The second half began with Nobles FC sending the ball backwards to their centre-back.
"Like I once said, this manager is mediocre. Hasn't he learned anything? Long balls don't work against my team. We won't give your centre-backs time to pass," thought Manager Lopez.
Bob received the pass, but four Skyland FC players quickly pressed Nobles FC's back line. With no passing option, Bob panicked as an opposition player charged toward him.
Next to the oncoming opponent, Max dropped deep to collect the ball. Relieved to have a passing option, Bob quickly passed to Max. As Max received the ball, he shielded it with his shoulder, sending the opposition player tumbling. He then turned sharply and drove forward.
"What just happened? When did he get there? Wasn't he supposed to be playing the No. 10 role?" asked Decent, amazed.
"What a turn by the new kid! The pitch has opened up. Skyland FC's players who had pressed are now chasing back, trying to catch Max," said Shakes.
With Skyland's structure disorganized and their defence pressing high, Max threaded a through ball between the centre-backs. Jeremy Bolt made the run, burst past them, and charged toward the goalkeeper at incredible pace.
"Quick transition! Bolt is through! Will he beat the keeper?" asked Decent.
The goalkeeper rushed out, went down, and made himself big, but Jeremy Bolt fired and the ball slipped through the keeper's legs and into the net.
The stadium fell silent for a moment before erupting in celebration. Jeremy and his teammates rushed to celebrate with Max.
"Goaaaaaaaal! Incredible, absolutely incredible!" shouted Shakes from the commentary box, holding his head.
"Things are changing for Nobles FC. Things are starting to click for Senzo. What a substitution," said Decent.
"The new kid dropped deep to provide an extra man, outnumbering my players who were pressing. He also had the skill to exploit our disorganized shape. Hm, that kid is a beast," thought Manager Lopez.
"The plan is working, huh…" said Jaden, smiling as he clapped his hands.
Play restarted. Five minutes passed, and Nobles FC enjoyed a great spell of possession with Max orchestrating everything, passing, controlling the tempo, and linking play all over the pitch.
Skyland FC regained the ball in midfield and launched a counter-attack, sending bodies forward. As their striker prepared to pass to Savio Silva, Max intercepted and immediately sent the ball forward to Jeremy, who timed his run perfectly.
"How is he unmarked? Where is the defence?" asked Decent.
One on one with the keeper, Jeremy Bolt went for the chip and scored again.
"Another one!" exclaimed Decent.
"Jeremy Bolt, you couldn't catch him once he's off. It is hard to believe he is that fast when you look at his height and physique," said Shakes.
"Why is it hard to believe, Shakes?" asked Decent, glancing at him.
"Don't start with me, Decent. Just keep commentating, hahaha," replied Shakes.
"Another one... This is starting to get on my nerves," said Savio Silva as he watched the opposition celebrate.
Game restarted again. In the 65th minute, Nobles FC won a corner. Max went to take it. As he prepared, he inhaled and exhaled slowly, resting his hands on his waist, listening to the cheers from the fans.
"Huhhhhhhh, now everything is on mute. All these people cheering and I can't hear them. I've blocked everything out and now I see the target, Bolt... Here's some thunder," said Max as he stepped back and crossed the ball, going for the inswinger to the near post.
The ball made its way to the near post, where it was smashed into the net by the tallest player on the field, Jeremy Bolt.
"I don't believe it, they've scored again!" Manager Lopez snapped, anger flashing across his face. "How should I deal with this? We're leading. We could pass it around and protect our lead till the final whistle... But that would mean I'm scared we'll lose. And there's no way they're defeating us. We stick to our plan."
After the goal, the Nobles FC fans started chanting. The dark cloud that had been hanging over the stadium seemed to fade, the sun shone once again, and all danced in its light.
Jeremy Bolt's hat-trick made the score 3–5. Two more goals followed, making it 5–5, scored by Nobles FC's wingers, all assisted by the young talent Max Zwide, totalling five assists in a single game.
The stadium was in shock. The world was in shock. A new record in the South African league: both teams scored five goals and conceded five. Such a thing had never happened before.
It was entertainment at its best. The eight-time league winners were pressed constantly, not given a chance on the ball. Service to Savio Silva was cut off, shutting him down completely in the second half.
"We are tied. My my, I've never felt like this before," said Mr Tau as he watched from the stands.
"This is entertaining. I don't like football, but wow," said Mr Cameron, sitting next to Mr Tau.
"Max Zwide, what an interesting weapon to have at my disposal. My plan worked perfectly because of him. I must say, this is a dream come true. So this is what coaching a football club feels like... What a comeback feels like..." muttered Jaden with a sneaky grin.
"This is a disgrace. I'll show them all. I'll destroy them all, even if I have to do this myself," muttered Savio.
Savio Silva collected the ball in the centre circle as the restart whistle echoed. With only two minutes of added time left, he wasted no breath. His first touch was sharp, his stride explosive. He drove forward, cutting past the first pressing attacker with a feint to the right, then glided left to leave another chasing shadows.
"He just went past us so easily. Is he thinking of dribbling the entire team?" muttered Jeremy as he tracked back.
"Silva... Surely he can't take on the whole team, can he?" asked Jaden.
The crowd roared as he dribbled through midfield, his close control keeping the ball glued to his boots.
One by one, Nobles FC's defenders fell victim to his pace and trickery, a step over to wrong foot the centre-back, a burst of acceleration to split the line, and a deft shimmy to slip past the last man. Suddenly, it was just Savio and the goalkeeper, Willies. He steadied himself, unleashed a powerful strike toward the bottom corner, but the keeper reacted brilliantly, diving full stretch to parry the shot away.
The stadium gasped, half in awe of Savio's dazzling run, half in disbelief that the ball didn't find the net.
"It's a save!!!" said Decent.
"And the ref blows the final whistle! What a game, oh my god! Absolute madness," said Shakes.
The stadium atmosphere went crazy, with the players celebrating like they had won the World Cup.
"This is what it means to tie with the league champions, Decent," said Shakes.
"Aren't they forgetting they are still in the relegation zone?" said Decent.
"With the character they've shown today, they'll be out in no time. This league will be even more interesting," said Shakes.
Mr Tau also couldn't hold himself back as he celebrated in the VIP section.
"Manager Lopez, you've caused your own downfall. You could've won, but your pride got the better of you. With this draw, I've now got the whole team on my side. Morale is high, things are going better than I expected," said Jaden as he walked to shake hands with Manager Lopez.