The game was won and lost in the same day. He was finally defeated and this was the last thing his pride needed. His competitors were laughing with lollipops in their mouths and he was licking his wounds. He was a dismantled man trying to pull himself together.

“I can’t believe we lost,” he said, speaking to himself. He tried to blame it on bad luck but even that was for the fortunate and that wasn’t him. He stood there watching them lifting a trophy he should’ve won. They won and he lost it. This was a sour taste in his mouth and he had to spit it out. The other players in the soccer team looked dejected. The locker room felt like a prison and everyone arrested themselves to their own short falls.

There were a lot of fans on the stands watching. The red team scored first and it looked like they had already won the game by then. Loyiso was a star player of the team and many expected him to score a goal or two. He did better than that. He scored three goals on the day. The crowd on the stands was shouting his name and cheering him. The game went into the break and it was half-time. He was on his way to become the hero of the day before the second half resumed.

The blue team woke up from the blues of the first half and managed to pull one goal back. The score was now 3-1 to the red team. Slowly but surely the blue team was making a comeback. They showed far more intensity than they did in the first half. The red team couldn’t contain them and sat back in their own half, trying to keep the water from coming in.

“Penalty!” said the referee. One of the players in the blue team was brought down in the penalty box.

“Goal,” shouted the blue team fans. The score sheet now read 3-2. The game was now on fire. The blue team were firing from all cylinders for an equalising goal and the red team felt the heat burning on their faces.

Loyiso was full of anxiety towards the late stages of the game. He was beginning to let his teammates and his coach down. He substituted him and brought in fresh legs. The game was heading to the final minutes and the red team would win it 3-2 if they managed to hold on until the final whistle.

“Own goal!” shouted the blue team players. The keeper for the red team failed to collect the ball and dropped it into his own net. The score was now 3-3. The game went into extra time.

The first fifteen minutes of extra time remained goalless. Then the blue team finally rounded off their incredible come back and scored their fourth goal of the game. The score was now 4-3 in favour of the blue team. The referee blew his whistle and it was game over. The blue team players ran in celebration.

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