forameuss Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins [video=youtube;W8r-tXRLazs] Hello there! I know, I know, another career thread...I'm making this the last one I publish, as the others have been riddled with bugs. This time, I'm trying something completely different for me, and something similar to what a couple of others have tried. Without explaining it too obviously, here's the story... Patrick Kuipers' breath came out in a cloud in the cool night air in Cape Town as he prepared to challenge for the goal-kick. He looked behind him to find his marker for the day. Franz Schulz wasn't just his enemy for the day though - he was much more than that. Franz and Patrick were the media darlings of the football world, praised for their skill and grace on the pitch. Even in the twilight of their careers, they were constant contenders for the Ballon D'Or, and had over two-hundred caps between them. However, much like Maradona and Pele, opinion was divided over who was truly the best. Earlier in their careers, this was of no importance to them really, but as they grew older, the animosity between the two grew and grew. Being the two best players in the World, they had met several times domestically and in continental competition, and the bad feeling grew and grew. If you were keeping score, you'd say the two were about level in terms of personal accomplishments, but there was one title that still eluded both - the World Cup. Now, in a freezing Cape Town, one of them had the chance to win their semi-final and get a shot at just that.The ball flew towards Kuipers. He backed up, glancing behind him to make sure he had the necessary space. There had been niggles all through the game between him and Schulz, with several choice words spoken in English, German, Dutch and everything in between. With time ticking on towards extra-time, and the scores at 0-0, something had to give. Kuipers watched the ball fall, and was a moment from taking it on his chest when he felt studs on the back of his ankle. He crumpled to the ground, but even as he did, the anger was bubbling up. When he looked up and saw Schulz's grin, an alarm went off in his head. He leapt to his feet, and unleashed a right hook that barely shifted the big German. The grin had disappeared, and suddenly the middle of the pitch had turned into a lumberjack match from WWE. Sporadic battles broke out, but in the center remained Schulz and Kuipers, with the small referee trying desperately to break up the two. When asked later, neither man could give much of an insight into what happened in the next minute or so, such was the extent of the red mist. Unfortunately for both sets of fans, they could see clearly, and they groaned in unison as a pair of red cards were flourished after the two were separated. They were led off the pitch forcefully by their team-mates, passing by the trophy that had eluded them. Even through their anger, both men came to the sudden realisation that this had been their last chance, and that their careers would end without winning the biggest prize in football. Holland went on to win the semi-final on penalties, but then lost to a resurgent Spain in the final. In both countries, Kuipers and Schulz were seen as the cause of failure. If either man had stayed on the pitch, both supporters swore that their nation would have been Champions. Three Years Later... Patrick Kuipers stepped off of the plane and shivered immediately against the cool winter air. It had been fairly balmy when he had left Amsterdam, and he was dressed for something similar. Clearly, no-one had told him that the summer months in Uruguay fell opposite to Europe. But even the weather couldn't dampen his mood. He had been summoned to Montevideo for a final interview for what he considered a dream job. Club Nacional de Football were an institution in Uruguay, and to be offered even the chance of employment as their manager - despite having no experience - was a dream come true for him. He had spent the years after his World Cup disgrace winding down his career, but things were never quite the same. He had returned to his home country and Ajax to try and take the pressure off, and finish his career at home, but he never really took off there. Sure he had added another Eredivisie title to his burgeoning list of personal accomplishments, but he wasn't enjoying the game. Deep down, he knew he was still bitter knowing he would never compete in another World Cup. Then the call came from across the Atlantic. Suddenly he was a new man, talking at length with chairman Eduardo Ache about his plans. When he slept at night, he dreamt of a new start, showing that his career was more than just a semi-final sending off. The dream always ended the same way, with him lifting the World Cup Trophy for Holland, but this time as a manager. Just hours after getting off the plane, he was shaking the hand of the chairman, and was ready to be announced as the new manager of Nacional. Juan Pedro Damiani watched with interest as Nacional unveiled their new manager. As chairman of Penarol, he was mentally conditioned to hate everything Nacional related, but he had to admire their audacity. He had heard rumblings of this happening for a few weeks now, and now that it had, he could put his own plan into place. If their bitter rivals were going to hire a playing legend to manage them, then Penarol were going to have to step up their game too. Minutes later, Franz Schulz was confirmed as on his way to Montevideo. He hadn't been looking for a new role, having fallen into a fairly lucrative media deal following his retirement from playing. But there was something about the offer that he couldn't turn down. The chance to experience a new country; the chance to build a legacy; but most importantly, the chance to meet Patrick Kuipers once again, this time in the opposite dugout. Just days later, Montevideo was rocked by a second announcement, and already battle lines were being drawn. Two bitter rivals, were now managing either side of one of the biggest rivalries in football. Patrick Kuipers | Franz Schulz So as you may have guessed, this story is all about an adventure in Uruguay with two managers. Inspired by mikenevo's and b101's threads, I'll be managing two clubs simultaneously, and they won't just be in the same league - they'll be two of the most bitter rivals in football. I thought long and hard about where to put my two managers. I knew I wanted two clubs that could play out a derby, so looked out information on the biggest derbies in world football. There was Rangers and Celtic, but as a Thistle fan, that was out. There was the Istanbul derby, which did interest me, but not quite yet. Then there were all the other standard ones - Rome, Milan, Manchester, the Liverchester...but none of those really caught my eye. Having really enjoyed being at Penarol before, I decided to go to Uruguay, and spice up what is already a battle. I won't go into much detail on the derby, but will provide some information if you'd like to go and learn more. First, the Football Ramble did a profile on it a few years back. Secondly, I'll put this list of interesting facts around the game... The oldest derby in World football outside of the British Isles. Fans of both sides make up over 80% of all fans in the country. Penarol just edge it, but it really depends who you ask. The derby itself is always played at the Centenario stadium. It's Penarol's home stadium, but it packs close to 70,000 in. Atmosphere. The B teams of each side play each other immediately before the main ones, kind of like a support act. This is done to rile the fans up. Seriously. After one tie in the 90s, several Penarol players served a month in prison for their actions during the game Football in Uruguay was completely stopped for ten days after one game ended in violence, with many police offers and supporters injured In fact, fans and police officers seem to regularly get a good battering at this tie, with twenty more injured in clashes just last year Nacional went in at half-time 2-0 down in a match in the early 20th century, and refused to go back on the pitch. This is now known So, this derby is a big deal. And it's just got bigger with this save. In terms of rules, the only one I have is that when the two meet, I'll set the formation and tactics for both, and then instant result it so as not to give an advantage. Other than that, I'll have some challenges I want to complete, which I'll outline in the next post. I'll be trying to keep the managers in the same league, and where possible, on opposing sides of a rivalry. I'd like to take in the big derbies of World Football, but I know this won't always be possible. One major aim though is that these guys will end up going into International Management, and the first one to win a World Cup has pretty much won this particular battle...until the other wins two of course. So...on with the show. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 Reserved for other stuff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 Patrick Kuipers Born in Haarlem in 1975, Kuipers started his career at his local side as a schoolboy before coming to the attention of Ajax. He was invited to their youth academy, and never really looked back. He spent four years in Holland before bigger clubs inevitably moved in, and on his 20th birthday, he signed for Real Madrid in what would be a dream move. He spent ten glorious seasons with Real, winning three Champions League titles, eight La Liga titles and four Copa del Rey titles. A move to England shocked everyone as he moved to Manchester United following his third Champions League triumph, which soon changed to four the very next year. After five successful years, he went to the World Cup in South Africa full of confidence. Unfortunately, he returned in disgrace, having been sent off in the final. The depression he felt drove him back to his favourite club, Ajax, who enjoyed one season of Patrick before he decided to retire. With five Ballon D'Or titles to his name though, he could boast of a glittering career that perhaps only one other player could match. Goals Manage Holland Manage Ajax Qualify for a tournament with Holland Win a trophy with Holland Win a trophy with any club Win a major trophy with any club Win the World Cup with Holland Win a league Win promotion Survive a relegation battle Have a Dutch player play at your club and go on to represent Holland at a World Cup Have a Dutch player play at your club and go on to win the World Cup Have a son Go a whole league season without losing Grab a bargain and make a star Win the Champions League with three different clubs from three different countries Win the top league in every country managed in Beat a side managed by Franz Schulz by any scoreline Beat a side managed by Franz Schulz by two goals Beat a side managed by Franz Schulz by four goals Beat a side managed by Franz Schulz by six goals Have an unbeaten season against Franz Schulz Become a millionaire Become a multi-millionaire (20mil) Break the world transfer record (86million at the moment) Franz Schulz Born in Karlsruhe in 1975, Franz grew up in a family that was absolutely obsessed with Bayern Munich. As such, he grew into football at a young age, starring for any children's team he turned out for. Bayern Munich decided to hand him his dream job and signed him on a youth contract, which was soon upgraded to a full contract to stop several clubs from circling around him. He remained at Bayern for most of his career, only leaving the club in the twilight for little Karlsruhe, fulfilling a boyhood dream of playing for his local team. It was his time with Bayern that his career would be defined by though, winning four Champions League titles, eleven Bundesliga and many, many other minor trophies. His five Ballon D'Or awards, the last just six months before his eventual disgrace at the World Cup, drew him level with his main rival in football, Patrick Kuipers. He always said that his greatest regret was not leading his beloved country to glory, having not been called up for Euro 96 due to injury. Goals Manage Germany Manage Bayern Munich Qualify for a tournament with Germany Win a trophy with Germany Win a trophy with any club Win a major trophy with any club Win the World Cup with Germany Win a league Win promotion Survive a relegation battle Have a Dutch player play at your club and go on to represent Germany at a World Cup Have a Dutch player play at your club and go on to win the World Cup Have a son Go a whole league season without losing Grab a bargain and make a star Win the Champions League with three different clubs from three different countries Win the top league in every country managed in Beat a side managed by Patrick Kuipers by any scoreline Beat a side managed by Patrick Kuipers by two goals Beat a side managed by Patrick Kuipers by four goals Beat a side managed by Patrick Kuipers by six goals Have an unbeaten season against Patrick Kuipers Become a millionaire Become a multi-millionaire (20mil) Break the world transfer record (86million at the moment) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins Team Run-down Penarol Star Players Youth Prospects Nacional Star Players Youth Prospects Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenbroncitis Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Sounds like a good idea to do a career like this. Are we going to see the Mighty Jags turn up in this save and take over Europe? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 Sounds like a good idea to do a career like this. Are we going to see the Mighty Jags turn up in this save and take over Europe? Possibly...not sure if it'll fit in to be honest. The Jags are just so good that no-one really hates us But I suppose managing one of the other sides in Glasgow at the same time could be a laugh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wesley6 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Interesting idea, how does it work when you play each other though. Surely you know every tactical change that's been made so you can easily just nullify it.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 Interesting idea, how does it work when you play each other though. Surely you know every tactical change that's been made so you can easily just nullify it.. It says above In terms of rules, the only one I have is that when the two meet, I'll set the formation and tactics for both, and then instant result it so as not to give an advantage. You're right, it's unfair to control either team, so I'll instant result through the game then watch the highlights back to get a report. No favouritism given. Of course, there may be subconscious favouritism as I'll know exactly how each team is going to play, but I'll make it so that I always play our plan A from the start rather than trying to undermine the opposition. Then it's up to the assistant. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Seems like an interesting concept and should be a good read. Uruguay seems like a fun place to manage. Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenbroncitis Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Possibly...not sure if it'll fit in to be honest. The Jags are just so good that no-one really hates us But I suppose managing one of the other sides in Glasgow at the same time could be a laugh. Or you could rekindle the rivalry with those gypsies up the road, Clyde. Its always good to see them suffer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffy89 Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Great stuff mate, really looking forward to this! Recoba Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 Great stuff mate, really looking forward to this!Recoba Funny story about him - despite him appearing as second in line for AML on that screenshot up there, I ended up going with a narrow formation mid-way through the opening stage, and then promptly forgot such a legend was even at the club. Oops. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Very tasty idea, hope you have better luck than I did trying the multi-manager concept with close rivals. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
letissierandhenryaregreat Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 May I take some time to applaud you on this thread title? Pure genius! Good luck with this, seems like an interesting concept. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
b101 Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 What letiss said - love the concept and, as always, will follow your career with interest! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Very tasty idea, hope you have better luck than I did trying the multi-manager concept with close rivals. May I take some time to applaud you on this thread title? Pure genius! Good luck with this, seems like an interesting concept. What letiss said - love the concept and, as always, will follow your career with interest! Cheers guys. Just to let you know that I've not forgotten about this - just trying to pluck up the effort to write up my first updates. I'm a season and a half into things, and despite another crash dump, I took some advice from another forum, cleansed my FM14 file with some holy water, and - touch wood - it's been OK since. I'll try and write each update in two parts - one from the point of view of Schulz, and one from Kuipers. With the way the Uruguayan season is - opening and closing stages - I'll do an update each half season, so you'll get a stage for each manager, which includes a tasty Montevideo derby, and whatever continental competition they've been involved in. I'm too kind. First update to come tonight, probably followed by a couple more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Pre-season 2013 Penarol When I first arrived at Penarol, I knew the first thing I wanted was to get a parent club. "Them" across town have Liverpool as a parent club, and they're understandably a big club. I wanted someone similar, so set the board off to search for one. They initially resisted, but I persuaded them, and after a month or so, they came back with this. A very big club in a country that is experiencing a bit of a financial renaissance football-wise. They'll pay us a fee each year, and hopefully we can pick up a few good players from them. The squad was not too shabby, so there weren't that many changes needed to compete. Of course, it's a different story when you look at the Libertadores, but I think it's going to be a bit of a build before we compete there. All that matters for this season is that we cement our position as top dogs in Uruguay. That and beat Nacional. We were weakest in defence, and to be honest we can't offer the wages to bring in true quality. Hopefully these players will be good squad additions this year, before we can build with youth in the coming years. Nacional Not content with having Liverpool as a parent club, I set out to get another one. Of course, when news broke that Penarol *spits* had a link with Flamengo, we went one better and set one up with Sao Paulo. Should be a fantastic move for us. Only one arrival for us this summer. I did look for more, but we're limited financially with what we can do. Barriaga gives us an option all across the midfield, which is where we are struggling in terms of quality and depth. A good signing for us I think. It should be enough to put us ahead of Penarol come the end of the season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Apertura 2013 Penarol With an eye across town to how Nacional were doing, we began our Apertura campaign with two good wins, before we started struggling a little bit. Perhaps unluckily for us, we faced our first big test early on, in Defensor Sporting. I'll level with you, I have no idea what happened in that game. We were 3-2 down with ten minutes to go when we had a man sent off, and soon after we had an injury to a center back. I gambled, not bringing on a defender, instead introducing someone more forward thinking. As a result, Sporting went ahead and added another three goals. They sat top of the table after that one, and after another defeat in the next game, we looked like we might go into the derby well and truly behind our rivals. Luckily, we kept three clean sheets in as many games, scoring seven, to sit comfortably going into game-week 10, and the crunch game. Nacional A somewhat shaky start to life with Nacional as we dropped eight points from a possible twenty-seven. These first nine games were imperative to get a good foot-hold in the league, as next up we have the biggest derby in World football against Penarol, and after that we need to keep up the good work if we want to end up on top. I'm disappointed by our performances against Cerro and Danubio - we really should have done better, and if we had, that would have meant going into the derby ahead on points. As it is, we go in dead level. Finely poised. The Clasico Our first derby takes place at our home ground, but Nacional will be designated the home team. Not quite sure why we always play at the Centenario, but I assume it's because we can pack more borderline psychotic fans into the stadium. The more the better in my opinion. The other note about it is that despite this being a bog-standard league game, tickets are split 50/50. If only other derbies around the world were like that, we'd have more blood injuries. It's PC gone mad I tell you. Two very different tactical approaches, explained here by the managers. SCHULZ: We play wide, and we play fast. Our defensive line will push up to deny as much space as possible, while all the time trying to play the opposition offside. We'll harry, we'll press, and hopefully we'll give them no chance on the ball. When we do get it, I'll be looking to utilise our wide men, either going on their own or giving it in-field to the striker or on-rushing midfielders. KUIPERS: We started out the season playing a flat 4-1-4-1, but we don't have enough depth to regularly play wide players. Now we line up in a narrow 4-1-2-1-2 formation which gives us good coverage around the pitch. Our full backs will press high, giving us our only width. The midfield diamond will press the space in the middle of the pitch, and hopefully provide enough ammunition for our front two. Tie History |---------------------------------------------------|| TIE HISTORY ||---------------------------------------------------|| Games | Penarol (goals) | Draw | Nacional (goals) | |-------|-----------------|------|------------------|| 511 | 182 (650) | 163 | 166 (611) | |-------|-----------------|------|------------------| The Match 00:00 - Penarol kick off in this first derby, and immediately force a corner after a run from Estoyanoff. There's a shot from the resulting corner, but it's saved by the Nacional keeper. 10:32 - Estoyanoff still looking dangerous as he is sent free down the right. He waits and cuts it back to Silva, who exchanges passes before shooting over. 13:15 - First chance of the game for Nacional as Fernandez hits a snapshot wide following a quick break from a Penarol goal kick 19:25 - Nacional struggle to clear a corner several times before Amado forces a fine save from thirty yards. Fernandez sends a long ball clear which is only just caught by Garcia on the Penarol by-line. His cross is cleared, and on the next move Nacional are caught offside. 27:51 - Estoyanoff fires a shot high and wide after being sent through once again. 33:10 - It's all happening down the left of the pitcch as Nacional break again, forcing a corner from a fine shot. It's cleared, and the score remains level. 38:21 - A long-throw catches out the high Penarol line, and Garcia races through. Bizera brings him down in the box...PENALTY TO NACIONAL. He is booked, and Garcia picks himself up to take it. 1-0 NACIONAL! Penalty smashed high into the net...keeper had no chance. 45:00+1 - A flat free-kick is fired into the box, but Nacional hold firm and deny Penarol twice. The ball rolls out for a throw-in, and that's half-time HALF TIME SCORE: NACIONAL 1 - 0 PENAROL 45:00 - Nacional kick-off, hoping they can hold firm and deny their oldest rivals. 53:21 - A corner for Penarol which is cleared twice, and Nacional break through Garcia. The Penarol defence parts like the Red Sea, but luckily one gets back in time to force the Nacional striker wide. His shot is fumbled by the keeper, and then forced out for a corner. Penarol living dangerously here. The corner is cleared, and Penarol almost break, but it is cut out. 57:55 - Nunez wins a free-kick right in the corner after a foul from Arismendi. He's already been booked...AND NOW HE'S SENT OFF! NACIONAL DOWN TO 10 MEN! The fans seem to think it was worth it as the free-kick is easily cleared. 62:44 - Nicolini slams a shot just wide of the post from the edge of the box after good approach work. It's all looking a little desperate at the moment. 66:53 - An Estoyanoff free-kick is easily saved as it's floated right down the throat of Bava in the Nacional goal. 69:23 - Another well-worked move, but Penarol are still having to fire from distance. Estoyanoff having a good game, but his 18-yard shot flashes wide. 72:46 - A deep corner from Estoyanoff...surely in?! No! Bizera thought he had atoned for his penalty tackle, but his header goes right across the goal and back to Estoyanoff. The second cross doesn't beat the first man, and the ball is cleared. Massive moment in this game. 79:23 - A rare chance for Nacional as they win a free-kick on the edge of the box. The first chance is cleared, but then a shot from range is tipped over by the Penarol keeper for a corner. They can't force an opening from it, but win another free kick, this time in a perfect shooting position. Amado - who was booked for the first free-kick - is lucky not to be sent walking for that one. Castillo then makes an absolute peach of a save, with the shot heading for the top-corner. 83:49 - Penarol look out of ideas as Nacional keep the ball in the attacking third. Another free kick is headed clear, but Nacional retain the ball and start to spray it around. Eventually, after a long spell of possession, Alonso's shot is blocked, and time ticks on. 90:00+1 - Penarol forced to play the ball either long or backwards, but Nacional are equal to it. Suddenly though, a headed clearance only goes as far as the Penarol left back. Caceres sprays the ball left and Rodriguez is off into space. He hits the box and fires a cross in, but it's headed away. Nacional go to clear...NO! A mix-up between two defenders and Piriz steals in, smashing a shot towards goal. De Los Santos blocks with his chest, but can't stop Fernandez following up...SAVED BY BAVA! The ball is thumped clear, and Penarol heads are down. That was the golden chance they had been waiting for. 90:00+3 - Penarol are forced to hit it long, but every pass seems to be either putting players under pressure, or just going straight to a man in white. And that's the final whistle! Nacional survive to claim a priceless win! FULL TIME SCORE: NACIONAL 1 - 0 PENAROL Manager Reactions SCHULZ: We didn't deserve to win this one. Nothing hurts more than a defeat to a rival, especially when it's the first time you've faced them as a manager. We'll come back strong from this, and we'll be giving a much better performance the next time we meet. KUIPERS: I'm delighted at the result, and I don't think it flatters us at all. I felt we were the better side, and we nullified Penarol, and Schulz' tactics. I don't think the sending off really changed things - we would have beaten them with eleven men anyway. Current Table Five games to go, and Nacional edge ahead by three points. Defensor are the clear favourites for the stage win, but either side can easily catch them. The key match now becomes the Nacional vs Sporting tie in a few weeks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Apertura 2013 Penarol We recovered from our derby day defeat to Nacional, only losing one more game in our final five to finish strongly. That final day defeat to El Tanque ended up not really mattering to the overall table anyway. I was proud of the players for how they responded. We didn't play well in the derby, but then neither did Nacional really. We had a little bit of ill discipline, and paid for it. What matters is how you react from defeat, and I think we did very well. Of course, thanks to our title win last season, we had a little jaunt in the Copa Sudamericana during the Apertura. It's pretty much the Europa League for South America, but with a big difference - the big sides are always entered. It runs from August to December, and involves - at least in Uruguay - the winners of one of the stages. I think it's the clausura. It's all done and dusted by the time the spring comes around, the the Libertadores roars into life. So potentially we can win both competitions in one year, but to be honest I'm not too hopeful. We're a minnow in South America, despite our proud history, so this tournament seemed like a bit of a distraction at first. We always seemed to have big mid-week games on the Wednesday, then faced a huge league game on the Saturday. In fact, Nacional played us just days after one of our ties. But, as you'll see, it had its benefits... Check that out! We went into the tournament expecting a few ties before being dumped out, but what you're looking at is progression to the final of the tournament. I expected to be dumped out by Sao Paulo, probably supported by millions of Nacional fans due to their new link, but after grabbing an away goal in the first leg, we got over the blow of losing two in the second leg to win the tie 3-2. An absolutely fantastic result, and suddenly I could dare to dream. It didn't get any easier in the quarter final, facing Portuguesa, but our first leg performance, particularly Estoyanoff, got us through. Again in the semis, I thought we would come up short, but for forty-five glorious minutes, we were free and easy against the might of Velez Starsfield. 3-0 up and cruising, before reality bit, and they mounted a second half come-back. Three goals later it was 3-3, and the final whistle blew. Absolutely deflating, but we could hold onto those priceless away goals and hope. And hold we did, playing out an absolute war of a second leg, frustrating the Argentinians so much that we played out a goal-less draw, and advanced to the final. Absolutely fantastic. In that final, we faced Sport Recife of Brazil. Not the biggest name, but we were clear underdogs. We lose 1-0 in the first leg in Brazil, and as such came home with no away goals. Always a dangerous position to be in, and so it proved in the second leg. They got another goal, so despite our four minute double salvo, although it was 2-2, we were still going out on away goals. I'll just leave these two here... [video=youtube;v6jiO10GcuI] Yes, Aguiar really did have the presence of mind to chest it down on the edge of the box and rifle it into the corner of the net. In the 93rd minute. To win the game. Epic scenes followed, and Recife had no time to get back into it. We were Copa Sudamericana winners. Unbelievable. Nacional Much as it pained us, we had to watch as Penarol picked up a trophy in the Sudamericana. Not ideal, but we could only concentrate on our own football. What really mattered is who came out on top in the league, and we had taken a massive step forward in that sense with our win in the derby. Unfortunately, although we came close to matching Penarol's results, crucially we drew our match with Racing, leaving us two points behind our rivals in the final table. A bitterly disappointing result, but to be honest, with Defensor clinching the title, it didn't really matter where we finished. Obviously it would've been nice to have beaten Penarol, but it's early days yet. So Defensor Sporting take the title, but it's a good showing from both Nacional and Penarol. The fans will disagree though, and they'll demand the title in the Clausura stage. [/center] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Mid-Season Break 2013/14 Penarol A break at Christmas allowed us to change our squad a little, but I didn't plan to do much with money being tight. Then this happened. The board must've still been on the sauce from the Sudamericana win, as they boosted our budget by several million. In the end though, only two players arrived, with one leaving on a free transfer. Very happy with my business. We brought in a very good striker who will slot straight into the side, and a young right sided player who should feature long after Estoyanoff has finally stopped terrorising the Nacional defence. It looked like I wouldn't manage to get him, with my initial transfer being cancelled due to him failing a medical (he was about for five weeks). I put in a pre-contract agreement instead, resigning myself to having to wait until the summer. As an "I wonder", I clicked the Buy Now button, and lo and behold he arrived without the need for a medical. Once he's recovered, I'll start slotting him in. Nacional No business done at Christmas, leaving the side that finished 3rd in the Opening Stage untouched while they attempt to do better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Clausura Stage 2013/14 The Montevideo Clasico If you wondered, no this match was not the first of the league stage. However, the way I worked the screenshots, I don't have the before and afters, so to avoid spoilers, I'll cover that one before we go on with the rest of the season. |-----------------------------------------------------|| TIE HISTORY ||-----------------------------------------------------|| GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |---------|-----------------|------|------------------|| 511 | 182 (650) | 163 | 166 (611) | |---------|-----------------|------|------------------|| DATE | COMPETITION | WINNER | RESULT | |---------|-----------------|-------------------------|| 2/11/13 | Apertura | NACIONAL | 1-0 | |---------|-----------------|-------------------------|| GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |---------|-----------------|------|------------------|| 512 | 182 (650) | 163 | 167 (612) ||-----------------------------------------------------|-----|| Pos. | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts || 1st | Penarol | 182 | 163 | 167 | 650 | 612 | +38 | 709 || 2nd | Nacional | 167 | 163 | 182 | 612 | 650 | -38 | 664 ||-----------------------------------------------------------| 00:00 - Nacional kick off in the cauldron-like atmosphere of the Estadio Centenario. They'll be hoping to repeat their victory in the Opening Stage. 01:23 - A free kick on the far left is fired into the Nacional box, but it is cleared to Garcia who starts the break. He is held up, but still manages to get to a crossing position. Alvarez can only nod wide though, and the first chance is gone. 02:32 - After some pressure from Nacional, Penarol find their way up the pitch. Estoyanoff slides a perfect through ball to Elbio Alvarez, and he rattles the crossbar with a rasping shot. So unlucky from the Penarol winger. 07:24 - Nunez is sent away down the left from a throw-in and plays a neat one-two with Aguiar. Nunez tries a cross but it's too close to the keeper. But he can only parry, and ESTOYANOFF SCORES! PENAROL ARE AHEAD! A disaster for Bava in the Nacional goal, and the majority of fans in the stadium are going wild! 14:31 - Penarol continue to pressure down the left side, and Nunez is sent free, but can only shoot straight at the keeper. A let-off there for the men in white. 17:40 - Nacional win a corner after a well struck shot is tipped over. They really should have done better with that one. The resulting corner is cleared at the second attempt, but Gonzalez picks it up. Penarol's pressure forces them back, and the ball is played all the way back to Bava. 23:01 - Nunez proves a fantastic out-ball as Penarol clear again. He bursts around Scotti, but he is brought down, and the Nacional man has already been booked...he's off! Scotti has been sent off, and that's the second red card in the two Montevideo derbies. 25:21 - The ten men respond well, slipping the offside trap, but then shooting over the bar. It was close though. Penarol will be hoping for a killer blow soon. 32:20 - Penarol dominating here and another attack down the left almost results in a goal. Gunino had ages to shoot, but his shot was eventually blocked. After the ball is cleared, there is some scrappy play in midfield before Penarol break again. Nicolini has more time, but he shoots far too early, the ball flying over the bar. Big chance missed. 45:00 - And that's half time. Penarol will no doubt be the happier, but Nacional will take hope in the fact there's only one goal in it. 45:00 - And Penarol get us underway in the second half. 47:00 - A free-kick from deep is spilled by the Penarol keeper, and hearts are in mouths. NOthing comes of it though. Penarol clear, and attack down the right. Estoyanoff gets to the by-line and crosses to the far post, straight onto Alvarez' right foooooot...WHAT A GOAL! PENAROL ARE 2-0 UP! DISASTER FOR NACIONAL! 60:32 - A corner is headed just wide from Nacional. They look resigned to a bad result here. 63:06 - A long kick from the keeper is touched on, and the Penarol offside trap is beaten once again. Gonzalez slipped in...AND THAT'S A GOAL BACK! PENAROL 2 - 1 NACIONAL! That makes things very interesting. 65:03 - Penarol are rushed in possession now, and they don't look like the side they were at 2-0. Bava almost gifts them a third though with a terrible clearance, but the defenders smuggle it away to save his blushes. 71:22 - There's pinball in the Nacional box as Penarol smell a third, but the referee blows for a free-kick. Not sure what happened there. BUT THAT'S A SECOND YELLOW FOR AGUIAR! He's saying it's a push, but I'm not sure about that one! A massive moment in this match, as both teams are down to ten men. 75:46 - A deep cross is headed back out towards Nicolini who smashes a shot goalwards, but Bava is equal to it, making a flying save. Penarol look most likely here. 80:53 - Penarol's offside trap ripped apart once again, but there are question marks over Garcia's run there! He is about to pull the trigger before he is expertly tackled. Capurro has the chance from three yards, but the keeper gets back to block. Amazing stuff here, and Penarol hang on as we move into the final ten minutes. 89:01 - Nacional are growing and growing here, and after some slick movement in the midfield, there's a 3 on 4 going. Gonzalez pings it over the line of defence, and now it's with Diaz, one-on-one with the keeper...HE SCORES! NACIONAL HAVE DONE IT! IT'S 2-2! 90:00+3 - And the full time whistle blows. Penarol will not quite be able to believe they've not won this one. A terrible collapse from them, but a wonderful comeback from Nacional. Penarol What can I say? We ****** it up. By the time we met Nacional, we had already lost two matches, but knew that a win there would see us move ahead. Unfortunately, that demoralising draw led us into quite a horrific tailspin. We lost three of the remaining five, and slipped disappointingly down the table. It may have been partially down to our Libertadores stint... Unfortunately, we didn't even have a nice outcome to that. Cerro Porteno were there for the taking in the final game, with the winner taking the second qualifying spot. Unfortunately for us, neither side won, and that favoured Cerro. They went through at our expense, leaving us to concentrate on our crumbling league form. Nacional That 2-2 draw allowed us to breathe a little as it halted a Penarol charge, but we had a fantastic stage as a whole. Our loss to Juventud was regrettable, but to remain unbeaten in the remaining 14 matches, with only three draws, was fantastic. With almost two thirds of our matches ending with a clean-sheet, it's been a good one for our defenders as well as our forwards. Fantastic viewing for Nacional fans, but Penarol fans are now very quickly forgetting that they won the Sudamericana just six months ago as they finish a massive eight points off their rivals. The overall table made for better viewing, but the disappointing Clausura stage looms large here too. Comfortably the best two sides in the country though. For Nacional, the season was not over, as they faced Defensor Sporting in a two-legged play-off to decide the National Champion. It wasn't the demolition that the first leg teased, but most of the work was done there as Defensor couldn't find that crucial second goal at their home ground. Patrick Kuipers was not too happy that his side almost threw it away, but in the end it's a results game, and Nacional were Champions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Season Round-up After the first season, I think both managers have reasons to be cheerful. Both have managed a trophy, with Nacional manager Patrick Kuipers technically managing two (not sure if each stage has a trophy). A good start, rewarded by both Kuipers and Schulz being offered new contracts, but the latter had to ask for one for some reason. The Hall of Fame isn't being bothered by either man yet, but Schulz has edged ahead thanks to his continental trophy win. The head to head record hasn't changed an awful lot thanks to only two matches being played, but battle lines are already being drawn. |-----------------------------------------------------|| TIE HISTORY ||-----------------------------------------------------|| GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |---------|-----------------|------|------------------|| 511 | 182 (650) | 163 | 166 (611) | |---------|-----------------|------|------------------|| DATE | COMPETITION | WINNER | RESULT | |---------|-----------------|-------------------------|| 2/11/13 | Apertura | NACIONAL | 1-0 | | 5/4/14 | Clausura | DRAW | 2-2 | |---------|-----------------|-------------------------|| GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |---------|-----------------|------|------------------|| 513 | 182 (650) | 164 | 167 (612) ||-----------------------------------------------------|-----|| Pos. | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts || 1st | Penarol | 182 | 164 | 167 | 652 | 614 | +38 | 710 || 2nd | Nacional | 167 | 164 | 182 | 614 | 652 | -38 | 665 ||-----------------------------------------------------------| Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffy89 Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 think both managers can be happy but Kuipers must be especially pleased. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 First blood to the white and bit-of-blue's. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs End of Season Awards Penarol Fully deserved. Estoyanoff was at the heart of most of the good play this season, and was often the only player to come out of games we lost with pass marks. So important. Schulz also got Manager of the Year, which was a curious award given he won nothing domestically. I can only imagine that this takes into account other competitions, otherwise this is a strange decision. Good, healthy profits after a good season. Nacional Financially, we're making a profit, which is great obviously. It's not quite as big as Penarol's, but then we haven't had the same run in the continental competitions. This should change next year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Pre-season 2014/15 Just before I run-down the transfers, here's something I didn't bring you earlier on. That is a record of an U20 derby that took place towards the end of the season in a competition called the U20 Copa Libertadores. It's of course not as big a deal as the senior one, but it's probably the pinnacle for the youth teams. And that is the final you're looking at. Yes, our two youth teams were the two best on the continent, with Nacional edging the match with a thriller. The future is very bright for both clubs. Penarol Close to doubling our money from a new shirt sponsorship, so it clearly pays to be Sudamericana champions. Nacional A bit of a boost in sponsorship, but we still lag behind Penarol in terms of money brought in. The stand-out signing in there is probably the last one, and you're probably wondering "Why?". Well, I had been chasing someone called Rivaldo, who at 41 still had the technical and mental attributes to be a success in our AMC formation. Unfortunately, he failed a medical, and as the transfer window drew to a close, I went for another ageing AMC, but unfortunately one not quite as good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Apertura 2014/15 Nacional We didn't just win all of our opening games, we absolutely crushed everyone who stood before us. A sea of green results left us free and clear at the top of the table going into the crunch match against Penarol. All in all, extremely happy with how things are going. Penarol A bit of a wretched start if I'm honest. Despite managing clean sheets in all of our wins, it seemed that as soon as the opposition scored, we panicked massively to the point where we either drew or lost. I know that isn't really the case, but it sure felt like it. That meant that going into the derby, we were a massive seven points off the pace. A win for Nacional would pretty much end any hopes of us catching them. Things weren't much better in the competition we won last year. We crashed out at the quarter final stage to Lanus of Argentina, and deservedly so I have to admit. A similar story as we went up against the Copa Libertadores winners Athletico Mineiro. That result in the first leg was always going to come back to hurt us, and as Mineiro rained in the away goals in the second leg, we couldn't quite get back in front. Disappointing, but not unexpected. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Apertura 2014/15 The Montevideo Clasico |-----------------------------------------------------| | TIE HISTORY | |-----------------------------------------------------| | GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |---------|-----------------|------|------------------| | 511 | 182 (650) | 163 | 166 (611) | |---------|-----------------|------|------------------| | DATE | COMPETITION | WINNER | RESULT | |---------|-----------------|-------------------------| | 2/11/13 | Apertura | NACIONAL | 1-0 | | 5/4/14 | Clausura | DRAW | 2-2 | |---------|-----------------|-------------------------| | GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |---------|-----------------|------|------------------| | 513 | 182 (650) | 164 | 167 (612) | |-----------------------------------------------------|-----| | Pos. | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | | 1st | Penarol | 182 | 164 | 167 | 652 | 614 | +38 | 710 | | 2nd | Nacional | 167 | 164 | 182 | 614 | 652 | -38 | 665 | |-----------------------------------------------------------| A massive game here for both sides, and for very different reasons. Nacional are on an amazing run, seven wins on the trot, and seven points clear of Penarol. For them, a win would cement their position at the top, and surely make them massive favourites for the Apertura title. A win for Penarol would throw a spanner in the works, and maybe open up the stage battle to the chasing pack. 00:00 - Penarol kick off, and surely the pressure is all on them here at home, having never beaten Kuipers Nacional. 03:40 - After a spell of possession from Nacional, Penarol steal the ball and play it long towards Rangel. Estoyanoff receives the ball and crosses well, but Rangel can't meet it. The ball falls as far as Pantsil...who hits the post! A stinging shot from the edge of the box! 05:04 - A free-kick from the left from last year's Nacional fans' player of the year Cuae Fernandes floats straight into Castillo's hands, and he launches it long towards Rangel. The bounce beats the defender, and Rangel is in here! He shoots, and hits the bar! He really should have done better with that... 17:38 - A goal-kick is charged down in midfield, and Nacional have the ball. It's sent wide to Pereyra, but Ramon is equal to him, and gets it clear. He sends a wonderful cross-field ball to Estoyanoff, and suddenly Penarol are breaking here. He plays a perfect through-ball to Olivera, who shoots...but the keeper turns it onto the bar! Three hits of the woodwork already today, and Penarol look in the mood. 21:25 - A long ball forward from Pantsil, and Estoyanoff wins a free-kick in the corner. It's wasted though, cleared easily by the first man. Nacional keep possession well, stretching the defence before trying the killer ball. Pantsil should clear, but what a mistake, giving it straight to Garcia! But he can only shoot straight at Castillo. Big chance missed. 26:39 - Castillo hits it long once again, and Rodriguez nods it in-field to Bruno Rangel, who turns on the pace, driving towards goal. A good shot, but Bava is equal to it, turning it around the post for a corner. From the resulting corner, Bava makes another great save - he's keeping his team in this here! 37:25 - Pantsil throws into the corner for Olivera, who is tripped by Diaz, and this could spell more derby trouble! It's a second yellow, and a red card for Diaz! Nightmare for Nacional, who are already under the cosh! 45:00+1 - And that's half-time. Penarol have had more of the game, but it's still level so far. HALF-TIME SCORE: PENAROL 0 - 0 NACIONAL 45:00 - Nacional kick off - can they hang on with ten men? 48:07 - Nacional take the game to Penarol, pinging it around the pitch before Pereyra shoots wide from the edge of the box. Had a bit more time there. 53:07 - Bava takes the goal-kick long, but Fernandes loses out in the air, and Estoyanoff might be away here down the right. He cuts inside, and he's beyond the last defender! He steadies himself...AND PUTS PENAROL AHEAD! THE MAN FOR THE BIG OCCASION HAS MADE IT 1-0! 71:33 - Nacional don't look like they're getting back into this at the moment, just not getting the chances. Penarol will be happy with that. Pantsil throws in and receives the ball back, sending a low cross in. It's cleared, and Nacional try to break. Cesar tries to play the ball in-field, but that's intercepted by Bruno Rangel! He fires it into Olivera's path, and he's away, one-on-one with the keeper! AND HE MAKES NO MISTAKE! PENAROL ARE TWO UP! 73:15 - Nacional are wavering on the edge here. A well-worked move sends the ball all the way back to Pantsil, who forces a good save from Bava, turning behind for a corner. Could this get embarrassing? Penarol are inches away from making it three from the corner, as a header flashes just past the post. 84:24 - Nacional should get one back. Pantsil is robbed fifty yards out, and Garcia is sent through. He has a lot to do, but his shot flashes far too wide. You have to make the keeper work there. 90:00+2 - AND THAT'S THE FINAL WHISTLE! A WONDERFUL PENAROL PERFORMANCE, AND NACIONAL LOSE THEIR UNBEATEN RUN! FULL-TIME SCORE: PENAROL 2 - 0 NACIONAL Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Apertura 2014/15 Nacional It was a huge blow to lose to Penarol, but more than anything it seemed to put doubt into the minds of the Nacional players. Not immediately though, as they followed up the loss with two comfortable victories. However, they won only two of their last five games, and drew another, dropping more points than they picked up. That final day loss was particularly galling, but would it make a difference in the title race? Penarol If Nacional were nervous after being beaten, then Penarol maybe should have tried the same mindset as they ran out against Cerro. They lost 6-2 to immediately hand a seven point lead back to Nacional. It was back to square one, but then something seemed to click in the minds of the players, and a winning run was started. They didn't quite match Nacional's seven in a row from earlier in the season, but they did manage six, and did it without losing a single goal. On the final day, their fans knew that Nacional were behind, and willed the team on against Defensor. They needn't have bothered though, as their side ran out easy 5-0 winners. But was it enough? Just. Penarol take the stage by a single point after Nacional's collapse. As brilliant a performance as Nacional's was tragic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Mid-Season Break 2014/15 This didn't strictly fall during the break, but as both sides will now be in Libertadores action during the Clausura Stage, I'm going to bring you the draw now. I haven't the faintest idea how seedings work in the Libertadores, and Wikipedia hasn't shed any more light. As far as I can tell, it's geographically split, but with the chance of two teams from the same nation meeting if one made it through the preliminary rounds (and thus ended up in pot 4). That explains why Penarol were now in the bottom pot, despite being in the first last time. Nacional slot into pot 2, but I don't think this really means much, as there are giants in every pot. Both sides know they will have to beat a giant if they're to progress, with Athletico Mineiro hoping to continue their fine performance in the Recopa against Penarol. Flamengo will be most Penarol supporters favourite other team, as not only are they the parent club, they're also up against Nacional. You'd probably argue that Penarol have the tougher group, with both Argentinian and Brazilian opposition. However, Nacional's Mexican opponents Toluca will be no pushovers either. If either team qualifies, their managers will be ecstatic. I know what you're thinking - what are the chances of a meeting in the knockout stages? Well people, there's certainly a chance, but it's unlikely, and let me tell you why. Basically, instead of just having a good old draw that takes four hours like UEFA do (#platineematinee) COMNEBOL take a much different approach. Group winners are ranked in a table by how many points they achieved, as are the runners-up. Then the first knockout round is drawn so that the top winner plays the bottom runner-up. 2nd plays, 2nd bottom, 2rd plays 3rd bottom, etc etc. I'm undecided on whether this is absolute madness or devious genius. It certainly should show massive favour to the bigger teams, but in the past, this has not proved correct. It does reward the teams who have played the best in the group stages though, which I'm a fan of. Of course, given we may only just sneak through, we could have an absolute nightmare draw come the second round. Out of interest, if UEFA took the same approach, we'd have the following draw. Real Madrid v Zenit Atletico Madrid v Galatasaray Bayern Munich v Milan Man Utd v Schalke PSG v Olympiacos Barcelona v Leverkusen Chelsea v Arsenal Dortmund v Man City Instead of... Man City v Barcelona Olympiacos v Man Utd Milan v Atletico Madrid Leverkusen v PSG Galatasaray v Chelsea Schalke v Real Madrid Zenit v Dortmund Arsenal v Bayern Munich Got to say, looking at like that I kind of prefer the South American way. Zenit should be punished for their dreadful 6 point qualification by facing the best team from the group stages. But it does mean that most of the favourites would progress. The real draw has certainly added some spice with the ties. Anyway, back on topic, I would love to have a Montevideo derby in this competition. I'd "Kevin Keegan" Love it Penarol A few arrivals and a few departures, but youth was clearly the word of the moment in Penarol. Three highly rated youngsters join, along with a loan signing from parent club Flamengo. Whether the three youngsters will play a part this season I'm not sure, all depends on how we're doing. I'm really excited about the future though. Nacional Just one arrival, but this one could be a doozy. At only 21, Joao Schmidt can play another on the central spine of midfield, and has plenty of room to grow. I did try and bring in a few more players, but wages are not our strong point. A lot of higher profile players balked at the prospect of almost halfing their wages, so rejected our approach. We'll have the last laugh when we're top of South America. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 And that's yer lot for now. I think I'm about six games into the Clausura, but with both sides in Libertadores action, it's a bit slower going. Hopefully get an update up on Friday at the latest, maybe even tomorrow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
b101 Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Enjoying this so far - good to see you off the mark in terms of trophies Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Clausura 2014/15 Nacional Well, what can I say other than we had an absolutely woeful start to the stage. Three defeats all in, with one of them coming in a crunch Libertadores game, and the other two consigning us to the bottom of the table. It was around then that my star AMC got injured, so I moved to a 4-1-3-2 formation, pulling the AMC back into the main midfield. You can see how that went, as the team went unbeaten in the league, and only lost to Flamengo in the Libertadores, which let's face it was expected. This puts us in a decent position going into the big derby. We lost it in the Apertura phase, and deservedly so - we're determined to put that right this time around. We're not in the qualifying spots in the Libertadores yet, but a good result against Morelia would give us a good chance - providing Flamengo do us a favour by keeping up their pace. Penarol If Nacional started slowly before picking up pace, we started at a gallop and never quite let up. Unbeaten in all competitions, we're flying high. Our first game was a bit of a wobbler, drawing against Rampla Juniors who had only just been promoted that season. But we went on a bit of a run before hitting a sticky patch of draws, two in each competition. We still sit at the top of the table though. The one worry though is that Nacional have really picked up their form, and if they beat us in the derby, they go top. Sitting pretty at the top, but we've only won one of our three games. Last year is fresh in our minds, where we needed a win in the final game, and couldn't manage it. We face Oriente in the final match, and that is by no means a certainty of a win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Clausura 2014/15 The Montevideo Clasico |------------------------------------------------------| | TIE HISTORY | |------------------------------------------------------| | GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | 511 | 182 (650) | 163 | 166 (611) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | DATE | COMPETITION | WINNER | RESULT | |----------|-----------------|-------------------------| | 2/11/13 | Apertura | NACIONAL | 1-0 | | 5/4/14 | Clausura | DRAW | 2-2 | | 18/10/14 | Apertura | PENAROL | 2-0 | |----------|-----------------|-------------------------| | GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | 514 | 183 (654) | 164 | 167 (614) | |------------------------------------------------------|-----| | Pos. | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | | 1st | Penarol | 183 | 164 | 167 | 654 | 614 | +38 | 713 | | 2nd | Nacional | 167 | 164 | 182 | 614 | 654 | -38 | 665 | |------------------------------------------------------------| Last time out, I said it was a massive game for both sides, mainly due to Nacional's dominance, with Penarol threatening to get back into it. This time, it's the other way around. A win for Penarol would make them massive favourites for the title, but a win for Nacional would see them overtake their rivals, and most likely end the day in top spot. Both sides have struggled to juggle Libertadores and Domestic football, but there is no doubt that we'll see another close, hard-fought game. The odds on a red-card are high, with every single game resulting in at least one so far. There have also been no goal-less draws, so excitement is expected. 00:00 - Penarol kick off, and know that a win here will give them a great chance of taking the closing stage. 07:48 - Penarol throw deep in the Nacional half. Ball sprayed around on the edge of the box before a shot is unleashed...but straight into the waiting hands of Bava. 08:22 - Another throw in down the line to Bruno Rangel, but he can't make anything of the run. A clearance only as far as Penarol's defence and they attack again. A cross in from the right, and a keeper fumble, but they can't make anything of it. It goes out for a corner, then another, and then another. And then yet another. Penarol heaping on the pressure. At the 4th attempt, it drifts long, and it's a goal kick. 16:08 - A free-kick floated in from Nacional straight into the keepers hands, but its a shot on target. 18:16 - Some neat passing on the half-way line, and the high line has been broken! Bruno Rangel through on goooooal...1-0 PENAROL! Just what the game needed. 27:19 - How can Nacional respond to this? Well, they'll certainly have to chase the game now. A throw in down the right flank leads to a crossing opportunity, but it is easily cleared. Nacional build from the back, and finally spring forward from another failed offside trap. But they strike the bar from the resulting shot - a big miss from them. 30:15 - Nacional are really growing into this game, and despite the lead Penarol look shaky. Their offside trap has been sprung on several occasions. And it could be again here, a lobbed pass nodded on towards Cesar who hits it first tiiiime...GOAL FOR NACIONAL! CASTILLO GETS A HAND TO IT, BUT CAN'T STOP IT FROM RIPPLING THE NET! 1-1! 34:44 - A free kick for Penarol leads to a quick counter-attack for Nacional, but the run is blocked, and the ball goes out for a throw. Suddenly it's Penarol who are hanging on. But then suddenly there's a counterattack of their own, and Penarol charge forward. The shot is blocked at the last moment though, and the move comes to nothing. 36:55 - Penarol aren't just wobbling now, they're visibly shaking. Caue Fernandes eases pressure on the Nacional back-line by hitting it long, and once again it drifts over the high line to Garcia. He has acres of space, and makes no mistake from 18 yards! IT'S 2-1 TO NACIONAL! PENAROL HAVE COLLAPSED HERE! 38:44 - What can Penarol do to stem this tide? They've been caught twice in behind, but there is no sign of manager Klaus Schulz changing things here. He may be of the opinion that dropping back will just let Nacional control the midfield, but that won't matter if they find any more goals. A free kick deep in the Nacional half here. It's struck long and again Cesar has slipped the offside trap again! Surely not...IT IS! IT'S 3-1! UNBELIEVABLE! THE PENAROL FANS ARE FURIOUS WITH THEIR TEAM! 45:00 + 1 - And that's half-time. Penarol will be glad to get in to the sanctuary of the dressing room, but I get the feeling that there won't be much comfort in there. Nacional haven't really been much the better side, but they find themselves 3-1 up. A big 45 minutes coming up. 45:00 - Nacional kick off, and they're just 45 minutes away from a priceless victory. 46:14 - A long goal-kick from Nacional keeper Bava is headed forward by Valdez. Nicolini is unchallenged and moves it right to Aguiar, who plays a fantastic through-ball onto Bruno Rangel! Still a lot to do, but he rides aa tackle and then fires high into the net past the despairing keeper! IT'S 3-2 AND PENAROL HAVE A GOAL BACK! Could we be seeing an unlikely comeback here? 54:15 - This game is end-to-end as Nacional try and press high up the pitch before being pegged back. Penarol threaten to spring a counter, but eventually it falls to Estoyanoff on the right who fires high and wide. 58:09 - Ramon loses the ball in midfield, leaving a 3-on-3 attack. This has happened far too often to Penarol tonight. Cesar slips it in to Ze Vitor who plays a wonderful through-ball into space. Garcia has all the time in the world here! He sets himself...AND FIRES NACIONAL INTO A 4-2 LEAD! Game well and truly over now you feel! 65:03 - The pace has disappeared from this game. When that 4th goal went in, Penarol visibly deflated, and it's hard to see them getting back into this now. 71:06 - Penarol push higher and higher, but Nacional almost add a fifth as Garcia races clear again. Castillo just about forces it around the post for a corner. 77:42 - Nacional take the ball to the byline and a first time cross comes in, and hits the bar! Castillo was floundering with that one, and it almost sneaked in. 82:31 - Penarol have just eight minutes to find a way back into this game. Nacional with the goal-kick, but Penarol steal it away. The shot with Ramon is wild and wide though, and the clock ticks down. 90:00 + 2 - AND THAT'S FULL TIME! NACIONAL GRAB A MASSIVE RESULT HERE! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Clausura 2014/15 Nacional First up, we had an interesting development for Mr Kuipers. A job offer from Argentina, but of course not one I'm that interested in at the moment. I want a few more seasons in Uruguay before I move on, barring an astronomical offer from a huge club. The next day, I was offered a new contract. Happily signed. First up, the Libertadores. It was almost a fairy-tale run, but even as it was, it was still mightily impressive. We couldn't really touch Flamengo at the top, managing to fluke a win at home after being battered in Brazil. That loss to Toluca made those results invalid though, and it all came down to a final day battle in Montevideo against Toluca. We won that one, and went through to the second round. Unfortunately, that's where it ended. A bonkers first leg was followed by a reminder of exactly where we stand in South American football, as we ended up on the wrong end of a 7-6 aggregate score. Disappointing, but hardly world-ending. In the league, we stuttered a little after that Penarol game with a defeat to River Plate, but from then on screwed the heads on and battered all that stood before us, just like Penarol did in the Apertura Stage. But did that River Plate result cost us? Penarol I was also offered a new contract, with a much better budget than Nacional's. Gladly accepted. I said in the last update that we feared a repeat of last year, and that's just what happened. We had to win in our final game against Oriente, and hope that Mineiro or Belgrano didn't draw. In the end, the latter result didn't matter as we crashed to defeat against a team we really should have beaten. In the end it was academic, but if we can't win our own games, we don't deserve to go through. In the league, that Nacional result hurt us ,and we went out in the next game and lost again, this time to Wanderers. That cemented them as Nacional's main rivals for the stage title. Of course we already had the Apertura won, which meant that we would be in the play-off come the end of the season. But who would be our opponents? Oh good Lord. It's a Montevideo Play-off Derby. Scenes. In other news, poor old Miramar Missiones are relegated, despite finishing the Clausura in 4th. This is due to the accumulative points table, which over two seasons, shows that Miramar were the third worst team in the division. They had a fantastic Clausura, but will go down with the knowledge that one more point at any stage over the past two seasons would have saved them. Gutting. And a record of our dominance this season with the combined table. Fourteen and sixteen points clear respectively, but once again Nacional end up on top. Their budget is dwarfed by Penarol's, which makes Kuipers' achievement even better. Both sides now have to prepare for a two-legged tustle in the Centenario to determine who will be the overall Champions. I knew this kind of match was possible, and now it's a reality. It's going to be huge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Interesting to see honours even in the two stages this year, but there can only be one overall winner... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share Posted January 28, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Play-offs 2014/15 The Montevideo Clasico |------------------------------------------------------| | TIE HISTORY | |------------------------------------------------------| | GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | 511 | 182 (650) | 163 | 166 (611) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | DATE | COMPETITION | WINNER | RESULT | |----------|-----------------|-------------------------| | 2/11/13 | Apertura | NACIONAL | 1-0 | | 5/4/14 | Clausura | DRAW | 2-2 | | 18/10/14 | Apertura | PENAROL | 2-0 | | 24/03/15 | Clausura | NACIONAL | 4-2 | |----------|-----------------|-------------------------| | GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | 515 | 183 (656) | 164 | 168 (618) | |------------------------------------------------------|-----| | Pos. | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | | 1st | Penarol | 183 | 164 | 168 | 656 | 618 | +38 | 713 | | 2nd | Nacional | 168 | 164 | 183 | 618 | 656 | -38 | 668 | |------------------------------------------------------------| A huge game in the offing here as we bring you Penarol vs Nacional in the first leg of the Uruguayan First Division Play-off. Two games will decide the overall Champion of the country, and you couldn't have picked two better opponents. Nacional have had the better of their rivals in the four games they've played since Kuipers and Schulz took over, so the pressure will be on Penarol here you'd imagine. Anything could happen though. The experts agree that this one may end up being a draw, but you can't help but feel that one side will take the initiative here. 00:00 - Nacional kick off. 00:31 - After a spell of possession, Penarol win a free kick on the left touch-line. It looked like a dive though...the ball is fired in but it comes to nothing. Penarol try to attack again, but it's deflected out and it's a Penarol throw. Ramon chips it in after a quick one-two, but a long headed clearance finds Joao Schmidt just inside the Nacional half. The break could be on here! He chips forward to Garcia who takes it fantastically in his stride! He has an early shot, but it's turned round the post. Shades of the last derby there as Nacional exploited the high line. 01:44 - The corner is fired in, but its too long, and its easily headed away. 03:36 - Penarol have a corner on the left, and its fired deep towards Piriz. He nods it back into the danger area to Valdeeeeeez...GOAL FOR PENAROL! IT'S 1-0! HIS SECOND GOAL OF THE SEASON! 05:15 - A throw-in deep in the Penarol half, taken to Pintos just outside the box. Ball chipped towards Penalba on the edge of the box, and he directs a header that's only just tipped over the bar by Castillo. That one was close. Another corner. Penalba goes over to take it, and after a bit of a mess in the box, it's cleared to Baran. He could have had a run, but he's lumped it long, and given possession straight back to Nacional. Poor decision there. 07:10 - Penarol are pressured from a throw-in, and Nacional get it back. Joao Schmidt has a chance of a run at goal, but he's expertly tackled. The ball falls to Pintos, but there's another great defensive tackle that sends to ball to Rodriguez, and he can now break. End to end stuff here. He plays a perfect through ball on to Baran, who moves beyond Olivera who was offside. Baran slips it into Olivera, but he is blocked before he can get a shot away. Pintos picks up the loose ball and drives into the box, hitting a shot...WHICH FLIES PAST THE DESPAIRING GRASP OF BAVA! IT'S 2-0 PENAROL! Just eight minutes into the game, and Penarol are running away with this one. 14:21 - Pablo Pintos booked for diving - Nacional's discipline evaporating here. 16:21 - A poor throw from Penarol eventually leads to a Nacional break, but the shot at the end is weak and looping, and Castillo gathers easily. 23:25 - Penarol drive cross after cross into the Nacional box, and at the moment they can't quite cope witht he onslaught. They just about get the ball clear. 25:45 - Penarol seemed to be easing off, but suddenly they take advantage of Nacional moving up the pitch to send Pintos clear down the right. He tries to get a shot away, but it's blocked, and it's a corner. After a bit of a scare, it comes to nothing. 27:52 - Nacional have a free-kick, and Abreu worries the keeper, but it's too high. 28:42 - Penarol spill forward from a throw, and look dangerous once again. Nacional should clear, but Rodriguez steals the ball and motors towards goal. His shot is weak though, and Bava gratefully collects. 36:06 - A goal kick taken long, but the Nacional header falls straight to a Penarol defender. Some neat passing sends Baran free, and he has the pace to motor away from the left back. He skips one tackle, and then drifts a cross towards the far post. Plenty of Nacional defenders to deal with it, but Gorga gets a head on it to take it away from his team-mates! RODRIGUEZ SMASHES IT HOME PAST A HELPLESS BAVA! IT'S 3-0! 39:11 - Nacional win a free-kick just under thirty yards from goal, but Penalba can only smash it towards goal, and it drifts high over the bar. Poor effort. 41:01 - Nacional build from the back with a measured move that spreads the play all over the pitch. Romero picks it up in the midfield, and works it to Abreu who has a shot. Castillo can only parry towards Garcia...GOAL FOR NACIONAL! THEY'VE GOT ONE BACK! NO! IT'S DISALLOWED, WITH GARCIA ADJUDGED TO HAVE BEEN OFFSIDE. Big decision there. 45:00 +1 - And that's half-time. A big decision came just minutes ago as Nacional had a goal disallowed, but 3-0 is probably the right scoreline. Penarol have been brilliant. 45:00 - Penarol kick off. Job only a quarter done of course, but they're pretty comfortable. 47:00 - Not too many chances yet, but as Olivera recieves the ball in midfield he is chopped down by Ze Vitor! A very dangerous tackle, but what will the referee do...RED CARD! Nacional down to ten men, and things go from bad to worse. 51:17 - Nacional look unable to cope with Penarol at the moment. They can't clear their lines after each attack, and a shot from distance gathered by Bava allows them to breathe a massive sigh of relief. 56:36 - A corner from the right is flapped at by the Penarol keeper, but the defence does their bit to get the ball to safety. 65:35 - The ball goes into the feet of Alonso inside the Penarol half, but Valdez slides in from behind, and he's already been booked...ANOTHER RED CARD! PENAROL LEVEL THINGS UP TO 10 MEN EACH! Will it make a difference though? 73:17 - Nacional have a corner, but it's cleared all the way back to the half-way line. Diaz slides it back to his goalkeeper, and it's beginning to look like they'll never score tonight. The keepers clearance hangs in the air, and Olivera wins the header over Scotti to send the ball into space. Rodriguez is after this one, and he beats the defender to the ball easily, crossing with his second touch to Olivera...STRAIGHT THROUGH BAVA, AND THAT'S FOUR! AN UNBELIEVABLE EVENING IN THE CENTENARIO! 86:35 - THe pace has gone from this game, as well as Nacional's hopes of getting anything from it. Penarol take the free kick short to Rodriguez. Aguiar receives it, but dallies on the ball, and Nacional can try to break here. Alonso tries to find a team-mate, but Alcoba charges it down, and plays it back to his keeper. The clearance is poor though and Garcia steals it away from Gunino. He takes a shot, but it spoons onto the bar, and is smuggled clear at the second attempt. That could have been a priceless away goal there. 90:21 - Rodriguez receives the ball in acres of space, and then plays it into Aguiar to run onto. Nacional have to be careful here to stop it getting much worse. Aguiar skips past Gorga and drives towards the box before taking a shot which is tipped onto the post by Bava. That could have been five, and you'd have to say that would be the end of Nacional's hopes for the second leg. Aguiar gets a second chance, but Bava is equal to it again, pushing it away to his left and out for a throw. They survive for now. The throw gives Penarol a chance to exert some more pressure, and Aguiar is fouled on the edge of the box by Romero. Aguiar picks himself up and takes the kick, but it floats far wide. A poor effort, but it doesn't really matter at this stage. 92:00 - And that's full time. An unbelievable performance from Penarol, and they've run out 4-0 winners. It hasn't flattered them either. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share Posted January 28, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Play-offs 2014/15 The Montevideo Clasico |------------------------------------------------------| | TIE HISTORY | |------------------------------------------------------| | GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | 511 | 182 (650) | 163 | 166 (611) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | DATE | COMPETITION | WINNER | RESULT | |----------|-----------------|-------------------------| | 2/11/13 | Apertura | NACIONAL | 1-0 | | 5/4/14 | Clausura | DRAW | 2-2 | | 18/10/14 | Apertura | PENAROL | 2-0 | | 24/03/15 | Clausura | NACIONAL | 4-2 | | 17/05/15 | Play-off 1st | PENAROL | 4-0 | |----------|-----------------|-------------------------| | GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | 516 | 184 (660) | 164 | 168 (618) | |------------------------------------------------------|-----| | Pos. | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | | 1st | Penarol | 184 | 164 | 168 | 660 | 618 | +42 | 716 | | 2nd | Nacional | 168 | 164 | 184 | 618 | 660 | -42 | 668 | |------------------------------------------------------------| It's time for Nacional fans to look away, because this one could end up being a procession. A 4-0 win for Penarol in the first leg leaves Nacional with a mountainous ascent to even draw level in the tie, so you have to say that the Manyas are now heavy favourites. It was a performance full of verve and intensity in the first leg as Penarol raced into an early lead, and although it tightened up towards the end, the result was already determined. Now Nacional have a choice to make - do they go for it and risk losing by a similar scoreline, or do they go into damage limitation? I'm not sure the fans would allow either. 00:00 - And we're underway - but will this be nothing more than a dead rubber? 04:06 - Olivera is sent free, but the pass has too much pace on it, and Bava picks it up. Ball played in-field to Gorga, who works it to Gonzalez, and then on to Abreu. He holds it up, and then moves it to Joao Schmidt who is far beyond his marker...AND A WONDERFUL FINISH! JOAO SCHMIDT MAKES IT 1-0! Could this be the start of a comeback? 15:05 - Aguiar stands over the ball, free-kick on the left side of the Nacional box. The delivery causes some confusion, but eventually it's smashed out for a corner. Nacional need to make sure they don't panic here and lose an away goal. The corner comes to nothing. 20:51 - Abreu has a free-kick around thirty yards out, very central, but he can only fire it at the wall. He tries another shot, but it's blocked, and Penarol can break. Olivera holds it up, but he doesn't get support quickly enough and Nacional win it back. 38:09 - Rodriguez charges down the left and drifts a perfect cross in towards Olivera. Bava punches, but only as far as Ramon who draws a good save from his shot. 45:00 +1 - And that's half-time. A fairly uneventful half that has been edged by Penarol, but Nacional are still a goal ahead. Another one and Penarol minds may start to drift. 54:49 - Rodriguez fires in a cross from the left, but Olivera can only glance a header over the bar. 70:40 - Nacional still search for more goals and charge forward. Gonzalez moves into space, and then finds Abreu with a perfect through ball, but his shot is turned brilliantly over the bar by Castillo. That was the moment. The corner comes in, and falls to Garcia, who blazes the ball high and wide. Another chance missed. 74:00 - Olivera has a chance to put the game well beyond doubt, but he blazes his shot across goal and wide. Time running out for Nacional. 76:01 - Long free kick from Nacional, but it's straight to the Penarol keeper. Olivera gets another chance, but he hits a weak shot wide. Gunino then has a shot, a lot closer, but still over. Penarol look the most likely here. 80:44 - Gonzalez steals the ball from Alcoba, but he takes too long over his shot, and it's smothered by the keeper. He has another chance, but it's cleared and Penarol could have another chance here. Aguiar tries to drive into space, but Gorga hits a long clearance to relieve the pressure. Castillo advances, but misjudges the bounce! He gets a hand on it, and it bounces slowly around the post. That was a let-off. 83:03 - A free kick from deep in the Nacional half from Ramon. He sends it in towards Bruno Rangel...GOAL FOR PENAROL! THAT'S 1-1! You have to feel for Nacional here - they got the early goal, but since then have looked frustrated out there. A 1-0 win would have given them some pride back, but Penarol have made absolutely sure of themselves with that goal. They are surely Champions now. 90:41 - Bruno Rangel has a chance to add another, but his shot is deflected over the bar for a corner. Nacional have the white flag out now. 92:00 - AND THAT'S FULL TIME! PENAROL ARE CHAMPIONS! So Penarol are Champions...or...are they? You see, there was another twist in the Uruguayan tail, and one that I hadn't encountered before when managing. I was used to being Penarol, blitzing all in front of me and ending up as Champion without the need for a play-off. But even after this titanic battle, there was another tie to play. You see, when two different teams win the two stages, they play each other to determine a winner. That winner has to then go on and play the team that finished top of the overall table for that season. And who was that team? Yes. Another two rounds against the rivals, to determine who will truly be the Champions of Uruguay. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Play-offs 2014/15 The Montevideo Clasico |------------------------------------------------------| | TIE HISTORY | |------------------------------------------------------| | GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | 511 | 182 (650) | 163 | 166 (611) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | DATE | COMPETITION | WINNER | RESULT | |----------|-----------------|-------------------------| | 2/11/13 | Apertura | NACIONAL | 1-0 | | 5/4/14 | Clausura | DRAW | 2-2 | | 18/10/14 | Apertura | PENAROL | 2-0 | | 24/03/15 | Clausura | NACIONAL | 4-2 | | 17/05/15 | Play-off 1st | PENAROL | 4-0 | | 20/05/15 | Play-off 2nd | DRAW | 1-1 | |----------|-----------------|-------------------------| | GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | 517 | 184 (661) | 165 | 168 (619) | |------------------------------------------------------|-----| | Pos. | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | | 1st | Penarol | 184 | 165 | 168 | 661 | 619 | +42 | 717 | | 2nd | Nacional | 168 | 165 | 184 | 619 | 661 | -42 | 669 | |------------------------------------------------------------| ...and the rivalry resumes. Just days after Penarol secured the play-off win with a 1-1 draw, the two bitter rivals meet again, this time to decide the destination of the First Division trophy once and for all. Penarol will go in as big favourites, but Nacional will remember what happened a week ago, and you have to think that they are ready to get their revenge. 00:00 - Nacional kick off. The memories of that first leg drubbing must be fresh in their mind, so they'll be hoping to make a much better start this time around. Penarol steal it and move forward, but Olivera's chance is snuffed out thanks to a fantastic saving tackle from Alvarez. 20:23 - An uncharacteristically uneventful match here. Nacional have a throw, but the move breaks down, and Pintos tries to set Penarol off on the counter-attack. Baran misplaces a pass, and the move breaks down again. Not a good game so far. 22:15 - Aguiar flights in a free-kick, but it's headed straight back at him. He drives towards goal and forces a good save from Bava. 25:08 - A corner flighted in by Aguiar, and it's nodded down to Rodriguez who fires it into the net! But no, it's a foul by Olivera, and the goal will not stand. 31:29 - Cesar slips Garcia in behind the Penarol defence, but his shot only just glances by the post. Nacional are getting closer. 39:14 - Pintos breaks free down the right and plays a perfect ball into the feet of Gunino. His first touch takes him beyond the defender, but is the angle too narrow? NO! GUNINO FIRES IT UNDERNEATH THE KEEPER, AND IT'S IN! 1-0! 45:00+1 - And that's half-time. A pretty uneventful half, but lit up with Gunino's goal. 45:00 - Penarol get the second half under way, and they'll be hoping to add to their lead. They don't give Nacional a sniff of the ball and send a looping cross in from the left. Baran nods in a header, which falls inches wide. 53:47 - A mistake in defence allows Rodriguez to slip the ball through to Olivera, but his shot is way over the bar. A chance missed. 59:17 - Pintos finds Baran with a wonderful ball, and Diaz stops, claiming offside. The flag stays down, but his blushes are spared by a wonderful reaction save from Bava to deny Baran. 63:17 - Pintos is having a fantastic game here, and another lofted ball over the defence leaves Rodriguez with a fantastic chance. He rounds the keeper, but narrows the angle too much, and hits the post. Minutes later, Pintos is at it again, crossing in for Baran. His shot is turned wonderfully around the post by Bava. Penarol are growing into this game here. 71:29 - Nacional work it well into midfield via Bava, and Gonzalez receives the ball from Alonso. He continues his run, and Gonzalez chips a pass forward. Alcoba should clear up, but Alonso intercepts! Nacional are through here! AND IT'S 1-1! A LOW SHOT FIRED INTO THE FAR CORNER! A MASSIVELY IMPORTANT GOAL! 77:21 - Olivera slips the defence yet again, but Bava is equal to his rising shot, putting it out for a corner. It comes to nothing, and we await a winning goal. 87:27 - Nacional push for that winning goal, Capurro unleashing a flying volley, cleared by the defence. The follow-up shot rolls wide. 93:46 - Last chance of the game, and a Nacional corner from the right. Can they find a last-gasp winner? No. The ball falls to Cesar, but he fluffs his lines, and Olivera clears to the sound of the final whistle. A level game, which sets up a fine second leg. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kontermann Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Quite unusual approach to the game and storywise I´ll keep reading! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Play-offs 2014/15 The Montevideo Clasico |------------------------------------------------------| | TIE HISTORY | |------------------------------------------------------| | GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | 511 | 182 (650) | 163 | 166 (611) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | DATE | COMPETITION | WINNER | RESULT | |----------|-----------------|-------------------------| | 2/11/13 | Apertura | NACIONAL | 1-0 | | 5/4/14 | Clausura | DRAW | 2-2 | | 18/10/14 | Apertura | PENAROL | 2-0 | | 24/03/15 | Clausura | NACIONAL | 4-2 | | 17/05/15 | Play-off 1st | PENAROL | 4-0 | | 20/05/15 | Play-off 2nd | DRAW | 1-1 | | 24/05/15 | Champ. 1st | DRAW | 1-1 | |----------|-----------------|-------------------------| | GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | 518 | 184 (662) | 166 | 168 (620) | |------------------------------------------------------|-----| | Pos. | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | | 1st | Penarol | 184 | 166 | 168 | 662 | 620 | +42 | 718 | | 2nd | Nacional | 168 | 166 | 184 | 620 | 662 | -42 | 670 | |------------------------------------------------------------| This tie is finely poised after the 1-1 draw in the first leg, but of course Penarol have that away goal. Nacional will have to come out here and attack their opponents, which should make for a fantastic game for the neutral. Things will no doubt be tense in the stadium though. 00:00 - Nacional get us underway in the fourth meeting in as many weeks between these two. This has to be the most important of them all though. 01:20 - A bright start for Nacional. Abreu picks it up in midfield and slips it in to Capurro. His ball to Garcia is perfectly brought in to feet and away from the defender, and the striker chips it over the keeper...AND IN! NACIONAL ARE AHEAD! 03:10 - We said that Nacional would have to come out and attack, and within 80 seconds, they were ahead. A nightmare start for Penarol, but the momentum has swung violently in the other direction here. And now they have another chance to score - three times in fact! The Penarol defence holds firm to get it clear, but they're wobbling here. 09:36 - Guichon picks the ball up inside his own half, looking for a run from a yellow shirt. Olivera does, and the defender claims offside. Madness, as Olivera sprints on to the ball, giving him ages to pick his spot...GOAL! THAT'S THE EQUALISER! 14:29 - We're tied up here, and now the nerves will start to show. The way this game is going though, you have to say that Nacional have the edge - one more goal for them and it's trouble for Penarol. But they have the ball now. A throw from the left finds its way to Raguso. His cross is knocked down to Guichon, who squares it to Gunino...WHO FINDS THE CORNER OF THE NET! A FIRST TIME SHOT, AND PENAROL ARE AHEAD! 25:27 - Now we have a game on our hands. Since that goal, there's been an odd atmosphere in the stadium. Penarol are ahead, but one goal for Nacional is going to change everything. They want to go for a third, but know that if they concede, they're in trouble. And that looks to be the case as Penarol find themselves in a spot of bother, their one-touch passing intercepted. A bit of a scrappy game at the moment, with Penarol winning a free kick. Estoyanoff's shot grazes the top of the bar, but the keeper had it covered. 31:33 - Gunino gets a crossing opportunity, but Olivera's header goes over the bar. Penarol turning the screw here. 40:46 - Garcia holds the ball up well, waiting for support. Abreu holds up, and then finds Penalba in the box...AND HE SLIPS IT UNDER THE KEEPER! NACIONAL ARE LEVEL AGAIN! 47:03 - And that's half time. Penarol's uncharacteristically leaky defence has put Nacional ahead on away goals. 50:41 - Penarol with the corner, but it's thumped clear. They're chasing the game now. 64:55 - Penalba smashes a shot wide, but it eats up valuable time for Nacional. 72:10 - Goal-kick hit long, Penarol win it, but can't engineer an opening. Alcoba clears from the back, and Baran profits from the defenders misjudging the bounce. He races clear, but his shot is saved easily by Bava. Out for a corner, but it comes to nothing. 73:35 - Blocks flying in all over the place as Penarol push for a goal. 75:23 - A NAcional free-kick in range here, but they can't get it on target, the ball striking the wall. Wastes even more time though. 76:32 - A corner now for Penarol, can they force a goal? Now would be a good time to get it. Estoyanoff drifts it in. Alcoba unmarked...GOAL FOR PENAROL! THEY'VE DONE IT! Looks like the final touch came off Romero, so it will be an own goal. An awful moment for the Nacional defender - has he just won the Championship for the opposition? 88:27 - A throw in on the left, and Penarol will take as long as possible over this one. Penalba wins the ball from it, but can only put it out for another throw. Penarol ping the ball around, stretching the defence back and forth before slipping in Estoyanoff. He can't get a good enough shot away though, and Bava gratefully collects. Last chance approaching quickly here. 90:20 - Nacional have the ball deep in the Penarol half, and have just under three minutes to wrench this tie back into their favour. Romero plays a fantastic ball into Penalba, but Valdez - on a booking - slides in with a fantastic tackle to deny him. Nothing wrong with that one. Diaz keeps it in, and wins a throw off of Valdez. The ball is eventually lobbed in, but Penalba's straining neck muscles can't quite get to it, and it's cleared back out to Diaz. Romero tries to go around Olivera, but that's the wrong choice, and Penarol have the ball back. They clear long, and with around ninety seconds to go, Nacional are desperate. They work another opportunity, but Capurro selfishly shoots long, and it's far, far over the bar. Absolute waste. 92:25 - Nacional win a throw, and this could be the last chance. The throw comes to nothing, and Penarol clear. Caue Fernandes goes to send it forward, but Ramon jinks it away from him! He could have charged for goal, but he slips it into Olivera, who holds it up. Gunino receives it, and wins a corner, and that should be that. And it is! No time to take the corner, and Penarol are champions! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs End of Season Wrap-up 2014/15 Once again, although Schulz is easily leading the Hall of Fame, Kuipers is the more successful manager in terms of win percentage. You could easily argue that Schulz simply wins when it matters though, so he is ahead in my book. Player Awards and Other News Nacional Penarol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffy89 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 This is turning into a hell of a rivalry, can imagine both managers are wanting to kill their opposite number by now! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Interesting to see how long before the rivalry emerges in the continental stage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs Pre-Season 2015/16 So it was Penarol walking off with the silverware after the first (of many, I'm sure) quadruple header between Nacional and Penarol, so the unlucky losers will be desperate to make up for that this time around. NACIONAL First up, Nacional are getting a bigger stadium. We lag behind Penarol for this, so to close the gap a little is great. So that's...good, I guess? No tax, but that's because we've made no taxable profit. We're up in terms of sponsorship, but it's nothing compared to Penarol. We remain on a solid financial footing though. A well-deserved award for Pablo Pintos. With my narrow 4-1-2-1-2 formation, he's often asked to make the entire right flank his own, and he does just that. A very important player for us, and it shows when he's not available. PENAROL The sponsorship money just keeps rising, with close to a million pounds being added to the total for this coming season. As a result, our finances are looking pretty healthy. There is just absolutely no chance of anyone touching us in terms of sheer monetary value, not even Nacional. We really should be comfortable league winners, rather than having to rely on a play-off. This just shows how powerful we are. Over a third of the total sponsorship in the league goes to us. He's ageing, but he's still had a fantastic season, and a well-deserved fan award for him. Twenty-seven goals, and by some distance our top scorer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs Pre-Season 2015/16 Following the Copa America, a couple of jobs became available that really interested both managers. Fortunately, neither was offered a role. I say fortunately because once I'd actually applied, I realised it's probably for the best to concentrate on club football - controlling two managers is already confusing enough without making it four separate jobs. NACIONAL A long, long list of departures for the club, mostly through a free transfer as we cut down our numbers. We really did have a massive squad, so I made sure to let go any players who didn't look like they were going to make it. I also sent a good number of young players on loan. These were the ones that my coaches believed could make a difference in future, but not yet. This will be reviewed each season, or at least whenever I remember to do it. A good transfer window for us as we shored up the goalkeeper position and added two very exciting young players to our ranks. I have very high hopes for Malvino, who we poached from Defensor Sporting. Santos was an uncharacteristically expensive buy, but at his age he'll get better and better. PENAROL A lot of departures from the Centenario as we let some of the deadwood go. There were loan departures too (although you can't see them). This window will be known for two things when it comes to Penarol - big spending, and defensive options. All but one of our arrivals was brought in to shore up our back five, and I think with Naldo and Viera, we'll be a lot meaner to the opposition this time around. da Silva will provide another option in the coveted AMC position too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs Apertura 2015/16 Nacional A good start to our league season saw us go on a seven-for-seven run leading up to the Clasico. Unfortunately, our Sudamericana journey was a little more ropey. We overcame Rangers of Chile even after a terrible first leg, and then almost blew it against Leon in the next round. A late goal from Cavallini saved our blushes, and I can tell you there were tense moments there. As things stand, we're behind going into the second leg against Botafogo, and I can't see us recovering from that one. A good result in the Clasico could give us the belief though. Penarol No Sudamericana fun for Penarol this season (don't ask, I've no idea) so just the league to tear up. And barring that frustrating draw against Central, we did just that. We looked absolutely amazing for 99% of this run, with the 1% being that goal conceded to draw the game. It means we go into the Clasico two points behind Nacional, but they'll have the mental boost of knowing that although we're unbeaten, they've yet to do anything other than win. Finely poised. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs vs Apertura 2015/16 The Montevideo Clasico |------------------------------------------------------| | TIE HISTORY | |------------------------------------------------------| | GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | 511 | 182 (650) | 163 | 166 (611) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | DATE | COMPETITION | WINNER | RESULT | |----------|-----------------|-------------------------| | 2/11/13 | Apertura | NACIONAL | 1-0 | | 5/4/14 | Clausura | DRAW | 2-2 | | 18/10/14 | Apertura | PENAROL | 2-0 | | 24/03/15 | Clausura | NACIONAL | 4-2 | | 17/05/15 | Play-off 1st | PENAROL | 4-0 | | 20/05/15 | Play-off 2nd | DRAW | 1-1 | | 24/05/15 | Champ. 1st | DRAW | 1-1 | | 27/05/15 | Champ. 2nd | PENAROL | 3-2 | |----------|-----------------|-------------------------| | GAMES | PENAROL (GOALS) | DRAW | NACIONAL (GOALS) | |----------|-----------------|------|------------------| | 518 | 185 (663) | 162 | 167 (618) | |------------------------------------------------------|-----| | Pos. | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | | 1st | Penarol | 185 | 166 | 167 | 663 | 618 | +45 | 721 | | 2nd | Nacional | 167 | 166 | 185 | 618 | 663 | -45 | 667 | |------------------------------------------------------------| It sounds odd saying it, but this feels almost like an anti-climax here. After four epic battles at the end of last season, having just a plain old league game between these two sides almost seems impossible. But to both these teams, this remains an extremely important game. For Penarol, they can once again inflict a painful end to a winning run, but for Nacional, they can banish those memories and open up a five point lead going into the business end of the stage. That would take them to eight wins out of eight, and it's hard to see them relinquishing from there. 00:00 - Nacional get us underway. 09:14 - Penarol with a throw deep in their own half. Nacional not pressing the ball very well, but they win it back after a long ball goes too long. Nacional try to break through Santos, and he plays a fantastic ball through to the onrushing Cavalini. But he takes too long over the shot, and Viera gets back to tackle. It's out for a corner. It's flighted in, but Olivera can only head it out for another corner. This one is better, but Malvino can only head over the bar. 11:30 - Goal kick for Penarol, but Olivera can't win it, and it's nodded forward for Malvino to run onto. He takes it closer to goal, and takes the shot...GOAL FOR NACIONAL! IT'S 1-0! 13:49 - Aguiar has a corner here to try and get Penarol back into the game. It's a good one, but there's nobody there. It's headed away, but only back to Aguiar. He plays another ball in, but it finds its way back to him once again. He can only slice a shot wide though, and a chance missed. 21:45 - Nacional work a shooting chance, but Eroza blazes it a long way wide. 27:43 - Olivera outmuscles the Nacional defender and gets a shot away, but lacks power, and Rodriguez makes a routine save. 35:26 - Fran Pintos tries to be too fancy on the right flank and Diaz steals the ball away. Simple ball in-field to Romero, who unleashes a perfectly weighted pass for Santos to run onto! Viera slides in...PENALTY! Viera is telling the referee that it was a blatant dive, but he's having none of it. A booking for him, and he could perhaps think himself lucky it wasn't red. Garcia steps up...AND SMASHES IT BEYOND THE KEEPER! 2-0! 40:10 - Malvino plays the ball to Eroza, who is in space. He passes on to Romero, and a perfect chip forward to the onrushing Diaz up from left back. A cushioned header into Cavalini, and Castillo makes the save. That one was going in, and that would have been a near unassailable lead if it had. 43:45 - Free-kick for Penarol, about ten yards inside the Nacional half. The delivery is long, and perfectly placed...RODRIGUEZ NODS IT IN! All the pace on the delivery, and just asking to be put into the net. The keeper had no chance. That's 2-1, and suddenly the game is back to life again. 45:00 - That's half time, and you have to say that the Penarol goal has breathed new life into this one. It's anybodies game, despite Nacional's lead. 46:37 - Fantastic one-touch football from Nacional almost leads to a third goal. Castillo gets a hand to a rasping shot and turns it around the post. Nacional have started this half well. 50:50 - Another big chance for Nacional as Castillo fumbles a header. The defence manages to scramble it away in the nick of time. 54:23 - Ramon presses high up the pitch and gets a shooting chance, but Rodriguez is equal to it in the Nacional goal. Pressure building. 57:18 - Ramon moves it forward to Rodriguez, and he plays a slide-rule pass into the danger area. Olivera crosses the run of Aguiar, and then slips it back across his body...GOAL FOR PENAROL! AGUIAR SLOTS IT HOME CALMLY, AND THE HOME SIDE ARE LEVEL! 59:14 - Caue Fernandes picks up the goal-kick expertly and spins off to the left. May be looking to relieve the pressure and fire it down the flank, but that's a perfect through ball to Lucas Cavalini! He surely didn't mean that, but he's through on goal! IT'S 3-2! SUSPICIONS OF OFFSIDE, BUT I THINK THAT WAS A PERFECTLY TIMED RUN FROM THE STRIKER! 62:13 - A nightmare breakdown in comuncation almost leads to another Nacional goal in the Penarol defence, but it's cleared. 74:52 - Ramon lashes a shot high and wide, and he really should be doing better. 84:22 - Time running out for Penarol, and they need to be getting the ball here. It's Nacional with it now though. Pintos goes on a powerful run and gets to the byline, sending in a teasing cross, which is nodded on by Garcia...wonderful save from Castillo to turn the header over the bar! 92:52 - Penarol have one last chance from a corner, almost a minute over the alloted stoppage time. It's a good one, headed towards the corneeeer...smothered by Rodriguez! The entire stadium thought that one was going in. But that's the last action of the game, and Nacional have picked up a fantastic win here! 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forameuss Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs Apertura 2015/16 Confirmation of the table following the Clasico, and Nacional will be feeling mighty pleased with themselves. It's theirs to lose. Penarol When we won, we won brilliantly, but there's still a puzzling level of inconsistency around this side. Tacuerembo certainly shouldn't be beating us. But still, back-to-back 4-1 victories put us in a good position at the end of the stage. But just how good? Nacional A nice bit of news as we start to welcome in a few more thousand supporters. Hopefully they can see us clinch the title. Botafogo faced us just days after our triumph against Penarol, but that bit of extra belief never really arrived. It was 1-0, it could have been three or four, but in the end it didn't matter. We drifted out with a bit of a whimper. No shame in losing to a top Brazilian side though. Then the horror came. We lost to Wanderers, but then recovered our step with a comfortable win. Then we drew. Then we lost. Suddenly that five point lead had been cut to just two points, and we were struggling. Two good results against Central and Rampla Juniors meant that matters were in our own hands come the final match against third placed Danubio. Of course, knowing that a win would seal the title, we played out a drab 0-0. When news drifted in of Penarol smashing four past their opponents, we pushed, but it wasn't to be. We slumped to a draw, and Penarol had pipped us. And that, kids, is why you should always go all out in a short league system like this. Penarol's dominance in the games they did win made the difference as they took the stage title by five goals. Identical defences, but it's up front the difference was clearly made. Or if you're being particularly cruel, the difference was Nacional choking. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameuss Posted February 2, 2014 Author Share Posted February 2, 2014 Montevideo Killed the Radio Star: A Rivalry Begins vs Clausura 2015/16 Nacional Before the season could begin again, there was a massive decision for Patrick Kuipers to make. He was hurting after Nacional's epic choke in the Apertura, so you could say that this offer comes along at just the right time. It's a massive, massive decision - can he leave Nacional, and indeed the rivalry, behind? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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