the beautiful gamesomeone once said that football (soccer) is a beautiful game and the statement has never been so true to me until today. on this day our footballers had to fight opponents on 3 fronts: strong opponents on the field, a hostile environment and the nemesis in their hearts. one of the boys told me before the match that he and his team-mates have never beaten these opponents. our boys have lost to them for years ... for 65 minutes, our boys attacked relentlessly without success. they penetrated, they passed, they shot from afar but none hit the target. they also defended valiantly but the defensive wall was broken through once. the clock kept ticking with 5 minutes left ... . ... as the clock wound down, did all the defeats in the past 6 years flash before your eyes? do you give up and go home in perhaps the last game of your school career? do we, as a team accept our fate and roll over? football is such a maddening game because it could be so unpredictable and because it could sometimes be so frustrating. perhaps that's why it is as maddening as it is beautiful: it brings out the best in those who perservere and those who combine artistry with athletic prowess and team work. tick tick tick tick tick ... do you fight on? do you give up? do you start the blame game and the excuse game? the boys fought on. OUR BOYS fought on, they didn't give up, offered no excuse and tied the game in the final minutes and eventually left the field as conquerors. but much more significant than leaving the field as (5-3) victors - they exorcised the demon that has haunted them for years. from now on they will know that there are very few things they could not conquer when the D BoyS stand as one. | 
