THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
An Opportunity

Zachary sighed, shaking his head at the sight of Tore Reginiussen handing the armband to Mikael Dorsin before quietly exiting the field. He doesn't blame the defender for that tackle because he would have done the same if he had been in that situation. Nevertheless, he was still depressed with the progress of the match.

All Rosenborg players have played good football since the first minute of the game, but they are on the verge of defeat. No matter how much they tried to attack Molde, they did not manage to break their bad luck spell and continued to miss opportunities. On the other hand, their opponent gets fewer chances and a small portion of the ball possession. But they managed to score two goals in the first 20 minutes of the second half and just won a penalty. Zachary couldn't help but wonder if Rosenborg would definitely lose that match. But a moment later, he shook his head to clear his mind and instantly rejected the thought.

He would never give up on a match before hearing the final whistle. He has watched teams like Liverpool, Barcelona and Manchester United make incredible comebacks even when they were three or four goals behind during his previous life. So, he intends to continue giving his all even when his team has already lost one man. As long as he doesn't give up, anything can happen at any time in the game and just maybe, his team will qualify with three points at the end of the night. So, with a gentle smile framing his face, he started walking towards the edge of the Rosenborg box to prepare for the penalty kick.

"Well, that's Molde for you," Zachary heard a voice behind him just as he moved a few yards and stepped into the third of Rosenborg's defense. "Did I hear someone say that Molde can't be compared to Rosenborg over the course of several interviews? Let's see if someone can say the same thing after this game..." The voice continued in a joking tone.

Zachary immediately turned around and noticed that Jo Inge, his bodyguard for the day, was behind him. The Molde midfielder had followed him at some point and was busy throwing verbal punches to annoy him.

Zachary only gave him a chance once more and shook his head without bothering to comment anything. He turned around and increased his pace, leaving the midfielder behind as he continued towards the Rosenborg box. The match was not over yet, and he did not want to exchange unnecessary words with the opponent.

Over the course of his previous life, he has watched great players like Zinedine Zidane and Mario Balotelli get into trouble just from talking to opponents at tense moments in matches. Zachary doesn't want to be like them because he knows that he's not the best at controlling his emotions. So, he has already decided to avoid talking to opponents, especially on the professional stage where players can do anything to win.

**** ****

In the stands, Kristin covered her eyes with well-groomed hands after seeing Mattias Mostrom go into Rosenborg's box to take a penalty. The tension of the game had long since twisted his heart to the point that it began to beat erratically. He didn't even have the guts to keep watching the process on the pitch, especially when Molde had a great chance to score and take the lead from the spot-kick.

"Great moment," he heard Kjell Roar, the commentator, speaking after a few seconds. "Mattias Mostrom, Molde's number 9, stepped up to take the penalty. He was up against Lund Hansen, Rosenborg's goalkeeper, at this defining moment. Oh, blimey! And he saved her. Holy hooch! Crucially, crucially, crucially brilliant save from Lund Hansen..."

Kristin moved her hand away from her eyes as a wave of cheers swept over Lerkendal, drowning out the commentator's melodious voice. But he sighed with regret as he had already missed the best part, which was the rescue by Lund Hansen. He could only wait to watch it in flashbacks on the big screen as the match went on. Despite this, expectations soared as Rosenborg still had a chance to qualify with at least a draw from the match.

**** ****

On the field, Zachary's spirit is in cloud nine. His face smiled as he congratulated Lund Hansen for saving the penalty, along with his other team-mates inside the Rosenborg box. He did not believe that his team had managed to get out of a tense situation unscathed. He felt like running towards Jo Inge and felt proud, but stopped himself after a little consideration. At that time, he just needs to concentrate fully on the game and stay away from all the factors that could potentially interfere with his concentration.

"Friends," Mikael Dorsin, the acting captain of Rosenborg, shouted loudly, clapping. “We still have about twenty minutes left. Let's focus and hold on. We don't want to waste Lund's incredible save. So, focus, focus, and focus. I'm sure if we give everything, Molde will never threaten us again. But first, let's start by defending against this corner."

Hearing the captain's animated roar of acting, all Rosenborg players returned their full attention to the game as they prepared to receive a corner kick.

Zachary's spirit brightens when he sees his team-mates regain their fighting spirit even when they are at a numerical disadvantage due to a red card. As long as his team-mates don't give up, he believes Rosenborg can leave with at least a point from the game. So, he also focused on marking opponents inside the box with new strength.

**** ****