THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle at exactly 6:00 PM. The Tippeligaen match between Rosenborg Ballklub and Sogndal Idrettslag commenced immediately.

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Coach Johansen was pleased with the performance of his players right from the very first minute. They seemed to still be on form and began the game strongly by launching a series of deadly attacks.

They quickly grew into the game and rendered the Sogndal players helpless with brilliant wing play and lightning-fast counterattacks. As a Result, Rosenborg's first solid chance to score came very early in the first half.

In the fifth minute, Stefan Strandberg, the Rosenborg center back, made a mistake while passing the ball to the keeper. He misplaced his backpass, which resulted in a Sogndal corner. Luckily, it came to nothing, and on the break, Zachary found Mikael Dorsin via Nicki Nielsen on the opposite wing. The Rosenborg signature counter was on.

The cheering in Lerkendal rose to a thunderous crescendo.

Sogndal's defense tried to press Mikael Dorsin on the left flank but paid dearly. Mikael managed to find Nicki Nielsen at the far post with a low teasing cross that left the keeper helpless.

Nicki Nielsen, Rosenborg's number-9, didn't disappoint. He volleyed the ball low into the net, leaving Erik Dahlin, the Sogndal goalkeeper, stranded.

"GOOAAAAL...."

In Rosenborg's technical area, Coach Johansen shouted at the top of his voice. His spirits were flying high. His players had managed to make another incredible start, scoring in just the 9th minute. Nicki was already en route to the corner flag to celebrate. But the next moment—

*FWEEEEEEE*

He heard the referee blow the whistle, and then the cheering started dying down. It was as if a sinister force had slowly washed across the stands of Lerkendal Stadium, snuffing out the passionate voices of the Rosenborg fans.

Coach Johansen looked around, confused. "What happened?" he mumbled, finally glancing towards the linesman to ascertain the cause of the confusion. His eyes widened the next instant as he finally registered the fact that the linesman's flag was up.

"What the f*ck? Offside?" He roared the next moment, placing his hands at the back of his head. His face had already morphed into a frown so foreboding. It could even have worked well as a Halloween costume. "How is that an offside? Clearly, Nicki was still onside when Mikael was releasing the ball. How can that be an offside?"

He was momentarily disconcerted. He ran to the fourth official to protest and rectify what he thought was a crystal-clear refereeing mistake. But, the fourth official just waved away his complaints and sent him back to the technical area like he was a nuisance.

For several seconds, Coach Johansen could practically feel rage pulsing through his veins. He was sure the referees had made an incorrect decision in denying his team a goal. But, since he was an experienced coach, he managed to suppress his anger and continue watching the game after a few more minutes.

However, the progress of the game over the next thirty minutes did little to improve his mood. It was like the referee's decision to deny Nicki's effort had jinxed the game for the Troll Kids.

The Rosenborg players continued pushing forward in droves, launching non-stop attacks on the opponents. Be that as it may, the Sogndal players remained unwavering in their defense and kept Rosenborg at bay for the entire first half. They'd even double-teamed Zachary and managed to reduce his impact on the field of play.

The score was still 0:0 as the players headed to the dressing room for halftime.

"Guys, can I have your attention," Coach Johansen yelled as soon as his players finished settling down in the dressing room. "Let's get on with this since we have limited time."

The players responded quickly, taking their seats around the dressing room while chugging down some water. Coach Johansen could tell that their morale was low. He went ahead and gave them a ten-minute pep-talk to lift their spirits before touching on the game plan once again and sending them off to the field of play.

But, even after the halftime pep talk, the score remained deadlocked at 0:0 as the game progressed to the final minutes of the second half. Rosenborg's players continued to put up an incredible display, sustaining the pressure on their opponents throughout the second half. They attacked with an intensity that kept all the fans and the coaching staff on tenterhooks.

It always seemed Rosenborg was close to scoring the opening and winning goal. However, it never materialized. The ball smashed off the post countless times, giving rise to a chorus of collective sighs from the stands of Lerkendal Stadion. At other times, the keeper made incredible saves, causing the Rosenborg players more frustration.

Coach Johansen was at a loss of what to do as the game entered extra time. He couldn't blame the score sheet on the players since they'd dictated the tempo from the very start. They'd done their best and come close to scoring several times. But it seemed luck wasn't on their side that evening.

**** ****

"For the first time like in like forever, Rosenborg has failed to obtain maximum points from a Tippeligaen fixture," Kasongo and the Ottersons heard the TV2 sports presenter announce. They'd just switched on their television right after returning home from a late practice with the under-19 team.

"Rosenborg has failed to defeat Sogndal!" Paul Otterson, Zachary's former teammate in the academy, exclaimed, casting his gaze on the screen. "How could that happen?"

"Shhhh!" The other two silenced him with a wave of their hands. Their gazes were also on the television screen.

"Not even the likes of Zachary and Nicki Nielsen managed to penetrate Sogndal's defense in today's game," the presenter continued, his voice loud and clear through the television speakers. "This is a shocking result that has brought Rosenborg's prolonged winning streak to a halt."

"Moreover, after this draw, the point gap between the Tippeligaen table's first and second has reduced from eight to six points. Rosenborg has taken their tally to 44 points and is still the table leader. On the other hand, Str?msgodset has 38 points after winning the game against Sarpsborg-08 earlier today. If Str?msgodset can win against Rosenborg next Sunday, they'll lessen the gap to only three points."

"What is your take on the table, Kjell?" The presenter asked, turning towards one of the pundits in the studio. "Do you think Str?msgodset can cut down the point difference further and put some pressure on Rosenborg?"

"That can indeed happen," Kjell Roar answered. "Rosenborg has a busy schedule in these final few months of the season. For instance, they have to play Crusaders in the Europa League qualifying round on Wednesday before facing off against Str?msgodset away the following Sunday. Just last Wednesday, they were playing away in Northern Ireland. These consecutive matches are likely to cause the performance of their players to go down a notch as fatigue levels start building up. So, I'm making the bold prediction that Rosenborg will lose points again very soon."

"Oh, thank you for your analysis, Kjell," the presenter said, smiling. "But before we dive into the analysis of the game," the presenter continued. "Let's first take you back to Lerkendal Stadium, where our reporter, Olav Brusveen, is about to interview Boyd Johansen, the head coach of Rosenborg. Stay tuned."

The next moment, the studio image disappeared from the television screen. Within an instant, the frowning face of Coach Johansen, with his signature red beard, populated the entire screen.

"Good evening, coach," the reporter said, holding up a microphone to Coach Johansen. "Could you tell us your assessment of the game? I'm sure all the supporters were expecting another commanding Rosenborg performance in today's match. But your players only managed a draw. What happened?"

"Well," Coach Johansen replied with a sigh. "It's football, and anything can happen on the pitch. Sometimes it's up to luck. Other times, it's up to the referees to influence the result. What a team can do is to go on the field of play and do their best. They can only leave the end result to a higher power or the referees, in some instances. And I'm proud of my players for doing just that. They dictated the tempo from the very first minute and created several chances at goal. They were clearly the better team on the playing field, despite not getting that winning goal."

"Do you think that the draw could have resulted from fatigue building up among the players?"

"Did you watch the match?" Coach Johansen countered with his own question, frowning slightly.

"Yes," the reporter replied.

"Then tell me," the coach said, tone demanding. "Did those Rosenborg players look fatigued to you on the playing field?"

"No, coach," the reporter replied.

"Then why are you asking me this question?" The coach said, seemingly displeased. "You shouldn't make baseless conclusions. Rosenborg has the most versatile squad in the whole Tippeligaen. Because of that, we can easily make rotations and keep the squad fresh and energetic throughout the entire season. So, fatigue is not a word in our vocabulary."

"Okay, thank you, coach, for taking the time to answer our questions," the reporter said. "We wish you good luck in the upcoming fixtures."

Coach Johansen's image then disappeared from the screen and was replaced by a close-up of the TV2 Studio.

"Kjell, I think that you are wrong this time," the TV2 sports presenter said with a smile. "Coach Johansen has made it clear that the word fatigue does not exist in the Rosenborg vocabulary. So, can you please withdraw your opinion and stop misleading our viewers."

"Well," Kjell Roar, the pundit, said, smiling. "I do hope that our good coach is sure about what he's talking about this time. And I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt if he can beat the Crusaders during mid-week and Str?msgodset next Sunday. If he can do that, I'll withdraw my prediction on-air and apologize to him. But for now, I still believe that my conjecture is the most likely reason for Rosenborg's below-par performance in today's fixture."

****

"Do you guys think Rosenborg is in trouble?" Kendrick Otterson asked the other two after turning down the volume of the television.

"Nah," Kasongo replied, tone confident. "They've got Zachary on the squad. So there isn't a need to worry. He will manage to find a way to help Rosenborg win a lot more often.

**** ****