-Qudditch World Cup Match – Italy vs. Brazil-

The last few World Cup matches have been exciting, full of twists, turns, and unusual strategies, but also quite long. It was a nice contrast, this time, to view such a short but exciting match between Brazil and Italy.

The conditions were perfect for Quidditch, clear-skied, sunny, and warm with just a hint of wind. Both teams were ready for the match, and eager to win it. The fan turnout was slightly below average, as many families appeared to have decided that watching the match was not the most appropriate way to celebrate Valentine's Day with their loved ones.

The game started out furiously, with the Brazilian Chasers far outshining the Italian Chasers, easily weaving between their attempts to steal it, and shooting with such skill that Keeper Ramírez barely managed to block it, nearly falling off his broom as he threw himself forward to block it with his body. He passed it back to his teammates, but Chasers Ricci, De Luca, and Costa soon regained possession, and the scored twice in a row before having to pause to dodge a sudden onslaught of Bludgers, then returning to their tireless assault on the goal hoops.

The game was looking pretty bad for the Italian team, and Captain and Seeker D'Angelo noticed this too, and started circling the field with a much higher level of intention. Another pair of goals were scored below her, only increasing her motivation.

The Brazilian team was pretty secure in their likelihood to win, however the pair of Beaters weren't taking any chances. They advanced as a pair on Seeker D’Angelo, clearly recalling how she had been nearly disabled with a Bludgers in a previous game. However, it appeared she’d learned her lesson from that one, and darted around the two before they could attempt to hit her, then streaked towards the opposite goal posts.

Seeker Sanchez, startled by her sudden movement, stopped his lazy drifting above the pitch and hurtled after her, pulling out of his shallow dive about twelve meters behind her. Seeker D’Angelo shot onwards, purposefully breaking through the Brazilian Chaser’s formation just as they were about to score and darting past the Italian Keeper, then dove sharply, snatching the Snitch from where it quietly hovered the near the bottom of the left goal post. Sanchez, hot in pursuit, didn’t notice her dive soon enough, and when he tried to imitate her, spiraled wildly into the stands, the tail of his broomstick splintering before he somersaulted, landing on an empty row of seats.

The final score was 150-100, a bare but speedy win by Italy.

Captain and Keeper Ramírez, who got little to no action during the game, said hotly after the game concluded:

 “That clearly should have been our game, our Chasers nearly beat them anyway. They only won because Seeker Sanchez has an older model of his broomstick that crashed more easily. We’ll beat them next time, just you wait.”

Captain D’Angelo, who had singlehandedly won the game for Italy, commented:

 “I agree, the Brazilian Chaser trio were excellent, and played well. However, please do not imply the game was not won fairly - we played well, that’s all there it to it. Good game.”

Next issue, we’ll be featuring a match between Egypt and Australia.

-Misty Swanson