Your weekly source of information and entertainment, Sports Journal #35 brought to you by our journalists, is here! 📖⚽

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1/ FOOTBALL QUIZ

2/ THE MOST INTERESTING MATCHES OF THE FIRST WEEK OF SEASON 75

3/ HABEMUS SÜPER LIG!

4/ ACHIEVEMENTS OF “CLASSIC” PLAYERS #10

5/ BORAT ON THE NEW!

6/ REFEREE CONTROVERSIES THROUGH THE EYES OF THE MANAGER #6

FOOTBALL QUIZ

👑 The winners of the last edition are: (Legacy)

100 Keys 🔑 Premium - Koksuone

10,000 ⚡ Energy - Andrezinho & Bartek85

Hello! I'm here with another part of the football quiz series. Of course, there are prizes in the form of 100 Keys 🔑 Premium for the first person to answer correctly and 10,000 ⚡ Energy for two random people with the correct answer. I'll select the winners on Thursday at 8 p.m. Let's start!

1/ Name and surname of the player:

One of the most promising young strikers in Europe. Often compared to Erling Haaland due to his physical condition, dynamism and goal-scoring instinct. His rapid development has made him a key figure in both the club and the Slovenian national team.

Born on 31 May 2003 in Radeče, Slovenia, he took his first steps in football in the local club Radeče ob Savi, and then in the youth teams of NK Krško and NK Domžale. Already at this stage, he stood out with his physical condition and effectiveness in front of goal. In 2019, Austrian Red Bull Salzburg noticed a huge talent and brought him to their academy.

At first, he played mainly for the satellite team - FC Liefering, where he impressed with his effectiveness. Thanks to his great performances, he quickly advanced to the Salzburg first team. In the 2021/2022 season, he became a regular in Salzburg. His speed, strength and effectiveness made him attract the attention of top European clubs.

In the Austrian league, he scored key goals and developed tactically. In the summer of 2023, he transferred to German RB Leipzig, which allowed him to continue his career within Red Bull. The Bundesliga became the ideal place for further development.

From the very first matches, there was evidence of his readiness to play at the highest level. He made his debut in the Slovenian national team in 2021 as one of the youngest players in the squad. His talent quickly made him the main striker of the national team. He regularly scores goals and is a key link in building a new generation of Slovenian football.

Tall, fast and dynamic - these traits make him a great fit for modern football. He can not only finish actions, but also cooperate with the team, passing the ball and engaging in pressing. His development in the Bundesliga shows that he can become a leading striker in Europe. The career of this Slovenian sniper is an example of rapid development and well-thought-out choices. From humble beginnings in Slovenian academies, through the Austrian league and on to the Bundesliga, each stage has allowed him to develop key skills. Today, he is one of the most promising strikers, and the future looks very exciting.

2/ Name and surname of the Coach:

The Portuguese coach has been building his brand in Europe for several years now, managing FC Porto. While his name may not appear in the headlines, his achievements are impressive. He is known for the extremely intense style of play that he imposes on his teams. His teams are characterized by great pressing, quick transition from defense to attack and excellent physical preparation. Since taking over Porto in 2017, he has won several Portuguese championships and the Portuguese Cup with the club, restoring the team to its former glory.

As a former player, he understands the mentality of the players well, which translates into his ability to motivate and build team chemistry. He is also not afraid to bet on young players, which allows Porto not only to achieve sporting success, but also to generate profits from transfers.

His ability to manage the team in difficult moments, such as pressure from rivals or limited financial resources, makes him one of the most promising coaches on the international stage. He has shown time and again that he can compete with the best, leading Porto to surprising victories in the Champions League. He is a coach who combines passion, professionalism and determination in pursuing a goal.

Author: Wylewinho

THE MOST INTERESTING MATCHES OF THE FIRST WEEK OF SEASON 75

Hello! This is Kyrunio, today we will go over the most interesting matches that took place in the first week of season 75! So let's get to the point.

Today I will focus on two matches. By adding updates, we have more space for interesting matches, thanks to interesting changes such as: 4→8 national leagues, which means that we will see twice as many matches in the National Cup than before. Another interesting change is the exclusion of the top 3 leagues and teams from the Super League from the Domestic Cup. This is a good step towards ending the domination of a few teams.

The first match I will focus on today took place in the Polish National Cup on Wednesday, April 2 at 1:10 p.m. The teams that faced off were Андеграунд and ФК АТЛЕТИКО. 

Андеграунд vs ФК АТЛЕТИКО

The match seemed interesting from the very beginning, as both teams were on a similar level. The scoring started only in the 22nd minute of the match, when Не пройдёшь scored a goal after an accurate pass into the penalty area by Малёк.

The hosts did not need much time to equalize the score, in the 33rd minute of the match,  Девятый 09 scored the equalizing goal after several passes with his teammates.

The first half ended 1:1. The interesting part is yet to come.

Less than 10 minutes after the break,  Дима Жлобин put the visitors back in the lead. This time, he was assisted by the first goal scorer, Не пройдёшь.

In the 60th minute of the match, Манчестер took a penalty kick, which was awarded by the referee to Светлость, who fouled the opponent with his elbow in his own penalty area. He gave the goalkeeper no chance to save his very powerful shot. The score is already 2:2.

In the 80th minute of the match, Манчестер stepped up to take a corner kick. He threw the ball centrally into the penalty area, exactly where Фигу was, who went on to score as the hero of the match.

The match ended 3:2. We are looking forward to the rematch of this meeting!

The second match I will focus on was again in the National Cup, this time it was the French Cup. The meeting started on Thursday, April 3 at 12:50. The teams of Twierdza Wrocław and Derby County faced each other.

Twierdza Wrocław vs Derby County

The guests were clear favorites to win this match, as they had an OVR advantage several times over their opponent, who entered the match with reserves.

The score was opened in the 9th minute of the match by Fin Finisher, who used an accurate pass from Błażej Reszka. The hosts took the lead quite unexpectedly.

Just three minutes later Царь 19 beat the rivals' goalkeeper with a flat shot after an accurate pass from the outside of the foot from 0chefe equalizing the score.

The guests did not cease to surprise us, because just 4 minutes later they took the lead thanks to Велес Иванов, who scored a goal after another accurate pass by 0chefe, who was brilliant in this match.

In the 29th minute of the match, Polir played an accurate ball into the alley between the defenders to Боба Фед, who took advantage of a moment of inattention from the defenders and increased the score.

Eight minutes later, Fin Finisher and Błażej Reszka showed their teamwork again, playing a quick and effective pass between the defenders, as a result of which the former scored a goal for the hosts!

Shortly after the start of the second half, Fin Finisher fouled an opponent outside his penalty area, which resulted in a free kick. Polir approaches the ball, hits it and GOOOOOAAAAL! The visitors took a two-goal lead again!

Less than 10 minutes after this goal, Pantofelek received a perfect pass from Fin Finisher, had plenty of space in the penalty area, struck the ball and secured his team's contact with the opponent.

There was a shock in the stadium in the 64th minute of the match. Redziak619 started a two-on-one with Fin Finisher, who hit the ball very hard from under his knee. We have an equalizer!

In the 76th minute of the match, a free kick was awarded to the visitors again, this time Meryś was chosen to take it. It was no mistake, as he beat the goalkeeper with a beautiful shot over the wall.

In the added time of the second half Fin Finisher fouled an opponent in the penalty area, which resulted in a red card! Lewy10 took the penalty, who scored the goal with a shot from the lime.

That's all from me for today, I encourage you to read articles sent by other journalists. See you next time!

Author: Kyrunio

HABEMUS SÜPER LIG!

Hello, players! All good? A new era begins in the Football Team Game, and excitement is at its peak! For the first time, we have eight national leagues (Poland, England, Italy, Spain, Germany, Turkey, and Russia), which means more rivalry, more drama, and, of course, more goals. This expansion brings new opportunities for teams to prove their strength on a bigger stage, adding an extra layer of strategy and unpredictability to the competition.

An interesting fact: the eight teams competing in the Super League this inaugural season are also playing in League 1 of their respective countries. In other words, they are playing double duty—as if the pressure wasn't already high enough! Balancing the demands of two top-tier competitions is no easy feat, requiring depth in the squad, smart rotation, and unwavering determination. Every matchday will test not only their skill but also their endurance and adaptability.

Speaking specifically about the Turkish Süper Lig, we already have a first glimpse of the competition after two rounds. And so far, four teams have a 100% win rate:

1 - FC HIENAS 

2 - ФК Беркут (

3 - Coś niecoś

4 - ФК Спарта

The ФК Беркут is the favorite on paper, given its high ranking. However, competing in two elite tournaments simultaneously might be a challenge worthy of an Ottoman sultan!

Bottom of the table: red alert!

Not everything is sunshine (or kebabs) for some teams. Currently, the relegation zone includes:

13 - Cosa Nostra

14 - G D Chaves

15 - The Workers

16 - TACHIBANA BROS

The situation for TACHIBANA BROS is already raising alarm bells. But don’t panic yet—there’s still time to train, strengthen the squad, and escape this nightmare. After all, even the legendary Ottoman Empire didn’t last forever…

Standout performances

Players are shining on the field, and some statistics are already catching attention. Let's take a look at the key figures in the competition so far:

Top Scorer: Popcorn Proszę (FC HIENAS) - 12 goals
Assist Leader: Analityk danych z Excela (FC HIENAS) - 5 assists
Duel King: piłkarz86 ( Coś niecoś)
Best Goalkeeper: Руслан Нигматуллин (ФК Спарта) 

Notably, Popcorn Proszę is already pulling away in the top scorer race, and FC HIENAS is proving to be strong both in attack and playmaking, with Analityk danych z Excela leading in assists.

Fun facts about Turkey and football

While we follow the Turkish Süper Lig, how about some fun facts about the country?

Turkey is famous for its passion for football, and clubs like Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş have fanatical supporters who turn stadiums into real cauldrons.

Turkish football has a peculiar mascot: the "Kebabiador." In the 90s, a well-known fan used to dress up as a kebab skewer to support his team!

Galatasaray was the first Turkish club to win a European competition, lifting the UEFA Cup in 2000 after defeating Arsenal.

Fenerbahçe is the only team in the world headquartered in Asia but plays in Europe. The stadium is located on the Asian side of Istanbul, but the club competes in European tournaments.

During a Galatasaray vs. Fenerbahçe derby, it's common for fans to bring fake money bills featuring rival players’ faces to mock the opposition.

What to expect from the next rounds?

As the next rounds approach, some key questions arise: Will TACHIBANA BROS finally find the back of the net? Can FC HIENAS maintain their unstoppable momentum? And who will be the first to take down ФК Беркут?

As always, the answer lies within the four lines. Stay tuned for the next rounds of the Turkish Süper Lig, and see you in the next report! 

Author: Fábio Muri

ACHIEVEMENTS OF “CLASSIC” PLAYERS #10

Dear readers,

Another week, another Wednesday in the year 2025, So everything indicates that it's time for another edition of articles in Sports Journal! Nothing changes in this matter, I'm Andrzejek and I invite you to check out the last article from my probably well-known series of achievements and statistics of players from the Classic server.

Due to the fact that this series was very well received, I am issuing a kind of challenge to another willing editor to repeat this type of series on the newly connected Legacy and Speed servers. Will anyone take up this challenge? Perhaps we'll find out in the near future :) Let's start the last edition of this series!

Andrzejek

I have been wondering for a long time whether choosing my player for this type of series would be a good choice, because many people may perceive it as favoring myself in a sense, however, in dozens of articles prepared for Sports Journal I have never written about myself, but is it time to change that? Stay tuned… *leak* 😀

Andrzejek is a left defender of the team ranked first in the overall ranking, and we are talking about Black Stars, of course. On a daily basis, a basic defender with a short adventure, which did not last too long to represent the colors of Inet Squad and TheBestThalibTeam. Does a player who plays in the best club and is in the starting eleven definitely have outstanding numbers? Let's check it out!

League: Interventions(49) 14G/1A in 113 matches
ET/CT: Interventions(25) 3G/3A in 38 matches
LC: (-)
Friendlies: Interventions(31) 15G/0A in 129 matches

which gives a total of 105 interventions, 32 goals and 4 assists in 280 matches. And as for the numbers, it doesn't look too rosy for a player of this class. It would seem that in the numbers of a top player there would be many, many more of these interventions, but as the history of my previous players has shown, it has come full circle and once again in the statistics it looks poor.

In the career of my player you will not see any individual awards for interventions or for the Top Training Week, betting on matches or card duels.

Anyone who plays on the classic server knows how powerful the Black Stars team is and perhaps this small number of interventions turned out to be the key to at least half of the cups won in the colors of this club.

TheNitroZyniak

As the second in today's ranking, I decided that it would be the current leader of the main rival of the Black Stars team. The account of the founder and one of the owners of 7more7 has recently returned to play, which certainly adds color and flair to the competition at the very top of the Super League table on the classic server. Does the top-class offensive midfielder have more goals or assists? Let's check it out!

League: 98G/45A in 116 matches
ET/CT: 42G/12A in 39 matches
LC: (-)
Friendlies: 203G/72A in 141 matches

which gives a total of 343 goals and 129 assists in 296 matches. There is no denying that these numbers are really good, however, I expected more assists from a player of such class. However, it is worth noting that perhaps the coach of the 7more7 team focused his player on perfect finishing of the action on the pitch.

Surprisingly, I chose TheNitroZyniak as the second person for today's article, who surprisingly also does not have any medals in his career. The "only" thing he managed to win individually is two Top Training Weeks, but only in the current season, i.e. season six!

As for the club trophies, just like in the case of my player, there are so many of them that listing them would take too much time, but if you are interested, this is the perfect time to take a break from my article, click on the name TheNitroZyniak at the beginning of the article, and then you will be redirected directly to his player's profile!

Cihan Gürsoy

Cihan is the last player I will describe in this series, and I chose him because his team is fighting hard for second place in the Clubs' Top Week this week and he is one of the players who has done over a million training sessions just up until Wednesday! Center striker and management assistant are the position and function played in the club by our hero who ends the entire series. It's time to get down to business and check his numbers!

League: 238G/16A in 97 matches
ET/CT: 1G/0A in 5 matches
LC: 13G/0A in 12 matches
Friendlies: 145G/4A in 108 matches

which gives a total of 397 goals and 20 assists in 222 matches. It is easy to see from the statistics that Cihan is a specialist in league and friendly matches, but he does much worse in tournament matches. However, with such strong training of the entire team, it is only a matter of time before this player gets going numerically. The medals he managed to win are the best scorer and third scorer in the second league.

The club's cups are, respectively, 2nd place in the third league, which rewards promotion, third place in the second league and a trophy for first place in the second league for the fourth season, which gives promotion to the first league.

Thank you so much for following the entire series and see you next time!

Author: Andrzejek

BORAT ON THE NEW!

Hello dear readers of our sports magazine!
“The time has finally come…” (c) Dog in Boots.

Hooray comrades, hooray! What we’ve all been waiting for — the reformation of the leagues — has finally happened! Along with it came a number of major changes, and while we probably won’t be able to cover everything today, let’s focus on the updated tasks and the new league distribution, and try to figure out what worked well and what might need some polishing.

Let’s start with the tasks. They’ve undergone a complete overhaul — from changes to the existing rewards, to the introduction of entirely new subsections and even whole sections with quite generous rewards.

So, what’s new?
The first thing is the Starter Tasks section. It consists of 7 subsections, each of which offers 50K energy and 50 energy packs upon completion.
The tasks themselves aren’t complicated, but not all are clearly described. For example, there’s one that says “try upgrading an item to a higher rank once.” I went ahead and upgraded everything I could, including converting a gold item into platinum (which I already had the resources for and had planned to do anyway), but it turned out the task actually required an item exchange — the one in the locker room where you trade 5, 4, or 3 items depending on the rank. In any case, it’s a quick way to earn a decent chunk of energy.

Achievements have also been revamped, so let’s take a closer look at those changes.
Previously, hitting 10K OVR earned you something like 3 Hero Stars. Now, that same milestone gives you a whopping 250K energy, 5 level 6 XP drinks, and 2 Hero Stars. Players who already claimed the older reward might feel like they missed out a bit…

Another example — as a true hoarder, I completed 4K offensive training sessions, which used to earn a week-long +200% training boost. I didn’t claim it right away, planning to save it for an event or club wars. But after the update, that reward turned into 15 energy packs, 12.5K energy, and 3,125 coins.

A similar thing happened when I hit 9K endurance, which previously would’ve granted me the much-needed Triumph Ball. I reached that milestone at night when the game was updated, and by morning, I was supposed to receive it — but instead, I got 1 Hero Star, 15K energy, and 3,750 coins. The new rewards are still valuable, but those who were aiming for specific previous bonuses may need to adjust their strategies a bit.

Overall, the new system puts a huge emphasis on energy, while energy conservation and increasing training opportunities may, at first glance, become more challenging… although I could be wrong.

Now, as for the merging and leagues, that’s a whole separate story. As I’ve mentioned before, the Super League in its previous form had run its course. Plus, the arrival of new tournaments tailored to different team levels was a welcome change — one I’d been waiting for.

However, there were still some questions.
At first, I wasn’t sure how the imbalance between leagues would be addressed — for example, how Super League teams might end up in the same league as those with only 1–1.5K OVR. This issue was tackled by merging with the fast server.

The very principle of league distribution also raised a few eyebrows — they simply divided leagues every 8 teams.

So, these are my first impressions. With more time, I’m sure we’ll be able to analyze things more thoroughly. And of course, a lot of other new content has arrived — including collections — but perhaps we’ll get into that next time.

Author: Борат 

REFEREE CONTROVERSIES THROUGH THE EYES OF THE MANAGER #6

Hello, Kiero DS here. Due to the numerous controversial situations involving football referees, I have decided to create a new series, where I will analyze these situations step by step. This series will appear relatively regularly, along with the emerging controversies.

During the Puszcza Niepołomice - Piast Gliwice match, there were several key decisions made in cooperation between referee Marcin Szczerbowicz and VAR referee Szymon Marciniak. Analyzing them in the context of the "Laws of the Game", one can see some doubts, especially in one situation that is controversial.

The first decision of the referee concerned a penalty kick awarded in the 15th minute of the match. Piotr Mroziński was pushed by Tihomir Kostadinov in the penalty area. The fall of the Puszcza player may have seemed a bit theatrical, but the contact was clear and, in accordance with the rules, the referee correctly indicated the eleventh meter.

The most controversial situation was the 58th minute, when Tomas Huk kicked the ball from the goal line. After his intervention, the ball unfortunately bounced off Patryk Dziczek's head and headed towards the goal again. Huk, wanting to avoid the risk, stuck out his hand and rested it on the post. When the ball fell, it touched both his head and hand.

Referee Szczerbowicz initially did not see any foul play, but after a VAR analysis, he decided to change his decision and awarded a penalty kick to Puszcza. The key argument was that Tomáš Huk's hand was raised, enlarged the outline of his body and influenced the ball's flight path. However, in this case, it should be taken into account that the Piast player stuck out his hand primarily for his own safety, cushioning a potential collision with the post. The "Laws of the Game" do not clearly specify the situation in which a player's hand is used in this way. 

Article 12 states that not every touch of the ball with the hand constitutes an offence - the key is whether the player consciously increased the surface area of ​​his body, which had an impact on the course of the game. Additionally, FIFA in its guidelines indicates that referees should consider the naturalness of the hand position and the player's intention. In this case, it can be argued that the raised hand was the result of a body movement aimed at protecting himself from injury. Another aspect is that the "Laws of the Game" clearly indicate that the offence should be interpreted in accordance with the spirit of the game. 

Therefore, when the player did not intend to stop the ball with his hand, and the contact resulted from situational circumstances, it should not always result in a penalty kick. It can therefore be argued that the decision to award a penalty was an over-interpretation of the regulations and an excessive application of the literal interpretation without taking into account the context. 

The third key situation took place in the 67th minute, when Szczerbowicz awarded a penalty kick to Piast after a clash between Tomasz Huk and Michal Siplak. After a VAR analysis, it turned out that Huk had headed the ball and then made contact with his opponent, but it cannot be called a foul. The decision to call off the penalty kick was right and in line with the "Rules of the Game", because the contact had no significant impact on the course of the action and did not meet the criteria for an offence.

To sum up, VAR played a key role in the Puszcza Niepołomice - Piast match, but controversy remains. In particular, the decision to award a penalty kick after Huk's intervention may raise conflicting opinions, because the regulations do not provide for a clear interpretation of such a situation. In my opinion, the player's intentions, the circumstances of the event and the spirit of the game should be taken into account, which could lead to a different decision.

Thank you for reading my article! If you like this type of content or have ideas for further topics that I should write about, leave your suggestions in the comments. 

Best regards!

Author: Kiero DS