[FM22]The San Marino project/Building a Nation

[Thomassje123]

Hi everyone,  I am quite new on this forum. In short: My name is Thomas and I live in the Netherlands. My favorite club is FC Twente and I have been playing FM since CM 04. If my English is sometime a little bit bad it is because of that

 

Folgore

 

But FC Twente is not the club I'm playing with in this edition of FM. I've always been a fan of the San Marino Challenge. In FM 14 I attempted this challenge and with a little bit of succes. I got to 2 euros and even a world cup. In all three editions I survived the group stage. This all happened between 2040 and 2050. After that the game died down because I didn't get good regens anymore so I had to quit. I attempted it again in FM 20 with a special database but it didn't last long. 

 

I didn't like to play in the Serie A. For this edition I decided to play in San Marino. I got the Claasen database and I started in San Marino. I have chosen to manage the club Folgore. They were the champions last year so I got to the qualifying round of the Champions League so it would be a little bit easier because this challenge is already hard enough if you start in San Marino. There is no time to settle, in few days I already have to play in de qualifying round of the Champions League so let's move on quickly.

 

San Marino national team

 

 

I'll also play with the national team but the first seasons the focus wil be on Folgore

 

European games

 

 

My very first game was against Prishtina from Kosovo. We played very well and won 2-0. Then we got HB from the Faroe Islands. We had no difficulties with them and won 5-1. After 37 minutes it was already 3-0. In the first Qualifying rounds was HJK from Finland too strong for us. We never had a chance really in both games. In the Conference League we lost against Mura from Slovenia. We were close to  a stunt. After a 1-3 home defeat we got ahead from a corner in the second leg. Unfortunately we did not manage to make a second goal so the European run is now over. First we have a super cup and then the competition wil start. The goal: Ofcourse become the champions!

 

*I play FM in Dutch. For this thread I made screenshots in English but it can happen that you occasionally see a screen in Dutch by accident

Edited February 23, 2022 by Thomassje123

[Thomassje123]

Competition

End table

 

We managed to end up on top of the table at the end of the season. Everything was easier than I expected. After 16 games we won all of our games. Towards the end of the season everything went a little bit laborious and we even lost 2 games. That is a bit concerning heading towards the play-offs. In the play-offs we play agains Domagnano that finished 11th. 

 

Cup run

In the cup there are 15 teams. The winner of last season gets a bye in the first round and after that it is already the quarter final. We had no problems heading towards the cup final. Juvenes Dogana, Domagnano and even Tre Penne. They were no threat to me and we got to the final easily. In the final we battered Virtus but we didn't score our chances. We payed the prize for that because after the penalty shoot out Virtus wins the trophy while they really did not deserve it.

Super Cup

 

At the beginning of the season we played against La Fiorita for the Super Cup. Is was the same story as against Virtus. We created a lot of chances but forgot to score them. Also the Super Cup we didn't win where we should have. Such a shame. Hopefully we can learn from this so that it won't happen again.

 

Youth intake

I apologize because this screen is in Dutch but the Youth intake was not good. Actually is was really bad. It looks decent but in a few years we need more quality than this

Next update

In the next update you will see if we managed to win the league. We lost the cup final so it is a MUST win in the play-offs otherwise we won't get European football wich we need to create us some money.

 

EDIT

As I am making this update I am noticing a mistake. In the screen above you can already see who became the champion. Well, no need to wait right?

Play-offs

First we played against Domagnano. They were no treat as we win 0-4 away. Against Murata is was more difficult. A away draw put us in a kind of a iffy situation. At home we won 4-1 but is was really not as easy as it seemes. Murata created a lot of chances and it was a open game, something I do not want. We scored 4 goals so we got trough. In the final I was nervous. It was do or die in this game. We played very good and won 4-0. Nothing to be afraid of. We won the title so we go to the Champions League. Well, the preliminary rounds but you know what I mean

[Thomassje123]

End of season

Finances and European rankings

 

 

It is starting to look good. We have €1,1 million in our balance and we ware financially really stable and there is a little bit of place to improve our facilities. Hopefully we can get far in Europe in season 2.

 

Season 2 super cup

Payback time! Last season we lost against Virtus in the final of the cup last year. Because of that we play them in the super cup this season. De game started off really good but the goal from Fedeli was disallowed. 26 minuten later he scores again and the goal counts, 0-1. We had the initiative the whole game as you can see in the xG. We only forgot to score. Does that sound familiar? Luckily it didn't cost us so we won. Even a missed penalty did not cost us. 

New Stadium?

[Thomassje123]

European qualifying rounds

We started the journey this year against KR from Island. We went ahead two times but we bottled it. We lost 3-2 but it was a justifiably result. So we fell down towards the Conference League. In the second qualifying round we got a game in Ireland. Waterford was the opponent. In the away game we played good and scored once. In the 82th minute we scored the 0-2 but 0-2 was a little bit flattered. In the home game we didn't had any trouble and the score stayed 0-0. Then we drew KR again and it was time for revanche. Unfortunately they werd simply better then us and they won 2 times again. The European journey ends here already. Hopefully next year better

Competition

Our season was okay but I was not really happy. We ended on the first place but we lost to many points along the way.

Play-offs

The play-offs started against La Fiorita who we played in the final last season. La Fiorita is not that good this season and it showed here in the play-offs. We had no problem whatsoever with them, 2-4 and 1-0. Against Virtus we had more trouble. Away we drew 0-0 in a game that was not good from both sides. No problem, just make it up in the home game right? We played not bad but we didn't create a lot of chances. It was the worst time to have a offday. Nothing helped, we just coudn't score. Virtus scored from a corner and they won. No champions this year, it was devastating. We got third place but it didn't matter, there were only 2 European spots. Tre penne won the League this year. It showes how dangerous the play-offs can be.

 

Cup

\

The road to the final started aginst Juvenes Dogana. We had no trouble with them. Against La Fiorita we won 1-3 away but we made it unnecessary hard for ourself because we gave La Fiorita a chance to come back. Luckily we hung on en it stayed 0-1 but it showes that we have to be on the top of our game. Fiorentino was no problem, we won easily.

Final

In the final we drew Domagnano. Tre Penne was eliminted before. We had to win this game to get into Europe. We played good, gave away some chances but we were 0-2 up after 35 minutes. We didn't gave our head start away and we hadn't any trouble the rest of the match. We won the trophy wich makes up a little bit for losing the League title.

[Thomassje123]

Intake

 

I don't really have much to say about this intake, it is just really bad!

 

End of season

Club rankings

 

Competition coëfficiënts

 

Improving youth recruitment and junior coaching

 

 

 

[Thomassje123]

Breaking: Folgore announces new stadium!

The details are here! At the ending of season 1 the board said they had plans to build a new stadium. Our current stadium has a attendence of 370 wich was actually pathetic. The new stadium has a attendence of 5.175 wich is a lot better. In the competition we won't get it full but it is a great step into the future. Hopefully in the next like 10 years we can expand the stadium for our European matches. The cost is also not that high. We can pay it on our own without a loan wich is perfect. We get €1,2 from the authorities and 75K of a sponsor. With all it will only cost €1,5 million. That money we can earn back easily by qualifying for the group stage in Europe somewhere the next few years

[Thomassje123]

Conference League

First 3 matches

Sorry for the Dutch screen. We started in the first qualifying round for the Conference League. Our first opponent was Ballkani from Kosovo. In our first season we also beat FC Prishtina and we had no trouble with Ballkani whatsoever. In our home game we won 7-1 en also on the away ground we didn't had to break a sweat during the game. In the second round we went against Olimpija from Slovenia. Olimpija was better than us, we didn't create much in this game. We also did not concede so the end result was 0-0.

Away game

In the away game we played a hella lot better but the defence was not on point today. It killed us because after playing for a hour we were 3-0 down. The result is really bad but we can be happy about how we performed. We take the money and try to improve this season

Improving junior budget

Speaking about improving...

Super cup

In the Super Cup we played Tre Penne. We started very good and got the first goal wich was justifiably. In the extra time of the first half we concede a goal en we were tied again. The second half starts and Spighi gets a direct red card for a disgrace tackle. The game flipped since then. Tre Penne scored and went ahead and we coudn't keep up with 1 man down unfortunately. We lost. Now the Super Cup is not that important but it sucks either way. Not the best start to the season

Edited February 23, 2022 by Thomassje123

[Thomassje123]

San Marino Cup

The road to the final

We started in the quarter final of de cup. The first result was dissapointing. We drew 0-0 at home against Murata wich is by far not good enough. In the away game we also struggled but we won 0-1. The semi final was a lot better. We started with a 2-0 win against Juvenes Dogana. Juvenes Dogana is a very decent team this season and they win a lot of games and concede very little goals. This result was very good. The away game was a bit tougher. We scored from a corner but before half time Juvenes Dogana equalized. Spighi got a red card in the 50th minute. Luckily it didn't brought us in trouble so we got to the final. But it was very laborious.

Final

Ofcourse we play Tre Penne in the final. Tre Penne also has a good season so it definately won't be easy. We were better but also Tre Penne was dangerous. The score was 0-0 for a long time and I got a little bit nervous. Luckily after playing for an hour we finally scored a goal and went 0-1 up. It changed the game. Tre Penne had to take more risk and so there was a lot of space for us too to become dangerous. In the 66th minute we scored 0-2 and we secured the cup win this year

 

Competition

End Table

It was a very tough season. We weren't at our best this year. We drew a lot. Juvenes Dogana and Tre Penne really gave us a run for our money. Both teams played very good. In the fist season half we lost a lot of points but in the second season half we started winning every game including the games against Tre Penne and Juvenes Dogana. We had to work very hard to get first place this season.

Quarter and semi finals

We were in form and we needed to bring that to the play-offs. Long story short; we did. Our defence was top level and we only conceded one goal in the quarter and semi final. We had no trouble with San Giovanni. Even our angstgegner/feared opponent Virtus gave us no trouble.

Final

In the final we are playing - ofcource - Tre Penne. In this game there happened a lot that it didn't even fit in one screen. Our second season half was masterly and we also showed it in this final. After playing for 20 minutes we were already 0-2 up. Tre Penne got back in the game but before half time we made the difference 2 goals again. In the second half we walked away from our opponent. 1-5 after 70 minutes of football. To make matters worse for Tre Penne they also got a red card. After that red card we didn't score anymore but is wasn't nessecary. We got a clear win against them and showed who is the best team.

Double!

[Jono Cpfc]

really enjoying reading this mate

 

[Thomassje123]

Season 4: Champions League preliminary rounds

Game 1: Folgore - FC Santa Coloma

Finally we are back where we belong, in the Champions League... Well the qualification rounds ofcourse. We started first in the preliminary rounds. Our first opponent was FC Santa Coloma from Andorra. A league below us in the rankings. It sure was that way. We really whooped their asses. 6-0 we won. Or as we call it in Dutch: 2 vingers in de neus.

Game 2: Folgore - Buducnost

Next game was against Buducnost from Montenegro. They also won their first match easily. You don't see it back in the score but we actually played pretty good. Unfortunately we were very unlucky. And I know, it is a very easy thing to say. But we were unlucky, well I as a manager. Take a good look at the xG. Buducnost went 1-0 ahead from a set piece, yes always the set pieces. In the second half, one counter and boom 0-2 and so our destiny was sealed, and it was not in the Champions League. We deserved the win tho

Conference League

Second qualifying round

So it is the Conference League again. We got a small team again because we played against Lincoln from Gibraltar. It was the same match as against Santa Coloma, we won very easily. In the away game we doze off a little bit but it didn't matter because we already did the job on our own ground

Third qualifying round

In the third round we got Olimpija from Slovenia. Does it ring a bell? We also played them last year and they were simply better than us. How are we competing this year against them? We actually played very damn good! But we went 0-1 down..... In the game we tried to flip the game and we did it very good. We created a lot of chances. But the thing is, you have to score them. Vrioni got 2 clear cut chances and only scored 1. We had to score more but we couldn't. So we drew 1-1 wich was a bit dissapointing if you look at the match

We played a lot better than last year so it is really good to see the progression. Did it got us somewhere? Also in Slovenia we played quite good. Unfortunately we gave away a penalty and we were 1-0 behind. We got back in the game quickly and we levelled the score. That's a good thing because otherwise it would become very difficult. What happenend next was a game with 2 sides that created chances, it could go either way. Within 90 minutes the score stayed 1-1. In extra time we were also evenly matched and it looked like we were going to take penalties. But unfortunately they scored in the 120+1th minute and it was devestating. So our European journey had come to an end again

@Jono Cpfc Thanks, appreciate it

[Thomassje123]

Season 4: The competition

Table

We had a great season and we dominated. Only 2 draws and no losses. It seems like we are now definitely on top of everyone. We scored a lot of goals and conceded very little, only 7 goals. But the playoffs are the playoffs and you never know

Quarter and semi final

We had some favorable draws in the playoffs. No Tre Penne and no Juvenes Dogana. Juvenes Dogana had a horrible season and ended on the 13th place. We had no trouble with Fiorentino and even our feared opponent Virtus was no problem. We blew them away, this was our revanche for earlier games. 

Final

Ofcourse the final is against Tre Penne, who else right? Our start was magnificent. 0-2 up after 11 minutes, bam! After we went 0-2 up we controlled the game fully. We didn't create much but we gave nothing away. The end result is that we won very easy. So we are champions again and we go to the Champions League again

Super cup

In the beginning of the season we played also against Tre Penne for the Super Cup. It was like the same game, a good first half and 3-0 up. Tre Penne created some chances but we didn't concede

Cup

Road to the final

The road to the final was easy. Caulungo and Faetano were no trouble for us.

Final

In the final no Tre Penne this time. We played against Virtus. Virtus is no threat for us anymore. The final was a very attractive game with two teams that wanted to attack. The audience was the big winner. There were a lot of goals scored. We played very good and created a lot of chances. After half and hour we were 3-0 up. Virtus scored 3-1 but we had no reason to worry. In half time it was even 5-1 and the game was already over. Virtus tried their best, I have to give that to them but ofcourse it was not enough. They scored another time tho. In the end the scoreboards says 7-2. If you look het the xG, we blew them away.

Treble and unbeaten

That means we got the treble this season. Not only that, we were unbeaten in al national games including the cup games and the Super Cup. A great performence this year.

Key players
 

Spoiler

 

Coefficients

 

[dsousa96]

Internal you haven't any competition to be honest, you'll be champion most of the years.

Europe is the real Challenge .

[Thomassje123]

National team

First win in 2021

Next to Folgore I also play with the national team. It didn't take me long to get the first win however it was very lucky. We were losing and then al of a sudden 3 goals in the last minutes. A crazy ending to the match and my first win already so soon. But I can give away that this is NOT something to get used to

Friendly win against Liechtenstein in 2022

Also in 2022 we won a match. In Olimpico we won against Liechtenstein. A good game. In half time the score was 3-1. In the second half everything became a little bit more difficult but we survived.

Nations League 2022

Good news on the first 2 screens. All fun and games aside, in the Nations League we lost and we lost quite hard. There is lots of work to do in the next years

2022 World Championship qualifyers

We won against Andorra as you can see on the first screen. We got the 5th place instead of 6th place and that is all I can ask for.

2024 Euros qualifyers

Tough group and I didn't play any of these matches myself (I went on holiday). It was extremely hard and it was just a wast of time basically. We are nowhere near where we need to be to get some points in groups like this. Time to move on!

Next update:

In the next update you'll see how we did in the Nations League in 2024. We play against Liechtenstein and Malta

 

@dsousa96 That's very true as you can see above. That's also why I did the whole season in 1 update

Edited February 23, 2022 by Thomassje123

[Thomassje123]

2024 Nations League

Game 1

It is time for the Nations League. With games against Malta and Liechtenstein there should be something possible. We started the game against Liechtenstein very good. After 7 minutes we scored and took the lead. It gives trust to my players. Even though we had convidence Liechtenstein was the better team and they created some chances. The only thing we had to do is survive and don't concede. It was difficult but we did survive and did win the game. A good win and maybe it is possible?

Game 2

The second game is Malta away. Time to show what we are made of! We had some wings after the Liechtenstein game but Malta was way better then us. Even though Malta creates a lot of chances, we scored 0-1. Ofcourse Nanni is the goalscorer with a header. Against the ratio but it doesn't matter. The game was very long for us. Malta created a lot and had a lot of shots. Luckily Benedettini keeps very well and Malta doesn't score.... Till the 89th minute. Malta scores the equalizer. Such a shame but I can't complain. We draw the game wich I can live with. Now we have to win on our home ground. Wich is by the way game 3 and you'll see that in the next update

Edited February 23, 2022 by Thomassje123

[Thomassje123]

Game 3

This game was really important. If we win we have a very good position to get promoted. We played actually pretty good this game. Both teams were on the same level. We defended very well and that is something you rarely see at San Marino. We defended so wel that Malta didn't score. Neither did we so we drew 0-0. It is all in the last game now. 

Game 4

The game against Liechtenstein is also very important. We are the first to play against them and with a win we can apply a lot of pressure to Malta. This game was also even with few chances for each team. In half time the score was 0-0. The second half we started very well and scored very soon. The tone had been set. We were better in the second half and Liechtenstein even ended with 10 players. In the 70th minute they got a red card. Soon after the red card Nanni scores 0-2. Everything was all right at this point. Now we can sit back and relax and watch wat Malta does. Malta has to win!

Malta - Liechtenstein

Unfortunately peanutbutter as we say in The Netherlands. Malta wins against Liechtenstein

End table

So unlucky. We did very good but on goal difference we are on the second place. Malta secures the first spot and promotes to League C. We were so close......

Nanni

For people who play this challenge, this is not unexpected. Nanni is a very good player for San Marino and is a really good targetman. He already surpassed Selva who scored 8 goals. Nanni had 9 now and hopefully there are more to come

[Thomassje123]

Champions League

Back to the club Folgore where we are playing in the Champions League. This year is the first year we start in the 1st qualifying rounds instead of the preliminary rounds. In the first round we play against Vikingur Gota from the Faroer Islands

1st round

We had no trouble at all with this opponent. We are already way ahead of the faroer Islands as we won the first leg at home with 8-0. We didn't create that much but we were very effective with our chances

The second leg was not that important anymore but we had to go to the Faroer Islands for the formalities. We were better and won 0-2, nothing special. We go back home and take a look to who our next opponent is

2nd round

In the next round we play against FC Copenhagen, a very serious opponent ofcourse. We actually went 0-1 up but the goal was disallowed wich was very unfortunate. In the first half they score from a penalty wich also sucks. But we couldn't complain. Our opponent was way better and created a lot of chances. Luckily our goalkeeper had a very good game. Because of him it stayed 1-0 and we still have a little chance on our home ground

On our home ground it can always be spooky right? If we can stay in the game for long maybe we can surprise. We didn't play very good, Copenhagen was way better. Only this time around they don't create a lot of chances, let alone scoring. But we could not get in the game... Until the 81th minute. Kruse from Copenhagen is sent off while the score being 0-0. It was our chance! We tried but unfortunately we couldn't make a fist against them. So we lose 1-0 over 2 legs and their goal was a penalty. That stings a little bit but we can't say it wasn't justifiable. Now we go to the third
qualification of the Europa League.

 

Third qualifying round of the Europa League

In the Europa League we play against Dinamo Minsk

[Thomassje123]

3rd qualifying round of the Europa League

First leg

 

Dinamo Minsk was the opponent in the third round. I wasn't sure wat to think about them. When we came 0-1 behind I was like..crap. Luckily we showed resilience and came back in the game. Vrioni scored 1-1 and we got our confidence back. And o boy Dinamo knew. We accelerated and scored 2 goals in 14 minutes. The second half we also played very good and created chances. When Kerkez scored the 4-1 we knew we were in a good spot. In the final phase we scored again making the score 5-1. And with that we almost secured a spot in the last qualifying round.

Second leg

In the second leg we also played quite well. I was very pleased to see it. The game was very even. Something we wanted for this game. Unfortunately Dinamo went 1-0 up but it didn't last long. Mulder evened the score from a corner and thats when I knew. We go to the next round

4th qualifying round of the Europa League

First leg

In the 4th qualifying round we played aginst Red Star Belgrado. Red star are 41st on the coefficients. A very tough opponent. As we could see. We started very bad and after 5 minutes we were already behind. Red star played better then us. It resulted in the 0-2 and everything looked very slim. But we arised. Bamba made it 1-2. We accelerated and 2 minutes later we were completely back in the game. In half time the score was 2-2. In the second half we played a lot better, we could compete with Red Star. There were not a lot of chances in the second half. Long story short; both teams didn't score in the second half and the score stayed 2-2. We came from 0-2 behind so I can live with it.

Second Leg

We are still in it. 2-2 was a good result and we have everything to play for. Red Star took the posession from the start. I was fine with it, we can counter. And countering is what we did. Out very first chance and boom, 0-1. Do we really stand a chance against Red Star? Red Star was attacking. It gives Vrioni space and he can take advantage of it with its speed. And that is exactly what happened. Vrioni was 1 one 1 to the goalkeeper and scored 0-2. I couldn't believe my eyes. We rise above ourself and gave Red Star a run for their money. Everything was very well untill Red Star scores 1-2. We had to survive. Red Star tried but they weren't at the top of their game. The last half hour was very nerve wrecking but we survived. Red Star didn't create much chances and so we won. And that means...

Folgore is going to the Europa League!!!!!

Draw group stage Europa League

In the group stage we play aginst Fenerbahce, Dinamo Kiev and AC Milan

Edited February 23, 2022 by Thomassje123

[SteinkelssonFM]

Congratulations in making it the the UEL that will go a long way in boosting the league's coefficient along with that of Folgore.

I have just picked up your thread and read it from front to back and enjoy the content. I have just started a build a nation save in Poland and am focusing on club first before country. (Once I win the league I will give myself the Poland job) enjoy the challenge this style of save brings, will follow along 💪

[Thomassje123]

Europa League group stage

Game 1: Folgore - Fenerbahce

It's our debut in the goup stage of the Europa League, a night to remember. Or is it a night to forget? Fenerbahce straight away took the advantage and the momentum. After 18 minutes they scored 0-1 and it was deserved. Fenerbahce was simply way better than us. But maybe we could go to the dressing room with just 0-1? No, not even that. Fenerbahce got a penalty (ofcourse) and they score again. The game looked over. The game was also over because we just couldn't came back. In the 56th minutes the score is even 0-3 en when they score 0-4 we had to be carefull not to get washed. Luckily it stayed 0-4. Fenerbahce was way out of our league today

Game 2: Dynamo Kiev - Folgore

An away game in the Europa League. Not really something to look forward to. Dynamo was better than us as expected. A penalty got them 1-0 up. Ofcourse trough a pen, I've been playing this game for a long time, you just know it's coming. We had to stand up and that is exactly what we did. Bamba scored the equalizer quite soon and 6 minutes after we were even 1-2 up! Against the ratio but we don't care. In the second half Dynamo tried to get back in the game and they did a good job but they just did not managed to score. Just before stoppage time (is it still pronounced like that nowadays?) Warmolts scores 1-3 and the game is over. The goal in de 93th minute didn't matter. We won!

Game 3: AC Milan - Folgore

For Kerkez this was a special game, he came from AC Milan. It was an away game so I didn't think much about it. But we did surprisingly good. Milan did not create that much and there weren't that many highlights in this game. That is how I prefer it. As expected we couldn't get close to their goal. The score stayed 0-0 for a long time. In de 90th minute Milan got a penalty. Of course. But the FM gods were on my side for a change. Romagnoli missed and we did the impossible. Get a point away against AC Milan. A night to never forget

Game 4: Folgore - AC Milan

AC Milan surely had to be very dissapointed when they drew against us. I expected a Milan that was furious. They were a little bit but not as much as you would think. They clearly were better then us tho. After half and hour they scored the 0-1 and it was deserved. We tried but couldn't make a fist against Milan. When they came 0-2 up the game was over I thought. But we got back in the game en could scare Milan a litte bit. In the final phase we tried to go for it but unfortunately we didn't manage to score the equalizer. In the end we can be statisfied about our performance in the 2 games against Milan

@MattyLewis11 Thank you, I appreciate it. For me the San Marino challenge isn't complete without the national team even though you need some time to progress with the club so I can imagine you started with the club only first. How is your save going?

Edited February 23, 2022 by Thomassje123

[Thomassje123]

Europa League group stage

Game 5: Fenerbahce - Folgore

We started the group stage very well but the loss against Milan was a little bit dissapointing. That's actually crazy to say but if you draw away 0-0.... Anyway, we are still looking good because Dynamo Kiev hasn't won any game. In fact, if they don't win against Milan we are already trough to the Conference League. We were not good enough to compete against Fenerbahce, they were simply too good. There is not much to say about this game, We were battered. Luckily Dynamo Kiev lost against Milan

Game 6: Folgore - Dynamo Kiev

This game was not important anymore except for some money. We were already 3th and are going to the Conference League. We played very good but couldn't win. In fact we even lost but a draw would have been justifiable. Oh well, it is wat it is. 

Draw 1st knock-out round Conference League

In the Conference League we play against Molde FK from Norway. They are 72th on the coefficients

Edited February 14, 2022 by Thomassje123

[Thomassje123]

1st knock-out round Conference League: Folgore - FK Molde

First leg

If you look at our performances in the Europa League you could say Molde can be defeated right? We started very good and were better the Molde. We created chances but a corner gave us the 1-0 lead and it was well deserved. In the second half Molde got more and more back in the game and they were dangerous. You just could feel the equalizer in the air. In the 81th minute Molde got a penalty and a big chance to get the score even. Ellingsen didn't fail and the score was 1-1. This was also the score in the end. We started very good and ended poorly and can be happy with 1-1

Second leg

We made the away game a lot harder with the 1-1 on our home ground. In Norway Molde was the better team but we hung in there. We defended very well so the score stayed 0-0 for a long time. In the second half we came better in the match and created also some chances. The score in the 80th minute was still 0-0. But then there is Vrioni putting the ball in the back of the net. 0-1 up with 7 minutes to go, things started looking good. When El Bouhali scored from a free kick it was sure. We are advancing to the next round

Draw 2nd knock-out round

In the second round we play against Desna from Ukraine. Desna are 285th on the coefficients

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2nd knock-out Conference League: Folgore - Desna Tsjernihiv

First leg

We got further in Europe than we could imagine. Desna seems like a club that we can get a win from. But we are not in the position to underestimate other teams. We played okay this game but Desna got slightly the upper hand. Both teams had trouble creating chances tho. The score was 0-0 and it was logical. It wasn't a game for the neutral spectator. In the end both teams couldn't score and the score stayed 0-0. A bit dissapointing but we have everything to play for in the second leg

Second leg

Also in the away game both theams were equal. The chances of going to the next round are 50/50. Desna started better at the game then us and it gave them a 1-0 lead. During the game we played better and better. We were looking for the 1-1 but had trouble finding it. In the final phase we had tot take some risks and go for it. That's wat we did and we got rewarded. Vrioni scored the 1-1. Extended time it is you should think. But luck wasn't on my side. A cross and a header from Rodrigues send us home broken. It's a pity that it hurts like this. In the end we can be very proud on ourself. But our European campaign ends here 

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Competition

Table

We had no trouble this season with the other clubs. 2 draws against Tre Penne and Tre Fiori and the rest we won. We have a goal difference of 84. Our defense was top level just as I like it! Only conceded 6 goals wich is something I really like to see

Quarter and semi final

We had a good draw in the quarter final even though we should win against every opponent. In the first game we already won 1-6 and Pennarosa had zero chance. In the semi final we played against Libertas wich is a more serious opponent. In the away game we won 1-2 so we made it very easy for us in the second leg. We didn't played that good but it was enough to win and don't get any trouble. In the final we play against Tre Penne

Final

Tre Penne gave us a run for our money. We were clearly better than them but we had trouble getting trough their defense. There was one team that deserved to win and that were us. We got rewarded in the 64th minute. After that we played a lot easier and overruled Tre Penne. In the 70th minute Vrioni scores his second goal and he sealed the deal. We are champions again!

Super Cup

At the beginning of this season we also played Tre Penne for the Super Cup. We battered them and scoring already in the 5th minute makes everything a lot easier. El Bouhali had the day of his life. The midfielder scored all three goals and so a hattrick.

Cup

Road to the final

In the cup we played against Tre Penne early. They must be really sick and tired of us because we won again. It was not as smooth as the other games but in the away game we won 0-2. We had no trouble in the home game. We played decent, nothing more but it was enough to win 2-1. In the semi final Faetano gives us no trouble. We've beaten them 3-0 on our home ground and in the away game we didn't really bother. The score was 2-2 but in the end no one will remember that

Final

In the final we played against Pennarosa. A surprise team as they ended 8th on the table. A easy game right? It wasn't like that at all actually. Pennarosa parked the bus and they did a good job. We had a lot of trouble with their defense and I was actually a little bit nervous. Pennarosa kept posession in the game and they did that very good. They didn't create a lot but if they have the ball we can't score ofcourse. In the end Bamba finally saw a gap in the defense and scored. It was justifiably but Pennarosa did not make it easy on us. Either way: We got the double

Unbeaten season

We had an unbeaten season. In the competition, Super Cup and the Cup run we hadn't lose any game!

Intake

The intake was decent but not mind boggling. I don't play with wingers so all the winger did not get a contract. If I look at the names only Elia Golinucci playes a role in the national team. Silvestri didn't grow as I would like to see. He playes at Tre Penne in the future but has no caps in the national team. The intakes so far are not that good unfortunately

Coefficients

Club

We climbed a lot and are now 150th on the coefficients. Maybe we can get into the top 100 in the next few years?

Country

The competition got also a very nice boost in the rankings

- End of season 5 - 

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Big news!! Folgore is going Pro

It's time. The good performances in Europe made me do this. I went to the boards room and I asked for a really big request. I wanted to go pro. "Yes, we totally agree!", was the answer of the board. Very nice, the preparations are starting. At the end of the season we are planning to go pro. And I am very happy with that, I think it is wat the club needs to improve more. This would also mean I can scout more, something that was a really big wish for me

New stadion ready!

It's done! Our new stadium. This is nessecary for our growth. In the end I want to play our European matches in our own stadium. We can't now because it doesn't meet the requirements to play in Europe. We play our matches in Olimpico, the stadium of the national team. Little by little our reputation should increase and by then we need this stadium. This is just the first step. There is room for improvement. Our last stadium had place for 350 people. This one can bring 5.100 supporters, a big difference and I think I don't have to say it is very much needed

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1st qualifying round Champions League

Leg 1

This year our Champions League campaign starts against Sepski OSK from Romania. A team that I have never heard of so I had no idea what to expect. We started the game very good and got a penalty very quick. Unfortunately El Bouhali misses. In the 16th minute a goal even got disallowed. Luck wasn't on our side. Luckily we were better than them and we got the goal in de 33th minute and it was justified. Also in the second half we play very good and the opponent didn't create any chances. We didn't create that much also but the chances we created were very dangerous. We scored the 2-0 but is was in de 82th minute. I would have like to score that goal earlier but oh well. In the end the score says 2-0. Decent but if it is good enough, the away game will tell

Leg 2

Oh this game.... This was at the start of season 6 and I am now at the end of season 11 and I still remember this game as it was yesterday. ******** after ********. The game started horrible for us. Cestors goal got disallowed and few seconds later it is still 1-0. So first happy with the disallowed goal and then it was for nothing. The tension was back immediately. In the 34th minute they scored again but it was also disallowed again. So many highlights for Sepski but looking at the stats WE should be having the upper hand. In the second half we also played good but Sepski scored 2-0 and the score was even. When they made it 3-0 I already thought it was over, you could smell it. But we do what we do best, fight back. That's wat we did and we got awarded with a goal. Extra time it was. In the extra time the stats were still in our favor but the opponent got a penalty. It is really frustrating and it feels like the game is doing everything to let the opponent win. Luckily we got a penalty too. So maybe pens in this game? No, Sepski scored another goal and we couldn't recover from that. The campaign ends way to soon, already in the first round. Now we have to do it in de qualifying rounds of the Conference League

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Conference League 2nd Qualifying round

Leg 1: Ballymena United - Folgore

We lost in the Champions League qualifying rounds so now we fell down to the Conference League. In this round we played against Ballymena United from Northen-Ireland. We didn't play at our best. The game was really boring and we couldn't find chances. We also had to be carefull for counter attacks. In the end we had a lot of possession but we should have done more with it. No big things happened until the 83th minute were Jurgens managed to score the opening goal. In the final minute Bamba made it even 0-2 and we had a good starting position for the home game

Leg 2: Folgore - Ballymena United

We are not playing at our best. Maybe it is because it is the beginning of the season but we have trouble creating chances. Luckily our defence was good in these 2 legs agains Ballymena. In the 34th minute we went 1-0 ahead and we did not get in trouble the rest of the season. We also didn't treat our supporters with a good game but we are trough nonetheless

Conference League 3th qualification round 

First leg: Folgore - Zlate Moravce

We are not at our best and is shows. Our defense was good again but there also was a lack of chances again. It is starting to be the story of the qualification rounds this season. This game was really boring because also Zlate didn't create anything. There was no other way than this game to end with 0-0 and that's exactely what happened, dissapointing

Leg 2: Folgore - Zlate Moravce

 

Then the away game in Slovakia. We started really good. Created some chances and were better than our opponent. We also scored the opening goal. But everything changed when Bamba gets a really stupid red card. It looked like we went to the half time with a lead but in the last minute they score a equalizer. In the second half we had difficulties to get into the game. With one man down Zlate was better. When they scored 2-1 I already knew what was going to happen. We tried but by far not good enough en when Zlate scored 3-1 it was over definately.

Balance after elimination

Our finances ar still really good. We are not taking big risks and we are stable and ready to go professional at the end of the season

Improving facilities

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Season 6

Super Cup

The season started traditionally with the Super Cup where we play against Tre Penne. We started good and scored 1-0 already in the 20th minute. We had the whole game in our hand, Tre Penne didn't manage to get dangerous. It looked like we settle the score to 2-0 but a goal in de 31th minute got disallowed. In the seceond half we score 2-0 quickly and the game was set. In the extra time we scored even 2 more for a big score

Competition

End table

Good season, too bad we drew one game so no perfect score for us. It doesn't mean anything before the play-offs because we start in a knock-out system. We scored a lot and only conceded 4 goals.

Quarter- and semi final

The play-offs started with games against La Fiorita. It was never exciting because away we won already 5-0. Also in the home game we got a big score. On towards Libertas. We won 0-3 away so this opponent was also **** easy. On to the final

Final

The games against La Fiorita and Libertas were very easy but the final against Tre Penne was not! We were the better team but we were nowhere near how good we can be. We gave Tre Penne even a chance to go 1-0 up because we gave away a penalty. Strumbo - a former player of us - missed. We were warned. We tried to go up but we had difficulties creating chances. We needed a penalty ourself to go 0-1 up. El Bouhali doesn't miss and we are 0-1 up. We did't gave that away. We won but we had to work for it

Cup

Road to the final

The road to the final of the cup was also very easy. Again Libertas was no match for us and also Juvenes Dogana gave us no trouble whatsoever

Final

We played Tre Penne again and we absolutely smashed them. They really had no chance and we tucked away our chances. 3-0 at half time, game over. Also in the second half Tre Penne didn't create anything

Intake

Decent intake but I hoped for a bit more. Not really any players that were important for the national team. Lovato played 2 games and that's very much it. None of these players will play for us but they will find an other club in the competition

Coefficients and competition rankings

- End of season 6 -