The words were a jolt of electricity.
The players looked at each other, and the fear in their eyes was replaced by a cold, hard anger.
Ethan, on the sideline, felt a surge of pride. He didn't need to say anything.
His captain had said it all. He just pointed to his head, a clear, simple instruction to his players:
Stay smart. Stick to the plan.
The game restarted, and the battle truly began. Apex didn't panic.
David Kerrigan, on his chaos mission, began to torment the Wednesday captain, a series of taunting, infuriating dribbles that were designed to get under his skin.
The game became a tense, tactical war of attrition.
Chances were few and far between, but the intensity was unbearable.
Then, in the 65th minute, disaster struck. Kenny McLean, the veteran heart of their midfield, stretched for an interception and went down, clutching the back of his thigh. He had pulled his hamstring.
The game stopped.
