THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-391-30041322

Many journalists and fans in Rosenborg's black and white colors had congregated around the hotel entrance that evening. When the Rosenborg players stepped out of the hotel, a wave of wild excitement swept through the gathered crowd. The men and women of the press quickly started taking pictures with their cameras while the Rosenborg supporters cheered excitedly.

Fortunately, hotel security worked with the Turin local police officers to keep the crowd at bay as the Rosenborg players boarded the bus. All the members of the Rosenborg delegation soon settled in their seats, and the bus took off, heading towards the famous Juventus Stadium of Turin.

Under the escort of a convoy of police vehicles, the duration of the journey through the busy Italian city was surprisingly short. Twenty-four minutes later, the bus pulled up in front of the gate of the Juventus Stadium, and the players and coaches disembarked with their luggage in hand.

A group of fans in Rosenborg's jerseys had already crowded around the stadium entrance. They yelled and cheered at the top of their voices as the Rosenborg players started marching into the stadium gates. But what caught Zachary's attention was a scream from one young man.

"Zachary!" the young man, who looked to be around thirteen to fifteen years of age, hollered. "Will you give me your shirt after scoring today?"

Zachary stopped in his tracks and turned around. His eyes widened as he started walking towards where the boy was standing. The cops and security personnel tried to dissuade him, but he shook them off and continued moving forward.

"You're sure that I'll score today?" He asked as he gave the lad a once over. The young man had sharp facial features adorned with blonde hair and clear blue eyes. He seemed familiar. But Zachary's mind couldn't place where he'd seen him.

"I'm sure you'll score today," the young man replied confidently. "But I'm not sure about the exact number of goals you'll bag today."

Zachary chuckled. He looked around and noticed that his conversation with the young man had already attracted media attention. But he didn't mind. "What is your name?" He asked.

"Joshua Simonsen," the boy replied. "I don't know if you recall, but you once gave me a signed jersey on a bus in Trondheim. I'm here with a few friends from the NF Academy to support you tonight. We all know that you will score and win the finals."

"Oh, it's you." Zachary chuckled as a light bulb went on in his head. "You have grown up since then. Thanks for the support. And if I do score today, I'll look for you at the academy in Trondheim. And of course, I won't forget to give you my shirt. Okay?"

"Thanks," the young man replied, grinning from ear to ear.

Zachary nodded to him before stepping away. Soon, he followed after his teammates and marched into the stadium gates. As for the incident with the young fan, he pushed it to the back of his mind as he adjusted to the tense atmosphere in the stadium.

****

Coach Johansen worked with all the haste he could muster over the next few minutes. He urged his players to prepare quickly and head into the pitch for the pre-match warm-up. He couldn't afford to waste time as only forty-five minutes remained before the kick-off of the Europa League final.

Just as his players were starting their warm-up on the pitch, he received Sevilla's starting line-up from the officials. As expected, Unai Emery, Sevilla's head coach, had arrayed his squad into a 4-2-3-1 formation and seemed intent on employing defensive tactics against Rosenborg that evening. But since Coach Johansen had long expected such tactics from Sevilla, he didn't bat an eyelid and continued perusing through the squad details of the opponent.

In Sevilla's goal, there was António Alberto Bastos, the shot-stopper commonly known as Beto. Then, their defense comprised the four players - Coke, Nicolás Pareja, Federico Fazio, and Alberto Moreno. They formed a solid and experienced backline that could give Rosenborg a hard time during the game.

In defensive midfield, Sevilla intended to field two holding midfielders. One was the experienced and solid Cameroonian - Stéphane Mbia. He was good at aerial duels, and if the need arose, he could play the rough game of fouling. The other holding midfielder was Daniel Carriço, who had incredible game reading and solid tackling skills.

Up the pitch, Sevilla intended to field three attacking midfielders. Among those, it was Ivan Rakitić who caused a lot of headaches for Coach Johansen when preparing for the Europa League final. The midfielder was a talented and well-rounded playmaker with good stamina, excellent passing technique, and an uncanny ability to read the game. Rakitić could dictate play in midfield and create chances for teammates after winning back possession, despite his lack of pace. Thus, if Rosenborg wished to win the finals, they would have to contain him.

But Coach Johansen wasn't all that worried since he had tasked Thomas Partey, his defensive midfielder, to keep an eye on him. If Thomas Partey remained careful and followed the game plan, he would easily frustrate the slow-paced Rakitić with his solid defensive skills. At least, that was Coach Johansen's wish.

The other two players with attacking midfielder roles on Sevilla's squad were Antonio Reyes on the right flank and Vitolo on the left. In previous matches, the two players were very creative in the wings and could unleash crosses that resulted in goals. They were also terrifying foes that couldn't be left alone.

Lastly, on Sevilla's striking line was the one and only Carlos Bacca. He was quick, powerful, skillful, and a determined center-forward, with good movement, concentration, and an eye for goal. His solid first touch, aggression, composure in front of goal, and striking accuracy had long made him a nightmare for most opponents. As long as he was in the box, he could easily beat opponents and find the back of the net.

"It's great that there are no surprises."

Coach Johansen breathed a sigh of relief after perusing through Sevilla's squad details. Over that past week, he had warned his players countless times to take note of the dangerous players on Sevilla's line-up, including Ivan Rakitić and Carlos Bacca. He had even put up contingencies to guard against unexpected situations, like outbursts of skill from the difficult-to-deal-with substitutes. And that was why Sevilla's line-up didn't cause his mood to fluctuate in the slightest.

The coach believed he had already done his best to prepare his players for the final. As long as they followed the game plan and played as a team, they had a high chance of winning the final. With a bit of luck and the on-form Zachary among their ranks, they would shock Turin and take the Europa League trophy back to Trondheim for the first time ever. The coach possessed that level of confidence in his players.