THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-377

Coach Johansen stood silently on one side of the dressing room while waiting for his players to undress after the game. He was in low spirits due to his team's loss against Benfica. But, as the head coach, he couldn't allow himself to wallow in despair since he had to maintain his authoritative image before his players.

"Okay, guys," he said after a few more minutes. "Settle down, and let's discuss a few things."

The players responded by settling down on the benches around the dressing room. They were quieter than usual — a tell-tale sign that they were not in the best of moods. The loss against Benfica had obviously hit them hard and tarnished their night.

"We've just lost the game against Benfica," Coach Johansen said after all the players had taken their seats. "But we have to move on and prepare for our next games. We have to remain positive and in high spirits, especially since we still have a chance to accomplish a comeback during the second leg of the Europa League semi-finals. And as long as we don't allow the loss to affect our momentum as a team, we'll surely have a chance to bounce back and revenge when Benfica comes to Trondheim on Thursday next week."

"Tonight, when you head back to your hotel rooms, take some time to reflect on our loss. Think of reasons that prevented us from winning, and let's learn from this defeat and use it as a stepping stone. Let's shape our determination so as to ensure that we perform better next week. And if we learn from this defeat and remain positive, I'm sure that we'll squash Benfica and qualify for the Europa League final. Are you with me?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied. However, their voices lacked vigor and passion.

"Are you guys with me?" The coach raised his voice as he swept his gaze across the players.

"Yes, coach," the players replied more energetically.

"Good," Coach Johansen said, nodding. "As the saying goes, bad things do happen, but how we respond to them defines our character and the quality of our lives. We can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of our loss, or choose to rise from the pain. We can choose to learn, to use failure as a stepping stone, and that's how we will be able to walk far on the road to success. And that's how we qualify for the finals and even win the Europa League. Are you guys with me?"

"Yes, coach."

"I know we're all tired after the game," the coach continued after stealing a peek at his watch and lowering his voice. "So, I won't waste time going over the post-match analysis. Let's head to the hotel and enjoy some dinner. After that, we'll immediately return to our rooms to rest since we have to catch an early morning flight back to Trondheim tomorrow. As for further discussions about the game, we'll have them on Saturday when you've all recovered from the post-match fatigue. Do you follow?"

"Yes, coach."

"Excellent." The coach nodded and dismissed the players.

The following morning, the Rosenborg players boarded an early morning flight and returned to Trondheim. And as planned, they took Friday off from team training to recover from the post-match fatigue. Then, on Saturday, they returned to the training ground to prepare for Rosenborg's domestic league fixture against Sportsklubben Brann, scheduled to be played the following evening.

Since they only had a few hours on Saturday to prepare, the coaches kept the training simple and brief. They took the players through a dynamic conditioning routine during the morning hours. And in the evening, they went over the tactics before sending the players back to their homes to rest.

The night passed, and then Sunday morning came. The hours flashed by, and in the evening, when an hour still remained before the scheduled kick-off time, the players who had made Coach Johansen's squad congregated at Lerkendal. And what wasn't surprising was that Coach Johansen had rested all his first-team players, including Zachary, Nicki Nielsen, Takumi Minamino, etcetera. So, once again, it was Rosenborg's second team that would feature in that domestic Sunday fixture against Sportsklubben Brann.

The players went over their last-minute preparations on the training ground under the strict supervision of the Rosenborg coaches as the minutes flashed by quickly. Eventually, the clock hands around Trondheim pointed to the six o'clock mark, and the match began with Rosenborg's kick-off.

From the very first minute of the game, Rosenborg's second team showed who was the big boss on the Norwegian football scene. The Troll Kids still dominated proceedings and dictated the tempo even though their star players were absent. They hoarded all the possession and soon started creating clear-cut chances on goal. And before long, the opportunity to score the first goal arrived naturally.

Mike Jensen, Rosenborg's defensive midfielder, controlled the ball skillfully to skip past a tackle from an opponent close to the center circle. When the passing angle opened up, he unleashed a through-pass towards the other side of the pitch—where Riku Riski was lurking.

Riku Riski, Rosenborg's right-winger for the day, connected with the pin-point pass close to the touchline on the right flank. He immediately fed the ball past the opposing left-back before beating him for pace. Soon, he unleashed a curling cross towards the box to find John Chibuike, the center-forward. The latter leaped high and outjumped the defenders before planting a header into the right corner of the net to score Rosenborg's 1st goal during the 24th minute of gameplay.

Twenty minutes later, just a minute before halftime, Jonas Svensson, the Rosenborg right-back for the day, converted a free-kick from the edge of the box. He curled the ball perfectly over the defensive wall to score Rosenborg's second goal for the night.

During the second half, the Rosenborg players played a bit more conservatively. They only launched a few fierce attacks against Sportsklubben Brann, which didn't amount to anything. And eventually, team Rosenborg maintained its lead and won by a score of two goals to nil at the end of the evening battle.

The victory against Sportsklubben Brann cemented Rosenborg's position at the top of the table and elevated the atmosphere around the team. As a result, the players and coaches were in high gear when they returned to training the following morning. Without wasting time, they commenced preparations for the second leg fixture of the Europa League semi-final against Benfica. They worked tirelessly over the next three days as they tried their best to elevate their match fitness while also refining the tactics for the upcoming game.

Eventually, Wednesday evening arrived, and Coach Johansen summoned the players to the tactics room for the pre-match briefing. He explained the game plan and went over the tactics during the first twenty minutes before naming his line-up for the game. After that, he assigned individual roles to players and then sent them back to their homes for the night.

At last, Rosenborg had completed all the necessary preparations. What remained was for the players to step on the pitch the following night to perform against Benfica.