THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-293

The eyes of Olav Brusveen, the TV2 Sporten reporter, were wide open and glittering as he continued following the proceedings on the field of play. He'd once heard that there were occasional days when peak athletes would enter into the zone and put up incredible jaw-dropping performances. And it seemed like Zachary Bemba, Rosenborg's young number-33, was in a similar state during the match against Standard Liège that Thursday evening. The boy prodigy was simply like a miracle worker on the pitch.

Firstly, he'd made that incredible mazy run from the right flank before dribbling past the entire opposing defense and scoring Rosenborg's first goal in the 25th minute. Then, he'd once again netted a second from a set-piece with his perfect signature curveball from right outside the box five minutes later.

At that juncture, he'd already wowed even the opposing fans with his two goals. With his individual brilliance, he'd become the only difference between the two teams and single-handedly sent Rosenborg into an almost unassailable position before halftime. Moreover, he'd achieved all those incredible feats when his team was still at a disadvantage in terms of ball possession and shots on target.

Olav Brusveen had at that time thought that the Standard Liège coach would do his utmost to contain the monstrous Zachary during the second half. He'd expected the Standard Liège tactics to totally suppress the boy prodigy and prevent him from scoring a hat-trick for Rosenborg during a crucial Europa League match. However, it was an oversight on Olav's part to judge the boy prodigy according to typical footballing standards.

Ten minutes into the second half, Zachary Bemba had managed to connect with a through-pass from Mike Jensen, the Rosenborg midfielder, in the final third. The young footballer had then turned and weaved through the defense like a true blue ball wizard before unleashing a missile from right outside the 18-yard box.

At that moment, Olav had watched with bated breath. He hadn't blinked even once as he followed the ball's trajectory as it soared over the defense before grazing off the post and homing into the back of the net.

With that brilliant effort, the boy prodigy had once again bagged yet another hat-trick of his career. Moreover, it was the second hat-trick in a span of a week as it had only been four days since he'd netted one in the Norwegian Cup finals. The feat was really unprecedented.

Olav Brusveen was still in a state of utter wonderment even when five minutes had already elapsed since Zachary scored Rosenborg's third goal. His brain was already heating up as he tried to formulate a few headlines in his head for the articles he would publish on his blog the following day.

"Maybe," he thought, "I should headline the article as - The Humble Beginnings of the Man who might become the GOAT. That should describe Zachary's present state perfectly."

Olav understood that it was an incredible feat for even great players to bag hat-tricks every once in a while. Any footballer who could score two or three hat-tricks in a season could be regarded as an extraordinary talent. However, Zachary, an 18-year-old young man playing in Norway, had gone ahead and netted back-to-back hat-tricks in just over a span of days. He was simply a monster as far as Olav was concerned.

"We're heading into the 61st minute," the commentator yelled in a deep booming voice at that moment. "Rosenborg is still leading by three goals to nil in this very crucial Group C fixture that could decide who qualifies for this season's Europa League knock-out stage."

"As I speak now," the commentator continued. "Red Bull Salzburg is at the top of the group with 12 points, while Rosenborg is now second with 6 points. On the other hand, Standard Liège, also with six points, has now dropped to the third position due to their inferior goal difference. And lastly, Elfsborg has just dropped to the bottom of the table after having already conceded two goals against Red Bull Salzburg in this evening's other Group C fixture."

"But even what is more interesting is that Zachary Bemba, Rosenborg's 18-year old playmaker, has scored all the three goals for his team during today's match. He has now taken his Europa League tally to five goals, thus joining the ranks of the tournament's top scorers for this season. He's simply an incredible young man."

Olav Brusveen nodded to himself after taking in the words of the commentator. Zachary had missed most of Rosenborg's Europa League matches due to injury. Be that as it may, he still managed to join the ranks of the Europa League top scorers with his five goals in two matches after his recovery. He'd scored two against Red Bull Salzburg, and he'd, against all odds, just added three against Standard Liège in that day's match. Thus, calling him an incredible young man was simply an understatement as far as Olav was concerned.

The match slowly progressed into the late stages of the second half. The Standard Liège players played with conviction and mounted a series of relentless attacks as the game headed into the 85th minute. They were using a perfect blend of short passes, wing play, and crosses into the box to pressure Rosenborg into submission. Anyone could tell that they were trying their best to score since there was a visible sense of urgency in their style of play.

However, the Rosenborg players still held on and managed to deny the Belgian giants any chance to score even a single goal.

The Rosenborg defenders for that match, especially Eric Bailly and Yerry Mina, were particularly very impressive. They managed to put up incredible performances by making plenty of timely tackles and interceptions in the defensive third. For that reason, Standard Liège only had six shots on target even that late in the game.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle and pointed to the corner flag a few seconds later. Michy Batshuayi, one of Standard Liège's center forwards, had just jumped up to meet yet another cross from the wing before planting a header towards the goal. However, Daniel Örlund, Rosenborg's keeper, had been alert and managed to make an incredible diving save to push the ball out of play. As a result, the referee had just awarded Standard Liège a corner kick in the 87th minute of gameplay.

At that moment, Zachary had already positioned himself right on the centerline as he waited for the opponents to take the corner kick. He was a striker during that match, and his only job was to score when he got an opportunity. So, he didn't need to defend the corner kick.

With Zachary on the centerline were two dutiful bodyguards that'd been shadowing his every move ever since he'd scored Rosenborg's third goal. They had been marking him tightly and hadn't allowed him even an inch of space since then. They were too annoying to the point that they would occasionally pull at his shirt or even step on his calf when the referee wasn't looking. As a result, Zachary hadn't made much of an impact during the late stages of the second half. He was very frustrated due to their continued harassment.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle again right after he'd settled the chaos in Rosenborg's box. Paul-José Mpoku, Standard Liège's left-winger, immediately sent a teasing cross towards the area from the corner spot.

At that moment, Zachary couldn't help but hold his breath as he watched the ball descend into the crowded box. He reflexively clenched his fists when he noticed Ronnie Stam, Standard Liège's left-back, jump high to meet the incoming corner ball.

Without losing his composure, the Standard Liège man battled Yerry Mina, Rosenborg's center-back, for aerial superiority before planting a header towards the goal from around the penalty spot.

It was a tense moment for Rosenborg as the ball headed straight towards the top right corner like a bullet right out of a sniper muzzle. Nevertheless, Zachary forced himself to remain calm as he continued watching the ball's trajectory without blinking. And soon, his hardened features morphed into a smile as he noticed the ball swerving and dipping slightly before bouncing off the right post and rebounding back into the pitch.

TENSION!! PRESSURE!!

The Rosenborg box soon descended into a state of chaos as the players of both teams scrambled after the ball. For a few seconds, there was a whole lot of pushing and pulling in the area that pressed a great deal of pressure on Rosenborg's defense.

However, the referee still didn't blow the whistle, even with all the mayhem in the box. He just left the players to their own devices and kept on watching from the side.

Fortunately, Daniel Örlund, Rosenborg's keeper, came to the rescue after a few seconds of the scuffle. In some magical way, he outmaneuvered the opponents before stepping forward and smashing the ball out of the box with a heavy punch.

"Hurry! Run back and defend!!"

Zachary could hear someone, probably the Standard Liège coach, shouting from the sidelines as the ball flew mid-air, darting towards the centerline on the left flank. However, that didn't stop him from reacting instantaneously and rushing towards the ball.

Zachary went from zero to peak velocity in just over a second and soon left his two bodyguards in the dust. Before anyone else could react, he controlled the ball on the left flank with an outstretched boot before turning around to face Standard Liège's goal.

He was ready to run with the ball and initiate another counterattack against Standard Liège at that moment. But he couldn't help but stop in his tracks the next instant, right after taking a peek at the other side of the pitch.

He'd just noticed that the keeper was way off his line, probably by half dozen or so yards from his goal. So, he decided to change his course of action immediately to make the best of the situation.

"Here goes nothing."

Without losing a moment, he flicked the ball forward with the tip of his boot while taking another glance at the other side of the pitch. And just before his two bodyguards could close him down, he stepped forward and smashed the ball towards Standard Liège's goal from around sixty-something yards.

He could feel his heart racing with both anxiety and anticipation as he raised his head and followed the ball's trajectory over the green. He just wasn't sure whether the ball would make it into the back of the net, especially since the keeper was already sprinting back towards his line.

However, the goddess of luck seemed to be with Rosenborg that evening. Right at the last moment, the keeper tripped and landed backward on his backside before he could make it back to his line. And without any surprise, the ball bounced once right behind him before ricocheting into the back of the net.

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