The tension heightened at Saint Morris Stadium as the biggest clubs in the world lock horns for the Uefa Champions League glory. The stadium was filled to the brim and a record-breaking attendance was recorded as football fans from across the world came out in numbers to support their clubs.
"We are live and it's going to be one of the best nights in the history of football," Ralph, one commentator announced as the players marched onto the pitch.
"No doubt, tonight will always be remembered in the history of football. It's the final and the players must have come into the final with the mentality to win," Elvis, the second commentator replied and they went silent for a few seconds as the camera switched from George to Tomiwa, the two best players on the field.
"Tonight will have a huge impact on the Best Player Award this year, the winner of this final will mark the difference and I feel lots of pressure on George and Tomiwa," Ralph resumed the commentary.
"Yeah, it's funny how both players have scored the same number of goals and won the same number of trophies this season. This final will decide a lot truly," Elvis replied before the referee blew the kick-off whistle.
The Red Sharks, George's side started the attacks immediately after passing the ball and the Blue whales, Tomiwa's side had to quickly retreat to defend since they knew how dangerous George could be in attack.
There was a scream of excitement in the stadium as George's attempt on goal almost separated both clubs on the scoreboard but Simon, the Blue Whales goalkeeper was up to the task.
George and Tomiwa have been huge rivals for six consecutive years since they came into the limelight and their rivalry has grown a lot in recent years. They push each other to give nothing but the best and have made football competitive. The two star players have shared the Best Player Award between themselves in the last five years and George has got more after beating Tomiwa to the award in the previous year.
George won by a slim difference and it made Tomiwa unhappy. He started the new season pretty well but George didn't let his guard down as he is still challenging for the award again this season.
"It's almost the end of the first half and Red Sharks has been the better side today. They keep attacking and Blue Whales has been soaking up the pressure," Ralph said and paid attention to the big screen as George almost got a goal for his side.
"What a miss! George won't forgive himself after so many missed chances if they lose this match," Ralph added.
"He definitely won't be happy and it's surprising to see Tomiwa supporting the defence other than doing his job upfront," Elvis replied.
Red Sharks kept piling up pressure on Blue Whales and the ball possession ended 70-30% at the end of the first half.
"It's half-time and we hope to see much action in the second half," Elvis announced immediately after the referee blew the halftime whistle.
It was break time for the players but the Red Sharks fans wouldn't stop chanting, singing and banding while it was the opposite for the Blue Whales. Things weren't going in their favour and losing at Saint Morris would be a back-to-back defeat for them in the final.
Exactly fifteen minutes after the halftime whistle was blown, the players marched in again and the noise from the fans doubled.
The match kicked off and the Blue Whales passed the ball before sending it back to defence. They tried building the attack from the defence but George was quick to intercept the ball, he launched an attack immediately but couldn't utilize the chance.
"Blue Whales have switched formation but it's not helping the team as Tomiwa keep running back and forth to support the defenders," Ralph said exactly after 60 minutes of action.
"George is a big problem upfront and until they can handle him, there is nothing for Blue Whales tonight," Elvis replied.
The match continued in high tempo and exactly fifteen minutes to the end of the match, Red Sharks earned themselves a corner after they registered their 13th shot on target for the night.
The Blue players gathered around to defend the corner while their opponents were keen on utilizing the opportunity. The referee blew the whistle for the corner to be taken and the ball was swung from the right corner into the box but it fell directly into Tomiwa's leg.
"This could be the moment for the Red Sharks," Elvis said as the Red Sharks fans screamed while Tomiwa pushed the ball towards the opponent goal goalpost.
George was the closest Red Sharks player to Tomiwa and he tried catching up. In the process of stopping the attack, both players went down and it looked like Tomiwa was in pain.
The referee caught up with the players and without hesitation showed George a red card. He tried pleading and the referee only pointed to the tunnel in response to his plead.
"That's harsh and a yellow card would have been fair since there wasn't much contact," Ralph said as the players gathered around the referee.
George was shocked and disappointed as he thought about what his absence on the field could mean to his side. He covered his face with his shirt and was heading out of the pitch when Tomiwa stood and told the referee to reverse the card.
He claimed that the ball tripped him and not George. The Blue Whales players tried stopping Tomiwa but he wouldn't stop and finally insisted that the replay be checked from all angles.
The referee didn't have a choice and after checking, he reversed the card which made everyone surprised why Tomiwa didn't let the referee's decision stand since it would favour his side.
"In the spirit of sportsmanship, today will be remembered for many. This is just unbelievable," Elvis said to Ralph.
"I am shocked and this is my first time seeing a player plead for a red card reversal for an opponent," Ralph replied.
Things went back to normal and the match kicked off again. The Red Sharks wouldn't stop dominating and Tomiwa's side struggled a lot in the match.
An additional 10 minutes was given as added time due to the red card saga and it was the last chance to prevent the match from going into extra time.
The match went on and Blue Whales finally got a shot on target that led to a corner in the 99th minute of the match.
All the Blue Whales players including the goalkeeper gathered in the Red Sharks box hoping to get a goal from the corner.
The referee blew the whistle for the corner to be taken and the ball was swung into the box. Red Sharks goalkeeper punched the ball with his first and as the ball passed over Tomiwa, he jumped and did a bicycle kick. The stadium went silent as they watched the ball move from Tomiwa's right foot to the top corner of the goalpost.
Goaaaaalllllllll! The Blue Whales fans screamed and the stadium was shaken. Tomiwa rushed to celebrate his teammates who had rushed into the stadium and their joy was boundless.
"What an epic goal! That's class and a beauty from Tomiwa. Blue Whales will be winners of the cup if they can endure the Red Sharks pressure for another minute,"
The match resumed again and the referee blew the whistle exactly on the 101th.
"They did it, Blue Whales won the cup and Tomiwa is on his way to winning the Best Player Award for this year. Thanks for staying with us," Elvis exclaimed.
The Winner's ceremony started shortly and George was seen exchanging shirts with Tomiwa. The two players hugged each other after chatting for a few minutes.
