NO FLOURISH WITHOUT FLAWS

THE FALL-OUT

He placed a low shot towards the right corner of the goal. The goalie guessed the right way. His outstretched hands also touched the ball. But the ferociousness of his shot ensured the ball still entered into the net.

"Goallll! Goallll! Goallll!" The Como F.C. aficionados yelled in unison as the game got tied 2-2.

Once again, Lavezzi slid towards the corner flag to celebrate his goal.

"Thank God we have leveled the game. Now, we have to go for the winner. There's still some time left." Rosella passionately

Not resting on their oars, Como F.C. players kept pushing for the winner. It was a relentless wave of attacks from them. But Venezia F.C. players continued to resist those attacks by defending resolutely. Precisely on the 90th minute, Zambrotta wanted to make a clearance. With a lot of pressure on him, he miskicked the ball. Totti controlled the ball. Sent a pass out wide to Lavezzi. He pushed the ball forward. Outpaced their right back and whipped a cross into the box. Acrobatically, Henrique shot the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal. In ecstasy, the Pamplona erupted as soon as the ball hit the net. Defying the consequences, Pastore ran onto the pitch and celebrated the goal with his players.

"We have a 3-2 lead now. The game will soon be over. Remain compact. Don't take any meaningless risk. They have got to leave our stadium with a defeat." Pastore whispered to his players.

Seated back in the dug-out, the referee handed Pastore a yellow card. The game resumed again with four minutes of extra time added. In the 93rd minute, Lavezzi attempted a dribble on the halfway line. He lost the ball. Venezia F.C. players counter-attacked quickly. Chievu sent a square pass across the box. It evaded everyone and landed at the feet of Zambrotta, who tapped the ball into an empty net.

"f**k! They've equalized at the death! My goodness! I can't believe this," a stunned Rosella yelled.

The final whistle hadn't sounded. But Pastore left the pitch. Then walked straight down the tunnel angrily.

After Zambrotta ate up the remaining time celebrating his late goal with his team-mates, the referee blew his whistle to end the match.

Full-time result: Como F.C. 3, Venezia F.C. 3. The scoreboard read.

Looking very distraught, Como F.C. players walked into the dressing room. None of them uttered a word to each other. They were still seething from the stalemate, which felt like a loss because of Zambrotta's late equalizer. Utmost silence continued to engulf their dressing room until Pastore barged in.

"Lavezzi! Lavezzi! We should've been celebrating a win against our arch-rival by now. You f*****g cost us that game," he barked.

"I scored a brace. Gave an assist. Yet, you chose to criticize me in front of my teammates because of just a mistake. That's so unfair."

"That wasn't just a mistake. But a very silly one! Didn't I instruct everyone not to take any meaningless risk? Why did you even attempt a dribble on the halfway line? That was so unnecessary and stupid."

"I'm a winger for Christ's sake! My job is to create chances for my team. Wasn't it my dribbling skills that helped us score goals today? I don't know why you're so upset that I attempted a rabona there. Not every dribble would be successful in football. You should know that as a manager."

"I wish I could replay the gibberish you just uttered so you could hear your idiotic self. It was already late in the game. Attempting a rabona on the halfway line was too much of a risk. You shouldn't have done it. Simple! I don't know why it's difficult for you to comprehend that. Conversely, if you had shown some desire to win the ball back, I probably wouldn't be this mad. But you lazy boy refused to carry out your defensive duty. In fact, it was Totti, all the way from the midfield, that tried his best to cover your mess. I'm so disappointed with you." Pastore shouted at the top of his voice.

"The game has been concluded. There's nothing we can do to change the result. Enough of the yellings and insults. I'm already beginning to lose my temper."

"Who the hell are you talking to?" Pastore barked while charging towards him.

In the same vein, Lavezzi left his seat angrily to confront him too. Before they could cross each other's path, the players stepped in. Some held Pastore. While others resisted Lavezzi.

"Leave me alone! Let me slap some senses into his f*****g brain." Pastore yelped.

"You dare not! Your empty threats can't scare me. Can everyone stop holding me back? I need to teach him a lesson." Lavezzi furiously replied.

"Enough of this unnecessary back and forth. All this vim should be channelled towards our remaining opponents and not amongst ourselves. I'm highly disappointed, especially with you, Lavezzi. You have to learn to take corrections because Pastore was right. You shouldn't have attempted a rabona there. That said, I disliked how you constantly talked back at Pastore. He's our manager; hence, utmost respect must be accorded to him." Totti spoke in his thunderous voice.

"Respect? Weren't you all there when he kept yelling and hurling insults at me? "Respect isn't given, but earned." Lavezzi stated, then carried his snapbag and stormed out of the dressing room.

With his uncharacteristic outburst, Pastore was so disappointed in himself. A few minutes after Lavezzi's exit, he mustered some courage to address the team.

First off, I'm very sorry for my outburst. I'm the manager of this amazing club; I shouldn't have behaved so unruly. Apologies once again for my misconduct. I hope I'm forgiven?"

"Yes!" They all chorused.

"Thanks, everyone. I'd have been extremely happy if we defeated Venezia F.C. Sadly, that didn't happen, and we can't reverse the result. Like I always say, the league is a marathon and not a sprint. There are still a lot of matches to be played. We have to try our best to win all of them. I've given everyone a day off. Training resumes on Wednesday at exactly 9 P.M. Henrique, ensure you communicate this information to Lavezzi. Now, let's get ready to leave here. Our team bus is already waiting for us," Pastore said to his visibly exhausted-looking players and coaching staff.

Remaining in the mixed zone after an interview, Lavezzi flipped through a football magazine. Reading wasn't among his favorite hobbies. Hence, his average academic performances. But any football-related content grabbed his attention easily. The magazine was a special on his idol—Cristiano Ronaldo, making the read more enjoyable. For a moment, his eyes looked away from the captivating magazine and onto the timer.