Chapter Three: A Goal Made by Seven

In the eighty-eighth minute, Gu received with his back to goal and three defenders around him. He could have forced a turn. Instead, he let the ball run between his legs to Zhao. Zhao struck the bar. Han scored the rebound. Three-three. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, the Echo had twelve seconds left. Qingzhou won a corner and sent everyone forward for a winner. Zhou punched clear. Gu collected the second ball outside his own area. At his peak, one glance showed him the position of every player across seventy meters. Luo had already begun to run. Gu drove a right-footed pass along the ground. It split two Qingzhou players and rolled beyond halfway. Luo sprinted shoulder to shoulder with the last defender. Three seconds. Five.