I Don't Want You Like A Best Friend

3

Y/N POV

Four days passed by much more quickly than I could have anticipated, and before I knew it, I was standing in our goal, surrounded by over 60,000 soccer fans, waiting for kick off.

Unlike our last game against France, the air in the stadium felt different. 

Charged.

Tense.

Both teams were fully prepared to clash in a battle which would ultimately determine who went on to the final game in just five days time. 

A lot was on the line for us today; I couldn't afford to let any goals in.

I did my best to avoid any and all distractions, refusing to look at the crowd because knowing that if I did, I'd get lost looking. I needed to focus on the ball, on my team, and on this game. 

A calming breath escaped my lips just as the starting whistle sounded, and we were off.

Unsurprisingly, England started off strong, keeping possession on their side as they tried to decide the best course of attack. Our starting lineup was the same as our last match, save for Pinoe, who was on the bench. Christen took her place, which I could see filled her with immense happiness and excitement, especially because she hadn't been able to start much all tournament, or play with Tobin.

Despite England's control over the ball, I wasn't pressed to make many saves. Our front and back lines were doing a good enough job of keeping the other team away from the penalty box, which I both appreciated and slightly disliked, mostly because I ended up just standing around for minutes at a time.

Things began to pick up around the tenth minute when we regained possession, and Kelley took that opportunity to charge down the right side of the field, sending a beautiful cross to Chris, who was already in the box waiting for her.

The forward jumped up, heading the ball right past the goalie.

The crowd screamed, waving their flags.

I grinned, enjoying watching my friends celebrate. 

I'll admit, I may have gotten a little misty eyed when Christen raised her hands, looking up at the sky in an obvious gesture to her recent passed mom.

The fun didn't last long though because after resetting, it was all hands on deck once more, but this time, our defense wasn't as prepared as we should have been, and Beth Mead was able to sneak past, passing the ball to Ellen White, who promptly took her shot, the ball sailing wide.

I couldn't move fast enough to block it.

We were now tied 1-1 in the 19th minute.

I clenched my jaw, disappointed in myself, but determined not to let the slip up get to me.

The team seemed to feel the way I did, fighting back with even more force and almost scoring a second goal.

It wasn't long before we did.

In the 31st minute, Alex scored with an easy header, bringing us up 2-1.

I laughed to myself, seeing the brunette pretend to sip tea. 

What a hell of a way to celebrate your birthday.

Not even two minutes later and I was diving through the air, batting away a shot which threatened to hit the back of the net. Thankfully it wasn't too difficult to save, keeping our team in the lead.

Luck seemed to be on our side as it had been four days ago, when Millie Bright fowled Alex, giving Millie a yellow card.

We continued playing until halftime, neither team scoring.