THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Tension in Lerkendal

Coach Johansen glanced at his watch and realized that it had entered the 78th minute of the game. He exhaled deeply, rubbed his hands together, and returned his full attention to the process on the playing field.

He had never longed for time to pass sooner before then. He hopes the game will end soon so that his team can at least qualify by bringing one point.

The pressure his players faced on the pitch due to Tore Reginiussen's red card was immense. The Molde players have fully capitalized on their numerical advantage for a few minutes after the red card. They managed to make the ten Rosenborg people restless, leaving them with no time to breathe.

Coach Johansen has noticed that some of his players are almost out of breath. He knew that their stamina reserves were almost depleted from their reaction time. He was worried that they would slack off and start making mistakes. So, he decided to motivate them.

"Don't relax," he shouted with all his might, clapping to give emphasis. “Keep holding. You've done a good job so far. Nicki, stay in midfield and wait for the ball there. You don't have to keep heading to survive. Your job is to keep their defenders under pressure and score when you get the chance. Zachary, sharp and strategic while marking space in front of a third of our defense..." He said those words at machine gun speed while still following the match attentively.

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The tension on the pitch was at a nerve-tickening level that Kristin taught with annoyance. Like other Rosenborg fans in the Lerkendal Stadium stands, he is an image of anxiety in itself as he forces himself to keep up with the process on the pitch.

Molde's players continued to attack after attack against Rosenborg at intervals of almost every two minutes. They switched from their counter-attacking strategy and are now utilizing wing play to deliver diagonal balls and crosses to the Rosenborg box.

With those changes, they managed to connect seamlessly with their attacking players, with a fast and relentless playing style that is the true definition of attacking football. That way, they managed to push almost all Rosenborg players back into their defensive third, leaving only Nicki near the halfway line.

Kristin's anxiety increased every minute as she watched the game. Several times, Molde came close to scoring a third goal through their attacking players. However, Lund Hansen, the Rosenborg goalkeeper, did a phenomenal job by stopping two attempts by Daniel Chima Chukwu, Molde's centre-forward, in the 75th and 78th minutes. Another shot from Mattias Mostrom, the winger, hit the crossbar after a slight deflection from one of the defenders in the 80th minute.

Kristin heard Harald Brattbakk, the scholar for the day, sigh. "It was unfortunate for Tore, Rosenborg's captain, to get the red card in the 69th minute. The situation has changed because he was sent off and we now have Molde's players dictating the tempo because of their numerical advantage. Rosenborg barely managed to keep a level here at Lerkendal, but six minutes, plus extra time, remained until the final whistle. It's really unfortunate."

"The million-dollar question is one" Kjell Roar said. "Do you think Rosenborg will manage to hold off Molde's attack until the final whistle with the way they play?"

"That's a question I can't answer right now," Harald replied in a flat voice. "It's football, and it's very unexpected. For example, in the first half of this match, Rosenborg dictated the course of the match. Troll Kids took the lead with two goals in the first half, and we all thought they would have won. But look at the current situation. That's the uncertainty of football. So, it is possible that the match will end in a draw or, perhaps, a win for Molde. But what we also cannot close is that Rosenborg could also win a draw.if they are at a disadvantage considering the numbers."

Kjell Roar chuckled at it. "Fans Rosenborg would be furious if that happened. But let's wait and see how the game goes. We entered the last five minutes of official time. All Molde's still in the field. Emmanuel Ekpo, Molde's right winger, just got a diagonal ball from Magne Hoseth, his captain. Oh, he circled— and fired a rocket at the goal. But it's a pity that Mike Jensen, one of Rosenborg's defensive midfielders, got in the way. Rosenborg's men managed to block the shot and steer the ball away from the goal. But not far enough..."

Panic has hit Kristin. His hands became cold and damp as he watched the deflected ball bounce off the edge of the box— towards Magne Hoseth. Captain Molde had lurked around the 18-yard box bow, completely unmarked. Without losing his composure, Magne greeted the ball with a volley with his left foot— and fired towards the goal before Rosenborg's players could react.

Kristin's body turned cold with fear as she watched the ball pass through the crowd of players inside the box, heading into the goal like a bullet coming out of the sniper rifle's muzzle. "Please don't go in" he murmured, his hands clenched. At that moment, he expected telekinetic power so that he could make the ball deviate from its path. He did not want to see his team lose after maintaining a draw until the last four minutes of the game.

The goddess of fortune may sympathize or perhaps pity all the other Rosenborg fans in Lerkendal. Lund Hansen, the Rosenborg goalkeeper, jumped high and did a full-body dive. He only managed to punch the ball away from the goal. With a powerful fist, he managed to push it all the way to the right wing. Rosenborg survived conceding once again.

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