For a long, silent moment, the only movement on the pitch was the gentle rolling of the ball in the back of the Orion FC net.
The Apex players were too stunned to celebrate. The Orion players were too devastated to move.
Then, from the away dugout, a single, strange sound cut through the silence.
It was a choked gasp, followed by a snort, and then an eruption of uncontrollable, hysterical laughter.
Ethan turned to see his best friend, Leo, collapsed on his knees in the technical area, howling with laughter.
He was laughing so hard he was crying, wiping tears from his eyes as he pointed a trembling finger at the scoreboard.
The absurdity of the moment was infectious.
A few Apex players started to chuckle, then a few more, until the entire team was overcome with a wave of relieved, disbelieving laughter.
They hadn't won with a moment of brilliance.
They had won with a moment of pure, unadulterated slapstick comedy.
