THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Signs Of A Comeback

The atmosphere in the dressing room is not at all bleak. It was not like a break during a competitive game. Gone is already the tension and anxiety felt by the players before the game.

There was chatter among Zachary's teammates, like old friends chatting. Everyone spoke casually and made jokes as if they had won the match.

Zachary was surprised because he knew someone would never be able to count a match as a win— until the final whistle. An alarming thought swirled in his mind until there was no room for anything else.

There have been many games in history where teams made a comeback from a lack of three or more goals and won. Liverpool won the 2005 UEFA Champions League final after overcoming a three-goal deficit in the second half.

Zachary did not want to leave Riga's team a chance to do the same trick. He hoped the coach would talk to some of his teammates before they screwed up in the second half.

Paul Otterson came to him and interrupted his thought. "Why do you look worried even when we are three goals ahead? Come and join us. Why are you sitting in the corner?" He asked while fanning himself with his shirt.

Zachary sighed, shaking his head. He gulped down a sip of water before replying: "I don't like the atmosphere here in the dressing room."

Paul grinned. "Silent. The players know what to do when they get back on the pitch. We might have even grabbed this one with more than five goals. And here I think Riga will be a tough opponent because they have the advantage as hosts. it has been disappointing." He breathed out sounding. Zachary saw that his Swedish flat-mate was in a good mood after scoring in the first half. He decided to keep quiet and keep his worries to himself.

He realized that many players he had not known in his previous life performed well in the match. For example, team captain Riga looks like a phenomenal player. He dribbles, passes and defends like a first-class midfielder.

Zachary is worried that the confidence of his team-mates will reduce the chances of the team against Riga's squad with such good players.

The coaches came into the dressing room immediately after that. Coach Johannsen was in a somber mood. His assistant Bjorn Peters was all smiling, greeting the players and congratulating them on their performances.

"Shut up" cried Coach Johannsen.

All the players stopped their murmurs and focused on the coach standing in front of the board.

"I need you all to stay focused on the game until the final whistle. We will maintain the same game strategy for the second half. Make sure you don't concede ..."

The coach lays out the approach for the second half while assigning individual roles to all players. He explained the weaknesses he observed that could be exploited in the Riga team formation. As soon as he finished delivering his speech, he sent the players back onto the pitch.

However, Zachary still felt worried about the mood of his team-mates. They still behave as if they have won the match—even after listening to Coach Johansen's speech.

As they exited the dressing room, Zachary approached Magnus, who also served as assistant captain, to discuss the matter.

"I think the players are overconfident" he started. "I'm afraid we'll concede unnecessarily at the start of the second half."

Magnus looked around at the other players before replying. "I will keep reminding the defenders when we get back on the pitch" he said. "Don't worry. I'm backing you in defensive midfield. We only needed one more goal to kill off their momentum in the second half." He smiled before running into his position.

Zachary sighed and shook his head. He pushed his uneasiness to the back of his mind as he dashed to his position.

He decides to work harder than ever for another goal and closes off Riga's last chance to bounce back. He can't accept anything but a win in the opening game. Juju's 2000 points and Elixir's B-level Agility Improvement are at stake. If he managed to complete all the achievements of the system, he would increase his stats significantly.

"RIGA, RIGA..."

A chant from the Riga players, with their black jerseys, broke his reverie. He looked ahead— towards the other half, and saw Riga players in a circle chanting slogans to pump themselves up. They don't look like a team that's three goals behind. The home fans joined in the chanting and began clapping, shouting, and singing. They ended up with one last sudden clap that echoed from the walls of the indoor stadium like thunder.

Zachary turned around and looked at his team-mates, in deep blue jerseys, standing lethargic— watching their opponents. Players such as Paul Otterson, Robin Jatta, and Kasongo folded their arms around their chests with grins adorning their faces. They don't look like athletes preparing for the game, but spectators, unresponsive to their opponents.

Zachary sighed as he made a last-minute adjustment to his shin guards. He made sure to tighten his shoelaces as well.

A familiar routine calms his mind and helps him focus entirely on the game. He had the feeling that the second half would not be as easy as the first.

The match restarted after the referee blew his whistle.

Riga's players didn't give Zachary time to think. They ran towards him with a hunger that matched their passion to win the ball back. Zachary passed the ball further back, to Magnus in defensive midfield.

"To the right wing," he shouted, pointing towards the right wing-back.

Magnus Blakstad followed his instructions and passed the yvind Alseth without pause. The number-2 academy NF received the ball and returned it to Magnus— who kicked it towards Robin Jatta, the left centre-back.

However, one of Riga's strikers ran to centre-back as soon as possible. He's as tireless as a hungry dog chasing a bone.

Robin played one-two with Martin Lundal, the NF academy's left-back, at a leisurely pace without waiting for the number-9 Riga to close it.

The NF academy players continued to enjoy rich possession early in the second half. Over the next ten minutes, they passed the ball slowly but surely, among their defenders, without the urgency to make the transition and attack the Riga team section.

They have several yards of space to work with as one of the Riga— attackers is tied, protecting the route passing to Zachary. Riga's number-10 keeps himself positioned between Zachary and anyone with the ball on defense or wing.

Meanwhile, two other Riga players, including their captain, overshadowed Zachary's every move. They followed him all over the field without giving him an inch of space to receive the ball.

Zachary could see that Riga's team's strategy for the second half was to excommunicate him. Isolation tactics are aimed at closing all passing routes to players to reduce their impact on the game. Riga's players want him out of the game. They intended to stop the quick transition of the defense through him. That way, they would bite the NF academy counter from the start.

"Use a wide area and play wing," Zachary heard Coach Johansen's shout from the sidelines. It seems like he realized Zachary's predicament and tried to take advantage of it.

Isolation also comes with some real drawbacks as a result of assigning three players to keep an eye on one opponent. There will be a gap left in the form of the Riga team's defence.

Zachary's tactical awareness made him aware of the coach's intention to exploit the gap left by one of Riga's winger watching him. He just needs to tie up the players and keep them busy, creating space for his team-mates. Maintaining his mark will make Riga's formation tattered, with many loopholes for his teammates to take advantage of.

Zachary is confident in his speed, stamina and endurance. He could easily bring his opponent around the field.

For the next few minutes, he ran around midfield without stopping to rest. However, all three of his guards survived. They kept shadowing his every move as he chased the ball around the field. On the one hand, Riga's team managed to isolate him.

The game continued to support the NF academy until a slight drop in the concentration of teammate Zachary began to show in their style of play. They still dominated possession, passing the ball from wing to wing without letting Riga's team players touch it. However, they did not have the hunger to attack—a situation caused by their belief of having won the match. Such complacency led to some mistakes in the latter part of the second half.

In the 72nd minute, full-back Riga received the wrong pass from Magnus near the touchline. The short number-2 streaked like the wind past two of Zachary's team-mates, advancing on the right wing and piercing into the half of the NF academy. He then sent a tempting cross into the penalty area. The handling of the ball was quick and effective, leaving no chance for the defenders to close it.

Unfortunately for Riga's team, Daniel Kvande (number-5) of the NF academy skipped all his opponents and comfortably handled crosses. He swept the ball with the top of his head, directing it a metre past the crossbar. The referee blew the whistle and pointed to the corner flag.

Zachary returned to his box to defend against a corner. Team captain Riga obediently shadowed him back. The other players who had tagged him remained standing on the edge of the box. However, their attention was still on him rather than his teammates taking corner kicks. It seems they were still traumatised by the counter-attack in the first half.

"Kasongo and Paul" he shouted. "Tag two players out of the box."

Although both players showed no intention to attack the ball, he did not want to risk giving them a chance to score.

However, the referee blew the whistle before his colleagues had a close-in. The ball was struck from a corner by right-wing defender Riga.

More than fourteen players in the box push and push, trying to outscore their opponents and win the incoming ball. Magnus, the NF academy's high defensive midfielder, managed to outperform the other players. He then headed a dangerous-looking corner ball out of the box.

To Zachary's dismay, the ball flew towards two unmarked Riga players outside the box.

"Close them" Zachary shouted as he chased after her. However, he felt a tug on his shirt slowing him down. Both players remain unmarked—with all the time in the world to jeopardize the NF academy.

One of the players confidently dribbled to his side as Zachary tried to close it. Before the NF academy could react to the danger, he fired a volley towards the goal. The ball slid past Zachary like a bullet and curled into the top right corner.

3:1a. Riga's team managed to reply one goal in the 75th minute.