THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Trondheim was a relatively quiet city that was always devoid of any chaos. However, on that Thursday evening, the excitement that came with the Europa League match between Rosenborg and Juventus shredded apart the peace and calm of this Nordic metropolis.

By 5:00 PM, the overenthusiastic Norwegian fans had already crowded the streets leading to Lerkendal. They'd all craned their necks, waiting for an opportunity to catch a glimpse of Juventus' team bus. They were eager to witness the majesty of some of the biggest names in football that were about to face off against their local team.

And finally, their efforts paid off after waiting for another fifteen minutes under the setting sun. The large white and black Juventus bus could be seen around the corner as it slowly made its way to Lerkendal.

A few Juventus players, including Pogba, Vidal, and Tévez, occasionally popped their heads out of the bus windows to wave at the fans, causing the excitement and crowd mania on the streets to soar to unprecedented levels. The police had to step in to control the enthusiastic supporters. Otherwise, they would have rushed forward to request autographs from the football stars. They were that passionate about football.

Olav Brusveen, the TV2 Sporten reporter, narrowed his eyes slightly after witnessing the commotion around him. "These fans have already betrayed the team even before the start of the match," he said to his colleague. "Look at them. They are all over the Juventus bus, cheering for the opponents instead of booing them. What's wrong with these home fans?"

Dag Asbjørn, his colleague for more than five years, chuckled after hearing his fusses. "You don't need to worry about the fan's commitment to Rosenborg here in Trondheim. They're just a little excited to see the famous Juventus players arriving in their city. But let the clock hand point to 7:00 PM, and the match starts — you'll feel their devotion to their home team. They'll cheer with all their hearts while also booing the Italians."

"Let's hope so," Olav said, his brows still creased. "However, with everything at stake, they shouldn't be showing a welcoming attitude to Juventus. They should instead make them feel uncomfortable starting from now. That way, the opponents won't be able to settle down and play good football later."

Dag Asbjørn shook his head slightly. "Do you actually think that booing the Juventus players will hinder them from playing good football? We only have to hope that our players perform well again during the match. Otherwise, we might still drop out of the Europa League even with the three-away-goal advantage."

"There's Zachary," Olav reminded.

"Yes, there's Zachary," Dag concurred. "But he still won't be able to carry the team alone as long as his teammates don't do their part. By the way, I just found out that he has been facing a tough challenge over the past few weeks."

"You mean Zachary?" Olav's eyes flickered with a trace of surprise as he turned toward his colleague. "He just scored a hattrick against Juventus last week. What challenges could he be facing?"

Dag looked around before stepping closer and whispering, "I just heard from a reliable source that a very close relative of his has spent some weeks in an intensive care unit in Zurich."

"A close relative!?" Olav was startled. "How close a relative? And why is it that we haven't heard anything about this?"

"I heard that it's his grandma," Dag replied. "She's an old lady who took care of him since he was young. His agent should have kept the whole incident quiet."

"Oh!" Olav said, losing interest. "If the agent wants to keep it quiet, we should probably just let the whole issue be. We shouldn't dig deep into it."

Dag shook his head. "My views on the issue are different. I feel that this is a story worth reporting. So, I'll continue digging into its details until I get worthwhile material for publishing."

"Suit yourself." Olav shrugged. "However, I'm not interested in the story. I'll stick to reporting sports for the moment and leave the players' personal lives out of my articles."

"Why do you seem scared? It's not like you'll be reporting wrong information. Moreover, as sports journalists, we're entitled to report to the public any incident that might affect the player's performance on the pitch."

Olav just shook his head and returned his attention to the receding crowd on the street. "I think we should head over to the stadium as the match will be starting in roughly one and a half hours. I don't want to miss the warm-up of the teams. As for Zachary's personal issues, let's leave them alone for the moment."

"Okay."

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When only thirty minutes remained until 7:00 PM, the scheduled time for kick-off, the Rosenborg players returned to the dressing room after their pre-match warm-up. They were a little too quiet, at least more than usual, as they settled down on the benches to start making their final preparations for the game.

Coach Johansen immediately judged that they were nervous. For a team playing in a low-tier league like Rosenborg, most of the players had limited experience facing off against big teams in Europe. Thus, most of them must have been experiencing many doubts in their minds as the kick-off drew closer. They were probably worried about making mistakes and losing the game, especially since they weren't that confident that they would keep Juventus at bay during the entire 90 minutes of the second leg match.

Coach Johansen immediately clapped his hands to attract the players' attention. "Why do you guys seem more listless than usual? Are you that afraid of Juventus?"

All the players in the dressing room halted what they were doing and pivoted their attention onto the coach.

"Is anyone scared of Juventus?" He asked again, "If you are, please raise your hand."

Of course, none of the players raised their hands as that was too shameful. They couldn't risk admitting that they were cowards, especially in the presence of their peers.

"I'm glad that none of us is afraid of Juventus," the coach continued in a smooth, steady voice. "We already defeated them by three goals to one during the first leg. So, if we play at our best, we can crush them again and eliminate them from the Europa League. I have no doubt about this."

"But first, we have to understand that aside from our physicality, one of our most crucial assets to us athletes is our mental ability. We must expect things of ourselves before we can accomplish them. That means we have to believe that we can win before we actually win. Are you guys with me?" He bellowed, clapping his hands.

"Yes, coach," the players replied with zest. They'd already straightened their backs as their eyes brimmed with battle intensity. Their pre-match anxiety had lessened to some extent.

Coach Johansen swept his gaze across the room before continuing. "Guys, we're already halfway to our goal of qualifying for the quarter-finals. But what we need in this game is confidence more than anything else. As the saying goes, the difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination. So, let's not overestimate our opponents and underestimate ourselves. Let's execute our game plan and play our own game without fear or anxiety. Let's go into the pitch and achieve victory. Are you guys with me?"

"Yes, coach."

"Good," Coach Johansen said, glancing at his watch. "As you are all aware, the game plan is the same as that of last week. We play with a 4-5-1 formation focused on defense. We'll constantly play with ten men behind the ball and defend as a team to ensure that the Italian giants don't break through our formation. Whenever there's a chance, we'll launch counterattacks to search for goals. Our game plan is as simple as that. Are you guys with me?"

"Yes, coach."

"I'm glad we're on the same page," Coach Johansen said, his voice lowering slightly. He then assigned some individual roles to a few of his players, including Zachary, before sending them to the pitch for the game.

****    ****

In the visitors' dressing room, Coach Antonio Conte was also in the middle of delivering his pre-match briefing. His tone was somber, and his expression grave as he paced the entire length of the room while expressing his requirements to his chosen field players.

"Just a few more things before we head into the field," he said. "We're a powerful team. We have all the quality and depth needed to beat any other team in Europe. But what will matter in this game is our attitude. The way we approach the game will determine whether we win or have to bow out of the Europa League."

"So, every one of you has to be aggressive during every minute of the game. We have to play with urgency and the desire to score, especially whenever we're on the attack. Our aim is to score two or more goals during the first half."

"But even though our main aim is on attacking, we can't ignore the defense. We have to use high pressing tactics to force their defenders to panic, and we especially have to mark Zachary Bemba, their playmaker. We can't relax as I don't want to see what happened to us last week happening to us again. I don't want to see him breaking through our ranks with ease during today's game."

"Claudio, Pogba, Vidal! Marking and closing down Zachary will be a shared responsibility among you three. If he breaks past one of you, another should be readily available to cover the space and stop him from progressing with a threatening run through our formation. As long as we stop him from making any impact during this game, our job will be half done."

The coach then slowly moved towards the tactical board in front of the room before continuing. "My final reminder is to remain patient and calm whenever we have the ball. Even though we aim to score two or more goals during the first half, we must not rush things."

He started to draw some formation plays on the tactical board as he spoke swiftly in Italian. "We have to utilize our 3-5-2 formation to move the ball around steadily so as to stretch them. We'll not just move it through the center but also from side to side while also engaging the wings to tire them out."

"We keep working at them using first tempo football, and when the space finally opens up between the lines, we take action. We launch the attack suddenly and swiftly and ensure that we take the chance and score. Tévez, Osvaldo, and the rest of you, who might get a chance in front of the goal! All you guys have to be very efficient while taking our chances. Don't waste opportunities because they'll come back to bite us as the game progresses."

Coach Conte observed his players for a moment and glanced at his watch. "It's almost time for kick-off," he said. "Finalize your preparations and head to the pitch. Don't make stupid mistakes. Play as a team, and help each other during every minute of the game. I want us two goals ahead of Rosenborg by halftime. It's my final assignment for each and every one of you. Got it?"

"Yes, coach," the Juventus players yelled back, more or less in sync. Their eyes were brimming with extreme battle intent. It was as if they wanted to destroy Rosenborg and erase it from the face of the Earth. They desired to have their revenge, and they would do their utmost to have it that very night.

****    ****