Brilliant playing - with energy - but losing line in tense moment

• Very close game, e.g.
• Anxiety-evoking close game, for example
• Close contest
• Rail bent badly across one in situation marked by tension
• Sudden-death game, say
• Tense situation
• Game that goes into overtime, e.g
• Line a bit misjudged by Republican - cause of tension?

Wiktionary Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. (alternative spelling of nail-biter English)