The Greatest Of All Time

by Stayrr

Dive into a novel about the rise of a legendary sportsman. Follow Zachary Bemba on his journey to become the G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time) in the soccer world. He travels back to a time in his past where opportunity abounds. Access to a system capable of propelling him to greater heights is just the icing on the cake. From a nobody born in one of the poorest and most remote pla

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Chapter 317 Slight Change in Tactics

Coach Johansen was a nervous wreck as he continued following the game after the goal celebrations. That was because he couldn't make any extensive adjustments to the squad before half-time, even though Fiorentina was once again already dictating the game's tempo. The Italian side hadn't let up on the pressure even though they were already one goal ahead of Rosenborg at an away ground.

"What to do?"

Coach Johansen started stroking his beard as he studied Fiorentina's playing style. The Italian team's five midfielders were still outclassing his players in the midfield as they played very flamboyant one-touch or two-touch football. Their individual off-the-ball movements were just exquisite, making it easy for their teammates to spot them and pass the ball to them. For sure, they were the most crucial factor that coach Johansen had to deal with if he wished to best Fiorentina. As long as he couldn't find a solution to contain them, he would, without a doubt, lose the game.

"Why can't we tell our two forwards on the flanks to fall back into midfield?" Trond Henriksen, his assistant, supplied from beside him. "With the two of them back in midfield, we'll be able to switch from our current 4-3-3 formation to the more solid 4-5-1 formation. That way, we'll balance out the numbers in the middle of the field and ensure that the opponents don't outplay us in midfield. What do you think?"

"It's a good idea," Coach Johansen concurred, his eyes never leaving the field of play. "You can go ahead and inform both Borek and Alexander to fall back into midfield so as to help contain that Juan Cuadrado and Manuel Vargas on the flanks. Additionally, tell Zachary to start playing a free role on the field. Let him move around freely so that he can cause some chaos within Fiorentina's formation. If it so happens that he gets a chance, let him shoot and try out on goal. We shall make additional changes during half-time."

"Okay," Trond Henriksen replied, nodding. "I will go ahead and talk to both our flank players and Zachary when the game goes on a break. The three of them should be able to adjust accordingly in less than five minutes."

"Good," Coach Johansen said. "Go ahead, and do what you have to do. Let's hope the boys can hold off Fiorentina until half-time."

"The coach wants me to play a free role position on the field!"

Zachary's eyes widened after receiving the instructions from the assistant coach on the sidelines. He was a bit startled since a free-role position meant that the coach had given him free rein on the pitch. As a result, he had the creative license to decide where and how he played on the field — as opposed to a set position that he would have had to fulfill under normal circumstances. For instance, he could move away from the central midfield position and drop wide into the wings as long as he saw an opportunity to break through the opponent's defense.

"What about the midfield," Zachary hurriedly asked while glancing around. The game was on a temporary break since Daniel Örlund, Rosenborg's keeper, was still on the ground, receiving attention from the medics. So, he reckoned that he still had some time to ask a few more questions before the game restarted.

"The flank players will drop back to populate the midfield," Trond Henriksen, the assistant coach, replied. "The two of them should be able to work together with Takumi Minamino and Thomas Partey to put up a fair fight against Fiorentina's 'five-man' midfield. So, don't worry about the midfield, and move freely by following your instinct. And, please don't forget to try out the keeper if you get an opportunity."

"Okay, understood," Zachary replied before running back to the center of the field. Daniel Örlund, Rosenborg's keeper, had just gotten up from the ground after receiving attention from the medics. As a result, the game was about to restart once again.

FWEEEEEEE*

After a few more seconds of waiting, the referee blew the whistle and motioned for the game to restart. Daniel Örlund, Rosenborg's keeper who was with the ball at that moment, didn't choose to take the goal kick high and long that time around. He instead played a short diagonal pass to Mikael Dorsin, Rosenborg's left-back.

Mikael received the ball with a deft touch, just at the edge of the 18-yard box. He then passed it forward to Thomas Partey, Rosenborg's defensive midfielder, before any opponent could close him down.

Thomas also acted just as Mikael had done. He stepped forward to control the ball before spinning around and passing it towards the right flank where Alexander Söderlund, Rosenborg right-winger, was lurking.

Zachary immediately took off towards the right flank after Alexander controlled the ball. He was so fast as he cut through the ranks of the players, heading towards the ball's position. By relying on his S-graded agility, he was soon only a few yards from Alexander.

"Pass!" He yelled.

Alexander Söderlund, Rosenborg's right-winger, reacted immediately after hearing his shout. With a well-timed deft touch, he escaped the tight marking of the defender before flicking the ball to Zachary.

Zachary immediately passed it to Takumi Minamino, his original counterpart in attacking midfield. The two of them soon started playing a series of one-twos as they bore down on Fiorentina's box like a raging Tsunami.

It was then that Borja Valero, Fiorentina's defensive midfielder, paced forward to close down their partnership. However, Zachary stepped around him with a simple weave-and-turn before continuing towards the box. His movements were natural, just like moving clouds and flowing water, as he dribbled the ball forward while occasionally exchanging one-twos with his teammates.

"Shoot, Zachary! Shoot…"

Suddenly, a loud yell from the sidelines cut across the pitch and made it to his ears after he'd just stepped into the final third. Since he could tell that it was the commanding voice of Coach Johansen, he reacted almost by instinct.

He pulled his right foot all the way back, exerted some force, and delivered a violent kick right in the middle of the ball.

Whoosh!

The ball instantly roared forward like a bullet right out of a sniper muzzle. It drew a fierce arc through the air as it whizzed towards the top right corner like a raging tiger. For sure, the force carried by the ball at that moment was immense.

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Chapter 318 The Unlucky Rosenborg

"BANG!"

The sound of the ball smashing against the crossbar sounded next, causing most of the Rosenborg fans to sigh with regret. Just one more inch below, and the ball would have, without a doubt, found its way into the back of the net since the tremendous force behind the shot had already rendered the keeper helpless. Even coach Johansen had already raised his arms up in the air to celebrate due to the surety of the moment.

However, it seemed like the goddess of luck wasn't on Rosenborg's side that evening. With a slight swerve at the final moment, the ball had deviated slightly from its intended course before smashing off the crossbar and bouncing back towards the box.

"Hurry up and clear the ball!"

Suddenly, the voice of Vincenzo Montella, Fiorentina's head coach, reverberated across the pitch like thunder just as the ball was about to land in the box.

The Fiorentina defenders didn't need their coach's reminder since they were already pouncing towards the bouncing ball as if their lives were at stake.

In particular, Stefan Savic, one of Fiorentina's three defenders, was a notch faster than his counterparts. He arrived in the box like a whirlwind before kicking the ball hard without regard for anything. He hadn't even dared to take a single touch on the ball since Nicki Nielsen was right on his heels.

"Damn!"

Zachary could only sigh as he watched the ball flying out of the field for a corner kick. His mood was slightly down since he'd missed out on an opportunity to score and bring the proceedings on the pitch back to level ground.

But more than disappointed, he was also slightly startled. That was because he'd just noticed that both his technique and power while shooting had improved tremendously over the past few months. It seemed like the breakthrough of his agility, body control, and strength attributes to the S- grading had also pushed the power and lethality of his shots to another level. As a result, he could already release missiles of balls from outside of the eighteen-yard box without expending much effort.

What a pleasant surprise!

Within an instant, various thoughts flashed through Zachary's mind as his heartbeat accelerated. He was no longer feeling depressed over the missed opportunity after realizing that he'd unknowingly made another significant breakthrough on his path to become a football great.

As long as he could effectively utilize his recently-improved power and lethality of his shots, then he would have a lot more options while on the attack. Whenever an opportunity presented itself, he could choose to either unleash missiles at goal from outside the eighteen or break through the defense and step into the box with skills. As a result, his playing style would evolve and become more lethal.

"Zachary! Don't mind, don't mind…" the voice of Mikael Dorsin, the assistant captain, suddenly made it to his ears as he was considering how he could utilize his new weapon to evolve his own playing style. "It's only the first half. You'll get another chance to score sooner or later. So, don't worry, and let's prepare for the corner kick."

"I understand," Zachary said while nodding at the left-back. "Thanks. Let's prepare for the corner."

"Good." Mikael flashed him an encouraging smile before heading towards Fiorentina's box.

Zachary also didn't dare to dilly-dally any longer. He followed after the left-back since he was also looking forward to attacking the corner ball. He wanted to utilize every opportunity to score since his team was facing off against a powerful opponent. So, taking part in the corner kick was a must for him.

However, no sooner had he stepped into Fiorentina's box than a silhouette dressed in a blue jersey was upon him. It was Stefan Savic, one of Fiorentina's three defenders. Without regard for anything, the defender stuck to him like superglue, not allowing him even an inch of space within the box.

Nonetheless, Zachary wasn't the least bit daunted by the defender's aggressiveness. He just ignored the defender and kept his eyes pivoted towards the corner flag where Borek Dockal was getting ready to take the corner kick.

Why fight off an opponent even before the ball could arrive? Zachary saw no point in that as it was simply a waste of energy. Moreover, it was the sort of behavior that could easily earn you a yellow card from the referee. So why hustle? He would wait for the corner ball before trying to outmaneuver his opponent.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee finally blew the whistle after a few more seconds. Borek Dockal, Rosenborg's left-winger, immediately floated a teasing cross towards the box from the corner flag.

It was finally the moment. So, Zachary started moving right away. He shifted his center of gravity from left to right before spinning around and heading to the other side of the box.

With that well-timed almost-instantaneous movement, he'd managed to throw off Stefan Savic, his marker. As a result, he was unmarked as he rushed towards the direction of the descending ball.

At that moment, he felt as if the time had come to a standstill as he pushed off the ground to meet the corner ball. Then, before the opponents could react, he angled his body slightly before planting a header towards the goal.

"Please go in… go in…"

He willed the ball to find its way into the back of the net as he started descending back towards the ground. He so much wished to score so as to help his team bring proceedings back to leveled ground. But the next moment, his heart sunk to the abyss of desperation once again. It seems like luck wasn't really on his side that evening.

That was because Neto, Fiorentina's goalkeeper, had stretched himself and snatched the ball out of mid-air with a diving save to deny Rosenborg a chance to score. As a result, the score was still one goal to nil in favor of Fiorentina during the 40th minute.

"Don't let him start the ball before we fall back into defense!"

Suddenly, someone shouted and broke Zachary out of his moment of desperation. But the shout had come a little too late. That was because Neto was already rushing towards the edge of the area with the ball in hand. Before any of the Rosenborg players could close him down, the goalkeeper made a one-armed throw towards the right flank where Alessandro Matri, Fiorentina's striker, was lurking.

"It's a counterattack! Hurry up and rush back to defend…" The voice of Coach Johansen reverberated from the sidelines. He was like a madman as he waved for his players to run back at full speed to prevent Fiorentina from scoring another goal.

However, the switch from defense to attack by Fiorentina was so swift that almost no Rosenborg player had managed to react in time. As a result, not even the quick-footed Zachary could catch up to the fast-flying Fiorentina forwards when they were already more than thirty yards away. So, it was only up to the two Rosenborg players who hadn't partaken in the corner kick to stop the counterattack. Otherwise, Rosenborg would concede the second goal on the night, for sure.

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Chapter 319 A Missile to Reignite the Spirit of the Team

Alessandro Matri had not had many opportunities to showcase his talent as a striker while playing for AC Milan over the past year. He'd even become a target of abuse from fans after only playing six times for the Rossoneri and only managing to score once during the entire year. He'd been the true definition of a signing-gone-wrong for the case of the Italian giants.

But since he'd joined a new team – Fiorentina on loan, he was determined to turn over a new leaf. He was hungry to play and to score a lot of goals. He yearned to prove himself as an incredible striker so as to shut the blubber mouths of his critics and, of course, get another call up to the Italian squad.

Thus, he couldn't afford to waste any chance while on the pitch.

So, after receiving the ball from Neto, Fiorentina's keeper, the first thought in his mind was on how to advance the counterattack as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

Before any Rosenborg player could close him down, he turned around with the ball hooked to his foot before taking off towards the other side of the field. His speed was truly incredible as he raced along the touchline on the right flank, leaving almost every player on the field in the dust.

Only Thomas Partey, the Rosenborg defensive midfielder who hadn't partaken in the corner kick, managed to catch up to the Italian. However, Alessandro didn't lose his composure in the slightest.

He merely flicked the ball to Josip Ilicic, the other Fiorentina forward, before running around the blockade imposed by Thomas Partey. And soon, he was once again racing towards the goal after receiving a return pass from his counterpart.

It was another dangerous moment for Rosenborg as Alessandro was one-on-one with the keeper. Most Rosenborg fans prayed for a higher power to intervene and stop the opponent from scoring. However, all was in vain.

With a well-timed flick, Alessandro Matri executed his magic. He stepped around Daniel Örlund, Rosenborg's keeper, with confidence before burying the ball into the back of the net to complete the counterattack.

—–

ROSENBORG BK 0: ACF Fiorentina 2

—–

Most Rosenborg fans had gone silent after their team conceded the second goal close to the end of the first half. They lacked energy and were merely following the game with listless eyes as if they had just lost their close relatives. Only a few hardcore supporters were still discussing the proceedings on the pitch with bloodshot eyes.

"F*ck!" A fan cursed out loud after Rosenborg had missed yet another chance on goal. "Why did Coach Johansen leave Mike, Tobias, and John Chibuike out of the squad?"

"Who knows?" Another fan said with a sigh. "What worries me is that it's already the 70th minute. However, Coach Johansen hasn't made any substitutions. Has he already decided to give up on the Europa League?"

"There is still over a month to the commencement of the Norwegian football season. Why would the coach give up on the Europa League? It doesn't make sense!"

"Let's stop making excuses for the coach," another fan chipped in. "He really miscalculated for this game. Firstly, he added two inexperienced players to the squad. They can't defend, and they can't link up well with Zachary upfront. As a result, they've allowed Fiorentina's five-man-midfield to dominate us."

"Secondly," the same fan continued. "All the players are performing below par. Their positioning, passing, and even marking abilities haven't been up to standard throughout the entire duration of the game. So, how can we expect to win against Fiorentina — a team that has always put up incredible performances even in Europe?"

"True," another fan concurred while nodding. "Our organization during this game had been terrible. Even though Zachary has tried to go at it alone by taking many shots at goal, he hasn't managed to change much as football is a game of eleven. We might really be dropping out of the Europa League."

"Might!?" A fan questioned with a sigh. "You still think that we have a chance to qualify when Fiorentina is already two goals ahead? Moreover, since those two goals are away goals, we'll need to score three at Fiorentina's home ground to qualify. And if the opponents manage to net even a single goal while in Italy, the situation will worsen. We'll then have to score four. Do you still think that we can qualify? Don't be funny."

"This game has yet to end," another fan remarked. "We still have more than 15 minutes to play. There's still hope to score and bring the proceedings back to level. So, let's not lose hope and continue supporting our team."

—–

On the pitch, Zachary could no longer contain his frustration. He'd come into the game with confidence, especially after pushing several of his attributes to the S- grade. As a result, he'd really hoped to impress by putting up the most incredible performance of his career. However, it was already the 75th minute, yet his team, Rosenborg, was still trailing Fiorentina by two goals. Even after trying his utmost to breakdown the Italian team on several occasions, he'd still not succeeded. It was as if luck wasn't on his side that day.

"Guys! Don't give up!" A shout from the sidelines broke him out of his moment of reverie. "We still have fifteen minutes to the end of the game. Continue trying, and we'll surely score."

Zachary turned to the sidelines and noticed that it was Coach Johansen yelling. The coach seemed to have never given birth to the thought of giving up, even when his team was two goals down. He was as spirited as ever while roaring out instructions for his players.

"Zachary!" Coach Johansen continued. "Continue trying out their keeper. If you get an opportunity, don't think about many things. Just shoot and you might score."

Zachary nodded while giving the coach a thumbs-up to indicate that he'd gotten the message. Without losing a second, he ran towards the right flank to defend against another one of Fiorentina's throw-ins.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle soon after. Juan Cuadrado, Fiorentina's right-winger, immediately stepped forward and threw the ball towards Anderson Oliveira, his counterpart in midfield.

Zachary reacted immediately on seeing the ball making a parabola from the touchline into the pitch. He was upon Anderson Oliveira in a flash with his incredible pace. Before the midfielder could even control the ball, Zachary was already jumping in to duel for the ball midair.

In an aerial duel, height mattered a lot. So, it was Zachary, with his 6'4 physique, who came out on top and headed the ball towards Thomas Partey, his teammate in midfield.

Thomas Partey was as efficient as usual. He didn't hold the ball for long but flicked it towards Takumi Minamino in midfield. Takumi also handled it with a sense of urgency and quickly floated it towards Nicki, who'd just switched to the right-wing.

Another Rosenborg attack was on. As a result, the home fans were again on their feet, singing the popular Rosenborg chants to encourage their team. Their voices continued resounding for the next few seconds until they hit a thunderous crescendo when the ball once again came to Zachary.

Zachary, of course, didn't disappoint the fans' expectations. With a simple shift of his center of gravity, followed by an elastico dribble, he changed directions instantaneously before breaking into the box. His movements were quick since he'd already pushed his agility and body control to the S- grading.

However, the Fiorentina defenders didn't allow him to do as he pleased and were upon him in just a second. They surrounded him immediately and closed off all his shooting angles. As a result, he could only step back and pass the ball to Borek Dockal, who'd just arrived at the edge of the box from an acute angle.

"Just shoot before the defenders close you down!" Zachary yelled as he expertly flicked the ball towards the right-winger after drawing the defenders out of the box.

"BAM!"

The next moment, the sound of Borek's boot smashing against the ball reverberated across the area, causing Zachary's heart to race with anticipation. The right-winger had done as requested and sent a powerful shot towards the inside of the right post.

However, Neto, Fiorentina's keeper, once again reacted immediately to save the situation. With a well-timed dive, he sent the ball away from his goal to deny Rosenborg a chance to score for the umpteenth time that evening. Anyone could tell that he was an incredible goalkeeper.

Nevertheless, the danger was still at large for Fiorentina. Since the shot had been a powerful one, the keeper had only pushed the ball towards the edge of the box — and into Zachary's path.

"Don't allow him to shoot! Block him!" A yell could be heard from the sidelines as Zachary controlled the ball while spinning around to face Fiorentina's goal.

At that moment, there was nothing else on Zachary's mind except the ball. He didn't even try to find out if there were opponents blocking his shooting angle since there was no time. What mattered was simply shooting, and the rest would have to depend on luck.

"Here goes nothing!"

Zachary acted immediately before the opponents could close him down. He drew his foot all the way back and struck the ball ferociously, completing the action in one go. It was as if he'd imbued all his frustration into the shot.

He would either kill the keeper or score. That was his strategy.

"BAM!"

The sweet sound of a boot connecting with the ball echoed in his ears the next moment as the ball whistled and howled towards the goal. It spun at high speed while tearing through the air as it quickly raged forward with unprecedented force and speed. Before the keeper could even react, it smashed the crossbar before bouncing into the back of the net.

SILENCE!

The whole 18-yard box turned silent as all the players stole fearful glances at Zachary. They were obviously shocked by the power of his shot. Was he trying to kill someone? Or was he trying to put a hole into the net? Their expressions could clearly express what they were thinking at that moment.

However, Zachary just disregarded them. He quickly picked the ball from the back of the net while shouting to his teammates to hurry back. He then raced all the way to the center spot before placing it there.

Since his team was still trailing by a goal, he had no time to waste and didn't celebrate the goal. At that moment, the only issue on his mind was on how to score Rosenborg's next goal before the end of the 90 minutes.

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Chapter 320 Unstoppable Momentum

The game continued after a short while. After scoring one goal, Rosenborg had all the momentum. Zachary, Takumi Minamino, Nicki Nielsen, Borek Dockal, and Alexander Söderlund were like predators on the attacking line, launching wave after wave of assaults on Fiorentina's goal. Their attacking football was incredible for the next few minutes.

However, in some magical way, Fiorentina managed to hold on and stopped Rosenborg from gaining anything from their relentless attacking. Balls repeatedly smashed against goal posts while Neto, Fiorentina's keeper, occasionally made incredible saves. Nonetheless, Zachary and co couldn't bag the equalizer no matter how hard they bombarded Fiorentina's goal. It was as if some higher force was working against them.

"Let's introduce three substitutes at once," Coach Johansen said to his assistant after watching for another minute.

"That's a good idea," Trond Henriksen, his assistant, replied. "They are likely to add five minutes of injury time after the ninety. So, the substitutes might really make an impact in those few minutes. But, who are we introducing?"

"Jonas Svensson, Karl Toko Ekambi, and Paul Kasongo," the coach said, his eyes never leaving the field of play.

"Eh!" Trond Henriksen's eyes widened with surprise.

"Do you find my choice of substitutions wrong?" Coach Johansen queried after a moment.

"No, not at all," the assistant replied hastily. "I was just surprised that you would allow Karl Toko Ekambi and Paul Kasongo to make their debuts in such an important match."

"Even though young, they are good players," Coach Johansen remarked. "They've also been doing incredibly well during training. So, there's no reason why I shouldn't allow them to participate in today's match. They might even be the solution to our problems on the pitch."

"Oh, okay, I understand," Trond replied with a sigh. "I'll go ahead and prep the subs. Who are we substituting out?"

"Takumi Minamino, Borek Dockal, and Alexander Söderlund."

"Eh!" Trond was once again surprised. "But those three players have played great football over the last four minutes. Should we really be taking them out?"

"No matter how well they played, they still failed to score," Coach Johansen stated. "As attackers, they have failed to fulfill their core roles. So, we should have even substituted them out of the game a few minutes back."

"Oh, okay." Trond nodded. "I'll prep the subs right away."

—–

In the stands, the fans were surprised after noticing the three substitutes on the touchline. Of course, most of them were familiar with Jonas Svensson, the midfielder who occasionally played as a winger for Rosenborg. But what perplexed them was the presence of two new faces among the substitutes.

"What the hell is Coach Johansen trying to do?" One of the fans couldn't take it anymore and let loose a helpless yell. "It's already coming to the 90th minute, but why is the coach introducing two unknown players? Has he really given up on the Europa League?"

"Who knows?" Another fan replied. "The coach might have lost his touch during the Christmas holidays. I also don't understand how he can introduce two inexperienced players at this stage in the game. Moreover, all the attackers have played incredibly well over the last few minutes. So, who is he going to take out?"

"Let's hope that it isn't Zachary," another fan teased.

"Man, don't jinx our game. Taking out Zachary at this moment is like giving up the game. So, unless the coach is totally out of his mind, there's no chance of that happening…"

The supporters continued discussing while following the game until the fourth official put up the board to signal the substitutions. It was then that the voice of Kjell Roar, the commentator, cut across the din in the stadium to introduce the three substitutes.

"The Rosenborg coach has decided to introduce three substitutes during the 90th minute of the game," the commentator announced. "Coming on for Rosenborg's new midfielder – Takumi Minamino is Jonas Svensson, one of the most promising players on the Rosenborg squad. He'll most likely be taking on the role of an attacking midfielder for the remaining five minutes of injury time."

"On the other hand," the commentator continued, "Karl Toko Ekambi and Paul Kasongo will be coming on for Borek Dockal and Alexander Söderlund, respectively. They're both new players making their official debuts for Rosenborg in today's game. Can they make a difference in the added five minutes? Let's wait and see."

A moment of silence descended upon the stadium right after the commentator had introduced the substitutes. Most Rosenborg fans couldn't make heads or tails of the coach's decision since they'd never heard the names – Karl Toko Ekambi and Paul Kasongo. The abilities of the two players were simply an enigma to them. So, they just sat there in the stands without any reaction while inwardly praying for a miracle to happen in the last few minutes of game play.

—–

FWEEEEEEE*

Immediately after all the substitutes had stepped onto the pitch, the referee blew the whistle and the game restarted. For the next minute, Rosenborg's momentum slowed down a little due to the new changes in the squad. As a result, the Fiorentina players showed signs of recovery. The men in blue soon started playing their one-touch or two-touch football as they tried their best to hold on to possession.

However, how could Zachary allow them to do as they pleased? He couldn't afford to waste time since only about four minutes were remaining to the end of the game. So, he worked harder than ever while yelling at his teammates to close down the opponents as quickly as possible. And soon, the team's efforts paid off and quickly turned the game's tempo.

The relentless high-pressing by the Rosenborg players had forced the Fiorentina players to play a long ball forward, which was immediately picked up by Yerry Mina, the center-back.

Yerry Mina handled the ball with a sense of urgency and quickly kicked it to Mikael Dorsin on the left flank. Mikael did the same and flicked it to Thomas Partey, Rosenborg's holding midfielder, who also immediately passed it to Paul Kasongo on the right-wing. The right-winger also didn't dilly-dally and threaded a pass towards Zachary in the middle.

"Tiki, taka, Tiki, taka…"

The passes flowed like spring water as the Rosenborg players pressed forward like patient hunters eyeing their game. With Zachary's organization, they didn't panic while attacking even when they were well aware that only a couple of minutes were remaining to the end of the game. Instead, they moved forward slowly but surely, stretching the entire Fiorentina line-up with their fluid passing. In that way, they soon managed to create a gap in Fiorentina's defensive shape not long after.

Modibo Diakité was the Fiorentina center-back who stepped out of position to take on Paul Kasongo on the right flank. As a result, he'd left a gap behind him in Fiorentina's defense.

Of course, Zachary, who was nearby, wouldn't miss the opportunity of taking advantage of such a defensive mistake. His incredible spatial awareness made him aware of the blunder immediately. And within a flash, he ran into the space left by the defender while signaling Kasongo to pass the ball to him.

Kasongo had spent plenty of time playing with Zachary in the academy and on Rosenborg's training grounds. So, the winger knew his habits. He noticed his run immediately and threaded the ball to him without losing even a second.

The pass was on point and exactly where Zachary wanted it. With a single deft touch, he received the ball before taking off towards Fiorentina's box like a raging tiger in the wild.

It was a chance for Rosenborg to score. And, of course, Zachary's speed, rated at the S- rank by the system, exploded forth, sending the Rosenborg fans into a wave of frenzy. They sang his name at the top of their lungs, boosting his morale as he rushed forward with the ball like there was no tomorrow. Before long, he was steeping into the 18-yard box where he met an obstacle.

It was Stefan Savic, another Fiorentina center-back, who'd come forward to close him down at the edge of the box. However, with a simple change of pace, followed by an improvised version of the Marseille turn, he left the defender butt-down on the ground, eating the dust. And as soon as he'd completed his 360-degree-turn, he was one-on-one with Neto, Fiorentina's keeper.

Lightning-fast thoughts flashed through Zachary's mind as he drew his leg back while observing the position of the keeper. Neto had made many incredible saves that night. It was as if the keeper had been on drugs. So, Zachary was ruthless while deciding on how to place the shot. He'd to ensure that he would score even if he'd to blast the keeper into the back of the net.

"Catch this if you can!"

Zachary muttered under his breath as he swung down his leg like a whip. With the sort of proficiency practiced thousands of times on the training ground, he unleashed a powerful kick with the top of his boot onto the ball. He'd again imbued all his frustrations and hopes for his team into that one shot.

"BAM!"

The ball was like lightning tearing through the void. While carrying a strong wind, it cut a vicious trajectory through the air as it raged towards Neto's head like a ballistic missile.

"Damn!"

Neto, Fiorentina's goalkeeper, couldn't help but curse out loud. He instinctively brought his hands before his face, maybe to protect himself and stop the ball from making its way into the back of the net.

But all his efforts were fruitless as the force carried by Zachary's shot was beyond what words could describe. The ball blasted at his arms like a hammer smashing against an anvil, jolting him a step back before making its way into the back of the net. He could do nothing to stop Zachary from scoring since he'd unleashed the powerful shot from only a few yards away.

GOAAAL!

ROSENBORG BK 2: AFC FIORENTINA 2.

The stadium exploded into another wave of cheers. In the 94th minute, with only one minute of injury time remaining to the end of the game, Rosenborg had scored the equalizer.

That time around, Zachary chose to run to the corner flag to celebrate with the rest of his teammates since he'd already managed to tie the score. There was no longer any need to panic since only a minute of gameplay remained to the conclusion of the proceedings that night. He was well aware that the winner between the two teams could only be determined after the second leg scheduled for the following week at Fiorentina's home ground.

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Chapter 321 Post-Match Routines

Zachary woke up later than usual the following day. He was suffering from post-match fatigued since he'd played all the ninety minutes against Fiorentina the previous evening. He couldn't even walk with a steady gait since all his joints were aching as if they were full of lead.

Be that as it may, he didn't dare miss exercising that morning as he was a man still on a mission to improve himself. He worked with weights for twenty minutes and then jumped on the treadmill for a 15-minute conditioning session. After that, he performed some static stretches for five minutes before switching to a yoga routine to boost his recovery from post-match fatigue.

Zachary was well aware that he couldn't afford to waste time resting on his laurels since he hadn't yet mastered the Robinho-step-over juju. So, he was very meticulous while going through each of the routines and performed them with a hundred percent focus until he was sweating and out of breath.

By the end of the session, he could feel that his muscles had relaxed to a great extent and were no longer aching like when he'd just got up from bed. For sure, the drills were already boosting his recovery.

After completing the exercises, he took a cold shower before heading to the kitchen to prepare himself something to eat. He was very thorough while arranging his meal since he was well aware of the importance of breakfast for a professional athlete.

Within one hour of waking up, the body would always be like a sponge ready to absorb energy from food. Thus, if an athlete missed eating breakfast in that small window in the morning, the metabolism would slow down. The body would then be forced to look for alternative fuel sources by breaking down the body's stores. What would follow would be the decline in the athlete's performance during the rest of the day.

Over the past four months, Zachary had been regularly consulting a sports nutritionist on how to handle his meals. He'd even developed a specialized diet for each meal for every single day of the week to meet his training needs. So, he didn't waste any time deliberating on what to cook for breakfast that morning.

He prepared some milk, eggs, bacon, toasted bread, and plenty of mixed-fruit juice with a practiced hand before settling on his dining table to feast on his breakfast. In order to pass the time more effectively, he even started browsing the sports news on his phone.

Most of the articles in the news were about the recently-played UEFA Champions League and Europa League matches. However, the ones that attracted Zachary's attention were those reporting the results and match summaries from the previous day's Europa League round of thirty-two stage.

Juventus had won its Europa League home game against Trabzonspor, the Turkish football club, by a score of 2:0. Daniel Osvaldo and Paul Pogba each scored in the 16th and 90th minute, respectively, to ensure that the Italian giants came out on top at the end of the night. Moreover, considering their commanding performance, they were also the favorites to win the second leg that was to be held in Turkey the following week. If nothing unexpected transpired, they would surely qualify for the round of sixteen.

Thence, should Rosenborg overcome Fiorentina in Florence the following week, they would have a high probability of facing off against Juventus, the leviathan of Italian football, in the round of sixteen.

"What kind of luck is this?"

Zachary couldn't help but let out a sigh as he considered the chances of Rosenborg against the Italian giants. A much-weaker Fiorentina had given them a hard time the previous night. So, on paper, the odds would evidently be against them if they played Juventus — a team brimming with incredible players like Carlos Tévez, Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal, and Andrea Pirlo, among others. Considering those fixtures ahead, the luck of the Troll Kids in the Europa League draw was really terrible.

"The road ahead is sure filled with hardships."

Zachary shook his head in resignation before continuing to savor his breakfast. He'd resolved to take one match at a time and leave everything else to luck. Nothing else mattered to him aside from Rosenborg's Europa League match scheduled for next week.

As long as Rosenborg could defeat Fiorentina and qualify for the round of sixteen, then he would be satisfied. He would have completed at least one of the system's 2013/14 Europa League serial mission milestones. Thus, he would no longer have to worry about the system penalty of 120,000 Juju points.

"Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt!"

The phone in his hands started vibrating while he was still enjoying his breakfast. He immediately noticed that the call was from Kasongo, his long-time friend. So, without losing a moment, he accepted the call before placing the phone against his ear.

"Hello, Kasongo," he said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," Kasongo replied from the other end of the line. "How are you today, Zachary?"

"I'm also fine," Zachary replied. "By the way, before I forget, let me first congratulate you upon making your official debut for Rosenborg yesterday. You played quite well and even provided an assist for the second goal. The coach will surely remember you while making the squad for the next game."

Kasongo chuckled from the other end of the line. "Thanks, Zach. I also hope to get more opportunities to play for Rosenborg from now on."

"You certainly will if you continue working hard."

"Hearing that from you puts my heart at ease. By the way, Zach. I'm here with the Otterson brothers, and we were wondering if you have some time to hang out with us. We wish to consult you about some issues."

"Oh!" Zachary said, glancing at his wall clock. "I have a training session with my fitness trainer at 3:00 PM. But, I'll be free to meet up before then."

"Then, that's great," Kasongo said excitedly. "Can we come over to your place right now?"

"That's also okay."

"Great," Kasongo said. "See you in a bit."

"Okay, see you," Zachary replied before hanging up.

—–

Chapter 322 Advice for Friends

Thirty minutes later, Kasongo arrived together with the Otterson brothers. Zachary was surprised as they came carrying a lot of snacks, including Pizzas and pre-packaged juice bottles. It was as if they were heading for a party.

"What's with all the food?" He asked.

"We figured that you might be hungry, especially after exerting yourself during yesterday's game," Kasongo replied with a grin while taking off his jacket by the door. "So, we decided to bring over some take-away. Moreover, what kind of visitors would we be if we came to your place without bearing gifts?"

"But I already ate breakfast."

"No worries," Kasongo replied, waving his arm dismissively. "We can eat the Pizzas at lunch."

Zachary could only shake his head as he glanced at his countrymate. Kasongo had grown taller over the years. He was already about five feet eight. But what always surprised Zachary was his uncanny resemblance to Raheem Sterling, the future Manchester City winger. Be it the sideburns, the skin shade, and the small face — they were all like a copy of the English forward.

"Say, Kasongo," Zachary could not help but inquire after a moment. "Could you be a long-lost brother to Raheem Sterling, the Liverpool player?"

Both Paul and Kendrick Otterson chuckled on hearing the question. The brothers had also grown up over the years. They were already almost as tall as Zachary and exuded an air of maturity.

"That was a good one," Paul Otterson said as he bumped fists with Zachary in greeting. "We were also wondering whether he was in some way related to that Liverpool youngster. Anyways, how have you been, Zachary? It has been a long time since the three of us got together. You really chucked us when you made it big as a pro."

"That's not the case," Zachary hurriedly explained. "You should understand that I spend most of my time training to better myself. So, I hardly get time for anything else. Moreover, didn't you three also abandon me when I left Moholt? You clearly knew where my apartment was, but you couldn't even drop by once in a while for a visit!"

"Don't mind Paul's words," Kendrick hurriedly chipped in while patting Zachary's shoulder. "We were also trying our best to graduate from the academy and then, later on, to make it into the senior squad. So, we also couldn't find time to hang out."

"That put's my heart at ease," Zachary said with a grin. He also settled in one of the sofas in the living room before continuing. "It's great that you guys have made it into the senior squad. How's everything? Are you coping well?"

"Well," Kendrick Otterson said with a sigh. "Everything is going on okay. But we're still not satisfied with our progress over the years. I'm already 20-years-of-age, while both Kasongo and Paul are already nineteen. However, we still haven't managed to cement our positions as part of the Rosenborg squad. It's really frustrating."

"Take it slow," Zachary said. "Just set a few achievable training goals, and do your best to meet them on a daily basis. With your talent, you should be able to cement your place in Rosenborg's starting line-up within two years at most."

"But that's still too slow!" That time around, it was Kasongo who chimed in. "You're also the same age as us, but you're already the team's superstar. Seeing you on the pitch makes us yearn for more, especially since we were together in the academy."

"Well, my circumstances are different," Zachary said, thinking about his system. "Moreover, have you forgotten that comparing yourself to another is not always good? Just focus on yourself. Set some goals. Try to be better than the person you were yesterday. If you do that on a daily basis, you'll surely improve in whatever you do."

"That's some good advice, Zachary," Kendrick said with a sigh. "But we still believe that we're not doing our best to realize our full potential. Look at Kasongo. When he started training more seriously, he made the match squad yesterday. So, we believe that we can achieve greater goals as long as we practice much more arduously."

"That's true," Zachary concurred. "Hard work during training always pays off on the pitch. But you can't train aimlessly and unsystematically. You've got to realize your shortcomings first—before working on them on the training ground. For instance, if your balance and coordination or passing attributes are below par, you undergo targeted training to improve those aspects of your game. That's the way of true professionals."

"You're right, Zachary." Kendrick nodded. "And that's the reason we've come to you. Could you point us in the right direction on how to train like pros in the future? Any pointers from you could help us a lot as we work on our techniques."

"Oh!" Zachary said, taking some time to organize his thoughts. "At this stage of your careers, it is crucial to solidify your basics first. You've got to perfect your techniques, including ball control, passing, and shooting to the best of your ability. As long as your basics are solid, you'll have a high chance of being named on the match squad."

"Additionally, you've got to work on your fitness day in day out to ensure that you are always in great shape. As long as you are fit, football becomes very easy as you can do plenty of things on the ball without panicking. You can dribble without much effort, take great shots, or even win one-on-one duels if you're in tip-top shape. So, fitness is a very crucial factor for a pro footballer."

"Lastly, I would recommend hiring a professional fitness trainer," Zachary continued. "With a fitness trainer, you'll be able to set achievable training goals and work on them under professional guidance. For instance, if you need to build some muscle, like in the case of Kasongo, the fitness trainer will help you out greatly. The same goes for Paul, who needs to work on his stamina."

"Oh, okay," Otterson hurriedly inquired. "Is there any fitness trainer you can recommend?"

"I can recommend my fitness trainer, Bjørn Peters," Zachary replied. "You should be able to remember him. He was the assistant coach of our academy team."

"Oh! I know Coach Bjorn Peters," Paul Otterson chimed in. "He was the muscular guy who always helped out Coach Johansen in the academy. But I didn't know that he was a fitness trainer."

"Well, he's one of the best fitness trainers in Norway," Zachary said with a smile. "If you happen to work with him just for a year, you'll surely achieve great things. I'll be meeting him in the afternoon. If you're interested, I can ask him to take some time out of his schedule to meet you."

"Of course, we're interested," Kasongo said. "As long as he can help us improve, then there's no reason for us to refuse."

Zachary chuckled. "I'll arrange the meeting time today. However, his fees are a bit high. He might charge you about 6,000 NOK per month just to work with you three times a week."

"That's not a problem," Kendrick said with a grin. "After signing official contracts with Rosenborg, we all earn more than 50,000 NOK per month. So, we can afford the 6,000 NOK for a fitness trainer."

"Then, that's awesome," Zachary intoned. "I'll arrange the meeting today. Just wait for my call."

"Okay, Zach," Paul Otterson said. "We'll eagerly await your news. By the way, Zachary. There's a rumor on some popular sports blogs that you have signed a deal with Nike. Is it true?"

"Yes, it's true," Zachary replied, feeling a bit surprised by the resourcefulness of the media people. "I signed an endorsement contract with Nike just last week. But the Nike representatives are yet to make any announcements. So, I'm wondering how the media learned about the deal."

"Don't underestimate the capabilities of journalists," Paul Otterson said with a sigh. "As long as something happens, they'll surely know about it. But that aside, you should be a rich man at the moment. Isn't that right?"

"Not at all," Zachary said. "I haven't received any payments from Nike as of yet."

"Just don't forget to take us out for celebrations after receiving your first payment," Kasongo chimed in. "We need to celebrate such events to relax our minds."

"Kasongo, why are you always thinking of parties?" Zachary queried. "Can't you think of something else?"

"Don't worry," Kasongo hurriedly replied. "I was only joking with you. But seriously, Zachary! You need to take a few days off from training to relax. You don't have to do it regularly. Even once or twice a month is enough. It won't even affect your long-term training plans."

"I do sometimes take time off," Zachary replied, his tone defensive. "For instance, I was on holiday in Barcelona with my girlfriend during the offseason. Don't you think that that's enough relaxation time?"

"Oh!" Kasongo said, his tone self-effacing. "I forgot that you're now like a married man. You go on vacation, and you don't even call us! Is it because we don't have girlfriends of our own?"

"You are as funny as ever, Kasongo," Zachary said, shaking his head. "But don't worry. If I organize something else, I'll call you, guys."

Kasongo grinned from ear to ear on hearing the promise. "You said it yourself, Zachary. We shall be eagerly waiting for your call during the next few weeks. Don't you forget!"

Zachary chuckled. "By the way, have you guys eaten breakfast yet? Or, should I offer you some breakfast?"

"We have already eaten." That time around, it was Kendrick who replied. "Just give us some juice. It'll be enough."

"Okay."

Chapter 323 To Florence, Italy

After arranging a schedule for his friends to train with Coach Bjørn Peters, Zachary returned his entire focus to the routine team practice. To prepare for the upcoming Europa League second leg match against Fiorentina, he rehearsed formations, set pieces, and player movements with his teammates for the subsequent five days. Under the guidance of the Rosenborg coaches, the whole team was soon like a well-oiled machine, with all players clearly knowing their roles for the upcoming game against Fiorentina.

Whenever Zachary wasn't training with the team, he would also find time to perform the physical and mental conditioning drills required to master the Robinho-step-over juju. Whether it was day or night, it didn't matter to him. He would work on his dribbling skills either in the system's simulator or on the training ground at Lerkendal whenever he got the opportunity.

Step by step, he slowly pushed the progress of his mental and physical mastery of the step-over juju to above 90%. By the fifth day, when only a single day remained to the second leg match against Fiorentina, he could already side-step on the training ground quite well. He could even take on his teammates and beat them while solely relying on his step-overs.

He was evidently on the cusp of achieving true mastery over the technique. Nevertheless, Zachary understood that he wasn't ready to utilize the step-over skill in official matches.

As long as he couldn't master all the aspects of the juju to more than a hundred percent, it would remain as good as useless. That was because he would be prone to making missteps during critical moments of the game if he tried out a skill that he hadn't made his own. It was the simple—but ugly truth.

"I can only take one step at a time," Zachary resolved. "What's most important is to beat Fiorentina the day after tomorrow. After the game, I'll have roughly two weeks to master the skill in its whole totality and make it my own."

Zachary continued training after making the resolution. Even though the sun had already sunk below the horizon in the west, he continued exerting himself and going through various drills on the training ground to condition himself.

That day, he only ended his targeted practice at around nine o'clock at night. He then stretched for a few minutes before taking a shower in the bathrooms beside the training ground's locker rooms. After drying himself and dressing up, he quickly exited Lerkendal and jumped into his R8 GT. Before long, he was cruizing on the roads of Trondheim, heading to his apartment to rest for the night. He was eager to get back home since he'd already made plans to spend the night with Camilla.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014.

—–

The Rosenborg players, who'd made Coach Johansen's match squad, boarded a KLM Airlines flight early in the morning that day and headed to Florence, Italy. They were on their way to play the second leg of the Europa League's round of thirty-two fixture against Fiorentina.

The journey was a pleasant one, without any mishaps. As a result, the plane managed to touch down on the runway of the Aeroporto di Firenze-Peretola five and a half hours later — when the clock was just pointing to midday.

The players, including Zachary, quickly stepped out of the plane under the guidance of the dedicated staff. However, not even a single Rosenborg fan came to welcome them as the club was not famous in Italy. So, before long, they successfully made their way to the airport's arrivals section without much fanfare.

"Welcome to Florence, team Rosenborg," a gentleman who was part of the airport staff said. "You can go through that gate to pick up your check-in luggage."

All the members of Rosenborg's delegation possessed Norwegian identity cards that were valid throughout the entire Schengen area. Thence, the procedures at the airport were pretty straightforward.

In only about thirty minutes, all the players, coaches, and medical personnel had already collected their luggage and quickly exited the airport. Without wasting time, they boarded a bus arranged for the team and were soon on their way to Hotel Villa Gabriele D'Annunzio, where they would spend the two nights in Florence.

On the way to the hotel, Zachary couldn't take his eyes off the various captivating sceneries that flashed by the bus window. The blend of the gorgeous roads and the Renaissance architecture gave the metropolis a unique historical ambiance that could even captivate the minds of the most hard-to-please tourists. Florence was really a beautiful city as far as Zachary was concerned.

"Okay, guys," Trond Henriksen, the assistant head coach, yelled from the front of the bus after a few more minutes of driving. "The schedule is as follows when we arrive at the hotel. We'll first check into our hotel rooms before having our lunch. We'll then rest for about an hour to recover from the jet lag before going through a conditioning session in the gym at 3:00 PM. After that, you'll all have to return to your hotel rooms to rest. No player is allowed to leave the hotel grounds to tour the city. We don't want any of you to face unexpected incidents before our game tomorrow evening. Are we together?"

"Yes, coach."

"Good," Coach Trond Henriksen said, nodding. "We've arrived. Get ready to alight from the bus."

—–

As planned, the team only went through a conditioning session at three that evening. After that, the Rosenborg players returned to their rooms to rest as per the coach's instructions.

Of late, Coach Johansen had become much stricter and had even benched a couple of first-team players who couldn't follow his instructions. Thus, all the selected players were on their best behavior that night as they didn't want to get into the bad books of their coach. They all stayed in their rooms without complaint until it was time for dinner.

After dinner, most of the players, including Zachary, gathered in the hotel lounge to watch the UEFA Champions League match between FC Schalke 04 and Real Madrid.

The game was one-sided, with Real Madrid dominating the proceedings from the first minute. Each of the three forwards – Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, and Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace, taking Real Madrid's tally to six goals at the end of the night. FC Schalke 04 only managed to bag one consolation goal, curtsey of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, late in the 90th minute.

Zachary felt his blood boil after watching the complete thrashing by the Spanish giants. Their football was really pleasing to the eyes and their teamwork incredible. Every player had a well-defined role on the pitch, making their football too easy and enjoyable.

Zachary even started considering whether he should also join a giant team after transferring out of Rosenborg. It was a notion that was really tempting, especially to him, a player who desired to play football at the highest level.

——

The following morning, the players woke up early. After having breakfast, they traveled by bus to a nearby training ground to go through some last-minute preparations for the game. Under the strict supervision of the coaches, they worked with the ball for roughly two hours and refined their tactics on the field before returning to their hotel rooms to rest.

Zachary, on his part, soon busied himself with watching the past matches of Fiorentina when he returned to his room. He wanted to effectively exploit all the shortcomings of his opponents since the game was akin to a life and death battle as far as he was concerned. So, aside from when he had meals, he spent most of the day on his phone, trying his best to find Fiorentina's weaknesses from the past match videos.

It was a tedious task, for sure. However, Zachary went at it with a hundred percent focus until he could name the personal shortcomings of each of the Fiorentina players. By evening, he already knew well those who were slow-paced and had even crammed the usual habits of most regulars on the Italian side. It was as if he'd turned into an analyst for team Fiorentina.

"Knock! Knock! Zachary, are you in?"

Suddenly, his ears picked up a loud knocking sound followed by the voice of Mikael Dorsin, the assistant captain, from behind the door.

"The door is open, Mikael," Zachary replied, glancing up from his phone. "You can just come in."

Mikael immediately shoved the door open and stepped into the room. "It's already 7:00 PM," he said. "Only two hours remain to the game's kick-off. So, the coach has called everyone down to eat a light dinner before heading to the stadium."

"Oh!" Zachary said after taking a peek at his watch. "Give me a minute to prepare my match gear. We can go down together."

"You seemed quite busy!" Mikael remarked, stealing a peek at Zachary's phone. "What were you doing?"

"I was analyzing Fiorentina's past match videos," Zachary replied as he got up from the bed.

"You're really working hard!" Mikael exclaimed. "How can you handle watching those boring videos all day long, especially right before a game?"

"I simply want to win," Zachary responded. "So, I'm doing my best to gain an advantage over the opponents."

"I guess you're right," Mikael said with a smile. "Since the coach has again given you a free role in the squad, you'll have free reign on the pitch. You'll have to decide how and where to play during the match. So, researching the opponents is really important in your case."

"Exactly," Zachary concurred, slinging his gym bag over his shoulder. "I'm ready now. Let's head down before the team bus leaves us behind."

"Okay."

Chapter 324 Deadlock

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle to signal the match kick-off at 9:05 PM, sending the whole stadium into an explosion of cheers. The second leg of the Europa League's round of thirty-two fixture between Rosenborg and Fiorentina had finally commenced.

For that game, Coach Johansen didn't make any changes to the squad that played the first leg. Daniel Örlund, Rosenborg's veteran goalkeeper, was in goal while Mikael Dorsin, Tore Reginiussen, Yerry Mina, and Eric Bailly were holding down the fort in defense. Thomas Partey once again played as the defensive midfielder, while Zachary Bemba and Takumi Minamino were the attacking midfielders. Lastly, Nicki Nielsen, Borek Dockal, and Alexander Söderlund were the three forwards to complete Rosenborg's 4-3-3 formation.

On the side of Fiorentina, there were a lot more changes made to the squad that'd initially played against Rosenborg in Trondheim. The three players – Josip Ilicic, Oliveira Anderson, and Manuel Vargas were not part of the starting line-up. Moreover, their coach had switched from a 3-5-2 shape to a more versatile 4-3-3 formation. From just the set-up, anyone watching the match could tell that he'd prioritized attacking over defending for that game against Rosenborg.

The match proceeded as expected in the first few minutes of gameplay. While being urged on by the thunderous cheers of the home crowd, the men in purple launched endless waves of attacks on Rosenborg's defense like mad. They utilized a combination of wing play while on the ball and high pressing tactics while not on the ball to outplay Rosenborg. Before long, they settled comfortably into the game and dominated the proceedings on the pitch.

The intent of the Italian outfit was evident as they monopolized possession and created several chances in the first thirty minutes. But, no matter how much they bombarded Rosenborg's goal, they still couldn't get an opportunity to score that crucial opener.

Rosenborg's defense was like an impenetrable bastion, warding off all the attacks without taking any damage. The Rosenborg four defenders worked well with Thomas Partey, the holding midfielder, to prevent Fiorentina from converting their clear chances at goal. As a result, the game remained deadlocked at a score of 0:0 as the big clock on the screen indicated that it was almost half-time.

By then, the tension had already steadily built up within the crowd of Fiorentina supporters, forcing them to quieten down. For minutes the anxiety levels were so high throughout the stadium. As a result, the Fiorentina coach was forced to become more active on the sidelines.

"Don't panic!" Vincenzo Montella, Fiorentina's head coach, bellowed at his players from within the technical area. "Settle down and play your own game. Ensure to pass the ball around patiently through the middle and the flanks to break down their defensive shape. We don't need to be anxious…"

His words reverberated across the pitch in quick succession like rounds of bullets from a machine gun. However, he still couldn't improve Fiorentina's situation on the pitch, no matter how loud he clamored and roared. The Rosenborg defense remained impenetrable — and as a result, the score was still 0:0 as the players of both teams headed into the tunnel for half-time.

Coach Johansen's mood was a bit jittery as he swept his gaze across the players who'd just settled down in the dressing room for the half-time break. The first half had been filled with ups and downs, with Fiorentina almost scoring the opening goal on several occasions. But fortunately, his players had managed to put up a satisfying defensive performance to thwart all the Italian side's attempts at goal. They'd played with purpose and followed the game plan to the letter — a fact that delighted the coach.

Be that as it may, Coach Johansen understood that he couldn't allow his players to relax before the end of the game. He needed to encourage his players to become bolder and launch more attacks on the opponent's goal if they wished to win the fixture and qualify for the next round of the Europa League.

"Guys, can I have your attention?" He said, taking center stage within the dressing room.

All the players immediately quietened down. They ceased all chatter and soon pivoted their attention onto the coach.

"You all played well during the first half," the coach continued. "You followed the game plan perfectly and stayed in proper shape. Thanks to your efforts, we held off Fiorentina and prevented them from scoring. However, we're still in a dire situation since we conceded two goals at home last week. Should we fail to score and win the game during the second half, Fiorentina will still qualify due to the away goal rule."

"So, guys, we all need to do our best and play like never before to score at least a single goal during the second half. One goal is enough to take us through. As long as we get that one goal and continue defending as we did during the first half, we'll be the team playing in the Europa League's round of sixteen. Are we together?"

"Yes, coach."

Coach Johansen smiled, glancing around. "I'm glad we're on the same page," he said. "Now moving on to the tactics. In the second half, we'll continue playing defensively as a team. The three midfielders and two of the forwards will have to keep falling back to help the defenders resist Fiorentina's attacks. However, if there's a chance, we counterattack."

"We'll need to be swift and effective whenever we get the chance. I expect all forward players and midfielders to do their best to link up and score a goal on the counter as soon as possible. Are we together?"

"Yes, coach."

"Good," Coach Johansen said, nodding. He then gave a few more instructions specific to individual players for the next few minutes before sending the team back to the field for the second half. He had already done the best he could to organize his team. The rest was up to his players.

Chapter 325 One Goal is Sufficient

Zachary was as hardworking as ever during the first few minutes of the second half. For that game, he played as a true-blue central midfielder. He didn't just focus on attacking but would also constantly fall back to defend against Fiorentina's barrage of attacks.

He understood that Fiorentina was a much stronger team when compared to Rosenborg. He knew that he couldn't let himself relax and leave the defending to his teammates. So, he worked harder than ever and was like a tireless madman in the midfield with his S-graded stamina, endurance, and agility attributes.

Moreover, since he'd studied the weakness and habits of the Fiorentina squad before the game, he was more effective on the pitch. Whenever the opponents had the ball, he was always quick to make a decision since he could easily predict their playing patterns from their previous matches. Thanks to his efforts, Rosenborg prevented the Italian side from scoring the opening goal on several occasions.

The minutes passed quickly, and the clock on the big screen soon indicated that it was the 70th minute. At that moment, Fiorentina had just initiated another attack to break down Rosenborg's defense.

Juan Cuadrado, Fiorentina's right-winger, exchanged a couple of one-twos with Alberto Aquilani, the midfielder, as they cut through Rosenborg's defense. Their teamwork was incredible as they circumvented a series of opponents before making it into the final third. But they soon ran into an obstacle in the form of Eric Bailly when they continued on towards Rosenborg's box.

Eric Bailly was like a ruthless assassin as he slid in to tackle the ball from Juan Cuadrado's feet. With a single merciless sweep, he sent the Fiorentina man tumbling to the ground before securing the ball.

"Foul! Foul…"

The Fiorentina players started shouting at the referee, hoping to claim a free kick. However, all their efforts were fruitless. The referee ignored their complaints and waved the gameplay to continue.

Chance!

Zachary acted with all the haste he could master when he saw the opponents lose concentration for a moment. He quickly ran into space while calling out to Eric Bailly to pass the ball to him.

The Rosenborg players had practiced various counterattacking routines over the past few days in preparation for the game. So, Eric Bailly didn't need Zachary's reminder at that moment. He quickly flicked the ball forward towards Zachary's position to initiate the counterattack.

Zachary's entire being bubbled with excitement when he received the ball in the middle of the pitch close to the center circle. With a single deft touch, he brought it under control before turning around to face Fiorentina's side of the pitch.

Within an instant, he assessed the positioning of both the opponents and his teammates while expertly stepping past an opponent that'd just closed him down. By relying on his high-level spatial awareness, he managed to form a mental map of those around him before taking the first stride towards the other half.

Zachary understood that it was then or never. So, he took off like a race car, accelerating to his top speed within a second. He was soon circumventing defenders while dashing towards Fiorentina's box as if his life was on the line.

At one point, he came across a ruthless tackle from David Pizarro, the Fiorentina midfielder. However, Zachary played a one-two with Takumi Minamino as he skirted around the sliding tackle. Before long, he was already bearing down on Fiorentina's box as a wave of booing descended upon the entire stadium.

The Fiorentina supporters seemed intent on disrupting his rhythm and concentration with their loud voices. However, Zachary was already an experienced old hand on the professional stage. He didn't lose his composure as he slowed down slightly before the box to assess his options.

On his right was his counterpart in midfield – Takumi Minamino, while on his left was Nicki Nielsen, Rosenborg's star striker. Thus, he had the option of either attempting to score himself or passing the ball to one of his two teammates.

Reason always dictated that midfielders make such choices based on the past statistics of the attacking players in the team. However, by following his instincts, Zachary decided to do the opposite. Instead of passing to the more experienced and lethal Nicki Nielsen, he flicked the ball to Takumi Minamino, who was just stepping past the last center back and into Rosenborg's box.

Takumi received Zachary's pin-point through-pass right before stepping into an off-side position. With a not-so-complicated graceful touch, he pushed the ball forward to stride into the box. Before any of the defenders could close him down, he unleashed a curling right-footed shot that easily skirted around the keeper and made it into the back of the net.

ACF Fiorentina 0: Rosenborg BK 1

In the 70th minute, Rosenborg had finally broken the deadlock and scored the opening goal. All the Rosenborg players, including the goal scorer -Takumi Minamino, were ecstatic while celebrating in front of Fiorentina's goal. They sang and shouted at the top of their voices without minding the angry Fiorentina fans glaring at them from the stands behind the goal.

Coach Johansen roared out in excitement, repeatedly punching his fist into the air when Takumi Minamino scored Rosenborg's first goal. For the past few minutes, he'd been worried. He was fearful that his team would have to bow out of that season's Europa League during the round of thirty-two stage.

But since his players had finally gotten the crucial opening goal, he could relax and organize targeted tactics to frustrate Fiorentina. The next few minutes would be about game management, and as a coach, he would have to pull out all his stops to ensure that his team didn't concede even a single goal. So, without losing a minute, he introduced two more defensive-minded players to his side to increase the resistance against Fiorentina's attacks.

The goddess of luck seemed to be on Rosenborg's side that evening. Although the Fiorentina attackers continued trying their best to break down Rosenborg's defense, there were no more surprises in the final minutes. The Rosenborg players held onto their 1:0 lead until the final whistle sounded by defending together as a team.

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Chapter 326 Unexpected News

When the final whistle sounded, Coach Johansen rushed into the pitch, yelling at the top of his voice to celebrate Rosenborg's victory. Closely following behind him were the rest of the substitutes and the members of the technical team. They were, at that moment, hopping up and down excitedly like a bunch of kids that'd just chanced upon an ice cream truck. Not even the loud booing by the Fiorentina fans still in the stadium could dampen their jubilant mood.

"Nice game," Coach Johansen said while giving Zachary a bear hug. "That run in the 70th minute was incredible. And great thinking when you passed the ball to Takumi instead of Nicki. None of the defenders expected you to make such a choice. Even I, your coach, was quite surprised by your choice."

"Sometimes, football is all about keeping your opponents guessing," Zachary replied, stepping away from the coach's embrace. "But, to be honest, I was quite anxious at that moment. I couldn't have known that my choice was the right one."

When he passed the ball to Takumi, he'd wished to confuse the opponents. He understood that the Fiorentina coach should've already researched his playing patterns from Rosenborg's previous matches. So, the only way to go at such a crucial moment was to make a decision he wouldn't have previously made so as to catch the defenders off-guard.

"It's good that your choice bore fruit in the end," Coach Johansen said, patting his shoulder. "We might have a chance of even going further than we expected in the Europa League. Keep up the spirit and hard work."

"Thanks, coach," Zachary replied with a smile. They then exchanged a few more words before the coach stepped away to talk and celebrate with the rest of his players.

Zachary, on his part, felt like he'd unloaded a huge burden off his shoulders. He'd finally accomplished one milestone of the system's 2013/14 Europa League Serial Challenge and escaped the retribution for failing the mission. By helping his team qualify for the Europa League's round of sixteen, he would no longer have to worry about paying a 120,000 juju point penalty to the system. At that moment, he was totally relaxed.

—–

Since it was an away game, the Rosenborg players didn't spend much time celebrating after the game. They only sang a few Rosenborg victory chants in the dressing room before packing their things and boarding the bus back to their hotel for the night.

—–

Zachary had a light dinner with his teammates at the hotel restaurant after taking a quick shower. The whole atmosphere around the team was still jubilant. Some players even put forward the suggestion of holding a small victory party at the hotel.

However, Zachary quietly excused himself before heading back to his room for the night. He still had to continue his training to master the Robinho-step-over juju when he returned to Trondheim the following day. More than anything, he needed to allow his body to rest so as to boost his post-match recovery. Thus, wasting time partying was a big no for him.

When back in his room, Zachary switched on the television, hoping to pass the time before going to bed by watching the sports news for the day. However, to his distress, he soon found out that most of the channels available were only broadcasting using the Italian language. So, he could only resort to streaming the ESPN News English Channel on his phone by relying on the fast wireless internet within the hotel.

"Several Europa League matches have just concluded," the voice of the ESPN presenter boomed in his ears when he connected his headphones. "In a shocker earlier today, Red Bull Salzburg managed to defeat the Dutch giants – Ajax. Goals from Mike van der Hoorn, Sadio Mané, and Jonathan Soriano saw the Austrian outfit decimate the Dutch giants 3:1."

"In other news," the reporter continued. "Tottenham defeated Dnipro 3:1 to overcome a one-goal deficit from the first leg and qualify for the round of sixteen. The other Europa League giants, including Sevilla, Napoli, Benfica, Juventus, and Lyon, also emerged victorious from their respective fixtures to qualify for the next round."

"However, there was one unexpected result from today's fixtures. Rosenborg, a team from Norway, managed to defeat Fiorentina 1:0 away from home in Florence, Italy. A goal from Takumi Minamino ensured that the Norwegian giants emerged victorious with an aggregate score of 3:2 at the end of the night. They'll now have to face Juventus in the next round of sixteen. Can they create more miracles and defeat another Italian team? With me here…"

Zachary listened for a few more minutes before switching off the channel. A bitter smile outlined his facial features as he placed his phone to the side. As expected, Juventus had defeated Trabzonspor, the Turkish team. Goals from Arturo Vidal and Daniel Osvaldo had ensured that the Italian giants came out on top at the end of the night. As a result, they had become Rosenborg's next opponents in the Europa League's round of sixteen.

"Damn!"

Zachary could only curse at Rosenborg's poor luck. First, they had to face off against Fiorentina, a relatively strong team in Europe. However, after barely qualifying, they again had to play against an even stronger Italian side – Juventus. As far as Zachary was concerned, it was the most damn luck possible.

"Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt…"

Suddenly, the phone, which he'd already placed to the side, started vibrating. Zachary couldn't help but frown, wondering who could be calling that late in the night, especially after a game. But, he was even more amazed after realizing that the phone call seemed to be from DR Congo, his homeland.

"Hello," he said a bit hesitantly after accepting the call. "Who's this?"

"Hello, Zach," a familiar voice answered in French from the other end of the line. "Sorry for calling you this late. It's me, Coach Damata."

"Oh, Coach Damata!" Zachary exclaimed, his tone relaxing. "How are you, coach?"

"I'm okay," the coach replied. "However, I come bearing some bad news. That's why I'm calling late at night?"

"What's the matter?" Zachary asked, his heart skipping a beat.

"Well, it's about your grandma."

"My grandma! What's wrong with her?"

"Well," the coach replied from the other end of the line. "She collapsed earlier today, and we had to rush her to hospital. As I speak now, she's still in a coma, the cause of her condition unknown."

"She collapsed?"

Zachary could feel a sickening pool of dread forming in his belly after receiving the bad news from Coach Damata. A few years ago, he'd even transferred his grandma from Bukavu to a new city to keep her safe. However, Zachary was now hearing that she was facing a life-threatening condition. He couldn't prevent the wave of panic from washing over him as he imagined the worst.

"What are the doctors saying?" Zachary asked after letting out a long, drawn-out breath. "Have they done any tests?"

"The tests are not yet out," Coach Damata replied. "But we should be able to get the results by tomorrow morning."

"Oh!" Zachary frowned. "Which hospital are you in?"

"Centre Médical du Centre Ville," Coach Damata said. "It's one of the best hospitals here in Lubumbashi."

"Oh, okay," Zachary said. "Keep me posted when you get the results."

"No problem, Zachary," Coach Damata replied. "As soon as I get the results, I'll call."

"Thanks for all the help, coach," Zachary said. "Do you need money for the treatment costs, by the way?"

"No," Coach Damata was quick to reply. "There's some good amount of money remaining from the funds you have sent to us over the previous few months. It should be enough."

"Okay, then," Zachary said. "In case anything serious comes up, I'll ask for permission from my coaches and come to that side. But for now, I'll leave everything to you, coach."

"Okay, Zach," the coach replied. "Feel at ease. I'll do my best to take care of her."

—–

The following morning, the Rosenborg squad boarded a plane back to Trondheim. On arriving at Værnes Airport, they found many fans waiting for them.

"Shalalalalalala… oh Rosenborg…"

Most of the fans, dressed in Rosenborg's black and white colors, were crowding the airport gate, singing at the top of their voices. They became even more crazed when the Rosenborg squad marched out of the airport gate. The security personnel had to act to keep them in check.

However, all the commotion did not stop the jubilant Rosenborg players from signing a few autographs for their fans. Regular starting players, like Mikael Dorsin, Nicki Nielsen, and even the newly-signed Takumi Minamino, all spent a few minutes signing their names on various items presented by the supporters. They were clearly having a good time since they were smiling throughout the ordeal.

Zachary was also among the group of players signing autographs. However, his thoughts were somewhere else, causing him to frown from time to time.

He hadn't received any update from Coach Damata about his grandmother's condition yet. So, he was very anxious. The noise made by the fans, which had always been like music to his ears, sounded like scratching sounds. He wished to exit the airport and go someplace quiet as soon as possible.

"Zachary," the familiar voice of Coach Johansen sounded from behind him. "You seem out of it! Are you okay?"

"I'm just feeling a bit light-headed," Zachary responded, not wanting to worry the coach. "I just need to sit down for a bit."

"Then, just head into the bus and wait for us there," the coach said. "Your teammates can deal with the fans."

"Thanks, coach," Zachary said. "I'll go now," he added before stepping towards the bus.

He was eager to settle into a quiet place before trying out Coach Damata's phone again. He couldn't feel at ease before understanding his grandma's condition.

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Chapter 327 Anxiety

Zachary let out a breath of relief as he embraced the sense of tranquility that washed over him when he settled in the back seat of the bus. He immediately fished out his phone from one of his trouser pockets and dialed Coach Damata's number.

However, even after trying time and time again, the call could not go through. The coach was probably in a place with poor network coverage, or he'd simply switched off his phone.

"Damn!"

Not knowing his grandma's condition was the most agonizing torment for him. His stress levels were through the roof as he couldn't stomach the fact that he was all the way in Europe, living comfortably like a monarch, while his only guardian was lying on a hospital bed somewhere in DR Congo, fighting for her life.

He felt even more remorseful after recalling how he'd repeatedly put off visiting his grandma during the previous few months. She'd continuously implored him on the phone to find some time to travel back home. However, he would always cite his training as the perfect excuse without considering her feelings. He hadn't even journeyed back for Christmas during the offseason.

"What to do?"

Chaotic thoughts whirled through Zachary's mind, which was already weighed down by regret. He couldn't help but consider if he should up and board the first flight available back to his homeland. However, after a few more seconds of deliberation, he pushed the notion out of his mind.

A flight from Værnes to Lubumbashi would take more than twelve hours. If he decided to travel, he wouldn't be available on the phone for the entire duration of the journey. Thus, he wouldn't be able to organize his grandma's treatment remotely if there was an emergency.

"Maybe, I should consult Emily if I don't hear from Coach Damata by the time I reach my apartment."

Zachary's eyes glittered with expectation. Emily, his agent, was a very resourceful person. She could easily simplify even the most complicated of situations since she had connections all around the globe. Thus, she might be the only person who could help him untangle the problematic situation in the quickest way possible.

"She might really be able to help."

A wave of relaxation washed over him after making the resolution. He forced all his apprehensions to the back of his mind before leaning back in his seat and dozing off.

He was totally spent since he didn't even sleep a wink the previous night due to worry. So, he slumbered like a log in his seat without even the slightest understanding of what was around him. He only managed to wake up after a while when one of his teammates tapped his shoulder. But by then, the bus had already pulled up into the parking lot at Lerkendal.

"Guys, welcome back home!" Zachary heard Coach Johansen's voice reverberate across the bus after waking up. "I congratulate all of you upon winning our Europa League round of thirty-two fixture against Fiorentina."

The players responded to the coach with clangorous chanting and clapping. They even started singing a victory slogan until the coach raised one of his arms and requested them to quieten down.

"As I was saying," the coach continued, "Let me take this opportunity to congratulate you upon defeating Fiorentina. We can all stand tall and proud as we managed to eliminate a team that can be considered quite powerful on the European stage. However, we shouldn't allow ourselves to relax since the tournament is far from over." The coach's voice had already turned solemn.

"Two weeks from now, we'll be going back to Italy to face off against Juventus in the Europa League's round of sixteen. As every one of you should already know, the Italian team is one of the undisputable footballing powerhouses in Europe. If we don't make ample preparations, we won't stand a chance against them."

"So, I implore each and every one of you to do your best in the next fourteen days. For the rest of today and tomorrow, you can stay home and rest to recover from the post-match fatigue. However, I expect you to be back on the training ground on Sunday afternoon. I won't tolerate any absentees or latecomers. Are we together?"

"Yes, coach."

"Good." Coach Johansen nodded. "That's everything I wished to communicate. Enjoy the rest of your day." He added before alighting from the bus.

—–

After saying his brief goodbyes to his teammates and coaches, Zachary jumped into his R8 GT, which he'd previously left in the parking lot at Lerkendal. Before long, he raced out of the stadium gate and was soon on his way to his apartment in Stjørdalsveien.

Traffic that afternoon was light, and there were no unforeseen factors to delay him on the roads. Thus, he completed the entire journey from the stadium to his apartment in less than twenty minutes. Soon, he parked his vehicle in front of his apartment building before ascending the stairs to his residence on the sixth floor.

"Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt…"

Suddenly, his phone, which had been quiet the entire morning, started vibrating from inside one of his pockets. He immediately fished it out with all the haste he could master before glancing at the screen.

The next moment, he couldn't help but smile with relief as the call was from Coach Damata. But even though he was impatient to find out about his grandma's condition, he still decided to first enter his apartment before accepting the call.

"Hello, Coach Damata," Zachary spoke into the phone while stepping into his living room. "Your phone hasn't been available for the past twelve hours. What happened?"

"I'm sorry, Zach," Coach Damata responded. "The network kept going on and off yesterday night. So, maybe that's why you couldn't reach my phone."

"Okay! So, what's the status? Are the results of the tests out?"

"Yes," Coach Damata responded. "They've just released the results of the imaging tests a few minutes back, and it's bad news."

"What did they find?" Zachary hurriedly asked as he fought down the dread. "What could be wrong with my grandma?"

"They say that it's a tumor in her brain," Coach Damata answered with an audible sigh.

"A tumor!?"

Zachary felt like his whole world was turning upside down. The fear and anxiety pressed closer, in tune with the terror rising inside him. He couldn't help but tremble as a sensation of powerlessness overwhelmed him.

From his little biological knowledge, he understood that a tumor in the brain was a very life-threatening condition. Very few patients could survive after being diagnosed with such a terrible ailment. It was almost like a death sentence.

"Is it cancerous?" He hurriedly asked after recalling some more information about tumors.

"Ahh!" Coach Damata stammered a little as if he didn't know the answer to the question. "Zachary! I think you should talk to the doctor to find out more about the specific condition of your grandma. He's here with me, and I'm passing the phone to him."

"Hello, Zachary," another deep and raspy voice soon sounded from the phone speakers. "I'm Mathias Mathembo, and I'm the doctor handling your grandma's case."

"Hello, doctor," Zachary responded. "So, can you give me the details about my grandma's situation?"

"Well," the doctor said after clearing his voice. "When we put your grandma through imaging tests today morning, we discovered an abnormal area in her brain that should be a tumor. However, what we haven't determined as of yet is whether the tumor is cancerous."

"For that, we would have to conduct a more specific test called a biopsy to determine whether the mass of abnormal cells in her brain is benign, premalignant, or even malignant."

"So, is this biopsy test for the brain life-threatening?"

"Since biopsies are less invasive procedures, the risks to a patient are almost insignificant," the doctor replied. "Your grandma won't be in any life-threatening situation when we're carrying out the procedure."

"Since you have assured me that there are no risks, you can go ahead and do the test," Zachary said. "Can you give me an estimate of how long I need to wait for the results?"

"Four days," the doctor answered.

"That long!" Zachary exclaimed.

"You need to understand that we'll have to carry out several tests on the sample obtained through the biopsy before we can come up with a diagnosis," the doctor said. "We can't afford to make any mistakes in cases like this. So, that's why we need the four days."

"I understand," Zachary intoned. "Go ahead and carry out the test. The old gentleman with you will clear the bills. Otherwise, thanks for all your efforts, doctor."

"You're welcome."

After ending the conversation with the doctor, Zachary exchanged a few more words with Coach Damata before hanging up the call. He then dialed Emily's number and explained his grandma's situation to her. He even told her about the biopsy test that the doctor had just mentioned.

"I'm sorry to hear that your grandma is ill," Emily said after listening to his account. "But, worry not. I, as your agent, will do my best to support you through the situation."

"Thanks, Emily," Zachary said. "So, what's the way forward? Should I ask for permission from the club management so that I can travel back to DR Congo?"

"I implore you not to do that, Zachary," Emily said from the other end of the line. "I understand that you're anxious. But, before we get the results from the biopsy test, you can't make any rash decisions. We need to handle the situation calmly."

"Okay, I understand."

"This is my suggestion," Emily continued. "In your stead, I'll head to Lubumbashi with a doctor who can assess your grandma's situation. If we find that her situation is very life-threatening, we can even consider transferring her to European countries with first-class medical facilities for treatment. You can then link up with her there instead of traveling back to Congo."

"That's a good plan," Zachary responded. "But, when can you get time to travel to Lubumbashi?"

"If there are available tickets for sale, I'll travel today," Emily responded. "Just send me the contact information of one of your people in Lubumbashi that can act as my guide when I arrive there."

"Thanks a lot, Emily," Zachary responded. "You're a life-saver, and I owe you big this time around."

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Chapter 328 Arrangements

In a room within the private ward of the Centre Médical du Centre Ville located in Lubumbashi, DR Congo, a tall, middle-aged man with a physique on the thin side and a chubby woman stood by a hospital bed. They were Marie and Joseph Bemba, who were Zachary's only surviving aunt and uncle. In other words, they were the only children birthed by Zachary's grandma, still alive. At that moment, their gazes, tinged with a sense of worry, were fixed on the pale old lady wired to several medical machines on the hospital bed.

"Joseph!" The chubby woman in a patterned African-style dress said abruptly to break the silence. "Do you think mom will make it through this?" She spoke fluent Swahili like most of the people in Eastern Congo.

"I really don't know," the middle-aged man replied while stroking his goatee. "She has a tumor in her brain. So, we can only pray for a miracle and wish her a quick recovery. The rest is in the hands of the Almighty."

There was a prolonged silence in the room for a few seconds before the woman spoke again. "That nephew of ours, Zachary, is making it big as a pro footballer in Europe. I have seen him a couple of times on TV. He should be very wealthy. Maybe, he'll be able to find a way with all the money he has."

"From what I hear, he's a very prideful and distant person," Joseph said with a sigh. "He might not really care about this old grandma of his."

"Don't say that," Marie said, shaking her head. "You don't understand the situation because you haven't visited mom in a while. From what I gathered, our nephew cares a lot about mom. After purchasing that house in Lubumbashi for her, he has even continued sending her large sums of money every month."

"Really?"

"Yes, I'm sure about this," the chubby woman replied. "But what surprises me is that he wires all that money through that stranger, Coach Damata, instead of contacting us, his only relatives. Even right now, the Damata fellow is the person handling all the hospital bills. Our nephew seems to trust him a lot."

"Young people these days!" Joseph Bemba sighed, shaking his head. "They really don't value family ties. Why trust a complete stranger over us, his relatives?"

Marie, the stout woman, just shrugged in response before returning her gaze to the old lady lying on the hospital bed. What followed were a few more minutes of silence between them. Only the beeping sounds made by the medical machines continued interrupting the stillness in the room.

Suddenly, the door of the hospital room creaked open. With a steady gait, which was surprising for an aged man, Coach Damata marched into the room. But he wasn't alone. Behind him were Dr. Mathias Mathembo, the medic in charge of their mom's case, and two Caucasians – one aged male and another a stunning female.

Both Joseph and Marie were quite startled. The two whites didn't seem like they were part of the team of medics working at the hospital. But what were they doing in their mom's hospital room?

Coach Damata soon resolved their doubts. "Let me introduce you first," he said with a smile while pointing to the beautiful Caucasian lady behind him. "This lady here is Emily Anderson. She's Zachary's agent and here to organize his grandma's treatment in his stead. With her is Dr. Brian Sanders, a neurologist sent by Zachary to help."

A neurologist!

The two siblings gasped in wonder while exchanging glances. To move a neurologist from another continent in less than a day should have cost a lot. But Zachary had achieved such an almost impossible feat. How rich was that nephew of theirs?

—–

"Who are they?" Emily asked suddenly, glancing at the two.

"Madam," Coach Damata replied. "These two are Joseph and Marie Bemba, Zachary's uncle and aunt."

"Zachary's uncle and aunt!"

Emily was a bit startled. She couldn't help but give the two another glance as her lawyer-senses tingled.

Zachary had discussed his family issues with her on several occasions. However, he had never mentioned that he had an uncle and aunt who were still alive. Thus, they must not be on good terms with him.

"This is troublesome," she deliberated.

She wanted to organize the transfer of Zachary's grandma to Europe for treatment. But before that, she would have to acquire permission from the old lady's immediate relatives. So, if the two siblings intervened, all her arrangements might crumble.

"Miss Emily!"

As she was still pondering, the chubby woman that was Zachary's aunt stepped forward and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you." A smile outlined her plump face.

"Nice to meet you too, Miss …or Mrs. Marie Bemba." Emily shook her hand while maintaining a professional smile.

"It's Mrs…" the lady corrected with a chuckle. "I've been married for more than ten years."

Emily beamed before turning to the thin, tall middle gentleman who was Zachary's uncle. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mister Joseph." She extended her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Emily," Joseph replied, taking her hand. "Thank you for taking care of our nephew, Zachary. And thanks a lot for traveling all the way from Europe to help us out."

"Don't mention it," Emily said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Zachary's every matter is my responsibility."

It was at that moment that Dr. Mathias Mathembo coughed slightly. "I think we should step out of the patient's room before continuing the discussion," he suggested. "The noise may affect the patient adversely."

"Okay," Emily agreed readily before turning to the middle-aged Caucasian beside her. "Dr. Sanders! Do you need to examine the patient before we step out of the room?"

Dr. Brian Sanders exchanged a glance with Dr. Mathembo before shaking his head. "There isn't much I can learn by just looking at the patient. I'll have to study the blood and imaging tests results before coming up with a preliminary diagnosis."

"Is there anything you need?" Emily asked again. Her most valuable client, Zachary, had tasked her with taking care of his grandma. So, she had to be meticulous in whatever she did.

"For now, there's nothing I require," Dr. Sanders replied. "You guys can go do your own things. As for me, I'll discuss the case with Dr. Mathembo first—to find out about the patient's exact situation. Then I'll come to look for you."

"Okay, take your time," Emily said with a smile. "And thanks for all your help, doctors."

"You're welcome."

Emily then turned to Zachary's uncle and aunt. "Coach Damata! Joseph! Marie! Can we step out and leave the doctors to do their own thing? We also need to discuss a few things."

The two siblings and the coach exchanged glances before nodding in agreement. It seemed like they were also eager to talk to Emily.

—–

Ten minutes later, the four of them had already settled on a corner table in the hospital's canteen. Silence reigned supreme on the table as the afternoon sunlight streamed golden through the window, illuminating the space around them.

"So, Miss Emily!" Coach Damata was the first to break the silence. "As you already know, the doctors conducted a biopsy test on Zachary's grandma yesterday. We're still waiting for the results."

"That, I know," Emily responded after taking a sip of her juice. "And I also know that the test results should be coming out three days later. But we can't afford to wait for that long without doing anything."

"What are you implying, Miss Emily?" It was the plump woman – Marie Bemba, who asked the question.

"We all know that the old lady has a tumor in her brain," Emily said, leaning back in her seat. "Whether it's cancerous or not, it doesn't matter. She'll still have to undergo surgery to remove the tumor, whatever the case."

The other occupants of the table nodded in agreement.

"So," Emily continued, her voice turning solemn. "What we need to do now is to move the old lady to a hospital with adequate facilities and skilled medical staff to handle the tumor. To increase her chances of recovery, we need to do this fast before her condition worsens. We can't afford any delays. And that's why I'm here."

There were seconds of silence on the table before Joseph Bemba leaned forward and spoke: "So, what plans does Zachary have? Where does he intend to take our mother for treatment?"

"Zurich, Switzerland," Emily answered. "The city has some of the best neurosurgery centers in the world. They've world-class experts who'll be able to handle your mother's case."

"What about visa issues and passports?" Coach Damata asked. "Will you be able to complete the travel arrangements for the old lady in a short time?"

"You can leave the issue of the visa requirements and the travel arrangements to me," Emily said, her tone confident. "Through my contacts, I'll be able to arrange everything within forty-eight hours, at most."

"That's great news," Marie said with a smile. "However, there's one more issue we haven't sorted out. From my understanding, Zachary is always busy since he's a professional footballer. So, who'll take care of our mother when in Europe? Should we send her out there without anyone to care for her? Isn't that like abandoning her?"

Joseph Bemba also nodded to indicate that he was concerned.

"I do get your point," Emily said a bit hesitantly. "But there are specialized nurses who'll take care of your mother in Europe. Moreover, Zachary will also start taking time off to visit her often."

Marie Bemba shook her head. "I think that would be irresponsible on our side. As her only surviving children, we can't allow our mother to travel alone in her condition to Europe. If you were in my shoes, Miss Emily, would you agree to such a proposition?"

"So, what do you suggest?" Emily asked, feeling a headache coming.

"One of us has to travel with her to monitor her treatment," Marie said, her tone solemn. "If that's not possible, we can look for other options rather than sending her off alone to Europe."

"Give me a minute," Emily said, picking up her phone. "If you don't mind, I'll have to consult Zachary about this."

"Go ahead," Marie said with a shrug. "If possible, I also want to talk to Zachary."

"Okay."

Chapter 329 Training Hard, Even When in the Face of Adversity

Although Zachary was quite worried about his grandma's condition, he still forced himself to continue his targeted training. He couldn't afford to relax since he was determined to master the step-over skill before Rosenborg's next game against Juventus.

He'd already completed 99% of the mental conditioning and 97% of the physical training required to grasp the juju. So, if nothing unexpected transpired, he would be a proud bearer of a phenomenal defense-splitting dribbling technique in roughly three days.

That day, Zachary was busy in the gym working on strengthening his lower body under the guidance of Coach Bjørn Peters, his fitness trainer. Even though it was the second day off for the Rosenborg players to rest and recover from the match fatigue, he still gave his all during practice.

Lower body strength was necessary for footballers since most plays incorporated single-leg actions, stop-and-go movements, sharp turns, and explosive sprints. It was a must for pro players to hone their leg strength to perform these actions efficiently and explosively. Moreover, powerful and flexible legs were not easily susceptible to injuries, especially while performing high-risk moves like dribbling and slide-tackling.

During his previous life, Zachary had heard that Cristiano Ronaldo, a player who was the bearer of incredible side-stepping skills, used to wear ankle weights quite often in his earlier years. The aim was to strengthen his legs and make them powerful enough to perform the dribbling actions on the pitch without any strain. The habit had helped CR7 a lot, allowing him to avoid career-threatening injuries that had brought down many other incredible talents in football history.

Since Zachary understood all the benefits of whetting his lower body strength, he would, of course, follow the example of CR7. As a player who wanted to master the art of dribbling and push it to the highest level possible, he couldn't neglect his legs.

He was in high gear when he performed the lower body strengthening exercises that morning. Be it the squats, the lunges, the deadlifts, and the Bulgarian split squats — he went at them as if his life depended on it. As practice went on, he gradually forgot all his worries until his thoughts were only on what was before him. Due to his high immersion in the routines, he started sweating buckets. But he didn't dare stop until he completed all the repetitions required for the session.

"Don't sit down yet," Coach Bjørn Peters hollered, clapping his hands. "Let's go through a stretching routine before you rest."

"Aye, coach," Zachary replied after chugging down some water.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm ready."

"Okay, then," the fitness trainer said. "Let's begin with the upper body stretches. We'll gradually move to the shoulders, then the waist, and end with the lower body. Are you with me?"

"Yes, coach."

Coach Bjørn Peters then got into position and started demonstrating the routine. He performed the actions slowly, with the spirit of coaching his client. He was really a considerate fitness trainer.

Zachary only watched for a few seconds before also getting into action. He mirrored the coach's every motion, beginning with the neck stretches, then the arm swings, and so on.

He only relaxed after he went through all the repetitions. By then, he was again sweating buckets and out of breath.

"That marks the end of our session for today," Coach Bjorn Peters said, grinning. "I'm proud of your progress over the past three months."

"Thanks, coach," Zachary responded after chugging down more water.

"So," the coach said a bit hesitantly, "going by our initial agreement, we should be ending our coach-client relationship after today's session. I believe you've already met your goals as your agility and explosive speed attributes have improved significantly. So, what plans do you have? Do you want us to keep working together?"

"Yes, of course," Zachary responded immediately. "If it's okay, I'll renew your contract as my fitness trainer as soon as possible. What say you?"

"I'm happy to keep working with you," Coach Bjorn Peters replied with a smile while extending his hand. "Just send the contract to me when you're ready, and I'll immediately sign it."

"Great," Zachary said, taking his hand. "I'm looking forward to more training sessions with you, coach."

Coach Bjorn Peters beamed and settled down on one of the benches in the corner of the gym. The midday sunlight streamed through the window, giving a glossy tint to his face. "Since you've already achieved your initial goals," he said, "we'll have to change your fitness training plan for the next six months. We'll include more endurance and strengthening regimens to build your capacity to perform at a higher level for longer periods while also improving your resistance to injuries. What do you think?"

"That's a good plan." Zachary nodded, also settling down on the bench—besides the coach. "However, I feel that I should also continue honing my agility. I'm sure that I haven't reached my ceiling yet."

"Sure," the fitness trainer said. "I'm not suggesting that we remove agility routines from your training plan. I'm only saying that they won't be the main focus. We need to set another achievable goal and work towards it during the next few months."

"Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt…"

Zachary's ears picked up the vibration of his phone from a nearby bench before he could respond.

"Excuse me, coach," he said, standing up. "Sorry, I have to take this call as it might be important."

"Go ahead," Coach Bjorn Peters answered. "Our session is already over. So, you don't have to worry that I'll fault you for receiving a call in the middle of practice." He added in a joking manner.

Zachary beamed, shaking his head before stepping towards the other bench. He could feel his heart beating loud with anxiety as he scooped up the phone and glanced at the screen. As expected, the call was from Emily. But what had she learned when she visited his sick grandma in Lubumbashi? Was the old lady's condition stable? Zachary was uneasy as he pressed the accept button.

"Hello, Zachary," Emily's vibrant voice rang in his ear the next moment.

"Hello, Emily," he replied.

"I have already visited your grandma in the hospital," she said in French.

"How's she?" He replied in the same language.

"Although she is on Oxygen therapy, the doctors say she is stable for now. She even woke up once before sinking back into a coma."

"Thank God." Zachary relaxed a bit after hearing the bit of good news. "So, when will you start making arrangements to transfer her out of DR Congo?"

"I have already made a few arrangements," Emily said hesitantly. "However, there is one issue we need to sort out. Your aunt and uncle are by my side. They insist that one of them has to travel with your grandma to monitor her treatment in Europe."

"You mean Marie and Joseph?" Zachary queried, feeling his mood sink.

"Yes."

"People!"

Zachary had to do his utmost to push back the anger that was almost erupting out of his core. His uncle and aunt had fought for his grandma's farm immediately after her passing during his previous life. Without caring for his grandma's honor, they even chased him away from the place and discarded him on the street. So, he was sure that they would do the same if his grandma met misfortune in his new life. They were true-blue vultures in human skin as their greed would never allow them to value family bonds.

"Zachary, are you there?" Emily said, switching to English. She probably didn't want the French-speaking people near her to understand what she was saying.

"I'm still here, Emily," Zachary said.

"So, what do you think? Should I prepare travel documents for one of them?"

Zachary let out a breath. "I'm really sorry to say this. But, you know Emily! Even though they are her biological children, I really don't want them near my grandma. I would prefer that we ignore them and continue with our arrangements."

There were a few seconds of silence before Emily spoke once again. "Ignoring their requirements might be a bit difficult. As her biological children, they have a right to monitor their mother's treatment. Moreover, they can even make decisions regarding the course of her treatment. So, unless your grandma had previously left a written clarification stating that you're the sole person that can make crucial decisions regarding her life, we can't ignore their claims. Is there such a document?"

"No," Zachary said dejectedly. A bullet had ended his grandma's life much earlier during his previous life. Thus, there was no way for him to predict her changed life trajectory. He would never have imagined that she would develop a tumor in his new life. So, how could he have anticipated the document Emily required?

"If there's no clarification, we'll have to put up with them for now," Emily said. "It doesn't take a lot of effort on my side to prepare travel documents for one of them. You only have to turn a blind eye and choose one of them to travel with your grandma."

Zachary sighed, sinking onto the bench in the gym. He switched the phone to his other ear before saying: "Fine. Then, let's go with the lady – Marie Bemba. At least, she might be able to help out in taking care of the old lady."

"Noted," Emily replied, her tone relaxing. "She even wanted to talk to you. Should I give her the phone?"

"No!" Zachary replied hastily. "I can't entertain her at the moment. Just make up an excuse for me."

"Okay, fine," she said. "If the emergency medical visa application procedures proceed according to my expectations, we'll be able to move your grandma to Zurich the day after tomorrow. I'll keep you posted if there are any other developments. Just push yourself to focus on your training and leave everything else to me."

"Thanks a lot, Emily," Zachary said, his tone appreciative. "You're really a life-saver. I know I've said this many times, but I really appreciate your efforts."

"Don't mention it," Emily replied. "Just one more thing. Make sure you talk to your coach about the condition of your grandma. Tell him some of your plans and make sure that he understands that you might have to travel out of Norway often in the near future. I'll also give the Rosenborg management a call to clarify the situation when I travel back to Europe."

"Okay," Zachary said. "I'll talk to Coach Johansen later today."

"Good," Emily said. "I have to go now as I still have to handle your uncle and aunt this side. Stay strong, and take heart. You'll get through this."

"Thanks, Emily," Zachary replied. "Have a good day."

"You too."

Chapter 330 100% Mastery

After completing training that day, Zachary thought of Emily's advice and straightaway headed to the head coach's office. Although he found the door slightly ajar, he still knocked a couple of times and then waited quietly by the side.

"Come in," the voice of Coach Johansen sounded from inside the room a few seconds later.

Zachary immediately pushed the door wide open before stepping into the spacious office. He immediately realized that Coach Johansen was in the middle of watching one of Juventus' past matches on the big screen beside his office table.

On looking closely, he managed to learn that the Italian giants were facing off against Galatasaray, the famous Turkish club. However, they were still one goal down even though the clock was already pointing to the 89th-minute mark. For sure, they would most likely lose the game.

Zachary remained standing quietly on the side as he followed the game besides the coach. The game gradually moved into extra time, but nothing unexpected happened. Juventus did not manage to score the equalizer and eventually lost the game.

"A nice game, isn't it?" Coach Johansen said, standing up and turning towards Zachary. "Good execution of tactics by Roberto Mancini to frustrate Juventus' powerful midfield. He organized his side well, enabling them to beat the Italian giants 1:0 in that UEFA League group match that was played back in November last year."

Zachary's curiosity was a little bit piqued. "Who scored?"

"Wesley Sneijder," the coach answered. "He scored Galatasaray's only goal of the match in the 85th minute."

"Oh, Wesley Sneijder…"

Zachary wasn't surprised. Wesley Sneijder was a very skilled player who was undisputedly one of the best midfielders in the world during his prime. He even had a chance of winning the Ballon d'Or in 2010 if the Dutch could have triumphed in that year's World Cup final against the Spaniards.

But an even more surprising fact was how the midfielder's performance declined in only a couple of years. It took only a few unfavorable transfer moves and a couple of injuries to reduce a player who was almost at the top of the world into another nondescript athlete. It was truly unfortunate!

Thinking about all that, Zachary comprehended how easy it was for even the best footballers to lose their form. As long as a player was down on his luck and didn't work hard, then the performance on the pitch would gradually decline.

So, Zachary again resolved to continue working hard and trying his best to improve his skills throughout his career. No matter the circumstances he faced, he couldn't stop. Relentless toiling was the way forward if he yearned to have a long and successful football career.

"If we prepare well for the game, we can also overcome the Italian giants," Coach Johansen said, interrupting his thought process. "As long as we take all our chances and maintain discipline in defense, we can win. Don't you think so, Zachary?"

"Of course, we can win," Zachary said, nodding. "Football is played on the pitch, not on paper. So, even if they have big-name players, we can still overcome them if we do our best and get our tactics right."

Coach Johansen chuckled. "I'm very pleased with your optimism, Zachary," he said. "By the way, why are you here? Shouldn't you be home, recovering from the post-match fatigue?"

"Coach," Zachary said, letting out a breath. "There's something I need to talk to you about." His tone had turned glum.

"First, have a seat, Zachary," the coach said, settling in his office chair. "What is it?"

Zachary took up the seat in front of the coach's table. "My only guardian, my grandma is sick," he said. "As I speak now, she's in a coma and on Oxygen therapy."

He then told the coach about the actual condition of his grandma and his plans for her treatment. He ended the whole account by informing the coach that he might have to travel out of Norway repeatedly in the coming weeks.

"I see," Coach Johansen said, leaning back into his seat after listening. "I'm sorry to hear that your grandma is ill." His expression then flickered a few times as his eyes narrowed. It was as if he was deep in contemplation about something.

"So, when do you wish to travel out of Norway?" The coach continued after a few more seconds. "Can you be more specific so that we can factor your absence into our plans?"

"I'm not sure yet," Zachary replied. "However, I would like to be there when my grandma undergoes the operation to remove the tumor in Zurich."

"Then, first find out the exact dates when you'll be traveling before asking for permission from the club management," the coach advised. "For now, stay strong and continue training. Don't let this unfortunate circumstance become a major roadblock in your career. Okay?"

"Yes, coach," Zachary said, nodding. "I understand."

The coach nodded. "Don't worry. The club will be with you throughout this hardship. Moreover, from what I know, tumors are easily curable in today's world. Many people survive and recover after suffering from brain tumors. So, take heart and continue praying for your grandma's quick recovery."

"Thanks, coach."

—–

For the next three days, Zachary continued working hard. Aside from taking part in the team training sessions, he also found time to sharpen his mastery over the step over the skills. Whether it was night or day, it didn't matter. His immersion in the step-over practice routines was exceptional. It even helped him forget his worries, and slowly by slowly, he pushed both his mental and physical conditioning states for the skill to 100%.

Early morning on Wednesday, after he'd just finished going through a cone dribbling drill at Lerkendal, the long-awaited system's notification rang in his mind.

"Ding"

"The user has completed all the required mental and physical conditioning routines to master the Robinho-Step-Over Juju," the system AI intoned. "However, to conclude the whole process, the user will now have to receive a few more experiences and first-person perspectives of using the skill from the system. Is the user ready to receive the information from the system at the moment?"

Zachary didn't reply right away. He first packed his things and returned to the dressing room before taking a shower to cool himself down. After that, he settled on one of the sofas in the then empty player's resting lounge before summoning the system.

"System," he gave a mental command. "I'm ready to receive the information. Please, begin the information transfer immediately."

"Command received," the system's AI replied. "Loading the required data packages for the Robinho-step-over juju. The system will start transferring the information into the user's mind in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0."

A slight tremor went through Zachary's mind when the countdown reached zero. Soon, foreign memories started flooding his mind as the information transfer started. They rooted themselves in his consciousness, making him feel like he'd already performed the step-over skill millions of times. It was a marvelous sensation that filled him with confidence. And at that moment, he was sure that he would be able to perform step-overs even with his eyes closed in the future.

"Wonderful."

A smile lit up Zachary's face as he stood up from the sofa. He immediately picked up a ball from the nearby rack and started performing step-overs there in the lounge.

He dribbled the ball around the room by relying on only the technique for the next few minutes. His feet were like the rims of a moving bicycle as they flashed over the ball repeatedly without end. Anyone else who could chance upon him at that moment would judge that he'd mastered the art of step-overs and pushed it to the highest level.

"Sweet."

Zachary ended his session and settled back on the sofa with a smile. With the skill finally in his repertoire, he'd gained another weapon to take on Rosenborg's next opponent – Juventus. As long as he could play his cards right during the two legs of the fixture, then he might really help his team qualify for the Europa League quarter-finals. Zachary could feel his hopes shooting through the roof and soaring to the skies just by imagining the scene.

"Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt…"

Suddenly, his phone started vibrating in his pocket, ruining his merry mood. He fished it out hurriedly and glanced at the screen. The next moment, he felt a wave of anxiety wash over him as the call was from Emily.

Two days ago, his grandma had been transferred to Zurich for treatment. She'd stabilized and even woken up a couple of times after arriving in Switzerland. However, Zachary understood that he couldn't celebrate until seeing her biopsy results. If the tumor happened not to be cancerous, her chances of recovery would be very high. But if the results were the other way round— Zachary could feel a shudder racing along his spine while thinking about the possibility. He was really nervous, especially since that day was when the biopsy results would come out.

"Morning, Emily," Zachary said after placing the phone next to his ear.

"Morning, Zach," Emily replied from the other end of the line. "How are you? Are you training hard?"

"Of course," he replied. "I'm already at the pitch as we speak now."

"Great," Emily said. "I'm glad you're still working hard."

"Emily," Zachary said, his tone edgy. "I'm a big boy. Just give it to me straight. How are the results of the biopsy test?"

Emily sighed audibly. "The doctors say that it's not the worst-case scenario."

"Meaning?" Zachary pressed, his heart pounding fast and hard in his chest.

"The tumor in her brain is not yet cancerous," she replied. "However, they discovered that it's premalignant. That means that the abnormal mass of cells is not yet cancerous, but it does have the potential to become malignant in the future."

"Oh my God!"

Zachary couldn't stop his mood from sinking after hearing the biopsy test result.

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Read The Greatest of all Time Chapter 331 Preparations online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 331 Preparations

Zachary understood that any illness that comprised the word malignant in its characterization was related to cancer. That meant that it was very life-threatening to a patient. So, if his grandma's tumor was premalignant, her situation was obviously serious.

"Zachary!" Emily's edgy voice once again resounded from the phone speakers. "Are you there?"

"Yes," Zachary replied, taking a long breath to calm himself. "I'm listening. So, what are the doctors in Zurich suggesting? What plans do they recommend for her treatment?"

"I've just had a long talk with Dr. Brian Sanders, the neurosurgeon who traveled with me to Lubumbashi," Emily said. "He explained that since the tumor is premalignant, it has a very high risk of turning cancerous if not treated as soon as possible. Moreover, in the case of your grandma, the tumor is pressing against both the cerebellum and temporal lobe. It can't allow her to have a moment of peace due to severe symptoms, like impaired muscle coordination and constant drowsiness, among others. So, the recommendation is to undergo surgery as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the more severe her condition becomes."

"Then, let the doctors give us an appointment so that she can undergo surgery right away," Zachary suggested. "If it can be tomorrow, then the better."

"That's not possible," Emily replied. "I already consulted the specialists here at the University Hospital Zurich. They say they need to carry out more tests before planning her exact course of treatment. So, the earliest she can undergo surgery is six days later. That'll be on Friday, the 7th of March."

"That might be too late." Zachary frowned. "Can't we push for an earlier date?"

"Zachary!" Emily replied. "You have to note that the neurosurgery centers here in Zurich are among the best. There are always long lines of patients from all over the world waiting for treatment. That means that it's almost impossible to push for an immediate surgery appointment unless the patient is in a very critical condition."

"But my grandma is also in a critical condition."

"Not according to the doctors," Emily said. "She collapsed in Lubumbashi probably due to overworking while suffering from the tumor. However, after receiving preliminary treatment here in Zurich, she's now quite stable. So, you don't have to worry."

"Okay," Zachary said. "Then, go ahead and schedule the surgery for next Friday. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to contact me at any time."

"Okay, Zach," Emily said, her tone relaxing. "Arranging matters, whether big or small, is my specialty. So, don't worry. I'll ensure that your grandma has the best care possible while here in Zurich."

"Thanks, Emily," Zachary responded. "I'll also come to Zurich on Thursday, before the surgery. For now, I leave everything in your hands. How's my aunt, by the way? Is she causing you any trouble?"

"Not at all," Emily replied hurriedly. "She's very attentive to your grandma's treatment and doing her best to support her. She hasn't given me any trouble."

"Then, that's a relief," Zachary said. "Take care, and don't forget to contact me when you need anything."

"Okay," Emily said. "Have a good day, and continue training hard. Everything will be okay in time."

"Thanks, Emily."

—–

Since Zachary had finally gotten to know the day when his grandma would undergo surgery, all arrangements became easy. He first requested permission to travel the following Thursday from the club management that very day.

Since there weren't any official matches scheduled during the upcoming week, the club administration granted him the authorization the following day. They allowed him a four-day travel window, from Thursday to Sunday. However, he had to return to Lerkendal on Monday, 10th of March, 2014, to partake in the last three days of Rosenborg's training for the Europa League match against Juventus.

Everything was in order, and all he had to do was wait. He was also no longer very anxious since he often received regular updates on his grandma's condition from Emily. So, with a calm heart, he returned his focus to training.

As the team delved deep into the preparations for the Europa League game, he noticed that Coach Johansen had become more hyper and overly strict with his requirements. He didn't allow any players to rest on their laurels for the next four days and even supervised their fitness conditioning himself.

Additionally, the coach insisted that all players practice their penalty-taking skills on top of refining the match tactics on a daily basis. As a result, the team training sessions became more intense and often lasted longer due to the added routines.

However, none of the players, including Zachary, raised any complaints as they all wished to win their upcoming fixture. Most individuals even started putting in extra hours to hone the other aspects of their game since they desired to impress the coach and make his line-up.

In that manner, the days flashed by quickly, and soon it was Thursday. It was finally the day when Zachary would separate from his teammates and travel to Zurich to be with his grandma when she underwent surgery.

That day, he woke up early in the morning after spending his night with Camilla. He packed his luggage and said his goodbyes before boarding a taxi cab to the airport.

Thirty minutes later, he boarded a Scandinavian Airlines flight and was soon well on his way to Zurich.

On the plane, his expression would flicker from time to time as he watched the fluffy clouds flashing by the window. Since he couldn't predict the outcome of the surgery, his heart was already racing and his mind in a chaotic mess.

Would his grandma win against the tumor? Would she recover completely?

Many doubts whirled through his mind until he dozed off and became oblivious to everything around him.

Meanwhile, in Turin, Italy.

The day had dawned crisp and clear. The morning sun shone brightly in the sky, bathing the Juventus Training Center in its warm light.

In one of the rooms of this famous training facility, the Juventus players had already gathered to attend their routine tactical meeting before the actual team practice session. The likes of Paul Pogba, Gianluigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, and Carlos Tévez, among other famous players, were all focused on the big screen in front of the room.

They were in the process of reviewing Rosenborg's Europa League round of thirty-two first leg match against Fiorentina. They watched without any change of expressions when Fiorentina scored the two goals as that was nothing surprising. Most didn't even raise an eyebrow when Zachary scored Rosenborg's first goal. However, they couldn't help but gasp in shock when he netted the second one in the 94th minute.

"Did he want to kill the keeper?" Pogba mumbled, a grin outlining his face. "What a funny guy."

The rest of the players chuckled before continuing to follow the game. Very soon, the match ended, and the players turned to their coach for the actual analysis of the game.

"Okay, guys, let's focus," Antonio Conte, the head coach of Juventus, said with a smile. "You just watched Rosenborg's game against Fiorentina. What do you all think? What do we need to look out for to win against them?" He glanced around, sweeping his gaze across his players.

Arturo Vidal, one of Juventus' central midfielders, raised his hand.

"Yes, Arturo!" The coach pointed at him.

"We freeze their midfield," he replied. "As long as we compact the midfield and ensure that their key player doesn't receive the ball, we'll win. One of us can also man-mark the Zachary fellow throughout the match for better efficiency. His dribbling is not that potent, so we can contain him if we use our brains and stop his runs through the midfield. I'm volunteering to be his marker if the rest don't mind." He added jokingly.

The rest of the players laughed at that before turning toward their coach. Their mood was light and merry, without any earnestness. It was as if the match against Rosenborg wasn't crucial for them.

"Guys, listen," Antonio Conte said, his tone solemn. "I know most of you might think that Rosenborg is a team that lucked out and barely defeated Fiorentina. You might also believe that you guys will be able to squash them with your might since you have more depth and experience among yourselves. However, let me warn you that that attitude is very problematic, especially before a game."

"I have watched some of Rosenborg's previous Europa League matches for this season," he continued. "And my conclusion is that they aren't a team to take lightly. We need to approach that game as if we're facing another giant in Europe. Otherwise, we might bow out of the Europa League after the next stage. Are we together, guys?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied, more or less in unison.

"Arturo!" Coach Antonio Conte turned towards the midfielder again. "You volunteered to be Zachary's marker in the Europa League game against Rosenborg. So, you'll rest this weekend for the Serie A game against Fiorentina. What do you think?"

"Coach," the midfielder replied, frowning. "I don't need to rest to handle the Zachary fellow. Even if I play the game on Sunday, I'll still be able to contain him easily."

Coach Conte shook his head. "Don't take him lightly. He is a dangerous player. From the game we just watched, you should've noticed that he never stops when on the field. He's ever running around and falling into various positions by relying on his incredible speed and stamina. So, keeping up with him to mark him tightly will be almost impossible if you're fatigued. And that's why I need you to rest this weekend. Okay?"

"Yes, coach," the midfielder replied reluctantly.

The coach nodded with a smile. He then went over the analysis of Rosenborg's tactics against Fiorentina before talking about their weaknesses in detail. He only ended the tactical meeting forty minutes later when he'd expounded on all the issues related to Rosenborg.

He understood that his players weren't yet ready to take on the Norwegian giants. However, he believed they would be if he held more such tactical meetings over the next few days. He just had to do his job as a coach to fix their attitudes, and they would be able to squash the opponents like bugs.

Chapter 332 Grandma's Treatment Plan

Zachary was surprised to find a familiar face waiting for him when he stepped out of the airport in Zurich. He immediately recognized that the person was Ryan Bellmore, the short racecar driver he'd met a few months back.

"Welcome to Zurich, Zachary!" The short guy said when Zachary stepped before him.

"Ryan, why are you here?"

"Of course, Emily sent me to fetch you," Ryan replied with a grin. "I know the entire city's layout since I have been here for four months. So, don't worry. I'll be able to get you to your destination."

Zachary beamed, shaking his head. "That isn't my concern. Aren't you supposed to be racing cars somewhere? When did you turn into a common driver?"

Ryan chuckled, brushing a hand through his hair. "I'm here on some other business. Do you remember what I said when we met back in Trondheim? When I'm not racing, I'm also a middleman of sorts. So, I spend a lot of time traveling to various European countries."

"I see," Zachary said, nodding. "Thanks for coming to fetch me. Shall we make a move on it? I wish to go to the hospital as soon as possible."

"Sure," Ryan said. "I'm sorry to hear about your grandma's case, by the way. I'm praying for her to get better quickly."

"Thanks," Zachary replied, slinging his travel bag over his shoulder.

"Emily has already booked you a hotel, and it's on the way to the hospital," Ryan said. "So, I suggest we first drop your things at your hotel. Otherwise, it'll be uncomfortable for you to move around with all that luggage."

"Fine," Zachary said. "Let's do as you say."

"Great. Follow me to the car."

—–

Zachary immediately followed Ryan to his car, parked in one of the airport's parking spaces. He threw his luggage in the boot, and off they went, cruizing through the streets of Zurich.

Since it was midday, traffic was a bit heavy. Ryan could only drive at moderate speed while sometimes taking longer routes to avoid the congestion. As a result, they only made it to the hotel after almost an hour before dropping off the luggage.

"It's already coming to 1:00 PM," Ryan said right after Zachary had just finished checking into the hotel. "Do you wish to have some lunch before continuing to the hospital?"

"I already had some food on the plane," Zachary replied, shaking his head. "So, I'm still okay. Let's head to the hospital. I can even have my meal at the canteen there if the need arises."

"Okay, then," Ryan said, smiling. "The hospital is less than a kilometer away from here. So, let's walk instead of driving and getting stuck in another traffic jam."

"That's fine with me," Zachary replied. "Let's go."

After deciding, they quickly pressed through the human traffic on the sidewalk and made it to the hospital in five minutes. They then called Emily, who fetched them from the gate.

"Good afternoon, Zachary," she said with a smile after approaching them at the hospital entrance. "How was your flight?"

"Okay, I guess," Zachary replied, smiling back. "How're you, and how's everything else?"

"I'm okay," Emily said. "Regarding everything else, can we find a place to sit before discussing?"

"That's fine," Zachary replied, nodding. "But, I also wish to see and talk to my grandma first. Is she awake?"

"Unfortunately, she's asleep," Emily said with a sigh. "And since the surgery is tomorrow early morning, the doctors don't want us to disturb her rest. So, you need to be patient and wait until she wakes."

"Okay, then," Zachary said. "Let's find somewhere to sit and talk for the moment. I'll see her later."

Emily nodded before turning to Ryan. "Thanks for helping out today. We shall discuss the other matter later."

"It's my pleasure helping out," he replied with a smile. "I have to go now, Zachary. But if you need any help here in Zurich, don't forget to call. Emily has my number."

Zachary smiled. "I also have your number, Ryan. Thanks for your help. I'll keep in touch. Let me first handle my grandma's matters."

Ryan nodded before walking away.

As he looked at his receding back, Zachary had some doubts. Switzerland was a country with strict policies against motorsport. Following the 1955 LeMans disaster, the Swiss government had banned all racing events with the exception of events held in a time trial format such as hill climbing. So, it was weird for a race car driver to settle in such a country.

"Did he put a hold on his car racing career?" Zachary asked Emily.

She shook her head in response. "He says that he's only taking a small break to look for money to support his career."

"Oh!" Zachary said, nodding. "Wouldn't it be easier to look for a sponsor or a racing team instead of financing himself?"

"Things aren't that simple," Emily said, sighing. "I've tried to help him find a sponsor, but, so far, all my efforts have been fruitless. That is because of the intense competition in the sport. There are many talented drivers but very few racing teams and sponsors."

Zachary nodded in understanding.

"Let's head inside," Emily abruptly changed the topic. "We'll have lunch at the canteen. Then, you can take a few minutes to visit your grandma. Hopefully, she'll be awake by then. After that, I'll introduce you to the surgeon handling your grandma's case. He will explain the treatment plan they've designed for her. Okay?"

"Sounds like a good plan," Zachary agreed. "Let's enter."

—–

Everything went as planned. After having lunch with Emily and his aunt, they strode through the spotless hospital corridors and headed to his grandma's room for a visit.

Unsurprisingly and unfortunately, she was still in a deep sleep and didn't even hear them when they entered the room. So, they could only stand quietly by her hospital bed for minutes.

All the while, the worry buried deep inside Zachary was threatening to explode. He was really concerned as the old lady was in a more terrible condition than he had initially expected. She was thinner, her eyes sunken, and her face paler than he remembered. She seemed like a person who was on her last legs.

"Don't let appearances fool you," Emily whispered after stepping closer to him. "The doctors have assured us that she's stable. Due to the severe symptoms, the doctors often put her to sleep so that she doesn't have to suffer. That's the cause of her current condition."

Zachary nodded. "Let's go meet the doctors," he said. "I'm eager to hear the treatment plan they designed for my grandma."

"Okay, let's go."

They stepped out of the room quietly and trekked through the hospital corridors. Before long, they arrived at one of the doctor's offices. On a small white panel on the door were the words – "Dr. Brian Sanders – Resident Neurosurgeon" in black ink.

Emily knocked thrice on the door before standing to the side.

"Come in," a deep voice sounded from inside.

Their group then stepped through the doorway and entered the spacious office. On the walls were large charts and posters depicting diagrams of brain illnesses.

However, what caught Zachary's attention was the middle-aged man seated behind an L-shaped office table on the other side of the room. He had an average build, short black hair, and prominent blue eyes hidden behind a pair of large spectacles.

"It's a pleasure to have you here, ladies and gentlemen," the man said. "Please, sit."

"Thanks, doctor," Emily responded, taking a seat first. The rest followed suit after exchanging a few pleasantries with the doctor. What followed was an introduction session that took about two minutes before they finally touched on the main issue.

"So, Dr. Sanders," Zachary said, leaning back. "Could you go over the treatment plan for my grandma and what is required?"

Dr. Sanders nodded before pushing his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. "The treatment is actually pretty straightforward," he said. "We'll conduct a regular craniotomy before removing the abnormal mass of cells within her brain tomorrow at 8:00 AM."

"On your side, you don't have to do anything. Our nurses will be responsible for prepping the patient and ensuring that she gets to the theater."

"After the surgery," the doctor continued, "One of the surgeons will come to the waiting area and inform you about the outcome of the treatment procedure. As for the patient, she'll be moved to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit to recover for roughly two hours. After making sure that her condition is stable, we'll transfer her to the Neuro Intensive Care Unit, where you can see her again."

"A few days after the surgery, we'll conduct more tests to discern whether the treatment procedure managed to remove all the tumor cells. If the results are satisfactory, we'll discharge your grandma in about two weeks' time after the surgery."

"Doctor," Zachary said after a moment of contemplation. "What are the risks associated with this surgery?"

The doctor inhaled deeply before answering. "Of course, any surgical procedure is invasive. So, there's always a risk to the patient's life. It's especially so in the case of your grandma, who's far along in her years. However, don't worry. Our role as surgeons is to do our best to minimize those risks and make sure that the patient recovers."

"Oh!" Zachary inhaled deeply on hearing the response.

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Chapter 333 On Tenterhooks

Zachary finally managed to talk to his grandma when she awoke later that evening. Her eyes and pale face gained some color when she noticed him beside the hospital bed, and she immediately started asking about his life, career, and plans.

Her mannerisms were just like he remembered. She was her typical self, forever worried about other people while forgetting herself. But, of course, that was why Zachary respected and admired her from the bottom of his heart.

Even though her voice was a bit hoarse due to the illness, it was as if it was music when it sounded in his ears. Like when he was still a child under her care, it assembled into Swahili words that comforted him and compelled him to forget his worries. His mood lightened, and he began answering all her questions with zest as he sat there by the hospital bed.

Minutes passed by quickly, as if in a flash, as he recounted his experiences to his grandma. He narrated some bits and pieces of the highlights from the matches he'd played during the past six months. He then talked about the goals he'd scored and ended his account by mentioning the trophies and individual awards he'd managed to win as a Rosenborg player.

"I'm really proud of you, Zachary," she said right after hearing his story. "With the way you're playing and scoring goals, you might soon become like Maradona or those great African players — Jay-Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu. You might even surpass them."

Zachary could only smile in response after hearing his grandma's comment. Ever since he could remember, she'd always admired the three football players – Maradona, Okocha, and Kanu. As far as she was concerned, they were the best footballers ever to walk the earth. To her, they were at the top of the scale of greatness. So, he wasn't surprised when she mentioned them after hearing about his career.

"Football aside," his grandma continued after coughing slightly, "Did you finally commence your university studies?"

Zachary forced a smile. "Grandma! It's not like I don't wish to continue studying. However, I really don't have the time at the moment. I've to focus all my energy on my training if I wish to achieve great things during the course of my football career."

His grandma narrowed her eyes, shifting slightly on the bed.

"Don't worry, grandma," Zachary hurriedly said to soothe her. "I'll ensure to enroll in a University this year."

He didn't understand why his grandma always insisted that he had to attend university, even when she was well aware that he was doing well as a pro footballer. But to appease her, he figured that he could enroll in a university for an online program that wouldn't take much time.

"Let's first put studying and football aside," the old lady said, a small smile playing on her parched lips. "Haven't you met any girl that has impressed you yet? When do you plan to get married? I really can't wait to hold my great-grandkids in my hands."

"Eh!"

Zachary was a bit startled. He was just nineteen, with many youthful years to enjoy still ahead of him. So, how could he start thinking of getting married?

Even though he'd been dating Camilla for more than six months, the notion of marriage had not yet taken root in his mind. Since he had bitter experiences from his past life, he was hesitant. He didn't wish to rush into a life-long commitment only to live the rest of his years in sorrow.

"Well," his grandma asked again, her eyes filled with expectation.

"Not yet, grandma," he replied, sighing. "You just advised me to enroll in a university for a degree. So, how can you ask me to start looking for a wife? Don't you know that it's not good to get married while still in school?"

His grandma narrowed her eyes. "Now, you're going to use school as an excuse. People don't get married while still in university because they don't have money. However, if you have the money to support a family, why not get married?"

She sighed weakly. "Zachary! I'm telling you, your life would be more enjoyable and fulfilling if you could find a girl who cares about you and marry her when you're still young. She would support your growth in everything you do while keeping your life in line. You would be able to develop together as a couple without most worries."

Zachary could only purse his lips and smile at that. He couldn't bring himself to make any promises to his grandma on that very topic.

"Okay, let me stop teasing you," she said, raising her head slightly from the pillows.

Zachary got a scare. "Grandma! What are you doing? Please, lie back down." He hurriedly got up from his seat to support her.

"Don't worry," she said in a placating tone. "Now that I have talked to you, I feel fine. But there's something else I need to tell you."

"Don't worry about anything else," Zachary said while rearranging the pillows to elevate her head slightly. "We can talk more when you recover."

"This can't wait," she replied, shaking her head slightly. "Do you remember when you asked me about your biological mother back in Lubumbashi?"

Zachary nodded, settling back in his seat. She'd shown him a photograph of her mom and dad and a letter with their names. He'd forwarded the information to a private investigations firm and tasked their team with uncovering the whereabouts of his biological mom. But even after eight months, the detectives had not yet produced any results. As a result, he'd eventually given up hope and pushed the matter to the back of his mind.

"The thing is," his grandma said, inclining her head slightly on the pillow to face him, "I chose not to tell you some things about your mother when you previously asked about her." Her voice had a hint of helplessness.

Zachary's expression flickered slightly. But he chose to remain silent and wait for her to complete her account of things.

"To be honest," she continued, "I had already discovered her whereabouts from one of your father's diaries. However, I wasn't sure whether the two of you meeting each other would be a good thing. So, I kept the information to myself, hoping to protect you. But now that I'm in this state, I have to disclose all I know."

"You don't have to feel pressured to tell me anything, grandma," Zachary said with a sigh. "If you feel I shouldn't meet her, I'll follow your advice and forget her."

"That should be your choice, Zachary," she said, smiling weakly. "Her full name is Céleste Kouame, and she should be from a city called Yamoussoukro, located in Côte d'Ivoire. If you get time to travel back to Lubumbashi, check the left side of my metallic suitcase for your dad's diary. You should be able to find more information about her in there."

Zachary's heart palpitated slightly, but he forced it to calm down by inhaling deeply. "Thanks for telling me, grandma," he said. "For now, just focus on recovering and don't think about anything else."

She nodded in response before letting out a breath. It was then that the door creaked open, and a uniformed nurse marched into the room. "It's about time the patient gets some rest," she said, her tone professional. "So, can you say your goodbyes and step out of the room, please?"

Zachary nodded in assent. He then said a few encouraging words to his grandma before waving her goodbye and stepping out of the room. His heart was again in disarray after recalling that she would undergo surgery the following morning at eight. However, all he could do was wait and pray for her full recovery.

—–

The next morning.

The dawn brought a new freshness, bathing the streets of Zurich City in golden light. However, Zachary was in no mood to enjoy the beautiful morning since he was already in the designated area at the University Hospital Zurich, waiting for the outcome of his grandma's surgery.

He could feel his heart hammering hard in his chest as he paced the entire length of the otherwise silent room. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't calm down while knowing that his grandma was on an operating table in a nearby theater. His thoughts were all over the place, and he felt like he should do some intense shuttle runs to cool his brain down.

"I think you should sit down for a bit, Zachary," Emily said from a nearby seat while glancing at him worriedly. "She has only been in the theater for four hours. So, there's one more hour of waiting to go."

"Your agent is right, Zachary," Marie, his aunt, echoed. "I believe that everything will be okay with grandma. So, please, calm down and sit down for a while."

Zachary nodded, stopping his pacing suddenly. He flashed Emily and his aunt a forced smile before settling down on another seat. He then counted from a hundred going backward a couple of times until he felt himself relaxing completely.

It was then that he managed to push the worries to the back of his mind. He then started to think about other things.

One important lesson he'd learned when dealing with his grandma's case was that his agent really had his back. She had traveled all the way from London to Lubumbashi immediately after hearing that his grandma was ill. She quickly arranged her transfer to Zurich to ensure that the old lady got proper medical care. As far as Zachary was concerned, she was the best agent in the world. So, he resolved to treat her even better in the future.

Many disorderly thoughts whirled through Zachary's mind as the minutes flashed by slowly. He even started considering whether to request his grandma to shift to Europe after she recovered. He could organize a residence for her and hire a couple of nurses to aid her during her recovery. And since she would be living nearby, he would be able to visit her often.

However, Zachary couldn't help but compel himself to forget the whole notion after recalling his grandma's character. He was sure that she would never shift from DR Congo, even if he got on his knees and begged. The old lady had chosen to stay in her homeland even when the country was experiencing savage wars. So, how could she up and shift due to some illness?

"The doctors are finally back," the voice of Emily sounded in his ears, suddenly breaking him out of his reverie.

"Already!?"

Zachary was startled and immediately glanced towards the entrance of the waiting lounge. He trembled despite himself when he noticed Dr. Brian Sanders walking through the doorway and approaching them.

The next moment he would know the outcome of his grandma's brain surgery. Was it good or bad? He had no idea as he was no prophet. However, he couldn't stop all the possibilities, whether good or bad, from flashing through his mind as he rose up to meet the surgeon in charge of his grandma's case.

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Chapter 334 Squad Heading to Turin

"The surgery was a success," Dr. Brian Sanders said, smiling. "Mrs. Bemba is quite stable. We've even already moved her to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit."

Dr. Sander's voice was like a thunderclap in Zachary's ears. It reverberated within his mind for a few seconds, washing away all the anxiety and gloom accumulated over the past few days. His mind cleared as his mood lightened. He felt like he'd just bathed in a cool spring with mystical powers.

"This is great news," he heard Emily say while patting his shoulder. "Zachary, I'm really happy for you."

Zachary nodded and thanked her. He then nodded at his aunt in silent affirmation of overcoming a hurdle together before returning his attention to Dr. Sanders.

"Can we see her?" he asked with eyes filled with anticipation.

Dr. Sanders shook his head. "We still need to monitor Mrs. Bemba for three more hours in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit. We'll then move her to the Neuro Intensive Care Unit, where you can see her. So, you have to be patient a bit."

"Oh, okay," Zachary said, nodding. "Thanks a lot, doctor, for all your help."

"You're welcome," Dr. Sanders said, smiling. "I have to handle another case later in the day. So, let me say goodbye for now. If you need more information about the post-surgery requirements for your grandma, you can talk to the nurse clinician on duty."

"Okay, doctor," Zachary replied. "Thanks."

Dr. Sanders beamed and exchanged a few words with Emily before turning around and walking out of the waiting room. He also seemed to be in a good mood, probably due to the success of the surgical procedure.

Zachary turned his gaze from the receding back of the neurosurgeon before pulling Emily to the side. "Should we head to the nurse clinician's office to inquire about the post-surgery requirements?"

"We don't need to," Emily responded. "I already inquired about all issues related to your grandma's treatment. What she requires more than anything is adequate care to help her recover from the surgical wound. So, after the hospital discharges her, we'll move her to the post-surgery rehabilitation center."

"The rehabilitation center?" Zachary was in doubt. "Didn't the doctor say something about keeping her under observation for two weeks?"

"That's true," Emily replied. "But you need to understand that the center is also a facility in this hospital, and its purpose is to help patients recover from surgical wounds. So, the surgeons will continue to be involved in her care while in the rehabilitation center. They will also be constantly in contact with the facility to coordinate appointments and treatment after discharge."

"Then, we should really check her into this post-surgery rehabilitation center," Zachary agreed. "What about the hospital bills? Was the money I sent you enough?"

"Yes," Emily responded. "I haven't even used half of the money. So, you don't have to worry about the bills."

"Then, that's great," Zachary said. "Thanks again for having my back."

"Don't mention it," she replied. "When do you plan to return to Trondheim, by the way?"

"If all goes well, Sunday evening," Zachary responded. "That's when my travel window ends."

"That's a good plan," Emily said. "Since your grandma will be in the post-surgery rehabilitation center, you don't have to worry. The nurses there will take care of her and constantly monitor her condition. Your aunt can also help out. So, you can return your focus to football and choose to visit, maybe once in two weeks, to see how she's doing."

"Let's first see her progress in the next two days," Zachary said, sighing. "I'll make my plans after that."

—–

Over the next two days, Zachary kept a close eye on his grandma's progress. He constantly interacted with the doctors in charge of her case and visited her during the morning and evening hours. And to his relief, he finally confirmed that she was getting better with every passing day.

The doctors had handled her case well, and her surgical wound had no issues. They were only waiting to conduct a few more tests after four days before confirming whether the treatment procedure had managed to remove all the tumor cells from her brain.

However, Zachary couldn't wait for the test results as his travel window ended on Sunday. So, even though he was reluctant to part, he still said his goodbyes to his grandma that evening. He then left all the other arrangements in the hands of Emily, his capable agent, before boarding a Scandinavian Airlines flight and returning to Trondheim.

—–

The following morning.

Zachary woke up late. He was suffering from terrible jetlag and was still a bit sleepy since he'd only managed to go to bed at around 3:00 AM. So, he decided to call the coach and see if he could excuse him from that day's training.

"Hello, Zach," the Coach Johansen said after the phone call had connected.

"Hello, coach," Zachary replied. "How's your morning?"

"My morning is fine," he replied. "How's your grandma doing?"

"She's recovering well. The doctors say that her condition is stable. They only need to conduct a few more tests in three days to confirm whether the treatment managed to remove all the tumor cells."

"That's good to hear," the coach said. "And I believe she'll be fine. So, are you back in Trondheim?"

"Yes. I arrived at 3:00 AM this morning. As a result, I'm suffering from terrible jetlag. So, it's my humble request that you allow me to skip today's training."

"That's fine, Zachary," Coach Johansen responded after a short while. "However, make sure that you undergo a conditioning routine today evening. Since we have only three days to our Europa League game against Juventus, you need to maintain your fitness. Otherwise, you'll find it hard to perform like usual during that game."

"I'll do as you recommend, coach," Zachary replied. However, he wasn't too worried about his fitness since he had continued going through his yoga routine and stretching exercises even while in Zurich.

Moreover, he'd also just mastered the step-over skill, which would help him catch the opponents off guard. So, he was sure that he would be totally ready for the match against Juventus if he trained seriously for the next two days.

"You're also clueless about the tactics and game plan since you missed the previous four training sessions," the coach said after a short while. "So, you have a lot of work to do when you return to training tomorrow."

"Don't worry, coach," Zachary said. "I have always been a quick study when learning all matters related to football. So, as long as you go through the tactics for me once, I'll be able to master them."

"Then, that puts my heart at ease," Coach Johansen said. "Do your best to rest and recover today. We'll talk more tomorrow during training."

"Okay, thanks, coach. Have a good day."

"Have a good day, too."

After ending the call, Zachary let out a breath of relief. He'd been worried that he would underperform during that day's training due to his poor condition. But since the coach had allowed him another day of rest, he could finally relax and catch up with the sleep he had missed over the previous few days.

So, he threw his phone to the side and immediately dived back into bed. A few minutes later, he was already snoring and oblivious to everything around him.

—–

Over the following two days, Zachary got busy. He immersed himself in training with the intent to push his match fitness to its highest state possible. As a result, he spent many hours sweating in the gym and running on the training ground.

When he wasn't doing physicals or partaking in the team training sessions, he would also find time to go over the tactics for the match with Coach Johansen. Additionally, he also started watching the past games of Juventus to understand their playing patterns and style.

Since he understood that Juventus was one of the giants of Europe, he was leaving no stone unturned. He even went over each player's previous match statistics to understand their threat levels, especially during crucial games.

The hours quickly turned into days as he prepared himself, and soon it was Wednesday morning. The day when the team would finally head to Turin for the match against Juventus had arrived.

The team held a two-hour light training session to refine the tactics and game plan one final time. When the clock hand just pointed to the ten o'clock mark in the morning, the coach ended the session and notified all the players to gather in the tactics room. It was finally the time to announce the match squad that would face off against Juventus the following evening.

"I won't waste time going over the tactics as we've been doing just that over the past two weeks," Coach Johansen said after the players had taken their seats. "Instead, I'll call out the players who managed to make the squad traveling to Turin today afternoon. Those who hear their names should prepare their bags right after this meeting ends. The set-off time from the Lerkendal parking lot is 2:00 PM."

"I'll begin with the starting line-up," the coach continued. "We have Daniel Örlund, Mikael Dorsin, Tore Reginiussen, Yerry Mina, Eric Bailly, Thomas Partey, Zachary Bemba, Takumi Minamino, Nicki Nielsen, Tobias Mikkelsen, and Alexander Söderlund as our starting players."

"On the bench, we have Lund Hansen, William Troost-Ekong, Cristian Gamboa, Ole Selnæs, Mike Jensen, Karl Toko Ekambi, and Paul Kasongo. Those are all the names of the players heading to Turin. You have three hours to prepare your bags."

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Chapter 335 Europa League Match Day

Thursday, March 13, 2014.

Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy.

—–

The Rosenborg squad, which had arrived in Turin the previous day, stepped onto the pitch for the pre-match warm-up session when the clock hand pointed to the eight o'clock mark that evening.

Zachary had thought that he'd already experienced all there was to the passion of football fans after playing against Fiorentina in Florence a few weeks prior. But after stepping into the Juventus stadium, he immediately realized how wrong he'd been. He was startled since the fans were much more intense than their counterparts in Florence.

Even though an hour remained before kick-off, the stadium was already jam-packed. The Juventus fans, mostly donned in their team's black and white colors, had already occupied nearly all the seats available in the stands. Moreover, they were already cheering wildly and singing at the top of their voices as they watched their team go through a dynamic warm-up.

Even while warming up on the pitch, Zachary could hear their vibrant voices loud and clear. And even though he didn't understand Italian, he could still feel their passion and affection for their team when his ears picked up the chants.

However, those chants didn't induce any feelings of fear or tension within his psyche. Instead, his entire being was swelling with expectation as he readied himself to play against the Italian giants. Moreover, his anticipation had even helped him push the worry about his grandma to the back of his mind.

It had only been about a year since he'd made his debut as a pro player for Rosenborg. However, he'd already gotten a chance to play against one of the best teams in Europe. As a person who loved football with his everything, the match was the perfect God-sent opportunity. He could finally test his skills against some of the best players in the world and see how he fared against them. So, why wouldn't he be excited?

"We're really in enemy territory," Kasongo remarked. He was going through the dynamic warm-up routine beside him while also stealing glances at the stands. "Look at them cheer for their team. It is as if they are cheering for an army going to war."

"That's the beauty of football," Zachary said while performing a static upper-back stretch. "The cheers are what make the match more exciting. The only pity is that very few Rosenborg fans are in the stands today evening. Otherwise, this match would have turned out epic."

Zachary had already surveyed the stands when he'd just stepped on the pitch. However, he'd noticed that only a few hundred Rosenborg fans had occupied a small portion of what should have been the visitor's section of the stands. Compared to the more than 35,000 Juventus supporters present, they were just like a drop in the ocean. Thus, they couldn't cause any ripple within the large stadium even if they shouted at the top of their voices.

"Guys," Coach Rolf Aas, the assistant coach in charge of fitness, suddenly yelled. "Add more energy. We need to finish this dynamic warm-up in fifteen minutes."

Zachary immediately added more intensity to his warm-up routine after hearing the assistant coach's impassioned shout. He went through the exercises at a much quicker pace than before until he was sweating buckets. However, he would occasionally cast his gaze towards the other side of the pitch to spy on the opponents.

All the famous Juventus players, including Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo, Fernando Llorente, and Giorgio Chiellini, among others, were warming up on the other side of the pitch. Zachary could feel his heart tremble a bit just by glancing at them. However, he soon suppressed those unstable feelings within his mind and continued his warm-up.

—–

On the other side of the field, the Juventus players had just taken a water break after going through a shuttle run session. Claudio Marchisio turned his gaze to the other half to examine the opponents. "That tall black player with an afro is Zachary," he said to a few of his teammates beside him. "The coach has warned us several times to be wary of him."

Pogba shrugged. "He's a very talented player going by the videos and statistics. One of the assistants even mentioned that he has already scored nine goals and is the current top scorer in the Europa League. But all that doesn't concern me since I'm on the bench today."

"Don't worry, guys," Arturo Vidal said with a lopsided grin. "I'm full of energy today, especially since the coach had me rest on Sunday. He won't be able to do anything on my watch."

"You need to be on your toes, Arturo," Pirlo warned from the side. "Otherwise, it would be shameful if a nineteen-year-old kid outplayed you."

Some of the players laughed at that while Arturo, himself, narrowed his eyes. "I guess I don't need to waste my words convincing you people. You only need to wait, and I'll show you how I handle him on the pitch."

"Break over," the voice of one of the assistant coaches suddenly sounded. "Please, continue with the warm-up."

The Juventus players could only halt their conversation before immersing themselves in the dynamic warm-up exercises. They worked hard for the next few minutes until their coaches called them back to the dressing room for the pre-match tactical briefing.

—–

A minute later, the Rosenborg players also returned to the dressing room. Since kick-off was just twenty minutes away, they hurriedly started changing into their all-black away match jerseys. Before long, they completed their preparations and settled on the benches around the dressing room to listen to coach Johansen's pre-match address.

"Guys," the coach began, a soft smile outlining his face. "It's finally time. We're about to step out of here and face off against Juventus in the Europa League's round of sixteen. And I believe I don't have to explain to you what'll happen if we don't pull out all our stops during the game."

"For the past two weeks, we've been going over the tactics for this game," he continued. "And as you're well aware, we'll be using the 4-5-1 formation, with four defenders, five midfielders, and one center-forward. The whole formation aims to ensure that we defend well while also being able to stifle Juventus' strong midfield."

"However, if any of us relaxes even for a minute during the game, the entire formation will crumble. Then, what will follow is us conceding. So, guys, I urge you to remain focused from the very first minute. Play simple football, be swift when closing down the opponents in our own half, and when you get chances, use them. If you remain true to those simple rules, we'll surely give the Italian giants a run for their money. Are we together, guys?"

"Yes, coach," the players yelled back with zest.

Coach Johansen smiled, nodding. "One last thing before we go. We need to approach this match carefully and systematically to attain a good result. So, we'll divide the first half's 45 minutes into three smaller segments, each 15-minutes."

"In the first fifteen minutes, before the Juventus players settle down into their usual game tempo, we'll play boldly and attack more often. The focus of our game plan will remain on defending, yes — but whenever we get the chance, we launch a counterattack immediately and swiftly. So, I expect at least three effective counters from you in those first fifteen minutes. Are you with me, guys?"

"Yes, coach."

"Moving on," the coach continued. "During the second segment, we'll be more reserved. No matter the result—no matter whether we're a goal down or winning, we'll remain solid in defense from the 15th to the 30th minute. We'll play with ten men behind the ball and ensure that we don't concede a goal."

"When we move on to the last segment—from the 30th to the 45th minute, we'll start adapting to the situation. If we're a goal down, we'll become bolder and look for opportunities by relying on counters. However, if the score is still a tie—or if we're winning, we'll remain conservative and defend as if our lives depend on the game. Are you guys with me? Have you understood the entire plan?"

"Yes, coach," most players replied, nodding their heads.

However, Zachary was in doubt. So, he raised his arm and asked a question. "What do I do if I get a hard-to-resist counterattacking opportunity during the second segment? Do I let it pass because our entire focus is on defending?"

Coach Johansen took a few steps across the dressing room before answering. "If you're sure you won't lose the ball when you attack, you can launch the counter. However, if you are not at least 90% sure that you can break through the opponents, you better relax and stick to the game plan."

"One thing you need to understand is that Juventus usually raises their attacking momentum between the 15th and 30th minute. So, that's why we've got to be very careful during that segment."

Coach Johansen smiled slightly. "But for you, Zachary, you're playing a free role. You can determine how and when to attack depending on the situation on the pitch. So, to some extent, these arrangements are not for you—but the rest of your teammates. But, please remember to play smart and don't make amateur mistakes."

"Okay," Zachary replied. "I understand, coach."

"Good." Coach Johansen said, glancing at his watch. "It's about time. So, let's finish our preparations and head to the pitch. We'll make further detailed arrangements depending on the situation at halftime."

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Chapter 336 Second-Minute Shocker

Emily was still in Zurich, helping Zachary organize his grandma's post-surgery treatment. So, she could only watch the Juventus versus Rosenborg match on the big screen within one of the hospital's many relaxation lounges.

Be that as it may, she wasn't too bored since she had company. With her was Zachary's aunt – Marie, the humorous Ryan Bellmore, the analytical Dr. Brian Sanders, and a group of roughly fifteen more medical personnel working the night shift that day.

"So, what do you think, Emily?" Ryan Bellmore suddenly whispered from beside her. "Do you believe that Zachary can push his worries about his grandma to the back of his mind and perform like usual?"

"He can, and he will," Emily replied confidently, her eyes never leaving the screen. "Zachary is a player who loves football with all his heart. So, he always seems to forget everything else whenever he steps onto the pitch for an official game. I believe he will be able to do the same during this match."

"I see," Ryan Bellmore nodded. "So, what do you think are Rosenborg's chances of winning this game? Be honest, and tell me what you think?"

"Well," Emily replied, sighing. "On paper, the Juventus squad is far more solid and a hell-lot more versatile. So, their chances of winning should be over 95%. However, we can't count Rosenborg out as there's still Zachary and the group of other impressive young players around him. The likes of Takumi Minamino, Thomas Partey, and Nicki Nielsen can all rise to the occasion. If they handle the match well, maybe, they might win. We have to wait and see."

Emily was being practical. But on the inside, she really hoped and yearned for Rosenborg to win that game, especially by relying on Zachary.

As a football agent, she had long understood that crucial matches, especially against big teams, were the best platforms for marketing budding football players. If a young footballer could go against a giant like Juventus and put up an incredible performance, his name would immediately sink deep and root itself within the minds of the entire football community around the globe. On the other hand, if the player couldn't rise to the occasion and play like usual against the much stronger opponent, then the rest of the world would never bother to remember his name. It was that simple.

So, Emily really hoped that Zachary would be the incredible version of a young player against Juventus that night. She wished to see him putting up a phenomenal performance that could dazzle the European Football community. That way, he could finally establish himself as a world-class player and pave the way for his future.

At that moment, the catchy Europa League anthem's tune sounded from the TV speakers, attracting Emily's attention once again. Like a spark igniting and blooming into a fire, the music immediately induced waves of excitement and anxiety within her mind.

"It's beginning," Ryan said excitedly.

Emily didn't reply but kept her gaze focused on the live broadcast of the match. The next moment, she smiled as she saw the match officials and players stepping onto the pitch and causing an explosion of cheers within the stadium. Her feelings couldn't help but fluctuate slightly when the camera zeroed in on Zachary, who was at the end of Rosenborg's line of players. He looked so imposing with his afro hairstyle that matched his tall physique.

"Zachary looks sharper in his new shirt number eight," Ryan, the self-appointed in-house commentator, suddenly remarked. "It's way better than that number-33 of his."

Emily smiled but chose not to respond. Her gaze was still on the screen as the players quickly lined up and exchanged the customary handshakes. Before long, they started taking their positions and what followed was the coin toss ceremony.

Per FIFA rules, the captains of the two teams had to partake in the coin toss ceremony under the supervision of the head referee before each game. The captain that won the coin flip would select the goal his team would play towards during the first half. On the other hand, the losing captain's team would get the opening kick-off.

It seemed that that time around, Gianluigi Buffon, the Juventus captain, won the coin toss since Rosenborg got the opportunity to kick off the game in the first half.

"Welcome to the live broadcast of this Europa League match between Juventus and Rosenborg," the commentator's mellifluous voice suddenly sounded from the TV speakers.

"As usual, Juventus are in their striped black and white jersey, while Rosenborg players are in their all-black away kits today. Both teams were impressive during the last stage of the Europa League."

"Juventus overwhelmed Trabzonspor with a 4:0 aggregate score, while Rosenborg barely edged past Fiorentina, the other Italian outfit, with an aggregate score of 3:2 to qualify for this round," the commentator continued, his voice smooth and fast-flowing. "And today night, the two teams will finally commence their battle for a spot in this season's Europa League quarter-finals. Will it be the mighty Juventus that comes out on top after this first leg? Or will Rosenborg, the underrated Norwegian team, shock Italy again? To find out the answer, stay tuned to ESPN. We'll be back shortly after the break."

After the ten-second break, the commentators utilized the few seconds before kick-off to introduce and analyze the team line-ups and formations. Antonio Conte, the Juventus coach, had fielded a 3-5-2 formation, seemingly with the intent to attack from the first minute. In goal for the Italian giants was the ever-reliable captain of the side – Gianluigi Buffon, while their defense comprised the three players – Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, and Martín Cáceres. In their midfield were the five players – Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio, Mauricio Isla, and Kwadwo Asamoah. And lastly, on their striking were the two phenomenal players – Carlos Tévez and Daniel Osvaldo.

As for Rosenborg, they'd fielded a 4-5-1 formation, with a line-up almost similar to the one that faced off against Fiorentina in Florence two weeks ago. Daniel Örlund was in goal, while the defense comprised the four players – Mikael Dorsin, Tore Reginiussen, Yerry Mina, and Eric Bailly. Then, the five players – Thomas Partey, Zachary Bemba, Takumi Minamino, Tobias Mikkelsen, and Alexander Söderlund made up the midfield. And finally, on striking was the ever-reliable Nicki Nielsen.

Emily felt her unease grow after comparing the two line-ups. Once again, she had gotten to comprehend the fact that the two teams were entirely on different levels. Comparing the two teams was like pitting the strength of an elephant against the might of an ant. But she still hadn't lost faith as an ant could still put up a fight if it could manage to sink its sharp teeth into the elephant's delicate parts. So, it all depended on how the Rosenborg coach handled the game to exploit Juventus' few weaknesses.

Zachary stood right outside the center circle, waiting for the referee to blow the kick-off whistle. His blood was already boiling with excitement as he could hardly wait for the game to begin.

Be that as it may, his mind was abnormally calm since he'd unexpectedly entered into the 'zone' mental state even before the game could begin. As a result, his senses were already super hyper. He could even make out the minute movements of each player around him, even without focusing hard.

FWEEEEEEE*

Suddenly, the referee's whistle, signaling for the match to begin, sounded. Nicki Nielsen, Rosenborg's only center-forward, immediately flicked the ball to Zachary to kick start the Europa League's first leg clash between Juventus and Rosenborg.

Zachary received the ball right outside the center circle before turning around and flicking it towards Takumi Minamino, one of his counterparts in midfield.

Takumi also handled the ball with a sense of urgency and didn't dawdle. After a single touch, he flicked it towards Tobias Mikkelsen, Rosenborg's right-winger.

Tobias seemed eager to impress, especially since it was his first time making it into the squad in the new year. So, he exploded forth with speed along the right flank, smoothly skipping past Kwadwo Asamoah, Juventus' left midfielder. Before any opponents could close him down, he flicked the ball back to Takumi, the Rosenborg midfielder running in sync with him through the middle.

Takumi once again took a single touch before threading the ball to Zachary, who was, at that moment, already deep into the other half. And as a pleasant surprise, the pass was spot on, making it into Zachary's sprinting path before the opponents could surround him.

It was an opportune moment as Zachary's super hyper senses picked up the rare moment of laxity within the ranks of the Juventus side while receiving the ball. So, he immediately decided to take a gamble, especially since the theme of the first fifteen minutes was to attack boldly.

"Here goes nothing!"

Within anything but an instant, his S-graded agility exploded forth as he sprinted towards Juventus' box like mad. He was soon dribbling the ball through the middle, meandering past a couple of half-hearted challenges from the opponents.

However, he couldn't continue sprinting and breaking through the Juventus line-up with ease as if they didn't exist. Just as he was stepping past the boundary into the final third, he ran into the most-challenging roadblock in the form of Arturo Vidal – the midfielder dubbed La Piranha by the Italian press for his hard-tackling and aggressive, tenacious style of play.

But Zachary only slowed down a little to draw in the opponent. He didn't panic as his keen eyes kept on observing and drawing assessments from each and every minute movement made by the approaching opponent.

Then, just suddenly, Zachary stepped over the ball once, and Arturo, himself, reacted by leaning towards the right by a slight margin. The next second, Zachary executed another step-over, forcing the opponent to respond by shifting his center of gravity towards the left. And that was all the opportunity that Zachary needed.

He accelerated to his top speed and broke past the tenacious midfielder like the wind from the right. The next second, his long strides were again eating up yards of space like there was no tomorrow. It was then that he noticed the shooting angle opening up slightly. And, of course, he couldn't miss the opportunity.

Heart beating fast and hard with anticipation, he drew his leg all the way back like a bowstring, intending to smash the ball towards the goal. But the next moment, a shudder went through his entire being as he noticed a leg stretching out and blocking his shooting angle. That time around, Leonardo Bonucci, one of the Juventus center backs, was the player who'd closed him down.

"Whatever!"

Zachary decided within an instant to continue taking the shot. So, he mercilessly swung his leg hard and fast and smacked the ball with all his strength using the top of his boot. And as expected, the ball took a deflection off the defender's boot, causing an additional pang of anxiety to assault Zachary's psyche.

However, the next moment, his mood took a turn for the better as he realized that the deflection hadn't managed to change the ball's trajectory by a significant margin. Instead, it had added an additional spin and more height to the curling shot, forcing the ball to veer towards the far top right corner like a fast-spinning top. Before the Juventus keeper could react, it had already homed in fast into the back of the net.

SILENCE!

A wave of silence descended across the entire Juventus Stadium as both players and fans couldn't come to terms with what had just transpired. Most remained dazed for seconds as their minds tried to comprehend the second-minute shocker. However, all that had nothing to do with Zachary as he was already rushing towards the corner flag to celebrate Rosenborg's first goal.

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Chapter 337 An Unexpected Occurrence

Coach Johansen's mood was still agitated as he followed the game from the technical area after the goal celebrations. Every time he remembered the run made by Zachary through the middle and his efficient side-stepping skills, his heart would palpitate. And when he recalled the goal itself, his lips would curl into a smile. He was simply like an excited kid who'd just received his favorite Christmas present.

However, he soon forced himself to calm down when he continued watching the game. As a coach, he understood that his players still had a lot of work to do if they wished to attain a result from the fixture.

Juventus was a team that grew stronger as they settled into the game. Thus, he wanted his players to do their best in the first fifteen minutes to widen the margin before the Italian giants raised their tempo and started attacking fiercely.

"Guys!" He yelled at the top of his voice after the ball went out of play for another Juventus throw-in. "Mark every opponent in our half. Don't let them receive the ball without any pressure. Zachary, Alexander, Tobias, and Nicki! Stay on your toes and be ready to counterattack at any time. We need another goal as soon as possible." His instructions were in Norwegian since he didn't want the nearby Antonio Conte to understand his words.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee soon blew the whistle, signaling the Juventus players to take their throw-in. Mauricio Isla, Juventus' right-midfielder, took a few steps towards the touchline before throwing the ball to Andrea Pirlo.

For that game, Pirlo was, of course, playing as a deep-lying playmaker. So, he'd been occupying the positions close to the center circle in the other half, far away from Rosenborg's box. Yet, when he received the ball at that moment, it only took him a split second to spot a gap that could have taken other players a lifetime to notice. And before any Rosenborg players could close him down, he unleashed a hell-of-a-pass towards the other side, where Carlos Tévez was lurking.

In just a few seconds, the Italian playmaker had induced a switch in play and initiated a dangerous attack on Rosenborg's box by relying on his phenomenal passing skills. He was simply like a sniper who could puncture a hole into Rosenborg's defense from anywhere on the pitch, no matter the distance.

Coach Johansen's heart leaped to his throat as he watched the beast of a striker – Carlos Tévez connecting with Pirlo's pin-point pass close to the edge of the box. Before the Rosenborg players could react, the dangerous forward let loose a terrifying shot that zoomed towards the goal like a ballistic missile.

However, the next moment, Coach Johansen relaxed when he saw Daniel Örlund, Rosenborg's keeper, rising to the occasion to punch the ball out of play. With a double-handed diving save, the keeper had denied Juventus a chance to score and equalize proceedings in the 11th minute.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee immediately blew the whistle and pointed toward the corner flag.

"Nicki!" Coach Johansen shouted in Norwegian as the players were readying themselves for the corner kick. "Whenever we don't have the ball, make sure you mark that Andrea Pirlo tightly. Watch him closely, and don't allow him to unleash those long-range passes towards the box. Do you hear me?"

"Alright, coach," Nicki Nielsen yelled back, raising his thumb slightly to indicate that he'd gotten the message.

Coach Johansen nodded and then turned towards the other half. He immediately noticed Andrea Pirlo walking towards the corner flag to take the set-piece, and his mood sunk into the abyss of agitation again.

He'd already done his research before the game. So, he understood how good a set-piece taker the Italian Maestro was. Whether it was a corner or a free kick, Pirlo would find his intended target more times than not. He would either pick out a teammate with much ease or send the ball into the back of the net.

However, since it was a corner kick, Coach Johansen didn't have to worry about Pirlo scoring directly. His players only needed to mark the Juventus players in the box, and everything would turn out fine.

"Guys!" He started yelling again while clapping his hands. "Mark everyone in the box tightly. Takumi! Mark the space in front of our box. Don't allow the opponents to shoot any rebounds towards our goal after the corner…"

For the next few seconds, his words resounded across the field. He paced the entire length of the technical area as he tried to organize his team. He only stopped yelling after noticing that his players had understood his instructions and put them into effect.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee suddenly blew the whistle after arranging the players of both teams in the box. Andrea Pirlo immediately floated the corner ball into the area, trying to find one of his teammates.

Since it was a dangerous moment for his team, Coach Johansen couldn't stop his heart from racing. He watched with bated breath as Daniel Osvaldo, the Juventus forward, rose into the air to meet the ball before planting a header towards the goal.

His edgy heart only returned to its rightful place within his chest when the ball hit a snag in the form of Yerry Mina the next moment. The tall Colombian had positioned himself well to block the effort. However, his block was just by reflex. So, the ball didn't travel far and dropped towards the edge of the box.

But Rosenborg was fortunate once again as Takumi Minamino was marking the space in front of the area. The Japanese guy intercepted the ball with ease before smashing it hurriedly towards the other side of the pitch with all his strength.

By reflex, Coach Johansen's eyes followed the ball's trajectory high up into the air for a moment. But the next instant, his peripheral vision picked out a silhouette in a pure-black jersey racing after the ball flying through the air.

"Eh!"

Coach Johansen was stunned and immediately turned his focus to the silhouette. His hopes sored immediately, especially after noticing that the player chasing after the ball was Zachary, with speed akin to that of a race car.

"Will he make it?" Coach Johansen wondered, his focus repeatedly alternating between Zachary's sprinting form and the ball high up in the air.

Suddenly, the ball reached its apex trajectory and soon began its sharp descent back to the ground. Its velocity suddenly increased during the drop under the earth's gravity. Before long, it was almost bouncing on the green in the center circle.

Anyone on the pitch expected one of the Juventus players to control it immediately and prevent it from bouncing. However, at that moment, there was a little bit of hesitancy among the Juventus players marking the centerline.

For a moment, the two players – Martín Cáceres and Claudio Marchisio both looked at each other, probably thinking that the other would handle the descending ball. But that moment of hesitation was all Zachary needed to cover another five or six yards.

The Rosenborg number-8 exploded forth with momentum and was soon upon the position of the descending ball. It was then that Claudio Marchisio reacted and went to tackle the ball, probably hoping to save the situation. However, his reaction was just a tad too late to defend against a highly-clinical player like Zachary.

Right at the moment when the Juventus midfielder's boot was making first contact with the ball, Zachary was upon him, all guns blazing like an assassin going in for a kill. The boy prodigy then immediately blocked the effort by the midfielder to clear the ball with an outstretched boot before taking off towards Juventus' box like the wind.

Coach Johansen immediately started the motion of raising his arms into the air as he watched his playmaker approaching the keeper at breakneck speed. The coach could feel his heart beating like a drum as Zachary executed a couple of side-steps, probably intending to confuse and evade the keeper before scoring.

However, just then, something unexpected happened. Gianluigi Buffon, the Juventus keeper, committed himself to a full dive to tackle the ball from Zachary's feet. But in so doing, he grabbed Zachary's left leg and brought him to the ground right inside the edge of the penalty box.

Maybe, it was due to Zachary's deft side-stepping skills or his swift speed — the experienced Juventus captain had just made a mistake and committed a last-man foul within the area. Moreover, he had committed that foul very early in the match, only during the 14th minute of gameplay.

The whole incident was unforeseen and not the least bit anticipated by Coach Johansen. So, he was at a loss for words for just a moment while his agitated mind processed the new information. But that was not for long.

"Foul! Penalty!" He suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, intending to run to the fourth official.

FWEEEEEEE*

However, the referee was ahead of the coach with his decision. He immediately blew the whistle and pointed to the penalty spot. Yet, his actions didn't just stop there. He soon stepped towards Gianluigi Buffon and showed him a straight red card for committing a last-man foul and denying an attacking player a clear chance to score, especially within the box.

The Juventus players soon started surrounding the referee, probably to protest against the decision. However, he stayed true to his word and turned a deaf ear to their complaints. His decision was final, and he probably wouldn't change it for anything.

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Chapter 338 Conte's Response

A soft smile outlined Zachary's face as he picked himself from the ground after watching the referee show a straight red card to the Juventus captain. He was well aware that the decision against the Italian giants was the best possible development for Rosenborg during the early stages of the match.

A few seconds prior, when he'd been one-on-one with the keeper, he'd not chosen a more efficient dribbling style to beat the keeper and score with ease. Instead, he'd executed a couple of flashy side-steps to irritate and force a reaction out of the Juventus captain. He'd wished and hoped that the keeper could make a mistake and foul him within the box.

And it seemed like the goddess of luck was really on Rosenborg's side during that match. Just as he was about to break past the keeper with a deft side-step, the man held his leg. Of course, Zachary immediately went to the ground, hoping to draw the attention and concern of the referee. What followed was pretty straightforward, with Juventus going a man down only during the 15th minute of gameplay.

"Nice play," Nicki said, patting Zachary's shoulder. "Man, that was some incredible run from our box to the centerline."

Zachary just smiled in response. At that moment, his attention was still on the Juventus players lodging their complaints to the referee. Did they really think they could force a referee to alter his decision? He was a bit amused by their actions. So, after watching for a while, he could only shake his head and turn his focus to the more vital issues.

"I'll take the penalty," he said to Nicki and a few other teammates that had just assembled around him.

"You won the penalty singlehandedly, man," Nicki said with a smile. "Unless you want to give it to me, your most-reliable counterpart, it's yours to take."

Zachary beamed, picking up the ball and placing it on the penalty spot. He didn't need to respond verbally as his actions clearly indicated his stand.

The penalty kick was of paramount importance for his team, Rosenborg. He couldn't trust anyone else to take it, aside from himself. His mind wouldn't be at ease even if Nicki, the ever-reliable Rosenborg striker, took up the responsibility.

—–

After a few more minutes, the referee managed to soothe the angry Juventus players. He finally managed to send their captain out of the pitch and immediately started preparing for the penalty.

He organized the players, except the penalty taker, outside the box. But even after doing all that, the game couldn't restart as he was still waiting for Juventus to sub in a new keeper in place of their red-carded captain.

Antonio Conte was in a terrible mood as he hurried his assistants to prep the substitute goalkeeper. He'd repeatedly cautioned his players to be wary of the Zachary fellow. However, they'd ignored his warnings and let the man do as he pleased during the first fifteen minutes of gameplay. Because of their laxity, the team was in a very dire situation.

"How far with prepping the keeper?" He shouted at the goalkeeping coach.

"He's still dressing up," the goalkeeping coach replied. "However, we don't have time to take him through a proper warm-up. So, we'll immediately send him to the pitch after he has finished his preparations. And that should be in about two to three minutes."

"This is really a mess," Conte said, tightening his fists. He was angry and a bit tense. He understood that he needed to do something about the game situation and plan for damage control, especially for the rest of the first half. Otherwise, the opponents from a low-tier league might shame his team.

"Pogba," he said abruptly after noticing that the substitute keeper had yet to finalize his preparations.

"Yes, coach," Pogba replied immediately and rose from the bench.

"Come here for a moment," the coach intoned.

Pogba nodded and approached the coach's position with a slight swagger in his stride. He appeared confident and not the least bit affected by what was transpiring on the pitch.

Coach Conte creased his brows slightly. "I want you in the game as a sub for Carlos Tévez as soon as possible. Are you ready to play?"

"Of course, coach," Pogba replied with a lopsided grin. "I'm always ready to enter the pitch as long as you need me."

"Good," Coach Conte said, stealing a glance at the proceedings on the field of play. "Here are my instructions for you and the rest of the midfielders."

"I'm listening, coach." Pogba nodded and stepped closer.

"Since we already have a red card," the coach said, "we'll sacrifice all our striking force to strengthen the other aspects of our team during the rest of the game. Marco Storari will sub in for Osvaldo as our new keeper. As for you, you'll sub in for Carlos Tévez."

"However, my intention is not for you to play as a striker, even though you're subbing in for one. Instead, you'll join up with our five midfielders to strengthen our side in the middle."

"Additionally," the coach continued, "you'll play a free role and mark that Zachary fellow. Follow him wherever he goes for the rest of the game, and don't allow him to receive passes comfortably from his teammates. Do your utmost to frustrate him, and stop him from doing as he pleases in our half."

Conte sighed, shaking his head. "I would prefer that any other Rosenborg player retains the ball in our half, even when unmarked, rather than letting that fellow shame us again. I even believe that if we contain that fellow, then Rosenborg won't manage to score a goal for the rest of the game. That's even when we're a man down."

"So, as a contingency, tell both Arturo and Claudio to help you out whenever you feel that you don't have a chance of stopping him alone. They only need to defend the zones in our half where he would possibly run with the ball while you continue marking him closely. With that, we can blend both zonal and man-to-man marking strategies to prevent him from doing as he pleases."

Pogba nodded before narrowing his eyes. "What about the striking? If they manage to score the penalty, we'll be two goals down. Don't you think we should try to get at least one goal back as soon as possible?"

"Don't mix up issues, Pogba!" Conte's tone was sharp. "At the moment, what we need to do most is stabilize the game. The most vital issue for us is to ensure that we don't concede more goals before halftime. As long as we can accomplish that, we can organize more targeted strategies to create scoring chances during halftime. But if we continue being arrogant and play recklessly against Rosenborg, even when we're a man down, we might concede two or three more goals. Do you get my point?"

"I get you, coach," Pogba replied.

"Okay, then," Conte said. "Go and start warming up. I want you on the pitch in less than five minutes. And do not forget my instructions."

"Yes, coach," Pogba replied before stepping away to undergo his warm-up routine.

After a whole five minutes, Juventus finally brought on their substitute keeper. His name was Marco Storari — a player that Zachary had never heard of during his previous life. Be that as it may, he still decided to approach the penalty kick with caution. He didn't want to waste Rosenborg's rare chance of furthering the lead due to a moment of arrogance.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle a moment later. Zachary immediately took a few steps back from the penalty spot while observing the substitute keeper, who'd just taken his place between the posts.

Zachary's mind was very sharp at that moment since he'd already activated the Dead-Ball-Specialist Juju. So, he could make out each and every motion made by the keeper.

For instance, he noticed that the keeper was leaning slightly to the left, which was a tell-tale sign of an intention to dive in the same direction. However, the keeper could also be baiting him to take a shot toward that side of the goal. So, he decided to shoot toward neither left nor right after a moment of consideration.

He immediately made a short, angled run towards the ball while still observing the keeper's actions. Then, he swung his leg down in one swift motion and unleashed an improvised version of a snapshot towards the roof of the goal.

As expected, the keeper couldn't save the penalty. He'd instead dived towards the right while the ball soared above him. He could only turn back dejectedly and watch the ball perfectly nestling into the back of the net after completing his dive.

Of course, all that had nothing to do with Zachary. He had already rushed towards the stadium's northeast corner, where the few Rosenborg fans were seated. He could hardly contain his excitement as he punched the air repeatedly before raising his arms above his head to celebrate the goal.

Everything seemed so surreal to him at that moment. He was facing off against Juventus, one of the best teams in Europe and the entire globe. Yet, he'd already scored twice to place his team in a very advantageous position. It was a dream come true as far as he was concerned.

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Chapter 339 The Juventus Chairman's Directive

Zachary returned to his starting position right outside the center circle after celebrating the goal with the rest of his teammates. His eyes narrowed when he noticed Conte subbing in Paul Pogba for Carlos Tévez, who'd been playing as Juventus' second striker.

He was a bit unsettled since the substitution was quite disadvantageous to his side, Rosenborg, especially since they'd just gained the momentum after scoring two goals.

From the bits and pieces he could recall from his previous life, he was mindful of the fact that 'the Paul Pogba of Juventus' was a beast of a player. He'd given hell to numerous opponents due to his tactical genius and incredible skill set whenever he played in the midfield for the Italian giants. Moreover, he was also defensively able. He was good at intercepting passes and could prevail in aerial and ground duels to win possession back for his team. During his younger years, he was a phenomenal player for sure.

"Things are about to get more complicated," Zachary thought to himself while observing the Juventus players arranging themselves on the other side of the pitch.

Pogba was about to team up with the other remarkable players, such as Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, to assemble a six-man midfield for Juventus. Thus, Zachary and his teammates would find it hard to break through such a compact midfield even when they already had a numerical advantage due to the red card. What would follow would be the tempo slowing down and Juventus settling into the game. And if that happened, Rosenborg would find it hard to score any more goals during the rest of the game.

But that was not what Zachary wanted. He was well aware that the Italian giants could inflict terror on their opponents if they managed to prepare well and play at their best. So, he wasn't about to let the result of the Europa League's round of sixteen be decided during the second leg.

He wanted to squash and destroy Juventus during that game when they were a man down. Then, they would never dream of launching a comeback when they traveled to Lerkendal for the second leg fixture scheduled for the following week.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, and the game restarted after a few more seconds. As Zachary had feared, the Italian giants started playing more conservatively. Even with Pogba, a phenomenal attacking midfielder, present in their ranks, they still turtled up and rarely launched any attacks. Instead, they concentrated on playing with ten men behind the ball to deny Rosenborg from taking advantage of their numerical advantage and scoring the third goal.

Moreover, Zachary soon realized that three opposing midfielders were marking him. Pogba would follow him all over the midfield and block off the passing routes whenever his teammates showed intent to pass the ball to him. On the other hand, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio, the two other midfielders, would block his possible running routes from a distance. Their tactical discipline was really commendable, and they managed to execute the perfect zonal marking system that denied him any opportunities to dribble the ball through the middle.

As the first half progressed into the late stages, Zachary found it harder and harder to make an impact on the pitch. He had barely touched the ball ever since he scored the penalty. It was as if the Juventus players were giving the 'special care' only to him while letting the rest of his teammates possess the ball for as long as they wanted.

With Zachary, the playmaker, out of the picture, the rest of the Rosenborg players found it challenging to launch any meaningful attacks on Juventus during the rest of the first half. As a result, the score remained 0:2 in favor of Rosenborg when the players headed down the tunnel for halftime.

Among the people seated in the VIP booth at the very top of the Juventus Stadium were two gentlemen in black suits. Their expressions were grave as they watched the Juventus players walking down the tunnel for halftime.

"Say, Fabio," the more diminutive of the two men suddenly said while creasing his brows slightly. He was Andrea Agnelli, the chairman of the Juventus football club and a distinguished member of the renowned Agnelli family. "What's wrong with Conte's arrangements today? How come we're two goals down when facing a team from one of the lowest-tier leagues in Europe? Is Conte sleeping? What's going on?" He spoke rapidly in Italian without giving his counterpart a chance to respond to his questions.

"It might not be Conte's fault," Fabio Paratici, the sporting director of Juventus, answered, sighing. "That Zachary Bemba is a very talented and terrifying opponent. You must have realized that he's swift and decisive while on the attack. He managed to catch our players off guard and created the two goal-scoring opportunities almost out of the blue."

"Still, that's no excuse for us to be two goals down before halftime," Andrea said, shaking his head. "I'm not happy. First, we drop out of the Champions League after losing to Real Madrid and a small team like Galatasaray. And now, we're losing to an even weaker team and about to drop out of the Europa League. I'm really not happy."

"Relax and be patient," Fabio said in a placating manner. "There's still the second leg. We can surely overturn this deficit and win the leg if we prepare well."

"Hmmm!" Andrea shook his head slightly after hearing his colleague's words. "If they can surprise us and win against us when we're playing at home, don't you think that they might still do the same when we encounter them in Norway?"

Fabio, the sporting director, could only smile helplessly in response.

"Say, Fabio," the Juventus chairman continued after a few more seconds. "Don't you think we should bring in more skilled players to strengthen our side during the upcoming transfer window? I don't want to see the club performing this poorly during next season's European competitions."

Fabio's ears perked up slightly, and his expression turned somber. "We're already trying to get in touch with a few talented players from all around the world," he said. "We've already been in touch with the agents of Kingsley Coman, a young talented player currently playing for PSG. We've also initiated contact with Álvaro Morata, the Real Madrid man. Both players have a high chance of joining our ranks next season. They'll surely strengthen our striking force."

The chairman shook his head slightly after hearing his sporting director's response. "I think we should fire all the members of the scouting department for their incompetence," he said, tone sharp. "Fabio! You just mentioned that Zachary Bemba is a very gifted player. He has managed to singlehandedly destroy us with his sharpness and incredible skills during the first half. How come he's not on the list of priority players you wish to sign for next season? Are your scouting guys sleeping? What are they doing?"

A rueful smile immediately outlined the sporting director's face. "As you should know, we rarely focus on scouting talents from the Norwegian League. Moreover, we didn't catch him on our radar since we weren't looking for midfielders in the first place. We've got Pogba, Pirlo, Vidal, Claudio, and Isla, among other great midfielders, on our side. So, why would we go out of our way to search for another midfielder, especially from a low-tier league?"

Andrea sighed helplessly. "This is the problem of sports enthusiasts and retired athletes managing football. Sometimes, they look at the present and forget to plan for the future. If we had spotted this Zachary guy two or even one year ago, we would have bought him at an affordable price from Rosenborg. But after this game, his asking price will increase significantly. We really missed out."

"So, what are your instructions, Mr. Chairman?" The sporting director asked. "Should we go ahead and get in touch with his agent?"

"Yes, of course," Andrea hurriedly replied, seemingly exasperated. "Is there a need to ask? I can see this guy growing into a terrifying player who can compete with top stars like Pogba, Neymar, Cristiano, and Messi. So, why shouldn't we sign him? Please, do whatever it takes to acquire a verbal agreement from him as soon as possible."

"The way I see things," the sporting director said hesitantly, "he might be a bit expensive for us by the start of the upcoming transfer window."

"Really, Fabio!?" Andrea was surprised. "Money shouldn't be the least of our concerns when luring a player of such a caliber to our team. Instead, our focus should be on his attitude towards our side. As long as you notice that he has some interest in joining us, go in for the kill. Make him our priority target for the next transfer window and spend whatever you need to acquire his signature. I want to see him wearing the Juventus shirt next season."

"Okay, chairman."

Chapter 340 Game Progression

After the fifteen minutes of halftime, the game restarted. Juventus continued playing conservatively and defensively. They only committed players forward on a few occasions when they launched counterattacks. But when the attacks failed, they would immediately return to their half and defend Mourinho-style. Anyone watching the game could deduce their objective for the second half. They were obviously intending to stop Rosenborg from scoring another goal for the rest of the game.

However, Zachary couldn't let them be. He wished to capitalize on Rosenborg's numerical advantage to extend the lead during that first leg fixture. So, he started working harder than ever to free himself from his three bodyguards.

He understood that the opponents would exhaust themselves much more quickly since they had to cover more ground due to their numerical disadvantage. So, he was very patient in his approach while awaiting an opportunity. He didn't launch any sudden attacks but only continued making daring off-ball runs to keep his markers on their toes and exhaust them.

And finally, his hard work paid off very late during the 82nd minute. He suddenly made a run away from the midfield towards the right flank when he noticed Thomas Partey with the ball. With the well-timed sprint, he escaped from his three markers and was soon in the wing, where he immediately received the ball from Thomas Partey.

"Asamoah! Hurry and close him down quickly…" Coach Conte shouted as Zachary took the first step towards Juventus' box. His voice was full of agitation as he gave out rapid instructions to his players in Italian for the next few seconds.

However, the Juventus coach's yelling didn't faze Zachary one bit. He immediately drilled his boot under the ball and looped it over the incoming sliding tackle from Kwadwo Asamoah. Without allowing the opponents to shape up again, he burst through the right flank like an incarnation of Usain Bolt with the ball at his feet.

Before long, he ran into the blockade of Paul Pogba, who had surprisingly managed to catch up when he was skipping past Asamoah. But, of course, he skipped past the Frenchman with a couple of deft sidesteps before continuing towards the box. His footwork was dazzling as he made small but measured steps while keeping the ball close to his feet.

A few seconds later, he was already bearing down the box, and only a couple of defenders stood between him and the goal. When the angle opened up, he drew his leg back, intending to launch a missile of a shot at goal.

But just then, he felt a very firm and strong tug on his shirt. He immediately attempted to shrug off the person holding his shirt while continuing forward, but his foe didn't let go no matter what. So, he could only stop in his tracks before raising his arms to attract the referee's attention.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew his whistle right away and ran to the scene. He immediately showed a yellow card to Arturo Vidal, the player who had pulled Zachary's shirt, before awarding Rosenborg a free-kick. And as a pleasant surprise, the free-kick position was only about twenty-five yards from the goal.

"Excellent!"

A soft smile outlined Zachary's face when he picked up the ball and started readying himself to take the set-piece. At long last, he'd gotten the perfect opportunity to have a go at Juventus' goal. He could hardly rein in his emotions at that moment.

Coach Johansen's heart was racing with anticipation as he watched Zachary preparing to take the free-kick. If his playmaker could score another goal, his job would be much easier during the second leg. He would only need to organize targeted defensive tactics to frustrate Juventus at Lerkendal the following week and win the fixture.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, breaking him out of his reverie. He immediately pivoted his gaze towards the area right outside Juventus' box. He noticed that the defensive wall was already in place while the Juventus keeper was on full attention between the posts. Everything was ready and only awaiting Zachary to take the set-piece.

Coach Johansen's tension levels scaled to unknown heights as he watched Zachary make the short angled run towards the ball. The boy prodigy then drew his leg back and unleashed a curling shot towards the goal. His technique was textbook perfect as the ball soared just over the wall before dipping slightly and homing into the top right corner.

SILENCE!

Coach Johansen's eyes widened as he stood there in the technical area, stunned as he watched his players rushing off to celebrate the goal. Wasn't that just too easy? Zachary made the whole free-kick taking-process seem like a walk in the park. A short angled run towards the ball and boom — the ball was in the back of the net. The keeper couldn't even react and stood motionless like a statue between the posts.

Emily jumped up to celebrate when she watched Zachary score the free-kick to extend Rosenborg's lead to three goals. In so doing, he'd also bagged a hattrick against a European football giant and cemented his name in the hearts and minds of football fans all around the globe.

Emily could hardly contain her excitement as Zachary's value would obviously skyrocket by a couple of a dozen million after the game. She could even picture top club sporting directors contacting her about her client in the near future. The future was worth looking forward to, especially with a phenomenal client like Zachary.

"It's starting again," Ryan said, attracting her attention.

Emily returned her focus to the large screen in front of the room. She noticed that the players had already taken their positions and were ready to restart the match.

"It's surely Zachary Bemba against Juventus," the commentator said, his voice loud and clear through the television speakers. "In the 82nd minute, the young Rosenborg number-8 scored the third goal for Rosenborg to complete his hattrick for the night. He has also put Rosenborg in an almost unassailable position by extending their lead to three goals. Can Rosenborg maintain a clean sheet and complete a perfect giant-killing? We'll know the answer in about eight…"

The commentator's voice continued resounding across the room as Emily followed the remaining few minutes of the game. She was a nervous wreck as she feared that Rosenborg might concede a last-minute goal or two. Then, their upcoming second leg fixture against a well-prepared Juventus would be much more nerve-racking and laden with difficulties.

However, her anxiety soon lessened when she noticed the match turning into a boring skirmish as both teams played defensive football and short aimless passes through the middle. Gradually, the seconds turned into minutes as the game proceeded into injury time without any of the teams launching a dangerous attack on the other.

"I think Rosenborg will win this game with a clean sheet," Ryan commented from beside Emily. "I don't see any hope of Juventus…"

Ryan stopped mid-sentence as a big switch in the play had just transpired on the screen. Andrea Pirlo, Juventus' deep-lying playmaker, had just unleashed a long-range lofted pass to find Pogba on the other side of the pitch.

Pogba controlled the ball perfectly before skipping past Thomas Partey, Rosenborg's defensive midfielder, with a simple deft touch. He then quickly flicked the ball to Arturo Vidal, who was running in sync with him through the middle.

Arturo controlled the ball with ease before threading it to Mauricio Isla. The latter took one touch on the ball before returning it to Arturo Vidal.

Arturo received it again and immediately skipped past Yerry Mina. Before anyone else could close him down, he squared the ball to Pogba, who had just arrived at the edge of the box.

Emily's mind palpitated with anxiety when she saw Pogba control the ball at the edge of the box. Without losing composure, the tall Frenchman drew his leg all the way back before smashing the ball towards the goal.

It was a tense moment. Emily reflexively shifted in her seat as she watched the ball curl past a couple of defenders, darting towards the inside of the far post like a missile. The Rosenborg keeper tried to stop its advance with a despairing dive but failed. It just flashed past his outstretched fingertips before homing into the back of the net.

"GOOAAAAL," the voice of the commentator rose up a notch. "Fast, simple, and effective — that's Juventus at their best for you. With a quick switch and a couple of passes, they broke through Rosenborg's defense and scored their first goal. The score is now Juventus 1 and Rosenborg 3, with less than two minutes remaining to the final whistle."

Emily could only sigh with helplessness as she watched Pogba pick the ball from the back of the net and place it in the center spot. She'd hoped that Rosenborg could maintain a three-goal advantage until the end of the match. However, they had still conceded a goal during injury time. She wasn't sure whether a two-goal cushion would be enough for Rosenborg to overcome a well-prepared Juventus during the second leg.

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Read The Greatest of all Time Chapter 341 Analysis online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 341 Analysis

Coach Johansen could hardly contain his anxiety while following the game's last few minutes from the technical area. He watched with bated breath as the Juventus players launched more attacks, hoping to narrow down the score difference to a single goal before the final whistle sounded.

However, time and time again, the Rosenborg players maintained tactical discipline and defended incredibly well to keep the Italian giants at bay. They all packed themselves into the defense and ensured that none of the opponents made any more shots on goal until the final whistle sounded. They'd finally managed to beat Juventus by a score of 3:1 after a few tense minutes of added time.

"We have won," the coach shouted at the top of his lungs right after hearing the final whistle. He could hardly contain his delight as he ran onto the pitch to celebrate with his players.

The players and members of technical staff joined him, and they soon started running around the field like a bunch of madmen. They had emerged victorious after playing against Juventus, one of the football giants of Europe. So, there was no need to control themselves as they celebrated in front of the vexed and frustrated Turin fans.

—–

In the far corner of the pitch, Andrea Pirlo was standing together with Vidal, Tévez, and Pogba as they watched the wild celebrations of the Rosenborg players. Their expressions were grave since they couldn't contain their bitterness after losing a game against a much weaker team.

"You guys don't need to feel down," Andrea Pirlo suddenly said. "There's still the second leg in Norway next week. As long as we prepare well and play at our best, we can overturn the deficit and wash away this shame. We only have to keep on believing that we can win, and then we'll be able to show them our prowess."

The eyes of both Pogba and Vidal sparkled with anticipation after hearing the experienced playmaker's words. Their gazes were immediately filled with yearning and battle intent as they continued observing the Rosenborg players still celebrating on the pitch.

"You're right, Andrea," Vidal said with a lopsided grin. "If we play at our best, we can surely squash Rosenborg next week. There's no need to worry. I believe that we can qualify."

"Of course, we'll win as long as Coach Conte names me as part of the starting line-up for next week," Pogba concurred in a joking manner. "I can't wait to show them the authentic Juventus style of football."

"However, that Rosenborg number-8, Zachary Bemba, is a pretty slippery fellow on the pitch," Tévez suddenly remarked. "He singlehandedly disciplined us during today's game. He might be able to do the same if we're not careful during the second leg."

"I agree," Andrea Pirlo concurred. "He's a very skilled player with impeccable vision and outstanding skills. As long as we give him a chance, he'll surely punish us. However, we also allowed him to shine by not marking him tightly during the first half. If we prepare targeted defensive tactics against him during the second leg, he won't be able to do anything."

Tévez suddenly turned towards Vidal. "Arturo! Do you still think you can mark him alone and stop him from doing anything during the second leg?"

Vidal narrowed his eyes slightly. "When I went up against him, I noticed that he's much quicker than he appears from a distance. If you make one wrong move or your reaction is a bit off when you're closing him down, he'll disappear from your vision the next moment. I don't get how he does it."

"I also felt the same when I went up against him," Pogba chimed in, frowning. "He doesn't appear to be a swift player, especially with his long legs. But when you look away for a moment, he's gone like the wind. He probably bases his dribbling moves on the reaction of the opponent. If you go left, he will go right, and if you slide in, he'll jump over you. As Pirlo said, his vision is top class, especially during crucial moments. I wonder why he's wasting his time in Rosenborg."

"That's not for us to worry about," Vidal said, shaking his head. "Our only concern should be on how to stop him during the next leg. We might need to double-team him throughout the entire 90 minutes."

"Leave the tactics to Coach Conte," Pogba supplied with a smile. "He'll surely have a solution within the next few days. By the way, we need to return to the dressing room soon. Conte will roast us twice if we keep on avoiding him."

"I'm not ready to face the howls of an enraged Conte right after the game," Tévez said, smiling ruefully. "Let's wait for a few more minutes. He might cool down after a while."

"I doubt that."

——

After Coach Johansen finished celebrating with his players, he immediately headed to the area designated for the press. A smile constantly played upon his lips as he swaggered through the pitch like a king. He couldn't hide his emotions as he was still immersed in the joy of thrashing Juventus three goals to one.

However, the coach was alone since Zachary had refused to participate in the post-match interview. Instead, the young playmaker had immediately excused himself and returned to the dressing room after picking up his match ball. And since he'd claimed that he wanted to check on the condition of his grandma immediately, there was no way the coach could have stopped him.

"Welcome, Coach Johansen," one of the reporters said when he stepped before the cameras. "You have done it again and defeated another Italian team in Italy. Congratulations."

"Thank you," the coach replied.

"Well," the same reporter said. "Your team played really well and remained tactically disciplined throughout the 90 minutes of the game. And defensively, they were really super. But I guess the football fans don't want to hear us go into the tactics and Rosenborg's style of play. Rather, they should be yearning to listen to your analysis of Zachary Bemba's performance during the game. What are your thoughts, coach?"

Coach Johansen chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "My analysis of Zachary during this game is just a simple four-word sentence," he said. "He was just perfect."

"Can you elaborate?" The reporter queried.

"His reaction to unexpected situations on the pitch, his handling of the ball, his positioning, his decision-making during crucial moments — everything about him was perfect during today's game. I would give him a 10-out-of-10 score for today's performance."

"For instance, let's look at his first goal," the coach continued. "His run through the midfield was incredible and decisive before he finished with a curling shot from outside the eighteen. Then, the run that led to the penalty that resulted in the second goal was also unbelievable. He covered half the pitch in a few seconds before dispossessing the opponents and forcing the penalty out of the keeper."

"As for the third goal," Coach Johansen said with a chuckle, "I guess you don't need me to tell you how incredible it was. Zachary placed the ball perfectly into the top right corner, denying the keeper any chance to make a save. Even the most experienced free-kick takers in the world couldn't have done any better when at their best."

"Thanks for your analysis, Coach Johansen," the reporter said. "Tell us about Zachary's potential. Do you see him rising into a star that can dazzle the entire footballing world in the future?"

Coach Johansen smiled as he shook his head. "Zachary Bemba scored two goals against Fiorentina a few weeks back. He has now just scored a hattrick against Juventus. He's already the top scorer for the Europa League tournament. So, how much more dazzling do you want him to be at his age?"

The reporter laughed. "Let's put Zachary's performance to the side and talk about Rosenborg's second leg fixture against Juventus. Should we expect to see another commanding performance against Juventus next week? Do you believe that your team can win and qualify for the quarter-finals?"

"Of course, I believe we'll qualify," Coach Johansen replied confidently. "We have the advantage since we won and scored three goals away from home. So, we only need to prepare adequately and ensure that we are in good shape before the game. We can then show Juventus the spirit of Norwegian football when they come to Trondheim next week."

"I'll surely be looking forward to that game, Coach Johansen," the reporter said. "Thanks for staying behind to talk to us. And we wish you all the luck during the second leg of the round of sixteen. Have a good night."

"Thanks, and a good night to you too."

After completing the post-match interview, Coach Johansen stepped away from the cameras and headed toward the visitor's dressing room. Since he desired to win and qualify for the quarter-finals, he couldn't afford to waste any time. So, he planned to start intensive preparations for the second leg game against Juventus the following day.

As long as he did his job well as a coach, he didn't believe his players would fail to eliminate the Italian giants from the Europa League. He was optimistic, especially after factoring in the two-goal advantage from the first leg. He only needed to arrange targeted defensive tactics to frustrate the opponents, and then the chances of his team qualifying would be above 60%.

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Chapter 342 A Busy Schedule of a Few Days

Zachary didn't return to Trondheim together with the team the following morning. Instead, he boarded a flight directly from Turin to Zurich after requesting permission to travel from the Rosenborg management.

He arrived in Zurich about four hours later and took a cab straight from the airport to the hospital to check on his grandma. City traffic was surprisingly light that afternoon, with only a few public automobiles on the airport road. So, he managed to make it to his destination in less than thirty minutes.

After entering the hospital, he quickly learned that his grandma was asleep and couldn't meet him right away. So, he could only press down his impatience and head to the canteen to discuss some pressing issues with Emily while waiting for his grandma to wake up.

"By the way, congratulations upon winning the match yesterday," Emily said right after they had settled at a corner table in the hospital's canteen. "You were phenomenal during the game. A hattrick against Juventus! You really have no idea how happy I am for you."

"Thanks, Emily," Zachary replied, beaming. "However, our job is far from done. We still have to face an enraged group of Juventus players next week. We'll need to play like never before if we wish to hold on to our advantage and qualify for the quarter-finals. Otherwise, if we relax even for a moment, those Italians will destroy us."

Zachary understood the terror of big clubs, especially in European tournaments. He'd already witnessed teams like Liverpool, Barcelona, and AS Roma overturn a more than three-goal deficit during the second leg before qualifying for the next round.

So, he wasn't about to become complacent by thinking that he'd already eliminated Juventus from the Europa League with a score difference of just two goals. He needed to approach the game as if both teams were on square one if he wished to help his team achieve the desired result.

"I'm sure your coaches know what is at stake," Emily said, shaking her head. "Since the job is already half done, thanks to your hattrick, they should be able to organize tactics that will allow you guys to qualify. Let's hope they do a good job as I really want to see you play in the quarter-finals."

"Let's hope so," Zachary intoned, narrowing his eyes slightly. "So, how's everything here? Is the old lady recovering well? What are the doctors saying?"

Emily smiled. "Her recovery is progressing well, and her surgical wound is healing without any issues. Also, the doctors confirmed that there were no more tumor cells in her brain after putting her through more imaging tests. They're only waiting to conduct a biopsy about a month later to screen for the tumor's chance of recurrence. They'll release her after that."

"That's a relief," Zachary said. "I guess I also need to plan for her transfer to Norway. I don't want to leave her in Zurich alone when she's recovering."

"That's a good idea," Emily said, nodding. "As long as the doctors give the go-ahead, we can transfer her to a medical center in Trondheim so that she can be near you. But that will have to be a month later after the biopsy. For now, it's better to leave her in the rehabilitation center here, where the neurosurgeons can constantly keep an eye on her."

"Okay, let's do that. Anything that can aid the old lady's recovery is okay with me."

There were a few seconds of silence at their table before Emily said: "By the way, I have some good news."

Zachary's heart skipped a beat. "Tell me. I'm listening."

"The Nike representative called me today morning. They notified me that they sent money to your bank account. You should receive it in a maximum of three days."

A tremor went through Zachary's mind as his hopes soared. "How much did they send?"

Emily smiled mysteriously before saying, "600,000 Euros. That's the entire annual payment for your first year in the endorsement deal."

"Eh!" Zachary was startled. "Aren't they supposed to be paying a fraction of the total sum first?"

Emily sighed. "With the way you've been playing over the past few weeks, I'm not surprised by how quickly they paid all the money. Otherwise, if they'd waited for you to put up a few more incredible displays during the upcoming games, I would've tossed away their offer and bargained for more money."

"You can do that?"

"Yes, I can," Emily replied confidently. "You need to understand that they are getting a bigger bargain out of this endorsement deal than we initially expected. You were a player famous only in Norway a month back when we negotiated the contract. However, after your performances against Fiorentina and Juventus, you've acquired a good measure of fame around the globe. So, the Nike people are getting more benefits than they're paying for simply because your name brand as a footballer is already reaching a larger audience."

"I see," Zachary said. "But we don't have to negotiate a new deal right away. We can wait for about a year before asking for more benefits. That'll help us maintain a good working relationship with them."

"Don't worry. I understand." Emily nodded. "By the way, how long are you staying in Zurich this time around?"

"The coach needs me back in training on Sunday afternoon," he replied. "So, if everything is fine with my grandma, I'll say my goodbyes to Zurich tomorrow at around midday."

"Good plan," Emily said. "We should travel together as I also have to conclude the business with Nike in Trondheim. As for your grandma, we'll leave her in the care of the nurses for the time being. Your aunt, Marie, will also remain here to support her through recovery. Is that okay?"

"That's fine, Emily," Zachary replied right away. "Thanks for helping me out all these days. Without you, I would have suffered while organizing her treatment."

"Don't mention it." Emily beamed. "I have already arranged for your aunt's stay here in Zurich. She and Doctor Sanders will be our primary contacts in the hospital. So, we'll be able to know everything going on with your grandma even when we're far away in Trondheim. We can then slowly plan for her transfer to Norway when the doctors give us the go-ahead."

"No problem," Zachary readily agreed.

—–

In the evening, Zachary spent an hour visiting his grandma before talking to her doctors at length to understand her condition. When he ensured that she was recovering well, he completely relaxed. A wave of relief swept over him like a spring breeze as he put his anxious heart down.

The following day, he followed his plans and said his goodbyes to his grandma early in the morning. Then, he talked for a few hours with his aunt, Marie, and urged her to look after the old lady. After ensuring that all the arrangements were in order, he boarded an afternoon flight with Emily, and the two of them traveled back to Trondheim.

Over the following few days, Zachary immersed himself in training once again. He was always the first and the last to leave the training ground as he tried his utmost to improve his abilities, even just slightly, before the second leg match. He even continued practicing the step-over juju since he wished to push it to over 100% mastery and ingrain the skill into his body and soul.

During the match against Juventus, he'd realized that he could combine some elements of his skills to form his own unique dribbling style that could be lethal to even world-class defenders. For instance, if he merged the elastico-dribble, the step-over juju, the Zinedine-touch magic, the Marseille-turn, and the Cruyff-turn into one fast-flowing style, no opponent would be able to touch his shoes as long as he had the ball at his feet. He would turn into a ball wizard that would terrify all competitors that chanced upon him.

However, he understood that he needed to instill all the techniques deep into his bones before creating his own style. He would first have to be able to perform the moves by reflex before he could think of merging them. And that required him to practice the skills repeatedly — thousands of times until they were second nature to him.

Since he was a man with a mission, he put more hours into practice and ignored everything else. However, his personal training didn't hinder him from attending the team sessions. He was always in high gear when he joined Coach Johansen's sessions to prepare for the second leg game against Juventus. And if the coaches asked him to do something during practice, he would not hesitate as long as it was beneficial for his career. He even studied the tactics with the coaches to understand how best to handle the opponents during the game. He was determined since he yearned to eliminate Juventus from the Europa League.

The days flashed by quickly as Zachary and his teammates trained hard and prepared for the game. Most were so focused, and before they knew it, it was the morning of Thursday, March 20, 2014. It was finally the day when Rosenborg would face off against Juventus at Lerkendal in the second leg of the Europa League's round of sixteen.

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Chapter 343 Coaches Taking Center Stage

Trondheim was a relatively quiet city that was always devoid of any chaos. However, on that Thursday evening, the excitement that came with the Europa League match between Rosenborg and Juventus shredded apart the peace and calm of this Nordic metropolis.

By 5:00 PM, the overenthusiastic Norwegian fans had already crowded the streets leading to Lerkendal. They'd all craned their necks, waiting for an opportunity to catch a glimpse of Juventus' team bus. They were eager to witness the majesty of some of the biggest names in football that were about to face off against their local team.

And finally, their efforts paid off after waiting for another fifteen minutes under the setting sun. The large white and black Juventus bus could be seen around the corner as it slowly made its way to Lerkendal.

A few Juventus players, including Pogba, Vidal, and Tévez, occasionally popped their heads out of the bus windows to wave at the fans, causing the excitement and crowd mania on the streets to soar to unprecedented levels. The police had to step in to control the enthusiastic supporters. Otherwise, they would have rushed forward to request autographs from the football stars. They were that passionate about football.

Olav Brusveen, the TV2 Sporten reporter, narrowed his eyes slightly after witnessing the commotion around him. "These fans have already betrayed the team even before the start of the match," he said to his colleague. "Look at them. They are all over the Juventus bus, cheering for the opponents instead of booing them. What's wrong with these home fans?"

Dag Asbjørn, his colleague for more than five years, chuckled after hearing his fusses. "You don't need to worry about the fan's commitment to Rosenborg here in Trondheim. They're just a little excited to see the famous Juventus players arriving in their city. But let the clock hand point to 7:00 PM, and the match starts — you'll feel their devotion to their home team. They'll cheer with all their hearts while also booing the Italians."

"Let's hope so," Olav said, his brows still creased. "However, with everything at stake, they shouldn't be showing a welcoming attitude to Juventus. They should instead make them feel uncomfortable starting from now. That way, the opponents won't be able to settle down and play good football later."

Dag Asbjørn shook his head slightly. "Do you actually think that booing the Juventus players will hinder them from playing good football? We only have to hope that our players perform well again during the match. Otherwise, we might still drop out of the Europa League even with the three-away-goal advantage."

"There's Zachary," Olav reminded.

"Yes, there's Zachary," Dag concurred. "But he still won't be able to carry the team alone as long as his teammates don't do their part. By the way, I just found out that he has been facing a tough challenge over the past few weeks."

"You mean Zachary?" Olav's eyes flickered with a trace of surprise as he turned toward his colleague. "He just scored a hattrick against Juventus last week. What challenges could he be facing?"

Dag looked around before stepping closer and whispering, "I just heard from a reliable source that a very close relative of his has spent some weeks in an intensive care unit in Zurich."

"A close relative!?" Olav was startled. "How close a relative? And why is it that we haven't heard anything about this?"

"I heard that it's his grandma," Dag replied. "She's an old lady who took care of him since he was young. His agent should have kept the whole incident quiet."

"Oh!" Olav said, losing interest. "If the agent wants to keep it quiet, we should probably just let the whole issue be. We shouldn't dig deep into it."

Dag shook his head. "My views on the issue are different. I feel that this is a story worth reporting. So, I'll continue digging into its details until I get worthwhile material for publishing."

"Suit yourself." Olav shrugged. "However, I'm not interested in the story. I'll stick to reporting sports for the moment and leave the players' personal lives out of my articles."

"Why do you seem scared? It's not like you'll be reporting wrong information. Moreover, as sports journalists, we're entitled to report to the public any incident that might affect the player's performance on the pitch."

Olav just shook his head and returned his attention to the receding crowd on the street. "I think we should head over to the stadium as the match will be starting in roughly one and a half hours. I don't want to miss the warm-up of the teams. As for Zachary's personal issues, let's leave them alone for the moment."

"Okay."

When only thirty minutes remained until 7:00 PM, the scheduled time for kick-off, the Rosenborg players returned to the dressing room after their pre-match warm-up. They were a little too quiet, at least more than usual, as they settled down on the benches to start making their final preparations for the game.

Coach Johansen immediately judged that they were nervous. For a team playing in a low-tier league like Rosenborg, most of the players had limited experience facing off against big teams in Europe. Thus, most of them must have been experiencing many doubts in their minds as the kick-off drew closer. They were probably worried about making mistakes and losing the game, especially since they weren't that confident that they would keep Juventus at bay during the entire 90 minutes of the second leg match.

Coach Johansen immediately clapped his hands to attract the players' attention. "Why do you guys seem more listless than usual? Are you that afraid of Juventus?"

All the players in the dressing room halted what they were doing and pivoted their attention onto the coach.

"Is anyone scared of Juventus?" He asked again, "If you are, please raise your hand."

Of course, none of the players raised their hands as that was too shameful. They couldn't risk admitting that they were cowards, especially in the presence of their peers.

"I'm glad that none of us is afraid of Juventus," the coach continued in a smooth, steady voice. "We already defeated them by three goals to one during the first leg. So, if we play at our best, we can crush them again and eliminate them from the Europa League. I have no doubt about this."

"But first, we have to understand that aside from our physicality, one of our most crucial assets to us athletes is our mental ability. We must expect things of ourselves before we can accomplish them. That means we have to believe that we can win before we actually win. Are you guys with me?" He bellowed, clapping his hands.

"Yes, coach," the players replied with zest. They'd already straightened their backs as their eyes brimmed with battle intensity. Their pre-match anxiety had lessened to some extent.

Coach Johansen swept his gaze across the room before continuing. "Guys, we're already halfway to our goal of qualifying for the quarter-finals. But what we need in this game is confidence more than anything else. As the saying goes, the difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination. So, let's not overestimate our opponents and underestimate ourselves. Let's execute our game plan and play our own game without fear or anxiety. Let's go into the pitch and achieve victory. Are you guys with me?"

"Yes, coach."

"Good," Coach Johansen said, glancing at his watch. "As you are all aware, the game plan is the same as that of last week. We play with a 4-5-1 formation focused on defense. We'll constantly play with ten men behind the ball and defend as a team to ensure that the Italian giants don't break through our formation. Whenever there's a chance, we'll launch counterattacks to search for goals. Our game plan is as simple as that. Are you guys with me?"

"Yes, coach."

"I'm glad we're on the same page," Coach Johansen said, his voice lowering slightly. He then assigned some individual roles to a few of his players, including Zachary, before sending them to the pitch for the game.

In the visitors' dressing room, Coach Antonio Conte was also in the middle of delivering his pre-match briefing. His tone was somber, and his expression grave as he paced the entire length of the room while expressing his requirements to his chosen field players.

"Just a few more things before we head into the field," he said. "We're a powerful team. We have all the quality and depth needed to beat any other team in Europe. But what will matter in this game is our attitude. The way we approach the game will determine whether we win or have to bow out of the Europa League."

"So, every one of you has to be aggressive during every minute of the game. We have to play with urgency and the desire to score, especially whenever we're on the attack. Our aim is to score two or more goals during the first half."

"But even though our main aim is on attacking, we can't ignore the defense. We have to use high pressing tactics to force their defenders to panic, and we especially have to mark Zachary Bemba, their playmaker. We can't relax as I don't want to see what happened to us last week happening to us again. I don't want to see him breaking through our ranks with ease during today's game."

"Claudio, Pogba, Vidal! Marking and closing down Zachary will be a shared responsibility among you three. If he breaks past one of you, another should be readily available to cover the space and stop him from progressing with a threatening run through our formation. As long as we stop him from making any impact during this game, our job will be half done."

The coach then slowly moved towards the tactical board in front of the room before continuing. "My final reminder is to remain patient and calm whenever we have the ball. Even though we aim to score two or more goals during the first half, we must not rush things."

He started to draw some formation plays on the tactical board as he spoke swiftly in Italian. "We have to utilize our 3-5-2 formation to move the ball around steadily so as to stretch them. We'll not just move it through the center but also from side to side while also engaging the wings to tire them out."

"We keep working at them using first tempo football, and when the space finally opens up between the lines, we take action. We launch the attack suddenly and swiftly and ensure that we take the chance and score. Tévez, Osvaldo, and the rest of you, who might get a chance in front of the goal! All you guys have to be very efficient while taking our chances. Don't waste opportunities because they'll come back to bite us as the game progresses."

Coach Conte observed his players for a moment and glanced at his watch. "It's almost time for kick-off," he said. "Finalize your preparations and head to the pitch. Don't make stupid mistakes. Play as a team, and help each other during every minute of the game. I want us two goals ahead of Rosenborg by halftime. It's my final assignment for each and every one of you. Got it?"

"Yes, coach," the Juventus players yelled back, more or less in sync. Their eyes were brimming with extreme battle intent. It was as if they wanted to destroy Rosenborg and erase it from the face of the Earth. They desired to have their revenge, and they would do their utmost to have it that very night.

Chapter 344 The Real Prowess of Juventus

The referee blew the whistle at exactly 7:00 PM to signal the start of the game. The cheers in Lerkendal Stadion immediately hit a crescendo as Nicki Nielsen kicked off the proceedings on the pitch with a pass back into the midfield.

Takumi Minamino received Nicki's pass at the border of the defensive third before flicking the ball to Thomas Partey, Rosenborg's holding midfielder. The latter then passed it to Zachary, who immediately turned around and kicked it to Yerry Mina, the center-back ever-present in the backfield.

With those few passes, the Rosenborg players immediately set the tempo. Their football flowed like water as they exchanged short passes between the defenders and the holding midfielders within the defensive third. They even hoarded all the possession and prevented the Juventus players from touching the ball even once during the first three minutes.

The absurd match situation compelled the home fans to cheer like madmen as their local team demonstrated their prowess against the Italian giants. They were too excited as their team seemed capable of thrashing the opponents again at that moment. Some fans might have even let their imagination run wild, thinking Rosenborg would repeat the previous week's feat and win by more than two goals.

However, just suddenly, Coach Conte's roar resounded across the noisy stadium, breaking the cheerful atmosphere around the home fans. "What the fuck are you guys doing? We said we high-press. Why aren't you guys…"

The tactician continued roaring in Italian for the next few minutes. He was so intense as he paced around the tactical area while shouting specific on-pitch instructions to his players. And fortunately, his efforts seemed to pay off after a few minutes.

The Juventus players on the field immediately rushed into Rosenborg's half like a swarm. They started employing high-pressing tactics against Rosenborg players, who were still enjoying a long spell of possession at the back.

The Troll kids started panicking due to the immense pressure exerted by the Italian giants. As a result, they could only choose to pass the ball to Zachary, their playmaker, hoping that he could create a miracle with the ball.

When Zachary received the ball, he controlled it deftly while skipping past Claudio Marchisio, the midfielder who'd been marking him. He then burst forth with speed as he rushed through the middle heading towards the other side of the pitch like a whirlwind.

But just as he was striding past the centerline, two more opponents boxed him in. That time around, Paul Pogba and Vidal were the players stepping forward to stop his run. Their approach was so adept and well-timed. They didn't leave any space for him to keep going without losing the ball.

Zachary had no way to maneuver around the two roadblocks. So, he could only slow down before passing the ball into the right-wing, where Tobias Mikkelsen was lurking.

Tobias, Rosenborg's right-winger, controlled the ball with ease before trying to skip past Mauricio Isla, the Juventus left-midfielder. However, the latter slid in all guns blazing and tackled the ball off his feet.

Mauricio quickly picked himself from the ground before threading a grounded pass toward the center circle to find Pirlo, the always deep-lying playmaker.

Pirlo controlled the ball with a simple touch while sweeping his gaze across the pitch. Before any opponent could close him down, he drew his leg back and unleashed a lofted pass towards the other side of the field.

The long-range pass was like a guided missile. It made a perfect parabola over the defenders before dipping fast and landing in front of Daniel Osvaldo, one of Juventus' forwards.

The center forward had been lurking in front of the box, just in-between the center-backs, waiting for an opportunity. So, he reacted immediately and pounced on the bouncing ball with all the haste he could muster. He got to it before any of the defenders could close him down and immediately squared an explicit pass to Carlos Tévez, his counterpart on striking for that day.

Carlos Tévez was like a predator on the hunt as he lunged at Osvaldo's pass. He controlled the ball mid-sprint before continuing forward like the wind and stepping into the box. He then rounded the keeper and riffled the ball into the back of the net from an acute angle.

A wave of silence soon descended upon the whole Lerkendal as the striker picked up the ball before running across the pitch and placing it on top of the center spot. He hadn't even celebrated the goal as he wished for the game to restart as soon as possible.

Rosenborg BK 0 (3) : Juventus FC 1 (2)

—–

In the 10th minute, the Italian giants had managed to break down Rosenborg's defense and scored their first goal in the second leg of the Europa League's round of sixteen. Overall, Rosenborg still had an aggregate score of three goals, while Juventus now had two. So, if the Italian giants happened to score two more times, they would have a numerical advantage over Rosenborg in goals and be the ones to qualify at the end of the night.

After contemplating the dire circumstances of his team, Coach Johansen's expression turned grave. He didn't blame his players for the goal conceded as it was a moment of brilliance from Pirlo that provided an opportunity for the Italian giants. He was just incensed by the whole progress of the game.

"We need to find a way to contain Andrea Pirlo," Trond Henriksen, his assistant, suddenly suggested from beside him. "We need to ensure that he doesn't do any more damage to us with his long-range passes."

"I understand," the coach said before stepping towards the touchline.

"Nicki!" He yelled at the top of his voice the next moment. "Part of your role during this match is to mark Pirlo whenever we don't have the possession. Keep an eye on him and make sure he does not make any more dangerous passes toward our box. Please, don't forget as this is a crucial factor we need to address if we wish to win the game…"

The coach continued yelling out a few more instructions and even asked Zachary to return to a defensive midfield role to stabilize the situation. He only stopped shouting when he ensured that his players had gotten his message.

The match soon restarted with the referee's whistle.

Armed with the boost of confidence from scoring the goal, the Juventus players upped their game and launched more fierce attacks on Rosenborg. They employed both short and mid-range passes to move the ball from side to side as they tried their best to create another goal-scoring opportunity. They even hoarded more than 70% of the possession as the game headed into the late stages of the first half.

However, the Rosenborg players defended well for the rest of the first half. They played as if their lives were on the line and thwarted all Juventus' attempts to create another goal-scoring opportunity.

Even the often-attack-minded midfielders, like Zachary and Takumi Minamino, played defensive roles. They won aerial and ground duels several times to ensure that Juventus didn't score for the rest of the first half.

However, after the start of the second half, things slowly turned south for Rosenborg. The Juventus players played with more intensity and aggressiveness as they switched to wing play tactics to break down the opposition.

Whenever one of the Juventus midfielders, such as Pogba or Vidal, would get the ball, he would immediately pass it into the wing. The wing players would then break through using either dribbling or one-twos before crossing the ball into the box. The two forwards would then lunge at the cross and try to score from inside the area.

They soon gained momentum with the tactic and launched even more terrifying attacks on Rosenborg's box. Gradually, they whittled down Rosenborg's resistance and eventually created a clear goal-scoring opportunity during the 78th minute.

Arturo Vidal intercepted a poorly-cleared ball close to the boundary of the final third. He brought it down with his chest before passing it to Pogba, his counterpart in midfield.

Pogba immediately controlled the ball with a deft touch before skipping past Thomas Partey, Rosenborg's defensive midfielder. He then fed the ball into the wing, where Mauricio Isla lurked like a thief.

Mauricio instantly burst forth with speed and controlled the ball mid-sprint on the right flank. The midfielder then fed it past Mikael Dorsin, Rosenborg's left-back, and beat him for pace. Before long, he unleashed a killer cross that soared towards the box like a ballistic missile.

It was another tense moment for Rosenborg. Coach Johansen felt his mind sink into a quagmire of agitation as he watched Daniel Osvaldo rise into the air to meet the ball. And when the striker planted a header into the back of the net, the coach punched the ground repeatedly to let out his frustration.

—–

Rosenborg BK 0 (3) : Juventus FC 2 (3)

—–

In the 79th minute, Juventus had managed to score the second goal and tied the aggregate score against Rosenborg. If the Italian giants could net one more goal, they would be the team qualifying for the quarter-finals with a 3:4 aggregate score. However, if Rosenborg could defend well until the end of the night, then they would be the ones to qualify on the away-goal rule. Any of the teams had a fair chance of qualifying for the quarter-final.

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Chapter 345 True Brilliance and Effectiveness

Daniel Osvaldo didn't celebrate the goal. He just picked the ball from the back of the net and sprinted back towards the center. He ran like the wind across the green and quickly placed the ball on top of the center spot.

The striker was eager to restart the match as Juventus was still at a disadvantage due to the away-goal rule. If they didn't score another goal within the next few minutes, they would be the ones bowing out of the Europa League at the end of the night.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle a few seconds later and motioned for the Rosenborg players to restart the game. Nicki Nielsen once again kicked off the game by passing the ball back into his midfield.

Thomas Partey received it and immediately kicked it into the wings towards Mikael Dorsin, Rosenborg's left-back. Mikael also hastily flicked it over to Takumi Minamino, who'd just run into space in midfield.

But by then, the Juventus players had already surged into Rosenborg's half like a swarm of locusts. They quickly marked all the Rosenborg players and closed off all passing angles, making it hard for the Troll Kids to pass the ball.

Takumi Minamino held on to the ball for a few more seconds, seemingly looking for an outlet for it. However, all his teammates were already tightly marked. His eyes reflexively passed over Zachary's position the next moment. But the playmaker had it even worse, with two bodyguards constantly keeping an eye on him. He was the player receiving the most 'care' from the opponents.

Takumi could only release a long-range pass into the wings, hoping to find Alexander Söderlund, the Rosenborg winger who'd just made a daring off-ball run through the left flank. However, Alexander couldn't connect with his pass, and the ball went out of play for a throw-in.

The Juventus players took the throw-in very quickly. Giorgio Chiellini fetched the ball from the sidelines and immediately threw it to Leonardo Bonucci, his counterpart in defense.

Leonardo controlled the ball deftly and threaded an instant pass to Paul Pogba in the middle. The latter received it and skipped over a challenge from Zachary. The Frenchman then passed the ball into the wings to find Mauricio Isla, the right midfielder.

Mauricio Isla burst forth with speed and dribbled past Mikael Dorsin. He beat the defender for pace, and when the passing angle opened up, he flicked the ball to Arturo Vidal, who was running in sync with him through the middle.

The two Juventus men exchanged a couple of exquisite one-two's as they continued zeroing in on Rosenborg's goal-like two whirlwinds. Before long, they were already in the final third, and the ball naturally came back to Arturo Vidal.

Arturo immediately played the ball to Pogba, who'd also moved forward to attack. The latter controlled it well before chipping it over the defense to find Carlos Tévez, who'd run into space just outside the left edge of the box.

Carlos Tévez controlled the ball skillfully with an outstretched boot. Before any of the Rosenborg players could close him down, he unleashed a deadly cross that soared into the box and skimmed across the mouth of the goal like an arrow.

Daniel Osvaldo and the just-arriving Pogba jumped up to meet the incoming cross near the far post. Their imposing shapes in the air were enough to cause shudders within most of the Rosenborg fans present in the stadium.

However, Daniel Örlund, the Rosenborg keeper, was alert and a step ahead of the two Juventus men. He timed his leap perfectly and came out on top in the aerial battle. He successfully punched the ball away to save Rosenborg from conceding another goal during the 83rd minute.

However, the hearts of most of the fans were still in their throats as the danger was still at large for Rosenborg. That was because the punched ball hadn't moved far. Instead, it had soared through the air before landing in front of the box where Arturo Vidal was lurking.

—–

Alarm bells went off within Zachary's mind when he saw Arturo Vidal lunging at the bouncing ball. At that very instant, there was nothing he could do to stop the Juventus midfielder since he'd chosen not to defend during that wave of attack from the opponents. He could only watch from near the center circle as Arturo Vidal drew his leg back and smashed the ball towards the goal after its second bounce.

But fortunately, his racing heart settled down the next instant when he saw Eric Bailly, Rosenborg's young defender, throw himself at the ball. The Ivorian dived in without fear and used his head to block the heavy shot that was clearly bound for goal.

The deflected ball then zoomed away from Rosenborg's box before dipping towards the left side of the box. Thomas Partey, the Rosenborg defensive midfielder, didn't let it bounce. He timed it perfectly and kicked it far and away to avert the dangerous situation.

Audible sighs of relief arose from the stands as Rosenborg had survived another dangerous situation. But those sighs of relief soon turned into excited cheers as Zachary chased after the just-cleared ball soaring high up in the air.

Since nearly all the Juventus midfielders, including Pogba and Vidal, had moved forward to attack, Zachary had gotten a rare moment of opportunity. If he could get to the ball, maybe he would create a chance for his team to cement their place in the Europa League's next round. So, he'd gotten into action without hesitation.

Heart racing fast like a predator's on the hunt; he sprinted from near the circle to the left flank in a mere few seconds. He caught up with the ball just as it was about to move out of play and controlled it on the stretch. Before any of the opponents could close him down, he brought it down and turned around to face Juventus' goal.

His ears picked up Coach Conte's roars from the sidelines. But since he didn't understand Italian, all the words sounded like gibberish to him. He just closed off all his senses to the outside and burst forth with speed through the left flank.

Claudio Marchisio, the Juventus midfielder who'd stayed back in defense when the others were attacking, soon came forward to stop his run. The midfielder opened his arms wide as if he was playing defense in basketball while his narrowed eyes followed Zachary's movements closely.

However, Zachary didn't lose his composure even after the midfielder had blocked his path. He dug his boot below the ball and looped it just barely over the approaching defender's head, almost without slowing down. Before the man could discern what was going on, Zachary circumvented him with another instantaneous burst of speed from the right.

The counter was on, and soon, his long strides were once again eating up more yards of space as he raced towards Juventus' goal like a cheetah in the wild.

Giorgio Chiellini, one of the Juventus defenders, was the next opponent that stepped forward to stop him. But Zachary only executed a couple of side steps before losing the defender. His footwork was just too potent as the defender couldn't even get a chance to tackle him due to his trickery.

Adrenaline soon flooded Zachary's systems as he cut into the pitch and approached the box from the left flank like a raging tsunami. He looked up once, and his incredible spatial awareness instantly registered everything within the box.

There were still two Juventus defenders that could potentially block his path if he attempted to score by himself. But he didn't panic as he also noticed that he had support in the form of Nicki Nielsen. The striker was approaching fast and was about to step into the eighteen-yard box.

Several thoughts flashed through Zachary's head within an instant. But they didn't cause him to slow down. He kept dribbling the ball forward to draw in the defenders, and when they reacted and approached his position, he acted on instinct.

He executed a couple of side steps with the intent to confuse the defenders for a few more seconds. Then, when he noticed that Nicki had gotten into the perfect position within the box, he flicked the ball to him.

His pass was simple and on point. The ball just flashed through the narrow space in-between the two defenders before halting in the path of the sprinting Nicki.

And, of course, the ever-reliable center forward didn't disappoint. Nicki connected with the pin-point pass with the side of his boot, smashing the ball past the keeper's despairing dive to score Rosenborg's first goal for the night.

The center forward then rushed towards Zachary to celebrate while shouting at the top of his voice. He was grinning from ear to ear as he spread his arms out and gave the teammate, who'd provided the assist for his goal, a bear hug. The rest of the Rosenborg players soon joined them and started singing and chanting like madmen.

—–

Rosenborg BK 1 (4) : Juventus 2 (3)

—–

The excitement was in the air as Rosenborg had just overtaken Juventus when considering the aggregate score. The cheers reverberated across the stadium for minutes as the home fans celebrated their team's effort.

"What an effective style of play from Rosenborg," the commentator's voice sounded a moment later. "They've accomplished an incredible feat with only a single counter and a single shot on target. They've scored the long-awaited goal during the 85th minute and are now ahead of Juventus by an aggregate score of four goals to three. If they can defend well and prevent the Italian giants from getting a goal back, they'll be the team qualifying for this season's Europa League quarterfinals."

—–

Chapter 346 Impact of Substitutions

Coach Antonio Conte looked at the Rosenborg players, celebrating on the pitch, and shook his head. He was experiencing four capital Ds at that moment.

He was discontented, disoriented, disappointed, and even disconnected from reality. He couldn't help it. The game situation had run out of hand.

He didn't blame Pogba and Vidal for going forward to attack since he'd encouraged them to do just that whenever they spotted an opportunity. He was just exasperated by how Zachary Bemba, Rosenborg's playmaker, was able to be in a position to punish his team at the opportune moment.

When his players had relaxed for a bit and left him alone, he immediately retaliated against them with a perfect counter. His timing, vision, and on-pitch analysis were really annoying.

Moreover, the young man was damn clinical, just like a cyborg purposely designed for football. He could make the best decision when in the final third.

For instance, he'd chosen to pass the ball to his teammate instead of going for the goal himself. Had he gone for the latter option, maybe the experienced Juventus defenders would have had the chance to stop him and prevent the goal.

Lightning-fast thoughts flashed through Coach Conte's head as the Rosenborg players celebrated their goal. He considered for a moment before glancing at his watch and turning towards his bench players.

"Fernando! Stephan!" He said, alternating his gaze back and forth between the two players.

"Yes, coach," they replied, almost in sync, while jumping up from their seats.

"Start warming up," Coach Conte said, tone commanding. "I want you on the pitch in two minutes."

"Yes, coach."

—–

Coach Johansen had been keeping a close eye on Coach Conte's actions. After noticing the Italian tactician prepping Fernando Llorente and Stephan Lichtsteiner as potential substitutes, his eyes narrowed slightly.

He'd done his research before the game. He was well aware of the immensely high threat level of the two substitutes, especially if he couldn't get his tactics right.

Fernando Llorente was a tall, large, and physically powerful player. He was the perfect target-man in the center of his team's attacking line since the main traits of his style of play included heading ability and strength in the air. As long as he was present in the box, he would add more pressure to Rosenborg's fragile defense.

As for Stephan Lichtsteiner, he was like a Ferrari on the wing. He was a dynamic, hard-working, consistent, and versatile defender, capable of playing anywhere along the right flank. He was also a tactically intelligent player who could constantly make energetic runs on the wings before unleashing dangerous crosses into the box. If he partnered up with Fernando Llorente, the two of them would pose an enormous threat to Rosenborg, especially in the last minutes of gameplay when the stamina of starting players was already wearing thin.

Coach Johansen turned his gaze away from Juventus' side of the technical area while evaluating possible countermeasures against his opponent's substitutions.

He considered substituting-in two more defenders to fully 'park the bus' and defend Mourinho-style for the remaining few minutes. But after thinking through the idea for a few seconds, he pushed it out of his mind.

More defenders didn't necessarily mean an impenetrable defense. Instead, the extra two men in the backline might bring about confusion during the tense moments.

Furthermore, adding defenders would encourage Juventus to relax at the back due to the limited number of attack-minded players in Rosenborg's squad. The Juventus players would then grow more confident and launch more fierce attacks that could potentially result in another goal.

Coach Johansen's mind was in overdrive as he continued considering countermeasures. After a few more seconds, just as the game was restarting, he turned towards Paul Kasongo and Karl Toko Ekambi — the two young players already warming up on the sidelines.

"Kasongo and Ekambi," he said, clapping his hands.

"Yes, coach," they replied, halting their warm-up and quickly stepping towards him. Their eyes brimmed with anticipation and expectation as they looked at the coach the next moment.

"Listen closely, you two," Coach Johansen said. "In a bit, you'll enter the game in place of our two starting wingers. Since you'll be having fresh legs, I need you to work harder than ever. Make sure that the Juventus flank players don't break through the wings. We only have about three minutes remaining to the ninety. There will possibly be three more minutes of added time, and the game will end. During those last few minutes, you two must remain on your toes to ensure that we don't concede, especially from a cross delivered from the wings. Are you with me?"

"Yes, coach."

"Kasongo!" The coach turned towards the short man. "I especially want you to mark that Juventus substitute – Stephan Lichtsteiner. Be on him full time, and don't let him make any dangerous runs into our half. That's my assignment for you. Okay?"

"I get it, coach," Kasongo replied, nodding like a hen pecking grain. His eyes were brimming with fire as if he couldn't wait to enter the pitch.

"Okay, prepare to go in," the coach said, patting the backs of the two players. "I expect good things from you. Let's hope that we'll celebrate our qualification for the quarter-finals together in about seven minutes."

"Coach, we'll try our best."

—–

Juventus was once again on the attack. They passed the ball from player to player at a high tempo as they tried to create a goal-scoring opportunity. Finally, the ball ended at Vidal's feet close to the border of the final third.

Arturo Vidal skipped past Takumi Minamino with a simple deft touch before threading the ball to Paul Pogba, who was in a narrow pocket of unmarked space in front of the box.

Pogba controlled the ball perfectly before executing a well-timed Marseille turn to free himself from the opponents surrounding him. Before any foes could close him down, he unleashed a killer shot towards the goal from the edge of the eighteen-yard box.

However, all his efforts were fruitless as Yerry Mina threw himself in front of the shot the next moment. The tall Colombian blocked the ball with an outstretched boot, sending it back from whence it had come.

Takumi Minamino quickly got to the loose ball before kicking it far and away — to the outside of the pitch with a well-timed clearance. Rosenborg had finally managed to survive yet another wave of attack from the ferocious Juventus.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle and awarded a throw-in to Juventus.

The Juventus players were about to take the throw-in quickly. However, the referee motioned for them to stop and pointed toward the sidelines. He then signaled the fourth official to make the substitutions.

Very quickly, Fernando Llorente and Stephan Lichtsteiner came on for Carlos Tévez and Mauricio Isla, respectively. Then, on the side of Rosenborg, the two young players – Paul Kasongo and Karl Toko Ekambi, came on in place of Tobias Mikkelsen and Alexander Söderlund.

After the four substitutions, the game immediately restarted with Juventus' throw-in. Stephan Lichtsteiner, the substitute, took the throw-in. He ran to the touchline and threw the ball to Paul Pogba, who had opened himself up close to the right flank.

Pogba immediately flicked the ball back to him with a single touch before running into space.

Stephan Lichtsteiner controlled the return ball well. He then took a few strides and threaded the ball back to Pogba. The latter received it and passed it to Andrea Pirlo, who'd just escaped Nicki Nielsen's harassment.

Pirlo received it on the sprint before unleashing a lofted pass towards the wing to find Stephan Lichtsteiner again.

Stephan Lichtsteiner, the substitute dubbed as 'The Swiss Express' by the fans and press alike, brought the ball under control with a deft touch. He instantaneously burst forth with speed as he raced along the touchline like the wind.

However, he didn't make it far before running into a terrifying blockade by Paul Kasongo. The short man slid in wholesale and swept the ball together with the sprinting Juventus man off his feet.

"Aaahhh!"

Stephan Lichtsteiner cried out as he went to the ground. He started rolling around on the green while holding his ankle. He seemed to be in a lot of pain.

FWEEEEEEE*

The whistle sounded the next moment as if on cue. The referee immediately rushed to the scene and checked on Stephan Lichtsteiner's condition. He then motioned for the Juventus medics to come onto the pitch before showing a yellow card to Paul Kasongo.

Coach Johansen could only shake his head as he watched the proceedings on the pitch. He was really speechless and didn't know whether to scold or compliment Kasongo for his eagerness.

He'd tasked Paul Kasongo with keeping an eye on Stephan due to his incredible stamina and pace. But the young man was clearly too excited and had committed a dangerous foul right after stepping onto the pitch.

"Guys!" The coach started yelling at the top of his voice. "Lay an offside trap and make sure that you mark each and every opponent…"

Coach Johansen could already see Andrea Pirlo standing over the ball close to the touchline on the left flank. So, he continued shouting out his instructions until his players had enforced them on the pitch. He didn't want to concede a goal right before the end of the game.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee finally blew the whistle and motioned for Pirlo to take the free-kick after the medics finalized their first aid treatment on Stephan Lichtsteiner.

Andrea Pirlo immediately took a few steps back while observing the situation in front of Rosenborg's box. He then made an angled run towards the ball before unleashing a curling cross towards the rear of Rosenborg's backline.

It was another dangerous moment for Rosenborg, and Coach Johansen's heart leaped into his throat for the umpteenth time that evening. He watched with bated breath as the ball reached its highest point and started dipping towards the line of players before Rosenborg's box. Then, he shuddered despite himself as he watched Fernando Llorente, the tall Juventus center forward, step away from the line of players to meet Pirlo's teasing cross.

Fernando timed his run well in-between the defenders before heading the ball and sending it darting towards the goal like a bullet. Before the Rosenborg keeper could react, the ball was already nestling into the back of the net.

—–

Rosenborg BK 1 (4) : Juventus FC 3 (4)

—–

A soft smile manifested on Coach Conte's face for the first time that evening as he watched his players celebrating the goal. In the 91st minute, with only three minutes of injury time remaining, they'd finally managed to bag their third goal for the night through Fernando Llorente, the substitute forward. They'd, at long last, completed a perfect comeback over the two legs and tied the aggregate score with Rosenborg. As a result, they wouldn't have to bow out of the Europa League after regular time.

—–

Chapter 347 Parking the Bus

After the goal celebrations, the game resumed. Juventus continued attacking in full swing, all guns blazing. They launched a fierce offensive in the remaining minutes of injury time as they searched for that one goal that would immediately take them through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

However, the Rosenborg players remained steadfast and uncompromising in defense. They remained tactically disciplined and ensured that the Italian giants would not create more opportunities at goal.

The time passed by quickly, and finally, the referee blew the whistle after six minutes of injury time. The score was still 3:1 in favor of Juventus for the night. But since Rosenborg had also previously won 3:1 in Turin, the overall aggregate score was a tie of 4:4. And since there was no clear winner at the end of regular time, the game would be heading into thirty-minute overtime.

—–

There was only a five-minute break before the start of the thirty-minute overtime. The members of the technical staff of both teams had taken center stage. They were doing their best to prep their respective players for the extra thirty minutes of football.

The Rosenborg players had already settled down in a circle on one side of the pitch. They continued to chug down water as they received therapeutic massages from the skilled Rosenborg medics and assistant coaches. All the while, they were also listening to Coach Johansen's pre-overtime briefing.

"Our first and foremost priority is to avoid conceding a goal within the thirty minutes of overtime," the coach said, pacing back and forth in the middle of the circle. "So, most of the time, we'll all have to stay in defense and deny space for Juventus' attacking players to create opportunities."

"Marking will need to be tight in our defensive third since we don't want to allow any opponent to break through into our box. Our defensive width will also have to be narrow, and if we can't stop a player, we bring him down long before he can step into our box. Our aim is to frustrate our opponents and limit them to long-ranged chances by playing nine or ten men in front of the ball."

"As for you, Nicki," the coach continued, turning towards the center forward, "You'll have to keep a close eye on their deep-lying playmaker – Andrea Pirlo. Don't let him escape from you and unleash those long-range passes that are very dangerous to our defense. And also, beware that he can dribble if there's a need. So, you need to be on your toes and ensure that he doesn't elude you. If you miss the ball while marking him, don't also miss the leg. Okay?"

"Yes, coach," Nicki replied, nodding.

The coach finally turned towards Zachary. "Zachary, you have an extra role," he said, "We'll rely on you to initiate the counterattack whenever there's an opportunity. Be swift in transition from defense to attack and ensure that you're efficient. Kasongo and Ekambi! You will aid Zachary on that front. However, if the attack fails, all three of you have to fall back into defense at your fastest speeds as our primary aim is defending. Are we together?"

"Yes, coach."

The coach glanced at his watch. "It's almost time. Get ready to go back on the pitch. Remember, tactical discipline and hard work are the two most important keys necessary to achieve the desired result from this game. If we play as a team, we'll easily overcome Juventus."

—–

On the other side of the pitch, Coach Conte was also finalizing his pre-overtime briefing. "We'll attack from the first minute with a high tempo and ensure that we don't allow the opponents a moment of rest. We'll also play with urgency and release more crosses and through-passes into the box for Osvaldo and Fernando. We don't want to drag this game for too long. We need to score a goal within the first fifteen minutes of overtime. Got it?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied.

"Vidal and Claudio!" The coach turned towards the two midfielders. "I don't care what you do, but make sure that Zachary Bemba doesn't launch another successful counter against us. He is the only variable in the entire Rosenborg who might actually be able to prevent us from winning this game."

"So, you guys have to be constantly on your toes. If you can't stop him, don't be scared to pull his shirt or something. We're already in overtime. There's nothing a yellow card can do to us. Okay?"

"Yes, coach."

—–

The thirty-minute overtime finally restarted after the five-minute intermission. Juventus kicked off the ball that time around and immediately launched a fierce attack on Rosenborg.

Vidal received the ball close to the center circle before passing it to Pogba, who'd just run into space. The latter immediately flicked it to Andrea Pirlo — the deep-lying playmaker positioned just a few yards behind him.

Before Pirlo could control the ball, Nicki Nielsen was upon him, harassing him to prevent him from unleashing any killer passes towards Rosenborg's box.

However, Pirlo turned away from the center forward with a single deft touch before dribbling the ball towards the other side of the pitch. He quickly covered a distance of more than five yards through the middle before looping the ball over the defense to find Stephan Lichtsteiner on the right flank.

Stephan Lichtsteiner, the attacking wing-back who'd come on as a substitute, controlled the ball well. He took off instantaneously, racing towards the other side of the pitch like a Ferrari on a formula one race track.

Kasongo tried to stop his run a moment later. However, the wing-back was surprisingly agile and broke past him with a burst of speed. Stephan continued racing with the ball through the wing before releasing a curling cross towards the box.

Both Fernando Llorente and Daniel Osvaldo immediately rose up to meet the ball within the box. But fortunately for Rosenborg, Yerry Mina was in a position to check their jumps.

The tall Columbian pushed off the ground before heading the ball away to safety. He'd saved Rosenborg from conceding a goal in the second minute of overtime.

Be that as it may, Juventus didn't lose all their attacking ferocity and aggressiveness due to a single missed opportunity. They continued storming Rosenborg's box with crosses, grounded through-passes, and long-range aerial balls. They pulled out all the stops to score and secure their place in the quarter-finals.

However, their efforts bore no fruits due to Rosenborg's determination and tactical discipline.

The Troll Kids defended deep in their half, tackling and intercepting balls like their lives were on the line. They didn't just park the bus in those minutes of overtime. Instead, they literally brought a Norwegian Air Shuttle plane and parked it in front of their goal to prevent Juventus from scoring.

With nine or ten men constantly between the ball and the goal, they forced Juventus to resort to long-range shots and high crosses over the defense. But those couldn't bring much of a threat to Rosenborg.

The Troll Kids always outnumbered the Italian giants within their defensive third due to the ultra-defensive tactics. So, Rosenborg was constantly at an advantage when clearing the high crosses and blocking the long-range shots. As a result, they limited Juventus to only a few attempts on target throughout the first twenty-five minutes of overtime.

—–

Zachary was growing more anxious as the match approached the end of the 30 minutes of overtime. He was tense since he didn't want the game to head into penalties.

He didn't like the whole prospect of leaving his team's fate to a process that relied mainly on luck rather than actual footballing skill. So, he started working harder than ever to win the ball back and launch a counter.

He was like a tireless maniac in the defensive midfield as he constantly ran at opponents and tried to intercept balls. And finally, his attempts paid off in the 28th minute, with only two minutes remaining to the end of overtime.

After receiving a pass from Vidal, Paul Pogba tried to dribble past Zachary at the border of the defensive third. With flamboyant footsteps, the Frenchman faked going right before stopping suddenly. He then changed his center of gravity before trying to break through the other direction with a burst of speed.

But Zachary was having none of his nonsense. He immediately slid in and tackled the ball off his feet with an outstretched boot. Before the Juventus man could realize what was happening, he was already tumbling to the green.

"Ref! Foul!"

Pogba cried out and raised his arms as the tackled ball rolled towards Thomas Partey, Rosenborg's defensive midfielder. But the referee just ignored Pogba and motioned for play to continue.

Thomas Partey immediately returned the ball to Zachary, who'd just picked himself up from the ground.

Zachary received it and quickly flicked it towards the wing to find Karl Toko Ekambi, who'd just made a daring run towards Juventus' half.

Ekambi controlled the ball mid-sprint before feeding it past Martín Cáceres, one of Juventus' center backs. He beat the defender for pace and then squared a beauty of a pass to Nicki Nielsen, who'd opened himself up in the middle of the pitch.

Nicki connected with the pin-point pass and immediately skipped past a challenge by Leonardo Bonucci with a simple deft touch. He then kicked the ball to his left—into Zachary's sprinting path the next moment.

Zachary didn't even bother to slow down to control the ball. Instead, he met it with his boot on the sprint and fed it past Giorgio Chiellini, the only remaining Juventus defender. Before long, he was running into yards of free space, clearly bound for the goal without any obstructions.

His long strides were like the rims of a moving bike as his lungs labored to take in rapid breaths of air to support his intensive burning of energy. His vision soon became hazy as he approached the goal at breakneck speed. He was obviously running out of stamina, especially after playing more than 120 minutes of highly-competitive football.

But he persisted and kept going through the sheer willpower, supported by his conviction to win and take his team to the quarter-finals. He unearthed one burst of remaining energy from within himself before side-stepping past the keeper and shooting the ball into the back of the net.

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Chapter 348 Game Management

—–

Rosenborg BK 2 (5) : Juventus FC 3 (4)

—–

Silence reigned supreme throughout the entire stadium for a second or two. All spectators seemed to be stunned speechless by Roseborg's swift and fierce counterattack.

Boom!

Then, the next moment, a mega explosion of cheers went off in the stands, shaking the entire Lerkendal Stadion to its very core. The Rosenborg supporters immediately rose from their seats and sang at the top of their voices like madmen when Zachary raised his arms to celebrate the goal right inside Juventus' box.

"Goaaaal! Zachary! *Clap*Clap* Rosenborg! Oyeeeee…"

The raucous and disorderly voices chanting different phrases blended together with the loud clapping and drumming to institute a beautiful wild symphony. For the next one minute or so, it rang around Lerkendal as the fans celebrated Zachary's goal, which had just pushed the aggregate score to 5:4 in favor of Rosenborg. Since their team was on the cusp of qualifying for the quarter-finals, they couldn't control their emotions.

"What a beautiful counter!" Kjell Roar, the commentator for the day, yelled after the cheers started dying down. "My heart is still racing as the counter keeps replaying within my mind as if on rewind."

"Yes, it was really a fierce and swift counter," Erik Hoftun, the in-house pundit for that match, chipped in. "There were only 13 to 14 seconds between when Zachary dispossessed Pogba and when he put the ball into the back of the net. There wasn't a second wasted in-between. What a counter! The Rosenborg fans will remember it for years if the goal can take them through to the quarter-finals."

"The goal itself takes Zachary's tally against Juventus to four goals," Kjell Roar said. "He scored a hattrick against them in Turin. Now he has netted another goal here at Lerkendal on top of providing an assist for the other. He's like the bane of the Italian giants."

Erik Hoftun chuckled. "I think that he is a disaster for every team in the Europa League. Of late, he has managed to punish every opponent he has faced. Be it Fiorentina, Red Bull Salzburg, or Standard Liege — he has already scored against them all."

"He sure is a terrifying attacker these days," Kjell Roar chimed in with an audible sigh. "Let's take you back to the proceedings on the field as the match is about to restart."

—–

Coach Johansen chose to make a substitution as his players celebrated the goal. His intent was to waste a few more seconds and ensure that Juventus wouldn't get the time to organize another offensive during the remaining two or so minutes of overtime.

"Cristian Gamboa!" He said, turning towards the bench. "Prepare quickly. I want you on the pitch before the game restarts."

"Aye, coach," Cristian replied.

Coach Johansen nodded before returning his attention to the field of play. He was in a good mood. Zachary had pleasantly surprised him by scoring in the second last minute of overtime. As a result, the fixture no longer required penalties to determine the winner. As long as his players could continue defending well and survive the remaining two or three minutes, then it would be Rosenborg qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Europa League at the end of the grueling night.

—–

After celebrating the goal, the Rosenborg players returned to their half at a leisurely pace. They started taking up their on-pitch starting positions to ready themselves for the restart of the game without any sense of urgency. They wanted to waste more time, especially since they were already ahead by a goal when considering the aggregate score.

Then, just as they'd finished organizing themselves and the game was finally about to restart, the linesman raised his flag and motioned for a substitution. The fourth official followed that up with the action of putting up his board to indicate that Takumi Minamino, the Rosenborg number-22, was being subbed out.

Takumi Minamino exchanged high fives with a few of his teammates before starting his leisurely trek toward the touchline. His pace was relatively slow since he was also waving to the enthusiastic home fans.

The Juventus players couldn't tolerate Rosenborg's blatant attempts at wasting time. Giorgio Chiellini, the vice-captain of the Italian giants, soon rushed towards the referee and started complaining. Antonio Conte was also already yelling at the fourth official on the sidelines, probably telling him to do something about Rosenborg's unsportsmanlike behavior.

With all the pressure mounting, the referee could only choose to rush toward Takumi Minamino and caution him.

However, Takumi was a step ahead. The Japanese midfielder immediately ran out of the pitch and settled on the bench before the referee could catch up.

The referee, however, didn't give up. He chased Takumi down and showed him a yellow card right after he'd just settled on the bench.

But the action itself irritated the Juventus players and coaching staff as the referee had just wasted more time. And they ensured that he understood how they felt through more complaints.

The referee could only shake his head and smile ruefully before returning to the center and blowing the whistle to restart the game.

After a good three minutes of celebrations and other interruptions, the game had finally restarted. Juventus kicked off the game and was soon on the attack once again.

The Juventus players exchanged a few short passes through the middle, searching for a goal-scoring opportunity. Finally, the ball naturally came to Andrea Pirlo, the deep-lying playmaker.

Pirlo immediately skipped past Nicki Nielsen's challenge before threading a pass to Pogba. The latter received the ball and passed it to Vidal, who'd just run into the space ahead.

Vidal controlled it with a sense of urgency before kicking it toward the right-wing to find Stephan Lichtsteiner, the highly-mobile wing-back.

Stephan Lichtsteiner brought it down with his chest before trying to make a diagonal run towards Rosenborg's box. But he soon ran into Kasongo's blockade and could only choose to pass it back into the middle to Vidal.

Vidal only took a single touch to circumvent past Thomas Partey on the left side of the border of the final third. Before any other opponent could close him down, he looped the ball over the defense and into the box.

Fernando Llorente immediately leaped high to meet the cross within the box. He battled Yerry Mina, the Rosenborg center-back, for aerial superiority before planting a header towards goal from around the penalty spot.

TENSION!

The hearts of most of the spectators had already leaped into their throats. They shifted uncomfortably in their seats while watching the ball darting towards the top corner. But the next moment, they relaxed when they saw the Rosenborg keeper leap high and snatch the ball out of the air.

With a well-timed acrobatic dive, Daniel Örlund, the Rosenborg keeper, had saved Rosenborg from conceding a goal in the 33rd minute of overtime. The keeper then lay flat on the ground for about ten seconds with the ball firmly held in his hands.

"Ref!" Coach Johansen yelled out loud. "The thirty minutes of overtime are already over. Are we going to play for a week or a month before you remember to blow the final whistle?"

However, the referee paid no heed to his complaints and quickly motioned for Daniel Örlund to restart the game.

Daniel Örlund, however, didn't restart the game right away. He let a few seconds flash by before throwing the ball to Mikael Dorsin, Rosenborg's left-back.

Mikael controlled it well and immediately passed it to Thomas Partey, who also flicked it to Zachary.

However, the Juventus players had already flooded Rosenborg's half and marked all spaces and passing angles when Zachary received the ball. He could only choose to pass the ball long and high to Nicki Nielsen, the center forward.

Nicki Nielsen controlled the ball with his chest on the right flank. But instead of racing with it towards the goal, he dribbled it towards the corner flag. He halted right before the corner arc before making himself big to shield it from the Juventus players.

The next second, the Juventus players were upon him, trying to tackle the ball from his feet. However, Nicki Nielsen remained strong and stood his ground. He even spread his arms wide to prevent the opponents from getting to the ball.

His intention to waste more time gained applause from the tense home fans. But at the same time, he also infuriated the Juventus players trying to win the ball back.

After a few seconds of tussling before the corner flag, Vidal couldn't take it anymore. The midfielder raised his leg high and shoved Nicki Nielsen out of play with a kick to the butt.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle and rushed to the scene. He showed a yellow card to Vidal before awarding a free-kick to Rosenborg.

Zachary chose to take the free-kick short as he didn't wish to give Juventus an opportunity to attack during the last minute of the game. He passed it to Nicki, and the latter immediately dribbled it to the corner flag again.

The Juventus players swarmed toward him the next moment to tackle the ball from his feet. However, the referee's whistle sounded the next moment, bringing the proceedings for the night to a stop. The game had finally ended after 35 minutes of overtime.

BOOM!

The cheers immediately hit a crescendo an instant later as the Rosenborg players began running around the pitch to celebrate their victory. They had finally accomplished an almost impossible feat by eliminating Juventus, the Italian giant, from the Europa League after more than 120 minutes of gameplay. As a result, they could hardly contain their delight.

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Chapter 349 Surging Fame

Coach Conte wasn't in a good mood after the game. He shook hands with Coach Johansen before immediately marching towards the tunnel. He walked quickly and, before long, arrived at the area designated for the press.

"Antonio," the reporter said right after the Italian tactician stepped before the cameras. "Quite simply, how does this Europa League result leave you feeling?"

"Disappointed, of course," Conte replied. "We're out of the Europa League in the round of sixteen. For a big team like Juventus, such a result is unacceptable."

"What's your assessment of Juventus' performance over the two legs?" The same reporter asked.

Coach Conte shook his head as a rueful smile outlined his face. "We underestimated a dangerous player and allowed him to punish us during the two legs. Starting from the moment when he forced a penalty out of Buffon during the first leg, I knew that things would be very complicated. I tried to do damage control during the first leg, but we still lost 3:1 due to the numerical disadvantage."

"During the second leg," the coach continued, his English heavily tinged with an Italian accent, "We started slow. But we recovered quickly and picked up the tempo after a few minutes. Our efforts paid off, and we scored two goals during the 10th and the 79th minutes of the game."

"But very quickly, we grew confident and forgot about the immense threat that was Zachary Bemba, the Rosenborg number-8. He successfully hit us on a counter the first time, and we replied with a goal of our own, forcing the game into extra time."

"During extra time, we attacked and pressured the opponents as we searched for the goal. Rosenborg defended well and neutralized our momentum with tactical discipline and determination. As for us, we again grew arrogant and sloppy — and forgot about Zachary, and he hit us on a counter in the final minute of overtime."

"To sum it up," the coach said, shaking his head. "We didn't lose to the Rosenborg team or its tactics over the two legs. Instead, we lost to one player – Zachary Bemba."

The following day, Coach Conte's interview was trending on most European sports blogs and even YouTube. During the morning hours, it was even more popular than the Juventus versus Rosenborg official UEFA match highlight video.

Over time, the netizens got curious about the Zachary Bemba mentioned by Coach Antonio Conte during the interview. They soon started browsing the web for information about the player in question. And, of course, the first and foremost result of their searches was the YouTube match highlight video showing Zachary destroying Juventus during the two legs of the Europa League's round of sixteen.

A relatively unknown YouTuber named 'True-BallMagnet' had edited the match highlight video into a ten-minute clip. He had even added visual and sound effects to make the highlights more entertaining.

When the netizens watched the video, they would hear catchy phrases like 'Oh, wow! Look. Look at this!' at the moment when Zachary sidestepped past Arturo Vidal or any other Juventus players. There were even clips of Sir Alex Ferguson dropping his chewing gum and Pep Guardiola holding his head in stunned surprise when Zachary forced the penalty out of Buffon.

The ten-minute video captured the attention of netizens around the world, who even became more curious about Zachary. They searched for more information about him, and soon his name became a trending topic.

Zachary's past match-highlight videos quickly hiked by 10,000s of views as netizens from all around the world continued watching them repeatedly. His social media accounts also experienced a surge of activity.

—–

Kristin was seated on the kitchen table in her apartment located in Stjørdalsveien as she looked at the surging activity on Zachary's Twitter account. The afternoon sun rays constantly seeped into the room through the window to illuminate her pretty face, outlined by an expression of stunned surprise.

As Zachary's publicity secretary, her roles included managing his social media accounts. She monitored them on a daily basis and occasionally posted videos, pictures, and any other info that could boost his public image.

Early in the morning, when she'd just woken up that day, she'd checked on the social media accounts like usual. She'd soon noticed Zachary's Twitter and Instagram followers exploding in numbers. From the 500,000s, the digits soared all the way to 800,000s in a few hours.

And when the clock hand had just pointed to the two o'clock mark in the afternoon, Zachary's Twitter followers had bypassed the one million mark. As for his Instagram account, it had already achieved a following of 850,000. He was already the number-one trending person in Norway, and his Twitter popularity had long overtaken that of famous names, such as Magnus Carlsen and Vicky Vette.

Kristin was excited as she studied the numbers on her laptop. She hurriedly called Emily, Zachary's agent, to give her the good news.

"Hello, Kristin," Emily's vibrant voice sounded from the other side of the line when the call connected. "What's up?"

"Hi, Emily," she replied, breathing in deeply. "Have you noticed how Zachary's popularity has exploded on the web after yesterday's game?"

"I was in a meeting the whole morning and didn't check the web," Emily replied. "But I'm guessing that he should be the trending topic in Norway. With the way he played during yesterday's game, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Bingo!" Kristin said excitedly. "There's a person who posted a well-edited video of his highlights against Juventus on YouTube yesterday night. The video has already gained 100,000s of views within less than a day. Additionally, his followers on Twitter have already bypassed the one million mark."

"What!" Emily sounded surprised from the other end of the line. "His Twitter followers have already bypassed the one-million mark?"

"Yes," Kristin confirmed, glancing at her laptop screen. "To be specific, he now has 1,000,078 followers. Moreover, they continue to increase as we speak now."

"Damn it!" Emily mumbled from the other end of the line. "The Nike people pulled one over me."

"Sorry!" Kristin said. "Could you repeat that?"

"Don't mind my rumblings," Emily hurriedly replied. "I'm just regretting a deal I recently concluded. Anyways! You said that there's a person who edited Zachary's video well and posted it on YouTube."

"That's correct," Kristin confirmed.

"Is there a way to contact the person?" Emily inquired.

"Why?"

"I want to put together a team of professionals to manage miscellaneous issues for Zachary in the future," Emily replied. "One such professional will be a videographer/photographer who will work with you – the publicity secretary. That's why I'm thinking of contacting the YouTuber who posted the video to see if he fits the role and whether he's interested in working with us."

"I see," Kristin said. "I'll check for Instagram and Facebook links on the channel page. If there are any links, I'll message the person through the two platforms."

"Good," Emily said. "If you manage to get in touch with the YouTuber, contact me immediately. Then, we can assess him together and see if he fits the role."

"Okay," Kristin readily agreed. "What about Zachary? Should I inform him about his surging web popularity?"

"I don't think there's a need for now." Emily sighed audibly. "Zachary might not care for such issues at the moment. He traveled straight to Zurich to see his grandma today morning. We can wait until he returns to Trondheim before giving him the news."

"Okay, then."

After a hectic day of bureaucratic meetings with the club management, Coach Johansen finally returned to his office to catch up with his work. He couldn't relax as he had to put together training plans and tactics for Rosenborg's upcoming matches.

His next opponent in the two legs of the Europa League's quarter-final stage was Olympique Lyon. His team, Rosenborg, would first play at an away ground against the famous French club thirteen days later, on April 3rd, 2014.

Aside from that, there was also the upcoming new season of Norwegian football commencing nine days later. Rosenborg would face off against Viking FK at home on March 29th as an opener for their 2014 Tippeligaen season.

The two matches that were only four days apart were already giving Coach Johansen pressure. His priority was, of course, the Europa League match. But he still wanted to win both games by relying on the depth of his squad.

He planned to use mostly the second team for the game against Viking and reserve the first team players for the match against Lyon in France. Thus, to achieve results from both fixtures, he needed to pull out all the stops and put together appropriate tactics and game plans that suited the two groups of players.

So, even though he'd just eliminated Juventus the previous day, he couldn't relax. He had to spend his evenings in the office, making the best preparations to enable his team to achieve the desired results from the two games.

"What's in the news today?"

Coach Johansen settled in his office chair and opened his laptop. Out of habit, he chose to first browse the sports news before starting his work. When he finished watching Coach Conte's post-match interview a few minutes later, he could help but smile.

The Italian tactician was only half right during the interview. He seemed to have forgotten that the win over the two legs couldn't have been possible without the contribution of all the Rosenborg players. By maintaining tactical discipline and defending as a team, they managed to survive the onslaughts of Juventus during the second leg.

Coach Johansen shook his head and continued browsing the news. He continued reading the articles for the next few minutes until a catchy headline attracted his attention. His eyes narrowed as he started reading the article.

—–

"As the saying goes," the article read, "If you can't defeat an opponent, bring him over to your side. According to a reliable source within the club, Juventus are just about to take the first step toward signing Zachary Bemba during the upcoming summer transfer window. After the 19-year-old demolished them and forced them to bow out of the Europa League, they have set into motion major plans to acquire his services before the start of the next Serie A season…"

Coach Johansen didn't continue reading. He sighed and leaned back into his chair before mumbling, "We've finally got to this."

Since Zachary was a phenomenal talent, he understood that he would leave the club sooner or later. As the academy coach, who witnessed his growth from the very start, he was obviously happy for him. But as a Rosenborg manager, he, of course, wanted to keep him at the club for a little longer.

"Let's wait and see," he thought. "I'll go with whatever top management decides."

Chapter 350 Money!!

After spending two days in Zurich with his recovering grandma, Zachary returned to Trondheim. His plane touched down on the runway of Værnes Airport at noon, and he quickly went through the arrival procedures before picking up his luggage and exiting the airport.

Most of the people he bypassed couldn't recognize him, especially since he'd donned a big cap that concealed a large part of his face. He walked quickly with his suitcase in tow, and before long, he made it to one of the airport's parking spaces. He was there to board a taxi cab back to his apartment.

"Good afternoon," he said to the middle-aged driver after jumping into the back seat of a random taxi cab. "Take me to Stjørdalsveien."

"That will be 580 NOK," the middle-aged driver replied while turning and shifting slightly in the driver's seat to face Zachary. Then, he seemed to do a double-take as his eyes widened. "Wait! You're Zachary Bemba. Aren't you?"

Zachary smiled ruefully, eyeing the driver. He was a chubby man with round cheeks and broad shoulders. "How did you recognize me with this huge cap covering a large part of my face?" He asked.

The driver chuckled, stroking his bearded chin. "A few things gave you away. For one, your voice and your exotic accent when speaking Norwegian. There's also your tall build and that unique afro of yours spreading out from under the cap."

"You can even recognize my voice?"

The driver grinned, patting his chest exaggeratedly. "I'm a staunch supporter of Rosenborg and a huge fan of yours. I have heard your voice many times during interviews with the press. I can recognize it immediately as long as you speak."

"Really?" Zachary was skeptical.

Zachary was a fan of the two greats – Ronaldinho and Zinedine, and occasionally watched their interviews for motivation. But he was sure that he wouldn't recognize the two players just from their voices. So, the driver before him must have a strong memory, or he should be just speaking nonsense.

"To be honest, I wasn't certain when I heard your voice," the driver finally admitted. "But when I assessed you closely and noticed the tracksuit beneath your jacket, I knew it was you. Man! You don't know how glad I'm to have you in my cab. My colleagues will be super jealous when I tell them that I drove the one and only Zachary Bemba today afternoon. Is it possible to sign an autograph for me?"

"No problem. I'll sign for you." Zachary replied, nodding.

"Great." The driver immediately fished a marker and a white Rosenborg jersey from his glove compartment. Moreover, it was Zachary's new number-8 jersey. "Can you please make the autograph as big as possible?" He asked almost with puppy eyes.

"No problem." Zachary smiled and received the jersey. He immediately signed his name on the back of the jersey using big letters. He then returned it to the driver.

"Thanks a lot," the driver said, grinning from ear to ear. He received that shirt and looked at the autograph in black ink as if it was the most valuable treasure in the world. "I'm so happy. I won't charge you for this trip as you have done me a great favor. Fasten your seatbelt, and I will drive you to Stjørdalsveien right away."

Zachary shook his head. "Seriously! You don't have to waive the taxi cab fee due to the autograph…"

"But, I insist," the driver said, starting the car. "My colleagues and even bosses would be on my case if they knew that I charged the one and only Zachary Bemba for a thirty-two-kilometer trip. Please sit back and enjoy the ride. Don't stress about the fee."

Zachary could only smile helplessly and shake his head when he noticed the car moving. He left the driver to his own devices and leaned back into his seat before fastening his seat belt.

Soon, they were already on the highway, and the driver started speaking again. "So, Zachary! Do you think we can win against Lyon and qualify for the semi-finals of the Europa League?"

"I believe we can, and we will," Zachary replied. "Remember that we just overcame Juventus. The confidence among the players is overflowing. We'll therefore go into the match looking only for a win."

"I'm also confident that you can win if you play at your best," the driver replied as he steered the car around a corner. "Lyon has been performing poorly over the past few months and is just fifth on the League One table. But you have to be wary of their two strikers – Alexandre Lacazette and Bafétimbi Gomis. The two have each already scored more than fifteen goals this season. There's also that tough defender of theirs called Samuel Umtiti."

"Don't worry," Zachary said, smiling. "I'm sure that the coach is already considering all those factors. By the way, I'm surprised that you know a lot about Lyon. Do you also follow the League One?"

The driver chuckled without taking his eyes off the road. "That's not the case," he said. "Aside from driving the taxi cab, I'm also a YouTuber during my free time. So, I'm always aware of the info of most top teams around the world."

"I see," Zachary said, nodding.

"You should check out my channel if you get some time," the driver continued. "It's entirely about football."

"What's the name of your channel?" Zachary asked, glancing out of the car window.

"True Ball Magnet," the driver hastily replied. "There's a dash between true and ball, and there's no space between ball and magnet. Also, the first letter of each word is capitalized. That's the name of the channel."

"True-BallMagnet," Zachary confirmed. "I got it. Don't worry. I'll check it out. If I find the content appropriate, I'll post the link to your channel on my Twitter. But to be on the safer side, it's better that you write your channel's name down for me. That will ensure that I don't forget about it when I reach home."

"Great," the driver replied excitedly. "I'll write the channel's name down when we get to our destination. Thanks a lot."

"No problem," Zachary said.

Just then, he felt his phone vibrating within his pocket. He hurriedly fished it out before unlocking it and glancing at the screen. His heartbeat quickened when he noticed that he'd just received a notification from his bank.

—–

DNB

Dear Customer, Your account ending 4567 has been credited with NOK 4,788,000. Your new available balance is NOK 14,279,357.

—–

Zachary felt a surge of excitement swell through him after skimming through the notification. The money from the Nike endorsement deal had finally arrived in his account after some delays caused by Norway's strict verification and taxation process. With the money, he could finally set his investment plans in motion.

Over the past year, he'd mostly been living off his match bonuses. He'd managed to save more than 9 million Norwegian Kroner from his club salary and the income from the Audi endorsement deal. After receiving the 4.8 Million NOK from Nike, he finally had a more than 14 million NOK bank balance.

If he deducted Emily's share, which was only ten percent of the funds from Nike, and some more emergency money to take care of his grandma, he would still remain with roughly 13 million NOK in his account. The amount was approximately equal to 1.5 million Euros, which was enough starting capital for him to invest.

Since he was sure of the future, he planned to buy shares in Tesla Inc. with the whole amount of 1.5 million Euros as soon as possible. He would then wait for seven years before selling and gaining slightly more than 36 million Euros from the investment. That was easy money as far as he was concerned.

Just then, the driver's voice interrupted Zachary's thought process. "Where exactly in Stjørdalsveien are you going?"

Zachary quickly gave him directions — and before long, they arrived at his apartment building.

The driver wrote down his YouTube channel name and contact information on a piece of paper before handing it to Zachary.

Zachary received it and shoved it in his pocket. He then said his goodbyes to the driver before carrying his luggage and ascending the stairs to his apartment. Since the traveling had worn him out, he was looking forward to taking a warm shower before diving into his bed for a long sleep.

—–

The following morning, Zachary headed to Lerkendal to attend the team training. As usual, he was early and the first on the pitch. He immediately decided to put in a few minutes of agility and dribbling drills before the coaches arrived.

After setting up the cones, he worked tirelessly with the ball without caring about anything else. Step-overs, shuttle runs, etcetera — he carefully performed the exercises, trying his best to go a step further at honing his skills. He couldn't relax as he was still attempting to merge his skills into a single style by starting from the basics. So, he didn't stop even when his teammates began arriving on the training ground.

FWEEEEEEE*

Just as he'd stepped up the pace, the sound of a whistle broke his concentration. He stopped his training and glanced around. He immediately realized that the coaches had already arrived, and they seemed to be signaling all the players to move to the tactics room right away.

After a few inquiries, he learned that there was a pre-training meeting that morning. So, he concluded his session before following the rest of his teammates to the tactics room.

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