a score there by AIK would've been deflating.. But then, in min 44, just when the halftime whistle was going to blow, it's our Mugosa intercepting the pass in a dangerous area, holding off Cessay with his strength, waiting for Shammas on the streaking run and this time.. IT'S A GOAL!!!!!! Shammas wouldn't miss this time!!!!! What an angled powerful shot (he put his whole soul into it) which hits the right sidebar and in, and it's 0-1 ZAMALEK, and 2-0 GLOBAL SCORE!!!! YES!!!!!!!!! We go to the halftime break and we are clearly in control!!!!!

Not even a pulled shirt can stop our youngster Shammas!​

Now clearly in the driver's seat, our confidence at an all time high and AIK desperate, the second half in Stockholm was a GOAL FESTIVAL by Zamalek!! AIK probably realized that they needed to go for broke, so they forwarded their lines, the game opened up, and we started to find clear spaces in their defense to score!!! And so in Minute 51: It's Hamdy to Shammas to Mugosa with the through ball.. Hamed is all alone against the keeper... And he scores!!!! GOAL ZAMALEK!!! (We are up 3-0 in the global!) Even though a nice play between Cessay, Stefannelli and Larsson produced a goal in min 60 (3-1 global), it was too little to late.. As Shammas recovers the ball, feeds Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz and.. ZAMALEK GOAL!!! (4-1 global, min 78), and, only 2 minutes later another beautiful collective play between Abdel-Aziz, Shammas and our substitute Shikabala and it's SHIKABALA!!! ANOTHER GOAL BY ZAMALEK (min 80)!!!!! As the final whistle blew a few minutes later, WE ARE THROUGH TO THE 3-STARS CUP SEMIFINALS, with an impressive couple of matches, the first one fighting a hard-earned 1-0 victory in Cairo, and then going to Stockholm and giving AIK a complete Football Lesson, shocking the world and dominating them thoroughly for a final score of AIK 1-4 Zamalek (We win 5-1 in the global!!!!!!) A historic night in Sweden, a truly inspired performance by El Fayes El Abad, as we showed our quality for the world to see!! We move, our epic and romantic Cup story continues dramatically, with a fine display of football, and not only do we move to the final four (Can you believe it!! We can!! My first semifinal in a 3-Stars Cup ever, and the first time I play with an African team!!) we do so in SPECTACULAR AND EMPHATIC FASHION!!

What a night in Stockholm!! The Egyptians are delighted as they gave a football clinic!!
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Manager Millossobek: "Yes, absolutely, we have to stay humble and grounded. We are not only representing ourselves, but our fans, a city, and a beautiful and strong nation, full of history and identity, and therefore we must always keep that inside when we step out on the pitch! Only four remain, the road has been long and replete with challlenges, but we must keep our head level and our heart open, play our football, and trust our minds and our instincts equally. Did we think that we could get this far? Yes. Do we have faith in our abilities, our determination, our teamwork, and our passion? Absolutely. But after a night of celebration, we must wake up tomorrow and only think of Shanghai Port, our next opponent. That being said, I am so proud of our players, to come out here, in faraway Stockholm and up against a hostile crowd, and play the way they did out on the pitch.. That says a lot about the big-heartedness of this team, their huge reservoir of pride, desire, guts, and love."

The Semifinals Are Set!
Zamalek beats AIK, Shanghai Port beats Santa Clara,
Málaga beats CSKA Sofía, Banfield beats U de Chile!
Europe vs South America, Africa vs Asia!

Zamalek FC!!!! Bring it on Shanghai Port!! LET'S GO EL FARES EL ABYAD!!!!

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Cup Stories!
Comments are welcome!
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[Madmac79]

Let's go bro! Wonderful victory in Sweden.. looks like an historical 3 stars cup ! Curious to see how challenging will Shanghai Port be!

By the way, love Mugosa's screenshot you took above, looks out of a real game