Altidore surged forward, his powerful strides eating up the ground. The Den Haag defenders were retreating, desperate to keep up.
Coutinho stood his ground, bracing himself as Altidore approached the 18 yard box.
Chris: [It's one-on-one! Can Altidore finish this?]
Altidore shifted the ball onto his right foot. A quick look at goal. He swung his boot through it—
The strike was clean. The ball whistled past Coutinho's outstretched fingers—
Rob: [Altidore—]
CRACK!
The ball smacked against the post, rattling the frame of the goal before bouncing back into play.
Chris: [It's off the post!]
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Altidore stood frozen, watching the ball roll away from danger. For a moment, it felt like time had stopped.
Rob: [Unbelievable! It had to be!]
Henriksen sprinted forward, trying to pounce on the rebound, but Coutinho was quicker. He dived on the loose ball, wrapping his arms around it as AZ Alkmaar players threw their hands in the air in frustration.