Gabbrielli reacted in panic as the ball fell toward him while he backpedaled frantically, and his clearance attempt came rushed and off-balance as his right foot swung through, and instead of sending the ball to safety, he struck it directly toward where Demien had continued his run.
The ball rolled toward Demien twenty-five yards from goal, and time seemed to slow as every option crystallized in his mind with perfect clarity, and his long shot stat of 66 combined with David Drinkwater's thirty-seven years of experience told him exactly what to do.
Demien's right foot connected with the ball as his leg swung through with full power, and the strike was clean and pure as the ball rocketed off his boot with pace that made the air whistle, and the trajectory stayed low and hard as it flew toward the bottom left corner.
