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

34. 351

Read The Greatest of all Time Chapter 351 The Mighty Second Team online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 351 The Mighty Second Team

"Good morning to you all," Coach Johansen said when all the Rosenborg players had taken up their seats in the tactics room. An easy, relaxed smile outlined his face as he stepped in front of the room to address the players. He seemed to be in a good mood.

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

The coach nodded and glanced around. His gaze paused on Zachary the next moment. He grinned and said, "You're back?"

"Yes, I'm back," Zachary replied with a smile. "I returned yesterday afternoon."

"How is she?"

"She's recovering well. She should be able to leave the hospital in about a month's time."

It was already common knowledge among the Rosenborg players that Zachary's grandma was in a hospital in Zurich. He had already informed all his teammates since he wanted them to understand why he'd missed several training sessions over the past few weeks. So, he didn't mind talking about the issue in front of all the players within the tactics room.

"That's great news," Coach Johansen said, smiling, after hearing his response. "We're all happy for you."

"Thanks."

After the coach finished speaking, his teammates congratulated him and voiced their well-wishes over the next few seconds. Zachary, of course, accepted them all and replied politely before settling back in his seat.

"Okay, okay," the coach suddenly said. "Settle down, and let's move on to official business."

The players immediately returned to their seats.

Coach Johansen swept his gaze across the room before nodding and continuing. "We have two upcoming games that will require us to exert ourselves over the next few days. First, we'll play against Viking in our Tippeligaen season opener scheduled for six days later here at Lerkendal. Then, four days after that, we'll travel to France to face off against Olympique Lyon in the quarter-finals of the Europa League."

"For the Tippeligaen game against Viking FK, I have decided to give a chance to members of the second team. When putting together the squad for the match, I'll consider all the reserve players who perform well during training over the next few days."

"But that doesn't mean that I'm giving up on the game. We're a big team in Norway. We should be able to put up fair competition against any opponents, even with our third team. So, I expect no less than a win against Viking. Are we together?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied enthusiastically.

Coach Johansen smiled. "As for the game against Lyon, I'll mainly select the squad from the usual regulars who performed well against Juventus. But if a reserve player is to put up a spectacular performance against Viking, I'll also automatically consider him for the squad…"

The coach then went over the training plans for the next few minutes before dismissing the players back to the training ground.

A few minutes later, the preparations for the two upcoming matches started in full swing. The coaches immediately divided the players into two training camps.

The first included the regulars like Nicki Nielsen, Thomas Partey, Yerry Mina, Takumi Minamino, Eric Bailly, Zachary Bemba, etcetera. The training camp's main focus was to prepare for the Europa game against Lyon, scheduled for ten days later.

The second training camp included the second-stringers like John Chibuike, Mix Diskerud, Paul Kasongo, Paul Otterson, William Troost-Ekong, Kendrick Otterson, Jonas Svensson, Ole Selnæs, etcetera. The aim of the camp was to prepare for the Tippeligaen game against Viking, scheduled for six days later.

Coach Johansen took up the reigns of the first camp, while Trond Henriksen, the assistant head coach, concentrated on the second camp's preparations. They soon put the players through strict conditioning to instill match tactics into their heads. They were overly stern and didn't allow anyone to slack off during training.

The following days became increasingly hectic as the Rosenborg players and technical staff prepared for the upcoming two matches. With everyone busy, the atmosphere around the team grew more solemn – and soon, it was Saturday, March 29th, 2014.

The day for the Tippeligaen season-opening match between Rosenborg and Viking had finally arrived.

The weather was not the best that day. The temperatures were abnormally low while the drizzling started in the morning and didn't stop even in the afternoon.

Nonetheless, the poor weather didn't stop the excited Rosenborg fans from swarming toward Lerkendal to watch the game. By 3:30 PM, when thirty minutes remained before kick-off, the stadium was already almost at maximum capacity.

The Rosenborg fans seemed not to mind the cold weather. They sang and cheered at the top of their voices as they waited to witness another incredible performance from their home team.

However, the festive atmosphere within the stands came to an abrupt halt when the starting line-ups for the day came out on the big screen.

"Starting in goal for Rosenborg is Kendrick Otterson," the commentator's voice resounded across the stadium. "The center-backs are William Troost-Ekong and Stefan Strandberg. The wing-backs are Cristian Gamboa on the right flank and Jörgen Skjelvik on the left. The three midfielders are Mix Diskerud, Ole Selnæs, and Mike Jensen. And the three forwards to complete Rosenborg's 4-3-3 formation are Paul Kasongo, Riku Riski, and John Chibuike."

No sooner had the commentator finished announcing the Rosenborg starting players than a wave of chaotic and dissatisfied chattering swept through the stands.

"Where is Zachary?" One fan asked with narrowed eyes. "Is he injured?"

"Don't jinx us, man," another fan replied. "Don't you see him on the bench? Maybe, the coach has decided to allow him to rest. He should be reserving him for the Europa League quarter-final match against Lyon."

"Does the coach want to give up on the Tippeligaen to focus on the Europa League? But that's a bit ridiculous. I've seen players in top teams all around Europe playing the weekend domestic league matches before appearing for the UEFA games during midweek. Why can't Coach Johansen do the same?"

"Who knows?" Another fan said, shrugging. "Damn! I was looking forward to watching Zachary's magic again. But I guess I'll have to go another four days without seeing him play. What a bummer!"

The fans seemed baffled by Coach Johansen's choice of players for the day. They couldn't understand why the coach had fielded a line-up of unknowns and benched all the star players for the season's opening match. And slowly, their moods sank into the abyss of desperation as they speculated that he might have given up on the game.

Their taut nerves only loosened when the game started a few minutes later. They soon started cheering like usual as the Rosenborg players on the field launched unending waves of attacks against Viking FK. Before long, Rosenborg totally controlled the game and dictated the tempo.

And then the floodgates opened during the 10th minute with a goal from Paul Kasongo. After connecting with a pin-point long-range pass from Ole Selnæs at the edge of the box, he skipped past a Viking center-back and then rifled a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner to score Rosenborg's 1st goal.

After the goal, the Rosenborg players didn't relax in the slightest. They continued pushing forward and ripping apart Viking's defense with wing-play tactics until they created another goal-scoring opportunity nine minutes later.

That time around, the goal came through a corner kick. William Troost-Ekong outjumped the rest of the players in the box to connect with the teasing corner ball from Ole Selnæs. He angled his head slightly to plant a header into the top right corner from around the penalty spot.

The rest of the first half was uneventful, at least in terms of goals. Rosenborg continued attacking relentlessly, with the wingers and midfielders unleashing crosses and grounded through-passes into the box. However, the Viking defense held on for dear life and prevented the Troll Kids from scoring the third goal before halftime.

When the second half started, the game situation changed swiftly and abruptly. The Viking players launched a counterattack during the 48th minute and caught Rosenborg unawares. They cut through Rosenborg's defense like a knife slicing through butter before scoring their first goal for the day.

—–

Rosenborg BK 2 : Viking FK 1

—–

On the sidelines, Coach Johansen glanced at the score on the stadium's jumbotron with narrowed eyes. He was a bit apprehensive, especially since only one goal was still separating his team from the opponents. But after a moment of consideration, he still decided to wait instead of making an immediate substitution.

And his patience was finally rewarded in the 65th minute. After a failed Viking corner kick, the Rosenborg players hit back with a sudden counterattack.

Mike Jensen collected the loose ball at the edge of the box and immediately passed it to Ole Selnæs. The latter controlled it well before unleashing a lofted pass into the left wing to find Paul Kasongo.

Paul Kasongo exploded with speed and raced towards the other side of the pitch in mere seconds. A Viking defender soon came to close him down. However, the highly agile Rosenborg winger threaded the ball back to the sprinting Ole Selnæs in the middle.

Ole Selnæs received it and immediately switched gameplay to the right-wing to find Riku Riski with a lofted pass over an approaching opponent.

Riku Riski controlled it mid-sprint and immediately passed to John Chibuike, the Rosenborg center forward.

The cheers in the stadium hit a crescendo as John Chibuike skipped past a center back with a deft touch before chipping the ball past the outstretched fingertips of the Viking keeper.

—–

Rosenborg BK 3 : Viking FK 1

—–

After scoring the third goal, the Rosenborg players played more conservatively. They focused more on defense and prevented Viking from creating other goal-scoring opportunities for the rest of the game. And finally, the game ended 3:1 in favor of Rosenborg after four minutes of added time.

Nicki Nielsen turned his attention from the game after hearing the final whistle. He sighed and stood up before saying to no one in particular, "These guys are quite something. If we're not careful, they might bench us anytime."

"You're right," Mikael echoed as he also stood up to head towards the tunnel. "In particular, the performances of Ole Selnæs and Paul Kasongo have surprised me. The coach will start taking them seriously from now on."

Zachary listened to his teammates conversing but chose not to comment. He was also surprised by the performance of the second team. But he wasn't worried that any of the reserves would snatch his number.

Instead, he was delighted by the fact that his team had grown to a level where it could thrash domestic league opponents with the second-stringers. He was more at ease since the highly-skilled players in reserve would allow the coach to rotate players more often to ensure that the team became more competitive on many fronts.

Report chapter

Chapter 352 Rumors

The day after Rosenborg's match against Viking, a very contradictory article started spreading on the web. It claimed that Zachary had fallen out with the Rosenborg executives after they rejected his request to spend more time with his sick grandma, who was in critical condition in a hospital in Zurich.

The article then described the close relationship between Zachary and his grandma, citing how she was his only guardian and the person who'd brought him up. Then, it concluded with a remark on how Zachary was unhappy at Rosenborg and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

The netizens who were Zachary's fans were shocked and incensed after reading the article. They took their anger to the internet and started calling out the Rosenborg officials to explain why they were hindering their star from spending time with his sick grandma. They even bombarded the club's social media accounts with hate comments to ensure that the people responsible would not ignore their case.

Coach Johansen was outraged after the public relations officer marched into his office and showed him the article and the hate comments from the fans. Of course, he didn't believe that the claims had come from Zachary himself. He was already sure that the assertions were simply a load of crap since Zachary would never make them in public. And since the young prodigy's professionalism was unquestionable, it must have been the reporter trying to create some chaos.

"Which idiot wrote this article?" He asked the public relations officer while breathing in deeply to calm himself down. The morning sun rays seeped into his office through the open window to illuminate his face brimming with rage.

"It's a TV2 Sporten reporter called Dag Asbjørn," Sigrid Berg, the PR officer, replied from the other end of the office table. "He published the article on his own personal blog yesterday night."

"Let's sue the idiot," Coach Johansen said with narrowed eyes.

"Easy, easy, there," the public relations officer said. "Let's take it slow and start with the damage control. First, we should contact Zachary and understand his stand on the whole of this farce. If the claims didn't come from him, we ask him to release a strong personal statement to dispute them."

"Of course, the claims didn't come from Zachary," Coach Johansen said with a sigh. "You don't know the boy. He's like a programmed robot who only cares about training and playing football. He wouldn't waste his time giving such nonsensical information to a reporter."

"Then, there might be another possibility," the PR officer said, creasing her brows. "There might be a third party trying to stir up some trouble between Zachary and us. They probably wish to plant a seed of conflict between our two parties so that Zachary can start thinking about leaving."

Coach Johansen raised his brow. "Can such a childish ploy even work? We all know that the information in the article is a load of bullshit. I'm sure that Zachary also doesn't care about the article. So, how can it create a conflict between our two parties?"

"You're looking at the whole issue with a narrow vision," Sigrid said. "Of course, the article itself won't actually spark off the conflict. But it will incite public anger and cause dissatisfaction among the fans. And if Zachary maintains his silence over the whole issue, the fans will slowly start losing trust in him, thinking that he's about to abandon them. They might even boo him and start attacking him through social media, and that will, of course, anger Zachary. That anger and dissatisfaction might be the elements that lead to conflicts with the club."

Coach Johansen narrowed his eyes. He remained silent for a few more seconds before saying, "What do you think we should do? The team doesn't have time for this crap, especially since we're busy preparing for Thursday's game against Lyon."

Sigrid smiled. "As I already said, the first step is to talk to Zachary and ask him to release a strong personal statement to dispute the claims. It doesn't need to be official. It can be a Twitter or even a Facebook post where he clearly states that the information presented in the article is false. Then we shall take up the reigns and ensure that the public gets the message."

"Okay," Coach Johansen said, picking up his phone. "I'll call Zachary now and speak to him about the issue."

"Great," the PR officer said, leaning back into her seat. "If he works with us, we should be able to neutralize the whole of this farce by today evening."

Coach Johansen nodded and immediately dialed Zachary's number. "Hello, Zachary," he said when the call connected. "Are you enjoying your day off today?"

"Come on, coach," Zachary answered in a vibrant voice from the other end of the line. "How can I rest when I didn't play even a single minute during yesterday's game? I'm already in the gym, working out with Coach Peters."

"I see," Coach Johansen said, not feeling surprised. The boy was a training maniac. It would be weird if he found him lounging on a beach instead of working out in a gym. "Zachary! Did you read the article about you that has been spreading on the web this morning? It has attracted a lot of attention, especially in Norway."

"Which article?" Zachary seemed confused. Going by his tone, he appeared not to know anything about the article.

Coach Johansen sighed, once again not feeling surprised. He then described the article's content to Zachary in as few words as possible. He ended his narrative by talking about how it was inciting public outrage and causing the fans to attack the Rosenborg management on social media.

"I'm sorry to hear about all that, coach," Zachary replied. "But, I can assure you that the assertions in the article didn't come from my side. Neither myself nor my agent wishes to incite conflict between us and management. You have my word on this."

"I don't doubt you, Zachary," Coach Johansen said. "I only called to propose a way of how we can deal with the article. Otherwise, it will continue causing dissatisfaction among the fans."

"Go ahead," Zachary said. "I'm listening."

Coach Johansen exchanged glances with Sigrid before going ahead and asking Zachary to release a personal statement to dispute the article.

Surprisingly, Zachary was very accommodating towards the whole idea. He even promised to utilize his social media accounts to release the posts before the end of the day.

Coach Johansen thanked him on the club's behalf and ended the call. He then pivoted his attention onto the PR officer again. "It's done," he said with a smile. "He has agreed to release a personal statement disputing the article through his social media accounts."

"That's a great first step to dealing with the issue," Sigrid said as a soft smile outlined her face.

Coach Johansen was startled. "Is there a second step?"

"Of course, there is," Sigrid replied, tone matter-of-factly. "Next, we'll sue the reporter who published the article. We'll attack him on several fronts until he comes out himself to apologize."

"That's a bold move," Coach Johansen said. "You know: When I said that we sue him before, I was only speaking with rage. I didn't expect you, people, to actually launch a lawsuit against him."

"The club chairman is paying close attention to this issue," Sigrid remarked. "He's the one who instructed us to launch the lawsuit. He really doesn't want anyone to mess with his star player's relationship with the club."

"I understand," Coach Johansen said, finally seeing the light. If the club chairman was involved, then the reporter who published the article was in for a tough time over the coming days.

After ending the call with Coach Johansen, Zachary immediately called Emily and told her about the article. He expected her to at least react harshly after hearing about the entire farce. But surprisingly, she took the matter a bit too lightly.

"Why don't you seem surprised?" Zachary asked, settling down on one of the benches in the gym. His t-shirt was drenched in sweat as he'd just ended his workout with Coach Bjørn Peters.

Emily sighed audibly from the other end of the line. "Zachary! It's normal for such articles to keep popping up on the internet as your fame grows."

"Moreover," she continued, "the big teams might even start paying reporters to release such articles so as to sow discord between you and your current club as the transfer window approaches. Their intent is, of course, to encourage you to consider the option of transferring out of Rosenborg by whatever means possible. So, you have to learn to ignore such articles. Otherwise, you'll have to keep running up and down, suing every journalist that reports wrong information about you."

"I get you," Zachary said. "But what about the club's request? They asked me to release a personal statement discrediting the article."

"You shouldn't waste your precious time on such issues, Zachary," Emily advised. "Focus on your training, and let Kristin handle the entire issue. She's your publicity secretary. Her job is to manage your public image."

"She can release a post on your social media accounts disputing the claims in your stead. She can even contact the club's public relations office to arrange how best to handle the matter. So, you, as a player, don't need to waste your brain cells and precious time on such miscellaneous issues. I'm even surprised that the club asked you to do this."

Zachary was startled by Emily's sharp tone. "I understand," he said. "I'll let Kristin handle the issue."

"Great," Emily said from the other end of the line. Her voice had taken on a relaxed tone. "You also have to understand that I have been moving around a lot, making arrangements for the upcoming transfer window. I have even had meetings with several executives from some top European clubs during the previous week. The reporters following your case know that I'm your agent. They can easily deduce that I'm trying to organize a transfer for you, and they will obviously report the info in their articles."

"So, just like you have been doing, continue to ignore the media attention, especially since it's going to increase between now and the upcoming transfer window. If you have some free time, you can even consider taking a vacation to relax instead of caring about what the press is writing about you."

"I understand," Zachary replied. "Thanks for the advice. Is there anything substantial among the arrangements you've been making?"

"Not yet," Emily said. "But when there's a good offer, I'll immediately inform you."

"Okay, Emily," Zachary said. "Thanks for everything. I have to go now as I have to call Kristin immediately. As you advised, I'll let her handle the entire issue."

"That's for the best," Emily said. "Have a good day."

"Have a good day, too," Zachary said before ending the call.

Report chapter

Chapter 353 To Lyon, France

Zachary immediately dialed Kristin's number after ending the call with Emily. She picked up almost instantly, and he quickly told her about the contents of the article and the club's request for him to post a statement discrediting it.

"I had already seen the article," Kristin said with a tinge of resignation in her voice after hearing him out. "I was just about to get in touch with the club's public relations office to organize a way forward to solve the whole issue. But I guess you beat me to the task."

"Then, that makes things easier," Zachary said. "I'll leave everything in your hands since you already know about the article. But first things first, start with making an official post discrediting the content of the article on my behalf. Make it simple, and don't go into details. A brief statement along the lines of I still enjoy a good relationship with the club management might work wonders."

"Don't worry," Kristin replied from the other end of the line. "I know what to do. I'll pen down an appropriate response to the article right away. Then, I'll even contact Emily and have her verify the statement before posting it on your social media accounts."

"Thanks a lot, Kristin," Zachary replied. "I have to return to training now. So, let me say goodbye for now. If you need any info from me, don't hesitate to call my number."

"Okay. But there's one more thing I wish to ask before you hang up, Zachary."

"Go ahead," Zachary said. "I'm all ears."

"Zachary!" Kristin said after a moment. "Could you be thinking about transferring out of Rosenborg soon? As your publicity secretary, I'm just asking to understand your future plans."

Zachary switched the phone to his other ear before saying, "I feel ready to take the next step towards progressing my football career. So, if there's a suitable offer, I'll consider switching to a team in one of the big leagues during the upcoming transfer window."

"I see," Kristin said. "So, there's a high possibility that you'll be moving out of Norway between June 12th and September 1st."

"That's correct," Zachary replied. "If all goes as planned, I will move immediately after the World Cup. But there's no need for the press or the public to know that I'm switching teams. So, you definitely cannot tell another person about this. Otherwise, the whole issue might create a publicity mess that could distract me from football."

"Don't worry," Kristin assured. "I know what's at stake and will definitely not tell any other person about your plans. I was only asking because I also need to start making some preparations if I'm to continue working as your publicity secretary when you move away from Trondheim."

"You wish to continue working as my publicity secretary?"

"Definitely," Kristin was quick to reply.

"Don't you still have to attend university?"

"I'll just transfer to another university," Kristin said. "Zachary! I wish to follow you wherever you go. If you still want me to remain working as your publicity secretary, I won't stay back."

"Of course, you can remain as my publicity secretary," Zachary said. "I was just worried that you might miss out on your university education because of the job. Your grandpa might take my head if he knows that I distracted you from your studies."

Kristin chuckled. "You don't have to worry. I'll transfer to a new university in the new city. Moreover, don't forget that very few people get opportunities to work for highly-skilled athletes who are shooting to fame. So, if I give up such a job, I might as well go and bang my head on the wall."

Zachary chuckled, switching the phone to his other ear. "You can continue working as my publicity secretary for as long as you like. I'll talk to Emily and have her renew your contract so that you can be more assured of your future."

"Thanks a lot," Kristin replied. "That puts my heart at ease."

"Excellent," Zachary said. "I have to return to training now. But remember to handle the issue of the article as soon as possible. I already promised the coach that I would release the statement before the end of the day."

"Sure, I'll get to the task right away," Kristin said. "Enjoy your training and have a good day."

"Thanks, and have a good day too," Zachary said before ending the call. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief and returned to his training.

The following three days passed by quickly as he got busy. Aside from attending the team session to prepare for the Europa League game against Lyon, he spent his spare time training alone. He would either be in the gym or on the road jogging with the intent to condition himself early in the morning before sunrise. Then, in the evenings after the team sessions, he would practice his set-piece and dribbling skills before ending his day with a yoga session. He even spent some quality time with Camilla, who was as understanding and considerate as ever concerning his hectic schedule.

Eventually, Wednesday, April 2nd arrived, and Coach Johansen named the team facing off against Lyon that morning. Later in the afternoon, the players who'd made the coach's squad boarded a KLM airlines flight — and off they went and soared into the skies, heading off towards the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region to play their first leg game of the Europa League's quarter-finals.

The plane touched down at the Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport's runway five and a half hours later when the sun had long sunk beneath the horizon in the west. The players quickly followed the rest of the passengers out of the plane and headed toward the arrivals terminal. Before long, they collected their luggage and started making their way toward the airport's exit under the guidance of a UEFA guide.

But before they could make it out of the hallways of the airport, a group of fans and reporters interrupted them. Most of the fans were in Rosenborg's black and white jerseys, while the reporters were armed with microphones and large cameras.

"Zachary! An autograph."

"Zachary! We traveled all the way here to root for you. Please, squash those Lyon boys without mercy."

"Nicki, I'm a huge fan…"

"Takumi…"

The fans yelled at the top of their voices for the next few minutes. Some even tried to step forward and approach the Rosenborg players.

However, airport security was ready for them. The law enforcers kept the passionate fans at bay and didn't allow any of them to push through their blockade and close in on the players. They only permitted a few reporters to approach after confirming that Coach Johansen didn't mind his players talking to the reporters.

"What the hell?!"

Zachary was startled when he noticed the group of reporters quickly zeroing in on his position. The team had never gotten such an enthusiastic reception outside of Norway, not even when they traveled to Turin to play against Juventus. So, he was a bit shaken by the whole spectacle before him.

"Welcome to Lyon, Zachary Bemba," a reporter said as he shoved a microphone in front of his face.

Before Zachary could reply, the other men and women of the press stepped forwards and shoved more microphones into his face. They surrounded him like a cackle of starving hyenas that had just chanced upon a helpless rabbit deep in the jungle.

"We're pleased to have you here in Lyon, Zachary," another reporter hurriedly said, probably trying to beat his counterpart to the chance of interviewing Zachary. His eyes glittered as he signaled for his cameraman to start recording.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen. One person at a time. Don't cause discomfort to the players, or I'll ask security to dismiss you."

The UEFA guide in charge of the team stepped forward at the right moment to save the situation. He worked with the security personnel to ensure that the chaotic reporters were not causing any distress to the players.

After a few more minutes, the reporters finally obeyed. They became more docile and orderly while approaching Zachary. At least they were no longer squeezing into him and shoving microphones into his face.

"Zachary! Welcome to Lyon."

Zachary quickly noticed that it was a beautiful reporter with blue eyes and long blonde hair tied in a ponytail who had spoken. Surprisingly, she was clad in a fitting Rosenborg number-8 top, which happened to be his own shirt number on the team. She looked strikingly dapper and chic, especially after pairing the jersey with stylish denim pants that emphasized her lithe figure.

A smile flickered across Zachary's face like a hologram as he immediately developed a favorable impression of her. Maybe, it was because of the Rosenborg jersey, but he found her pleasing to the eyes.

"Thanks for the warm welcome," he said, nodding at her. "By the way, that shirt looks really great on you."

Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she let out a soft chuckle. "What can I say," she said with a sigh. "I'm a huge fan. Zachary! You'll play against Lyon at an away ground tomorrow night. How do you feel?"

"I'm just looking forward to playing against one of the best teams in France," Zachary replied with a steady voice. "I feel excited and expectant."

"Do you think you can win?" She asked.

"Obviously, we can win," Zachary said. "We have prepared enough as a team, and we'll head into the game looking only for a win. The final result will depend on how Lyon responds to our attacks."

"You've been incredible in the Europa League this season," she said. "You're even the top scorer of the tournament. Should we expect another goal from you tomorrow night?"

"That, I can't be sure," Zachary replied with a smile. "Moreover, it doesn't matter whether I score or not. Instead, what matters is that we win the game. I'll be delighted even if our keeper is the one that bags that crucial goal that helps us win."

The reporter beamed and said, "Thank you for answering my questions, Zachary. I wish you all the luck in tomorrow's game."

"Thank you," Zachary replied and turned his attention away from her. He then spent the next few minutes answering a few more questions from the other reporters before stepping away with the intent to regroup with his teammates.

But just then, the pretty blonde reporter tapped his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "If you're up for some fun, you can call me any time after the game. My business card is in the left pocket of your jacket." She then turned around and walked away without saying another word.

Zachary's eyes widened. He quickly felt around his left pocket with his hand, and indeed there was the smooth piece of paper that was the business card lying in there. He was surprised as the lady had managed to place it in his pocket without his notice. Her pickpocketing skills were obviously at the grandmaster level.

"This is weird," Zachary mused as he removed his hand from his pocket. Since there were many eyes observing him at the moment, he decided to wait and deal with the business card later. He'd already resolved to throw it away as he didn't wish to associate with such a sharp reporter.

"Zachary," Coach Johansen shouted from a distance. "Have you been smitten senseless by the French ladies? Hurry up! The team bus is already outside."

"Aye, coach," Zachary replied as a wry smile outlined his face. He immediately slung his gym bag over his shoulder before following his teammates and coaches outside of the airport.

Report chapter

Chapter 354 To Lyon, France

Zachary immediately dialed Kristin's number after ending the call with Emily. She picked up almost instantly, and he quickly told her about the contents of the article and the club's request for him to post a statement discrediting it.

"I had already seen the article," Kristin said with a tinge of resignation in her voice after hearing him out. "I was just about to get in touch with the club's public relations office to organize a way forward to solve the whole issue. But I guess you beat me to the task."

"Then, that makes things easier," Zachary said. "I'll leave everything in your hands since you already know about the article. But first things first, start with making an official post discrediting the content of the article on my behalf. Make it simple, and don't go into details. A brief statement along the lines of I still enjoy a good relationship with the club management might work wonders."

"Don't worry," Kristin replied from the other end of the line. "I know what to do. I'll pen down an appropriate response to the article right away. Then, I'll even contact Emily and have her verify the statement before posting it on your social media accounts."

"Thanks a lot, Kristin," Zachary replied. "I have to return to training now. So, let me say goodbye for now. If you need any info from me, don't hesitate to call my number."

"Okay. But there's one more thing I wish to ask before you hang up, Zachary."

"Go ahead," Zachary said. "I'm all ears."

"Zachary!" Kristin said after a moment. "Could you be thinking about transferring out of Rosenborg soon? As your publicity secretary, I'm just asking to understand your future plans."

Zachary switched the phone to his other ear before saying, "I feel ready to take the next step towards progressing my football career. So, if there's a suitable offer, I'll consider switching to a team in one of the big leagues during the upcoming transfer window."

"I see," Kristin said. "So, there's a high possibility that you'll be moving out of Norway between June 12th and September 1st."

"That's correct," Zachary replied. "If all goes as planned, I will move immediately after the World Cup. But there's no need for the press or the public to know that I'm switching teams. So, you definitely cannot tell another person about this. Otherwise, the whole issue might create a publicity mess that could distract me from football."

"Don't worry," Kristin assured. "I know what's at stake and will definitely not tell any other person about your plans. I was only asking because I also need to start making some preparations if I'm to continue working as your publicity secretary when you move away from Trondheim."

"You wish to continue working as my publicity secretary?"

"Definitely," Kristin was quick to reply.

"Don't you still have to attend university?"

"I'll just transfer to another university," Kristin said. "Zachary! I wish to follow you wherever you go. If you still want me to remain working as your publicity secretary, I won't stay back."

"Of course, you can remain as my publicity secretary," Zachary said. "I was just worried that you might miss out on your university education because of the job. Your grandpa might take my head if he knows that I distracted you from your studies."

Kristin chuckled. "You don't have to worry. I'll transfer to a new university in the new city. Moreover, don't forget that very few people get opportunities to work for highly-skilled athletes who are shooting to fame. So, if I give up such a job, I might as well go and bang my head on the wall."

Zachary chuckled, switching the phone to his other ear. "You can continue working as my publicity secretary for as long as you like. I'll talk to Emily and have her renew your contract so that you can be more assured of your future."

"Thanks a lot," Kristin replied. "That puts my heart at ease."

"Excellent," Zachary said. "I have to return to training now. But remember to handle the issue of the article as soon as possible. I already promised the coach that I would release the statement before the end of the day."

"Sure, I'll get to the task right away," Kristin said. "Enjoy your training and have a good day."

"Thanks, and have a good day too," Zachary said before ending the call. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief and returned to his training.

The following three days passed by quickly as he got busy. Aside from attending the team session to prepare for the Europa League game against Lyon, he spent his spare time training alone. He would either be in the gym or on the road jogging with the intent to condition himself early in the morning before sunrise. Then, in the evenings after the team sessions, he would practice his set-piece and dribbling skills before ending his day with a yoga session. He even spent some quality time with Camilla, who was as understanding and considerate as ever concerning his hectic schedule.

Eventually, Wednesday, April 2nd arrived, and Coach Johansen named the team facing off against Lyon that morning. Later in the afternoon, the players who'd made the coach's squad boarded a KLM airlines flight — and off they went and soared into the skies, heading off towards the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region to play their first leg game of the Europa League's quarter-finals.

The plane touched down at the Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport's runway five and a half hours later when the sun had long sunk beneath the horizon in the west. The players quickly followed the rest of the passengers out of the plane and headed toward the arrivals terminal. Before long, they collected their luggage and started making their way toward the airport's exit under the guidance of a UEFA guide.

But before they could make it out of the hallways of the airport, a group of fans and reporters interrupted them. Most of the fans were in Rosenborg's black and white jerseys, while the reporters were armed with microphones and large cameras.

"Zachary! An autograph."

"Zachary! We traveled all the way here to root for you. Please, squash those Lyon boys without mercy."

"Nicki, I'm a huge fan…"

"Takumi…"

The fans yelled at the top of their voices for the next few minutes. Some even tried to step forward and approach the Rosenborg players.

However, airport security was ready for them. The law enforcers kept the passionate fans at bay and didn't allow any of them to push through their blockade and close in on the players. They only permitted a few reporters to approach after confirming that Coach Johansen didn't mind his players talking to the reporters.

"What the hell?!"

Zachary was startled when he noticed the group of reporters quickly zeroing in on his position. The team had never gotten such an enthusiastic reception outside of Norway, not even when they traveled to Turin to play against Juventus. So, he was a bit shaken by the whole spectacle before him.

"Welcome to Lyon, Zachary Bemba," a reporter said as he shoved a microphone in front of his face.

Before Zachary could reply, the other men and women of the press stepped forwards and shoved more microphones into his face. They surrounded him like a cackle of starving hyenas that had just chanced upon a helpless rabbit deep in the jungle.

"We're pleased to have you here in Lyon, Zachary," another reporter hurriedly said, probably trying to beat his counterpart to the chance of interviewing Zachary. His eyes glittered as he signaled for his cameraman to start recording.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen. One person at a time. Don't cause discomfort to the players, or I'll ask security to dismiss you."

The UEFA guide in charge of the team stepped forward at the right moment to save the situation. He worked with the security personnel to ensure that the chaotic reporters were not causing any distress to the players.

After a few more minutes, the reporters finally obeyed. They became more docile and orderly while approaching Zachary. At least they were no longer squeezing into him and shoving microphones into his face.

"Zachary! Welcome to Lyon."

Zachary quickly noticed that it was a beautiful reporter with blue eyes and long blonde hair tied in a ponytail who had spoken. Surprisingly, she was clad in a fitting Rosenborg number-8 top, which happened to be his own shirt number on the team. She looked strikingly dapper and chic, especially after pairing the jersey with stylish denim pants that emphasized her lithe figure.

A smile flickered across Zachary's face like a hologram as he immediately developed a favorable impression of her. Maybe, it was because of the Rosenborg jersey, but he found her pleasing to the eyes.

"Thanks for the warm welcome," he said, nodding at her. "By the way, that shirt looks really great on you."

Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she let out a soft chuckle. "What can I say," she said with a sigh. "I'm a huge fan. Zachary! You'll play against Lyon at an away ground tomorrow night. How do you feel?"

"I'm just looking forward to playing against one of the best teams in France," Zachary replied with a steady voice. "I feel excited and expectant."

"Do you think you can win?" She asked.

"Obviously, we can win," Zachary said. "We have prepared enough as a team, and we'll head into the game looking only for a win. The final result will depend on how Lyon responds to our attacks."

"You've been incredible in the Europa League this season," she said. "You're even the top scorer of the tournament. Should we expect another goal from you tomorrow night?"

"That, I can't be sure," Zachary replied with a smile. "Moreover, it doesn't matter whether I score or not. Instead, what matters is that we win the game. I'll be delighted even if our keeper is the one that bags that crucial goal that helps us win."

The reporter beamed and said, "Thank you for answering my questions, Zachary. I wish you all the luck in tomorrow's game."

"Thank you," Zachary replied and turned his attention away from her. He then spent the next few minutes answering a few more questions from the other reporters before stepping away with the intent to regroup with his teammates.

But just then, the pretty blonde reporter tapped his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "If you're up for some fun, you can call me any time after the game. My business card is in the left pocket of your jacket." She then turned around and walked away without saying another word.

Zachary's eyes widened. He quickly felt around his left pocket with his hand, and indeed there was the smooth piece of paper that was the business card lying in there. He was surprised as the lady had managed to place it in his pocket without his notice. Her pickpocketing skills were obviously at the grandmaster level.

"This is weird," Zachary mused as he removed his hand from his pocket. Since there were many eyes observing him at the moment, he decided to wait and deal with the business card later. He'd already resolved to throw it away as he didn't wish to associate with such a sharp reporter.

"Zachary," Coach Johansen shouted from a distance. "Have you been smitten senseless by the French ladies? Hurry up! The team bus is already outside."

"Aye, coach," Zachary replied as a wry smile outlined his face. He immediately slung his gym bag over his shoulder before following his teammates and coaches outside of the airport.

Report chapter

Chapter 355 Europa League Quarter-Final Preview

Kristin didn't manage to travel to Lyon to watch the game due to her tight schedule.

First and foremost, she had to deal with the publicity mess between Zachary and the reporter. Then she had to complete several course works imposed on her by her professors while also preparing for the end-of-semester exams. So, she could only catch the game on television in the comfort of her living room in Trondheim.

"Good evening, everyone," the voice of the female sports presenter sounded as the images on the screen switched to a TV studio. "It's another Europa League matchday. We'll be bringing you the live broadcast of the Europa League game between Olympique Lyonnais and Rosenborg Ballklub, scheduled to start in thirty minutes."

"I'm Emilia Vasquez, your presenter for the night, and with me here in the studio are two football greats who will be our pundits for the game. One is Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the newly-appointed manager of Cardiff City. He previously played for and coached Molde Football, the main rival of Rosenborg in Norway. So, I believe he understands the Europa League underdogs – Rosenborg quite well. Welcome, Ole!"

"Thank you, Emilia," Ole replied as the camera zoomed in on his face. "But don't let Coach Rémi Garde hear you calling Rosenborg underdogs. Otherwise, you'll be in for a hell of an argument."

Emilia chuckled. "We'll get to that in a few seconds. But first, let me also introduce our second pundit for the day. He's Juninho Pernambucano, a legend who scored seventy-five goals for Olympique Lyonnais. A good number of those goals were free kicks. Juninho, welcome!"

"Thank you, Emilia," Juninho replied as the cameras focused on him. "I'm pleased to be here."

Emilia smiled. "So, gentlemen," she said, "let's start with your predictions for this match."

Juninho laughed and shook his head. "I do believe and hope that Lyon will win the game. If Zachary Bemba doesn't perform abnormally again, a win of 2:1 or 2:0 is possible."

"What about you, Ole," Emilia questioned. "What's your prediction for the game between Lyon and Rosenborg?"

Ole sighed. "Honestly, I can't make a prediction before the game starts. On paper, Lyon seems like the stronger side. But let's not forget that Rosenborg is a team that eliminated Juventus and Fiorentina. They didn't just win against the Italian sides by narrow margins — but by scoring three or more goals across two legs. So, Rosenborg is a team that we can't take lightly, especially with their on-form playmaker – Zachary Bemba."

"So, we don't get a prediction from you, Ole?" Emilia asked again.

Ole smiled wryly before saying, "Let's go with a score of 1:0 in favor of Rosenborg. Either Zachary Bemba or Nicki Nielsen might bag the winning goal."

"Thank you," Emilia said. "Ole! A few seconds ago, you said something about not letting Coach Rémi Garde hear me calling Rosenborg an underdog. The statement reminded me about his pre-match press conference yesterday. I believe we should first watch it before we continue."

No sooner had Emilia finished her statement than the studio images on the screen faded in the background. Soon, the cleanly-shaven face of Rémi Garde, the head coach of Olympique Lyonnais, populated the screen. He was obviously answering questions during a press conference.

"Rémi!" Kristin immediately heard a male reporter's voice sounding through the television's speakers. "What is your view on your opponents in the Europa League quarter-final? Do you think you can end the incredible run of the underdogs in Europe?"

"That's funny." Coach Rémi Garde smiled and shook his head.

"What's funny?" The reporter queried.

"Calling a team that has eliminated Fiorentina and Juventus from the Europa League an underdog is definitely amusing," the Olympique Lyonnais coach said. "First, I would like to clarify this point. We'll not regard Rosenborg as a weaker team or an underdog during the quarter-final. Instead, we'll approach the game as if we're playing against some of the strongest clubs in Europe. We can't be careless when playing against a team that put five goals against Juventus."

As soon as the coach finished making the statement, his face faded into the background. Immediately, the screen started showing the images of the female presenter and the two pundits seated in the studio.

"Well, there you have it," Emilia Vasquez said, smiling. "During the pre-match press conference yesterday, the Lyon coach declared that he will treat Rosenborg as if it was a top team in Europe. Juninho! Do you think his attitude will impact the result of this game?"

"Definitely," Juninho replied, shifting slightly in his seat. "To a great extent, a match result depends on the team's attitude towards their opponents. Let's consider this game, for instance. Many might not agree, but Rosenborg has a strong squad comprising many young talents. If the Lyon coach treats the Norwegian side as the weaker opponent, we might see what happened during the first leg of the game between Juventus and Rosenborg transpiring again. But if he treats the match seriously and encourages all his players to give their all on the pitch, he will win."

"What about you, Ole?" Emilia asked, glancing at the Norwegian. "What do you think?"

"I think the result of this game will come down to two questions," Ole said. "One: Can Zachary Bemba put up another spectacular performance? Two: Will the Lyon players and their tactics be able to contain him? If we can answer those two questions, we can easily deduce the game's result."

Emilia chuckled. "You seem to have a lot of confidence in Zachary Bemba!"

"I do," Ole replied. "He's an incredible player. When I was coaching Molde last year, I researched him on several occasions, trying to find a way to contain him. He has crazy on-pitch statistics that can rival even those of the best players in the world. For instance, he has a hundred percent conversion rate of free kicks in the final third. That means that he has never missed a set-piece placed less than forty yards away from goal."

"Juninho!" Ole turned towards the Brazilian Maestro. "You used to convert a lot of free-kicks during your Lyon days. So, you should be able to comprehend what a hundred percent conversion statistic means."

Juninho smiled and shook his head. "If Zachary can maintain the hundred percent free-kick conversion statistic over the next three years, we should treat him as an alien in human skin. If he can maintain a fifty percent conversion rate in the same period, we give him the 'all-time greatest free-kick taker' title. That's because no player in history has ever achieved such a statistic."

"Except Zachary," Ole pointed out.

Juninho shook his head. "He has only taken a few free-kicks over a one-year period. The available data is not enough to judge if he can become the best."

"Gentlemen," Emilia interrupted. "The kick-off is only in twenty minutes. Let's talk about the squads that have just come in for the next few minutes."

"The Rosenborg coach has arrayed his team into a 4-5-1 formation," she continued. "In goal, there's Daniel Örlund, while the defense comprises the four players – Mikael Dorsin, Tore Reginiussen, Yerry Mina, and Eric Bailly. Thomas Partey, Zachary Bemba, Takumi Minamino, Tobias Mikkelsen, and Alexander Söderlund will be in the midfield. And finally, on striking is Nicki Nielsen."

"On the other hand, the Lyon coach has arranged his squad into a 4-3-1-2 formation. In goal for Lyon, there's Anthony Lopes, while the defense comprises the four players – Samuel Umtiti, Bakary Koné, Henri Bedimo, and Corentin Tolisso. And surprisingly, Coach Rémi Garde has fielded three defensive midfielders. They are Maxime Gonalons, Arnold Mvuemba, and Jordan Ferri."

"He's really taking Rosenborg seriously," Ole chimed in after hearing that part of the line-up. "With three defensive midfielders on the pitch, he will surely be defending most of the time."

"It's better to be cautious than to allow his team to concede two goals in the first few minutes like Juventus," Juninho countered.

Emilia smiled and continued reading the line-up. "In attacking midfield for Lyon is Steed Malbranque, while Alexandre Lacazette and Bafétimbi Gomis will play as the two forwards. Gentlemen! What are your views after seeing the two line-ups? What should we expect from this game?"

"Both teams will most likely play defensive football throughout the 90 minutes," Ole was the first to reply. "The 4-5-1 formation of Rosenborg and the 4-3-1-2 formation of Lyon clearly indicate the intent of the coaches to have their teams defend for a large part of the game. While on the attack, Rosenborg will probably utilize counterattacks while Lyon will use some long balls supported by wing play."

"The two Lyon attackers are very clinical," Juninho chipped in. "If the midfielders can feed them passes, they will surely score. On the side of Rosenborg, there's, of course, Zachary. He has already scored thirteen goals in the Europa League this season. He'll probably score again during this game if the three defensive midfielders don't manage to contain him."

"Thank you for the analyses, gentlemen," Emilia said. "For now, let's first take you to a short commercial break before we return with the live broadcast of the Europa League quarter-final game between Olympique Lyonnais and Rosenborg Ballklub. Stay tuned, and thank you for watching. We'll be back shortly." She smiled as her image faded away from the screen before giving way to the annoying ads.

Kristin didn't stay in front of the TV but immediately rushed to the kitchen with all the haste she could muster. In a short while, she returned with a bag of potato chips and settled back on the sofa. Her heart was already beating fast with anticipation as she looked forward to watching the game that would commence in a few minutes.

Report chapter

Chapter 356 Zachary versus the Lyon Fans

Both teams lined up in the tunnel at 8:55 PM. The Olympique Lyonnais players were in their white home kits, while the Rosenborg players had donned their black away jerseys.

Zachary stood at the back of the Rosenborg line. His tall physique looked imposing and sleek in his number eight jersey, while his untamed and somewhat messy Afro-hairstyle fanned out from the top of his head to add wild charm to his entire being. He seemed like a warrior about to head out to war in his black attire paired with his electric green Nike Mercurial Superfly football boots.

He wasn't idle as he stood there at the back of the line but observing the Lyon players. He'd already taken note of some famous footballers from his previous life, like Samuel Umtiti, Alexandre Lacazette, and Bafétimbi Gomis, within their ranks. They were obviously the ruggedest obstacles Rosenborg had to overcome in Lyon in order to win the game and qualify for the semi-finals.

"Let's move out."

The voice of one of the officials resounded through the tunnel a minute later. Rhythmic tapping sounds of footfalls upon the floor soon echoed as the referees and players commenced their short march towards the pitch. They soon exited the tunnel and lined up before the fans as the catchy Europa League anthem reverberated across the entire stadium.

The excitement was in the air as the kick-off was near. The supporters of both teams seemed to start competing among themselves to find out who was louder. One moment, a Lyon chant would reverberate across the entire stadium — but the next second, it would be the Rosenborg chant resonating from the stands like an explosion of celebratory fireworks.

Zachary was a bit stunned when he noticed the numbers of the Rosenborg fans in the stands. Even though it was an away game, they had traveled all the way from Trondheim to Lyon in droves to support the team. It was quite the improvement, especially when compared to the attendance during the previous Europa League matches, whereby there would only be hundreds of fans when Rosenborg played at an away ground.

The proceedings moved forward, and the customary handshakes soon followed before the players took their positions on the pitch. The referee then concluded the coin toss ceremony with the captains before positioning himself close to the center circle.

FWEEEEEEE*

The whistle sounded at 9:05 PM, and the match started with Lyon's kick-off. The highly-anticipated quarter-final game between the French giants and that season's Europa League underdogs from Norway had finally commenced.

The Lyon players immediately settled into their 4-3-1-2 formation and started passing the ball around in the midfield. They narrowed down the spaces in the middle and ensured that Zachary and the rest of the Rosenborg players could not break through their ranks in the midfield.

Moreover, their formation with three holding midfielders allowed them many passing options, especially within the middle and defensive third. Thus, they outplayed Rosenborg by relying on stable and fluid short passes during the first eleven minutes of gameplay.

The game moved forward, and Maxime Gonalons received the ball close to the boundary of the middle third during the 15th minute. He immediately turned around and flicked it to Arnold Mvuemba, his counterpart in midfield.

Arnold Mvuemba immediately took a single touch on the ball to skip past Takumi Minamino, who had just closed him down. Then, he twisted and spun around to get further away from the opponent before passing the ball towards the backfield. He was probably hoping to find Bakary Koné, the Lyon center-back.

However, Nicki Nielsen, the Rosenborg center-forward lurking in the space between the defenders, glided in swiftly to intercept the pass. He managed to get to the ball on the stretch and then shoved it towards Tobias Mikkelsen with the tip of his boot.

The steal was successful in the 16th minute of gameplay, and the Lyon players clearly showed signs of panicking as Tobias controlled the ball on the right side of the box.

The left-back, Henri Bedimo, was in an even more agitated state. He closed in on Tobias swiftly before sliding in wholesale to tackle the ball. But he mistimed his tackle and swept the Rosenborg right-winger off his feet before getting to the ball.

"Aaahhh!"

Tobias let out a sharp cry as he rolled around several times after tumbling to the ground. His eyes misted a bit as he held on to his ankle. He was clearly in a lot of pain.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle and rushed to the scene. He immediately summoned the physicians, who started tending to the Rosenborg winger. However, all their efforts were fruitless, and Tobias couldn't get back on his feet. The medics even had to carry the winger off the pitch on a stretcher a few minutes later.

"Ref! That was clearly a high boot," Mikael Dorsin complained while facing the referee.

"Moreover, it seemed intentional," Tore Reginiussen, the Rosenborg captain, chimed in. "Instead of going for the ball, he obviously grazed Tobias' ankle with his studs."

More Rosenborg players, including Zachary, soon encircled the referee and voiced their complaints. Their intent was, of course, to push him to show a straight red card to the defender.

However, the referee didn't do as they hoped. After calmly listening to their complaints, he only showed a yellow card to Henri Bedimo, the defender who'd committed the foul. He then signaled the Rosenborg players to start preparing for the free-kick before marching off to organize the wall.

"Zachary, it's up to you now," Mikael said as he placed the ball in his hands. "Do as usual and try to hit the target. Don't let the pressure get to you."

"Don't worry. I'll do my best."

Zachary nodded and received the ball before positioning it on the spot marked out by the referee. All the while, he was already assessing and deducing how to place the set piece.

He wondered whether he should go for the inside of the near or the far post. As both options seemed appealing, he couldn't decide immediately.

The set-piece spot was on the right side of the box and about 21 yards away from the goal. It was also at a very acute angle, making the chances of converting the free-kick extremely slim. But Zachary didn't panic as he'd already figured that he could overcome all obstacles with a curling ball over the defense. So, he confidently stepped back from the ball while watching the referee arranging the defensive wall.

But just then, his ears picked up some unsettling loud noises emerging from the stands behind the goal. On glancing up, he realized that the die-hard supporters of Lyon had started booing him with all their hearts. They paired demeaning curses with his name and showed him their middle fingers. They probably wished to spook him and disturb his confidence so that he would miss the set-piece.

"Just ignore them," Mikael said, patting his shoulder. "Focus on the task at hand and shut out everything else. We believe in you."

"Don't worry. Such cheap tricks won't work on me."

A confident smile outlined Zachary's face as he activated the Dead-Ball-Specialist Juju. The next instant, he felt a refreshing sensation flooding his entire being, and the curses and boos became like background noise. His spirits brightened, and his mind grew calmer and sharper.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle a few seconds later after arranging the players in the box. The curses and boos grew louder as Zachary took an angled run towards the ball. However, all that didn't matter to him one bit. His attention was on the ball, the defensive wall, and a few spots between the goalposts.

Without losing composure, he drew back his left leg before whacking the ball with the instep part of his boot. His technique was as perfect as usual, and he made sure to hit the ball slightly towards its side.

Whoosh!

The ball rose from the ground with an abnormal spin. It cut through the air fast and darted around the wall, seemingly on a trajectory that was a few meters away from the far post. But then, at the last moment, it dipped and curled weirdly before grazing the far post and nestling into the back of the net.

The keeper had tried to save the situation with a despairing dive. But his fingertips couldn't even graze the ball. He was too late to react — and as a result, had allowed Rosenborg to score the first goal in the 19th minute.

Silence!

The rowdy Lyon fans immediately fell silent as they tried to process the new circumstances. But all that didn't concern Zachary.

He didn't stay in the same spot when he saw the ball in the back of the net. He ran to the sidelines before bending in front of the camera and placing a finger on his lips. His simple celebration was the only response to the Lyon fans, who had tried to disturb his confidence right before the set-piece.

"BOOO! BOOO…"

But his actions seemed to have stirred up a hornets' nest in the stadium, and the fans started booing him again. They forgot their sorrow of conceding the goal and cursed and demeaned him with renewed vigor. The atmosphere became that crazy in those few minutes after the goal. Going by the way things were proceeding, he was in for a hellish night with the Lyon fans.

Report chapter

Chapter 357 Teamwork and Creativity

Coach Johansen nodded to himself with a smile as he watched his players celebrating the goal. He then pumped his fist into the air a few times before turning around and focusing on the group of substitutes warming up on the sidelines.

Since Tobias had gotten injured, he had to replace him with another player who could attack and defend well on the wing. The substitute also needed to have the ability to draw fouls from the defenders so as to create more chances for Zachary to score set-pieces.

Coach Johansen's gaze soon settled on Karl Toko Ekambi, the 21-year-old winger he'd recently signed from Paris FC. But after a few seconds of consideration, he turned his eyes away.

Karl Toko Ekambi was, of course, a great player who could play perfectly while on the attack through both wings. But his only weakness was his limited defensive ability. So, the coach didn't require his services in a game where players needed to defend more than they would attack.

Rapid thoughts continued whirling around Coach Johansen's mind, and finally, he zeroed in on Paul Kasongo, the young winger who had performed incredibly over the weekend. He was the perfect substitute at that moment as he possessed the stamina and pace to defend and attack through the flanks.

"Kasongo!" He yelled out to him. "Come."

"Aye, coach." The short winger immediately stepped forward as his eyes glinted with excitement.

"In a bit," Coach Johansen said, "You'll sub in for Tobias and play as our right-winger. You will need to exert yourself to defend and attack through the flanks. And if there's an opportunity, you need to try and force free-kicks out of the defenders so that we can give Zachary a chance to convert more free-kicks. Clear?"

"Yes, coach," Kasongo replied enthusiastically.

"Good." Coach Johansen nodded. "You can go and prepare. I want you on the pitch in less than two minutes."

"Aye, coach."

—–

The game restarted before Kasongo could come on for the injured Tobias. The Lyon players didn't seem like they were in a panicked state even after conceding the goal. Instead, they immediately took advantage of their brief numerical advantage to launch a fierce attack against Rosenborg. They used short passes to move the ball through the middle for a couple of minutes until it ended at Jordan Ferri's feet.

Jordan Ferri, the Lyon midfielder, controlled the ball well before skipping past Takumi Minamino with a swift change of direction. When the angle opened up, he unleashed a long pass towards the other side of the pitch, where Alexandre Lacazette was lurking.

Alexandre Lacazette battled Yerry Mina for aerial superiority before heading the ball towards Bafétimbi Gomis, his counterpart on striking.

Gomis swiftly brought the ball under control and immediately skipped past Eric Bailly to step into Rosenborg's box. He managed to open up the shooting angle with another simple touch before unleashing a curling shot towards the bottom left corner.

Coach Johansen felt his heart sink as he watched the ball darting towards the goal like an arrow. But the next moment, his tight nerves loosened when Daniel Örlund, the Rosenborg keeper, intercepted the effort with an outstretched boot. The experienced number-one had saved Rosenborg from conceding an equalizing goal during the 23rd minute.

FWEEEEEEE*

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

Coach Johansen breathed a sigh of relief as he'd avoided a goal and also gotten a chance to make a substitution for the injured Tobias.

"Fourth official," he yelled. "Signal for the substitution. We can't continue playing with only ten men."

The fourth official nodded and stepped towards the touchline. When the on-pitch referee gave him the go-ahead, he immediately raised his board, and Kasongo ran onto the pitch. The substitution had finally allowed Rosenborg to even out the numbers after playing with only ten men for about four minutes.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle and signaled for the Lyon players to take the corner kick. Corentin Tolisso, Lyon's right-back, floated a tricky ball towards the box.

Alexandre Lacazette immediately escaped his mark before leaping high in the air to connect with the descending corner ball. He timed his jump well to plant a header towards the goal from the boundary of the penalty box.

It was a tense moment for Rosenborg as the ball was on a straight course towards the inside of the right post. However, at the very last instant, Daniel Örlund, the Rosenborg keeper, came to the rescue once again. He committed himself to a full-body dive before diverting the shot away from its intended trajectory with his fingertips.

But the hearts of most Rosenborg fans were still in their throats as the danger was still at large. They were still tense as the ball smashed off the goalpost the next moment before rebounding into the box.

The players of both teams scrambled after the ball while pushing and pulling at each other's shirts. But in the end, it was Zachary who got to it first.

Zachary didn't lose composure even while surrounded by opponents within his own box. He brought the ball under control with an outstretched boot before executing a simple Marseille turn to escape the tight encirclement of the Lyon players. And when the passing angle opened up, he immediately flicked the ball toward Kasongo, who was lurking on the right-wing.

Kasongo controlled the ball well on the right flank and then took off towards the other side of the pitch like the wind. But after sprinting a few yards, he ran into the blockade of Arnold Mvuemba, Lyon's holding midfielder. So, he could only turn around and pass the ball towards the middle to find Zachary, who was catching up from behind.

Zachary controlled the ball mid-sprint, and the booing around the stadium rose to a crescendo. Since the Lyon fans seemed to hold a grudge against him, they were once again on their feet, cursing and jeering at him with pure loathing and hate.

But Zachary seemed not to mind the hostility of the Lyon fans and kept on sprinting towards the other side of the pitch like a bullet train on the rails. Soon, he stepped past the center-line, and Jordan Ferri, the other holding midfielder, who'd stayed back to defend, tried to stop his run.

Zachary immediately executed a few side steps and circumvented the defender from the right with another burst of speed. But just then, he ran into a fierce tackle from Bakary Koné, another player who'd been covering the back during the corner kick.

Bakary Koné slid in fast from his blindside and swept him off his feet the next instant. Before he could react, he was already tumbling toward the ground.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle and rushed to the scene. He immediately awarded a free-kick to Rosenborg before cautioning Bakary Koné verbally. He didn't even show the defender a yellow card for committing the dangerous tackle.

—–

In the stands behind Lyon's goal, the Lyon fans were chattering and cheering loudly. Bakary Koné's tackle on Zachary seemed to have excited them considerably.

"What an impressive tackle," one fan remarked loudly. "Koné managed to take down that piece of shit beautifully."

"Yes, it was indeed a splendid tackle," another fan said, grinning from ear to ear. "I really hope that Zachary has gotten injured. If he doesn't stand up again, we'll benefit."

"I think that that tackle was a bit of a light punishment on him," another fan said, shaking his head. "If Koné had raised his boot a bit higher, the tackle would have been more magnificent."

"You're right," the first fan agreed. "I can't believe that the little shit came to our home and tried to shut us down. How dare he?"

—–

Zachary picked himself off the ground and performed a few ankle stretches. He only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that he hadn't gotten himself injured.

But just as he was beginning to relax, his ears picked up more jeers and curses from the Lyon fans. They started booing his name again, causing him to wonder whether he'd unknowingly killed their relatives.

"Just ignore them," Mikael said when he walked up to him a few seconds later. "They know that your skills pose a huge threat to their team. So, they're doing their best to destabilize your psyche. You can't let them win against you."

"I understand. Don't worry."

Zachary was slightly riled up as he turned his attention away from the fans. He breathed in deeply to calm himself down before returning his focus to the crucial issues at hand.

Since the free-kick was about fifty-five yards away, he couldn't take a direct shot towards the goal. He had to send a curling ball towards the back of the defense and let his teammates do the rest of the work.

But Zachary soon determined that such an approach couldn't yield any results. He was sure that Lyon's defense, comprising players like Samuel Umtiti and Bakary Koné, would clear the high ball without any challenges. So, if he wished to gain something out of the free-kick, he had to look for a better plan.

Zachary's mind immediately started working in overdrive as he observed Lyon's defense. He soon noticed how the Lyon defenders had set up the backline a good number of yards away from their box, and then a bold idea came to him. Since they seemed intent on utilizing an offside trap, he would use it against them.

"Mikael," he said, glancing at the left-back. "You should be the one to take this free-kick. Let's try out something new."

"What do you have in mind?" Mikael asked after leaning closer.

Zachary smiled and whispered in his ear for a few seconds.

Mikael nodded with a smile and placed the ball on the free-kick spot.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle and signaled for Rosenborg to take the free-kick a few seconds later.

Zachary nodded to Mikael and immediately took off towards Lyon's box with all the haste he could muster. Since he'd already assigned Mikael his role, he also needed to do his part to complete the free-kick move. He didn't look back as his long strides ate up yards of space like there was no tomorrow.

—–

Coach Johansen's heart raced with anticipation when he watched Zachary accelerate towards Lyon's box right after the whistle. The boy prodigy circumvented opponents like a rugby player and made it to the Lyon backline in less than six seconds.

And just then, at the moment before Zachary stepped into an offside position, Mikael took the free-kick. He unleashed a curling ball that soared over the defense and started to descend towards the edge of the box a few seconds later.

The free-kick was right on point, and since it was unexpected, it had managed to catch all the Lyon defenders unawares. Thus, there wasn't any opponent in Zachary's vicinity when he controlled the ball at the edge of the box. Without losing composure, he stepped past the keeper who'd come out to meet him with a couple of side steps before burying the ball into the back of the net.

Report chapter

Chapter 358 Juninho was at a Loss for Words

After scoring the goal, Zachary raced towards Mikael Dorsin, the teammate who'd provided the incredible assist, and gave him a bear hug. As for the angry Lyon fans, he decided to ignore them since he couldn't come out on top if he engaged in a verbal fight against the crowd. As a professional footballer, he'd already resolved to respond to their taunts and jeers not with words or gestures — but with just more goals.

However, Mikael Dorsin, Rosenborg's assistant captain, refused to follow his example. The left-back excused himself from the group of celebrating players before rushing towards the stands behind the Lyon goal. Then, he grinned and spread out his hands before pressing them behind his ears.

The defender's message was obviously, 'I'm celebrating the goal. So, please, I can't hear you.'

The Lyon fans were immediately enraged. They booed and hurled out insults with renewed intensity for the next few seconds. Some even started throwing firecrackers onto the pitch to let out their anger until stadium security stepped in to calm the situation down.

It was only after a whole five minutes that the chaos ended. But before the game could restart, the referee summoned Mikael and showed him a yellow card for his unsportsmanlike behavior of agitating the fans.

"You shouldn't have taunted the fans," Zachary said to Mikael. "What if the ref decided to show you a red card instead? We would have been in deep shit."

"Don't worry," Mikael said, patting his shoulder. "I know what I'm doing. And, of course, I couldn't allow the fans to keep cursing at you without hitting back."

"Thanks for looking out for me." Zachary smiled. "But seriously, it doesn't matter whether they boo me or not. What matters is that we win the game and move a step closer to the semi-finals."

"I understand," Mikael said, nodding. "Gameplay is about to restart. Let's head back to our positions."

—–

Due to the chaos in the stands, the game only restarted after a six-minute break. The Lyon players immediately relied on their 4-3-1-2 formation to overpower Rosenborg in the middle of the field. Before long, they dictated the tempo and hoarded more than 70% percent of the ball possession. And as the proceedings headed into the late stages of the 1st half, they even switched from defensive to attacking tactics.

Team Lyon soon started launching fierce attacks on Rosenborg's goal by relying on long through-balls to Alexandre Lacazette and Bafétimbi Gomis. The momentum was clearly on Lyon's side as the two impressive forwards tested Rosenborg's defense repeatedly, searching for that crucial opening goal.

However, all the Rosenborg players defended with one heart. They parked the team bus in front of their goal and thwarted all the goal-scoring opportunities created by the Lyon players. It was as if they had given up on attacking for the rest of the game to concentrate only on defense.

But during the 42nd minute, when the Lyon players had just stepped up a gear to become more aggressive with their attacks, a swift change transpired on the pitch.

A poor cross from Corentin Tolisso, the Lyon right-back, gave Eric Bailly a chance to battle Alexandre Lacazette for aerial superiority within the box. The Ivorian leaped high to meet the incoming ball with his head before clearing it to safety. And fortunately, his clearance happened to find its way to Nicki Nielsen, the Rosenborg striker lurking close to the touchline on the right flank.

Nicki brought the ball under control with his chest. He then zipped past a challenge from Henri Bedimo, the Lyon left-back, before squaring a pass to Thomas Partey. With that swift and smooth transition, he'd managed to initiate a counterattack.

Thomas Partey's gaze swept past Zachary's position as he controlled the ball from Nicki. But he immediately noticed that three opponents were surrounding the young playmaker. So, he could only choose to pass the ball to Takumi Minamino, the other attack-minded midfielder.

Takumi took a single touch on the ball before unleashing a raking pass towards the right-wing. The Japanese midfielder's vision was impressive, and he managed to seek out Paul Kasongo, who had just made a daring run through the right-wing.

Kasongo seemed confident as he brought the ball under control close to the touchline. And since no opponent was marking him, he immediately took off towards Lyon's box like the wind.

The short guy was abnormally swift and managed to cover a distance of more than seven yards in a couple of seconds. But just as he was approaching the box from the right side, he ran into a fierce tackle from Bakary Koné. The Lyon center-back slid in wholesale to sweep the short guy off his feet.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle and rushed to the scene. He immediately showed Bakary Koné a yellow card before awarding a free-kick to Rosenborg only a few yards away from the box.

—–

A wave of silence soon descended upon the stadium as Zachary picked up the ball and positioned it on the spot marked out by the referee. Surprisingly, the Lyon fans were no longer booing or cursing at him. Instead, most had already placed their hands behind their heads while others were biting on their lips. They were obviously worried about the situation on the pitch.

"Do you think he will score?" A young man in the stands behind Lyon's goal asked his friend.

"I don't know," his friend replied while massaging his temples. "Damn it! What are the players doing? Why are they conceding free-kicks close to our box?"

His friend didn't reply. He only shook his head silently before returning all his attention to the field of play.

—–

On the pitch, the referee had finished arranging the defensive wall. It was a long wall comprising seven Lyon players who had lined up a yard or two inside their box, hoping to stop Zachary from scoring another free-kick against them.

Zachary assessed the wall for a few seconds before stepping back from the ball and activating the Dead-Ball-Specialist Juju. When the referee blew the whistle and gave the go-ahead, he nodded and proceeded forward like usual.

He made a short angled run towards the ball before making the last jump-step to position his support foot beside the ball. He then swung his foot down hard and fast to hit the ball with the instep part of his boot.

His technique, honed over thousands of repetitions during training, was as immaculate as ever. He managed to wrap his foot around the ball before sending it on a curling trajectory above the wall. Before the keeper could react, it dipped fast and homed into the top left corner of the net.

—–

Olympique Lyonnais 0 : Rosenborg BK 3

—–

The cheers of the Rosenborg fans in the stadium hit a thunderous crescendo when Zachary raised his arms to celebrate the goal. They jumped around in their seats and sang Rosenborg's victory chants for the next few seconds. They could hardly contain their excitement as their team was already leading by three goals during the first half of the Europa League quarter-finals.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle after the celebrations, and the game restarted. The Lyon players couldn't seem to focus after conceding the third goal. They misplaced a few passes and even gifted another counterattacking opportunity to Rosenborg after a few more minutes of gameplay.

However, just as the Rosenborg players had initiated another fierce counter-offensive against Lyon, the referee blew the half-time whistle. The Rosenborg players could only sigh with disappointment before trekking off the pitch and marching towards the tunnel.

Emilia Vasquez, the ESPN sports presenter, breathed deeply and smiled at the cameras. Her heart was still palpitating with excitement as her mind recalled the action during the first half.

"Welcome back from the Olympique Lyonnais versus Rosenborg first-half action," she said. "Only three chances! Three free-kicks! Three shots on target! Three goals from Zachary Bemba during the first half! Gentlemen, what is your take on the first half?" She turned towards the two pundits in the studio.

Juninho immediately shook his head and smiled wryly. "I'm at a loss for words," he said with an audible sigh. "The proceedings on the pitch are simply a shocker to me. I don't even understand how Rosenborg is three goals ahead before half-time."

Emilia smiled. "What about you, Ole? What's your take on the first half?"

"I'm obviously shocked and stunned," Ole said with a smile. "But I think I'm a bit more accepting towards the results of the first half than my friend here." He patted Juninho's shoulder.

Emilia chuckled. "Tell us about the first half. Why do you think Lyon is behind by three goals even after dominating possession for a large part of the game?"

Ole sighed. "As Conte said in his previous interview after Rosenborg's match against Juventus, the difference between the two sides is only Zachary Bemba. Whenever he gets an opportunity during the game, he converts it to give Rosenborg an edge against their opponents. As we all noticed during the first half, Lyon is behind by three goals because they didn't manage to contain him."

Report chapter

Chapter 359 Overwhelming Victory

Emilia raised a brow after hearing Ole's response. "Are you implying that the opponents were not marking him? From what I saw, three Lyon players were constantly circling around his position during the entire game."

Ole shook his head. "They obviously didn't do enough to contain him. Or maybe, he was too much for them, and they couldn't handle him. Emilia! You have to understand that incredible players only need a couple of seconds to create and finish off goal-scoring chances on the pitch. If you blunder even once or turn your attention away from an incredible player like Zachary for even a few seconds, he will punish you."

"Lyon obviously played good football during the first half," Ole continued. "They hoarded all the possession while also containing Zachary with their tactics. However, they lost their focus on a few occasions and conceded those free-kicks, and that's why Rosenborg is ahead by three goals during the first half."

"Thanks, Ole," Emilia said before turning towards Juninho. "Juninho! All Zachary's three goals were a result of free-kicks. Two of them were direct set-pieces a few yards away from the box, and he managed to convert them without losing his composure. You're the expert. What can you tell us about his technique?"

"His technique is flawless and reminds me of David Beckham's curveballs," Juninho replied. "His motions while taking the set-pieces are textbook perfect, and he always manages to place the ball where he wants without losing his composure."

"I also realized that his mental ability is quite high. The fans were booing him and giving him hell, but he didn't flinch while converting the set-pieces. Such a feat takes nerves of steel — which is an attribute that also makes him a cold-blooded assassin whenever he's about to take a set-piece. If he can maintain his consistency over the next few years, he'll surely become one of the greatest free-kick takers in history."

"Thanks, Juninho," Emilia said, smiling. "I'm still confused about one thing, though. Coach Rémi Garde insisted that he would treat Rosenborg as a strong opponent. And from his set-up of the squad, I expected Lyon to employ ultra-defensive tactics to contain Zachary and the rest of the Rosenborg players. But just after 45 minutes, Lyon is already trailing by three goals. Juninho! Where did Lyon go wrong? Are the players not doing enough? Or were Coach Rémi Garde's tactics not suitable for the game?"

Juninho smiled slightly. "I don't think there is anything wrong with Coach Rémi Garde's tactics. His game plan has enabled Lyon to keep Zachary quiet for most of the first half. That's except for those three chances, of course. The issue should be with the Lyon players, instead."

"As Ole said," Juninho continued, "the players lost focus a few times during the first half and conceded free-kicks close to their box. In so doing, they gifted the on-form Zachary clear chances to score those three goals. If I were a Lyon defender, I would have allowed either Tobias or Kasongo to have a go at goal rather than committing a foul and gifting Zachary a chance to convert a set-piece near the box."

"Thanks, Juninho," Emilia said. "But first, let's head into a commercial break before returning with more analyses and the preview of the second half. Stay tuned, and don't touch that dial. We'll be back shortly."

Olympique Lyonnais was like a totally different team after half-time. From the first minute of the second half, the men in white attacked fiercely and dominated proceedings on the field of play with more than 75% ball possession. It was as if their lives were on the line as they exerted themselves, trying to create an opportunity to score the first goal. And eventually, their efforts almost paid off during the 70th minute.

Steed Malbranque, the Lyon attacking midfielder, connected with a pass from Samuel Umtiti at the border of the final third. He brought the ball under control with his chest before whirling around to escape the harassment of Thomas Partey, Rosenborg's defensive midfielder.

The Lyon attacking midfielder then unleashed a lofted ball over the defense to find Alexandre Lacazette. His well-timed pass caught the Rosenborg backline unawares and released the striker on a straight course towards the goal.

Alexandre Lacazette brought the ball under control without any pressure and immediately took another touch before stepping into Rosenborg's box. The next moment, he glanced up once before drawing his leg back and unleashing a curling shot over the keeper, who'd come out from between the posts to meet him.

The cheers all around the stadium hit a thunderous crescendo as the ball made its way past the outstretched fingertips of Daniel Örlund, the Rosenborg keeper. But the next moment, sighs and curses, tinged with disappointment, emerged from the stands as the ball smashed off the post before heading out of play for a goal kick.

What a missed opportunity!!

Alexandre Lacazette, the often clinical danger-man of Lyon, had gotten a clear chance to score Lyon's first goal during the 71st minute. But he'd narrowly missed by hitting the post. The frustration seemed to be killing him, and he punched the grass a couple of times in anguish.

—–

On the sidelines, Coach Johansen was tense. His entire being was still palpitating with anxiety as he recalled Alexandre Lacazette's missed opportunity.

If the striker had angled his shot just an inch to the left, the French giants would have narrowed the goal difference to only two goals. Then, if they happened to score another goal before the 90 minutes elapsed, Rosenborg would be in for a tough time during the second leg.

"No, I have to play it safe during the remaining minutes," Coach Johansen decided before pivoting his gaze onto the substitutes' bench. He immediately summoned Ole Selnæs and Mike Jensen and started giving them instructions.

"You two will be subbing on for Alexander Söderlund and Nicki Nielsen," he said. "I want you to help out in defensive midfield so as to prevent the Lyon attackers from creating more chances. Your only role on the pitch will be to protect our defense. There's no need for you two to leave your positions to attack during the remaining 18 minutes of gameplay. Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach," the two players replied in unison.

"Good," Coach Johansen nodded. "When you enter the pitch, pass on my instructions to the rest of the players. Inform them that everyone is to sit tight in defense during the remaining minutes. Our only objective is to avoid conceding a goal during this game."

"What about Zachary?" Mike Jensen asked. "He usually has a free role on the team. Should we also tell him to sit tight in defense for the remaining few minutes?"

Coach Johansen's eyes narrowed as he said, "Zachary will be our only attacker on the field for the rest of the game. So, if there's an opportunity, he can still have a go at Lyon's defense. But all the other players must remain defensive-minded to ensure that we don't concede. That means that we'll play nine or ten men in-between the ball and our goal. Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach," the two players replied.

"Good," Coach Johansen said. "Get ready. I want you on the pitch in less than five minutes."

—–

The two Rosenborg substitutes entered the pitch when the ball went out of play for a Lyon throw-in four minutes later. After the switch, the Rosenborg players immediately arrayed themselves in a sort of 4:6:0 formation.

It was soon clear to all that Rosenborg had given up all their attackers, including their star striker – Nicki Nielsen, to focus only on defending. But of course, Zachary was the only player allowed by the coach to leave his defensive role in midfield and launch an attack when he saw an opportunity.

The game continued, and the Lyon players utilized short passes to continue hoarding more than 70% of the possession. And since there were no Rosenborg attackers to threaten their backline, they grew more confident and sent more numbers forward. Their two wing-backs made bold runs through the flanks while the holding midfielders attacked through the middle, searching for that opening goal.

However, the Rosenborg players remained steadfast in defense. They packed a massive double-decker bus before their goal and resisted Lyon's barrage of attacks as if their lives depended on the game. Thanks to their efforts, the game remained 3:0 in favor of Rosenborg even as the proceedings headed into injury time.

The Lyon players became more frustrated as the end of the game drew closer. They became more hurried in their attempts to search for a goal and started committing some amateur mistakes. And finally, their impatience cost them during the 93rd minute, with only two minutes of injury time remaining to the end of the game.

Henri Bedimo, the Lyon left-back who had pushed forward, tried to break into Rosenborg's box through the left flank. But in the end, he ran into Eric Bailly's blockade and lost the ball at the edge of the box.

Mike Jensen, the substitute midfielder, picked up the loose ball and immediately passed it to Takumi Minamino. The latter whirled around to escape Steed Malbranque's harassment before squaring a pass to Zachary, who'd just run into an unmarked pocket of space on the left flank.

Zachary received the ball close to the touchline and whirled around to face Lyon's goal. His incredible spatial awareness worked wonders — and in nothing but an instant, he noticed a rare open highway from his position to the other side of the pitch. The Lyon players seemed to have ignored the space on the flanks when they became frustrated and started attacking in droves. So, it was totally unobstructed without anyone to block his way.

"Chance!"

Adrenaline flooded Zachary's bodily systems as he took off like a rocket flying into outer space. He accelerated to his apex velocity within a few seconds as he continued feeding the ball in front of him. Before long, he stepped past the centerline and continued bearing on Lyon's goal like a raging cyclone.

For that counterattack, he didn't utilize any fancy tricks. He didn't even perform a single sidestep as no opponents were blocking his path. He just exploded with pure speed as his long strides ate up yards of space like an incarnation of Usain bolt on a one-hundred-meter racing track.

His breathing became more labored as he pumped his legs like the pistons of a race car. But he held on with sheer willpower before cutting into the pitch and heading straight towards Lyon's goal like a predator on the hunt.

Anthony Lopes, the Lyon keeper, came out of goal to meet him. The goalie rushed forward, all guns blazing as if he wanted to murder someone. His expression at that moment could have scared a young kid into having nightmares for the next few months.

However, Zachary wasn't unnerved in the slightest. He slowed down before stepping over the ball once. When the keeper bought his dummy and leaned to the left, Zachary immediately exploded with speed once again. He rushed past the keeper's right side and finally stepped into Lyon's box.

But just then, he noticed that two Lyon players had managed to insert themselves in front of the goal. They seemed to have rushed straight through the middle and caught up when he'd slowed down to draw in the keeper.

Zachary remained composed and drew his leg back as if he was about to take a shot. Bakary Koné, one of the defenders, immediately reacted to his feint and slid in wholesale with the intent to block his effort.

Zachary relaxed his leg and merely took a simple touch on the ball to push it an inch further forward.

Samuel Umtiti, the second defender, also seemed to think that Zachary was about to take the shot. He flew in, trying his utmost to prevent Zachary from scoring. In the end, he also landed on his butt after falling for the feint.

"That was easy."

Zachary smiled and chipped a simple ball into the back of the net to score Rosenborg's fourth goal without any pressure. He then sped towards the corner flag before sliding on his knees for a few yards to celebrate the goal.

His teammates joined him a few seconds later. They gave him bear hugs and soon started singing a Rosenborg victory chant. They could hardly contain their excitement as they were on the cusp of accomplishing an overwhelming victory against Lyon in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

Report chapter

Chapter 360 Analysis and Speculation

The game continued after the goal celebrations. The Olympique Lyonnais players seemed not to have given up yet, even after conceding the fourth goal. They launched another fierce attack against Rosenborg during the final minutes of added time. They passed the ball immaculately around the middle until they picked out Bafétimbi Gomis, the striker who had just escaped from Yerry Mina's harassment.

Bafétimbi Gomis received the ball and whirled around to create space for himself at the edge of the box. He then unleashed a powerful shot towards the goal when the angle opened up.

But his efforts were fruitless once again as his shot soon met a roadblock in the form of Eric Bailly. The Rosenborg defender slid in fast to intercept the ball and send it out of play with an outstretched leg.

FWEEEEEEE*

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

The Lyon players quickly flooded into Rosenborg's box, hoping to score at least a consolation goal before the end of that night's proceedings. Soon, they started creating chaos in the box as they pushed and pulled at their opponents' shirts to create some space for themselves.

The tension was high in Rosenborg's box for the next minute, and the referee even had to step in and control the situation by cautioning some Lyon players. Otherwise, they might have come to blows with the Rosenborg players there in the box.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee finally blew the whistle and signaled for team Lyon to take the corner kick after calming the players' tempers down.

Jordan Ferri, the Lyon midfielder, immediately unleashed a tricky cross towards the crowded box from the corner spot.

The players of both teams pushed up from the ground to meet the ball descending into the box. But in the end, it was Yerry Mina, the tall Rosenborg center-back, who got the better of everyone else. He outjumped the rest and cleared the ball out of the box with his head.

FWEEEEEEE*

It was then that the referee blew the whistle and brought the proceedings for the night to a close. After 96 minutes of intense action, the first leg of the Europe League quarter-finals had finally ended with Rosenborg overwhelming Lyon by four goals to nil.

The night was like a dream come true for the Rosenborg players. They soon started running around the pitch while yelling at the top of their voices to celebrate their victory. But a few minutes later, they had to cut their celebrations short as chaos descended upon the stadium.

The ugly side of football reared its hideous head as several dozens of supporters started pushing against the safety barriers held by the stewards. They continuously hurled out curses and insults as they tried to break past the security blockade and invade the stadium.

The situation soon turned more chaotic and out of control. As a result, the players and coaches of both teams could only return to their respective dressing rooms to avoid the mess.

—–

The mood in Rosenborg's dressing room was jolly even with all the chaos outside in the stadium. Both coaches and players sang and danced like crazed fellows for minutes. They could hardly contain their excitement since they'd just made history by thrashing Lyon 4:0 away from home. They only needed to defend well during the second leg at Lerkendal, and then they would qualify for the Europa League semi-finals.

"Good game!" Coach Johansen said as he gave Zachary a bear hug. "And damn! You were really composed when you scored the fourth goal. The Lyon defenders will suffer nightmares, thinking about the goal for at least a few weeks."

"Thanks, coach," Zachary replied with a smile. His spirits were already shooting through the roof and soaring high up into the skies. Waves of contentment continuously warmed him from within as he'd scored four goals and won the match ball again.

In the ESPN studio, Emilia smiled at the cameras. "What a surprising game," she said. "We all expected a match with a few goals. But in the end, Zachary Bemba pulled out all stops to ensure that his team, Rosenborg, thrashed Lyon by four goals to nil. What an incredible player!"

"Yes, what an incredible player, indeed," Juninho chimed in. "We're witnessing the rise of a very great player who can compete with the best of the best in history. He's just 19 years old — but already playing like this! If he can continue maturing, I just can't begin to imagine how deadly he'll be in a few years."

"You're right, Juninho," Ole said. "He's already scored seventeen goals in the Europa League this season. Jonathan Soriano, the RB Salzburg striker second on the list of top scorers, is just at eleven goals. But as we all know, Red Bull Salzburg is already out of the competition. So, Zachary will most likely take the Europa League golden boot this season, which is quite a big achievement for a young man who has just clocked 19-years."

Emilia smiled and said, "Gentlemen! Let's talk about the fourth goal. I keep having goosebumps every time I recall that goal during the 93rd minute."

"The goal was incredible," Juninho said with a smile. "The run from the left flank to the box was something else. Then, his simple feints to fool the keeper and the defenders before scoring were simply magnificent. Most players would be panicking to take the shot when they are that close to the goal. But what did Zachary do? He remained calm and composed and thought about fooling the defenders before scoring. Such composure at crucial moments of the game is the attribute that separates the best players from the mediocre players in the game."

Ole chuckled. "The other thing I noticed is that he seems to create chances out of nothing. You know! When he received the ball close to the left flank during the 93rd minute, I only froze a bit, thinking along the lines of oh, well, there's a 5% chance he can score. Then he accelerated to his maximum speed, and his chances increased to 50% in a few seconds. He approaches the keeper and circumvents him, and then his scoring-probability increases only to 80% — simply because of the two defenders still blocking his way. But with two more feints, he sends the defenders packing, and he has an open goal in front of him. His chances are already 100% by then. He buries the ball in the back of the net."

"If other players had been in Zachary's position," Ole continued, "They wouldn't have had the courage and boldness to make the run in the first place. They would have played it safe and waited for their teammates to catch up since their chances of making a successful run from the flanks to goal were minimal. And they would definitely not have scored the goal."

"Let me correct you there, Ole," Juninho said. "There are a few other players who would have made the run. Messi is one. Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo Nazário de Lima, and Ronaldinho would also have made the same decision. Then, there's Maradona, Ryan Giggs, Romario, etcetera. The list goes on."

Ole chuckled. "Yes, you're right," he said. "Those players would have chosen to run with the ball. But comparing Zachary to those greats shows how great he is, even when he's just 19 years. And I'm sure that many big clubs will be eager to snatch him from Rosenborg during the upcoming transfer window."

"Zachary's next club is a big talking point these days," Emilia said. "A few weeks ago, there were rumors of Juventus already initiating a move on him. But, I'm guessing that the Italian giants won't be the only ones looking forward to acquiring his services. Many other big clubs should start keeping an eye on him, especially after his performance today."

"Definitely," Ole agreed. "The big spenders like Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea would want to buy him. Even Barcelona would welcome him to Camp Nou by offering him a lucrative salary. But from what I heard, Zachary still has two more years on his contract with Rosenborg. So, all those wishing to acquire his services will have to cough out some good money."

Emilia smiled. "Where do you wish to see him next season?"

"Manchester United," Ole was quick to answer.

"I would prefer to see him in a Lyon shirt," Juninho said. "But I know that that isn't going to happen, especially after our fans booed him throughout the entire match. I guess seeing him in a Juventus shirt is my next best option. I want to see him partner-up with Pirlo, Vidal, and Pogba in Turin. They would do great things together."

"Let's first put speculations of Zachary's future to the side," Emilia said. "Rosenborg's overwhelming win has put the Norwegian giants in a seemingly invincible position during this quarter-final. But do you think there's a chance for Lyon to make a comeback at Lerkendal next week? Can Lyon overcome a deficit of four goals to qualify for the semi-finals of the Europa League?"

"There's no chance," Ole replied, shaking his head. "Rosenborg is a team that is clearly on form. They'll be playing at Lerkendal in front of their home fans. They'll also be having Zachary, their playmaker, on the pitch. Can Lyon make a comeback with all those factors superimposing together? I don't think so. Many people like to say that football is unpredictable right up to the last minute. But for me, I believe that the result of this quarter-final is already decided."

Emilia nodded and turned to the Brazilian Maestro. "What about you, Juninho? What do you think?"

Juninho sighed and shook his head. "If Zachary doesn't play the second leg," he said, "Lyon might have a chance. But we all know that that isn't going to happen. Coach Johansen might even rest Zachary during the weekend and reserve him for the second leg clash. And with Zachary on the pitch, Lyon's chances are very slim."

---

Read The Greatest of all Time Chapter 361 Domestic League Fixture against Aalesund FK online for free - AllNovelFull

Playvolume00:00/00:00

Truvid

fullScreen

Chapter 361 Domestic League Fixture against Aalesund FK

The Rosenborg players remained turtled up in the dressing room to avoid the fan violence, which had gone on longer than expected after the game. They continued singing, dancing, and chatting loudly to celebrate their victory during the first few minutes. But they all soon grew silent and started dozing off on the benches as the post-match fatigue finally caught up to them. After a few more minutes, snores and sounds of deep breathing resounded across the dressing room as most of the players slipped into a deep sleep.

The holdup then continued for roughly two more hours — and finally, when the clock hand was almost pointing to the 1:00 AM mark, the coaches got the go-ahead from stadium security to depart from the stadium.

"Guys!" Coach Johansen shouted while moving around and waking up the sleeping players. "It's time to go. Pick your things, and let's go back to the hotel."

The players awoke with a start, like soldiers who had just heard an assembly bugle call. They hurriedly donned their jackets and shoes before slinging their bags over their shoulders and following the coaches out of the dressing room.

They walked quickly through the tunnel, and soon, they marched out of the stadium, heading towards their team bus, parked only a few meters away. But it was then that they noticed that the situation around the stadium wasn't right.

"What the hell happened here when we were in the dressing room?" Zachary exclaimed after noticing the anti-riot police surrounding the whole stadium entrance. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly to block out the blinding red and blue police siren lights atop the armored vehicles.

"Seems like the Lyon fans went ahead and battled the police after the game," Eric Bailly replied, also glancing around. "By the look of things, it should have been quite a battle."

"This is craziness," Zachary mumbled as his eyes darted all over the place. He'd already noted that the French law enforcers encircling the stadium entrance and Rosenborg's team bus were armed with rifles, batons, and shields, seemingly as if they were guarding against a terrifying enemy. They even appeared to grow more alert when the Rosenborg players stepped out of the stadium.

"Guys!" Coach Johansen yelled from the front of the Rosenborg procession. "Don't drag your feet. Walk fast and enter the bus. We don't want to spend more time here than necessary." He even clapped his hands loudly as if to emphasize his point.

After hearing the coach's voice, Zachary and his teammates didn't continue gaping at the cops and armored vehicles surrounding the area. They hurried their steps and quickly entered the team bus before settling in their seats.

Without further ado, the bus took off, and before long, it was already traversing the wide streets of Lyon, heading to their hotel. Their journey was without any issues as a convoy of armored vehicles and police motorbikes escorted them all the way to their destination.

Before the clock hand pointed to the 2:00 AM mark, they alighted the bus before making their way into the hotel. They were finally ready to end the night, which had been both stressful and filled with the joy of their victory.

Zachary paused a bit at the hotel entrance and looked back. He was again startled when he noticed that the anti-riot police and the convoy of armored vehicles were taking strategic positions around the hotel. It seemed that they were planning to guard the hotel through the night. The notion made him wonder whether the police had gotten information that the Lyon fans were actually planning to assault the Rosenborg players.

Football was supposed to be a sport that brought fun and joy to people all around the globe. So, the sheer image of supporters of one football club assaulting players of an opposing team surprised and unnerved him greatly. It made him wonder whether he should start employing a bodyguard when he traveled through the cities of the teams his team had defeated.

"Zachary!" Coach Johansen called out from behind him. "Don't stand there, staring at the police. Just head to your room and let your body rest. We'll be returning to Trondheim on an 8:00 AM flight tomorrow morning. That gives you only about five hours of sleep."

"I'll head to my room now," Zachary said after turning away from the entrance. "Good night to you, coach."

"Good night, Zachary," the coach replied with a smile. "Make sure that you rest well, as we'll be recommencing serious training the day after tomorrow."

"Don't worry. I'll be ready." Zachary replied before alighting up the stairs and heading to his room. The match against Lyon had worn him out considerably. So, he was looking forward to diving into his bed and sinking into slumberland immediately.

As planned, the Rosenborg players returned to Trondheim the following morning. They only rested for a single day to recover from the post-match fatigue before resuming intensive training.

They had a tight schedule over the following seven days. First, they had to face off against Aalesund FK three days later at an away ground in their second fixture of that season's Tippeligaen. Then, four days after that, they would welcome Lyon to Lerkendal for the second leg clash of the Europa League quarter-finals. So, they couldn't relax if they wished to achieve desirable results from the two games.

Since they were well aware of what was at stake, all the players didn't complain when the coaches requested that they invest more time and effort into training. They performed all required drills with their hearts, especially since they wished to continue winning. Their relentlessness caused the atmosphere around the team to become more energetic, and the two days flashed by quickly. Eventually, Sunday morning arrived, and the players who had made the squad traveled to Aalesund to play their second domestic fixture of the season.

For that game, Coach Johansen once again rested all his star players. He benched Takumi Minamino, Eric Bailly, Yerry Mina, Thomas Partey, Nicki Nielsen, and Mikael Dorsin. As for Zachary, he wasn't even on the list of the substitutes that traveled to Aalesund. The coach ordered his playmaker to watch the match on-screen instead of traveling with the team and tiring himself out.

But even without the star players, the Rosenborg reserves still put up a commanding performance. They relied on a 4-5-1 formation to play a defensive game that rendered all the tactics of Aalesund useless. Due to their compact shape, they denied the opponents from breaking through their midfield and creating chances on goal. As a result, the score remained 0:0 as the players headed into the tunnel for half-time.

During the second half, the Troll Kids played a bit more aggressively. They sent more numbers forward and used high-pressing tactics to ensure that Aalesund could no longer dominate possession. Soon, they dictated the tempo and started creating more chances on goal. Eventually, their efforts paid off, and a goal-scoring opportunity arose during the 80th minute.

Mike Jensen, the Rosenborg defensive midfielder for the day, intercepted a lofted pass from an Aalesund defender. He brought the ball down with an outstretched boot before escaping his marker with a few skillful touches. When the angle opened up, he unleashed a long pass towards the right flank to find Riku Riski.

Riku Riski, Rosenborg's right-winger for the day, brought the ball under control with his chest. He then whirled around and fed it past the Aalesund left-back as his speed exploded. He soon crossed into the final third and unleashed a lofted cross to find John Chibuike, the Rosenborg center-forward, within the box.

John Chibuike immediately escaped the harassment of his marker before leaping up to meet the descending ball. He timed his run well to plant a header towards the goal from around the edge of the penalty box. And without any surprise, the ball flashed past the keeper's outstretched hands before nestling itself into the back of the net.

—–

Aalesund FK 0 : Rosenborg BK 1

—–

Coach Johansen nodded and smiled as he watched his players celebrating the goal. A few minutes earlier, he'd just been about to sub on Nicki Nielsen and Takumi Minamino so that they could search for the winner.

But since his on-field players had already gotten the goal, he saw no need to go ahead with the substitution. He would only employ defensive tactics to manage the endgame and go home with three points at the end of the day.

"Guys!" He started yelling at his players. "We'll all play defensively for the rest of the game. So, I want nine men behind the ball for the remaining minutes. Only John Chibuike can stay on striking…"

The coach paced the entire length of the touchline as he hollered out instructions. And to his relief, his players adapted quickly and soon started utilizing ultra-defensive tactics.

They all settled in defense and prevented team Aalesund from creating more chances at goal. Thanks to their tactical discipline, the score remained 1:0 in favor of Rosenborg until the final whistle sounded.

Report chapter

Chapter 362 Intimacy and Bliss

Zachary breathed a sigh of relief after the game between Rosenborg and Aalesund ended. He'd only managed to watch the match on-screen in the living room of his apartment in Trondheim. But he could still envision the excitement that his teammates were feeling just by looking at their expressions as they marched out of the pitch.

"Is the game over?" Camilla's voice emerged from the bedroom. She'd begun spending most of her weekends at Zachary's apartment over the past month. That Sunday evening was no exception.

"The game has just ended," Zachary replied, raising his voice slightly. "The presenters and pundits are now conducting a boring post-match analysis."

"Who won?" Camilla asked once again.

"Do you have to ask?" Zachary said while aiming the remote at the television to switch to another channel. "Of course, it's Rosenborg that triumphed against Aalesund. No team in Norway can defeat us at this moment if we play at half our best."

There was no response from the bedroom for a few seconds, causing Zachary to crease his brows, wondering why she had fallen silent. But the next second, he smiled when he saw her step out of the bedroom and into the living room.

One glance at her, and Zachary could immediately tell that she'd just taken a shower. Her brown hair, tied loosely in a ponytail, seemed a bit moist while no traces of make-up could be seen on her pretty face. But all the same, she looked as gorgeous and titillating as ever, especially in her tight-fitting shorts that accentuated her long legs and shapely thighs.

A soft smile outlined her face as she strode into the living room. She halted her steps right in front of Zachary, seemingly to divert his attention from the screen. Then, her emerald-green eyes crinkled at the corners as she asked, "Who was the person that previously mentioned that he wasn't sure about his team's chances of winning the game?"

Zachary smiled sheepishly as his eyes darted across the entire length of her lithe figure. He could feel a fire burning inside him as the aroma from her shampoo assaulted his senses.

"That was my ego speaking," he said. "I was also in anguish, especially after the coach left me out of the squad traveling to Aalesund. So, you shouldn't take my words at the time seriously."

"Is that so?" Camilla smiled and sat on his lap. Then, she leaned forward, causing her alluring breath to tickle at his ear. "I feel that you're a naughty boy. And naughty boys deserve to be punished for their naughty deeds. Don't you think so?"

"I accept my wrongdoings," Zachary said, playing along. He breathed in deeply, burying his head in her hair. "How do you plan to punish me, madam?"

"That's simple!" A gorgeous smile lit up Camilla's face as she leaned back to lock eyes with Zachary. Then, without saying anything else, she cupped his face and leaned forward to kiss him aggressively on the lips. "That's your punishment." She said, smiling mischievously and leaning back.

"Madam!" Zachary whispered. "I like this sort of punishment. Can we continue?"

Without waiting for her reply, he responded to her teasing in kind. He locked her in a firm embrace, and the two of them made out for minutes on the couch, causing the fires of passion within them to burn brighter and brighter with an untamed vehemence.

They could no longer hold themselves back after a short while, and clothes started dropping to the floor as they sunk deeper and deeper into exploring their primal desires. And finally, they joined together in the most rudimentary and age-old ritual of expressing their feelings for one another.

Moans and grunts, accompanied by heavy breathing sounds, soon resounded across the room as a testament to their love-making session. They changed positions and postures several times as the intensity of their actions increased steadily and quickly, causing them to forget everything else in the world. Eventually, they seemed to transcend a critical pleasure point and immediately hit a thunderous united zenith, which pushed them over the edge of sensual bliss.

"That was incredible. I love you, Zachary," Camilla whispered in-between gasps of breath as she collapsed in Zachary's arms. The little bit of sweat coating her tanned skin made it glisten under the artificial lighting in the living room.

"I love you too, Camilla," Zachary replied, patting her back and hugging her tighter. "You were really aggressive and intense today. But I'm not complaining."

Camilla let out a soft chuckle as she traced circles on his chest. She remained silent for a few more seconds before saying, "Zachary! Can I ask you something?"

"You don't have to ask for permission," Zachary replied, tracing his hands back and forth along her curvaceous smooth waistline. "Feel free to ask me anything."

Camila supported herself up from Zachary's chest with her arms before locking gazes with him. "Who's Éléanor Bohen?" She asked.

"Éléanor Bohen!?" Zachary mumbled, narrowing his eyes. He was confused. "Is the name supposed to mean anything to me?"

"You tell me," Camilla said with a sigh. "Yesterday, when I was doing the laundry, I happened to chance upon a neatly-designed card in the name of an Éléanor Bohen. It was in the pocket of one of your tracksuits."

Zachary's mind blanked out for a moment. Then, he sighed as he recalled the incident in Lyon when the pretty blonde reporter stealthily pushed a business card into his pocket. He had decided to throw away the card after getting out of the public's eye but kept on forgetting afterward.

"So, who's this Éléanor Bohen?" Camilla queried in a soft voice.

Zachary sighed again before telling her the story of the reporter in Lyon. He described the entire incident vividly, without leaving out too many details. But he didn't mention that the lady reporter was beautiful or that he found her pleasing to the eyes after seeing her in a Rosenborg jersey.

Camilla chuckled after hearing his story. "Let me get this straight," she said, her eyes flickering with mischievousness. "You're moving through the airport with your teammates. Suddenly, reporters and fans interrupt you. And then, at the end of it all, a pretty lady reporter shoves a business card into your pocket without your knowledge. She then whispers in your ear, encouraging you to call her, before walking away. Then, you forget about her business card, and it remains in your pocket. Is that the whole story?"

"That's it," Zachary replied, nodding.

Camilla beamed, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "So, tell me," she said after a moment. "Did you at any one moment think about calling her?" She asked.

"Of course not," Zachary was quick to reply. "How can I get tempted by an average-looking blonde when I'm dating the most beautiful and sexiest girl in the world? The question is a no-brainer."

"Tee hee," Camilla tittered before resting her head on Zachary's chest again. "You're beginning to have a way with words. But I like it. By the way, have you talked to your grandma today? Is she doing okay?"

"The doctors tell me that she's improving very fast," Zachary replied. "If the next few tests are satisfactory, the doctors will discharge her from the hospital in about three weeks."

"That's great news!" Camilla said. "I'm happy for you, and of course, I'm also happy for her."

"Thanks," Zachary said, patting her back lightly. "Let's get up and take a shower. We need to have dinner and prepare for tomorrow. Don't forget that tomorrow is a Monday. You have to go to work early, and I have to attend a meeting and then go for training afterward."

Camilla groaned, not moving a single inch. "Stop being anxious. I'm sure that your coach will allow you a day off tomorrow since Rosenborg has just played a game today evening. So, relax, and let's stay like this for a few more minutes."

"Your wish is my command, my lady," Zachary said, smiling wryly. He also felt guilty for not spending enough time with Camilla over the past few months. So, he wasn't about to let her down by denying her a few more minutes of cuddling.

—–

The following day, Zachary woke up early as usual. He enjoyed a tasty home-cooked breakfast prepared by Camilla before going through his customary morning yoga routine. After that, he took a shower with Camilla, and the two of them shared some moments of early morning intimacy until they were slightly out of breath.

Thirty minutes later, they exited the shower, feeling blissful and relaxed, before starting their preparations for the hectic Monday schedule.

Zachary was as swift as ever while dressing up. He quickly pulled on his tracksuit and pushed his feet into his sneakers before packing his gym bag. In only a couple of minutes, he was done with his preparations. So, he settled into one of the sofas in the living room before patiently waiting for Camilla to get ready.

Camilla was a bit slower. She first ironed her suit a couple of times before utilizing about twenty minutes to dress up. Applying her make-up took even longer, and she only ended her preparations when the clock hand was almost pointing to the eight o'clock mark.

Zachary smiled and stood up from the sofa after seeing her exiting the bedroom. "You look smart," he said. "That suit really looks good on you."

"Thank you," she said, beaming. "You also… I don't know what to say as I don't wish to lie to you very early in the morning." She shook her head before slipping her feet into her high heels by the door.

"Is there a problem?" Zachary asked, narrowing his eyes. "I thought we were having a good time."

"Of course, we are," she replied. "But, I'm just wondering why you're in your tracksuit again. Aren't you going for a meeting with your agent and the investment consultant? Why are you dressed in your training gear?"

"That's because I want to go to the gym right after the meeting," Zachary replied. "Moreover, these Nike tracksuits are very comfortable and multipurpose. I don't see why I shouldn't wear them to a meeting, especially since I'm a pro-athlete."

"A green tracksuit over dark-brown sneakers to a meeting!" Camilla raised a brow. "I'm starting to doubt whether Nike endorsing you was really a good deal on your end. I haven't seen you wear anything else ever since they started providing you with their tracksuits at no cost."

Zachary chuckled. "Why are we talking about my tracksuits at this point?" He said, shaking his head. "We need to hurry! Otherwise, you'll be late for work, and I might be late for my meeting."

Camila shook her head and picked up her handbag from a nearby table. "We can go now," she said. "But we're not done discussing those tracksuits of yours. If you need to save money, I can link you up with a few men's clothing brands that can always give you free and presentable clothes and shoes. They would be happy to let you wear their brands since you're a rising football star. They might even pay you to model those brands."

"Let's talk about this some other time," Zachary said, opening the door out of the apartment. "But, for now, we need to get going, or we'll both be late."

"Okay, I understand." Camilla smiled and drew him in for a fervent kiss. She then hugged him for a few seconds before marching out of the door.

Zachary shook his head and smiled before locking the door and following after her. Before long, they were already descending the stairs and heading out of the building.

Report chapter

Chapter 363 Deciding to Invest

After dropping Camilla off at her workplace, Zachary headed to Trondheim Torg Shopping Mall to meet with Emily, his agent, and Heather Miller, his investment consultant. He expertly navigated his R8 GT through the morning traffic and managed to make it to his destination by 9:00 AM, the scheduled time for the meeting. He pulled up into one of the parking spots in front of the Trondheim Torg before alighting from the vehicle.

The early morning sun rays warmed up his skin as he locked the car doors. He smiled as the slightly warmer spring weather was to his liking. His mood brightened as he turned around, intending to start making his way towards the entrance of Trondheim Torg.

"Zachary! Zachary…"

Suddenly, a few juvenile voices sounded from a distance. Before Zachary could react, a group of youngsters, probably between the ages of twelve to fifteen, streamed forward and cornered him, forcing him into a tight encirclement beside his R8 GT. Their faces were all smiles as they glanced at him with sparkling eyes.

"Zachary! An Autograph."

"Zachary, sign my shirt for me."

"Zachary…"

Zachary was stunned as his eyes took in the over-eager faces of the dozen or so young men and women asking for his autograph. But that didn't stop him from agreeing to their requests since they all seemed like hardcore fans of Rosenborg.

He received a sharpie from one of the young men before signing his name on his shirt. Then, he handed the shirt back to the boy before moving on to another. Since he didn't wish to be overly late for his meeting with Emily and Heather, his scribbling speed got faster and faster as he signed his name on more and more items handed out by the fans.

However, after signing about a dozen autographs, he realized that the number of the fans crowding around him hadn't lessened. Instead, they increased by the second, as more fans joined in on the fun, seeking a chance to acquire an autograph on their own.

Zachary immediately decided to harden himself after signing the autographs for the first group of boys and girls who had approached him. For the first time ever, he rejected the requests of the rest of the fans with a few polite words before pushing through the crowd and heading towards the entrance of Trondheim Torg.

The fans let out sighs filled with disappointment and called out to him a few more times as he stepped away from them. But even though he felt a little remorseful for ignoring them, he still didn't relent. Since he wished to make it to the meeting place as soon as possible, he continued walking forward without looking back until he stepped through the enormous doors of the shopping mall.

"Good morning, Zachary," Emily greeted him right after he settled down on the seat opposite her own a few minutes later. They were at a corner table in a cafe on the top floor of the shopping mall. "You're quite late."

"Good morning, Emily," Zachary replied, smiling with resignation. "A group of fans intercepted me right in front of the shopping mall. That's why I'm late."

Emily smiled, her blue eyes flickering with a hint of amusement. "Maybe," she said, "you should always wear a face mask while moving around Trondheim. That will ensure that the fans won't bother you anymore, Mr. Popular guy."

Zachary smiled and turned his attention towards Miss Heather Miller, his investment consultant. Like the first time he'd met her, she was similarly dressed in a dark blue suit that matched her blue eyes peeking from behind a pair of chic spectacles.

"Good morning, Miss Heather," Zachary said, smiling at her.

"Good morning, Zachary," she voiced, reaching out with a manicured hand from across the table. "It's nice to meet you in person once again."

"Nice to meet you, too," Zachary said, taking her hand. "I'm sorry for being late. A fan incident outside interrupted me."

"No problem," she said, smiling and withdrawing her hand. "You were only late by a couple of minutes. I really don't mind."

"So," Emily chimed in with a smile. "Should we first order some coffee before discussing business?"

"Good idea," Miss Heather said. "A cappuccino would be nice."

"What about you, Zachary?" Emily asked, glancing at him.

"I'll also have a cappuccino as we discuss," he replied.

"Great," Emily said before calling the waiter. She quickly placed the orders and then sent the waiter away in only a few seconds.

"So, Zachary!" Miss Heather said after the waiter was out of earshot. "On the phone, you said you were ready to purchase the Tesla shares. Do you still wish to invest the 500,000 Euros you previously mentioned?"

Zachary shook his head. "I have decided to triple the amount I'll be investing in Tesla Inc. I want to buy shares amounting to 1.5 Million Euros as soon as possible."

Heather's blue eyes widened slightly. She seemed startled. "That's a very bold investment. Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure," Zachary replied. "Can you make it happen? Will you be able to find people willing to sell shares worth that much?"

Heather breathed out deeply before saying, "Tesla shares are always available on the Nasdaq exchange. We can purchase them during American working hours from Monday through Friday. We only need to place an order using your brokerage account, and everything else will be automatic. You'll soon get people to sell you their shares."

"Then, what are we waiting for?" Zachary said with a smile. "Let's place the order after we finish our discussions here."

"That's okay," Heather said with a smile. "But, I need to do some preparations first before we can make the purchase. I want to ensure that your financial details and tax information are all in order before we place the order."

"You already have my details," Zachary said. "So, you can go ahead and make the preparations. My only wish is to get this investment over with as soon as possible."

"I understand." Heather smiled and stood up from her seat. "This means that you'll need to excuse me for now so that I can go and make some calls. We'll be ready to place a market order using your brokerage account in about two hours. Let's meet then."

Emily narrowed her eyes. "You're leaving before taking your cappuccino?"

"I have to leave right away," Heather replied. "Otherwise, I'll not be able to prepare all the details necessary to make such a large purchase in a couple of hours."

"Okay, then," Emily said. "Go and do what you have to do. But make sure that everything is in proper order before Zachary places the order. We don't want him to lose money or time because of a few neglected irregularities."

"Don't worry," Heather said. "I won't miss out on anything. See you in two hours." She added before picking up her handbag and striding away from the table. And soon, her silhouette was already stepping through the cafe's doorway.

Report chapter

Chapter 364 Interested Clubs

There were a few seconds of silence at the table. Then, Emily turned her gaze from Heather's receding shape before pivoting it onto Zachary. "Are you sure you wish to invest 1.5 Million Euros in Tesla stock?"

"I'm sure," Zachary said, smiling. "If I had more money, I would invest even more. It's a pity that I only have 1.5 million at the moment."

"As long as you're sure and thought about everything carefully, all is well," Emily said. "Let's hope that your investment makes some profit in a few years."

"It definitely will," Zachary replied confidently. He'd checked the share price of Tesla that morning and found it to be around 40 USD. The cost was many times less than the future over-1000 USD price. So, he would earn more than twenty-five times his initial investment if he decided to sell the shares when they were most heightened in price, for instance, in 2021.

"Emily!" Zachary said. "You can also think about buying some Tesla shares. You might be able to make some good money in the near future."

"That's not an option for me," Emily replied, shaking her head. "Instead, I wish to save most of my money so that I can start my own football agency soon."

"A football agency!" Zachary's curiosity was piqued. "What about your current one? Are you having issues with your bosses?"

"Not at all," she replied. "I wish to own my own agency, which will give me more freedom when handling my clients and other business matters. And, of course, I won't have to cut off a portion of my income to pay my bosses. There are just many advantages to owning my own company. My only hope is that you can let me stay as your agent when that time comes."

"Don't worry," Zachary said with a smile. "I have never once thought about hiring any other agent. You could also consider taking me as a business partner when you decide to start your company. If my career continues progressing well, I'll be able to contribute capital and some insight into young talented footballers that can be your future clients."

Emily's eyes widened. "Are you for real?" She asked.

"Yes. I'm sure. We can draw up an agreement and own the sports agency together. That's, of course, if you're open to the suggestion."

Emily smiled. "I like the idea," she said. "But let's revisit the idea next year when I'm ready on my side. If you're still interested in starting a football agency with me, we'll create an office in wherever city you'll be playing next year. Then, we can start business immediately."

"That's okay with me," Zachary replied. "I won't change my mind since I also wish to own an agency. That reminds me: Are there any top football teams that have contacted you? I'm referring to those interested in my services next season."

"I was just about to get to that," Emily said, lowering her voice. "Over the past few weeks, I've met up with the representatives of a few teams. The most serious among them are Juventus, Tottenham, RB Leipzig, and Manchester United. Those four teams have already tabled offers and even contacted the Rosenborg management about your availability."

"Those are all big teams," Zachary said, his heart racing with excitement. "But, please scratch out Manchester United and RB Leipzig from the list of clubs I can transfer to."

"Why?" Emily questioned. "You haven't even heard about their offers! What if they are willing to pay you a sky-high wage of more than 150,000 Euros a week plus a signing bonus in tens of millions? Can't you consider a move to one of those clubs?"

"As you should know…" Zachary paused as the waiter brought their orders over. Then, when she stepped away from the table, he continued, "Money isn't everything. First of all, I don't wish to waste more time playing in the lower divisions of any country. I want to play in the top leagues as soon as possible. So, RB Leipzig is out for the moment."

"That, I understand," Emily said. "But then, why are you scratching off Manchester United? They are a big team in one of the top leagues in Europe. Their representatives even hinted about the possibility of offering you a handsome wage of more than 120,000 pounds a week if you decided to join them. That would place you among the six highest-earning players at the club. Are you not tempted?"

Zachary breathed out deeply to calm himself down. "The money is good," he said. "But after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, no one can predict how things will progress at the club. So, I don't want to be part of their transition."

Zachary had witnessed Manchester United's decline during his previous life. The English giants brought in top coaches like Louis Van Gaal and José Mourinho. They also purchased several over-priced and seemingly world-class players like Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Romelu Lukaku, and Ángel Di María, among others. But the club couldn't return to their glory-winning ways no matter how much money they splashed out. It was as if they'd been cursed, and they couldn't produce acceptable results for over a decade.

So, Zachary wasn't about to assume that he would accomplish the almost-impossible mission of bringing the club back to its glory days. And even if he wished to, he wouldn't know where to begin as the club's issues were likely from the top management's side, bringing about a scenario that ensured that no player could solve them.

"I see," Emily said after a few seconds of contemplation. "Then, I'll scratch Manchester United off the list. What about Juventus and Tottenham? They are the only other teams that have already proposed solid and attractive offers to acquire your services."

"Juventus would be the best option," Zachary said after sipping on his cappuccino. "But I don't speak Italian. So, I'll struggle to fit into the team for the next few years. But still, don't scratch Juventus off until we get a better offer. As for Tottenham, they are the best option for me to enter the Premier League at the moment. But I also won't decide until I look at the offers from other teams."

"Okay, I get you," Emily said, nodding. "Are there any more clubs that you won't consider joining? I don't want to do all the groundwork, and then you tell me to scratch them off the list at the very end."

Zachary chuckled. "Real Madrid and Barcelona," he said. "I won't consider joining them, no matter how attractive their offers are."

Emily's eyes narrowed as she sipped on her coffee. "Most footballers can only dream about joining Real Madrid and Barcelona. But you won't consider joining them even if they are to table down attractive offers! You're one weird player."

"Not at all," Zachary said with a smile. "I only don't wish to become teammates with Messi and Ronaldo. I only dream about competing against them."

"I see!" Emily said. "You have very lofty goals. But no matter. If you can continue maturing, you'll be able to compete against them fairly in the near future."

—–

Chapter 365 Preparing to Face-Off against Lyon

As planned, Zachary met Miss Heather again after approximately two hours when it was almost noon. They were only two people at the table in the top floor cafe at Trondheim Torg since Emily had already left to attend another meeting. But that didn't stop them from going forward with the scheduled business.

"Have you made all the required preparations?" Zachary asked after they had exchanged greetings.

"Yes," Heather replied, smiling. "The only step remaining is you placing the order on the Nasdaq market to buy Tesla stock. After that, we can only wait for sellers to take you up on your bid."

"How long do you think I have to wait?"

Heather narrowed her eyes slightly. "The purchase will go through within a minute or two," she said. "If there aren't any unexpected situations that hinder your purchase, you should be a proud owner of Tesla Stock before we step out of this cafe."

"That's really great," Zachary said with a smile. "Let's place the order right away."

"Okay."

Heather quickly took Zachary through the share purchasing process using his brokerage account. They completed all the necessary procedures in less than an hour before placing their 1.5 million order on the Nasdaq market to buy Tesla stock. After that, they only waited for a minute before getting a confirmation that the trade had gone through.

Zachary's heart was racing with excitement as he was finally a proud owner of Tesla stock. He only had to wait for around six years before multiplying his initial investment in Tesla by more than twenty-five times. He was in a good mood. A wave of relaxation washed over him, and he discussed a few other prospective business opportunities with Heather before saying his goodbyes.

He exited the cafe and immediately left Trondheim Torg before heading to Coach Bjørn Peters' gym. He soon forgot about his 1.5 million-euro investment and immersed himself in his training. Under the guidance of his fitness trainer, Zachary spent hours doing aerobic exercises and drills targeted toward improving his stamina and endurance. He was so focused, and before he knew it, it was already evening. He said his goodbyes to Coach Bjørn Peters before jumping into his R8 GT and driving back home.

—–

The following two days became busy as the Rosenborg team trained from early morning to late evening. Zachary and his teammates utilized Tuesday and Wednesday effectively, going through drills to perfect their gameplan against Lyon. Be it positioning, passing, or shooting — they practiced them arduously under the strict supervision of the coaches.

Coach Johansen was more intense than ever, even though his team was already four goals ahead in the Europa League quarter-final clash. He pulled out all stops to drill his players so that they would be in their best shape for the game since he didn't want to leave any chance for Lyon to accomplish a comeback. He didn't permit the players to relax until Thursday morning — when less than ten hours remained before the start of the match.

"Guys!" He yelled from the sidelines to draw his players' attention. "I want you in the tactics room in fifteen minutes. We'll talk for a bit before utilizing the rest of the time before the match to rest."

The players immediately halted whatever drills they were performing on the pitch. Without wasting time, they marched toward the dressing room to clean up. And before long, they gathered in the dressing room to listen to their coach's pre-match briefing.

"I congratulate you all for completing another hectic few days of training," Coach Johansen began. "But our work is far from done as we play Olympique Lyonnais today at 9:05 PM in the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals."

"Even though we're already leading by the four goals from the first leg, we can't relax. We've got to approach the match with a do-or-die attitude so as to kill off even the slightest of chances of Lyon making a comeback. We have to remain focused from the first minute of the game until we hear the final whistle. Are we together, guys?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied.

The coach nodded and swept his gaze across his players in the dressing room before continuing. "For this game, we'll play ultra-defensive football as we don't want any risks. Since we already have a four-goal advantage, we'll play it safe and play with ten men behind the ball for every minute of the game. As we have practiced over the past two days, we'll sit tight in front of our box and ensure that the opponents don't create chances at goal. And that's how we'll qualify for the semi-finals without taking any risks. Are you guys with me?"

"Yes, coach."

"Good." Coach Johansen smiled and stepped towards the tactics board in front of the room. "We'll play with a 4-3-2-1 formation, comprising four defenders, three defensive midfielders, two attacking midfielders, and one forward. The two attacking midfielders will have to cover the wings when we're not in possession of the ball. Their primary role is supporting the defensive midfielders to defend rather than initiating the attacks. So, it's better to refer to them as central midfielders rather than attacking midfielders. Are we together?"

"Yes, coach."

"First things first!" Coach Johansen said and started inscribing the squad positions on the tactics board. "I'll announce the squad for today's game. In the goal, we have Daniel Örlund as our keeper. Then Mikael Dorsin, Tore Reginiussen, Yerry Mina, and Eric Bailly will play as our four defenders."

"Our three defensive midfielders will be Thomas Partey, Mike Jensen, and Ole Selnæs. Our attacking midfielders, who will also protect our wings and work with our central striker to score if there's a chance, will be Takumi Minamino and Nicki Nielsen. Finally, our only attacker for this game will be Zachary Bemba."

Coach Johansen paused and glanced towards Zachary's position. "Zachary!" He said. "I have given you the center-forward role since your scoring form has been incredible over the past few games. Moreover, you being on the striking line will force the Lyon players to remain under pressure throughout the entire game. So, they won't dare to leave you alone and push forward in droves to launch endless attacks on us even if we play defensive football. Are you with me, Zachary?"

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

"Good." Coach Johansen smiled and turned towards Nicki Nielsen. "Nicki! You'll have to fall back a lot to defend during this game. Then, if there's a chance, you can initiate a counter and pick out Zachary so that he can try to score. Can you manage that?"

"Yes, I can," Nicki agreed readily. "For the team, I'm willing to play a more defensive role. Don't worry, coach."

"Good." Coach Johansen nodded and turned towards Takumi Minamino. "Takumi! The same applies to you. You'll have to help out the defensive midfielders and wing-backs to defend. If an opportunity arises, try to pick out Zachary with a long pass as quickly as possible. Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach," Takumi replied. "I know what to do."

"Very good." Coach Johansen clapped his hands and swept his gaze over the rest of the players. "All of you must remember that tactical discipline and hard work are the keys to winning this game. As the saying goes, a boat doesn't go forward if each one is rowing their own way. Through teamwork, we can achieve the impossible. We can win the Europa League. So, if you guys are out there on the field, try to cover for your teammates. Ensure to play as a team and defend together for every minute of the game. Then, we'll emerge as the victors today night. Are we together, guys?" The coach ended his little speech with a yell.

"Yes, coach," the players replied with zest while clapping their hands.

"Good, good, good." Coach Johansen grinned. He then went over a few more tactics before sending the players back to the team lounge to rest. As a coach, he'd almost completed his part. What remained was for his players to step onto the pitch and perform.

Report chapter

Chapter 366 The Tense First Few Minutes

The weather that night wasn't the best due to the abnormally low spring temperatures of about 4 degrees Celsius and the millions of rain droplets constantly pouring down on Trondheim City with a consistent heaven-given soundtrack.

However, the unfavorable weather conditions still couldn't hinder the over-enthusiastic Rosenborg fans from flooding into Lerkendal Stadium to watch the Europa League quarter-final clash between their home side and Olympique Lyonnais. By 8:35 PM, they had taken up all the available seats in the home and away sections of the stadium.

They braved the downpour and cheered at the top of their voices under the protection of their rain jackets. They were obviously in hyper moods as they waited for the game to begin.

What wasn't surprising was that there weren't any Lyon fans in the stadium that night. Due to their violent deeds in Lyon the previous week, the UEFA's Control, Ethics, and Disciplinary Body had banned them from attending UEFA games for the following twelve months. Thus, Olympique Lyonnais would have to play all Europa League and Champions League games without the support of their fans for a year.

"Welcome to the quarter-final clash between Rosenborg BK and Olympique Lyonnais," the commentator's voice resounded across the stadium when the clock hand pointed to the 8:55 PM mark. "In ten minutes, the two teams will commence their battle to decide who qualifies for the semi-finals of this year's Europa League. On aggregate, Rosenborg is ahead by four goals after Zachary Bemba demolished the French giants in Lyon last week. So, the Troll Kids will qualify for the semi-finals even if they only focus on defending to avoid conceding more than four goals tonight."

"Ladies and gentlemen," the commentator continued. "I'm Kjell Roar, your commentator for the day, and with me is Otto Bragstad, a former Rosenborg defender. He'll be our pundit for the night. Welcome, Otto!"

"Thank you," Otto Bragstad replied. "I'm happy to be here."

"So, Otto," Kjell Roar said. "What is your take on this game? Can Rosenborg maintain the four-goal advantage? Can they overcome Olympique Lyonnais, the French giants, to qualify for the semi-finals?"

"Qualifying for the semi-finals shouldn't be a difficult task for Rosenborg at this moment," Otto said. "They are already in a very advantageous position after scoring four goals in Lyon last week. If Coach Johansen doesn't blunder while designing the tactics, they should be able to qualify even if they field a second team."

"I can see that you're very confident in Rosenborg," Kjell Roar said. "But let's not forget that Rémi Garde, the Lyon coach, promised that he wouldn't give up until the last minute. In his pre-match interview, he said that his players and staff would do everything in their power to win the game and qualify for the semi-finals."

"Well," Otto said, "The previous week, the Lyon coach said something about treating Rosenborg as a super-strong team. He'd promised to pull out everything in his arsenal to defeat Rosenborg. But in the end, he still lost by four goals at home. I won't be surprised if something similar happens today night."

Kjell Roar chuckled. "Let's put the predictions and analyses aside as the players are already lining up in the tunnel. The Rosenborg players are in their black and white colors, while Team Lyon is in blue. The two teams will soon commence the second phase of their battle to determine who qualifies for the semi-finals. Ladies and gentlemen! Let's put our hands together to welcome the players on the field of play."

At that moment, the cheers hit a thunderous zenith as the players marched onto the pitch. The catchy Europa League anthem echoed in the background as the teams quickly lined up in front of the fans and went through their customary handshake ceremony.

The proceedings moved forward, and the excitement around the stadium shot through the roof when the referee conducted the coin toss and determined that it was the Troll Kids who would get the kick-off. Before long, all the players took their positions on the pitch, and the match was finally about to begin.

—–

As kick-off drew near, the intensity of the downpour increased a notch. It soaked Zachary's hair and washed over his skin so vigorously, making him feel like he was in the flow of a river rather than a rain shower. But he didn't mind as all his concentration was already on the game that was about to commence. He continued standing gallantly over the ball while waiting for the referee to blow the whistle.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee finally kicked off the game two minutes later, when the clock hand had just pointed to the 9:05 PM mark. Zachary raised his leg before passing the ball back into his midfield. And since he was the center-forward for that game, he immediately ran towards the other side of the pitch and positioned himself between the two Lyon center-backs.

Due to the heavy rain, the first ten minutes of the game were a boring fight between the two teams in the midfield. When the Troll Kids were on the ball, the Lyon players would quickly close them down before tackling them. When team Lyon won the ball, the Rosenborg players would also retaliate and foul them before they could advance into the other half.

Sliding tackles soon reigned supreme on the pitch due to the slippery ground. And on several occasions, the referee had to stop gameplay to caution the players and warn them against hurting their opponents.

The downpour continued relentlessly, and the game proceeded to the fifteenth minute. The Rosenborg players soon settled into their defensive formation and parked the bus before their goal. They played with ten men behind the ball and only left Zachary on the striking line to sustain pressure on the opponents. They were obviously following Coach Johansen's ultra-defensive game plan to the letter.

However, Rosenborg's ultra-defensive strategy exposed its weakness not long after. The Lyon players took advantage of the few opponents upfront and launched endless waves of attacks against Rosenborg's goal. Before long, they arrayed themselves in a 4-3-3 formation and hoarded more than 70% of possession. Long passes and crosses became the order of the night as the Lyon midfielders and wingers unleashed dangerous balls into Rosenborg's box, seeking their two strikers.

The pressure on Rosenborg's defense became immense with every passing second. By the twentieth minute, the game situation seemed dire as the Rosenborg defenders struggled to clear the ball out of their defensive third due to the limited visibility caused by the rain. It looked as if Lyon was about to shatter 'the parked bus' of Rosenborg before scoring their first goal for the day.

—–

Chapter 367 The Nemesis of Olympique Lyonnais I

A deep frown outlined Coach Johansen's face as he braved the rain on the sidelines while following the proceedings on the pitch. Due to the poor weather, the ultra-defensive tactics were not functioning well. The opponents were constantly taking advantage of the poor visibility to drop balls into the box. As a result, they had managed to sustain immense pressure on his team for the past ten minutes.

Moreover, he'd also noticed that a few of his players were underperforming. For instance, both Nicki Nielsen and Takumi Minamino were not trying their utmost to cover the wings. As a result, they had allowed the Lyon wing-backs to grow more confident and unleash more dangerous crosses into the box.

As for Zachary, he wasn't getting any balls on the striking line. He only remained sandwiched between the two Lyon center-backs without getting involved in the play. Be that as it may, Coach Johansen didn't blame him as he was the center-forward for that game. He was not at fault since he was already playing as a striker should on the team. It was just his teammates who had failed him by not supplying him with balls.

"We need to get Zachary into the game," Trond Henriksen, his assistant, said from beside him. "We need to get him balls so that he can apply some pressure on Lyon's defense. Otherwise, we'll lose this match."

"I know," Coach Johansen said, tightening the hood of his jacket over his head. His most urgent wish was for the rain to stop so that his players could settle into the game. Otherwise, he would have to rely on luck to best Lyon under such adverse conditions.

"What is your plan?" Trond Henriksen asked after a few seconds of silence.

"First of all," Coach Johansen said, "If Nicki and Takumi continue underperforming, I'll substitute them out of the game immediately. So, tell Paul Kasongo and Karl Toko Ekambi to start warming up. For now, let's also— Eh!"

Coach Johansen stopped midsentence as he noticed Henri Bedimo, Lyon's left-back, dropping another dangerous cross into Rosenborg's box.

Yerry Mina, Rosenborg's center-back, leaped up to clear away the danger but mistimed and missed the header. In the end, the ball descended into the box and made it all the way to Alexandre Lacazette's feet.

Alexandre Lacazette brought the ball under control with an outstretched boot close to the right edge of the box. Before any opponent could close him down, he drew his leg back and unleashed a curling shot towards the inside of the far post.

TENSION!

Coach Johansen's heart leaped into his throat as he watched the ball darting towards the goal. But just at the last moment, at the crucial juncture, before it could cross the goal line, the always-hardworking Eric Bailly slid in and intercepted it, sending it over the crossbar and out of play.

FWEEEEEEE*

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

Coach Johansen let out a breath and wiped the moisture off his forehead. "Guys!" He yelled at the top of his voice. "Focus! Focus! Focus! Defenders! Start clearing the balls out of the box the first time before they bounce."

"Nicki! For this game, you're not a center-forward. So, put more work into defense. Takumi! Your work rate is poor, and you haven't released any passes to Zachary. You need to up your game right away…"

The coach yelled out instructions to his players at the top of his voice. He paced the entire length of the touchline, not minding the downpour in the slightest until he was sure that his players had gotten his message.

FWEEEEEEE*

After a short while, the referee blew the whistle and motioned for team Lyon to take the corner kick. Corentin Tolisso, the Lyon right-back, immediately floated a teasing ball into the box from the corner flag.

Bafétimbi Gomis, the other Lyon striker, leaped high to connect with the ball. After battling Yerry Mina for aerial superiority, he angled his head slightly to plant a header towards the goal from around the penalty spot.

However, the Lyon striker's effort soon met an obstacle in the form of a leaping Mikael Dorsin. The Rosenborg left-back jumped up in the air and blocked the ball with his chest, thus preventing it from continuing towards the goal.

"Clear! Clear the ball away before it bounces."

Coach Johansen yelled at the top of his lungs as he watched the loose ball descending towards the left side of the box. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he watched Eric Bailly pounce on the ball with an uncanny swiftness before kicking it high and far towards the other side of the pitch.

—–

On the pitch, close to the center circle, Zachary immediately took off on seeing the ball descending towards the left flank. Like a bullet out of a gun's muzzle, he escaped from the two defenders marking him and chased after the ball. He got to it just as it completed its first bounce on the wet surface before bringing it under control.

His heart was racing fast with excitement as he whirled around and turned to face Lyon's goal. Due to the lack of balls, he'd been bored to death on the striking line. But since he'd finally gotten an opportunity, all the frustration had disappeared. The only thing on his mind was how to get the ball into the back of Lyon's net as quickly as possible before the rest of the opponents could fall back into their positions.

Whoosh!

Just as Zachary was preparing to take his first stride towards the goal, his ears picked up the sound of a boot skidding across the wet surface. His sharp mind went into overdrive mode, and he reacted by instinct. He instantly dug his boot under the ball before leaping high and over the tackle.

Before any other opponents could close him down, he landed back on the ground with the ball glued to his green boot. And like a bolt of lightning through the rain, he took off towards Lyon's goal like there was no tomorrow.

Another Lyon defender soon came to close him down, just as he was stepping past the boundary of the final third. The defender rushed in, all guns blazing, and even tried to hold his shirt to stop him from advancing the counterattack.

However, the wet and smooth jersey rendered the defender's efforts fruitless. Zachary shrugged off his grip without looking back and raced towards the box like the wind. Before long, he dispersed the keeper, who had come out to meet him, with a few side-steps before burying the ball into the back of the net.

—–

"GOAAAAALL!" Kjell Roar, the commentator, yelled at the top of his voice as the ball shook the net. "Zachary Bemba has managed to score against Olympique Lyonnais again. He wasn't involved in the action during the first thirty minutes of gameplay. But after obtaining a single counterattacking opportunity in the 31st minute, he has managed to punish the French giants again. It's Rosenborg one and Olympique Lyonnais zero. The aggregate score is now 5:0 in favor of Rosenborg. Surely, the troll Kids are heading to this year's Europa League semis. With the on-form Zachary in the squad, it seems like nothing can stop them."

Otto Bragstad, the pundit for the day, chuckled. "Zachary Bemba is a true-blue nemesis for Olympique Lyonnais. Last week, he scored four goals against them. He has now bagged another after only 31 minutes of gameplay. The Lyon fans, players, and even coaches will have nightmares, thinking about him for at least a few months."

Report chapter

Chapter 368 The Nemesis of Olympique Lyonnais II

The rain continued cascading down from the night sky at a constant rhythm. The precipitation soaked the jerseys of all the players and lowered the visibility on the pitch. Be that as it may, the referee didn't halt the game just because of the unfavorable weather conditions. He continued officiating the Europa League second leg game between Rosenborg and Olympique Lyonnais, seemingly as if he didn't mind the chilling downpour.

The game progressed, and the Lyon players continued launching waves of assaults on Rosenborg's box. They seemed not to mind that they were a goal behind and attacked with an ever-increasing intensity.

As the game progressed into the late stages of the first half, crosses and long balls into Rosenborg's box became more frequent and more dangerous. Anyone in the stadium could clearly see that Rosenborg's defense was under immense pressure due to Lyon's never-say-never attitude.

But in some magical way, team Rosenborg managed to hold on for dear life, even while facing the constant barrage of attacks. It was as if lady luck was on their side as several balls smashed off the goalposts while a few other shots from the Lyon attackers missed the target by mere centimeters.

And finally, after 45 minutes of gameplay, the referee blew the whistle and sent the players down the tunnel for halftime. Many fans relaxed and breathed sighs of relief. Their taut nerves loosened after their home team held on to the 1:0 lead until the end of the first half. As long as they could survive the next 45 minutes, their team would qualify for the Europa League semi-finals.

—–

The atmosphere in the visitor's dressing room was gloomy at halftime. Even the very air around the place seemed to have turned a dull grey as the Lyon players sat around the benches listlessly and with deadpan expressions. The gazes of most of them were blank as they waited for their coach to address them.

Coach Rémi Garde observed his players for a short while and sighed inwardly. He didn't blame them for conceding the goal, but he empathized with them. They had strictly adhered to the game plan and played well during the first half. They had sustained pressure on the Rosenborg players and limited them to less than 30% ball possession and one shot on goal. But one moment of individual brilliance from Zachary Bemba had rendered all their efforts fruitless.

The young Rosenborg number-8 had once again displayed his overly-clinical abilities during a counterattack and scored Rosenborg's only goal during the 31st minute. The feat made Coach Rémi Garde wonder how the young player could maintain his form and sharpness in every game. The young player was simply abnormal.

"What to do?"

Coach Rémi Garde was at his wit's end as he scanned his low-spirited players. He wondered whether he should assign more men to mark Zachary Bemba during the second half. But after a moment of contemplation, he shook his head and discarded the idea. Since the young Rosenborg player seemed almost unstoppable on the pitch, it was better to ignore him and focus on other areas. As a coach, he preferred that his players play their own game instead of wasting their abilities, marking a very unpredictable player.

"Okay, guys, listen," Coach Rémi Garde said, clapping his hands to draw his players' attention. "I know that you're all feeling down after conceding the goal. But, please, don't give up. During the remaining 45 minutes of the second half, let's ignore the result and play our own football. Let's show these Rosenborg boys our football. Let's compete with our hearts without imposing any burdens on ourselves. Guys! Can you do that?"

"We can, coach," most of the players replied. But their expressions were still bleak and listless.

"I didn't hear you," Coach Rémi Garde yelled, causing his voice to echo across the gloomy visitor's dressing room like a thunderclap. "Can you guys go out there and play with all your hearts during the second half? Can you forget about the result and play your own football without imposing any pressure on your shoulders? Answer me!" The coach swept his scorching gaze across the players.

"We can, coach," the players replied, more or less in unison. And that time around, their voices were vibrant, while their expressions showed that they had regained a bit of their fighting spirit.

Coach Rémi Garde nodded while smiling. "Somewhere behind the professional footballers you've become are little, innocent boys who fell in love with football and never looked back while training arduously to achieve their dreams. The hearts of those boys are what matter. So, during the second half, forget everything. Enjoy the game and play for those innocent boys who love the sport with all their hearts. Can you do that, guys?"

"We can, and we will, coach!" That time around, the players replied even with more zest. For sure, they had regained their competitive spirit to a great extent.

Coach Rémi Garde nodded again as a grin outlined his face. "It seems like you understand what to do now," he said. "So, I won't bother with going over the tactics again. Just go out there and enjoy your football. Show the opponents how we do it in Lyon. That's all I have to say." He then marched out of the dressing room as the loud shouts and clapping sounds resounded behind him.

—–

The second half began after the fifteen minutes of halftime. The good news was that the downpour had reduced considerably, leaving behind a slight drizzle with hardly any impact on the players. So, both teams played more aggressively, causing the game to become more intense and heated.

What was even more surprising was the enthusiasm and ferocity of Lyon during the opening stages of the second half. The players in blue became bolder and played beautiful football that wowed even the Rosenborg fans. They abandoned the long balls into the box and started playing a Tiki-taka style, comprising short passes from one end of the pitch to another. As the minutes flashed by, they looked sharper and more threatening while moving forward. Soon, they were threatening Rosenborg's goal with long and mid-range shots that added more pressure on the Rosenborg defense.

Eventually, their efforts paid off in the 71st minute. Jordan Ferri, a Lyon midfielder, picked out Alexandre Lacazette with a well-timed pass through the middle.

The latter controlled the ball at the border of the final third before skipping past Thomas Partey with his second touch. Before any other opponent could close Alexandre down, he squared the ball to Bafétimbi Gomis, his counterpart on striking.

Bafétimbi Gomis brought the ball under control at the edge of the box. He then whirled around and unleashed a hell of a missile towards the goal.

The ball took a deflection off Yerry Mina on its way towards the goal. It swerved and spun faster before homing into the back of the net. The Rosenborg keeper couldn't even react due to the deflection and the power behind the shot.

—–

Rosenborg BK 1 (5) : Olympique Lyonnais 1 (1)

—–

The French giants had finally gotten their first goal in the quarter-final of the Europa League in the 72nd minute. The goal seemed to boost their morale, and their fighting spirit soared into the skies. Within a period of a minute after scoring the first goal, they won the ball back and initiated another attack once again.

Maxime Gonalons, one of the Lyon midfielders, intercepted a loose pass from Mike Jensen in the middle of the pitch. He immediately threaded a pass towards the wing to find Corentin Tolisso, the Lyon wing-back.

Corentin Tolisso controlled the ball nicely close to the touchline on the right flank. He then skipped past a challenge by Takumi Minamino and raced towards the other side of the pitch like a whirlwind. His incredible pace allowed him to step into the final third in only a couple of seconds, and he unleashed a teasing cross without losing a moment.

At the edge of the box, Bafétimbi Gomis, the Lyon striker, pushed off the ground and rose in the air to meet the curling cross. He shrugged off Yerry Mina in a battle of aerial superiority before planting a header towards the goal. But the Lyon striker's effort was sub-par and weak, allowing the Rosenborg keeper to snatch it out of the air without exerting much effort.

Daniel Örlund, the Rosenborg keeper, held the ball close to his chest as he glanced around. He was intending to waste a few seconds before taking the goal kick. But just then, he noticed Zachary waving at him from close to the center circle.

The Rosenborg keeper's eyes narrowed slightly, and his heartbeat quickened as he noticed that only two defenders were keeping an eye on Zachary. Moreover, they were the only players making up the Lyon backline at the centerline.

"A chance!"

Without losing another second, Daniel Örlund raced towards the edge of the box before kicking the ball high and far towards the other side of the pitch. His intent was to play the ball a few yards ahead of Zachary so that he could set the young playmaker on a straight course towards the opponent's goal.

—–

Zachary immediately escaped the harassment of the two Lyon defenders marking him and sprinted forward—towards the position of the descending ball from Daniel Örlund. His long strides covered a distance of more than ten yards in a few seconds, and he got to the ball at the border of the final third before any other player on the field.

But just as Zachary was about to bring the ball under control, he noticed the Lyon keeper racing towards him like a raging mad bull going after a Mexican showman in an arena. It seemed like the keeper intended to sweep the ball before Zachary could get to it.

"Dream on!" Zachary thought to himself.

Heart racing with anticipation, he stretched out his boot to control the descending ball with a simple tap after noticing that the keeper was still half a dozen yards away. His control was as magnificent as ever, and he managed to send it on a curling course a few feet over the head of the approaching keeper.

And then, within anything but an instant, he slowed down and changed his sprinting course abruptly. He circumvented the keeper by a yard or two before chasing after the ball. He got to it in only a matter of seconds and buried it in the back of the empty net to score Rosenborg's second goal for the night.

Report chapter

Chapter 369 Victory and Realization

—–

Rosenborg BK 2 (6) : Olympique Lyonnais 1 (1)

—–

Coach Johansen smiled and nodded in appreciation as he watched Zachary celebrating the goal with his teammates near the corner flag. The boy prodigy had done it again and utilized the single chance perfectly to score Rosenborg's second goal for the night during the 76th minute. As a result, Rosenborg was ahead of Lyon by an aggregate score of five goals with less than twenty minutes remaining to the end of the game. For sure, the team was heading for the semi-finals of the Europa League.

Coach Johansen turned his gaze away from the celebrating players on the pitch before pivoting it onto the substitutes warming up on the sidelines. He'd already decided to make a few substitutions before the game restarted. His intent was to bring in a couple of fresh legs to help his team maintain the lead during the remaining few minutes.

"Kasongo and Ekambi!" The coach said while eyeing the two players. "Hurry up and prepare. I want you on the pitch in less than five minutes."

"Aye, coach," the two players replied in unison. Without further ado, they started donning their match gear in preparation to enter the game.

—–

After roughly a minute, the goal celebrations ended. But just before the referee could blow the whistle to restart the game, Coach Johansen made his first substitutions for the night. He brought on Paul Kasongo for Takumi Minamino and also replaced Nicki Nielsen with Karl Toko Ekambi. After that, the coach settled back on the bench and left the onfield players to do their own thing. He'd already given all the instructions to the two substitutes. So, there wasn't any need for him to remain in the chilling drizzle on the touchline.

—–

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle a few seconds later, and the game continued. For the first time during the game, the Lyon players seemed to have lost all their on-pitch morale. They played half-heartedly and committed a few mistakes as the game entered its closing stages. Eventually, their lackluster attitude cost them, and they gifted Rosenborg another counterattacking opportunity during the 88th minute.

It all started when Arnold Mvuemba, one of the Lyon midfielders, tried to break past Thomas Partey close to the border of Rosenborg's defensive third on the right flank. However, the Rosenborg defensive midfielder slid in swiftly to sweep the ball off the Lyon man's feet with an outstretched boot.

Thomas Partey had timed his tackle perfectly — and as a result, the ball rolled for a few yards before finding its way to Ole Selnæs. The latter brought it under control with a simple touch, and before any opponents could close him down, he unleashed a lofted pass towards the center circle, where Zachary was lurking.

Once again, Zachary immediately took off to meet the ball. However, the Lyon defenders chased after him and harassed him as he tried to connect with the pass from Ole Selnæs. They even pulled at his shirt and ensured that he wouldn't break past them for the third time that night.

Nevertheless, Zachary didn't lose heart while bringing the ball under control. He remained composed and utilized his tall physique to keep off the Lyon defenders. Then, before they could react, he whirled around and executed an improvised version of the Cruyff turn as he tried to leave them in the dust.

However, the two defenders seemed to have already learned their lessons and were hell-bent on stopping him from launching any other counterattacks against them. They sandwiched him from two sides and even spread their arms wide to ensure he wouldn't break through the middle before the other Lyon players fell back into their positions.

"What to do?"

Lightning-fast thoughts whirled around Zachary's mind as he tried to escape the harassment of the two defenders. He considered diving to the ground to force a free kick out of his opponents. But the next moment, he discarded the idea since he was still positioned close to the center circle and a considerable distance away from Lyon's goal. So, even if he won the set piece, he wouldn't be able to convert it. He was in a dilemma.

But just then, Zachary noticed a silhouette in black and white racing along the touchline on the left flank. Even while using his peripheral vision, he immediately figured out that the player who had made the daring off-ball run from Rosenborg's side was Kasongo. And judging by the height of the sprinting player, he couldn't be mistaken.

"Hope this works."

Zachary immediately dribbled the ball back to his own half while utilizing his physique to keep the defenders at bay. After noticing that Kasongo was about to step past the centerline, he executed an abrupt Marseille turn and escaped his opponents' pestering. The next moment, Zachary's incredible spatial awareness picked up an angle opening up. He whirled around and drew his leg back to unleash a raking pass towards the right-wing.

Whoosh!

The pass was on point, and it managed to take the entire Lyon defense out of the equation. It cut a diagonal parabola across the pitch before landing a few yards ahead of the sprinting Kasongo.

The short man didn't even slow down to control the pin-point pass from Zachary. He headed the ball onwards before continuing his mad dash towards the goal. His speed was incredible, and before long, he approached the keeper, who had come out to meet him at the edge of the box.

It was then that Kasongo showed his inexperience as a professional player. The next moment, he seemed to panic and then drew his leg back before blasting the ball towards the goal. Probably, he was hoping to propel it past the keeper with sheer force to score.

However, using pure power without applying technique was a mistake. The shot wasn't well-placed, and in the end, it shelled the approaching keeper's raised arms before rebounding away towards the left edge of the box. Soon, it bounced twice and headed out of play for a corner kick.

—–

"Damn!"

Coach Johansen's eyes widened as he placed his hands on the back of his head. He couldn't believe that Kasongo had missed the goal when he was one-on-one with the keeper. The situation on the pitch shocked the coach, especially since he'd already gotten used to Zachary's deeds of converting every chance that came Rosenborg's way.

Additionally, Kasongo's missed opportunity reminded him about his team's weakness. And then, he started to seriously consider how his players would fare against opponents who could manage to contain Zachary.

For instance, what would happen if a foe ignored all the other players and focused only on Zachary? Would the other players rise to the occasion and score? Would his team still win games easily?

Coach Johansen's back broke out in cold sweat as he considered the possibilities. A frown outlined his face as he continued following the game's closing stages. He couldn't feel at ease even after the referee blew the final whistle and confirmed Rosenborg's 6:1 aggregate victory over Lyon a few minutes later. He was in a somber mood, especially after realizing a problem that Rosenborg might have to face in the near future. He had to train the rest of his players to become effective on the attack, or else his team would be in deep shit if an opponent ever figured out how to contain Zachary.

Report chapter

Chapter 370 Pending Missions

When Zachary's eyelids fluttered open the following morning, he immediately had a feeling that he had overslept. By reflex, he glanced around and noticed that the soft white-gold light rays of the new day were already seeping into his room through the gaps between the curtains, blanketing his bedroom window. But he still couldn't confirm the exact time. So, he scooped up his phone from the bedside table before glancing at the screen. And as expected, it was already 10:00 AM.

"Damn! How could I sleep for almost ten hours?"

Zachary jumped out of bed with a start, intending to wash his face before going through his customary daily yoga routine. But, just after taking the first step away from his bed, he felt his limbs and muscles weighing him down. It was as if his vessels and organs were full of lead instead of blood — a condition that caused him to experience a discomfiting numbness all over his body. He was even struggling to walk a few meters to the bathroom.

"This isn't normal!"

Zachary's eyes narrowed. He was sure that he hadn't over-exerted himself the previous night since he'd played as a striker, whose only role was to wait for opportunities to score. As a result, he wasn't that exhausted even after the referee blew the final whistle. He'd even run a couple of laps around the pitch to celebrate Rosenborg's overwhelming victory against Lyon after the game.

"Could it be due to playing in the cold rain?"

Zachary mused as he continued to stretch there in front of his bed. He performed a set of dynamic stretches, from the upper to the lower body, as the scenes from the previous night replayed within his mind.

The chilling downpour had been a menace during the game. But Zachary had forced himself to ignore the unfavorable conditions and only focused on the game. Eventually, he'd performed well and scored two more goals against Lyon during the second leg fixture. But, it seemed that all the running and sprinting in the rain had worn him out considerably. And that's why he was lacking energy and feeling pretty weak that morning.

"It has to be the rain." Zachary thought as he smoothly transitioned from the dynamic stretches to performing yoga poses. He began with the 'Downward Facing Dog' posture to bring calmness to his nervous system and also stretch his hamstrings and calves. He held the pose for a couple of minutes before switching to the 'Half-Front Splits' posture to open his hamstrings while easing the tightness caused by the intense running on the field the previous night.

Over the following few minutes, he switched to different poses, intending to boost his post-match recovery. He was a hundred percent immersed in his exercises, and before long, he felt the numbness that had been bogging down his body fading away. Soon, beads of sweat matted his forehead as he held the poses for longer and longer periods of time. But he persisted through the routine until he completed all the required poses for the yoga routine about an hour later.

By then, his body was no longer feeling weak. He cast his worries aside and quickly took a shower before feasting on a heavy and balanced breakfast. He enjoyed some bananas, fresh milk, cereal, and juice until he felt full and satiated.

Since Rosenborg had played an intensive match the previous night, the coach had given all the players a day off from training that Friday. Zachary wasn't in a rush to go anywhere that morning. He settled on one of the comfy couches in the living room before summoning the system interface.

The translucent crystal-like display appeared before his vision the next moment. And without further ado, he quickly navigated to the G.O.A.T missions' page to check out the details of the pending missions from the system.

Two weeks ago, right after Coach Johansen had announced the season's squad for the Tippeligaen, a new mission had appeared on the interface. It was a system mission requiring Zachary to help his team, Rosenborg, win the 2014 Norwegian domestic league trophy. But since Zachary wasn't sure that he would be playing for the Trondheim-based club for the entirety of 2014, he had chosen to delay his decision regarding the mission. He'd neither chosen to reject nor accept the system assignment since there was a possibility of him transferring out of Rosenborg during the upcoming European transfer window, between June and the start of September.

A few days ago, Emily had given him the long-awaited confirmation that several top clubs were interested in him. Teams like Juventus, Manchester United, and Tottenham were already chasing after his signature. Additionally, Paris Saint-Germain, the prestigious French club, had also just joined the race to acquire his services for the following season. So, he had a lot of options to choose from if he wished to transfer. As a result, there wasn't any need for him to dilly-dally before making the decision regarding the system's 2014 Tippeligaen serial challenge.

"System!" He mumbled, leaning back into the sofa. "I would like to reject the 2014 Tippeligaen Serial Challenge immediately."

"Ding"

A low chime rang within Zachary's head.

"Command received," the system AI's apathetic voice soon followed. "The user has chosen to reject the 2014 Tippeligaen serial challenge. The system will immediately remove all the mission details from the interface."

Zachary breathed out deeply as he turned his gaze to the only remaining pending mission on the interface. He immediately clicked on it before starting to peruse through its details.

—-

G.O.A.T MISSIONS

—-

#PENDING MISSION: 2013/14 Europa League Serial Challenge

-The user has already accepted the mission and will receive the respective rewards after the end of the tournament.

—-

Milestone 1: Play over 80% of the fixtures in the 2013/14 Europa League tournament for Rosenborg (Pending).

Milestone 2: Help Rosenborg qualify for the round of sixteen of the 2013/14 Europa League tournament (Completed).

Milestone 3: Help Rosenborg qualify for the quarter-finals of the 2013/14 Europa League tournament (Completed).

Milestone 4: Help Rosenborg qualify for the semi-finals of the 2013/14 Europa League tournament (Completed).

Milestone 5: Help Rosenborg qualify for the finals of the 2013/14 Europa League tournament (Pending).

Milestone 6: Help Rosenborg become the overall champions of the 2013/14 Europa League Tournament (Pending).

Milestone 7: Provide the most assists in the 2013/14 Europa League tournament while playing for Rosenborg (Pending).

Milestone 8: Become the top scorer of the 2013/14 Europa League Tournament while playing for Rosenborg (Pending).

Milestone 9: Become the Best Player of the 2013/14 Europa League Tournament while playing for Rosenborg (Pending).

—-

Rewards:

-Milestone 1 completion reward: 2,000 Juju points (Pending).

-Milestone 2 completion reward: 5,000 Juju points (Achieved).

-Milestone 3 completion reward: 30,000 Juju points (Achieved).

-Milestone 4 completion reward: 50,000 Juju points (Achieved).

-Milestone 5 completion reward: 100,000 Juju Points (Pending)

-Milestone 6 completion reward: A dosage of S-grade vitality enhancing elixir (Pending).

-Milestone 7 completion reward: 20,000 Juju-points (Pending).

-Milestone 8 completion reward: 40,000 Juju-points (Pending).

-Milestone 9 completion reward: A dosage of S-grade mental conditioning elixir (Pending).

—-

NB: There will be additional rewards if the user realizes hidden milestones that can unlock hidden missions.

—-

-The user has already accepted the mission and completed some of the milestones. The respective rewards will be given out at the end of the tournament.

—-

Punishment if none of the milestones has been achieved after the stipulated time.

-Minus 120,000 Juju-points

The user has to complete at least one milestone before the tournament ends to escape the penalty.

—-

Remarks: Only by imagining, believing, and attempting the impossible can one accomplish the impossible. Moreover, the word impossible should never appear in the vocabulary of any footballer vying for the position of the G.O.A.T.

Zachary smiled with glee after reading through the mission details. He'd already gained plenty of Juju points by helping Rosenborg qualify for the semi-finals of the Europa League after beating Lyon. He could hardly contain his delight.

Moreover, if his team could continue performing well and, by chance, win the Europa League finals, he would acquire a dosage of S-grade vitality-enhancing-elixir as the milestone completion reward from the system. By relying on the elixir, he would be able to push his body fitness to unbelievable levels, the likes that could compete with some of the best footballers of the generation.

Additionally, there was a mouth-watering system reward for becoming the best player for the 2013/14 Europa League tournament. If Zachary could achieve the milestone, he would win himself an S-grade mental conditioning elixir, which would help him elevate his cognitive abilities to the S-grading. Thus, Zachary really hoped that his team could win the Europa League so that he could obtain all those rewards from the system.

"Let's take things slowly," he thought as he dismissed the system interface. "Next, we'll play in the semi-finals against Benfica. As long as we defeat them, then we're in the finals. We can then fight for the trophy with everything in our arsenal."

A smile outlined Zachary's face as he stood up, intending to switch on the television so that he could watch the morning sports news. But just then, he felt feverish and out of energy once again. His temples throbbed, and he felt like standing was a tasking chore. He even had to hold on to the sofa to support himself.

For a moment, Zachary felt a bit alarmed by his abnormal condition. But after recollecting how he'd run for more than ninety minutes in the chilling rain the previous night, he pushed his worries to the back of his mind.

He presumed that the post-match fatigue was still weighing him down. But even then, he still decided to sleep for a few more hours, hoping to quicken his post-match recovery.

He trekked into his bedroom with unsteady steps before diving under the covers. A couple of minutes later, he felt even more fatigued, and his thoughts slowed down until he started sinking into slumberland. His only hope at that juncture was that his body would return back to normal after he woke up. That way, he would be able to train a little bit more and make adequate preparations for the upcoming matches.

Report chapter

---

Read The Greatest of all Time Chapter 371 Sickness online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 371 Sickness

Zachary forgot everything else after sinking into slumberland. Weird and messy visions coursed through his consciousness as he turned and tossed under the covers. Then, his mind seemed to gain clarity, and he dreamt about the ghostly phantom he'd chanced upon just after his rebirth.

The man-shaped apparition slowly and steadily grew more vivid within his mind's eye. It was just as he remembered, with a prominent silvery ragged line across its neck and charcoal black skin. Its tattered regal attire and the crown of leaves and grass on its head matched well with its bottomless soulless eyes to bring out a creepy savageness from within its hazy form.

"Eh! What the hell!"

The next moment, Zachary's entire psyche stretched taut with tension as he felt the phantom's gaze land upon him. It smiled creepily, and its chapped lips moved just a bit, seemingly as if it was about to communicate something verbally. But just then, a loud ringing sound resounded within Zachary's mind and shattered the weird illusion.

The bizarre visions faded quickly, and Zachary woke up with a start. The first thing his foggy mind registered was the loud ringing of the doorbell that was constantly resounding across his entire apartment. The sound was sharp and jarring to his ears, causing him to frown with discomfort.

Zachary stepped out of bed and slowly trekked toward his living room while still in a daze. He labored a bit on unsteady strides and finally made it to the front door. Without even bothering to check who was behind it, he immediately pulled it open in one swift motion.

"Zachary!" A familiar voice registered in his ears as he focused on the slender silhouette standing before his door. "Are you okay? Why aren't you picking up your phone?"

"Kristin!" Zachary exclaimed, trying to shake off his dazed state. He was startled to see his long-time neighbor and publicity secretary at the door. "Is anything the matter?"

Kristin glanced at him as a tinge of worry flickered across her eyes. "Are you okay?" She asked. "Emily, Coach Bjørn Peters, and a few others have tried to contact you many times today? But you didn't pick up your phone even once. So, in the end, Emily sent me here to check on you."

"Many people have been trying to call me!" Zachary's eyes narrowed slightly. "What time is it now?"

"6:23 PM," Kristin replied.

"What!?" Zachary's eyes widened. He was even more alarmed. The whole situation was strange as he'd only napped for a seemingly short while. "How could I sleep for the entire day?"

Zachary opened his lips, about to ask a few more questions. But just then, he felt an intense dizzy sensation impact his mind. His strong legs seemed to be filled with jelly for a moment, and he found it hard to maintain his standing posture.

"I think I might be sick," Zachary said to Kristin as he supported himself on the doorframe. "I woke up feeling very weak today morning. Then, I decided to sleep, and that's why I didn't hear my phone ringing."

"You're sick?" Kristin asked, her eyes narrowing. "Or could it be the exhaustion from yesterday's game?"

"I have never felt this week after any game. So, I'm pretty sure that I'm ill."

Zachary sighed dejectedly and flexed his biceps. He had been looking forward to continuing his intensive training the following day. But it seemed his health had betrayed him.

"Sorry to hear about your condition," Kristin said after observing him for a few more seconds. "I'm sure that you'll get well soon. Let me call Emily first so that she can organize your treatment right away."

"Thank you, Kristin," Zachary said, forcing a smile.

"You're welcome," she said while fishing out her phone from her jumper pocket. "But don't stay on your feet when you're sick. Just settle or lie down somewhere comfortable while I call Emily. I don't want you to collapse and hurt yourself before the medics get here."

"Okay, thanks again," Zachary said and nodded at Kristin before turning around and returning to his living room.

—–

Zachary was surprised by Emily's efficiency that evening. She was quick to organize an ambulance, and before long, Zachary arrived at St. Olav's hospital, where he received appreciable care from the medics there. They diagnosed his condition and quickly took blood tests to determine whether he'd caught a grave illness.

But in the end, they figured out that it was just a common cold that had aggravated his post-match fatigue and weighed him down considerably. Nonetheless, the doctors still insisted that he stay at the hospital for observation due to his severe symptoms. They assigned him a bed in the private ward before putting him under IV drip therapy and a few other common cold medications.

About thirty minutes later, when the clock hand was just about to point to the 9:15 PM mark, the effect of the drugs kicked in, and Zachary felt his thoughts slowing down. Before long, he drifted off into slumberland and forgot everything else.

He was out of touch with reality for a seemingly long time before regaining his usual mental faculties. When he finally came to and opened his eyes again, it was already the following morning. Golden sun rays seeped into the hospital room through the enormous window on the opposite wall to illuminate his pale face, and he smiled as his spirit brightened. Even while lying down, he could still feel that his condition had greatly improved after a night of rest.

He glanced around, trying to acclimatize himself to his surroundings, and that's when he noticed Camilla sitting by his hospital bed. She appeared a bit worn out, seemingly as if she had last slept a few days ago. But that didn't stop her from looking as charming as ever, especially in her fitting denim jeans and a cardigan sweater that matched the green color of her eyes.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said, looking at him tenderly. "How're you feeling?"

"Good morning, Camilla," he replied, smiling back at her. "I think I feel great. When did you arrive?"

"Yesterday night, at around 10:30 PM," she replied. "But by then, you were already asleep. So, I didn't try to wake you."

Zachary smiled, feeling a warm sensation swelling up within him. "Thanks for being there for me."

"There's no need for thanks as that's what I should do," she said. "As your girlfriend, I should always be there for you during trying times. Isn't that the way it should be?"

"I think so," Zachary said a bit uncertainly as he wasn't sure where she was heading with the train of conversation.

Camilla smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Actually," she said, "I was a bit hurt after realizing that I only managed to learn about your condition after you had already spent more than an hour in the hospital. And then when I first saw you lying on the hospital bed yesternight, I regretted not being there for you much sooner. But now, after seeing you wake up, all my gloominess has been swept away. I'm really delighted that you've gotten better."

"Thank you," Zachary said. "Do you know what time it is?'

"Just a moment." Camilla extended her hand and picked up her handbag from the chair next to hers. She quickly fished her phone from the bag and glanced at the screen. "Five minutes remaining to 9:00 AM," she said.

"That late!" Zachary exclaimed. He was surprised that a simple common cold had forced him to sleep for more than twenty hours.

"You shouldn't worry about anything else," Camilla advised. "Your agent mentioned that she has already informed your coaches about your condition. You only need to focus on recovering for the moment."

Zachary nodded and closed his still weary eyes. His mind immediately started going over the previous day's events, and then he recalled how he'd dreamt about the ghostly phantom for the first time ever.

The escapade had creeped him out considerably even in his dreams, and he'd only managed to forget about it after his mind sunk further into a dazed state. But after his condition improved and he gained clarity that morning, the whole train of events manifested in his mind again. He thought about the dream for a few minutes, but in the end, he discarded it as just another weird episode of his life.

He opened his eyes, and his spirits brightened once again. He immediately resumed his conversation with Camilla, and they continued discussing many issues, big and small. They only concluded their talk when Emily arrived roughly thirty minutes later.

"Zachary," Camilla said after exchanging greetings with Emily. "I have to go now as I have a crucial meeting at work, which I can't miss. So, I'll see you later in the evening." She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek before stepping away.

Zachary smiled. "Enjoy your day. And please hurry up and go. I don't want you to miss your meeting because of me."

"Okay then," she replied, smiling back. "See you again in the evening. Ensure to rest so that you can recover faster. And don't run off to train somewhere in secret."

Zachary chuckled. "Don't worry. I plan to rest for the whole day since I also wish to recover faster."

"Great," Camilla said and then nodded at Emily. Without saying anything else, she picked up her bag and made her way out of the room.

Report chapter

Chapter 372 Desire for Playing Time

There were a few seconds of silence in the hospital room after Camilla stepped out of the room. Then Emily turned her gaze from the tightly shut door before eyeing Zachary. "Your girlfriend is a true beauty," she said.

"Yes, she is quite gorgeous," Zachary agreed with a smile. "Thanks for organizing treatment for me yesterday, by the way. My condition might have worsened if you hadn't sent Kristin to check on me."

"Don't mention it," Emily said with a smile as she settled on one of the seats by his bedside. "Taking care of my client is my duty. Otherwise, how would I be able to make money when you're sick?"

Zachary chuckled while turning slightly to make himself more comfortable on the pillow. "I have been meaning to ask: How far with the process to acquire a Schengen visa for my grandma? Have you managed to make any progress?"

"I have already started the application process," she said. "If all goes as planned, your grandma should have a Norwegian residence card within a month. The card will allow her to gain permission to enter all European countries, except the UK, of course."

Zachary smiled. "Thanks a lot," he said. "The doctors also said they would discharge her from the rehabilitation center in about a month's time. If we have already obtained the residence card by that time, we can quickly transfer her to Norway."

"Don't worry," Emily said. "I'll do my best to ensure that she gets the residence card within the fastest time possible. As for you, you should only focus on getting well at the moment. Don't strain yourself thinking about other issues during the next few days."

"I think I'm already getting better," Zachary said, shifting slightly on the bed. "I'll probably be able to leave the hospital tomorrow morning."

"That isn't a good idea," Emily said with a sigh. "You should rest for the next five to seven days and ensure that you've totally recovered before returning to your usual routine. I have already discussed this with Coach Johansen, and he totally agrees with me on this point. He's the one who even insisted that you take a week off from football. So, you don't need to worry that he will fault you for missing training over the next seven days."

"A week away from football!" Zachary raised a brow. "Isn't that too much and totally unnecessary?"

"Not according to the doctors," Emily said. "The medics are the ones who advised the coach to let you take seven days off football. They insisted that the time is needed for your body to go through a complete recovery."

"A whole seven days!" Zachary mumbled dejectedly. "That's quite a long time away from football."

—–

Due to the insistence of his coaches and agent, Zachary ended up spending two more days in the hospital. He even watched Rosenborg's Tippeligaen game against Odds BK on a computer within his hospital room. Fortunately, his absence seemed not to have impacted the team, and Rosenborg managed to defeat the opponents by a score of 2:0, curtsey of goals from Karl Toko Ekambi and Nicki Nielsen.

After watching the game against Odds BK, Zachary's legs and feet felt itchy. An intense hunger to play competitive football blossomed within his mind, and he put his foot down and insisted that he wished to return to training as soon as possible.

Due to his unwavering attitude, the doctors, coaches, and Emily all compromised and permitted him to leave the hospital the following day. But they also made him promise to take it easy over the next few days by following a light training regimen.

Zachary, of course, agreed and left the hospital the following morning. He was finally free again, and so he recommenced his training immediately. He could not afford to waste any time since he was a man with lofty goals.

Zachary followed the doctors' instructions over the next few days and didn't perform strenuous exercises. He kept his training simple and went through only yoga routines and light conditioning drills with the sole and primary aim of maintaining his match fitness.

The days flashed by fast as he trained alone, and the remnant adverse effects of his illness soon vanished from his body. He was as strong as a wild ox and as fit as a fiddle again. So, he started going through intensive workouts in preparation for Rosenborg's next domestic match against FK Bodø/Glimt. He even took part in the last two team training sessions conducted by his coaches on Thursday and Friday.

But even after exerting all his efforts to attain match fitness, Coach Johansen still left Zachary out of the squad heading to Bodø Municipality for the Saturday game. The coach summoned him after the training on Friday and explained that he needed to reserve all his energy for the Europa League semi-final against Benfica the following Thursday. As for the match against FK Bodø/Glimt, the coach mentioned that he didn't need to care about it as Rosenborg would be able to win with only a few first-team players.

Zachary didn't complain since he understood the coach's intentions. The only issue that made him uncomfortable was losing out on match bonuses that could amount to a few million Norwegian Kroners. But for the big picture — for the team's good, he still hardened himself and snuffed out the slight feeling of discontent that was threatening to blossom within him.

—–

The next evening.

"A man has got to sacrifice for the greater picture," Zachary thought as he settled down to watch Rosenborg's Saturday game against FK Bodø/Glimt with Camilla in his living room. He would be lying if he said that he didn't desire to be on the pitch with his teammates in the Aspmyra Stadion located in Bodø.

He yearned to participate in the game, to feel the intense thrill of taking on opponents with all his heart. But at the same time, he also understood that he needed to reserve his energy for the Europa League semi-final. So, he breathed out deeply to relax before putting his arm around Camilla's and starting to follow the game on the screen.

The game proceeded as expected. Even at an away ground, the Rosenborg team, comprising players like Yerry Mina, Takumi Minamino, and Thomas Partey, dominated FK Bodø/Glimt from the first minute. The Troll Kids arrayed themselves in a 4-3-3 formation and utilized a mixture of wing play, counter-pressing, and counterattacking tactics to dictate the tempo.

Eventually, the floodgates opened, and Ole Selnæs unleashed a missile of a shot from outside the 18-yard box to score Rosenborg's first goal during the 34th minute. Ten minutes later, during the 44th minute, Rosenborg found the back of the net once again after John Chibuike perfectly connected with a cross from Karl Toko Ekambi.

And finally, in the 84th minute, during the late stages of the second half, Paul Kasongo got to the end of a through-pass from Takumi Minamino to score Rosenborg's third goal for the evening. After that, there were no more goals in the game, and Rosenborg BK managed to defeat FK Bodø/Glimt by three goals to nil, even while playing away from home and without Zachary.

The win had taken Rosenborg to the top of the Tippeligaen table with four wins equating to twelve points from four matches. On the other hand, Strømsgodset, the second team on the table, had only ten points, while Molde, the third team, had only nine points from the same number of games.

It was a dream start of the season for team Rosenborg — a feat that caused Zachary's heart to go on a wild caper within his chest. He really enjoyed and prided himself in being part of a team on a winning streak. He was already swelling with the team spirit, and the sentiment prompted him to desire to give his best when he faced Benfica in Lisbon, Portugal, the following Thursday.

Report chapter

Chapter 373 Eve of the Europa League Semi-Final

After Rosenborg's domestic game against FK Bodø/Glimt, Zachary and his teammates started preparing for the Europa League semi-final match against Sport Lisboa e Benfica. They trained arduously over the next few days with the intent to improve their match fitness and to also master the tactics for the game. The team training covered all the essential areas of any typical football match, including physical conditioning, passing, off-ball movements, plus zonal and man-marking strategies.

Coach Johansen even went further and compelled the players to practice their penalty-taking techniques on a daily basis. He would summon them and have them take dozens of penalties against the Rosenborg keepers during the evenings. He would then end the day's training by giving lectures about theories covering effective shooting techniques.

The Rosenborg schedule became packed, and all the players, including Zachary, became busier. The days flashed by quickly, and eventually, Wednesday morning arrived. The players, who had made Coach Johansen's squad, boarded a KLM Airlines flight from Trondheim to Lisbon.

The plane had only a single stopover in Amsterdam, and six hours later, at around noon, it touched down on the runway of the Humberto Delgado Airport. The Rosenborg players and staff avoided all the fanfare within the airport's hallways and collected their luggage. Before long, they exited the airport and boarded the team bus to their hotel.

Since their hotel was close to the airport, the traveling time on the team bus was brief. In around 15 minutes, the driver rounded a corner and pulled up in front of the grand Lisbon Marriott Hotel.

The players and staff alighted from the bus and picked up their luggage before stepping into the hotel. Under the guidance of a group of dedicated hotel staff, they soon checked into their hotel rooms. After unpacking and settling in, they headed to the hotel's restaurant for lunch.

"The meal is surprisingly good," Mikael Dorsin said after tasting his braised pork chops. He was at the same table with Zachary, Nicki, Eric Bailly, Thomas Partey, and Kasongo. "I should visit Lisbon more often to enjoy this delicious food." He smiled as he swallowed down another piece of meat.

Nicki Nielsen glanced up from his plate filled with tofu lettuce wraps. "Mikael!" he said. "Be careful not to overeat. We don't want you to underperform tomorrow evening."

"Says the man enjoying a vegetarian meal before the game," Mikael countered. "Aren't you worried that you'll lack stamina tomorrow evening?"

"Guys!" Zachary interrupted before Nicki could reply. "Do you know the program for the afternoon?"

Mikael nodded and said, "The coach has already informed me that we won't have any training today. A fraction of us will instead utilize the time to survey the stadium. On the other hand, you and Coach Johansen will stay at the hotel to attend the pre-match press conference."

"I have to attend the press conference!?" Zachary narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the assistant captain. "Coach Johansen can manage by himself. Why do I have to go?"

Mikael sighed and placed his table knife and fork down. "Over the past few days, there have been rumors that you're very ill. These rumors have caused our fans to become agitated as the Europa League semis draw near. So, I'm guessing that the coach wants you to be at the press conference so that you can clear up those rumors."

"I see," Zachary said as he sunk his table knife and fork into his steak. He diced a piece and placed it in his mouth to appreciate the taste and rich flavors of the meat before swallowing it down.

Ever since turning pro, Zachary had always endeavored to eat well before any game. That time was no different as he had a tray filled with various types of food before him. Vitamin-rich vegetables, carbohydrate-rich foods like bread, and protein-rich meat dishes were all part of his diet. He was going the extra mile to ensure that he would have enough energy stored for tomorrow's game.

—–

As planned, the Rosenborg delegation split into two groups after lunch. The larger batch, comprising most players and staff, headed to the Estádio da Luz to survey and familiarize themselves with the stadium venue for their game against Benfica the following day. On the other hand, the small cluster, comprising just Zachary and Coach Johansen, remained at the hotel to undertake the pre-match press conference duties.

"Welcome to Lisbon, team Rosenborg," a female journalist said after Zachary and Coach Johansen settled down in a relatively large conference room at the hotel. "My first question is to Coach Johansen. Can you tell us about the team's current status? Are all the players in good health?"

Coach Johansen smiled at the reporter. "Except for Tobias, who received an injury a few weeks back, all the other players on the team are in great shape. Their match fitness is exceptional, and they're ready to give their all in tomorrow's game."

"What is your take on Benfica?" The same reporter asked after jostling down a few notes in her notebook. "Do you think you can defeat Benfica and qualify for this year's Europa League finals?"

"Benfica is a great team with great history, especially in Portugal," Coach Johansen said. "The Benfica players are also in great shape as they have already defeated Tottenham and AZ Alkmaar on their way to the Europa League semi-finals. However, I still believe that we can overcome them. Our results during this Europa League campaign speak for themselves. We've already defeated strong teams like Juventus, Fiorentina, and Lyon. We're ready to do the same during the semi-finals, and we'll only be playing for a win and nothing else."

"I have a question for Zachary Bemba," another reporter chimed in. "Zachary! There have been rumors that you have been seriously ill over the previous two weeks. Many Rosenborg fans were even worried that you might miss today's game due to illness. Are these rumors correct?"

Zachary smiled. "As you can all see," he said, "I'm in good health and here in Lisbon to play the match against Benfica. I was indeed suffering from a common cold some days back. But I recovered and returned to training on time. I'm now in good health and ready to perform as usual during tomorrow's game."

The same reporter smiled. "Another query," he said. "I have been looking at your stats for this Europa League campaign, and they are just incredible. You've already surpassed Radamel Falcao's 2010-11 goal-scoring record of seventeen goals by netting nineteen goals for Rosenborg in the Europa League this season. How do you feel about breaking this record as you head into tomorrow's semi-final? Do you think breaking the record will motivate you to perform better?"

Zachary smiled. "First of all, I would like to clarify that I previously didn't know that the record number of goals ever scored in a single Europa League season was seventeen before this year. So, I was definitely not playing with the intent to break the record. Of course, I feel happy to break records. But that isn't my focus during any match. Since football is a game of eleven, my only aim will always be to play in a way that can help my team achieve victory."

Jorge Jesus, the head coach of Benfica, yearned to win a double that season. He was already five points ahead of the second-placed Sporting CP and only needed three more to win the domestic league. So, if Benfica could win the Europa League, the coach would achieve his wish and end the season on a high note. But before thinking about the final or the trophy, he had to find a way to defeat the dark horses – Rosenborg first. Otherwise, all his wishes would remain pipe dreams.

Coach Jorge Jesus met up with his players in the tactics room that evening. As usual, he spent time analyzing the opponents' weaknesses for the first half an hour before diving into the actual tactics of the game.

"By now, you should all be aware that Rosenborg is a team that relies on counterattacking tactics to score goals in the Europa League." He spoke in Portuguese as he began pacing around the room. "The Rosenborg players spend most of the time defending, and when you relax, even a bit, they hit you on the counter. So, to deal with them, we'll have to find ways to render those counters useless. And the only way to do that is by imitating them and playing a defensive game while also containing Zachary Bemba, their playmaker."

"I repeat," the coach continued, "the most crucial task for us is to mark Zachary and prevent him from scoring during the match. As long as we guard against Zachary, all Rosenborg's counterattacking strategies will become useless since the clinical abilities of their other players are just subpar. I believe that after taking him out of the equation, Rosenborg will become just another team from the lower tier leagues of Europe. We'll then defeat them by relying on our tactics and superior skills."

"But we all need to know that the million-dollar question that'll enable us to win this game is how to contain Zachary? We all know that we need to stop him. But the tricky part is: can we actually stop him? I'm pretty sure that Lyon wanted to prevent him from scoring. But in the end, he scored six goals against them. The same applies to previous teams like Juventus and Fiorentina. They all knew how to stop Rosenborg but failed due to Zachary's presence on the pitch."

"So, guys," he continued in Portuguese, "What can we do differently to ensure that the same thing that happened to Lyon, Juventus, and Fiorentina doesn't happen to us? The answer is simple. We should not let Zachary receive the ball in the first place. We need to utilize zonal marking to limit his movements and time on the ball. We also need to harass him constantly to stop him from settling down in midfield."

"André, Rúben, and Pérez: this task will fall upon you, our three central midfielders. You only need to form defensive triangles around him throughout the entire game so that we discourage his teammates from passing to him. And if they do pass to him, we need to close him down fast and stop him long before he reaches the box. I don't care what you three have to do. You can even pull his shirt or foul him. But I don't want to see him making runs into our box. Is that clear?" He focused his scorching gaze on the three midfielders.

"We understand, coach," the three replied almost in chorus.

"Excellent," Coach Jorge Jesus said. He was confident that his team was ready to face off against the dark horses. And if luck was on his side, he should be able to frustrate them defensively in the same way they had frustrated their opponents during the previous stages of the Europa League. So, the coach only assigned a few more roles to the rest of his players before ending the tactical meeting about thirty minutes later.

Report chapter

Chapter 374 A Tricky Game

Thursday, April 24, 2014.

Estádio da Luz, SL. Benfica's Home Ground, Lisbon, Portugal.

Time: 9:00 PM.

—–

The cheers hit a crescendo as players of both teams marched onto the pitch, ready to commence their long-awaited Europa League semi-final battle. The Benfica players were in their red and white home colors, while the Rosenborg squad had donned their all-black away jersey. They all looked dapper as they lined up in front of the tunnel before going through the customary handshake ceremony.

The proceedings moved forward quite fast, and in only a few minutes, the players started taking up their positions on the pitch. And when the clock hand was pointing to the 9:05 PM mark, the referee had already conducted the coin toss. He positioned himself close to the center circle and glanced at his watch as a rare wave of silence swept through the stands of the Estádio da Luz.

FWEEEEEEE*

The next moment, the kick-off whistle echoed, and the fans became wild and frantic as they chanted the names of their respective teams at the top of their lungs. Soon, the voices of the more than 55,000 people in the stands of the Estádio da Luz blended into a chaotic thunderous symphony that shook the entire stadium. Over the next few seconds, it was as if the stadium was experiencing a mild earthquake due to the sheer magnitude of the noise.

On the pitch: the game was already underway, and it was Benfica, the home side, with the ball. The players in red and white had arrayed themselves into a 4-2-3-1 formation that revealed their intent to defend. They utilized a tedious style of play, whereby the defenders and defensive midfielders passed the ball unhurriedly in the backfield, from one end of the pitch to the other, without advancing to attack. It was as if they were daring the Rosenborg players to step forward into their defensive third to win the ball from them if they could.

The Rosenborg players seemed to grow impatient after not seeing much of the ball during the first ten minutes. They soon broke out of their ultra-defensive 4-5-1 shape and streamed forward with the intent to high-press and quickly win the ball from the 'unmotivated' Benfica players.

But just as the Rosenborg players were beginning to high-press, a swift change occurred on the pitch. Ezequiel Garay, the Benfica center-back who had the ball at the moment, unleashed a superb long pass to the other end of the pitch before any opponents could close him down. His vision was on point, and he managed to pick out Miralem Sulejmani, Benfica's left-winger.

Miralem Sulejmani controlled the ball close to the touchline on the left flank. He then pivoted around to escape the harassment of Karl Toko Ekambi before exploding with speed towards the other side of the pitch. Before any other opponent could close him down, he unleashed a curling cross towards the edge of the box from around the border of the final third.

Óscar Cardozo, the Benfica center forward, leaped high to meet the incoming cross from around the arc of the eighteen-yard box. He shrugged off Tore Reginiussen in a battle of aerial superiority and perfectly connected with the cross from his teammate. He chested the ball to the ground and then squared a pass to Rodrigo Moreno Machado, Benfica's right-winger.

Rodrigo controlled the ball mid-sprint at the right edge of the box. Without losing composure, he dashed into Rosenborg's box like the wind before expertly looping the ball over the keeper to score Benfica's first goal during the 12th minute.

"Oh, my goodness me!" The commentator's voice reverberated across the stadium as Rodrigo sprinted towards the corner flag to celebrate. "Benfica has caught Rosenborg napping to score the first goal in the 12th minute. All the Rosenborg players, including their playmaker – Zachary Bemba, couldn't stop the goal due to the swift change of play from defense to attack. Oh my, my! The fairy tale of the underdogs in the Europa League might end today night."

—–

"Damn," Coach Johansen cursed as he watched the Benfica players celebrating the goal. The goal had really shocked and shaken him to the core as it had come out of the blue. He was not in the best of moods since his team was already a goal down even before his players could get used to the away atmosphere in Lisbon and settle down in the game. The situation was really dire.

"How do we get back into the game?"

Coach Johansen's thoughts were all over the place. He had a feeling that the game that evening would be a tricky one, especially if he didn't come up with a way to boost the morale of his players. He even feared that his team might concede more goals before halftime if his players remained panicky and unsettled on the pitch. So, he had to take action immediately to prevent the game situation from turning much worse.

"Guys!" He shouted at the top of his voice as he walked towards the touchline. "Don't let the goal bring you down. We still have more than 85 minutes of game time remaining. As long as we utilize the time well and stick to our game plan, we'll manage to score before the final whistle. So, please don't lose your confidence and morale."

"Zachary!" Coach Johansen continued. "Their three central midfielders have already created a defensive zone around you in midfield. You have to start making runs into or through the wings to escape their net. Otherwise, your teammates won't be able to evade their blockade and pass to you. Nicki! We need more energy from you on the striking line. Try to apply more pressure on those center backs and prevent them from making easy passes in the backfield…"

The coach continued hollering out instructions at the pace of a machine gun for roughly a minute. His objective was to ensure that his team regained both morale and confidence before the restart of the game.

—–

The game restarted after the goal celebrations, and team Benfica played more defensively, without launching any attack during the following ten minutes. They seemed satisfied with the one goal and exerted more effort to solidify their ultra-defensive tactics. They obviously wanted to snuff out even the remotest of possibilities of Rosenborg scoring a goal.

"This match is tricky," Zachary thought as he analyzed Benfica's strategy after the ball had moved out of play for a throw-in. "We might not be able to use counterattacking football in this game since the opponents are turtling up in defense. Truly problematic!"

Zachary's frown deepened. Before the game, he'd learned from the coaches that Benfica was a team that often utilized high-intensity attacking football to dominate their opponents. The Portuguese side usually employed a 4-1-3-2 formation to overwhelm the opposing teams with a never-ending stream of attacks.

But contrary to Zachary's and everyone else's expectations, the Portuguese giants had totally altered their football philosophy to 'park the bus' with a defensive 4-2-3-1 formation. Their ultra-defensive gameplan had caught Rosenborg off guard and rendered Coach Johansen's counterattacking tactics useless. As a result, Rosenborg had to revise its game strategy since there wasn't a way to counterattack a team that only focused on defending and not conceding a goal.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle and motioned for team Benfica to take their throw-in. Maximiliano Pereira, the right-back, immediately raced forward before planting his feet on the touchline and throwing the ball towards Enzo Pérez, one of Benfica's two defensive midfielders.

Enzo Pérez escaped from Takumi Minamino, his marker, and raced forward to meet the ball close to the center circle. He brought it under control before turning around and threading a pass to Rúben Amorim, his counterpart in defensive midfield.

Zachary immediately rushed forward like a predator on the hunt on seeing Rúben Amorim about to control the ball. He closed in on the defensive midfielder with all the speed he could muster before sliding in to tackle the ball. He was already looking forward to winning possession back for Rosenborg.

Report chapter

Chapter 375 Special Care for Zachary

The next moment, Zachary's heart throbbed with excitement as he felt his boot connect with the ball before sweeping it away from the defensive midfielder's feet. Without bothering to look at the fallen opponent, he picked himself up from the ground and pounced toward the ball, intending to launch an attack immediately.

FWEEEEEEE*

But just then, the referee blew the whistle for a foul, causing Zachary to halt his actions. His eyes narrowed as he turned around to face the approaching referee. "I got the ball first," he said, spreading out his arms. "How can you judge that as a foul?"

"You're mistaken," the Turkish referee countered. "You got the leg instead of the ball. But since this is your first offense, I'll let you off with just a verbal warning. However, if you commit any other dangerous fouls, I'll be forced to show you a card. Be careful from now on."

"Are you for real?" Zachary was exasperated. "Just look at him." He pointed at Rúben Amorim, who had already stopped acting and picked himself from the ground. "Does the player seem like someone who has just endured a dangerous foul?"

"Enough," the referee said. "Stop complaining. My decision is final. You fouled an opponent, and I have awarded the opposing team a free-kick. Step away and let the opponents take their set-piece. If not, I'll show you a yellow card right now."

"Zachary," Mikael called out after rushing to the scene. "Ignore everything and cool down, man. A single free kick won't change anything. Relax and play as usual. You'll soon get a chance to pay them back."

"Yes, a single set-piece won't change anything," Nicki Nielsen echoed, pulling him away from the referee. "Don't risk a yellow card for nothing."

Zachary nodded and took a deep breath to calm himself down. The built-up frustration brought about by his team conceding a goal early in the first half had almost caused him to lose his temper. But after his teammates reminded him about what was important, he immediately recovered his calm state of mind and continued walking away from the scene of the free kick.

But just as he was about to take up a defensive position in preparation to guard against the set-piece, Rúben approached him with a smile. "Zachary," the defensive midfielder said in a soft voice. "I just wanted to let you know that you were right complaining to the referee. You obviously got the ball first, but I dived and won the free-kick. I'm really sorry about the injustice."

Zachary raised a brow as he met the defensive midfielder's gaze. "What's your purpose in telling me this?" He also asked in English. "Do you expect your statement to annoy me? Do you expect me to punch you and incur the referee's wrath after telling me this?"

A lopsided grin outlined the midfielder's face. "As a player, I know that losing in football can be painful. You must be hurting on the inside since you guys are already one goal down. That's why I decided to apologize so that I can alleviate your pain slightly." The guy then nodded and stepped away from Zachary's position.

"Crazy idiot," Zachary mumbled as he watched the defensive midfielder scuttling away. His mood wasn't the least bit agitated by the simple mind games. He discarded the incident from his mind and returned his focus to the game.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle a few seconds later and signaled for team Benfica to take their free-kick. Enzo Pérez, one of the three Benfica midfielders, immediately took the free-kick long and unleashed a lofted pass towards the area behind Rosenborg's defensive line.

Luisão, the Benfica center-back who was also the captain, broke out from the defensive line of players. He timed his run perfectly and headed the ball onwards—towards the left side of the box to find Óscar Cardozo, the Benfica center forward.

Óscar Cardozo brought the ball to the ground with an outstretched boot. He then expertly circumvented the approaching keeper with a few touches before burying the ball into the back of the net. He'd finally managed to double Benfica's lead in the 24th minute.

Zachary felt his heart sink into the abyss of desperation as he watched the Benfica players celebrating the goal. He couldn't comprehend how the opponents were already two goals ahead even though they had played sub-par football. They lacked creativity and individual brilliance, yet they were winning. The whole progress of the match was really baffling and depressing, as far as Zachary was concerned.

"Sorry, man," the familiar voice of Rúben Amorim made its way into his ears as he was still watching the celebrating players and brooding over conceding the goal. "I know it must be painful since we've scored again. But hang in there. Even if you lose, you can still feel proud as you have already helped your team reach the semi-finals of the Europa League. That's quite a big achievement for a small team from Norway."

Zachary whirled around and gave the defensive midfielder a deep look. He met his gaze for a few seconds before shaking his head and quietly walking away—towards the center circle. His team was already two goals down. So, he had no time to waste bickering with an opponent. He had to restart the game as soon as possible and pull out all the weapons in his arsenal if he wished to fight for the slim chance of bringing the proceedings on the pitch back to level terms.

—–

Rúben Amorim glanced at Zachary's receding back and frowned. Before kick-off, the coach had given him the task of throwing the young playmaker off his game. So, he had been throwing out a few disguised verbal jabs, hoping to annoy the young playmaker. But all his efforts were futile as Zachary had chosen to ignore him.

"You're doing great work for the team," Luisão, the Benfica captain, said after approaching his position. A grin still outlined his face as he'd just finished celebrating the goal with the other Benfica players. "Zachary hasn't managed to threaten our goal during today's game. I'm guessing that he's off his game rhythm due to your handiwork."

"You're wrong about that," Rúben replied and started making his way towards the other end of the pitch. "I don't think I've made any progress with Zachary since he has been ignoring all my attempts to annoy him. He should still be as composed and as dangerous as ever. He merely hasn't gotten the opportunity to create any chances. So, we need to continue harassing him. Otherwise, if he picks up his usual rhythm, we'll be in danger even if we're already two goals ahead."

Luisão narrowed his eyes, seemingly in contemplation, as he matched Rúben's steps towards Benfica's half. They walked quickly, especially since the referee had already notified all the players to hurry back to their positions for the restart.

"Continue trying your best to annoy him and break his rhythm every few minutes after the restart," Luisão finally said as they crossed the center-line and stepped into Benfica's half. "I'll also tell the rest of the guys in defense and midfield to remain wary of him. I believe that we'll be able to contain him if we work together as a team."

"Hopefully, we can contain him," Rúben said as he finally took up his position within Benfica's middle third. "Otherwise, if we allow him to score a single goal, his confidence will surge, and then the task of stopping him will become harder. So, make sure that all the guys understand their roles for the rest of the game."

"Don't worry," Luisão said. "I'm sure the rest of the guys know what to do since they'd had all watched Zachary's past match videos. I believe that they won't relax even if we're already two goals ahead. But to be safe, I'll continue reminding them about the task at hand throughout the entire game."

"That would be for the best." Rúben smiled, glancing around. "Better head to your position as the referee is about to restart the game. Don't let the opponents catch you off guard in defense."

"Don't worry," Luisão said, grinning. "I'm heading back now. And good luck to you." The center back didn't wait for a response but just turned around and jogged towards his starting position within Benfica's defensive third.

Rúben breathed in deeply and turned his gaze to the other side of the pitch. His eyes focused on Zachary as he thought about what he would have to do to contain the young midfielder. The other party seemed to feel his stare and glanced at him, and the two of them locked eyes for a moment.

"You won't score against us. You definitely won't score." Rúben silently mouthed the words at a slow pace to ensure that the other party understood what he meant.

But in response, Zachary smiled and shook his head before turning his gaze away. The young midfielder still seemed to be immune to his verbal jabs.

Rúben wasn't discouraged, though. He understood that he couldn't rush the process of throwing a talented playmaker off his game. He only needed to continue doing things to interrupt the guy's rhythm now and then, and he would be able to limit his performance during the game. And as long as the young playmaker didn't perform, Benfica would have a very high possibility of winning the two semi-final legs with their two-goal cushion.

—–

Chapter 376 Crafty Tactics I

FWEEEEEEE*

A few seconds later, the referee blew the whistle and signaled for the game to restart. Nicki Nielsen, Rosenborg's only center-forward, glanced around before kicking the ball back into his midfield.

Zachary received the ball just outside the center circle with a simple touch. He immediately turned around before passing it further back into his half—towards Thomas Partey, Rosenborg's holding midfielder.

Thomas Partey exhibited a sense of urgency as he connected with the pass. He took a single touch on the ball before kicking it to Mikael Dorsin, Rosenborg's left-back. The latter controlled it well before flicking it to Takumi Minamino, one of Rosenborg's midfielders, who had just run into space in the middle of the field.

Takumi altered his course slightly to connect with the incoming pass. But just as he was about to control the ball, two Benfica players closed him down quickly. They were Enzo Pérez and Miralem Sulejmani. The two of them were like two whirlwinds as they boxed in the young Japanese midfielder from two sides.

However, Takumi didn't lose his composure in the slightest. With the nimblest of touches, he looped the ball over one of the incoming opponents before chesting it to the ground. He glanced up once before unleashing a lofted pass towards the wing to find Zachary Bemba.

Zachary had just drifted out of the midfield to escape the harassment of his bodyguards. He leaped high and controlled the ball with his chest close to the touchline on the right flank. He immediately whirled around and accelerated towards Benfica's half like the wind.

Guilherme Siqueira, the Benfica left-back, soon stepped forward to intercept his run through the flank. The left-back angled his approach and body skillfully to force Zachary towards the sidelines.

However, Zachary remained composed as he kept his eyes on the approaching defender. And when the defender was only about two meters away, Zachary slowed down slightly before executing a couple of side steps followed by a body feint. The defender bought his dummy and stepped to the side.

"Chance!"

Zachary executed an elastico dribble and circumvented the defender from the opposite side. But just as he was about to increase his speed and continue his sprint, he realized that two more Benfica players had blocked his way.

They were Rúben Amorim and André Gomes, who were two of the three players that had been zone marking him ever since the start of the game.

"You're not going anywhere!" Rúben was as vocal as ever as he approached Zachary. "Just give up." The midfielder spread his arms like a basketball player on the defensive as he tried to block Zachary's path.

Zachary, of course, ignored the midfielder's words as all his focus was on how to beat the two opponents before him. He smiled and halted in his tracks before stepping over the ball with his left leg. One of the midfielders bought the dummy, but Zachary still didn't choose to break through the blockade. Instead, he continuously altered his center of gravity while executing a couple of more side steps.

His swift and elegant footwork soon dazzled and disoriented the two opponents. They could only fidget about as their bodies repeatedly shifted from side to side according to the cadence of his step overs. They were obviously having a hard time against him.

After a few more seconds, Rúben, one of the two opponents, seemed like he had had enough of Zachary's nonsense. He stepped forward and stretched out a boot to tackle the ball.

Zachary's smile widened as the midfielder's reaction was what he'd been anticipating. Without losing a moment, he executed an elastico dribble to circumvent the impatient Rúben from the right before whirling around and barely skipping past the tackle from the other opponent.

Zachary breathed a sigh of relief as he'd just managed to get himself out of a tight situation on the right flank. His heart started racing, and adrenaline flooded into his body. He lifted his leg, intending to continue his sprint towards Benfica's box. But just then, he felt a strong tug on his jersey, and he realized that one of the opponents was trying to foul him to stop him from advancing Rosenborg's attack.

"Damn!"

Zachary cursed inwardly without looking back. He continued trying to move forward, intending to shrug off the opponent's grip. But he soon realized that all his efforts were futile since the opponent was shameless enough not to release the jersey even after a few more seconds of tussling.

Zachary stopped his actions and turned around. He was totally incensed when he realized that Rúben Amorim was the opponent who had fouled him. He shoved the guy away and yelled, "What's your problem? Can't you play some sensible football without resorting to these petty tricks?"

"Aaahhh, Ref!"

Rúben cried out loud as he collapsed to the ground. He held on to his chest and squirmed about on the green while creasing his brows. It was as if he was experiencing immense pain. His acting was obviously at the Hollywood level.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle as he rushed to the scene. He narrowed his eyes as he checked on Rúben, the midfielder still wriggling about on the ground. The next moment, the referee shook his head and smiled as he took out his cards. He ignored Rúben and stepped toward Zachary before showing him a yellow card.

"What did I do that is deserving of a yellow card?" Zachary complained as a bitter smile outlined his face. "The guy is the one who pulled my jersey and almost tore it from my body. And now, he's just pretending by rolling around on the ground."

"I know," the referee said. "But let's focus on you first. You conducted yourself in an unsportsmanlike manner by pushing your opponent away. That kind of behavior is deserving of a yellow card. If you had remained composed and resisted the urge to shove him away, I would have awarded you a free-kick and penalized him alone. But due to your impulsiveness, you've also received a yellow card."

The referee didn't speak any more needless words. He turned around and waited for Rúben to stand up before showing him a yellow card. He then awarded Rosenborg a free kick for the foul on Zachary.

Zachary shook his head and let loose a bitter sigh as the referee stepped away. He was not in the best of moods since he'd just suffered another injustice for the night. But due to his experience as a professional player, he managed to calm down after taking a few deep breaths.

Report chapter

Chapter 377 Crafty Tactics II

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle a few seconds later and signaled for team Rosenborg to take the set-piece.

Zachary had already decided to take the free-kick short since the position of the set-piece was quite a distance away from Benfica's goal. So, he just flicked the ball to Takumi Minamino, his counterpart in midfield, after hearing the whistle.

Takumi Minamino controlled the ball with a sense of urgency. Before the Benfica players could step forward to intercept him, he passed the ball back to Zachary, who had just run into space in the middle.

Zachary received the ball mid-sprint. He executed an elastico dribble to circumvent André Gomes, one of the Benfica midfielders, before continuing towards Benfica's goal. He pumped his legs like pistons of a race car as he rushed through the middle of the field until he ran into a blockade of two more Benfica players. They were Enzo Pérez and Rúben Amorim.

Zachary's eyes narrowed as his mind went into overdrive mode. His incredible spatial awareness worked wonders, and he picked out the position of his teammates within an instant. Before the two opponents could close him down, he passed the ball to Nicki Nielsen, Rosenborg's center-forward.

After that, Zachary continued rushing forward with the intent to open himself up at the edge of the box for the return pass from Nicki. But once again, Zachary felt another tug on his shirt as he bypassed the two opponents. He glanced to the side and noticed Enzo Pérez, another Benfica midfielder, firmly gripping his shirt.

"Ref!" Zachary shouted and stopped in his tracks. He raised his arms to gain the referee's attention. However, the referee just nodded at him and indicated for play to continue. It seemed the referee was playing the advantage since Rosenborg was still in possession of the ball.

Zachary was frustrated. He shook his head again and focused on Nicki, who was still with the ball at the left corner of the eighteen-yard box. The striker flicked the ball from one foot to the other, and when the angle opened up, he unleashed a curling shot towards the inside of the far post.

However, Artur Moraes, the Benfica keeper, was alert. He committed himself to a full-body dive before comfortably saving the ball. He had managed to intercept Rosenborg's first genuine shot on goal during the 29th minute.

Zachary could hardly contain his frustration while watching the Benfica keeper holding the ball. If Enzo Pérez hadn't pulled at his shirt, he would have managed to run into an unmarked pocket of space just before the box and received Nicki's return pass. Then, Zachary would have been in the perfect position to test Benfica's keeper. But due to the craftiness of the opponents, he'd missed the opportunity.

An even more aggravating fact was that the referee had chosen to play the advantage instead of awarding Rosenborg a free-kick. As a result, he'd once again denied Zachary a clear opportunity to have a go at Benfica's goal. Thinking about all that, Zachary grew more annoyed with the way the referee was handling the game.

—–

The match continued, and Rosenborg grew bolder and launched more attacks on Benfica's box. All the Rosenborg players played with a sense of urgency as they utilized a combination of wing play and through passes through the middle, trying to break down Benfica's defense. They were obviously trying their hardest to score the opening goal.

However, the Benfica players remained solid defensively throughout the rest of the first half. In particular, they marked Zachary Bemba, Rosenborg's playmaker, and denied him any chance to create chances or take shots on goal. And if they couldn't stop him fair and square, they would foul him to ensure that he wouldn't break past them. They did everything possible to thwart Rosenborg's attacks — and as a result, the score remained two goals to nil in favor of Benfica as the players matched down the tunnel for halftime.

—–

The atmosphere in Benfica's dressing room was a jolly one. The players were all smiles as they settled down around the benches in the dressing room. They were obviously in a good mood since they were already two goals ahead in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final clash against Rosenborg.

"We made some risky plays during the first half, Rúben," André Gomes, one of the Benfica midfielders, said as he settled down on one of the benches in the dressing room. "We were lucky to walk away with only a single yellow card after the first half."

"What matters is that we've already obtained a two-goal lead," Rúben replied. "And do you remember the coach's instructions before the game? He instructed us to do whatever it took to stop Zachary from picking up his rhythm and making runs into our final third."

"I understand," André said after chugging down some water. "But I still have some doubts about the incident that led to your yellow card. At that moment, I had already noticed Enzo covering us from behind. Thus, we were three people marking Zachary at the time, and Enzo would have been in the perfect position to stop Zachary's run. So, why did you commit the foul that led to your yellow card?"

Rúben's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure that Enzo would have been able to stop Zachary? Don't you think that there was a possibility of him making another of his signature runs into our box if I hadn't stopped him?"

"That, I'm not sure," André said. "I'm only worried about your yellow card. Your chances of receiving a red card are now quite high, especially since you're still up against Zachary during the second half."

"Don't worry," Rúben said with a smile. "I know what I'm doing. Since I'm already on a yellow card, I won't commit any more dangerous fouls against him. The next time he tries to break through us, it will be your turn to take one for the team and stop him by whatever means possible. Then, after that, Enzo will commit the foul if necessary. As long as we keep on rotating, all of us will be able to avoid accumulating cautions and receiving red cards."

André chuckled. "You're really sinister."

"No, I'm not," Rúben said, beaming. "I'm only trying my best to qualify for the finals."

The players continued holding discussions in small groups until Coach Jorge Jesus took center stage two minutes later.

The coach's tone was somber as he urged the players to stay on guard to ensure that Rosenborg wouldn't score any goal that day. He specifically reminded the midfielders and defenders to continue frustrating Zachary so that they would limit Rosenborg's attacking prowess. After that, he assigned a few more individual roles before sending them back to the pitch.

—–

Chapter 378 Twists and Turns

The match recommenced after the fifteen minutes of halftime. The Rosenborg players immediately switched to a more versatile 4-3-3 formation and soon started passing the ball around steadily. They hoarded the majority of the possession as they searched for an opportunity to score their opening goal.

Eventually, the ball made its way to Zachary, who had just run into an unmarked pocket of space close to the center circle. He brought it under control with a simple touch as he glanced around.

In a flash, he assessed the situation around him and managed to form a mental map of all the opponents and teammates around him. The next moment, he unleashed a lofted pass towards the flanks to find Karl Toko Ekambi, Rosenborg's right-winger for the day.

The flanks were relatively uncrowded as Benfica had already switched to a narrow 4-3-2-1 formation to avail more numbers in the middle to tight mark their most deadly opponent – Zachary Bemba. So, there wasn't any contender marking Karl Toko Ekambi when he connected with Zachary's pass on the right flank.

Ekambi remained composed as he brought the ball under control with his chest close to the touchline. Then, he started feeding it in front of himself as he exploded with speed, dashing towards the other side of the pitch like a bullet train.

In a few seconds, Ekambi made it past the border of the final third and ran into the first blockade in the form of Guilherme Siqueira, Benfica's left-back. He chose not to tango with the approaching Benfica defender but instead slowed down before quickly unleashing a curling cross towards Benfica's box.

In the box: Nicki Nielsen escaped the pestering of Luisão, Benfica's center-back, to connect with the ball. He timed his run perfectly and leaped high to plant a deadly header towards the top right corner.

The effort was promising, and Zachary's heartbeat quickened as he watched the ball zooming towards the goal like an arrow. It floated over the outstretched fingertips of Benfica's keeper before continuing onwards—towards the top right corner.

But the next moment, the ball seemed to veer off its course slightly before smashing off the goal post and rebounding into the box. Zachary's mood soured as Nicki's effort was off target by mere centimeters.

"Damn it!" Zachary cursed inwardly. Adrenaline flooded his systems as he prepared to resume his sprint into Benfica's box—to chase after the rebounded ball. But at that moment, he noticed Ezequiel Garay, the other Benfica center-back, pouncing on the ball and quickly clearing it out of the box.

Zachary's spirits soared again. He realized that Ezequiel's clearance wasn't the best, and his sharp mind deduced that the just-cleared ball's trajectory was straight towards him. So, he relaxed his posture and waited motionlessly in his position, just a few yards away from the arc of the 18-yard box.

All the distracting thoughts faded from his mind, and the time seemed to come to a standstill. As expected, the just-cleared ball descended towards his position and grew more pronounced in his vision. He pounced forward and drew his left leg all the way back before swinging it down like a whip. His timing was immaculate, and he met the incoming ball with a ferocious kick on a volley.

"BAM!"

A sense of contentment filled his heart as the sweet sound of his boot connecting with the ball reverberated in his ears. And the next instant, the ball whooshed back from whence it had come like a surface-to-surface missile. It tore through the air like a lightning bolt before ricocheting off the crossbar and bouncing into the back of the net. Due to the sheer velocity of the shot, the keeper hadn't reacted and could only turn back to watch the ball nestle in the back of the net.

—–

SL Benfica 2 : Rosenborg BK 1

——

For a moment, a wave of silence swept across the stadium. It was as if the fans were still processing what had just transpired. Then, the next instant, thunderous cheers emerged from the section of the stands allocated to the away team's supporters. More than 20,000 voices soon blended into a booming chorus as the traveling Rosenborg fans chanted Zachary's name.

On the sidelines, Coach Jorge Jesus was frowning deeply. His mood turned sour as he watched the Rosenborg players celebrating their goal. Before the game, he had warned his midfielders to mark Zachary during every moment of the game. But they had relaxed a bit and left the young playmaker unmarked for a moment during the opening minutes of the second half. In so doing, they'd allowed him to score Rosenborg's first goal during the 48th minute.

Moreover, an even more worrying fact was that Rosenborg was back into the game due to their away goal. Thus, as long as the Norwegian giants could score another goal, they would tie the game and place themselves in an advantageous position before the second leg of the Europa League's semi-final battle scheduled for the following week. Then, the Rosenborg players would most likely put up a better display while playing in front of their supporters on their home ground in Trondheim. In the end, they would eliminate Benfica and qualify for the finals.

Coach Jorge Jesus shuddered despite himself as he thought about the possibility. He immediately decided to introduce a more defensive-minded midfielder into the game. His intent was to contain Zachary Bemba and the rest of the Rosenborg attackers during the remaining minutes of the second half.

"Fejsa!" The coach called out as he turned towards the bench. "Come here for a moment."

"Yes, coach." The defensive midfielder immediately rose from his seat before stepping toward the coach. His eyes were brimming with expectation as he awaited the coach's instructions.

Coach Jorge Jesus placed a hand on the midfielder's shoulder before saying, "In a bit, I'll substitute you in for Cardozo. Your only role for the rest of the game is to mark Zachary, Rosenborg's playmaker. Stay on him for every moment of the game, and don't allow him to shoot or create goal-scoring opportunities. Can you manage that?"

Ljubomir Fejsa narrowed his eyes as he stole a peek towards the pitch, where gameplay had just restarted. "Coach," he said. "Zachary is a difficult opponent to mark. However, I'll give my all to keep him in check during the rest of the game. That's what I can promise."

"Great," the coach said, patting Fejsa's shoulder. "As long as you try your best and make sure that he doesn't score again, you'll have done a great service for the team. Go and prepare quickly. I want you on the pitch in five minutes."

"Aye, coach," Fejsa replied before stepping away to start his warm-up.

—–

On the pitch, the game continued, and the Benfica players seemed to become more proactive in their style of play after conceding a goal. They started utilizing quick short passes around the pitch as they advanced towards Rosenborg's box. Before long, the ball found its way to Enzo Pérez, one of Benfica's midfielders, and he immediately flicked it to Rodrigo Machado.

Rodrigo Machado, Benfica's right-winger, brought the ball under control close to the touchline on the right flank. He whirled around to skip past his marker before exploding with speed. He sprinted with the ball along the touchline — and before long; he unleashed a cross towards Rosenborg's box.

It was a dangerous cross, especially since it was curling and on course towards Óscar Cardozo, Benfica's center-forward. Fortunately for Rosenborg, Yerry Mina leaped high and battled Cardozo for aerial superiority before heading the ball away from the box.

The tall Colombian's clearance had saved Rosenborg from conceding another goal in the 52nd minute. As a result, the Benfica fans around the stadium could only let out bitter sighs as the ball zoomed back towards the border of the final third, where Thomas Partey was lurking.

Thomas Partey chested the ball to the ground while exhibiting a sense of urgency. He turned and twisted away from an opponent before squaring a pass to Takumi Minamino. The latter took one touch before glancing up briefly and passing the ball to Zachary.

Zachary ran away from his bodyguards and met the ball close to the center circle. Before any other opponent could close him down, he flicked it to the left wing to find Alexander Söderlund, Rosenborg's left-winger. He then circumvented his opponents and continued sprinting towards the other side of the pitch.

Just as he was about to step past the border of the final third, he received a return pass from Alexander Söderlund. He controlled the ball mid-sprint and executed side steps to skip past Rúben Amorim, Benfica's defensive midfielder. But the next moment, just as Zachary was beginning to accelerate, Rúben stretched out a boot and tripped him. And before Zachary could realize what was happening, he was already tumbling to the ground.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle even before Zachary or any other Rosenborg player could complain. He rushed to the scene and showed Rúben the second yellow card for the night. But he didn't just stop at that. He also showed a red card to the defensive midfielder before awarding Rosenborg a free-kick.

The Benfica players immediately surrounded the referee and argued against the decision. But the referee shook his head and turned a deaf ear to their complaints. He remained expressionless as he motioned for Rúben to march out of the pitch.

Zachary smiled as he picked himself up from the ground. Many Benfica players had been fouling him ever since the start of the game. He'd been frustrated since they had gotten away with committing the fouls on several occasions. But after seeing one of them receive a red card, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. He was really in the best of moods, especially since the red-carded opponent was Rúben Amorim — a player who had harassed him verbally on several occasions.

—–

A minute later, Benfica's coach made a substitution and brought on Ljubomir Fejsa in place of Óscar Cardozo. After that, the game recommenced with Rosenborg's set-piece.

Zachary took the free-kick and unleashed a lofted pass behind the defensive line. However, it resulted in nothing as none of his teammates managed to connect with the ball. In the end, the keeper saved the ball, and the gameplay continued.

For the remaining minutes of the second half, the Rosenborg players launched endless waves of offensives on Benfica's box. They utilized their numerical advantage to dictate the tempo and dominate proceedings on the pitch. And whenever opportunities arose, they would even unleash heavy shots towards the goal as they searched for the equalizer against Benfica.

However, the ten Benfica players remaining on the pitch parked the bus in front of their goal to frustrate Rosenborg's efforts. They focused only on defense and thwarted all Rosenborg's chances for the remainder of the second half. As a result, the score remained 2:1 in favor of Benfica when the final whistle sounded after five minutes of injury time.

—–

Chapter 379 A Busy Week

Coach Johansen stood silently on one side of the dressing room while waiting for his players to undress after the game. He was in low spirits due to his team's loss against Benfica. But, as the head coach, he couldn't allow himself to wallow in despair since he had to maintain his authoritative image before his players.

"Okay, guys," he said after a few more minutes. "Settle down, and let's discuss a few things."

The players responded by settling down on the benches around the dressing room. They were quieter than usual — a tell-tale sign that they were not in the best of moods. The loss against Benfica had obviously hit them hard and tarnished their night.

"We've just lost the game against Benfica," Coach Johansen said after all the players had taken their seats. "But we have to move on and prepare for our next games. We have to remain positive and in high spirits, especially since we still have a chance to accomplish a comeback during the second leg of the Europa League semi-finals. And as long as we don't allow the loss to affect our momentum as a team, we'll surely have a chance to bounce back and revenge when Benfica comes to Trondheim on Thursday next week."

"Tonight, when you head back to your hotel rooms, take some time to reflect on our loss. Think of reasons that prevented us from winning, and let's learn from this defeat and use it as a stepping stone. Let's shape our determination so as to ensure that we perform better next week. And if we learn from this defeat and remain positive, I'm sure that we'll squash Benfica and qualify for the Europa League final. Are you with me?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied. However, their voices lacked vigor and passion.

"Are you guys with me?" The coach raised his voice as he swept his gaze across the players.

"Yes, coach," the players replied more energetically.

"Good," Coach Johansen said, nodding. "As the saying goes, bad things do happen, but how we respond to them defines our character and the quality of our lives. We can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of our loss, or choose to rise from the pain. We can choose to learn, to use failure as a stepping stone, and that's how we will be able to walk far on the road to success. And that's how we qualify for the finals and even win the Europa League. Are you guys with me?"

"Yes, coach."

"I know we're all tired after the game," the coach continued after stealing a peek at his watch and lowering his voice. "So, I won't waste time going over the post-match analysis. Let's head to the hotel and enjoy some dinner. After that, we'll immediately return to our rooms to rest since we have to catch an early morning flight back to Trondheim tomorrow. As for further discussions about the game, we'll have them on Saturday when you've all recovered from the post-match fatigue. Do you follow?"

"Yes, coach."

"Excellent." The coach nodded and dismissed the players.

—–

The following morning, the Rosenborg players boarded an early morning flight and returned to Trondheim. And as planned, they took Friday off from team training to recover from the post-match fatigue. Then, on Saturday, they returned to the training ground to prepare for Rosenborg's domestic league fixture against Sportsklubben Brann, scheduled to be played the following evening.

Since they only had a few hours on Saturday to prepare, the coaches kept the training simple and brief. They took the players through a dynamic conditioning routine during the morning hours. And in the evening, they went over the tactics before sending the players back to their homes to rest.

The night passed, and then Sunday morning came. The hours flashed by, and in the evening, when an hour still remained before the scheduled kick-off time, the players who had made Coach Johansen's squad congregated at Lerkendal. And what wasn't surprising was that Coach Johansen had rested all his first-team players, including Zachary, Nicki Nielsen, Takumi Minamino, etcetera. So, once again, it was Rosenborg's second team that would feature in that domestic Sunday fixture against Sportsklubben Brann.

The players went over their last-minute preparations on the training ground under the strict supervision of the Rosenborg coaches as the minutes flashed by quickly. Eventually, the clock hands around Trondheim pointed to the six o'clock mark, and the match began with Rosenborg's kick-off.

From the very first minute of the game, Rosenborg's second team showed who was the big boss on the Norwegian football scene. The Troll Kids still dominated proceedings and dictated the tempo even though their star players were absent. They hoarded all the possession and soon started creating clear-cut chances on goal. And before long, the opportunity to score the first goal arrived naturally.

Mike Jensen, Rosenborg's defensive midfielder, controlled the ball skillfully to skip past a tackle from an opponent close to the center circle. When the passing angle opened up, he unleashed a through-pass towards the other side of the pitch—where Riku Riski was lurking.

Riku Riski, Rosenborg's right-winger for the day, connected with the pin-point pass close to the touchline on the right flank. He immediately fed the ball past the opposing left-back before beating him for pace. Soon, he unleashed a curling cross towards the box to find John Chibuike, the center-forward. The latter leaped high and outjumped the defenders before planting a header into the right corner of the net to score Rosenborg's 1st goal during the 24th minute of gameplay.

Twenty minutes later, just a minute before halftime, Jonas Svensson, the Rosenborg right-back for the day, converted a free-kick from the edge of the box. He curled the ball perfectly over the defensive wall to score Rosenborg's second goal for the night.

During the second half, the Rosenborg players played a bit more conservatively. They only launched a few fierce attacks against Sportsklubben Brann, which didn't amount to anything. And eventually, team Rosenborg maintained its lead and won by a score of two goals to nil at the end of the evening battle.

The victory against Sportsklubben Brann cemented Rosenborg's position at the top of the table and elevated the atmosphere around the team. As a result, the players and coaches were in high gear when they returned to training the following morning. Without wasting time, they commenced preparations for the second leg fixture of the Europa League semi-final against Benfica. They worked tirelessly over the next three days as they tried their best to elevate their match fitness while also refining the tactics for the upcoming game.

Eventually, Wednesday evening arrived, and Coach Johansen summoned the players to the tactics room for the pre-match briefing. He explained the game plan and went over the tactics during the first twenty minutes before naming his line-up for the game. After that, he assigned individual roles to players and then sent them back to their homes for the night.

At last, Rosenborg had completed all the necessary preparations. What remained was for the players to step on the pitch the following night to perform against Benfica.

—–

Chapter 380 Incredible Start

Thursday, May 1, 2014.

Lerkendal Stadion, Rosenborg's Home Ground, Trondheim, Norway.

Time: 9:05 PM.

—–

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle that signaled the start of the second leg of the Europa League semi-final battle between Rosenborg BK and SL Benfica. The cheers around the stadium rose to thunderous heights within an instant as Nicki Nielsen, Rosenborg's center-forward, kicked off the game by passing the ball back into his midfield.

The match was finally underway, and the players of both teams quickly arrayed themselves into their respective playing formations as they tried to outmaneuver one another.

On the side of Rosenborg, there was almost no change to the squad that played Benfica away in Lisbon. Daniel Örlund, Rosenborg's experienced and ever-reliable number-1, was in goal, while the defense comprised the four players – Mikael Dorsin, Tore Reginiussen, Yerry Mina, and Eric Bailly.

Up the pitch, Thomas Partey, Zachary Bemba, and Takumi Minamino took up the reigns in midfield. And lastly, the three players — Paul Kasongo on the right, Alexander Söderlund on the left, and Nicki Nielsen as center-forward in the middle completed Rosenborg's 4-3-3 formation for the night.

Similarly, on the side of Benfica, there weren't any significant changes to the set-up from the previous week, save for the missing Rúben Amorim, who'd received a red card for his accumulated fouls on Zachary Bemba.

In Benfica's goal, there was Artur Moraes as keeper, while the four players – Guilherme Siqueira, Ezequiel Garay, Luisão, and Maximiliano Pereira were the bastions in defense.

In midfield, Benfica utilized five players. They included André Gomes, Ljubomir Fejsa, and Enzo Pérez as the three central midfielders, while Miralem Sulejmani and Rodrigo Moreno Machado played on the left and right flanks, respectively. Finally, Óscar Cardozo was the only center-forward on the striking line to complete Benfica's 4-5-1 formation.

Both teams tried to settle down during the opening minutes of the game. The players were conservative in their approach, and by the 15th minute, both teams were still neck and neck in various statistics. Be it the ball possession, the number of corner kicks, or the zero number of shots on target — they were equally matched, with neither side getting the better of the other.

The proceedings moved forward, seemingly at a slow pace due to the defensive tactics employed by both teams. But then, during the 16th minute, just when the fans had started to grow tired of the tedious football on the pitch, a lightning-fast change transpired.

Zachary Bemba, who had been kept silent by the Benfica midfielders during the first quarter of an hour, worked his magic for the first time on the night. He made a spontaneous and daring off-ball run towards the other side of the pitch to catch the opponents unawares and connect with a lofted pass over Benfica's midfield from Thomas Partey.

Ljubomir Fejsa, Benfica's defensive midfielder for the night, tried to stop Zachary by harassing him as he chested the ball close to the border of the final third. But Zachary remained composed and steadfast as he brought the ball to the ground before twisting and turning away from the opponent.

His incredible spatial awareness immediately combined with his Zinedine-Pirlo Juju to work like a charm. And in anything but an instant, he managed to spot that Nicki Nielsen was at that exact moment starting to make a run past Benfica's defensive line.

Zachary's heartbeat started racing as his hopes instantly soared into the night sky. He immediately spun around with the ball glued to his boot to complete an improvised version of the Marseille turn. The brilliant move took him past another opponent — and when the passing angle opened up; he unleashed a through-pass towards Nicki, who was already on a straight sprinting course towards Benfica's box.

The cheers around Lerkendal Stadium soon hit a thunderous crescendo as Nicki Nielsen connected with Zachary's defense-splitting pass. The center-forward controlled the ball mid-sprint after escaping from Benfica's two center-forwards. He then accelerated and continued dashing toward Benfica's goal as if his life was on the line.

Artur Moraes, Benfica's goalkeeper, soon came out of goal to meet the approaching Nicki. However, Nicki remained composed and rounded the keeper with a simple deft touch before burying the ball into the back of the net to score Rosenborg's 1st goal for the night in the 17th minute. He then rushed towards the corner flag before sliding onto his knees to celebrate his goal.

—–

Rosenborg BK 1 (2) : SL Benfica 0 (2)

—–

Both Kristin and Emily were also in the stadium, watching the game. When Nicki buried the ball into the back of the net, they also started yelling and jumping along with the rest of the fans around them to celebrate Rosenborg's first goal.

"We're going to the finals," Kristin, who was in Rosenborg's black and white colors, hollered out while waving her scarf. A bright smile had already lit up her face as she was really excited.

At the beginning of the season, she wasn't expecting her team to qualify from the group stages. But step by step, the Rosenborg players, especially Zachary, had exceeded all her expectations and defeated a series of tough opponents before qualifying for the semi-finals. But that wasn't the end of the Troll Kids' success story in the Europa League. Once again, that night, they were already putting up another powerful display in the semis. And going by the away-goal rule, they might be the team qualifying for the next round if they could maintain their 1:0 lead for the rest of the game.

Kristin could hardly contain her delight as all the past victories plus potential prospects of Rosenborg ran through her mind. Her smile brightened even further as she continued cheering and jumping along with the rest of the fans while keeping her eyes on the celebrating Rosenborg players on the pitch.

"Rosenborg one, and Benfica zero," the voice of Kjell Roar, the commentator, reverberated across the stadium when the cheers began dying down. "Courtesy of a brilliant combination play from Zachary Bemba and Nicki Nielsen, Rosenborg is now ahead by a goal in the second leg of the Europa League semi-finals. If Rosenborg can defend well and maintain the one-goal lead for the rest of the game, they'll secure one of the two tickets to the Europa League finals, based on the away-goal rule. Harald! I can see that you're smiling. You should be in a good mood."

Harald Brattbakk, the pundit for the day, chuckled. "The Rosenborg players and us, Rosenborg fans, are really living the dream. We might really be qualifying for the Europa League finals for the first time ever."

"Hahaha, is that so?" Kjell Roar said. "What's your take on the goal, Harald?"

"As usual, Zachary was brilliant and executed a beautiful play in the midfield to find Nicki with that beautiful pass," Harald replied. "The pass was well-timed, well-placed, and also unexpected. It caught the Benfica players off-guard as it made its way to Nicki. Nicki remained composed and planted the ball into the back of the net. The result shows the beauty of football when two on-form players on a team connect well and achieve perfect chemistry in a moment."

"I've been looking at Rosenborg's statistics in the Europa League this season," Kjell Roar chimed in. "An interesting fact is that every time they scored first during previous Europa League games, they went ahead and won."

"You know," Harald said, "Before the game, I expected Rosenborg to face tough opposition from Benfica. I feared that Benfica would sit back and utilize ultra-defensive tactics — and in so doing, render our often-potent counterattacking tactics useless. But now, after Nicki's goal, I'm really hoping that the Benfica players continue playing defensive football. That would be interesting."

"Your wishful thinking is really commendable." Kjell Roar chuckled. "But, don't hold too much hope as I'm sure that Benfica is about to shift to a higher gear. If the Rosenborg players aren't careful, they might concede a goal and bow out of the Europa League tonight. Football is unpredictable before hearing the final whistle."

"Why the negativity?" Harald questioned. "Are you a Molde supporter, by any chance?"

"This isn't the Tippeligaen!" Kjell Roar said. "Why are you even mentioning Molde at this moment?"

"I'm asking because I'm sure that the Molde fans might be the only people in Norway praying and wishing for Rosenborg to lose this semi-final," Harald replied. "So, are you a Molde supporter?"

Kjell Roar chuckled and chose to ignore the question. "Gameplay has already restarted," he said, his voice rising and booming over all the chatter in the stadium. "Rosenborg has already made an incredible start in tonight's semi-final. However, the million-dollar question is: Can they maintain their one-goal lead against Benfica for the remainder of the game? Or can they score another goal to cement their victory? Let's take you back to the proceedings on the pitch to find out."

—–