Global Domination - an Intercontinental adventure

[Formia]

Algeria​

African Cup of Nations Semi Final
Algeria p2-2 Cameroon
Boudebouz ( 6 )
Ghezzal (39)
We are through to the final! A fantastic performance against a very good side, but it came via a penalty shootout. Samuel Eto’o had already retired, but on paper, Cameroon are still a better side than us. Newcastle’s Boudebouz gave us the lead, and then Ghezzal could and should have made it two when he found himself one-on-one. Shortly after, Cameroon equalised, but we stuck to a positive game plan, and Ghezzal eventually got his goal just before half time. We could have put the game beyond doubt, but in the second half, Cameroon got the equaliser, and they were the ones doing the pressing in extra time. But then when it came to the shoot-out, we missed one and they missed two.​

So we are through to the African Cup of Nations final, where we will play the hosts, Senegal. And I fancy our chances, although they did beat Ghana to get here. However, I have come across a problem. The final is on the same day as Huracan’s league match against Velez, and I’m not sure how this will work. I realised when I got the call to do two pre-match press conferences on the same day. Has anybody had this before?​

---------- Post added at 08:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:14 PM ----------

African Cup of Nations Final​

Senegal 2-1 Algeria
Achiou (90)​

I am devastated. I somehow made it to Senegal in time for this match, after having a match in Argentina with Huracan in the morning. We couldn’t have got off to a worse start, as Demba Ba gave the hosts the lead within the first minute. It left us chasing the game, something we haven’t had to do all tournament. And we could never really get a foothold in the game, and struggled to get out of our own half.​

Moussa Sow added a second for Senegal in the second half, and we couldn’t recover. I even went three at the back, to give some support to Ghezzal, but it wasn’t until the last minute of added time that substitute Achiou scored a consolation.​

Overall, I am delighted with the way my team performed throughout the competition. But we just didn’t turn up in the final. And Senegal did. I don’t know if it was home or advantage, or if we just choked, but Senegal are certainly no better than Cameroon or South Africa, two teams we left in our wake. But I am looking forward to trying to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, which is held in the U.S.A.​

 

[Formia]

February 2016​

Copa Libertadores Preliminary Round 2nd Leg
Huracan 1-0 Olmedo (agg. 5-1)
Machin (45)
A comfortable victory over the Ecuadorian side, which sends us through 5-1 on aggregate. We had 28 shots in this match, but could only score one goal, but the tie was wrapped up in the first leg. The group stage draw was made after the match, and I am hopeful we can get through it:​

View attachment 98578​

Sao Paulo - Brazil​

Universidad de Chile - Chile​

El Nacional - Ecuador​

​

Velez 0-2 Huracan
Lentini (32)
Diaz (51)
This was the match played on the same day as the African Cup of Nations final, but it was a much better result. To win away at Velez is a great achievement, and it means we keep up our great start to the season.​

Huracan 1-0 Newell’s
Goncalves (54)
We controlled the match, and once we took the lead we didn’t allow them back in the game. That makes it three wins from three in the league, and we are starting to look very good. The goal came from a brilliant 25-yard effort from on-loan midfielder Goncalves.​

Huracan 2-1 Olimpo
Lentini (12)
Diaz (84)
Another good performance, but we only just managed to win the game because of a late winner from Diaz, who has grabbed his chance with both hands after the injury to Milano. Boca Juniors dropped their first points of the closing stage today, meaning we go top.​

Copa Libertadores Group B
Huracan 1-0 Sao Paulo
Bruno (54)
A brilliant performance against the best team in the group. In the opening exchanges, the pace of their passing and their overall quality was too much for us. But when we got a foothold in the game, we caused them some problems, and defended well. I was ecstatic when the goal went in, and fortunately we were able to hold out for a valuable win. We will now be expected to progress from the group.​

Before this match, I managed to bring in experienced midfielder Eduardo Costa on a free transfer. We have lacked a really strong defensive midfielder this season, so he is the perfect signing. Unfortunately, I confirmed the deal on the same day our squad list for the Copa Libertadores had to be submitted. And as the paperwork takes a day to go through, he won’t be eligible to play in the competition until the next round if we get there.​

View attachment 98579​

Argentinos 0-0 Huracan
I wasn’t overly happy with the goalless draw in this one, but the fans seemed to be. It was fairly even, and the draw was probably a fair result, I was pleased with another clean sheet though.​

Huracan 3-0 Estudiantes (LP)
Kamahara (70)
Diaz (pen 83)
Bruno (90)
We didn’t look dangerous enough in the first half, but once Estudiantes had a goal disallowed, we took the game to them. And new signing Kamahara gave us the lead, before we put the game beyond doubt. A very confident second half performance.

Huracan 2-0 Boca
Vasquez (46)
Lentini (61)
An unbelievable result! This was the biggest match of our season so far, against the winners of the opening stage, and we rose to the occasion. We didn’t have much of the ball at all in the first half, but in the second half we scored straight from the kick-off, giving us something to hold onto. Lentini added a second, and we defended bravely to hold onto a priceless victory.​

This has been by far the best month since I moved to Argentina, and it sees us move to the top of the table. The victory over Boca means we are now seven points above them, and I am beginning to think we can make a serious claim for the title. The win over Sao Paulo means we have also had a superb start in the Copa Libertadores, and we should easily be able to qualify now. I have also been delighted with the loan signing of Kamahara, as he has been on great form.​

View attachment 98577​

 

[Steve*]

Doing awesome mate,keep up the good work.

 

[Formia]

March 2016​

Copa Libertadores Group B
El Nacional 0-1 Huracan
Bruno (42)
A solid win over the Ecuadorian side, following on from our victory over Sao Paulo. El Nacional are the weakest team in the group, but it is still a good victory away from home, and it puts us into the driving seat to progress.​

Platense 1-3 Huracan
Bruno (22, 46)
Lentini (41)
We started strongly and raced into a 3-0 lead. From there we sat back a little, and Platense scored a consolation, but we were never going to throw it away. Claudio Bruno has been on superb form, getting another two goals today.​

Lanus 0-2 Huracan
Bruno (67)
Milano (90)
Another comfortable win that ensures we stay top of the pile. We had to be patient, as Lanus were difficult to break down, but we took our first clear cut chance. And then when they opened up looking for an equaliser, Mauro Milano found himself alone on the half way line with nothing but green grass ahead of him. And he ran with the ball the length of the half, with the last defender trailing him by ten yards, and he kept his cool to kill the game off. I was delighted for him, as he has had a torrid time with injuries this season.​

Copa Libertadores Group B
Huracan 3-1 Universidad de Chile
Filippetto (20)
Diaz (45)
Goncalves (88)
Once again we rose to the occasion in a big match, making it three wins from three so far in the group stage. If we win our next game in the competition, it could send us through.​

Central 1-6 Huracan
Bruno (4, 54)
Filippetto (42)
Lentini (56)
Milano (75)
Kamahara (81)
What a performance! Central took the lead in just the second minute, but my players must have recovered quicker than I did, as just two minutes later Bruno equalised. From there, we were just magnificent, going on to put six past them.​

Huracan 2-0 Racing Club
Lentini (41, 52)
It was a tight match, but goals from Lentini either side of half time won the game. If we didn’t get that goal before half time, the outcame might have been different, but fortunately Lentini was on top form.​

Huracan 1-0 Godoy Cruz
Massa (pen 54)
It was an important win, but it took a penalty to do it. We should have beaten them a lot more comfortably than we did. But I can’t complain, it was our ninth consecutive win, and we got a clean sheet.​

Copa Libertadores Group B
Universidad de Chile 1-2 Huracan
Lentini (26)
Kamahara (82)
We have qualified from the group with two games to spare! A great win in Chile makes it four wins from four, meaning I can give some rests in the next two matches. I gave Bruno a rest today, giving on-loan striker Kamahara a start, and he took it by scoring a late winner.​

View attachment 99032​

We won every single match this month, we are top of the league by four points, and we have qualified for the Copa Libertadores Round of 16 with two games to spare. Things are looking very good. Although I really want to win the group, as it could be the difference between facing a team from Brazil or Argentina, and facing a team full of greyed out players.​

View attachment 99031​

 

[Formia]

April 2016​

Gimnasia (LP) 0-2 Huracan
Bruno (57)
Civelli (pen 69)
It took a while to break them down, but once we did we looked comfortable. Bruno continued his great form with another goal, and Civelli finished the game off from the penalty spot.​

Copa Libertadores Group B
Huracan 2-1 El Nacional
Filippetto (61)
Kamahara (78)
I rested a lot of players in this match, and it looked to have backfired when we went into half time 1-0 down. But in the second half, we looked a much better team and put a lot of pressure on their goal. In the end, we got the win which seals top spot in the group.​

Huracan 1-1 Colon
Kamahara (71)
I don’t know how we drew this one, as we created four clear cut chances. But after going 1-0 down I suppose it was just good we did not lose. Kamahara scored his second goal in two games, and seems to be starting to settle at the club. But it does bring an end to our 12 match winning streak. Lentini picked up an injury in this match as well, and will be out for the next couple of months. A bitter blow to our title chances, but it means Kamahara will get a long run in the team.​

Huracan 0-0 Arsenal de Sarandi
A second disappointing home draw in two matches, but this time we didn’t deserve to win. It was quite a dull game, and nobody really looked like breaking the deadlock. To be fair to Arsenal, they have surprised a lot of people with the way they have started the closing stage.​

Copa Libertadores Group B
Sao Paulo 0-0 Huracan
In our final group match, we ensured we qualify unbeaten. The result was not important, as we had already won the group, but we had a chance to send a message to South America with a good performance. However, there were injuries sustained to Civelli and Milano, who will be out for seven weeks and three weeks respectively.​

View attachment 99739​

We have been drawn against another Brazilian side in the Round of 16 in Corinthians.​

​

San Lorenzo 0-3 Huracan
Vasquez (pen 65)
Kamahara (69, 89)
A fantastic win over our rivals, which the fans were delighted about. Kamahara was brilliant again, netting a brace, and I will definitely sign him permanently in the summer providing I am given the funds.​

However, Dautibi Okolai strained his knee ligaments, and will be out for around two months. This leaves us with not a single player who can play right-back, other than our only left-back. But if he plays right-back we don’t have a single player capable of playing left-back. Diego Galindez will have to fill in there, but right now he is ineffectual in the position. We do now have somewhat of an injury crisis going into the huge match against Corinthians.​

Copa Libertadores 2nd Round 1st Leg
Corinthians 0-1 Huracan
Kamahara (pen 28)
A better result than I could have asked for, as we have a win to take back to Argentina. It was a strange match, as we dominated possession, but only had two shots, one of which was the winning penalty. But Corinthians didn’t trouble our ‘keeper that much at all either. Now we just need to finish the job in the second leg.​

Huracan 3-1 Banfield
Perelman (59)
Kamahara (69, 82)
A great result that all but wins us the closing stage! 17-year-old Sebastian Perelman scored his first goal for the club in his 16th appearance, and he may never score a more important one. Kamahara that made it two, before Banfield pulled one back with a route one goal. But another great finish from Kamahara confirmed the win, and it was his 5th goal in three matches.​

​

With two games left, we are six points clear with a far superior goal difference. It was important we built up a healthy lead, as our last two games are against River and Tigre. So now even if we lose both games, it is more than likely we will have won the closing stage. We are also in a great position to qualify for the Copa Libertadores Quarter Final.​

We have also gone 30 matches unbeaten, and counting!​

View attachment 99738​

 

[pistolped7]

Fantastic result against Corinthians there, mate, and well done for being able to get through that group undefeated! That's a massive achievement!

 

[Formia]

Thanks, to be honest I couldn't really beleive it. It was like being back in South Africa when my team suddenly just turned up in every Champions League match. I am beginning to think we may have a shot at winning it.

 

[pistolped7]

You might not be far off with that prediction, especially with your team in that kind of form!

 

[AHughes8]

Already proven your up there with the best in South America beating the likes of Sao Paulo and Corinthians, Hope you can win it

 

[Formia]

Already proven your up there with the best in South America beating the likes of Sao Paulo and Corinthians, Hope you can win it

Thanks

 

[AdzKingIV]

Fantastic Story Mate Hope you win it

 

[Formia]

End of Season Update (May 2016)​

Copa Libertadores 2nd Round 2nd Leg
Huracan 1-1 Corinthians (agg. 2-1)
Bruno (45)
It only took nine minutes for Corinthians to level the tie up, but a Bruno goal four minutes into the two minutes of added time indicated levelled on the night. And that was the decisive goal that puts us through to the Quarter Finals, where we will play Chivas of Mexico.​

River 0-1 Huracan
Kamahara (15)
A draw would have been enough to win us the league, but we went to River and we were magnificent. And Kamahara’s early goal earned us the win, and clinches the league title for the first time since 1973, and only the second time in the club’s history.​

The acheivement also drew praise from a Huracan legend.​

And the media seem to have named the club after me.​

View attachment 100018​

Copa Libertadores Quarter Final 1st Leg
Chivas 4-1 Huracan
Vasquez (39)
I am gutted. After such a good run in the competition, we just couldn’t compete with Chivas. We were 3-0 down after 21 minutes, and managed to pull one back before half time. But they added a fourth in the second half, meaning we have given ourselves a colossal task in the second leg. The defeat was also the end of our 32 match unbeaten streak.​

Huracan 5-2 Tigre
Kamahara (15)
Perelman (26, 49, pen 90)
Castro (70)
The perfect way to bow out for the season, with the league having already been one. Perelman was superb, scoring a hat-trick, and it was just a great performance all round. However, Galindez, the midfielder filling in at right-back, was injured in the first half. I had to replace him with another midfielder, who was abysmal, conceding the penalty for Tigre’s first goal and gifting them possession for the second. Although I would definitely take five goals in the return leg against Chivas.

Copa Libertadores Quarter Final 2nd Leg
Huracan 1-1 Chivas (agg. 2-5)
Diaz (52)
I would have liked to have won the game, even if winning the tie was an impossible task. We were 1-0 down at half time and threw everything at them, and Diaz equalised with around 40 minutes left. But we couldn’t push on and get another three. Galindez managed to get fit to play his last match for the club before his loan ends, but it ended early as he was sent off with six minutes left.​

View attachment 100017 View attachment 100019​

So we won the closing stage, an achievement which ranks up there with the best in my career. And we did it without losing a match! Our 32 match unbeaten run came to an end, but it is still a long time since we lost in the league.​

As for the Copa Libertadores, it was all going too well I suppose. We escaoed our group unbeaten, before knocking out Corinthians, but Chivas just had too much quality for us. But we will go again next season.​

I am also looking forward to trying to strengthen the squad. We definitely need some more strength in depth, especially after we were playing the back end of the season with only one fullback in the squad. Hopefully our run in the Copa Libertadores will have given a nice boost to the coffers and some of that trickles down to me. I definitely want to sign Kamahara perminantly after his successful loan spell.​

The league awards haven’t been announced yet, but if I or any of my players win anything, I will let you know. I may even do my own awards.​

 

[pistolped7]

Oh, no! I'm gutted for you mate, you were doing so well in the Libertadores! Well done in the league there, it's a tough league, lots of quality, and you can never be sure who's gonna win it either! Bit like the Championship in that respect, I suppose.

 

[Formia]

Oh, no! I'm gutted for you mate, you were doing so well in the Libertadores! Well done in the league there, it's a tough league, lots of quality, and you can never be sure who's gonna win it either! Bit like the Championship in that respect, I suppose.

Thanks. We were completely outclassed by Chivas though, and they went on to beat Velez 3-0 in the final, so we weren't alone <). And the league does seem quite open, which means it will probably be even harder to retain it.

 

[Formia]

Algeria

World Cup Qualifying 2nd round Group 5

The Congo match was our first match since the African Cup of Nations final, and it got off to a fantastic start as we took the lead through a Ghilas screamer within the first minute. But we failed to push on and could only scrape the win. We then travelled to Swaziland, where again we scored in the first minute, this time it was Bouzid’s first international goal. Again we couldn’t push on, and this time we conceded an equaliser and slumped to a disgraceful defeat. We then scraped a win against Liberia, before losing away to Congo.

Algeria 1-0 DR Congo
Ghilas (1)

Swaziland 1-1 Algeria
Bouzid (1)

Algeria 1-0 Liberia
Lacen (73)

DR Congo 2-0 Algeria

It was a terrible defeat, and it looks like we may not qualify for the 3rd round of qualifying. We had a good Cup of Nations, but qualifying for the World Cup was what I really wanted to do. And if we go out at this stage, I think I will resign. I have already applied for several other international jobs, one of which was England after a terrible Euro 2016, but they rejected me.

View attachment 100435​

 

[Formia]

Pre-season 2016/17​

I’ll start with transfers. Before we brought anybody in, four fringe players left on free transfers as well as several youths. I was given £8m to spend, after telling the board we can challenge for the title this season. And I was left looking at the thread-bare squad, wandering if we could bring in enough players to have a decent season. We had agreed terms with a very good young centre-back for £5.75m, but I had to cancel the transfer because it didn’t leave us enough money to strengthen the rest of the squad.​

View attachment 101284​

Wilfredo Kamahara - £3.6m
This was my main target for the summer, and we immediately snapped him up. We had him on loan for the second half of last season and he did very well. That now means we have three top class strikers to choose from, and a couple of promising young players from the academy after that.​

View attachment 101279​

Gonzalo Robledo - £1.1m
I am happy to bring in another right-back after last season’s problems in that area, but he will most likely be cover. He signed for Lanus last summer for £2m and played one game, before moving to us 12 months later.​

View attachment 101282​

Rafael Carioca - Loan
We needed cover in the centre-back area, and this young Brazilian is the perfect backup. We paid £75k for the deal, which is actually not too bad considering what some Brazilian teams ask for loans.​

View attachment 101283​

Alejandro Guzman - Loan
He is our biggest signing of the summer. He is a superb young player, who has a great future. We didn’t have the funds to sign him permanently, so he arrives on loan for a fee of £1.6m, and we have the option to buy him at any time for £3.5m. I am just gutted I didn’t spot him sooner, as Colon snapped him up this time last year for just £650k.​

View attachment 101281​

Sandro Gimenez - £1.7m
Our final signing was another defensive midfielder, and I think we have picked up an absolute bargain here. He won’t play every match this season, but Eduardo Costa and Gaston Machin are both 33 now, so we need to be looking towards the future.​

View attachment 101280​

We had a decent pre-season in terms of results, kicking it off with a televised match away to Trabzonspor which ended in a 2-0 defeat. We then had three comfortable wins before ending with a decent 0-0 draw away to Fraknfurt. We kick off the season with a match against Independiente in the Copa Sudamericana.​

 

[Formia]

August 2016​

Copa Sudamericana Preliminary Round 1st Leg
Huracan 2-1 Independiente
Kamahara (4)
Lentini (20)
In our first game of the season, we got off to a great starting, leading 2-0 after just 20 minutes. It looked like we had finished the tie off, but six minutes from time Independiente pulled a goal back and set up a tense second leg. Kamahara put in a man of the match performance, but he will miss the next few matches as he is playing for Peru at the Olympics.​

Huracan 4-1 Chacarita
Filippetto (13)
Bruno (pen 17, 25)
Castro (90)
A great performance in our first league match of the season against the newly promoted side. I made a very late decision to put Filippetto in the team at centre-back, and he was superb, scoring the first goal and winning the penalty for the second. After Kamahara’s performance in our last match, Bruno responding with two goals, and youngster Castro came on to score a fourth.​

Huracan 2-1 Colon
Vasquez ( 6 )
Lentini (70)
The game was more comfortable than the score line suggests, as ever since we took an early lead Colon never looked like troubling us one bit. We made it two after Lentnii’s first league goal of the season on 70 minutes, but Colon scored a consolation late on out of the blue.​

Argentinos 0-3 Huracan
Vasquez (pen 76)
Lentini (82, 90)
We weren’t optimistic enough in our approach in the first half, so in the second half we went out and caused them more problems. We were awarded more penalties than any team in the league last season, and it took a penalty to break the deadlock. But from there, we played with freedom, and the passing in the build up to our second goal wouldn’t have looked out of place at the Nou Camp. Two minutes after our second goal, Argentinos were reduced to ten men, and Lentini added a third with his second goal of the match.​

Copa Sudamericana Preliminary Round 2nd Leg
Independiente 2-2 Huracan (agg. 3-4)
Vasquez (pen 61)
Bruno (69)
It made for a tense match when Independiente levelled the tie on aggregate in the first half, taking the lead on the night. But goals from Vasquez and Bruno meant that when the home side made it 2-2 on the night, the tie was already one. Wilfredo came off the bench after returning from the Olympics, and now there is going to be stiff competition up front, with all three players on top form.​

We have drawn Peruvian side Cesar Vallejo in the First Round.​

​

Tiro Federal 0-2 Huracan
Lentini (10)
Bruno (56)
Another comfortable win in the league, with both starting strikers getting on the score sheet. We could have had three or four, but I am happy with the win and the clean sheet.​

After a great start to the season, we sit top of the table, and are the only side to still have a 100% record in the league. All three strikers are performing, and our new signings have slotted right into the club. It is also nice to have options for once, unlike last season, with good players not even making the match day squad. So things are going well.​

View attachment 101682​

 

[Formia]

I am going to be away for the next nine days or so, so there won't be any updates for a while. But I will be carrying the story on when I get back .

 

[sass101]

2017 and one title

Anyways, fantastic results,

 

[Formia]

2017 and one title

It seems slow, but I haven't been able to attract the sort of jobs I expected after winning the first one, and just qualifying for the competitions is the first step. Although I have notched a few domestic trophies .

But thanks for following.