THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-343

The referee blew the whistle at exactly 7:00 PM to signal the start of the game. The cheers in Lerkendal Stadion immediately hit a crescendo as Nicki Nielsen kicked off the proceedings on the pitch with a pass back into the midfield.

Takumi Minamino received Nicki's pass at the border of the defensive third before flicking the ball to Thomas Partey, Rosenborg's holding midfielder. The latter then passed it to Zachary, who immediately turned around and kicked it to Yerry Mina, the center-back ever-present in the backfield.

With those few passes, the Rosenborg players immediately set the tempo. Their football flowed like water as they exchanged short passes between the defenders and the holding midfielders within the defensive third. They even hoarded all the possession and prevented the Juventus players from touching the ball even once during the first three minutes.

The absurd match situation compelled the home fans to cheer like madmen as their local team demonstrated their prowess against the Italian giants. They were too excited as their team seemed capable of thrashing the opponents again at that moment. Some fans might have even let their imagination run wild, thinking Rosenborg would repeat the previous week's feat and win by more than two goals.

However, just suddenly, Coach Conte's roar resounded across the noisy stadium, breaking the cheerful atmosphere around the home fans. "What the fuck are you guys doing? We said we high-press. Why aren't you guys..."

The tactician continued roaring in Italian for the next few minutes. He was so intense as he paced around the tactical area while shouting specific on-pitch instructions to his players. And fortunately, his efforts seemed to pay off after a few minutes.

The Juventus players on the field immediately rushed into Rosenborg's half like a swarm. They started employing high-pressing tactics against Rosenborg players, who were still enjoying a long spell of possession at the back.

The Troll kids started panicking due to the immense pressure exerted by the Italian giants. As a result, they could only choose to pass the ball to Zachary, their playmaker, hoping that he could create a miracle with the ball.

When Zachary received the ball, he controlled it deftly while skipping past Claudio Marchisio, the midfielder who'd been marking him. He then burst forth with speed as he rushed through the middle heading towards the other side of the pitch like a whirlwind.

But just as he was striding past the centerline, two more opponents boxed him in. That time around, Paul Pogba and Vidal were the players stepping forward to stop his run. Their approach was so adept and well-timed. They didn't leave any space for him to keep going without losing the ball.

Zachary had no way to maneuver around the two roadblocks. So, he could only slow down before passing the ball into the right-wing, where Tobias Mikkelsen was lurking.

Tobias, Rosenborg's right-winger, controlled the ball with ease before trying to skip past Mauricio Isla, the Juventus left-midfielder. However, the latter slid in all guns blazing and tackled the ball off his feet.

Mauricio quickly picked himself from the ground before threading a grounded pass toward the center circle to find Pirlo, the always deep-lying playmaker.

Pirlo controlled the ball with a simple touch while sweeping his gaze across the pitch. Before any opponent could close him down, he drew his leg back and unleashed a lofted pass towards the other side of the field.

The long-range pass was like a guided missile. It made a perfect parabola over the defenders before dipping fast and landing in front of Daniel Osvaldo, one of Juventus' forwards.

The center forward had been lurking in front of the box, just in-between the center-backs, waiting for an opportunity. So, he reacted immediately and pounced on the bouncing ball with all the haste he could muster. He got to it before any of the defenders could close him down and immediately squared an explicit pass to Carlos Tévez, his counterpart on striking for that day.

Carlos Tévez was like a predator on the hunt as he lunged at Osvaldo's pass. He controlled the ball mid-sprint before continuing forward like the wind and stepping into the box. He then rounded the keeper and riffled the ball into the back of the net from an acute angle.

A wave of silence soon descended upon the whole Lerkendal as the striker picked up the ball before running across the pitch and placing it on top of the center spot. He hadn't even celebrated the goal as he wished for the game to restart as soon as possible.

**** ****

Rosenborg BK 0 (3) : Juventus FC 1 (2)

In the 10th minute, the Italian giants had managed to break down Rosenborg's defense and scored their first goal in the second leg of the Europa League's round of sixteen. Overall, Rosenborg still had an aggregate score of three goals, while Juventus now had two. So, if the Italian giants happened to score two more times, they would have a numerical advantage over Rosenborg in goals and be the ones to qualify at the end of the night.

After contemplating the dire circumstances of his team, Coach Johansen's expression turned grave. He didn't blame his players for the goal conceded as it was a moment of brilliance from Pirlo that provided an opportunity for the Italian giants. He was just incensed by the whole progress of the game.

"We need to find a way to contain Andrea Pirlo," Trond Henriksen, his assistant, suddenly suggested from beside him. "We need to ensure that he doesn't do any more damage to us with his long-range passes."

"I understand," the coach said before stepping towards the touchline.

"Nicki!" He yelled at the top of his voice the next moment. "Part of your role during this match is to mark Pirlo whenever we don't have the possession. Keep an eye on him and make sure he does not make any more dangerous passes toward our box. Please, don't forget as this is a crucial factor we need to address if we wish to win the game..."

The coach continued yelling out a few more instructions and even asked Zachary to return to a defensive midfield role to stabilize the situation. He only stopped shouting when he ensured that his players had gotten his message.

The match soon restarted with the referee's whistle.

Armed with the boost of confidence from scoring the goal, the Juventus players upped their game and launched more fierce attacks on Rosenborg. They employed both short and mid-range passes to move the ball from side to side as they tried their best to create another goal-scoring opportunity. They even hoarded more than 70% of the possession as the game headed into the late stages of the first half.

However, the Rosenborg players defended well for the rest of the first half. They played as if their lives were on the line and thwarted all Juventus' attempts to create another goal-scoring opportunity.

Even the often-attack-minded midfielders, like Zachary and Takumi Minamino, played defensive roles. They won aerial and ground duels several times to ensure that Juventus didn't score for the rest of the first half.

However, after the start of the second half, things slowly turned south for Rosenborg. The Juventus players played with more intensity and aggressiveness as they switched to wing play tactics to break down the opposition.

Whenever one of the Juventus midfielders, such as Pogba or Vidal, would get the ball, he would immediately pass it into the wing. The wing players would then break through using either dribbling or one-twos before crossing the ball into the box. The two forwards would then lunge at the cross and try to score from inside the area.

They soon gained momentum with the tactic and launched even more terrifying attacks on Rosenborg's box. Gradually, they whittled down Rosenborg's resistance and eventually created a clear goal-scoring opportunity during the 78th minute.

Arturo Vidal intercepted a poorly-cleared ball close to the boundary of the final third. He brought it down with his chest before passing it to Pogba, his counterpart in midfield.

Pogba immediately controlled the ball with a deft touch before skipping past Thomas Partey, Rosenborg's defensive midfielder. He then fed the ball into the wing, where Mauricio Isla lurked like a thief.

Mauricio instantly burst forth with speed and controlled the ball mid-sprint on the right flank. The midfielder then fed it past Mikael Dorsin, Rosenborg's left-back, and beat him for pace. Before long, he unleashed a killer cross that soared towards the box like a ballistic missile.

It was another tense moment for Rosenborg. Coach Johansen felt his mind sink into a quagmire of agitation as he watched Daniel Osvaldo rise into the air to meet the ball. And when the striker planted a header into the back of the net, the coach punched the ground repeatedly to let out his frustration.

Rosenborg BK 0 (3) : Juventus FC 2 (3)

In the 79th minute, Juventus had managed to score the second goal and tied the aggregate score against Rosenborg. If the Italian giants could net one more goal, they would be the team qualifying for the quarter-finals with a 3:4 aggregate score. However, if Rosenborg could defend well until the end of the night, then they would be the ones to qualify on the away-goal rule. Any of the teams had a fair chance of qualifying for the quarter-final.