Chapter 17 — Across the Six Meter Line

6:12 remained, but the finale compressed it all into much shorter spans. One wrong pass can turn into a two-point gap. One misstep can turn a throw into a free kick. Every cheer in the stands seemed to run half a beat ahead of the ball.

Sao Mai retains the right to attack. Ha Lam calls cards with two fingers. A fake pass to the left, a runner cuts through the middle, then Lam suddenly throws from distance. The ball hit the crossbar. Vy held the ball, but when she stood up, she did not immediately launch a counterattack.

“Slow down!” she called.

Manh raised his hand on the sideline. Lightning deploys step by step. Ngan pulled the ball to the left, Vi ran close to the sideline, Tram took half a step back to escape his marker. No one spoke, but they all remembered Manh's words: win a pass first.

Ngan passed it to Vi. Ha Lam approached. Vi did not try to pass and returned the ball to the center. The ball passed through Ngan's hands, to Huyen, then back to Vi. Sao Mai's defense pushed to one side. The middle opens up.

Tram sees that space before the passer. She rushed in, but her feet stopped right before the six-meter line. Huyen threw the ball into her hand. Tram turned his back, shoulder touching the defender. The other person held her arm tightly. The ball slipped out of his hand and rolled out.

The referee blew the whistle to give Lightning a free throw. Tram bent down to pick up the ball.

“You're right,” Chi said from outside.

“But lost the ball.”

“Two things can be true at the same time.”

Tram looked at her, then ran back to her position. Before, she would try to make up for it with another collision, as if a small mistake had to be compensated for by a bigger one. Now she just raises her hand to call cards.

In the next attack, Tram did not go in the middle. She stood close to the defender, blocked a beat and then opened it. Vi received the ball, changed direction and threw at a close angle. Ha Lam touched it, but the ball still rolled over the line. 22-21.

Lightning stands clapped to the beat. Ha Lam picked up the ball and said to Vi as they passed by: "That shot was beautiful."

"Thank you. Don't let me have a second shot."

“I will try.”

Sao Mai is in no hurry. They bought time with solid passes, forcing the Lightning to keep their distance. At the sixteenth second of the attack, Lam broke through. Ngan blocked the direction but slipped, her hand scraped the floor. Lam threw in an unbalanced position. The ball flies to the right corner.

Vy was waiting there. She jumped sideways, touching the ball with her fingertips. The ball changed direction, hit the post and went out.

“Just play!” Vy shouted, even though her shoulder hit the floor.

Chi stood up. Diep behind immediately looked at the yellow bandage. The slip occurred nearly a meter from the joint, not the marked spot, but everyone checked anyway. Vy sat up, rotated her wrist, and then held up her green card.

“Green,” she said.

Hanh looked at the clock. 4:47.

Sao Mai was given a throw-in. They lost the ball because of a pass that was too high. Lightning had a chance to counterattack, but Vi stopped when she saw that Tram had not yet entered the opponent's half of the field.

“What are you waiting for?” Tram asked.

“Don't let me run alone.”

“I can run.”

"I know. But we play five people, not one person."

Vi passes horizontally. Lightning did not score in that phase, but they kept the ball. A final is not just about bright moments. It also involves not turning teammates into people who have to save themselves.

Ha Lam intercepted a pass and scored with a quick throw. 22-22. Time remaining 3:09.

The electronic board displays 03:09. Mechanical watch 03:10. Hanh told the referee at the dead ball, Then adjust the table according to the agreed priority clock. Luan recorded the moment. The audience behind the secretary's desk began to whisper, but no one on the field turned to argue.

Chi suddenly realized that what made her tremble was not the possibility of the electronic board failing. What makes her nervous is that if it breaks, people will look at each other to guess who has the right to speak. Without process, the person who speaks the loudest becomes the clock.

Manh asked for consultation. He drew a circle around Tram's position.

"Lam is pulling the back line after the ball. Tram, you don't need to score. You need to force them to choose."

“What to choose?”

“Choose to follow me or leave the middle.”

Tram nodded. She looked at her hand. The fingers that once trembled at the touch were now calloused from the shine, but confidence was not in the skin. It lies in knowing what you will do when others push you.

Lightning attacks. Tram ran into the middle, blocked the defender, then did not receive the ball. Ha Lam followed her. Ngan immediately appeared in the void. Vi passes, Ngan throws. Goalkeeper Sao Mai was able to block it. Lam rushed out and passed to his teammates. Vy caught the ball, but was lightly touched on the shoulder when the opponent retreated. The referee blew the whistle and did not penalize anyone.

“Don't apologize for being touched,” Vy said as she handed the ball to Huyen.

“I didn't ask.”

“My face begs.”

Huyen laughed and ran away.

2:04. The two teams are still 22-22.

Lightning deploys the last lesson. Vi received the ball on the wing, Ngan held the middle, Tram stood six meters close to the line. Morning Star has high defense. Lam constantly changed commanders. Manh did not call from outside; He let the team read the game themselves.

Vi fakes a pass and then breaks through. A defender blocks in front of him. Vi passed to Tram in a very narrow moment. Tram caught it, his left foot close to the road. Defender Sao Mai used his body to force her to the right. Tram felt the tip of her shoe was about to touch the line. She didn't throw. She turned sideways and pushed the ball out to Ngan.

Ngan missed. The ball touched the goalkeeper's hand and flew out to the boundary.

“Good,” Chi said.

Tram looked at her as if she didn't understand. "What's good? It's a lost turn."

“I didn't record a mistake just to save a chance.”

Ngan patted Tram on the shoulder as she ran back. “Next time you release it a beat earlier, I'll throw it in.”

“I thought you told me to keep it.”

"Keeping is keeping the mind. Not keeping the ball."

Ha Lam received the ball at the boundary. She did not try to score immediately but pulled two defenders. A teammate cuts in, Lam passes. Vy stepped forward half a step, using her body to cover the angle of the throw. The ball hit her arm and bounced off. Ha Lam took it back, but the whistle signaling the end of the attack time sounded.

Lightning has 48 seconds for the final wave.

Hanh looked at the mechanical clock: 00:48. The timer also reads 00:48. Luan looked at the electronic board, then said: "The board is one second late."

Chi didn't see panic on his face anymore. Just see the concentration.

The attack lasted. Lightning passes left and right. Sao Mai did not make a mistake. 31 seconds. Manh signaled not to throw early. 22 seconds. Tram stood in the middle, this time Ha Lam accompanied her. Vi saw it and immediately changed positions with Ngan.

15 seconds.

Vi received the ball. The defender in front extends his arms. She shrugged her left shoulder, stepped right, then suddenly cut in. Ha Lam left Tram to support. Tram did not chase after the silhouette. She maintained her position, blocking Lam's retreat. Vi has entered the throwing area, but in front is a barrier.

5 seconds.

Vi jumped up. A Sao Mai defender placed his foot right in front of her path. Vi threw while her body was misaligned. Balloons fly high. At the same time, the tip of her shoe slid close to the six line meters.

The whistle sounded.

No one knows whether it is the full-time attack whistle, the foul whistle or the end-of-game whistle. The electronic board jumped from 00:05 to 00:06 and then stood still. Mechanical watch shows 00:05. Hanh held the button and did not speak. Luan turned to Chi. Chi stood up, but she did not enter the table.

The referee runs to the six-meter zone. Vi fell out, the ball was in the net? No, the ball touched the goalkeeper's hand and bounced down close to the post. Defender Sao Mai stood on the line, both hands raised. Ha Lam shouted: "She walked in!"

The referee pointed to the seven-meter line.

The stands broke into two streams of sound.

Manh looked at Chi. Chi looked at Hanh.

Hanh said, very clearly: "The time the ball leaves the hand has not yet expired according to the independent clock."

Luan continued: “Electronic whiteboards are no longer the preferred source.”

The referee returns to the scorer's table. He didn't ask who won. He asked: “How much is left?”

Hanh put the stopwatch on the table. "Five seconds, from the moment the match resumed after confirmation. But the throw happened during that time."

Ha Lam approached, her face red from running. "I object to the seven-meter shot. She tripped on her own."

Vi sat up. "I don't know."

Chi wanted to speak, but she stopped. Vi is the one in the ball. The referee saw it. The process doesn't require her to turn memories into evidence.

He called the two captains and the secretary over. No one is allowed to cover the line. Hanh re-read the timeline. Luan pointed to the signal line. Diep stood outside, not interfering. Ha Lam looked at the yellow bandage, then looked at the feet of his team's defender.

“Where are her feet?” Lam asked the referee.

"Right on the inside edge of the line. I see the foot placed in front of the running direction of number seven."

Lam closed his eyes for a moment. She turned to her teammates. "If he sees that, I'll keep the complaint in the record. No more yelling."

The referee confirmed the seven-meter throw. The electronic board still stood at 00:06, as useless as a sign with only light remaining. Hanh put her hand on the watch. Luan holds the mechanical board. Chi walked closer, but still didn't touch any buttons.

Vi holds the ball. Tram stood next to her, both hands clutching the hem of her shirt.

“Let me throw it,” Vi said.

Vy called out from the goal, her voice hoarse but firm: "Throw into the range I chose."

Vi looked at her. “Which corner do you choose?”

“Don't say.”

“So I choose another angle.”

A small laugh burst out into the middle of the field, causing the tension to crack just enough for everyone to breathe.

Happiness is ready. The referee gave the signal. The stopwatch starts counting five seconds again.