THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

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Thursday, December 12, 2013.

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The dark curtain of the night had already enveloped Trondheim City, bringing with it a frostiness that was typical of the famed Nordic winters. It was the sort of cold weather that would freeze the blood of those who didn't take sufficient care to be warm in heart and core.

Yet on such an evening, there was a hubbub of activity going on at Lerkendal Stadion, the home ground of Rosenborg Ballklub. That was because it was the day when the Troll Kids would face off against IF Elfsborg, the team from Sweden, in the highly-anticipated Europa League Group C's game.

The excitement was high in the air as the local fans, dressed in Rosenborg's traditional black and white colors, kept on flooding into the stadium. Among them were Kristin and Emily, who arrived at the stadium gates a few minutes to six with more than an hour to spare before kick-off.

However, the two of them were quite surprised to find out that the overly-enthusiastic Rosenborg fans had already taken up almost each and every available seat in the stands. Most were even already singing Rosenborg's popular chants at the top of their voices as they waited for the kick-off time. A few others had even lit firecrackers and were already waving them high up in the air.

Their zeal when supporting their club was beyond compare as far as Kristin was concerned. Yet, it was such fanfare that made Kristin fall in love with the game of football from a very young age. She'd always loved the passion and the intensity in the entire stadium when her team was on the pitch. And that's why she always felt most relaxed whenever she watched a match live at Lerkendal Stadium.

"This is crazy," Emily commented from beside her as they took their seats in the middle section of the stands. "The levels of excitement here today are off the charts. It's as if Rosenborg is playing a final instead of a Europa League group game!"

"No need to be surprised," Kristin replied, looking around. "This match is obviously like a final to us Rosenborg supporters since Europa League football is at stake. So, that's why the Rosenborg die-hard fans have gone the extra mile to support the team."

"I do hope Rosenborg comes out on top at the end of the night," Emily said with a sigh. "Otherwise, all these fans will have to go back home disappointed."

"Let's hope so," Kristin said, her tone pensive. "Otherwise, we would have to say goodbye to this season's Europa League football if it so happens that we lose."

Kristin was well aware that her team, Rosenborg, was in a sort of precarious situation. With six points from four matches, they were only second on the table in Group C at the moment. However, they were still tied with the third-placed Standard Liège, based on points. They were just barely ahead due to their superior goal difference.

Thus, if Standard Liège won against Red Bull Salzburg and then Rosenborg lost or drew against IF Elfsborg, everything would be over for the Norwegian giants. They would immediately drop to the third position and fail to qualify for the knock-out stage of the Europa League. So, they'd to win by hook or by crook in order to cement their position as second in the highly competitive Group C. For that was the only way they would keep their Europa League dreams alive.

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Zachary could feel the tensions running high when he stepped onto the pitch with his teammates for the pre-match dynamic warm-up. He was once again surprised by the zeal of the Rosenborg fans when supporting their team at home. But above all, he greatly appreciated them since the team needed their cheers if they were to outmaneuver IF Elfsborg and then qualify for the next stage of the Europa League.

"Line up quickly so that we can start the dynamic warm-up," Rolf Aas, the assistant coach in charge of fitness, shouted abruptly. "We don't have much time as kick-off is at exactly 7:00 PM."

The players lined up immediately on hearing the yell from the assistant coach. Without further ado, they started the dynamic warm-up under the close supervision of the fitness coach.

They began with a light jog before diving into upper body stretches a few minutes later. They didn't just go through the motions — but went through an arduous routine involving neck stretches, arm circles, and plenty of body twists while moving through a set-up of cones.

After a few more minutes, they switched to the lower body stretches. While jogging, they went through several exercises, including high knee raises, lunges, quad stretches, and calf stretches, among others. By the end of the session, most were already sweating slightly, indicating how hard they'd been working.

However, they didn't dare rest on the pitch after the warm-up session since they only had about thirty minutes to kick-off. So, they didn't even waste a minute before returning to the dressing room to dress up and listen to the coach's address.

"Can I have your attention, guys," Coach Johansen said immediately after the Rosenborg players had finished dressing up. "Hurry up and settle down. We only have a few minutes to the start of the game."

All the Rosenborg players immediately settled down on the benches around the dressing before fixing their sights on the coach. In a matter of seconds, they turned from a rowdy group of men into a group of attentive athletes, waiting for their coach's pre-match address.

"We'll be playing against IF Elfsborg in a few minutes," the coach began in a somber tone after all the players had quietened down. "This is both our last game in our Europa League group stage and also our last game of the year. After today, we'll all be going on vacation, at least until February, when the Europa League resumes. So, you don't have to pace yourself or play conservatively in today's game."

"Just let loose and play your best football today. Play as if today is a final — as if the Europa League trophy is close at hand. That's the only way to outclass our opponents and safely qualify for the next round. Are we together, guys?" The coach ended his little speech with a below.

"Yes, coach," all the players replied with zest, with some of them even raising their fists into the air. Anyone could tell that their energy levels were off the charts as they sat there in the dressing room. They were clearly looking forwards to thrashing IF Elfsborg in a few minutes.

"I'm glad that we're on the same page," Coach Johansen said, nodding. "Let's go through the tactics one more time before we head into the pitch for the game." He added, stepping towards the whiteboard arranged on a stand in front of the dressing room.

"We'll play with a 4-4-1-1 formation for this game," the coach said while inscribing the player arrangement on the whiteboard. "That means that we'll assemble four defenders, four midfielders, one supporting attacking player, and one primary striker on the field today."

"For the defensive and midfield positions, everything should be straightforward by now. The defenders and midfielders only need to pass the ball around creatively before feeding the strikers. As long as you maintain a constant supply of balls to the strikers and defend well, then everything will be okay. We might even be up by a goal or two before halftime. Are we together, guys?"

"Yes, coach."

"Good," Coach Johansen said, nodding. "What I would like to emphasize before the game-start is the positioning of the two forward attacking players. As you can see, our central striker is Nicki Nielsen, as usual. But right behind him, we have Zachary as a false number-10." He added, pointing to the position on the board.

"Zachary will act as the offensive pivot of the whole team in our formation," the coach continued. "The midfielders will always have to take note of Zachary's position on the pitch. As long as he's unmarked, you can feed Zachary the ball. Then, it will be up to you, Zachary, to choose whether to run at the defenders or pass the ball."

"Are we together, Zachary?" The coach queried as he fixed his gaze on him.

"Yes, coach," Zachary replied confidently.

"Great," Coach Johansen said with a smile. "However, don't get used to passing when in an advanced position. When an angle opens up, just shoot and try your luck at the goal. You never know. You might be able to score. Okay?"

"Yes, coach," Zachary replied, nodding.

The coach nodded. "Moving on," the coach said, turning to one side of the dressing room. "Mike and Thomas, you'll act as our central midfielders in today's game. Try to close down the opposing midfielders as soon as possible whenever we lose possession. Stay on your toes and make it hard for the opponents to pass the ball around. If you do that, we'll surely dictate this game's tempo. Are we together, Mike and Thomas?"

"Yes, coach."

Coach Johansen nodded. "I also expect you to do your best to supply quick balls to Zachary, Nicki, and our two wingers. Don't dilly-dally on the ball, but play simple football. When a player is open, feed him the ball. If you do that, I can promise you guys that we'll outperform IF Elfsborg from the very first minute until the final whistle. Okay?"

"Yes, coach."

"Okay, guys," Coach Johansen said. "I won't say anymore since we've been going over the game plan for the past twelve days. I believe that all the field players know their roles on the pitch in today's game by now. As long as you follow the game plan and give your all, then we'll be victorious at the end of the night. So, if there are no questions, let's prepare and move out. Are there any questions?" The coach queried, glancing around.

However, none of the players, including Zachary, raised their hands. They had all committed the game plan to mind and were only waiting to march onto the pitch.

"Okay, okay," Coach Johansen said, grinning. "It seems you're all ready and impatient to move out for the game. So, let's move out and play like the Norwegian giants we are. Let's show the IF Elfsborg players how it's done here in Trondheim. Let's destroy them and send them back to Sweden packing!" The coach bellowed.

"Destroy them! Destroy them! Destroy them! For we're Rosenborg, the champions of Norway..." The players yelled back in response and soon started chanting Rosenborg's name at the top of their voices. They were more than ready to destroy IF Elfsborg in the last Europa League Group C game.

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