First Goal - Own Goal

I can't believe myself. What got into me today! lolz.. guess what. I had a soccer game on my home pitch (Wembley). The weather was perfect for a soccer game. We were about to play a "weak" team, Dingley Football Club. However, the challenge was still there. It was what we dudes call a "Winnable" game. lolz..we are a miserable lot. If we were to win this game (First win of the season. lolz!), our coach would go beserk, give each team member a hundred bucks and jumping into the raging sea. That's how hopeless my team is.

I woke up at 5.30+. I wanted to sleep longer, but i just couldn't keep my head on the pillow any longer. I washed up and decided to do my quiet time. At the end of my quiet time, i prayed a desperate prayer to God. I asked him to help me play well in my soccer game, to let it be the best game i've ever played, and the first game my team won. I was hopeful. God Answers Prayer!

We started the game on a high note. Everything was going well for the first 10 mins. Then came this long ball, deep into my half. As a defender, i ran as fast as i could. However, the striker whom i was marking, was running as fast as a bullet train (Just a little slower than me =P). He took the ball away. At wits end, i did a perfectly executed sliding tackle on him. Wow, how successful my last resort turned out to be! The game was tight, everyone wanted to be first to the ball, first to tackle, first to take a shot. Both the teams were held to a deadlock at the end of the first half.

The team was excited because we knew we still had a chance to win it. I was exhausted, i took a drink, thanked God for helping me with that tackle, and asked him to let us win the game once more. Then, i listened to the coach's prep talk. (Quite moral boosting actually, but that's not my type.)

Dingley's team approached the field. All the players got into position, ready to charge and tear one another apart. It was a battle of life and death. But would you guess. Dingley had a superbly awkward goal. A Dingley striker lobbed it on target and hoped it would get it. The ball moved at a pace of 1km/h, dropped past the keeper's hands and landed behind the goal line -.-" It came from no where. It was the goalie's fault. Honestly. We continued to press on. Our team looked more superior than Dingley at this stage. I kept praying and praying. We had lots of chances, but our striker failed to convert all of them -.-" I couldn't believe it! Missing from point-blank range.

But the worst was yet to come. A long ball came deep into my half. A Dinglet player took the ball to the right wing. Our right defender couldn't cope with his pace and skill. He rappled an extremely hard and low cross. It was a perfect cross. It was such that the keeper could not catch it, and the defenders had no chance of clearing it properly. There i was, standing in the middle of the penalty box with a professional striker heavy on my back. I had 2 options, slide and try to clear the ball (Risk an own goal) or to let the ball run past me (The striker would score). What was this? A lose-lose situation? -.-" I decided to do the heroics, i slid to clear the ball.

BONG! Guess what? I scored my first goal of the season! Would you believe that! What a marvellous strike by Isaac Newton Ho! (Just that it was the wrong goal) -.-" I struck the ball into the bottom right of my OWN goal. =( Haiz...My coach must have been extremely furious. I just lay there, stunned. I had had such a good game before i scored that own goal, possibly my best. But it was ruined by that own goal. Sigh..

We lost 2-0. But that's not the point. I just wanna say that, though you keep praying and begging God to help you. He may say 'no' to your request. God's not like a robot that responds to your every command. He makes the decisions. Well, we just have to trust in the fact that God loves us and that in everything he does, he does it for the good of those who love him.

See ya ppl! Enjoy your weekend!