THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

"What flamboyant skills we've just seen from Zachary Bemba!" Kristin heard Kjell Roar yelling out loud, his mellifluous voice dwarfing the excited cheering of the fans around her. "Absolutely incredible with that beautiful Cruyff-turn. Dazzling stuff from the 18-year Rosenborg number-33. He has managed to lose Jo Inge Berget, the Molde attacking midfielder, and has now gotten himself some space to work with the ball."

Kristin's hopes kindled as she watched the goings-on on the pitch. She saw Zachary lift his head for a moment and sweep a brief gaze across the field. Using the outside of his boot, he let loose a raking through-pass towards Nicki Nielsen in Molde's defensive third. The cheering of the Rosenborg fans in the stadium grew to another level after Zachary's creative display.

"Once again, Zachary has managed to catch the Molde defense sleeping with a wonderful lofted pass over the midfield," Kristin heard Kjell Roar holler out loud. "Nicki Nielsen has latched on to Zachary's defense-splitting pass. He chests the ball to the ground and riffles a first-time shot towards the goal."

"Oh, my God! Örjan Nyland, the Molde goalkeeper, has managed to get his fingertips onto the ball, deflecting it slightly from its intended course. Nicki's shot smashes off the right post before slipping out of play for a corner. What a chance. In the 14th minute, just ten minutes since scoring, Nicki and Zachary have broken apart Molde's defense once more. But this time around, the keeper has come to the rescue, keeping Molde in the game."

"That was some incredible chemistry from Nicki and Zachary once again," Harald, the pundit for the day, chipped in. "It is the second time the two have linked up to create something out of nothing for Rosenborg. Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his boys will face a lot of problems today if they don't find some way to keep those two in check."

"Exactly my thoughts," Kjell Roar cut in. "And, let's not forget about Zachary's individual brilliance today. The way he created that yard of space for himself by skipping past Jo Inge Berget was out of this world."

"Well," Harald said. "Zachary has been phenomenal in these first fourteen minutes. He's playing with a lot of energy in this game. It seems the bench did him some good. Let's hope he keeps up his incredible performance throughout the entire 90 minutes."

"Molde would be in trouble if he maintained such flamboyance throughout the game," Kjell Roar said. "Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has got a lot of work to do if he wishes to pick up at least a point from this fixture. Let's hope that he can produce the kind of brilliance he had way back when he was still a player at Manchester."

"Playing and coaching are two different things," Harald commented in a flat voice. "Unless Ole, himself, enters the field of play and marks Zachary Bemba, I don't see much hope for Molde."

Kjell Roar chuckled at that. "I would love to see such a match up," he said. "But for now, let's take you back to the action. Jonas Svensson, one of Rosenborg's two defensive midfielders, has just floated a teasing ball into the crowded box."

"There is some pushing and pulling among the players, but the referee doesn't blow the whistle. Oh, my! Tore Reginiussen, the Rosenborg captain, has out-jumped his mark and unleashed a header towards the goal from around the penalty spot. The keeper punches the ball away from his goal—towards the outside of the box."

"Oh, my goodness me! The ball has in some way moved right towards Zachary, positioned at the edge of the box. He meets it with a first-time volley and unleashes a rocket of a shot towards Molde's goal."

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch. The heavy missile from Zachary collides with Magnus Wolff Eikrem, Molde's defensive midfielder, before flashing past the left goalpost by mere centimeters. The referee points to the corner flag immediately. What intensity from Rosenborg. And what power behind the shot from Zachary. Magnus has just gone to the ground, writhing in pain."

"That may be another blow to Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his players," Harald chipped in. "From Magnus' expression, you can see that he's in a lot of pain. The ball hit him on the lower thigh, possibly causing a quadriceps contusion. He may not be able to continue."

"In the meantime, Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has called the rest of his players to the touchline," Kjell Roar said. "It seems he wants to straighten his team's attitude right away. Let's wish him some luck because we don't want this game to be one-sided. That would be too boring."

**** ****

"Jo Inge," Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said, his brows drawing together into a frown. "You're the very person that suggested that you would mark Zachary. But what's happening on the field? The boy has been creating problems for us without facing any pressure. So, Jo, what are you doing? Should I give the task to someone else?"

"No, coach," Jo Inge was quick to reply, shaking his head. "I'll be able to mark him. He just caught me off guard in the first few minutes. But that won't happen again."

"It better not happen another time," Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said, his forehead furrowed. "And the rest of you: what exactly are you doing on the pitch? Why can't you settle down and play football? Your playing is sh*t. Your passing is messy. You haven't even managed to counter-press to win back possession. Are you really professional players?" He swept his gaze across his players right outside the technical area.

"My advice to you is simple," the coach continued after a moment. "Play simple football. Keep passing, and don't panic when Rosenborg uses counter-pressing tactics against us. Just take it as if you're in a rondo and look for a way to keep the ball moving. Play as a team and run back to defend whenever Rosenberg gets possession. Only Daniel Chima should stay up front to keep the Rosenborg defenders on tenterhooks while others remain on defense. If you follow that simple advice, I can assure you, lads, that Rosenborg will find it quite hard to score another goal against us. Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied in chorus.

"Then head back into the pitch and do your best," Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said, waving them away with a dismissive hand gesture. "Play like reigning champions, and do not disappoint me."

**** ****