The net rippled violently, and for a fraction of a second, a hushed silence fell upon the stadium.
Then—
"GOAL—"
The entire arena erupted.
A deafening roar surged through the stands as thousands of voices collided into one thunderous wave of euphoria.
Julian's teammates rushed toward him. However, the scorer himself stood frozen for an instant, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he stared at the net.
He had done it.
They had done it.
Despite losing their most dangerous player. Despite the chaos that had engulfed the stadium just moments earlier. Despite the weight of uncertainty pressing down on their shoulders—the red and white had scored yet another goal.
"That was incredible!" shouted one of Julian's teammates as he threw himself onto him.
Another followed, wrapping both arms around him in a tight embrace. The rest of the team joined soon after, a pile of bodies celebrating a moment of triumph.
