Equal in the game (5)
I believe the answer is:
match
I believe this clue is a double definition.
'equal' is the first definition.
(I know that equal can be written as match)
'game' is the second definition.
(eg a football match)
'in the' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for match that I've seen before include "Sporting event" , "Go together" , "An exact duplicate or a contest between two" , "Game - pairing - lucifer" , "Suit; fixture" .)