THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

"They're giving the free-kick to Zachary!" Coach Henriksen exclaimed after seeing Mikael call Zachary over to the position of the free-kick. "What's wrong with Mikael today? It's already the 92nd minute, for God's sake. We need to convert this setpiece successfully." He frowned, seeming quite agitated.

"Just because he can pass the ball well doesn't mean he can take free-kicks. He probably won't be able to convert since free-kicks need to be practiced frequently over a long time. Zachary has been doing physicals! Where could he have gotten the time to practice setpieces?"

"Relax," Coach Johansen said, caressing his red beard. "If there is one player who can perform at such moments, it's Zachary. He managed to become the top scorer of the SIA Cup by relying mainly on his free-kicks. Let's hope he still has his touch from the academy."

"This..." Trond Henriksen was about to continue voicing his argument but sighed and stopped himself the next instant. Coach Johansen was his boss and had the final say on the tactics and game plan of Rosenborg. If he'd already made up his mind, then it was pretty useless to argue with him.

So, Coach Trond Henriksen calmed his mind and returned his attention to the field of play. He could only hope that Zachary was as good at free-kicks as he was at passing. Otherwise, Rosenborg would have squandered their best opportunity to win the game.

**** ****

"My decision as captain is final," Mikael said, picking the ball from Tarik Elyounoussi, the Rosenborg center forward, and handing it to Zachary once again. "You should all have realized that there isn't a player among us who could have matched his level during this game. He has already scored an incredible goal and made the assist that resulted in our equalizer. As for you, Tarik, you have failed to put the ball in the back of the net on multiple occasions. It seems like luck is not on your side today. So, why can't we bet on Zach, who seems to be on fire today?"

"Have it your way," Tarik grumbled, stepping away from the free-kick position. "But don't say I didn't warn you." He added, turning towards Zachary. "Goalkeepers at the professional stage are unlike those in the youth levels. If you don't use enough power, you'll be squandering our only chance to score. But, I do wish you all the best." He turned and walked into Aalesunds box.

"Okay," Mikael said, smiling. "They all have no issues with you taking the free-kick. So, please do your best and hit the target at the very least. And may luck be on your side." He patted Zachary's back before also heading into the box.

Zachary smiled slightly when his teammates agreed to leave the free-kick to him. He'd been practicing the Bend-it like-Beckham Juju in the system simulator every single day for the past year. He had long mastered it to the one hundred percent level after repeating the practice thousands of times on the natural field. It was finally time to reap the benefits of his training.

He could feel his heart throbbing with excitement as he placed the ball on the green just outside the arc of the 18-yard box. He walked a few steps back and took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

In no time, his mind was as stable as the sea before a storm. Feeling that he was in the right state, he started observing the situation ahead of him in Aalesunds' box.

It was quite a crowded area. Six players in Aalesunds' orange jerseys had already lined up a few yards away from him, forming a wall to defend. The rest, from both teams, had also squeezed themselves into a line just inside the box to avoid being offside while trying to connect with the incoming free-kick. The situation in the area was chaotic, with tensions rising high as players jostled each other in anticipation of the free-kick. The referee had to show yellow cards to two of Aalesunds' players to dissuade them from continuing their rough handling of opponents in the box.

Zachary moved his attention to the goalkeeper after he finished analyzing the wall and the rest of the players in the box. He observed how the tall goalkeeper moved across his line, the way he organized his defense, and his standing posture. Zachary took in all the information that could be useful to him when taking the free-kick. He didn't want to blunder and mess up his first opportunity on a setpiece. It would be hard to come across another chance if he failed to make the free-kick count.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle after arranging the players in the box. Zachary stopped observing the happenings in the box and took a few steps away from the ball.

Taking a deep breath, he started with a light jog towards the ball. He then took a final jump step and angled his body at almost 45 degrees to the ground before smashing the ball with the inside of his left boot. All the while, he kept his eyes focused on the ball.

Zachary managed to set loose a curling ball that darted around the wall of six Aalesunds players, seemingly heading for the outside of the left post. However, while mid-flight, the spin on the ball seemed to increase. And to everyone's surprise, it made a sharp curve—towards the inside of the left post before homing into the top right corner. The Aalesunds goalkeeper didn't react. He remained stationary and perplexed, wondering what had just happened.

2:3.

Rosenborg had managed to take the lead for the first time in the 93rd minute. Zachary could hardly contain his happiness. He ran to the corner flag to celebrate and even removed his shirt and threw it towards the few traveling Rosenborg fans.

He was like a mad man yelling at the top of his lungs. He even kicked the corner flag a few times due to the sheer bliss he was feeling.

However, he wasn't alone. The rest of his teammates came and jumped on him a moment later to celebrate the goal. They yelled like drunkards while slapping his back. Meanwhile, the two hundred or so Rosenborg fans in the stands cheered on their team, singing and clapping to celebrate Rosenborg's comeback. A few of them near the corner flag struggled to snatch Zachary's match jersey from one another. For a while, it was pure madness in the Color Line Stadion.