The Greatest of all Time

Chapter 389 Prelude to the Europa League Final

　　Four days later, on a rainy Thursday evening, the Troll Kids played their domestic season's sixth Tippeligaen game against Sogndal IL at an away ground. For that game, Coach Johansen exercised caution. He benched most of his star players, including Zachary, Takumi Minamino, Thomas Partey, Nicki Nielsen, Yerry Mina, Mikael Dorsin, and Eric Bailly. His intent was to let them rest and save their energy for the finals against Sevilla the following Thursday.

　　But even without the star players, Rosenborg still showcased class and skill on the pitch. The second-stringers played as if their lives were on the line and dominated proceedings from the first minute. By relying on short and precise passes, they hoarded most of the ball possession and sustained tremendous pressure on Sogndal. And as expected, their efforts soon bore fruit, and they created their first goal-scoring opportunity during the 27th minute.

　　Karl Toko Ekambi burst through the wing like a bullet train on the rails before unleashing a curling lofted pass towards the area. His cross was spot on, and it managed to descend towards the position where Riku Riski, Rosenborg's right forward for the day, was lurking. The latter wasted no time leaping high to beat the opposing center-back. He effortlessly planted a header into the top right corner to score Rosenborg's 1st goal for the evening.

　　After the goal celebrations, the game continued. The Rosenborg players didn't let up the pressure and continued mounting relentless waves of attacks on Sogndal's defense. They combined their Tiki-taka style with wing play tactics to render the opponents helpless. But even then, they didn't manage to score until much later in the second half, during the 79th minute.

　　Tobias Mikkelsen, Rosenborg's right-winger who had just returned from injury, tore through Sogndal's defense like there was no tomorrow. He made an incredible mazy run from the wing before shooting from the edge of the box to score Rosenborg's second goal for the day.

　　After that, the Rosenborg players employed defensive tactics to weather the pressure of the final 10 minutes of the game. They remained solid at the back and ensured that the Sogndal attackers didn't create any opportunities at goal. Their efforts paid off, and in the end, they beat Sogndal away from home with a score of 2:0.

　　The win extended Rosenborg's domestic league unbeaten run in the new season to six games. As a result, the Troll Kids had again cemented their position at the top of the Tippeligaen table. They were the only team that had accumulated 18 points from 6 games. On the other hand, the second-placed Molde had only won 5 out of its six opening games to amass 15 points, while the third-placed Strømsgodset had only accumulated 14 points from the same number of games.

　　For sure, Rosenborg was already dominating the Norwegian League very early on in the season. And for that reason, the television pundits for the game sang high praises for the entire Rosenborg team during the post-match analysis session.

　　"I think we have been giving less credit to Rosenborg as a team," Roar Strand, one of the pundits, remarked. "We often think that only Zachary carries them through matches by scoring many incredible goals. But, let me remind you all that we can't be more wrong. The rest of the Rosenborg players are also doing wonders on the team. Take a look at Tobias Mikkelsen and Karl Toko Ekambi, for instance. In today's game, without Zachary, they were still spectacular. They played around with the Sogndal defenders and beat them repeatedly during the game. One provided the assist that resulted in the first goal, while the other scored the second. They are surely among some of the often-underrated Rosenborg players."

　　"You're right," Steffen Iversen, the second pundit, chimed in. "It's true that Zachary always outshines the rest of his teammates whenever he is present on the pitch. But without Zachary, I believe that Rosenborg would be a totally different team. Without him, they might not have won the domestic double last season, and they would definitely not have reached the Europa League finals. You have to understand that Zachary's presence on the team boosts the morale of his teammates. With him around, the players will do their utmost to try to match his level — and in the end; they'll put up incredible performances, like what we saw from Karl Toko Ekambi and Tobias today."

　　"That's a good point," Kjell Roar, the commentator, remarked. "But back to the game. Rosenborg's win has taken them to a six-match unbeaten run in the domestic league this year. Do you guys think Rosenborg can maintain this form until the end of the season? Can they win another domestic double?"

　　"That's a difficult question to answer before the transfer window," Steffen Iversen said. "If Rosenborg can retain most of the players, including Takumi Minamino, Eric Bailly, Thomas Partey, etcetera, then they will remain the favorites to win the league and the Norwegian Cup this year. However, if they sell off all their star players during the summer transfer window, they might end the year without any trophy."

　　"Even if they sell off the rest and keep only Zachary, they can still continue winning," Roar Strand chimed in with a chuckle. "But the question is: Can they convince Zachary to stay? There's a 50 million buy-out clause in his contract, and if Rosenborg tries to block his move to a bigger club, he might trigger it. And that would lower Zachary's selling price by a couple of a dozen million."

　　"I don't think anyone at Rosenborg should block Zachary from moving to a bigger club," Steffen Iversen remarked. "He has already done a lot for Rosenborg in his one year in Trondheim. Zachary helped Rosenborg win a double last year. This year, he has single-handedly pushed them through the knock-out stages of the Europa League, and now, they are in their first-ever Europa League finals. What else could Rosenborg want from him? They should consider his future and let him join a bigger club of his own liking. They should even give him a hero send-off when he's leaving during the upcoming transfer window."

　　"It's too early to talk about a hero send-off," Kjell Roar chimed in. "Zachary still has to play the Europa League finals six days later, on May 14th. If he can help Rosenborg win their first-ever European title, he'll go down in history books. The Rosenborg fans will idolize him, and if he wants to leave the club, they will send him off like a hero. But if Rosenborg loses the final against Sevilla, I can't predict the fan base's reaction. The supporters might even label him a 'Judas Iscariot' for leaving the team in dire straits."

　　"That's harsh," Roar Strand said. "But you're right. Winning can bring the best out of the fans. On the other hand, losing can bring the worst out of the fans. So, let's wait and see what will happen in the finals."

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　　After the game against Sogndal, the Rosenborg players took a one-day break before recommencing training. They spent the next four days doing their utmost to prepare for the Europa League finals.

　　Early in the morning, they would undergo fitness conditioning drills in the gym under the supervision of the coaches. Later in the morning, they would head to the training ground to go through the passing, positioning, and other team drills. They would then have lunch before returning to the training ground to continue the team drills. And finally, they would end their day with a team meeting in the tactics room, where the coaches would go over the possible game plans for the final against Sevilla.

　　Day in, day out, all the players worked harder than ever. The hours of practice quickly turned into days, and soon it was May 13th. It was finally the eve of the much-anticipated Europa League final battle between Sevilla and Rosenborg.

　　On that day, at 8:00 AM, Coach Johansen called the players into the tactics room at Lerkendal for another pre-match tactics meeting. He quickly gave a short analysis of Sevilla's weaknesses and usual style of play before going over the game plan for the umpteenth time that week.

　　Thirty minutes later, he rounded up his short speech about the tactics and immediately delved into naming the squad that would be heading to Turin to play in the Europa League finals the following day.

　　"These are the players on our starting line-up," he said, glancing around. "Daniel Örlund will be in goal against Sevilla tomorrow. Then, the four players - Mikael Dorsin, Tore Reginiussen, Yerry Mina, and Eric Bailly will be in defense. In our midfield, Thomas Partey, Takumi Minamino, and Zachary Bemba will be the players who hold the reins. And finally, on striking, we'll utilize Tobias Mikkelsen on the right flank, Alexander Söderlund on the left, and Nicki Nielsen as the center-forward. That is it for the players on the starting line-up."

　　"Moving on," the coach continued. "On the bench, we'll have the following players. Lund Hansen, William Troost-Ekong, Cristian Gamboa, Ole Selnæs, Mike Jensen, Karl Toko Ekambi, and Paul Kasongo. That's it for the squad heading to Turin for the finals. For those who didn't make the cut, don't lose heart. Keep working hard, and you'll surely get an opportunity to play for Rosenborg in the near future."

　　"For those on the squad, head back home and prepare. We'll be taking the bus to the airport at 11:00 AM. Our intent is to arrive in Turin by 6:00 PM today evening. Do you guys copy?"

　　"Yes, coach," the player replied, more or less in unison.

　　"Good." The coach nodded and glanced at his watch. "Let's meet in the parking lot in two hours. Please be on time."

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