This thread will be used for storing the history of CEFA competitions. The list of CEFA World Cup finals dating back to 1953 will be in the OP, and posts about the history of the tournaments, such as closer looks at past tournaments, may be posted in here. I will update the table below when details, such as final score and host nation, are published in the thread.
2017 CEFA World Cup Final Highton vs Prydania Cocos Park, Highton City
In the 2017 CEFA World Cup, hosted in Highton, the Blue Cocos hosted and were favorites to win the tournament. Highton had a strong start, advancing to the knockout rounds. After getting past Astragon in the quarterfinals, Highton came back from 3-1 down to defeat Lanceria 4-3 in extra time. Highton moved onto the final against Prydania. Prydania had emerged from its civil war only a matter of days before the tournament kicked off, and the deep run was great for national pride in a country which had just restored its King. Cocos Park sold out for the match between the two continental rivals, the largest stage ever for a Kravinjaklassiker. While the Prydanian anthem played, some players broke down in tears as the visiting supporters rose a gigantic Prydanian flag tifo in the away end of the stadium. The estimated 50,000 Hightonians in the crowd sang Liebe Highton in unison preparing for what promised to be a classic. Hightonian legend and captain Michael Schultz shook hands with Henrik Lange, the Prydanian captain, as the hype for the game rose. Now 30-year-old forward Alexís returned to the Hightonian national team after missing the 2015 World Cup due to injury– six years earlier in 2011 he had scored the extra-time winner against Syrixia. Alexís kicked the ball back to Fernando Rossi as the match kicked off.
Highton dominated the opening minutes of the game, with Vard having his shot from inside the area turned away around the 9th minute. In the 37th minute, Cocos midfielder Percy Gur was responsible for giving up a penalty when a clumsy tackle sent Bertram Abildgaard to the floor. Abildgaard converted the penalty, giving Prydania a lead late in the first half. Despite being seconds away from going into the dressing room in front, Highton found an equalizer in first-half stoppage time. In the 46th minute, an Alexís free-kick found the head of Schultz, playing in his final match, whose header flew past the Prydanian goalie. The second half started in a way very similar to the first– Vard again came close, seeing a header fly just over the bar in the 58th minute. Against the run of play, Prydania took the lead in the 70th minute with Abildgaard's shot being uncharacteristically spilled by John Checker for Peter Bach to tap in. The error, which resulted in the goal, led to a shift in momentum in the match. Prydania dominated the next ten minutes, coming close several times, but Checker kept Highton in the game. In the 81st minute, Alexís burst past a pair of defenders to go one on one, and buried the shot into the net. Cocos Park exploded. Alexís' sixth goal of the tournament had sent the Blue Cocos into extra time once again. It had truly been Alexís' tournament, and not only would he win the Silver Shoe, but he would also go on to be awarded the Golden Ball. Checker made two big saves in extra time, both coming off of shots from Bach, to keep Highton alive, and send the game to spot-kicks.
Five kicks for each team would decide the fate of the 2017 CEFA World Cup. Prydania took the first kick– Bertram Abildgaard, who had scored a penalty in the game, stepped up and converted. The Hightonians in the crowd had a collective gasp as Joseph Vard's penalty echoed off the post. Prydania had the advantage. The advantage would not last however, as the story of the game was. Peter Bach missed his penalty. Jordaan Brown stepped up for Highton and scored, tucking it in the bottom left corner. Both Kurt Mørch and Iago Cornes converted their penalties, making it 2-2. Ernst Beck was next up for Prydania, and Checker saved the penalty, giving Highton a significant advantage. Fernando Rossi buried in penalty, going down the middle and fooling the keeper. Match point. Kristoffer Krog scored keeping Prydania alive, but all they could do was hope that Alexís would miss. The number 10 stepped up from twelve yards with the entire nation watching. As if in slow motion, Alexís ran up to the spot and put the shot cleanly into the bottom right past the outstretched arm of the keeper. Highton 4, Prydania 3. Highton had their fourth championship.
For Highton, the victory was met with parties in the streets across the nation. Highton had its second World Cup of the decade, and it had done it on home turf. An estimated 4 million (almost a third of the country's population) were there on the day of the victory parade through the center of Highton City, remarkable considering the city's population is only 700 thousand. In Prydania, despite losing, the team was welcomed home like heroes. Their deep run excited a nation which had only just emerged from a brutal civil war, and energized a fanbase which had watched their national team struggle under syndicalist rule, both financially and on the field.
HIGHTON 2-2 PRYDANIA Highton wins 4-3 on penalties
