THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
A Perfect Comeback I
*FREEEE*
The referee blew the whistle for the foul and gave Rosenborg a free kick. But he did not forget to give a yellow card to Fredrik Carlsen and gave a verbal reprimand.
"Zachary is at his best in midfield" commented Coach Henriksen. "He's level-headed and the most active player on the pitch. He is trying to get as much of the ball as possible, and you can really see the enthusiasm in his game. What a player! We have to put it in the starting eleven permanently."
Coach Johansen nodded. "I thought he'd take longer to mature. But I think I was wrong. The boy is..." He stopped in the middle of the sentence as all his focus had returned to the field of play.
Back then, Zachary had just taken an unexpected lightning-fast free kick, shocking Aalesund's players.
Pull Elyounoussi, Rosenborg's centre-forward, ended Zachary's mischievous free-kick in the final third of the pitch. He controls the ball well even before the opponent can set themselves into proper defensive form. Without lingering, he flicked the ball forward and tried to beat the goalkeeper, who was outside his line, with a shot from medium range. However, the goalkeeper managed to retrace his pace quickly before punching the ball out of play.
The referee pointed to the corner flag, giving Rosenborg a corner kick. Aalesunds conceded the third goal in the 74th minute.
"F*ck, why are we so unlucky," Coach Johansen could only murmur a curse, scratching his bald head in frustration. It was the first time in years since he had uttered so many foul words during a match. He is agitated because his job is still at stake if he fails to win the game.
"Should I tell Ole to get ready" asked Coach Henriksen, his assistant.
"Not yet" replied Coach Johansen, his tone was firm. "I have a feeling that the opponent might start targeting our players using fouls. It is irresponsible not to leave a substitute on the bench as a guarantee against injury." He added, while remaining focused on the match.
Over the next ten minutes, Rosenborg continued to dictate the tempo of the game. The Rosenborg players showed great teamwork by keeping possession of the ball and producing pin-point passes from one player to another. That's all Rosenborg for now because their football has got rhythm and is finally flowing.
Zachary is very active, plays long passes, smooth short passes, and a quick one-twos— to destroy Aalesunds' defense. The opposing players find it very difficult to intercept and reclaim possession of the ball from him. He played very well and even managed to release a long-range pass into the box in the 87th minute.
Pull Elyounoussi, Rosenborg's attacker, over the defence and connected with a cross to plant a header towards goal from around the penalty spot. However, Sten Grytebust, the Aalesunds goalkeeper, was in top form for the match. He managed to save another attempt on goal from Rosenborg.
Coach Johansen grew restless and impatient as the clock on the big screen approached the 90th minute. The players must have played well. However, the goddess of luck did not seem to side with them. They had dominated Aalesunds in the latter stages of the game—but seemed unable to get the ball into the back of the net. The ball broke from the goalpost or deflection in the Aalesunds box occurred. But the score remained a draw at 2:2 as the fourth official put up the board to show that there would be four extra minutes of time.
"More pressure and more crosses into the box" shouted Coach Johansen, trying to stir his players into action. "Don't just pass the ball in the middle third. Feed forward. John, start making more runs to their box and help in attacking." He shouted out words at the speed of a machine gun.
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Pull Elyounoussi off his mark to meet a long-range pass in the final third. He pressed the ball down before spinning around centre-back Aalesund. Without a pause, he flicked the ball to the left and away from the centre-back. He has gained a yard of space for himself and can easily attempt a shot on goal as he is outside the 18-yard box arc.
Zachary felt his heartbeat quicken as he watched centre-forward Rosenborg lift his leg to take a shot that could potentially be a match-winner. However, to his dismay, Jason Morrison, the defensive midfielder of Aalesunds, came in and made him fall to the ground. The challenge was so heavy that Tarik even cried out in pain.
*FREEEE*
The referee blew the whistle and gave Rosenborg a free kick. However, before he could do anything else, a few Rosenborg players immediately walked up to him, shouting in front of his face and complaining about the brutal offense. The referee must take the time to calm the players before handing Jason Morrison a yellow card.
Zachary, on his part, did not interfere. Instead, he approached Mikael Dorsin, the Rosenborg captain who acted for the match, while the other players still complained to the referee.
"I want to take that free-kick," Zachary told the veteran defender as soon as he reached his side.
"You want to take a free kick?" Mikael asked, raising an eyebrow and glancing at Zachary with a pensive expression.
"Yes," Zachary replied, his tone was firm. "I'm good at taking free kicks. I've been training him every day for the last two years."
Mikael Dorsin furrowed his brows, first stealing glances to several other players such as Tarik Elyounoussi and Borek Dockal. Those are all suitable candidates for taking set-pieces. He then returned his gaze to Zachary. "Are you confident?" She asked.
"Yes, I'm very confident" Zachary replied earnestly.
"Oh, alright," Mikael said with a smile. "It will be difficult because you are a new player. There's been a dead ball taker on the team. But I will still make it happen. You owe me." His smile developed into a grin as he walked towards the free-kick position.
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