THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Chapter 190: Against Vålerengen Fotball

Saturday, May 25th, 2013.

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"Vålerenga... *clap*clap*... Vålerenga... *clap*clap*... Rosenborg... BOOO!"

It was craziness beyond imagine prior to the match between Vålerenga and Rosenborg that was supposed to have commenced at 6:00 PM within the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo.

Mouth agape, Zachary stood close to the center circle, watching the passionate and wild Vålerenga fans in the stands. Some were waving blue flags, others lighting firecrackers and throwing them behind the goalposts, while the rest sang at the top of their voices. They were a chaotic blend of passion and mayhem.

[What the hell is happening?]

The question ran through Zachary's mind.

He'd previously thought that the Rosenborg fans were the most intense and crazy supporters during matches. But right after stepping into the Ullevaal Stadion, Vålerenga's home ground, he'd immediately cast that assumption out of his mind. That evening had shown him just how extreme football fans could be.

His mind was still in shock after witnessing the insanity of some of the Vålerenga fans. Their passion was clearly way beyond what a sane person would consider reasonable support for their team.

A few minutes prior, just moments to the scheduled start of the game, two Vålerenga fans had stunned everyone present. They'd somehow managed to get through security and race onto the pitch, catching most of the players by surprise. What was even more shocking was that they'd managed to snatch Rosenborg's flag from Mikael's outstretched arm—just as he was about to complete an exchange with the other captain.

Before the Rosenborg acting captain could react, the two fans had already left him in the dust, leaving him in a state of complete shock. Mikael Dorsin had been left to watch them helplessly as they bolted across the pitch—and made their way back towards the stands, speed like the wind. The two men somehow managed to escape the pursuit of the policemen, who'd tried to stop them, long enough to throw the flag to their counterparts in the stands.

A few of the Vålerenga fans in the stands had reacted right then. They'd wasted no time receiving the flag and then setting it on fire to send the whole Ullevaal Stadion into chaos.

The traveling Rosenborg fans reacted immediately by throwing various items, including firecrackers, onto the pitch. It was sheer madness—the likes of which Zachary had never experienced.

The referee had immediately decided to postpone the kick-off as the security personnel tried to bring the chaos under control. Ten minutes had already elapsed since the burning of the flag, yet the fans had not settled down yet. The players had even assembled in their respective halves of the pitch to wait for the disorder to pass.

"Do you think there's a chance the game will be postponed?" Zachary asked Mikael Dorsin, Rosenborg's acting captain, who was doing a few stretches beside him. Even though he'd just faced an assault by the fans, he didn't seem rattled in the slightest. Mikael behaved as if the incident had happened to someone else while continuing to go about his business. He acted with the composure befitting the veteran Rosenborg defender he was. Zachary could only sigh in admiration as he witnessed how he'd handled the incident.

"Nah," Mikael replied, shaking his head. "I hardly doubt that the officials will postpone the match. The fans will settle down after a few more minutes, and then we'll be able to play. So, make sure you keep your mind sharp—and your body warmed up as you wait for the chaos to pass."

"Oh, okay," Zachary said. "Is it always like this every year?" He queried as he started doing his own stretching routine.

"The chaos has never escalated to this level during my time with Rosenborg," Mikael replied, switching from a forward-bend posture and starting to do some leg lifting. "But the Vålerenga fans have always been very energetic whenever we play them. They have always supported and cheered their team on as if their lives depend on it. The sheer intensity of the yells from the fans can even cause you to make a few mistakes if your head isn't totally into the game."

"Makes me wonder what they would do if their team managed to become champions!" Zachary commented, starting to go through a routine of leg swinging.

Mikael chuckled on hearing Zachary's comment. "But our fans aren't bad either," he said. "They're even more passionate than the Vålerenga supporters. That's if you take away all the craziness. You'll notice their intensity if we manage to win a cup this season."

Zachary continued making small talk with Mikael as they continued stretching. Since he'd already warmed up before the scheduled time of the match, he was only focused on his lower body to keep it ready for the action that would start any time.

The session turned into a serious one a few minutes later. A few other teammates joined them in the exercising routine as they waited for the fans to settle down. In that manner, fifteen minutes quickly passed, and order returned to the stadium.

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Within the visiting team's technical area, Coach Johansen felt a bit unsettled as he watched the referee finally blow the whistle, signaling for the start of the match at exactly 6:30 PM. He feared that the disturbance that'd preceded the kick-off might have disrupted the focus of his players. So, he decided to motivate them before they made any mistakes that could cost the team dearly.

"Focus and keep your heads in the game," he yelled at the top of his lungs as soon as he saw Nicki Nielsen, the Rosenborg center-forward, kick-start the game with a pass back into the midfield. "First, concentrate on settling down and holding possession. Play with a swift passing style and don't allow the Vålerenga players to win possession easily."

Coach Johansen continued shouting at the Rosenborg players until he made sure that all their heads were in the game. He finally relaxed and started studying the formation of the opposing team.

Kjetil Rekdal, the Vålerenga coach, had also used the 4-3-3 attacking formation. It was similar to his in every detail. Vålerenga had fielded four defenders, one defensive midfielder, two attacking midfielders, and one center forward—shaping up into mostly triangles as the game progressed. Moreover, he was also using high-pressing tactics, most likely in an attempt to pressure Rosenborg into losing possession much more quickly. Even in the first four minutes of the game, his attacking players were all over the Rosenborg defenders, running at them whenever they received the ball in the backfield.

Furthermore, the Vålerenga coach had organized a pressing zone around Zachary and Jonas Svensson, Rosenborg's two attacking midfielders. Whenever any of the two was on the ball, two of the Vålerenga midfielders would double team the one in question—and then manage to nip Rosenborg's attacks in the bud. Moreover, Vålerenga was playing a high defensive line, probably to counter Zachary's through-passes to Nicki, which could come at any time.

Coach Johansen instantly decided that his opponent was not an easy man to defeat, considering his choice of tactics. Kjetil had almost sealed off all the strong points of Rosenborg. Coach Johansen anticipated a tough 90 minutes because of that.

The first fifteen minutes passed by quickly as the two teams tried to establish their dominance on the field. Zachary played well as usual. He was unleashing passes left and right—into both wings to initiate a few Rosenborg attacks. When there weren't any passing options, he coordinated well with the other midfielders to help Rosenborg dictate the tempo as the game progressed. Thanks to his incredible vision and passing ability, Rosenborg started hoarding all the possession amid the growing booing of the Vålerenga fans.

However, the game remained deadlocked at a score of 0:0 until the 20th minute, when an unfavorable change occurred. Christian Gamboa, the Rosenborg right-back, made a mistake and lost possession just after receiving a pass close to the centerline. It was a simple mistake born of a bit of laxity while controlling the ball. But it cost Rosenborg dearly.

Diego Calvo, Vålerenga's left-winger, pounced on the loose ball before any Rosenborg player could react. Without any pause, he controlled it mid-sprint before continuing to bolt across the green. He managed to race along the touchline on the left flank for more than a dozen yards before the Rosenborg defensive players could organize themselves into a proper defensive shape.

Amid the rising cheers of the home fans, the left-winger sent a lofted teasing cross towards Rosenborg's box just as he was about to step into the final third.

Mustafa Abdellaoue, the Vålerenga center-forward, managed to get to the end of the cross and plant a header into the top left corner from around the edge of the box. With that attempt, the tall forward succeeded in beating Lund Hansen, Rosenborg's goalkeeper, to score the first goal.

1:0.

Vålerenga IF, the pride of Oslo, had managed to strike and draw first blood in the 21st minute. The Vålerenga fans even became crazier than they'd been. They jumped up and down in the stands while shouting and clapping their hands to celebrate. The goal sent them into a frenzy of wild cheering that shook the entire Ullevaal Stadion to its very core.

Coach Johansen sighed, shaking his head as he watched the Vålerenga players celebrating their first goal. What he'd feared had happened. Some of his players were clearly still unfocused, mainly because of the chaos that'd ensued at the start of the game. That was why a few of them were starting to make amateur mistakes that early in the match. So, he decided to take a harsh decision and make a substitution right away to shake them up a bit.

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