
Losing the goalkeeper was supposed to be a freak accident. Instead, it was a warning to throw the World Cup. With hitmen in the shadows and a traitor on the pitch, the veteran captain has a choice: surrender the match to stay alive, or bleed for the gold.

"Pain was the entry fee." Nobody mentioned the hitmen.

A hotel physio room at eleven at night, a roll of strapping tape, and a pair of gloves that belong to somebody else.





