THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Dead Ball Specialist I

"Zachary\, *tepuk*tepuk\, Rosenborg\, *tepuk*tepuk*\, Zachary\, *tepuk*tepuk..."

The fans around Kristin have long gone crazy with euphoria. After Zachary scored a perfect free-kick from a tight angle, everyone around him jumped in joy and started clapping while singing his name.

A storm of excitement has taken over the stands with Rosenborg fans, and it hasn't subsided since the time of the goal. Kristin also cheered and celebrated as she felt like the golden age of Rosenborg had returned once again. He does not believe that a simple boy, who only came to Europe two years ago, can put up such a display within a week of making his debut for Rosenborg.

"Then, it's something extraordinary from Zachary Bemba," Kristin heard Kjell Roar, the commentator, shout loudly. He seemed to be trying to make himself heard amid the loud chants and cheers that ruled the Lerkendal Stadium.

"OK, even me, as a commentator, I was at a loss for words after witnessing that free-kick" Roar continued. "Simple yet effective from a narrow angle and boom—ball was behind the goal, beyond the reach of Marcus Sahlman, the goalkeeper. That's the genius of 18-year-old Rosenborg number-33. Harald! You've been smiling at yourself ever since Zachary scored that goal."

"Yes, of course," Harald Brattbakk interjected. "I'm sure anyone who loves football will smile or laugh when they get the chance to watch a goal like that..."

"Let me correct you there," Kjell Roar interrupted. "I'm sorry to say it, but not everyone can smile and appreciate a goal like you do. Look at the stands with the Troms fans and tell me if they are happy after watching the goal."

Harald laughed at that before continuing. "It's a shame, then. As I said, the goal was the result of an effective curved ball that was executed perfectly. I have to say that Zachary is one of those players with groundless talent. His technique when taking free kicks is the epitome of perfection. Textbook perfection, if I may say. I was amazed by his angled kick to the ball and then his composure while making contact to release that curve out of the wall and into the top right corner. What's better is he went to the far post. Everything was perfect, and he kept the goalkeeper guessing until the last moment."

"Zachary must have practiced this technique many times at the training ground" continued the expert. "For me, this signifies making great players."

"Does the technique remind you of someone?" Kjell Roar asked.

"Well, yes," Harald quickly replied, his voice excited. "The technique of death ball is very similar to David Beckham. But I'm sure he has made his own technique. You can see that from its accuracy. He can break into the goal from any angle around the box. Last weekend, against Aalesunds, he scored one goal from the edge of the box in front of the bow. This time, he scored one goal from a narrow angle near the goal line. He's a great dead ball specialist."

"Thank you, Harald," said Kjell Roar. "Let's go back to live-action, where the game has just restarted after the goal. Coach Agnar Christensen reacted quickly and included Adnan Causevic, another defender, to cover the gap his captain left after the red card. Tromso's team slowly passed the ball in their back line..."

But Troms' attempt to hold the ball did not pay off. The Rosenborg players did not let go of the heat even after taking the lead. Instead, they increase their counter-pressing intensity. They ran into one of the opposing players with the ball like a tireless madman, never giving them a second to relax with the ball. Moments later, they managed to force the Troms players to play the ball aloft towards their centre-forward. The boys from the North can no longer accept pressure from Rosenborg in their backline.

Kristin smiled, thinking that Rosenborg would soon have the ball and continue attacking once more. But to his chagrin, Jonas Svensson, one of Rosenborg's holding midfielders, misused a long pass when he tried to intercept it.

Color faded from Kristin's face as he watched the ball bounce to a third of Rosenborg's defence, beyond the reach of Tore Reginiussen, and towards Zdenek Ondrasek, Troms' centre-forward.

The complicated long ball has kept two holding midfielders and one centre-back out of the equation, leaving Zdenek Ondrasek out of the running for a while. Rosenborg are in big trouble for the first time since the game began.

Zdenek Ondrasek pounced on the ball like a cat who had detected some catnip and controlled it like a pro he was. Without a doubt, he spun with the ball pointing to his left foot, passing Stefan Strandberg, one of Rosenborg's centre-backs, in the process. He then passed the ball forward and went towards the Rosenborg box, leaving defender Rosenborg in the dust.

"Geez, what we have here," Kristin heard Kjell Roar yell, her voice changing dramatically. "A long ball miraculously found its way to Zdenek Ondrasek, and he darted towards Rosenborg's box like a bullet train. Lund Hansen, Rosenborg's guard, came out to see him. Zdenek passed the ball past the goalkeeper. Holy hooch! What a missed opportunity! Goalkeeper Rosenborg managed to get the ball with his fingertips, pushing it away from his goal. What a rescue! It's a corner kick for Tromso."

Kristin sighed as she watched the ball come out of the game, missing from the post by just a few centimeters. In the 91st minute, Rosenborg conceded a goal.

"I think the defenders of Rosenborg have been asleep for too long" Harald, the match pundit, commented in a flat voice. "The missed ball that allowed Zdenek Ondrasek to get a game-changing chance was caused by the loss of concentration of Rosenborg players. I didn't expect such a weakness to show up here at this top level of football."

"Speaking about a lack of concentration" interrupted Kjell Roar. "Coach Johansen reacted immediately. Ole Selnaes, another young Rosenborg player, has already started warming up. He should have replaced Jonas Svensson, the defensive midfielder, who failed to record the length of the ball and created all the problems."

"Well," said Harald. “We only have four extra minutes of time for this match. If I was Rosenborg's coach, I would also start changing players at this point. He just needs to protect the one-goal advantage and must not let the risk of conceding a goal happen. A change of players can help him waste time while giving the players a few seconds to relax from the intensity of the game."

"Let's get you back to the action" said Kjell Roar, his voice slightly raised. "Hans Norbye, Troms right-back, launched a strong cross from the corner into the box. But Tore Reginiussen, Rosenborg's captain, jumped over the other players and intercepted the ball, heading it out of the box. ..." Commentators recited the words at machine gun speed while switching from English to Norwegian and back several times.