THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-129

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle for a foul and awarded Rosenborg a free-kick. But he didn't forget to show a yellow card to Fredrik Carlsen and give him a verbal warning.

"Zachary is on form in the midfield," Coach Henriksen commented. "He's cool-headed and the most active player on the pitch. He is trying to get on the ball as much as possible, and you can literally see the enthusiasm in his play. What a player! We should introduce him into the starting eleven permanently."

Coach Johansen nodded. "I thought he would take longer to mature. But it seems I was wrong. The boy is..." He stopped mid-sentence as all his focus had returned to the field of play.

At that instant, Zachary had just taken an unexpected lightning-fast free-kick, catching the Aalesunds players by surprise.

Tarik Elyounoussi, the Rosenborg center forward, got to the end of Zachary's cheeky free-kick in the final third. He controlled the ball well even before the opponents could organize themselves into a proper defensive shape. Without any dilly-dallying, he flicked the ball forward and tried to beat the keeper, who was off his line, with a shot from mid-range. However, the keeper managed to retrace his steps quickly before punching the ball out of play.

The referee pointed to the corner flag, awarding Rosenborg a corner kick. Aalesunds had just survived conceding the third goal in the 74th minute.

"F*ck, why are we so f*ckng unlucky," Coach Johansen couldn't help but mumble a curse, scratching his bald head in frustration. It was the first time in years since he had intoned that many profanities during a game. He was on tenterhooks since his job was still on the line if he failed to win the match.

"Should I tell Ole to get ready," Coach Henriksen, his assistant, asked.

"Not yet," Coach Johansen replied, his tone firm. "I have a feeling that the opponents may start targeting our players using fouls. It would be irresponsible not to leave a substitute on the bench as insurance against injury." He added, all the while keeping his focus on the match.

For the next ten minutes, Rosenborg continued dictating the tempo of the game. The Rosenborg players showcased great teamwork by keeping possession and producing pin-point passes from player to player. It was all Rosenborg for the time being as their football had gained rhythm and was finally flowing.

Zachary was especially active, playing long passes, seamless short passes, and quick one-twos—to grind down Aalesunds' defense. The opposition's players were finding it very difficult to intercept and win back possession from him. He played so well and even managed to unleash a long-range pass into the box in the 87th minute.

Tarik Elyounoussi, the Rosenborg forward, out-jumped the defense and connected with the pin-point cross to plant a header towards the goal from around the penalty spot. However, Sten Grytebust, Aalesunds' goalkeeper, was in top shape for that match. He managed to save yet another attempt at goal from Rosenborg.

Coach Johansen was getting more fidgety and impatient as the clock on the big screen approached the 90th minute. His players had played well for sure. However, the goddess of luck seemed not to be on their side. They had dominated Aalesunds in the later stages of the game—but couldn't seem to put the ball into the back of the net. Balls smashed of goalposts or deflections in the Aalesunds' box happened. But the score remained tied at 2:2 as the fourth official put up the board to indicate that there would be four minutes of added time.

"More pressure and more crosses into the box," Coach Johansen shouted at the top of his voice, trying to rouse his players into action. "Don't just pass the ball around in the middle third. Feed it forward. John, start making a lot more runs into their box and help out in attack." He yelled words at the pace of a machine gun.

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On hearing the coach yelling, Zachary opened himself up by losing his marker in the midfield and received a return pass from Jonas Svensson, the defensive midfielder. Without wasting any time, he kicked the ball towards the other side of the pitch—where the Rosenborg forwards were lurking.

Tarik Elyounoussi escaped his mark to meet the long-range pass in the final third. He chested the ball down before spinning around an Aalesunds center-back. Without any pause, he flicked the ball to his left and stepped away further from the center-back. He had gained a yard of space for himself and could easily attempt a shot at goal since he was just outside the arc of the 18-yard-box.

Zachary felt his heartbeat quicken as he watched the Rosenborg center forward raise a leg to make a shot that could potentially turn out to be the match-winner. However, to his dismay, Jason Morrison, the Aalesunds defensive midfielder, came sliding in and sent him tumbling to the ground. The challenge was so rough that Tarik even cried out loud in pain.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle and awarded Rosenborg a free-kick. However, before he could do anything else, several Rosenborg players were upon him in an instant, shouting in his face and complaining about the brutal foul. The referee had to take some time to calm down the players before showing Jason Morrison a yellow card.

Zachary, on his part, didn't join the fray. Instead, he approached Mikael Dorsin, the acting Rosenborg captain for that match, while the other players were still complaining to the ref.

"I want to take that free-kick," Zachary said to the veteran defender as soon as he reached his side.

"You want to take the free-kick?" Mikael inquired, raising an eyebrow and glancing at Zachary with a pensive expression.

"Yes," Zachary replied, his tone firm. "I'm good at taking free-kicks. I have been practicing them every day for the past two years."

Mikael Dorsin creased a brow, first stealing a glance towards some of the other players like Tarik Elyounoussi and Borek Dockal. Those were all suitable candidates to take the set-piece. He then returned his gaze to Zachary. "Are you confident?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm very confident," Zachary replied solemnly.

"Oh, well," Mikael said, smiling. "This will be hard since you're a new player. There are already set-piece takers in the team. However, I'll still make it happen. You owe me a favor." His smile blossomed into a grin as he walked away towards the position of the free-kick.

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