THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Not Lucky
"However, Rosenborg's chance is not over yet" Kjell Roar, the commentator, shouted out with all his might. "Nicki Nielsen, number 9 Rosenborg, just hit the ball that just hit the crossbar. What do we have here?"
Kristin's eyes still follow the ball. He trembled with anticipation when he saw Nicki Nielsen pass Miika Koppinen, the Troms captain, and aim a header into the inside of the right post from around the penalty spot. He could feel deep in his bones that Rosenborg would score.
However, the goddess of fortune seems to have left the Rosenborg team. Marcus Sahlman, the Troms goalkeeper, is in action once again. He jumps off the ground like a leopard and intercepts Nicki's efforts with his arms outstretched.
"Oh, what a wonderful opportunity—and an amazing rescue!" Kristin heard Kjell Roar say the words at the speed of a machine gun. "Nicki Nielsen was the fastest to rebound. He managed to plant a beautiful header towards the goal. But the ball was only a few centimeters from the right post after being intercepted by the goalkeeper's powerful arm. The linesman pointed to the corner. flag, giving Rosenborg BK a corner kick."
"It's an incredible thing from Marcus Sahlman, the Troms goalkeeper. He has managed to make two incredible saves in the span of a minute. I don't believe it. Harald!"
"Well," Harald, the scholar, interjected, his voice blaring over******* saddened Rosenborg fans in the stadium. "Yes, I agree with your guess. Right now, this is Rosenborg versus Marcus Sahlman. The way he managed to cover the ground across his line and save Zachary's efforts was something extraordinary. But what was better was how quickly he reacted, intercepting Nicki's rebound effort and thwarting Troll Kids for the lead in the 17th minute. He's in top shape today."
"Thank you, Harald," said Knell Roar. "Let's take you back to the action. Jonas Svensson, Rosenborg's defensive midfielder, gets ready to take a corner kick..."
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*FREEEE*
The referee blew the whistle, gesturing for Rosenborg to take a corner kick. Jonas Svensson took a corner kick and sent a tempting cross into a packed box.
Zachary assessed the trajectory of the corner ball in just an instant. He then ignores his goal and pushes the other players with the intention to meet the dropped ball. Meanwhile, he continued to pay attention to her as his mind worked too hard to judge the best way he could connect with her.
He had already practiced various corner drills with his team-mates during the pre-match training session. He is confident that his run will not affect or disturb his other team-mates when attacking a corner ball in the Troms team box.
So, he confidently took advantage of his towering height, pushed the ground like an amphibian, and then jumped over all the other players in the box to connect with the ball. He managed to pull off one of the opponents centre-backs in the air and made a header from around the box towards the inside of the right post. [Please enter.] He thought inwardly as he began to descend back to the ground.
"BAAM"
But not long after his foot hit the ground, he saw the ball hit the right post before bouncing back into the field— towards the right wing. Zachary didn't linger on—but chased after him with sheer reflexes. But Miika Koppinen, the captain of Troms, beat him up and took him to safety. The referee pointed at the corner flag once again.
Zachary could only punch the empty air before him in annoyance while sighing deeply at the missed opportunity. The goalpost had thwarted Rosenborg's chance to take the lead once again in the 21st minute. The standoff between the two sides is still ongoing.
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In the home team's dugout, Coach Johansen frowned seeing his team miss another chance. Nicki Nielsen made the most of a precise breakthrough pass from Zachary Bemba before firing a flat shot into the right side of the net. However, Marcus Sahlman, the Troms goalkeeper, jumped like a salmon to derail him with his legs outstretched. Tromso once again survived conceding a goal in the 42nd minute before halftime.
"We were unlucky in this game" Johansen told Trond Henriksen, his assistant. “On a good day, Zachary's two attempts should have turned into goals. Even Nicki's rebound effort should have found its way into the back of the net. But in this game, they were just shots on target. We're pretty shit."
"Yes" said Coach Henriksen. "According to my estimation, I believe we dominated possession up to 70% and above. We even had more than ten shots on goal. However, we still failed to score, and it turned out to be a pretty tough game."
"To be precise, we have to score immediately, otherwise we will face problems later in the game" said Coach Johansen, still following the match on the field.
Nicki Nielsen, number 9 Rosenborg, had just taken a cross from a corner kick. He was the first player to get a rebound from a corner ball—but goalkeeper Tromso managed to save him once again. The goalkeeper is committed to full body diving and making comfortable saves.
"We can't do it with Tromso" replied Coach Johansen, shaking his head. "I'm sure Coach Agnar Christensen has been waiting for us to do just that. If we dare to move even one defender, we will regret it. I feel Tromso can beat us easily through counter-attacks. "
"So, what should we do?"
"Let's be patient with the kids" replied Coach Johansen, his eyes still following what was happening on the pitch. “We're still in a draw at 0:0. So, we will try to motivate the attacking midfielders and attackers to work harder and create more chances in the second half. The important thing is we get the goal as soon as possible. I believe that one goal will be enough to kill the momentum of the Troms defense."
"Okay, then," replied Coach Trond Henriksen while nodding.
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Emily Anderson, Zachary's agent, began to feel quite uneasy as the match progressed to the second half of the second half. He hopes Zachary will score again and boost his reputation among Rosenborg fans. That way, he will be able to withdraw more support deals. But the game has progressed in an unwanted way, beyond his expectations.
Rosenborg has played good attacking football, pressing all Troms players back to their own side of the pitch since the start of the second half. The ball always seemed to hit the crossbar while at other times, goalkeeper Troms made flamboyant saves to thwart Rosenborg's chances of taking the lead. Thanks to that, the match still remained at a 0-0 stalemate with only five minutes remaining. Emily could feel the frustration slowly beginning to throb in her veins.
"Even though Rosenborg failed to score, your client is still showing a pretty good performance" comments Ryan Bellmore after seemingly realizing his frustration. "So, have fun."
“A good display doesn't mean much if it doesn't translate into a chance of winning the game,” Emily replied, her eyes still following what happens in the game. "For example, if Rosenborg fails to win or worse, loses the match—then all the fans will remember is the team's poor performance. There was nothing else on their minds because they were most concerned with the results."
"Oh, I see," replied Ryan while nodding. "But you should know that if your client scores in an intense match, where his team is struggling, the effect will be much more impactful on the Rosenborg fanbase. He will be able to raise his reputation in an instant as the match progresses. - the winner."
"I hope for that too" Emily replied with a smile. "I'm sad because I couldn't give him a single endorsement deal within two months. I hope this situation changes soon. Otherwise, I would have let him down as his agent."
**** ****
Zachary received feedback from Mike Jensen as he stepped into the middle third of the field of play. He controlled it like a professional, passing Ruben Jenssen, one of Troms' defensive midfielders.
He could feel that the game was almost over and knew very well that he could not play around with the ball. He needs to distribute it forward so they can immediately create a goal-scoring opportunity for Rosenborg. He does not want his first game in Lerkendal to end in a draw or worse yet a defeat.
So, he looked up the field—and a moment later, he managed to see Tarik Elyounoussi, Rosenborg's left attacker, unguarded on the left wing. Zachary smiled to himself before flicking the ball further forward and running past the sliding tackle of one of the opponents. A moment later, he hit the— ball with the outside of his boots, making it turn towards the left wing, where Pull waited.
Pull controlled the ball beautifully and darted off with a wavy run across the left line, piercing deeper and deeper into the Tromso section with his incredible speed. He managed to run past several Troms players before they even had a chance to react. Within seconds, he stepped into the final third of the pitch and started cutting into the pitch, heading towards the Troms goal.
Pull seems to have gained an extra energy boost. He missed a sliding tackle, carrying the ball with him before continuing his crazy run towards the Troms box. It looks like he can keep possession of the ball and score goals depending on his incredible pace. However, her escape was soon halted by Miika Koppinen, Troms' captain, moments later. Mika ran towards Tarik who ran like a fleeing horse and slid in, making Tarik fall to the ground on the left wing.
*FREEEE*
The referee blew his whistle and gave Rosenborg a free kick. He then ran to Miika Koppinen, the Troms captain, and gave her a second yellow card. Afterwards, the referee gave him a red card and asked him politely to leave the field of play. Rosenborg then had a one-man advantage over Troms.
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