Fortune Favours The Brave

It was in May 2004. Termites was leading a fixture 3-2 against NUS Saints. Few more minutes to the final whistle and we would be saved from relegation. I was diving left and right blocking every shot the opposing team made but they just pressed on. These guys would not give up. It was shoot-on-sight and make-the-chances-count mentality as they kept bombarding forward.

Then, the one shot that changed it all. An NUS forward just made a wild shot which would have been comfortable for me to save but it was deflected by my team-mate. Its trajectory changed and and I had to struggle hard to cope for the unexpected scenario. I was fraction of a second late. By the time my palm went up, the net rippled behind me, sending the scorer and his team-mates in ecstasy. Dejected, thoughts started running through my mind, “S**t, the team is not all prepared for the shoot-out.” Two more comfortable saves and the game was tied, leaving us to settle the relegation play-offs with the shoot-out. While I saved two penalties and allowed one, my shooters missed all. All the preparation and sweat to help the team fight another year gone down the drain.

The same month next year, I was in the similar position. Leading 2-0 in the first two periods, my team was defending against a female squad led by Jill Quek. My last roller-hockey game ended 6-5 in favour of the ladies. I still ponder how I let a shot slip through my catcher for the equalising goal.

My stories aside, the nightmare came back to haunt me but I was not playing in any match. I was watching the Czechs defending their two-goal lead against the Turks. Fatih Terim was adding more attacking players in search for an equaliser. Turkey pulled one back and this time, things were getting desperate for Czech Republic. If I were to be in the opposing coach’s shoes, I too would have opted for a 5-4-1 (sweeper) tactic. Then came the moment that nobody expected, Petr Cech failed to catch a cross cleanly allowing Nihat Kahveci to sidefoot the ball home. The third goal was pure class by the Turkish skipper.

Now, let us look at Turkey. They were relentless, aggressive and they created chance after chance. They even told nervous players to relax, keep their cool and think straight. Such gestures even baffled me because as a player, I too tend to do things on my own without much thinking in search for the equaliser (is that why I was only given the captain’s armband in my last year of Sunday League back in 2001?). Their effort was rewarded via Cech’s mistake and they duly accepted.

This quote, “Fortune favours the brave,” came from the commentator and how true it was. It made me reflect why I experienced triumph (six times) and dejection (three times). When we are down, we dig deep in our reserve to turn the tables.

So, when you are down, be aggressive and concentrate hard. If you are lucky, you might go ahead to win it.

I seriously think there is no point in attacking Petr Cech for his blunder. Except for Fabian Barthez.