THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
A Perfect Comeback II's

"They gave Zachary a free-kick!" Coach Henriksen exclaimed after seeing Mikael call Zachary into a free-kick position. "What happened to Mikael today? It's the 92nd minute, for God's sake. We have to successfully convert this setpiece." He frowned, looking very agitated.

"Just because he can pass the ball well doesn't mean he can take a free kick. He probably won't be able to convert because free-kicks need to be trained often for a long time. Zachary has been doing physical exercise! Where can he get time to practice setpieces?"

"Calm down" Coach Johansen said, stroking his red beard. "If there's one player who can perform at a moment like that, it's Zachary. He managed to become the top scorer of the SIA Cup by relying on his free kick. Hopefully he still gets a touch from the academy."

"This ..." Trond Henriksen was about to continue voicing his argument but sighed and stopped at the next moment. Coach Johansen is his boss and has the final say on Rosenborg's tactics and game plan. If he had already made up his mind, then there was no point in arguing with him.

So, Coach Trond Henriksen calmed his mind and returned his attention to the field of play. He can only hope that Zachary is as good a free-kick as he was when he passed. Otherwise, Rosenborg would have wasted their best chance of winning the game.

**** ****

"My decision as captain is final" Mikael said, taking the ball from Tarik Elyounoussi, Rosenborg's centre-forward, and passing it to Zachary once again. "You should all realize that no player among us can match his level during this match. He has scored incredible goals and made assists that produced our equaliser. As for you, Pull, you've failed to put the ball into the back of the goal a few times. Looks like luck's not on your side today. So, why don't we bet on Zach, who seems to be on fire today?"

"As far as you are," grumbled Pull, away from the free-kick position. "But don't tell me I didn't warn you." He added, turning towards Zachary. "Kiper at the professional level is not like at the junior level. If you don't use enough power, you'll waste our only chance of scoring. But, I wish you the best." He turned around and walked over to Aalesund's box.

"OK," Mikael said with a smile. "They all have no problem with you taking a free kick. So, please do your best and at least hit the target. And may luck be on your side." He patted Zachary on the back before also heading to the box.

Zachary smiled faintly as his team-mates agreed to hand him a free-kick. He has been practicing Bend-it like-Beckham Juju on a system simulator every day for the past year. He had long mastered it to a hundred percent level after repeating the exercise thousands of times on the nature field. Finally it was time to reap the benefits of his training.

He could feel his heart throbbing with excitement as he placed the ball on a green field just outside the 18-yard box arch. He walked a few steps back and took a few deep breaths to calm down.

It was a pretty crowded area. Six players in Aalesunds' orange jerseys had lined up a few yards from him, forming a wall to defend. The rest, from both teams, have also pressed themselves into the line just inside the box to avoid offside while trying to connect with the incoming free-kick. The situation in the area was chaotic, with tensions rising as players jostled each other in anticipation of a free kick. The referee must show a yellow card to two Aalesunds players to prevent them from continuing their rough handling of an opponent in the box.

Zachary turned his attention to the goalkeeper after he finished analysing the wall and the other players in the box. He observes how the tall goalkeeper moves across his lines, the way he arranges his defenses, and the posture of his establishment. Zachary received all the information that could be useful to him when taking a free kick. He didn't want to make a mistake and messed up his first chance on set pieces. It would be difficult to find another chance if he failed to count the free-kicks.

*FREEEE*

The referee blows the whistle after setting the player in the box. Zachary stopped observing the events inside the box and took a few steps away from the ball.

Taking a deep breath, he began with a light jog towards the ball. He then took the final leap step and tilted his body nearly 45 degrees to the ground before smashing the ball with the inside of his left boot. In the meantime, his eyes remained focused on the ball.

Zachary managed to release a curling ball that shot around the wall of six Aalesunds players, seemingly heading outside the left post. However, during mid-flight, the spin of the ball appears to increase. And to everyone's surprise, it made a sharp bend— towards the inside of the left pole before heading towards the top right corner. Goalkeeper Aalesunds did not react. He remained silent and confused, wondering what had just happened.

2:3.

Rosenborg led for the first time in the 93rd minute. Zachary could barely contain his happiness. He ran to the corner flag to celebrate and even took off his shirt and threw it at some traveling Rosenborg fans.

He was like a madman who shouted with all his might. He even kicked the corner flag a few times because of the happiness he felt.

But he is not alone. His other teammates came and jumped at him moments later to celebrate the goal. They shouted like drunks while slapping his back. Meanwhile, about two hundred Rosenborg fans in the stands cheered for their team, singing and clapping to celebrate Rosenborg's return. Some of them near the corner flag fought to snatch Zachary's match jersey from each other. For a while, it was pure madness in the Color Line Stadium.