THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-264

On the pitch, Zachary quickly made his way back to Rosenborg's eighteen-yard box to help his team defend against the corner. He was determined to prevent Red Bull Salzburg from scoring by doing his part to the best of his abilities.

He immediately picked out André Ramalho, a tall Red Bull Salzburg center-back, and man-marked him like mad. Furthermore, he also didn't forget to holler out some warnings to his teammates and advise them to tightly mark other dangerous opponents like Sadio Mané and Jonathan Soriano. He only relaxed after making sure that there was no unmarked Red Bull Salzburg player in the box.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle after a short while. The players of both teams within the box immediately started pulling and pushing one another, trying to outmaneuver their opponents while awaiting the corner ball. It was complete pandemonium in the box to the point that the referee had to intervene and delay the corner for a couple of minutes. The situation only calmed down when the referee showed a couple of yellow cards to players from both teams. Even Zachary got off with a verbal warning since he'd been stealthily pulling at his opponent's shirt.

The referee blew the whistle once again after settling the chaotic situation in the box. Stefan Ilsanker, one of the Red Bull midfielders, immediately floated a teasing ball into the crowded box, sending the stadium into a wave of thunderous cheers once again.

Within the box, Zachary wasn't the least bit affected by the thunderous cheers of the home fans. He'd shut out everything else and only focused on the incoming ball and his opponent - André Ramalho. Thanks to his high game intelligence, coupled with his extreme state of concentration, he deduced the ball trajectory and its final destination almost instantaneously.

As luck would have it, he could tell that the corner ball was coming right towards his position in the box. He didn't dare take the situation lightly at that moment. Without losing a second, he pushed off the ground like a kangaroo, outmuscled André Ramalho, his opponent, midair, and then headed the ball out of the box to safety. However, before he could let out a breath of pent-up air and settle back on the green, the referee's whistle sounded once again.

"What the hell is happening?"

Zachary could not help but frown as he turned his attention towards the referee. He shuddered despite himself when he noticed that the referee was pointing to the penalty spot. At that moment, it was as if the referee had just banished his heart from heaven to hell. He was both infuriated and confused by the referee's decision. He was even considering the prospect of rushing towards the ref and giving him a piece of his mind.

"Stay calm! Stay calm!" Zachary mumbled to himself while trying his best to tamp down his frustration. It was then that he noticed that André Ramalho, the Red Bull center-back that he'd been marking during the heat of the corner kick, was on the ground. The six-foot Brazilian was rolling on the green while hiding his face in-between his palms like a wounded animal.

"What the hell is happening?" Zachary couldn't help but explode with fury as he rushed towards the referee. He could no longer contain his rage after noticing that his opponent was trying to frame him for a foul he hadn't committed. "Ref, I am innocent," he added, stressing word for word. "I didn't even touch him when I was contesting for the ball. Surely, it's just simulation to win a penalty."

"Elbow," the referee replied simply with a single word while showing a yellow card to Zachary. He then shooed Zachary away with a wave of his hand before going to check on the Red Bull Salzburg center-back, who was still rolling on the ground.

Zachary wanted to put in a few more complaints and justify his case. That was because he was pretty sure he hadn't committed a foul. But before Zachary could say anything else, a firm grip around his waist pulled him away from the referee's position. On turning around, he noticed that Mikael Dorsin, Rosenborg's assistant captain, was the one holding on to him tightly and signaling him to remain silent.

"Can you please calm down for a moment?" Mikael whispered while glancing at him squarely. "The referee has already awarded the penalty. So, there's nothing you can do since he has already made the decision. Complaining won't get you any results but a red card."

"So, I'm begging you to settle down and ignore the referee's decision. Remember that all the hopes of the fans, the management, and coaches are resting upon us. They want us to win this match and keep our Europa League dream alive. So, we can't let something like anger drive our actions while on the pitch. Are we together, Zachary?"

Zachary nodded to indicate that he understood. He knew where Mikael was coming from, considering the situation of the match.

If he persisted and argued with the referee, he would get himself a red card just before halftime. Then, Red Bull Salzburg would utilize the remaining minutes to tear them down like wolves attacking a herd of helpless sheep for sure. Rosenborg would then lose the game, and their hopes of qualifying to the next round of the Europa League would come to an end there and then.

"What a close call!!"

Zachary could not help but tremble all over after realizing that he'd been only moments away from attracting a red card from the referee due to an argument. Without saying a word, he closed his eyes for a few seconds and took in a drawn-out breath of air to calm himself down. When he next opened his eyes a few seconds later, they were as serene as a pool of calm water, without any undulations or waves.

"Thank you, Mikael," he said to his assistant captain.

"I'm glad you have calmed down," Mikael replied with a smile. "As footballers, we'll always have moments when we can't control our emotions. It may be because of a poor refereeing decision or simply from the frustration of losing the game or something else. But we have got to try our best to control our tempers simply because the calmest players on the pitch are usually the ones who emerge victoriously."

"I understand," Zachary replied once again.

"Good," Mikael replied, nodding. "Then let's prepare for the penalty."

The cheers reached another crescendo after the referee organized most players out of the box for the penalty. At that moment, the only field players still in the box were Jonathan Soriano, Red Bull Salzburg's center-forward, and Daniel Örlund, Rosenborg's goalkeeper. The two of them would face off in a battle of wits a few moments later.

Zachary had positioned himself a few yards beyond the arc of the 18-yard box. He felt as if he'd just stepped into a pile of shit and found it hard to breathe even though there wasn't any other field player in his close vicinity. Who wouldn't after giving away a penalty during a crucial match?

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle and motioned for Jonathan Soriano to take the penalty a short while later. It was the moment of truth. Would it be the highly clinical Red Bull Salzburg forward that would prevail? Or, would the highly experienced Rosenborg keeper come out on top?

Zachary didn't care for any wild guesses. His heartbeat accelerated as tension gripped his entire being as he watched the Red Bull Salzburg center-forward make an angled run towards the ball.

"Please don't go in! Don't go in!" He couldn't help himself but mumble when Jonathan Soriano finally raised his leg and unleashed the long-awaited shot from the penalty spot.

Despite having S-grade stamina, Zachary even experienced shortness of breath as he followed the trajectory of the ball heading towards goal. It was one of the stiffest of moments he'd faced ever since turning professional.

Time seemed to slow down for the briefest of seconds — and then the possibility with the lowest probability of occurring happened the next instant.

Zachary felt like he'd just escaped from hell to heaven as a wave of disappointed sighs of the home fans rang across the entire Red Bull Arena. He was giddy with excitement and even yelled out at the top of his voice to express his relief.

"What a save!"

Daniel Örlund, Rosenborg's keeper, had committed himself to a full-body dive towards his left and managed to snatch the penalty ball from midair. With that incredible save, he'd denied Red Bull Salzburg a chance to score yet again, sending the stadium into a state of momentary silence.

"Why does this situation seem so familiar?" Zachary mumbled silently to himself as he watched the experienced Rosenborg keeper holding the ball to his chest.

Then it all came to him, and a light bulb went off in his brain.

Without any needless words, he turned around and accelerated almost instantaneously towards the other side of the pitch. It looked like the devil himself was chasing after him as he darted through the middle of the field. His only hope at that moment was that Daniel Örlund, Rosenborg's keeper, would spot his run as soon as possible and release him for a counter. That way, he would be able to catch the Red Bull Salzburg players unawares for the first time since the commencement of the match.

The lucky stars of Rosenborg seemed to be aligned well that day. Daniel Örlund, Rosenborg's keeper, appeared to have read his mind like an open book. Just as Zachary was fast approaching the center circle, he noticed the keeper had just unleashed a long one-handed throw towards him. It was the perfect release of the ball right before the Red Bull Salzburg players could react.

Zachary, of course, went into action on seeing the ball approaching his position at the boundary of the center circle. He slowed down slightly before turning around to jump and meet the long throw midair. His motions were as smooth as flowing clouds while chesting the ball down the green. Without losing a moment, he spun 180 degrees and continued towards Red Bull Salzburg's goal like the wind. The counterattack was on.