#ffwc

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) has cautioned that the water levels of the Muhuri and Halda rivers in Feni and Chittagong districts are expected to remain above the danger level, potentially keeping the flood situation in the region unchanged over the next 24 hours. Similarly, the Gumti River in Comilla may also rise above the danger level, raising concerns about flash floods in…

Vilnius hosted its final futsal match this evening with the Iberian derby that is Spain v Portugal, and it didn’t disappoint. The first half was fiery and fascinating, but somehow goalless - Spain were especially culpable, missing an open goal and then failing to score from the penalty spot. Three minutes into the second half however, Spain found their shooting boots and went 2-0 up, but Portugal dragged it back to 2-2, much to the delight of the mob of fans below me. They were by far the biggest, noisiest, most passionate group I’d seen and didn’t stop singing/chanting all night, so I was pleased that their boys got back into the game.

Extra time beckoned, at which point I was all for penalties, but I got the next best thing which was two Portuguese goals to put them into the semis. The red-and-green brigade went bananas and I allowed myself a little smile at my efforts in Lithuania. As I had hoped, a strong end to the tournament meant the harrowing memories of the first few days faded. We packed up lickety-split and got back to the hotel in plenty of time for me to prep for the flight home tomorrow, though not before getting an infotainment group photo:

I worked three days on the bounce for the first time since I arrived (slave labour, am I right?!), covering four L16 matches which were largely forgettable, save for one very notable exception. Cult heroes Uzbekistan were back in town to take on Iran, and both sides were well represented in the crowd, making for a spirited atmosphere. 

The match was frankly utterly bonkers from start to finish, and undeniably the game of the tournament. Most fans had barely parked their posteriors before Iran got the first of SEVENTEEN goals that were scored in this match! Uzbekistan trailed throughout but once again refused to go quietly, and even a deficit of four goals was not enough to fully kill them off; they played with a rush goalie for most of the second half, and while their all-in approach cost them a few goals it almost earned them the ultimate reward at the death. They went down swinging with Iran winning 9-8, but there were hugs, handshakes and standing ovations all around for a wonderful display by both teams. Even the two sets of fans applauded each other and took some group selfies together!

I only have two QF matches left before my involvement in the tournament is over, but there is no way they’ll top today’s drama. Having nailed my colours to their mast it was a shame to see UZB depart before I did, but getting this far was already an overachievement for them and they played their butts off in all four of their matches. I made sure to applaud them off along with everyone else - they definitely captured this operator’s heart.

17-18 Sep 2021

Two days, four more matches. Yesterday’s results were Iran 4-2 USA & Argentina 4-2 Serbia, neither of which were particularly exciting. Nor were today’s, truth be told – the second match was Venezuela v Kazakhstan, who’d both already qualified for the knockouts, and a tame 1-1 draw was all we got. However, the main match on the agenda (for me at least) was Egypt v Uzbekistan.

I’d firmly hitched my wagon to the Uzbeks after two valiant efforts that ended in defeat; despite being the only team in their group not to win a match, there was still a chance they could come as high as second. RFU had qualified before this round of matches but Egypt, Serbia and UZB were all looking to punch their ticket. UZB came out firing and lead after two minutes, but a defensive mix-up allowed Egypt to equalise just before the break. Egypt had more shots on goal, but UZB had the better chances. It was a balanced (and boring) game, but with five minutes to go UZB’s no. 2 Rakhmatov stepped up and delivered a moment of magic with a beautiful long-range volley that the Egyptian keeper could only wave into his net!

After a day of rest I came back for more futsal, and things have indeed calmed down now that we all know where we stand. I get a little bit more communication with my infotainment colleagues now, but I’m still pretty much left to my own devices (which in this regard is not a bad thing). This means that I focus on the games and take in some of the action. So far the matches I’ve covered have been fairly entertaining; the pattern of fast starts/finishes with a lull in the middle have largely continued, but the late drama especially has more than made up for it. Yesterday I watched Serbia 2-3 Iran (not much to report) & Argentina 11-0 USA! Argentina are the reigning world champs and easily the best team I’ve seen, so although the Americans got their butts handed to them, I think they knew this would always be a tough experience.

Today we looped back to Group B for Egypt v Guatemala followed by Uzbekistan v RFU. Based on the previous round of matches I reckoned that Guatemala would win, and when they came out for the start of the match I was convinced; it happened to be the 200-year anniversary of their day of independence, and they sang their national anthem with such passion and volume that I genuinely had to stand up and look below me to see if there was an army of supporters I hadn’t previously clocked! I had to join in with the applause once they’d finished, they earned it!

Egypt were much-improved since their 9-0 drubbing, and to my surprise took the lead! Guatemala gradually found their footing and began to hustle the Egyptians into a number of mistakes, which finally led to an equaliser before the break. The second half barely stopped for breath, as the Guatemalans took the lead twice (including a delicious chipped goal) only to have Egypt peg them back to 3-3. The Egyptians then got their noses in front again, and as time ran out and Guatemala risked more to salvage something, they added a few more for a slightly flattering 6-3 victory.

I added another pin to my personal world map as I touched down in Vilnius, Lithuania this week - I am here to work on the FIFA Futsal World Cup (basically indoor 5-a-side), so that’s a new country and a new sport! Mercifully there is no bubbling, so I am looking forward to making the most of my time off to do some exploring. I managed a brief walkabout on the afternoon I arrived, and early signs suggest this is a very pretty part of the world.

I haven’t had a chance to write until now because the prep days have been horrendous; There are three pairs of ops at different venues, and I’m partnered with DJ, who is operating match/TV graphics while I am in charge of the ‘cube’ inside the arena (see below). We’ve had little to no help from some of our Lithuanian colleagues, whose severe lack of urgency/understanding made things so much harder than they should have been. The list of charges is far too long to write out, but it made for a couple of late, frustrating finishes.

My cube role falls under the umbrella of ‘infotainment’, i.e. roles that bring some information+entertainment to the capacity 500-strong crowds, and even my co-workers in this area barely did anything to assist me (or even glance my way). I had no idea what was expected of me even as game 1 kicked off, but I started to get a feel for things and in the end things sorta worked out. Only at the conclusion of play did the infotainment manager invite me to their debrief meeting, which I found hilarious in a laughing-maniacally-now-you-want-to-talk! kind of way.

For the matches themselves, they weren’t too bad for an introduction to the sport. Each matchday consists of two games (per venue), and the rules are pretty-much akin to football, except a match consists of 20-minute halves and the clock stops whenever the ball goes out of play. We had the tournament opener featuring Russia RFU v Egypt, and I quickly learned that either RFU are pretty good, or Egypt are pretty crap. It finished 9-0, and I was probably busier than the Russian goalkeeper!

Uzbekistan v Guatemala followed, which was a far better spectacle; a rip-roaring start saw Guatemala 3-1 up after 7 minutes, before adding a fourth two minutes into the second half. Uzbekistan pulled one back soon after, but then there was a bit of a lull to proceedings. Almost as soon as had DJ texted me to say how boring this was, the match took off! Having dominated possession, UZB finally got another goal back for 4-3, and then switched their goalie for another who essentially acted as a fifth outfield player to pile on the pressure in search of an equaliser. Guatemala escaped several close calls before the pressure told with one minute to go; one of their players diverted a cross into his own net, sending the noisy, flag-swathed Uzbek contingent in the stands berserk! UZB reverted to their ‘normal’ goalkeeper, no doubt feeling immensely chuffed with their efforts, only for Guatemala to suddenly snatch the win with 14 seconds left on the clock! It was an utter gut-punch for UZB, who had worked relentlessly to find a way back into the match, and I did feel for them. On the other hand, the dramatic final few minutes were undeniably delicious as a neutral.

Genre Scribes: Friday Fiction Writing Challenge #51 — Torch

Welcome to post #51 of the Friday Fiction Writing Challenge! Here’s a complete list of all the posts so far. Feel free to join in.

Here’s another installment of Amy and Kelvin’s story. Visit their page for all of their posts.

This week’s random word is: Torch

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Genre Scribes: Friday Fiction Writing Challenge #50 — Banquet

Welcome to post #50 of the Friday Fiction Writing Challenge! Here’s a complete list of all the posts so far. Feel free to join in.

Here’s another installment of Amy and Kelvin’s story. Visit their page for all of their posts.

This week’s random word is: Banquet

(more…)