THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-383

There was only a five-minute break between the end of regular game time and the thirty-minute extra time. Since the time window was brief, the coaches and technical personnel of the two teams were pulling out all stops to reorganize their respective sides as quickly as possible.

On the side of Rosenborg, the medics and assistants concentrated on massaging the players while Coach Johansen voiced out his instructions at the pace of a machine gun.

"Guys," he said, glancing around. "You need to remain solid in defense during extra-time. Play as a team, don't rush and don't panic. Stay calm, and endure their attacks. And when an opportunity arises, counterattack and try to get that winning goal. Are you guys with me?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied.

Coach Johansen nodded. "I also noticed that Benfica's crosses hurt us quite a bit during the second half," he said. "The goal they scored was from a cross. And in the final minutes, they were about to convert yet another from another cross again. We can't allow those crosses to continue coming into our box during the thirty minutes of extra time."

The coach glanced around. "Wingers and wing-backs! It'll be your role to fall back quickly and block their crosses. You must seal off their crossing routes so that we can limit their attacking options. As long as we accomplish that, I can assure you that they will find it impossible to score another goal."

On the side of Benfica, Coach Jorge Jesus was also voicing out his final instructions to the Benfica players seated around him. He spoke loudly to emphasize his words and ensure his core message hit home.

"During the final minutes of the second half," he said, "you guys relaxed and allowed Zachary to score against us. I had repeatedly warned you before the game to stop him by any means possible if he made a threatening run through our midfield. But you guys were like pedestrians, watching him glide by without doing anything. And in the end, he scored that goal that really hurt us a lot."

"Guys!" He said while alternating his gaze between Ljubomir Fejsa and Enzo Pérez, Benfica's two central midfielders. "During the thirty minutes of extra time, you can't relax and allow him to do as he pleases. Midfielders! You have to tight mark Zachary and ensure that he has no breathing space for every moment of the game. Always stay alert, and do whatever is necessary to stop him from hurting us again. Clear?"

The two Benfica midfielders responded by nodding to indicate that they had gotten the message.

Coach Jorge Jesus nodded again and turned his gaze away from the two midfielders. "Lastly, stay calm, and play as a team. Don't panic while trying to create goal-scoring opportunities. Make sure that you watch out for their counterattacks, and don't let them catch us off guard when we're trying to score. That's all I have to say. So, let me wish you luck, and let's meet as the victors at the end of the night." The coach added before walking back to the bench.

The cheers around the stadium hit another thunderous zenith as the referee blew the whistle after the five-minute break. Extra time was finally underway, and Nicki Nielsen, Rosenborg's center-forward, kicked off the game by passing the ball back into his midfield. He then ran towards the other side of the pitch to take up his position on the striking line.

Zachary controlled the pass from Nicki right outside the center circle. Before any opponents could close him down, he pulled the ball back with his left foot and then kicked it toward Thomas Partey, Rosenborg's holding midfielder.

Thomas Partey was also quick while controlling the ball. He stopped it with a single touch and immediately passed it towards Takumi Minamino. The latter also controlled it well before squaring it to Zachary, who had just made a run into an unmarked pocket of the space within Benfica's half.

Zachary quickly shrugged off the two Benfica midfielders marking him as he reined in the ball. He raised his leg, seemingly as if he was just about to pass the ball. But the next moment, he turned around with the ball glued to his boot to execute a Marseille turn and break through the blockade of the two opponents in his way. And then, without losing a second, he lifted his foot, intending to take off and continue his run towards Benfica's box.

However, it was at that moment that he felt a firm tug on his jersey. He tried to shrug off the opponent's grip while continuing his run. But the opponent stubbornly held onto his shirt and didn't let him take another step with the ball.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle and rushed to the scene. He gave a verbal warning to Enzo Pérez, the player who'd been holding Zachary's jersey before awarding Rosenborg a free kick.

Zachary sighed as he stood over the ball close to the edge of the center circle on Benfica's side of the pitch. It seemed that the opponents intended to play dirty and foul him repeatedly. So, he would probably not get another chance to run with the ball. The fact frustrated him, especially since he badly wanted to create an opportunity for Rosenborg to score before the end of the thirty-minute extra time.

*FWEEEEEEE*

After a short while, the referee blew the whistle to motion for the free-kick, and the game continued. Over the next few minutes, Zachary tried a few more times to make runs through the middle, but the Benfica players continued fouling him repeatedly. Eventually, he became less productive on the offensive end and failed to create any goal-scoring chances for Rosenborg.

With the threat of Zachary neutralized, the Benfica players became bolder on the attack. They launched a series of offensives on Rosenborg's box as they searched for that winning goal that would take them to the finals of the Europa League.

Their creativity was commendable, and during the 20th minute of overtime, their efforts almost paid off when Enzo Pérez managed to single out Lima dos Santos, Benfica's center-forward, with a well-timed through-pass. The striker controlled the ball and skillfully skipped past Yerry Mina before stepping into Rosenborg's box.

At that moment, the hearts of most Rosenborg fans were in their throats as Lima dos Santos raised his leg and smacked the ball to send it on a curling trajectory towards the goal. But fortunately for the home supporters, the ball missed the target by mere centimeters before bouncing out of play.

After that missed opportunity on Benfica's side, the Rosenborg players adjusted accordingly and played a purely defensive game. They prevented Benfica from creating more chances on goal by relying on their ultra-defensive 4-5-1 formation.

The time flashed by, and eventually, the final whistle sounded to mark the end of the thirty minutes of overtime. But the aggregate score was still 3:3, indicating that neither Rosenborg nor Benfica had gotten the better of the other over the two legs of the Europa League semi-finals. Thus, the game would be heading into penalties to determine the team qualifying for the Europa League finals in Turin.