THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Debut Game IV

Waves of intense excitement flowed through Zachary after he scored. When he saw the ball lodged behind the net, excitement overpowered him. A wide grin softens her often intense facial features.

Before firing off that shot, he thought he was the most satisfied after making it into Rosenborg's starting eleven and stepping onto the field to play his debut game. But he was mistaken because nothing beats what he feels after scoring. So, he ran towards the corner flag and clenched his fists repeatedly — to let go and not go crazy with pure happiness.

He finally understood why the players always perform celebrations like they go crazy after scoring. Over the past two months, he has built up some pent-up frustration because he cannot make the squad. What's more, he always felt like there was an invisible line separating him from his team-mates at Rosenborg because he had never participated in any match. However, after playing and scoring goals, his frustration was gone. He could finally relax and let the deep sense of satisfaction from scoring swell in him.

"That's great, man. That goal is out of this world." Nicki Nielsen was the first to run up to him and slap (not pat) his back to congratulate him. "Whatever you take before the game, give me a little bit" he joked, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Other players also came and patted his back slightly to celebrate the goal.

Zachary felt the sense of alienation he had previously felt among his team-mates begin to disappear. He was surprised by their team spirit. He hasn't interacted with them much over the last two months, but they still consider him a teammate during the game. They didn't isolate him and even celebrated the goal with him. He finally felt like he was fully integrated into the team.

*FREEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, gesturing for the players to reclaim their starting positions. The match was soon restarted with Strindheim kick-off.

Zachary didn't let a brief feeling of success cover his head. He understood that he had to put on a better-than-perfect performance to get into Rosenborg's starting eleven. Providing an assist and scoring one goal against a second division team may not be enough for that. He needs to show the coach and his team-mates that he is reliable and has a definite ability to win games. Only then would they stop taking it for granted.

So, he got rid of excessive thoughts and forced himself to focus only on the game. He continued to play simple football, passing, running into empty spaces, and receiving passes in midfield. He didn't do something as complicated as trying to dribble past more than two opponents, as he always did in the academy. When a Strindheim player tries to close it, he will immediately release the ball. He felt like he became more in control of midfield as the game progressed.

As the match progressed to the final stages of the first half, Zachary noticed that Strindheim's players had structured themselves in a 4-5-1 formation instead of the 4-3-3 they had played at the start of the match. Both their right and left attackers have moved slightly backwards into their defensive areas to better handle Rosenborg's nonstop attack spells. It seems they also want to limit the impact of Rosenborg's midfield on the game. So they narrowed their formation by clamping down on space and crowding the midfield.

However, their strategy could not stop Rosenborg's dominance. Midfielder Rosenborg is no longer trying to play Tiki-Taka style in the middle of the field—but is starting to play the ball as quickly as possible. Whenever Zachary or any other Rosenborg midfielder had the ball, they would always pass towards wing— thereby releasing left and right forward. That way, Rosenborg can continue to dominate the game through wing games.

Another goal scoring opportunity soon came for Rosenborg in the 33rd minute. Tore Reginiussen, Rosenborg's centre-back, intercepted another long-range pass that the Strindheim forward had failed to get into deep inside Rosenborg's defence. He headed the ball back into the middle of a crowded midfield.

Zachary was chasing the ball. He leapt high and muscled Preben Hammersland, Strindheim's attacking midfielder, before heading the ball towards Ole Selnaes, Rosenborg's defensive midfielder.

Ole controlled the ball beautifully before passing it to the flank side where Brede Moe, right-back, lurked. Brede ran with him along the touchline and darted past Christopher Moen, Strindheim's left-hander, before releasing a cut-back pass into the middle of the field where Fredrik Midtsjo was waiting.

Fredrik Midtsjo, Rosenborg's left midfielder, had the ball well, passing Emil Rokke, one of Strindheim's defensive midfielders, in the process. Without a pause, he then handed it to Zachary, who had just positioned himself behind him.

Zachary received passes and played some one-twos with Ole Selnaes and Fredrik Midtsjo— as the three of them continued to pierce deep into Strindheim's half-court.

Midfielder Rosenborg is on fire. They not only pass the ball quickly among themselves — but intelligently and quickly swap — positions so they can create space and bait paths for others to take advantage of. They simply use the advantage and fluidity of their position to overcome their opponents. They managed to produce overload in one part of the field, forcing the defence to tilt unevenly to the right side. Thanks to that, Jaime Alas, Rosenborg's left-hand attacker was left unattended.

Jaime Alas controlled the ball without difficulty and without facing direct pressure. He then put it forward and ran towards Strindheim's box like a bullet train. He was so fast that he managed to reach the edge of the Strindheim box in just seconds.

He raised his leg as if about to open fire, causing all Strindheim defenders to jump or slide towards him to block the ball. Instead, however, the left attacker kicks the ball backwards, releasing a cut-back pass into the middle of the box.

Nicki Nielsen is always in the box. However, he has not reacted to the ball since it was played behind him. Instead, it came straight to Zachary, who had just entered into the box. He started running from midfield as soon as Jaime Alas had the ball on the left wing. That way, he has created the perfect goal-scoring opportunity for himself.

However, Strindheim defenders reacted immediately and blocked all corners of his shot. Zachary still raised his leg to shoot but slowed down a bit later. From the corner of his eye, he saw John Chibuike also enter the box.

So, he made a quick decision. He continued to swing his legs down as if he was about to fire another missile. All defenders before the Rosenborg goal jump or slide to defend the ball once again. However, they were immediately disappointed.

Zachary deliberately missed the ball, letting it continue forward towards John Chibuike, Rosenborg—'s right-hander who was completely unguarded.

John Chibuike did not hesitate to strike from inside the box. He hit the ball right into the bottom right corner, and the ball was lodged in the goal. Strindheim's defense couldn't even react. They have been owned and bothered by Rosenborg's smooth passing and positioning.

3:0.

Rosenborg scored the third goal in the 36th minute. The stadium exploded into cheers once again.

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Coach Johansen watched the match from the technical area. He is satisfied with the performances of his players as they have dominated Strindheim in all areas.

But he was also quite surprised by how Zachary dominated in midfield. It had only been a few months since he graduated from the academy. However, the boy had developed his play to fit the professional stage in such a short period of time. He no longer runs and dribbles for long distances like he did in the academy. Instead, he developed his passing and vision of the game to another level. His new style of play is the most suitable for professional teams because football is not a one-man game.

Coach Johansen was worried that Zachary would try to show off and blunder during the game. He was afraid that the boy would do one of his signatures and possibly pull an injury. But he doesn't seem to be worried. The boy was just a genius and had developed his game to a higher level.

Coach Johansen was quite happy and surprised by Zachary's performance. A gentle smile adorned his face as he continued watching the match until the referee blew the whistle for a pause. At that time, the score was still 3:0 for Rosenborg's superiority.

**** ****