THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
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Coach Johansen remained true to his word about the change in line-up after the break. Immediately, after exiting the tunnel for the second half, he advanced and gestured for the fourth official to include Verner Ronning and Ole Selnaes as substitutes.

He couldn't let an accident happen when his team was already leading. So, he decided to take a guarded approach and introduced two defensive-minded players to reduce the chances of opponents scoring.

"Make sure you guys stay solid at the back" he told the two substitutes who were going through a routine of being checked by a fourth official. "Always do clearance first time—and please, avoid making mistakes near our defensive third. If there is a chance, try to pass the ball to Zachary. He will be our playmaker for the second half. Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach," answered the two players in unison before the fourth official lifted the board to announce their entry.

"Remember my words and convey them to the whole team" Coach Johansen shouted just as Ole, the first substitute, headed onto the pitch. "And please be careful with possible counterattacks. We mustn't falter during this match."

"Yes, coach," cried Ole as he ran towards his position in the defensive midfield of Rosenborg. Verner, another substitute, soon followed suit and took the right-back position in a new 4-2-3-1 formation.

*FREEEE*

The referee blew the whistle shortly afterwards.

Mustafa Abdellaoue, Vlerenga's centre-forward, immediately responded—and passed the ball back into his midfield to start the game after halftime.

The second half began at breakneck speed, with Rosenborg flying forward at will and Valerenga's players seen exploding during counterattacks. An incredible end-to-end exchange saw Nicki Nielsen, Tobias Mikkelsen and Borek Dockal— all miss out on good chances to score for Rosenborg in the first seven minutes of the first half. On the other hand, Mustafa Abdellaoue, Vlerenga's centre-forward, also failed to score after a lightning-fast counter-attack in the 57th minute.

It was an interesting second half, but not for the coach of both teams.

Coach Johansen grew tense as he watched Vlerenga counterattack more often. He could not let the situation happen. So, he decided to motivate his players with the power of his words once again.

"Focus to maintain possession of the ball," he shouted from the sidelines. "Try to avoid unnecessary mistakes and focus on dictating the tempo. Don't be impatient when attacking." He screamed his hardest to make himself heard above the loud cheers in the stadium.

"Ole! Back off a little bit" continued the coach as he paced along the boundary of the technical area. "You're a defender, not an attacking midfielder. So, no need to advance. Tobias and Borek! Please start backing and backing the back row when we lose possession. You are no longer an attacker but a winger now. And please do be careful with that counter ..."

He spoke the words at the speed of a machine gun as he tried his best to set his team into proper form to guard against Valerenga's counterattack. He only stopped screaming as they began to grow more dominant a few minutes later, in the 60th minute. By then, he had relaxed, thinking Rosenborg had gone through the most dangerous minutes of the start of the second half. He couldn't have been more wrong.

Although Valerenga's team looked down and out, it suddenly returned to the game with a bolt from the blue from Christian Grindheim, the captain, in the 75th minute. Midfielder Valerenga produced a superb long-range strike that stunned the Troll Kids with fifteen minutes remaining. He managed to score and bring the course of the match back to a flat ground, making the entire Ullevaal Stadium into a frenzy of cheers.

2:2.

"Shoppers!" Coach Johansen could not help but curse loudly as he watched the Velerenga players celebrate. His players play well in attack, that's for sure. They had followed all his instructions for the letter but still conceded after an unexpected long-range shot.

"Perhaps, we can wait and see how our players react" said Trond Henriksen, assistant head coach, as he was still considering a possible change.

Coach Johansen frowned slightly when he realized that his assistant seemed to have read what was on his mind.

[Am I an open book?]

Coach Johansen felt a little embarrassed for failing to keep his composure despite being a head coach. He realised he was becoming very impatient and almost changed the whole game plan just because of the frustration that came with watching his team concede a equaliser.

At the time, he understood that he still had a lot to learn about being the coach of one of the biggest teams in Tippeligaen. At the very least, he needed to understand how to hide his emotions and hide what he was thinking at all times.

"Thank you," he said, nodding at Trond Henriksen. "We'll follow what you suggest. Hopefully our players can qualify and lead once again."

"I think they will" Coach Henriksen said, smiling slightly. “I don't think a player like Zachary would let the game end that way. So, let's trust them and see how they get out of this. We also have to remember that sometimes it's good to let the players have freedom on the pitch."

"OK, I will try to do that" Coach Johansen replied before returning his attention to the pitch.

A few minutes later, he admitted that his guess was correct. Rosenborg's players did not let the fact that they conceded the equaliser dampen their mood. Instead, they continue to flow forward and generate more scoring opportunities.

However, their efforts were constantly thwarted by some superb last-gasp defending by four Vlerenga defenders.

Nicki Nielsen came close to scoring with an 80th-minute volley. But his shot could be saved superbly by Gudmund Kongshavn, goalkeeper Valerenga who is in his best performance. It was even after a deflection that made him misstep.

Coach Johansen could only sigh after seeing another missed opportunity. He is already numb to the fact that his players repeatedly miss opportunities. So, he did not shout a word—but continued to watch the game with a forced poker face.

Rosenborg's investigation continued as the match approached the 85th minute, though to no avail. It was thanks to almost all of Vlerenga's players moving backwards to defend. They left only Mustafa Abdellaoue, their centre-forward, in front. The rest of the nine blue-clad players will always be behind the ball whenever Rosenborg has the ball.

They obviously played the 'parking bus' tactic, making it harder for Rosenborg to score. Thanks to their shameless defensive methods, the score remained deadlocked at 2:2 as the match progressed to the final four minutes.

"Begin to send more crosses into the box" Coach Johansen decided to break his silence once again at the sight of the situation on the pitch. "Zachary! Try testing their goalkeepers using long-range efforts whenever you can. Nick! Stay close to their last person as you wait for an opportunity. Focus up! Focus up!" He shouted, clapping to emphasize.

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