The group stage of the 2016 CONIFA World Football Cup continued on Tuesday, with four exciting games across two cities. Check out our full match wraps below.

Northern Cyprus 7 – 0 Raetia, Gagra
World Football Cup contenders Northern Cyprus maintained their unbeaten start to the tournament, routing Raetia at Daur Akhvlediani Stadium in Gagra. Esin Sonay scored an impressive hat-trick in the win, while Halil Turan bagged a brace.

The Cypriots now face the United Koreans of Japan in the first quarter-final, while Raetia will compete in a placement game.

United Koreans of Japan 0 – 3 Kurdistan, Sukhum
A powerful display from Kurdistan earned them top spot in Group B, defeating the United Koreans of Japan 3-0 in sunny Sukhum. The Kurds opened the scoring in the 25th minute, before converting a penalty on the stroke of half-time to give the team a commanding lead at the break.

Despite several attacking opportunities, the United Koreans of Japan were unable to break through and Kurdistan sealed the result with a third goal.

Panjab 5 – 0 Somaliland, Gagra
Panjab continued their strong run of form with a 5-0 victory over Somaliland in beautiful Gagra, thanks to a hat-trick from Amar Purewal and goals to Gurjit Singh and Arjun Purewal. Singh, who plays in England for Kidderminster Harriers, also scored in Panjab’s previous encounter with Sapmi and will be key when his side faces Western Armenia in the quarter-final.

While Somaliland players were disappointed with a second consecutive loss, the team has battled valiantly in both games and will look to record a win in their placement game

Highlights coming soon.

Abkhazia 1 – 0 Western Armenia, Sukhum
Hosts Abkhazia cemented their status as tournament favourites with a thrilling 1-0 victory against Western Armenia. In front of a sell-out crowd in Sukhum, the home side scored early but had to repel several threatening Western Armenian attacks.

Abkhazia coach Beslan Adjinjal spoke to the media following the win. “We are very proud to play before our people, and there was absolutely no spare space in the stadium,” he observed. “We are very confident of winning the 2016 World Football Cup – playing in our home country gives us great confidence.”

 

On Wednesday 1 May, the United Koreans of Japan tackle Northern Cyprus in the first quarter-final at 3pm local time (GMT+3). Sapmi then face Abkhazia at 8pm local time. Both games are in Sukhum. Watch live on SolidTango or follow match updates on MobStats. Also be sure to follow our tournament updates on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

The 2016 CONIFA World Football Cup began in style on Sunday, with four action-packed games providing plenty of excitement for local and visiting fans. Check out our full match wraps below.

Padania 1 – 2 Northern Cyprus, Gagra
Two heavyweight teams offered an excellent advertisement for the CONIFA World Football Cup, with Northern Cyprus overturning a first-half deficit with two quick goals to beat Padania in the opening game.

Padania manager Arturo Merlo explained following the match: “We come here as the European Champions of CONIFA. I was pleased with the initial performance, but we could not find an equaliser. Tomorrow we need a win.”

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Kurdistan 3 – 0 Székely Land, Sukhum
Kurdistan opened their account at the CONIFA World Football Cup in impressive form, defeating a spirited Székely Land in Sukhum. After an even first-half, the physically fitter Kurds overwhelmed their Szeklers opponents to take victory at the Dinamo Stadium.

Farhang Wirya, Farhan Shokor and Huner Ahmed each scored a goal apiece in the win, cementing Kurdistan’s position as one of the tournament favourites.

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Somaliland 0 – 5 Sapmi, Gagra
Sapmi showed their footballing class in Gagra, running out 5-0 winners over Somaliland. Sapmi coach Morten Pedersen, who had a lengthy playing career in the Bundesliga and with Norwegian side Tromso, said: “We scored some really nice goals today. We tried to stretch them and make them tired, and our plan worked.”

Despite the result, Somaliland centre-back Guiled Aden spoke highly of his time so far in Abkhazia. “We are very disappointed to lose our first game,” he said. “For most of us this is our first game playing together, and to lose our goalkeeper to injury at 0-1 was challenging. But we are loving the country and the people, and having a great time.”

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Abkhazia 9 – 0 Chagos Islands, Sukhum
Host team Abkhazia recorded a dominant victory over the Chagos Islands in front of a packed local crowd in Sukhum. After creating some early chances, the Chagossians conceded a penalty and had a player sent off. This opened the goal-scoring floodgates for Abkhazia, who proceeded to control the remainder of the game.

In a heart-warming conclusion to the game, the Chagos Islands team were cheered off the pitch by the local Abkhazian fans.

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On Monday 30 May, Székely Land tackle the United Koreans of Japan, the Chagos Islands face Western Armenia, Padania and Raetia clash while Panjab squares off against Sapmi. Watch live on SolidTango or follow match updates on MobStats.