Back to your seat

You decide you've been away long enough and take the staircase you identified as returning you to your section of seating. Sure enough, you soon emerge in the expected location and edge past the spectators still sitting in your row. As they make space for you to squeeze by, they lean around you to keep an eye on the pitch, anxious not to miss a thing and you sense a tension that wasn't present before you left.

When you reach your destination and take the weight off your feet, Julia turns to look at you enquiringly, but rather than explain what took you so long, you just ask whether anything interesting happened in your absence.

"One all" is her succinct reply and you're left momentarily speechless. Things have certainly moved on and perhaps your reading of the gasps and roars of the crowd while you were away wasn't as accurate as you thought. On that subject, those watching the action unfold seem to be growing more vocal as the match approaches its dying minutes, expressing support for their chosen team and elation or despair depending upon which way the momentum of the match swings.

The away team chips the ball over the head of one of the local defenders and manoeuvres for a hurried shot at goal which ends up going straight for the goalie. The ball is cleared, but the visitors regain possession and put more pressure on the home side, advancing up the wing furthest from you at pace. A determined knot of players blocks the way and long pass to the opposite side of the pitch goes awry, allowing one of your backs to intercept and take control of the ball.

Rather than pushing forward, she passes to a teammate, who passes back towards the goalkeeper. With opposing forwards closing in, you think they've made a tactical mistake, but at the last second, she manages to punt the ball up into midfield and now it's your side's turn to press into the opposing half.

A game of cat and mouse ensues, advance and retreat. Another missed pass, a tackle, a deflection, a throw in and the professionals snatch control again, keeping the ball out of danger with a display of pinpoint passing. Briefly, everyone seems to take a breather, gathering themselves for a final effort whilst the bell gets kicked around in its controllers' half. With the clock ticking down, they finally make a break, well practiced moves and feints overwhelming the defenders.

A cross into the centre leaves a situation of two on two and a quick wrong-footing enables the striker to get past the player marking her and line up for an opportunity to score with only one defender between her and the goal, but others are rapidly closing in and rather than take the shot, she throws in a quick pass to her teammate, who shows no such hesitation, pivoting on one foot to hammer the ball towards the net.