Murder on the Pitch

Lead Change

Toby kicked the ball back to Darren to start off their possession. The crowd was noticeably less raucous than it was several minutes before with Friedrich Abt scoring the equalizer. Its is now 69:22 on the clock when Darren glanced up, then when he faced back toward the field ahead of him he remembered what Gregory had said at halftime in the locker room:

"...If Essen score change to a 5-3-2 with Rivas moving forward..."

Darren motioned with his hand to Rivas to move up from defensive midfielder to a Center-Defensive Midfielder playing a role kin to Isaac before he was substituted off. Gregory did a deep lob pass to the left sideline hoping it would catch the foot of the rookie Terrance Donnaghy.

Although a few steps ahead Terrance did manage to put his dominant foot on the ball before Essen defenseman Rolf Becker came in and kicked it out for a throw-in.

"No wonder that kid's on the national team," Darren whispered

He glanced over to Gregory still sitting in his chair cross-armed pouching his lips: thinking – or that's what it seems like. Although he isn't showing much Darren interrupted it agreeing with the sudden change in formation and to keep it running.

Darren asked for the ball again from Terrance who got a new ball from the volunteer ball boy in the mesh-colored black and yellow vest checker-patterned vest.

Terrance tossed the ball to the outside closer to the sideline for Darren to run around back to the center of the play. Across from him Toby was open and passed it to him via a slow roller. Toby got a handle on it a ran toward the open corner with only 1 Essen defenseman on him.

Becker was playing closest to the top side of the penalty arc limiting close chances yet Leonard Mayer was closer to the center. Leonard has a staggering 6 foot 5 still 2 inches shorter than Peter Crouch yet still the tallest man on the field by 3 inches.

As Darren ran behind Toby with his defenseman following Toby turned around and tried to pass it back to Darren. Currently, the ball position is 35 yards away from the goal on the left side of the pitch. Toby tried passing the ball back to Darren to hopefully do the same miracle shot as Abt did before yet the defenseman grabbed Toby by the arm and somehow pushed him to the ground.

The ref blew a whistle took out a yellow card for the defenseman in the number 14 uniform and signaled for a free kick. Essen players gathered around the ref arguing about the call the thousands of fans in the stadium and the world joined as well:

"Are you kidding?"

"It's the final and you call that? Now! At this time in the game?"

On the left side of the field the ref placed gently placed the ball in its designated position Rowland players gathered around Darren. Vilbergseen came as a mediator, Rivas doesn't have the skill for free kicks, and the rookie Donnaghy was more skilled with his feet when it comes to speed and short-distance shots within the penalty arc. It was up to either Toby Mcmanus or Darren Yugo to handle this sudden opportunity.

"What do you think?" Toby asked

"I can do it but..." Darren said before Toby interrupted

"The chance is there. The only thing to worry about is that Mayer fuck."

"I know."

"What do you think?"

Without hesitation, Darren said to Toby

"You take it."

"You usually like the glory at this time. Do you have a plan?"

"Always do. Just look for me in the arc. No matter the height just pass it to the height of my torso. "

"You make it sound so easy."

"I got trust in you."

"Alright," Toby said shrugging with a smirk

The penalty arc was 15 yards diagonally to the right of the ball. Darren jogged with Terrance Donnaghy and whispered; "I'm gonna have Rolf set up on me. When the ref blows the whistle I'm gonna run and you go and set a pick on him."

"Sure, I'll try."

"There are no tries. Just do it."

"Of course."

With the clock changing to 74:58 Toby raises his arm in the air and the ref blows his whistle. S Toby began taking his steps Darren ran to where he told Toby to pass the ball and Rolf was following close behind.

With a miraculous tap of the ball, Toby seemed to have hit the ball exactly where Darren wanted it to be. Darren looked at Terrance who was a step behind the action. Darren knew the risk of what was in his head but with the game in its final moments, he didn't want to go to extra time. So he did it.

Darren did a stutter step to stop Rolf's momentum forward and to let Terrance catch his distance. As the ball began to move back down to the ground Terrance got close enough to plant his feet and set the pick on Rolf albeit closer than what Darren would have liked him to be.

Darren with eyes glued onto the ball jumped up earlier than he planned and trapped the ball on his chest. With a single bounce on his pecks, he looked to his left for the goal and saw god – an open path to the left side of the goal. People claimed later that when they saw Darren uncork his leg backward as the ball gently glided downward it looked similar to a "Judo master preparing a fatal kick to his opponent"

As the leg reached back, his heel barely grazing his buttocks Darren uncorked his leg forward like a mighty spring. He may be aged physically but his skills on the pitch are like fine wine. With an echoed "BOOM" like a bullet shooting out of a barrel similar in speed and sound to his younger days at Kingston F.C. Darren shot the ball. As the ball was in the air he glanced over as Friis trying to kick his legs into the path of the ball, if he had a second or 2 earlier it might've connected but due to his age his speed suffered and as Friis raised his foot in the path, the ball was already past.

The stadium was quiet, everyone holding their already stressed breaths as the legend's shot still echoed as if it was like a cavernous cave. In the quiet a metallic sound was heard before the crowd could reply with grunts – or cheers was

"SCHRINK"

As the net bounced on the backright goalpost as the ball moved past a statue-like Daniel Scholz who stood in the same place with his knees bent and arms facing forward.

The ref blows a whistle and points his hand toward the goal line. 2-1 Rowland

 77:03.