THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-319

The game continued after a short while. After scoring one goal, Rosenborg had all the momentum. Zachary, Takumi Minamino, Nicki Nielsen, Borek Dockal, and Alexander Söderlund were like predators on the attacking line, launching wave after wave of assaults on Fiorentina's goal. Their attacking football was incredible for the next few minutes.

However, in some magical way, Fiorentina managed to hold on and stopped Rosenborg from gaining anything from their relentless attacking. Balls repeatedly smashed against goal posts while Neto, Fiorentina's keeper, occasionally made incredible saves. Nonetheless, Zachary and co couldn't bag the equalizer no matter how hard they bombarded Fiorentina's goal. It was as if some higher force was working against them.

"Let's introduce three substitutes at once," Coach Johansen said to his assistant after watching for another minute.

"That's a good idea," Trond Henriksen, his assistant, replied. "They are likely to add five minutes of injury time after the ninety. So, the substitutes might really make an impact in those few minutes. But, who are we introducing?"

"Jonas Svensson, Karl Toko Ekambi, and Paul Kasongo," the coach said, his eyes never leaving the field of play.

"Eh!" Trond Henriksen's eyes widened with surprise.

"Do you find my choice of substitutions wrong?" Coach Johansen queried after a moment.

"No, not at all," the assistant replied hastily. "I was just surprised that you would allow Karl Toko Ekambi and Paul Kasongo to make their debuts in such an important match."

"Even though young, they are good players," Coach Johansen remarked. "They've also been doing incredibly well during training. So, there's no reason why I shouldn't allow them to participate in today's match. They might even be the solution to our problems on the pitch."

"Oh, okay, I understand," Trond replied with a sigh. "I'll go ahead and prep the subs. Who are we substituting out?"

"Takumi Minamino, Borek Dockal, and Alexander Söderlund."

"Eh!" Trond was once again surprised. "But those three players have played great football over the last four minutes. Should we really be taking them out?"

"No matter how well they played, they still failed to score," Coach Johansen stated. "As attackers, they have failed to fulfill their core roles. So, we should have even substituted them out of the game a few minutes back."

"Oh, okay." Trond nodded. "I'll prep the subs right away."

In the stands, the fans were surprised after noticing the three substitutes on the touchline. Of course, most of them were familiar with Jonas Svensson, the midfielder who occasionally played as a winger for Rosenborg. But what perplexed them was the presence of two new faces among the substitutes.

"What the hell is Coach Johansen trying to do?" One of the fans couldn't take it anymore and let loose a helpless yell. "It's already coming to the 90th minute, but why is the coach introducing two unknown players? Has he really given up on the Europa League?"

"Who knows?" Another fan replied. "The coach might have lost his touch during the Christmas holidays. I also don't understand how he can introduce two inexperienced players at this stage in the game. Moreover, all the attackers have played incredibly well over the last few minutes. So, who is he going to take out?"

"Let's hope that it isn't Zachary," another fan teased.

"Man, don't jinx our game. Taking out Zachary at this moment is like giving up the game. So, unless the coach is totally out of his mind, there's no chance of that happening..."

The supporters continued discussing while following the game until the fourth official put up the board to signal the substitutions. It was then that the voice of Kjell Roar, the commentator, cut across the din in the stadium to introduce the three substitutes.

"The Rosenborg coach has decided to introduce three substitutes during the 90th minute of the game," the commentator announced. "Coming on for Rosenborg's new midfielder - Takumi Minamino is Jonas Svensson, one of the most promising players on the Rosenborg squad. He'll most likely be taking on the role of an attacking midfielder for the remaining five minutes of injury time."

"On the other hand," the commentator continued, "Karl Toko Ekambi and Paul Kasongo will be coming on for Borek Dockal and Alexander Söderlund, respectively. They're both new players making their official debuts for Rosenborg in today's game. Can they make a difference in the added five minutes? Let's wait and see."

A moment of silence descended upon the stadium right after the commentator had introduced the substitutes. Most Rosenborg fans couldn't make heads or tails of the coach's decision since they'd never heard the names - Karl Toko Ekambi and Paul Kasongo. The abilities of the two players were simply an enigma to them. So, they just sat there in the stands without any reaction while inwardly praying for a miracle to happen in the last few minutes of game play.

*FWEEEEEEE*

Immediately after all the substitutes had stepped onto the pitch, the referee blew the whistle and the game restarted. For the next minute, Rosenborg's momentum slowed down a little due to the new changes in the squad. As a result, the Fiorentina players showed signs of recovery. The men in blue soon started playing their one-touch or two-touch football as they tried their best to hold on to possession.

However, how could Zachary allow them to do as they pleased? He couldn't afford to waste time since only about four minutes were remaining to the end of the game. So, he worked harder than ever while yelling at his teammates to close down the opponents as quickly as possible. And soon, the team's efforts paid off and quickly turned the game's tempo.

The relentless high-pressing by the Rosenborg players had forced the Fiorentina players to play a long ball forward, which was immediately picked up by Yerry Mina, the center-back.

Yerry Mina handled the ball with a sense of urgency and quickly kicked it to Mikael Dorsin on the left flank. Mikael did the same and flicked it to Thomas Partey, Rosenborg's holding midfielder, who also immediately passed it to Paul Kasongo on the right-wing. The right-winger also didn't dilly-dally and threaded a pass towards Zachary in the middle.

"Tiki, taka, Tiki, taka..."

The passes flowed like spring water as the Rosenborg players pressed forward like patient hunters eyeing their game. With Zachary's organization, they didn't panic while attacking even when they were well aware that only a couple of minutes were remaining to the end of the game. Instead, they moved forward slowly but surely, stretching the entire Fiorentina line-up with their fluid passing. In that way, they soon managed to create a gap in Fiorentina's defensive shape not long after.

Modibo Diakité was the Fiorentina center-back who stepped out of position to take on Paul Kasongo on the right flank. As a result, he'd left a gap behind him in Fiorentina's defense.

Of course, Zachary, who was nearby, wouldn't miss the opportunity of taking advantage of such a defensive mistake. His incredible spatial awareness made him aware of the blunder immediately. And within a flash, he ran into the space left by the defender while signaling Kasongo to pass the ball to him.

Kasongo had spent plenty of time playing with Zachary in the academy and on Rosenborg's training grounds. So, the winger knew his habits. He noticed his run immediately and threaded the ball to him without losing even a second.

The pass was on point and exactly where Zachary wanted it. With a single deft touch, he received the ball before taking off towards Fiorentina's box like a raging tiger in the wild.

It was a chance for Rosenborg to score. And, of course, Zachary's speed, rated at the S- rank by the system, exploded forth, sending the Rosenborg fans into a wave of frenzy. They sang his name at the top of their lungs, boosting his morale as he rushed forward with the ball like there was no tomorrow. Before long, he was steeping into the 18-yard box where he met an obstacle.

It was Stefan Savic, another Fiorentina center-back, who'd come forward to close him down at the edge of the box. However, with a simple change of pace, followed by an improvised version of the Marseille turn, he left the defender butt-down on the ground, eating the dust. And as soon as he'd completed his 360-degree-turn, he was one-on-one with Neto, Fiorentina's keeper.

Lightning-fast thoughts flashed through Zachary's mind as he drew his leg back while observing the position of the keeper. Neto had made many incredible saves that night. It was as if the keeper had been on drugs. So, Zachary was ruthless while deciding on how to place the shot. He'd to ensure that he would score even if he'd to blast the keeper into the back of the net.

"Catch this if you can!"

Zachary muttered under his breath as he swung down his leg like a whip. With the sort of proficiency practiced thousands of times on the training ground, he unleashed a powerful kick with the top of his boot onto the ball. He'd again imbued all his frustrations and hopes for his team into that one shot.

"BAM!"

The ball was like lightning tearing through the void. While carrying a strong wind, it cut a vicious trajectory through the air as it raged towards Neto's head like a ballistic missile.

"Damn!"

Neto, Fiorentina's goalkeeper, couldn't help but curse out loud. He instinctively brought his hands before his face, maybe to protect himself and stop the ball from making its way into the back of the net.

But all his efforts were fruitless as the force carried by Zachary's shot was beyond what words could describe. The ball blasted at his arms like a hammer smashing against an anvil, jolting him a step back before making its way into the back of the net. He could do nothing to stop Zachary from scoring since he'd unleashed the powerful shot from only a few yards away.

GOAAAL!

ROSENBORG BK 2: AFC FIORENTINA 2.

The stadium exploded into another wave of cheers. In the 94th minute, with only one minute of injury time remaining to the end of the game, Rosenborg had scored the equalizer.

That time around, Zachary chose to run to the corner flag to celebrate with the rest of his teammates since he'd already managed to tie the score. There was no longer any need to panic since only a minute of gameplay remained to the conclusion of the proceedings that night. He was well aware that the winner between the two teams could only be determined after the second leg scheduled for the following week at Fiorentina's home ground.