(idiomatic,sports) competing in a game, with a chance of winning.
2011 January 11,Jonathan Stevenson,“West Ham 2 - 1 Birmingham”, inBBC:
Foster had been left unsighted by Scott Dann's positioning at his post, but the goalkeeper was about to prove his worth to Birmingham by keeping them in the game with a series of stunning saves as West Ham produced waves after wave of attack in their bid to find a crucial second goal.