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[FM 18] If You're Not First, You're Last (Re-Redux) - Redemption for the "Nearly Men" of Europe


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Ansah...the Ghanian Lord of the Wing...a chance to etch his name in the history books and, perhaps, earn a long-deserved call-up for his nation...HE DOES IT!!! THAT'S 3!!!  HOW CAN ONE COUNTRY IGNORE A MAN THIS MAGNIFICENT?!?!

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Dembele, the man who scored the winning goal in last year's final, and gave United the lead tonight...the weight of the world rests on this young man's shoulders...

AND HE TRIED THE RABONA!!! WHAT CHEEK!!! BUT VODICKA WAS EQUAL TO IT!!!  RABONA?  NO, SAYS VODICKA!!!  RABONA INTERRUPTUS!!!  SOMEONE IS GOING TO HAVE BLUE ****S TONIGHT!!!

PARTIZAN ARE ON THE VERGE OF HISTORY HERE...THE YOUNG CZECH GOALKEEPER WITH 2 SAVES...IDRIZOVIC TO TAKE THE PENALTY FOR PARTIZAN...

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Pedro Luis...he must score or United are done...can Vodicka complete the hat-trick, and save his third penalty of the night?!?!

NO!!! PEDRO LUIS BURIES IT!!! IT'S 3-2!!!  WE GO TO THE FIFTH ROUND!!!

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Bozo Jovic to take the 5th penalty for Partizan...the 22 year-old Bosian, wearing the captain's armband...is this his moment?!?!

NO IT IS NOT!!! DAVIS WITH ANOTHER MASSIVE SAVE TO KEEP UNITED ALIVE!!! THIS IS AMAZING!!!  PARTIZAN, TWICE WITH A CHANCE TO WIN IT ALL, TWICE DENIED BY THE ENGLISH NUMBER ONE!!!

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But we're far from done here, as United MUST score to force another round of penalties...Wilfred Ndidi will take it for the Red Devils...AND HE HOLDS HIS NERVE!!!

THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!!  PARTIZAN UP 3-1...BUT THEY CANNOT CLOSE IT OUT!!!  WE GO TO SUDDEN DEATH!!!  DON'T BLINK...HIGH DRAMA IN MADRID!!!

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Solomon steps forward for United...this is, remarkably, his first appearance in the Champions League for United this year...AND WHAT A SAVE FROM VODICKA!!!

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT THE NARRATIVE WAS WRITTEN, JUST WHEN THE STORY SEEMED TO BE TOLD, PARTIZAN HAVE DISRUPTED IT ALL, AGAIN!!!

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Skenderija steps up for Partizan...the wingback with a chance to give Partizan the advantage...

Oh...my...my my my...Baggio in 1994...that's all I can think...just...nowhere near the target...oh my my my my...

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Sessegnon with the chance...is this his moment?!  IT IS!!! UNITED HAVE WON IT!!! AN AMAZING COMEBACK, FROM DOWN 3-1 ON PENALTIES AFTER 3 ROUNDS, TO WINNING 4-3 AFTER 7 ROUNDS!!!

I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT!!!  THEY WILL BE DANCING ON THE STREETS OF MANCHESTER TONIGHT!!!

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6 hours ago, kidthekid said:

:seagull: :(

6 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Ouch. On penalties as well of all things. 

 

Unlucky, man. :(

5 hours ago, rodesire said:

I am so sorry, same team, so close :( 

Thanks, guys -- it was brutal.  I tried not to get too excited up 3-1 after 3 rounds...man...that was a kick in the teeth.

The plan is to keep the side together and make another run at it.  Might be able to get a season/European review done this morning but am then off for a few hours.

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You see, that is the sad, sorry, terrible thing about sarcasm.  It's really funny.

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FK Partizan Beograd / Croatia -- 2028/29 Review

I don't want to talk about it.

Goals for 2029/30: Extend our domestic unbeaten streak.  Win the Champions League.  Qualify for the World Cup.

Squad|League Overview|Finances Overview|Income Detail|Expenditures Detail|Transfers

Super Liga Fixtures (Prelim. Phase)|Super Liga Fixtures (Final Phase)|Kup Srbije Fixtures|Champions League Fixtures

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Champions League Review

[Crying continues.]

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Challenge Overview

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Elsewhere in Europe...

Manchester United reclaimed their title from Chelsea. The Smurfs shook things up in Germany (that's @oriole01 triggered).  Celta claimed La Liga.  Juventus and PSG did Juventus and PSG things.  Brugge knocked Genk off the top in Belgium, after Gent had a strong year in the Champions League (see above).  Olympiacos claimed yet another title in Greece while Panathinaikos battled relegation all year.  Malmo climbed back to the top in Sweden, only to fall back down the table again in the new year.  

And, in the Europa League, RB Leipzig claimed German's 4th straight title.

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After the disaster in Madrid, I needed something to pick me up...fortunately, the Nations League semis and final in Portugal went our way, with France kindly getting a man sent off to make the latter a bit more straightforward.  But even after winning the Nations League and two away World Cup Qualifiers...I can't help but think "what if?!"

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Tactical FYI: I should note that with Croatia in these past 4 matches (and with Partizan in the CL Final, when chasing the game in Extra Time), I've been tinkering with Overload mentality (with retain possession ticked, to tone down the insanity).  Doesn't seem to be quite as effective as it was on '17 but this is a pretty small sample size...

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At first, none of us knew who this guy even was, demanding his chance in the 1st team.  After some investigating Drake was able to determine that -- yes, in fact, he was on our playing staff.  Zlatan wants to find and sack whomever it was that agreed to put him on $850/week.  Highway robbery.  An utter fraud.

The Teleoptik staff all claim someone else is responsible, as they just thought he was some local who liked a kick-about with the lads and didn't mind picking up the cones and shagging balls.  There are a few reports of him fuming during the shootout with United, muttering about how he would have buried one of the critical spotkicks that saw us go out.

That muttering takes on a whole new context now.  Delusional.  

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Those ****s at UEFA are doing everything they can to keep us from reaching another final.  This is absurd.  And the look Jamie Vardy gave me after he pulled our ball out of the hopper said it all, he was laughing, the cheeky ****.  

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It's always darkest before the dawn.

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FK Partizan Beograd / Croatia -- September 2029

We resisted the temptation to ring the changes over the summer.  Sure, some players moved off, but no one from the core of this team.  There are no short-term fixes, no one willing to come to Serbia that could step right into our XI.  New contracts for many, but we're looking for blood now.

So we push on.  Some Croatian youth have been brought in, but that is all -- and they're for the domestic competitions, anyways.  The Croatian project is very much on track, but we have to keep an eye on the future.

The first match of the Champions League Group Stage?  A return to Pep the Bald's Chelsea.

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[Note: I forgot to screenshot the Greece match, obviously.]

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Em 07/10/2018 em 05:25, ManUtd1 disse:

Skenderija steps up for Partizan...the wingback with a chance to give Partizan the advantage...

Oh...my...my my my...Baggio in 1994...that's all I can think...just...nowhere near the target...oh my my my my...

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I'm sorry. I know that cost you a Champions League and you must've been destroyed on the inside watching that.

 

.... but that was ****ing hilarious. :lol: :lol: 

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27 minutes ago, noikeee said:

I'm sorry. I know that cost you a Champions League and you must've been destroyed on the inside watching that.

 

.... but that was ****ing hilarious. :lol: :lol: 

That's it, @noikeee.  You get murdered first.

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(ok, ok, ok...the way he just stood there afterwards was pretty funny)

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It's always darkest before the dawn.

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FK Partizan Beograd / Croatia -- October 2029

Not good enough.  First, Partizan go to London and get smashed...it was a close match, but Chelsea were lethal in front of goal.  Then, Croatia drop all 3 points away to Greece, leaving us in 2nd place with 2 matches to play.

The silver lining is that Partizan smashed Ronaldo's Madrid at home (leaving His Oiliness crying on the sidelines), and Croatia simply need to take care of business at home against Lithuania and Armenia to secure progression...but in an otherwise-solid month, the reversals were warning signs.  If we don't get our act together, our critics and opposition will pounce.

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It's always darkest before the dawn.

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FK Partizan Beograd / Croatia -- November 2029

No one ever said it had to be pretty.  3-1 over Armenia, and 4-nil over Lithuania.  We're through to the World Cup next summer in Spain, one point ahead of Scotland (who qualify as one of the top 3 2nd place teams).

And Partizan are back on a roll...  Chelsea are set to visit Belgrade in one week...  We want our revenge.

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Tonight at 7, on BBC Family!

¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños, Gato Con Guantes? Animated, 110 mins.  Juan Mata and Gabi Gato are back to battle Doctor Montoya and his Doomsday device, in a new feature-length rock opera, featuring the music of Maná.  Join Juan and Gabi on an unforgettable adventure, where they'll learn important lessons about binge drinking, the Bosman rule and pre-industrial German economics. (Viewer Discretion Advised: graphic cartoon violence; strong sexual content; full-frontal nudity.)

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12 minutes ago, HawkAussie said:

so unlucky there not to be able to leave Serbia.

Painful, no doubt.  I still can't figure out how we managed to lose 3-4 after 7 rounds, having been up 3-1 after 3...

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Perhaps we went a little overboard in the post-match press conference...  Drake guzzling plum brandy, Zlatan offering to play Rock Paper Scissors with the attractive reporter from ESPN 8 ("The Ocho"), and me going off about how we felt bad for Pep and his lads, so thought we should only play the 2nd half with 10 men to give them a fighting chance. 

Oh, we were taking the ****, alright.  But beating Chelsea 3-0 with only 10 men for half the match?  We had every right to talk ****.

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It's not arrogance if you're right.

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FK Partizan Beograd / Croatia -- December 2029

We end the year with a bang.  21 wins from 21 matches in the league, stretching our domestic unbeaten run to more than 4 years.  85 goals scored in the Super Liga thus far, with only 3 conceded.  The only blemish on our record this season is the loss at Stamford Bridge...for which Pep and his ilk shall pay dearly.  We'll start the 2030 competitive fixture calendar away to Juventusin the Champions League, a favorable draw, given how they're struggling in Serie A.

The holiday season is well underway here in Belgrade, but Zlatan, Drake and I have sworn off the Itchy Kitty until after the season ends.  The players have imposed restrictions as well, although they've been allowed New Year's Eve...no one misses New Year's at the Kitty, especially not this year when they are opening up a new private lounge, The CockPit.  I think there's an aviation theme, or something....

Well, no one misses it...except for the 3 of us.  We'll be busy planning for Juventus and the World Cup.

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4 hours ago, rodesire said:

By gawd is that Bobby Manc's music?

Not really.

Bobby had been really into dubstep, until his son's girlfriend's roommate's nephew gave him a copy of Dube & The Dikgang's cover of Salt-N-Pepa's Push It

Now, he's like a deranged Dave Matthews Band fan, inserting Dube stories into every g*****n conversation and refusing to listen to anything else, with ambiguously dodgy lyrics tattooed on his shoulder.

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It's not arrogance if you're right.

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FK Partizan Beograd / Croatia -- March 2030

The result was never in doubt.  A 1-0 win in the first leg meant we'd return to Serbia with every reason for optimism.  And we did not disappoint, even when Juve pulled back an away goal to give themselves a glimmer of hope.  That glimmer?  We crushed it to bits.  Ok, I've lost the metaphors in a haze of plum brandy...

Onward we march, dreaming of drawing Mourinho's United at the first opportunity, after they eliminated Schalke 4-2 on aggregate.  But it will be a Manchester derby in the quarterfinals, as Mourinho's men draw Conte's City.  We draw Didier Deschamps' Barcelona.

Domestically, the 2nd XI dropped our first points of the year in a scoreless draw away to Napredak...they were punished severely by our kangaroo court.  The reality remains that we've won 26 of 27, scoring 109 goals while only conceding 3.  Fair credit to **** Star for staying close, but the reality is that Serbia is ours.  They like to think that they're our competition, our rival.  The statistics don't lie -- we haven't lost to **** Star since April 2025, in any competition.  That's a run of 22 straight matches, of which we've won 19, the other 3 being draws.  Rivalry?  As if.

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It's not arrogance if you're right.

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FK Partizan Beograd / Croatia -- April 2030

Not quite good enough in Barcelona, as we leave with a scoreless draw thanks to Vodicka saving a penalty in the 1st half.  We had a few chances and largely denied Barcelona in our counter-attacking setup, but will need to be sharp in the 2nd leg.

I should not have worried.  Belgrade is our fortress.  2 early goals put the tie to bed, as we rattled the post twice before the break.  The Catalans had no meaningful answer, and even after they pulled one back, never looked like finding an equalizer.

And, unfortunately, our dream of a rematch with United was not to be, as they went down 4-2 on aggregate to their noisy neighbors, their quest for an unheard-of 4th straight title cut short.  We'll face Luciano Spaletti's PSG in the semifinals, the fist leg in Paris.

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Adversity is preparation for greatness.

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FK Partizan Beograd / Croatia -- May 2030

A battle in Paris, with a late goal giving us every reason to hope.  A 3-2 loss is nothing to cry over.  Not when we're going back to Belgrade, where we reign triumphant.  Confident, never doubting in ourselves, not for a moment, a 2-nil win before the braying masses books our passage to the Stade de France for the final.

We'll face Manchester City in our third-straight final.  And third time pays for all.

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