THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-124

"AALESUNDS, *clap*clap*, AALESUNDS, *clap*clap..."

In the Rosenborg technical area, Coach Johansen's frown deepened as the chanting and clapping of the Aalesunds FK home fans rose to a crescendo. His team had just conceded a second goal in the 52nd of the game.

Fredrik Ulvestad, the right-midfielder in Aalesunds' 4-4-2 diamond formation, had just unleashed a shot at goal from outside the 18-yard-box. He had managed to beat Lund Hansen, the Rosenborg goalkeeper, scoring the second goal for the men in orange and blue.

Things were looking bad for Rosenborg as the second half progressed. They were two goals down with only about thirty-five minutes left on the clock. Coach Johansen's face had long morphed into a scary frown as he observed the goings-on on the field.

His team had arrived in Ålesund Town in high spirits that afternoon. All the players had been in top shape as they warmed up and prepared for the match. Even the absence of top stars Nicki Nielsen and Tore Reginiussen due to suspension had seemed trivial at the time. They'd been in great shape before the game started. Coach Johansen had been pleased with their energy levels—and thought they would grab the three points from Aalesunds FK. That would have marked the perfect start to their ascent back to the top of the Tippeligaen table.

However, he couldn't have been more wrong.

As soon as the game started, the Rosenborg players had found it challenging to settle down and play their usual fast-flowing attack-minded football. Many of their usually successful coordinated plays became misses due to a lack of focus on the field. They started losing possession intermittently and conceded the first goal in the 26th minute of the first half.

Coach Johansen had not lost his cool over that single goal. He knew very well, from experience, that any strong team could experience below-par performance spells during a game and find themselves trailing their opponents. However, what mattered most was the way players reacted after encountering the situation.

So, during the halftime break, he had given a motivational pep talk about focusing and giving more than a hundred percent effort to stage a comeback in the dressing room. The field players had reacted well to it, putting his mind at ease. So, he had returned to the visiting team's dugout for the second half with a smile on his face. He was sure his players had straightened their attitude and would do their utmost to score and win in the second half. However, seven minutes into the second half, Rosenborg had conceded yet again.

Coach Johansen was close to suffocating on his fury. His players had made yet another amateur mistake allowing Aalesunds to score once again. "What to do?" He mumbled to himself, rubbing his bald head in frustration.

His mind worked in overdrive, trying to come up with a solution to Rosenborg's on-pitch tactical problems. All the while, his eyes followed every play on the field as his mind tried to find a spark that could light up the way and help his team stage a comeback. The worst result he could tolerate against Aalesunds FK was a draw. If Rosenborg lost another game, he would be in deep trouble and probably be at risk of being fired by the end of the following week. He couldn't lose.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, breaking him out of his deep state of concentration.

"That's no foul and no yellow card," Coach Johansen shouted at the top of his lungs, punching the air before him repeatedly. Mike Jensen, the Rosenborg defensive midfielder, had just made a sliding tackle against Fredrik Carlsen, Aalesunds number-8, close to the edge of the box. The referee had shown a yellow card to Mike for his overly aggressive challenge and awarded Aalesunds FK a freekick at the edge of the box.

"I don't know what the matter with referees is these days," Coach Johansen complained to Trond Henriksen, his assistant. "That shouldn't have even been a foul. But the referee has gone ahead and shown Mike a yellow card! I don't understand." Coach Johansen scratched his red beard in frustration as he kept his eyes locked on the field of play.

Trond Henriksen smiled wryly, shaking his head. "Maybe we should start thinking about bringing in another striker so that we can create more chances at goal," he said, his tone imploring. "What do you think?"

"I've my considerations," Coach Johansen replied, keeping his eyes focused on the field. "Let's first watch the freekick. We'll decide what to do from there."

"Okay, then," Trond Henriksen, the assistant head coach of Rosenborg, replied, nodding. He also returned his gaze to the field of play.

**** ****

Zachary was watching the game from the visitor's dugout. He was surprised by how the on-pitch situation had swiftly gone from bad to worse for Rosenborg as the match progressed. He couldn't understand why the players seemed unable to connect well on the field of play. During training, they'd worked together, playing fluid flowing football. But out there in the game, they were being owned by a weaker team. He felt frustrated since he didn't want to see his team lose a game just after he'd made it onto the squad.

"Facing our former coach is really problematic," Zachary heard Brede Moe, the substitute defender, comment from his left. "Jan Jönsson knows us well in and out. It's no surprise that he was able to devise effective tactics to mess up our game plan."

"But that's no reason for us to concede two goals," Daniel Örlund, the veteran goalkeeper, chipped in. "We haven't even created any clear chances at goal. I guess Nicki and Tore's suspension messed up our team cohesion."

"I don't think so," John Chibuike, the substitute forward, said. "It's just one of those days when things don't work out. We're still dominating possession, but we can't seem to find opportunities to score. On the other hand, Aalesunds only has three shots on target but two goals."

Zachary kept on listening but also kept a keen eye on the happenings on the pitch. At the edge of Rosenborg's box, Fredrik Carlsen, the Aalesunds number-8, took a few steps back—away from the ball. He was readying himself to take the freekick.

Before him, five Rosenborg players had already formed a wall to defend against the setpiece. Zachary saw that Rosenborg was in a bad situation since the freekick had been awarded in a dangerous position. Fredrik Carlsen, the Aalesunds attacking midfielder, had just placed the ball in the arc right outside the 18-yard-box. He could use either foot to find the target and widen Aalesunds' lead.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle. Fredrik Carlsen jogged towards the ball and took the freekick with the inside of his right boot. He unleashed a curling ball around the defense that tore towards the goal like a missile. The Aalesunds number-8 had taken the freekick well. Tensions ran high in the visiting team's dugout. Conceding another goal would almost certainly seal Rosenborg's loss.

However, Lund Hansen, the Rosenborg keeper, was very alert and came to the rescue. He leaped high and made a brilliant save, shoving the ball out of play with an outstretched arm. Rosenborg had survived conceding another goal. Most of the players on the bench let out sighs of relief.

But the danger wasn't over yet. The referee pointed towards the corner flag, awarding Aalesunds FK a corner kick. The benchwarmers, including Zachary, could only wait anxiously for Rosenborg to defend against the corner. Since they were not on the pitch, there was nothing much they could do to change the game situation. They could only cheer on their team and hope for the best without touching the ball. That was the sorrow of a benchwarmer.

The referee blew the whistle—and without any delay, Andreas Nordvik, the Aalesunds left-back, took the corner.

Zachary watched with rapt attention as Andreas delivered a teasing corner ball towards the crowded box. The players in the box were shoving and pulling at each other—as they struggled to out-muscle one another and answer the incoming cross. The situation in the box was chaotic, but the referee didn't blow the whistle.

Zachary could only hold his breath as he watched the situation in the area with distress. Abderazak Hamdallah, the Aalesunds number-9, jumped high and connected with the cross after losing his mark. He let loose a header from around the penalty spot, clearly bound for the inside the right post.

Zachary felt his heartbeat quicken as he realized the keeper was already—beaten. He could judge that the header would probably result in a goal. But to his relief, Mikael Dorsin, the Rosenborg veteran defender, appeared at the right time. He intercepted the ball close to the goal post and kicked it away to safety.

Rosenborg had survived once more. But, the excitement on the field wasn't over yet. Mike Jensen, the Rosenborg defensive midfielder, picked up the ball from Mikael's clearance around the edge of the box. Without any dilly-dallying, he looked up and unleashed a grounded through-pass in the direction of Tobias Mikkelsen, who'd long started making a run towards Aalesunds half.

The counterattack was on.

Tobias Mikkelsen, the Rosenborg left-forward, turned around and controlled the ball well close to the centerline on the left flank. Around him were yards of space to work with since most of the defenders were still in Rosenborg's half after the corner. So, without any delay, Tobias took off towards the Aalesunds box like a rocket. He was so fast that none of the two defenders that had stayed back to defend could match his pace.

Tobias sprinted—and in no time, was at the edge of Aalesunds box. He made a cut-back pass to the edge of the box where Mix Diskerud, the Rosenborg attacking midfielder, had just arrived.

Mix Diskerud did well to control the pass at the edge of the box. He then unleashed a shot towards the roof of the net without any pressure. All the players on the bench, including Zachary, stood up, anticipating a goal since that was by far Rosenborg's best chance from the start of the game.

However, the goddess of luck seemed to have abandoned Rosenborg that day. Although the Aalesunds goalkeeper was out of position, he still managed to leap high and make a brilliant save. Rosenborg squandered the chance to score their first goal during the 59th minute of the highly contested Tippeligaen game. The players and the coaching staff in the visiting team's dugout all let loose sighs at the missed opportunity.

Zachary was about to return to his seat on the bench—but then noticed that Coach Johansen seemed to be regarding him with a pensive expression. A jolt of excitement straightened his spine. He felt the slight displeasure he'd felt watching Rosenborg put up a sorry performance slipping away at that moment. He could guess that the coach was about to make a substitution.

But he wasn't sure whether the coach would still keep his promise and give him playing time even when the team was trailing by two goals. So, he could only try to express that he was ready by making eye contact with the coach.

"Okay, Zachary and John, you are up," Coach Johansen intoned. "Dress up and start warming up right away. You have five minutes to get ready."

"Yes, coach," Zachary replied, taking on the tone of a soldier answering the command of his superior. He looked comical and attracted a few laughs from his teammates on the bench. However, he didn't mind in the slightest.

He was finally going to make his first appearance in the Tippeligaen. Nothing else mattered as long as he could play football on the professional stage. A soft smile outlined his face as he tightened the laces of his boots and readied himself to begin warming up. He could hardly contain his happiness.