Richard was working late at Maine Road, accompanied by the radio as usual, listening to reports about how Mexico had secured a spot in the quarterfinals after their victory over Bulgaria in the Round of 16.
[...In reward for forcing Argentina to reach the knockout rounds as the top-ranked third-place side, Bulgaria met Mexico in the last 16. Stoichkov would again prove to be the architect of their efforts in East Rutherford with the opening goal inside six minutes at Giants Stadium...]
[...The striker unleashed an incredible effort to break the deadlock from the edge of the area. Yet a penalty from Alberto Garcia Aspe drew El Tri level and as no side could find a second, the tie headed for a shoot-out. This time, it was Borislav Mihaylov stealing the headlines...]
RING!
His phone vibrated. This time, he picked it up immediately.
"Why did you take so long to answer?!" Fay shouted, making Richard instinctively pull the phone away from his ear.
