THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
The Complicated Opponent

Kristin was one of the first few fans to take their seats at the stadium that night. He eagerly awaits kick-off as he enjoys the cheerful atmosphere in the stadium.

"Welcome to everyone!" He heard the commentator say, his melodious voice booming over the chatter and cheers that had underlined the entire stadium.

Kristin felt her spirit brighten when she heard the voice belonging to Kjell Roar Kaasa, one of her favorite commentators on the Norwegian football scene.

"Today is Tippeligaen's 8th game day" Roar continued. "This is an interesting encounter between Troll Kids and Boys from the North. Rosenborg Ballklub faced Tromso Idrettslag in a match that could have a major impact on the progress of both teams throughout the season."

"If Rosenborg wins, they will collect 16 points and will move up to second in the Tippeligaen table. They will only remain in second place due to Stromsgodset's goal difference advantage. On the other hand, if the Troms win, they I will collect 13 points, enough to take them to third place. At least until the other team plays their game tomorrow. With me Harald Brattbakk as the pundit for today's match. Harald!"

"Good night, everyone," Kristin smiled at Harald Brattbakk's voice. He is one of the legends of Rosenborg. Very few can compare to him in terms of the goals he scored for Rosenborg.

"Coach Boyd Johansen has made some changes to his squad from the weekend games" Kjell Roar said after a while. "Nicki Nielsen and Tore Reginiussen return to the starting eleven after that one-match suspension. Zachary Bemba, Rosenborg's new star, made his first start for Rosenborg. The eighteen-year-old got another chance to shine after his outstanding performances at the weekend .Harald! What do you think of all this?"

"Well," said Harald. "Coach Rosenborg has done a good job choosing the starting eleven. All of Rosenborg's starting players are in top form and can easily beat any team in Tippeligaen at the moment. At least, they're a better team on paper."

"Troms, on the other hand, are a difficult team to beat" he continued. "It's one of the most disciplined teams in Tippeligaen. The players from the North are good, especially when defending and interfering with the tempo of their opponents. I feel Rosenborg will have a hard time scoring during this game."

"Do you have any predictions for us, Harald?"

"Not for now" replied Harald. "I can't make any predictions before the game starts. But if I were a gambler, I would put all my money in Rosenborg without a doubt."

"Of course," Kjell Roar joked. "With Rosenborg being your former team, I wouldn't be surprised."

Harald laughed at hearing that.

"Okay, everyone," cried Kjell Roar, his voice blaring through the loudspeakers like thunder. "The referee ended up blowing his whistle, and an incredible match between Troll Kids and Boys from the North is underway..."

**** ****

Nicki Nielsen kicked the ball back into the half as soon as the referee blew the whistle. Zachary received it on the edge of the middle third of the field of play— and without a break, he passed it towards Mike Jensen, one of the defensive midfielders of Rosenborg. Mike did not linger and flicked to Jonas Svensson, another defensive midfielder in Rosenborg's 4-3-3 double-shaft formation.

But by then, some Tromso players had already stormed into the Rosenborg area. They didn't let Jonas take the ball without pressure. Zdenek Ondrasek, Troms' centre-forward, ran towards him as if his life depended on him. Jonas could only turn around and pass back into the net due to the intense pressure from the opponent.

Immediately after Lund Hansen, the Rosenborg goalkeeper, received a pass from Jonas, Zachary ran into space and opened himself up to receive the ball in midfield. Surprisingly, the Tromso players did not try their best level to catch up to him—but remained in their position, marking space before their defensive third.

Although Zachary felt strange, he did not bother to understand why it happened. Instead, he ran further into his half, making sure to run into a position where the Rosenborg goalkeeper could easily pass to him without interference from other players.

As he had expected, Lund Hansen saw him a moment later. Without lingering, the goalkeeper passes the ball to him before the Troms player can close it.

But Zachary controlled the ball well and exchanged a few one-touch passes with Mike Jensen and Jonas Svensson to maintain possession. Over the next few minutes, he played like a maestro, running into empty space, receiving the ball, and playing a short pass but just as he helped Rosenborg dictate the tempo of the game.

With those simple passes, the three Rosenborg midfielders managed to master the game. As a result, Rosenborg began to dominate possession as they passed the ball at the back, trying to pull Tromso players out of their defensive form.

Nevertheless, the boy in the blue T-shirt did not take the bait. Instead, the Tromso players remained very organized and maintained their 4-2-3-1 formation as if they had absolutely no interest in reclaiming the ball. Only one attacker and three attacking midfielders tried to put pressure on Zachary and his team-mates. The rest stayed behind, defending in front of their defensive third, without ever actively chasing the ball.

"Push ahead" Zachary heard Coach Johansen shouting from the sidelines as the ball went out of play for a throw-in. "Play the ball forward or to the wing when you get a chance. Don't just play in our own half. Take pressure off their side. Remember, this is not a contest for possession but goals." Coach yelled as loud as he could. He looked angry and agitated with his team's performance even though they dictated the process.

Hearing the coach shout, Zachary immediately opened himself—by running away from his target. He wanted to immediately carry out the coach's instructions.

He understood the coach's intent because Rosenborg never even managed to break through a third of Troms' defence and get close to their box. The Troms players have marked all the spaces around the Rosenborg attacker properly since the game began.

They seemed to sit back and concentrate on defense without unduly interfering with Rosenborg's possession control. Therefore, Zachary had not managed to find any defensive gaps in their formation that he could exploit and throw forward.

*FREEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, gesturing for Rosenborg to throw in. Mikael Dorsin, Rosenborg's left-back, threw the ball along the line— in the direction of Pull Elyounoussi, Rosenborg's left-hander, without delay.

Pull him in control with his chest as he brushed aside Hans Norbye, Tromso's right-back, with his rough physique. He then rotated with the ball hooked to his left foot and passed the ball towards Zachary, who had long since started running in harmony with him through the middle.

Zachary controlled the ball, passing Ruben Jenssen, Troms' defensive midfielder, as he stepped into the middle third of the field of play. Without the slightest pause, he released a feedback towards Pull Elyounoussi, who had long escaped his target and had already dashed across the left line like the wind.

Pull control of the ball with a deft first touch, pushing it further forward while continuing to run across the left wing. He made it into a third of the Troms defense in a matter of seconds. However, there, he found an impenetrable roadblock from the Troms players. They've set themselves up into a form fit to face fast winger Rosenborg.

Pull can only pass the ball to the middle because advancing forward will most likely make him lose possession of the ball.

Zachary certainly has long anticipated the pull bait. With a deft first touch, he controlled the ball like an expert—and without delay, kept pushing towards the Tromso box.

But he was soon shut down by Ruben Jenssen, one of Troms' defensive midfielders. The Troms midfielder has retraced his pace to defend against Rosenborg's lightning-quick attack. Ruben was on top of Zachary in seconds, denying him the opportunity to travel with the ball over a yard of space.

Zachary looked around to find his teammates as an outlet for the ball. However, the highly disciplined and tactical Tromso players have checked all Rosenborg attackers and attacking midfielders around him.

The Troms players had left one man to watch him while the other closed the gap around his team-mates. Zachary can soon find out that they are trying to reciprocate his bait with zone marking. They want to eliminate all available ball receiving options so they can make their passing skills useless. That way, they will be able to deny many opportunities to influence the game.

Even so, he did not panic because he had long been used to running and dribbling in almost every game during his academy days. He was not at all afraid of facing the Troms players head-on.

**** ***