THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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ROSENBORG BK 0: ACF Fiorentina 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*FWEEEEEEE*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"BAM!"

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

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

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

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

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

"Here goes nothing!"

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

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

"BAM!"

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

SILENCE!

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

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

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