Simon sat on the toilet seat bowing his head down in defeat and putting his two hands on his head. He felt an ache on his chest as it beat heavily like the bass drum, and also a running stomach as well, but he couldn't poo either. This is now resulting in headaches and the flu. “How did it get to this” he soliloquizes as he was sweating profusely and trying to reminisce on what had happened.
He lost it all and couldn't even compose himself this time as his confidence faded like the darkness that sees a very bright light suddenly, and his legs and feet were trembling too.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”, he heard a bang on the door and quickly called himself back to the present. Then a familiar voice came from outside the toilet. “Simon, others are waiting for you outside as the match is about to kick off”. Simon quickly opens the door, and avoid to stare at the person talking to him then he tried to run out of the dressing room and all of a sudden, he felt a strong hand grabbing him tightly on the wrist and he looked back to the man talking to him ever since, coach Alex, who said, “Simon, I know that you are worried because you lost the penalty kick just a minute to end the match and as the captain, this wear you down” he stated frankly and then he asked a question that made Simon got confused as ever, “what will be the worst outcome of today's match?” he asked.
“ Losing the match and the cup” Simon replied.
“Good, so you don't need to worry about the result which is yet to come, it is said that the head will be affected with heavy headaches so if you let your morale die now, you should know the match is lost already but for now, you have thirty minutes extra time and penalties for decider so go in and show why I made you the captain “ coach Alex said looking desperately like an Anaconda that sees a Boa.
Simon dragged his Captain's band back to his left upper arm and looked at his coach without blinking. “Thank you, 'Coachito'”, he said and ran straight to the pitch, and the whistle got blown immediately by the referee. He positioned himself at the Central midfield position where he played as he stood behind Felix, who looked back and said, “I asked you to let me take the penalty kick, but you won't, and now you have lost it”.
Simon answered, “ Yes, I lost it, so what is the next thing, are we winning this match or you are holding onto that for us to lose” he said boldly after noticing that Felix is still upset and he continued, “ You are the highest goal scorer in this competition so it is not about you but about the team, so go to your position for the next counter and score the winning goal for me” he said laughing and hitting Felix on the shoulder.
Felix smirked, knowing that his Captain meant business, and went back to his position without saying anything again.
Although Simon was the youngest and a new player in the team, controversy erupted when he was made the captain of the school team, and the management and all other players were not happy with Coach Alex's decision, but he told them that it was not about Simon but for the team. Coach Alex, who took the coaching job three months ago before the college competition, saw something in Simon that he is not willing to share with anyone at the present time, and keeps telling them he knew what he was doing.
The match was in a very high tempo as Sydney College hadn't played in a final match before, let alone being dragged down to extra time, which made most of the players tired with trembling legs, while the opposing side, the Military College, was the defending champion and continued to push attack with all their strength.
Coach Alex shouted, “Pack the box,” and all the players of Sydney College stood in a defensive mode. The Military college top man made a run after a loop pass was dropped from a long range and he kicked a thunderous shot which made Johnson, the goal keeper of the Sydney college gave a down slide dive to deflect the ball which also hit the down right side of the goal post before going out to be a corner kick to be conceded. Simon and other players ran to the goalkeeper and gave him different shakes and pats to acknowledge the save he made.
It is already twenty-eight minutes of the second half extra time, and the match remains two minutes left before it ends in a penalty shootout, but coach Alex is not looking at the time this time around; he was just shouting at Simon, who is as confused as a deranged fellow, but simon keeps signaling Felix to go forward. The corner kick was crossed in, and once again, Johnson gave it a punch, and the ball landed on the chest of Felix, who was tired like a crawling snail. “Pass the ball to me, I can take all of them,” Simon screamed, and Felix passed the ball to Simon, who was running at top speed out of the box eighteen towards the midfield. He got hold of the ball but was aimed at by six players of the opposing side. He passed the ball towards the wing side and jumped immediately as a player on jersey number four of the Military college slides him to bring him down, but he escaped. Simon continued running with the ball, which resulted in a dangerous counterattack. From no where, it couldn't be but it is as Simon already beat the mid-fielders and is in the box eighteen of the Military College team and as he was about to place the ball to the acute angle of the goal post, he felt a hook which seized his legs from behind and he fell flat footed rolling on the pitch. The referee pointed at the center of the box-eighteen, showcasing another penalty as it is just a few seconds left to end the match.
The last man and the captain of the Military College was issued a red card, and as he walked out of the match he screamed, saying that Simon would lose the penalty as he did earlier, and that was why he brought him down instead of allowing him to score. This statement put pressure on the Sydney college as Simon looked at Felix, who nodded his head that he wouldn't be able to take the penalty, and Simon looked back as others too retreated. So Simon remembered what his coach said earlier, about the worst that can happen and the heads who must be ready to have headaches when called up. So Simon stood up on his ten toes and picked the ball, then dropped it in the center of the box eighteen and stood straight. He looked at his coach, who nodded to him that he should take the kick, and he got his mind set. The whistle sounded and Simon inhaled and exhaled before running towards the ball and kicking it with a spin curl, and the ball went straight to the side bar, hit the goal post, only to go back to Simon, where he was standing. He quickly shoots the ball back to the other side of the goal post before the forthcoming dangerous defenders run towards him. Goal! Goal! He heard after being caught with different boots already and was on the ground, and this time, the field was scattered as all the players ran and carried Simon up. The match has ended though Simon was injured, he lifted the cup with a boundage on his legs and at the end of the day, the worry is over even though he lost two penalties in the same match, he was given the best player of the tournament and for all to celebrate, Felix took the golden boot and Johnson took the golden glove.