THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-366

The rain continued cascading down from the night sky at a constant rhythm. The precipitation soaked the jerseys of all the players and lowered the visibility on the pitch. Be that as it may, the referee didn't halt the game just because of the unfavorable weather conditions. He continued officiating the Europa League second leg game between Rosenborg and Olympique Lyonnais, seemingly as if he didn't mind the chilling downpour.

The game progressed, and the Lyon players continued launching waves of assaults on Rosenborg's box. They seemed not to mind that they were a goal behind and attacked with an ever-increasing intensity.

As the game progressed into the late stages of the first half, crosses and long balls into Rosenborg's box became more frequent and more dangerous. Anyone in the stadium could clearly see that Rosenborg's defense was under immense pressure due to Lyon's never-say-never attitude.

But in some magical way, team Rosenborg managed to hold on for dear life, even while facing the constant barrage of attacks. It was as if lady luck was on their side as several balls smashed off the goalposts while a few other shots from the Lyon attackers missed the target by mere centimeters.

And finally, after 45 minutes of gameplay, the referee blew the whistle and sent the players down the tunnel for halftime. Many fans relaxed and breathed sighs of relief. Their taut nerves loosened after their home team held on to the 1:0 lead until the end of the first half. As long as they could survive the next 45 minutes, their team would qualify for the Europa League semi-finals.

The atmosphere in the visitor's dressing room was gloomy at halftime. Even the very air around the place seemed to have turned a dull grey as the Lyon players sat around the benches listlessly and with deadpan expressions. The gazes of most of them were blank as they waited for their coach to address them.

Coach Rémi Garde observed his players for a short while and sighed inwardly. He didn't blame them for conceding the goal, but he empathized with them. They had strictly adhered to the game plan and played well during the first half. They had sustained pressure on the Rosenborg players and limited them to less than 30% ball possession and one shot on goal. But one moment of individual brilliance from Zachary Bemba had rendered all their efforts fruitless.

The young Rosenborg number-8 had once again displayed his overly-clinical abilities during a counterattack and scored Rosenborg's only goal during the 31st minute. The feat made Coach Rémi Garde wonder how the young player could maintain his form and sharpness in every game. The young player was simply abnormal.

"What to do?"

Coach Rémi Garde was at his wit's end as he scanned his low-spirited players. He wondered whether he should assign more men to mark Zachary Bemba during the second half. But after a moment of contemplation, he shook his head and discarded the idea. Since the young Rosenborg player seemed almost unstoppable on the pitch, it was better to ignore him and focus on other areas. As a coach, he preferred that his players play their own game instead of wasting their abilities, marking a very unpredictable player.

"Okay, guys, listen," Coach Rémi Garde said, clapping his hands to draw his players' attention. "I know that you're all feeling down after conceding the goal. But, please, don't give up. During the remaining 45 minutes of the second half, let's ignore the result and play our own football. Let's show these Rosenborg boys our football. Let's compete with our hearts without imposing any burdens on ourselves. Guys! Can you do that?"

"We can, coach," most of the players replied. But their expressions were still bleak and listless.

"I didn't hear you," Coach Rémi Garde yelled, causing his voice to echo across the gloomy visitor's dressing room like a thunderclap. "Can you guys go out there and play with all your hearts during the second half? Can you forget about the result and play your own football without imposing any pressure on your shoulders? Answer me!" The coach swept his scorching gaze across the players.

"We can, coach," the players replied, more or less in unison. And that time around, their voices were vibrant, while their expressions showed that they had regained a bit of their fighting spirit.

Coach Rémi Garde nodded while smiling. "Somewhere behind the professional footballers you've become are little, innocent boys who fell in love with football and never looked back while training arduously to achieve their dreams. The hearts of those boys are what matter. So, during the second half, forget everything. Enjoy the game and play for those innocent boys who love the sport with all their hearts. Can you do that, guys?"

"We can, and we will, coach!" That time around, the players replied even with more zest. For sure, they had regained their competitive spirit to a great extent.

Coach Rémi Garde nodded again as a grin outlined his face. "It seems like you understand what to do now," he said. "So, I won't bother with going over the tactics again. Just go out there and enjoy your football. Show the opponents how we do it in Lyon. That's all I have to say." He then marched out of the dressing room as the loud shouts and clapping sounds resounded behind him.

The second half began after the fifteen minutes of halftime. The good news was that the downpour had reduced considerably, leaving behind a slight drizzle with hardly any impact on the players. So, both teams played more aggressively, causing the game to become more intense and heated.

What was even more surprising was the enthusiasm and ferocity of Lyon during the opening stages of the second half. The players in blue became bolder and played beautiful football that wowed even the Rosenborg fans. They abandoned the long balls into the box and started playing a Tiki-taka style, comprising short passes from one end of the pitch to another. As the minutes flashed by, they looked sharper and more threatening while moving forward. Soon, they were threatening Rosenborg's goal with long and mid-range shots that added more pressure on the Rosenborg defense.

Eventually, their efforts paid off in the 71st minute. Jordan Ferri, a Lyon midfielder, picked out Alexandre Lacazette with a well-timed pass through the middle.

The latter controlled the ball at the border of the final third before skipping past Thomas Partey with his second touch. Before any other opponent could close Alexandre down, he squared the ball to Bafétimbi Gomis, his counterpart on striking.

Bafétimbi Gomis brought the ball under control at the edge of the box. He then whirled around and unleashed a hell of a missile towards the goal.

The ball took a deflection off Yerry Mina on its way towards the goal. It swerved and spun faster before homing into the back of the net. The Rosenborg keeper couldn't even react due to the deflection and the power behind the shot.

Rosenborg BK 1 (5) : Olympique Lyonnais 1 (1)

The French giants had finally gotten their first goal in the quarter-final of the Europa League in the 72nd minute. The goal seemed to boost their morale, and their fighting spirit soared into the skies. Within a period of a minute after scoring the first goal, they won the ball back and initiated another attack once again.

Maxime Gonalons, one of the Lyon midfielders, intercepted a loose pass from Mike Jensen in the middle of the pitch. He immediately threaded a pass towards the wing to find Corentin Tolisso, the Lyon wing-back.

Corentin Tolisso controlled the ball nicely close to the touchline on the right flank. He then skipped past a challenge by Takumi Minamino and raced towards the other side of the pitch like a whirlwind. His incredible pace allowed him to step into the final third in only a couple of seconds, and he unleashed a teasing cross without losing a moment.

At the edge of the box, Bafétimbi Gomis, the Lyon striker, pushed off the ground and rose in the air to meet the curling cross. He shrugged off Yerry Mina in a battle of aerial superiority before planting a header towards the goal. But the Lyon striker's effort was sub-par and weak, allowing the Rosenborg keeper to snatch it out of the air without exerting much effort.

Daniel Örlund, the Rosenborg keeper, held the ball close to his chest as he glanced around. He was intending to waste a few seconds before taking the goal kick. But just then, he noticed Zachary waving at him from close to the center circle.

The Rosenborg keeper's eyes narrowed slightly, and his heartbeat quickened as he noticed that only two defenders were keeping an eye on Zachary. Moreover, they were the only players making up the Lyon backline at the centerline.

"A chance!"

Without losing another second, Daniel Örlund raced towards the edge of the box before kicking the ball high and far towards the other side of the pitch. His intent was to play the ball a few yards ahead of Zachary so that he could set the young playmaker on a straight course towards the opponent's goal.

Zachary immediately escaped the harassment of the two Lyon defenders marking him and sprinted forward—towards the position of the descending ball from Daniel Örlund. His long strides covered a distance of more than ten yards in a few seconds, and he got to the ball at the border of the final third before any other player on the field.

But just as Zachary was about to bring the ball under control, he noticed the Lyon keeper racing towards him like a raging mad bull going after a Mexican showman in an arena. It seemed like the keeper intended to sweep the ball before Zachary could get to it.

"Dream on!" Zachary thought to himself.

Heart racing with anticipation, he stretched out his boot to control the descending ball with a simple tap after noticing that the keeper was still half a dozen yards away. His control was as magnificent as ever, and he managed to send it on a curling course a few feet over the head of the approaching keeper.

And then, within anything but an instant, he slowed down and changed his sprinting course abruptly. He circumvented the keeper by a yard or two before chasing after the ball. He got to it in only a matter of seconds and buried it in the back of the empty net to score Rosenborg's second goal for the night.