THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Triumph

Coach Johansen replaced Paul Otterson early in the second half. The Swede replaced Kasongo on the right wing.

Although the NF academy had a numerical advantage over second-team Rosenborg, the coach did not dare to replace the midfielder or defender. He still looked wary of Rosenborg despite already two goals ahead.

As soon as Otterson got into the field, he ran to Zachary and said: "Zach! I need to score. I'm gonna need a lot of bait from you." He was panting and sweating despite being on the pitch for only a few minutes. He looked very eager to play in the match that day.

"Calm down and play your game" Zachary advises his flatmate. "The coaches just need to see that you have improved over the past year. Go into your position and wait for my bait." Zakaria smiled gently.

The NF Academy continued to dominate the rest of the game. Even the players who were not noticed in the first half started to influence the match. The left and right defenders were both heavily involved in the game and made several moves across the wings during the second half. They played more like wingers than defenders and sent some crosses right into the Rosenborg box.

However, Troll Kids had reset their defenses during the break. They adjusted the formation to four defenders, four midfielders, and one striker. Eight of their men have always been behind the ball, leaving no scoring opportunities for NF academy players even though they played well.

The score remained 2:0 until the 86th minute.

Zachary made the most of the gap left by Rosenborg— players and made one more of his signature moves through midfield.

He took a loose pass in the middle of the centre circle, dropped the ball past Ole, overtook Gjermund cent, and then clearly, ran towards Rosenborg's goal.

From there, he ran at high speed, dribbling towards the four defenders. The defenders looked confused and fascinated and were unable to challenge him. He quickly found himself on the edge of the box.

When an angle is open, he lifts his right foot to hit the ball towards the goal. However, two defenders jumped, while their comrades slid in to block his shot. They were so scared of him because he had already scored a long-range goal from the same point in the first half.

From the corner of his eyes, Zachary saw a familiar shadow rushing towards his right. Without taking a quick look at— to ascertain if the shadow belonged to a teammate or opponent, he expertly flicked the ball towards the silhouette running trajectory. Meanwhile, his eyes were fixed on the defenders.

Not visible—pass.

"Dirt!" Zachary hears Simen Wangberg, one of the defenders, swear. The Rosenborg— players are still stuck in their sliding jumps and tackles. They were already committed to blocking Zachary's shot and could not adjust the time to defend against the new threat.

Zachary's small pass has kept all defenders out of the equation, leaving Paul Otterson, the NF academy winger, unmarked on the right side of the box.

The Rosenborg keeper came out to meet him, but before he could get close to the ball, the Swede, who had fallen to the ground at the time, flicked the ball at him with his right foot into the net. 3:0. The NF academy went three goals ahead of Rosenborg B's side in the 87th minute.

"GODOR." Paul ran to the sidelines, screaming and pumping his legs, before doing some backflip towards the corner flag.

Zachary's mouth twitched as he watched the high profile celebration of his flatmate. The Swede celebrated like there was no tomorrow— like he had scored a World Cup winning goal.

"Go back to your half and hold on. Back..," shouted Coach Johansen from the sidelines.

The players of the NF academy rearranged themselves into their initial formation after hearing the Coach's instructions. But this was not the case before Paul went to Zachary and said: "Good follow. Thank you." Thank you."

Zachary shrugged his shoulders. "All credit goes to you for a nice run from their defenders. We probably wouldn't score the other way around."

"Is there a chance you could send me another good pass in the remaining minutes?" Paul grinned. "I want to score again." He whispered.

Zachary stared at his flatmate sharply. "Do you think their midfielders will let me repeat it?" She asked. "Return to your position and try to retreat and defend when they attack. The minutes after scoring are the most dangerous. We have to be careful and keep a clean sheet."

The winger returned to his position—and the match immediately restarted. The Rosenborg players appear to have received a warning after conceding. They changed their strategy from just defending and started using long balls targeted at Mushaga, their lone striker.

"Concentrated... Concentration," shouted Coach Johansen from the sidelines. "The game is not finished yet." He sounds angry.

The NF academy players successfully defended a corner. Magnus Blakstad beat all the players and headed the ball away from the box after beating his target.

Ole fired a rebound shot from the edge of the box. However, Lars Togstad, one of the academy's centre-backs, blocked the resulting carpet shot, sending the ball back into midfield.

Three players in deep blue jerseys flew at lightning speed, chasing after him. Zachary was in front of them. Swinging fists, arms, and legs, he dashed towards the ball that had yet to land on the right wing.

The tunnel vision appeared as he focused only on the ball that had just bounced on the ground. The cleats of his boots stuck in the smooth grass of Lerkendal's training ground as he increased his speed and beat everyone—including opposing defenders to snatch the ball. His A+ agility is no joke at the football academy level. Although he was not the fastest, he could easily defeat most of his comrades for speed.

The ball was bouncing when he reached it. Zachary didn't stop to control the ball. He bowed slightly and pointed it forward without slowing down in the slightest.

His deft first touch with his head took him past one defender. Before long, he ran away from a second, and suddenly— seemed to have miles of empty space in front of him on the right wing.

Gjermund Sen, a midfielder who did not take part in corner kicks, rushed in to close the ball, but in doing so, faced off with Zachary. He spread his hands wide like a defensive basketball player. His eyes burned with intensity and his posture warned Zachary he would use any means to take him out no matter the consequences.

Zachary frowned but did not reduce the speed. He passed the ball past the Rosenborg boy and then immediately left the field, taking an outside lane.cent, like most defensive midfielders, dodged towards Zachary, hoping to block him or maybe even knock him out.

However, his efforts were in vain.

Zachary kept running wider, navigating around the penny, going faster and faster towards the ball. He left the midfielder in the dust and stepped back onto the pitch without slowing his pace.

Zachary's lungs screamed for breath as he cut diagonally into the field and ran towards the box, with no defender blocking his progress. He kept running, every step was important. Then, before he knew it, he almost went into the box.

The guards came out to greet him. Zachary quickly glanced around him for the first time since he started running. He noticed that the tall Magnus Blakstad almost matched his steps with his long strides. He had just stepped onto the 18-yard box bow.

He leads a group of players, all chasing Zachary.

Zachary didn't think twice and just pushed the ball into his path. Magnus calmly slotted the ball into the back of the empty net, taking the NF academy tally to four goals for the day.

The tall man ran towards Zachary and tried to lift him in the arms of celebration after scoring. However, Zachary wriggled out of his arms before the other players could join the celebrations and strangle him.

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"Don't you think he's more like a winger than a midfielder?" Coach Bjorn asked as he glanced at the celebrating academy players.

Coach Johansen cleared his throat. "He played both positions well. We need to advise him where to focus most of his efforts. I don't want him to waste his time training for more than one position. I think midfield is best suited for him because he likes to pass the ball. when dealing with one-on-one goalkeepers." The coach had a rare smile plastered on his face.

"We can try him on the wing and see how he plays against senior Rosenborg next Friday" suggested Coach Bjorn. We need to make sure he plays in the right position at a critical stage in his career." She added.

"I'll think about it" Coach Johansen said before returning to focus on the match.

The match ended with a score of 4:0 for the NF academy win.

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