THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Kristin raised the TV volume when the pundits started discussing the referee's decisions. "And what is your take on Tore Reginiussen's red card?" She heard Samantha Fladset, the TV2 Sporten presenter, ask the two pundits in the studio. "Do you think the referee got that one right? Should it have been a straight red card? What do you think?"

"I think he got Tore's red card right," André Rekdal, one of the pundits in the studio, said. "We can try to argue that there wasn't any malicious intent in Tore's tackle. But the fact remains, he tripped a player bound for the goal within the box. For me, that's a straight card without question."

"I concur," ?rjan Berg, the other pundit, chipped in. "That was a correct decision. But I wish that he would have acted with the same sharpness during the instances when Jo Inge fouled Zachary. I know that a lot is always going on during a game. The referee can miss a few things once in a while. But this was a scuffle between the two players that started from the very beginning of the match. The referee should've paid a lot more attention to the two. I'm even more baffled by why the linesmen missed the fouls. What were they doing during the game? They could have cost Rosenborg the three points in such an important fixture."

Samantha Fladset chuckled softly. "Maybe, it's Zachary's looming physique that gives a wrong impression to the referees," she said with a bit of humor. "Think about it. He is six-four. Even if someone pulls at his shirt, he remains stationary like an immovable boulder. If I were the referee, perhaps, I would also miss out on a few fouls on him during the game."

"I highly doubt that," ?rjan Berg said, shaking his head. "The referees are trained to spot even the slightest fouls on a player with or attacking the ball. Missing all those fouls, especially in a big game like the one between Rosenborg and Molde, is quite strange."

"Maybe, Samantha is right," André Rekdal chipped in. "The referee did blow the whistle when Zachary went to the ground during the second half."

Samantha Fladset chuckled. "But was he in pain, or was he pretending?" She queried.

"Who cares?"

André Rekdal said, beaming. "Maybe, he was injured since the physician helped him off the pitch. Or maybe, he was pretending. But the fact remains: he managed to win his teammates a few minutes to rest and organize themselves during that period. Moreover, he went on to score the winning goal. He's surely the man of the match, and we can't take that away from him."

"Sure," Samantha Fladset said. "He was simply phenomenal on the pitch. But before we continue with the analysis, let's first hear from the man of the match himself. He's taking a post-match interview with Olav at the moment."

Kristin's face lit up with a smile as she saw Zachary's face appear on the screen. He'd played like a star and helped Rosenborg secure three points for the night. It was hard for Kristin to come to terms with his growth potential. Despite all that, she was happy he was at Rosenborg. She could see her team returning to trophy-winning ways with such a talented player on the squad.

"Zachary, welcome back again," Kristin heard Olav, the reporter, say.

"Thank you, Olav," Zachary replied, nodding.

"I know that I've said this again and again," the voice of Olav continued after a moment. "You're just eighteen, Zachary. But you're already on the top of the club game. Not bad. Is it?"

"Well," Zachary said, smiling slightly and scratching at his chin. "I just can't put the feeling in words. But all I can say is that I'm enjoying every bit of my time with Rosenborg."

"Let's talk about the game," Olav said. "The first half was really plain sailing for you. You linked up well with Nicki to create those two goals in the first half. We all thought you would win by at least 4:0 at the time. But then the second half happened. What went wrong?"

"I think it was one of those days when luck wasn't on our side," Zachary answered, his expression turning solemn. "Think about it. Before Tore's red card, we were the dominant side. We were dictating the tempo and had already accumulated around 14 shots on goal."

"16 shots on goal, to be specific," Olav chipped in to correct him.

"Yes, thank you," Zachary said, smiling slightly. "16 shots on goal, it is. And how many did Molde have by then?"

"Three shots on goal," Olav replied.

"We had sixteen shots on goal, yet they had only three shots on goal," Zachary said, sighing. "But with those three shots, they managed to score twice. Yet, we couldn't get anything out of our chances even though we were playing well—up front. And then the red card happened, and things went south from there. But I'm really delighted that we finally came out on top and managed to end this night with the three points in the bag."

"Nicki," Olav said, and Kristin saw the image of Nicki Nielsen's face replace that of Zachary on the screen. "You managed to score two more goals today. You're clearly on track to be the top scorer. That's if Zachary doesn't beat you to the accolade." The reporter chuckled.

"Well," Nicki said, a sunny smile lighting up his face. "If it's him, I really won't mind. Above all, we're teammates that are working together to win trophies. Individual accolades come second."

"Most of the football fans are impressed by how the two of you linked up to create all the three Rosenborg goals today," Olav said. "Do you do some extra training to hone that connection between the two of you? What's your secret?"

"Very funny," Nicki said, chuckling. "We train as a team on most days of the week. And that's enough for a genius player like Zachary to observe me and pick up my habits. So, I'm always confident that whenever I run into space when he's on the ball, he'll spot me right away and pass to me. It's just that simple."

"Zachary," Olav said, and Zachary's face appeared once again on the screen. "There was a scuffle that was always going on between you and Jo Inge throughout the entire game. What was up with that? Do you have any bad blood between you and the bearded Jo?"

"Well," Zachary said, shaking his head. "There's really nothing to it. Both of us were trying our best to do our part and help our teams win the game. It was inevitable that we ended up colliding a few times during the tense moments. So, I've nothing against Jo Inge, especially since I managed to come out on top and win the game. But I really wish the referee would have done a better job. That's all I've got to say."

"Do you still think that no other team in Norway can compare to Rosenborg, especially after this game?" Olav probed.

"But we won, even when we were a man down," Zachary replied. "So, I'll still hold on to my belief that I'm playing for the best team in Norway. You don't expect me to say there's another team better than us! Do you?"

Olav chuckled at that. "Thank you, Zachary and Nicki, for your time," he said. "And congratulations on your win and incredible performance in today's game." He added as the images on the screen switched back to the TV2 Sporten studio.

"And that was Zachary and Nicki, the two heroes of Rosenborg, having an interview with Olav at Lerkendal," Samantha Fladset, the presenter, said. "Zachary is also complaining about the referee. We all expected that. Didn't we?"

Both ?rjan Berg and André Rekdal, the pundits, chuckled at that.

"But Nicki did raise a good point during the interview," ?rjan Berg said after a moment. "The way Zachary manages to pick out his teammates with his passes when on the pitch is simply genius. His game vision, especially at such a young age, is simply out of this world. I've just taken a look at his stats. His pass accuracy in this game was over 90%, and he managed to make six key passes during the ninety minutes. These are the stats of a Maestro in the making."

"Hold that thought," Samantha Fladset cut in before the pundit could continue. "Let's first take you back to Lerkendal, where Olav is about to interview Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Molde's manager." She smiled, and then Kristin saw Solskjaer's face appear on the screen.

"Ole," Olav said. "You nearly made an incredible comeback in today's game? But what happened?"

"I would say Zachary Bemba happened," Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replied, smiling a bit. "He's one phenomenal player, the likes I have only seen in the very top leagues of the world. His impact on this game was incredible. He is the sole difference between Rosenborg and us today. But that aside, we also didn't do enough—to score and win the game during the second half. We missed quite a few opportunities that would have turned the game in our favor."

"What exactly is happening at Molde?" Olav probed. "You're the champions of last season, yet you're now at the bottom of the table with only six points. And that is after having played eleven matches."

Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sighed at that. "Well," he said. "Football is highly unpredictable, and sometimes things don't turn out in your favor. We've struggled with a few injuries here and there. And a few times, luck hasn't been on our side. It's quite a difficult season. But I believe we'll recover and start performing again. That's what I can promise our fans out there."

"Okay, then," Olav said. "We do wish you all the good luck for the rest of the season. And thanks for your time." He ended the interview, and the screen switched back to the TV2 Sporten studio.

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