THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Dangerous Substitute II


Zachary reacted immediately when he saw Christian Gamboa, right-back, running with the ball. He lost his bodyguard, opened himself up in midfield, and started to equal Gamboa's pace. Meanwhile, he made sure to stay aligned in parallel with the right-back as he raced towards the centre of Aalesunds through the centre of the pitch.


The latter noticed him a few seconds later and released the ball to him.


Zachary received Gamboa's pass as he stepped into Aalesunds' defensive area. He then continued running towards half of Aalesund as if his life depended on him.


He intends to live up to his coach's expectations by first helping Rosenborg dictate the tempo of the game. So, he ran with the ball to attract the attention of the opposing midfielders and create space for his team-mates.


Jason Morrison, the defensive midfielder of Aalesunds, immediately came to close it. However, Zachary did not try to dribble past the defensive midfielder as he is still aware of the fact that he is new to Tippeligaen.


So, he looked across the field and then released a breakthrough pass to the left wing, where John Chibuike was waiting. He did not stop his run—but avoided Jason Morrison and continued pushing towards Aalesunds box.


Meanwhile, John Chibuike, Rosenborg's left-hander, controlled the ball like a pro on the left wing before speeding towards the Aalesunds box.


Hugh Wembangomo, a right-back, tried to tackle him and pull his shirt as he cut into the field towards goal. However, his speed is no match for Rosenborg number 10 from Nigeria. John Chibuike flicked the ball forward with his left boot and beat right-back Aalesund for speed. He immediately pursued their goal with only two centre-backs standing between him and the goalkeeper.


John Chibuike, however, was in a tight corner and did not try to shoot and score. Instead, he unleashed a high pass into the middle of the box where Tarik Elyounoussi, Rosenborg's centre-forward, lurked.


Bait into the box finds the unmarked Elyounoussi Pull. Without delay, he carefully shot into the lower right corner. However, goalkeeper Aalesunds made a brilliant save late in the game, pushing the ball slightly away from the goal with his fingertips.


Nevertheless, Rosenborg's chance is not over. The ball hits the right post and bounces back to the field of play. The situation inside the box immediately turned chaotic as the players in black and orange jerseys chased the ball.


However, John Chibuike made it there first. He managed to get the ball before the other players and fired another shot into the net with his left foot.


An Aalesunds defender jumped into his lane and blocked the ball, deflecting it away from the goal. Tension rises in the box. All the players in the area turned to chase the ball. But it had already far surpassed them heading outside the 18-yard box.


Zachary did not join the commotion within the area. Instead, he positioned himself on the edge of the 18-yard box and waited for an opportunity. He is basically a gambler and only bets on the ball that comes his way when he chooses a spot. However, the goddess of luck did not seem to side with him that day. He had been waiting for a few seconds, but the ball was still in the Aalesunds box. He was getting impatient.


But a moment later, he realized that the ball came to him with an awkward trajectory—above the height of the head. With A-grade spatial awareness, he concluded that it would land behind him for no more than an instant. Furthermore, he can easily conclude that he needs to jump high and dribble to the ground— before firing a shot at goal. But the opposing defenders will never give him time when he is so close to their box. So, he made a quick decision at the time, choosing to try something he had never tried before.


With her heart pounding and adrenaline flooding her system, she turned—and tracked the trajectory of the ball using her edge vision. When he judged that it was starting to go down, he pushed the ground with his left foot, launched and threw himself into the air to meet him in the back volley.


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"What the fuck?!" Coach Johansen could not resist swearing at what was happening on the pitch. With wide eyes, open mouth, open mouth, he saw the tall Zachary twisting his body six feet four feet in the air and dipping his upper body backwards to perform a daring bicycle kick just outside the 18-yard box.


Coach Johansen couldn't believe it.


Zachary seemed to hang in the hair for a very long time before making the right timing and the sweetest connection with the ball that had just been deflected from the defender. What followed was a remarkable reverse finish with boots on top of his head.


Coach Johansen was shocked beyond measure as he watched the champ ball over the players in the box before curling up behind the net.


THE EXCITEMENT! BE SURPRISED! And then COURAGE once again! That sums up Coach Johansen's state of mind at the time.


2:1.


Rosenborg pulled a goal back in the 67th minute. Some Rosenborg fans who had traveled to lesund to watch the game all started cheering a little later. They seemed to need a second or two to recover from the shock of seeing Zachary's stunning goal.


Coach Johansen's corner of the lips curved into a gentle smile as he watched Zachary hastily collect the ball from the net and return it to the halfway point even without celebration. He was glad the boy still knew that his priority was to level the scores as quickly as possible. It seems Rosenborg has a chance to return. He can feel it.


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