Shattered Goal Frames
Saturday—the day every college student treats like a “grand holiday,” just wishing the teachers would hurry through their lectures so we could sprint to the bus station and escape back home.
But every Saturday, our school had a “specialty” — a program called Words I Want to Say. Anyone who wanted to dedicate a song to someone just wrote it on a slip of paper for the announcer. I thought it would be the usual cheesy love songs, but that day my ears perked up:
“Up next is the song I Wish by Mỹ Tâm. This song is dedicated from Th*** to… Thỏa from class CA02, with the message: One day a friend, two days a friend, forever a friend.”
Oh my goodness! My heart pounded like a village drum. Getting a song dedication from a girl was already cool — but from a girl in another class? I sat there bouncing my leg, chin held high, as if I had just won an Olympic gold medal.
But then I thought… “Forever a friend” sounded a bit harsh. One day as friends? Fine. Two days? Okay. But forever? Isn’t that just “blocking the door to my heart”? Happy for a few minutes, disappointed for a lifetime!
The Fate-Sealing Football Match
After finishing our course exams, the school held a men’s football tournament. The opening match was between CA02 and HS02. CA02 had exactly six boys, so there was no escaping — I was dragged into the lineup. The legendary formation: Thỏa, Thích, Thủy, Quyết, Sinh, Đốc.
At first, I was assigned as the backup goalkeeper — meaning my main job was… standing outside clapping. But life isn’t a dream. Right before kickoff, “sister” Đốc — our main goalkeeper — suddenly had a stomachache and couldn’t play. The whole team turned to me:
“Thỏa! Get in goal!”
Good grief, I didn’t even have time to pray to my ancestors!
The Match Begins
The crowd roared. A few girls from another class pointed at me:
“Hey look, it’s Thỏa! Didn’t know he could play keeper!”
“Hehe, wonder how many goals he’ll let in?”
Just 10 minutes in, Quyết forgot his job and let their striker slip through. Boom! 1–0. I stood in the goal feeling like I’d just lost my food rations.
But at minute 15, Thích — living up to his name — blasted one straight into their net. 1–1! We all screamed like maniacs.
Then came more storms. I dove to punch the ball out for a corner. Cool, right? But right after that, they headed it in… 2–1.
At minute 40, Quyết fouled someone in the penalty area. The referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot. We all sighed: “It’s over. One more goal and we’re doomed.”
Quyết turned to me:
“Let me take the save. You can’t stop that!”
The referee overheard and shook his head — switching goalkeepers during a penalty wasn’t allowed.
I said,
“Relax. I got this.”
The crowd held its breath. The striker fired an absolute rocket. I shut my eyes, stretched my arms, prayed to every known deity… Thump! The ball slammed into my chest. It hurt like I’d been punched by a buffalo — but the ball stuck in my hands!
The whole field exploded:
“Bravo, Thỏa! You’re amazing!”
I threw the ball for a counterattack, and my teammate almost scored. At minute 50, Thích scored again. The score was 2–2! The tension was like a stretched guitar string.
But life is suffering. In the final minute, I rushed forward to clear the ball. One small mistake — and the ball rolled… right through my legs. Slowly into the net. 3–2. The whole team collapsed. I officially became the “legendary nutmeg victim.”
The next day at the cafeteria, I ran into a group of girls from class TT02. One whispered:
“Hey, did you hear? Before Thỏa saved that penalty, T said: If Thỏa saves this shot, I’ll fall deeply in love with him!”
Another asked,
“So now what? He actually saved it!”
T blushed bright red:
“Uh… well… I take it back!”
Oh, life is like that. Just like the ball — sometimes it flies straight into your chest, and sometimes it slips through your legs before anyone can stop it.
P.S.
Now, my old teammates are scattered everywhere. As for me, whenever I remember that “shattered goalposts” match, I chuckle to myself. Sure, we lost. But at least I once made a legendary penalty save… and almost broke someone’s heart.
