
The losing team pushed forward with everything they had left. Defenders moved into attack. Midfielders stopped worrying about conserving energy. Even the football games goalkeeper prepared to leave his penalty area if the opportunity came.
The ball was sent forward.
A defender won the first challenge and headed it toward midfield. A midfielder recovered possession and immediately played it down the wing. The winger sprinted forward, chased by two defenders.
The crowd rose to its feet.
Everyone knew this could be the final attack.
The winger reached the edge of the penalty area and delivered a desperate cross. The ball flew over the first defender, bounced off another player, and dropped into a crowded penalty area.
For a moment, nobody could control it.
Then the ball fell to a striker.
He had barely enough time to think.
He took one touch.
A defender closed him down.
The goalkeeper rushed forward.
The striker lifted his head and saw a tiny opening.
He shot.
The ball traveled through a crowd of players and toward the far corner.
The goalkeeper stretched as far as he could.
But he could not reach it.
The ball hit the net.
Goal.