THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-239

Coach Johansen decided to bench his star players for the Europa League return leg fixture against the Crusaders Football Club the following Wednesday. Zachary Bemba, Nicki Nielsen, Mikael Dorsin, Tobias Mikkelsen, Tore Reginiussen, and Borek Dockal watched the game from the sidelines. But, the Troll Kids still managed to put up an outstanding defense-minded performance to beat Crusaders 1:0 despite the absence of most of their regular first-team players. Peter Ankersen, a right-back usually on the bench, scored the only goal for the Troll Kids, sending them into the next stage of the Europa League qualifying round.

Coach Johansen was in a good mood since the win cast away the shadow of the weekend's goalless-draw against Sogndal. It practically reignited the spirits of the Rosenborg players. So they headed into the Sunday Tippeligaen fixture against Strømsgodset with boundless momentum. They were eager to thrash the team from Drammen again and extend their lead at the top of the table to nine points.

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"Oh, my goodness me!" Erik Bailly exclaimed, his gaze roaming across the passionate fans around the stands of the Marienlyst Stadion in Drammen. "What an electrifying atmosphere! These Rosenborg fans are incredible. They can manage to be this energetic even when their team is playing away!"

"That's a given," his agent replied, smiling and also looking around. "Rosenborg has dominated Norwegian football for a very long time. So, it has quite a number of passionate fans spread all over the country. Moreover, this is a match between the first and second on the table. That could have also added to the excitement."

"Oh!" Erik Bailly said, smiling and nodding. "It would be exciting to play for Rosenborg if the fans are always this passionate."

The young Ivorian center-back had just arrived in Trondheim a day before for a medical. That was after agreeing on personal terms with the Rosenborg representatives. But he'd decided to travel to Drammen and watch a live Rosenborg game first – to ascertain whether he was making the correct decision. His heart wouldn't rest easy until he'd witnessed Zachary's prowess with his own eyes.

"Hello there," he heard a voice calling out to him just as he was about to take his seat beside his agent. He turned around and was surprised to find a familiar face standing just behind him.

"You're Thomas, Thomas Partey?" He probed without masking his astonishment. He'd, of course, already met the young Ghanaian defensive midfielder when his team, Espanyol B, had faced off against Atlético Madrid B the previous season. But he was just perplexed to see him at the Marienlyst Stadion in Drammen, Norway.

"That's me," Thomas replied, grinning and extending his hand. "It's nice to meet you again, Erik. How have you been?"

"I'm fine," Erik replied, also grinning and taking the hand for a firm handshake. "But what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be training with the

Atlético Madrid B side to prepare for the Segunda División B season opener?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Thomas said as he settled in a seat right beside him. "Aren't you supposed to be in Barcelona, training with the Espanyol B side? What are you doing here in Norway?"

Erik Bailly couldn't help but grin on hearing the Ghanaian defensive midfielder counter with his own question. For a brief moment, he held Thomas' gaze, and the two of them smiled as they seemed to come to a sort of understanding.

"So, did you watch the videos too?" Erik queried after a short while, also settling down in his seat.

"Yes, I did," Thomas was quick to reply. "In this generation of ours, I have only seen two players before who could play like that when they were still eighteen years old. That guy is surely a monster. I decided to join Rosenborg right after watching him play."

"Oh," Erik said, his eyes widening with surprise. "So, have you already signed for Rosenborg?"

"Yes, of course," Thomas replied matter-of-factly. "I signed the contract on Friday afternoon. I'm already searching for an apartment in Trondheim."

"Eehh," Erik said, giving the Ghanaian defensive midfielder a sideways glance. "You're quite decisive."

"Why would I dilly-dally after being offered a chance to be on the same team with such a monster?" Thomas countered with a question of his own once again. "So, I take it that you haven't signed for Rosenborg yet?"

"That's right," Erik replied, sighing. "I wanted to watch today's game first before taking the medical tomorrow. But seeing you here came as a great shock to me. By the way, this man here is Graziano Battistini, my agent." He added, patting the shoulder of the suited man on his left.

"Oh," Thomas said, inclining his head to observe the man in a suit. "I'm Thomas Partey. Nice to meet you, sir." He extended his hand over Erik's legs.

"Nice to meet you too, young man," the agent replied with a smile, taking the hand. "I'm glad to make your acquaintance..."

But before he could continue the conversation, a thunderous cheer rose from the stands around them, drowning out all the other sounds in the stadium. At long last, the players were matching into the pitch. The three of them could only halt their discussion since the game's opening ceremony was about to commence.

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*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle at exactly 6:00 PM to signal the start of the game between Strømsgodset IF and Rosenborg BK. Without any dilly-dallying, Ola Kamara, the Strømsgodset center-forward, kicked the ball back into his midfield as the cheers around the Marienlyst Stadion rose to a thunderous crescendo.

Both teams were highly motivated since they were vying to become Tippeligaen champions that season. The Rosenborg players wanted to cement their position at the top of the Tippeligaen table by taking their tally to 47 points. On the other hand, Strømsgodset hoped to win the game and cut down the point difference between themselves and Rosenborg to only three points. Thus, the energy levels on the pitch were incredible. Both teams struggled to dictate the tempo early in the first half.

Zachary had rested the entire week since he hadn't participated in the mid-week game against Crusaders Football Club. He was brimming with energy and was all over the pitch, playing the role of a playmaker to link defense and attack. He even managed to initiate Rosenborg's first chance at goal in the 12th minute.

After receiving a lofted pass from Mikael Dorsin, the Rosenborg left-back, he skipped past a sliding tackle from Abdisalam Ibrahim, the Strømsgodset right midfielder, managing to create a yard of space for himself in central midfield. He immediately dashed across the middle third like the wind, slaloming his way past two more opponents.

Before any more opponents could close him down, he unleashed one of his signature through-passes into space — just behind the Strømsgodset defensive line. With that well-timed ball, he managed to send Nicki Nielsen, the Rosenborg number-9, on a straight course towards the goal.

Nicki Nielsen connected with Zachary's sweet pass just at the edge of the box. Without any dilly-dallying, he stepped into the box before looping Adam Kwarasey, the Strømsgodset keeper, to send the ball towards the back of the net.

However, before the ball could cross the goal line, Lars Christopher Vilsvik, the Strømsgodset right-back, came sliding in to send the ball out of play. A collective sigh rose from the stands occupied by the Rosenborg fans as the referee pointed to the corner flag.

In the 13th minute, Rosenborg had missed a clear chance to take the lead in the highly contested game between the first and second on the Tippeligaen table.

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"I already told you to mark both Zachary and Nicki throughout the entire game," Ronny Deila, the Strømsgodset head coach, roared from the sidelines. He was still anxious even though the ball had gone out for a Rosenborg corner kick.

"Why aren't you guys following my instructions and doing the needful? Concentrate. Don't allow any of them even an inch of space when we aren't on the ball."

"Abdisalam and Nana," the Strømsgodset coach continued yelling. "You two should double team Zachary whenever we lose possession. Make sure he doesn't release those passes of his behind our defensive line. And stop him from making any runs through the midfield..."

He kept on shouting as he paced the length of the technical area to make sure his players were in shape before the recommencement of the game.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee finally blew the whistle and signaled for Rosenborg to take the corner after organizing the players in the box.

Coach Ronny Deila could feel his heart hammering hard with anxiety as he watched Mikael Dorsin float a teasing ball into the crowded box. His muscles grew even tenser as he watched Tore Reginiussen, the Rosenborg captain, outjump the rest of the players in the box to connect with the corner ball. The coach really thought that Rosenborg was about to score and take the lead early in the first half. But the next moment—

"BANG!"

The ball smashed off the right post before bouncing back into the field of play. Coach Ronny Deila let out a pent-up breath of air as his team had narrowly survived conceding in the 15th minute. But his eyes narrowed the next instant as he watched a Rosenborg player pounce on the rebound after outmaneuvering two Strømsgodset players. The danger had not yet passed.

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